Chapter 4: The Process of Adoption
Rainbow Dash grinned at Foggy as she entered the classroom, where the unicorn was wrapping up Scootaloo’s lessons for the morning. As the filly ran her hoof over a line of Braille, Foggy asked, “So, how’d it go?”
Two days before, Rainbow Dash had fully finished her preparations for inspection. The guest bathroom was finished with all the supplies Foggy had suggested. The walls now held a continuous jutting line with stops indicating whether one was at the stairs or at a door—along with which door the line stopped at; and the knives were in a sealed organizer within their drawer. Foggy had given the Cloudominium a final once-over that evening, and the inspection had been conducted the day after.
Rainbow Dash had had to stay grounded while inspection took place, and she had paced the entire time. The inspector—a pegasus from the agency—had taken two hours to go through the entire cloud house. When she was finally done, she had left the Cloudominium exactly how she’d found it, and left Rainbow Dash with a simple:
“You’ll have the results by tomorrow.”
“Fine, I think,” Rainbow Dash answered Foggy. “She didn’t really say anything, just that I’d know today.”
“Yeah,” Foggy nodded sympathetically, “that’s about how it will be from now until the adoption is finalized.”
Rainbow Dash gave a nervous chuckle. “Almost done with the lesson?”
“Yes,” Foggy smiled, right in time for Scootaloo to give a confident little hum and reach for her shadow.
The filly tapped out a sentence, apparently an answer to whatever question she had read. Foggy smiled as she replied, and Scootaloo gave a happy little laugh as she answered correctly. Foggy nodded to Rainbow Dash, who traced out her name-sign on the filly’s back.
Scootaloo responded at once with a wordless, happy shout, tilting back and reaching up. She managed to clap her hooves on Rainbow Dash’s muzzle before she completely fell out of her seat, sending Rainbow into a fit of chuckles as she helped the filly slide out of the chair and onto her lap.
“What were you learning about?” Rainbow asked the hyper filly still holding onto her snout.
The question made Scootaloo relinquish her grip, and she answered on Rainbow’s neck, “Science. I just finished my quiz on magnets.”
“Cool!” Rainbow Dash nuzzled the filly’s forehead with her own, making Scootaloo hum out a little chuckle.
“We were just about to break for lunch if you wanted to join us,” Foggy offered. “After, we need to continue with Equestrian.”
“Sure!” Rainbow Dash beamed, setting Scootaloo back down.
Just as the trio passed the entrance, it opened. “Oh, hello again!” called the pegasus.
“Hi!” Rainbow greeted, perking up at the mare who had conducted the inspection. She nodded to Foggy as the shadow continued to lead Scootaloo down the hall.
“I just came by to drop off your results,” the mare explained, holding a brown envelope out to Rainbow Dash. With a small, practiced smile, the mare turned, leaving the building before Rainbow Dash could say anything.
The mare’s brow shot up. She glanced down at the envelope, biting her lip at the sudden flare of nervousness that sprang up in her chest. She tried to blow it out, the feeling resting uncomfortably next to her heart as she trotted back after Foggy and Scootaloo.
She found the filly sitting at a table as she waited for Foggy to finish making her lunch. She swayed a bit, face close to the table edge as her hooves barely grazed the surface.
Rainbow Dash grinned, hearing the little noises Scootaloo made as she daydreamed. She set the envelope down, sitting as she watched the filly playing with the table surface. Little wordless whispers rose from her mouth as her forehooves moved back and forth in different directions and patterns. She let out a coo, hooves rocking as if walking towards each other. Scootaloo pressed her hooves together, hum rising in a pitch only little fillies like herself could reach.
Rainbow’s ear flicked as she heard a low chuckle bounce from the kitchen, Foggy Day trotting out with a sandwich in her magic. “She does that all the time,” she grinned.
Rainbow Dash giggled, Scootaloo perking up as she felt the little tmp of the plate touching the table. Foggy tapped something out on Scootaloo’s shoulder, levitating over a cup of water. Scootaloo hummed as she nodded, and Foggy approached Rainbow Dash.
“So…what’s it say?”
“I haven’t checked yet,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “I’m a little scared to, honestly.”
Foggy gave the pegasus a sympathetic smile, glancing down at Scootaloo. “Why don’t we go to the office and take a look?”
Rainbow swallowed her fear and nodded, picking up the envelope and following Foggy back down the hall. The unicorn led her back into the office where she had shown Rainbow Dash the twenty-two sheets, and looked at the pegasus with an excited spark in her eyes.
Rainbow Dash held the envelope out, her hooves beginning to shake. “I…I don’t know if I can…” she looked up at Foggy desperately. “Can you read it?”
The unicorn in question blinked, smiling kindly as she gave a determined nod. She levitated the envelope over to herself, opened it. The papers slid out easily, and Foggy flipped the generic report over to the evaluation rubric. Her eyes flicked back and forth down the page, widening as they went. They ticked back up, Foggy reading the page a second time before she finally looked back up to Rainbow Dash in shock.
“Rainbow Dash…you didn’t pass inspection…”
The pegasus’s heart stopped, only to restart again as Foggy Day declared:
“You aced it!”
Rainbow Dash nearly forgot how to breathe. “What…?”
Foggy whipped the page around. “Look at this,” she said excitedly, sending the page to her. She pointed at the comments. “Your inspector was impressed with everything, and even noted that you did things they weren’t expecting!”
Rainbow peered at the page. “Wait, seriously? The wall thing isn’t required?”
“No,” Foggy replied with a small smile. “But you were so dead-set on it, anyway, I didn’t want to tell you otherwise.”
Rainbow Dash gave a wry grin back to the shadow before her eyes trailed down the sheet, landing on the final, circled conclusion.
Highly Suitable
Her heart leapt to her throat, and her wings took over as they sent her into the air, giving a shout of pure excitement. Practically vibrating, she forced herself to land. “Okay, okay…what’s next?”
“Well…” Foggy grinned, her expression bordering somewhere between sympathy and humor, “the good news is…the agency knows you’re interested, and you’ve officially started the process of adopting a disabled foal.”
Rainbow Dash felt a pang of worry. “And…the bad news…?”
“You’ve only completed step one of six.”
Foggy could have laughed at the sudden slack-jaw look Rainbow gave. “More good news,” she chuckled, “you're already in the middle of step two and you’re well over halfway done with step three.”
Rainbow Dash felt a bit of blood return to her features. “Okay…” she swallowed. “What are steps two and three?”
“Step two: Communication Lessons.” Rainbow Dash sighed in relief. “You need to complete official lessons from an official teacher. Most of it is things you’ve already learned, but there are a few specialized lessons like helping a deaf-blind foal adjust to their surroundings and how to educate them that you need to take.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash nodded thoughtfully, her confidence growing. “What’s step three?”
“Meeting with the foal for at least 48 total hours.”
“How many do I have?”
“As of today, 35.”
An airy chuckle escaped Rainbow’s lips. “Okay, uh…what are the rest of the steps?”
Foggy grinned at her determination. “Step four: Observation. You need to interact with Scootaloo while under observation from one of the agents. This will let them know you know how to properly handle her as well as show them she trusts you. She won’t know you’re being evaluated, so whatever she does that day will have to be entirely handled by you without any help from me or the agent.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, completely enraptured by the information.
“Step five,” Foggy continued, “is the actual interview. They’ll ask you your reasons for adopting, your history with Scootaloo, and what your long-term plans are. I’ve sat through countless interviews with ponies, and even conducted a few. I can conduct mock interviews with you, but I can’t help you with your answers and I won’t be able to be present during your interview, as I am a biased party.”
“Uh…biased?”
Tears welled in Foggy’s eyes. “My input would be…looked down upon, because the agency wants uninvolved parties to review your case to make sure Scootaloo is going to the best possible home for her. I’m biased because…I’ve already decided you’re the best possible home for Scootaloo.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t have stopped smiling even if she wanted to. “Guess you can’t put in a good word for me?”
The unicorn’s head bounced in thought. “They may ask my opinion, since I’ve seen your relationship grow from day one; but it doesn’t mean a thing if they don’t like what they see.”
Rainbow nodded nervously. “And…Step 6?”
Foggy smiled. “Signing the papers.”
The pegasus could have burst at the wave of joy that pulsed through her heart. Shaking, she asked, “Should we tell Scootaloo?”
Chuckling, Foggy replied, “Not yet. She’s pretty excitable. It’ll be more of a surprise to tell her the day you sign the papers.”
The very thought was enough to send a shiver through Rainbow’s chest. She could already see the little filly laughing in excitement, hugging her as tight as she could, Rainbow Dash returning the gesture tenfold.
“So…when do lessons happen?”
“Every two weeks, the agency holds two day-long lessons for Potentials, new shadows, and anypony in the public who may be interested,” Foggy explained. “The next lessons happen in three days, and all you need to move on to the next step is proof you attended them. The teacher will sign off on everypony who completes the lessons. In your case, it will automatically move you on to step three.”
She gave a small smile. “The first day may be a bit boring to you, since it will be learning EHS. But the next day will be learning how to guide a blind pony through a new space, followed by how to homeschool disabled foals. Many of the techniques are similar, but once your lessons are done, we can practice here with Scootaloo specifically.”
Rainbow Dash, completely taken by the information, only nodded, a tsunami of joy crashing over her.
“Speaking of Scootaloo,” Foggy glanced up at the clock. “She’s probably done with her lunch by now. Let’s go get her.”
“Okay!”
Three days later, Rainbow Dash arrived at her communication lesson to be met with both the teacher and four others who were going through similar processes. Three were in training to become shadows, the fourth was there simply to learn.
She breezed through the first half of the communication lessons, and was even able to give some pointers to one of the future shadows struggling to adjust. By the time the day was over, she had helped those learning almost as much as the teacher.
The following day, she arrived earlier than anypony.
Well, almost.
A pony who wasn’t present yesterday sat in the front row, a mustard-colored stallion with jet black mane patiently awaiting the teacher and the other students.
“Hi,” Rainbow Dash greeted cheerfully. “Here already? How long have you been here?”
“Oh, hello,” the stallion returned, shyly turning toward Rainbow Dash, his brown eyes staying trailed to the ground. “Uh, not long. I was just waiting on everypony to get here. I’m helping with the lesson today.”
“Oh, okay,” Rainbow smiled, offering the stallion her hoof. “I’m Rainbow Dash.”
The stallion hesitated, eyes flicking near her hoof before he slowly took it, smiling shyly as they connected. “Onyx Star.”
“So, what will you be helping with today?” Rainbow inquired.
Onyx Star smiled warmly. “I’m your practice dummy.”
At once, Rainbow Dash felt she’d hit a mental wall. “Uh…what?”
The pegasus stallion erupted in a fit of chuckles. “Sorry,” he waved, rubbing a mirthful tear from his eye. “I joke around like that sometimes. Doc says it’s some kind of coping mechanism.”
“Uh, coping mechanism for what?”
The stallion gave her a wry grin. Rainbow Dash tried to read his face, finally noticing the way his eyes moved, flicking back and forth, jolting to the various light sources in the room and not landing on her face.
She gasped. “Oh, my gosh, you’re blind!”
Onyx Star laughed, “Was it not obvious?”
“Not to me,” Rainbow admitted sheepishly.
“That’s fine,” Onyx chuckled. “I’ll actually take that as a compliment, so thank you.”
Now it was Rainbow Dash who was smiling shyly, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Can I, uh…ask an awkward question?” she slowly asked.
“Shoot.” Onyx met her shyness with a cool confidence.
“How, um…your eyes aren’t cloudy. I’m about to adopt a deaf-blind filly, and her eyes are cloudy. Why aren’t yours?”
Onyx smiled at the question. “That would have to do with the differences in the natures of our specific blindnesses. The cloudiness sounds like some kind of damage to either her lenses or corneas.
“For me specifically, I have a degenerative disease that’s eating away at my retinas. Ever since foalhood, I’ve slowly been seeing less and less until now, where I can only make out certain shapes as they reflect and bend around light, as well as light sources themselves. By this time next year, I won’t be able to see anything.”
“Oh…that…really sucks,” Rainbow sympathized.
“Eh, it’s fine,” Onyx waved off. “I’m adjusting fairly well, and my family’s been very supportive through the whole thing. Plus, I get to help out in things like this. Educating myself and others in different disabilities has kinda been my passion ever since I was diagnosed.”
The stallion’s resolve made Rainbow Dash smile. “Well I think you’re doing pretty awesome with that.”
Onyx chuckled. “Well, most of this is probably because of my disease. I can’t say I’d be doing the same thing if I was what society calls ‘normal’.” He emphasized the word with air quotes. “Honestly, I’m just happy to hear ponies like you want to learn so you can adopt. But…usually, Potentials go through all the training and then go looking for a foal. You're…kinda the opposite. How’d that happen?”
Rainbow chuckled, taking a seat. “Well, it started with me helping my friend host a party…”
Onyx Star listened enraptured at the story Rainbow Dash told him. Rainbow Dash found herself telling Onyx everything, the stallion listening with an accepting ear as she told him all her fears and worries for what might happen once everything became final; and if she was even doing the right thing, since she was clearly the least experienced pony to even try and attempt what she was doing.
“Hey,” Onyx interrupted her before she began to spiral, a hoof reaching out and managing to land on her shoulder. “You’re doing great. One small thing I don’t entirely agree on with Potentials is they become certified before they go to find the foal they can love. You loved her first, and now you’re doing everything you can to make sure you can provide for her, right?”
“Y-yeah,” Rainbow squeaked, a tension she didn’t realize she was holding leaving her shoulders. “I just…nothing usually rattles me, but…for some reason, I…I’ve never been this nervous about anything before.”
Onyx gave her a calming smile. “Well, from the sound of it…Scootaloo kinda rocked your entire world. Let me ask you this: if somepony had told you a year ago that right now you’d be getting ready to adopt a disabled foal, what would you have done?”
Rainbow gave the question a moment of thought. “Honestly…I’d probably laugh. I’d brush them off, scoff, probably; and…I wouldn’t give it a second thought.”
“Well, there you go,” Onyx nudged. “You’re exploring a part of yourself you didn’t know was there, all because you fell in love with a filly you now want to adopt. It’s gonna be nerve wracking sometimes, and trust me:” his searching eyes sparked with a smile. “You are not the first nervous new guardian I’ve met, and you will definitely not be the last. Nervousness is just part of the process. Take it like this: it means you care about her, and you don’t want to mess up, which is a good thing.”
Rainbow Dash’s nerves didn’t leave from the stallion’s words, not completely. But…they did allow her to feel more comfortable. For the first time, she allowed herself to wade in her nervousness, her anxiety for once not trying to drown her, and instead making her more keenly aware of the intense emotions she felt toward the very reason she was even here today.
For the first time, she felt the way the two emotions intermingled. For the first time, she noticed their back-and-forth was more like a conversation than a battlefield.
Of course she was nervous. She was nervous because she loved her. She loved Scootaloo with every fiber of her being…and yeah, it made her a little nervous.
Breathing a small, relieved sigh, Rainbow Dash nudged Onyx Star. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Onyx smiled back. “How ‘bout I give you some pointers before class starts?”
“Sure!”
“How did your lessons go?” Foggy asked Rainbow Dash.
“Great!” the pegasus replied, trying to handle the filly hugging her tight after not seeing her for two days. “Met this stallion named Onyx Star, he helped out with the hooves-on training.”
“Aw, you met Onyx?” Foggy gushed. “He’s a sweetheart, isn’t he?”
“Oh, you know him?” Rainbow asked as Scootaloo wiggled her way onto Rainbow’s back.
Foggy smiled, “Yes. Funnily enough, we had our first lessons together.”
“Woah, really?”
“Mm-hmm. My training as a shadow began around the same time as his diagnosis, and we just so happened to have our first EHS lesson together.” Her smile gained a thin layer of sadness as she continued, “I see him every once in a while helping out at the agency. He was offered a job there when he was a teenager; but pretty soon after that, he lost over fifty percent of his sight. He helps where he can, and the agency is more than accommodating.”
“Yeah, he was really excited to help out with the second day of lessons.”
Foggy couldn’t help her chuckle. “Yes, he once told me that was his favorite thing to help out with.” With a wry grin she asked, “Did he say anything that took you off-guard?”
Rainbow Dash nodded incredulously, “Yeah, actually. He called himself a practice dummy.”
A good-natured laugh hopped from Foggy’s throat. “Yes, he has a very interesting sense of humor.” Her eyes flicked to Scootaloo. “I’ve noticed Scootaloo has been developing something similar, though hers doesn’t seem as dry.”
“I’ve noticed a couple things, too,” Rainbow Dash piped up. “Is, um…is that…okay?”
Foggy gave her unease a peaceful smile. “Yes. It’s perfectly normal. There isn’t really a name for having a sense of humor about one’s own disabilities, but it seems to be par for the course, in some cases. From what I’ve seen, it tends to do two things: it allows the disabled pony to acknowledge the disability so the other party doesn’t have to; and shows the disabled pony has no hard feelings surrounding the disability. This tends to make things less awkward for others, so they can focus on the pony and not just the disability.”*
“Huh,” Rainbow Dash hummed, Scootaloo climbing to standing on the mare’s shoulders and flopping her chin over Rainbow’s head. “I never would’ve guessed.”
Scootaloo lay her cheek on top of Rainbow’s head, the mare giving a chuckle and reaching up to tussle the filly’s mane. The little pegasus hummed contently, leaning into the gesture.
“Why don’t we go out so you can practice?” Foggy suggested. “We can grab something from the bakery just down the road.”
“Okay!” Rainbow beamed.
“So…” Rainbow Dash faltered, glancing down at Scootaloo, “is it okay if I ask something?”
Foggy Day smiled warmly. “Absolutely. Never feel bad for asking questions out of genuine curiosity.” She gave a chuckle. “Considering your position, I’d honestly be worried if you weren’t asking questions.”
Rainbow Dash smiled nervously, “I, uh…I wanted to ask…how, um…” her eyes found the filly, happily eating her cupcake, a couple crumbs dotting the corners of her mouth. “How…is she deaf-blind? I mean…how is…what happened that made her…the way she is?” She blushed furiously at the question that refused to come out with any form of grace.
She glanced up at Foggy, whose eyes had landed on Scootaloo, a twinge of panic in her expression. As the unicorn watched the filly giggle around a bite of dessert, a pain flared up behind her eyes. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, a newborn foal screamed.
“Foggy?”
Foggy jolted with a small breath, coming back to reality. “Sorry,” she said, rubbing the bridge of her muzzle as the phantom pains died down. She offered a smile of peace to Rainbow’s worry, and answered:
“Her deafness is actually a birth defect. Things just weren’t developing properly, and now the crucial components of her middle ear are almost missing. This has left her completely stone deaf.”
She paused as Scootaloo, done with her snack, tried to reach for a napkin. A chuckle rose in Foggy’s throat as Rainbow Dash helped the filly clean her hooves and mouth. Once the small task was done, Scootaloo reached for Rainbow Dash, and the older pegasus pulled the filly into her lap, giving Foggy her attention once again as Scootaloo played with her hoof.
Foggy’s demeanor grew a bit forlorn as she picked up, “She was almost dangerously premature, and her eyes weren’t strong enough to handle the strain of birth. The blood vessels swelled, which ultimately caused a full detachment of her retinas; and her corneas were ripped apart in the process.”
Rainbow Dash held the filly in her lap like a teddy bear, her chin resting in Scootaloo’s mane. “So,” she asked nervously, feeling light-headed from all the new information, “is that why her eyes are cloudy?”
“Yes,” Foggy nodded. “The cloudiness is from her scarred corneas, but the main reason behind her blindness is the lack of retinas.”
The younger mare nodded. “Got it. Thanks for telling me,” she smiled sheepishly.
“Not a problem,” Foggy returned. As Rainbow Dash gave her attention to Scootaloo, Foggy Day gave hers to the street clock on the corner. She grinned to herself, the hands of time lining up right where she was hoping they would.
She looked back to the pegasus duo, Rainbow Dash chuckling softly as Scootaloo leaned back against her, pulling Rainbow’s mane onto her own face and blowing against the green, blue, and purple strands that would fall back over her eyes, leaving the filly giggling.
“Congratulations, Rainbow Dash,” Foggy said, beaming.
The pegasus in question looked up in surprise. “Uh…what?”
Foggy Day couldn’t help her chuckle. “As of two minutes ago, you’ve completed step three.”
Rainbow’s jaw fell open, Scootaloo squirming around to face the tri-colored part of her mane, beginning to twist and turn it as if figuring out how to braid it.
“Are you serious?” Rainbow Dash breathed.
Smile only growing, Foggy nodded. “You’re now officially ready to complete step four.”
A smile crawled up Rainbow’s face, and she hugged Scootaloo tighter. The filly hummed a chuckle, snaking her hooves around the older pegasus’s neck and hugging her tight. Rainbow Dash smiled tearfully at the little filly, nuzzling her head.
Foggy gave her own chuckle. “I’ll contact her agent. Observation should happen in the next couple days, I’ll let you know the date. Scootaloo won’t know, but you will.”
“Okay,” Rainbow Dash nodded, looking back down at Scootaloo. Her smile gained a mischievous tint, and she blew a tiny puff of breath against Scootaloo’s ear.
The filly squealed a laugh, pushing away from the mare and scrunching her face up at her. Rainbow returned the look, rubbing her nose on Scootaloo’s, catching the filly’s hooves before she could capture Rainbow’s face again.
“Nice try, Scoots. I know all your tricks.”
Scootaloo gave a playful, wordless groan, tipping back in dramatic defeat before flopping forward onto Rainbow’s chest again, laughing madly.
Foggy Day put away the letter, smiling to herself. Straight from Sage Note, the message revealed Observation would take place the day after tomorrow.
Grinning, the shadow filed it away to show Rainbow Dash when she got there, and went to wake Scootaloo.
The shadow flipped on the light, frowning when she instantly saw Scootaloo trudging along her wall on the other side of her room. She reached out with her magic, gently nudging the filly’s fetlock.
Scootaloo perked up at once, her head swiveling to the door. Foggy trotted in, lightly touching her shoulder. “How long have you been up?”
The filly’s eyes carried little bags as they twitched back and forth. She took Foggy’s hoof. “I don’t know. I woke up, and I walked 10 times, then went back to bed, but I still couldn’t sleep. I walked 10 more times, but I still can’t. This is my third time.”
“Is there something on your mind?”
She saw Scootaloo’s jaw clench, and the filly tapped, “No.”
Though it was obviously a lie, Foggy didn’t try to push her. “Why don’t you just sit with me for a little bit?”
Scootaloo nodded sleepily, and Foggy picked her up. Sitting against the wall, Foggy pulled Scootaloo’s head to her chest, lightly rocking her and passing a hoof through her mane.
Foggy felt Scootaloo slowly relax, the filly’s anxiety finally giving way to her exhaustion through Foggy’s coaxing. Scootaloo snuggled deeper into Foggy, giving a content little hum as she finally fell asleep.
Rainbow Dash knocked on Scootaloo’s door, the attendant having sent her this way, explaining Foggy and Scootaloo hadn’t been down yet.
“Come in,” lightly called Foggy’s voice.
The mare poked her head in, Foggy Day giving her a small smile as she held Scootaloo close.
“Is she okay?” Rainbow asked.
“I think so,” Foggy answered. “She has trouble with insomnia every once in a while. Since she can’t see the sun, her body tends to have issues discerning when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. Usually, she walks around and tires out her body again, and she’s able to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, last night proved to be a bit more difficult than that.”
Rainbow frowned in sympathy for the filly. “So…how do you handle that?”
“I usually let her sleep for a couple more hours, then get started with the lessons of the day. Thankfully, usually being a little more tired than usual during the day helps her sleep better the next night.”
“That’s good, at least,” Rainbow offered, sitting next to Foggy as her eyes rested on the filly, taking mental notes on the way Foggy was holding her.
“I do have some news, at least,” Foggy offered.
“Yeah?”
Foggy gave the pegasus a smile. “You’ve been approved for observation. The evaluator will be by the day after tomorrow.”
Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “Really?!”
“Really,” Foggy smiled. “So, I’m thinking I’ll mostly let you handle her today and tomorrow as practice for the real deal, okay? I can be present, but won’t be able to help in any way during your actual observation, okay?”
“Okay,” Rainbow nodded in determination. She glanced at the clock. “So, what’s her lesson today? Maybe I can go ahead and read what you had planned?”
Foggy smiled at the mare’s integrity. “Mathematics. The folder’s on her desk in the classroom.”
“Cool,” Rainbow beamed. “I, uh…I think I’ll be ready when she wakes up.”
“Alright,” Foggy grinned, pressing a hoof into Scootaloo’s mane. “See you in a little bit.”
For two days, Rainbow practiced, Foggy by her side each step of the way. With help from the shadow, she became familiar with Scootaloo’s style of learning, riding each wave of excitement right along with the filly as concepts clicked and misunderstandings were ironed out.
Scootaloo, during her time with Rainbow Dash, found something deep in her chest begin to boil. She only showed happiness and excitement to the mare, each smile making the intangible wound fester and writhe. As the hours passed, she found the odd pain harder and harder to ignore. By the end of the second day of Rainbow Dash teaching her, she was unable to focus on anything other than the roiling waves of raw emotion that she didn’t have a name for.
Foggy Day frowned down at the filly, sitting still at her desk, eyes panning back and forth as she didn’t seem to notice the paper right in front of her, despite Rainbow Dash having just told her to work on it. She knelt down at the filly’s level, unable to make out the look on the filly’s face.
She sensed…something. It was…she didn’t know what it was, but…whatever it was, it had captured Scootaloo’s attention, and wasn’t letting go anytime soon.
“How about a break?” Foggy Day suggested. “She seems distracted. Maybe you could take her out for a little bit? It’s been a while since you’ve taken her flying.”
Rainbow’s brow furrowed, noticing the same thing, thinking the same thing. She nodded, touching Scootaloo’s shoulder, the filly flinching at the sudden touch that snapped her from her thoughts.
“Wanna take a break?” Rainbow asked. “We can go flying, if you want.”
Scootaloo gave her a little smile, something in the expression cracking. Still, the filly nodded, using Rainbow’s hoof to pull herself out of her chair.
The hole in Scootaloo’s chest grew an inch as Rainbow Dash helped her climb onto her back. Her wings felt heavy as the older pegasus walked before finally taking off.
The wind made Scootaloo’s skin crawl. She hugged Rainbow Dash tighter, the parts of her touching the mare being the only thing that felt right in the midst of all the wrong she was experiencing.
She wished she could stay up here with her forever.
The longer they flew, the larger the hole grew. Dread began rising up from the strange abyss, the filly knowing each second that passed was one closer to Rainbow leaving again.
But…she’d be back again tomorrow…
…Right?
“So, what’s the plan for tomorrow?” Rainbow Dash asked as she helped Scootaloo off her back.
“School,” Foggy Day replied. “It’s what was planned, anyway, and it’ll be as calm as possible. Scootaloo shouldn’t suspect a thing, especially after the practice we’ve had.”
Rainbow nodded. “Cool.” She nudged Scootaloo with her nose. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay,” Scootaloo replied, her mouth twitching in its smile.
Rainbow Dash held her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder, the filly’s face falling a bit as the pegasus addressed the unicorn. “What time do I need to get here?”
“First thing,” Foggy answered. “The longer observation lasts, the better. And…” she leveled a playfully serious look at Rainbow Dash, “it’s probably not a good idea to take her flying tomorrow. I don’t know who will think what about that, so it’d be best to stay as safe as possible tomorrow and keep her on the ground.”
“Okay,” Rainbow chuckled. “See you tomorrow!”
Scootaloo’s throat moved in a groan as she turned over again, her brain’s hoof working in overdrive as she thought as hard as she could. The subject of her internal predicament, the reason she had woken up in the middle of the night—and was still wide awake after four counts to a hundred: Rainbow Dash.
The older pegasus had been around for…Scootaloo had lost track at this point. But…it was definitely longer than the others.
Her mind brought her to the twenty-seven figures standing behind the little figure that was Foggy Day. Those twenty-seven weren’t all that had come before, they were just the ones she could remember. She knew what they had all come by for, she’d been told as much.
She knew why they left, too.
But…Rainbow Dash had first met her at a party, as one of the planners. Foggy had explained that, too. She had no connection to the orphanage, and she definitely didn’t have a reason to keep coming back. So…why did she?
Scootaloo’s breath caught in her throat. Was she really…? No, no. That had to be impossible. She’d had to teach Rainbow Dash EHS, when all the others already knew it. And over the past several days, it was Rainbow Dash dealing with her the most, when the three of them went to the bakery, and during her classes…as if she were learning how to handle her. So…was that it?
Was she just…learning?
…About…taking care of foals like her?
Scootaloo felt something inside her crack. Was she just…training to become a shadow, like Foggy? Or worse…was she about to replace Foggy?
Tears stung her eyes. Was Foggy sick? Was Foggy going to leave her, too? That…that couldn’t be it…
Could it?
She furiously shook her head, clapping a hoof to her temple to try and knock the spiraling thoughts out of her head. She forced herself to think about a different possibility:
What if Rainbow Dash was…going to…
She grit her teeth, her mental hoof hesitating to actually spell out the word. Even if she was…But, what if she wasn’t…?
Tears dripped and dragged across the bridge of her muzzle. The ache that had appeared in her chest about a week ago suddenly opened up again, threatening to tear a hole right through her. Suddenly, the only thing she wanted was to feel Rainbow Dash holding her again, nuzzling her forehead or tickling her nose.
It made a lump rise to her throat. Out of all the ponies she’d ever met, she’d never missed them before. Sure, she had enjoyed her time with some of them; but others, she honestly found boring.
Still, she never, not once, gave it a second thought when they ultimately left—though she would never admit to the pang of disappointment that pierced her heart every time they did. She could never tell if it was disappointment in them for getting her hopes up…or disappointment in herself for being…unadoptable.
She hit her head again, banishing the horrid thought. She was adoptable…she was adoptable…
So, then…why hadn’t Rainbow Dash said anything?
She thought back to the name-sign Rainbow Dash had given her, tracing it on her chest with a smile. The only time she’d ever asked for a name-sign was during the first ever visit she could remember. After giving the couple their name-signs, she’d asked them what they thought a good one for her would be.
They told her they couldn’t give her one, that it wasn’t their place to, that another deaf-blind pony should give her a name-sign.
That was the first time she remembered feeling disappointment, and ever since…she’d always told herself, always known…
Whoever cared enough about her to give her a name-sign…would be the one to bring her home.
Rainbow Dash had done that on day four. The third day she’d come back. On her second day of knowing Equestrian Hoof-Speak.
…
Was she the one?
…
…
Should she just ask?
The proposal made her heart jump. No, she couldn’t do that. What if she said no…?
What if she said yes?
A small smile crept up Scootaloo’s face, before she shot it down with another hard shake of her head. She couldn’t ask that…
Why not…?
Because…because…
Her tears sprang up anew, and the thought flew through her head faster than she could stop it:
‘Because I’m just a job! Because of how hard it’ll be to raise me!’
She clutched at her head, trying with all her might to fight down the thought she knew was coming, failing as it jolted through her brain, shocking her down to her soul:
‘I can’t ask her to adopt me…because of how hard it is to love me!’
The little filly, alone in her bed, burst into weeping. She knew it would be hard for anypony. Rainbow and Foggy probably weren’t saying anything because it wasn’t going to happen…
No matter how badly she wanted it.
So many things in her life she was used to going without. Sight. Sound. Voice. She couldn’t have any of that, and she was fine with it. She was used to it.
So…why? Why was this—why was Rainbow Dash…the one thing she couldn’t stand to think about being apart from?
And why did Rainbow Dash keep. Coming. BACK!
It frustrated her to no end. If she wasn’t going to do anything, then she should just LEAVE! Everypony should just leave!
If they all just ignored her, then she wouldn’t be a burden to anypony. No pony would have to carry her, no pony would have to help her learn how to live, no pony would have to spend every waking moment with her!
She clutched at her head, pulling on her mane. Thoughts spiraling out of control, she writhed from her own internal torment.
Scootaloo let out a shout she couldn’t hear, not caring how loud she was. What did it matter, when no pony stayed long enough to hear her, anyway?
She slammed a hoof down onto her head, trying to beat the intangible hooves out of her mind.
‘Go away!’ The one mind-hoof she seemed to still have control over slammed itself against the others as she slammed her hoof down onto her ear, trying to use the physical pain to snap her from the mental.
‘Go away!’ She internally screamed, the hooves multiplying, all tapping the same things over, and over, and over again.
Unlovable…
Unadoptable…
Unwanted…
Useless…
‘GO AWAY!!!’
Her throat constricted as she screamed, tears falling across her face. She clutched at her mane, burying her face in her pillow and slamming her hoof into the back of her head.
She cried out against the pain she had caused herself, raising her hoof for another strike against the hooves that only gained strength inside her head.
A hoof grabbed her own, and suddenly she had a new target.
Intrusive hooves stampeding, she yanked her hoof away, twisting around and striking.
Rainbow Dash landed gracefully on the top steps, taking a breath to steady her fluttering heart. “Okay,” she blew out a nervous breath, “it’s just a normal day. Everything’s normal, just spend some time with her. Help with her lesson, play with her, whatever she wants to do. No big deal.”
Stomach using her gut as a tumbling mat, Rainbow Dash knocked on the door.
It opened at once, a dusty clay stallion with golden mane greeting her with cool, icy blue eyes. “Can I help you?”
The unfamiliar stallion’s demeanor immediately shattered her confidence, though she didn’t know why. “Uh, I…” she swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as she felt sweat bead on her forehead. “I’m here…for, uh…I have…observation today…”
The stallion raised an eyebrow, and stepped aside, allowing Rainbow Dash in. “I was wondering when you were going to get here,” he grumbled as she passed the door.
“Uh…sorry?”
The stallion brushed down his suit jacket as the door closed. “You must be Miss Rainbow Dash, correct?”
“Y-yes, I am,” she replied, fighting as hard as she could against the tremble in her voice.
The earth pony nodded. “I’ll be conducting your observation today with Miss Scootaloo.”
“Oh, okay!” Rainbow Dash tried to sound chipper in the face of her sudden fear. She offered the stallion her hoof. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The stallion raised an eyebrow again, and Rainbow Dash awkwardly took her hoof back. He nodded to the hall. “I’m sure you know where her room is. Lead the way.”
Rainbow Dash gulped, unable to deny how intimidating the stallion was. Nothing in his physical stature, nor the way he carried himself made her think so, but…she couldn’t help fearing what would happen should anypony get on this stallion’s bad side.
With a nod, she trotted down the hall, fighting with everything in her to run from the stallion tailing her. She set her mind on Scootaloo, and instantly most of her fear subsided, replaced by the love that threatened to bring her to her knees. Her confidence growing, she climbed the stairs, all too aware of the stallion following close behind.
When she rounded the corner, she was met with a sight that instantly made her heart sink. The other attendant was talking in a hushed tone to Foggy Day, who was holding something against her cheek.
“Foggy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she approached.
The unicorn jumped, startled eyes finding Rainbow immediately. Her gaze flicked between Rainbow Dash and the stallion behind her, irises shrinking. “Oh dear, um…” she trailed, instinctively lowering her hoof, only to catch herself and press the ice pack back against her cheek.
Rainbow Dash’s jaw slackened, fear and worry flooding her chest as she saw the blackening bruise under Foggy’s eye. “What happened?” she gaped.
Foggy hesitated, her eyes flicking to the evaluator again. “Scootaloo’s…having a bad day.”
“What? Is she okay?” Rainbow asked.
“I-I don’t know,” Foggy admitted, adjusting the ice. “She started screaming about an hour ago, and when I went to check on her, she was…” her eyes shimmered with tears. “She was hitting herself, and when I tried to stop her, she lashed out at me.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened in worried horror. “Let me see her.” She moved to rush past Foggy, only to be stopped as the unicorn stepped in her way, looking at her with pleading eyes.
“Rainbow Dash—“ she looked, once again, to the stallion behind her. “If you go in there, observation will begin.”
The pegasus hesitated, easily reading the look in Foggy Day’s eyes. Today, things were the furthest away from normal that they could possibly be. Today, nothing was going to go well.
Today was the absolute worst day to have observation.
Rainbow Dash’s ear flicked, hearing the faintest of cries floating from the other side of the closed door. She located the sound with her eyes, the world around her falling away.
A catch of a breath.
A sob.
The weepings of a distraught filly.
Something flared up inside Rainbow Dash. Almost angrily, she replied, “I don’t care.”
She moved around Foggy, heading for the door. If the shadow had said anything after that, she didn’t hear it. All she could bring herself to care about right now was the little filly crying alone in her room.
Screw the observation.
Screw the consequences.
Scootaloo was crying, and Rainbow Dash vowed to do whatever it took to see her smiling again.
Ignoring the stallion behind her, she opened the door.
Rainbow Dash found Scootaloo immediately. The little filly lay on her stomach on her bed, holding a pillow over her head. Another sob shook her body, and she seemed to try and press the pillow deeper into her bed, as if trying to crush her head underneath it.
The older pegasus approached the bed at once, worried the filly would suffocate herself. The moment she sat down on the bed, Scootaloo responded.
An infuriated shout erupted from the filly as she scrambled to standing, yanking up her pillow and swinging it at the intruder with all her might.
Rainbow blocked the pillow with a foreleg before it could strike her in the face, heart clenching at Scootaloo’s red, drenched face and puffy eyes.
Scootaloo shouted again, reeling back for a second blow. Rainbow Dash caught the pillow, hugging it to her chest. As Scootaloo tried to yank it away from her, Rainbow Dash traced her name-sign on Scootaloo’s fetlock.
Scootaloo felt the toe of a hoof trace out the familiar name-sign, Rainbow’s touch leaving her skin tingling. At once, every involuntary thought trampling her brain suddenly vanished, leaving her with the phantom pains of disappointment and the gash of self-loathing ripping its way through her soul.
Of course Rainbow Dash had shown up now, of all the times. And she couldn’t even…she couldn’t even…
Rainbow Dash felt a sharp pain in her chest when the filly’s eyes widened, tears still freely falling from them. Scootaloo’s face pinched, mouth stretching in a frown as she let out a tiny sob. Her face fell, and the little filly just sat on her bed, head hanging as she cried.
The mare swallowed the lump in her throat, and reached for her. “What’s wrong, kiddo?”
Scootaloo shook her head, another sob escaping her as she put her head in her hooves.
“You don’t know? Or you don’t want to tell me?”
Again, Scootaloo just shook her head. She pulled a hoof away, reaching for Rainbow Dash. Rainbow gave her a hoof, and Scootaloo grabbed it with both of her own. She brought Rainbow’s hoof to her face, sobbing as she nuzzled Rainbow’s hoof with her forehead.
Rainbow sat there a moment, letting Scootaloo feel her hoof as she tried to calm herself down, her own tears pricking her eyes as the filly repeated the motion that stole her heart from day one.
Scootaloo sniffed, throat moving in a whimper, wanting to be closer to Rainbow. Trying to steady her breathing, she pulled herself up, trudging to the dip in the bed that was Rainbow and stopping once her head connected with the mare’s chest.
She felt Rainbow Dash move a bit, and shuddered when the mare’s hoof ran between her wings, the other easing around her before she was pulled into Rainbow’s lap.
Her tears began anew, an aching deep in her chest telling her she never wanted Rainbow Dash to leave ever again. It was a pain that told her she wouldn’t be able to live without the mare she was pressed against.
But she could never tell her this.
She couldn’t put that burden on the coolest pony in all of Equestria.
Instead, she just let herself be held by one of the two mares who could chase away her inner darkness with only a touch.
Rainbow Dash ran her hoof up and down Scootaloo’s back, the filly’s little shoulders jumping with leftover hiccups. After a moment, Scootaloo finally shifted, the little filly reaching for Rainbow’s shoulder before wiggling out of Rainbow Dash’s lap and moving to her back. She pressed her hooves, then her face, into the space between Rainbow’s wings, sniffling.
The mare reached back, tapping the filly’s hind leg, “You wanna get out of here?” She felt Scootaloo nod, and at once, Rainbow held the little pegasus onto her back as she stood. Scootaloo scooched further up Rainbow’s back until she was snug against the back of her neck, hiding her little face in Rainbow’s mane.
Foggy looked up as Rainbow Dash came out, eyes wide when she saw Scootaloo on Rainbow’s back.
“We’re gonna go for a fly,” Rainbow Dash said.
Foggy’s brow furrowed, eyes flicking to the thoughtful frown on the evaluator behind the mare, before giving Rainbow Dash a strained smile and a nod.
“I'll let you know if she says anything,” Rainbow Dash smiled sympathetically.
“Thank you,” Foggy sighed.
The evaluator followed Rainbow Dash as she carried Scootaloo down the stairs and to the door. Ignoring the stallion, she reached for Scootaloo’s forehooves. The filly hugged her neck, and she rose from the courtyard without a second thought, carrying Scootaloo up into the calming atmosphere. She didn’t ask if Scootaloo wanted to do tricks, she could already tell the filly wasn’t in the mood. Instead, she scanned the sky for a decently-sized, lonesome cloud.
She lighted upon the puffy surface, settling down on the cloud before gently pulling Scootaloo’s hooves away from her neck. The little pegasus slid off her back, leaning against her as she sank to the cloud, burying her face into the wispiness only tangible to pegasi.
Rainbow watched Scootaloo for a moment, letting the little pegasus have a moment to herself. With a sniff and a tiny grunt, the filly nudged her nose under the mare’s cannon bone. Rainbow Dash complied with her unspoken request, and put her foreleg over Scootaloo and pulled her close. Scootaloo nuzzled Rainbow’s chest fur, giving a sad little hum Rainbow Dash couldn’t translate. Instead, she offered the only thing she could, and nuzzled Scootaloo’s forehead with her own, letting the filly know she was here, and everything was okay.
A quiet moment passed between the two pegasi, before Scootaloo adjusted her position under Rainbow’s foreleg, reaching for her shoulder and asking, “Is Foggy mad at me?”
The question made Rainbow pause. “No,” she answered, “she’s worried about you. You got really upset back there.”
“I hit her,” Scootaloo confessed with a quivering chin. “Really hard.”
“I know,” Rainbow Dash ran a hoof through the purple mane. “She knows you didn’t mean it.”
Scootaloo hesitated. “But…” she paused, eyes flicking back and forth as she thought of what she was trying to say. “I’ve never hit her before. I’ve never been that…like that before. Won’t she…” As if scared of her own words, the filly hid her face in Rainbow’s chest, falling silent.
Rainbow Dash nibbled the inside of her cheek, trying to figure out where the filly was going with her line of thought. “Do you feel any different about Foggy after hitting her?” she finally asked.
The filly paused before shaking her head.
“Well, Foggy feels the same way,” Rainbow reassured. “She cares about you too much to let what happened today change anything, okay?”
“You promise?” Scootaloo tapped, cuddling into Rainbow tighter.
Rainbow’s heart skipped a beat, and she nuzzled the filly’s cheek. “I promise.” She bumped Scootaloo’s forehead with her own. “We can stay up here as long as you want, and we can go back down whenever you’re ready, okay?”
Scootaloo nodded. “Thank you…for everything.”
The older pegasus fought against the overwhelming urge to kiss the filly she held. “No problem, kiddo,” she managed to tap out, instead, pulling Scootaloo closer and settling down deeper into the cloud, feeling the little pegasus relax into her hold, her breathing becoming steady and even as she seemed to fall asleep.
Foggy looked desperately at the stallion, who was watching Rainbow Dash fly off with Scootaloo on her back. With a raised eyebrow, he asked, “How long has Miss Rainbow Dash been taking Miss Scootaloo into the sky?”
Swallowing, Foggy answered, “Ever since the first day they met.”
The stallion paused, humming to himself as he saw Rainbow Dash landing on a cloud and gently helping Scootaloo off her back.
Foggy couldn’t take it any longer. “Sage, please,” she began, “she’s not herself today, you know that. I don’t know what’s wrong, but…can’t we redo the observation?”
“There are no redos,” Sage Note quipped back, giving Foggy a side-eye. “You know that.”
The unicorn blinked, gathering her courage again. “Sage,” she said slowly, “I promise you…Rainbow Dash is the one, I can feel it.”
“What you feel means nothing to me,” Sage Note barked, his eyes never leaving the sky. “The only thing that does is what I see.”
Foggy Day hesitated. “And what do you see?”
This time, it was Sage Note that hesitated. “I’ll bring my report first thing tomorrow morning.”
Panic gripped Foggy’s heart. “Sage, wait, please—“
“My decision in this matter is final,” he iterated. At the shadow’s shocked expression, he suggested, “Keep some ice on that bruise.”
Words silent, mind floundering, Foggy Day could only watch as Sage Note traipsed down the stairs and out of the courtyard, dashing her hopes to the concrete below.
Hours passed before Rainbow Dash landed softly back on the steps to the orphanage, brow creasing when she saw Foggy alone. “Where’s the evaluator?”
“He, uh…” Foggy shuffled, sighing, “he left.”
Rainbow’s breath almost stopped. “Did he say anything?”
“No,” Foggy rubbed her temple. “He just…he said we’d get his report tomorrow, and left. I tried to talk to him, but…he wouldn’t listen.”
Rainbow Dash’s shoulders sank, heavy as her heart. “So…is that it?” Her voice ended in a squeak. “They can’t seriously deny me because Scoots was having a bad day.”
Foggy stayed silent, eyes drifting to Scootaloo, still holding on tight to Rainbow. “Did she tell you what was wrong?”
Rainbow Dash’s face fell as far as her shoulders. “No…I couldn’t figure it out, either. I’m…not even sure she knows what’s wrong.”
Foggy smiled in sympathy for the filly. “I suppose we all just have bad days. Disabled foals are no different than the rest of us in that regard.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow agreed, lightly tapping Scootaloo’s hooves. Scootaloo relinquished her grip around Rainbow’s neck, and Rainbow helped her back down to the ground as tears sprang to her eyes. “So…if this all goes south…is that it?”
“No,” Foggy assured at once, lightly touching Scootaloo’s fetlock and tracing her name-sign. At once, the filly threw her hooves around Foggy’s foreleg, sniffling and nuzzling her face into the mare’s fur.
“I’m sorry,” Scootaloo tapped, tears welling again. “I’m really, really sorry.”
Foggy smiled down at the little filly. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know you didn’t mean it. Do you feel better now?”
Scootaloo nodded, reaching for Foggy. The mare stooped down a bit, letting the filly clamber onto her back before she pressed her tear-stained face into Foggy’s long mane, letting out a sorrowful little whine.
The shadow continued, “There’s a six-month cool-down, but after that we can begin the process over again.”
Rainbow Dash nodded, trying to blink away her blurring vision, only to succeed in sending tears down her cheeks. “Okay…” she wiped her eyes, sniffling. “I’ll, uh…come back tomorrow. Just ‘cause I can’t adopt her doesn’t mean I can’t see her…right?” She swiped at her falling tears, offering Foggy as brave a smile as she could.
Foggy returned it, barely holding back tears of her own. “Absolutely.”
Rainbow nodded, trudging to Scootaloo and tapping her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Scootaloo nodded, momentarily letting go of Foggy and taking Rainbow’s hoof, reaching around the mare’s neck. “Thank you,” she spelt on Rainbow’s withers.
“No problem, kiddo,” Rainbow Dash returned, squeezing the filly as tight as she dared, finally letting go and nodding her goodbye to Foggy.
As she sped away from Baltimare, she finally let herself break. Wings working on auto-pilot, she pressed her hooves to her muzzle, letting a sob escape her as her tears streaked down her face.
Her heart trembled, sending wave after wave of pain through her chest as she fought against everything screaming at her to turn around and scoop Scootaloo into her forelegs and hold her tight until everything was okay again.
Too soon, she approached the Cloudominium, a house that no longer felt warm and welcoming, but cold and empty. Still, Rainbow Dash dragged herself in, shutting the suddenly-heavy door behind her.
Silence met her, making her ears ring. Almost soundlessly, she stepped up the stairs. She followed the jutting line with her hoof until it stopped at a diagonal figure-eight, ending right before the door to what was intended to be Scootaloo’s room.
Rainbow Dash’s tired, puffy eyes rose to the knob, and she bumped the door open. The room within, feeling far too dark, met its creator’s tears-stained face with silence.
The mare fell to her haunches, almost collapsing against the doorframe. Her tears sparked anew, and she rubbed at her face as she tried to stint them the best she could.
It was just six months…right? It…it would pass faster than she could blink…
Right?
She couldn’t lie to herself any more. She couldn’t force back the sob that wrenched her chest as she hugged herself, trying to keep herself from exploding.
“No matter what I have to do,” she croaked to herself, “or how long it takes me to do it.”
She looked up to the room, vowing to the emptiness:
“I’m gonna bring her home.”
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I don't think I've ever read a story that could so thoroughly destroy my emotional state. The simultaneous influx of raw, unfiltered adorable mixed with pervasive use of that 'Sad' tag and the unrelenting tension of an adoption we know will happen but hasn't yet is akin to precise application of an industrial blender on poor, unsuspecting ingredients!
Thank you. This is a really good story.
One of the best stories on Fimfiction. You show many of Rainbow Dash's strengths and weaknesses. All of the characters feel realistic.
If the evaluator says no to Rainbow adopting Scootaloo I'm gonna cry.
I have been idly observing this story to see whether or not it would be abandoned like most scootadopt central stories i fancy on this site.
Glad to see this is not only going to continue for a while, but having read it, is accurately written to how the characters would react in the show.
Also, the image of them all being either Anthro ponies or humans with slight pony traits and the Sign Language substitute being similar to what it is now but more like a series of shapes and Braille patterns traced and tapped out on the individual being talked to or a translator is more adorable than it should be.
There maybe a little more to the deafness. One of my ears is missing all of the middle ear bones and I have "profond deafness" in the ear.
But every case is different, mine was not at birth.
Rainbow did the Bast thing. She showed that Scootaloo comes 1st.
*blink... blink-blink*
Where's the "Next" button?
Where's the "Next" button gone!?!?
You got me hooked on a story with only four chapter.
Jesus Christ I'm glad I decided to read this.
I'm going to go get some insulin or metformin, but damn is this sweet.
You're killing me here, you know that? ;_;
What hurts me most here is that I know the system is so utterly fucked that having an entire 6 month wait before dash can try again would be the most realistic outcome here...
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I'm hoping that the observer's apparent lack of empathy for any living being is just a mask made to hide the results until after observation, because dash really did the best she could in the circumstances, considering that the only alternative was literally allowing a child to self-harm just to save her test scores
she passed the observation. im certain.
Really enjoying this.
11156158
Can I just say I love your description!!
Thank you for reading!
11156163
You’re too sweet!
This may not help at all, but I wrote one of the scenes from Chapter 5 in a fit of tears, so…yeah…
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Aw, thanks for sticking around! I try to keep the characters as accurate as possible because it’s one of my personal pet peeves when I am unable to do so.
So, in this world, there actually is a sign language equivalent, called Equestrian Sign Language, or ESL. I would like to implement it at some point, or at least make a mention of it, because EHS and ESL are two different things. I haven’t been able to find a good place to mention it yet, though, since it wouldn’t really be necessary cuz Scoots can’t learn it, anyway. I like to imagine it’s a lot of hoof twisting to make up for the lack of fingers used in ASL since, you know…hooves…
11156286
Ooh! Thanks for the input, that’s really interesting!
Yeah, the idea is that Scoots has 0 connections between her eardrums and her cochleas, so the mechanic motions don’t have the ability to become electrical signals. I’ll get into more detail in later chapters, but for now this is the best explanation I can provide since it’s currently the best explanation Rainbow Dash can get.
That being said, please feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong. I don’t have any personal experience with this stuff, and all I can gather is what I learn from the internet—and we all know how that can go.
11156389
Hmm, yes, I see the issue…hang on, let me check on that for ya!
*Checks status of Chapter 5*
Okay, so IT says they’re working on it; but unfortunately, you may not see any results until a couple weeks from now. Rest assured, progress is being made
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:Smile:
11156428
I’m glad you decided to read!
I can give you some of mine, if you want! I accidentally bought too much when I realized I’d be wading in this thing for a while.
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I know, I sorry but not sorry
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Yes, when I first began planning this story, I wanted it to be as realistic as possible—not just to the show, but also real life. Unfortunately, that means things don’t always go according to plan. Bad days happen, and that’s something Dash is gonna have to come to terms with.
We’ll see more of Sage Note in the coming chapters…
11156546
Love the confidence!
I can’t say yes or no cuz spoilers!
11156618
Glad to hear it!
You guys are just amazing! See you all soon!
11156659
Maybe that’s why I’m so into Scootafeels??
Yeah, that line paralyzed me for a solid half-hour.
I’d love to read that story! Can you drop a link?
11156747
But of course
Loving this so far. Very heart warming.
This story is great so far, and I can tell that you've put a lot of care into it! I look forward to seeing where you take this.
Oh sure, just rip out my heart why don't you? I'm glad Rainbow decided Scoot was more important than the test, and know that will ultimately reflect positively even if she fails.
One thing I've been wondering is... Will Foggy visit, after the adoption? She's been with Scootaloo most her life, and I think it'd still tear her heart open if Rainbow adopted her but she never saw Foggy again.
11157504
I'm sure she would. Even if there wasn't a long period of check up visits after.
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Thank you so much! Glad you enjoy!
11157504
Sorry not sorry! If it helps, this chapter was written with a brain-wide “No, I can’t…but I must!!”
And in regards to your question about Foggy: I can’t say anything because of course, but rest assured, I have…let’s call them plans…for Foggy…
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Now you got me curious.
*Googles EHS*
*First result: Environment, health and safety*
...
Snort
*screeches*
THE FEEEEELLLLSSSSSS~~!
Good gods, you can spin a good yarn.
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*squee!* Thank you so much!! You’re too sweet!!
I didn't know chapter 4 was out. Aaaaaaah,now I need the results! You're such a great writer! I just want to reach through my phone and hug Scootaloo.
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Quickly raises hand
Slowly lowers onto head
Starlight deadpan while gently patting your head
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Reaches a week and a half into the future, grabs Chapter 5, and slaps you with the FEELS
(…it’s things like this that make me realize how chaotic neutral I am)
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Aww, thank you!!!
And same! There are so many times where I just want to hug her so bad. I make Rainbow Dash do it, since I can’t LOL
AAAAHHHHH GOD yayMIT I CAN'T TAKE THIS! YOU ARE PUTTING ME INTO AN EMOTIONAL SLUMP WITH HOW yayKING GOOD THIS IS!
F-yaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy-K!!!!!!!!!!
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censor. 
I appreciate the
I was having a weird mental day today for some reason, and that gave me a good laugh, thank you!!
thus begins the drama in the future chapters, perhaps, don't quote me on that, but I love this story
Heartbreaking hells, you're good at writing this story. Unfortunately, while I can't quite conceive of a plausible reason for Sage to fail the observation, the tragedy-oriented part of my imagination has now latched on to the worst possibility available and has started churning out increasingly dramatic (and not mutually exclusive) consequences. Since this is clearly your fault, I figured I might as well share the misery:
Scenario #1: Scootaloo learns about the failed observation. The narrative perspective cuts to Princess Celestia, interrupted from her morning routine by her sister. Luna is haggard and rather disturbed as she recounts stumbling into a horrible nightmare that she had no idea how to help or even identify, a void of sightless rage and silent, drowning agony.
Scenario #2: Scootaloo learns about the failed observation. The narrative perspective cuts to Princess Celestia, receiving a letter via Spike. It is a Friendship Letter... though not from her Faithful Student. After much due diligence and a few consultations, she summons one particular stallion to have a very uncomfortable and disappointed discussion about why she received a slightly-too-upbeat missive from a deaf-blind orphan regarding her newfound revelation of blinding rage.
Scenario #3: Scootaloo learns about the failed observation. The narrative perspective cuts to Princess Celestia, receiving a letter via Spike. It is not a Friendship Letter, and the hoofwriting is messy, shaky, disturbed. After much due diligence and a few consultations, she summons one particular stallion to have an extremely somber discussion. She doesn't blame him, officially or otherwise, but he'll need to find a new line of work regardless. A career in social work doesn't tend to survive an orphan's suicide attempt.
The amount of care that goes into this story is inspiring
Everyone has their own ways of dealing with disabilities... some good, some bad. Either by feeling cheated, or by choice. I myself have a few, and I like to call mine; Alterations. 😲 One person I know was a bit of both. He was born with one leg shorter than the other and grew up having to wear a stacked shoe... or as he called it - his Frankenstein shoe. Rick told me that up until he turned 17, he was a bitter, angry kid. The shoe he had to wear was awkward to walk in, and always causing pain with cramping leg muscles and foot. Well, the Doctor gave Rick a choice... Keep wearing the stack shoe(s), or operate and remove his left leg - which Rick called "Gimpy". He thought about it for awhile and decided to go or it. A prosthetic leg would be best, and better adjusted to his height.
He told me that opting for the operation, was the best thing he ever made. No more pain, and his altitude did a 180, from being bitter and mean 90% of the time, to being an easygoing person who likes jokes and having fun. Which was evident one long weekend at an out of town car show. Several friends and I, joined Rick as he went to show his truck. We camped out at the only spot we could find since everywhere else was booked solid, on the corner of the campgrounds, just feet from the rural mailbox. It was here, Rick decided to mark our spot by placing a spare leg (mid-thigh on down), with a gym shoe (runner) on the foot, into the mailbox. Least to say, it looked like we stuffed someone in the the mailbox, and the numerous cars that were entering the fairgrounds to show, nearly came to a halt seeing the leg. We just sat back and saluted them as the drove by, with a beer held high.
Yes... his attitude had changed for the better.
Love it.
Judging by the past chapters, things are going to go well.