A Place To Call Home

Twilight groaned when a beam of sunlight hit her closed eyelids. Opening her eyes, she used her magic to close the curtains. Letting out a yawn, she realized that her blanket was heavier than usual. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a familiar rainbow mane. “Ugh,” groaned Twilight as she realized what happened. Last night, Rainbow moved from the library's desk and decided that the unicorn was more comfortable. Using her magic, she lifted her friend enough to crawl out of her bed. Standing up, she gently placed Rainbow back down on the bed. Walking to the window, she poked her head out to see what the weather is like today. To her surprise, it was already midday. Hearing a yawn behind her, she pulled her head back into her bedroom and turned to face her bed. The cyan pegasus stretched for a bit before looking around her. Seeing her friend's unamused face, she realized just what was going on.

With a light blush on her face, she nervously chuckled and said, "I can explain?". Twilight gestured with her hoof for Rainbow to continue. "Okay, so you know how I am constantly moving?" Twilight nodded.

"It is rare to see you staying perfectly still," agreed Twilight. "You spend most of your time flying and the rest of it napping."

"That's not...entirely true," argued Rainbow. "Well, sometimes, I still need to move even after I fall asleep."

"So you are a sleepwalker," stated the unicorn, getting a shrug from the pegasus on her bed.

"Sleepwalk, sleeprun, sleepfly, you name it, and I probably have done it."

"Sleepteleport," said Twilight with a small grin.

"Now that's just not fair," complained Rainbow as she leaped off the bed. “So, what are we going to do with Scootaloo?”

“Well, first we need to find her,” said Twilight as she magically opened the curtains letting light flood the room. "She's probably with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, so we should go ask Applejack if she knows where they are."

"Why not Rarity?" asked Rainbow, pointing toward the Carasol Boutique. "She's closer."

"Spike didn't wake us up," explained Twilight, getting a 'so what' look from Rainbow. "He probably saw us sleeping together and got the wrong idea."

"What does that have to do with Rarity?" asked a slightly annoyed pegasus.

"If I am correct, then he would have gone to Rarity to spend time with her," Twilight calmly said to her friend. "He probably would have told her what he thought happened."

"Got it," said Rainbow with a slight grimace. She liked Rarity, but she can be a bit much when it comes to stuff like romance. "So race you to Sweet Apple Acres?" the pegasus asked quickly as she launched out of her friend's bedroom window. Shocked by the sudden challenge, Twilight stared at the fading rainbow trail for a split second before simply teleporting with a roll of her eyes. Appearing at the gates of her friend’s farm, the unicorn wasn’t prepared for a cyan-colored missile ramming into her. The two ponies tumbled right into the open barn, surprising Applejack as they passed. When they stopped, Twilight was on top of Rainbow with their noses touching.

"Should I give you two some alone time?" asked Applejack with a joking tone. Recovering from the dizziness and shock, Twilight and Rainbow leaped away from each other with blushes on their faces.

"We're looking for Scootaloo," said Twilight, getting straight to the reason they came for.

"It's not like that," protested Rainbow at the same time.

"I know, Sugarcube," said Applejack to Rainbow with a chuckle. "As for Scootaloo, I would check the clubhouse first."

"We were going to check it if you didn't have any information," explained Twilight. "They didn't say anything that hints at what they are planning?"

"Nope," answered Applejack. "Why are you looking for Scootaloo?" Rainbow and Twilight glanced at each other before the pegasus stepped forward.

"Last night, I found the squirt sleeping in the clubhouse," explained Rainbow. "I tried to ask her why she was there, but she was too tired to answer. I thought that it would be best to wait until tomorrow".

"I was studying Equestrian Legends when Rainbow arrived," add Twilight. "She asked me if I had a spare room that Scootaloo could use."

"Why didn't you bring her to me or your own home?" asked Applejack

"It was late, and you are a pretty heavy sleeper," explained Rainbow with a shrug. "Also, my home is a cloud house, so I would have to fly up to it. If Scootaloo moved in her sleep, she might have fallen off of me".

"Dash fell asleep on one of the library's desks, and I went to bed myself," finished Twilight. "We want to make sure that we aren't jumping to conclusions."

"Well, me and Big Mac will help you look for her," said Applejack, ignoring Twilight when the unicorn corrected her grammar. Both Twilight and Rainbow thanked the Farmpony before hurrying to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' Clubhouse.
(Clubhouse)

"Squirt, are you here?" asked Rainbow as the clubhouse came into view. To their relief, three fillies poked their heads out of the window.

"Hey, Rainbow," said Scootaloo with a smile. Her smile fell when she saw the serious expression on the two mares' faces.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle," said Twilight, getting the mentioned fillies' attention. "You two should go home. Rainbow and I need to talk to Scootaloo in private".

"Is she in trouble?" asked Sweetie Belle in worry.

"No, we just want to ask her some questions," comforted Twilight before nudging the two toward the farm.

"When you get done, we'll continue our quest for our cutie marks," said Apple Bloom after she and Sweetie Belle shared a glance. Scootaloo watched as her friend trotted away. When they were no longer visible, she turned to her idol.

"I need to know why you were sleeping in the clubhouse last night," said Rainbow as she sat next to Scootaloo. "I know you didn't forget anything."

"You can take as long as you want," added Twilight as she sat on the other side, "but we won't be leaving until we know something."

"you told me that you went home last night," said Rainbow. Scootaloo stayed quiet as she stared at her hooves.

"If that is true, then that means either you went home, and something happened," said Twilight, seeing if the young pegasus filly reacted to anything, "or you considered the clubhouse your home." Scootaloo's ears drooped for a little before straightening again. Twilight nodded at Rainbow, who asked the following.

"You fell asleep before you answer my other question," said Rainbow before asked the big question. "Where are your parents?" Scootaloo's body tensed for a second before she tried to run away. Unfortunately for her, Rainbow was much much faster and was able to catch her. The filly tried her best to escape her adopted sister's grasp, but it was futile. "We want to help, Squirt."

"If you tell us what's the problem is, then maybe we can help fix it," said Twilight. Scootaloo stopped moving. "Now, where are your parents?"

"I don't know," murmured Scootaloo.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Rainbow with concern in her voice.

"I don't know where my parents are," yelled Scootaloo with tears in her eyes. Rainbow and Twilight shared a worried glance before comforting the young filly with a hug.

"Rainbow, bring Scootaloo to the library. I'll let Applejack know that we found Scootaloo and then I'll go to city hall to look up information on her family," said Twilight before she teleported away.