It may have taken a year and a half, but it was finally completed. Rainbow Dash discovered she was actually pretty good at raising Scootaloo. She grinned at the young filly beside her. At twelve years of age, she was becoming a handful, but Dash didn't mind. She still remembered herself at that age.

"So, we're actually going to meet the Wonderbolts today?" Scootaloo squealed with excitement. "Do you know how cool this is?" The filly leaned against Dash, lost in a daydream. The queue around the stadium was at least a mile long, but they had camped out and were only about twenty back.  This was supposed to be the best game of the year.

An elderly Pegasus spoke up from behind them. "It's good to see sisters bonding like this," he said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm not her sister, I'm her daughter." Scootaloo grinned, proud of what she had said. Her smile slipped when the stallion gave her a strange look.

"Her…daughter?" he asked, looking between the two and obviously trying to do the math.

"Yeah, the adoption went through today, actually. We're celebrating." Scootaloo grinned again and turned back around, not noticing the look of comprehension on the stallions face.

Dash had tried to adopt Scootaloo the way Applejack had adopted Apple Bloom, but since Scootaloo wasn't actually her sister, they way the two Apples had been, it wasn't possible.  The line started moving at six o'clock on the dot. It didn't take long to get through line and obtain their 'backstage' passes.

The pair made their way to the special box. It was right at the start/finish line for these races, which was the best place to be. Scootaloo had taken to hopping around excitedly, causing Dash to chuckle. "Can we get snacks, Dash? Since we still have like, an hour before it starts?"

"Of course. What do you want?" They pressed their way back out into the crowd, looking around for someplace that sold food instead of souvenirs. "Nachos?"

The line in front of the closest nacho place was long, but they had time. Scootaloo sighed, looking around the line at the front counter. "I wish the line would go faster," she whined. Dash just rolled her eyes.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo both turned when they heard the fillies name called out. The Puffs came up beside them. "Hey, looks like you're doing good," Mrs. Puff said.

"Oh yeah, Dash got us tickets! And we're going backstage after the races!" Scootaloo was practically vibrating with joy.

"Really?" Mr. Puff said, looking at Rainbow Dash. "I thought only high class ponies could get those."

"Oh, well, after the wedding, Dash has been writing Soarin and he gave them to her." Scootaloo teased the cyan Pegasus with a grin. In a stage whisper, she looked over at the Puffs and said, "I think they're dating to be honest."

The blush on Dash's face could have fried an egg. "I-Scootaloo, that is private. And we aren't dating. He just…well, since the best young fliers competition and the gala  and the wedding, he was just curious about how I was so…everywhere." The blush had died down now. "And I'm boring you guys, sorry. Yeah, Scoot's is doing really well, I think. All A's in school, and she's flying perfectly now."

"We're really glad to hear that. We were sad that you didn't want to live with us, but from what we saw, if we had taken you from Ponyville, we would have taken you from your family. Family is more than just blood relations, after all."

Dash smiled at the couple. "I couldn't thank you guys enough for telling Bleeding Heart you wanted her to stay in Ponyville." She threw a hoof around Scootaloo. "We couldn't."

The Puffs simply shrugged it off. "No matter, really. But we have to find our seats, before the race. It was nice seeing you again."

The line still moved slowly, so that by the time they made it back to the box, there was only fifteen minutes left before the race.

--

"I still can't believe he kissed you!" Scootaloo giggled as she clung to Dash's back on the flight home. She wasn't strong enough to make such a rough flight on her own. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew Dash's cheeks were red.

"He-I-Scootaloo, I need to concentrate on flying." Dash tried to sound authoritative, but failed as she let out a giggle of her own. "It was amazing, though."

They landed at their cloud home, Scootaloo slowly slipping off Dash's back. "This was so fun, but I'm going to sleep for a week."

Dash chuckled and shook her head. "You have school Monday, remember?"

The filly groaned but nodded as she made her way to her room and flopped down on the bed, not bothering to turn down the blankets. She fell into a deep sleep quickly and didn't notice Dash walk into the room an hour later to check on her. With a small smile, Dash shook her head and turned out the light.

Dash walked over to the bedside, looking at the filly. She wasn't really a filly anymore, she was becoming a beautiful young mare, but the childish innocence was still there. Dash leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Scootaloo's head in a motherly fashion.

She sighed, thinking of the last year and a half and everything that had brought them there. With another shake of her head, she picked the filly up, trying to turn down the blankets so she wouldn't get cold through the night.

Scootaloo woke up though. "Wha-No!" She fought against Dash for a moment, until Dash dropped her. "What are you…I…Dash?" The orange Pegasus was panting as she looked up at a worried looking Rainbow Dash. "Sorry."

Dash's expression softened. "Another nightmare?" Scootaloo just nodded and climbed up onto her bed.

"It was the same as always. It just…" Scootaloo bit her lip, her brow furrowed and she made sure not to look at her rainbow-maned caretaker.

Dash sighed and sat on the bed next to Scootaloo, wrapping the filly in her hooves. "It's okay. You're safe here." They sat like that in silence for a while. Scootaloo had gained many things over the year and a half. Flight experience, confidence, trust, but she still had nightmares about what had happened in the past.

"Can I sleep in your bed again tonight?" Her voice was a whisper, almost as if she were ashamed to ask.

"Of course," Dash said. The first night Scootaloo had came into her room, tear streaming down her face, Dash had felt weird about sharing the bed with her. Not that she thought those thoughts about the filly, but she was afraid of what might happen if Scootaloo told others she slept in Dash's bed.

After talking to Applejack and Rarity about it, she felt better. Their sisters would come to them when they had nightmares as well.

"It's been a whole three weeks since the last one," Dash said as she and Scootaloo laid down. "That's a good sign."

"It was the worst one yet, though. I could…I could feel everything again." Scootaloo sighed and shook her head, but didn't say anything else. Dash new better than to pressure her to say anything. After all, she had saw a counselor since she moved in with Dash, on DFS orders, of course.

Scootaloo snuggled closer to Dash, getting comfortable, as Dash draped a wing over the filly. Soon, Scootaloo's breaths were light and rhythmic. A small smile formed on Dash's lips. "I love you, Scootaloo."