Chapters Chapter 1: Tree (Remastered)
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.”
Chapter 2: Muffin (Remastered)
After a few minutes of more hugs, the odd peck on the cheek and no further explanation, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were finally able to pry themselves away from Derpy’s overbearing forearms of affection. They crawled into an empty booth, while Derpy, as merrily as an eight-month pregnant mare could, skipped to the other side of the café.
Mrs. Cake reappeared moments later, balancing three pitchers of apple cider for Rainbow Dash, a glass of water for Scootaloo, and four massive blueberry muffins for Derpy, who eagerly patted her belly as if it were a drum. Despite the buzz of whispers from nearby tables, both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s minds were elsewhere. The bombshell Derpy had just dropped—claiming to be their birth mother—was still spinning in their heads, making the muffins on the table seem like an odd afterthought.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her temples, her headache growing. Meanwhile, Scootaloo leaned in, eager to learn more about this unbelievable twist in their lives.
“You really believe her?” Scootaloo whispered, eyes wide.
Rainbow Dash groaned. “I don’t know, squirt. My head feels like it’s about to explode. I mean, Derpy? Our mom? How does that even—?”. Rainbow Dash was interrupted by Derpy happily licking muffin crumbs off her cheeks. Rainbow let out a long sigh, then called out, “Hey, Derpy. Can we talk?
Derpy, mid-lick, paused and tilted her head. “Hmm? Talk about what, Dashie?”
“The whole you’re ‘our mother’ thing,” Rainbow replied, trying to keep her voice calm but failing miserably. “Can you explain how you came up with that idea?”
Derpy thought for a moment but before she answered the question, she smiled and said, “you know Dashie, I would prefer you to call me mother, but mommy is fine too.”
Rainbow Dash’s eye twitched. “Not happening.”
Derpy chuckled and patted her belly. “Oh, Dashie. So rebellious. I wonder who you get that from?”
Before Rainbow Dash could snap, Scootaloo jumped in and intervened. “Would you mind telling us how you’re our mother exactly?” asked Scootaloo, earning an incredulous glare from her honorary-soon-to-be-blood-related-sister.
“So where should I start?”
“From the beginning, Derpy,” groaned Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t like your tone, young lady,” she chastised. “You should really treat your mother with respect.”
“You’re not my mother, Derpy ,” snapped Rainbow Dash.
“Hey Rainbow Dash,” interjected Scootaloo, “why don’t we just listen to her story first.”
“Fine,” grumbled Rainbow Dash. “But I’m still not going to call you that.”
“I understand,” said Derpy sadly before continuing on with her story. “Well, it all started yesterday…
I was making Muffins at home, when I heard a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anypony to visit, so I went to open the door to greet the pony. “Good morning, Zecora,” I said.
“And a good morning to you as well,” she said. “Hmmm, is that cinnamon that I smell?”
“Yes, I’m making some muffins,” I replied as I licked a bit of batter off my cheek. It was really tasty. “It’s just missing something.”
“I have the perfect thing to add to your snack,” she said as she placed her bag down, “a bottle of vanilla extract.”
“That would be fantastic,” I said.
But before she could give me the bottle the Friendship Princess suddenly appeared and shouted, “Zecora, are you here?”
“Yes, Princess Twilight - Oi, Oi, Why are we taking flight?”
“No time to explain, we need your help,” she said before whisking her away. I don’t know why the Princess kidnapped Zecora, but my tummy was growling and I couldn’t wait for her to come back. I was so hungry.
“I’m so hungry,” I grumbled. At that moment, instead of waiting, I thought I’d grab the bottle from Zecora’s bag and then we could eat the muffins when she came back.
“As it turns out, the vanilla extract wasn’t vanilla extract,” she said warningly as she retrieved the empty bottle from her bag and gave it to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo took the bottle, reading the label out loud: “For producing great buns in the oven. Take with food.”
“It was a baby making potion,” she sighed, blushing with a maternal glow. “Zecora thinks I should give birth in a couple of days.”
Rainbow Dash was getting another headache. “Derpy-
“Mother-
“Listen, Derpy , it takes 11 months to make a baby not a couple of days,” she argued. “And beside you need a stallion to -,” she added before blushing profusely, “t-t-to you know … help.”
“Umm… Rainbow Dash,” interjected Scootaloo who held up the underside of the bottle.
Rainbow Dash snatched the bottle and read the rest of the label: “Fast acting. Stallion not required. Warning: do not consume raspberries as it may further reduce gestation period. Wait! Don't tell me-
“They were the sweetest raspberry and white chocolate muffins I ever tasted,” added Derpy.
“Derpy -
“Mother-
“Will you stop that!” rebuked Rainbow Dash before pointing to the basket Derpy had brought. “Are these the same muffins as you ate yesterday?”
“Hmmm,” said Derpy as she examined them. “Ah-huh,” she replied before licking her lips. “Yeah, and they do sure look - hey!”
Before Derpy could even blink, Rainbow Dash launched herself across the table, snatched the muffin from Derpy’s hooves, and—with a wild, over-the-shoulder throw—sent the entire basket soaring out the window. A nearby pony yelped as muffins rained down from the sky.
“My muffins! Aww, I wanted to eat those,” Derpy pouted, eyes wide with disappointment.
“How do you know you’re having twins?” Scootaloo asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
“Well, I ate two muffins,” Derpy explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “So that must mean that I am having twins.”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh my gosh, does that mean we really are sisters?”
“Hold your horses, Scootaloo,” interjected Rainbow Dash who wasn’t quite convinced. “Alright Derpy-
“Mother.”
“I’m still not calling you that,” snapped Rainbow Dash, before taking a quick breath to regain her composure. “Alright, what you said doesn’t make sense. Firstly twins? Please! If you hadn’t noticed there’s a rather significant age gap between Scootaloo and I.”
“Silly Dashie, babies don’t come out at the same time! There’s always a gap!”, chuckled Derpy. “Everypony knows that.”
“Minutes maybe,” Rainbow barked, “but we’re talking years. Years !”
Derpy paused. “Well, that is unusual. I wouldn’t want to be in labour for that long.”
Rainbow groaned. “And another thing—I’m older than you! We grew up together, remember? I used to walk you to school. I even had to teach you how to fly!”
Scootaloo’s ears perked up. “Wait, Derpy, you couldn’t fly as a filly either?”
Derpy smiled. “Nope! My wings were too small. They couldn’t lift me off the ground.”
“Really, me too!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her wings buzzing in excitement. “So how did you help your wings grow? Did it take long? How old were you?”
“Well I-”
“Stop humouring her,” interrupted Rainbow Dash. “As I was saying, I did those things because Mom-
“But I’m your mother-”
“The Mare that raised me ,” growled Rainbow Dash, “wanted me to be your friend.”
“Well that’s just silly,” dismissed Derpy. “We can’t be friends because I’m your mo-
“YOU’RE NOT MY MOM !”
“Mom - I mean Derpy,” began Scootaloo who noticed an even larger plot hole in Derpy’s story. “How can you be pregnant with us now?”
“Thank you!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Umm… ” was all that Derpy could mutter when all of sudden, the doors burst open and a gust of wind blew into the store, “Doctor!”
“MR. CAKE!” shouted the mysterious stallion.
“UH-YES!?!” stuttered the hapless baker. “Can I help you?”
Breathing heavily with sweat dripping from his brow, the stallion marched to the counter until he was only inches away from Mr. Cake’s face. “I need a chocolate overload ice cream cake, ten caramel fudge sticks dipped in butter, half a dozen strawberry, cheesecake muffins, and a Pinkie Pie supreme-super special-scrumptious-surprise-birthday cake, and I need it now!”
“Is this for a party-
“For me.”
The baker began to fluster at his response. “But that amount of sugar-
“Do it,” he ordered, his patience running thin.
“But Dr. Whooves,” protested Mrs. Cake who came to the aid of her husband, “the sugar rush alone would kill you!”
“I DON’T CARE, WOMAN! IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I WANT TO LIVE!” he shouted whilst laughing maniacally.
“Right… why don’t you grab a seat?” Mrs. Cake suggested weakly.
Dr. Whooves spun around, scanning the room. Derpy started to wave him over but was swiftly yanked back into her seat by Rainbow.
“Derpy!” Rainbow hissed. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t know much about time,” began Derpy slowly, “but Dr. Whooves does.”
“Who?”
“Not Who, Whooves. He’s my friend and a time expert,” smiled Derpy. “He has all sorts of clocks at home. Big clocks, little clocks, coo-coo clocks. He could probably answer Dashie’s questions.”
“How does that - ugh, whatever,” conceded Rainbow Dash.
“Dr. Whooves,” shouted Derpy as she beckoned the stallion. “Doctor, come sit with us.”
“Ah Derpy,” smiled the Doctor as he plodded over to Derpy. “It’s so very good to see you.”
“Is something wrong? You look very stressed.”
Taking a seat, the colour in his face began to fade as the Doctor spoke nonchalantly, “Oh it’s nothing. Just the very fabric of time and space is unravelling as we speak, and without understanding the source and cause of it, we could very well enter into a paradox of immense magnitude and apocalyptic severity that ends the very existence of the universe itself.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” replied Derpy empathetically.
“Yes, well I’ve also been suffering a bout of indigestion and a crick in my neck, but other than that it's quite fine and dandy. Say, is there something different about you? Is it your mane?”
“No, I’m expecting,” blushed the mare.
“Really!? Congratulations,” smiled the Doctor. “I do need some good news to cheer me up. So who's the father?”
“A muffin.”
“A muffin! How- wait a muffin?”
“So you’re Dr. Whooves?” interrupted Rainbow Dash.
“Yes?” replied Dr. Whooves as he looked over the blue pegasus. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Rainbow Dash and this is Scootaloo, and we were hoping you could help us with a little problem.”
“Sure why not, we only have four hours to live,” answered Dr. Whooves.
“Yes, we were hoping you could explain something. Derpy here-
“Mommy.”
“I AM NOT CALLING YOU THAT!”
“You do have to excuse Dashie’s behaviour,” said Derpy dejectedly, “She’s just acting a bit rebellious. I wasn’t a very good mother.”
“YOU’RE NOT MY MOTHER.”
“What Derpy is trying to say,” Scootaloo interjected, trying to ease the situation, “is that she thinks we’re her daughters.”
“More than that,” Rainbow Dash added, exasperated. “She thinks the twins in her belly are us. And for some stupid reason, she expects you to explain how that’s possible.”
Dr. Whooves blinked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “What on Equestria makes her think that?”
“Because she ate a stupid muffin,” Rainbow Dash snapped, clearly at her limit.
“Two muffins, actually,” Derpy corrected, raising a hoof sheepishly.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and presented the two pieces of muffin-shaped charms along with the letters. “These were given to us by our birth mother. We think they’re connected.”
Dr. Whooves adjusted his glasses, peering closely. “Aren’t these the charms I made for you yesterday, Derpy?”
Derpy nodded, pulling out her own necklace. “Yes, but these are mine.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened as he compared the evidence. “Extraordinary!” he exclaimed. “Almost identical in every way…”
“So …” began Scootaloo nervously. “What do you think?”
“It could all be just a coincidence,” he said thinking out loud.
Rainbow’s face lit up with smug satisfaction. “See? I told you—"
“But,” Dr. Whooves interrupted, holding up a hoof, “it is possible.”
Rainbow Dash froze, her smile vanishing. “How?”
“Time travel, obviously,” Dr. Whooves said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “With time travel, anything is possible. You could meet Princess Celestia as a filly or visit your great-great-grandfoals.”
Scootaloo’s eyes sparkled. “Wait, so I could stop myself from that skydiving stunt that left a scar on my flank?”
Dr. Whooves chuckled. “Oh, no, no. It’s not that simple, my dear. Ever heard of the grandfather paradox?”
“Para-what?” Scootaloo asked, blinking.
He straightened his bowtie, warming up to the topic. “If you went back in time and—oh, say—eliminated your grandfather, your father wouldn’t be born. Which means you wouldn’t be born. But if you weren’t born, how could you go back and eliminate your grandfather in the first place? That’s the paradox.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, or maybe muffin magic knocked her up,” she muttered under her breath.
The Doctor ignored her. “Anyway, if your parents never existed, neither would you. Time travel is messy that way. Do you understand?”
“Sort of,” Scootaloo mumbled, scratching her head.
"So basically, it an impossible situation that is unlikely to happen, right?" Rainbow Dash asked flatly, and with a sense of finality.
“Well yes, in that situation it would be impossible because it's a paradox. Now to go back in time—"
“ENOUGH! I’ve had it!” Rainbow Dash snapped, throwing her hooves in the air. “I’m outta here.”
“But wait! We haven’t finished!” Dr. Whooves protested. “I haven’t even explained how the space-time continuum—"
“No, you’ve had your fun, and -”
“Mother-” interjected Derpy.
“Has had her fun too ,” she growled before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I’m going home.”
“Wait, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo pleaded, hopping in front of her. “We haven’t figured this out!”
Rainbow’s voice softened. “Squirt, I hate to burst your bubble, but she’s not our mom. She’s just… confused. Our mom is out there somewhere, but she's not here!”
Scootaloo looked despondent. “I guess time travel is a bit far-fetched, huh?”
Rainbow’s expression softened as she wrapped a hoof around Scootaloo. “Doesn’t matter if she’s our mom or not. You’ll always be my sister. That’s what counts.”
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo smiled, leaning into the embrace.
Dr. Whooves sighed. “Shame that it doesn’t matter really. I mean to go back in time you’d need a - hey wait a moment! Derpy, when did you say you were due?”
“In an hour or two,” Derpy replied casually.
“WHAT?! YOU SAID A COUPLE OF DAYS!” Rainbow Dash shrieked.
“I thought so!” Derpy said defensively, rubbing her belly. “But you two are getting really impatient!”
The Doctor’s eyes lit up.“Great Scott! Of course, why didn’t I see that before!”
Scootaloo tilted her head. “Uh… Doctor?”
He jumped up, pacing frantically. “Don’t you see? This was meant to happen! The muffin, the potion, the mix-up—everything! The space-time continuum depends on it!”
“Wait—WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash blurted out, utterly lost.
“We need you - I mean the baby versions of you - to go back in time, or otherwise it affects the space time continuum.”
“You’re still not making a lot of sense.”
“How can you not understand - wait, sorry, I can go on a bit of a rant and get a bit ahead of myself. Let me explain, we are currently in a fixed timeline.”
“A fixed timeline?” asked Scootaloo.
“Remember the grandfather’s paradox. It’s only a paradox if you go back in time when you weren’t meant to and therefore create a paradoxical situation. A fixed timeline is when you are meant to go back in time to ensure that the present happens.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t follow,” said Scootaloo.
“You know Rarity.”
“Of course, I do, she’s my best friend’s sister.”
“Imagine if she came up with this year’s dress design, because Applejack gave her pictures of her dress 6 months ago.”
“Wait, so you’re saying that - ”
“You girls are only here, because Derpy went back in time and gave you up to your respective families. So it is possible that you were twins in the womb, but born in different timelines and hence given two completely different families. The fact that you are standing here and that Derpy is currently pregnant with you is proof of that. However in order to ensure the continuity of this timeline - ”
“So, we’re really… her daughters?” Rainbow’s voice wavered, disbelief in her eyes.
“Well, yes,” the Doctor said firmly. “And we need to deliver the baby versions of you two to the correct timelines before the universe collapses upon itself!”
“So does this mean I have to leave my daughters behind to complete strangers,” said Derpy as she began to tear up.
“I’m afraid so,” said Dr. Whooves apologetically. “The current timeline is based upon you leaving your foals with their foster parents. I can’t say why you did it originally, but it’s a fixed point in time now. So, we can’t safely mess with it.”
“Can’t I at least keep them around for a month? Just to get them comfortable before we part?” Derpy asked as the situation started to become more real than it had been a few moments ago.
“I’m afraid not,” Dr. Whooves said gently. “Fixed points must remain unchanged…”
“But, surely four weeks wouldn’t hurt? I just came up with the best birthday party, just ten minutes ago...” Derpy insisted as the gravity of the situation caught on.
“Can’t do that either…” Dr. Whooves countered as Derpy slowly worked her requests for time to smaller and smaller numbers, and her mood seemed to fall with it.
Rainbow’s resolve wavered as Derpy’s eyes filled with tears. It was unbearable.
Suddenly, Rainbow stepped outside, her heart heavy. She leaned against the gingerbread wall of the bakery, struggling with her emotions. Scootaloo followed, looking up at her.
“Rainbow Dash, why’d you leave?” Scootaloo asked, confused. “Can’t you see Derpy’s crying?”
“Squirt, it’s not something I can help with. I don’t travel through time. And, I can’t be that foal that she’s about to leave behind. Rainbow sighed, looking down at her hooves. “ I can’t replace my parents with some mare I barely know.”
“Nopony asked you,” Scootaloo began, her voice shaking. “Derpy didn’t, at least. She just wants you to make some space in your heart for her. That’s all. Don’t you remember? Family is more than blood. It’s love. And she loves us, Rainbow.”
Rainbow blinked, hearing her own words echoed back at her. Could she really open her heart to two mothers?
Scootaloo stormed back inside, leaving Rainbow alone to think. After a moment, Rainbow sighed, stood up, and followed.
But when she re-entered Sugarcube Corner, Derpy and Dr. Whooves were gone. Scootaloo sat alone at the table, staring at their necklaces and letters.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” Rainbow whispered, cheeks burning with guilt. “You were right. I’m sorry.”
Scootaloo sniffled, her eyes still on the table. “I know… but we missed them. Mom left while we were outside. She left a note.” Scootaloo slid it over to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow read the note quietly, then nodded. “We’ll see her tomorrow, okay?”
As they headed home, Pinkie Pie bursts in with a tray full of desserts. “Who ordered the—hey, where’d everypony go?”
She scanned the empty room, her eyes wide as she became increasingly annoyed. “HEY! I didn’t even get to me sing my time-travel song!”
The sun had just begun to paint the sky with hues of gold, casting a warm glow through Rainbow Dash’s window. She had hoped that the early morning light might bring some clarity, but yesterday’s revelations clung to her thoughts like the lingering fog outside. After a brief stretch, she flew downstairs to the kitchen, her mind still tangled in the threads of a bizarre dream filled with Sonic Rainbooms, time machines, and—of all things—muffins.
As she stood in front of the pantry, she began rifling through its contents. “Oats?” she muttered, tossing the bag onto the counter. “Cereal?” She shook her head and let the box fall to the heap of rejected options. Then her eyes landed on a pack of six muffins—her favorite.
But instead of comfort, the sight sent a shiver down her spine. A flash of Derpy’s goofy smile from her dream flickered in her mind, and a knot tightened in her chest. She quickly slammed the pantry door shut. “Nope, not today,” she muttered.
Without another thought, Rainbow flew out of the house, hoping that a blast of fresh morning air would clear her head. She touched down at her mailbox, but the crisp air did little to dispel the chaos swirling in her mind. As she opened the mailbox, two letters greeted her: a boring advertisement from Barnyard Bargains and a brightly colored envelope from Scootaloo.
Rainbow tore open the envelope with her teeth, pulling out a cheerful letter written in Scootaloo’s messy hoofwriting.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!
Can’t wait to see you again. Don’t forget, we’re meeting Derpy today!
Love, your little sister, Scootaloo.”
Rainbow’s stomach churned. “Right... today,” she muttered, feeling a heavy weight settle over her. The thought of seeing Derpy again sent waves of unease through her. Yesterday’s revelations had turned her world upside down, and she still hadn’t figured out how to deal with it. She hadn’t even found the courage to tell her parents—Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof—that Derpy was her real mother. How could she possibly explain that to them?
With a frustrated sigh, Rainbow Dash made up her mind to skip Wonderbolts practice. “I can’t deal with this right now,” she mumbled, heading toward Ponyville. Her thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of everything, but nothing seemed to add up.
As she wandered aimlessly, lost in thought, something barreled into her from the side, sending her tumbling through the dirt.
“Whoa!” she yelped, flailing as she hit the ground in a tangle of limbs and wings.
“Rainbow!” Applejack’s voice called out, panicked.
Rainbow groaned, rubbing her head as she looked up. “Applejack? What the hay was that for?”
“Sorry, sugarcube, but have ya seen Rarity?” Applejack asked, eyes wide with urgency.
“Uh, no. Why?”
Applejack glanced around nervously, like she expected something to jump out of the bushes. “I can’t explain it all right now, but I gotta give her this book—” she held up an old, weathered tome “—and if I don’t, somethin’ real bad’s gonna happen.”
Rainbow blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense!”
Applejack hesitated, clearly battling with her own thoughts. “It’s... it’s a time thingy!”
“A *what* now?”
"Listen, just—just forget we even had this conversation, alright?” Applejack looked more desperate by the second. “Promise me!”
Rainbow’s confusion deepened. "Uh... sure, I guess?"
Without another word, Applejack sprinted off, leaving Rainbow standing in the middle of the road, utterly baffled. "That was... weird," she muttered, shaking her head.
A couple of minutes later, Rainbow spotted Applejack again, calmly pulling an apple cart like nothing had happened. “Applejack?!”
Applejack looked up, smiling. “Mornin’, sugarcube! What’s got you in such a tizzy?”
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. "But... weren’t you just running off like the world was ending, talking about some book you had to give Rarity?"
Applejack blinked, clearly puzzled. "Book? What book?"
Rainbow’s wings flared in frustration. "Are you seriously telling me you don’t remember? You were just panicking about a book and a 'time thingy!'"
Applejack tilted her head. "Dash, you feelin' alright?"."
“I—ugh, never mind!” Rainbow Dash threw her hooves in the air, exasperated, and flew off, leaving her friend in the dust.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur of confusion. Nothing seemed to make sense, from the strange encounter with Applejack to the constant thoughts of Derpy that nagged at the back of her mind. By the time she reached Ponyville, she was emotionally exhausted.
She was nearing Sugarcube Corner when the familiar buzzing sound of Scootaloo’s scooter reached her ears.
“Hey, big sister!” Scootaloo skidded to a stop in front of Rainbow Dash, her face lit up with excitement.
Rainbow Dash forced a smile. “Hey, little sis.”
"Hey... little sister," Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. "So, it’s official, huh?"
"Yup!" Scootaloo beamed, still glowing with excitement. "We're sisters, and twins to boot! I was so excited, I had to tell my Aunts."
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "And how did they take it?"
"They were a bit confused at first, especially the 'twins' part," Scootaloo giggled. "But I think they accepted it in the end. They even want to meet you and Mom later!"
Rainbow Dash hesitated. "Right... So, how did you go with your homework?" Rainbow asked, eager to shift the conversation.
Scootaloo scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Well... I got an A for creativity... not so much for, you know, integrity ."
Rainbow Dash laughed dryly. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't have believed it either."
Scootaloo’s enthusiasm didn’t waver. “Oh, come on! It’s not every day you find out you have a sister—and that your real mom is Derpy of all ponies! How cool is that?”
Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously, though her heart wasn’t in it. “Yeah... cool.”
Scootaloo tilted her head. “You okay, Rainbow?”
Rainbow sighed. “I don’t know, kid. This whole thing... it’s just a lot. I haven’t even told my parents yet. How am I supposed to explain that Derpy is our birth mother?”
Scootaloo’s excitement dimmed slightly. “Do you think they’ll be mad?”
Rainbow chuckled dryly. "Are you kidding? They’d probably throw her a parade for giving birth to me and letting them raise me."
Scootaloo giggled. "Yeah, I can totally see that happening."
Rainbow smiled, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane "But they'll be happier knowing that you're my little sister."
Scootaloo could help but relish the thought and beamed a huge smile.
As they approached Derpy’s house, the mailmare herself trotted over, her eyes lighting up when she saw them. "Both of my babies are here!" Derpy exclaimed, pulling them into a warm embrace.
"Hi, Mom!" Scootaloo said brightly, while Rainbow managed a more subdued, "Hey."
Derpy’s eyes misted with happiness. "It’s so wonderful to see you two together. It feels like just yesterday I was holding you both."
Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof to her forehead. "That’s because it was yesterday," she grumbled.
Derpy giggled, clearly missing the sarcasm. "Oh, right! Muffin time!" She produced a basket of freshly baked muffins, the scent filling the air.
Both of the girls' eyes locked onto the single chocolate chip muffin that sat gloriously on top of the basket. "So, who gets first pick?" Scootaloo asked, her mouth already watering.
"I do," Rainbow said, smirking. "Older sister’s privilege."
Derpy blinked. "But Dashie, you can't be older. Scootaloo was born first."
Both Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash froze before staring at their mother utterly befuddled. "Wait, what? "
Rainbow’s face dropped. "What? Second ? But I never come second!"
"But, how?" Scootaloo asked, scratching her head.
Derpy nodded sweetly. “It’s a time thing. But don’t worry about it! Muffin time!”
Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped, while Scootaloo’s face lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree.
"Oh my gosh, this is so awesome! I have a younger sister! That means I get first pick!" she squealed, snatching the muffin right from under Rainbow’s nose. "Older sister's privilege afterall."
"MOM!" Rainbow protested as Scootaloo gleefully took a bite.
Derpy just smiled, offering Rainbow another muffin. "It’s all relative in time, Dashie."
Author's Note
Doctor Whooves here.
Well I expect that every pony is going to want some sort of explanation as to who is the older and younger sister.
As you are aware, Scootaloo was born first, and because we were on such a tight schedule - with the collapse of the universe and all - we had to give her to her Aunts' in 912. By the time Rainbow Dash was born, we just managed to get to 905, in time for her to be the daughter of Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof.
So clearly, Rainbow Dash is the younger sibling, while Scootaloo is the older. I guess Rainbow Dash is just going to have to get used to being second.
While most of the fillies and colts eagerly listened to Cheerilee as she finished her lessons for the day. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was one of the few that eagerly watched the clock tick down to 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,” Cheerilee added smiling, while Scootaloo groaned. This project was going to be difficult, for a couple of reasons.
Surprisingly, several other colts and fillies moaned as well. Apple Bloom groaned. Scootaloo didn’t envy her. She was going to need a lot of paper to make that tree.
“Umm, Ms. Cheerilee,” said Archer, “What if somepony only knows who their parents are?”
“Just put down whatever you can,” Cheerilee encouraged with a big smile.
That was the first problem. Scootaloo’s paper was going to be blank either way. Unless she was allowed to count her “aunts.”
“I don’t know why everypony is moaning, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara eagerly stated in her usual braggadocious way. “I, for one, think this is a great chance to show everypony in class just how many great ponies are in both of our families.”
Scootaloo’s head hit the table. That was the other problem. She didn’t want anypony to know she was an orphan. The thought of other ponies knowing about it scared her. Their knowing would change everything -- possibly even her relationship with Rainbow Dash.
And that thought kept Scootaloo’s attention as she absent-mindedly rode her scooter home. However, her ride was interrupted when she noticed Rainbow Dash shouting at Derpy.
“Derpy!” Rainbow Dash shouted “How could you get the packages confused again?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what went wrong,” Derpy apologized, her drooping ears, and the hint of shame displayed in the way that neither of her eyes could look Rainbow Dash in the eye.
“Ugh, you are such a scatterbrain sometimes!” growled Rainbow Dash. “And have you been gaining weight?”
“Well, just a little,” confessed the distressed mare.
“How many times have I told you to watch what you eat? It’s Ponyville’s turn to supply water for Cloudsdale next week and I need all pegasi to be in top shape.”
“I’m sorry.”
Rainbow Dash shook her head and sighed. “Derpy, just fix it. And lay off the muffins.”
Derpy nodded meekly, and flew off.
“Hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo shouted as she rode up to the cyan pegasus.
“Hey squirt, what’s up?”
“Not to much. I just got this really dumb piece of homework to do,” Scootaloo said as casually as she could. “I’m supposed to chart out my family tree. Talk about dumb, eh? I mean, who even knows that much about their family,” Scootaloo nervously admitted. It was a lot to reveal, but some treacherous part of her wanted to admit her private shame and fear to her honorary older sister.
“Heh, I know what you mean,” Rainbow Dash admitted with a whistle as she ruffled Scootaloo’s mane playfully. “I don’t think I could do it. I never knew my birth parents,” Rainbow Dash whispered into Scootaloo’s ear.
“You too?” Scootaloo whispered in surprise. However, she quickly closed her mouth as she realized she’d admitted too much. Rainbow Dash simply gave her a sympathetic look, and said nothing.
“Wait?!” Scootaloo asked with a double take. “But, I met your parents.”
“They’re my adopted family,” Rainbow Dash explained. “My parents couldn’t conceive a foal of their own. I think that’s why my birth mom chose to drop me off at their house.”
“My mom did the same thing,” Scootaloo admitted. “But, she left me with my ‘aunts’. 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 an awesome couple. 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 of all 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 questioned 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.
“Hey Aunt Lofty, Aunt Holiday!” Scootaloo called out as she opened the door to the small house, and let herself in.
“Hey Scootaloo,” Aunt Holiday greeted. “How was your day?” she asked.
“Pretty good,” Scootaloo said as she tried not to let on her feelings about her homework.
“But…?” Aunt Holiday asked as she sensed Scootaloo’s reservations.
“Well...” Scootaloo mumbled as she rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. “Ms. Cheerilee wants me to make a complete family tree for class, and I don’t know anyone in my family but you two,” Scootaloo admitted with a slight frown.
“Ahh. Well, I don’t know much about your mom, either,” Aunt Holiday apologetically stated. “But, I think I have something that might help,” Aunt Holiday offered as she encouraged Scootaloo to follow her up to the attic, where she pulled out a small horseshoe box.
“Wow! What’s that?!” Scootaloo asked with excitement as she looked at her Aunt Holiday intently.
“It’s a few momentos from our family,” Aunt Holiday explained with a smile. “It’s got everything from my little brother’s first baseball card to a couple of things that your mom left with us before she galloped off,” Aunt Holiday added with a smirk as she saw Scootaloo’s eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.
Aunt Holiday rummaged through the box until she pulled out a couple of small items. “Ahh, here we are,” she exclaimed with a smile. “Your mom left this letter and necklace,” Aunt Holiday added as she reached out to place the small silver bauble, and letter into Scootaloo waiting hoof.
“It’s half of a muffin,” Scootaloo whispered as she stared at the enigma sitting on her outstretched hoof.
“Yeah, your Aunt Lofty thought so too...” Aunt Holiday admitted with a shrug. “You see, your mom showed up one night, and almost pounded our door down. Well, you have to understand my surprise when she galloped off the moment we opened the door,” Aunt Holiday explained. “Still, she left two letters with you. One that positively begged us to care for you. And the other was addressed to you. We’ve been wanting to show it to you for years. But, we were waiting till you were a bit older,” Aunt Holiday admitted.
“It… It’s just like Rainbow Dash’s story,” Scootaloo mumbled. “Aunt Holiday, I need to see Rainbow Dash really quickly,” Scootaloo explained before she turned tail, dashed out of the house, and down the road towards Rainbow Dash’s house.
The bell rang over the door to Sugarcube Corner as Scootaloo saw herself in. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been at her house, or at Twilight’s castle so Scootaloo had guessed that this was where the pegasus was… Or Pinkie Pie would probably know where the pegasus had gone off to.
Scootaloo’s spirits were lifted when she found Rainbow Dash sitting at one of the tables talking animatedly to Pinkie Pie. “... I don’t know why she bugs me. She just does, sometimes,” Scootaloo heard Rainbow Dash admit to Pinkie Pie as she got a bit closer.
“Why though? You two are so much alike,” Pinkie Pie mused as she looked at Rainbow Dash with that constant smile of hers.
“We’re nothing alike,” Rainbow Dash objected. “Name one way we are similar.”
“You both have wings!” joked Pinkie Pie.
“That’s because we’re both pegasi,” retorted Rainbow Dash.
“You also have the same mane and tail style, you both love Pumpkin Spice Lattes, you both can be a bit clumsy and, you both are pretty loyal where it counts,” Pinkie Pie added before Scootaloo finally managed to pull up to the table.
“Rainbow Dash! I made an amazing discovery!” Scootaloo shouted as her eagerness simply oozed in her body language. “You gotta get your momento, and letter, please?” Scootaloo begged as she looked at Rainbow Dash with her big dooey eyes.
“Pinkie,” Mrs. Cake called out. “Can you come out back here and help us with this order.”
“Sure thing, Mrs. Cake,” she replied and disappeared behind the counter.
“What? What’s going on squirt? Why would you want to see those old things again?” Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to piece together what Scootaloo had just told her at a mile a minute.
“You see, my mom left me a letter and a momento too,” Scootaloo explained as she eagerly pulled out the envelope, and bauble she’d galloped out of the house with, and placed them on the table. “I think it matches yours, so I wanted to double check,” Scootaloo chirped as she jumped a bit into the air, and fluttered her wings in a clear sign of excitement.
“Here, let me take a look,” Rainbow Dash stated calmly as she tried to calm down the filly. Carefully she pulled out her necklace, and then placed it on the table next to Scootaloo’s bauble. She then pulled up the letter, and carefully read it.
“Whoa! It can’t be,” Rainbow Dash said in pure surprise as she noticed just how similar Scootaloo’s letter looked to her own. She then carefully slid the two baubles next to each other. Much to her surprise the two pieces fit together to form one singular silver muffin necklace. “We’re sisters?” Rainbow Dash considered with a stunned looked written on her face.
“I know! Isn’t it great! We’re not just honorary sisters, but we’re blood sisters!” Scootaloo shouted with glee as she jumped several feet into the air -- almost hitting the ceiling -- and slowly hovered down on her small wings.
“How could it be?” Rainbow Dash mumbled in disbelief. However, both ponies were interrupted as Derpy walked up to the table.
“Rainbow Dash, you got some new mail,” Derpy said as she walked over, and dropped a letter, and a basket of muffins on the table right in front of Rainbow Dash.
“Derpy… I don’t really want an apology muffin,” Rainbow Dash grumbled, while Scootaloo intently looked at some of the words on the letter.
“But I wanted to apologize for messing up your order,” said Derpy sincerely.
“It’s okay I already for-” Rainbow Dash stopped in mid-sentence as she noticed that Derpy’s stomach had gotten significantly larger since she last saw her. “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 glanced over the apology note from behind Rainbow, getting the strange feeling that she’d seen that handwriting before. Her eyes then drifted to a very familiar piece of jewellry around Derpy’s neck.
“Wait, Derpy! Where did you get your muffin necklace?” Scootaloo asked, causing Rainbow to turn towards the grey mare as well.
“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.
“Too tight! Too tight!” Scootaloo cried out.
“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 ruckus between the three mares earned the attention of every customer in Sugar Cube Corner who watched with curiosity and bewilderment. Hoping to calm things down, Mrs. Cake approached the trio cautiously, “Umm… Derpy, sweetie, I’d hate to break this up but young Scoots is turning blue.”
“Huh,” uttered Derpy, releasing her grip on Scootaloo, and sending both her and Rainbow Dash to project themselves into a nearby wall. “Oh my, are you girls alright?” cried Derpy as she rushed to their aid. “Did you break anything?”
“Just my pride,” groaned Rainbow Dash. “You, squirt?”
“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.
“Umm… can I get you anything?” asked Mrs. Cake.
“A tall glass of water,” mumbled Scootaloo as she was being smothered.
“Cider!” added Rainbow Dash. “A LOT of cider.”
After a few minutes of more hugs, the odd peck on the cheek and no further explanation, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were finally able to pry themselves away from Derpy’s overbearing forearms of affection. They crawled into an empty booth, whilst Derpy skipped as merrily as an eight-month pregnant mare could on the other side.
Once they had settled, Mrs. Cake reappeared with their order, three pitchers of apple cider for Rainbow Dash, a glass of water for Scootaloo and four large blueberry muffins for a famished Derpy. Despite the whispers that could be heard around them, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s attention was elsewhere. Learning that they possibly shared the same birth mother and were blood-related sisters was one thing, but to realize that Derpy was pregnant with twins and claimed to be the said mother was another.
Rainbow Dash’s head was throbbing, whereas Scootaloo was eager to learn more about how she and her hero were closely related… even if it meant the odd and far-fetched possibility that Derpy was their mother. Derpy’s attentions were mostly focused on consuming as much food as ponily possible.
“Do you believe her?” whispered Scootaloo.
“I don’t know,” groaned Rainbow Dash as she rubbed her forehead and watched Derpy lick the remaining crumbs off her cheeks. “Derpy,” she called, “can we talk for a minute?”
“Hmm? What about Dashie?” asked the glowing mare.
“The whole you’re ‘our mother’ thing,” groaned Rainbow Dash. “I just don’t understand how you came to that idea. Can you somehow explain that to us?”
Derpy thought for a moment but before she answered the question, she smiled and said, “you know Dashie, I would prefer you to call me mother, but mommy is fine too.”
“Not happening,” snapped Rainbow Dash.
“So rebellious,” retorted Derpy. “I wonder who you get that from?”
Before Rainbow Dash could respond, Scootaloo jumped in and intervened. “Would you mind telling us how you’re our mother exactly?” asked Scootaloo, earning an incredulous glare from her honorary-soon-to-be-blood-related-sister.
“So where should I start?”
“From the beginning, Derpy,” snapped Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t like your tone, young lady,” she chastised. “You should really treat your mother with respect.”
“You’re not my mother, Derpy ,” retorted Rainbow Dash.
“Hey Rainbow Dash,” interjected Scootaloo, “why don’t we just listen to her story first.”
“Fine,” grumbled Rainbow Dash. “But I’m still not going to call you that.”
“I understand,” said Derpy sadly before continuing on with her story. “Well, it all started yesterday…
I was making Muffins at home, when I heard a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anypony to visit, so I went to open the door to greet the pony. “Good morning, Zecora,” I said.
“And a good morning to you as well,” she said. “Hmmm, is that cinnamon that I smell?”
“Yes, I’m making some muffins,” I replied as I licked a bit of batter off my cheek. It was really tasty. “It’s just missing something.”
“I have the perfect thing to add to your snack,” she said as she placed her bag down, “a bottle of vanilla extract.”
“That would be fantastic,” I said.
But before she could give me the bottle the Friendship Princess suddenly appeared and shouted , “Zecora, are you here?”
“Yes, Princess Twilight - Oi, Oi, Why are we taking flight?”
“No time to explain, we need your help,” she said before whisking her away. I don’t know why the Princess kidnapped Zecora, but my tummy was growling and I couldn’t wait for her to come back. I was so hungry.
“I’m so hungry,” I grumbled . At that moment, instead of waiting, I thought I’d grab the bottle from Zecora’s bag and then we could eat the muffins when she came back.
“As it turns out, the vanilla extract wasn’t vanilla extract,” she said warningly as she retrieved the empty bottle from her bag and gave it to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo took the bottle and read the label: “For producing great buns in the oven. Take with food.”
“It was a baby making potion,” she sighed, blushing with a maternal glow. “Zecora thinks I should give birth in a couple of days.”
Rainbow Dash was getting another headache. “Derpy-
“Mother-
“Listen, Derpy , it takes 11 months to make a baby not a couple of days,” she argued. “And beside you need a stallion to -,” she added before blushing profusely, “t-t-to you know … help.”
“Umm… Rainbow Dash,” interjected Scootaloo who held up the underside of the bottle.
Rainbow Dash snatched the bottle and read the rest of the label: “Fast acting. Stallion not required. Warning do not consume with raspberries as it may further reduce gestation period. Wait! Don't tell me-
“They were the sweetest raspberry and white chocolate muffins I ever tasted,” added Derpy.
“Derpy -
“Mother-
“Will you stop that!” rebuked Rainbow Dash before pointing to the basket Derpy had brought. “Are these the same muffins as you ate yesterday?”
“Hmmm,” said Derpy as she examined them. “Ah-huh,” she replied before licking her lips. “Yeah, and they do sure look - hey!”
Before she could enjoy them however, Rainbow Dash swooped the muffin from her mouth, grabbed the basket of muffins and threw them out the window.
“Aww… I was looking forward to eating those,” said Derpy dejectedly.
“How do you know you’re having twins?” asked Scootaloo, snapping the mare out of her depressed state.
“Well, I ate two muffins,” thought Derpy. “So that means I must being having twins.”
“Oh my gosh, does that mean we really are sisters?” shouted Scootaloo in jubilee. “So can I call you mom?”
“Hold your horses, Scootaloo,” interjected Rainbow Dash who wasn’t quite convinced. “Alright Derpy-
“Mother.”
“I’m still not calling you that,” snapped Rainbow Dash, before taking a quick breath to regain her composure. “Alright, what you said doesn’t make sense. Firstly twins? Please! If you hadn’t noticed there’s a rather significant age gap between Scootaloo and I.”
“But babies are born one after the other. Not at the same time,” chuckled Derpy. “Everypony know that.”
“Minutes maybe, but we’re talking years. Years! ”
“That’s is unusual,” agreed Derpy. “Who would have thought it was possible to have such a huge gap between births. I don’t want to have such a long labour.”
“Second, I’m older than you,” continued Rainbow Dash, ignoring Derpy’s remarks. “We lived next door since we were fillies. Don’t you remember? I walked you to school. I even had to help you learn to fly-”
“You couldn’t fly as a filly as well?” asked Scootaloo.
“Yes, you see my wings were too small to lift me off the ground,” admitted Derpy.
“Really, me too,” said Scootaloo excitedly. “So how did you help your wings grow? Did it take long? How old were you?”
“Well I-”
“Stop humoring her,” interrupted Rainbow Dash. “As I was saying, I did those things because Mom-
“But I’m your mother-”
“The Mare that raised me ,” growled Rainbow Dash, “wanted me to be your friend.”
“Well that’s just silly,” dismissed Derpy. “We can’t be friends because I’m your mo-
“YOU’RE NOT MY MOM!”
“Mom - I mean Derpy,” began Scootaloo who noticed an even larger plot hole in Derpy’s story. “How can you be pregnant with us now?”
“Thank you!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“Umm… ” was all that Derpy could mutter when all of sudden, the doors burst open and a gust of wind blew into the store, “Doctor!”
“MR. CAKE!” shouted the mysterious stallion.
“UH-YES!?!” stuttered the hapless baker. “Can I help you?”
Breathing heavily with sweat dripping from his brow, the stallion marched to the counter until he was only inches away from Mr. Cake’s face. “I need a chocolate overload ice cream cake, ten caramel fudge sticks dipped in butter, half a dozen strawberry, cheesecake muffins, and a Pinkie Pie supreme-super special-scrumptious-surprise-birthday cake, and I need it now!”
“Is this for a party-
“For me.”
The baker began to fluster at his response. “But that amount of sugar-
“Do it,” he ordered his patience running thin.
“But Dr. Whooves,” protested Mrs. Cake who came to the aid of her husband, “the sugar rush alone would kill you!”
“I DON’T CARE, WOMAN! IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD AND I WANT TO LIVE!” he shouted whilst laughing maniacally.
“Right, well how about you go find a seat and we’ll organize your order,” said Mrs. Cake, who was all too eager for him to leave.
“Splendid idea, now where to sit,” he said as he began to scan the room for an empty booth. Towards the back, Derpy rose and was about to beckon him over but was suddenly pulled back into her seat.
“Derpy, what are you doing,” interjected Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t know much about time,” began Derpy slowly, “but Dr. Whooves does.”
“Who?”
“Not Who, Whooves. He’s my friend and a time expert,” smiled Derpy. “He has all sorts of clocks at home. Big clocks, little clocks, coo-coo clocks. He could probably answer Dashie’s questions.”
Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted, whilst Scootaloo looked hopeful. “How does that - you know what never mind, whatever,” conceded Rainbow Dash.
“Dr. Whooves,” shouted Derpy as she beckoned the stallion. “Doctor, come sit with us.”
“Ah Derpy,” smiled the Doctor as he plodded over to Derpy. “It’s so very good to see you.”
“Is something wrong? You look very stressed.”
Taking a seat, the color in his face began to fade as the Doctor spoke nonchalantly, “Oh it’s nothing. Just the very fabric of time and space is being unraveled as we speak, and without understanding the source and cause of it, we could very well enter into a paradox of immense magnitude and apocalyptic severity that ends the very existence of the universe itself.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” replied Derpy empathetically.
“Yes, well I’ve also been suffering a bout of indigestion and a crick in my neck, but other than that quite fine and dandy. Say, is there something different about you? Is it your mane?””
“No, I’m expecting,” blushed the mare.
“Really!? Congratulations,” smiled the Doctor. “I do need some good news to cheer me up. So who's the father?”
“A muffin.”
“A muffin! How- wait a muffin?”
“So you’re Dr. Whooves?” interrupted Rainbow Dash.
“Yes?” replied Dr. Whooves as he looked over the blue pegasus. “And who might you be?”
“I’m Rainbow and this is Scootaloo, and we were hoping you could help us with a little problem,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Sure why not, we only have four hours to live,” answered Dr. Whooves.
“Yes, we we’re hoping you could explain something. Derpy here-
“Mommy.”
“I AM NOT CALLING YOU THAT!”
“You do have to excuse Dashie’s behavior,” said Derpy dejectedly, “She’s just acting a bit rebellious. I wasn’t a very good mother.”
“YOU’RE NOT MY MOTHER.”
“What Derpy is trying to say,” interjected Scootaloo, “is that she thinks we’re her daughters.”
“Moreso, she thinks that the twins in her belly are us,” added Rainbow Dash. “So for some stupid reason, she thinks you can explain how this is possible.”
“What on Earth makes her think that?” he asked.
“Because she ate a stupid muffin,” retorted Rainbow Dash.
“Two muffins actually,” corrected Derpy.
“Actually it’s because of these,” said Scootaloo as she presented the two pieces of the muffin charm and the letters to the Doctor. “These were given to us by our birth mother.”
“Aren’t these the charms I just made for you yesterday, Derpy?” asked Dr. Whooves.
“Yes and no,” replied Derpy before presenting hers to the Doctor. “See these are mine.”
“Extraordinary,” exclaimed Dr. Whooves as he examined the evidence presented.
“So …” began Scootaloo nervously. “What do you think?”
“It could all be just a coincidence,” he said thinking out loud.
A smug look appeared on Rainbow Dash’s face. “See I tol-
“But it is possible,” interrupted Dr. Whooves.
Rainbow Dash was at wit’s end and couldn’t help but ask, “How?”
“Time travel, obviously,” he answered nonchalantly. “I mean with time travel anything is possible. You could go back in time and meet Princess Celestia when she was a filly or go to the future and see your great-great grand foals.”
“So would it be possible to go back and say stop myself from going for my skydiving cutie mark?” asked Scootaloo. “I’ve still got the scar on my left flank.”
“Oh my dear, it’s not that simple,” chuckled the Doctor haughtily. “Ever heard of the grandfather’s paradox?”
“Para-what?”
“Yes, the grandfather’s paradox is a theory where if you go back in time to kill your grandfather as a colt then your father would never be born. If your father was never born, your mother would never have had you.”
“Unless your supposed stupid mother ate some stupid muffin that knocked you up,” muttered Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, well that is beside the point,” said Dr. Whooves. “Anyway, if your parents never existed then you in turn would also never been born and never existed. Because you never existed in the first place, then there is no way you could’ve gone back in time to kill your grandfather, and so your grandfather was still be alive. Hence the paradox. Do you understand?”
“I guess,” said Scootaloo.
“Now to go back in time-”
“Stop! That’s it! I’ve had enough,” said Rainbow Dash. “I’m outta here.”
“But there still so much to explain,” retorted Doctor Whooves. “The necessary conditions in order to go back in time. The theory of space time relativity, the impact of gravity on time, the speeds necessary to generate moving forward and-
“No, you’ve had your fun, and Derpy-”
“Mother-
“Has had her fun too ,” she growled before letting out an exasperated sigh. “I’m going home.”
“Wait, Rainbow Dash,” jumped Scootaloo in a panic. “We still haven’t figured this out.”
“Scootaloo, look,” she began apologetically, “I hate to burst your bubble, but she’s not our mom, she’s just … confused.”
“I guess time travel is a bit far fetched isn’t it,” conceded Scootaloo
“That doesn't mean weren't not sisters," reassured Rainbow Dash as she wrapped her hoof around Scootaloo. “It doesn’t matter how we’re related because you’ll always be my sister.”
“Thanks Rainbow Dash,” smiled Scootaloo.
Dr. Whooves sighed. “Shame that it doesn’t matter really. I mean to go back in time you’d need a - hey wait a moment! Derpy when did you say you were you due?”
“In an or two hour,” replied Derpy nonchalantly.
“WHAT!?! YOU SAID IN A COUPLE OF DAYS!” yelled Rainbow Dash.
“I can’t help it,” she replied defensively. “You’re kicking me so hard. You’re not exactly being patient.”
“Great Scott! Of course, why didn’t I see that before!”
“Ummm… Doctor?” asked Scootaloo.
“Don’t you see, this was all meant to happen. The muffin. The potion. The mix-up. You were meant to be here!!”
“Wait - WHAT?” blurted Rainbow Dash.
“We need you - I mean the baby versions of you - to go back in time, or otherwise it affects the space time continuum.”
“You’re still not making a lot of sense.”
“How can you not understand - wait, sorry, I can go on a bit of rant and got a bit ahead of myself. Let me explain, we are currently in a fixed timeline.”
“A fixed timeline?” asked Scootaloo.
“Remember the grandfather’s paradox. It’s only a paradox if you go back in time when you weren’t meant to and therefore create a paradoxical situation. A fixed timeline is when you are meant to go back in time to ensure that the present happens.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t follow,” said Scootaloo.
“You know Rarity.”
“Of course, I do, she’s my best friend’s sister.”
“Imagine if she came up with this year’s dress design, because Applejack gave her pictures of her dress 6 months ago.”
“Wait, so you’re saying that - ”
“You girls are only here, because Derpy went back in time and gave you up to your respective families. So it is possible that you were twins in the womb, but born in different timelines and hence given two complete different families. The fact that you are standing here and that Derpy is currently pregnant with you is proof of that. However in order to ensure the continuity of this timeline - ”
“SO WE’RE ACTUALLY HER DAUGHTERS?” blurted out Rainbow Dash
“Well, yes,” said the Doctor. “And we need to get your baby versions out now before the universe collapses upon itself!”
“So does this mean I have to leave my daughters behind to complete strangers,” said Derpy as she began to tear up.
“I’m afraid, so,” said Dr. Whooves apologetically. “The current timeline is based upon you leaving your foals with foster parents. I can’t say why you did it originally, but it’s a fixed point in time now. So, we can’t safely mess with it.”
“Can’t I at least keep them around for a month? Just to get them comfortable before we part?” Derpy asked as the situation started to become more real than it had been a few moments ago.
“I’m afraid not. Fixed points in time are fixed for a reason...”
“But, surely four weeks wouldn’t hurt? I just came up with the best birthday party, just ten minutes ago...” Derpy insisted as the gravity of the situation caught on.
“Can’t do that either…” Dr. Whooves countered as Derpy slowly worked her requests for time to smaller and smaller numbers, and her mood seemed to fall with it.
With each offer, Rainbow Dash found her mood drop with Derpy’s. But, it was all too much when the pregnant mare broke into tears. Quietly Rainbow Dash stepped out of the restaurant, and waited by the front door. She then leaned up against the gingerbread themed walls, and sulked.
“Rainbow Dash, why did you leave?” Scootaloo asked with a definite look of confusion on her face. “Can’t you see Derpy is crying?”
“Squirt, it’s not something I can help with. I don’t travel through time. And, I can’t be that foal that she’s about to leave behind. Plus, I can’t replace my parents with some other mare...” Rainbow Dash explained as she looked at her hooves disdainfully.
“Nopony asked you. Derpy didn’t, at least. She just wants you to make some space in your heart for her. That’s all she ever wanted,” explained Scootaloo earning a sheepish look from Rainbow Dash. “Don’t you remember what you told me earlier? Family is more than blood. It’s love. And she loves us!” Scootaloo added as she angrily looked away, and kicked away a small pebble from the front door. She then went back into the building.
Rainbow Dash considered her words for some time. Could she be loyal to two sets of parents? Scootaloo’s right. There’s space in my heart for two moms, Rainbow Dash decided as she turned around, and made her way back into the building. And Derp- … my mother …. does love me.
However much to Rainbow Dash’s surprise, Derpy and Dr. Whooves were nowhere to found. Instead she saw Scootaloo sitting at the table alone. The small filly absentmindedly stared at their muffin charms, and letters.
“Hey Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash whispered through her flaming cheeks. “You were right … forgive me.”
“I know… but, we missed them. Mom left while we were outside,” cried Scootaloo as Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around her. “She left a note telling us to see her tomorrow,” she explained, sliding a third note towards Rainbow Dash.
“I guess, we’ll see her tomorrow,” Rainbow Dash assured her.
As the two left the cafe and made their way home, Pinkie burst into the room with a buffet of desserts. “Now which pony ordered the - hey where did every pony go?” Pinkie Pie wondered as looked at the empty table. She searched for Dr. Whooves before screaming angrily. “Hey that’s not right! He’s not supposed to leave! I didn’t even get to sing my song!”
Author's Note
A special dedication to LavendarRegards for making this story possible.
