Beneath the empty branches of an oak tree on the edge of Ponyville’s park, Rainbow Dash sat nestled in the snow with her back against the trunk, flipping open a book in her lap with a mittened hoof. She lifted her head to the amber horizon while pulling some slack in her scarf, smiling as the cool air rushed in to fill the gap between her neck and the warm fabric. Beside the mare sat a small lump of snow that jutted just beyond the side of the tree, and it was to this lump that Rainbow Dash had pledged her entire evening to reading a story.
Or rather, to the tortoise who had buried himself days prior.
“Sorry I couldn’t read to you sooner, lil’ buddy,” Rainbow rasped as she looked down at the mound of snow. “Weather team really had me working my wings off this week after last winter’s stunt.” She gave the lump a gentle pat. “Hope you still enjoy it.”
Leaning her head back against the oak, Rainbow drew a breath of the frigid winter air, then exhaled slowly, watching the air escape her lungs in vaporous form. When the mist began to evaporate, she spotted a small orange pegasus trotting toward her beneath the setting sun, sporting a sweater that looked just a tad too big on the filly.
“Hey there, Scoots,” Rainbow called out with a wave, her tired eyes meeting the equally tired pair of the younger pegasus. “Looks like you’re getting good use of my present, huh?”
“Sure am,” Scootaloo called back, picking up the pace to meet up with Rainbow. “It’s a little big around the hooves,” she said, wagging one of her forelegs to show off the slack in her sleeves, “but it’s super warm, and I love it a lot, and thank you so much!”
“No prob!” Rainbow smirked at how happy the filly was with her gift. “I picked it up while I was in Cloudsdale for work a few weeks back. It looked like the right size, but if you need to get it, like, refitted or whatever, I betcha Rarity could take care of it.”
“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll grow into it.” Looking around the empty park, Scootaloo said, “So, what’re you doing out here?”
“Oh, just uh…” Rainbow glanced at the lump of snow beside her. “Just chillin’.” She bent forward slightly and spread her wings, stretching her back and the tendons in her sides with a grunt. “Nngh… had a long week with the weather team. Decided it was finally time to have a break.”
“Oh yeah,” Scootaloo said, plopping down in the snow in front of Rainbow. “I saw you guys working hard earlier while I was helping Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle take down decorations from Hearth’s Warming Eve.” She scrunched her muzzle and looked around at the layers of snow covering the ground. “So, how come you guys didn’t bring in winter the same way as last year? I thought it was really cool how the snow just exploded all around town!”
“Eh heh, uh…” Rainbow brought a hoof up to run through her mane with a sheepish grin. “Wasn’t exactly the safest thing, I reali— er, we realized. Afterward. Yeah.”
Scootaloo shrugged. “Oh well.” Her gaze shifted to the book lying in Rainbow’s lap. “Reading something?”
“Hm?” Rainbow looked down at the book. “Oh yeah! Decided to break out Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. It’s been awhile since I read it.”
Scootaloo tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. “Daring Do?”
“Yeah, it’s—” Rainbow blinked. “Wait a sec. You don’t know what Daring Do is?”
“Oh no, I’ve heard of it before,” Scootaloo said, waving the question off. “I’ve just never read it.”
“Really?” Rainbow rubbed a hoof across her chin and squinted at the filly. “Well… think ya’d be interested in hearing the first story?”
Scootaloo blinked. “You want to read me a story?” She glanced back at the sun resting close to the horizon. “Now?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s pretty short, and I was just about to read it anyway. Unless you’ve got something else to do, of course.”
“Well, I was heading over to the clubhouse to get ready for a sleepover. But, uh…” Scootaloo rolled her shoulders and gave a gentle kick to the snow, trying but failing to fight back a grin. “I-I’ve got a few minutes.”
“Sweet. In that case…” Rainbow patted the plot of snow beside her opposite the mound.
Without hesitation, Scootaloo trotted up beside Rainbow and sat down, taking a moment to nestle herself comfortably into the snow. Leaning back against the trunk, she looked up at Rainbow with eager eyes and said, “So, what’s the story about?”
“It’s about this awesome pony named Daring Do and her quest for the Sapphire Stone!”
Scootaloo gave her a wry smirk. “Kinda guessed that much from the title.”
“Oh. Right. Well, uh…” Rainbow pursed her lips. “I betcha didn’t know it takes place in the middle of a jungle! Or that there’s a bunch of dangerous traps and villains! Or – oh yeah! – there’s even a—”
“Okay, nevermind,” Scootaloo chuckled, raising a hoof. “Don’t spoil it all before you start reading!”
Rainbow narrowed her eyes at the filly, then promptly gave her a noogie – eliciting a round of squeaks and giggles. “Ya gonna let me actually start the story, or you got anything else you’d like to say?”
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” Scootaloo squealed as she batted the hoof attacking her scalp with two of her own. “I’ll be quiet, I promise!”
“That’s more like it.” Rainbow broke off her assault, ruffling the filly’s mane a tad before withdrawing her hoof. “Now get ready squirt, ‘cause this story goes way beyond awesome.”
“Cool!” Rubbing her hooves together to build up some warmth, Scootaloo watched Rainbow lift the book up to eye level with a yawn.
“Mmh… alright then.” Rainbow cleared her throat and placed a hoof along the bottom of the first line. Just as she opened her mouth to read, she paused, giving a quick glance to the mound of snow to one side, and the younger pegasus sitting on her other. With a warm smile, she returned her attention to the book. “So… ‘As Daring Do trekked through the tropical jungle, the wet heat sapped her energy and slowed her every step. If only she could escape this oppressive atmosphere and fly up into the cool blue sky…’”
While Rainbow read through the opening of the story, Scootaloo relaxed her ears to each side, closing her eyes and resting her head against the tree with a yawn of her own. A slight shiver ran through her sides as the cold of the snow beneath her worked its way through her coat, causing her wing nearest Rainbow’s to rub against the mare. On instinct, she pulled her wing in tighter against her sweater and hugged herself with her forelegs, trying to gather some warmth.
This turned out to be unnecessary though, as much to her surprise, something wonderfully warm and soft nudged the filly forward, wrapping around her back to pull her close.
Scootaloo’s eyes shot open. She looked up at Rainbow, who continued reading the story without pause. After a second, she glanced down, just long enough to give her a wink.
With a pleasant, though carefully muted sigh, Scootaloo sank into the warmth and allowed her heavy eyes to close once more. As she listened to Rainbow read, her imagination took over to build the jungle that Daring Do so bravely trekked.
__________
“You don’t think we held Scoots up for too long, do ya Sweetie?” Apple Bloom asked as she trotted through the snow alongside a white unicorn filly, looking up at the moon looming overhead.
“Nah. I know it took a little longer than we thought to get those decorations back to Pinkie’s, but she’s probably just… sleeping?” Sweetie Belle stopped mid-trot and reached a hoof out to halt the yellow filly beside her. When Apple Bloom bumped into her and looked down, both fillies blinked at what they saw.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo sat side-by-side in a plot of snow beneath a lone oak tree, fast asleep. Scootaloo leaned against Rainbow’s side, wrapped snugly in the downy embrace of the elder mare’s cerulean wing, while one of Rainbow’s hooves rested over a mound of snow. A book sat between the two, propped open against one of Rainbow’s outstretched legs.
Both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom gawked at the scene for a few seconds before the latter chimed, “What in the world…?”
After a moment, Sweetie Belle smirked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Scoots so… so…”
“Sleepy?” Apple Bloom asked, turning to the filly beside her.
“Well, I was going to say happy.”
Apple Bloom blinked. She looked back over at the sleeping pegasi, then cocked her head to the side. “Happy? How d’ya figure that?”
“Well, just look at her.” Sweetie Belle trotted forward a little, being careful to keep her steps as light and quiet as possible against the snow. “All the sleepovers we’ve had, when was the last time you ever saw Scoots look so peaceful?”
Apple Bloom scrunched her muzzle and walked up beside the filly. “Well, I don’t really pay that much attention to how y’all look when you’re sleeping, so…”
Sweetie Belle returned her a scowl. “Seriously.” She pointed at Scootaloo. “Just look at her!”
Although Apple Bloom held an uncertain frown, she gave the pegasus a good looking over. Scootaloo’s head lay tucked just beneath the crux of Rainbow’s wing, nuzzled into the soft coat hairs of the pegasus’ side. The filly shifted a little as a gentle breeze crossed over them, causing her to shrink further into her embrace.
Apple Bloom bit her lip to choke back a giggle, then looked over at Rainbow. She blinked a couple times when she noticed her muzzle twitch with a muffled sound. “Hey Sweetie Belle…”
“What is it?” she whispered.
“Check it out,” Apple Bloom murmured out of the side of her muzzle, leaning close to her friend. “I think Rainbow’s sleep talkin’!”
Sweetie Belle squinted at the mare in question. Sure enough, her muzzle twitched again, and with it came what sounded like words. “Huh… didn’t know Rainbow talked in her sleep.”
A smirk grew along the side of Apple Bloom’s muzzle. Taking a few careful steps forward, she closed the gap between her and Rainbow Dash.
“Apple Bloom,” Sweetie called out with a harsh whisper. “What are you doing?!”
Apple Bloom looked over her shoulder. “I’m gonna see if I can figure out what she’s saying!”
“But… isn’t that… I don’t know, invading privacy or something?” Sweetie Belle argued as quietly as she could, daring a step forward.
“I dunno,” Apple Bloom muttered with a shrug. “Princess Luna watches ponies’ dreams, and no one gets onto her.” While Sweetie Belle blinked at that, she returned her attention forward, stepping between Rainbow and the mound of snow beside her. Once she was just within hooves’ reach, she craned an ear toward the pegasus.
A few seconds of frigid silence passed. Apple Bloom waited on tense, cold hooves while Sweetie Belle squirmed quietly behind. Just as she considered giving up, Rainbow’s muzzle twitched once more.
“...mmh… s’good… to have… f-family…”
Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. She stepped slowly away from the pegasus, watching as her wing pulled Scootaloo a little closer.
With a soft crunch of snow beneath hoof, Sweetie Belle sidled up beside Apple Bloom. “Well? What’d she say?”
“I, uh…” Apple Bloom’s ears flicked back. “I c-couldn’t hear her all that well, so um… not really sure.”
Sweetie Belle pulled her head back slightly as Apple Bloom trotted past her. “Well, shouldn’t we at least wake them up? They’ll freeze out here if they stay much longer!”
Apple Bloom paused. Furrowing her brow, she turned to her saddlebag and opened a pouch, then pulled out a red and green blanket. “Think you could lay this over ‘em without waking them up?”
“I… guess so?” Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow as she took the blanket in a field of green magic. Turning back to the others, she lifted the blanket over the two and draped it over them as gently as she could manage. “Alright, that should do it.”
“Great. Now c’mon,” Apple Bloom whispered as she turned for a break in the woods. “Scoots can join us later!”
Sweetie Belle stared at the back of the filly for a moment with a lost expression, then turned to look at the sleeping pegasi. With a frosty sigh, she shook her head and smiled, then trotted after her friend.
Author's Note
Happy holidays, yo. Have some shotgun Scootasap.
Now, to sleep for the next few weeks...
Pretend the cloud's snow or something.
