Rainbow Dash was minding her own business, Ponyville had a cloudy day today, and thus Rainbow Dash was preparing for it. She wanted to get it done as fast as possible before she’d take a nap. However, she’d want to see Scootaloo first. Scootaloo, was, of course, her best friend, to the point where Scootaloo considered herself and Rainbow Dash sisters. Nothing was official, but Dash found it charming and played along.
“That’s it for today,” Dash said. The clouds were in place. “You can take the rest of the day to do whatever you please.”
The pegasai over Ponyville dispersed, until Dash was the last one remaining.
Excited to see her ‘little sister’, Dash flew as fast as she could to Scootaloo’s house. She had to take a double take at a couple places, because flying fast didn’t necessarily make easy turning, but eventually, Dash got to Scootaloo’s house.
She frantically knocked on the door, and she heard no answer. After waiting a little while, she knocked again, but louder. She still got no answer.
Exasperated, she turned the doorknob, the door creaked open, and the lights were off. Flipping on the lights, Rainbow Dash looked around for Scootaloo, and didn’t find her.
“Scootaloo, Kid?” she called. “You can stop hiding, it’s Rainbow Dash, I’m not going to hurt you.”
In response, Dash only heard a faint sobbing coming from a different room entirely. As she looked closer in the direction of the sobbing, Dash noticed that a single light was on, so, she endeavored towards the light.
Dash peeked in. Scootaloo was lying on her bed, sobbing. Scootaloo’s head was turned away from her, so Dash couldn’t see what she was crying over. Dash just stood there, wondering what to do.
“Hey... Kid,” Rainbow Dash said, her voice shook, and she didn’t notice precisely how much it did.
Finally, Dash got a reaction out of Scootaloo.
“Rainbow, why are you here?” Scootaloo said with a rough voice with broken contours.
“I... I wanted to check in with my little sister after I finished doing the weather work for today,” Dash replied.
“In case you can’t tell, she’s not doing very well right now,” Scootaloo snapped back.
Dash entered the room carefully, heading around to Scootaloo’s front. Her head was lying on the bed eyes bloodshot. Her head was on top of a particular object, but Dash couldn’t tell what it was. She decided to sit in front of Scootaloo. “I can tell. But still, it’s my duty to make you feel better, I am the element of Loyalty after all.”
“You don’t have a duty to do anything,” Scootaloo mumbled.
Rainbow Dash stepped closer to Scootaloo, and pulled the object out from under her head. It turned out to be a picture, of The Cutie Mark Crusaders. Scootaloo was in the middle, Apple Bloom on her left, Sweetie Belle on her right.
“Oh...” Dash said, her voice getting lower toward the end. “That’s why...”
“Great, now you can chastise me for overexaggerating my response to two ponies that died two months ago,” Scootaloo said, not lifting her head at all.
“Why would I do that, Scootaloo?” Dash said.
“Because Rarity and the Apple Family have already gotten over it. You’d expect me to be over it, too.”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond to that, but Scootaloo continued.
“But those ponies, they were part of me. We did everything together, it almost felt like, we were family. Ever since they died in that ziplining accident and I survived. I felt like I didn’t deserve to be the one living. We were just trying to get our cutie marks, and they, they never got theirs...” Scootaloo trailed off, because she was completely sobbing by now. “And I... I, I think that every— everypony, they want me to let go. Like, that I... I should stop crying about some— something that happened... happened two months ago. And I... I can’t.”
Rainbow Dash sat in silence with nothing but the sound of Scootaloo crying to accompany it. Eventually, she assumed a position next to Scootaloo and pulled her into a hug. Scootaloo’s crying eased. “Kid, whoever said you had to?”
Scootaloo finally looked up at Rainbow Dash. “I just... feel like everypony expects me to.”
“Maybe they expect it of you, but nopony ever said you had to.”
“...What?” Scootaloo replied.
“You know, I think that secretly, Rarity and the Apple Family are still struggling, too. Nopony ever truly gets over a death of someone close to them. They hold it in their hearts. I don’t see why you can’t do the same. Why don’t we hang up the picture, so you’ll truly never forget Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? Ponies like that deserve to be remembered, don’t you think?” Rainbow Dash said
Scootaloo nodded. “Do you really think so?”
“Scootaloo, why wouldn’t I?” Rainbow Dash responded. “They’re every bit as awesome as you are, Kid.”
Scootaloo, who had finally calmed down, added, “Under it, we can put a little note that says ‘to the bestest friends I’ve ever had’.”
“What about me?” Rainbow Dash added, jokingly.
“You’re a different category, your my bestest sister,” Scootaloo added.
Rainbow Dash laughed. “I think that sounds like a great idea, Scootaloo.”
“And Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo started.
“Yeah?”
“Can you hug me for a little longer? I like being with my big sister.”
“I’d do anything for you, Scootaloo, your the best sister I never had. However, you shouldn’t tell a single pony about this.”
Scootaloo laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I wouldn’t want to harm your image.”
So, Rainbow Dash stayed close to Scootaloo for a little while longer. She really saw Scootaloo as a little sister, and she was happy that Scootaloo thought the same about her. She wouldn’t have it any other way, and was so happy that Scootaloo was trying to remember her friends in such a way.
After all, Rainbow Dash would do anything for her friends, and would to the same with Scootaloo.
Author's Note
I’m doing double-time today. Two stories.
I mean, I have nothing else to do, and I wanted to really write this. I wanted to make it as good as I could, and I really hope I did.
