“Ha ha alright! No more teaching for the day, no Wonderbolts training, just some quality me time!”
It was another beautiful sunny day in Ponyville, the clouds were clear and a certain rainbow mare pegasus flew through the sky delighted that she had the whole afternoon to herself. With her teaching work done and no training lined up she gratefully embraced the rest of the day.
Now of course Rainbow Dash didn’t want to seem ungrateful, being a Wonderbolt was her dream after all, but sometimes a pony can’t help but take a break from dreaming to nap.
“Alright what’s in the plans for today? A nap? Classic, reliable, can’t go wrong with that. Maybe a sneaky pampering and massage? Everyone else is busy around this time so maybe, or how about- huh?”
Dash’s audible planning was interrupted as her eyes caught an orange silhouette crouched beneath a lone tree atop a hill far outside the outskirts of Ponyville.
“Scootaloo?”
The situation was an uncommon one, Scootaloo alone? Hunched under a solitary tree? That was setting off alarm bells in Rainbow’s head that shouted “getting away from something”.
While some part of her knew ponies needed alone time every once in a while, the overly protective part of her brain that saw Scootaloo as family just couldn’t let her be.
Luckily for her brain, her body was faster and was already gliding down to the filly, her ears picking up a sound of faint sobbing, never good.
“Hey squirt, you alright?”
“O-oh Rainbow Dash!” The purple maned filly quickly wiped her tears, put on a bright face, and waved her hoof dismissively. “Ha ha of course I am why wouldn’t I be”
Rainbow Dash was far too used to Scootaloo acting differently around her, she was her idol after all. Even though Dash loved the shining, adoring smile of her number one fan, she never liked how it could sometimes get in the way of an honest conversation, it was Applejack’s element and all but she couldn’t help but understand its value.
“Is someone messing with you?” Dash slammed her forehooves together. “I thought those bullies left you alone, oh if I catch them-”
“No no, it’s nothing like that, it's just, my parents are back”
“You have parents?” Mouth! Slow down! What’d I tell you about being out of line with Brain!
She couldn’t help but be surprised though, Scootaloo’s parents? For a moment she had to wonder if this was some sort of hoax like what happened with Spike, Rainbow had never heard anything about Scoots’ parents in all her years being in Ponyville.
“Yeah, they’re just busy though, you know? They have a big responsibility saving Equestria from all sorts of dangerous creatures”
“…Uh huh, so uh, is that not a good thing?” Aren't family reunions meant to be happy? Granted, Dash's first impressions of Scootaloo’s parents weren't the best, and she had her own issues with her parents in the past, but from the way Scootaloo talked about them shouldn’t she be happy?
“Well the thing is…they want me to move away with them”
“Wait, move away!? From Ponyville!?” She couldn’t contain her shock, they were going to have her move away from her home after all this time?
“Uh huh, they say it’ll be better for us but…I don’t know Rainbow Dash, I really like it here in Ponyville, this is my home, this is where my friends are! Me, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle tried convincing them but they won’t change their mind!” The tears began to well up in Scootaloo’s eyes yet again.
“That’s- what the- I’m-” Now Brain and Mouth were talking over each other. Rainbow Dash just couldn’t believe what she was hearing, they were gone all this time and they were going to uproot their kid’s life just like that? It wasn’t fair.
“…Hey Scoots?”
“*sniff* Yeah Rainbow Dash?”
“Where’d your parents be right now?”
Once again the filly wiped her tears “Um, they’d be at my- our house, why?”
“Cause I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind”
In a flash Dash was gone from the scene, unable to catch Scootaloo’s final word as she darted straight back to Ponyville, her mind unaware she had accidentally performed a Sonic Rainboom with the speed she was moving at.
Spotting Scootaloo’s home, or apparently Scootaloo’s parents’ home, she made a quiet yet solid landing in front of the building and trotted up to the door, raising her hoof and preparing to harshly kno-
Body! Slow down, think this through. She had to be proper about this. Far too many times had Rainbow let her emotions get the better of her, whether that be anger, ego or protectiveness, and led to her messing something up.
She had to think of this logically, logic, what would Twilight do?
The purple alicorn appeared as an imaginary construct. ‘Talking about parenting? Oh I’ve got just the book on this subject-’
No no, no time for reading, Dash shook her head and Twilight disappeared. Well ok maybe Twilight wouldn’t be that obtuse given the circumstance…maybe.
How about Fluttershy?
Similarly the meek element appeared ‘Oh well, I’m sure if you ask very nicely they’ll understand’
Hadn’t Scootaloo and her friends already tried being nice? Also wasn’t Fluttershy a bit more firm than that now? Get back in there imaginary Fluttershy you need some updates.
How about Applejack?
‘Just sit ‘em down and be honest, don’t go blowing your lid though you hear!?’ The imaginary farm pony thunked Dash on the head before poofing.
Yeah yeah I heard you! Ouch. Ok yeah imaginary Applejack was right. She just had to talk to them and say what she thought, but not lose her cool, she was always cool, like, 21% cooler. She was a teacher after all, this was just another parent teacher meeting she had to get through, looks like her job wasn’t over for the day after all.
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door, firm enough to be clearly heard but not hard enough to come across as aggressive. She waited, not too long but just long enough that she couldn’t help but tap her hind leg against the ground.
It was then that the door opened to a mare and a stallion. At an immediate glance Dash thought that these two looked like preppy side characters out of a Daring Do adaptation.
“Oh hello there, can we help you?” The mare queried.
“Hi there, are you two Scootaloo’s parents?” Initial greeting seemed awfully friendly, admittedly Dash had internally set them up as some grand evil villains dedicated to bringing despair to all young fillies of Ponyville, but that exaggeration clearly wasn’t the case, it couldn’t be that easy.
“That’s us, haven’t been around town in a while so guess you’ve never seen us, nice to meet ya miss…” The father held out his hoof, hearing more of the accent, it was definitely unique, not one she’d heard before…especially not from Scootaloo.
“Rainbow Dash, member of the Wonderbolts, Element of Harmony, most importantly one of Scootaloo’s caretakers.” Very professional introduction, good job.
“Rainbow Dash? Oh you’re that mare we’ve heard a bit about from Scootaloo, you sure sound right impressive don’t ya? Come on in Dash!” The mother waved her hoof beckoningly as she walked back inside, her husband following behind her.
“Uhh, thanks yeah” Rainbow Dash took the invitation into Scootaloo’s- into their home and closed the door behind her. She’d been here many a time to check on Scootaloo when she spent the night alone, even slept here a couple times when it was too frightful a night for the filly. Now it just felt alien to her.
“Sorry, I never got your names”
“Oh of course! Name’s Snap Shutter, and that’s Mane Allgood” Snap introduced himself and his wife.
“Don’t mind the packages, we’ve just been getting ready to move” Mane gestured to a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner, undoubtedly filled with their stuff, Scootaloo’s stuff? Did anything in here even have value to them?
“Yeah that’s uhh, that’s what I came to talk to you about”
The stallion titled his head. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah, why don’t we just uhh, sit down real quick”
The pair looked at each other, seemingly having no clue what this could possibly be about, before nodding and making their way over to the dining table, Shutter sitting down as Allgood pulled out a chair for Rainbow Dash to sit on which she promptly took, before Allgood sat next to her husband.
Alright Rainbow Dash nice and steady, do this properly. “So…if you guys are moving out of this house, it means Scootaloo can’t stay here anymore?”
Snap looked confused yet again. “Well of course, we’re bringing her with us”
“We were thinking that we just don’t spend enough time here with her, and that this would be best for all of us! We have a right important job dealing with the different creatures of Equestria, finding the time has been a right pain”
Not enough time? When was the last time you even- no no calm down, Brain’s in charge, not Mouth.
“And…are you sure that’s really best for all of you?”
“I’m not sure what you mean?” Allgood was, similarly, once again confused.
“Well it’s just, Scootaloo was born and raised in this town right? She’s spent her whole life here and she’s really made a name for herself. She’s got two great friends she hangs out with everyday and she’s even helping others with their cutie mark problems, isn’t it a bit much to take her away from that?”
The two looked at each other contemplatively, before Snap found the words to speak “Yeah, we’ve talked about it, she does really seem to love her friends and all-”
“-but we realize that just means she’ll always have a place to come back to! We know it’s hard moving to a new place, but we know that with all of us together she’ll make it through!”
Rainbow Dash began slowly tapping her leg against the floorboards as she leaned into the table. “I-I mean that makes sense, but isn’t that a bit much too much too fast? I mean you’ve only come back into her life y’know?”
Mare just smiled at her “You know how it is, no time like the present! I’m sure a mighty Wonderbolt like yourself knows about getting it done in record time!”
The leg tap sped up slightly. “Yeah yeah we do do that you’re right, but y'know I’m not sure that’s the pace for Scootaloo?”
Shutter looked at his wife and echoed her grin. “Ha ha, not sure if that’s true, the way she zips around on that trike of hers she loves living life in the fast lane right?”
“It’s a scooter”
“What’s that?”
“Ha ha nothing!”
The leg tapping reached a quick enough pace that the two began to notice, though avoided bringing attention to it.
“I just don’t think it’s, y’know, fair? To do that to her?”
Taking her eyes away from the floorboard under Dash’s leg, Allgood replied with a bit less of a light tone. “Well we are her parents, I do think we’d know what’s best for our daughter, besides she can always come and visit!”
Like you? “I think you uhhh, should take a lot longer to consider her opinion on this? Yeah that”
Snap matched his wife’s tone. “Are you sure Ms.Dash? It does seem like a lot of this is your opinion, not hers”
The tapping was getting uncomfortable. “What me? Oh no I’m nothing too important ha ha, I’m just her sis- a caretaker! After all this time I can’t help but feel a little worried for the kid you know?”
Her tone now got somewhat antagonistic. “Well Ms. Dash, we do think your concern is nice and all, but our decision is final”
“Yeah, I’d think we’d know our own daughter a lot better than you”
Snap.
Rainbow Dash flew up out of her chair and slammed her forehooves on the table. “NO YOU DON’T!”
The pair jumped back in their chairs as they looked up at the airborne pegasus before them.
“How can you say that!? You’ve been out of her life for years, YEARS! What in Equestria makes you think you have any right to make her move? Do you even know your own daughter anymore? It’s a scooter! It’s not a trike, it's a scooter!”
Rainbow Dash inched forward more as the pair moved back.
“Do you even have any idea how much you’ve missed!? She’s found the greatest friends a kid could have, she’s gone on her own adventures to figure out what she wants to be, she got her cutie mark! YOU MISSED HER GETTING HER CUTIE MARK!”
The front door opened.
“I’m not perfect, oh Celestia I’m not perfect, but I was there! I always tried to be there! She’s the greatest kid I’ve ever met, she’s stuck as a pegasus who can’t fly but every single day I catch her making the most of it. She's so strong and brave and she gives me courage to keep going no matter how hard things get.”
“Rainbow?”
“But you two just make excuses, no job keeps you that busy! I’ve saved Equestria like 5 times over, work as a teacher and as a Wonderbolt but I’m still here! Yet you two haven’t even sent a single letter! Had a single visit! YOU’RE AWFUL PARENTS!”
“RAINBOW DASH!”
The blur in Dash’s mind became clear as she looked towards the doorway and saw…her.
“Scootaloo…I…”
Rainbow Dash suddenly couldn’t find the words to say, and looking back at Scootaloo’s parents, neither could they. They just looked hurt.
Butterflies well up in Dash’s stomach and her head filled with clouds as she dropped to the ground, walking past the filly in the hallway without a word, just a momentary glance back at her parents, one of regret but also disdain as she crouched down and rocketed off into the sky.
“Rainbow Dash wait!”
It was once again too late for Scootaloo’s words to reach Dash as she flew out of earshot, but Scootaloo managed to catch the direction she was going in as she moved out of sight.
Scootaloo looked back to her parents. “I’ll…I’ll go find her, you two stay here” Scootaloo put her helmet on and hopped on her scooter.
“Wait Scootaloo!” Her mom shouted as her child looked back at her. Mane and Snap stared into each other’s eyes, unable to say anything but nod in acceptance before Scootaloo’s dad turned to her.
“We’re coming with you”
* * *
“Stupid stupid STUPID!”
Rainbow Dash was slamming her head against a tree, a lone tree. She would have flown to her home, but she felt the desire to bash her head against something and cloud architecture wasn’t doing it for her.
“You had one job! Don’t blow your lid! Keep it cool!”
Turning around she slouched down against it.
“Oh man, they looked so messed up. Why’d you have to say it like that! In front of her and everything!”
Images of Scootaloo and her parents began to flash in her mind, how they had all looked and how they might take action now, all because of her. How Scootaloo could lose her home. How Rainbow Dash would lose her sister. Tears began to build up in Rainbow Dash’s eyes as she buried her head into her knees.
“…can’t you do anything right?”
Rainbow Dash stayed like this for a minute or, trapped in her own revolving thoughts until she once again heard a voice.
“Rainbow Dash!”
“…Scootaloo?”
Rainbow Dash peaked out from behind the tree to see the orange filly approaching her…as well as her parents.
Oh shoot.
Dash pulled behind the tree again and stood up. Taking in deep breaths and shaking her wings to calm herself down, she prepared to face the three of them.
“H-hey Scootaloo, sorry for um, flying off like that”
“A-are you ok? You sounded really um, mad back there”
“What, me? Nah I was just-” She couldn’t avert her eyes any more, looking at her parents again her words got caught in her throat. She had to say something, something smart not to mess everything up again!
“I…I’m sorry, I’m really really sorry. I shouldn’t have blown up at you two like that, it’s not right. You two are her parents, I shouldn’t have stepped in like that.”
The pair looked one final time to each other before Mane Allgood spoke up. “It was…it was really hard to hear it like, it really, really hurt-”
Dash winced and averted her gaze. “-but…you were right, you were completely right”
“Mom?”
Snap Shutter stepped forward. “We just want what’s best for our daughter, we really do, but…it seems like we don’t know what that is”
“Dad?”
Scootaloo’s mom stepped forward and placed a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “You really do care about her don’t you?”
Rainbow looked towards Scootaloo, she looked back seemingly expecting something, unsure how to process the conversation happening right now. Dash looked back to her mom and nodded.
“Good, that’s good.”
Together Scootaloo’s parents sat down beside her to get on her level before Snap Shutter talked to her. “Listen kid, we’re really sorry. Ms. Dash was right, it wasn’t right for us to just, show back up like that and try to make you move”
“No no, you just want what’s best for me that’s all”
Her mom shook her head “And yet we didn’t stop to really think what you thought was best for you”
“Your mum and I are really busy, we really are, but we’ve missed so much of your life, it wasn’t right for us to show up like this”
“It’s okay! It’s okay…it’s just…sometimes I did miss you two…wondered if you really were…”
The two hugged their child, shedding tears as they did so “Oh Scootaloo”
The family stayed in embrace as Rainbow Dash watched from the side, there was still a doubtful side of her, one that couldn’t completely trust her parents would do better from now on, but there was hope. Hope that they would be more involved in their child’s life than they had been so far.
The hug broke up as her father spoke “We will have to get back to our job eventually, we’re sorry you didn’t get more homey parents-”
“-but we’ll stay for a week, no two! We need to be involved in our daughter’s life, learn what everything about her we can. And after we’ll do everything we can to visit, to write…is that ok with you?”
Scootaloo looked at them slightly apprehensively, deep down fearing they wouldn’t keep up their promise. She looked to Rainbow Dash for approval, who hesitated before nodding. Dash had decided to trust her parents would keep their word, and if they didn’t, there’s nowhere on the planet she’d let them hide from her.
“...yeah, yeah that’s fine mom, dad.”
The three came together for one more tight embrace.
* * *
Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood waved goodbye to their daughter for now, they had to hurry and sort out the situation with selling the house before it was too late. Afterwards they promised they’d have all the time in the world to spend with her.
Rainbow Dash walked up next to her as she waved goodbye to her mom and dad. “Well, all's well that ends well I guess”
“Yeah…sooooo, what was that about me being the greatest filly you’ve ever met”
“Heh heh” Dash ruffled the kid’s mane. “Don’t let it go your head”
“Yeah yeah hehe…thanks Rainbow Dash, you’re the best sister a filly could ask for” It took Scootaloo a moment to process what she had said as her shrunken wings shot up in surprise.
Rainbow Dash took it in stride as she wrapped her wing around her and brought her in close. “You too kid…”
“...you too”
Author's Note
I wrote this at like 2am cause I had a burst of inspiration to write it. Always thought Scootaloo's parents should've gotten told off a lot harder for how negligent they were.
