Loyalty Tested

by Secret_Shadows

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Other, Scootaloo, Slice of Life
Length: 3731

When Equestria's best flyer fails in a stunt and lands in the Everfree Forest, a friend appears.

What happens when Rainbow Dash does a stunt, and crashes in the Everfree Forest and is injured? What happens when no one was watching Rainbow Dash, and no one knows she crashed, except one unlikely filly? Find out what happens in this tale that will test some of our favorite ponies alone deep in the Everfree.

Cover picture is another picture done by NaterRang.

Published 2012-08-23 16:54:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-24 10:47:22 UTC

The Crash

Loyalty Tested

Part I
'The Crash'

Written By: Secret_Shadows
Edited By avorin

'This time, this time I'm going to get it right.' Rainbow thought to herself. She was practicing for an upcoming flying competition by trying to perfect a dangerous move. She was flying over the Everfree because the other Weather Pegasi had storms scheduled for the rest of Equestria, the Everfree was the only place it wasn't currently storming.

'Almost.....' Rainbow was straining to even think, she was pulling so many G's she could hardly even keep her eyes open. Rainbow was approaching a Sonic Rainboom when she was thrown backwards into the air by the resistance she generated in her flight.

'Oh great, another failed Rainboom' She thought to herself, she repositioned herself in the air and tried again. But this time when she got close to the Sonic Rainboom...

*SNAP* the wind she had generated in her attempt to generate a Rainboom backfired and broke her wing.

"AHHH" Rainbow yelled in pain, her wing had broken in her attempt to perfect her flying. As she plummeted to the ground somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest she was worried, no one had been watching her, no one knew where she was.

As Rainbow neared the ground she tried to flap her wings, but she failed, her left wing was horribly broken and bent.

She crashed into the treetops, bouncing off branches and other appendages coming from the trees.

She hit the ground, barely able to stay conscious. She landed in a mud puddle, her body now covered in branches and leaves and mud, her once colorful mane and tail now darkened and discolored by the mud. Unable to stand up she laid there.

"help!" She tried to call out, but she was too weak, the most that came out was a loud whisper.

Tears formed in Rainbow's eyes, the pain, it was too much, her head fell to the ground and her eyes closed, and she fell unconscious.

-

Scootaloo was standing outside the Everfree watching Rainbow high above the forest perform her stunts. Words rang in her mind, words that stuck out in her memory from the past few months.

'Go home kid, I fly alone'

'How can you even help, you can't even fly'

'How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone!'

'I Don't Need Your Help! And I Never Will!"

Words from Rainbow Dash, her idol had wanted nothing to do with her. Her entire world was crashing down, all she wanted was to be accepted by Rainbow Dash. And here she was, watching her idol for what she thought would be the last time. After this she would go home and never talk to Rainbow Dash again just like Rainbow wanted.

"AHH"

Scootaloo looked up and saw Rainbow falling deep into the Everfree, she looked up and watched Rainbow plummet a few hundred feet until she was no longer visible behind the tree line.

Scootaloo turned her head away from the forest, and then she started walking away, crying.

'She doesn't want my help anyway' She thought as she walked away.

But, something stopped her, she was just over a small hill when she looked back, Rainbow wasn't flying again, she would have recovered by now, something was wrong, terribly wrong.

Scootaloo broke into a gallop into the forest, not even taking the time to watch where she was going, her idol was hurt, and she would stop at nothing to save her, even if she didn't want her help. She tripped over a branch and fell into a puddle of mud, but she just got back up and continued running, she had to make sure her idol was ok. She checked the sky again, no Rainbow Dash, something was definitely wrong now.

She stopped and looked around, in all directions only trees, she was lost in the Everfree, and worse.

*BOOM* Thunder cracked in the near distance.

It was going to storm, and very violently.

"Come on Rainbow Dash where are you!" Scootaloo yelled. talking to herself.

Scootaloo stood there, her thoughts were racing.

'What if she is...NO! Scootaloo don't be stupid, Rainbow wouldn't.......die' She thought.

"RAINBOW!" Scootaloo yelled out, the response she got was not one she wanted to hear, more thunder and now the pitter-patter of rain was hitting the trees and the ground.

"RAINBOW!" She called out again.

-

Rainbow regained consciousnesses for a short period of time, enough for her to hear Scootaloo.

'Oh thank Celestia that little filly was following me' She thought to herself.

"Scootaloo" Rainbow said weakly, but it was loud enough to get Scootaloo's attention.

"Rainbow?" Scootaloo said

"Here, I'm here!" Rainbow managed to say louder.

Scootaloo raced to her voice, she had to know what was wrong, Rainbow sounded weak and there was no time to waste.

She soon stumbled upon Rainbow laying on the ground, her wing bent in what looked like a very painful position.

"Rainbow, are you ok?" Scootaloo said

"I....I...." Rainbow closed her eyes and moaned, her pain was starting to affect her again.

"help me" Rainbow said before drifting off into unconsciousness once more.

"Rainbow, don't do this to me, stay awake Rainbow" Scootaloo said, she moved Rainbow's fore hoof to try to get her to respond, she didn't move.

"Rainbow, Rainbow, Wake Up Rainbow!" Scootaloo yelled at her idol, in a vain attempt to get her to at least move.

"no..." Scootaloo said to herself "she can't be" She started crying "Stay with me Rainbow!" She said in a louder tone. "Don't Do This To Me Rainbow!" Scootaloo said in an angry yet sad tone. "Come On!" She stopped. "You can't be dead Rainbow...you just can't" Scootaloo said, then Rainbow inhaled oxygen, she was breathing. She was alive, barely, but that's all that Scootaloo needed to know that Rainbow was going to live.

The rain started to come down even harder. They weren't very lucky in the way of protection from the rain either, when Rainbow crashed she punched a hole through the canopy of the forest letting rain in.

Scootaloo had to think fast, she needed to get Rainbow into a shelter, but Rainbow was in no condition to move, she had to think fast, then she saw it, a large fern with huge leaves on it, it was perfect. Scootaloo ran over to it and picked a leave up in her mouth and ran back to Rainbow, she used the leaf to shield Rainbow from the rain while she stood holding it, getting herself drenched in rain.

"Just hang in there, Help will come soon Rainbow, I just know it" Scootaloo said 'I Hope' She thought to herself.

The Storm

Loyalty Tested

Part II

‘The Storm’

Written By: Secret_Shadows

Edited By: avorin

“There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.”

-Willa Sibert Cather

The rain was now a torrential downpour. Scootaloo was getting very wet while she hung the leave over Rainbow Dash in a vain attempt to keep her dry. With every strike of lightning, every gust of wind, every crack of thunder, Scootaloo flinched, unable to keep the leave over Rainbow Dash for more than a few seconds at a time, but she was determined to keep her idol out of the elements, for if she didn't, Rainbow would die.

Scootaloo was having trouble keeping Rainbow Dash dry, the large leaf she had was not nearly enough to shield both of them. It was getting later into the night as well. The cold was setting in and Scootaloo started to shiver, Rainbow Dash, still covered in mud and other debris opened her eyes slightly.

“W......what’s......what’s going on?” She said, she sounded exhausted and weak.

“You crashed-” Scootaloo said before being cut off by Rainbow.

“I don’t C...crash.” Rainbow said with a cough. “Why are you even here.”

“I was-” Scootaloo was cut off again.

“I fly alone.” Rainbow said.

Rainbow tried to get up and Scootaloo eased her back down to the ground when she realised what was going on.

“What are you doing, if you’re not going to help me then get off!” Rainbow snapped as she tried to push Scootaloo away, but her weak state prevented it.

Scootaloo was unable to keep her composure any longer, the constant hate she got from Rainbow was too much.

“Rainbow! I am Trying to Help You!” Scootaloo lashed out “You are hurt, please, just lay down, you’re not well enough to get up yet”

Rainbow looked up at her, still very weak, she moved about on the dirt and mud she was now laying in.

“Is there anything....I can..uh, lay on?” Rainbow said, she was still weak.

“A leaf maybe” Scootaloo paused and looked around. “You’re going to have to hold this one over you until I get back with it” Scootaloo said as she hoofed rainbow the umbrella shaped leaf.

Rainbow, now holding the leaf over her laid and watched Scootaloo go over through the rain and pick a nice dry leaf and bring it over. She laid it down on the ground next to Rainbow and then grabbed the leaf that was shielding Rainbow with her teeth.

“O..hy....nowh roll ofer tho thoe leaf” She said through the leaf that was now in her mouth.

Rainbow did as instructed, but as she rolled over her wing made an awful cracking noise and Rainbow who had somewhat recovered collapsed in pain onto her back, luckily she was no longer in a mud puddle.

“Rainbow!” Scootaloo screeched, she dropped the leave and went to Rainbow’s side.

“I....Ihm...I’m fine” Rainbow said, she was moaning and her wing had started to bleed through her feathers.

“No you’re not fine” Scootaloo said

“Yes, I-owch!” Rainbow yelped as she tried to move her wing, she wasn’t flying anywhere any time soon.

Scootaloo sneezed, she was shivering and soaked through.

Rainbow noticed this. “Scootaloo, you don’t look too good” She said, she normally would not care for the little orange filly, but, for some reason, she was unable to ignore the poor fillies condition.

“I a-choo-m f-fine” Scootaloo said, obviously not fine.

“W-we need to f-find sh-shelt-ter” Rainbow said, she was starting to develop a cold as well as being cold.

“I, I saw a tree that looked like it could shelter us” Scootaloo said.

“Good, lets try-” Rainbow had reached her hoof forward to try and drag herself to the tree when she suddenly had a searing pain in her forehoof that cause her to fall unconscious.

“Rainbow” Scootaloo said as she saw Rainbow collapse. “Rainbow!” Scootaloo screeched as she ran to Rainbow’s side once again, and she sat hoping that Rainbow would be alright.

About half an hour later, still sitting in the rain, Scootaloo decided to try and drag Rainbow to the tree. She laid the leaf down on Rainbow to give her some protection from the rain and she dragged the leaf Rainbow was laying on.

About halfway to the tree Scootaloo slipped, her hind legs fell out from under her causing her to nearly flip over, as she fell down to the ground she felt a snap. As Scootaloo tried to stand up she fell over again, her left hind leg gave out under her weight leaving an intense pain. Scootaloo cried out in agony. Now not only was Rainbow unconscious, but Scootaloo now had a broken leg.

Troubles

Loyalty Tested

Part III

‘Troubles’

Written By: Secret_Shadows

Edited By: avorin

In the back of Scootaloo’s mind she realised they were not going to make it, with a broken leg Scootaloo could not pull Rainbow Dash, and with Rainbow Dash being unconscious she was unable to help in any way.

Scootaloo started crying, things always ended up this way, no matter who it was, no matter how hard she tried, her parents, her friends, her idol, everyone, she lost them all, and now she was going to loose herself.

Rainbow moved slightly and inhaled.

“Scoot” Rainbow said, her eyes closed and her breathing slow, she was in a terrible condition now.

“Rainbow” Scootaloo said, she was still laying in the mud puddle she fell in.

“Scootaloo, w-where a-are you?” She said, she was unable to muster the strength to open her eyes.

“Over here” Scootaloo said.

‘Thats great but were is “over here” ‘ Rainbow thought to herself.

There was a flash of light followed by a loud boom, Scootaloo whimpered in fear.

“It’s just thunder” Rainbow said

“I-I know” Scootaloo said sniffling, she was crying again, not out of pain, but out of fear.

Rainbow managed to open her eyes and turn her head slightly to see Scootaloo sitting in a mud puddle curled up into a ball of orange and purple. Her eyesight was a haze but she could still make out what was going on and how bad their situation really was.

“Scootaloo, we need to get to that tree” Rainbow said

“I, I can’t, I. . . my leg” Scootaloo said
“Can you get over to me?” Rainbow asked, she was still unable to move the majority of her body from being so weak.

“I-I think so” Scootaloo said, she dragged herself with her forehooves over to Rainbow, she was still crying and sniffling.

There was another flash followed by a crack of lightning, Scootaloo flinched and she fell onto her broken leg, she fell next to Rainbow.

Rainbow managed to put her forehoof around Scootaloo and she spoke.

“I-I just w-want t-to g-g-go h-home” She said through her tears.

“I know, I know” Rainbow said, she was actually starting to feel bad for the filly. As annoying as Scootaloo was to her, she couldn’t help but feel bad for her, after all, this was her fault that they were in the forest.

Again there was a crack of thunder, Scootaloo again flinched, but less as she was in the embrace of Rainbow’s forehooves.

“Scootaloo listen to me, I don’t know how long I will be awake, you have to get us to the tree, do you understand me?” Rainbow said, she was starting to feel weak again.

“I, I can’t” Scootaloo said

Rainbow Sighed “Yes you can, just try” she didn’t want to present the filly with the truth that they might die, she used her forehoof to clean some of the tears off of Scootaloo’s face.

“Ok, I guess” Scootaloo said still tearing up.

She grabbed the end of the leaf in her mouth and started pulling, she unintentionally put weight on her broken leg and collapsed in pain.

“Owch!” She yelped as she stumbled back onto her hooves to try again.

“Keep going, you can do this” Rainbow said, she was unable to move, she felt so helpless, it disgusted her.

Scootaloo tried again, this time managing to pull Rainbow Dash, and after a few moments of falling, getting hurt, and getting even more wet in the rain Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were finally at the tree.

“Ok, we are here” Scootaloo said, Rainbow had closed her eyes again, but she was still conscious.

“Get us into it” She mumbled, she was fading in and out, she wasn’t going to be awake much longer.

“Ok, I can try” Scootaloo said as she pulled Rainbow into the open trunk of the tree. It was small, but it was protection from the rain, and thats all that mattered.

She sneezed, she was catching a cold.

“You ok over there squirt?” Rainbow asked, she was fading fast.

“I, I’m fine I just-” She sneezed again, in truth she was not fine, she was cold, wet, and developing a cold.

Rainbow moaned, her pain was getting unbearable, her wings felt like they were going to fall off, her hind legs felt like someone had taken them like they were twigs and snapped them and she had a splitting headache.

“Scootaloo, I don’t think I” she stopped, she thought very carefully about what she was going to say next. “I don’t think I am going to be....awake much longer, if that happens, you’re going to have to go find help, do you understand me?”

“No Rainbow, no, you can’t do that, not yet” Scootaloo said, she knew exactly what Rainbow was saying.

“Scootaloo, just listen to me, I....I, ok?” Rainbow said, she was starting to fade out fast.

“Rainbow....Rainbow!” Scootaloo yelled as she stumbled over to Rainbow, she had fallen unconscious, but Scootaloo thought she had died.

“No, no Rainbow don’t do this, no, wake up, come on, wake up Rainbow” she said, she nudged Rainbow’s foreleg to no avail.

“Come on, don’t give up, you can’t die, wake up Rainbow, come on, w-wake u-up-p, p-p-pl-leas-es-es” Scootaloo said now frantically crying, she put her Forehoof over Rainbow’s chest, her heart was beating, but just barely.

“Rainbow, Rainbow you have to wake up, Rainb-” Scootaloo stopped as a bolt of lightning hit the ground where they were only a few minutes earlier, then a boom so loud it shook the entire tree and even the ground. Scootaloo flinched and covered her head with her forehooves, she was crying as much as anypony could even cry at this point, it was too much.

“Please Rainbow, please wake up” Scootaloo said softly through her tears, of which she was now sitting in a puddle of. She was shaken and dirty and soaking wet, how anypony could survive this was beyond imagination, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash truly needed a miracle.

Miracle

Loyalty Tested

Part IV

‘Miracle’

Written By: Secret_Shadows

Edited By: avorin

The rain was letting up, but that was the last thing Scootaloo was thinking of.

“What do I Do!” She mumbled to herself, still crying. The sun had set for the night and it was getting dark, there was still a lot of thunder and lightning.

‘If I don’t make it’ She thought.

“Rainbow, please, please, please wake up!” Scootaloo said, now huddled next to Rainbow for warmth.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow I’m so, so sorry, I am sorry I was annoying and followed you around, I am sorry that we are stuck here like this, just please, please wake up.” Scootaloo said.

Rainbow moaned, it was a good sign, she was still alive, but barely, her body was growing weaker every second, as was Scootaloo.

“Rainb-bow, y-you h-have to w-wake up” Scootaloo said, she was starting to get dizzy and disoriented, the cold and her injuries were affecting her, she closed her eyes slowly and reopened them.

“R-rainb-bow” She said before she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

Scootaloo’s eyes opened for a short moment, she saw a hazy and shadowy figure standing over her and dash, then she fell back under.

Scootaloo moaned, her eyes shot open, she was in a Strange place, it was some sort of tree, but, it was a house.

She managed to see a figure standing over Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow” She moaned as she saw the figure come over to her.

“Have a blanket young filly, for it is very chilly” A figure said putting a blanket over Scootaloo.

Scootaloo recognised the figure as the strange cursed creature that comes to Ponyville every so often.

“Don’t Kill Me!” Scootaloo screached.

“I shall not kill, I will return you, to Ponyville” She said.

Scootaloo started to fade out again, and when her eyes opened, she was in a hospital bed with an IV strapped to her forehoof.

The faint sound of a beeping heart monitor was heard.

Scootaloo looked around to see Rainbow in a bed next to her.

“Rainbow?” Scootaloo said, Rainbow stirred in her bed before her eyes opened.

“Rainbow, where are we?” Scootaloo asked.

“What, oh, I, I think we are in a hospital.” Rainbow said, she was still weak, but better than before.

“Well, duh” Scootaloo said as Nurse Redheart walked in.

“Ah good, you’re both awake, you gave us quite the scare, it was touch and go there for a little while, but it seems you both managed to pull through” She said

“What happened?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, a strange creature dropped you and Scootaloo off at the hospital late a few nights ago and said she had found you in the Everfree during that awful storm, we tried to ask her name but she left in a hurry."

“Thats strange” Scootaloo said.

“Wait, a few nights, how long” Rainbow asked.

“About 2 weeks” Redheart said.

“TWO WEEKS! But the Wonderbolts-” Rainbow tried to get up out of bed and was cut off by Redheart.

“No, no, no Rainbow, you aren’t going anywhere for a good 2 weeks” She said.

“But!” Rainbow protested.

“No buts Rainbow Dash, you both are going to be in here for the next two weeks so you’d better get used to each other.” She said as she left the room.

Scootaloo smiled, she got to spend the entire week with Rainbow.

Rainbow looked back at Scootaloo and gave a weak smile.

“Thank you” Rainbow said.

“For what?” Scootaloo asked.

“For saving me, if you hadn’t found me, I would probably be laying dead out there right now” She said.

“Rainbow, I only wanted to help the person I look up to.”

With that Rainbow frowned a little bit.

Scootaloo’s ears fell and she looked down.
“Oh, well, If you don’t want to see me ever aga-” Rainbow cut her off.

“Now why would you say that, It was undeniably, unquestionably, awesome that you saved my life.” She said.

“But I thought” Scootaloo said, her ears perked back up and she looked up at Rainbow.

“No, You’re alright Scootaloo” Rainbow said, and with that she received the biggest smile from a filly she had ever seen.

‘Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes’ Scootaloo’s mind was repeating over and over.

Several Months Later...

‘Dear Princess Celestia,
several months before I met Twilight and all of my other awesome friends, I was a pretty terrible friend to other ponies, I learned that you should never dislike another pony just because they may seem annoying, because sometimes they might be the ones who save your life, they might also look up to you and see you as a hero. You can’t just not like a pony because of small things. Your Loyal Subject,
Rainbow Dash’

Rainbow handed Spike the letter and he sent it in a puff of green smoke to Princess Celestia.