Christmas is coming!

...The goose is getting fat.

I'm sorry, I had to. Anyway, I figure this might as well be an annual thing. I'm gonna type up a holiday story for every holiday I feel I can make work (Thanksgiving doesn't count. Ever. lol). Most likely Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, maybe St. Patty's Day (because that'd be funny as hell), possibly Mother's/Father's Day, April Fools' Day, and for lemon purposes, No Pants Day. Seriously, look it up. It's a real thing. XD

That being said, this one is Christmas-based. Well, more Accurately, Hearth's Warming Eve, which I assume is LIKE Christmas...? I didn't see the MLP episode about it, so I dunno. All I've done is checked the Wiki, so hopefully I don't fuck up. Cool?

Okay. Scootaloo and Dashie are the stars this year. Totally not cliché. :P Though I listed this as Family & Angst, it also fits in with the Hurt/Comfort genre.

Enjoy!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A Heartwarming Hearth's Warming

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a few hours after the Hearth's Warming Eve play had ended in Canterlot. Everypony reprised their roles from the previous year, with Twilight Sparkle playing Clover the Clever, and so on and so forth. It went off without a hitch, and the Fire of Friendship was still burning brightly above the stage. It could be seen all the way from even Ponyville, where everpony who wasn't able to make it to Canterlot for some reason or another sat and intently watched the giant burning heart with their loved ones. Everypony, that is, except for a young pegasus filly.

Sighing, the young flyer made her way into her makeshift house. Nopony knew she lived there, in that medium-sized crate. See, Scootaloo was an orphan who had run away from the small Manehatten orphanage the first chance she got. Nopony knew who or where her parents were, She had been alone since day one, as far as anypony was concerned. She ran because the matrons were cruel, often talking about her 'freak wings', as they oh-so-kindly referred to them as, behind the filly's back. It wasn't her fault she couldn't fly; she wished everytime the opportunity arose to have powerful wings. Wings like the mare she had come to near-worship since she first laid eyes on her, performing multiple dangerous and wicked stunts. Loops, twists, and even the fabled Sonic Rainboom; Rainbow Dash was her idol.

At the thought of the object of her admiration, which usually got her excited, Scootaloo let out a sad sigh. She had come to terms with the fact that Rainbow Dash paid about as much attention to her as a brick did, recently. It saddened her greatly to think that the rainbow-maned pegasus didn't really ever care or even notice she existed sometimes.

She recalled earlier that day, as soon as everypony came home from Canterlot. She had waited with the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders on the train platform for everypony to get back. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had been genuinely excited when the train came into view, but Scootaloo had to fake it. For them. They wouldn't want their Hearth's Warming Eve ruined because she had personal problems. And besides, telling them would've been too lovey-dovey and mushy for her tastes. 'Bleh...'

The first off the train was, of course, Rainbow Dash, most likely eager to be out of the cramped space and in the skies once more. She took off with no more than a wave to her friends. The young filly had secretly pretended she was waving at her instead. Next was Twilight Sparkle, followed by Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Pinkie was going on about how she wanted to throw a party the next day, and Fluttershy and Twilight were offering thier assistance. They left after goodbyes, and Rarity and Applejack trotted out afterwards. "Hello, darlings. Sweetie Belle, were you good for Big Mac?"

Sweetie Belle grinned as she responded. "Oh, come on... You know me, sis."

"Yes, I do. Which is why I was worried," deadpanned the fashionista. Applebloom and Scootaloo giggled at their friend, earning a glare from her. The unicorn sisters eventually walked home after saying their goodbyes. Applejack smiled at them as they left.

"C'mon, Applebloom. We best be headin' home soon... Oh, Scootaloo, y'all want us to walk ya home?" Panic rose in Scootaloo's chest. They couldn't or they'd see...

"N-No, that's okay... I can make it! I'm tough enough! Like Rainbow Dash!"

AJ tilted her head in confusion, but relented anyway. "...Well, if yer sure..."

'Phew...' "I-I am... See you tomorrow, Applebloom!" She grinned nervously, and the Apple sisters gave eeach other a strange look before walking away. Shivering from the snow, Scootaloo made her way to her 'home' alone, as she always had to.

Tears welled up in her usually bright, lavender eyes as a plethora of emotions washed over her as they always did around this time of year. Anger at the orphanage, a bit of jealousy towards her friends who both had families to be with, especially now, and even hatred directed at her wings. "...I hate them... Why can't I fly...? I-If I could... Rainbow Dash would notice me... She'd have to...!"

A lightbulb went off in her mind as an idea formed. "If I could fly... Then maybe Rainbow will notice me and take me in as her little sister or something! Then I could have somepony to spend Hearth's Warming Eve with!" New excitement, not fake like earlier, washed over the young pegasus. Grabbing her scooter out of the corner, she made her way toward a nearby meadow on the outskirts of Ponyville.

XXXXX

"Oww... Darn it..." She had been at it for a good hour and a half, but still hadn't made any progress aside from being able to stay airborne a second longer than she usually did. The wounds and cold weather were getting to her now, as her original rush of adrenaline was disappearing along with her hopes. She felt the all-too familiar prick of tears in her eyes as a wave of disappointment in herself crashed down on her. "...Rainbow Dash..."

"Scootaloo?" She shot up, quickly wiping her eyes. That voice... "Kid... You alright?"

"R-Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here?!" The filly's lip trembled ever-so-slightly as her idol walked out from the wall of snow she hadn't noticed until now.

"I was heading home when I got blown off course into the Everfree Forest... A bit of a setback, but nothing your truly couldn't handle." A grin appeared on Rainbow's face as she struck a pose, causing Scootaloo to genuinely smile for the first time in a while. "Anyway, I should be asking you the same question... Why aren't you at home? There's a snowstorm scheduled for tonight..." At this, the young pegasus's face fell. Her smile was gone yet again.

"...If I tell, you have to promise it stays between us... Nopony can know, okay?" Rainbow's eyebrow raised in confusion, her face contoring into one full of worry.

"...Um... Alright, but c'mon... We need to get indoors. I'm sure AJ will be okay with us staying there tonight." Scootaloo just nodded and grabbed her scooter. Rainbow helped her onto her back. "Hang on... I'm gonna be running pretty fast, since I can't fly in this weather." The filly nodded again and held on tightly, wrapping her forelegs around her idol's shoulders after making sure her scooter was secure. The rainbow mare smiled to herself and began running full-speed towards Sweet Apple Acres.

XXXXX

Applejack looked up at the door in confusion. She could've sworn she heard somepony knocking... "...Somepony out there?" Her eyes widened as Rainbow Dash's voice, muffled from wind and the door, reached her ears.

"AJ, it's me! Open up, hurry!" The farm pony wasted no time and rushed to the door, unlocking and opening it quickly. She held onto her hat as her rainbow friend practically flew past her, screeching to a halt near the stairs. AJ shut the door and re-locked it, looking over at Rainbow. "What in tarnation are y'all doin' here, Rainbow? Everything alright?" It was then that she noticed the windswept purple mane on her back. "S-Scootaloo? What... What's goin' on?"

Rainbow was about to answer when she remembered the filly's worrying words...

"Nopony can know, okay?"

"She got caught up in the storm... I don't know where she lives, so I decided to bring her here... As for me, I got blown into the Everfree Forest from the wind." AJ nodded and walked over to her, brushing some snow off her mane.

"Well, whatever the case, y'all are welcome to stay here. The guest room is-"

"AJ. I KNOW where the guest room is." Rainbow flashed the orange mare her trademark smirk, who simply chuckled.

"Ah suppose yer right... Anyway, Ah'm gonna hit the hay, so Ah'll see y'all tomorrow morning. Night, Dash."

"Night, AJ." She looked back at her passenger as AJ walked upstairs to her room. "Now then... Let's get you warmed up, kid." Scootaloo nodded quickly, finally unlatching herself from her idol and sitting near the fireplace. The multicolored mare sat next to her, shivering a bit. "So."

"Mm...?"

"Gonna tell me why you're alone on Hearth's Warming Eve...? Her gaze traveled to the pegasus filly next to her. A brief moment flashed by in her head where she reminded Rainbow of one day in Cloudsdale High... Shaking her head, she offered a smile as Scootaloo looked up at her.

"A-Alright..."

XXXXX

"...Freak wings..."

"...Can't even fly..."

"...Blank flank..."

These words stung the young Scootaloo as she trudged through the hallway of Manehattan Orphanage, fighting back tears yet again. She had lived here for a good five years, and every second had been hell. This was the norm for her. One of the matrons, an elderly gray unicorn mare with a darker gray mane, stopped her. "Scootaloo. Could you come here for a moment?" The filly froze in fear, knowing by the look on the mare's face that it wasn't a request. Reluctantly, she followed the old mare to a room.

"W-What is it, Ms. Gray?" Without a word, the mare, Cloudy Gray, pointed to the far wall in the bland, dusty room. The filly's gaze followed her hoof, eventually resting on a picture of an old stallion. Her eyes widened a bit as she saw that the oil painting had various scribbles and splatters of bright orange paint, about the same orange as Scootaloo's coat. "B-But I... I didn't, I would never!" her gaze traveled back up to Cloudy, who was wearing a very stern face. There was no getting out of it. There never was. Tears welled in Scootaloo's eyes as she finally gave up with a sigh. Cloudy Gray gripped a ruler with her magic, lifting the orange filly's hoof.

Scootaloo hissed painfully as the ruler came down on her hoof with a resounding crack. Cloudy released the filly, who could only rub the sore spot as she walked away, finding her room. She whimpered every time she bumped something with it, and she decided then that she had had enough. No more would she be treated this way, while everypony else got away with everything short of murder...

XXXXX

"...And that's when I snuck into the main office, ripped up my papers, grabbed my scooter, and ran away. I came here, hoping to live better... And I am, for the most part... Except..."

"...You have no family..." Rainbow Dash felt herself tearing up at Scootaloo's story. She couldn't take it. 'I have to now...' "...S-Scootaloo...?" Said pony looked up at her idol.

"R-Rainbow Dash, you're... Crying? What's wrong?" Taking a long, shaky breath, the cyan mare spoke.

"...Scootaloo, I need to tell you something, and you're probably gonna hate me for it..." Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. "...I don't really know how to say this, but... I guess I'll start at the only place I really can..."

XXXXX

It was a normal day in Cloudsdale High. The sun was shining, there was a slight breeze, and everypony was at lunch for the day. No one seemed to be in any distress. Except for a certain cyan pegasus...

"No... Oh my Celestia, this can't be happening...! Damn it! Where the hell is Comet Tail?!" A teen Rainbow Dash was tearing through the air, searching for her current coltfriend. "I swear to Celestia, I'm gonna beat the crap out of him if he's avoiding me..."

"Well, Dash, I gotta say, that's not exactly a good way to attract me..." She whipped around and glared at her coltfriend, who was hovering behind her with an amused smirk on his face. "Calm down, babe... Come on, let's sit down and you can tell me what you're freaking out about."

Rainbow deapanned. "You should KNOW what I'm freaking out about, you ass." Comet's eyebrow raised before he realized.

"Oh. Ohh..." He eased her down to the clouds, where she clung to him.

"Comet... I took a pregnancy test earlier... It was positive..." He looked around and bit his lower lip, clearly uncomfortable with the situation he was in. "W-Will you stay with me...?"

"W-Wha?" His eyes traveled down to meet his marefriend's, which were shining with unshed tears. Shrinking back a bit, he eased his way out of her grasp before taking off without another word. The cyan mare could only break down in tears.

XXXXX

"...Then, eleven months later, I had the foal... It was a pegasus filly... With his colors. An orange coat, and a purple mane, just like her father had... I didn't have the bits to take care of a foal, so I dropped her off at the Manehattan Orphanage... The only thing I did before leaving her there was buy her a small gift and name her... I got her a cheap little scooter that I knew she would totally be awesome with, because it was all I had the bits for... And I wrote her name on a slip of paper and left it with her... The name on the paper... Was Scootaloo." The orange filly's jaw dropped and her eyes were like saucers as she took in the information Rainbow had just dropped.

"...Y-You mean..." The rainbow-maned mare could only nod, her entire body trembling as she stared at the flames, lashing at the air. "...T-Then why... When you saw me around Ponyville, why didn't you tell me...?"

"When I saw you here, I really thought somepony had adopted you... I figured whoever got you would be giving you a way better life than I ever could... If I had any idea, I would've..." Her voice quivered as she swallowed a forming lump in her throat. "S-Scootaloo, I'm so sorry...!" Rainbow felt the prick of forming tears. "Y-You could've spent Hearth's Warming Eve with me, Hearts and Hooves Day, everything...! It's all my fault...! I'm such a horrible mother...!" She was surprised when she felt a pair of small hooves ease their way around her waist as Scootaloo hugged her.

"R-Rainbow Dash... No, Mom... I-It's okay... You don't understand... My whole life, I've wanted some sort of family... And now I have a mom... Not just a mom, but the coolest, most awesome mom ever!" Scootaloo smiled up at Rainbow, who could only stare in disbelief. Scootaoo didn't hate her? "My Mom is Rainbow Dash... I can't wait to tell Applebloom and Sweetie Belle!" Rainbow chuckled, a single tear sreaming down her cheek.

"Yeah... Tomorrow, we're gonna get you settled in to my place. That sound good, Scoots?" The filly nodded fast, grinning like a foal in a candy store who had just been given free run of the place. "Good. And Scootaloo... Again, I'm really sorry that I wasn't there for you..." She felt a tiny pair of lips brush her cheek. Scootaloo could only giggle at her newfound mother's reaction.

"It's okay, mommy... I love you." Rainbow felt herself tear up again, this time from happiness.

"Yeah... I love you too, Scoots." The two cuddled up in front of the fireplace, eventually drifting off to sleep. Both had sweet dreams of family, and spending time together. That year was the best Hearth's Warming Eve they had had so far, and they didn't doubt that now that they had each other, it could only get better from there.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

D'awww... :3 I think I did good... I even teared up a couple times.

I know this concept has been done to death, but I wanted to do it. It felt like a good Christmas story. I dunno. Anyway, Christmas fics will usually not have any lemons/clop in them. As I said last year in 'Blue Christmas'... Jesus's birthday is about love, not plowing. And I don't mean snow. ;P

So anywho, review! My Naruto fic will be updated soon, along with my Crossover. I also have a (hopefully) funny Naruto One-Shot in the works. Keep an eye out. :D

Peace out, yo!

~DarkLordK~