A small orange Pegasus with a purple mane and tail blown backwards worked her little wings as hard as she possibly could, racing past white wisps of clouds and her own tears through the bright moonlight. However, she wasn't trying to fly up. She was trying to fly down, towards the ground she couldn't yet see. She didn't know how long she'd been falling, but that hardly mattered. All that mattered was that she was so close - SO close - to reaching what she was racing gravity for.
"Just hold on Rainbow Dash!" the filly screamed as loudly as she could over the wind, though her voice went behind her and not in front. Less than a foot away from her was a blue mare with wings spread but useless, rainbow-colored locks being thrown upwards by the wind, making it hard to see the tri-colored lighting bolt coming out of a white cloud on her flank. The mare's head was furthest away, turned towards the fast-approaching ground. She turned her head towards the filly following her loyally and smiled, making the little pony's heart leap to her throat.
"No! I'll catch you, I promise!" she screamed, outstretched hooves just inches away from Rainbow Dash's back feet. One more push, one burst of speed! The filly closed her purple eyes and worked her aching wings harder than she could ever remember. However, when she dared to open her eyes, she was just in time to see Rainbow Dash crash into the ground, blood spitting up to her mouth. The Pegasus gasped in horror, landing on the other mare's chest as the tears started running faster.
"No! NO! I was so close! I was so -"
"It's okay, squirt," Rainbow Dash said with a small smile, pink eyes glazing over. "You still caught me."
"But I - No! Rainbow Dash, no! You can't! PLEASE!" But all screaming was useless as the pony's eyes became lifeless, staring up at the moon.
The filly gasped and bolted upright out of her bed, panting and tears streaming across her face. The sun shown merrily outside, promising a warm spring Saturday.
"Scootaloo!" a male voice called from a different room. "Time to get up!"
"Okay Dad!" the filly yelled back, whipping her eyes on her blanket and getting out of bed. She looked at the mirror to see her mane was tangled and messy, a common sight in recent days. She had been plagued with nightmares for about a week, always the same situation; her role model was falling helplessly to the ground, and it was up to Scootaloo to catch her before it was too late. Each night she had gotten closer and closer, but she never once caught the daredevil.
After running a brush through her mane and making sure it didn't look like she'd been crying, she left her room and went to the dining room. Her father, a Pegasus stallion with a rusty-colored mane and orange body with a mark of three different weather clouds on his flank, was putting on his helmet and getting ready to go to work in Cloudsdale to make weather clouds for all of Equestria.
"Finally up, sleepyhead?" he asked with a smile. Scootaloo grinned and nodded her head. She hadn't told her father about the nightmares. He was already gone most of the day to work, she didn't want to make him worry about her over something so ... baby-ish.
"Well, don't plan anything outside for tomorrow," he said, pulling on his white coat. "Ponyville's probably going to get a thunderstorm late in the evening; we've been a little behind sending rain your way, and we need to make up for it."
"Okay Dad. Bye, love you!"
"Love you too, sweetheart!" he called from the door, sending a smile his daughter's way as he took off flying. Scootaloo fixed herself a bowl of cereal before running outside to where she left her purple helmet and scooter. Stretching her wings and getting on the toy, she began to flap her wings as well as use her back legs to propel herself forwards at impressive speeds, towards a farm on the outer edges of Ponyville. When she reached a sign that said "Apple Family Farm," she slowed herself a little, knowing her destination was close at hand. She spotted the tree house that had all but become a second home to her, and sitting near the base of its ramp were two fillies Scootaloo didn't know what she'd do without. The first was a light yellow earth pony with a strawberry-colored and slightly poofy mane, held back with a pink ribbon that somewhat matched her eyes. The second was a white Unicorn with purple and pink curls in her mane and green eyes. Neither had marks on their flanks, just as Scootaloo didn't have one herself yet. This had prompted the three to make a group called the "Cutie Mark Crusaders" to help each other find what special talent within themselves would make the mark appear.
"Hey Scootaloo!" the yellow filly called with a western accent as Scootaloo skidded to a stop. "Any more bad dreams?"
"Still happening," she sighed, having very reluctantly spilled the beans to her friends the day before. The yellow filly's ears fell.
"'At's too bad," she sighed. Her ears perked up again. "But Sweetie Belle had an idea!"
"I think you should try to tire yourself out a whole lot before you go to bed," the white Unicorn filly said. "When I get really tired, I don't dream at all. I just fall asleep and wake up the next morning."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked, taking off her helmet.
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle replied. "Like this one time, I helped Apple Bloom and Applejack buck apples all day. It was fun, but I got so tired I fell asleep on the hay wagon. When I woke up in Rarity's house, I didn't remember dreaming anything."
"Ah remember that!" the yellow filly giggled. "We learned Sweetie Belle's talent wasn't apple bucking! AJ had to have Rarity come get you."
"Where was I when this happened?" Scootaloo asked, not remembering.
"Rainbow Dash told you that you could help her take care of Tank and then you two could go try and run track. You came back and said track wasn't going to be your Cutie Mark," Sweetie Belle said with a smirk.
"I thought you jumped over the hurdles, not stepped over them," Scootaloo sheepishly defended herself.
"Ahaha! You're so short, you couldn't step over a carrot!"
All three fillies turned around to see two faces they had come to hate. A pink filly with piercing blue eyes and a purple-white, corkscrew curled mane had a tiara on her head to match the one on her flank. Next to her was a grey filly with blue glasses and a pearl necklace, mane grey and silver and braided, her Cutie Mark consisting of a silver spoon. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon where mean girls, plane and simple.
"What're you doing here?!" Apple Bloom asked, surprised but ready to defend her territory. "This is our clubhouse!"
"Last I checked, we laid claim to it," the Diamond Tiara said, walking closer to the three girls.
"And last I checked, Babs gave it back to us," Sweetie Belle retorted, blocking the way to get into the clubhouse.
"She can't do that without talking to both of us first, you know," Silver Spoon smirked, shoving Sweetie Belle out of the way. Scootaloo jumped in front of the two, glaring at them.
"Why don't you two pick on somepony your own size?" she growled.
"You are my size," Diamond Tiara pointed out.
"So I guess that means you're 'too short to step over a carrot' too?"
All five girls looked up as a new voice spoke. An orange earth pony with light freckles and a yellow mane pulled back with red bands walked out, signature Stetson hat atop her head and three apples on her flank. Who had spoken, however, was the blue Pegasus with the rainbow mane.
"Applejack!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said with surprise and jubilee. Her role model came to save the day!
"Now, Ah don't know you fillies all that well," Applejack said, making both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stiffen up, "but Ah don't appreciate you tryin' to pick fights with mah sister and her friends."
"And picking on ponies isn't cool either," Rainbow Dash added. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but don't let it happen again, got it?"
"Yes," Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon replied in unison, knowing they were beat and turning tail to skedaddle out of there as quickly as possible.
"Thanks for the save, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said.
"No problem squirt!" the mare smiled.
"Ah hope you three didn't say anythin' bad to those two, though," Applejack said. "If they're tryin' to pick fights with you, don't let 'em. It's better to take the high road, show yall're better than them."
"We know, Applejack!" Apple Bloom said, hugging her sister. "But why's Rainbow Dash here?"
"I left a book here yesterday by mistake," Rainbow Dash admitted a little sheepishly. "Just wanted to get it back. Then AJ here suggested we see what you squirts were up to today."
"We're going to do obstacle courses!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"We are?" her friends asked in unison.
"Yeah! We haven't tried that yet, and it'll be a great way to get a lot of running and jumping and stuff in, right Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked, winking. The orange filly caught on that her friend was trying to be discreet about the proposed solution to the nightmares.
"O-oh, yeah!" Scootaloo agreed hastily. "Miss Applejack, do you mind if we use the farm for the obstacle course?"
"Course not!" the pony smiled. "Need any help settin' it up?"
"And I wanna try that once you squirts get a turn," Rainbow Dash said. "So make it challenging!"
"Wouldn't be an obstacle course if it wasn't!" Apple Bloom agreed, running off to find materials to make their newest attempt to get a Cutie Mark. After gathering buckets, barrels, hay bales, a bundle of apples, a few lassos, and somehow two see-saws, it seemed like everything was ready.
"Okay, how does this work again?" Scootaloo asked.
"First, you have to jump on three buckets like they're stepping stones," Sweetie Belle explained. "Then you get inside the barrel and run in it to the hay bales, which you have to climb over. Once you jump down, you eat one apple, and then throw the lasso until you land around one of the sticks in the ground. Finally, you jump on the see-saw, and see how far you launch the mud-pie on the other side! If it's too close to call the race, the mud-pies will choose the winner. Two ponies go at once, and whoever wins gets to face the next winner!"
"And Ah'll be refareein' for you four," Applejack said, making her way to the other end of the farm. "Rainbow, since there's a lot o' jumpin' in this, ya might wanna tie down your wings so's to make it a bigger challenge."
"Fair enough," the blue mare replied. "Scootaloo, wanna help me with that?"
Scootaloo froze up against her will. Tie down Rainbow Dash's wings? Make her unable to fly? Suddenly she felt like she was falling all over again.
This wasn't lost on Apple Bloom. "Ah'll help ya, Rainbow Dash!" she quickly offered. "Scootaloo doesn't have as much skill with a rope as I do, so I can tie them tighter!"
"Alright," Rainbow Dash agreed, giving Scootaloo a quizzical glance as she followed Apple Bloom to an extra lasso they had found. Sweetie Belle went over to her friend and put a hoof on her back.
"Are you okay?" she asked, rubbing the orange filly's back to calm her down.
"Y-yeah," Scootaloo gasped, shaking her head slightly. They were on the ground, for Celestia's sake! Nothing was going to happen.
"I'll race you first, maybe running will get your mind off of it," Sweetie Belle offered.
"Yeah, thanks," Scootaloo agreed, faking a smile. Rainbow Dash and Apple Bloom came back, and Sweetie Belle got to the starting position.
"Come on, Scootaloo! Unless you're scared?" she deviously smirked.
"I'm not scared!" Scootaloo replied, jumping to the starting position and resisting looking at Rainbow Dash.
"Guess I'll referee the start line this time," Rainbow Dash smirked. "On your marks...get set...GO!"
The fillies took off running. Though Sweetie Belle reached the buckets first, Scootaloo's superior balance showed through as she managed to rapid-fire jump across each one. She got in the barrel, Sweetie Belle just steps behind as they ran as quickly as they could, stopping only when the barrels hit the hay bales and all but threw the two from their spots. After a quick recovery on both parties' parts, they managed to climb the hay bales with some difficulty, reaching the top and jumping down to the other side with the apple barrel. Scootaloo grabbed the first apple she saw and began chowing down, though Sweetie Belle took a moment longer so she could pick a small one. Sweetie Belle finished a good ten seconds ahead of Scootaloo, rushing off to the next station and picking up a lasso. Scootaloo shoved the apple down her throat as fast as she could and grabbed the rope. It was obvious neither would get a Cutie Mark in any form of rope throwing. When Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo finally managed to get the rope over the stick, they both darted to their see-saws. It was close, but Sweetie Belle stumbled over a tree root just before her mud pie and couldn't get there before Scootaloo jumped on her end and sent the pie flying.
"Looks like Scootaloo won this one!" Applejack said. "You did pretty good, though, Sweetie Belle."
"Darn trees," Sweetie Belle giggled through her gasps. "Good job, Scootaloo! Maybe you'll get your Cutie Mark today!"
"A Cutie Mark in obstacle courses, huh?" the orange filly mused, slowly walking back with her friend to the start line.
"Who am I gonna get to race next?" Rainbow Dash asked as the fillies came into view.
"What if Ah win?" Apple Bloom asked with a smirk.
"Oh-hoh! Looks like you're a feisty one!" Rainbow Dash smiled. Scootaloo couldn't stop staring at the ropes tying down the mare's wings.
"You two ready?" Sweetie Belle asked, breath back and ready to call the race. "On your marks...get set...GO!"
The girls ran off. Although Rainbow Dash reached the buckets first, they were a lot smaller for her than they were for Apple Bloom, so the filly took an early lead, getting in the barrel and running off before Rainbow Dash. But while the mare's size was a hindrance for one obstacle, it proved helpful in the rest. She quickly got in the barrel and ran as fast as she could, catching up with Apple Bloom at the hay bales. Rainbow got over hers in one jump, though Apple Bloom had already climbed to the top and dropped down the other side. Both took their apples, Rainbow swallowing hers in all but one gulp, moving on to the lasso portion. However, she was nearly as bad at it as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had been. Once Apple Bloom finished her apple, she moved onto the lasso part and nearly got it the first time. She got hers a moment before Rainbow Dash, and both took off for the see-saws. Both managed to launch the mud-pies, but Rainbow had a clear lead because of her longer legs.
"Rainbow Dash won this one! Apple Bloom, you did pretty darn good!" Applejack stated.
"You almost beat me!" Rainbow exclaimed in surprise. "That's pretty hard to do."
"If Ah were a little bigger Ah would've won!" Apple Bloom challenged with a smile as the two walked back.
"Before whoever won races Scootaloo, I want to race the other one!" Sweetie Belle quickly exclaimed.
"Lemme get mah breath back first," Apple Bloom gasped.
"Oh, so I get to race Scootaloo, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smile. "That'll be fun."
The orange filly beamed. Rainbow Dash was looking forwards to racing her! By now Scootaloo had all but forgotten about the dream, getting so caught up in this obstacle course.
"Ready, set, GO!" both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle called behind them as they took off running in a fit of giggles.
"You kids still haven't got your Cutie Marks, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked, deciding to strike up conversation while waiting. Scootaloo's ears fell, knowing the blue mare had gotten hers very early.
"No. But we're trying all sorts of things to get them, just like you said!" Scootaloo quickly stated.
"Good job!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Keep at it, you'll figure it out eventually."
Apple Bloom's cry of delight was heard across the obstacle course, making Rainbow Dash smirk.
"Ready to see if your Cutie Mark is an obstacle course?" she asked, taking her mark on the starting line.
"You bet!" Scootaloo grinned, also getting onto her post.
"Ready..." Rainbow smirked.
"Set..." Scootaloo smiled, stretching her wings out.
"GO!" both yelled. Scootaloo jumped across the buckets with ease, Rainbow Dash still struggling slightly because of her size but doing better this time. The orange filly got into the barrel a few seconds before Rainbow Dash did, and ran as fast as her legs could take her. She crashed into the hay bale but was ready this time, jumping out of the barrel a little early so she didn't get stunned. Rainbow Dash miscalculated how far away the hay was because she slammed into it and had to stop for a moment, long enough for Scootaloo to get over the hay bale. Rainbow Dash leapt over the barrier, and both girls gulped down an apple in one fell swoop, going over to the lassos as the sun began to get red in the sky. Both had difficulty, but Scootaloo managed to get hers on a few seconds before Rainbow Dash did. It was a race to the finish at that point. Scootaloo closed her eyes and ran as fast as she could, opening them just in time to jump and launch the mud pie, hearing Rainbow Dash do the same at the same moment. They both anxiously watched their mud pies fly through the air, landing close to each other. But...
"Rainbow Dash's pie went further!" Applejack called from where she was observing the mud pies.
"WOOHOO!" Rainbow Dash yelled, using her teeth to get the ropes off her wings. "And that's how you do it, squirt!"
"Good job, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo congratulated her, panting. The mare turned to her.
"You did really good, though! Nopony's come that close to beating me in a race before," she smiled. Scootaloo felt like she could jump so high she'd land on a cloud, shouting to the high heavens her elation.
Applejack came back over, smiling. "Any yall get your Cutie Marks?"
All three fillies checked their flanks, and looked down in disappointment.
"Too bad," Rainbow Dash mused. "But hey, at least it was a good time."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said as all five girls sat down. "It was so much fun!"
"Lots of...fun," Apple Bloom said, pausing for a yawn.
"Yall did pretty well settin' the whole thing up," Applejack complimented as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom laid their heads down for a rest. "Ah'll put it all away, then yall should skedaddle on home, ya hear?"
"Yes," the three fillies replied, though it was obvious Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were struggling to stay awake. Scootaloo yawned too.
"Man, that mud pie went so high, it almost hit a cloud," Rainbow Dash mused, looking back at where they landed. "Ever been on a cloud, Scoot?"
"Um, well...no," Scootaloo reluctantly admitted. "I've always lived in Ponyville, and I can't fly yet."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked as Scootaloo decided to lay her head down to waste less energy. "Huh, I would've thought you'd been up to Cloudsdale or something."
"Nope..." Scootaloo said. She couldn't resist closing her eyes any longer, and before she could say anything else, she was fast asleep.
Wind was whipping past Scootaloo's face when she opened her eyes again. She was falling past several white clouds, and her eyes bulged. Not again! This time she was going to catch Rainbow Dash, she knew she would! She looked around for the blue mare, and was shocked to see this time her wings were tied tightly to her sides, accelerating her fall.
"NO!" Scootaloo yelled, diving down after her role model. Every muscle in her body ached, but she wasn't going to stop, she wasn't going to slow down. She was going to push her wings to the very limit, do or die! Her eyes were already streaming from the stress, pain, and high-speed winds as the moonlight softly illuminated everything around her. Rainbow Dash looked up at the filly as the ground came into view, so much faster than the last times. The mare smiled, and Scootaloo knew this was her last shot.
"I WON'T LET YOU!" she screamed, pushing herself to breaking point. She stretched out her hooves as far as they could go, grabbing onto Rainbow Dash's foot. But while trying to pull up, her hooves slipped, sending Rainbow Dash into the ground with a sharp CRUNCH!
"NO!" Scootaloo screamed, landing on the unmoving mare's chest, tears readily flowing to the surface. "NO! I CAUGHT YOU THIS TIME! NO! WHY?! WHY COULDN'T I SAVE YOU?!" She buried her face in Rainbow Dash's chest, crying her heart out. She let out an agonizing scream -
Scootaloo yelled as loudly as she could, starting awake and promptly falling off the back of somepony who was carrying her. She kept her eyes closed, still thinking she was dreaming, not wanting to see -
"Scootaloo?!"
The orange filly bolted her head up, seeing Rainbow Dash looking at her with great concern against a night sky. Scootaloo let out a yell of relief and surprise, jumping at Rainbow Dash and hugging the mare's hoof as tightly as she could, so grateful it wasn't real, that Rainbow Dash was standing safely in front of her.
The blue Pegasus' eyes widened, but she let Scootaloo have her moment without interruption. Once the filly calmed down a bit, she gently removed her from her leg, laying down so as to be eye level with the little Pegasus.
"Scootaloo, what the heck just happened?" she asked. Scootaloo quickly rubbed her eyes and plastered a fake smile across her face.
"Uh, nothing! Just a dumb dream!" she said, giggling nervously. Rainbow Dash was obviously not falling for it.
"Look kid, you told me you were looking for somepony to take you under their wing, and I told you I would. But I can't do that if you won't tell me when something's bothering you," Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. The filly sniffled and nodded.
"W-well...I've been having nightmares...a lot. Last time that happened, Princess Luna helped me, but I can't find her anywhere in these dreams. It's the same dream, over and over. You're always falling, and I have to catch you before you hit the ground. B-but I...I never can..." Scootaloo sniffled and started tearing up again, trying to keep them in but failing. Rainbow Dash gave the filly a sympathetic smile and pulled her in with her wing.
"It's alright," Rainbow Dash said, Scootaloo crying into her chest. "That'd probably scare me too. But I promise, nothing's going to happen to my wings that'll make it impossible for me to fly. After all, I'm the best flyer in Equestria. Don't worry about it, okay?"
Scootaloo sniffled, then nodded. "Okay."
Rainbow Dash smiled, lifting her wing and letting Scootaloo stand up before she did so as well. "Come on, let's get you home."
"Huh? Wait, how do you know where I live?" Scootaloo asked, whipping her eyes.
"You don't think I'd take you under my wing without knowing where to bring you home?" the mare asked. "I asked Twilight how I could find out and she showed me."
"Ohhh..." By now the two had reached the door. Rainbow Dash knocked, and Scootaloo's father opened the door.
"Oh! Rainbow Dash, nice to see you!" he said.
"You too. Your daughter fell asleep at the Apple Family Farm, so I brought her back," Rainbow Dash responded as Scootaloo went inside and stood next to her father.
"Thank you. Hope you have a good night," the stallion replied with a smile.
"Night, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called.
"Night you two!" the mare said, flying off. Once she was a little ways away, she muttered to herself, "Next stop, Twilight's library."
The next afternoon, Scootaloo was scooting around Ponyville, the exercise surprisingly helping slightly with the aches she was experiencing from the obstacle course yesterday.
"Hey Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash's voice called. The filly grinded to a halt near the center fountain of Ponyville, looking around. The blue mare was standing not too far away, and trotted over to the smaller pony.
"Hey Rainbow Dash! What's up?"
"Well, you know how you said you'd never been on a cloud before?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I think I'm gonna take you up on one today so you can see for yourself."
"Really?! Aw, cool!" Scootaloo smiled, jumping. "When can we leave?"
"Right now, if you're ready," the mare said. Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically and started flapping her wings at high speeds. Rainbow Dash put a hoof under the filly's stomach and took off flying herself, letting Scootaloo "fly" a little higher and in front of her. It didn't take long for them to reach a cloud not far from Cloudsdale, and when Scootaloo stood on it, she was surprised.
"Wow! It's just like the ground. I kinda thought it'd be like a trampoline," Scootaloo admitted.
"Pretty cool, eh?" Rainbow Dash asked. "It's a little softer than the ground, but only a little, and only if you crash into it at high speeds, as somepony found out the day I got my Cutie Mark."
"And you can bust clouds that aren't needed to get rid of them, right? And move them?" Scootaloo asked, never having been close enough to the sky to test these things out for herself.
"Yep! I bet you can too. Let me bring one over, you see if you can bust it," Rainbow Dash said, looking around. She grabbed a nearby fair weather cloud and hovered it a few feet above the one Scootaloo was standing on. "Give it a kick, see if it busts!"
Scootaloo eagerly turned away from it and pounded her back two legs into the cloud, making it sort of poof away. The filly grinned and gave a happy yell.
"Nice! Just remember, thunderclouds are harder to bust. Just a tip for when you're flying," Rainbow Dash said.
"That's cool! Can we do more?"
"We can bust clouds until your legs get tired! Come on, you stand on my back and I'll fly near clouds you can bust!"
Scootaloo happily agreed, jumping on Rainbow Dash's back before the mare took flight. They started going around, breaking up fair weather clouds, Scootaloo even managing to grab one or two and move them elsewhere. The two happily kept going until the sun began to set, at which point they took a break on the cloud they'd been on before.
"That's really fun! I can't wait to be able to fly!" Scootaloo said.
"You'll be flying soon, if you're anything like me. Which you are, of course," Rainbow Dash assured her. As Scootaloo smiled widely, another Pegasus flew over, taking a storm cloud with him.
"What're you two doing? We have to get these storm clouds in here," the stallion called. Rainbow Dash grinned.
"Hey Scoot, you want to see us make a big old storm?" she asked, the light starting to fade fast. Scootaloo nodded, and Rainbow Dash took off, starting to help the various Pegasus ponies bring in storm clouds, already thundering. By the time the stars began to show, there was an impressive amount of clouds over Ponyville, though none of them were raining yet.
"Just one more cloud, then we can jump on them and start it raining!" Rainbow Dash said, flying under the storm clouds with the final one. However, apparently all a blue-grey Pegasus with crossed yellow eyes heard was "jump." She started excitedly bouncing on one thunder cloud, trying to start it up. Just as Rainbow Dash passed under it, it sparked to life, a bolt of lightning striking her left wing. The mare cried out in pain as Scootaloo gasped. Time seemed to slow as Rainbow Dash began to fall past the orange filly.
"RAINBOW DASH!" she screamed in desperation, diving off the cloud. The moon shining through the patch of still-clear sky, stars twinkling silently. Her role model was falling out of reach, towards the ground. Just like in her dream.
But this was not a dream. This was real, as real as anything Scootaloo ever experienced. All her muscles ached but she pushed every single one of them as hard as she possibly could, racing gravity for the unconscious mare mere feet ahead of her. Rainbow Dash's foot was within reach, but the little filly knew she couldn't possibly hold onto all that weight. The only way to save Rainbow Dash was to get under her and try to slow the fall that way. The ground was fast approaching, she only had seconds. Scootaloo put on a burst of speed, managing to get under Rainbow Dash. She reversed her wings' direction, muscles screaming at her and nearly cramping up, but she started to push against gravity, up against the blue mare's back. The pressure on her spine caused Rainbow Dash to regain consciousness, and her eyes bulged. In one swift motion, she rolled over and caught Scootaloo in her right wing, pulling the filly against her body and spinning, just before the left side of her body hit the ground with a CRUNCH! Rainbow Dash let out a pained expression, then her whole body went limp.
"No...No! NO! NO!" Scootaloo yowled, pushing the protective blue feathers off her and kneeling on the chest of the one she considered her big sister, tears rapidly splashing against Rainbow Dash's fur. "NO! I ALMOST DID IT! I WAS SLOWING YOU DOWN! WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME SAVE YOU?!"
Her screaming drew a lot of attention, including that of Twilight Sparkle, who had up until that point been walking from Applejack's home back to her own. The Alicorn raced over, using her magic to levitate Scootaloo off of her friend. The filly immediately started trying to get out of the purple aura.
"No! I let me down! I need to help her! Stop!" she started yelling.
"Scootaloo, we need to get Rainbow Dash to the hospital! I can't to that with you on her chest!" Twilight Sparkle said. She placed Scootaloo on her back and began to levitate Rainbow Dash off the ground, racing towards the hospital. What was really minutes felt like hours for Scootaloo, as rain started pouring on Ponyville. The medical ponies saw her coming and were ready to receive Rainbow Dash at the door, allowing Twilight Sparkle to place the limp mare on the gurney before it was wheeled into intensive care.
"Scootaloo, I'm going to get my friends and tell them what happened. I need you to stay here for me, tell me when I get back if anything changes, alright?"
The filly nodded as the newly crowned princess rushed out the door. She felt hollow, empty. She had tried to save Rainbow Dash, but instead the mare saved her, using her own, larger body to shield her from the shock of the ground. Scootaloo walked slowly over to the double doors and sat down, staring at the light that showed the room was currently being used for emergency care. She couldn't stop replaying the fall over in her mind. If she had jumped faster, if she had pushed herself further, if she had warned Rainbow Dash about that bouncing mare, maybe, maybe her role model wouldn't be in that room, bones broken, helpless and unconscious.
Twilight Sparkle returned fifteen minutes later with Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Twilight Sparkle asked Scootaloo something, but the filly wasn't listening and simply replied "Nothing changed." An agonizing hour after they had first brought her in, the light turned off. Scootaloo finally stood up, biting her lip and fearing the worst as the somber doctor came out.
"Well?" Twilight Sparkle asked nervously.
"Your friend will be fine," the doctor said with a smile, making everypony sigh with relief. "Her left wing and left front leg are broken, as are a few of her ribs, but her vital organs were miraculously untouched."
"Oh, thank goodness," Applejack sighed.
"What even happened to her?! Was she being reckless again?" Rarity asked. Scootaloo started tearing up, knowing if she hadn't asked Rainbow Dash to show her how to move and bust clouds they wouldn't be there right now.
"Scootaloo was with her when it happened," Twilight Sparkle said, turning to the filly. "Could you tell us what happened?"
Scootaloo turned to the older ponies, eyes streaming. "I-it's all my fault! I-I told Rainbow Dash I-I'd never been on a cloud before, s-so she flew me up to one, a-and I asked her to show me what weather ponies do, a-and she got hit with a lightning bolt, a-and, a-and I-I couldn't fly fast enough!"
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom immediately ran over and group-hugged their friend, both fillies tearing up as well. Fluttershy looked like she'd start crying at any moment too, Applejack somberly took off her Stetson, and the other ponies just shook their heads sadly.
"...Not to intrude," the doctor pony said, calling attention to the fact he'd been standing there the whole time, "but if you want to see her, she's waking up."
Scootaloo immediately bolted out of her friend's group hug and down the hall until she passed the open door she could see Rainbow Dash through, bandaged pretty much down her entire left side. She skidded to a stop and turned around, running back to the room and bursting inside, jumping over to the side of the mare's bed.
"Rainbow Dash I'm so so so so so so SO sorry I couldn't catch you! Dad told me there'd be a lightning storm today and I should have remembered but I didn't and then you go hurt and if you hadn't been spending time with me - !"
"What are you talking about?!" Rainbow Dash broke in, making the crying filly bite her tongue. The Pegasus' expression softened, and she used her right wing to pull Scootaloo onto the bed and into a hug. "That was probably the dumbest thing you ever did, but I have a feeling you slowed me down just enough to make a difference."
"B-but I didn't do good enough. You're still hurt..."
"Hey, I'm still here, aren't I?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smile. Scootaloo made an effort to grin before hugging the mare tightly around the neck, Rainbow Dash returning it with her right wing. The other ponies began to come into the room, asking Rainbow Dash how she was feeling and telling her the doctor said she should stay in the hospital for at least a few days, and not use her leg or wing extensively for a good month.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Fluttershy asked. "Cloudsdale is a long way to fall..."
"Well, this little daredevil pulled the stupidest but also bravest move I've ever seen," Rainbow Dash said, moving her wing so Scootaloo was more visible, making the filly look up at the others. "She put herself under me and tried to fly up to slow me down."
"WHAT?!" Pinkie Pie gasped. "How'd she know you were falling? Does she have Pinkie Sense too?!"
The group laughed, but Apple Bloom looked distraught. "But Scootaloo! You could have DIED!"
"You would have been a filly sandwich!" Sweetie Belle added. "What would we do without you?!"
Scootaloo smiled through her tears, knowing her friends were worried sick about her as well as Rainbow Dash.
"Again, stupidest but bravest move I've ever seen," Rainbow Dash said.
"I'm glad you'll be fine, Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle said. "Unfortunately, it's getting late, and we're going to have to leave for the night. We'll come see you tomorrow, okay?"
All the standing ponies started towards the door, and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked back. "Ya comin' Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom asked. The orange filly shook her head vigorously, and Rainbow Dash smiled before making a motion that it was alright. When the two were left alone in the room, Rainbow Dash nodded over to a bookshelf, making Scootaloo look towards it too.
"You ever read the stories of Daring Do before?" she asked. Scootaloo shook her head. "Lowest shelf, near the left. Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone is the first one. Why don't I read it to you? It's pretty good."
Scootaloo nodded and got up from where she had been sitting, finding the book Rainbow Dash mentioned and bringing it over. After Scootaloo got settled, the blue Pegasus began to read it out loud, and before the first chapter even finished, Scootaloo had fallen sound asleep. Rainbow Dash put a book mark in the book and set it down just as a soft knock came from the door. Scootaloo's father was in the doorway, and Rainbow Dash motioned for him to come over.
"I'm so sorry you got hurt today, Rainbow Dash," the stallion said. "I hope Scootaloo wasn't involved."
"Just a lapse in common sense," Rainbow Dash admitted. "She pulled a pretty risky stunt, but I think it might have saved me a good amount of broken bones."
Scootaloo's father nodded as he looked at his daughter sleeping against the mare's side. "Scootaloo's been looking for somepony like you to come along since she was old enough to walk. Her mother died due to an accident during a race she said she'd been 'dreaming of' not long after she was born. I had to keep working at the cloud factory, so I don't get to spend nearly as much time with her as I'd like."
Rainbow Dash looked down at the sleeping fily. "Poor kid..."
The stallion nodded. "Her mother was a lot like you. I'm glad she found you to look up to, but I'm even more glad that you took her under your wing. Honestly, I don't know what she'd do without you and her Cutie Mark Crusaders friends."
Another soft knock was heard, this time from Twilight Sparkle. Scootaloo's dad looked at his daughter, then up at Rainbow Dash. "Do you mind if she stays here with you tonight? She's been so exhausted lately, I don't want to wake her."
Rainbow Dash smiled. "No problem." The stallion nodded and left, giving Twilight Sparkle a polite "good evening" as he passed. The purple Alicorn trotted into the room, sitting down near the bed.
"I finally found something on dreams Princess Luna isn't in. Since what happened today seemed like it could be an exact replica of what you told me Scootaloo told you her dreams were, I decided to look at possible magic origins. It hadn't occurred to me, since Scootaloo's a Pegasus, but from what I've read, if one of her parents or grandparents was a Unicorn, her dreams could have actually been training and preparing her for today so she could do her best to prevent it from happening. From what I've read, it usually doesn't make much of a difference. But honestly, with what I've seen of Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom, I'm not surprised."
Rainbow Dash looked down once more at the orange filly loyally attached to her hip, smiling. "Oh yeah. She's a real winner, all right."
