Cold fresh air and rain puddles all over the place, It was the scenery which our orange little pegasus saw while driving her scooter at a very quick pace.
The sky was cloudy but without a single raindrop falling, because the weather team was preparing for winter and lots of snow.
And her own sister, Rainbow Dash was the biggest working force they've got, so the snow should be there in to time at all.
Now continuing onto where Scootaloo was going, Fluttershy's cottage. And it is also where Rainbow is right now.
Seeing the cottage appear in her line of sight, Scootaloo stormed off, going much faster so she wouldn't miss Rainbow.
But going faster might've been a bad idea because moments later a rabbit walked out of the bushes and onto the road, in front of Scootaloo.
Scootaloo swerved the scooter sharply so she wouldn't hit the rabbit, but while dodging the rabbit she herself crushed and flew into the bushes.
Bushes now had a filly pegasus shaped hole out of which stumbled a disoriented Scootaloo who barely managed not to fall over.
"SCOOTS ARE YOU OKAY?" A worried Rainbow Dash and fluttershy were already out of the cottage and coming to Scootaloo.
"I'm fine." Rainbow was the first to get to Scootaloo, and she had a small frown on her face."Scoots, I told you to drive slowly around these parts where the forest is."
Rainbow's eyes widened just a bit. "Sure, you are great at driving your scooter, but it's not only your actions that you need to be careful about. Other things like wild animals can and did trip you up." Rainbow lowered herself to Scootaloo's eye level, then with a small smile said. "So be more careful next time, okay?"
Scootaloo felt a tad guilty because she made Rainbow feel the need to say all that. "Okay, I will be more careful."
Rainbow smiled more at that answer, then after a second stood up and beamed a little while changing the finished topic. "So Scoots, are you excited to spend the new year with your favourite sister."
Scootaloo beamed at Rainbow, reacting to her own excitement. "Y-yes I can't wait." Scootaloo yelled out. "This is going to be the best four days of my life".
Scootaloo was burning with excitement saying that, but Rainbow looked like she had heard something worrisome. "Um, Scoots."
That tone in Rainbow's voice pulled Scootaloo's attention towards her sister. "I won't be able to spend all four days with you, but only New Year's Eve."
"W-what?" That actually shook Scootaloo who then asked. "But why only then?"
Rainbow let out a sigh then began explaining. "Listen Scoots, most of our pegasu...pegasy got sick, so those who are left are going to work overtime so we can have snow on the New Year's Eve. And I am the most physically capable pegasus." Rainbow kneeled down and looked Scoots directly in the eyes. " But don't worry, I will be there on the New Year's Eve, I can promise you that."
Scootaloo feels sad that her arranged time with Rainbow has been cut short, but she does understand where her sister is coming from, so she just says. "It's okay, I understand."
Rainbow let's out a sigh of relief and reassures Scootaloo that they will spend New Year's Eve together. "But, to be able to do that I need to finish all my chores, so I'm off to work."
"See you Scoots." Rainbow left quickly with a rainbow following her flight path, and then dissapearing.
With Rainbow leaving only Scootaloo and Fluttershy were left, and so Fluttershy offered Scootaloo tea and cookies at her cottage, though Scootaloo declined. She didn't have an appetite for it.
Parting ways with Fluttershy, Scootaloo left on her scooter in the direction of Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse in the hopes of meeting Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, and distracting herself from the not so good news.
Arriving at the Apple orchard Scootaloo could see only Applejack, though she saw Applebloom who was approaching. "Hi Applebloom, is Sweetie here?"
Hearing her friend she answered without a pause. "Nah, I ain't seen her at all today, though I heard from Applejack that she was helping Rarity with a dress or whatnot."
"Aha" is the sound Scootaloo made as she understood Sweetie is not going out today.
"Didja still wanna go to the Clubhouse" Asked Applebloom as she arrived in front of Scootaloo.
Scootaloo took a second to think, then answered.
"Yeah, sure."
Applebloom smiled like she had been waiting for this all day (she probably has) and after telling Applejack "Sis I'm going with Scootaloo." They left to the clubhouse.
"So like i proposed." Applebloom was talking "We can have a sleepover at my house, tomorrow. We just need to get Sweetie Belle on board and we're set." Applebloom was excited about her idea of a sleepover, but Scootaloo on the other hand was barely listening.
"Is there something on ya mind Scoots?" Scootaloo focused on Applebloom, who was just a little bit annoyed at her friend for not listening.
"Yeah, sorry. I'm just.....I had something on my mind since this morning. "Applebloom was interested in what could bum her out this badly, though she didn't want to get off the topic of the sleepover and risk forgetting it. But she decided she needed to ask her friend what troubled her.
After thinking a bit about the possible cause she said. "Did something maybe happen with Rainbow Dash....Or is there a problem with your New Year plans?"
Scootaloo looked at Applebloom like she was tired, she sighed then answered. "It's kinda both....Me and Rainbow were supposed to spend the four days up to the New Year together, but a lot of pegasy got sick so she has to do a lot more work."
Applebloom widened her eyes a little. "Does that mean you won't be spending the New Year with her?"
Scootaloo rebutted. "No no, it's not like that. She said....she promised that we will spend the New Year's Eve together." Scootaloo groaned a little. "But I am still a little peeved that those other pegasy had to get sick."
"Scoots it's not their fault they got sick, is it?" Applebloom asked.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I know It's not but....." She lovers her head "I don't know..."
Applebloom doesn't like the sight of Scootaloo being all sad, so she thinks of a way to cheer her up.
"Hey Scoots would you like me, you and Sweetie to bake a pie for cutie marks tomorrow at the sleepover?"
"But we already tried getting the baking cutie mark?" Scootaloo responded.
"Yes, but this would be baking a pie cutie mark, it's not the same." Scootaloo smiled a little at her friend's idea.
"Hah, I saw ya smile Scoots."
"Thanks Applebloom." Scootaloo cheers up.
"Aucun problème....I mean, no problem"
Applebloom blushed and Scootaloo looked at her in mild surprise.
"Was that french?"
Applebloom nodded, still embarrassed.
Scootaloo giggled at that but let it go as it wasn't important.
"So about the baking of the pie, what's the plan?"
Applebloom thought for a second then answered
"Well we wouldn't want to spend the whole night baking, so we turn the oven to the max, and yes, Applejack would be with us."
"I mean, It's reasonable for her to worry, especially if we're gonna turn it to the max."
When Scootaloo said that, she remembered something, the Cloud machine in the Weather factory.
Rainbow talked about how it had different speeds of work like the oven, so if she were to turn it up...
"Hey Applebloom....I remembered, I had some unfinished business today, so I'm gonna have to go do that. But the plans for tomorrow sound great."
"Oh, okay, that's okay. See you later."
"Yeah, see ya"
Scootaloo headed off towards the Weather factory
Puffy white clouds, all over the place, and the weather factory looks as mighty as ever.
Through the clouds rose a mail balloon and it is exactly what it sounds like, a hot air balloon carrying mail to Cloudsdale and the Weather factory.
Scootaloo looked from the balloon as it passed the clouds and came to it's landing point.
Scootaloo jumped out of the balloon, then turned towards it, speaking to the pony operating it.
"Thank you for the lift sir...umm what was your name again?" Scootaloo asked with a sheepish smile.
The old mailpony chuckled a little then proceeded to introduce himself once again. "I little miss Scootaloo am Crispy Clouds, the mailpony for Cloudsdale and the Weather factory." Crispy raised his hoof and put it on his chest. "And actually I feel a tad hurt by your forgetting of my name." Though he said that, the smile on his face cleansed any weight that those words would normally have and turned them into a joke.
"I am sorry for forgetting your name Crispy, and thank you for the lift."
"It's all well miss, I am just glad you won't forget it now....right?" Crispy asked while giving her a dramatic side eye.
Scootaloo giggled while responding. "Don't worry Crispy, I won't forget your name."
"Thank you miss, be well. " With that, Crispy left and Scootaloo could enter the Weather factory
Entering the factory is a piece of cake as it's basically almost always open (that says a lot about the security of the state facilities of Equestria).
And the sneaking isn't too hard either as the workers are too preoccupied to notice anything around them (The hallways are dark with only weak blue lights, so maybe the workers can't see anything in them).
Now the real challenge is finding the control room, and it isn't any better that all the rooms look similar.
Though Scootaloo does find the right room after half an hour or so.
"Ha! Finally! Finally I have found it." Scootaloo quiets down in hope that nobody heard her yelling.
A minute passed, and nobody came, Scootaloo can get on the job.
She gets to the control table, and uses her reading capabilities to try to guess the right button.
"I didn't think this through, did I." Scootaloo groans as the search continues.
"Where could this...thing....be." Scootaloo found the work speed up button, it just wasn't a button, it was a slide switch and it was on the machine itself.
Scootaloo wanted to groan to the sheer simplicity of this switch's hiding place, but decided not to.
She gets a better look at the switch, and sees that the slide switch has 5 options. She doesn't know what the options are called, but she can see the little images and can guess what they represent.
"How about this."
Scootaloo pushes the switch to the maximal cold which does speed up the process.
Scootaloo smiles more widely as her work seems to be done.
"It was that easy, huh."
Scootaloo began preparing to leave, already daydreaming about the whole four days with Rainbow Dash.
But wait, something wasn't right, the temperature felt wrong.
It felt like it was getting warmer by the second, so Scootaloo looked at the machine again.
It was steaming a bit.
"Oh no, wait a second."
Scootaloo tried turning the slide switch back to the middle option, but it wouldn't budge.
It was stuck.
Scootaloo began panicking.
The snow clouds that were in the making were already gone being dispersed.
Scootaloo looked outside only to see the already placed snow clouds disperse too.
It's warm...no, i-its hot outside." Scootaloo frantically looked all over the machine hoping to see a big red button saying STOP. But she couldn't find one anywhere.
"Come on, come on."
Multiple Incoming hoofsteps could be heard, and whoever they belonged to were in a hurry.
She decided to flee from the room.
As she left weather workers were heard entering the room, one yelling and shouting commands while the others followed them. But Scootaloo continued to run, she didn't wanna face them. She has messed up, big time.
She still ran, quickly, trying to escape.
But then she stopped.
Why?
Because she heard another very familiar voice arrive in the control room. It was Rainbow.
Then it hit her.
What about Rainbow, how could she do this to her.
She can't hurt her sister like this.
After everything Rainbow did and all the work she put in just to spend some time with her.
Scootaloo turned around.
Then she slowly, but methodically began walking back towards the control room.
Through her mind the only thoughts that were passing were those of an angry Rainbow Dash.
She was getting closer to the door.
She could imagine the look on her sister's face after realising what she had done.
She is almost at the door.
But she must do this, otherwise Rainbow will hurt.
Rainbow is already at the door.
Scootaloo froze all but her head as she slowly lifted it upwards to look at Rainbow's face.
"Scoots, what are you doing here?"
Here it goes, the well deserved anger from Rainbow.
She finally looks at her face, but.....Rainbow's expression isn't anger. It's more confusion and worry that anything else.
"SCOOTS!!"
Scootaloo snapped back to the reality. And looking at Rainbow she didn't see any anger, but only confusion, and really who could blame her.
Scootaloo began. "Sis....I."
"Scoots what happened here?"
"I...did...that."
"What? Scoots, please speak up, I don't understand."
A single teardrop fell on the ground, and Scootaloo let it all out.
"I..I d-did all t-that, I-It w-was me. I b-b-ro-ke the mac-mach-ine." Scootaloo was gasping and sobbing like crazy while trying to get out a sentence that made sense.
Rainbow grabbed Scootaloo by her shoulders, looked her in the eyes and said slowly.
"Easy.....easy, just....breathe in a deep breath, then exhale slowly. I...don't know why or how you broke the machine, but it's all right, just.....take it slowly."
Scootaloo was shivering all over, but she heard Rainbow and tried calming down like she said.
It worked a little.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Though Scootaloo was still teary eyed, at least she calmed down.
"Y-yeah, sorry for t-that.....and sorry for making more problems for you."
Rainbow let out a sigh of relief and then said.
"Scoots, I....you can tell me later why you did this." Rainbow lowered herself to Scootaloo's eye level. "But for now I need you to wait here until I talk with my colleagues. So when I finish, we go to my place and talk, okay."
Scootaloo nodded. "Okay."
Rainbow went to the control room to talk with the other weather workers.
Scootaloo opens her eyes, and yawns.
"Where am I."
Rainbow entered the room just as that question was asked.
"I told you I would bring you to my place, didn't I."
Rainbow sat next to Scootaloo
"Now could you tell me exactly what happened."
Scootaloo nodded then began.
"I felt.....sad that I couldn't spend the four days up to the new year with you, so when I remembered that the cloud machine works like an oven...I made a plan to speed up the cloud making, so you could all....maybe finish it on time."
Scootaloo made a slight pause, then continued.
"So then I sneaked in the factory, got to the machine, and then....messed up. I don't even know what I did when I broke the machine."
Scootaloo looked at Rainbow when she asked that.
"Scoots....you.....the cloud machine began heating everything, and....by the time we arrived, it heated the whole Ponyville, and the weather factory, like an heat wave. So that means that most of the snow clouds....most of the work we did, it was destroyed. We had a large setback."
Scootaloo felt like she wanted to disappear, to just fall through the floor and leave. But that wasn't an option.
"I don't think I can apologise enough for this, I don't even think you should forgive me. I wouldn't forgive me."
Rainbow put a hoof at her head.
"Scoots, it's okay. I know you made a large mistake, but I forgive you."
"Why?" Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow had a ghost of a smile. "I don't wanna hurt you like that, you are my sister."
"But...I....hurt you." Scootaloo replied.
"Yes, you did, but you were also walking towards the control room. And I would guess that it was because you didn't wanna run away and leave your responsibilities." Rainbow smiled softly. "If you wanted to run away, you would have done it, you would have escaped. So I forgive you."
Scootaloo hugged Rainbow tightly, she was surprised for a second, but then returned the hug.
Rainbow continued. "You should also know about the solution we came up with."
Scootaloo's ears perked up at that. "A solution.....really?"
"Yes, we...called the Wonderbolts here, to help us with the excessive work."
"W-wonderbolts, What?"
"Yeah, we got the permission for their help because we couldn't possibly do it on our own on time. So when the Wonderbolts come we should be able to finish everything at the New Year's eve."
Scootaloo replied while dropping her head slowly. "Which means that we won't be able to be together for New Year's Eve, right?"
"What? Umm...No, you are wrong."
"Huh, but how? You just said...."
"Yes, but I also said I would spend the New Year's Eve with you. I will find a way."
"But you...."
Rainbow smiled softly. "Isn't that what I promised you?"
Scootaloo stopped for a moment. She couldn't believe she had such a cool sister. Then while hugging her sister tighter she only said one thing.
"Thank you, sis."
The day came to an end, and the rest went as promised