-Let Me Run Or Let Me Fall

Rainbow Dash sat up in her bed. Fluttershy was in a sweet slumber by her side, and Rainbow admiringly looked down upon her. With an outstretched hand she softly touched the cheek of the lovely girl next to her. The warmth from Fluttershy was reaching it's way to Rainbow.

The athlete turned away from the warm body next to her, and she brought her attention to the bedroom door. Rainbow noticed that it was early in the morning. The darkness was still lingering outside her bedroom window, and the moonlight seeped through the open blinds.

The nights had been cruel to Rainbow Dash ever since the adoption. She was unable to sleep for more than four hours, and every sound woke her up and she wasn't able to stand it.

She slowly crept out of the bed, trying not to make a creak in the floorboards with her movement. As she kept quiet, she went for the door and slowly opened it, letting herself exit out of her and her lovers chamber.

Her mind wondered to the young girl that had been occupying their spare room for the past three months. She had done more than fill up free space though. She had been a fun addition to Rainbow and Fluttershy's family. Rainbow was afraid when Fluttershy had first mentioned adoption. She wasn't sure what to expect when the time came for Scootaloo to move in with them. She wasn't even sure if she wanted her to. But she was glad that she agreed to it. Scootaloo was sometimes hard to handle, but Rainbow had grown to love her more and more.

Rainbow walked down the small, narrow hallway to Scootaloo's open door. The tan girl peaked in through the crack of the door and saw Scootaloo as she happily dreamed in her sleep. A small rustle was made as she turned over onto her back, and with a cringe at her nose, she let out a long, joyful sigh.

Rainbow couldn't help herself but smile a bit as she watched the little girl sleep. Rainbow would have never dreamed that she would have been able to see Scootaloo from this point of view.

Rainbow use to see Scootaloo as nothing more than an overly obsessed child. Someone that looked up to Rainbow with more admiration than she could ever think of. A girl who lived a hard childhood. Someone that Rainbow couldn't help but feel sorry for. But now, it was as if Rainbow Dash was looking at a whole new little girl.

She was no longer someone that Rainbow had pity for, but now she was someone that Rainbow loved with all her heart.

I wish I could make you happy, Scoots...

Scootaloo nuzzled her arm slightly, and with a huge yawn she turned over onto her back. Sunlight poked at her closed eyelids, and though she was not ready to be awoken, she involuntarily opened her tired purple eyes and let the morning conquer her sleep.

She slowly looked around her room. Posters of the Wonderbolts, the best track team in history, were randomly displayed everywhere. She turned her head over to her nightstand. A family portrait of Fluttershy, Rainbow, and her was faced her way, and she gracefully smiled in it's direction.

She slowly breathed in a breath of the fresh morning air, and she began to sit herself up. One knee lifted itself up from under the covers, but the other stayed flat to the bed.

A small pain shot up through one of her legs, and she placed one hand on the hip of that very leg.

She rubbed at it to ease the pain, and with a slow motion began to move it downwards. Her fingers reached down to find nothing but a small stub to hold onto. Beyond that point was nothing but the space between her knee and the end of her bed.

For a split moment, Scootaloo felt a panic rising within her, but soon enough did she remember.

That was the worst part about waking up in the morning. Having to remind herself every day why she felt nothing beyond her knee. Having that feeling of emptiness in her leg.

Scootaloo took one last glance at her Wonderbolts poster before turning her body to the other side of her bed. Her wheelchair was faithfully awaiting her beside her bed, and Scootaloo lifted herself into it as she did every time she woke up. It was as if she knew nothing else but her wheelchair.

Truthfully, Scootaloo had no idea what it was like to walk. However, there was nothing she wanted more than to run alongside Rainbow Dash. There was nothing more in this world that she could ask for.

A wave of pink flowed by in the doorway, and swiftly came to a stop. Taking a few steps back, Fluttershy popped her refreshing aqua eyes into the door, and with a brightly lit smile, greeted the ever so sleepy Scootaloo.

"Good morning, sunshine. Would you like any breakfast?" Fluttershy's chest bounced as she tiptoed in through the doorway, holding a stack of freshly cleaned towels in her arms.

"I'm not really that hungry, but thanks anyways." Scootaloo looked up to her mother figure and gave her a toothy grin.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo quickly let out before Fluttershy could respond.

Fluttershy's eyes settled upon Scootaloo with a remorseful look upon her sweet, pale face. She clutched the towels closer to her body as she focused her eyes solely on the handicapped child. All Fluttershy wanted to do was reach out and heal her with a single touch. If only such a thing was possible.

"She's out..." Fluttershy tried to make her way out of Scootaloo's bedroom before she could ask anymore questions, but she couldn't make it out quick enough.

"Where to?" Large innocent eyes looked up to the very tall Fluttershy. A weary look was hidden deep down within her dark pupils.

"Um...at practice.." Fluttershy tried to force a smile, but her attempt was obvious to have been a failure. She couldn't let her eyes leave the broken Scootaloo, no matter how badly she wanted to look away.

Fluttershy wasn't sure if she could take these feelings anymore. She adopted Scootaloo because she loved her, and she knew that she needed a family to come home to everyday, and she deserved that. But Fluttershy couldn't focus on her love for Scootaloo, lately all she could think about was how badly she felt for her. She knew that pitying her wasn't her intentions at all, but she couldn't help but want to look away from her ambitious face every time she sensed the recollection of her handicap.

"Why didn't she get me up? She knows I like to watch..." Scootaloo looked down in her confusion. A troubling look was plastered upon her pouting chubby cheeks.

"She just didn't want to...um...disturb you. She said you looked so peaceful asleep that she...um...didn't want to wake you up from the wonderful dreams you were probably having..." Fluttershy smiled as she tried to recite what Rainbow had said to her. Of course she fluffed it out a bit to make Scootaloo not worry as much.

"That was nice of her. I wonder if she's still practicing. Do you know?" Scootaloo looked back up, recovering from her confusion, now smiling larger than ever.

Fluttershy looked back at her, not sure of what to say.

"Um...I...I'm not sure..."

Scootaloo practically jumped up in her chair with excitement. She began to quickly wheel herself past Fluttershy and out her bedroom door.

"Um...Scootaloo...where are you going?" Fluttershy sprung around to see Scootaloo already making her way down the hallway, halfway to the entrance of her cottage.

"I'm just going to see if she's done or not. If she isn't, I can watch her for her remaining practice time, and if she is, then I can walk her home!" Scootaloo turned her head and smiled at the heart wrenching Fluttershy.

"Well...you be careful, okay?" Fluttershy waved at the already departing child. All she could see was the back of her pink head, and her wheelchair moving in the opposite direction as her.

"I will!" Scootaloo shouted as she sped away, excitement built up inside her chest.

Fluttershy leaned against the open doorway, and with the towels now being tightly gripped into her fists, she looked out towards the far away child.

Walk her home, huh? If only...

Scootaloo was making her way to the usual track field. Her head was held high with excitement, and a cool breeze waved through her shortly cut hair. The day seemed decently nice, and Scootaloo was happy as she always was. With a large grin harboring on her face, she began to increase her speed as she wheeled herself onward.

With a few more strokes forward, Scootaloo was now close enough to see the track overhead. She tried to sit up farther in her chair, making her view clearer.

"I...I can't see anyone." Scootaloo struggled to sit up any higher than she already was. As she strained her vision, trying to see closer, she lowered herself back down into a comfortable position in her transportation.

She let out a few hard breaths, and with a sweep at her irritating stray bangs, she began to wheel herself to the edge of the hill. She could see that the track was a far ways down, and the height kind of scared her when she stared down from the very edge.

Fluttershy had always warned her not to try and go down to the track. It was down low beneath a steep hill, and Scootaloo was never able to get too close to it when she watched Rainbow Dash at her practices unless someone would carry her down there.

But she always dreamed of going down there on her own. That was something she wanted to be able to accomplish by herself. As Scootaloo pondered the situation, and the choices she was given, she decided with the latter.

If I disobey Fluttershy, she might get made at me....or worse...Rainbow Dash will...

Scootaloo turned back to the track. She still wasn't sure if anyone was down there or not. Maybe they were off taking a break, and they weren't in a visible position at the moment.

Scootaloo looked down to her legs. She swayed one up and down as if to be bored, kicking it at the dirt underneath her feet.

"I wonder what you think of me, Rainbow Dash..." Her voice was small, and not very audible. Fluttershy must have rubbed off on her over the few months that she had been living with them.

"Do you think I'm your daughter?"

Scootaloo turned her head from her foot to the sky. The clouds were moving slowly, and Scootaloo could almost relate with them. She never really liked to think about it, but how couldn't she?

Scootaloo hated her life. There was nothing in this world that she would want more than to stand up and run. There was nothing else she wanted, so why couldn't the Goddess of the Sun grant her her only wish? She would be able to do it, wouldn't she? She was the Goddess of all things. If she is, then she would surely be able to do that one thing. So why did Scootaloo have to go through her life without that small ability that so many took for granted?

"Oh, Goddess...Please! Why can't I be like Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy? Why can't I be like everyone else?!" Scootaloo could feel a small tear forming in the corner of her eye. She never cried that much, her pride wouldn't allow her to. But something was missing. Something was different. Scootaloo had never felt pain like this before. Sure sometimes her leg would cause her to cringe with surging, painful cramps, but nothing hurt her worse than feeling the absence it left her with.

Scootaloo looked back down to her missing piece. She reached her arm down and touched the end of what wasn't there.

Some people would just give up. Some people would deal with it and just move on. But Scootaloo wasn't satisfied with that. She wasn't going to sit back her whole life and deal with something that she didn't deserve. Scootaloo was better than that. She knew it deep inside that she was meant for great things, and sitting in this chair wasn't helping her accomplish those things.

With a deep breath, Scootaloo placed both hands on the arms of her wheelchair. She gripped around them tightly with each of her tiny fingers, and with a struggle, she began to lift herself up.

She placed her good leg on the ground, and dug it deep into the dirt as she attempted to brace herself.

"I'm going to do this on my own, Rainbow Dash."

Scootaloo looked straight ahead with all eyes of determination. As she was fully standing now, she slowly began to move her hands away from her wheelchair.

She was already feeling happiness filling her up inside. A large smile was covering her face, and with a push backwards, she pulled her hands away from the only thing keeping her upwards.

For a few seconds, Scootaloo felt complete pride inside, but as the moments grew longer, her balance began to deteriorate. Scootaloo quickly pulled her hands behind her, blindly searching for her wheelchair. With no luck, she felt her one leg begin to weaken under her weight.

"R-Rainbow!"

Scootaloo's unsteady balance sent her tumbling forward down the hill towards the track. Screams and wails were escaping her small mouth. Tears flew off her face as she hit small bumps, and sharp rocks on her way down. She could feel her arms, and legs burning as it rubbed quickly against the grass.

Scootaloo felt as if she were falling forever, but soon enough she came to a stop, and hit her head against the ground on her last roll.

Loud sobs could only be heard. Scootaloo's vision was blurred by the massive tears that were dripping out of her eyes. She couldn't see, or hear anyone around.

"H-help...me..."

Scootaloo was out of breath, and fresh stinging cuts filled up her skin. Dirt hung in her hair, and she had an awful taste lingering in her mouth. Her arms were too weak to move, and she wasn't able to walk, or go anywhere for that matter without her wheelchair which was now fifty feet above her on the edge of the cliff that she was mercilessly lunged over.

With her unmoving body spread over the dirt, she managed to turn her eyes upward to search for Rainbow Dash.

"R-Rainbow...?"

No one was around. Rainbow Dash wasn't there to help her.

Author's Note

I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. I apologize for the wait, and I will try to improve on that.
If you find any mistakes that I missed, please correct me. Other than that, I hope you are enjoying this story, and I will update the new chapter as soon as possible. Thanks!