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Disclaimer:  My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro, not me.         

Time Flies

by Denim Blue

“Scootaloo, come on now, say ‘Ahhhh’ and eat your carrots like a good little fill-”

        “Pbbbthtth!!!”

        Rainbow Dash wiped away another glob of mashed carrots from her face while giving the almost one year-old pegasus in front of her an exasperated look. “How about mashed peas?”

        “Pbbbth!!!”

        “Mashed potatoes?”

        “Pbbttthbtth!!”

        Rainbow Dash frowned as she looked at the last container that she had yet to try: yams. She closed her eyes and sent a silent request to Celestia that Scootaloo would eat.

        “Okay, here come the yams. Open wide.”

        Scootaloo opened her mouth just like the previous times, and took in the spoonful of yams. For several seconds the baby pegasus’s cheeks puffed out, and Rainbow Dash was just about to give up on feeding her for the night when the little filly began to smile.

        “Ababaaahbaaa!!” Scootaloo stated while pounding her hooves on highchair’s surface.

        Rainbow Dash looked up. “So you like yams, huh?” She grinned. “Figures you’d eat the sweetest food in the house.” She gave Scootaloo another morsel, and soon she had gone through an entire jar of the tasty baby food. Rainbow Dash even helped herself to a spoonful and laughed. “Huh, this stuff is pretty good.”

        “Aapaaa, aapaaa!” Scootaloo stated while raising her hooves up. ‘Aapaaa’ roughly translated to ‘pick me up’, at least Rainbow’s experience with babysitting the foal had taught her such.

        “Alright, alright, just hold your horses.” She took a wet rag and dabbed the foal’s face, cleaning off gobs of baby food from her cheeks. “You’re a real messy eater sometimes, aren’t you?”

        With Scootaloo fed and cleaned up, Rainbow took the baby pony out of her chair and carefully carried her into the living room. She set the foal down onto a blanket where several of her toys were scattered about.

        “Babababbaaa!” Scootaloo blew a few bubbles before taking her stuffed teddy bear and promptly drooling on it while chewing on it’s ear. Rainbow chuckled while sitting down beside the foal and nuzzling her gently.

        “You’re a real handful, but I don’t think I could ask for a better baby to look after.” Looking at the orange and purple pegasus made her reflect back on how she ended up with this job a couple months back.

        Dash had found herself in need of extra money now that she was living on her own in Ponyville, and had turned to the option of babysitting. She wasn’t quite old enough to help with the weather ponies, and she was pretty sure she needed to go through a lot of training before becoming a mailpony (which she didn’t have the patience to do, nor the desire to wake up that early for).

        Thus, she opted out on childcare. She put up ads around Ponyville, providing contact information and when she was available. Within a day she had received a letter from a single father asking if she was available on Saturdays from 6 at night to 2 in the morning.

        Auger was a simple Earth pony, widowed after his wife died from birthing complications with Scootaloo. Shimmer Bright had been a wonderful wife, and it was her last request that he take care of their daughter and give her the name Scootaloo. The pegasus mare had died with Scootaloo nestled in her forelegs shortly after.

Auger worked during the day at his late father’s old tool shop and nights at the lumber yard, hauling, cutting, and preparing new lumber that would be used throughout the land of Equestria. He got about ten hours of free time every day which he used to spend with his daughter, getting sleep, and eating a late dinner. He did get Sundays off every week, but it was hard work nonetheless. Still, seeing his little filly happy had made every hour of work worth it.

        Saturdays had always been tough, though, since the preschool was closed on weekends. As such, he often had to ask someone in town to help care for Scootaloo. Often it had been the newlyweds Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the new student-teacher Cheerilee, Ditzy Doo, or sometimes Berry Punch. Ponyville was a small community, and seeing as pretty much everypony knew each other, they could be trusted to help the widowed stallion.

        Shaking herself from her thoughts, the rainbow-maned pegasus looked up at the clock and noticed it was going onto eight at night. Scootaloo was already showing telltale signs of sleepiness, yawning while staring calmly into her babysitter’s rose colored eyes.

        “Alright, Scoots. Let’s get you to bed.”

        She picked up the young foal with both arms while flapping her wings gently and slowly rocking herself in midair. Within minutes Scootaloo was sleeping soundly.

        “Heh, never fails.”

        She quietly brought the baby pony into her room and slowly lowered her into the crib. She covered her in a fuzzy blanket that had butterfly patterns stitched onto it and smiled when the little foal rolled onto her other side and began sucking her hoof.

        “Yep, definitely couldn’t ask for a better foal to look after.”

        “Ms. Dash? Ms. Dash, please wake up...”

        Rainbow slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times. “H-huh? Nurse Tenderheart...?”

Suddenly, events from the last few hours caught up to her.

        Scootaloo crying...Auger...accident...

        “Mr. Auger!” Rainbow got up and looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in the lobby of the Ponyville hospital. “Where is-?”

        “He’s in the Terminal wing, Ms. Dash.” the blue colored nurse pony answered. “He...he’s with his daughter right now.”

        “Terminal wing? Then...oh no...” Rainbow felt a chill run through her. “How long does he have?”

        “We’re not certain, but we’re guessing only to the end of the night. We’ve managed to give him some medicine to help ease the pain. He’s coherent, and aware of his situation. The lumber that fell on him must have weighed close to half a ton. His body’s sustained horrible damage and there’s no modern medicine in Equestria that can heal such grave injuries.”

Rainbow felt her eyes burn with unshed tears. Auger had been like a father to her as she had grown up in Ponyville. Even after Scootaloo was old enough that she only had to be checked up on by the neighbors at night, Rainbow still made an effort to visit the filly once or twice a week. Auger had told her that she was more or less a part of the family now.

        “Can I speak to him?”

        The nurse gave a sad smile. “I was actually coming to tell you that he wanted to speak to you.”

        The two mares made their way down towards the small section of the hospital called the Terminal wing was located. Considering the relatively safe environment of Ponyville, this area was hardly ever used.

        The two stopped at the entrance to Auger’s room, and the blue colored nurse pony spoke softly. “I can only assume Scootaloo is being made aware of the situation right now. Her father’s never been one to lie about stuff of such importance to her.” She sighed while walking towards the door. “He’s still in a lot of pain, despite the medicine we’ve given him. It’s important that we keep Mr. Auger as comfortable and calm as possible for now, though.”

        Rainbow nodded. “I understand.”

        Entering the room, Rainbow Dash was greeted by the sight of a rusty orange stallion with a brown mane and an old fashioned drill for a cutie mark. Nestled beside him was a puffy-eyed Scootaloo.

Auger was a wreck. He had bandages covering him from head to toe, a cast on both his back legs and his right foreleg. An IV drip was connected to his undamaged foreleg, and she saw heavy wrappings around his ribcage. The air smelled of iodine.

        “Ah, Rainbow Dash. I was hoping you’d...” Auger winced and hissed in pain as he moved a little. “...get here.” His voice was barely a whisper, weakness and pain laced in his words. He gently nudged Scootaloo, who looked up with a worried look. “Scoots, Daddy needs to talk to Rainbow for a minute, alright?”

        “But...”

        “It’ll be just a few minutes, I promise.” Auger stated with a weak smile. Scootaloo looked ready to protest, but caved in, slowly walking out of the room with Nurse Tenderheart by her side. The door shut and Auger gave a sigh. “I’m guessing that...Nurse Tenderheart gave you the situation...?”

        Rainbow nodded.

        “Good, heh. That saves me from talking more. Hurts every time I breath. Anyway, Rainbow...as you know, Scoots has no one else to look after her once I’m gone.”

        Rainbow felt her throat tighten as she nodded again.

        “Both my wife’s parents and my own had only a single child, and both our parents came from single-child families as well. Considering that my folks passed on as well as Shimmer Bright’s...well...I don’t know how else to say this, but I’m asking you to become Scootaloo’s legal guardian.”

        Rainbow stood there for several seconds, stunned. “W-wait, her...guardian?”

        Auger nodded slowly. “I know you’re still a bit young to be caring for a filly, but...Scoot’s a good girl, and she looks up to you. I trust you more than anyone else in this town as far as her care goes. I know she’ll listen to you, and I’d be happy to know that a pony like you will be looking after her when I...die...”

        “Mr. Auger...I...”

        Auger smiled weakly. “I’m sorry about this, Rainbow.” He paused a bit to take a few deep breaths. “I truly am, but...well, from what I understand, I’ve got less than a few hours before I’m gone, so...I want to at least insure my little filly has a future ahead of her.”

        Rainbow Dash frowned. There were much better ponies out there who could take care of Scootaloo. It wasn’t that Rainbow didn’t care about the orange pegasus filly, far from it. It was the fact that she cared so much that she wanted to ensure that she got the best she could. Rainbow was not a qualified care provider for a growing filly. Babysitting was one thing, raising a school-age filly was another.

        “I wrote out a will several years back. It’s in my nightstand back home. Most of my things will be inherited by Scootaloo, but...I mentioned that should anything happen that I wanted you to be the first to take her in.”

        Rainbow Dash bowed her head. “I don’t know if I can give her what she needs, Mr. Auger.”

        The stallion nodded in understanding. “The choice is ultimately yours and Scootaloo’s, Rainbow Dash. It’s just the first choice I made, but I hold nothing against you if you can’t support her. There are other ponies out there who can help care for my girl.”

        Rainbow Dash found herself walking towards the stallion who had become the closest thing she had to a father figure, and wrapped both arms around him gently. “I’ll make sure to take good care of her.”

        Auger felt himself tearing up as he returned the hug. “Thank you, Dash. Thank you for continuing to look after my baby girl...”

        Rainbow could only nod. The more she thought about it, the more she realized how much she’d hate to see Scootaloo leave Ponyville to live with a different family, and the more she thought about that, the more she realized just how important Scootaloo was to her.

        Rainbow walked out of the room, wiping her eyes and nodding her head to Nurse Tenderheart. Scootaloo quickly reentered the room, lying beside her father once more as she tearfully spoke to him. Rainbow wanted to stay, but another part of her told her that right now the two needed time alone.

        She cast a final glance towards Auger, who caught her gaze and smiled while nodding. She could almost hear the silent words spoken in the gesture.

        ‘Thank you, Rainbow Dash.’

        At 1:42 AM Rainbow was woken up by the sound of crying. She got up from her spot in the lobby, and recognized the owner of the voice.

        “Scootaloo!”

        Rainbow quickly made her way to the source of the crying, and found Scootaloo bawling her eyes out as Nurse Tenderheart and Redheart tried to comfort her. Rainbow followed Redheart’s gaze and slowly made her way towards the room where Auger was.

        Auger was lying peacefully in his bed. His eyes were closed, and that small trademark smile of his was plastered on his face. She noticed his chest was no longer rising and falling.

        ‘Auger...’ Rainbow felt tears begin to trail down her cheeks. She bit down a sob and wiped her eyes once more. Turning towards Scootaloo, she took in a deep breath before speaking softly.

        “Scootaloo...”

        The young filly opened her tear-stained eyes and sniffled before throwing herself towards the cyan pegasus.

        “R-Rainbow Dash...Daddy’s...h-he’s...he’s g-gone!!” Her cries pierced Rainbow’s heart as she folded her legs and wings around Scootaloo.

        “I’m here...I’m here...” Rainbow spoke softly as she felt her fur become wet. “I’ll be here for you now...I promise.”

        Auger’s funeral was held four days later in a wide expanse of greenery outside of Ponyille. Like so many ponies in Equestria, Auger had requested to be cremated and that his ashes be thrown into the wind. Scootaloo agreed to this, knowing how much her father loved the fields of Equestria during the late spring.

        Several ponies shared their memories of Auger with the rest of the audience, from recalling times when he had helped them fix a leaky roof, or having him sharpen their axes or saw blades, or remembering how he always took pride in his work and was never seen without a smile on his face.

        The ceremony ended with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash at the edge of a small, grass covered cliff facing towards the mountains. They opened up the urn, holding the open container towards the direction the wind was blowing towards. The cyan pegasus looked to Scootaloo, who simply nodded. The two slowly emptied out the ashes, which were blown through the air, flying off into the mountains and beyond.

        “Bye, Daddy...” Scootaloo said with a teary sniffle. Rainbow Dash gave her a soft nuzzle while the other ponies bowed their heads in a moment of silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Rai’bow Dass! Rai’bow Dass!!”

        The cyan pegasus chuckled at the sight of a three year old Scootaloo clumsily galloping towards her with Auger slowly following behind. “Heya, Scoots!”

        The filly finally made her way towards Rainbow Dash and promptly leaped towards her. “Daddy says you gonna take me to the park!” She giggled while climbing onto Rainbow’s back. “Ar’ya? Huh? Huh?”

        “Well, since you’re that excited, I guess I have to, huh?”

        “Yaaaaay!!!”

        Scootaloo bounded off towards the direction of the nearby park, never straying too far from her father and  her ‘favorite babysitter in the whole wide world’.

        “Rainbow, thanks again for doing this on such short notice. I know you have off for the next three days from weather patrol but I’ve been called in for work for the past-”

        Rainbow Dash raised a hoof while smiling. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Auger. I don’t mind at all. I always enjoy watching Scootaloo, and I know how busy things can be for you.”

        The Earth pony let a small smile play at his lips. “Well, thank you anyway. Scoots really looks up to you, you know.”

        “Heheheh, so I hear. Once she’s old enough to fly, I’m sure I can- Scootaloo, put down that snail!”

        Scootaloo paused, a helpless snail being held in one hoof while her tongue was inches from touching the slimy creature.

        Auger had to force down the chuckle in his voice. “Scootaloo, you weren’t going to eat that, were you?”

        Scootaloo said nothing.

Rainbow Dash watched Scootaloo with an authoritative gaze. “Scootaloo, put that down, right now. It’s a snail, not a daffodil!”

Scootaloo, being the ever-rebellious filly, licked the snail before promptly dropping the poor critter and running away as Rainbow Dash chased after her.
        “I’ll have her home by supper time, Mr. Auger!” Rainbow Dash called over her shoulder before continuing her pursuit of the now giggling Scootaloo. “Get back here, you little troublemaker!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rainbow Dash felt herself being lightly shaken as she woke to a dark room. Where was she? Letting her eyes focus, she noticed by the faint moonlight that peeked through the window that she was sleeping in the den room of Scootaloo’s home. She had made her bed on the pull-out sofa.

“Rainbow Dash...?”

The pegasus looked to see Scootaloo standing by the side of the sofa, a familiar yellow blanket with butterflies decorating it draped over her back. “Hey, Scoots, what’s wrong? It’s like...” She looked across the room to see it was three in the morning. “Waaaay past the time for you to be awake. What’s wrong?”

“I can’t sleep.” Scootaloo said in a tiny voice.

“Oh...” Rainbow moved over a bit, and Scootaloo crawled in while snuggling into her blanket. Rainbow Dash pulled the sheets over the two of them before speaking again. “That better?”

Scootaloo gave a nod. “Yeah.” She shifted a little, trying to get herself comfortable. “Hey...Rainbow Dash?”

“Hm?”

“Do...do I have to call you...‘Mom’ from now on?”

Rainbow opened her eyes while looking into the barely visible face of Scootaloo. “No, you don’t have to. I’m your guardian, remember? Not your parent.”

Scootaloo’s expression was hard to read at that point. “Okay.”

Rainbow sighed. “I know that you’ve been through some hard times, Scootaloo. I’m still hurting too.” She gently placed a wing over the filly before continuing. “I may be the one taking care of you now, but don’t think I’m trying to replace your dad or mom. No one can do that. They were your parents, and nothing changes that.” Dash was surprised with how well she was going about dealing with this. “Even so, I do care about you. We’re a family, so if you ever need me, I’m always here for you.”

Scootaloo perked up a little, though it was clear she was still sad for the most part. She shuffled closer to the older pegasus. “Okay. Can I just call you Rainbow Dash, then?”

“Absolutely.”

Scootaloo gave her a small smile before closing her eyes and yawning. “Goodnight Rainbow Dash.” She felt the exhaustion from the past few days weigh upon her all of the sudden.

“Goodnight, Scoots.” Rainbow answered to the sleeping filly. Seeing Scootaloo get some much needed rest put her at ease. With her own eyes beginning to droop once more, she surrendered to her body’s demands and fell back to sleep.

“Rainbow Daa~ash? Can I stay over at Apple Bloom’s tonight?”

Rainbow Dash looked up from the weather charts she had been studying, and called back to the younger pegasus. “Did you finish your homework?”

“Um...” There was the sound of shifting papers in the kitchen before Scootaloo answered. “Yeah! Ms. Cheerilee didn’t really give us a lot of homework for the weekend, so we got some time to work in class. I finished it with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, so we wanted to have a camp out at Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Alright. Did you want to eat before leaving?”

“I’m good! We were going to have smores and pudgy pies!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Don’t eat too many sweets.”

“Yes, Mom.” came the sarcastic reply from Scootaloo, who had entered the living room of their home.

It had been a whole two years since...that day...and while they were rather comfortable with each other, the two ponies still found that they sometimes were unsure of how to deal with situations.

One of the first situations involved when Scootaloo had brought home a slip of paper that required Rainbow’s signature. A field trip into Everfree Forest. Initially Rainbow Dash had wanted to say no, but when she read that two of the chaperons were Zecora and Fluttershy, she relented. Needless to say, she had been distracted all of the following day, worrying about her and hoping that they didn’t have any trouble while in the woods. When she returned home she was relieved to find Scootaloo greeting her, telling her about all the fun things they saw in the woods and telling her about the cool animals she had seen.

A few months after that, Rainbow Dash got to see one of the milestones of Scootaloo’s life; the day she got her cutie mark. Scootaloo had registered for the first ‘Extreme Pony Sports’ festival, which was to be held in none other than Ponyville. The festival was a weekend long event, and ponies from all over Equestria would be participating. Rumor had it that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna would be attending the event as well.

Scootaloo had been practicing for months beforehand, and Rainbow only saw improvement from the athletic filly. That weekend, Scootaloo had earned a silver medal in the scooter race and a gold in her age group’s stunt show. When she had been given the gold medal by Princess Luna herself, she had been too excited and overjoyed to notice the pink butterfly cutie mark on her flanks. Only after Rainbow Dash pointed it out to her did she begin to squeal with delight. She didn’t even care that the butterfly was ‘girly’, for she saw it for what it truly represented. Her grace, speed, and agility as a pegasus.

Rainbow Dash smirked as she looked up from her charts. “Hey, I’m just making sure you actually put some real food in that bottomless pit of a stomach you have.” She grinned as Scootaloo stuck her tongue out before glancing at the charts.

“Good weather coming our way?”

The cyan pegasus shrugged. “Either or as of right now. Cloudsdale’s been trying to keep the storm teams from getting overwhelmed this spring, but the cloud factory can only do so much. Eventually they’ll have to disperse some of the cumulonimbus clouds or risk a storm in the factories. From what it looks like right now, reports are aiming towards partly cloudy until this weekend. We’ll be getting some spring showers on Saturday, and Sunday will be a real downpour.”

“Huh...looks like you’ll be busy. Hope the teams can handle it.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be fine. We’ve handled worse.”

Scootaloo hummed in agreement. “Yep, though you can never be too careful with storm clouds.”

Rainbow Dash smirked to herself while looking back to the weather charts. So it was this conversation again, huh? “Well, we’ve got other pegasi on standby, too. Ditzy Doo’s may be a mailpony first and foremost, but she’s usually available after one in the afternoon. She’s good at helping, and Firefly and Dizzy Twister are always ready to help as well. That and Cloud Kicker’s pretty good about keeping things under control when I’m not around.”

“Right, but what if it’s a really bad storm?”

Rainbow decided to cut to the chase. “Scootaloo, you’re still too young to help out with weather ponies.”

“Aww, come on! I can fly now, and I’m good at it, too!”

“That’s beside the point, Scoots. You’re just not strong enough to take on gales and storm conditions.”

“What about sunny weather? I could probably kick away those nimbus clouds like nothing!” She demonstrated her kicking skills with a powerful hindkick to the air. “See? Good form, just like you showed me!”

“Scoots...I promise when you’re old enough and strong enough to fly in bad weather that I’ll let you have a chance, but not yet.”

Scootaloo slumped in defeat. Flight; that had been another milestone that Dash had personally been part of. She had carried Scootaloo up to the higher altitude clouds and done the same procedure that Dash’s own mother had done for her years and years ago. She held Scootaloo beneath her from either side while gliding above the young pegasus. Meanwhile, Scootaloo pumped her wings. When Rainbow felt the filly beginning to fly out of her grasp, she simply let go, keeping pace with Scootaloo, ready to catch her if she began to fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Rainbow, I’m doing it! I’m flying!!!”

“That’s it! Keep it up, Scoots!!”

Scootaloo faltered for a moment, almost giving Rainbow Dash a stroke in the process. She stabilized herself and laughed. “This is so...so...”

“Awesome?” Rainbow suggested.

“Yeah! Awesome!!!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but feel her smile grow with pride as she watched the little pegasus do an experimental barrel roll while giggling, following it up with a upward spiral.

“Now I can be just as great as you, Rainbow! I’ll be the best flier in all of Equestria!”

Rainbow’s smile morphed into a competitive smirk. “Oh really? Well, you’ll have to outdo me, then. Think you’re up to the challenge, squirt?”

Scootaloo blinked before her grin widened. “You bet!!”

“Good! I expect a real challenge then!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rainbow Dash felt a hoof gently tap her on the shoulder, shaking her from her musings. “Huh?”

“I said I’m going to get going.” Scootaloo answered. “I’ll be back tomorrow around lunch. Oh! I almost forgot!”

Watching the filly flit off to her room, Rainbow quirked an eyebrow in confusion. A moment later the filly returned with a small box held in her teeth by a pink ribbon. “Pinkie Pie wanted me to give you this. She...didn’t explain what it was for, but she said you’d know.”

Rainbow Dash blushed a bit while tentatively pulling the card taped to the cover off. She ripped open the envelope with her teeth and read the bubbly handwriting of the pink Earth pony.

‘Rainbow Dash,

I made these bran and honey muffins with rainbow frosting for you. I know how much you like them! We should hang out soon, maybe just the two of us when we have some free time. I could get those pretty smelling candles and scented massage oil and we could do like last time and-’

Rainbow’s blush deepened, and she tucked the letter back into the envelope, deciding to read the rest later. Opening up the box revealed the snacks she had become so fond of. Pulling one out, she chowed down immediately. She could see the hungry look in Scootaloo’s eyes, and smirked. “You want one? Pinkie usually doesn’t make them since bran isn’t typically used in her recipes, but she makes them for me once in awhile, being friends and all.”

“Bran?” Scootaloo sniffed tentatively at the box of muffins. “I never thought she’d make anything with healthy stuff in it.”

Rainbow chuckled while finishing her muffin in another bite. “You’d be surprised, Scoots. She doesn’t have a single filling in her teeth, and she’s the pony to go to for advice on health food.”

“...this is the same Pinkie Pie, right?”

“Yes.” Rainbow answered with roll of her eyes. “She’s been into this whole ‘back to basics’ thing with baking lately. Her recipes have less sugar, and she uses other stuff like molasses and honey now.”

Scootaloo licked her lips. “That muffin does look pretty good.” She took a bite out of one, and her eyes lit up. “Wow! These are good! Can you imagine what she could do if she worked with Ditzy Doo? They’d bake the best muffins ever!”

“Heh, yeah, they probably would.” She looked over to the clock and then back to Scootaloo. “Don’t you need to be going?”

Scootaloo looked to the clock before suddenly bolting for the kitchen. A moment later she returned, and nearly knocked Rainbow Dash to the floor as she hugged her. “Bye, Rainbow. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Rainbow laughed while returning the hug. “Alright, have fun. Don’t give Applejack too much trouble.”

Scootaloo laughed while racing out the door. Rainbow sighed while getting up from her sofa. She took the box into the kitchen and placed it on the table. She made sure Scootaloo was gone before opening up her letter once more and reading the words from Pinkie Pie.

She had been worried for a minute that Scootaloo had read it, but now that she thought about it, Scootaloo was still a little too young to understand such things. She still thought boys were ‘stupid and gross’, and she sure wasn’t showing any interest in colts or fillies quite yet. If she recalled correctly, next year Scootaloo would be learning about ‘where fillies come from’. Dash made a note to have ‘the talk’ with her before then, if only to prepare her. She trusted Cheerilee with Scootaloo’s education in that area, but being being the filly’s guardian placed that responsibility on her as well.

Looking back to her letter, she felt her blush deepen. Pinkie Pie, despite how childish she acted most of the time, was pretty good with writing...at least when it came to steamy love letters that left a lot of lewd images in the rainbow maned pony’s mind.

That was another thing to put on the to-do list: how to go about her relationship with Pinkie. All of her close friends seemed to know about it, especially Twilight, who had stumbled upon the two when she had walked into the Sugarcube after business hours to ask for some flour from Pinkie.

She was pretty sure Scootaloo didn’t know about it them, though. Pinkie Pie had been spending more time with Rainbow over the past year, and the filly seemed to just chalk it up to Pinkie being her friend. As far as Pinkie was concerned, she wasn’t worried about their relationship and the public, but she respected keeping it low profile but not hidden for now, namely for Dash’s sake.

It wasn’t that Dash was ashamed, but she was still getting used to the situation herself. Pinkie Pie was her first girlfriend; she had dated colts in the past, and truth be told, she still found herself checking out the local stallions from time to time. For now, the two were taking the relationship thing in stride...though they did get fairly intimate at times. She still recalled how terrified she had been when Scootaloo found a bottle of ‘passionate fruit’ massage lotion in the bathroom. Rainbow still couldn’t remember what explanation she had given to the filly, but it worked.

It worried her a little. What would Scootaloo think of her and Pinkie Pie? While sexual orientation was hardly something that was judged in regards to a pony’s image in town (Lyra and Bonbon being perfect examples), she still was unsure of what Scootaloo would think.

For now, she was content with letting things go as they were.

“Hm...Scootaloo’s gone for the evening...Pinkie gets done with work in another hour...” She smiled while making her way towards the door. “I guess I should pay her a visit.”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Rainbow Dash paced back and forth in the main section of the library. “Well, I’m sure Scootaloo couldn’t have gone far, Dash.”

“She’s a pegasus, Twilight! She could have flown anywhere! I searched everywhere in town, over at Sweet Apple Acres, and even Fluttershy’s cottage! No one has seen her at all today!”

Twilight frowned. “So...why did she go and run off on you like this?”

“Well...” Rainbow paused. “You know how Pinkie Pie and I planned to go on a date together to the Autumn Moon festival, right?

“Uh huh.” Twilight nodded. “What about it?”

Rainbow scratched her mane. “Scootaloo got upset when I said that I couldn’t see Hooves ‘n Roses this weekend with her because Pinkie and I already made plans to go to Fillydelphia and see the annual Autumn Moon Festival.”

“Well, what about Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle?”

“Apple Bloom is visiting relatives for the week in Appleloosa, and Sweetie Belle is supposed to sing at the festival with Princess Luna herself. That’s why Rarity was busy all week, making Sweetie Belle her dress.”

“Alright, well, she knew you were going to be gone too, so why was she mad?”

 “I gave her money to buy them at the post office. I...guess she assumed I wanted to go when I said it sounded like fun.”

“Oh, I see. I guess that could lead to a misunderstanding.”

Rainbow slumped onto a chair. “To make matters worse, Pinkie Pie tried to cheer her up and suggest someone else would maybe want to go with her instead.”

“Oh boy, I bet that didn’t fly well.”

“That’s an understatement. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Scootaloo so...angry before. She’s got a mouth to her sometimes, but she’s never one to snap at other ponies.”

Twilight approached her friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll turn up. She probably just needs time to cool down.”

“I hope so.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wait, so you’re not going with me? I got us tickets, though!”

“I never said I was going.”

“You said it sounded like fun!”  a teenage Scootaloo shouted back. “You more or less were saying that you wanted to go with me!”

“I already have plans with Pinkie Pie, you know that Scootaloo.” Rainbow sighed. “Look, I’m sorry. You can still go to the concert, but I won’t be going, alright?”

“What’s the point of going to a concert by yourself?” the orange pegasus grumbled.

Pinkie Pie, who had heard most of the conversation from the kitchen, walked in. “Hey, come on now, Scootaloo! It’s Hooves ‘n Roses, I’m sure someone will want to go with you!”

Scootaloo frowned. “I wanted to go with Rainbow Dash.”

“Well...” Pinkie Pie tried to stay positive. “Maybe Apple Bloom wouldn’t mind-”

“She’s in Appleloosa right now.”

“Oh...what about Sweetie Belle?”

“She’s going to the same stupid festival as you are.”

“H-hey, you don’t need to be all mopey about it. Maybe someone else in town would-”

Scootaloo groaned loudly before turning to face the pink Earth pony. “Just stop Pinkie Pie! I don’t need you always trying to cheer me up! Heck, if you weren’t around I wouldn’t have to deal with this!! It’s always about you and Rainbow Dash!”

“Scootaloo!” Dash shouted.

“No! I’m sick of it! How come you always make time for her, but never for me anymore? Huh?!”

“That’s not true, Scootaloo. Pinkie Pie and I have been planning this for months!” Rainbow Dash retorted.

“Yeah, well maybe I’d like to hang out with you for a change.” the pegasus glared at the floor. “Though I guess you’re too busy making out with Pinkie Pie to care.”

“Scootaloo, that’s enough!” Dash warned.

“Fine!” Scootaloo walked towards the door. “Have fun with your fillyfooler friend!”

Pinkie Pie let out a tiny gasp while Dash went silent. Scootaloo looked like she had regretted saying that last part, but continued towards the door before slamming it shut.

Rainbow turned to Pinkie Pie. “That filly...” She got up and headed towards the door. “I’ll be right back, Pinkie Pie. I’m...sorry about that.”

“No, it’s alright...” Pinkie’s mane seemed to droop a little.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of knocking interrupted Rainbow’s thoughts. Twilight opened the door, surprised to see Zecora standing at the entrance. “Zecora? What brings you here?”

“I’m sorry I was interrupting anything, but I bring news of a filly who has gone missing.”

Dash’s ears perked up, and she was in Zecora’s face a moment later. “Scootaloo? Is she alright?”

Zecora smiled softly. “She is fine, but her thoughts are full of trouble. Her problems have left her in quite an internal struggle.”

“Oh...so she told you about the concert tickets?”

Zecora gave a nod. “She did indeed, Rainbow Dash, and she feels quite guilty over the tantrum she threw. She wants to make amends and apologize to Pinkie Pie and you.”

With that, another newcomer sheepishly walked into the library, her head down. Rainbow closed the distance between herself and Scootaloo within the blink of an eye. “Scootaloo! Oh Celestia, I was so worried!”

Scootaloo returned Rainbow’s hug. “I’m sorry Rainbow Dash...I...I just...”

“It’s alright. Pinkie Pie and I can see the festival next-”

“No!” Scootaloo shouted. “I mean...no, it’s alright...” She looked down in shame, shuffling a hoof across the wooden floor. “I...shouldn’t have done that. I felt really bad about yelling at you and Pinkie Pie about something so...stupid.”

Rainbow Dash’s features turned stern for a minute. “Well, that’s true. I would like you to apologize to Pinkie Pie when you get the chance. She was only trying to be nice.”

“I know...and...I’m sorry I called her...a filly...well, you know...” Her voice dropped a bit. “A fillyfooler...”

Rainbow winced at the word. “Well, you can save that apology for her. She was quite upset about that. She does care for you, Scootaloo.”

“I know.” Scootaloo mumbled. “After I ran into Zecora, she listened to me and told me that I probably overreacted a bit. I mean...you and Pinkie had been planning on going to the festival since last spring. I shouldn’t have expected you to just drop your plans for a concert.”

Rainbow looked up to the zebra and smiled. “Thank you for helping, Zecora.”

“Of course, it’s among the many things good friends do.” she turned to face the youngest pony. “That includes trying to understand others’ feelings, right Scootaloo?”

“Yeah. Thank you, Zecora.”

Zecora gave another nod before turning to Twilight. “Oh yes, that reminds me, Twilight...do you know where Big Mac would be tonight?”

“Um...” Twilight gave a confused look to the zebra. “He’s usually at home around this hour, but Applejack’s the pony to ask about her own brother.” She gave Zecora a curious look. “Why?”

For a moment Zecora seemed unsure of what to say. “O-oh, I was hoping to talk to him about apples, that is all.” She looked to the clock on the wall. “It is getting late, and darkness is beginning to fall.” She made her way out the door. “Well, farewell, I shall be in town later this week. If you need me for anything, you know where to seek.” With that she was gone.

“Huh, so it is true.”

Twilight turned to Scootaloo. “What is true?”

Scootaloo giggled. “Oh, well, Apple Bloom told me that Zecora has been stopping by Sweet Apple Acres lately, and she’s always talking with Big Mac.” She lowered her voice a little as she continued. “Sweetie Belle thinks the two are falling for each other.”

Rainbow laughed. “Wow, Zecora and Big Mac? Wonder what she did to get that stallion’s attention.”

“That’s the best part: Applejack thinks Big Mac simply found his match. Zecora’s not an apple farmer, but she has a real love for raising plants, trees included.”

“That’s so sweet! I can definitely see those two getting along perfectly.” Twilight giggled a little. “Well, I suppose this calls for a letter to the Princess.”

“You still write to Princess Celestia?”

“Hm?” Twilight looked to Scootaloo. “Oh, well, yes. This letter’s for Princess Luna, though. We’ve been writing to each other quite a bit as of late. It doesn’t matter which one of them I write to though, since I’m pretty sure Princess Celestia and Princess Luna read my letters together most of the time.”

“Heh, still the perfect student, huh?” Dash teased, earning an embarrassed smile from the purple unicorn.

The unicorn levitated her quill over a roll of paper and began writing.

‘Dear Princess Luna,

Today, I learned the importance of understanding that sometimes your friends aren’t always going to be able to join you for various events. Sometimes this may be due to prior engagements of great importance, personal or otherwise. Despite these cases, a true friend will still value your friendship and try to make time for you. By showing them that you understand their choices, you in turn show that you respect and care for them, even though they may not always be with you. After all, it’s as they say, “absence makes the heart grow fonder”.

~Twilight Sparkle.

P.S. - I really enjoyed the view of the Aurora Borealis last week. You and Princess Celestia truly are wonderful artists with the sky. I look forward to the meteor shower next month!

        Twilight nodded as she read over the letter and rolled it up. “Now...where could Spike be? SPIKE? SPII~IIKE!!”

The sound of grumbling upstairs could be heard, and a purple dragon with green spikes appeared. “Geesh, Twilight, can’t you let a dragon get some shut-eye around here?”

“Sorry, but I need you to send this letter to Princess Luna.”

Spike gave a yawn while stretching. Spike, like Scootaloo, had grown a lot in the past few years. He now stood a whole foot taller than the other ponies (not including Big Mac, who was only a few inches taller than the young dragon), but was still rather small as far as dragon standards go. He was currently in what Twilight called his ‘tweens’. He would be sprouting wings within the next decade, and by the time he was old enough to fly he’d be about as tall as the Sugarcube Corner. Twilight was currently making plans to make a cave in one of the nearby hills for the dragon so he wouldn’t be without a home in the years to come.

Taking the scroll from Twilight, Spike quickly ignited it with his trademark green flames and yawned. “That it?”

“Mmhmm. Thank you, Spike.” She gave him a soft nuzzle, causing him to groan in embarrassment.

“Oh, come on, Twilight. I’m not a baby anymore.”

“Oh hush, you’ll always be my baby dragon.” the unicorn crooned. The two pegasi tried to stifle chuckles while witnessing the scene before them.

Suddenly, Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Hey, I know who can have the other ticket!” She flitted over to Spike while beaming. “Spike, you’re a big fan of Hooves ‘n Roses, right?”

Spike was suddenly wide awake. “One of the biggest...literally. What about it?”

“Well, you know how they’re touring across Equestria? I got two tickets to their concert in Trotsdale for this weekend, and I have nopony else to go with. Want to come?”

Twilight Sparkle watched as the purple dragon looked to her, seeking approval. The unicorn laughed at the dragon while waving a hoof. “Oh, I don’t mind. You deserve to have fun with how much you help around here anyway.”

The unicorn found herself scooped up into the powerful arms of Spike while he spouted out ‘thank you’ at a rapid fire speed. “-thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou Twilight, you’re the best pony ever! You don’t know how much this means to-”

“Hrk...Spike...need...air...”

Spike promptly dropped the unicorn and gave an apologetic smile before turning back to Scootaloo. “So, when do we leave?”
        “Well, Trotsdale is about thirty-five kilocanters from here. If we leave tomorrow before noon, we can get there by dinner time.” Scootaloo thought aloud. “Hope you don’t mind waking up a little earlier than usual.”

“Hey for a Hooves ‘n Roses concert, I’d happily wake up before noon.”

“Wish you had the same enthusiasm for cleaning the library.” Twilight sighed. “Well, you better get a bag packed. Make sure to bring your toothbrush and-”

“Gaah, Twilight, come on! I know enough what to pack!”

The purple unicorn smiled. “Just making sure.”

Spike proceeded upstairs to pack. Twilight shook her head while chuckling to herself. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be up all night now from being too excited to get any rest.”

Scootaloo scratched her mane while giving a sheepish smile. “Hope this won’t be a problem, Twilight. I know it was sort of last minute and-”

“Don’t worry about it.” Twilight reassured. “Spike’s been busy with independent studies lately, and he’s been needing to take a break.”

The two pegasi decided to leave shortly after, both saying goodnight to the purple unicorn before heading towards their home.

After Scootaloo was old enough to inherit the house Auger had built with his own bare hooves, Dash had decided to connect her own cloud home to the roof, making their home a four story house of sorts. Most of the time the two stayed in the cloud home while guests usually resided in one of the rooms below.

Opening the door to the Earth pony home, the two were greeted by Pinkie Pie who was currently sitting on the sofa reading the Daily Equestrian. She looked up, her gaze falling on Scootaloo after sharing a brief look with Rainbow Dash.

“Oh...hi Scootaloo! Um...” She went quiet, obviously unsure of what to say. “I’m glad you’re alright. I-I should probably get going, Rainbow Dash, maybe I’ll come by-”

The pink Earth pony’s thoughts were cut off as two smaller legs wrapped around her. She was a bit surprised when she found herself in Scootaloo’s embrace.

“Scootaloo?”

“I’m sorry.”

Pinkie felt herself smile. “It-it’s okay. I was being a bit of a meanie by not thinking of you when you asked Rainbow-”

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” Scootaloo said while pulling back from Pinkie Pie, a frown on her face. “You’ve been nothing but nice to me, Pinkie Pie. I was being nothing but a spoiled little foal when I blew up at you like that...”

Pinkie managed to smile. “I guess you were being a bit of a grouchy-pants. Still, it is Hooves ‘n Roses. I’d love to go to one of their concerts if I wasn’t already going with Dashy to the festival!”

Rainbow felt like a weight had been lifted from her wings as she watched the two continue to talk. She had been worried that things were going to get worse for the three.

She had been nervous when Pinkie Pie and her had first told Scootaloo just how close they really were. Scootaloo had taken it in stride, and had come to accept Pinkie Pie as a third member of the household.

When the young pegasus had gotten upset and called Pinkie Pie...that...she had felt like the insult had been thrown at her as well.

“I just...”

Rainbow Dash watched as Scootaloo’s shoulders shook a bit while she continued to embrace Pinkie Pie.

“Scootaloo, what’s the matter?” Scootaloo’s crying became louder, and Pinkie began to show clear concern. “H-hey, there’s no need to be all gloomy! Come on, now.” She looked to Rainbow Dash, her eyes pleading silently for help.

“Scoots, what’s wrong?”

Scootaloo sniffled a bit. “I just...I was worried that you were getting sick of me, I guess.”

Dash was taken aback. “Getting sick of you? No! I would never...”

Pinkie shared similar sentiments. “Oh, nononono! We would never stop caring about you, Scootie!” She frowned as Scootaloo wrapped her legs tighter around her torso. “How could we ever stop loving the bestest, most smartest stunt pegasus in all of Equestria, huh?”

Another sniffle. “Y-you mean that?”

“Every word! You’re our little Scootaloo, and we both care about you so very very much! This much, times infinity!” She stretched out her arms to emphasize, falling over from standing on her two hindlegs. This got the younger pegasus to giggle a bit, her depression starting to fade thanks to the party pony’s antics.

“That’s right, Scoots. We both care about you, and we’re so proud of how much you’ve grown up.” Dash began. “Sometimes though...sometimes Pinkie and I may want to do things between just the two of us, you know? Sort of like when you want to hang out with just Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and Applejack or myself wants to tag along.”

“I...guess that makes sense.”

Rainbow continued. “Still, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re important to us. We would never want to get rid of you. You’re special to me, and to Pinkie as well.”

“Yeah! Besides, you’re way better at cleaning up after parties than Ms. Snooze-a-lot over here.”

Scootaloo giggled while Rainbow just rolled her eyes while smiling. “Right, that too.” She walked over to the duo and joined them in the hug. “You want to know a secret?”

“Ohhh, a secret! What is it?! What is it?!” Pinkie shouted while trying to jump up and down while still holding onto the other two.

Dash just grinned while focusing entirely on Scootaloo. “Scoots, when your dad passed away...well...I was scared of taking care of you. Heck, I was still making payments on my cloud house, and now I had a little filly to take care of too!” She nuzzled Scootaloo as she spoke quietly. “You know what, though?”

“What?”

Scootaloo felt a gentle hoof run through her mane, and warmth spread throughout her as she could practically feel the love and care from Rainbow’s touch. “I was more scared about you leaving me. I was worried that if you left to live with somepony else that I’d never get to see you again. You were the only foal I really ever babysat for, and I had become so attached to you that I never wanted to watch anyone else because they weren’t like you.” She pressed her forehead against Scootaloo’s as she whispered. “They weren’t like my Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo’s eyes welled up with fresh tears. “You...you really mean that?”

“Every word.”

Scootaloo smiled while shedding more tears. “I love you Rainbow Dash.” She looked to Pinkie Pie and smiled wider. “You too, Pinkie Pie. I guess I never realized how lucky I was to have you both as family.”

Pinkie and Dash both found their own eyes watering up. Pinkie, not to be one for waterworks, piped up. “Hey! We should throw a party! We could celebrate us being a family, and invite our friends, and then tell them they’re all part of our family too! Let’s see...Dashy and I would be your parents...hm...Twilight could be that crazy aunt that everyone has, and...oh, oh, Rarity could be our second-cousin, twice removed, who struck it rich gem mining and now owns a whole bunch of land in Manetana where she goes skiing every weekend and has-”

Rainbow chuckled along with Scootaloo as Pinkie Pie began to weave up a tale about everyone’s backgrounds (apparently Applejack was their great-grandma from Dash’s side who was a retired guard from Canterlot who now spent her days farming cacti, which she thought were apples because she’s getting old and can’t see well) in the somewhat-imaginary family they had in Ponyville.

“Well, I hate to cut you off Pinkie Pie, but I believe somepony has got to get up early tomorrow for a certain trip to Trotsdale.” Rainbow began. “Unless you want to deal with an ornery Spike tomorrow morning when he finds out you slept in.”

Scootaloo made a face of annoyance. “No thanks. He’s taking after Twilight with the way he gripes about things that don’t go his way these days.”

“Hey, Twilight’s not so bad.” Pinkie laughed.

Scootaloo gave her a deadpan look. “You remember when you accidentally got cinnamon in that one astronomy book of hers, don’t you?”

Pinkie Pie blinked before shuddering. “Oh yeah...that wasn’t so fun. On the plus side, at least the cinnamon was able to be brushed off the pages.”

“Only after Twilight let us step foot into the library when she settled down.” Dash added.

As soon as Scootaloo had bid the two goodnight and went up to her room, Dash and Pinkie sat back down on the sofa. “Thanks for being so patient with Scoots. I guess Zecora found her wandering around in Everfree Forest, and had a talk with her.”

“I’m just happy she’s alright. I was sooo worried when she disappeared on us, I thought she had run away!” Pinkie Pie’s smile fell a little. “So...she’s not mad with me, right? She didn’t seem to be but...”

“No, she isn’t. She felt really bad from what she told me, and she...she didn’t mean it when she called you a fillyfooler. She was just really upset, and wasn’t thinking clearly.”

Pinkie Pie sighed, her smile still there, though not as big. “Yeah, I know. I’m just super-happy that we all got to talk like that. I mean, it wasn’t fun to see her sad, but I feel really, really good now that she talked to us about what was bothering her.” She paused, her rare moment of silent contemplation surprising Dash. “I really...I really do care about her, Dash. You know that, right?”

“Of course. She feels the same.”

The Earth pony slowly leaned against her pegasus lover and sighed. “I also care about you, Dash. I love you, both of you. You’re like a second family to me.”

Rainbow nuzzled Pinkie gently. “Same here.” The two soon found themselves curled up together on the couch. “So, do you know when you’ll be ready to move everything else in from your place at Sugarcube Corner?”

“Probably by the end of the month. I’ve got a busy schedule coming up after the festival. A few birthdays to celebrate and we’ve got to buy extra supplies for when winter hits. You said it yourself that it looks like it’ll be an early winter this year.” She giggled. “I want to have a big snowball fight outside of Sugarcube Corner, and maybe we can make homemade ice cream! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Yeah.” Dash agreed. “If you need any help moving though, let me know, okay? I’m still in charge of the weather team in town, but Cloud Kicker’s capable of taking care of the smaller things. I can take a few days off if you need me, alright?”

Pinkie Pie just snuggled closer to Dash, humming in contentment. “Okie-dokie.”

Scootaloo finished packing the last of her belongings into a carriage. She turned to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie, who she now stood at eye level with. Her hair was still a bit unruly in the front, but it had grown out to a length comparable to Fluttershy’s. Rarity had agonized over her mane for hours before claiming that it simply ‘won’t yield to anything but whatever way it wants to grow’.

“Be sure to write when you get to Cloudsdale, okay?” Pinkie Pie walked over to the young mare and gave her a hug.

“I will, I promise.” Scootaloo said as she pulled away from the slightly teary-eyed Pinkie.

“Pinkie Pie promise?”

Scootaloo laughed. “Yeah, Pinkie Pie promise.”

Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a gentle nuzzle. “I’m so proud of you, Scoots. Not many get a free-ride scholarship to Cloudsdale University.” She pulled back and smiled brightly, tears shining in the corners of her eyes. “Your parents would be so proud of you.”

“I know they would, but it’s not that surprising.” She wrapped her front legs around her guardian and continued. “After all, I had the best pegasus in all of Equestria to teach me everything about flying, right?”

Rainbow Dash did her best to grin and appear proud of herself, but hearing Scootaloo say those words struck a heart string. “Heheh, right. As a matter of fact, I’ll probably get to see you quite a bit, right? The Wonderbolts usually hold a few shows there every year.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “W-wait, what do...you mean...you?”

Rainbow held up a letter with an official looking seal and signature that read ‘Spitfire’ on it. “Just got it yesterday. Turns out my performance last month was the best. Spitfire’s been wanting me to join for awhile now, but I waited, for obvious reasons.” She ruffled Scootaloo’s mane with a hoof. “Be sure to study hard. Aeronautics is serious stuff.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie chimed in. “You could make something that will allow ponies like me to fly real easy someday! Oh, or maybe you’ll make a flying scooter bike! You’re still the best stunt pony on two wheels, so I’m sure you’ll make something real awesome!!”

Scootaloo laughed. “Maybe.”

“Ms. Scootaloo?” called one of the loader ponies. “We’re finished.”

“Oh, good.” Scootaloo turned back to her two guardians once more and smiled sadly. “I’ll write when I can. I’ll be be sure to stop by for the holidays, and I’ll try and come by during a weekend or-”

“It’s fine, Scoots.” Dash cut her off. “You’re a mare now. You can take care of yourself, and we trust you.” She gave a final nuzzle to the orange pegasus before stepping back. “You’re always welcome here though. Don’t forget that.”

“That’s right, Scootaloo!” Pinkie trotted up to the young mare and pulled her in for a hug. “Dash and I are sooo~ooo proud of you! If you ever need anything from us...money, food, brushes, clothes, condoms-”

“Pinkie!!!” Scootaloo blushed. “I...not so loud!”

“What?” Pinkie inquired with a giggle. “I’m serious! You never know if you find a nice colt and-”

Rainbow Dash decided spare Scootaloo of being humiliated further. “Right, well, like we said. You’ll always have a place to stay if you need one, and if you need anything, you know how to get a hold of us.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah...”

“Be good. Study hard.”

“I will.”

“Make sure to eat healthy! Well, there’s nothing wrong with a growing mare eating sweets too, but just don’t skip out on your veggies and fruits!”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes while smiling. “Yes, Pinkie.”

The two watched as Scootaloo made her way onto the carriage. She gave them a final wave before the carriage took off to the sky, heading towards Cloudsdale, where Scootaloo would be spending the next four years studying.

“It’s kind of funny...”

Pinkie turned to Rainbow and smiled. “What is?”

Rainbow chuckled. “Heh, well, it felt like just yesterday I was changing her diapers. Now...” Rainbow wiped her eyes. “Now she’s going off to college. I...I can’t help but feel so proud of her. The little squirt has really grown up.”

Pinkie Pie smiled brightly. “She’s got you to thank for that, Dashy. You took care of her all these years, and now she’s going off on her own!” Pinkie felt tears forming as well. “I still remember her being that silly, stubborn little filly all those years back.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow agreed as she watched the carriage disappear into the clouds. “She really has grown up.”

~End~