Scootaloo trotted in circles around the park, her eyes on the sky as she searched for Rainbow Dash. The sun had just set, making the clouds turn a beautiful shade of pink. The park was nearly empty, and as she watched a family of three clean up their picnic spot down the path, Scootaloo sat down and scratched her foreleg, wondering what was taking Rainbow so long.
It was their usual day to hang out, and earlier, Scootaloo had been able to get her hooves on the newest Daring Do book, which just so happened to be in very limited supplies. She knew that Rainbow had been working all day, so she probably hadn’t gotten around to getting it yet, but knowing her, she probably would have bought it the second that it came out that morning. As she felt a breeze roll by, sending a chill down her back, she noticed a few dead leaves be plucked from the nearby trees, flying away down the path. Scootaloo bit her lip and closed her eyes as she opened her wings, hoping that the wind could just pick her up like those leaves.
“Hey, squirt!” Scootaloo heard from behind her, making her jump in surprise a little bit. She turned around as a wide grin formed on her face. “Rainbow! You made it!” She ran up to her and wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow’s, nuzzling into them with a ferocity that matched a tiger’s. “What took you so long?” she asked as she let go.
Rainbow lost most of her smile as she sat down in front of Scootaloo. “Well… I had to work literally all day. I was at the Wonderbolts’ Training camp an hour before the sun came up, and I just made it back into town a few minutes ago.” She rubbed the back of her neck as she let a rather sheepish smile slide on her face. “I stopped by the bookstore as soon as I came into town, hoping that I could get that new Daring Do book, but I ran into Twilight before I could get inside. She showed me the book, and said that the bookstore was running very low on copies of it. I ran inside and asked for one, but they told me that they had just sold the last copy to Twilight!”
“Yeesh, that sucks,” Scootaloo said with a snicker, though Rainbow didn’t notice it.
“Yeah, it does…” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I was hoping that the store would save a copy for their number one fan, but…” Rainbow sighed as she ground a hoof into the dirt. “Anyways, I managed to catch Twilight down the road, and... you would have been embarrassed for me if you saw how much I begged her to let me borrow it for the night. She’s as big a fan of Daring Do as I am, and she even offered to let me read it with her, but... I already made plans to hang out with you for tonight.”
“Oh... right,” Scootaloo said as she glanced at the ground. Her ears flopped down, and her shoulders slumped. “Our sleepovers aren’t too much to ask, right?” she asked, praying to whatever gods were out there that Rainbow didn’t think she was a burden on her.
“Huh? No, of course not! You know I love hanging out with you!” She tousled Scootaloo’s mane and said, “Sometimes I think we don’t get to hang out enough, so I always make our sleepovers a priority.”
“That’s good to hear, Dash; you had me worried for a few seconds!” Scootaloo said with a grin. “So, uh... it’s kinda funny that you couldn’t get a copy of your own, ya know?”
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed as she saw Scootaloo’s grin turn into a full-blown smile. “Why’s it funny that I couldn’t get a copy of the book?”
“Oh, it’s not funny that you didn’t get the book…” Scootaloo reached around to her saddlebag and opened the flap, then fished out one of the two books with her teeth. She whipped it out in a flourish with the widest of smiles on her face. After grabbing the book with a hoof, she held it up for Rainbow to see. “It’s funny that I was able to get the book! I knew that you would be working all day, so I made sure to get you your own copy. My other one’s back at my place,” she said.
Rainbow’s eyes lit up with joy. “Woah, really?” She took the book from Scootaloo and held it up to catch the last little bit of light from the sun. “Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone,” she read as her smile quickly faded. “Scootaloo…” She ran a hoof over her muzzle as she groaned.
“Yeah?” Scootaloo asked, her tail wiggling back and forth.
“This is the first book of the entire series…” Rainbow sighed, all of her hope lost for reading the new book.
“Yeah, I know,” Scootaloo giggled. “I have the new book in my saddlebag.” She stood up and fished it out. “Daring Do and the Tiger’s Blood Ruby. Sure sounds like a good book!” Rainbow leaned in to get a better look, but Scootaloo tucked it back inside of her saddlebag.
“Hey, what gives? I thought you wanted to read the new Daring Do book!” Rainbow said with a huff. She grinned, knowing that Scootaloo was up to something as she tucked the first book under her leg.
“Well… I’m not caught up yet. I was kinda hoping that you could read a few chapters to me from where I left off, because…the workers at the orphanage don’t really like reading to me, and this book has some really big words that I can’t really pronounce, so…” She shuffled her feet as her wings bristled nervously. “Could you maybe… read some chapters out loud to me tonight? And after I go to sleep, you can totally read the new book. I actually bought it for you as a gift because you’ve been such a good friend to me, so... would that be okay, Rainbow? You know, reading some of the first book as a bedtime story?” She stuck the first book back into her saddlebag.
“Sure does! Come on, there’s no time to waste!” Rainbow picked her up as soon as the flap on Scootaloo’s saddlebag was securely fastened. Holding her in her front two hooves, Dash flew as fast as she could back across town in the direction of her cloudhouse. Halfway back, she felt Scootaloo tap her leg. “What is it?” she asked as she slowed down enough to hear her.
“Can we stop at Sugarcube Corner and get a snack to eat?” Scootaloo asked, craning her head up to look at Rainbow. “I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Oh, why didn’t you say so before we started rocketing across town?” Rainbow asked with a giggle. “Of course we can! I’m pretty hungry myself.” She turned back around in a wide loop to not put a lot of G-forces on her little friend. Rainbow settled into a slow glide path as the bakery came into sight a block away. As they neared the ground, Rainbow flapped her wings hard a couple of times as she landed on her back legs. She let Scootaloo go, then touched down the rest of the way. “So… Scootaloo?”
“Yes, Dash?” Scootaloo asked as she scampered up the steps to the bakery.
“Are you just getting sugary snacks to help you stay up later?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Maaaaybe,” Scootaloo said with a cheeky grin. “Come on, whatcha waiting for? They got chocolate donuts with sprinkles on top, and I’m buying!” She held the door open for Rainbow as she waited for her to go inside.
“Nah, don’t worry about it, squirt, I got it.” Rainbow trotted through the door, then walked up to the counter where Mrs. Cake was tidying things up for closing. Wondering if they were still open, Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck and asked, “Um, hey, you guys aren’t closed, right?”
“Technically, yes, dearie, but for you two, I can make an exception!” Mrs. Cake put away her duster and leaned over the counter. “Now, what can I get you two?”
“A half dozen of your chocolate sprinkled donuts, please!” Rainbow said as she reached around for her saddlebag. “Ugh…” She groaned and turned to face Scootaloo with an embarrassed grin. “Say… can you pay, Scootaloo? I had to pay Twilight back for helping me out with something the other week. I’ll pay you back when we get back to my place, okay?”
“That’s fine!” Scootaloo pulled out her bag of bits. “How much is it?” she asked Mrs. Cake.
“It’s normally four bits, but since you two are such loyal customers, I’ll just charge you guys three bits, plus I’ll throw an extra treat on top for you guys!” After Scootaloo tossed the bits on the counter, Mrs. Cake turned around and snagged eight of the donuts they wanted, then when they weren’t looking, snagged a couple of big sugar cookies. She boxed it all up before they could see what she had done, then tied a piece of string around it to keep it from opening on the way back home. “And here you go!” she said as she placed the box on top of the counter.
“Great, thanks a lot!” Rainbow snagged the box with a hoof, then walked back outside with Scootaloo. She used her teeth to pick Scootaloo up by the scruff of her neck, then promptly deposited her on her back. “Hang on, okay? I promise I won’t go too fast.”
“Okay!” Scootaloo said as she wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck.
Rainbow took to the skies again, their box of delectable treats held securely between her front legs. She made quick time back to her place, making sure to land as lightly as possible for Scootaloo. After she walked inside and locked the door behind them, she walked into the living room and tossed the box of treats on the couch, then let Scootaloo slide off onto her half of the couch. “So… you wanna just read here?” she asked as she walked into the kitchen.
“Sure! You have something to drink?” Scootaloo called out.
“Just water. That okay?” Rainbow asked.
“Yeah, that’s fine.” Scootaloo grabbed a nearby blanket and wrapped it around herself, hoping that she’d warm up quick. Autumn was quickly turning to winter, and the holidays were right around the corner. It hadn’t started snowing yet, but Scootaloo knew that they were due for their first days of snow within a couple of weeks. It still was pretty darn cold outside though, and Scootaloo was starting to wish that she had brought a scarf for her to wear on the walk home the next morning.
Rainbow came back with two big cups of water held up against her breast with a hoof, then set them down on the coffee table. She pushed one of the cups in front of Scootaloo, who undid the strap of her saddlebag from around her belly. After it slipped from her body, she reached inside and grabbed the first book of the series. Scootaloo pushed it near the edge of the couch as she gave Rainbow room to get under the blanket with her.
“Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?” Rainbow picked up the book with a hoof and opened it up to where the bookmark lay within. “Are you sure we can’t just go right to the new one?”
“Yep!” Scootaloo chirped back. “Hm…” She looked at what little room remained on the couch. “I did sorta have a long day, and I had to get up really early to finish some homework this morning, so maybe, um…” Scootaloo blushed a little bit as she took a sip of water. “Could you read me some of the first book as a bedtime story now?” she sheepishly asked, letting a grin slip onto her face as she looked up at Rainbow. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t already pretty exhausted.”
“Heh, sure thing, squirt,” Rainbow said as Scootaloo reached out for her. She picked her up with a hoof and felt her wrap her forelegs around her neck. Keeping her hoof underneath Scootaloo’s rump, Rainbow slid the book under her wing and walked upstairs to her guest bedroom, which, at this point, was Scootaloo’s second bedroom. Posters of the Wonderbolts lined the walls and the bed was decked out in Wonderbolts blankets, just like hers was when she was Scootaloo’s age.
Rainbow let her fall down onto the bed near the pillows, then pulled the sheets back to tuck her in. With a flick of her wing, Rainbow turned on the lamp, then lay down next to Scootaloo, sitting close to the wall. She knew it wouldn’t let her get out of the bed easily, but she wanted to make sure Scootaloo was able to follow along with the book if she wanted to. Scootaloo snuggled up close to her as she settled down on her back, laying her head on her shoulder. “So, uh... what chapter were you on?”
“Um, I don’t remember,” Scootaloo said as she rolled onto her side, her belly facing Rainbow. She pushed herself up so that she could see the book, but found that her position just wouldn’t allow that; she was still too little. With a small shrug, she slipped off of Rainbow’s shoulder and curled up into a loose ball, her tail swishing back and forth underneath the sheets in excitement as she waited for Rainbow to start reading. “There’s a bookmark, so... maybe start there?”
“Um...” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. “I... might have left it downstairs,” she said with a small giggle. “I think I remember where it was, though.” She opened the book to where she thought the bookmark used to be, then asked, “Does chapter thirteen sound right? If I remember correctly, then that’s after Daring Do escapes Ahuizotl.” She flipped through the next several pages, then said, “Huh, looks like this is one of the last chapters. You sure you can’t finish this on your own?” She almost whimpered as she felt the need to go read the new book grow within her. When she felt her stomach grumble, her eyes went wide. “Dang it!”
“What?” Scootaloo sat up and peered up at Rainbow.
“I left our treats downstairs...” Rainbow ran a hoof over her muzzle as she groaned. “Hang on a second; I’ll be right back...” With a reluctant huff, she left the warm blankets of Scootaloo’s bed and trotted downstairs. She grabbed the box of treats by the string, then flew back upstairs. “Here we go...” She untied the bit of string around the box and flipped the lid open. “Hey... didn’t we ask for six doughnuts?”
“Yeah? Why?”
“I think Mrs. Cake is trying to get us fat!” Rainbow said with a giggle. She flopped down on her side next to Scootaloo and pressed her back up against the wall. “She gave us eight donuts and two of those huge sugar cookies!”
“Really?!” Scootaloo sat up, pushing the sheets off of her as fast as she could. She pushed herself next to Dash and looked into the box. “Woah, you weren’t lying!” she said as her mouth started to water. “So... we gonna have sweets for dinner or what?”
“So long as you don’t tell those ponies back at the orphanage, I don’t see why not!” Rainbow said, stifling a giggle with a hoof. “We wouldn’t want them to think that I’m a bad influence on you, after all.”
“Yeah, good point.”
“Here,” Rainbow said as she handed one of the cookies to Scootaloo. “I don’t normally eat food while in bed, but with you, I’ll make a special exception. Just make sure you don’t get crumbs everywhere, okay?”
“You got it!” Scootaloo said, her voice muffled by the cookie she was already eating.
“I was thinking we could have a cookie and a couple doughnuts now, and save the rest for breakfast tomorrow, okay?” Rainbow asked as she wolfed down her own cookie. “I forgot to stop by the grocery store to get stuff for breakfast, so I think this’ll work out great!”
“Mhm,” Scootaloo nodded with a yawn. “Don’t forget our little deal, Dash,” she said, poking Rainbow’s side with a hoof. “You finish this book for me, and you can read that new book for as long as you want!” She pulled the sheets up past her shoulders, trying her hardest to tug them out from under Rainbow.
“Of course, squirt.” Rainbow tousled Scootaloo’s mane as she picked up the first Daring Do book. “So, you ready for me to finish this awesome book?” She pushed herself up the bed until her head grazed the soft pillows. After rolling onto her back, she opened the book and let it rest on her belly, held by her forelegs.
“Totally!” Scootaloo chirped back with a large grin. She scooted back up against Rainbow’s side, this time choosing the side by the wall as she dragged the box of treats along with her. She adjusted herself, settling into a more comfortable position, then smiled up at Rainbow, waiting for her to begin. “So... you gonna just sit there and fall asleep with me, or do you want to start reading?” she asked with a snicker.
“Oh, hehe, sorry,” Rainbow said. “I guess I was just daydreaming a little bit.”
“Daydreaming? At night?” Scootaloo giggled at that. “Come on, Dash... Wouldn’t it be called nightdreaming? Or just dreaming?”
“Uh... I think it’s still called daydreaming, even if you’re doing it at night.” Rainbow scratched her flank, then said, “But anyways, let’s not dilly-dally anymore.” And with that, she cleared her throat and read, “After successfully escaping from Ahuizotl, Daring Do trotted through the forest, the sounds of her pursuers long lost. She knew that the Sapphire Statue was the key to another nearby temple that was a few kilometers northwest of the one she had nearly lost her life in.”
“Woah, really? That’s so cool!” Scootaloo said as she shoved a doughnut into her mouth. After she devoured it, she grabbed her last doughnut for the night and pushed the box towards Rainbow.
“Sure is, squirt!” Rainbow quickly ate one of her two doughnuts, then kept reading after she put the box on the nightstand. “Daring Do took a moment to admire her new treasure. It glimmered in the light, painting a distorted image on the ground. She cocked her head to the side, then gasped as she realized that it held a clue. She tilted the statue every which way until it showed a simple picture: a waterfall. Daring Do cocked her ears all around, trying to see if she could hear the sounds of water crashing upon rocks, but heard nothing. She took to the skies, hovering in place just above the treetops as she spun around in a circle. When she had turned around halfway, she spotted a small waterfall way off in the distance. “Could that be it?” she asked herself. After making sure that nobody was around, Daring Do sped towards the waterfall like a bolt of lightning. She landed beside the waterfall and gazed at its beauty. The sun was already setting past the top of the waterfall, so there was very little light for her to use the statue’s clue again. She poked, pushed, and kicked the rocks all around the base of the waterfall, but found nothing.”
“Maybe she should look at the top? These temples are always so big, so how can she not see it?” Scootaloo asked, snuggling closer to Rainbow’s side. She used a hoof to push Rainbow’s wing open a little bit, lay her head down on her feathers, then closed her eyes with a content smile.
“Well, the clue did say that it was at the bottom of the waterfall, so let’s keep reading and find out!” Rainbow said as she flipped to the next page. “Daring Do eyed the water. She hated getting her clothes and gear wet, so she stripped herself of it all, then set it down next to the riverbank. With the Sapphire Statue in her hoof, she jumped into the water and opened her eyes once she reached the bottom. Using what little light the sun still offered, she was unable to see any sort of entrance or anything that would even show where she should look. As she felt her breath start to run out, she looked up at the waterfall from below and spotted something glimmering behind the falling water. With wide eyes, she swam up and pushed herself up out of the water, standing behind the waterfall. A small platform of blue crystal sat in front of her, just the right size to place the statue upon. So with a trembling hoof, Daring Do carefully placed the statue on top of the pedestal and took a step back. Nothing happened for many seconds, then suddenly, a hidden door slid up behind the pedestal, revealing a dark passageway. Daring Do fluffed her wings once as she shook the water from her feathers, then stepped into the passageway. Her hoof slipped out from under her, making her slide down the shockingly-smooth path. She reached out to grab onto something to slow her descent into the bowels of the land, but everything was just as smooth as the floor beneath her.” Rainbow paused as she noticed that Scootaloo was fast asleep. She pulled her wing out from under Scootaloo’s head, which only made her snuggle closer to her. “You asleep, little one?” she asked softly, her voice almost a whisper.
When Scootaloo mumbled something inaudible back, Rainbow flipped to the next page. “The path levelled out, letting Daring Do slide to a halt. As her eyes adjusted to the total darkness, torches burst into life all around her, revealing a cavern full of untold treasures. Daring Do stood up and brushed the dirt from her legs, her eyes wide as she took it all in. “There’s no way I’m gonna be able to fly all of this back home...” she murmured to herself.
“Yes, and that is why I have my henchponies!” Ahuizotl’s voice said from behind. Daring Do whipped around and found herself face to face with her arch enemy. His henchponies all slid down the path behind him, outnumbering her five to one. “And there is no escape from you this time!” he said, advancing on Daring Do.” Rainbow’s right ear flicked up as she heard Scootaloo snore ever so softly. “Heh... I think that’s enough for one night...” She stood up, taking care to not wake Scootaloo up as she crept from the room. She flew down to the living room, her eyes locked on the prize. Rainbow grabbed the new Daring Do book and held it to her breast as she squeed, her hind legs kicking about in the air as she flopped down on the couch. She closed her eyes for just a few moments, but that was all it took for her to feel just how tired she was. Rainbow opened her eyes and stared at the book’s cover, her hoof poised to open it. “It’s been months since I heard about this book being released...” she whispered to herself. “But...” A yawn forced itself past her lips. “Maybe it’d be better until I’m awake... I don’t want to ruin this book by falling asleep on it like that other book Twilight let me borrow. I still can’t believe she had me replace it, but... it was pretty messed up,” she said with a small giggle. “Probably for the best, I guess...”
Rainbow put the book on the coffee table, then walked back upstairs into Scootaloo’s bedroom. She turned off the light, then slid under the sheets. Laying on her side, she wrapped a wing around Scootaloo’s back, then smiled when she felt her tuck her head under her chin. Heh, you sure do love to snuggle, don’tcha? “You’re a good little sister, aren’t you?” she whispered after planting a light kiss on Scootaloo’s forehead. “Goodnight, little one...”
“Night, Rainbow...” Scootaloo murmured, wrapping a hoof around Rainbow’s right foreleg.
“Oh, you’re still awake? Didn’t meant to wake ya...” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Try to get some rest, okay? We’ve got a long day of flight training tomorrow, after all.”
“Sounds awesome... and Dash? Thanks for reading me a bedtime story, it... really makes me happy. It’s almost like a have a real big sis...” Scootaloo nuzzled Rainbow’s breast, then flicked her tail once. “I can’t wait for tomorrow morning...”
“Me neither, Scootaloo... Me neither.”
