The CMC in... Scootaloo's Past!by ChocovichChaptersChapter 1: To The OrphanageChapter 2: Town Hall TerrorsChapter 3: An Apple's Honesty?Chapter 4: Surprising NewsChapter 1: To The Orphanage"That was a fun game!" Applebloom said as she skipped through the orchard on Sweet Apple Acres. "Yeah, sucks that we didn't get our cutie marks though" Sweetie Belle said sadly as she walked beside Applebloom. "Maybe if you picked a game everypony has heard of we'd have had better luck!" Scootaloo said angrily, "Who's ever heard of Monopony!" "Uh Scoots, everypony knows about Monopony" Applebloom said as she turned to face Scootaloo, "Just because you lost doesn't mean the game sucks" "You're only saying that because you won!" Scootaloo shouted angrily. "Woah nelly, what's going on over here" Applejack asked as she walked out from behind a tree. The Crusaders had forgotten that she was working in the orchard around their clubhouse today. "Nothing's going on, I'm going home!" Scootaloo said loudly as she turned around making her way back towards the clubhouse. The three ponies she left behind followed her out of confusion. If anypony walked out of the orchard that way they would end up in the Unicorn Range. After following Scootaloo for a few minutes they saw her enter the clubhouse and could hear something being pulled across the floor. "What in tarnation?" Applejack said as she heard Scootaloo drag something else across the floor. "Why is Scoots in the clubhouse?" Applebloom asked quietly, Sweetie Belle nodding immediately after her. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out" Applejack said as she made her way up the stairs to the clubhouse, heading towards the window. She looked inside and saw Scootaloo laying out a sleeping bag across the floor, a hand stitched Rainbow Dash toy sitting next to it. Scootaloo continued to prepare her bed until she looked up to see where the moon was and instead saw Applejack's worried face. "Applejack?!" Scootaloo shouted in surprise. No pony ever followed her to the clubhouse, What if she told Applebloom and Sweetie Belle?! "Scootaloo?" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle asked as they opened the door to the clubhouse, slowly stepping inside. They looked around ad saw the sleeping bag laid out, along with Scootaloo's favourite toy. "Are you spending the night here Scootaloo to try and get your cutie mark without us?" Applebloom asked, thinking it was for some sort of camping cutie mark. "No..." Scootaloo slowly, and quietly, replied, completely embarrassed that her friend had found out about her secret. "Then why are you staying here tonight?" Sweetie Belle asked, trying to figure it out for herself, to no avail. "I think I know why" Applejack said from behind the two fillies, making them jump. They had forgotten she was there after seeing Scootaloo's sleeping bag. "What is it sis?" Applebloom asked quickly, but was shushed by Applejack. She quickly ushered Applebloom and Sweetie Belle out of the clubhouse, putting a chair against the door so they could get in and then crouched next to Scootaloo. "How long has it been sugar cube?" Applejack asked sweetly, knowing why Scootaloo was staying there. "Six months" Scootaloo replied quietly, looking at the floor. "Why did you run away, somepony would have-" Applejack said, only to be cut off by Scootaloo. "No pony would want me, I'm a stupid Pegasus who can't even fly" Scootaloo cried, tears starting to flow down her face. Applejack quickly hugged Scootaloo, feeling sorry for the abandoned filly. When she was still a baby her mother left her at the Ponyville orphanage after hearing she would never fly, and since then she's been all alone. "It's okay Scootaloo, you're not stupid" Applejack said as she rubbed Scootaloo's back, trying to calm her down. "Yes I am! I'm useless" Scootaloo cried, hugging Applejack tight. Scootaloo felt as if she was hugging her mom, but she knew it was only because Applejack was so motherly to the Crusaders. "Hey, you're not useless, you're special in your own way, don't ever forget that" Applejack said, briefly breaking the hug to look the crying filly in the eyes. Scootaloo and Applejack stared at each other for a few seconds before hugging each other once again, Scootaloo crying even more now. "I just want to know who my mother is..." Scootaloo whispered, barely loud enough for Applejack to hear. "Don't worry, we'll find her Scootaloo" Applebloom said sadly from behind Applejack, making the hugging ponies look at her in surprise. "How'd you get in here?!" Applejack said, looking at the door and window to find them both shut. "Secret entrance" Sweetie Belle said, pointing the a spot on the floor, which seemed to be a bit out of place. Scootaloo smiled awkwardly through her tears, happy to know that her best friends wanted to help her find her mom. "Where should we start looking?" Applebloom asked quietly, not sure where anypony would go to find out who their mother is except the town hall. "We could try the orphanage, they might know" Sweetie Belle said, thinking about the Ponyville orphanage, "Don't most ponies without parents go there?" "Yeah, that'd be your best bet to start with" Applejack said as she got to her feet, quickly ushering the fillies out of the clubhouse again, "We should let her get to sleep, you all have a busy day ahead of you". After some quick goodbyes and hugs Scootaloo was left alone in the clubhouse. She quickly climbed into her sleeping bag and cuddled her Rainbow Dash toy for warmth. Winter was coming, and if they didn't find Scootaloo's mother soon she would be in big trouble... "Morning Scoots" Applebloom said happily as she shook Scootaloo awake. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had woken up early so they could get straight to work on finding Scootaloo's mom for her. "Ugh, mornin'" Scootaloo said as she sat up in her bed, still hugging her Rainbow Dash toy. "I bet you wish Rainbow was your mom, huh?" Sweetie Belle said with a giggle. Scootaloo quickly let go of the toy and looked at Sweetie Belle angrily, as if it would make her stop laughing, but she continued. "Sorry, I didn't meant to laugh like that" Sweetie Belle said quickly after she saw how angry Scootaloo was, embarrassed at herself for being so mean to her friend. "Whatever" Scootaloo said angrily before turning to face Applebloom, "What's the plan for today?" "Well, I was thinking we could go see if the orphanage will help us" Applebloom said as she pulled a map out of her saddlebag, "And if that doesn't work then we can go try town hall" "Sounds good, let's get going!" Scootaloo said as she jumped out of the sleeping bag. "Yeah!" the other two Crusaders shouted as the trio walked towards the door. The trio made their way through the orchard, running into Applejack who wished them the best of luck. As they got to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres they ran into Big Mac and Cheerilee, who were talking about Applebloom's grades. "She's doing well, but I know she could do better" Cheerilee said while leaning on the fence. "Eeyup" Big Mac replied, his attention elsewhere. "Are you helping her at home?" Cheerilee asked, knowing Big Mac wasn't as dumb as he looked. "Eenope" Big Mac replied, "I gotta get back to work now" "Oh, okay, talk to you later then" Cheerilee said as she turned to head back to town before being nearly tackled by the Crusaders. She managed to jump out of the way in time, causing the Crusaders to hit the ground in a heap. "What are you three doing?" Cheerilee asked lazily, thinking they were after their cutie marks again. "Where going to find Scootaloo's mo-" Applebloom started to say before being cut off by Scootaloo's hoof, which was shoved into her mouth. "Don't tell her that!" Scootaloo whispered angrily, not wanting everypony in town to know. "Don't tell me what?" Cheerilee asked, her curiosity being peaked. "Well, uh, we are uh..." Scootaloo stammered, not able to think of a lie to tell Cheerilee that would make her leave them alone. "Looking for somepony's mom!" Sweetie Belle said happily, not thinking that Cheerilee would be able to put two and two together. "So you're looking for Scootaloo's mom?" Cheerilee asked smugly, knowing it would make the three fillies freak out. "How did you know?!" Scootaloo shouted, looking at Cheerilee with both fear and confusion. What if she told Scootaloo to give up, or told the guards and then she'd be thrown back in the orphanage, or worse... "If you want I can help you with your search" Cheerilee said cheerfully, smiling at them happily. The three fillies looking at each other in surprise before smiling happily, dancing around Cheerilee in a circle. There was a chorus of "thank you"s coming from the three fillies, making Cheerilee laugh happily. After a few minutes they were on their way to the orphanage, all smiling happily. "How can we help you today Cheerilee?" the pony at the front of the orphanage asked as the group walked in. Cheerilee quickly asked the Crusaders to wait outside, saying they wouldn't give her any information with them inside with her, so they reluctantly waiting in the waiting room. A few minutes after Cheerilee went into the orphanage a little colt came out into the lobby. "Hi Scootaloo" the colt said as he walked up to her, "I didn't think I'd see you again" "Yeah, me neither" Scootaloo said as she gave the colt a quick hug, making the other Crusaders giggle. "So what's this lucky colt's name?" Sweetie Belle said while laughing hysterically with Applebloom chanting, "Scootaloo and the colt sitting a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g" "Shut up, he's just an old friend!" Scootaloo shouted angrily towards her friends, "And his name is Quick Shot!" "Well, it looks like you were pretty quick to hug him!" Applebloom said while laughing, making Scootaloo grit her teeth. "I can go if you want" Quick Shot said as he shrunk away from the trio, but Scootaloo pulled him back. "No, it's okay. How have things been since I left?" Scootaloo asked sincerely. "Good, everyone was worried when you disappeared, but then they went back to normal after a little while" Quick Shot said as the caretaker came through the door with Cheerilee. "Well, thank you for- Quick Shot, get back in there!" the caretaker said after seeing Quick Shot standing in the lobby, "Scootaloo? What are you doing here?" "She's here with me" Cheerilee said flatly, noticing a hint of anger in the caretaker's voice. "Oh, well then" the caretaker said with a sigh, "Quick Shot come with me" "Yes ma'am" Quick Shot said as he made his way back inside the main room of the orphanage. Scootaloo lazily waved goodbye as he was pulled back inside, and then turned to make her way out with Cheerilee, who had a stack of papers in her saddlebag. "What did you find Ms. Cheerilee?" Applebloom asked as they walked outside. "Nothing much, other than it was the mother's choice to give her up" Cheerilee said sadly, "But the town hall records might have some more information for us" "Okay, so is that where we're heading next?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking towards the tall tower in the middle of town. "I don't know, do you want to Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, turning around to face Scootaloo. "Yeah, I guess, we might as well" Scootaloo said, still thinking about Quick Shot. She knew he was a good flyer, probably just as good as some of the Wonderbolts, but because he was stuck in the orphanage he wouldn't be able to become one, and it made her feel bad. She managed to get out and make friends that are now helping her find her mom, but he might be stuck there for his entire life... "Are you okay Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, noticing how sad Scootaloo looked. "Uh, yeah, let's go" Scootaloo said, taking one last look at the orphanage before she started walking towards their next stop, town hall. Chapter 2: Town Hall Terrors"What kind of information do we hope to get from town hall again?" Sweetie Belle asked when the group stopped outside town hall to get themselves together. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Cheerilee gave her a confused look, as if they couldn't believe what she said. "We're here to find out who my mom is, duh!" Scootaloo said while making a face at Sweetie Belle. "I know that!" Sweetie Belle said angrily, pausing to take a breath to calm herself, "But what could they tell us that we don't already know?". Sweetie Belle ending up making the others think, she did make a good point after all. What else could the town hall tell them, it's not like they kept files on everypony from the moment they were born, right? "Well, it's not like it'd kill us to ask" Applebloom said, distracting the others from their thoughts, "And what if they tell us something new?" "Good point, let's go inside" Cheerilee said happily, making her way through the massive doors of town hall. The Crusaders followed soon after her, not wanting Cheerilee to get all the information for herself. When they got inside they found the place packed with ponies in suits, with Cheerilee no where to be found. "Ms. Cheerilee?" the crusaders began to say as they made their way through the crowd, gaining the attention of many of the ponies in suits. "Hey, watch where you're going!" "What are fillies doing in here?!" "Who are you shouting for?" "Stop shouting, for the love of Celestia!" "Girls?" At the last voice the trio turned around, to find Cheerilee standing next to Mayor Mare, who was giving them an annoyed look. The three fillies quickly followed the two mares into another room, which they guessed was Mayor Mare's office. "So, what can I help you with today Ms Cheerilee?" Mayor Mare asked in a professional tone while the three fillies began to look around the room. "Well, we're here to see if you know anything about Scootaloo's biological mother" Cheerilee said in an equally professional tone. "What's biological mean?" Scootaloo asked, pulling her head away from one of the bookshelves in the room. "I'll explain later Scootaloo" Cheerilee said while keeping her eyes on Mayor Mare, who was watching the fillies like a hawk. She twitched as Applebloom lifted up a trophy she had sitting on a table next to her, and nearly fainted when Sweetie Belle touched the key to Ponyville. "Girls" Cheerilee said, wanting to prevent an incident. "Yes Ms. Cheerilee?" Applebloom asked as she put the trophy back where it was. "Stop snooping around Mayor Mare's office and stand behind me" Cheerilee said in a way that made them all sit behind her, perfectly still, waiting for her business to be done. For what must have been an hour the crusaders sat perfectly still, but when Mayor Mare left the room due to some urgent business Scootaloo decided to say what the other two fillies were thinking. "This is so boring!" Scootaloo said slowly, stretching out her words to show her emphasis on how boring it was. "Well then, why don't you three go wait outside, I'll meet you at Sugar Cube Corner when I'm done here" Cheerilee said tiredly, the long wait wearing her down as well. With that the trio made their way back to the main room, only to find it completely empty, with the sound of Mayor Mare's voice coming from the second floor. "Looks like Ms. Cheerilee's going to be waiting for a while" Applebloom said as she looked towards the stairs. "Yeah..." Sweetie Belle said, trying to think of how long they'd have to wait for at Sugar Cube Corner. She continued to think about it the entire way there, and when the three found a table they talked idly, ranging from cutie marks to how gross boys were. "Hey Mac, thanks for coming today" Rainbow said from outside Sugar Cube Corner, cutting the crusaders' conversation short. "Did she just say Mac? As in, Big Mac?" Scootaloo whispered while trying to look out a window at Rainbow Dash. When she looked outside she saw Big Mac standing in front of Rainbow Dash, smiling happily. Scootaloo's mouth dropped when she saw what they did next. "What's going on Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked from below Scootaloo, her and Sweetie Belle holding her up so she could look out. "Rainbow Dash just kissed..." Scootaloo said flatly, the shock of seeing Rainbow and Mac kiss overwhelming her senses. She ended up falling back off of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, hitting her head on a table as she did, knocking her out cold. "Scootaloo?!" Sweetie Belle screamed, not knowing what to do next. Rainbow and Mac suddenly burst into Sugar Cube Corner, and when they saw Scootaloo laying on the ground lifeless they freaked out. Big Mac picked Scootaloo up quickly and ran out the door, with Rainbow following closely beside him, cradling Scootaloo's head while fighting back tears. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle watched them leave in confusion, not sure what was going on at all. "What just happened?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly, still staring at the spot they had lost sight of Mac, Rainbow and Scootaloo. "I have no idea..." Applebloom said flatly, not sure what to make of her brother's reaction. As the two fillies stood frozen to the ground by shock Cheerilee walked up, a worried look on her face. When the two fillies caught sight of her face they instantly snapped out of their shock and walked up to her. "Is everything okay?" Applebloom asked, and when Cheerilee shook her head no the two fillies looked at the ground defeated. "Where's Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked a few seconds later, deciding to change the topic so she could hopefully cheer up Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Scootaloo just got carried away by Rainbow Dash and Big Mac after hitting her head on the table" Sweetie Belle said sadly, but Applebloom quickly perked up. "It was almost as if they were her parents!" Applebloom shouted happily, making both Sweetie Belle and Cheerilee look at her in a mix of surprise and confusion. They continued to look at her that way until Sweetie Belle started to think about it, followed soon after by Cheerilee. "What if they are her parents?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly, hoping her guess was right. "Exactly what I was thinking!" Applebloom said before she realized a fatal flaw in her thought process, "But they would have had to have been really young to have Scootaloo and only be twice her age...". Sweetie Belle silently nodded in agreement while Cheerilee shifted uneasily, trying to keep a secret from the young fillies. Scootaloo opened her eyes painfully, being blinded by the light. She moaned and rubbed her head as she started to see again, finding herself inside Ponyville hospital. When she looked around for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle she found Big Mac and Rainbow Dash leaning against each other, sound asleep in two chairs that were sitting beside her bed. Scootaloo had no idea why they would be here, but she liked the idea of her idol watching over her while she was in pain. Finding her with Big Mac was a bonus since she had always felt like there was something between them. "Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo whispered to see if Rainbow and Mac really were asleep. When neither of them moved she smiled happily. This meant they were both concerned for her almost like her parents would be. Then an idea crossed her mind... ...What if they were her parents? "There's no way I'd be that lucky" Scootaloo said angrily as the mulled the thought over in her head. What are the odds of her being an accidental baby? Even then, if they were her parents then she would have been a unwanted pregnancy, so why would they want her now. In the end Scootaloo just decided it was all just a coincidence and decided to try and get some sleep, but found herself unable to. As she tossed and turned Rainbow woke up, her belly being tickled by the bed sheet that Scootaloo was throwing around. "You seem pretty energetic for a pony with a concussion" Rainbow said in an almost motherly way, causing Big Mac to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, seeing Scootaloo looking at him and Rainbow Dash with surprise. "That sounded weird" Scootaloo said with an eyebrow raised at Rainbow. Right after she dismissed the thought of her being her mother she goes and says something like that? "Why did it sound weird?" Rainbow asked, slightly offended. "It sounded so motherly, almost as if you were my mom" Scootaloo said sadly before throwing the sheets off her bed, "As if I'd be so lucky". Rainbow quickly looked over to Mac, worried about something, but Scootaloo couldn't figure out what. Mac slowly shook his head and whispered something to Rainbow that Scootaloo couldn't hear. Rainbow quickly smiled and nodded before turning back to Scootaloo. "Look, we have to, uh, go now, but we'll come see you tomorrow, we promise" Rainbow said sadly, as if there was something she really wanted to tell Scootaloo, but couldn't. Whatever Mac told her mad her keep a secret from Scootaloo, and she didn't like it. After waving goodbye Mac and Rainbow got up and left, leaving Scootaloo all alone in the cold white room. "I wish they were my parents..." Scootaloo said quietly as she went to sleep, a small tear crawling down her face. The next day Scootaloo was woken up by Rainbow Dash and Big Mac, who looked at her with sadness in their eyes. When Scootaloo asked why they looked so sad they sad it was because they were tired, but Scootaloo could tell they were lying. They were hiding something from her, and she was going to figure out what it was, no matter what it took. "Hi Scootaloo!" Applebloom said cheerfully from the doorway as she bounded into the room, Sweetie Belle not far behind. "So, any news?" Scootaloo asked expectantly, hoping that going to the town hall was more than a waste of time. When Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads Scootaloo sighed sadly. "I just want to meet my parents..." Scootaloo said, trying to hold back tears as she thought about what having parents would be like for her. When she looked at Rainbow and Mac they were gone, not saying a word as they left. Why did it seem like every time she brought up parents they got uneasy? Were they talking about getting married or something, or did they just not like the mention of parentage? "Hey guys, I have this crazy idea" Scootaloo said slowly while she continued to stare at the open doorway. "What is it?" Applebloom asked, eager to hear what Scootaloo was thinking. "What if, well, uh..." Scootaloo stuttered, not sure how to say it. "Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were your parents?" Sweetie Belle said, finishing Scootaloo's sentence for her. "Yeah..." Scootaloo said sadly, the thought of how stupid it was returning to her. The three fillies remained silent until Doctor Stable came in and did a quick check up on Scootaloo to see if her head was healing okay. After shooing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle out of the room he did a more in depth exam, and within half an hour later he let Scootaloo go, warning her to watch herself. She quickly ran out of the hospital, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle in tow. They, no, she, had to find out what was going on with Rainbow Dash and Big Mac as soon as possible, it might be her last chance to find her parents. "Come on guys, let's go!" Scootaloo shouted as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started to fall behind. "YEAH!" the two fillies shouted, their renewed energy allowing them to catch up with Scootaloo. "Sweet Apple Acres, here we come!" Scootaloo cheered, being echoed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, as they ran along the road. Chapter 3: An Apple's Honesty?"Hey Applejack!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran through the orchard towards the familiar orange farm pony. Applejack quickly stood up, having been laying down under a tree for a break when they came running over. As Scootaloo came to a stop in front of her she noticed a bandage trailing behind her. "What's this for?" Applejack asked, pulling on the bandage with one of her forelegs, finding small traces of blood on it, which worried her. "Oh, I hit my head yesterday and just got out of the hospital, that must have come off my head" Scootaloo said with a nervous laugh. Applejack gave her a worried look before Applebloom and Sweetie Belle popped out from behind a tree, taking Applejack's focus off of the bandage. "Hey sis!" Applebloom said happily, running over to give her sister a quick hug. When they broke apart Applejack had lost the bandage, but now she wanted to know why there was a bandage in the first place. "So what happened yesterday that put Scootaloo in the hospital?" Applejack asked sincerely, making the three fillies look at each other worriedly, which only managed to make Applejack worry. "What did you guys do?" Applejack said slowly, facehoofing as she did. "Nothing, she just fell and hit her head" Applebloom said while giving Scootaloo a look. "How did that get her inside a hospital?" Applejack asked flatly, not seeing how hitting her head would get her in the hospital unless it was something dramatic. The crusaders gave each other looks, trying to figure out how to explain that Big Mac and Rainbow Dash rushed her to the hospital. Eventually Scootaloo decided to speak up. "I fell backwards after seeing Big Mac, and uh, Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo started, looking around to see if Big Mac was nearby, "Kiss" "Oh, that's all?" Applejack said calmly, not being phased by the news at all. "You're not surprised?" Sweetie Belle asked, finding it odd that she wouldn't be surprised that her brother and best friend were together. "I've known for a long time that they were together" Applejack said, as she looked up at the sky to see where the sun was in the sky. When she got back to bucking the trees to get the last harvest of the year the crusaders decided to walk away, thinking that weren't going to get anything out of her. They walked away slowly, finding Big Mac talking to Cheerilee again. As they got closer they could tell that whatever they were talking about was private, so they decided to stay back, not wanting to interrupt. After a few minutes Cheerilee noticed the crusaders standing nearby and quickly stopped her conversation, telling Big Mac to turn around. When he saw Scootaloo he ran over and crouched down next to her. "Are you okay Scootaloo?" Big Mac asked worriedly, bringing his hoof up to feel the back of her head. When he felt a bump he quickly turned her head and checked it out. After he was sure that she was okay he went back to crouching next to her, looking at her worriedly. She gave him a confused look back, not sure why he was so worried about her. It's not like her hunch could have been correct, right? "I'm okay" Scootaloo said, pausing for a moment, "dad" "What was that?" Big Mac asked quickly, catching the last word. Scootaloo shook her head, making Big Mac look at Cheerilee worriedly. Cheerilee shrugged, making Big Mac sigh, but he still got up. Scootaloo got up and headed towards Applebloom and Sweetie Belle who had started walking back into the trees. They waved her over as they made their way back to the clubhouse to see if there was anything they could think of that would make Mac slip up. "So, we can't think of anything?" Scootaloo said tiredly. The three of them had spent the entire day thinking of ways to make Big Mac slip up and admit Scootaloo was his daughter. At some point they had started thinking about maybe making Rainbow Dash slip up, but they had given up on that idea. She was too fast for any of them to catch her, and would just fly away if they asked about it. "Well, we're going to head home" Sweetie Belle said as her and Applebloom picked up their things and prepared to leave the clubhouse. "Ok, see you guys later" Scootaloo said sadly as they left her in the clubhouse. Applebloom stayed outside for a minute to make sure Scootaloo was okay, and once she was laying in her sleeping bag Applebloom left. As Applebloom made her way through the orchard she heard the leaves above her shake, and suddenly she was being pulled up by some unknown force. "What the hay?!" Applebloom shouted, her mouth being covered by a, light blue hoof? Applebloom quickly jerked her head up, confirming her suspicions. "Rainbow Dash?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow in surprise. Rainbow looked down at her and smiled before slowing down, landing on her doorstep. She fiddled with the door, and when she got it open she put Applebloom inside on the floor. "Uh Rainbow, shouldn't I be falling right now?" Applebloom asked, knowing full well that only Pegasi can walk on clouds. "My floors are different" Rainbow said, tapping the floor to make a sharp clicking noise, "Glass and cloud, lets regular ponies walk in my house". Applebloom looked at the floor in surprise, but then remembered that Unicorns made a super light, and super thin glass. She mouthed the word wow as she continued to look at the floor, surprised that it was actually floating, and that her hooves weren't cracking it. "So, uh, Rainbow, why did you carry me here?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow who had gone to get a book from her room. "I wanted to show you something" Rainbow said, sitting down on her couch. Applebloom tried to sit on it but fell through, making Rainbow laugh, "Sorry, I forgot this was a cloud couch!" "Sure ya did" Applebloom grunted as she got back to her hooves, opting to sit in front of Rainbow instead. Rainbow opened the book on her lap, a cloud of dust coming out of it. "Yuck, I need to clean out my old books" Rainbow gagged, making Applebloom laugh. After giving her a stern look Rainbow showed the book to Applebloom, showing her a picture of Big Mac and her in a hospital. It looked like Rainbow was holding something, and on another picture Applebloom could see that it was a small orange foal with purple hair... "Is that Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, receiving a nod from Rainbow, "So, you and my brother are...?" "Eeyup" Rainbow said, coughing shortly after, "Sorry, picked that up from him". Applebloom laughed as she looked at the pictures again, seeing what looked like her sister in the background, also holding a foal... "So, there's something I want you to do tomorrow for me" Rainbow said, putting the book away before Applebloom could continue to look at her sister. "What?" Applebloom asked, raising an eyebrow at Rainbow. "You have to call AJ mom, all day" Rainbow said while chuckling, "Oh, and make sure you don't tell Scootaloo about this" "Why?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow with pure confusion, "To both of them" "Well, when you were a baby you called AJ your mom which annoyed her to no end," Rainbow said with a laugh before getting dead silent, "And I don't want Scootaloo to hate me" "Ok, but why would she hate you?" Applebloom asked.From what she knew about Scootaloo she knew that she could never hate Rainbow, she idolized her. If anything learning Rainbow was her mom would only make Scootaloo love her more, if that was even possible. "I abandoned her at the orphanage because she couldn't fly" Rainbow said sadly, thinking back to the day she dropped Scootaloo off. "Are you sure about this Miss Dash?" the caretaker asked, seeing Rainbow's troubled face. She had seen enough parents drop off their children for their own reasons, but Rainbow seemed different. As if she was afraid of the foal or something. "Yes, I'm sure" Rainbow said painfully, fighting back tears as she handed Scootaloo over to the caretaker. Rainbow couldn't help but cry as she turned to leave, but she quickly ran back to give Scootaloo a kiss on her forehead. "I hope you have a good life" Rainbow croaked out, her tears flowing freely now. As soon as she was outside of the orphanage she flew away, hoping to hide in her house until she couldn't cry anymore... "Rainbow Dash?" Applebloom asked, snapping Rainbow back to reality. Rainbow smiled awkwardly as she got off the couch, taking the book back upstairs. After the book was back in it's place she walked to her front door. "Come on Applebloom, it's time for you to go home" Rainbow said sadly. Applebloom quickly walked over and was picked up by Rainbow, who quickly flew down the farm house, being met by Big Mac. "What were ya doin'?" he asked, a stalk of grain in his mouth. "Just telling her the truth about us" Rainbow said, a tear sneaking out of her eyes. Big Mac nodded as he ushered Applebloom inside before moving to comfort Rainbow. He hugged her tight, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Are you going to be okay?" Big Mac whispered into her ear, getting a nod back. "I let out all my tears long ago, you know that" Rainbow said forcing a smile. The two hugged again, being interrupted by a loud shout from inside the house. "WHO TOLD YOU TO CALL ME THAT?!" Applejack shouted, probably at Applebloom. "What else did you tell her?" Big Mac asked, giving Rainbow an accusing glance. "Just to call AJ mom, that's all" Rainbow said, making a girly face to calm Mac down. "Oh for the love a'..." Big Mac cursed, giving Rainbow a quick kiss before running into the house to try and defuse the situation Rainbow had created. Rainbow watched and listened as the siblings shouted at each other. She laughed as she stood there, before finally being shooed away by Big Mac out of one of the upstairs windows. Chapter 4: Surprising News"Will you three stop arguing!" Granny Smith shouted from her rocker as Applejack, Big Mac, and Applebloom argued from inside the kitchen. Ever since last night Applebloom had been calling Applejack her mom, which annoyed everypony in the house, especially Granny. When she had enough of their constant arguing and shouting Granny Smith made her way to the kitchen, just in time to hear Applebloom pout before walking out of the house. "Why are you getting so mad about it?!" Applebloom said before storming out of the house, throwing the door open so hard that a few jars tipped over on the counter. Applejack looked away from the door angrily, looking straight into Granny Smith's face. "What in tarnation are you three arguing about?" Granny Smith asked angrily, looking Applejack and Big Mac down. The siblings looked at each other worriedly. How were they going to explain to Granny what Applebloom had been saying? "Well, you see, uh..." Applejack started, looking at Big Mac for support, but he simply shrugged at her. Before she could say anything else Granny walked away, leaving Applejack and Big Mac to look at each other worriedly. Would it be okay to tell Applebloom the truth? How would she react? After looking at each for what seemed like hours the two siblings nodded and went on their merry ways. Big Mac went to get ready for a long day on the farm while Applejack went off to find Applebloom. Applebloom ran away from the house as fast as she could so she could get away from her brother and sister. Why were they getting so mad about Rainbow Dash's prank? How could Applebloom calling Applejack her mom get them so riled up? It's not like she was doing anything really bad. As Applebloom made her way into the orchard she slowed down, looking at the empty apple trees around her. "Why is she so mad about that?" Applebloom thought aloud as she sat looked for a place to mope. She had started thinking about any reason why Applejack would be mad about it. Was it because their parents were dead? Was it because she was actually young enough for Applejack to be her mom? Is it because of the jokes ponies make about the Apple family? While Applebloom thought about it she heard somepony trotting towards her, and when she looked up she saw Applejack walking slowly towards her. "Hey Applebloom..." Applejack said slowly and sadly as she walked up next to Applebloom, sitting down next to her. Applebloom looked at Applejack sadly, breaking her heart. She quickly scooted over next to Applejack and laid her head against on her shoulder. "Sis?" Applebloom asked quietly as she looked up at Applejack. "Yeah Applebloom?" Applejack replied softly. "Why did you guys get so mad at me for calling you mom?" Applebloom asked sadly, her eyes starting to tear up. Applejack quickly wrapped a hoof around her and pulled her into a hug. Applebloom quickly stopped crying and felt comfortable, as if she was hugging her mother. "There's something you should know Applebloom..." Applejack said slowly, making Applebloom look up into her sister's sad eyes... It was a sunny day in Ponyville and school had been let out. All the colts and fillies ran away to play with their friends and go home to sleep. Two ponies stayed behind, being yelled at by their teacher. Big Mac had gotten in trouble for flirting with his girlfriend, Rainbow Dash, who was from another school entirely. Outside the school two other ponies waited, hoping to play with the two guilty ponies. Applejack and a random Pegasus that had tagged along with Rainbow. After a while the two ponies outside started to talk, their idle chat quickly forming a friendship. "So, is he your brother?" the Pegasus asked, looking towards the school house worriedly. "Eeyup, why?" Applejack replied, looking at the colt with confusion. Why did it matter if Big Mac was her brother? "Well, I think you're pretty cute, and there's a party this weekend, so I thought that maybe..." the colt said shyly, his brownish cheeks turning a light shade of red. Applejack smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before trotting away cheerfully. "Is that a yes?" the colt asked quickly, still being stunned by the kiss. "Eeyup, pick me up at five" Applejack said cheerfully. Despite her southern beauty she had never been asked out by anypony in class, they had always been afraid of her brother. If they weren't afraid of Big Mac, then they didn't want to "dirty" themselves with a cowmare like her. With the thought of her date in her head the rest of the week went by fast, and in no time at all she was waiting outside her house for the colt to come pick her up. "Hi Applejack" the colt said as he landed in front of the house. Applejack quickly gave him a kiss on the nose before smiling at him. "Hey sugar cube" Applejack said quickly. She laughed as the colt's wings popped out, something she knew meant he was getting aroused. He quickly pushed they back down before coughing and looking back at Applejack. "Want to go?" he asked, his voice cracking as he did. Applejack gave him a sly smile, before trotting up next to him, raising her mouth up to his ear. She quickly whispered something to him, making his wings pop out again, but this time he didn't try to hide them. Instead he knelt down and let Applejack climb on his back and together they flew to Unicorn Range, preparing to have a party of their own. Little did Applejack know it would be the last time she ever saw that colt, and after their little party she had nine months to regret what she had done. Every day for the next nine months she would sit on her porch, waiting for the colt to come back, but her never did... "What I didn't know is that Rainbow and Big Mac had also had fun that night, and we ended up spending time in the hospital together after we gave birth to..." Applejack said, trailing off as she thought about how to give Applebloom the news. "Scootaloo and..." Applebloom said, thinking about it. She knew her and Scootaloo were the same age, their birthdays were within a week apart, and with Applejack not wanting to have Applebloom call her mom... "Me?" Applebloom asked quietly, looking at Applejack expectantly. When she nodded back Applebloom pulled her into a hug. She had no idea that her own sister was her mother, and despite the fact that she should have been angry about it, she couldn't have been happier. From far away Scootaloo could see the two sisters hugging under an apple tree, and she felt a sharp tug in her heart. Why could everypony have someone to go to for love and help but her? Scootaloo silently turned around and walked away, staring at the ground as she did. How could life have been so cruel to her but nopony else? If only Rainbow Dash was her actual mother, then everything would be fine...
Chapter 1: To The Orphanage"That was a fun game!" Applebloom said as she skipped through the orchard on Sweet Apple Acres. "Yeah, sucks that we didn't get our cutie marks though" Sweetie Belle said sadly as she walked beside Applebloom. "Maybe if you picked a game everypony has heard of we'd have had better luck!" Scootaloo said angrily, "Who's ever heard of Monopony!" "Uh Scoots, everypony knows about Monopony" Applebloom said as she turned to face Scootaloo, "Just because you lost doesn't mean the game sucks" "You're only saying that because you won!" Scootaloo shouted angrily. "Woah nelly, what's going on over here" Applejack asked as she walked out from behind a tree. The Crusaders had forgotten that she was working in the orchard around their clubhouse today. "Nothing's going on, I'm going home!" Scootaloo said loudly as she turned around making her way back towards the clubhouse. The three ponies she left behind followed her out of confusion. If anypony walked out of the orchard that way they would end up in the Unicorn Range. After following Scootaloo for a few minutes they saw her enter the clubhouse and could hear something being pulled across the floor. "What in tarnation?" Applejack said as she heard Scootaloo drag something else across the floor. "Why is Scoots in the clubhouse?" Applebloom asked quietly, Sweetie Belle nodding immediately after her. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out" Applejack said as she made her way up the stairs to the clubhouse, heading towards the window. She looked inside and saw Scootaloo laying out a sleeping bag across the floor, a hand stitched Rainbow Dash toy sitting next to it. Scootaloo continued to prepare her bed until she looked up to see where the moon was and instead saw Applejack's worried face. "Applejack?!" Scootaloo shouted in surprise. No pony ever followed her to the clubhouse, What if she told Applebloom and Sweetie Belle?! "Scootaloo?" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle asked as they opened the door to the clubhouse, slowly stepping inside. They looked around ad saw the sleeping bag laid out, along with Scootaloo's favourite toy. "Are you spending the night here Scootaloo to try and get your cutie mark without us?" Applebloom asked, thinking it was for some sort of camping cutie mark. "No..." Scootaloo slowly, and quietly, replied, completely embarrassed that her friend had found out about her secret. "Then why are you staying here tonight?" Sweetie Belle asked, trying to figure it out for herself, to no avail. "I think I know why" Applejack said from behind the two fillies, making them jump. They had forgotten she was there after seeing Scootaloo's sleeping bag. "What is it sis?" Applebloom asked quickly, but was shushed by Applejack. She quickly ushered Applebloom and Sweetie Belle out of the clubhouse, putting a chair against the door so they could get in and then crouched next to Scootaloo. "How long has it been sugar cube?" Applejack asked sweetly, knowing why Scootaloo was staying there. "Six months" Scootaloo replied quietly, looking at the floor. "Why did you run away, somepony would have-" Applejack said, only to be cut off by Scootaloo. "No pony would want me, I'm a stupid Pegasus who can't even fly" Scootaloo cried, tears starting to flow down her face. Applejack quickly hugged Scootaloo, feeling sorry for the abandoned filly. When she was still a baby her mother left her at the Ponyville orphanage after hearing she would never fly, and since then she's been all alone. "It's okay Scootaloo, you're not stupid" Applejack said as she rubbed Scootaloo's back, trying to calm her down. "Yes I am! I'm useless" Scootaloo cried, hugging Applejack tight. Scootaloo felt as if she was hugging her mom, but she knew it was only because Applejack was so motherly to the Crusaders. "Hey, you're not useless, you're special in your own way, don't ever forget that" Applejack said, briefly breaking the hug to look the crying filly in the eyes. Scootaloo and Applejack stared at each other for a few seconds before hugging each other once again, Scootaloo crying even more now. "I just want to know who my mother is..." Scootaloo whispered, barely loud enough for Applejack to hear. "Don't worry, we'll find her Scootaloo" Applebloom said sadly from behind Applejack, making the hugging ponies look at her in surprise. "How'd you get in here?!" Applejack said, looking at the door and window to find them both shut. "Secret entrance" Sweetie Belle said, pointing the a spot on the floor, which seemed to be a bit out of place. Scootaloo smiled awkwardly through her tears, happy to know that her best friends wanted to help her find her mom. "Where should we start looking?" Applebloom asked quietly, not sure where anypony would go to find out who their mother is except the town hall. "We could try the orphanage, they might know" Sweetie Belle said, thinking about the Ponyville orphanage, "Don't most ponies without parents go there?" "Yeah, that'd be your best bet to start with" Applejack said as she got to her feet, quickly ushering the fillies out of the clubhouse again, "We should let her get to sleep, you all have a busy day ahead of you". After some quick goodbyes and hugs Scootaloo was left alone in the clubhouse. She quickly climbed into her sleeping bag and cuddled her Rainbow Dash toy for warmth. Winter was coming, and if they didn't find Scootaloo's mother soon she would be in big trouble... "Morning Scoots" Applebloom said happily as she shook Scootaloo awake. Both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had woken up early so they could get straight to work on finding Scootaloo's mom for her. "Ugh, mornin'" Scootaloo said as she sat up in her bed, still hugging her Rainbow Dash toy. "I bet you wish Rainbow was your mom, huh?" Sweetie Belle said with a giggle. Scootaloo quickly let go of the toy and looked at Sweetie Belle angrily, as if it would make her stop laughing, but she continued. "Sorry, I didn't meant to laugh like that" Sweetie Belle said quickly after she saw how angry Scootaloo was, embarrassed at herself for being so mean to her friend. "Whatever" Scootaloo said angrily before turning to face Applebloom, "What's the plan for today?" "Well, I was thinking we could go see if the orphanage will help us" Applebloom said as she pulled a map out of her saddlebag, "And if that doesn't work then we can go try town hall" "Sounds good, let's get going!" Scootaloo said as she jumped out of the sleeping bag. "Yeah!" the other two Crusaders shouted as the trio walked towards the door. The trio made their way through the orchard, running into Applejack who wished them the best of luck. As they got to the edge of Sweet Apple Acres they ran into Big Mac and Cheerilee, who were talking about Applebloom's grades. "She's doing well, but I know she could do better" Cheerilee said while leaning on the fence. "Eeyup" Big Mac replied, his attention elsewhere. "Are you helping her at home?" Cheerilee asked, knowing Big Mac wasn't as dumb as he looked. "Eenope" Big Mac replied, "I gotta get back to work now" "Oh, okay, talk to you later then" Cheerilee said as she turned to head back to town before being nearly tackled by the Crusaders. She managed to jump out of the way in time, causing the Crusaders to hit the ground in a heap. "What are you three doing?" Cheerilee asked lazily, thinking they were after their cutie marks again. "Where going to find Scootaloo's mo-" Applebloom started to say before being cut off by Scootaloo's hoof, which was shoved into her mouth. "Don't tell her that!" Scootaloo whispered angrily, not wanting everypony in town to know. "Don't tell me what?" Cheerilee asked, her curiosity being peaked. "Well, uh, we are uh..." Scootaloo stammered, not able to think of a lie to tell Cheerilee that would make her leave them alone. "Looking for somepony's mom!" Sweetie Belle said happily, not thinking that Cheerilee would be able to put two and two together. "So you're looking for Scootaloo's mom?" Cheerilee asked smugly, knowing it would make the three fillies freak out. "How did you know?!" Scootaloo shouted, looking at Cheerilee with both fear and confusion. What if she told Scootaloo to give up, or told the guards and then she'd be thrown back in the orphanage, or worse... "If you want I can help you with your search" Cheerilee said cheerfully, smiling at them happily. The three fillies looking at each other in surprise before smiling happily, dancing around Cheerilee in a circle. There was a chorus of "thank you"s coming from the three fillies, making Cheerilee laugh happily. After a few minutes they were on their way to the orphanage, all smiling happily. "How can we help you today Cheerilee?" the pony at the front of the orphanage asked as the group walked in. Cheerilee quickly asked the Crusaders to wait outside, saying they wouldn't give her any information with them inside with her, so they reluctantly waiting in the waiting room. A few minutes after Cheerilee went into the orphanage a little colt came out into the lobby. "Hi Scootaloo" the colt said as he walked up to her, "I didn't think I'd see you again" "Yeah, me neither" Scootaloo said as she gave the colt a quick hug, making the other Crusaders giggle. "So what's this lucky colt's name?" Sweetie Belle said while laughing hysterically with Applebloom chanting, "Scootaloo and the colt sitting a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g" "Shut up, he's just an old friend!" Scootaloo shouted angrily towards her friends, "And his name is Quick Shot!" "Well, it looks like you were pretty quick to hug him!" Applebloom said while laughing, making Scootaloo grit her teeth. "I can go if you want" Quick Shot said as he shrunk away from the trio, but Scootaloo pulled him back. "No, it's okay. How have things been since I left?" Scootaloo asked sincerely. "Good, everyone was worried when you disappeared, but then they went back to normal after a little while" Quick Shot said as the caretaker came through the door with Cheerilee. "Well, thank you for- Quick Shot, get back in there!" the caretaker said after seeing Quick Shot standing in the lobby, "Scootaloo? What are you doing here?" "She's here with me" Cheerilee said flatly, noticing a hint of anger in the caretaker's voice. "Oh, well then" the caretaker said with a sigh, "Quick Shot come with me" "Yes ma'am" Quick Shot said as he made his way back inside the main room of the orphanage. Scootaloo lazily waved goodbye as he was pulled back inside, and then turned to make her way out with Cheerilee, who had a stack of papers in her saddlebag. "What did you find Ms. Cheerilee?" Applebloom asked as they walked outside. "Nothing much, other than it was the mother's choice to give her up" Cheerilee said sadly, "But the town hall records might have some more information for us" "Okay, so is that where we're heading next?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking towards the tall tower in the middle of town. "I don't know, do you want to Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked, turning around to face Scootaloo. "Yeah, I guess, we might as well" Scootaloo said, still thinking about Quick Shot. She knew he was a good flyer, probably just as good as some of the Wonderbolts, but because he was stuck in the orphanage he wouldn't be able to become one, and it made her feel bad. She managed to get out and make friends that are now helping her find her mom, but he might be stuck there for his entire life... "Are you okay Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, noticing how sad Scootaloo looked. "Uh, yeah, let's go" Scootaloo said, taking one last look at the orphanage before she started walking towards their next stop, town hall.
Chapter 2: Town Hall Terrors"What kind of information do we hope to get from town hall again?" Sweetie Belle asked when the group stopped outside town hall to get themselves together. Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Cheerilee gave her a confused look, as if they couldn't believe what she said. "We're here to find out who my mom is, duh!" Scootaloo said while making a face at Sweetie Belle. "I know that!" Sweetie Belle said angrily, pausing to take a breath to calm herself, "But what could they tell us that we don't already know?". Sweetie Belle ending up making the others think, she did make a good point after all. What else could the town hall tell them, it's not like they kept files on everypony from the moment they were born, right? "Well, it's not like it'd kill us to ask" Applebloom said, distracting the others from their thoughts, "And what if they tell us something new?" "Good point, let's go inside" Cheerilee said happily, making her way through the massive doors of town hall. The Crusaders followed soon after her, not wanting Cheerilee to get all the information for herself. When they got inside they found the place packed with ponies in suits, with Cheerilee no where to be found. "Ms. Cheerilee?" the crusaders began to say as they made their way through the crowd, gaining the attention of many of the ponies in suits. "Hey, watch where you're going!" "What are fillies doing in here?!" "Who are you shouting for?" "Stop shouting, for the love of Celestia!" "Girls?" At the last voice the trio turned around, to find Cheerilee standing next to Mayor Mare, who was giving them an annoyed look. The three fillies quickly followed the two mares into another room, which they guessed was Mayor Mare's office. "So, what can I help you with today Ms Cheerilee?" Mayor Mare asked in a professional tone while the three fillies began to look around the room. "Well, we're here to see if you know anything about Scootaloo's biological mother" Cheerilee said in an equally professional tone. "What's biological mean?" Scootaloo asked, pulling her head away from one of the bookshelves in the room. "I'll explain later Scootaloo" Cheerilee said while keeping her eyes on Mayor Mare, who was watching the fillies like a hawk. She twitched as Applebloom lifted up a trophy she had sitting on a table next to her, and nearly fainted when Sweetie Belle touched the key to Ponyville. "Girls" Cheerilee said, wanting to prevent an incident. "Yes Ms. Cheerilee?" Applebloom asked as she put the trophy back where it was. "Stop snooping around Mayor Mare's office and stand behind me" Cheerilee said in a way that made them all sit behind her, perfectly still, waiting for her business to be done. For what must have been an hour the crusaders sat perfectly still, but when Mayor Mare left the room due to some urgent business Scootaloo decided to say what the other two fillies were thinking. "This is so boring!" Scootaloo said slowly, stretching out her words to show her emphasis on how boring it was. "Well then, why don't you three go wait outside, I'll meet you at Sugar Cube Corner when I'm done here" Cheerilee said tiredly, the long wait wearing her down as well. With that the trio made their way back to the main room, only to find it completely empty, with the sound of Mayor Mare's voice coming from the second floor. "Looks like Ms. Cheerilee's going to be waiting for a while" Applebloom said as she looked towards the stairs. "Yeah..." Sweetie Belle said, trying to think of how long they'd have to wait for at Sugar Cube Corner. She continued to think about it the entire way there, and when the three found a table they talked idly, ranging from cutie marks to how gross boys were. "Hey Mac, thanks for coming today" Rainbow said from outside Sugar Cube Corner, cutting the crusaders' conversation short. "Did she just say Mac? As in, Big Mac?" Scootaloo whispered while trying to look out a window at Rainbow Dash. When she looked outside she saw Big Mac standing in front of Rainbow Dash, smiling happily. Scootaloo's mouth dropped when she saw what they did next. "What's going on Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked from below Scootaloo, her and Sweetie Belle holding her up so she could look out. "Rainbow Dash just kissed..." Scootaloo said flatly, the shock of seeing Rainbow and Mac kiss overwhelming her senses. She ended up falling back off of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, hitting her head on a table as she did, knocking her out cold. "Scootaloo?!" Sweetie Belle screamed, not knowing what to do next. Rainbow and Mac suddenly burst into Sugar Cube Corner, and when they saw Scootaloo laying on the ground lifeless they freaked out. Big Mac picked Scootaloo up quickly and ran out the door, with Rainbow following closely beside him, cradling Scootaloo's head while fighting back tears. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle watched them leave in confusion, not sure what was going on at all. "What just happened?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly, still staring at the spot they had lost sight of Mac, Rainbow and Scootaloo. "I have no idea..." Applebloom said flatly, not sure what to make of her brother's reaction. As the two fillies stood frozen to the ground by shock Cheerilee walked up, a worried look on her face. When the two fillies caught sight of her face they instantly snapped out of their shock and walked up to her. "Is everything okay?" Applebloom asked, and when Cheerilee shook her head no the two fillies looked at the ground defeated. "Where's Scootaloo?" Cheerilee asked a few seconds later, deciding to change the topic so she could hopefully cheer up Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Scootaloo just got carried away by Rainbow Dash and Big Mac after hitting her head on the table" Sweetie Belle said sadly, but Applebloom quickly perked up. "It was almost as if they were her parents!" Applebloom shouted happily, making both Sweetie Belle and Cheerilee look at her in a mix of surprise and confusion. They continued to look at her that way until Sweetie Belle started to think about it, followed soon after by Cheerilee. "What if they are her parents?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly, hoping her guess was right. "Exactly what I was thinking!" Applebloom said before she realized a fatal flaw in her thought process, "But they would have had to have been really young to have Scootaloo and only be twice her age...". Sweetie Belle silently nodded in agreement while Cheerilee shifted uneasily, trying to keep a secret from the young fillies. Scootaloo opened her eyes painfully, being blinded by the light. She moaned and rubbed her head as she started to see again, finding herself inside Ponyville hospital. When she looked around for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle she found Big Mac and Rainbow Dash leaning against each other, sound asleep in two chairs that were sitting beside her bed. Scootaloo had no idea why they would be here, but she liked the idea of her idol watching over her while she was in pain. Finding her with Big Mac was a bonus since she had always felt like there was something between them. "Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo whispered to see if Rainbow and Mac really were asleep. When neither of them moved she smiled happily. This meant they were both concerned for her almost like her parents would be. Then an idea crossed her mind... ...What if they were her parents? "There's no way I'd be that lucky" Scootaloo said angrily as the mulled the thought over in her head. What are the odds of her being an accidental baby? Even then, if they were her parents then she would have been a unwanted pregnancy, so why would they want her now. In the end Scootaloo just decided it was all just a coincidence and decided to try and get some sleep, but found herself unable to. As she tossed and turned Rainbow woke up, her belly being tickled by the bed sheet that Scootaloo was throwing around. "You seem pretty energetic for a pony with a concussion" Rainbow said in an almost motherly way, causing Big Mac to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around, seeing Scootaloo looking at him and Rainbow Dash with surprise. "That sounded weird" Scootaloo said with an eyebrow raised at Rainbow. Right after she dismissed the thought of her being her mother she goes and says something like that? "Why did it sound weird?" Rainbow asked, slightly offended. "It sounded so motherly, almost as if you were my mom" Scootaloo said sadly before throwing the sheets off her bed, "As if I'd be so lucky". Rainbow quickly looked over to Mac, worried about something, but Scootaloo couldn't figure out what. Mac slowly shook his head and whispered something to Rainbow that Scootaloo couldn't hear. Rainbow quickly smiled and nodded before turning back to Scootaloo. "Look, we have to, uh, go now, but we'll come see you tomorrow, we promise" Rainbow said sadly, as if there was something she really wanted to tell Scootaloo, but couldn't. Whatever Mac told her mad her keep a secret from Scootaloo, and she didn't like it. After waving goodbye Mac and Rainbow got up and left, leaving Scootaloo all alone in the cold white room. "I wish they were my parents..." Scootaloo said quietly as she went to sleep, a small tear crawling down her face. The next day Scootaloo was woken up by Rainbow Dash and Big Mac, who looked at her with sadness in their eyes. When Scootaloo asked why they looked so sad they sad it was because they were tired, but Scootaloo could tell they were lying. They were hiding something from her, and she was going to figure out what it was, no matter what it took. "Hi Scootaloo!" Applebloom said cheerfully from the doorway as she bounded into the room, Sweetie Belle not far behind. "So, any news?" Scootaloo asked expectantly, hoping that going to the town hall was more than a waste of time. When Applebloom and Sweetie Belle shook their heads Scootaloo sighed sadly. "I just want to meet my parents..." Scootaloo said, trying to hold back tears as she thought about what having parents would be like for her. When she looked at Rainbow and Mac they were gone, not saying a word as they left. Why did it seem like every time she brought up parents they got uneasy? Were they talking about getting married or something, or did they just not like the mention of parentage? "Hey guys, I have this crazy idea" Scootaloo said slowly while she continued to stare at the open doorway. "What is it?" Applebloom asked, eager to hear what Scootaloo was thinking. "What if, well, uh..." Scootaloo stuttered, not sure how to say it. "Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were your parents?" Sweetie Belle said, finishing Scootaloo's sentence for her. "Yeah..." Scootaloo said sadly, the thought of how stupid it was returning to her. The three fillies remained silent until Doctor Stable came in and did a quick check up on Scootaloo to see if her head was healing okay. After shooing Applebloom and Sweetie Belle out of the room he did a more in depth exam, and within half an hour later he let Scootaloo go, warning her to watch herself. She quickly ran out of the hospital, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle in tow. They, no, she, had to find out what was going on with Rainbow Dash and Big Mac as soon as possible, it might be her last chance to find her parents. "Come on guys, let's go!" Scootaloo shouted as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle started to fall behind. "YEAH!" the two fillies shouted, their renewed energy allowing them to catch up with Scootaloo. "Sweet Apple Acres, here we come!" Scootaloo cheered, being echoed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, as they ran along the road.
Chapter 3: An Apple's Honesty?"Hey Applejack!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran through the orchard towards the familiar orange farm pony. Applejack quickly stood up, having been laying down under a tree for a break when they came running over. As Scootaloo came to a stop in front of her she noticed a bandage trailing behind her. "What's this for?" Applejack asked, pulling on the bandage with one of her forelegs, finding small traces of blood on it, which worried her. "Oh, I hit my head yesterday and just got out of the hospital, that must have come off my head" Scootaloo said with a nervous laugh. Applejack gave her a worried look before Applebloom and Sweetie Belle popped out from behind a tree, taking Applejack's focus off of the bandage. "Hey sis!" Applebloom said happily, running over to give her sister a quick hug. When they broke apart Applejack had lost the bandage, but now she wanted to know why there was a bandage in the first place. "So what happened yesterday that put Scootaloo in the hospital?" Applejack asked sincerely, making the three fillies look at each other worriedly, which only managed to make Applejack worry. "What did you guys do?" Applejack said slowly, facehoofing as she did. "Nothing, she just fell and hit her head" Applebloom said while giving Scootaloo a look. "How did that get her inside a hospital?" Applejack asked flatly, not seeing how hitting her head would get her in the hospital unless it was something dramatic. The crusaders gave each other looks, trying to figure out how to explain that Big Mac and Rainbow Dash rushed her to the hospital. Eventually Scootaloo decided to speak up. "I fell backwards after seeing Big Mac, and uh, Rainbow Dash..." Scootaloo started, looking around to see if Big Mac was nearby, "Kiss" "Oh, that's all?" Applejack said calmly, not being phased by the news at all. "You're not surprised?" Sweetie Belle asked, finding it odd that she wouldn't be surprised that her brother and best friend were together. "I've known for a long time that they were together" Applejack said, as she looked up at the sky to see where the sun was in the sky. When she got back to bucking the trees to get the last harvest of the year the crusaders decided to walk away, thinking that weren't going to get anything out of her. They walked away slowly, finding Big Mac talking to Cheerilee again. As they got closer they could tell that whatever they were talking about was private, so they decided to stay back, not wanting to interrupt. After a few minutes Cheerilee noticed the crusaders standing nearby and quickly stopped her conversation, telling Big Mac to turn around. When he saw Scootaloo he ran over and crouched down next to her. "Are you okay Scootaloo?" Big Mac asked worriedly, bringing his hoof up to feel the back of her head. When he felt a bump he quickly turned her head and checked it out. After he was sure that she was okay he went back to crouching next to her, looking at her worriedly. She gave him a confused look back, not sure why he was so worried about her. It's not like her hunch could have been correct, right? "I'm okay" Scootaloo said, pausing for a moment, "dad" "What was that?" Big Mac asked quickly, catching the last word. Scootaloo shook her head, making Big Mac look at Cheerilee worriedly. Cheerilee shrugged, making Big Mac sigh, but he still got up. Scootaloo got up and headed towards Applebloom and Sweetie Belle who had started walking back into the trees. They waved her over as they made their way back to the clubhouse to see if there was anything they could think of that would make Mac slip up. "So, we can't think of anything?" Scootaloo said tiredly. The three of them had spent the entire day thinking of ways to make Big Mac slip up and admit Scootaloo was his daughter. At some point they had started thinking about maybe making Rainbow Dash slip up, but they had given up on that idea. She was too fast for any of them to catch her, and would just fly away if they asked about it. "Well, we're going to head home" Sweetie Belle said as her and Applebloom picked up their things and prepared to leave the clubhouse. "Ok, see you guys later" Scootaloo said sadly as they left her in the clubhouse. Applebloom stayed outside for a minute to make sure Scootaloo was okay, and once she was laying in her sleeping bag Applebloom left. As Applebloom made her way through the orchard she heard the leaves above her shake, and suddenly she was being pulled up by some unknown force. "What the hay?!" Applebloom shouted, her mouth being covered by a, light blue hoof? Applebloom quickly jerked her head up, confirming her suspicions. "Rainbow Dash?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow in surprise. Rainbow looked down at her and smiled before slowing down, landing on her doorstep. She fiddled with the door, and when she got it open she put Applebloom inside on the floor. "Uh Rainbow, shouldn't I be falling right now?" Applebloom asked, knowing full well that only Pegasi can walk on clouds. "My floors are different" Rainbow said, tapping the floor to make a sharp clicking noise, "Glass and cloud, lets regular ponies walk in my house". Applebloom looked at the floor in surprise, but then remembered that Unicorns made a super light, and super thin glass. She mouthed the word wow as she continued to look at the floor, surprised that it was actually floating, and that her hooves weren't cracking it. "So, uh, Rainbow, why did you carry me here?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow who had gone to get a book from her room. "I wanted to show you something" Rainbow said, sitting down on her couch. Applebloom tried to sit on it but fell through, making Rainbow laugh, "Sorry, I forgot this was a cloud couch!" "Sure ya did" Applebloom grunted as she got back to her hooves, opting to sit in front of Rainbow instead. Rainbow opened the book on her lap, a cloud of dust coming out of it. "Yuck, I need to clean out my old books" Rainbow gagged, making Applebloom laugh. After giving her a stern look Rainbow showed the book to Applebloom, showing her a picture of Big Mac and her in a hospital. It looked like Rainbow was holding something, and on another picture Applebloom could see that it was a small orange foal with purple hair... "Is that Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked, receiving a nod from Rainbow, "So, you and my brother are...?" "Eeyup" Rainbow said, coughing shortly after, "Sorry, picked that up from him". Applebloom laughed as she looked at the pictures again, seeing what looked like her sister in the background, also holding a foal... "So, there's something I want you to do tomorrow for me" Rainbow said, putting the book away before Applebloom could continue to look at her sister. "What?" Applebloom asked, raising an eyebrow at Rainbow. "You have to call AJ mom, all day" Rainbow said while chuckling, "Oh, and make sure you don't tell Scootaloo about this" "Why?" Applebloom asked, looking at Rainbow with pure confusion, "To both of them" "Well, when you were a baby you called AJ your mom which annoyed her to no end," Rainbow said with a laugh before getting dead silent, "And I don't want Scootaloo to hate me" "Ok, but why would she hate you?" Applebloom asked.From what she knew about Scootaloo she knew that she could never hate Rainbow, she idolized her. If anything learning Rainbow was her mom would only make Scootaloo love her more, if that was even possible. "I abandoned her at the orphanage because she couldn't fly" Rainbow said sadly, thinking back to the day she dropped Scootaloo off. "Are you sure about this Miss Dash?" the caretaker asked, seeing Rainbow's troubled face. She had seen enough parents drop off their children for their own reasons, but Rainbow seemed different. As if she was afraid of the foal or something. "Yes, I'm sure" Rainbow said painfully, fighting back tears as she handed Scootaloo over to the caretaker. Rainbow couldn't help but cry as she turned to leave, but she quickly ran back to give Scootaloo a kiss on her forehead. "I hope you have a good life" Rainbow croaked out, her tears flowing freely now. As soon as she was outside of the orphanage she flew away, hoping to hide in her house until she couldn't cry anymore... "Rainbow Dash?" Applebloom asked, snapping Rainbow back to reality. Rainbow smiled awkwardly as she got off the couch, taking the book back upstairs. After the book was back in it's place she walked to her front door. "Come on Applebloom, it's time for you to go home" Rainbow said sadly. Applebloom quickly walked over and was picked up by Rainbow, who quickly flew down the farm house, being met by Big Mac. "What were ya doin'?" he asked, a stalk of grain in his mouth. "Just telling her the truth about us" Rainbow said, a tear sneaking out of her eyes. Big Mac nodded as he ushered Applebloom inside before moving to comfort Rainbow. He hugged her tight, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Are you going to be okay?" Big Mac whispered into her ear, getting a nod back. "I let out all my tears long ago, you know that" Rainbow said forcing a smile. The two hugged again, being interrupted by a loud shout from inside the house. "WHO TOLD YOU TO CALL ME THAT?!" Applejack shouted, probably at Applebloom. "What else did you tell her?" Big Mac asked, giving Rainbow an accusing glance. "Just to call AJ mom, that's all" Rainbow said, making a girly face to calm Mac down. "Oh for the love a'..." Big Mac cursed, giving Rainbow a quick kiss before running into the house to try and defuse the situation Rainbow had created. Rainbow watched and listened as the siblings shouted at each other. She laughed as she stood there, before finally being shooed away by Big Mac out of one of the upstairs windows.
Chapter 4: Surprising News"Will you three stop arguing!" Granny Smith shouted from her rocker as Applejack, Big Mac, and Applebloom argued from inside the kitchen. Ever since last night Applebloom had been calling Applejack her mom, which annoyed everypony in the house, especially Granny. When she had enough of their constant arguing and shouting Granny Smith made her way to the kitchen, just in time to hear Applebloom pout before walking out of the house. "Why are you getting so mad about it?!" Applebloom said before storming out of the house, throwing the door open so hard that a few jars tipped over on the counter. Applejack looked away from the door angrily, looking straight into Granny Smith's face. "What in tarnation are you three arguing about?" Granny Smith asked angrily, looking Applejack and Big Mac down. The siblings looked at each other worriedly. How were they going to explain to Granny what Applebloom had been saying? "Well, you see, uh..." Applejack started, looking at Big Mac for support, but he simply shrugged at her. Before she could say anything else Granny walked away, leaving Applejack and Big Mac to look at each other worriedly. Would it be okay to tell Applebloom the truth? How would she react? After looking at each for what seemed like hours the two siblings nodded and went on their merry ways. Big Mac went to get ready for a long day on the farm while Applejack went off to find Applebloom. Applebloom ran away from the house as fast as she could so she could get away from her brother and sister. Why were they getting so mad about Rainbow Dash's prank? How could Applebloom calling Applejack her mom get them so riled up? It's not like she was doing anything really bad. As Applebloom made her way into the orchard she slowed down, looking at the empty apple trees around her. "Why is she so mad about that?" Applebloom thought aloud as she sat looked for a place to mope. She had started thinking about any reason why Applejack would be mad about it. Was it because their parents were dead? Was it because she was actually young enough for Applejack to be her mom? Is it because of the jokes ponies make about the Apple family? While Applebloom thought about it she heard somepony trotting towards her, and when she looked up she saw Applejack walking slowly towards her. "Hey Applebloom..." Applejack said slowly and sadly as she walked up next to Applebloom, sitting down next to her. Applebloom looked at Applejack sadly, breaking her heart. She quickly scooted over next to Applejack and laid her head against on her shoulder. "Sis?" Applebloom asked quietly as she looked up at Applejack. "Yeah Applebloom?" Applejack replied softly. "Why did you guys get so mad at me for calling you mom?" Applebloom asked sadly, her eyes starting to tear up. Applejack quickly wrapped a hoof around her and pulled her into a hug. Applebloom quickly stopped crying and felt comfortable, as if she was hugging her mother. "There's something you should know Applebloom..." Applejack said slowly, making Applebloom look up into her sister's sad eyes... It was a sunny day in Ponyville and school had been let out. All the colts and fillies ran away to play with their friends and go home to sleep. Two ponies stayed behind, being yelled at by their teacher. Big Mac had gotten in trouble for flirting with his girlfriend, Rainbow Dash, who was from another school entirely. Outside the school two other ponies waited, hoping to play with the two guilty ponies. Applejack and a random Pegasus that had tagged along with Rainbow. After a while the two ponies outside started to talk, their idle chat quickly forming a friendship. "So, is he your brother?" the Pegasus asked, looking towards the school house worriedly. "Eeyup, why?" Applejack replied, looking at the colt with confusion. Why did it matter if Big Mac was her brother? "Well, I think you're pretty cute, and there's a party this weekend, so I thought that maybe..." the colt said shyly, his brownish cheeks turning a light shade of red. Applejack smiled as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before trotting away cheerfully. "Is that a yes?" the colt asked quickly, still being stunned by the kiss. "Eeyup, pick me up at five" Applejack said cheerfully. Despite her southern beauty she had never been asked out by anypony in class, they had always been afraid of her brother. If they weren't afraid of Big Mac, then they didn't want to "dirty" themselves with a cowmare like her. With the thought of her date in her head the rest of the week went by fast, and in no time at all she was waiting outside her house for the colt to come pick her up. "Hi Applejack" the colt said as he landed in front of the house. Applejack quickly gave him a kiss on the nose before smiling at him. "Hey sugar cube" Applejack said quickly. She laughed as the colt's wings popped out, something she knew meant he was getting aroused. He quickly pushed they back down before coughing and looking back at Applejack. "Want to go?" he asked, his voice cracking as he did. Applejack gave him a sly smile, before trotting up next to him, raising her mouth up to his ear. She quickly whispered something to him, making his wings pop out again, but this time he didn't try to hide them. Instead he knelt down and let Applejack climb on his back and together they flew to Unicorn Range, preparing to have a party of their own. Little did Applejack know it would be the last time she ever saw that colt, and after their little party she had nine months to regret what she had done. Every day for the next nine months she would sit on her porch, waiting for the colt to come back, but her never did... "What I didn't know is that Rainbow and Big Mac had also had fun that night, and we ended up spending time in the hospital together after we gave birth to..." Applejack said, trailing off as she thought about how to give Applebloom the news. "Scootaloo and..." Applebloom said, thinking about it. She knew her and Scootaloo were the same age, their birthdays were within a week apart, and with Applejack not wanting to have Applebloom call her mom... "Me?" Applebloom asked quietly, looking at Applejack expectantly. When she nodded back Applebloom pulled her into a hug. She had no idea that her own sister was her mother, and despite the fact that she should have been angry about it, she couldn't have been happier. From far away Scootaloo could see the two sisters hugging under an apple tree, and she felt a sharp tug in her heart. Why could everypony have someone to go to for love and help but her? Scootaloo silently turned around and walked away, staring at the ground as she did. How could life have been so cruel to her but nopony else? If only Rainbow Dash was her actual mother, then everything would be fine...
