Above the Clouds
Author’s note:
This is not a part of “Home is where the Heart is” – just a oneshot I came up with. Thanks for reading – onward march!
Scootaloo hated it when both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were sick. The three fillies had few, if any friends before they became the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Besides Applebloom that is, who still got along quite well with Twist, although the friendship between them had lessened due to the filly’s recent cutie mark. Thus, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were often quite lonely when two out of the three were absent from school.
School was bad enough without her two best friends there, Scootaloo thought, and pondered about what they could be sick with, since their sisters insisted on them being home. In the Apple family, you had to be practically dying to not go to school. Scootaloo remembered how Applebloom had tried to fake sickness when Granny Smith was supposed to come to the school, and had failed miserably. The orange filly concluded that Applebloom had to be really sick. Not just, ‘But sis’, my stomach is tossin’ an’ turnin’ as if it wante’ to buck apples’, or any other excuse Applebloom could be putting out there. The usual sternness when it comes to sickness with the Apples was the exact opposite with Sweetie Belle and Rarity.
Scootaloo grinned at the thought, as she, and all of Ponyville knew how much of a lady the pristine white unicorn was, and how she acted as such. When fallen to a disease, Rarity thought no one should see her face, no matter how big or small the disease, no one would see her for at least a week. Being Sweetie Belle’s older, and ofcourse, wiser sister, resulted in Sweetie Belle being in quarantine for at least a week.
That meant that both the unicorn and earth pony had been gone most of the school week, even for the best day of the week.
Friday.
Friday meant freedom for two whole days, and freedom meant plenty of time for crusading. But Scootaloo couldn’t crusade on her own. What if she accidently got her cutie mark without Sweetie Belle and Applebloom? They would never forgive her, but she wouldn’t forgive them if they got their cutie marks without her either. That left her with the question of what she could spend her Friday with. Crusading was out of the question, and she couldn’t fly yet.
Instead, Scootaloo wandered aimlessly around Ponyville. She went through the town square, barely taking notice of the ponies going about with their business. She noticed some somewhat familiar faces, but no Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack or Rainbow Dash. As her trail of thought passed Pinkie Pie, she thought she could go for a trip to Sugarcube Corner. She checked her saddlebags for some bits, and found some which she had saved when she and Applebloom had done some work for Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres. Nonetheless, she hoped that Pinkie Pie would give her some sort of discount.
Scootaloo turned around, and trotted towards the Sugarcube Corner in a somewhat lightened mood. The familiar bell that sounded every time a customer stepped into the sugar shop made Pinkie Pie turn her head in excitement, and smile widely.
“Hi there Scootaloo!” she screeched in her usual cheery and chirpy tone.
“Hi Pinkie Pie. Can I have one of your muffins, please?”
“Okiedokielokie!”
The pink pony grabbed one of the muffins that Scootaloo desired, and the little filly had trouble hiding her excitement. Her wings buzzed wildly, her tongue hung out of her mouth, and her nostrils flared as she took in the heavenly scent of the best pastry in all of Equestria.
“Here you go! That’ll be a bit and a wonderful smile, please!”
Scootaloo let out a wide smile, and without hesitation, Pinkie let out a smile even wider than the filly’s, if possible. Although it was Friday, it was very quiet in Sugarcube Corner when Scootaloo gave Pinkie the bit, and sat down to enjoy her muffin.
The orange Pegasus had trouble not devouring the muffin in one go, but remembered with a grin what Sweetie Belle had told her of the tip she had received from Rarity.
It’s important to enjoy the meal, Sweetie, darling. Not just eat it in one go, no no. You must enjoy it, savor it, and feel the wondrous flavors frolick on your tastebuds.
With the advice of the trendiest pony in Ponyville, Scootaloo tried to take just a nibble first, and as she did every time she had a muffin from Sugarcube Corner, she wondered how something had to be so good. More than anything, she wanted to munch the whole thing down in one go, but since she had nothing better to do, she figured to just stick around in the parlor, and talk to Pinkie Pie.
“Hey, Pinkie?” Scootaloo quietly asked, and felt a rush in her mane as Pinkie stood right before her, grinning as if something great had happened. That was the thing about Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo thought. Whenever somepony talked to her, it was something great happening.
“Hey Scootaloo! Wanna talk? Or have one more muffin? Or cupcake? Or hot cocoa? I love cocoa! Don’t you? My favorite is with whipped cream, just two and a half marshmall-“
“Pinkie, how come you’re always so happy?”
Scootaloo didn’t enjoy interrupting the pony, but she knew from experience that if she didn’t interrupt, Pinkie could talk about hot cocoa until the shop closed, which was about 3 hours from now.
“I just am! I like to make everypony smile! It makes my day! Do you want me to sing my smile song for you?” she cheerfully asked, as she bounced off the walls as if she was an energizer bunny.
“No, I was just wondering….” Scootaloo replied, and had a bit of muffin.
“Are you sad? Oh no! This calls for a song!” Pinkie Pie abruptly cheered, but hesitated when Scootaloo placed a hoof on the pink pony’s lips.
“No song! I mean, ahem. I just wanted to know how you never have a bad day?”
“Oh! That’s easy! If I’m not happy all the time, who will be? Who would throw the best parties? Who would welcome all to Ponyville?” Pinkie gasped at the mere thought of no best parties or welcoming songs.
“That’s cool, I guess.” Scootaloo muttered, and decided she couldn’t continue eating this muffin like a lady.
The flavors already frolicked on her tastebuds, no matter how big the bite. Within a second, the muffin was gone, and Scootaloo seemed to have gained a pound or two, just from eating it. She huffed contently.
“Thanks for the muffin, Pinkie. I’m gonna go home now, take care!” Scootaloo shouted as the bell marked her exit. Pinkie Pie had left Scootaloo to her muffin, and had instead begun to do some sort celebration of the cleaning up after the baking that took place in the kitchen. As Scootaloo left Sugarcube Corner, she realized what she had said.
I’m gonna go home now.
She realized she had no home. Unlike her two best friends, she had no older sisters or family to take care of her. Whereas the sun had been shining wildly as the filly left school, the grey clouds seemed to gather about for a massive storm, and not before long, the rain began.
It didn’t just seem like rain, more like a river falling from the sky. The drops were thick and heavy, and it was as if several water balloons fell unto Scootaloo with each one. She quickly made for some cover, and squealed when she heard the rumbling of thunder. A sudden panic hit her, as she realized she had nowhere to go. No safe house. No farm to go to or a fancy boutique.
She was all alone.
The little Pegasus returned to town square, and found it completely empty. In the windows she noticed all the families of Ponyville gathered inside their house for warmth and comfort. She noticed a filly or two in the windows, gazing outside at the thundering storm, when their mother quickly shooed them towards the heat of the fireplace. Scootaloo stood in the middle of town square, drenched from the rain and pondered where to hide. She saw one of the small bridges that surrounded the town square, and sought to hide underneath it for the wild rain. The filly galloped through muddy puddles, and she shivered violently as she found herself under the bridge. It was dry, but she was still cold.
Scootaloo’s teeth clattered as she tried to warm herself up by flapping her wings in a frenzy, but the small wind they caused only caused her to freeze even more. Instead, she curled up into a little ball, and used her own warm breath to warm her hooves and rub them all over her tiny body. With time, Scootaloo stopped her shake, but she was still cold.
Nonetheless it seemed that time passed by slowly, and it was as if the rain would never stop. Scootaloo only continued to glare into the empty streets of Ponyville, and wanted nothing more than to be inside one of the many houses. She closed her eyes again in emotional exhaustion.
More importantly, the houses symbolized safety, comfort and not to mention love. Scootaloo had never had such things, and as it is known, colts and fillies alike always want what they can’t have. The filly had come to terms with this some time ago, but no matter how strong, independent or against sappyness she came across to be, deep down, Scootaloo wanted nothing more to be loved like her two best friends. She had no one to cuddle up to at night during a storm or after a nightmare, someone to hold you when you cry and someone to keep you warm during the cold nights.
Scootaloo sniffled pitifully, before she opened her eyes widely andgasped as a set of hooves stood before her. In fear, the filly screamed and instantly backed away from the pony before her. She shut her eyes tightly and trembled wildly, expecting the worst.
“Scoots, what in the hay are you doing out here? I told you just yesterday it would rain.”
Scootaloo fearfully opened her left eye, and let out a sigh of relief as her idol stood before her. Rainbow Dash was soaked to the bone as well, her multicolored mane falling across one of her eyes. The Pegasus stood outside in the rain, but unfolded her wings and quickly joined Scootaloo under the bridge.
“You didn’t answer my question. Don’t make me lose my cool.” The cyan mare teased and poked Scootaloo with a hoof. Scootaloo smiled and giggled as the hoof poked her, causing a tickle. Scootaloo took in a huge breath, and began to rant, but before long, the talking turned into frightful sobs.
“Sweetie Belle and Applebloom have been sick all week, so I’ve been all alone. And I was sad, so I went to Sugarcube Corner, and got a muffin, and talked to Pinkie Pie, and then I left, and it started to rain, and I had nowhere to go, and I was scared…”
“Sssh, there there. Don’t lose the cool, kid.” Rainbow Dash muttered, and patted the somewhat dry grass next to her.
Scootaloo didn’t hesitate to crawl closer, and cuddled up to the cyan mare. Rainbow Dash seemed startled as she felt how cold the filly was. She stretched out her right wing, and hoped it would comfort Scootaloo, much more helping her to regain some warmth.
For a minute, neither of them spoke. The heavy drumming of the rain on the bridge, the occasional hoofsteps from a pony getting home, and Scootaloo’s quiet sobbing was all that was to be heard. Oddly enough, Rainbow Dash felt quite comfortable here. She knew she was much more fond of Scootaloo than she liked to admit in front of her friends, and she thought of it to be a nice moment between her number one fan, and Scootaloo’s number one idol.
“Where do you live Scoots?” Rainbow Dash asked, but hesitated to look down upon the filly that hid under her sheltering wing, and instead continued to gaze out in the rain. Scootaloo sniffled quietly, and wondered what to tell the other Pegasus.
“Usually down in the clubhouse.” She mumbled, and cuddled closer into Rainbow Dash’s coat as the mare turned her gaze towards her.
“Scootaloo, look at me.”
Scootaloo shook her head, which caused the mare to grin.
“You won’t look at me? Alright, it’s time for a tickle!” she exclaimed, and started poking the filly.
Scootaloo began to giggle uncontrollably as the hooves continuously touched her where it tickled the most. After some minutes of tickling, Rainbow Dash ceased, and allowed Scootaloo to hide under her wing again.
“Please look at me, Scootaloo.” Rainbow Dash requested again, and sent a loving gaze towards the little filly, as a pair of big purple eyes stared into her own.
“You’re not ashamed of that, are you?”
Scootaloo looked down upon the green grass, and traced small circles with her hooves.
“I guess not…” she mumbled.
With a sudden sternness to her tone, Rainbow Dash spoke.
“Never be ashamed of who you are, Scootaloo, nor where you come from. If you live in the clubhouse, that’s fine. If you lived in a mansion, that’s fine too. Although a little cooler, but that’s not the point,” Rainbow Dash said, and stared directly into Scootaloo’s eyes before she continued, “where you live doesn’t make you who you are.”
The Pegasus mare placed a cyan hoof on Scootaloo’s tiny chest.
“This makes it,” she moved her hoof to her head, “and this,” she put the hoof down before she continued, “you know I’m an orphan too. But that doesn’t make me less cooler than anypony else. If I thought everything was uncool all the time, like you do right now, I never would’ve gotten so good at flying. And so what if I’m an orphan? I have the best friends in all of Equestria, and as if it’s not cool enough that they wanna be my friends, they’re also my family. Maybe not by blood, but by heart, and that’s all that really matters.”
Scootaloo nodded slowly, as she seemed to understand what Rainbow Dash was saying. But there was still something that bugged her, and she lowered her head again.
“What?” Rainbow Dash, obviously impressed by her own motivational speech, and annoyed by the fact it didn’t come through to Scootaloo.
“I’m nopony because I don’t have a family. Nopony at all.” She mumbled, and stared up at Rainbow Dash again.
The gaze that Scootaloo gave the mare was heartbreaking. As if all the troubles of the Equestrian world was upon the shoulders of a little Pegasus filly, still unable to fly. Her eyes screamed for someone to love, care and be there for her, where none had been.
I will Scootaloo, I will.
“Get on my back, Scoots.” Rainbow Dash quietly said, and giggled inwardly as she noticed how confused the little filly look, as the sheltering darkness that came with the older mare’s wing disappeared.
“Where are we going?” Scootaloo asked, as she awkwardly crawled upon the cyan mares back, and tried to adjust herself into a comfortable position.
“It’s a secret. Hold on tight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, as she stepped out from underneath the bridge and into the pouring rain.
I need to stop being so good in weather patrol!
With a wild burst of acceleration, Rainbow Dash shot forward with Scootaloo on her back. The force which the wind hit Scootaloo with was devastating, and panic gripped her heart as she was sure to fall off. But she trusted Rainbow Dash, and knew that the Pegasus wouldn’t let any harm befall her if she could help it.
Although the rainy weather ruined it for both of the Pegasi, Scootaloo realized this was her first time flying. The filly would’ve loved it if she had been the one flying the first time she left the ground, but she realized that no one had ever been on the back of Rainbow Dash before, and suddenly felt honored instead of annoyed.
She felt Rainbow Dash’s muscles tense as her wings moved up and down in a relaxed and controlled way, a sense of using her wings that she had yet to learn. Scootaloo always felt in a frenzy when she used her own wings, as they just flapped up and down so fast she could hardly see it, in an uncontrollable act of excitement or annoyance. The rain appeared to be slowing down Rainbow Dash a little, much to her own knowledge.
“Scootaloo! Are you ready to try something awesome?” Rainbow Dash shouted over the howling wind and heavy raindrops.
“Yeah!” the filly replied, and screamed frantically as Rainbow Dash suddenly shot upwards.
As the two mares got closer to the dark clouds, which Scootaloo suspected to be filled with thunder and even more rain, the filly couldn’t help but panic. It was as if she was on a collision course with a big wall of no-good.
“Uh, Rainbow Dash? Is this going to end well?” Scootaloo shouted, the fear evident in the little filly’s voice. Rainbow Dash turned her head, and winked at the orange filly.
“Trust me, Scoots!” was all she said, before she accelerated and burst into the grey cloud of doom.
Scootaloo screamed as if she was about to die, and shut her eyes as she was sure the collision with the cloud that appeared hard as rock, would end up in two very flat ponies.
When she felt nothing, she opened her eyes and saw nothing but a dark mass around her, which was shortly replaced by a blinding light. Rainbow Dash was now gliding about at a relaxing pace, instead of the neck-breaking pace she had set as she flew into the sky. Scootaloo took the opportunity to shield her eyes from the bright light with her hooves, and slowly begun to remove it as her eyes got more adjusted to it. When she could finally see without hiding behind her hooves, she gasped loudly.
Above the clouds, there was nothing but sunshine. The golden rays of the sun that Celestia effortlessly brought to sky every day warmed orange and cyan coats alike.
“This is so cool, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo exclaimed, as Rainbow Dash effortlessly flew around in the sky.
It was if the Ponyville below them was a bad dream and had disappeared when they had gone beyond the grey clouds. It seemed that over the grey mass of rain and thunder, there was a whole new land, with nothing but golden rays of sun and wonderful warmth. Scootaloo had never experienced anything like it.
“I know, right? Do you get that Fluttershy loves the earth so much? Why do you want to be stuck down on the lame ground, when you can fly around in this awesome place?”
Scootaloo nodded slightly, and had only begun getting more eager to learn for herself.
She took a glance at her own measly pair of wings, and flapped them just like Rainbow Dash did. For a minute their wings flapped in the same rhythm, steadily going up and down. Scootaloo sighed slightly as she compared her own small wings to the strong ones of Rainbow Dash. She could see the toned muscles working hard beneath the feathers. Rainbow Dash took a glance at her passenger, and nudged her slightly with her snout.
“Don’t be sad, twirp. One day, you can be up here with me,” she turned her head away and started going forward again, before getting an excited gleam in her eye, “now, are you ready for a real trip to the sky?”
Scootaloo nodded, and only just managed to get a hold of some of the bottom and dark blue part of Rainbow Dash’s mane, before she shot forward with neck-breaking speed. It took Scootaloo some time before she regained control of her fear, and let out a wild cry of excitement. She took a glance backwards, and noticed how the her ride’s multicolored mane seemed to left a short imprint on the sky surrounding her. Wherever Rainbow Dash went, a small bit of a rainbow was left in her wake, before it shortly disappeared, whereas some new would follow right after. Scootaloo wanted to touch it somehow, like she always wanted to touch a cloud and expect it to be fluffy and soft, yet solid enough to walk on. Scootaloo controlled herself, and instead let out another wild cry of joy.
Rainbow Dash grinned to herself, as she realized it was nothing for her to go fast. She was about to show Scootaloo what it meant to be the best young flier in Equestria. Without warning, Scootaloo suddenly found herself upside down. The grey clouds were now above her, whereas the sun was below her. It took her awhile to get used to it, as it almost made her dizzy, but within a few minutes of being upside down, Scootaloo loved every second.
“You rock, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo shouted wildly, as she tried to cling on to the mare in fear of falling off.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, Scoots!” Rainbow Dash replied, and slowly begun dipping to her left. Scootaloo cheered as the world around wasn’t just upside down, but also spinning. The sun and clouds continuously changed position around her, until Rainbow Dash stopped, awaiting some sort of reaction from Scootaloo. Scootaloo continued to smile widely, even though her orange face turned slightly green in aerial sickness. She held up a hoof to her mouth, but then nodded vigorously. Rainbow Dash winked at her passenger, before going on to some even wilder stunts.
Rainbow Dash’s stunts seemed to go on for an eternity, before she stopped stunts, and instead set a slow pace yet again, turning her head towards Scootaloo.
“Do you trust me?” she asked, her voice suddenly serious. The tone scared Scootaloo somewhat, but the filly nodded.
“I trust you, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow Dash’s chest seemed to puff with pride at those words, and she smiled widely before speaking again.
“Are you ready to try something wicked with me then?”
Scootaloo nodded again, and held on tight as Rainbow Dash accelerated again. The orange filly struggled to keep Rainbow Dash’s mane out of her face as her speed increased. If she was ever going for a ride with Rainbow Dash again, she wanted to tell her to use a scrunchie like Applejack. As if she’d ever agree to that, she thought.
Rainbow Dash began to ascend, going into a wide loop, and when she reached the middle, she shouted something that Scootaloo couldn’t hear.
“What?!” she shouted, and Rainbow Dash took her shouting as a unbelieving response to the stunt she was suggesting.
“Just let go! I’ll catch you!”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened with fear. She would fall through the clouds, fall back to Ponyville and end up like a bug underneath a hoof. She wasn’t afraid of Rainbow Dash not catching her, but she didn’t wanna go back to Ponyville, she wanted to stay here with the best young flier forever. Never to return to Ponyville with no family or a home to return to, she just wanted a home in the skies with Rainbow Dash.
“Scoots! Now!”
The voice of Rainbow Dash interrupted her, and without second thought, Scootaloo let go.
The filly screamed and shut her eyes as weightlessness grabbed hold of her. It was as if her stomach was falling out of her body, and instinctively she began to flap her wings. She felt pitifully weak as the force of the gales around her just tore the wings upwards as she folded them out, as they were too small for any impact. Her screaming continued, but abruptly ceased and instead let out a gasp when she felt herself landing upon something solid. She creaked one eye upon, and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Rainbow Dash grinning at her.
“What was that like?” Rainbow Dash asked with a smile on her face, before she effortlessly wove herself through the sky.
“Awesome but scary…” Scootaloo muttered, and collapsed with a smile upon Rainbow Dash back.
Rainbow Dash’s back was wide and long enough for Scootaloo to lay on her front without risking falling down. She gazed up into the sky, and it suddenly felt weird for her to not see any clouds around her at all, besides the grey ones below her. She became restless and sat up straight again, and was almost scared when she noticed how the color of Rainbow Dash’s coat almost matched perfectly with the current color of the sky. If the ponies of Ponyville had looked at her right now, it probably looked like she was just flying through the air, without flapping her wings. Scootaloo yawned and concealed her opened maw with her hoof. Rainbow Dash turned and smiled at the filly.
“Are you getting tired?”
Scootaloo nodded and felt her eyelids getting heavier by the minute. She sat back and placed her hoofs on Rainbow Dash’s flanks, closing her eyes in relaxation. It seemed to go on forever, just her and Rainbow Dash quietly floating through the world above the dark and grey land of Ponyville. Scootaloo wished it went on forever.
“Hey Scoots, you can come down now.” Rainbow Dash quietly said, and nudged the filly out of her daze.
Scootaloo opened her eyes slowly, and let out another yawn. At first, her heart skipped a beat as she noticed that Rainbow Dash’s wings were completely still and held tight next to her body, but it didn’t take her long to realize that she was in fact, standing on a cloud. Scootaloo gasped slightly, and stared wide eyed at the cyan mare, who nodded her head in encouragement for the filly to jump down. The filly bit her teeth, shut her eyes, and jumped off.
With a soft landing, Scootaloo stood on a cloud for the first time ever.
It was just like she had imagined. It was fluffy, but still solid, like some sort of hardened and tasteless candy floss. Scootaloo sniffed the cloud curiously, and realized it had no odor either. For some reason, she had always imagined it to smell like candy floss. She took a small nibble out of the cloud, and noticed how it tasted of nothing, like solid, warm water. Nothing special, she thought. She didn’t took much notice of Rainbow Dash, who had just laid down upon the cloud, which was big enough for both the mare to lay down, and for the filly to explore this new sensation.
Scootaloo quickly discovered, that when she walked across the cloud, tiny bits of the cloud came lose, without the cloud losing shape or density. It was like a field of dandelions in the sky, and with a cry of excitement, she forgot all about her tiredness, and instead trotted about the cloud, happily knocking off tiny bits of clouds in the process. Scootaloo reared in joy as she made it over to Rainbow Dash, before lying close to the cyan mare.
“Wanna see a trick?” Rainbow Dash said, to draw attention from the little bits of cloud that disappeared into the horizon, that Scootaloo was so occupied with watching.
Scootaloo nodded quickly, and quietly observed Rainbow Dash taking a little piece of cloud off the bigger cloud, before she began to mold it within her hooves. The Pegasus stuck out her tongue in concentration, but let out a smile of victory before turning the result at Scootaloo.
It was a rearing Pegasus, made out of cloud. It was a bit lumpy here and there, and Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly.
“I’m not very good at cloud-shaping yet. I just chase them about, really.” She apologized, but nevertheless handed it to the little filly.
“It looks so cool! And like you!” Scootaloo exclaimed, before neighing as she played with the cloud-toy.
“No, Scoots. It looks like you.”
Scootaloo let out a wide smile, and snuggled up close to Rainbow Dash. The sun had begun to set, and whereas Rainbow Dash previously had matched perfectly with the sky around her, her shape begun to be obvious, as Celestia pulled down the sun from the sky. Small specks of stars had begun to show, but the last rays of sun turned the sky a wild mixture between orange and red. If both ponies weren’t aware of the fact that it was a mere side effect of Celestia’s magic, they would’ve thought it looked like a bloody battlefield. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo laid there for what seemed hours, before darkness consumed the sky, and instead of being under the watchful eye of Celestia, they now knew that Luna was watching over them. Exhaustion began to take over for both the ponies.
“Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo whispered, and looked up to the cyan mare. Her eyes seemed to glisten in a fierce battle between the stars that Luna had placed upon the evening sky.
“Yeah, Scoots?”
“Thankyou for this awesome day.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, and cuddled up closer to the little filly.
“It’s no problem, Scootaloo. Just remember this,” she said, and turned her head towards the horizon, “no matter how dark the clouds are, the sun is always shining above the clouds.”
Rainbow Dash looked down on the filly, slightly taken aback by the fact that she was sleeping.
All this deep stuff for nothing! So not cool, Scootaloo…
Deep down, Rainbow Dash didn’t mind, and with a fluid motion, she placed her wing above Scootaloo and let out a small smile, before she too, surrendered to sleep.