Muh Daughteru from the Future


                                            >You are Anon, and you are content.

                                            >You just finished spending the day with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, and you're currently relaxing back at your place.

                                            >This is mostly because A) you can't walk on clouds, and B) Scootaloo can't fly yet.

                                            >Late bloomer, Rainbow Dash says.

                                            >Might have an earth pony grandparent, Twilight says.

                                            >Could even have a relative who isn't even a pony and that's interfering with her development, Fluttershy says.

                                            >Obviously a chicken who will never fly, her bullies insist - but fuck those two fillies, they're assholes and literally nobody loves them.

                                            >Anyway, you're at your place because you and Scootaloo can't into clouds right now.

                                            >Today was a parent-child event at school, and Scootaloo was understandably having problems with that.

                                            >She's an orphan, you see.

                                            >She has aunts, sure, but they're never in town.

                                            >The useless nags.

                                            >Rainbow Dash was allowed to sub in for her mother, since she was personal friends with God and nopony was prepared to tell her to fuck right the fuck off.

                                            >You were allowed to sub in for her father, mostly because Cheerilee had a hard time believing that you might be a danger to her.

                                            >In Equestria (or at least, in backwater farming villages where societal change has to wander the twisting dirt roads to reach these sleepy towns), the idea of a stallion hurting a foal is almost unthinkable.

                                            >Stallions are natural care-takers here in Equestria, and Cheerilee just thought it was sweet that you wanted to support Scootaloo.

                                            >"I knew your little janefilly act was only skin-deep, Anon," she told you.

                                            >She's lucky she was surrounded by foals.

                                            >Otherwise, you'd have gotten all huffy and said all sorts of catty things to her.

                                            >...which kind of validates her sexist opinions of you, but whatever.

                                            >Shut up.

                                            >Anyway, Scootaloo idolizes Rainbow Dash and is regularly foal-sat by you (if only because her aunts are constantly out of town), so you and Rainbow subbed in in-place of her mom and dad.

                                            >You went camping, told scary stories, roasted marshmallows and horsedogs, slept in a tent (and shortly thereafter slept in the same sleeping bag, since Scootaloo got scared of Rainbow Dash's snoring and thought that the Headless Horse was outside), and you all had a great time overall.

                                            >You and Rainbow even took her out for ice cream on the way back home that afternoon.

                                            >And so here you are, dozing in front of your fireplace with a mare on your lap and a smaller filly on HER lap.

                                            >Rainbow has her back pressed against your chest, and she's cradling Scootaloo like a mother back home would hold her child.

                                            >"Hey, Anon?" whispered Rainbow Dash, "You think Scootaloo would like being taught how to swing a hammer?"

                                            >You barely smother an exasperated groan.

                                            >Oh god.

                                            >Not this again.

                                            "Rainbow Dash," you whisper back, "are you talking about getting a helper for that deck you've been building for the past few years?  The one you keep saying you'll get done 'this weekend'?"

                                            >You swear, every mare ever is basically just your dad.

                                            >Everypony has some sort of woodworking project that they'll never finish.

                                            >A deck, fixing the house, a new roof; whatever.

                                            >Mares are endlessly curious, and infamously bad at putting things back together that they've already taken apart.

                                            >Mrs. Cake has been in hot water ever since she took apart one of Mr. Cake's mixers to, quote-unquote, "see how it works".

                                            >Naturally, it's now a 200 bit paperweight.

                                            >Rainbow Dash's face reddens, and she sends a mock upside-down glare up at you from her position on your lap.

                                            >"Somepony sure is complaining a lot, considering he's getting a free deck."

                                            >You hug the mare a little bit tighter against you, making her chirp like a bird.

                                            "You call a pile of wood planks in my backyard a 'free deck'?" you ask with a grin, "You've been talking about hosting a barbeque for months now, and I guess you plan on just balancing the grill on top of the pile."

                                            >Scootaloo yawns and wriggles in-place.

                                            >>"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's moms have decks on their houses," she mutters, having just woken up from dozing, "They said that if we can't build a deck, then we can't do anything."

                                            >God, you hate those horses.

                                            >You don't even care that they're fillies, they're both ENORMOUS assholes.

                                            >Rainbow Dash jostles Scootaloo in her lap.

                                            >"Kiddo, don't you worry for one single second about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.  I knew their mothers growing up, and they're the spitting image of each other.  And believe me, you shouldn't care what a mare who behaves like Spoiled Milk thinks about you."

                                            >Scootaloo's brow furrows unexpectedly.

                                            >>"They... they're the spitting image of each other?"

                                            >You idly pet Scootaloo's mane.

                                            "It means that they look identical."

                                            >Scootaloo nods slowly.

                                            >>"Foals look like their parents... so, how come Big Mac is red?"

                                            >Honestly, that's a good question.

                                            >There are plenty of things about Big Mac that bother you, and that obnoxious shade of red is certainly one of them.

                                            >>"I talked to Apple Bloom, who talked to Applejack.  Their mom and dad weren't red."

                                            >Scootaloo looks up at you with her big, round eyes, looking worried.

                                            >Oh god.

                                            >Oh god, is familial resemblance one of those things that's really important to ponies?

                                            >Are you about to have the equivalent discussion of "is Santa Claus real", or "surprise, you're adopted"?

                                            >Which would be kind of a double-whammy considering she already knows she's an orphan.

                                            >Orphaned AND adopted?

                                            >Tough luck.

                                            >You'd think one would imply the other, but then again you'd think that a kid who just learned that the Tooth Fairy wasn't real would connect the dots and figure out that Santa ain't real neither.

                                            >But you sure as shit never did back when you were 8, so you aren't about to make any assumptions about ponies here.

                                            >You are, fortunately, saved by the timely intervention of Rainbow Dash.

                                            >Rainbow Dash leans down and nuzzles the top of Scootaloo's head, and the filly instinctively leans up into the nuzzle, making cute content chirping noises.

                                            >God, you love birdhorses.

                                            >If you ever settle down, it's going to be with a pegasus.

                                            >"Sometimes, genes are funny.  Miss Cheerilee taught you about genes in school, right?"

                                            >Scootaloo nods.

                                            >"A lot of the time, the genes you get from your mommy and daddy make you look almost identical to them."

                                            >Scootaloo's dark pink eyes meet Rainbow Dash's magenta orbs, and Scootaloo slowly nods in deep thought.

                                            >"I got my mane from my dad, and my eye colour and coat colour from my mom.  But, magic is a funny thing."

                                            >God, tell you about it.

                                            >You still don't know how Pinkie Pie does ANYTHING.

                                            >And don't even get you started on how Lyra managed to pull your underwear off of you without removing your pants first.

                                            >"Sometimes genes are expressed..."

                                            >Rainbow's brow furrows, almost identical to Scootaloo's.

                                            >Science; "egghead stuff" isn't Rainbow's forte.

                                            >"...like the opposite of what your parents have... sorta?"

                                            >Scootaloo looks down at the floor, looking confused.

                                            >>"...so," she starts, slowly stretching the word out as she thinks, "If a pegasus and a pegasus have a foal together, it could be a dragon instead of a pony?"

                                            >Rainbow lets loose a bark of laughter and shakes her head.

                                            >"Close, kiddo!" she giggles, "I mean, what you get would absolutely be related to what your parents have, but it might still be different."

                                            >What does that even MEAN[spoiler], APA?[/spoiler]

                                            >That sounds like bullshit justification that some jackass on the internet would come up with to justify some dumb fanfiction he's writing, but you'll roll with it.

                                            >[spoiler]Kill me.[/spoiler]

                                            >"Take a look at Granny Smith, Scoots.  What colour is she?"

                                            >Scootaloo excitedly wriggles in Rainbow Dash's lap.

                                            >>"She's GREEN!" she chirps.

                                            >Rainbow grins and gives the filly a noogie; Scootaloo squeals and makes a show of trying to push Rainbow's hooves away, but you can tell they're enjoying themselves."

                                            >"That's my filly!" Rainbow crows, "And if you've ever looked at a colour wheel, you'll see that the opposite colour is red!"

                                            >Scootaloo blinks and pipes down, staring down at the fur on her foreleg.

                                            >>"So my mama and daddy...?"

                                            >Rainbow gently squeezes Scootaloo, drawing her a bit deeper into her fluff.

                                            >Like a mother drawing her child into her comforting bosom.

                                            >"They might have been the same shade of orange as you are," she says gently, "or they might have been a shade of dark blue; maybe violet."

                                            >Scootaloo glances at Rainbow's light-blue coat, looking confused.

                                            >>"...could my mama have had fur like yours?"

                                            >Rainbow Dash grins pridefully.

                                            >"What, you wanna be more like-"

                                            >Cue the chest fluff expanding.

                                            >"-The Dash?"

                                            >Scootaloo doesn't say anything; she just nods excitedly.

                                            >>"D-Do you think the opposite of purple-"

                                            >She paws at her mane.

                                            >>"-could be black?"

                                            >Scootaloo makes eye-contact with you, smiling.

                                            >...wait, no.

                                            >No, she's staring just above your eyes; at your own black hair.

                                            >Rainbow says something, but you aren't paying attention.

                                            >Scootaloo glances down at your face properly with a big grin, and you reflexively smile back at her.

                                            >But, you don't exactly feel it in your heart.

                                            >Scootaloo clearly idolizes you and Rainbow Dash, and a filly her age wears her emotions on her horsesleeve.

                                            >You feel honoured that she would want her parents to look like you and Rainbow Dash, but it's an incredibly sad thought for an orphan filly to have.

                                            >Especially when she has a pair of dykes who are SUPPOSED TO BE LOOKING AFTER HER, GODDAMNIT.

                                            >What sort of monsters abandon a child?

                                            >You stretch and tighten your hold on the two of them, causing them to give a pair of identical squeaks.

                                            "You sure do know a lot about colours for a mare who thinks science is for, quote-unquote, "eggheads"." you grouse, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

                                            >Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes at you.

                                            >>"Have you ever seen my mane, Anon? I think I know my colours."

                                            ------------------

                                            >You are Anon.

                                            >It is now a few hours later.

                                            >The fire is low.

                                            >It's dark outside.

                                            >Scootaloo is snoring loud enough to wake the dead.

                                            >Rainbow Dash has spent the last half-hour stroking Scootaloo's mane while she sleeps, and you haven't moved from your position under her.

                                            >"...I worry about her, you know."

                                            >Rainbow Dash nuzzles the sleeping filly.

                                            >"It's hard not to."

                                            "I know.  She gets picked on at school more than I ever did.  Can you believe that pair of fillies are actually trying to make her feel bad for being an orphan?"

                                            >Rainbow Dash smiles proudly.

                                            >"Not that she lets it get to her.  I've seen her laugh in their faces when they try to bully her for not having parents."

                                            >Rainbow Dash smiles fondly up at you.

                                            >"Thanks to you, you know.  It's one thing for a mare to tell a filly to be confident, and another thing entirely for a stallion to show her that he believes in her."

                                            >Yeah, that whole "stallions are the horsemoms of Equestria" thing.

                                            >You idly run your fingers through Scootaloo's mane, and she wriggles around a little bit in her sleep.

                                            >A small orange hoof finds its way on top of your hand.

                                            >>"...d-daddy..."

                                            >You feel a pang deep in your heart just as Rainbow Dash sighs deeply.

                                            >"This is what I mean.  This filly deserves more than a pair of aunts who are never in town."

                                            >She peers up at you.

                                            >"Did you know that we never figured out who her parents were?  She just wandered out of the woods a few years ago, covered in scrapes and tree sap.  No ID, no records of who she might be."

                                            >You're getting flashbacks of your own arrival; right down to the tree sap.

                                            >It's like every tree in the Everfree Forest is the kite-eating tree from Charlie Brown.

                                            >Only instead of eating kites it eats people; and instead of getting caught up in the branches, it covers you in sticky sap.

                                            >...and you can escape from it pretty easily, so you guess you aren't being eaten.

                                            >In retrospect, trees covered in sap have very little in common with the kike-eatingyoumean kite-eating tree from Charlie Brown.

                                            >God, your monologuing is a fucking mess.

                                            >It's a MESS.

                                            >"We thought that maybe her family went wandering into the forest, and..."

                                            >Rainbow gulps thickly.

                                            >You don't need to hear the end of that sentence to know where the thought is going.

                                            >[spoiler]Fucked a tree and decided to live there without their daughter.[/spoiler]

                                            >[spoiler]You see it all the time.[/spoiler]

                                            >[spoiler]And now you feel like a massive ass for making fun of the situation Rainbow Dash was implying, which was clearly "family went into the forest, died of horrifying forest monsters, and only their filly escaped.[/spoiler]

                                            >[spoiler]This is why nobody loves you, Anon.[/spoiler]

                                            >"...I tried asking Mayor Mare more about Scootaloo's situation, but she said I had no legal right to know."

                                            >She scoffs.

                                            >"Cunt."

                                            "Yeah, same. Not even the Crusaders could tell me who her family was, and they're her closest friends."

                                            >You hug Scootaloo (and by extension, Rainbow Dash) a little tighter.

                                            "So, She just wandered out of the Everfree?"

                                            >Rainbow Nods.

                                            >"Kinda like you, big guy."

                                            >You grin.

                                            "Hey, now.  Unless you're suggesting that Scootaloo just magically appeared one day..."

                                            >You expect to see Rainbow Dash roll her eyes.

                                            >Maybe call you a silly name and make fun of you for being too tall.

                                            >You know, hashtag just Rainbow Dash things.

                                            >Instead, to your surprise, Rainbow looks deep in thought."

                                            "...don't tell me you think she just appeared out of thin air."

                                            >Rainbow gives you a piercing look.

                                            >"Remind me how you showed up again?"

                                            "..."

                                            >"Magic is capable of doing a lot, Anon.  It lets me fly faster than sound.  Twilight once turned her parents into potted plants.  Heck, that mare regularly teleports around like nopony's business.  Can you imagine that?  Going from one place to another without physically traveling the distance.  Crazy."

                                            >Rainbow's frown deepens.

                                            >"...not to mention that time she traveled to the past, because she traveled to the past."

                                            >Ah, that explains it.

                                            >...wait, no.

                                            >That explained literally nothing.

                                            >It's the complete opposite of what you thought it was.

                                            "What the fuuuu-"

                                            >NO ANON

                                            >BABY PONY IN YOUR LAP

                                            >NO CUSSING

                                            "-uudge did she do?"

                                            >"She trav-"

                                            >Rainbow stops short and gives you a weird look.

                                            >"Did you just say 'fudge'?"

                                            "I say a lot of things."

                                            >You gently boop Rainbow Dash's nose; her eyes cross as they follow the tip of your finger to its desination, and she lets loose a sneeze as soon as your fingertip pokes her snoot.

                                            >Rainbow Dash levels a glare at you and mutters something under her breath.

                                            >"You're lucky you're cute, Anon."

                                            >You choke on your clever response and feel your face warm up.

                                            "...I'm cute?"

                                            >Rainbow Dash giggles.

                                            >"So anyway, Twilight's future-self appears one day and tries to warn her about some sort of disaster happening next Tuesday."

                                            "Sounds par the course for Ponyville so far."

                                            >Rainbow Dash ignores you and your incredibly witty commentary oh god you're so alone

                                            >"But she disappeared back to the future-"

                                            >PEW PEW PEW-PEW-PEWWWWW

                                            >SICK POP CULTURE REFERENCE APA

                                            >YEAAAAAHHHHyouwanttokillyourself

                                            >"-before she could explain what the disaster was.  Twilight spent the next week trying to figure out what was going to happen.  When she realized that there WAS no disaster, she decided to go back in time to warn her past-self not to worry about a disaster that didn't exist."

                                            "Sounds like Twilight."

                                            >"So, she used a spell and went back in time about a week.  She tried to warn her past-self not to worry, but was pulled back into the present before she could say everything.  That made her past-self think there was a disaster about to happen, and so past-Twilight spent a week trying to figure out what was going to happen."

                                            "Oh, it's a stable time loop."

                                            >You hate those.

                                            >Time travel is such bullshit.

                                            >It's SUCH bullshit.

                                            >Rainbow Dash nods and nuzzles the top of Scootaloo's head.

                                            >"That's about the long and short of it.  I'm not saying that Scootaloo's from the distant past, but who knows what happened to her?  All we know is that she refuses to talk about it."

                                            >You shake your head, trying to wrap your mind around the fact that TIME TRAVEL exists.

                                            >How wild is that?

                                            >Twilight only went back a few days, but you wonder how far back you could go.

                                            >Weeks?

                                            >Months?

                                            >...years?

                                            >You wonder how the universe would react to you interacting with your grandparents.

                                            >Or maybe just even your mom and dad.

                                            >Could you prevent your own birth?

                                            >Or would you end up creating the circumstances that contributed to your own birth because otherwise, your actions would cause a parado-

                                            >"Mmmmng..."

                                            >Scootaloo chooses this moment to sleepily nuzzle deeper into Rainbow Dash's fluff.

                                            >"M-Mama..."

                                            >Rainbow Dash quietly shushes Scootaloo and strokes her mane.

                                            >This draws a smile out of you, and you feel a warm sensation deep in your chest.

                                            >You wonder if this is what being a father is like.

                                            >You wonder if Rainbow Dash is wondering the same thing.

                                            >...with the exception of her wondering if this is what being a MOTHER is like.

                                            >Except that moms are like dads here, so who the fuck knows WHAT she's thinking.

                                            "You're always so gentle around her."

                                            >Rainbow Smiles sweetly up at you, and you can't help but return it.

                                            >"I'm just doing what my mom used to do for me.  The kid deserves it."

                                            "I thought mares were supposed to be gruff and shhhhiii...

                                            >Hey, now.

                                            >Language, mister.

                                            >Rules of the household: don't swear in front of your kid.

                                            >When you got punch-fucked into Equestria, you had still never so much as said the word "hell" in front of your mom.

                                            "...stuff."

                                            >Rainbow Dash shakes her head.

                                            >"Moms are supposed to give good advice and to be a positive female role model for their fillies.  But dads don't corner the market on love and affection, you know."

                                            >She nuzzles your chest with the back of her head.

                                            >"I say that, but you're usually the one she goes after when she's upset."

                                            >True enough.

                                            >Before you arrived, there was one pony Scootaloo was fixated on: Rainbow Dash.

                                            >She looked up to her the same way a young child looks up to a cool aunt.

                                            >But after YOU arrived, her fixation grew to envelop you as well.

                                            >But in a completely different way.

                                            >Scootaloo looked up to Rainbow Dash as a mare who could tussle with her and give her some fatherly advice (well, horse-fatherly advice; mares do that in this world)

                                            >Or when she wanted to play catch.

                                            >Or when she wanted to learn how to build something out of wood.

                                            >Like you said before, every single fucking mare in this entire shitty town is basically just your dad.

                                            >You'll wake up at 4 in the morning and catch one outside trying to build a fucking deck, or a shed, or a treehouse.

                                            >Every mare has some sort of woodworking project that has been unfinished for half a decade, which they swear they'll get to "this weekend".

                                            >But you?

                                            >You guess you're her horsedadmom.

                                            >Scootaloo goes to you when she's sad.

                                            >When she needs a hug.

                                            >When she feels confused about a colt.

                                            >When she's been bullied particularly hard at school that day and needs a shoulder to literally cry on.

                                            >If Scootaloo goes to Rainbow Dash for wisdom and typically "marely" activities, then she goes to you for comfort.

                                            >You'd compare it to how you'd go to your mom when you needed a hug and a kiss on the head.

                                            >Which makes sense, you guess.

                                            >This world treats men and women (well, stallions and mares) differently from how they're treated back home.

                                            >A stallion is expected to be more in-touch with his feelings than a mare is, and his role in society is to protect and nurture the young.

                                            >No kidding Scootaloo would go for you instead of some mare when she needs someone to remind her that the bullies are dumb and that there's nothing wrong with her.

                                            >"...hey, Anon?  Sweet Treats?"

                                            >You try to contain the smile when you hear that nickname.

                                            >Ever since you you fell ass-first into a display case of saltwater taffy in Bon Bon's candy shop, Rainbow's been calling you by that fucking nickname.

                                            >You wish she'd do it less in public.

                                            >Because A) ponies are starting to think you're a couple, and B) because almost every mare who's heard it immediately assumes she's talking about your balls.

                                            "Yes, you enormous dyke?"

                                            >Rainbow grins.

                                            >"Celestia above," she mutters quietly, probably not intending for you to hear her, "I can't get this from any other colt."

                                            >Rainbow Dash clears her throat.

                                            >"Listen, there's a long weekend coming up.  Scootaloo's spending it on the farm with the Crusaders, and I don't have anything to do.  You wanna..."

                                            >She gulps thickly.

                                            >"...get something to eat?" she asks hesitantly, her voice squeaking on the last word, "Maybe catch a movie together?"

                                            >...oh.

                                            >Oh!

                                            >Oh, okay.

                                            "You mean..." you say, mouth drying rapidly and face warming up, "like a date?"

                                            >Rainbow won't look you in the eye, but red is easy to see against her blue cheeks.

                                            >"Yeah, like a date."

                                            >You can't help but grin.

                                            "I think I'd like that."

                                            -------------------

                                            >Neither of you are paying attention to Scootaloo at this point.

                                            >You don't see her pop open an eye and look at the pair of you.

                                            >An eye that is ALMOST the same shade as Rainbow Dash's.

                                            >You don't see her smile and grin.

                                            >You don't see the barest hint of [spoiler]pointed canines.[/spoiler]

                                            >Seemingly satisfied, Scootaloo closes her eye and goes back to sleep.


                                            >"How come Bic Mac is red?"

                                            >You look down at the filly cuddled into Rainbow Dash's tummy.

                                            "What do you mean?"

                                            >"Nopony else in his family is red.  Why's he red if nopony else is?"

                                            >Rainbow Dash nuzzles the top of Scootaloo's head, and the filly leans into the older mare.

                                            >>"That's how genes work sometimes, kiddo.  Sometimes you see ponies who have coats and manes and eyes near identical to their parents."

                                            >Scootaloo's dark pink eyes meet Rainbow Dash's magenta, and Scootaloo slowly nods in deep thought.

                                            >>"And sometimes, they're almost the exact opposite.  Granny Smith's green, and the colour on the opposite side of a colour wheel is red."

                                            >Scootaloo looks down at her light orange coat.

                                            >"So my mommy and daddy...?"

                                            >>"...would probably have had a dark blue or even violet coat, if they didn't have something similar to your own."

                                            >A small smile adorns Scootaloo's face, and she wriggles deeper into Rainbow Dash's hold.

                                            >You guess that the matter of one's parents is something that someone without any would want to talk about.

                                            ehhh?

                                            >You stretch and wrap them both up in a hug, causing them to give a pair of identical squeaks.

                                            "You sure do know a lot about colours for a mare who thinks science is for, quote-unquote, "eggheads"."

                                            >Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes at you.

                                            >>"Have you ever seen my mane, Anon? I know my colours."


                                            >"...I worry about her, you know."

                                            >Rainbow Dash nuzzles the sleeping filly you're curling protectively around.

                                            >"It's hard not to."

                                            "I know.  She gets picked on at school more than I ever did.  Can you believe a pair of fillies are actually trying to make her feel bad for being an orphan?"

                                            >Rainbow Dash smiles proudly.

                                            >"Not that she lets it get to her.  I've seen her laugh in their faces when they try to bully her for not having parents."

                                            >You idly run your fingers through Scootaloo's mane, and she wriggles around a little bit in her sleep.

                                            >>"...d-daddy..."

                                            >You feel a pang deep in your heart just as Rainbow Dash sighs deeply.

                                            >"This is what I mean.  This filly deserves more than a pair of aunts who are never in town."

                                            >She peers up at you.

                                            >"Did you know that we never figured out who here parents were?  She just wandered out of the woods a few years ago, covered in scrapes and tree sap.  No ID, no records of who she might be."

                                            >"We thought that maybe her family went wandering into the forest, and..."

                                            >Rainbow gulps thickly.

                                            >"...I tried asking Mayor Mare more about Scootaloo's situation, but she said I had no legal right to know."

                                            >She scoffs.

                                            >"Cunt."

                                            >You hug Scootaloo a little tighter, as though you could protect her from the unfortunate circumstances of her life just by being close.

                                            "That's awful.  She just wandered out of the Everfree?"

                                            >Rainbow Nods.

                                            >"Kinda like you, big guy."

                                            >You grin.

                                            "Hey, now.  Unless you're suggesting


                                            >"Magic is capable of a lot, Anon.  It lets me fly faster than sound.  Twilight once turned her parents into potted plants.  Heck, that mare regularly teleports around like nopony's business."

                                            >Rainbow's frown deepends.

                                            >"...not to mention that time she traveled to the past because she traveled to the past."

                                            >Ah.

                                            "Stable time loop."

                                            >"That's about the long and short of it.  Who knows what happened to Scootaloo?  She's not talking."

                                            >God, time travel exists here.

                                            >How wild is that?

                                            >Twilight only went back a few days, but you wonder how far back you could go.

                                            >Weeks?

                                            >Months?

                                            >...years?

                                            >You wonder how the universe would react to you interacting with your grandparents.

                                            >Or maybe just even your mom and dad.

                                            >Could you prevent your own birth?

                                            >Or would you end up creating the circumstances that contributed to your own birth because otherwise, your actions would cause a parado-

                                            >"Mmmmng..."

                                            >Scootaloo chooses this moment to sleepily nuzzle deeper into Rainbow Dash's fluff.

                                            >"M-Mama..."

                                            >Rainbow Dash quietly shushes Scootaloo and strokes her mane.

                                            "You're always so gentle around her."

                                            >Rainbow Smiles sweetly up at you, and you can't help but return it.

                                            >"I'm just doing what my mom used to do for me.  The kid deserves it."


                                            >"...hey, Anon?  Sweet Treats?"

                                            >That nickname.

                                            >Ever since you you fell ass-first into a display case in Bon Bon's candy shop, Rainbow's been calling you by that fucking nickname.

                                            "Yeah, you enormous dyke?"

                                            >Rainbow grins.

                                            >"Celestia above," she mutters, "I can't get this out of any other colt."

                                            >"Listen, there's a long weekend coming up.  Scootaloo's going on a camping trip with her class, and I don't have anything to do.  You wanna..."

                                            >She gulps thickly.

                                            >"...maybe get something to eat?  Maybe watch a movie together?"

                                            >You feel your face warm up and your pulse thump against your ribcage.

                                            "...like a date?"

                                            >Rainbow won't look you in the eye, but red is easy to see against her blue cheeks.

                                            >"Yeah, like a date."

                                            >You can't help but grin.

                                            "R

                                            >Neither of you are paying attention to Scootaloo at this point.

                                            >You don't see her pop open an eye and look at the pair of you.

                                            >You don't see her smile and grin.

                                            >You don't see the barest hint of [spoiler]sharpened canines.[/spoiler]

                                            maybe not

                                            >Seemingly satisfied, Scootaloo closes her eye and goes back to sleep.