Equestria Girls 05: A Destiny Denied
Rainbow-colored hair flew about her head in a wild tangle, whipping wildly in the furious wind that whistled past her ears. The view before her was unlike anything she’d ever seen, and yet it was a welcome sight to Rainbow Dash. A strong sun shining down through the pearl-white clouds below across a distant landscape of blue and green, so bright and vivid she almost had to shield her eyes against its glow.
A bright grin on her face, Rainbow Dash leaned forward, hurtling forward so fast she was sure she was leaving a streak behind her. Her clothes whipped around her in a furious frenzy as her body plunged through the cloud cover below, letting her through to plunge just as fast towards the distant ground. She wasn’t afraid to see the ground coming, she was excited. Her brilliant blue feathered wings caught the air with ease to turn herself upward before she could hit, sending her soaring through the sky.
The ground passed below in a haze of motion, sounds that faded together into a confusing cacophony of noises until she spotted Scootaloo just ahead of her on the grass, jumping up and down and waving her arms in excitement. With a cocky grin Rainbow Dash closed the distance almost instantly, sweeping the girl off of the ground into her arms and turning back towards the sky, leaving the grassy field far below them.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo howled and hooted in excitement. “You’re the best!”
“Haha! Yeah, yeah, of course I am! I always am!” Rainbow Dash spiraled into the sky with ease, carrying them back up though the thin layer of clouds to emerge out into the direct sunlight. “Not that there’s anything wrong with you too…” Rainbow Dash grinned even brighter.
Scootaloo giggled with a coy look on her face. “Well duh, we’re both awesome… and we’re more awesome together…”
“Awesome times two…” Rainbow leaned forward slowly, feeling Scootaloo’s hand run gently through her mane.
Wait, mane? She didn’t have a mane…
Scootaloo screamed in terror as they began to fall, plummeting quickly through the clouds to continue their way towards the distant land. Rainbow Dash tried desperately to pull up, but… wait, where were her wings? Didn’t she have wings before?
The ground was coming up fast. Rainbow Dash felt her heart pounding in terror, but her arms only closed tighter around Scootaloo, pressing them together and burying her head in her shoulder. Scootaloo’s trembling body pressed against her own, the last thing she would feel right before they hit the ground…
“Aaaaugh!” Rainbow Dash nearly leapt upright, throwing herself back to bang into her headboard. “Ow! Sunofa…” Rainbow leaned forward, rubbing the back of her head even as she tried to calm her racing heart. Her blanket was lying on the floor several feet from her bed, spared from the cold sweat that drenched her body underneath her loose tank-top and sweatpants.
Once the trembling subsided enough Rainbow Dash climbed out of bed to make her way into the bathroom, stumbling through the darkness in her sleep-haze until she found her way to the shower and climbed in.
The freezing cold water jolted her fully out of her sleep-haze, but she didn’t move to get out. She leaned forward under the stream with her eyes closed with her palms pressing against the wall, not caring that her bedclothes were still on and getting soaked through.
“I can’t stand nightmares…” Rainbow Dash growled softly under her breath.
___
The real afternoon sun was a comfort, energizing Rainbow Dash despite her lack of sleep the previous night. Watching her Soccer team dash back and forth along the field helped, seeing the ball being passed between them with a level of precision that made her proud to watch.
“Come on Thunder Lane! Watch that footwork! Keep your head up Blossom Forth! Yeah, yeah, that’s how you do it!”
When the ball flew into one of the goals at the far side of the field Rainbow Dash raised her whistle to her lips to call the team in close. Rainbow Dash pumped her fist in front of her as the team approached. “Great job out there guys! We’re going to absolutely destroy those losers at Monster High!” Cheers of agreement erupted from her teammates.
“Yeeaaaahhh!”
“Now why don’t you guys take a break? We’ll be right back at it in fifteen minutes sharp. Any slackers get to run laps!”
Rainbow Dash turned away from her team to give them some time to themselves, making her way over to the shade of a small tree on the edge of the school grounds. With a soft sigh she leaned back against the sturdy trunk, allowing herself a couple moments to relax. She felt just fine, of course, but there was something to be said for slowing down occasionally and just closing your eyes…
Her eyes blinked back open when she felt a pair of lips press against her cheek, drawing her attention to her left where Scootaloo was watching with a bright smile, but a concerned look in her eye.
“Hey, are you sleeping over here?” Scootaloo asked.
“What? Sleeping? Psh, of course not!” Rainbow Dash looked down, and was surprised to see that she was sitting on the grass with her back against the trunk.
Scootaloo was kneeling beside her, running her hands over Rainbow Dash’s arm. “Come on, lemme help you up…”
“Gah… geeze…” Rainbow Dash grunted as she climbed to her feet, hearing her joints creak from stiffness. How long had she been asleep? It looked like the sun had moved quite a bit. In fact a glance at her watch showed she’d been out cold for two hours. “What the…!? Oh man, I completely missed the rest of practice…”
“Seriously? That’s not like you at all.” Scootaloo only looked more concerned at this news. “Are you sure you’re okay? You still look kind of tired.”
Rainbow took a moment to fight a losing battle against a deep yawn, eventually just letting it happen before speaking. “Y-yeah, I’m fine, really. Just haven’t been getting a lot of sleep.”
“Really? Why not?” Scootaloo turned to head toward the sidewalk, gripping Rainbow Dash’s hand gently in her own to pull her along.
“Oh it’s… it’s nothing big, really.” Rainbow Dash blushed softly, letting herself be led.
“Hey, we talked about this. No hiding things from me, okay?” Scootaloo glared back at the taller girl reproachfully.
Rainbow hesitated a bit more, but decided angering her girlfriend wasn’t worth keeping the secret. “It’s just these nightmares I’ve been having. Every couple of nights I dream that I’m flying, like I did the night of the Fall Formal…”
“Hah!” Scootaloo grinned. “That’s a nightmare? That was awesome! I thought I was gonna faint when you carried me through the air like that!”
“Heh, yeah, it was pretty awesome…” Rainbow Dash smiled at the memory. “But then… it stopped… just like it does in the dream.” She looked away slightly, not wanting to remember the dream while looking at Scootaloo. “I always… lose my wings while I’m carrying you… and we fall… nothing catches us.”
“Oh… geeze…” Scootaloo gasped softly. “That sounds terrible…”
“It’s not fun… I wake up in the middle of the night and I can’t get back to sleep.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “They’re just nightmares, hardly anything to worry about.”
“I don’t know, Rainbow. If it’s making you so tired you can’t even stay awake through soccer practice, maybe it is something to worry about.”
“You think so?” Rainbow asked.
“It couldn’t hurt to ask someone… maybe you could ask Nurse Redheart about it tomorrow.”
“Mnh…” Rainbow grunted. “I hate doctors. I feel like I’m admitting defeat.”
Scootaloo giggled. “Aw it’s not defeat, it’s having the guts to ask for help!”
“Fine, fine…” Rainbow Dash sighed. “I’ll go see the nurse tomorrow and tell her I haven’t been sleeping lately.”
“Atta girl.” Scootaloo reached up to ruffle Rainbow’s hair with a cheesy grin.
“Gah, come on.” Rainbow reached up to fix her hair. “Aren’t I supposed to do that sort of thing to you?”
Scootaloo stuck out her tongue. “Pppbbblt, ageist.” Scootaloo smirked back with an affectionate squeeze of her hand. “Come on, let’s go get some ice-cream.” She tugged on Rainbow’s hand gently, but commandingly as she turned to head down the sidewalk in the direction of their usual ice-cream serving hangout, Sugarcube Corner.
Rainbow Dash kind of felt like going home and lying down for a while, but she doubted she would get any sleep after just waking up from a two hour nap. Besides, spending the rest of the day with Scootaloo in the real world sounded like a much better alternative to watching her plummet to her death in the dream one…
___
Rainbow Dash was up early again the next morning, sitting in front of her window in a towel and staring up at the stars twinkling in the dark sky. At first the dreams had only been happening once in a while, something annoying that kept her up at night, but were easy enough to ignore. For the last week or so, though, the dreams were coming every single night. She was so tired, but there was no way she was getting back to sleep after a particularly gruesome dream where Scootaloo hit the ground first…
She felt so tired she couldn’t even bring herself to yawn anymore. Maybe Scootaloo was right, maybe she really did need to get help of some kind… something more than a school nurse…
Maybe she was going crazy.
She glanced down at the cell phone sitting on the nightstand by her bed, fighting with herself for several minutes before plucking the phone off of its stand and raising it to her ear, her fingers swiftly dialing a familiar number.
“Rainbow Dash?” Applejack’s voice came back loud and clear. “What in tarnation are you doin’ up at this hour?”
“Being glad you’re an early riser.” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help a small smile.
“That don’t answer my question.”
“Also wondering if you wanted to grab an early breakfast with me. I know you’re usually working the farm right now, but I could use someone to talk to…”
There were a few seconds of silence on the other end before Applejack spoke more softly. “Yeah, I guess I could use a break for a while. I’ll meet you at Joe’s Doe’s in thirty minutes, alright?”
“Sounds good to me, thanks AJ. I’ll see you there.” Feeling in much better spirits with a plan, Rainbow set about getting dressed to leave the house. Sneaking out of the house at night wasn’t something she normally did, but the sun was beginning to rise, and she would be able to go straight to school after breakfast, so it wasn’t like she was getting up to any mischief. Just leaving a little earlier than usual.
Once she was dressed and properly groomed Rainbow Dash slipped quietly out the front door and made her way towards Joe’s Doe’s just a short distance away from the school. Applejack’s old rusted truck was already parked right outside the front door by the time she approached, bringing a smile to Rainbow’s lips. Applejack was nothing if not there for her friends when they needed her.
The chime in the door rang out across the diner as she entered, spotting Applejack sitting on one of the stools in front of the main counter.
“Howdy.” Applejack waved when she heard the chime. “Nothin’ like the pleasant surprises to keep a girl lookin’ forward to tomorrow, eh? Like breakfast with a friend.”
“I can think of worse things to be doing right now.” Rainbow Dash slid onto the stool beside her, gesturing to the somewhat gruff man behind the counter. “One stack of Blueberry Waffles.”
As Joe turned to the back to prepare her meal, Applejack gave her a sharp, searching look. “You doin’ alright there, Sugarcube? You still look a mite tired.”
“No, actually. I don’t know if I am doing alright.” Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “I haven’t gotten a full night’s sleep in over a week. It’s starting to affect me.”
“Yeesh, I’d imagine it would. What’s got you go riled up?”
“That’s just it… I don’t know.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Every night now I’m having this same nightmare…”
Rainbow Dash launched into everything, leaving nothing out of her story, even about Scootaloo featuring in most, though not all of her dreams. Of course Rainbow Dash’s closest friends knew that Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were a couple. There had been some skepticism at first, but they’d come around to the idea, as long as they didn’t do anything either of them would regret.
“Hmmm… that sounds like a heck of a dream to be having over and over.” Applejack gave her a sympathetic smile. “Maybe you’re just nervous ‘bout Scootaloo…?”
“Psh, nah, I’m not nervous about that.” Rainbow Dash waved off that possibility with one careless hand. “I know where we stand and I’m happy with it.”
“Then I don’t understand, what could be causin’ these dreams?”
“If I knew that… I’d be sleeping right now.” Rainbow sighed and hung her head in her hands. She perked up when she heard a plate being slid right under her nose, and the scent of blueberry waffles visited her nostrils. “Man those smell good…”
Applejack chuckled. “Well eat up, my treat.” She spun her own fork enthusiastically through her fingers before digging into her own stack of plain waffles drenched in syrup.
A friendly silence settled over the small diner, with Donut Joe sitting on a stool behind the counter and idly watching the small TV that was showing cartoons in the far corner with the sound down. The sun was peeking over the horizon by the time Rainbow Dash finished the last bite of her waffles, pushing the plate across the counter with a satisfied grunt. She was full, which was good… but man, her lack of sleep was really getting to her. Her eyes felt so heavy.
“You still with us there?” Applejack’s hands gripped her arm, holding her firmly upright in her stool.
“Guh! Yeah!” Rainbow shook her head furiously to clear it. “Whoa, was I dozing off?”
“You sure were. Better watch out for that, somethin’ bad could happen if you do it in the wrong place.”
“Yeah, seriously.” Rainbow Dash stood from the stool beside Applejack, who’d already risen to her feet. “So… what do you think AJ? Do you think I need to go see the nurse about this…?”
“The nurse? I think you need more’n a school nurse,” Applejack told her gently. “I think you might need to talk to somebody more professional than that.”
“So in other words, you’re saying I’m probably crazy.”
“Not crazy, just in need of a little talkin’ to.” A powerful hand patted Rainbow’s shoulder comfortingly. “Not that I mind talkin’, but I don’t know what I could do for you. I know about as much about dreams as I do about algebra.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Rainbow smiled. “Just having breakfast with me has been a big help, though. Thanks.”
“C’mon, we have just enough time to pick up Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom on our way to school. You can ride with me.”
“Sounds good.” Rainbow followed her friend through the front door of the diner and up to the truck parked right outside, where Applejack climbed into the driver’s seat, leaving Rainbow to take the passenger’s seat.
Her seatbelt buckled, Rainbow Dash settled in for the ride, watching as Applejack pulled out of the parking lot and turned down the road beyond, the headlights adding to the growing light of the sun peeking over the horizon. The steady hum of the motor buzzed through the cab, adding to the gentle vibration of the truck as it rolled down the streets, onto the dirt road that led outside of town towards Sweet Apple Acres.
It was a long ride… and the vibration was almost soothing…
“This truck is so slow…” Rainbow Dash sighed.
“Well sorry, but I can only go the speed limit.” Applejack smirked.
“Puh, sucks for you. I think I’m gonna take the awesome way!” Rainbow Dash suddenly threw the door open and leapt outside, her beautiful sky blue wings catching the air and sending her spiraling up into the sky. “Aw yeah baby! What the heck have I been doing all this time staying on the ground? This is where I belong!”
“You think so, huh?” Rainbow Dash whirled in surprise, but saw nobody around her. The voice almost sounded like hers.
“Yeah, I think so! I mean look at me! I was born to fly!”
“No you weren’t! You were born to stay on the ground and be like everyone else!”
“Why don’t you come out here and say that to my face!?” Rainbow Dash whirled back and forth, her eyes scanning the clouds, which seemed to be gathering in every direction. “Tell me why I can’t fly!”
“Because no matter how much you wish you were…” A bright, sky-blue pony rose from the clouds in front of her on wide feathery wings, and a cocky expression on her lips. On her flank was a strange symbol of a rainbow-colored lightning bolt emerging from a cloud. “You can’t be me!” Without warning the pony rushed forward, slamming headfirst into her stomach and sending Rainbow tumbling back through the air.
“Gah! Grrr!” Rainbow Dash righted herself quickly, clenching her fists at her sides. “Bring it on!” Rainbow Dash lurched forward, taking a swing at the furred muzzle before her, but the pony was ridiculously fast.
It spun easily away from her punch with enough time to slam a hoof into her stomach, knocking her back again. Rainbow tried to swing again, but the next hoof connected before she could even get her fist into a proper arc. Pain surged through her body as she stumbled back through the sky, blow after blow landing across her chest and stomach from the powerful pony hooves. Without warning the hooves snatched her out of the air by her wings, holding her dangling in the air.
“I… I…” Rainbow wheezed in pain, struggling against the hooves to free herself.
“You aren’t awesome…” The pony shook her head with a disgusted sneer. “You can’t even fly… you are completely pathetic!” Suddenly the pony yanked outwards, tearing her wings from her back. Pain roared through her body as Rainbow Dash went hurtling towards the ground, tumbling end over end through the air like a leaf caught in the breeze.
Helpless to stop herself, Rainbow Dash flailed against the wind as the ground approached at a terrifying pace. With a sharp thud and a scream of pain Rainbow hit the ground on her back, the force and angle of the impact driving her forward across the grass, tumbling several feet before she finally came to a stop in front of the statue on the school grounds.
She tried to sit up, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It could only tremble on the grass, as the feeling slowly drained from her limbs. She lay blankly on her back as the last of the feeling left her body. She could just barely move her neck now. Oh God, she was paralyzed…
“Suh… Scootaloo…” Rainbow Dash groaned softly and turned her eyes upward, seeing Scootaloo approaching from right above her head. The smaller girl was staring down at her with an expression of shock at first, but that soon turned to one of sadness. “Scoot…”
“Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo knelt down and ran a soft hand over her cheek with tears in her eyes. “What happened to you Rainbow Dash? What’s happening?”
“I…” Rainbow grunted in pain. “I think… I’m dying.”
“No… please don’t…” Scootaloo begged softly. “I don’t want you to die…”
“What does she have to live for anyway?” Rainbow managed to turn her head toward the courtyard statue, seeing the blue Pegasus standing right in front of the glowing, polished mirror. “She’ll never be like me… she’ll always just be a waste of space.”
“Waste of space…” Rainbow closed her eyes slowly as she felt her breath come more lightly, letting the inevitable darkness engulf her thoughts. “No reason to… live.”
___
“C’mon Rainbow, We got school… Rainbow?“
___
“I don’t know what to do, maybe--”
___
“I think she--”
___
“Maybe y’all should come--”
___
“What’s wrong with--”
___
“-Rainbow Dash?”
The darkness felt like it was shifting in her mind, beginning to move again after being silent and still for at least an eternity. She could feel a pair of hands gripping one of hers, squeezing so tightly it was almost painful, and it felt like there were several drops of moisture on her cheek. Someone was leaning over her, speaking in a soft tone, with a slightly shivering voice.
“Rainbow Dash, please… Oh God I knew you should’ve gone to the doctor sooner…” Ah yes, finally Rainbow recognized the voice. It was Scootaloo leaning over her. “Rainbow Dash you can wake up… I know you can.”
“S… suh…” Rainbow Dash grunted and jerked her head slightly, feeling her joints creaking. “Scootaloo…?”
“R-Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo’s tear-streaked face brightened immediately and she leaned down, wrapping her arms tightly around her torso in an iron hug. “Oh thank God! Rainbow Dash you’re okay! Tell me you’re okay!”
“I’m fine…” Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around Scootaloo, finding it surprisingly difficult to lift them. Her body still felt sluggish from sleep, but it also felt like she hadn’t eaten in forever. “I just fell asleep…”
“Fell asleep?” Scootaloo exclaimed. “For twelve hours!?”
“Wh-wha…?” Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise, finally opening her eyes wide and taking a good look at her surroundings. She was lying in a thick, comfortable bed in a room made of sturdy wooden planks… Applejack’s house, no doubt. The clock by the bed was flashing the time in big red letters. It was nearly nine PM.
“Oh, I’ve gotta tell the others!” Wiping her eyes clear, Scootaloo leapt from the bed to race over to the open door. “Hey! Hey Rainbow Dash woke up!” No sooner did Scootaloo race back to her bedside to grip her hand tightly than a flood of bodies began to fill the room. The nervous energy from the lot of them was almost palpable, but as each got a glimpse of Rainbow, the nervousness seemed to evaporate into intense relief.
“Oh goodness, darling, you gave us such a fright!” Rarity chided with a deep sigh.
“Yes, we were so worried…” Fluttershy twiddled her thumbs in front of her. “I hardly knew what to do with myself…”
“Dashy! Don’t you ever do that to us again!” Pinkie Pie nearly leapt onto the bed with her, and it was only Applejack’s firm grip on her arm that kept her from doing just that.
“Did you get a good sleep there, Rainbow?” Applejack asked more softly.
“I… guess so?” Rainbow Dash rubbed her forehead with her free hand. “I don’t even know what happened…”
“When I got here you were passed out cold. We tried to wake you up, but all the yellin’ and nudgin’ in the world wouldn’t do a thing. Finally we called the doctor looked you over. He said it was exhaustion,” Applejack informed her. “Too many physical activities and not enough sleep.”
“Oh…” Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. “Uh… sorry to worry everyone…”
“It’s quite alright darling.” Rarity chimed in with a smile. “But I don’t understand, what on Earth has been happening? Why haven’t you been sleeping?”
Rainbow Dash gulped, her hand reflexively squeezing Scootaloo’s. The gentle squeeze she got in return was a comfort. “I guess trying to keep it secret and look tough now is kind of pointless… I’ll tell you guys everything…”
She did just that. Everything from the very first dream the night of the dance, and every dream up to the one she’d just had. Even as she spoke she realized it was strange just how vivid the dream was. Most dreams began to fade after a few minutes at most, but every part of the dream was completely fresh. She didn’t forget anything, and even as she spoke she could see the worry and concern growing on her friends’ faces.
By the time she finished Rainbow Dash realized she was actually quaking, even talking about dying in her dream. “It… really felt like I was dying… and that I really didn’t mind…”
“My word…” Rarity covered her mouth daintily with both hands. “What could it possibly mean…?”
“Why would you see a pony beat you up?” Fluttershy asked confusedly. “It doesn’t make any sense…”
“Destiny Depression…” A sharper voice came from behind the girls. Everyone turned to look at Sunset Shimmer, who’d been leaning against the wall and listening to them talk. She was looking straight at Rainbow Dash now. “It sounds like the symptoms of Destiny Depression.”
“I’m not depressed.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I got way too much going for me to be depressed.”
“That’s not quite what it means.” Sunset Shimmer pushed away from the wall to approach her bedside with her hands on her hips. “On the night of the Fall Formal, at the dance. You were having a grand old time flying around, weren’t you?”
“Heck yeah I was.” Rainbow smiled at the memory. “It was awesome! It felt absolutely amazing. Heck, it felt…” Rainbow Dash trailed off to think of the right word.
“Natural?”
“Yeah!”
Sunset Shimmer nodded and crossed her arms over her stomach. “That would support my theory…”
“Which is… what, exactly?” Applejack prompted. “I don’t mean to be rude, but could you explain to the rest of us what this Destiny Depression is all about?”
Sunset Shimmer took a moment to collect her thoughts before speaking. “I won’t waste all of our time going over pony physiology and psychology and what a cutie mark is, but suffice it to say, every pony in Equestria has a destiny tied to them. This destiny is tied to who they truly are on the inside, an aspect of themselves that gives them satisfaction. Everything, and everypony, has a purpose. Something they love to do, and are amazing at.”
“What does this have to do with me?” Rainbow Dash demanded. “I’m no pony.”
“You were, for about two hours,” Sunset reminded her. “I think when Twilight Sparkle used you all to power the Element of Magic, she did more than draw on your friendship… she infused you with the essence of her Ponyville friends, your universal doubles. This infusion may have included their true selves… their destinies.”
“But then why would it only affect Rainbow Dash this way?” Fluttershy pointed out.
“Because it doesn’t change anything for the rest of you, your destinies are things you’re doing anyway. Applejack is an apple farmer, Rarity’s a fashion designer, Fluttershy is a tree-hugger, and Pinkie Pie… is Pinkie Pie.”
“I sure am!” Pinkie Pie giggled.
“But you?” Sunset Shimmer turned back to Rainbow Dash. “Your double is a flyer. One of the best in Equestria, if word-of-mouth is accurate. That is her destiny.” Sunset Shimmer shook her head, her tone softening. “Put simply, Destiny Depression happens when a pony has a cutie mark for something they cannot possibly accomplish.”
“You’re… telling me I have her destiny… and these dreams are because I can’t be an awesome flyer?” Rainbow Dash was stunned, disbelieving even as Sunset Shimmer nodded in confirmation.
“What usually happens to these ponies?” Fluttershy asked. Everyone turned to look at her, until her cheeks began to glow crimson. “I mean… they’re okay, right? This Depression can be gotten over… can’t it?”
Sunset Shimmer took another moment to collect her thoughts before speaking. “Destiny Depression is extremely rare; usually it only happens in cases where a pony is disabled in such a way that they’re rendered unable to fulfill their destiny after-the-fact. Similar to Rainbow Dash, actually.” She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, giving Rainbow Dash a long, studying look. “Honestly I don’t know if it can ever be ‘gotten over’, but there are steps we can take to help her out.”
“We’ll do whatever it takes!” Applejack insisted without hesitation. “Just tell us what to do!”
“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed enthusiastically, wrapping both of her arms around Rainbow’s. “I’ll make sure she’s alright!”
“Heh…” Rainbow Dash blushed with a small smile. “Thanks, Scootaloo…”
“It’ll take a while to put together a plan.” Sunset Shimmer nodded. “I’ll work on something and let you guys know what I come up with.”
“Alright, we’ll put together a plan in the mornin’ then. Right now I think we should all get some sleep. Too many frazzled nerves right now for any of us to focus anyway.” Applejack turned away from the bed and gestured to the others behind her. “Come on everybody, let’s get outta here. The excitement’s all passed now.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep a broad smile from her lips as she watched her best friends turn to file through the door, throwing back parting words and reassurances one-by-one as they filed out of the bedroom. Scootaloo stayed right by Rainbow’s side, clinging to her arm like she was going to prevent her from drowning.
When Applejack was the last one at the door, she looked back at the two of them with a knowing smile. “You’re both free to stay as long as you like. You can even stay the night if you want, Rainbow.”
“Thanks, I’ll think about it.” Rainbow Dash smiled and waved after her best friend as she politely ducked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind her.
Once they were alone, Rainbow Dash turned her gaze on her girlfriend. Scootaloo was just then wiping at her eyes, looking giddy, nervous, and excited all at the same time. Her bloodshot eyes had hardly gone away from when Rainbow had just woken up, and now that she was really looking, Rainbow could see that her overall look was disheveled and careless. Like she’d run all the way from school and hadn’t taken a single moment to fix herself up afterwards.
“You look like crap,” Rainbow Dash teased with a small smile.
“Says the chick with the worst bedhead I’ve ever seen,” Scootaloo shot right back with a grin, which quickly faded. “Geeze, Rainbow Dash… you scared the hell out of me.”
“I know… and I’m really sorry.” Rainbow Dash reached out to pull Scootaloo into a comfortable hug, stroking her back. Scootaloo leaned over her chest, lying half on top of her so she could hug her back in a tight grip. “Last thing I wanna do is worry you, Scoots…”
“I know…” Scootaloo smiled with a soft blush. “Last thing I want is to see you depressed…”
“Aw I’m not depressed… not while you’re here.” Rainbow Dash winked and pulled the girl closer, into a tighter hug, and a soft kiss on the lips.
They fell into silence as the kiss lingered, with Scootaloo moving up into a more comfortable position on top of Rainbow Dash. With their hands holding and stroking one-another, comforting one-another, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo enjoyed their quiet moment together. They had done this before, but there was something about this time that made Rainbow Dash tremble. Perhaps it was the devotion the smaller girl had just shown, perhaps it was the simple intimate atmosphere of the modest wooden farmhouse, but somehow Rainbow felt closer than ever.
After several minutes of making out Rainbow Dash let the kiss fade away, resting her forehead up against Scootaloo’s. “You know what I want more than anything right now…?”
Scootaloo’s face flushed bright red, but she had a wide grin on her lips. “What’s that…?”
“The fattest, juiciest steak you can find.” Rainbow Dash licked her lips. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
Scootaloo giggled and sat up on the bed beside her. “I don’t know about steak, but I’ll go see if Applejack has anything to munch on. I’ll be right back!” She bounced off the bed to make her way towards the kitchen.
Alone in the bedroom, Rainbow Dash rolled over to the edge of the bed to stand up, moving slowly to let stiff joints get used to moving again. After finally sleeping she felt more energetic than before, though there was a trace of fatigue as well from sleeping way too long at once. Even if her body couldn’t decide whether she was tired or energetic, she did know she wasn’t going to get back to sleep any time soon.
So she made her way out to the living room, hearing the sound of voices and the sweet smell of food coming from the kitchen. Also coming from the kitchen was Sunset Shimmer, who was waving back into the room on her way towards the front door.
“See you tomorrow AJ.” Sunset waved behind her as she reached the door.
“Hey, Sunset Shimmer… can you hold up a sec?” Rainbow Dash moved to meet her.
“Hm? Sure, what’s on your mind?” Sunset asked. “I told you everything I know.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you did… but something just occurred to me. You said this Destiny Depression thing happens to ponies who can’t ‘fulfill their destiny’ or whatever, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“So what about you?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously. “You’re a pony aren’t you? Are you fulfilling your destiny here?”
Sunset Shimmer gave her a steady, surprised look. “You’re more perceptive than I give you credit for. No… my talent was for magic, and since there’s none here, I haven’t done anything related to my talent or destiny in years, aside from the night of the dance.”
“Then why aren’t you feeling Destiny Depression?”
Sunset Shimmer flashed a wry smile. “When did I say I’m not?”
Rainbow Dash stared at her in surprise, but Sunset just waved off her concern and pulled the door open.
“We’ll talk tomorrow Rainbow Dash, about what we can all do to deal with it. Just trust me when I say I think you’re gonna be just fine.”
Rainbow Dash nodded back with a wider smile. “Yeah, we can get through this.”
Sunset winked and pulled the door open to step outside, closing the door behind her.
“Rainbow!” Scootaloo exclaimed from the door, carrying a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. “Applejack made you dinner, or… breakfast! Oh whatever, come on!”
“I’m coming.” With a grateful smile, Rainbow Dash turned to follow her toward the kitchen table. This was all too weird to her, but Sunset Shimmer was right. It didn’t matter how many nightmares she had, how many freaky dream-ponies kicked her butt or how many times she passed out without warning… she had her friends here with her, and she had the inner strength to keep on trucking through it all.
Also she had Scootaloo… and that was certainly not to be forgotten.
Next Time
Episode 06: Welcome to the Family
Author's Note
Sitting and thinking about the plot of Equestria Girls too hard is simply missing the point, as is thinking too hard about the series continuity in general, really. But looking at the characterizations, I know I’m not the first to notice that human Rainbow Dash took to flying really, really easily. I don’t think Fluttershy used her wings once, but Rainbow was all over the place the instant they appeared. After watching Twilight fight and struggle to control her wings at the beginning of the movie, there’s really only one potential explanation for this, in my mind.
And… that’s about all I have to say about this episode. Once again, it kind of speaks for itself. So, I hope you enjoyed it, and will enjoy the future episodes as well.
