"Scootaloo? Scoots, you in here?"
The orange filly crouched in a shadowy far corner of the clubhouse, tears streaming from her eyes, sobs racking her body. But when the young voice hit her ears, she quickly wiped her eyes and turned to the yellow Earth filly standing at the doorway, forcing a smile.
"Oh, 'sup, Apple Bloom?" she greeted happily, her voice breaking slightly. "Uh…ya alright there, Scoots? Ya seemed a little…upset, when ah came up here." Scootaloo turned away briefly, rubbing her eyes, blinking away any newly forming tears. "Oh, its nothing, A.B.! Just, uh…tired, that's all. Heh, didn't get much sleep last night."
It was true, the past night, she'd failed to get much of any sleep, and at about four o'clock in the morning, about an hour ago, she'd come to the clubhouse. Apple Bloom cocked her head in confusion, then trotted towards her friend, concerning her strange behavior.
"Why didn't ya get no sleep? Was somethin'…botherin' ya?" Scootaloo, still turned away, shook her head in an instant. "Nah, its just…the Pegasi's storm last night. Kept me awake, hehe." Apple Bloom glanced momentarily at the window, Celestia's sun just barely appearing over the horizon, then returned her gaze to Scootaloo.
"Scoots…" She gently rested a comforting hoof on her shoulder, to which Scootaloo instantly pulled away from. "Don't touch me! Don't!" Apple Bloom tensed, but tried to ignore it and went back to what she was trying to say. "Scoots, mah sister can lie better than you. Now, what's goin' on? Somethin's botherin' ya, ah can tell."
There was a long pause and Scootaloo took a couple of deep breaths, realizing she was fighting a losing battle, and finally explained to her friend what had happened, her voice breaking with each word. "It-It's…Rainbow Dash." Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Rainbow? What about 'er?" Scootaloo turned away from her again as tears began to form in her eyes, a lump forming in her throat that she felt she couldn't get rid of.
"Y-Y'see, we were training y-yesterday. But I realized…th-the-the Pegasi, they were bringing in clouds, but Rainbow…she said flying in storms was something I n-needed to learn. Th-Then, wh-while she was flying, explaining the maneuvers and all, a lightning bolt…it accidentally struck her and-a-and.."
"Rainbow!"
The orange filly stood at the edge of the fluffy white cloud, grayish-purple eyes wide with terror, and after a few moments, dove over the edge, forelegs outstretched in front of her, her tiny wings flapping as fast as they'd go. It all happened so quickly. One second, her sister-figure was dashing across the sky, the next thing she knew, she was plummeting down towards the Everfree Forest in hopes of saving her life.
She could hardly see the cyan figure falling away from her in the thick, foggy mix of wind and rain all around her small body, battering her thin coat, nearly making her spin out, but she kept going. She had to, she had to save Rainbow, because she knew she'd never be able to live the same without her.
The tiny filly just kept flapping her wings, pushing herself as hard as she could, probably more than she should've been. Her wings were beginning to ache and her chest was beginning to strain; this was all exhausting her, and fast. But all of sudden, she glanced back down, realizing the figure had vanished through the thick canopy of trees that rushing up to meet her.
She let out a small gasp, nearly stopping right in her tracks, but to her astonishment, the sudden spark of fear seemed to give her a boost. She tensed as a huge flash blinded her for a mere few seconds and a thunderous crash erupted around her, but she ignored it and kept going. Suddenly, she came crashing in through the branches and leaves, nicking her left wing on the way through, and came crashing down into a mud puddle.
She coughed and shook herself in disgust, hoping to rid herself of the sticky brown substance that clung to her like glue, but once she finally looked around the dark clearing, that was the least of her worries. The unconscious mare was nowhere in sight.
Fear instantly stabbed into her heart, and she ignored the pain in her wing and the stinging from the numerous scratches that covered her body. All she thought about now was her mentor, the only real family she'd ever known, and immediately set off, running around the muddy, wet clearing, fearfully calling out the mare's name, when all of a sudden, a dark, grayish-yellow figure caught her eye.
Squinting her eyes against the fog, she recognized it as another mare, a Pegasus in fact, standing over something, feathered wings half-opened on her back. Hoping for the best, she raced to meet her, flapping her wings to speed her up, and once she was a mere few feet away, she instantly picked up the pace, recognizing what the mare was crouched over in an instant.
"Rainbow Dash!" The cyan mare was laying limply on the ground at a yellow mare's hooves, her light blue coat dirty and soaked with mud and rainwater, many blood-stained feathers laying around her. The source was her wings, well, the left one at least, which was tattered and ripped apart as if it'd been put through a paper shredder.
But the right one, there was no right one. Just a bony stalk of grayish-pink, bloody skin with few feathers still clinging on the easily detached in the wind. To add to it, t was half the size of her normal wingspan. The rest of her body was just horribly cut up and bruised, her back, especially around her wings, dark and reddish with life-threatening burns. The mare standing over her did nothing more than just stare, her teal eyes wide with complete horror, gulping numerous times to avoid vomiting.
"R-Rainbow Dash…?" She tensed as the filly trotted up, staring at Cloudsdale's best flyer, one of the best weather mares Equestria ever knew, in an equal amount of terror, if not, more. "Oh, Scootaloo…wh-what happened?" After what felt like years, she finally glanced up at the slightly larger Pegasus, her eyes wide and devastated.
"I-I…I-I…" But she couldn't say anything, she abruptly fell at Rainbow's side, struggling to fight back the tears that were forming in her eyes.
The mare wanted to cry as well, just collapse beside her best friend's apprentice in tears, but fought the urge to. As much as she wanted to, she fought the grief that felt like it was eating away at her from the inside out. She had to be strong, she had to be brave, just this once. For Scootaloo.
Her gaze traveled from the terrified, distraught filly to Rainbow's motionless body, then she finally thought of something, crouching close to the ground, attempting to pull her friend's body onto her back. She glanced up momentarily, noticing Scootaloo staring at her silently, so she spoke in a quiet, calm voice to her, trying to hide any fear she felt at the time.
"Help me." So she did, without a second thought, and firmly grasped Rainbow's six-colored tail in her teeth and gently pulled her onto Fluttershy's back, in a way that all four legs draped down at her sides and her head was resting on the back of Fluttershy's.
After Scootaloo jumped back down from Fluttershy’s back, she strained and rose up onto all fours, struggling, but finding the strength to cope with it. For now. She took a few deep breaths, then opened both wings and turned to Scootaloo briefly. She looked up at her, eyes wide with fear and pain. Not physical pain, it wasn't phasing her, not now, but emotional pain. Something that rarely bothered the brave, daredevilish filly.
Fluttershy looked at her hooves briefly, then returned her gaze to Scootaloo and forced a sad smile, before flapping her wings and taking off through the towering trees with ease. Scootaloo stared after her silently for a few moments, then followed suit, at first flying a mere couple inches off the ground, before quickly reaching around Fluttershy's height, flying beside her, but a foot or two below her.
The rain battering her coat was pulling her down, but she managed, mostly watching the rainstorm that the Pegasi had brought in, but at one point, glancing over towards the bloody mess that was Rainbow Dash. It pained the filly, to see her best friend, her sister figure, her mentor, in this condition, so she quickly forced herself to look away.
She stared down at the ground, then let her eyes fall shut briefly, allowing a single tear to drop and fall into a puddle far below them.
****
The two Pegasi had arrived to Ponyville Urgent Care quite quickly, despite both of the ponies' weak flying skills. It was a little after midnight when they got there, so it wasn't too crowded, but due to the weather pony's condition, she was immediately brought back for treatment anyway. Fluttershy and Scootaloo waited for her in the waiting room, refusing to leave until they heard something.
Fluttershy nearly passed out after Rainbow was taken back, but recovered quickly and the two went to sit down. At the time, the yellow mare was splayed across a few chairs, her eyes drooping, focusing on the still orange figure under her wing. But just as she was about to give into sleep, a female voice instantly stopped her.
"Uh, Fluttershy, is it? You're the ones who brought Rainbow Dash in, correct?" She instantly perked up and dropped onto her hooves, briefly awakening Scootaloo, but she instantly turned away and returned to her slumber. "Um, y-yes, Nurse Redheart. H-How…how is she?" The white Earth pony paused, and first asked, "Where's her…parents? Or any siblings or other relatives?"
Fluttershy looked around, then gestured towards Scootaloo, who was turned away from them in a deep sleep. "Scootaloo's the only family we know of, she's her little sister. But…I-I believe her parents may be…gone. I've never seen them or heard about them." Redheart nodded slowly, then stared around briefly before returning her gaze to the anticipating mare in front of her, a sad look in her light-blue eyes.
"Well…I hate to break this to you, anypony who's close to her really. It is a good thing you two brought her in when you did, and…we did everything we could, but she is in very critical condition and we're giving her only a few more days left to live. If she survives the night, that is."
A startled gasp escaped from Fluttershy's mouth and her eyes became wide and distraught as Redheart gently rested a hoof on her shoulder. "I-I'm really sorry." Fluttershy blinked away a few tears that were forming in her eyes. "Can-Can we visit her?" she asked, her voice breaking. Redheart thought about it for a moment, then replied in a low voice, "Not tonight, maybe tomorrow sometime if she's still with us. But for now, it'd be best you and her sister…go home for the night. Alright?"
Fluttershy lowered her head, letting out a small sigh, "Okay…th-thank you." Nurse Redheart then gave her a sad smile before trotting off. The Pegasus stared after her for a second, then turned to the sleeping filly, pondering how she'd break the news to her.
Scootaloo sniffed, but refused to let any tears fall, she didn't want to cry, not in front of one of her friends, she didn't want to ruin her brave image, but the Earth filly knew it was a very tragic experience for her, especially for a filly her age. Nopony should have to see the pony closest to them in such a horrible condition. She opened her mouth to reply, maybe express her sympathy, then something caught her reddish-peach gaze.
"Scoots, look! Yer cutie mark!" Scootaloo gave her an angry look out of the corner of her eye. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, A.B., but it isn't working." Slightly frustrated, she pressed a hoof against her flank, and exclaimed, "No, really! Look!" She removed her hoof and Scootaloo turned her head around surprised to notice an orange-and-purple lightning bolt on her flank.
Her eyes instantly grew wide and alert and she couldn't help but smile widely as hope and excitement began to engulf her. "My mark! I-I can't believe it! I must've gotten it while I was…"-but her grief abruptly hit her again at the memory-"…trying to save Dash." She then laid down again, resting her head on her crossed forelegs, staring at the floor sadly.
"Aw, c'mon, Scoots! What about yer cutie mark? Yer excited 'bout that, ain't ya?" Scootaloo shook her head slowly. "It-It's nothing…not without Rainbow Dash here. Sometimes I think she's…she's all I ever lived for…" A couple tears fell from the Pegasus filly's eyes, so she hid her face between her hooves. Even Apple Bloom felt a strange pain in her own chest from sympathy, as if she could feel what Scootaloo was feeling. Maybe she was.
"Scootaloo…why don't we go an' visit Rainbow at the hospital later? Will that cheer ya up?" Scootaloo briefly glanced up , smiling slightly, but it instantly faded. "It-It might, I dunno. I guess we could, but…" The Earth filly suddenly interrupted her. "Under one condition, Scoots. You don't act all sad while Sweetie Belle an' I are tryin’ to get to get our marks. Alright?"
There was a brief pause, then Scootaloo just smirked and stood up, hoof-bumping her friend. "Okay fine! If I have to." They both laughed, sprinting towards the door, but all of a sudden, Scoots stopped briefly. "Hey, Apple Bloom?" The Earth pony suddenly stopped as well, turning to the Pegasus in concern. "Yeah, Scoots?" She looked down at her hooves briefly, then smiled sadly at Apple Bloom. "Thanks for being here for me."
Apple Bloom smirked and trotted up to her, wrapping her in a tight, but gentle, embrace. "Hey, that's what friends are here for. Now, c'mon, time’s a-wastin’!" Apple Bloom abruptly let her go and sprinted off, and Scootaloo stared after her briefly, before flapping her wings and following close behind.
****
Apple Bloom and the white unicorn filly both chatted and laughed as they walked down the hospital's corridor, Scootaloo lagging behind, looking around worriedly. All three of them were mildly bruised and dirty from today's CMC adventure: skydiving. It didn't quite work out, and if Scootaloo hadn't been with them, the two wingless foals would be in their own rooms in the ICU.
"What's the matter, Scoots?" She glanced up grimly at the unicorn before looking away again as they went back to walk with her. "Everything'll be a-okay, Scootaloo. Don't you worry!" Scootaloo opened her mouth briefly to speak, but chose not to and only shook her head slowly. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both exchanged glances, but chose not to speak again.
After a few moments, they reached room '307'. The door was cracked slightly and a few soft voices came from it, so Apple Bloom gently pushed it open. The fillies weren't surprised to see Rainbow Dash's five friends crowded at the bedside.
Fluttershy and Apple Bloom's older sister, Applejack, sat away from the rest. The Pegasus mare was sobbing openly as the sympathetic Earth pony attempted to comfort her. Pinkie Pie, a fluffy pink Earth pony, was embracing Rainbow Dash tightly as she sobbed profusely, Twilight, a lavender unicorn, standing near her. Sweetie Belle's older sister, a beautiful white unicorn of the name Rarity, stood at the opposite side of Dash's bed, fighting back tears.
Then, there was Rainbow Dash, the motionless body lying on the bed. An oxygen mask was over her nose and mouth, a long translucent tube feeding from it into a respirator. To add to it, she had two IVs, one in her left foreleg, the other in her right, and numerous layers of bandages covered her entire body.
What was left of her right wing was gone, amputated most likely to avoid any infection, and her left one was wrapped in two layers of bandages. Numerous more wrapped around her abdomen, covering the burns on her back and numerous smaller ones patched up the minor cuts and scrapes that ailed her.
Scootaloo let out a small gasp at the sight, and she opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't. She couldn't find the words to say, and she tensed up, grimacing as if she were feeling Dash's pain, before turning away and running out, ignoring the sound of her friends' voices calling out to her.
She stopped about halfway down the hallway, tears freely streaming down her face, dripping into a puddle at her hooves, her body trembling. Any nurses or doctors who were around that saw her like that probably knew it was best to leave her alone when she was upset. Unfortunately, her friends didn’t.
"S-Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom trotted up behind her, resting a hoof on her shoulder as Sweetie Belle lagged behind, joining them after a few seconds. "Scoots…you alright?" She sniffed before replying dismally, "What do you think?"
There wasn't a hint of sarcasm in her voice, as there would usually be. They all paused briefly, and Apple Bloom came in front of her to make eye-contact, which was still hard since she had her head down.
"Scootaloo, please, everything'll be alright, you'll see." Scootaloo paused, then, in a barely audible voice, mumbled, "No…it-its not…" This time, Sweetie Belle chose to join the conversation. "You-You don't know that, Scootaloo…" All of a sudden, the Pegasus filly turned on her, fury blazing on her eyes.
"Yes, I do! If you were with us last night you'd know, you stupid foal! And since when has anypony else's well-being mattered to you anyway?!" Before she could say anything more, Apple Bloom angrily grabbed her and whipped her around to face her. "Nopony speaks to Sweetie Belle like that! Now, calm down, Scootaloo! You puttin' everypony down isn't gonna get us-" But she was cut off as Scootaloo abruptly raised a hoof, and just as she realized what she was doing, it was too late.
Apple Bloom winced, stumbling to the side, her left eye closed and a dark bruise slowly beginning to form on her cheek. Two gasps abruptly hit her ears from the two fillies, both of them shocked and frightened at what just happened.
"Apple Bloom! I'm so sorry, I-I just don't know what came over me, its just…" But she was stopped as she rose a hoof to silence her. "It's okay, Scoots. Feel better?" She paused, then nodded slowly. "It's okay, Scootaloo, I know this is hard on ya an' all." Scootaloo took a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess…"
She turned away and looked up sadly at the open doorway to the room, tears forming in her eyes as the beeps of the heart monitor, echoing through the mostly empty corridor, began to slow down. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle rested a hoof on her shoulder. "It-Its now or never, Scootaloo. You…You have to be strong, just this once. It-It'll be okay."
There was a brief pause and all they could hear was the heart monitor as its beeps slowly grew further and further apart. Now, she realized what they meant by 'okay', not that Rainbow would be okay, but that she would be. She had to be. The two blank-flanked fillies would never get along without her. Just like she'd never get along without Rainbow Dash.
She turned to her two friends and smiled sadly. "Thanks, you guys, for always being here for me." They both managed to force a smile back at her as she hesitantly trotted to the doorway. "Um…excuse me? Can I be with Rainbow Dash…a-alone?"
The mares momentarily exchanged glances, then Rarity trotted up to her. "Of course you can, darling. C'mon, there's not enough time left for you to be wasting your time." She trotted out of the room, and the rest of the mares followed suit. Twilight briefly struggled to pull Pinkie from her best friend, but she soon gave in and hesitantly followed behind her out of the room.
Beep… beep…
Scootaloo glanced out the door, surprised to notice the entire hallway was completely empty now but a few doctors and nurses. She turned back to Rainbow and took a deep breath, before hesitantly rising onto her back hooves and held herself up with both her front hooves on the edge of the bed. She gulped inaudibly, then began to speak.
"H-Hey, Rainbow…it, uh, it seems you're in a pretty bad place right now. So much for Cloudsdale's best flyer, huh?" She smirked slightly, but it quickly vanished. "I-I just wanted to say that, well…I'm gonna miss ya. Me, and all of your other friends too. I don't know what Cloudsdale will do without a Pegasus as talented as you are, I'm sure they'll cope to it after a while."
Beep… beep…
She paused to take another breath and glanced at the heart monitor; the beats were about three seconds apart now. "R-Remember that day a couple years ago? When I showed up on your couch one morning? Heh, I-I remember being pretty frightened of you back then but-but now, I…I'm glad I didn't runaway that day, like I'd planned to.
"If it weren't for you, I may've never learned to fly. I may've never gotten my cutie mark even." She paused to show her the lightning bolt on her flank. "Yeah, pretty neat, huh? it's a lot like yours." She glanced at the monitor again, then returned her gaze to Rainbow, tears forming in her eyes.
Beep… beep…
"I…" She paused before she continued to take a couple deep breaths again, realizing her voice was breaking. "I-I just wanted to thank you, for all you've ever done for me. You taught me how to fly, you helped me get my cutie mark, kinda. And…you've been my sister, the sister…no, the family I never had.
Beep…
"I may've never known what family was, or what love was even, if it weren't for you. It may not seem like much. Not to everypony else, not to the other Crusaders, maybe not to you even. But…its still a lot to me, even if we've only known each other for a couple years, I've really grown a strong bond with you. I hope you felt the same way. So..."
Beep…
She swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat, then finally managed to choke out, "G-Goodbye, Rainbow Dash…" After the last weak heartbeat, the monitor finally ended in a flat, endless line, and the Pegasus mare was gone.