the loving wings of a Rainbow.

Chapters

chapter 1: My Admirer
Chapter 2: Flying Lessons
Chapter 3: The Last Lesson
Chapter 4: Party of Deceit
Chapter 5: Til The Very End
Epilogue

chapter 1: My Admirer

"Hey! Wait up!" The small orange pegasus with a purple mane and tail trying to catch up with her friends, yelled out to her friends as the a Cutie Mark Crusader's meeting was about to begin.

As the cool spring wind breezed through the window, Scootaloo entered their "secret base". She exhaled, and spoke in a raspy voice. "I'm glad i got here in time." The pegasus was obviously exhausted by running through the streets. She threw her blue saddlebag in a corner and sat down.

"No problem. Now shall we get down to business?" Sweetie Belle's, eagerness for getting her cutie mark was only matched by her fellow crusaders.

" Alrgihty, now first order of business...Umm..." Apple Bloom thought for a moment. " Uhm, I call Sweetie belle to the stand!" The small unicorn gave a slight glare at her yellow pony friend as she walked to the podium.

She looked at her friends, not knowing of what to tell them. "Well, erm, maybe we can - I guess." As a few sweat drops fell from her, she hatched an idea. "Girls, listen up, I gotta great idea!" Her eyes widened, and a smile grew.

"Well quit stallin' we wanna know too!" Both the pony and pegasus were waiting anxiously.

"I'm a unicorn, so my cutie mark can be magic!" Her face beamed with excitement, while the two hornless ponies in the room glared at her because they obviously couldn't get a cutie mark in magic. Sweetie Belle noticed this, and thought again. "Oh, um, Applebloom, you can work more on the farm! Scootaloo, maybe you can get amazing at flying!" Her faced beamed more with pride as the other couple of ponies started to cheer her on.

"I gotta go now, i'm gonna ask ma sis' for extra work!" The young pony trotted toward the farm that resided on the horizon.

"I'll see if Rarity can teach me anything!" The white filly started running to her sister's boutique, leaving Scootaloo alone.

The small pegasus grabbed her saddlebag, and headed to the only pony she knew that could fly greater than any pegasi in the world(in Scootaloo's, and Rainbow Dash's opinion).

Arriving at the other pegasus's house, Scootaloo tried to fly all the way up, but failed. Now hoping that the pegasus was home, she cried out for her. "Rainbow dash! can you come out, I wanna talk to you!"

A light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail came out of her house and looked down at the ground. "I was taking a nap! What do you need?" The grogginess in her voice was very apparent to the young filly.

The orange pegasus looked up in awe at her hero, eyes brightened. "R-Rainbow Dash, can you help me?" She tried with all her might to get up to the top, but she couldn't even make it halfway to the house of clouds in the air.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, and flew down to help the struggling pegasus. "So what do you need, squirt?" Her voice, almost teasing, but interested to what she had to say. Scootaloo jumped on her back, (with a little support of her wings) and they flew back up to her home.

Out of nervousness, Scootaloo started playing with her hair and blushed before she answered. "Well, erm, you're the best flier in ponyv- i'm sorry, in all of Equestria. I was kinda hoping you could give me flying lessons. I have a few bits to pay!" She hopped off the pegasus's, and started frantically searching her saddlebag looking for loose change.

"Hey, don't worry about the money! I can give you lessons tomorrow for free, where do you live?"

The pony looked up with a depressed look on her face. "Why don't we meet here, i'd much prefer your house." She started to dart her eyes back and forth, trying to come up with an excuse for wanting Rainbow Dash to not find out something she didnt want anypony to know.

The light blue pegasus looked down confused. "Well I think I should get your parents permission first before we do anything." *CRASH* "Dang it, hold on." She moved away for a quick moment to check on Tank after hearing a crash, and came back to see Scootaloo walking away. "Hey! Where are you going?"

She started moving faster, trying to avoid the conversation. "Forget the lessons. I can learn on my own!" Her voice was grief stricken.

Rainbow Dash quickly caught up with her, and blocked her exit. "Scootaloo, whats wrong?"

She kept her gaze down to the puffy floor."I-I don't have parents." A few tears started to drop from her eyes as she said this.

Rainbow, trying to figure out how to help her, came up with an idea. "Hey, how would you like to come inside?"

Scootaloo looked up. "R-Really? I can stay here?" Her voice, in shock.

Rainbow chuckled. "Yeah, come on in!" She quickly flew inside and motioned for Scootaloo to come in as well.

Scootaloo trotted inside. Her eyes widened as she saw house. "I-I can stay here?"

Rainbow chuckled more, and threw her on her back. "of course!"

"Thank you so much!" Rainbow started to fly through the hall, and into the kitchen.

Scootaloo was quickly sat down on a chair, as the bright blue Pegasus floated infront of a fridge. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

She looked at Rainbow's eyes, staring back at her's. "You'd give me something?" Her mind started to go adrift, remembering she was rarely ever just given food.

She laughed more. "Of course! so what are you in the mood for, squirt?" She said starting to dig through the fridge.

She looked at her, shocked, and in awe. "I-I have a choice?" She was in amazement of what the pegasus said.

Rainbow started laughing hysterically at what the small Pegasi said. She looked over, and saw a bit of anger in Scootaloo's face, and stopped laughing, unsure why the other pegasus looked mad. "Well of course, you're my guest! We can have anything you want!" She said not wanting to upset her again.

Scootaloo tried to answer, but she only spoke in short utterances. Eventually she did come up with a proper response. "H-hay, and oats?" The fragile pony, still in shock gave a quick answer.

At lightning speed, Rainbow setted up the table and grabbed hay, and oats. She proceeded to pour the food into two bowls, and settled them in front of two chairs. "Alright, do you want something to drink?"

"Orange juice!" She answered, but it was almost impossible to understand what she said, as she started scarfing the food down. Rainbow smiled.

Rainbow flew over to the fridge, and poured some orange juice into a cup. When she returned to the table, her eyes widened in shock.

Within 15 seconds, Scootaloo finished the whole bowl of food. Shocked, Rainbow's jaw dropped, as she stuttered. "H-h-how did you do that?!"

Scootaloo shrugged and started to chug the orange juice in her hoof. "whats wrong, did I do something wrong?" She asked, completely oblivious to how ponies normally eat.

Rainbow just stared, until she was able to blurt out the first words that came to her mind. "Sc-sc-Scootaloo?" Confused, the small filly looked up. "That was...AWESOME!"

The small foul looking even more confused. "What? This is how i normally eat." She continued to lick the sides of the bowl, making Rainbow lose her expression of happiness, and changed it to concerned.

She started to mutter something Scootaloo could just barely hear. "Hey, would you like to stay here for the night?"

Scootaloo put the bowl down and stared at Rainbow floating over her. "Wh-what, really?" Her eyes widened as the pegasus came closer.

"Well, yeah, it gets kinda lonely here. It's nice to have a guest once in a while." As this was said, her cheeks started to flush a light shade of red, excited that her number one fan would stay with her tonight.

Scootaloo flied from the chair, and hugged Rainbow's leg. "Thanks Rainbow, you're the greatest!"

She smiled back at the little pony on her leg and blushed more. "Oh come on now, we should getcha ready for bed. I only have one bed, so we would have to share it."

The young pegasus smiled more. "Really? I'd love that even more!" She squeezed tighter on to her leg.

"now, why don't you take a bath, then we can go to sleep." She nodded and trottted towards the bathroom. While she wasn't looking, Rainbow shedded a tear.

~~~

Rainbow Dash was waiting in the living room reading the next installment of Daring Doo. She was almost done with the story when a sound from upstairs was heard.

There was splashing noise coming from the bathroom, Rainbow remembered that Scootaloo hadn't come out, so her first instinct was to see what was wrong. She flew upstairs, and hastily knocked on the door. "Uh, Scootaloo? You okay in there?" No answer. "C'mon, this isn't funny!" No answer. The Pegasus started to get nervous. She opened the door, and gasped.

When she looked inside, she saw an unconscious pony laying face down in the tub. "Scootaloo!" Scootaloo was in the bath tub. Rainbow grabbed her, and dropped her on a mat. She started to pound on the filly's to hopefully relieve her of the choking feeling, but to little Avail. She continued these motions until Scootaloo started to shake a little.

She coughed up water, and saw Rainbow staring at her with concern. "R-Rainbow? What happened?"

Rainbow Dash picked up the filly, and started to cradle the her in her arms. "I think you almost drowned in the tub, are you okay?"

She continued to cough a little. "I'm fine, th-thank you for saving me." Scootaloo gave Rainbow a big hug.

They arrived in a room with one bed. Rainbow set the traumatized pony on the bed and got in herself. "If you need anything, wake me up okay?"

Scootaloo turned to her mentor. "I-I l..." Before she could finish her sentence, she fell asleep.

Rainbow smiled, and got comfy. "Goodnight pipsqueak..."

Author's Note

This has been my first fan-fic, (ever) so please do be honest, rate if you want, and point out and grammatical mistakes. Thanks for reading, I should have the next chapter out in 3 days.

Chapter 2: Flying Lessons

"Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash! Come on, I wanna start training now!" The light blue pegasus woke up in a stir as the smaller orange pegasus was jumping on the bed, eager for her to wake up. "You said we'd start the lessons today!"

The pegasus stared at the excited filly, and grinned. "Yeah, yeah. I know. give me five minutes, and we'll be up in the air." She got off the bed, and started to walk toward the bathroom. The younger pegasus continued jumping up and down on the bed, hoping to get her cutie mark.

ten minutes passed and the small pegasus was getting impatient. Jumping off the bed, she walked towards the bathroom door. "Rainbow! hurry up, I want my cutie mark now!"

Rainbow emerged from the bathroom, and grinned again. "Ok, Ok. We'll go right after breakfast. You're excited aren't tcha?"

She nodded, and hopped on the other pegasus's back. "You bet, and I get to be taught by the best flyer EVER!" Rainbow blushed from the compliment as they exited the room, and went downstairs.

Once they arrived in the kitchen, Rainbow set Scootaloo down on a chair, as she looked through the cabinets. "how 'bout cereal?"

"sounds great!" Rainbow came back,and poured the food into two small bowls. Scootaloo wondered how today would go. She hoped that she could impress Rainbow Dash, but she knew that would be impossible. As she was eating, she wondered how her fellow crusaders were fairing. Did they get their cutie mark? Was she the last blank flank in school? She brushed away such thoughts and went back to breakfast.

~~~

After breakfast, they decided it was time to start. Scootaloo climbed on Rainbow's back, and they exited the house, onto the clouded outside. The suns light was brighter than most days, which was a good sign to both of the pegasi. "So, are you ready for lesson one?" Scootaloo nodded, as Rainbow flew to the nearest cloud, and sat the small pegasus on it. "Lesson one, make it back to the house!"

Scootaloo seemed disappointed at the distance, being as they were only 20 feet away from the house. "Can't ya give me something harder?"

The blue pegasus smirked. “Sounds a little cocky. Are you sure? Maybe we can go to that cloud.” As Rainbow pointed at a small cloud, 50 feet away from the house, Scootaloo nodded excitedly. "Your choice."

"Don't worry, I got this." They flew to the other cloud. As they landed on the other cloud, Scootaloo's courage started to fade, and turned more to fear. “Heh, I can do this in my sleep.” She flared her wing, took a big gulp, and started towards the house.

About halfway, she broke apart, and started crash landing towards ground, which was 100 feet down. "AAAGGGHHH! Rainbow, HELP!"

The blue pegasus, without hesitation, flied at max speed, toward the falling pegasus. Scootaloo's life flashed before her eyes, and she remembered how pathetic it was to live most of her life in a box, hoping to be given a bit or two. About 5 feet from the ground Rainbow caught Scootaloo in her forearms. "Are you okay, are you hurt?" Panic crossed both of the pegasi's faces, as certain doom was avoided.

As she was about to answer, she hugged the blue pegasus instead. "I'm sorry." Tears started to fall from both of their eyes as she spoke. "I should of listened to you."

"I-It's ok." Said Rainbow as tried to hide her tears. She held the small pegasus tighter. "Do you wanna try the closer cloud now?" A grin crossed both of their faces, as Rainbow wiped the tears from the younger pegasus's cheeks.

She silently chuckled, and got on her back again. "Yeah, it seems a lot safer. Just as long as you're keeping an eye on me I guess."

She got on the first cloud again, and nearly made it to the clouds. "Don't worry, you'll get it eventually. Believe it or not, I once had troubles just like yours."

Scootaloo's jaw dropped. Hearing that her greatest hero started out like her gave her more confidence. "Thanks, I'll try again." She tried once more. With the wind blowing through her mane, she was able to make it, by only a thread.

Rainbow Dash came behind her, with a grin on her face. "Yeah! I knew you could do it!" She gave her a small and friendly punch on the arm, and they flew back together to the same cloud.

~~~

She tried again, and again. Eventually, she was able to fly back and forth between Rainbow's house and the small cloud with ease. Near the evening, an idea hatched in her head. "Hey, I wanna try that further cloud again!"

Rainbow looked at the small pegasus nervously. "Well, erm, are you sure? I just don't want you to get hurt again, or worse." She nodded and got on her back. Rainbow started flying back to the small cloud again. "Okay, i'll fly under you, just to be safe."

After several failed attempts, Rainbow was about to give up hope, when Scootaloo prepared for one last attempt. "Alright, lets go!" More confident, Scootaloo flared her wings, and started towards Rainbow's house, this time a bit faster.

Rainbow, right under her, was worried, though cheered her on. "Keep steady, and focus on your target!" both were unable to hear each other, as the wind, pounding in their ears, made it impossible.

She closed her eyes, and when she felt something under her feet, she opened her eyes, to find she landed safely on the puffy clouds that held Rainbow's house. "Rainbow Dash, I did it, I did it!" The smaller pegasus was jumping for joy, as Rainbow cheered her on.

"Well, that's two WHOLE lessons, in one day! That’s pretty impressive! I mean, you’re as good as I was when I was you’re age!” Scootaloo cheeks turned red. She never thought that she would ever be as good as Rainbow Dash was, but here she was, getting complimented by the best flyer in Equestria. Rainbow swooped past her, towards the door. "Well, I guess you should stay here for another night."

The orange pegasus looked up, and saw the illuminated moon, it glowed brighter than any star in the night sky. "Oh wow, I didn't realize how late it was! I'd love to stay, but you probably have your own thing to do."

Rainbow chuckled, and scooped the young mare in her arms. “Please! You’re like my little sister now! I’d love for you to stay!” She smiled, as Scootaloo's eyes watered, unable to express the amount of joy she just felt. Instead, she just buried her head in Rainbow's arms. Rainbow's heart was warmed. She shed tears, and she realized that they needed each other.

After Rainbow had bathed Scootaloo (she did this on account of the incident the day before), Rainbow broke the silence. "So pipsq- I mean Scootaloo, where do you live?"

"Well, um, I live on the streets." Scootaloo's never really told anyone of this, but because of the bond she and Rainbow shared, she felt safe telling her.

Rainbow started crying, unable to hide her tears back this time. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't want to start anything."

Scootaloo hopped out of the bath and started crying too. "N-No, it's fine. I'm used to it."

Rainbow started to dry the young filly. "Well, would you like to live here?"

Her eyes stared back at Rainbow's. Jaw dropped, eyes widened, with no response, She decided to just hug her. They both knew this meant yes, as they cried into each others fur. "So, what's for dinner?" The small pegasus asked silently, hoping not to destroy the moment.

Rainbow smiled back, and carried her downstairs, towards the kitchen. "We can have hayburgers, with a side of hayfries." Rainbow put Scootaloo on a chair, and headed towards the pantry.

As she started cooking the small meal, Scootaloo hopped off her chair, and tugged on rainbow's leg. "Rainbow, can I ask you something?" She turned in curiosity and waited for her question. "Can you be my big sister?" She blushed in embarrassment, and pawed her hoof at the ground, hoping that she would say yes.

The strong, and bold pegasus couldn't help but shed tears at what Scootaloo said. "Of course!" They both shared a heart warming hug. "Looks like the foods done." They both enjoyed their meal.

Once their stomachs were full, they headed upstairs into her room. "Rainbow, you're the best big sis' ever!" She fluttered up and held tight to Rainbow's neck.

"You,re the best little sister ever!" They both laughed as Rainbow set Scootaloo on the bed and lied next to her. After they both went to sleep, wrapped in each other's hooves, they dreamed of how their new life as sisters would be like.

The next couple of days, Scootaloo started to get better, and better. She was able to fly all the way up to Rainbow's home. She could fly 200 feet away to and from the house. She was even able to break apart a few clouds. She was starting to catch up with Rainbow's pace, but never beat her in a race. They're bond had grown, they started to forget that they weren't real sisters, and started to only remember the love they now shared.

Author's Note

This took me less time then i thought it would! Alright, this time I triple checked it, and fixed all mistakes i saw. If you see a mistake of any sort, please tell me. It'll help me be a better author.

Chapter 3: The Last Lesson

~3 years later~

Scootaloo had grown a lot over the years. Her once short violet mane was now as long as Rainbows, and she had grown at least another foot taller. The biggest change however was that she now had her very own cutie mark. It was a scooter, much resembling the one she owned, with a helmet hanging on the handle of the scooter. Many changes were also made around the house, and Ponyville. Rainbow Dash made Scootaloo her very own room for her birthday. Rarity moved to Canterlot because business had spread all across Equestria. Pinkie Pie remained the party pony of Ponyville, and was now raising her very own foul that she adopted name Raspberry. Fluttershy, while still taking care of the animals of Everfree Forest, also became a nurse at Ponyville Hospitable. Applejack's business was also booming! she made more money than ever before to support her family, and her fiance, Red Delicious. Twilight, being the new princess, was usually at Canterlot, learning the ways of leadership by the princesses.

Scootaloo was currently asleep in her room. Her room was nothing fancy, only a few poster of Wonderbolts, and some pieces of furniture. Scootaloo was disrupted by a knock on the door. "Hey Scoots! You ever gonna wake up?" Rainbow's voice woke the young mare up.

she barely sat up, and waved her hoof dismissively. "Yeah yeah, five more minutes." She fell back onto her pillow and started to snore loudly.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Just like her sister." She went downstairs, and started to make breakfast for the two of them.

Scootaloo rested in bed for a few more moments until she realized what today was. Her eyes snapped open, and she jumped up. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget?!" She ran out of her room, and into the bathroom. She brushed, flossed, and rinsed her teeth, and preformed other daily rituals.

Rainbow Dash heard the commotion going on upstairs, and chuckled. "Five...Four...Three..Two...One." Right when she reached the last number, Scootaloo ran into the kitchen. "Well good morning."

Scootaloo was holding a mane brush, and was brushing her mane as she sat down at the table. "I'm sorry, I forgot what today was!"

Rainbow chuckled, and brought two bowls of cereal to the table. She sat across the table, and started to dig in. "Don't worry about it, it's still an hour away until we start."

Scootaloo sighed in relief. "Thank Celestia." The sisters ate together in silence for the rest of the meal.

After about 20 minutes, Rainbow finished, and got up. "Alright, you get a couple of minutes to rest while I get it ready." Scootaloo nodded as Rainbow Dash exited the house.

~~~

Rainbow Dash opened the door wide, and shouted to Scootaloo. "Alright, it's ready!"

Scootaloo jumped up from the table, and ran to the living room where Rainbow was. "So you didn't exactly tell me what the final test was. Will it be a surprise, or..." Scootaloo trailed off.

Rainbow motioned to the door. "It's outside. You can see it whenever." She opened the door wide, and the two mares exited.

Scootaloo gasped at what she saw. Rainbow constructed a large obstacle course made entirely of clouds. It stretched from their house, all the way to the center of Ponyville. Scootaloo tried to speak, but stuttered. "H-How did y-you do---"

She was cut off by Rainbow Dash. "I work fast. I also got a permit by the mayor to have it set up this far in town." Rainbow walked toward two flags aligned next to each other, which Scootaloo could only assume is the starting line. But what confused her was,

"Wait, why are you at the starting line?"

Rainbow smirked. "Cause the final lesson is for you to beat me in a race."

Scootaloo's jaw dropped. She didn't actually expect her to beat Rainbow Dash, one of the best flyers in Equestria, in a race, right? "B-But that's impossible!"

"No, just hard." Rainbow Dash started to walk back towards Scootaloo. "Look, over the past few years, your flying has improved a lot. You were probably better than me when i was your age!"

Scootaloo lifted her head, and met her sister's gaze. "R-Really?" Rainbow nodded. Scootaloo exhaled a large breath, and started to walk towards the starting line with Rainbow Dash. "Then let's do this."

They both stopped at the checkered line, "Three..." and took their stances. "Two..." They both unflared their wings. "ONE!" And they were off.

While they were in the air, ponies below were cheering Scootaloo on, but neither could hear. Rainbow Dash was ahead by a couple of feet, while Scootaloo was just barely trailing her. "YA GOTTA DO BETTER THAN THAT IF YOU WANNA BEAT ME!" Rainbow yelled to Scootaloo.

Scootaloo smirked. The sharp turn that would leave going straight back to their house was coming up. While Rainbow Dash turned, Scootaloo kept going. Most of the onlookers were shocked and confused about her motives until they saw her grab the pole on top of City Hall. She released her grip on it, and was now going so fast that even everypony looking could only see an orange-violet blur. Rainbow looked behind her, and saw Scootaloo rocketing towards her. "WHAT THE-" She stopped mid sentence when Scootaloo flew past her. Rainbow Dash was stunned by this new found speed Scootaloo had, and put everything she had left to try and beat her.

Scootaloo was almost home when her speed started to slow itself. She saw Rainbow Dash not far behind her, and used the little power she had left to try and reach the finish line. Rainbow was now only feet away from Scootaloo and 25 feet away from the finish mark. They both put in the last of their strength, and Scootaloo was the first to cross the line.

Right when she crossed, she dropped to the floor, very exhausted. The last thing she saw before blacking out was Rainbow Dash walking towards her, and picking her up on her back.

Author's Note

After two months, I got the next chapter out. I know it took me long, but for that I apologize. But in the next few chapters, we're going to take a bit of a turn.

Chapter 4: Party of Deceit

Scootaloo's eyes opened slowly. She wasn't sure where she was, or why it was so dark, but on instinct, she called for the first pony on her mind. "R-Rainbow Dash?"

A clicking sound was heard, and a blinding light was turned on. Scootaloo quickly shielded her eyes, as to readjust to the current light. She looked around and saw that she was at Sweet Apple Acres barn house which was set up with many balloons, streamers, and other decorative items. She also noticed the small crowd of ponies around her who all shouted in unison, "SURPRISE!"

Scootaloo blinked a few times, and looked around at everypony. "W-What's going on?"

Rainbow Dash, who was coming towards the confused mare, smirked. "Dontcha remember? You beat me in a race!"

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "I...I won?" A large grin started to form on her face. "I WON! I ACTUALLY BEAT THE RAINBOW DASH IN A RACE!"

Some of the ponies in the small crowd chuckled. Rainbow gave a pat on the back to Scootaloo. "You sure did. Not by much though."

Scootaloo saw Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle approaching. They, along with Scootaloo, have also matured a lot over the years. They now sported their own cutie marks, Sweetie's being a microphone, and Apple Bloom's being a hammer and nails. Scootaloo jumped up from the couch she was put on, and hugged her friends. "Girls, thanks for coming!"

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom returned the hug. "We wouldn't miss it for the world! hearing about you beating Rainbow in a race is a once in a lifetime feat!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

Scootaloo looked back at Rainbow Dash, who was already talking to some of her own friends. "Hey, you girls wanna grab a slice of cake?" Scootaloo said already walking towards the cake.

Her friends nodded, and they got a slice each, and decided to sit down at a table with each other. "So how've you both been? It seems like forever since we talked."

After taking a bit of her own cake, Apple Bloom answered Scootaloo's question. "Well, not to shabby. Miss Cheerilee's been spending more time 'round the farm with Big Macintosh for some reason." Apple Bloom ended her sentence by pointing at a blushing Big Macintosh talking to Cheerilee, a blush also apparent on her face. Apple Bloom brought her voice down to a whisper and leaned close to her friends. "I'm pretty sure we here got some special someponies."

Scootaloo couldn't help but slightly giggle. She turned to Sweetie Belle. "How bout you?"

"Not much different. I'm pretty sure I've become my sister's mannequin, but..." A small blush appeared on her face. "Don't tell anypony, but I have crush."

"Really? Who?!" Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle.

"Its...uh, F-Feather Weight." Her cheeks reddened, and she looked at the scrawny pegasus a few tables over, who kept stealing a few glances at Sweetie.

"I KNEW I-" Scootaloo was cut off by Sweetie Belle shoving her hoof into her mouth to silence her.

"Not. A. Word." Sweetie said very sternly.

"Fine, Pinkie Promise." Scootaloo and Apple Bloom then went through the routine whenever a Pinkie Promise was used. "I think you should talk to him though. I've seen the way he looks at you."

Sweetie Belle's blush returned ten fold, and she instantly shook her head. "N-No, I can't! I'm not as courageous as you are."

"Well, I promised i wouldn't say a word, but..." Scootaloo stood up, and started to nudge Sweetie Belle out of her seat, and towards Feather Weight.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" Sweetie spoke in a very high pitched whisper.

"Relax. I'm sure you two will get along just fine." They were about half way to Feather Weight. He could already see Sweetie being pushed towards him, and a small blush appeared on his face.

"B-But what about you two? W-Wouldn't you prefer me hang out with you?" Sweetie was getting nervous. She like Feather Weight of course, but she was pretty shy around him.

"We'll be fine, just get in there!" Scootaloo pushed Sweetie Belle in front of Feather Weight. They both stared at each other for a moment, then they started to talk, a blush on their faces throughout the whole conversation. Scootaloo went back to the table where Apple Bloom was trying to suppress giggles. "Phew, she's as stubborn as a mule!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Nah, only when it comes ta somethin like this." Apple Bloom took a sip of her punch.

Scootaloo was also prepared to take a sip when she noticed that her cup was empty. "Hang on, gotta refill." Scootaloo walked to the punch bowl, and refilled her cup. She turned around and was ready to go back to her table when she heard Rainbow Dash talking to a few of her friends.

"So tell me dear, how did Scootaloo possibly manage to beat YOU in a race?" the voice sounded like Rarity's. Scootaloo turned, and saw Rainbow Dash talking to Rarity, and Applejack.

"Ah'll say! 'Specially if ya'll are sayin that ya gave it yer all." Applejack said before taking a bite of cake.

"W-Well, ya see, I kinda did ease up a bit. I knew there wasn't a chance that she could beat me, but I just couldn't do it to her." Scootaloo's eyes widened in shock. Had her adoptive sister actually let her win? Why would she do that? A few tears started to line the edge of her eyes. Rainbow Dash heard Scootaloo behind her. "Uh, h-hey Scoots. Uh, what's up?" Rainbow sounded nervous.

"How. Could. you?" Scootaloo's words were laced with venom. "HOW COULD YOU?!" She bucked an empty table that was near by. "Y-YOU OF ALL PEOPLE!" She started a fast trot to the barn door, narrowly dodging some of the party goers. She ran past the door, and towards the Everfree Forest.

Her friends and Rainbow Dash ran outside the barn and started to call for her. "SCOOTS! C'MON SCOOTS, I'M SORRY!"

Apple Bloom turned to Rainbow. "Rainbow. What in tarnation did ya do exactly?!"

"I, uh, kinda let her win the race." She was guilt ridden. "I didn't think she could possibly win, b-but I...I couldn't..." She shed a few tears.

"Well c'mon! We gotta go lookin for her." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were already heading for town when Rainbow stepped in front of them.

"No. You two stay here in case she comes back. I'll go search town for her."

They hesitated at first, but nodded. "Alright. You be careful now, ya hear?"

Rainbow gave a small smile. "What could go wrong." She set off towards town in search of her sister.

Chapter 5: Til The Very End

The Everfree forest was usually quiet at this time of night, save for the few nocturnal predators who hunt at these times. On this night however, a young mare broke this silence.

Scootaloo was running as far away from Ponyville as her legs could take her, not wanting to look back. She had been deceived by the one she trusted the most. She couldn't hold back the tears which were now causing her vision to blur. It being night already, she took a moment to sit at a nearby tree and wipe the tears away to regain her sight. When she got a look at her surroundings, she gasped, knowing right where she was. "The Everfree Forest."

She looked around, not knowing which part of the forest she was at. She started to ponder the idea of looking for Zecora, who was probably at her hut. She picked a random direction to search, not noticing the pair of eyes that were watching her from the dark.

~~~

Ponyville was usually quiet at this time of night, save for the few ponies who try to rush to their houses, exhausted from a days work. On this night however, a rainbow maned pegasus broke this silence.

Rainbow was flying all around Ponyville in hopes to finding her sister. She asked all the ponies she saw who were still out in the night, all yielding no answers. She checked the entire east side of Ponyville, and was nearly complete on her search of the western part. She was looking for anypony out in the open when she hit something that caused her, and it to hurdle down to the earth. "H-Hey! What was that for?!" She looked at what had crashed into her, and saw a familiar gray pegasus, infamous around town for her cross eyes. "Oh, Derpy." She helped Derpy up. "Sorry about that. I'm looking for Scootaloo, have you seen her?"

Derpy nodded. "Yeah! I saw her heading for the Everfree Forest. She looked upset. Is everything okay?"

Rainbow Dash gasped. She flew to the sky heading for the Everfree Forest, leaving Derpy confused and worried. "Uh, bye?"

~~~

In the western part of Everfree Forest, Scootaloo was wandering aimlessly through the forest. She had no clue where she came from, or where she was. She was lost in one of the most dangerous places. She passed an all to familiar tree, one that had scratch marks on it. "Dang it, I passed that tree like 5 times now!" She remembered the path she previously walked, and decided to walk through it again, remembering fork in the road.

She kept hearing sounds of bushes rustling and twigs snapping, causing her to worry. She was about to curse her luck when she remembered something. "Hold on. I can just fly out of here! Why didn't I just think of that earlier?" She smiled, and prepared to fly off when she heard a growling noise. "Uh, H-Hello?" She heard it again. It resembled the sound that Rarity's cat made when she was angry. "M-Maybe i should get out of here." She prepared to fly off again, but was halted when something jumped out at her. It was a fully grown manticore who was looking for it's dinner.

Her eyes widened. She tried kicking it off, but it jumped back on her, and tore at her chest with it's long jagged nails. "S-SOMEPONY HELP!" She tried to flap her wings to escape the hungry predator, but it was no use. It had her pinned to the ground. It started to bite into the flesh of her hoof, causing her shout in pain. Her screams pierced the silent night, catching the attention of a distressed cyan mare.

"S-Scoots?!" She heard another scream, this one holding more anguish into it. She knew who it was, and flew as fast as she possibly could to her sister. "D-Don't worry, I'm coming!"

Scootaloo's struggled less and less the more the manticore took swipes at her. It was over and she knew it. With the odds stacked against her, she accepted her faith and welcomed death when she heard her. "R-Rainbow?" She tilted her head up to see Rainbow Dash fly faster than she ever thought possible. A look of pure shock and anger etched upon her face.

Rainbow flew right at the manticore with such force that the manticore was knocked off of Scootaloo. The manticore, now angry over the interruption of its meal, the manticore growled in fury, and clawed at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, who was dodging most of the attacks, yelled to her sister. "Scoots! Hurry, get out of here!"

"W-What?! I can't leave you here!" She got to her hooves. "You can't take a manticore on your own!"

Rainbow bucked the manticore in its face. "I can't keep it here long! I won't let my sister die because of me, now GO!"

Tears brimmed the edges of Scootaloo's eyes. "I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for you t-"

She was cut off by the ear piercing shriek Rainbow gave in response to the manticore biting into the flesh of her wing, causing the bones inside to snap like twigs. "J-just hurry!" Scootaloo hesitated, but realized there was nothing she could do. She flew to the skies, towards Ponyville. She heard her sister's screams die down and eventually stop all together. Her tears were again blurring her vision, so she didnt notice when she bumped into something. She rubbed the back of her head, and opened her eyes. She saw a distressed looking Derpy.

"S-Scootaloo? Are you okay? Where's Rainbow? She was looking for you."

Scootaloo broke down and started to cry. "S-She's..." She fell into the mail mares hooves.

Derpy gave a perplexed look, then gasped, realizing that Rainbow could possibly be dead. "N-No." She looked down at the distraught mare in her hooves for a moment. She tried to comfort her, which did nothing. Taking note of the wounds on her body, she took Scootaloo to the hospital.

Epilogue

~1 week later~

Scootaloo's injuries were healing at a slow and steady rate, but today was the day she was told she could leave the hospital. She would've been grateful under normal circumstances, but not hearing much about Rainbow Dash other than the rescue team finding a few feathers and blood around the area, she was emotionally devastated. Sweetie Belle was at the receptionist's desk preparing the papers for Scootaloo's release, while Apple Bloom was next to the bed where Scootaloo rested. Neither said a single word for a while until Apple Bloom finally broke the silence. "...So what're you gonna do now?"

Scootaloo was looking out the window as the sun was starting to rise over the horizon. "I-I honestly don't know. I don't have a job, I won't be able to pay for the cloud house, so maybe I'll just go back to where I started."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "N-No way! If ya do get kicked out of your house, ya know me and ma family'll always welcome you in."

Sweetie Belle and a nurse entered the room with a wheelchair. "Miss Scootaloo, are you ready?" The nurse pushed the wheelchair next to the bed.

Scootaloo was obviously hesitant to using the wheelchair, preferring to just walk, but she knew that she'd get scolded by her friends. She sighed in defeat, and sat on the wheelchair. Once they were out, Scootaloo decided to ditch the wheelchair, and instead walk with her friends. "So you girls said you had a surprise for me, right?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yep, and I just know you'll be happy as Winona at feedin time when ya see it!"

Scootaloo was certainly curious at this point. they arrived at the center of town where a tarp was covering something big. Scootaloo saw that a lot of townsponies were gathered around the object for some reason. "So is this what you girls were talking about? Why are so many ponies here?"

Sweetie was about to answer, but was interrupted by the Mayor who spoke to the crowd. "Attention everypony! We are gathered here today because of the disastrous event that happened just a week ago." Scootaloo saw a few ponies standing behind the large object. "We are here to honor Rainbow Dash, leader of the weather team, and winner of the Best Young Fliers competition, for her courageous acts of saving her sister." The ponies behind the statue each bit down a the tarp. "She saved her sister's life, at the cost of her own. So today, I would like to present," The ponies tugged on the tarp, revealing a statue resembling Rainbow Dash. "The Rainbow Memorial!"

Everyone in the crowd cheered. Scootaloo was at a lost of words. She stepped towards the memorial and read the words, 'Rest in piece' engraved into the stone statue. She tried to fight back the tears, but they were already staining her fur. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom approached their friend. "Hey Scootaloo, you okay?"

Scootaloo spoke through clenched teeth. "She's. Not. Dead." Her friends, a bit confused, took a step forward, but stopped when they saw her face. "She's not dead!"

Apple Bloom took an uneasy step forward, and tried to comfort her friend. "Scoots, I know it's hard to accept, but thinkin bout the odds...You'd have better luck finding a needle in a haystack."

"ENOUGH! I don't want to hear it! She's out there somewhere, I just know it! She Wouldn't die this easily! She would be ashamed if she saw you all give up hope this easily." Scootaloo stomped her hooves to the ground and flew off, leaving her friends speechless.

~~~

Scootaloo arrived back at her cloud home, exhausted from today's events. She saw that the mailbox had mail in it, and quickly skimmed through it all. "Spam, spam, sympathy, spam, sympathy, sympathy, Wonderbolts, sp-" She gasped, looked at the last letter. It was indeed addressed to this house from the Wonderbolts. She opened the letter and read it, her heart aching a bit more with each word.

Dear Rainbow Dash,

We've seen you around a lot, like at the Best Young Fliers competition, and when you joined my training academy. We've reviewed your records for speed, agility, and skill, and are also aware of you being the captain of the weather team down in Ponyville. So that is why we'd like to ask that you join the team. Reply as soon as possible.

sincerely
Spitfire

Scootaloo stared at the letter for a good 5 minutes before crumbling it up, and throwing it away. Every believed she was gone, except Scootaloo. She was alone. Without the only person in this world who she loved.