The Rainbow Conundrum

After Scootaloo forced herself to go through her daily routine for a week, which included going to the Rainbow Dash Fan Club, not that she could stand to be an active participant after what had happened to her big sister, Scootaloo had finally had enough of the pain that going to the fan club caused her. She wanted nothing to do with Rainbow Dash, because every time that she thought of her “hero”, she was miserable. So, with that in mind, she announced that she was going to be leaving the Rainbow Dash Fan Club during the weekly meeting, and declined to give a reason as to why she was not going to be there anymore, as she knew that nopony there would believe her. When Rainbow Dash found out, she was immediately concerned for her number one fan. When Rainbow Dash spotted Scootaloo flying around, not really paying attention to where she was going, she immediately caught up with her and tried to start a conversation.

“Hey, Scoots!” Rainbow shouted as she came up alongside the lazily flying Scootaloo.

“Come on! Hello!” Rainbow continued when she did not get a response from her number one fan.

Scootaloo abruptly stopped, making Rainbow overshoot, once she’s turned around, Rainbow Dash is met by an intense glare from Scootaloo.

“What do you want?!” The young Pegasus shouted loud enough for several ponies in the area to look up in surprise.

“Hey, easy sport…” Rainbow Dash says trying to placate Scootaloo; she reaches out towards the youngster. Her hoof was smacked aside viciously, making Rainbow Dash pull it back in surprise.

“Get away from me!” Scootaloo snarled before getting a very sorrowful expression on her face as she tries to hold back tears. “Just… Stay away…”

With that Scootaloo speeds off in the opposite direction, leaving a completely stunned and hurt looking Rainbow Dash hovering in midair. 'What...what just happened?' Rainbow Dash wondered to herself.

That night, Scootaloo had the nightmare again. The nightmare was of the moment where her big sister had been killed by Twilight Sparkle, and how Twilight Sparkle had been so sure that she had been doing the right thing when she had been doing it.

After a week of avoiding Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo knew that she would be able to stop trying to avoid her, as Rainbow Dash would've picked up on the not-so-subtle hints that she kept dropping about wanting to be left alone by now. This was a relief, because every second that she spent in the air was agonizing to her. ‘Heh. I’m finally able to fly, and it’s just another reminder of what I've lost.’ Scootaloo thought to herself, remorsefully.

‘Normally, I would be ecstatic to be flying! I would be so happy that I could finally fly, just like my idol, Rainbow D…’ she started to think, before breaking down and crying. ‘Why!?!’ “Why did Twilight have to kill her!?!” Scootaloo shouted her voice filled with anguish and misery. “Why can’t I have a family!?! Sure, the orphanage caretaker, Tender Heart, is nice, but for that one day, THAT ONE DAY, I had a family, and it was Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried, as tears fell from her eyes.

What Scootaloo did not know, however, was that Rainbow Dash had made sure to be in charge of taking care of the weather for the next month, so that she could determine what had caused Scootaloo to act as she had towards her. She had made sure to give the rest of the weather team of Ponyville paid leave, which, as captain of the weather team, she could do. 'Wha...oh come on! What did that clone get me into?!?!?' Rainbow Dash thought, annoyed. Rainbow Dash had recently been inducted into the Wonderbolts reserves, and she had been stoked! She hadn't wanted to be tied down to any one location, in case she was accepted onto the real team. 'I can still just go about my business, though, right?' Rainbow Dash thought, trying to convince herself that all was not lost.

Scootaloo's nightmares continued, and steadily worsened, until the real Rainbow Dash began to laugh at Scootaloo's tears when the clone was killed. Scootaloo could be heard crying in her sleep, and Tender Heart came and sat by her bed, stroking her mane in an effort to give her some comfort. Scootaloo had been crying in her sleep for two weeks now, and she had been growing worried. Where was Princess Luna, and why wasn't she helping Scootaloo?

During the third week, Scootaloo’s friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, noticed that Scootaloo had been looking more and more tired with each passing week, as well as the fact that she seemed to grow sadder and sadder with each passing week. So, they decided between the two of them to try to get their cutie marks in therapy, as they wanted to help their friend. Sweetie Belle actually came up with the idea, and after explaining what it meant to Apple Bloom, Apple Bloom said “So what we’re gonna do is help Scootaloo with whatever is bothering her? Well why didn't ya just say so!”

This caused Sweetie Belle to roll her eyes, and mutter “I did.” When Scootaloo got to the clubhouse that day, after falling asleep on her scooter a few times, only to be awakened by visions of her big sister being tortured by Rainbow Dash, and then killed by Twilight Sparkle, she immediately asked the other two what they wanted to try to get their cutie marks in this time, before letting out a yawn.

The other two said, “We’re gonna be Cutie Mark Crusader Therapists! YAY!”

This caused all of Scootaloo’s sleep-deprivation to be forgotten instantaneously, and her face immediately had a look of trepidation on it. “Do I even want to know who we’re going to try this on?” she asked, warily.

The other two chuckled at this, and Sweetie Belle said “Dear Scootaloo, we’re not going to try this on anypony! You’re going to lie down on this couch,” Sweetie Belle said, pulling out a fainting couch from the same place that Rarity does,

“And we’re gonna examine ya!” Apple Bloom finished for her, with a wide smile on her face.

“Mind telling me why?” Scootaloo said, with a dark tone. She didn't like this one bit, it felt too much like a trap. She knew rationally that she shouldn't be expecting such things from her friends, but just four weeks ago, she had thought that Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were her friends, yet they had all betrayed her with no sign that they were planning on doing so. The betrayal from Rainbow Dash really hammered in the lesson that betrayal can come from anypony, anywhere, and at any time. She didn't like having to think the worst of her friends, but at this point, it was a matter of self-preservation. She would NOT allow herself to get hurt like she had been three weeks ago.

“Well, me and Apple Bloom have noticed that you have been looking more and more tired these past few weeks, and that you have been growing sadder with each passing week. So, we decided that the best way to cheer you up…” Sweetie Belle started to say before she was interrupted by Scootaloo, who had a look of pure anguish and fury on her face.

“Cheer me up!?! CHEER ME UP!?! Do you two honestly believe that you can somehow make me feel better after the death of…!” She immediately stopped talking, and got back on her scooter, and scooted back the way she came. When she heard the inevitable sounds of her friends chasing after her, telling her to wait, and telling her that she didn't have to tell them if she didn't want to, she just cried harder. Scootaloo wanted desperately to tell someone, but she knew that if she did, that person would meet the same fate as her big sister, and she couldn't let that happen. So, she led them on a chase through town, and managed to lose them after a while.

During all of this, Rainbow Dash was flying through the air taking care of the weather, as she had made sure to give half of the weather team paid leave, which, as captain of the Ponyville weather team, she could do. She saw Scootaloo fleeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, and she saw that she was crying. At first, she was confused as to what had caused this, but she then saw Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom chasing after her, telling her that she didn't need to tell them what was going on if she didn't want to. She heard Scootaloo begin to cry even harder when they said this, which confused her. 'Why did Scootaloo start to cry harder after being told that she didn't need to tell Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom what was going on?' Rainbow Dash wondered to herself. She contemplated this for a while, as she knew that she could get the weather done in a relatively short time, and after a long period of time, she finally realized why. 'Of course! That's why she started to cry harder after being told that! It isn't that she doesn't *want to, but that she feels that she can't!*' She suddenly remembered what she had heard the week before, and she groaned. "It seems that I don't have a choice after all" Rainbow Dash said, upset. "I just hope that having an adopted child won't make me unable to join the Wonderbolts" she continued, worried.

Once Scootaloo had lost Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, she went directly to the orphanage, and went into her room and cried. When Tender Heart went into her room, and asked why she was back so early, Scootaloo simply said that she was going to be spending her time in the orphanage from that point on. That night, she had one of her worst nightmares yet. In it, Twilight Sparkle killed Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom right in front of her, stating that they had come to close to learning the truth. Then, the nightmare continued, just like the others that she had been having, ever growing in intensity, until it featured Rainbow Dash torturing her big sister, taking pleasure in the pain that she was causing her, and Twilight Sparkle brutally murdering her big sister.

When Princess Luna saw the beginning of this nightmare, she began to suspect something was extremely wrong here. So, instead of trying to fight it, and getting kicked out of Scootaloo’s mind by it, as had happened the past several weeks in a row now, she immediately went into Scootaloo’s mind. When Princess Luna was in Scootaloo’s mind, she saw two figures. One of them was a black pegasus with a mane that was all of the different shades of gray, up to and including white and black, while the other one was what Princess Luna assumed was a mental representation of Rainbow Dash. However, she would be wrong in that regard. The black pegasus with the mane that was all of the other different shades of gray, was Rainbow Dash, while the other one was Scootaloo's big sister.

She asked the mental representation that she assumed to be Rainbow Dash if she could lead her to Scootaloo’s most tragic memory that had happened in the recent past, and the mental representation of Rainbow Dash silently complied. When the memory in question had completely unfolded, Princess Luna was shocked at what she had seen. She turned to the Rainbow Dash beside her, and said, with a tear in her eyes, and in a tone that was apologetic, “That was thou, wasn't it? The one that was killed that day?” The Rainbow Dash nodded her head, with tears in her eyes.

Princess Luna became extremely angry at that confirmation, and said, with barely contained rage, “Don’t worry. We shalt make sure that the situation is dealt with.” She then left Scootaloo’s mind, and immediately went to Canterlot to speak with her sister about what she had seen and heard that night.