The boiling heat of the sun baked the poor residents of Ponyville. It seemed that Cloudsdale would show them no mercy, especially during these dreary summer months. Any normal season would have been filled with the happy sounds of foals playing, ponies shopping, and friends socializing. But, alas, the main thoroughfare was completely empty. The shops had all closed. Ponies generally stayed put. There was no order from the Princesses to do so. It was just natural. The constant threat of a good scorching forced their hooves. They had absolutely no choice in the matter.
The heat was the harshest up in Rainbow Dash’s home, where she tried desperately to quell the constant beads of sweat that welled up from her skin, pushed their way through her fur, and caused small patches of chaotic uncomfortableness. Every few seconds, she would grab a towel and dry herself, hoping that the particular time of her action would lead to some kind of permanent relief. But, it never did. The seconds, minutes, and hours dragged on and on as she sat on her sofa. She had no friends over, and she had nopony to turn to. All she had was her pet tortoise, Tank.
“Ya feelin’ the heat, buddy?” She asked him. Her befuddled mind thought she saw his lips move in a response, but then her cerebral motor kicked back into gear and she realized that the idea was ludicrous.
“Like I expected an answer from you,” she said before smiling and patting his shell, “looks like it’s just gonna be you and me for the next few days.” She reared back and looked up at her clouded ceiling, under which hung a fan that whirled at breakneck speed. But even that did nothing to slow the rapidly advancing army of heat. Its soldiers fired rocket-powered grenades of absolute misery her way, and they all exploded at the same time. She struggled to stay awake in the suffocating atmosphere.
“I can’t just sit around here!” She suddenly exclaimed, sitting straight up, “I’ve gotta do something! I’ve gotta show this heat who’s boss!”
With those words, and an urgent farewell to Tank, she sped through her door and to the ground below. Landing on the dust was much easier said than done in these conditions, but she quietly fluttered to a halt with expertise unmatched by anypony. She congratulated herself for such a smooth touch down, and then trotted off to find her friends. Normally, she would fly, but in the extreme weather, putting one hoof in front of the other was much simpler.
She made her way into town and noticed something that she’d never seen before: emptiness. A soul crushing emptiness. The semi-straight beams of Celestia’s sun poured down on the small cottages, homes, and businesses that lined the main road. Dash nearly collapsed under the pure weight of the temperature, but she knew that she had to find at least one pony to have fun with. She was so bored of sitting in her cloudy condo. As much as she loved Tank, he wasn’t much for conversation or games.
She trotted along the dusty road, trying hard not to breathe in the puffs that arose with every step. She finally managed to make it through the humidity and knock on Twilight’s door. “Yo, Twi?!” She shouted, “you in there?!”
The door slowly opened and an exhausted Twilight Sparkle peered out. Her eyes were crusty and engulfed in a sense of fatigue that Dash had never known. Her mane was unkempt, and her nose was redder than one of Sweet Apple Acres’ finest products. She didn’t look too happy at being disturbed, but at the same time, looked upon Rainbow Dash as some kind of angelic being.
“Hey, Dash,” Twilight sniffed, “it’s good to see you.”
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Dash said, “are you sick?!”
Twilight’s sneeze was all the answer Dash needed, and the rainbow maned Pegasus quickly bade her farewell and trotted off to find another friend. She made it to Fluttershy’s cottage, but found a note on the door stating that her fellow Pegasus had retired to Discord’s home until the dreadful heat had gone away.
Lucky girl, Dash thought, I wish I had a special somepony…er…Draconequus…to turn to. Especially if he lived in a colder climate!
So Dash trotted towards Applejack’s farm, certain that she’d find the hard working pony busily bucking away. No amount of heat, cold, rain, or snow could stop her. In fact, Dash had once seen her working in the middle of a very severe thunderstorm. Apparently, things had gotten mixed up at the weather factory, and they’d sent out a storm that hadn’t been approved by the brass. Needless to say, those responsible were terminated and replaced with more competent workers.
“Applejack?!” Dash cried when she got there, “you up for a quick buckball game?”
The top of the barn door opened and Applejack popped out. “So sorry, Dash,” she said, “but I’ve got just about a million things to do around here. The Apple Family Reunion’s comin’ up, and I’m in charge again this time. With this heat, we’re preppin’ extra cold bottles of delicious cider for all the young’un’s and their kin! It’s sure to be an excitin’ time!”
“Yeah…sounds like it,” Dash said with disappointment.
“Aw, don’t let it ruffle yer feathers, Rainbow,” Applejack said kindly, “after the reunion, there’ll be tons o’ time for us to do things like that. Now, if’n you’ll excuse me, I’d best be gettin’ back to work.”
“Alright,” Dash said, “see ya.”
Dash wandered the streets of Ponyville, looking for SOMEPONY to do something fun with. Even with the horrible weather, someone must have been outside. Surely, she wasn’t the only pony in town. She tried Rarity’s boutique, but another note stopped her, this one explaining that the fashionista would be away in Canterlot for two weeks. Dash remembered that this was the all-important unveiling of her summer swimsuit line, and things would be busier for her than ever.
“Alright,” Dash said aloud, “only one spot left…Pinkie!”
Dash trotted over to Sugarcube Corner, only to be met with disappointment when Pinkie began rattling off three massive catering events that they were responsible for. They had to bake sixty different kinds of cake in the next three days. Flour flew about the kitchen and sugar was accidentally dumped on the floor too many times for Dash to count. So she bade farewell to her final friend and trotted back to the town square.
“Isn’t there anypony who wants to hang out?” She asked the sky.
But the clear blue expanse gave no response, so she sat down and kicked at the dirt. She was so bored, and the heat only increased her monotony. There was absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nopony to speak with. The only thing she heard was the faint rustling of the nearly nonexistent breeze…and a small sob carried on it. She stopped short, but then listened harder. Yes, she had heard it! Somepony was…crying.
The loyal part of her mind became concerned that it might have been one of her friends, so she darted towards the sound. Using her terrific sense of hearing, she guided herself through the highways and byways of Ponyville, finally turning a corner and entering a dark alley. Now, the weeping was absolute, and it frightened Dash a bit. She’d never heard somepony cry so bitterly before. Sure, she’d heard Fluttershy, and she’d seen Rarity’s dramatic attempts at sadness. But this was different. This was a mourning so gut wrenching that she had to stop and wipe some tears away.
She finally pushed some barrels aside and beheld…Scootaloo. Her unofficially adopted little sister had her head buried deep in her forward hooves as she bent up against a wall. In one of these hooves lay a piece of paper and two pictures. Rainbow recognized the ponies in there as Scootaloo’s beloved parents. She had met them once or twice before, but they were hardly ever around. In fact, Rainbow often privately showe contempt toward them. She loved Scootaloo, and felt that they were doing her a major disservice by parenting in absentia.
“Scoot?” She asked as she put a hoof on the filly’s shoulder.
“Oh, Dash,” Scoot said, trying to hide her tears.
But Dash stopped her. “Don’t hide them,” she said, “everypony gets sad sometimes.”
“You mean, it’s okay to cry?”
“Yeah…when you’re by yourself. I wouldn’t recommend doing it in front of other ponies.”
Scootaloo sniffed and looked up at her idol. She managed a small smile and nuzzled into the blue fur. It offered a sense of comfort, and…motherliness. She’d never thought of Dash as a motherly type. She always saw her as the brave, cool, and fearless member of the Wonderbolts. She had seen her older friend do things that she could only dream of doing. She often felt inadequate when compared to other Pegasi foals, but then Dash would offer her encouraging words and she would feel so much better.
“Rainbow?”
“Yeah, what’s up, squirt?” Rainbow asked, using her affectionate nickname for Scootaloo.
Scoot looked at the ground, then back up at her. “My parents…are dead. My aunts got this letter in the mail, and it said that they'd been lost in the forests of Shire Lanka for two weeks! They finally found them, but by then, it was too late...”
Dash had no idea what to say. The heat and oppressive day seemed to melt away, leaving behind a calmness where she and Scootaloo were the only two ponies in existence. The little filly burst into tears all over again. But there was no screaming, nor wailing. Just a terrible, horrible sadness. She was all alone in the world now. True, she had her “aunts” that she stayed with, but they were no better than her parents. They did most of their interacting with the young pony in absentia as well. Now, Scootaloo had nopony to care for her. There was no one there to congratulate her when she did well in school, or celebrate her birthday with her.
All these thoughts rushed through Dash’s mind, and she felt hopeless. What could she say or do to bring hope and comfort to this weeping filly? She felt that she couldn’t, so she just offered herself as some kind of beacon of light in the darkness. She felt Scootaloo nuzzle even closer to her chest, and she felt like Scootaloo’s rightful mother. She’d always secretly wondered what it would be like to have her as a daughter. But, with her current situation, her “aunts” would take full custody of her. They might even move her away from Ponyville! The mere thought of never seeing her again broke Dash’s heart, and she held her tighter than she ever had before.
“I…I just…”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Scootaloo sniffed, “you just being here for me is enough. Rainbow…I…I want to be adopted.”
“Scootaloo, you know you have your aunts-“
“But they don’t do anything for me, Dash!” Scoot cried, “all they do is leave me some food for a week and then trounce off to Las Pegasus or Manehattan or that Celestia forsaken cottage in the woods! Ugh! I hate them! I hate them so much!”
“Scoot, you don’t know what you’re saying. They’ve been very good to you, and I think you need to appreciate them more.”
“I just can’t, Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “I couldn’t! They’ve been nothing but awful ever since Mom and Dad dropped me off with them when I was still in diapers! I just…I want somepony else. I want…you.”
Dash’s look softened and she grasped Scootaloo once again. This time, it was her turn to cry. “I love you, Scootaloo. I’ve loved you for a long time. You’re like a daughter to me, and I’ve always believed that I was meant to be your mother.”
“So…you’ll adopt me, then?” Scootaloo asked as her eyes shone, “please, Rainbow?”
“It won’t be easy,” Dash replied, “but you know what? Nothing in life ever is. So, I’ll fight. I’ll fight and I won’t quit until you’re safe at home with me. Listen to me, Scootaloo. You’re my daughter. You always have been, and you always will be. Forget blood relations, you’re mine.”
Scootaloo’s smile was a thousand times wider than it had ever been, and she threw herself around Rainbow Dash’s neck. She got to call her “Mom” for the first time, and Dash’s eyes welled up once again as her own smile made itself known. She allowed the moment to play itself out, and it did so beautifully. She could now rest easy in the knowledge that, should things go their way, she would have the most awesome, beautiful, and amazing daughter in all Equestria. That was something that the heat just couldn’t beat.
