Fragility of Ambition

It was a regular day for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Just like every other week, they met up at their Headquarters, located in a secluded clearing within Sweet Apple Acres, to discuss potential career paths.

"So... what you're tying to get us to believe is that Rainbow Dash, one of the best fliers in Equestria, is going to try to get you into the Wonderbolt Academy alongside her?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"She sure is!" replied an energetic Scootaloo. "Isn't that great? I've been trying to get her to do that for ages!"

Apple Bloom tilted her head. "But you're just a little filly, like we are. I don't think they're gonna let you in."

Scootaloo huffed. "Of course they are! Rainbow Dash is so fast, they'll have to let me in!"

"Isn't that what they call 'wishful thinking'?" noted Sweetie Belle.

"What are you, a dictionary?"

The three girls fell to the floor in a fit of giggles. "Well, we've got lots of Crusaders plans for tomorrow. We'd better get some sleep. After all, it is nearly 8pm and I'm getting tired," suggested Scootaloo.

"Yeah... you're right," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Just like that, they all opened up their sleeping bags atop which they had fallen just moments prior, tucked themselves in, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Being Rainbow Dash was awesome! That power! That agility! There was truly nothing she couldn't do. Except lose, of course. Scootaloo frequently had dreams in which she was able to become Rainbow Dash, flying at supersonic speeds through the atmosphere, diving so low that she could see each blade of grass zooming past her face. It was one of her favourite things about how her brain worked at night.

Getting used to the flying aspect of those dreams, however, took a bit of time. At first, she had no idea how inertial forces worked, and usually ended up flying off in some weird direction. But Rainbow Dash had taught her enough about that with a little bit of theory — which she didn't really understand anyway — but mostly with those amazing flying sessions they had together.

Scootadash soared over Ponyville, having just dived off of Cloudsdale. As she did every night, she swooped down low through the empty, ghost-like town, watching the buildings blur with pure velocity.

Carousel Boutique: dodge left, she thought to herself. She banked left, hard, flying past Rarity's prized business. Town square: dodge right, she continued. Every building behind her became transparent shadows with no real mass or threat, just like it had always been in her dreams.

She saw a large tree ahead of her, towering above all of the other homes and businesses surrounding it. What is that? she asked mentally. The tree had a small window situated at around the same height as most second floors. Oh, I remember! It's the back of the Library! I wonder how close I can get to it...

She flapped her wings harder, accelerating toward the obstruction. Each passing second became more and more exciting as she anticipated a close shave. One more second...

She heard a joint in her wing crack. No! Not now! The imposing form of the massive oak became menacing as she got to see the very finest details in its grain before she...

* * *

"NO!" Scootaloo cried, jolting upright from her sleeping position, wide awake.

"Huh, what?" asked Apple Bloom, slowly waking up. Sweetie Belle was still fast asleep. "What's the matter, girl? I was havin' this wonderful dream about a..."

"No, no, no, no..."

"Scootaloo!" shouted Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle somehow remaining asleep. Apple Bloom put her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, attempting to comfort her. "Calm down; it's just a bad dream."

"But... Rainbow... oh... thanks, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo finally said, the grip of fear waning as she gained awareness of her surroundings. "I'm really glad I have friends like you, you know."

"Listen; accordin' to the clock there," she replied, pointing a hoof up at their new clock, "it's half past 10. You should try gettin' some more sleep. You know we've got a busy day ahead of us."

"Yeah, goodnight again... heh."

* * *

Scootaloo rolled over in her sleeping bag. She looked out the window, seeing the moon in all its glory. She couldn't help but feel happy; it was so beautiful. Almost as beautiful as the Princess who raised it every evening and lowered it every morning. She almost thought she saw the face of Princess Luna carved into its surface, but then realised that Luna was probably busy with other little fillies and colts, helping them each face their own fears.

After all, everypony gets one visit.

It had been three hours. Scootaloo became increasingly less comfortable; she couldn't sleep at all, nor did she feel a strong urge to sleep. She thought of her dream. Maybe...

"No, that was just a dream. There's nothing to be afraid of," she whispered to herself, wriggling into a more cozy position. "Come on, Scoots. Gotta go to sleep. Got a busy day tomorrow..."

She took one last look at the glowing disk of platinum which filled up half the sky, her eyelids becoming heavier...

* * *

Scootaloo woke up, drenched in sweat and with a blindingly painful headache, at 3am. She had had an extremely restless sleep, feeling exactly as she had before 8pm. After waiting for a few minutes for her pain to lessen slightly, she groaned, begrudgingly dragging her body up from the floor. "Why today? Why couldn't it be some day when I didn't have plans?" she asked nopony in particular.

Slowly directing herself to the well-built exit door that Apple Bloom had constructed, she opened the door, stepped through, and closed it as quietly as she could behind her. After all, she really didn't want to afflict her best friends with the same insomnia through which she was forced to suffer.

Once firmly on the ground, she wandered about for a while, hoping to wake herself up properly.

Apple Bloom opened the door of the tree house and looked out at Scootaloo. "Hey, Scootaloo."

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" Scootaloo droned, clearly exhausted.

"Nah, I can't sleep either," she replied. At this point only did Scootaloo notice the heavy blackness under her friend's eyes. "What's goin' on?"

"As you know, we've got a busy day today and I need to be ready for it," Scootaloo answered, voice oozing with lethargy. "I thought a walk might help out a little. Does that make sense?"

"No," said Apple Bloom. "I mean, yeah, I guess. Is there something else the matter with you?"

"No!" Scootaloo defended. Visions of Luna, as well as that intervention of hers weeks ago, suddenly forced their way into her mind. "Hmm... actually, yeah. I just want to get some sleep, but that nightmare really seems to be getting to me."

"Well, I'm glad you're bein' honest." Apple Bloom approached Scootaloo, placing her hoof on her friend's shoulder to comfort her. "Come on, Scootaloo. You can talk to my big sister. Whenever I can't sleep, I just talk to Applejack for a while and, next thing I know, I'm wakin' up in the mornin'!"

Scootaloo managed to summon a weak smile. "Thanks, Apple Bloom. You're really a great friend."

* * *

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom explored Sweet Apple Acres, searching for Applejack. The first place they looked, obviously, was the Apples' massive, barn-like house. After concluding that she wasn't there, their investigation continued into the vast, obtrusive orchard.

"I don't think she's here, Apple Bloom," said Scootaloo.

"No, we just haven't seen her yet," Apple Bloom replied. "Usually, she's asleep at this time o' the week and I thought that if she wasn't inside, she might be workin' an extra day out here in the orchard."

"So, why haven't we found her yet?" Scootaloo asked, raising a hoof in a half-shrug.

"Well, maybe she isn't here." Apple Bloom deflated slightly. "What now?"

"Ugh... I need sleep, but I just can't fall asleep," Scootaloo responded, shaking her head. "Maybe Twilight knows something about sleep potions or something."

"You can make it to town by yourself, can't ya?" inquired Apple Bloom. "I'll go and wake up Sweetie Belle just so that she knows what's goin' on."

"Sure. That's probably a good idea. See you later, Apple Bloom."

"See ya!"

* * *

How can it be so hard to sleep? Stuff like this has never happened before; I could just go back to bed and fall asleep, but today I just feel terrible! She groaned out loud. I really hope Twilight can help me, otherwise I might have to go to the hospital...

Arriving at the enormous library, Scootaloo approached the front door and knocked five times with her hoof. She half-expected a groggy, real-life mirror of herself appear from behind the door. Instead, she waited for an entire minute with no response. Please be here, she thought, knocking again.

Still, no-one answered. Then, she glanced upward, seeing a piece of paper on which a hastily-written message had been scribbled: 'LIBRARY CLOSED.'

You have to be kidding me, Scootaloo thought to herself once again. She sat down, her back leaning against the heavy oak door, slowly turning her mind to jelly by trying to find a solution. "Well," she said out loud, "it was a nightmare. Maybe I just need to clear my mind..."

She stood up again, stretching her neck muscles. I'll just go around and look at the back. Then I'll know 100% that it was just a dream.

She began to circumnavigate the massive tree, cautiously approaching the opposite side. She tried to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about, but still found it hard to simply walk around it. Just a few more steps... then sleep.

As she started to see the previously hidden part of the tree, she noticed an array of cracks radiating from a point approximately five feet from the soil.

It can't be...! She stopped for a few seconds, shoving her front left hoof in her mouth, then remembered that this tree was massive; it was probably extremely old and might be falling apart. That was the reason for the cracks being there. She took a deep breath, reasserting herself, then continued. Two steps later, she could see the back of the tree.

Simultaneously, all of her limbs collapsed under her, dropping the rest of her body to the hard ground. She couldn't feel the collision, despite how unresisted it was. Laying flat on the dirt, she stared up at the tree, unable to articulate her thoughts at all. The edges of her vision blurred and stretched until the only thing she could see was the thing on which she was focused directly. At the center of the cracks she saw her worst fear.

ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ.

It... it...

It isn't... possible...

How can this...

Am I having another nightmare...?

Scootaloo shakily brought her hoof up to her mouth and placed her jaw around it.

"OW!" she screamed, tearing up. She regained her ability to think, standing up. She had to get to the hospital, and fast. She looked up at the sky, noticing that it was slightly brighter than it was a few minutes ago, but it was still very dark.

* * *

When Scootaloo finally reached the hospital, she tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge. She slammed her hooves against the wooden surface repeatedly, shouting, trying to get somepony's attention. Finally, a nurse opened the door.

"Quiet!" she whispered. "All of the patients are trying to sleep!"

"Where's Rainbow Dash? I have to see her!" Scootaloo begged.

"She's in her room on the second floor," replied the nurse. "Wait, how did you know—"

Scootaloo pushed straight through the door, zooming into the facility. She made a bee line straight for the staircase before leaping up five stairs per jump. She ran through each hallway, checking every single room. Finally, she reached the dimly-lit room 14F2.

Inside the room, Scootaloo saw some other familiar faces: Rainbow Dash's five best friends.

"Scootaloo?" Twilight asked first. Her hair was all a mess, clearly not brushed due to what must have been quite a loud crash. "What are you doing here?"

"I... I saw the... on your library and I just..." Scootaloo sniffed, tears streaming from her sore eyes.

"What were you doing wandering around Ponyville at this time of night?"

"Well... I couldn't sleep and Apple Bloom told me to talk to Applejack, but then we couldn't find her, so I went to your house to ask if you knew a spell or something that could help me sleep—"

Twilight put a foreleg around Scootaloo and dragged her in for a hug. "Calm down, Scootaloo. Everything's gonna be just fine. Isn't that right, Nurse Redheart?" Twilight assured, looking over to the new pony in the room.

Scootaloo immediately directed her attention to the nurse. "Is she gonna be okay? Please tell me—"

"Hush, hush," said Nurse Redheart. "Miss Sparkle, are you sure it's okay for..."

Twilight nodded.

"Alright then; of course she is. She's stable, but it will take her a few weeks to recover. It was a pretty hard crash."

"Oh... oh... that's good then," Scootaloo said, beginning to settle down. She saw Applejack out of the corner of her eye, and turned to face her. "Applejack?"

"So... Apple Bloom told you about our little chats, did she?"

"Yeah..." Scootaloo wiped her eyes with a hoof.

"Well, I'd be happy to help you out. What's the matter?"

Scootaloo felt a small surge of happiness at Applejack's acceptance. "I... had a nightmare."

Applejack switched into super-big-sister mode. "A nightmare? I have those all the time!"

"You... you do?"

"Sure do! But I never let 'em get to me, because I know that they're all just my imagination."

"I know, but I just can't help it! I couldn't sleep for more than a couple hours all night!"

"Whenever you have a nightmare, just remember that they aren't real," Applejack explained. "Think about things that make you happy! You know, flyin' and such."

"But I—"

"Now, now. Don't argue with me. Just take it heart an' you'll fall asleep in no time!" Applejack forced, which only made Scootaloo feel less comfortable. After all, flying was pretty much the whole nightmare.

"Okay..."

"Good job, Scoots," said Applejack, with sisterly pride. "It was a good thing Apple Bloom told ya to talk to me."

"I just wish I could be as cheerful as you, Scootaloo..."

Huh? Scootaloo looked at Pinkie, whose mane and tail were both uncharacteristically flat. Scootaloo had never seen her this depressed.

"As you can see, I'm pretty down in the dumps, unlike you."

"Wh-what do you mean?! Why should I be happy?" Scootaloo shouted in sudden anger. "My big — er, hero — is..." Scootaloo trailed off as she actually looked at Rainbow Dash for the first time, causing her to immediately fall into a sitting position, jaw hanging open. "Rainbow... Dash..."

Rainbow Dash's trademarked rainbow mane and tail were barely visible, as was her sky blue coat, due to the endless mass of reddened splints and bandages which seemed to be barely holding her together. The bed on which she was recovering was attached to the walls in a similar manner to that by which both of her forelegs were suspended, like a giant, padded hammock. Rainbow Dash's slumbering eyes were blocked by yet another set of thick bandages. There was a bedside medical monitor showing her respiratory rate and heart rate (20 bpm).

"Big hero, eh? Heh. Usually I'd laugh at that, but I'm pretty depressed today," Pinkie noted, absently staring at the floor.

"NO!" Scootaloo screamed, lunging at Rainbow Dash. Before she made an impact, however, Twilight readily caught her in a field of magic, holding her in mid-air while her wings buzzed rapidly. "RAINBOW DASH!!!"

Purple light flooded Scootaloo's vision, then she felt her eyelids suddenly become heavy.

* * *

Scootaloo had finally achieved her small goal of sleeping well. Twilight's sleep magic worked exactly how she thought it would: perfectly. So well, in fact, that Scootaloo slept until late the next night. Throughout that time period, many things happened: Rainbow Dash's friends left the hospital, returned for a daily visit, talking about Rainbow Dash and her ultimate goal, then left again; Scootaloo talked to Rainbow Dash in her sleep, complimenting her on her amazing tricks and congratulating her on making it into the Wonderbolts; and those other things that happen in hospitals...

It was 9pm when Scootaloo finally started waking up. Scootaloo lifted a hoof up to her eyes to block the morning light from the sun, only to realise exactly how late it was. She looked at Rainbow Dash, her head still resting, seeing the extent of her suffering.

Then, she realised that she couldn't hear Rainbow Dash's breathing.

One second...

Two seconds...

Three seconds...

Four seconds...

Five seconds...

Six... why can't I hear it? Scootaloo thought, beginning to panic.

The next thing she noticed was that Rainbow Dash was too cold. There was nowhere near enough heat coming through her soft fur. Scootaloo's head shot up, and she saw the medical monitor. 26 bpm heart rate... She's okay! Scootaloo looked down and realised why Rainbow Dash was so cold...

Scootaloo was sleeping on a fluffy blue pillow.

"Oh, really?" she sighed. Moving over to Rainbow's head, lightly allowing her own head to rest on the bed, she spoke quietly, "Get well quick, Rainbow Dash. You've gotta get into the Wonderbolts. Not to mention all those flying lessons we have planned. Don't throw in the towel just yet..."

Then she fell back to sleep.

* * *

Scootaloo awoke to a distressing sound. The one sound she hoped never to have to hear again in her life. She had heard it once before, and on that day, her father died. Once again, Scootaloo froze. That single long note seemed to go on forever. She looked straight at the medical monitor, which displayed her worst nightmare: a flat line and the number 0.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Scootaloo wailed, attempting to resuscitate her entire reason for living. She repeatedly slammed her hooves down on Rainbow Dash's chest, making her bed swing and bounce, with no result. "Stop it! Stop it, Rainbow Dash..." she cried, tears streaming from her eyes. "Rainbow Dash... why?"

* * *

Nurse Redheart finally made it to room 14F2 after hearing the alarm. She looked at her poor patient. "Oh, that little filly isn't here. She must have left." She swifly walked around the bed to check on the medical monitor, seeing zero, but also noticing something else.

The electrode cable had been knocked out of the monitor.

She sighed. "She must have knocked this out, too. I knew I should have put her in a bed," she realised, reconnecting it. A graph reappeared on the screen, as well as a note: '30 bpm.'

* * *

Later...

In Ponyville, an assembly was held at the town hall. Almost every pony in the town had come, each with sad expressions and surrounded by friends and family. The Mayor stood at the podium to address them. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were huddled in a corner somewhere nearby, crying into each other's shoulders.

"I... I don't understand..." Sweetie Belle weeped. "She's always... always just been there... Why did she leave...?"

"I don't know... Maybe Babs would know... I mean, maybe Scootaloo went there..." said Apple Bloom.

Rarity stood nearby, trying to comfort her sister, but staying far enough away that she wouldn't see her tears. "Sweetie Belle, I... she probably..." Rarity dashed around the corner, pretending to be invisible.

Applejack sat next to them, trying to console them, despite barely being able to hold back their own tears. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Twilight were at the front of the crowd, watching Rainbow Dash, who was in a wheelchair, still heavily bandaged and waiting for the crowd to settle down.

After a few minutes of tense conversation, Mayor Mare began. "Our search parties have been working for two and a half weeks. We have contacted neighbouring towns, but, unfortunately, no citizens have been able to get any leads. We've decided to call it a day and—"

Half of the crowd roared.

"NO!"

"Don't give up yet!"

"Yeah, it's only been barely over two weeks! She could still be out there, worried and scared!"

The other half concurred with the Mayor's decision, quietly requesting that they respectfully withdraw, including Cheerilee. As Scootaloo's teacher, she was one of the ponies who was hit the worst by her disappearance, but she had lost faith in the search parties. "Scootaloo is gone... There's nothing we can do, except mourn," she said between sobs.

A few of the louder members of the crowd turned to fight Cheerilee's abhorrent outburst.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"This is a pony's life that we're talking about!"

"Have you no compassion?!"

Cheerilee shrunk back in shock, staring at them.

Rainbow Dash cut in, taking the microphone from Mayor Mare. "All we know is that the last time anypony else saw her, Scootaloo was with me in the hospital, then she was gone..." Rainbow Dash sniffed, biting back a tear, and continued, "Scootaloo! If you can hear me, please come back! You still have tons of stuff to learn about flying! You don't wanna miss out on that, do ya?! Come back! Please!"

The Mayor took back the microphone. "Calling off the search is our final decision. Ponies in Ponyville have jobs to do. We can't just have them ignoring their own duties."

The crowd roared again.

Rainbow Dash slowly and painfully stood up, grabbing the microphone with a hoof and pulling it all the way to her mouth.

"SCOOTALOOOOOO!!! COME BAAAAACK!!!"