Rainbow Dash, self-anointed best flier in Equestria, had just finished her weather duties for the day. Finally, she could go and visit her Mother for mother’s day. She flew up to Cloudsdale and knocked on her parents’ front door. Bow Hot Hoof answered the door, and immediately wrapped his hooves around his daughter.
“Hey there, squirt. How are you?” He asked.
“I’m good, Dad. Is Mom home?”
“In the living room. Come on in.”
Rainbow followed him into the living room, where her mother was waiting. Windy Whistles looked up from her book and smiled at her daughter.
“Dashie! How’s my favorite Wonderbolt?” She asked, hugging her. Rainbow breathed in the calming and unnamable scent of her mother and sighed.
“I’m good, Mom. Are you ready for a totally awesome Mother’s day?”
“It’s already awesome because I’m spending it with you. Anything else is a bonus.” She said, sincerely.
“Great, because I’m taking you to see a private tour of the Wonderbolts facility, an airshow, and then lunch!”
“That sounds wonderful, sweetheart. Thank you.”
The two Pegasi flew to the Wonderbolts grounds for their tour, and then Windy Whistles sat next to Stormy Flare while the Wonderbolts converged for a special Mother’s Day performance for their families. Fireworks lit up the sky and wowed the mothers in the stands. When their performance was done, Rainbow flew over to her mother.
“I hope you’re hungry, Mom, because I’m taking you to the Ponyville Café!”
“Sounds good.” She said, smiling.
The two Pegasi flew back to Ponyville, and were just about to sit down to lunch, when Rainbow Dash saw something that perturbed her.
Scootaloo, her biggest fan and Rainbow Dash’s little sister, sat at a table nearby, poking at the ground with her hoof. Rainbow Dash knew something was wrong.
“I’ll be right back, Mom. I have something I have to do.”
“Alright dear. No problem.” Said Windy Whistles, and went to sit down.
Rainbow Dash went over to her number one fan.
“Hey Scoots. Everything okay?”
Scootaloo jumped. She hadn’t heard any pony behind her. She looked at her almost-sister with tiredness radiating from her eyes.
“It’s nothing.” She said, sounding exhausted in a way most fillies her age wouldn’t understand. To Rainbow she sounded old and weary. The words were like a rock being beaten against in the ocean. With each use of the excuse, a little more of Scootaloo was worn away. The words raised a red flag for Rainbow Dash. Now she knew something was definitely wrong. Rainbow sat herself down across from the filly and used her hoof to lift Scootaloo’s chin up and have her look her in the eyes.
“Come on, Scootaloo. Talk to me.”
Scootaloo turned away from her idol, unable to make eye contact with her. She didn’t want Rainbow Dash feeling sorry for her. She hated the pitiful look ponies gave her whenever she revealed her secret shame. The crusaders already knew, of course. There was no way she could hide it from her two best friends. But she had hoped to keep it from Rainbow Dash’s eyes, because she couldn’t stand the pity, and nowhere would that pity be more unwelcome than from her sister. Scootaloo sighed. She supposed she couldn’t have kept the secret forever. But forever hadn’t been as long as she’d hoped.
“I was here waiting for my mom.” The words came out small, like she was confessing a deep, dark secret.
“Is she not here yet? How long have you been waiting?”
“Two hours.”
“TWO HOURS?!” Rainbow repeated incredulously.
Scootaloo nodded. “We were supposed to meet up here to have lunch together but she never showed. She probably forgot. Again.”
“Again? You mean this has happened before?”
“A lot.” Scootaloo said. Rainbow felt her need to be cool and unemotional being overshadowed by something more primal. Some word she had no name for. Scootaloo continued on. “She and my dad are out on business a lot. They usually travel to Manehattan or Las Pegasus. I wouldn’t be surprised if she got called away today and just forgot about me.”
Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to say. She had never thought to ask Scootaloo about her home life. Usually she was too busy soaking up the filly’s attention to notice much else. It was a failing of hers, certainly, but she hadn’t expected the failing to come into play in this and make everything so disastrous.
She had been so stunned by Scootaloo’s words that she hadn’t noticed the filly packing up and putting her helmet on.
“I should go.” She said.
“Don’t go.” Rainbow countered. “Stay with me and my mom.”
Scootaloo shook her head. “I don’t want to ruin your Mother’s Day.”
“It’s no problem, Scoots.”
“It’s fine. Really. I promised Apple Bloom we’d hang out today since she… Well, you know. This day is hard for her. She really misses her mom.”
“Don’t you miss yours?”
“I used to. But ever since you came along, it’s like it didn’t matter anymore. It was almost like… Nevermind.”
Rainbow felt her curiosity pique. “What?”
Scootaloo looked down. “It was almost like you became my Mom.”
Rainbow felt a jolt of surprise and shock pummel through her at top speed. Before she could react any further, Scootaloo turned away and sighed and said, in a voice almost too low to hear:
“I wish you were my mom.”
Rainbow felt her jaw drop as the filly walked away.
Windy Whistles had been silently watching the interaction between the two. She knew something awful had happened, but the question was how bad was it? She got up from the table that Rainbow was at, still Gawking at the empty place where Scootaloo had just been sitting. Windy wrapped a wing around her daughter, causing Rainbow Dash to snap back to reality.
“S-Sorry about that, Mom. It was… I mean I just… I-“
Rainbow was cut off by her mother silencing her with a gentle hoof to the mouth. It was a familiar gesture, one that had been repeated to her countless times as a filly. She remembered going on long winded rants about becoming the best flier in Equestria, and her mother would put a hoof to her mouth to remind her to breathe.
Rainbow was quiet for a few moments after that, trying to gather her thoughts. Windy Whistles waited patiently for her daughter to speak.
“I think Scootaloo wants me to adopt her.”
Windy’s eyes widened fractionally, but the truth was, that didn’t surprise her in the slightest. She knew from her daughter’s stories that Scootaloo idolized Rainbow Dash more than anyone else. She knew how much her daughter loved to be idolized, and figured that that idolatry had blinded her to what Scootaloo had been truly hoping, truly feeling. Although she had only met the tiny pegasus pony a handful of times, she could see clearly that Scootaloo had hoped for much more than just what Rainbow Dash could give as a sister figure. It pained her to think that her daughter hadn’t seen it until today. As her inner dialogue rambled on, Rainbow Dash continued to speak.
“I just don’t know what to do. I mean, of course I care about her, and she cares about me too. I knew that when I became a sister to her she’d get attached. Well, more attached than she already was. But this… This is a lot. I mean, look at me. I’m no mother.” Rainbow finished quietly, none of her usual confidence present.
Windy Whistles was quiet for a moment or two, and then spoke up. “Dashie, Just because you aren’t biologically a mother doesn’t mean you aren’t one. The big sister instincts you have, that protectiveness you feel, and the love inside of you are what make you a mother. You have all of those things. Sweetheart, you’d be a wonderful mother, especially to Scootaloo. You already love her like a mother would her foal. There’s no reason why you can’t be her mother.”
“One problem, mom: She already has a mother.”
“Does she? Mothers look out for their children, put them first, and take care of them. She has a biological mother, sure, but does she have a real mother? And besides, adoptive children are just as real.”
Rainbow Dash sat there with her brow furrowed, thinking. After a moment, she said: “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“That’s not the question, honey.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The real question you need to ask yourself is do you want this. Because unless you do, nothing will change. You have two choices: You can walk away and leave things as they are, or you can take on this new responsibility and become a parent. And no matter what you decide, I’ll always be proud of you.”
Windy wrapped her daughter in a feathery embrace, and Rainbow felt herself melting into the familiarity of her mother’s love. For just a brief moment, her cares floated away, and she was at peace. The hug ended, and Rainbow slowly came back to reality. She smiled, a genuine smile, and refocused herself. She would worry about these things later. Right now was her time to spend with her mother.
“Thanks mom. Now, how about lunch?”
***
Late that night, long after Tank had fallen asleep beside her, Rainbow Dash lay awake in her bed, head swimming with thoughts. The day’s events played over and over on a loop inside of her mind, making a never ending swarm of memories. The sad look on Scootaloo’s face, the tale of her mother being gone, and the quiet admonition of I wish you were my mom.
Rainbow tried to interrupt the loop in her mind, and felt her own thoughts begin to seep in.
Scootaloo really sees me as a mom? But how can that be? I’m not a mom type of pony. How can I be something I’m not?
Rainbow sighed and rolled over onto her side, looking at her tortoise. “Oh Tank… What am I going to do?”
Author's Note
Hey Guys! I'm so glad to be back with another fic, even if it is a redux of an old one! This fic was inspired by the story "Mothers" By KnightMysterio. Go check it out!
Author's Note
Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the delay in posting! I was in the hospital with bronchitis, and then I got married (To a fellow brony, I might add!), so it's been totally crazy. Sorry this chapter is so short. There was a lot of writer's block with this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter is better! and longer! Thank you all for your patience.
Contemplations
For four long days, Rainbow Dash waffled on what she should do. What Scootaloo was asking of her was a big step, and one she wasn’t sure she was ready to take. She felt herself pulled in two severely different directions. Of course she felt a sisterly bond with Scootaloo. She always had, she supposed. But did that really translate into maternal desire? She wasn’t entirely sure.
She tried to forget everything for a while by going for a fly, but the usual release that came with racing just wasn’t enough to make the thoughts dissipate. So instead she tried talking it out with any pony she could think of- Twilight, AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and both of her parents. But they all seemed to say the same thing: That this was ultimately her decision. Their input could only go so far, and she knew it just as well as they did. Finally, on a Friday after work, she hunkered down in her cloudominium and vowed not to leave until she had reached a decision.
When she had nearly worked herself into a mad frenzy trying to steady her thoughts, her doorbell rang. Rainbow, grateful for the interruption, flew like a bullet to the door. There at her door stood her mother.
“Hey Mom!” She said, gratefully hugging the light blue pegasus.
“How are you, Dashie?” Asked Windy Whistles.
“I’m… I don’t even know anymore.”
“That bad, huh?” Asked Windy as she followed her daughter into the kitchen. Rainbow got out two mugs and poured them both apple cider from a pitcher.
“I just don’t know what to do, Mom.”
Windy was quiet for a long moment. Then: “Let me ask you something, sweetheart.”
“Okay.”
“Do you care about Scootaloo?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want what’s best for her?”
“Yes.”
“Can you imagine your life without her?”
“No. I can’t.”
“Would you give anything to keep her safe? Or help her achieve her dreams?”
Rainbow remembered the incident at Winsome Falls when the tiny pegasus pony had almost fallen over a waterfall, and the time when she helped her build a cart for the Applewood Derby. “Yes.”
“Do you love her?”
Rainbow paused. She had always thought of love as something for ponies like Rarity who believed in fairytale endings. She had always thought love was between a mare and a colt. She knew parental love existed, and had always known that it was present, but did she really love Scootaloo as a parent would?
Memories flashed through her mind, of the moments they had spent together, the times they had bonded. She hadn’t realized it until right then that maybe those moments of togetherness were really the beginnings of love.
In an instant, everything shifted. Her view of things changed. She said, confidently: “Yes.”
“Then what are you waiting for, Dashie? Go get her.”
Rainbow smiled, suddenly bursting with energy, and hugged her mother. “Thanks Mom.”
“Anytime, Dashie. Anytime.”
Author's Note
Hey guys! So this one definitely took a while, and I wanted to get this exactly right. It didn't come out 100% perfect, as nothing ever does, but I am pretty proud of it and how it turned out. I'm still working on this story, but I have a few other ideas bouncing around in my head that I may need to get out first. So apologies in advance for any delays in posting. I'll do my best to keep working on it! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
Discussions
Rainbow Dash had always considered herself fearless. She often boasted of never being afraid, and most of the time she was able to back it up. But with her current situation, she wasn’t able to say that. For doing what she was about to do, she was downright terrified. And she had good reason to be. As she walked up to the home she had only traveled to once before, saddlebag on her back, she felt dread beginning to settle into her stomach, but she kept on going. This was far too important for her to let a little fear hold her back. She came up to the door, and paused, gathering her courage. She could still hear her own mother’s words echoing in her mind.
Mothers look out for their children, put them first, and take care of them. She has a biological mother, sure, but does she have a real mother?
Scootaloo had a parent, but she didn’t have a mother. And that was what she hoped she could become to her. But she couldn’t just barge in and take Scootaloo away from her own flesh and blood. So, despite not feeling very confident (Which scared her to death), she raised up her hoof and knocked on the door.
A full minute passed and nothing happened. Rainbow thought for sure that no one was home. She was about to fly off when the door opened and a purple pegasus pony answered the door.
“Can I help you?” She asked.
Her eyes were the same violet as her coat, and her mane was a platinum blonde, just a few shades darker than Applejack’s, and was shorter, not unlike her daughter’s, but still long enough to touch just beneath her neck. Her smile was bright and beautiful, and something about her made Rainbow feel at ease.
“Hi. Are you Scootaloo’s mom?”
“Yes. I’m Violet Glide. Who might you be?”
“Ma’am, my name is Rainbow Dash. I was wondering if you had some time to talk.”
“Sure. Come in.”
Rainbow was led to a red couch that was incredibly soft. It reminded her of something Rarity might enjoy, despite her possibly seeing the shade of red as (in her words) “garish”.
“So, Miss Dash, how can I help you?”
Rainbow felt nerves begin to creep up her spine, despite the at home feeling the living room gave her.
“Well, I was hoping to talk to you about Scootaloo.”
“Is everything okay?” She asked.
“She’s fine. She’s totally fine, I promise.”
“Alright, then what’s this about?”
Rainbow paused, trying to gather her thoughts. She had to word this carefully. “Mrs. Glide, for a long time now I’ve been friends with your daughter. We’ve bonded, almost like sisters. I’m so proud of her, and I know you are too.” She began. Violet smiled.
“I am.” She said.
“A few days ago I was out in Ponyville and I saw Scootaloo at the café. She was waiting for you. It was mother’s day. She told me about how hard you and your husband work. And I know that if it wasn’t for you, she wouldn’t have everything she does. But she misses you. She thinks that you forget about her, and I know that’s not true. I know how much you love your daughter.”
Violet nodded, but sensed the young mare had more to say.
“I know how much you love her. And I love her too. So much that I wanted to ask…” Rainbow trailed off. Violet waited patiently for her answer. “I wanted to ask that you leave her in my care when you travel. I wanted to ask if you would give me the honor of adopting your daughter.”
Violet’s face went blank. “I’m sorry?”
“I wanted to ask if you would give me the honor of adopting your daughter.” Rainbow repeated nervously.
Violet felt shock coat her thoughts, unable to think straight. When the shell shock wore out she felt an indescribable sense of rage sweep through her. Who was she to ask something like that?! Of all the nerve! She was about to tell Rainbow Dash off when she saw the look in the young mare’s eyes.
It wasn’t the stare of a confident flier. It wasn’t tinged with superiority, or a holier-than-thou attitude. There was nothing expectant in the stare either. This was a young mare who wasn’t doing this for any other reason but love. There was no ulterior motive. There was nothing but hope and love in her face.
Her anger disintegrated, but she felt a sense of insult still there. As if sensing this, Rainbow hurriedly continued on.
“I know you must think I’m crazy for asking this. Truth is, I think I am too. But I promise I’m not trying to take her away from you. I just want to give her whatever she needs. And she needs us both, in every way.” Rainbow reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a scroll.
“I got this from Mayor Mare’s office.”
Violet opened it. It was an adoption form.
“I wouldn’t be asking this if I wasn’t thinking about Scootaloo and her needs.” Rainbow finished. “I just want to give her everything she deserves.”
Violet Glide considered every word coming from the Mare’s mouth. She weighed her options, and only saw two. She could send Rainbow Dash away, or she could welcome her into the Family. But was she really ready to do that? For a long moment, she considered everything. She loved her daughter, truly she did, and she wanted nothing but the best for her. Could she really give her a good life right now? It would be a sacrifice- the ultimate sacrifice in fact, but her daughter deserved the best.
With that thought, she made her decision.
She grabbed the form and signed it with a flourish.
“Take care of my little filly.” She said.
In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Rainbow Dash hugged Violet Glide. “I promise I will.”
With that, Rainbow flew off to City Hall to have her papers notarized.
