Hey, sorry for another Scootaloo fic, I just gotta get these stories out of my head so I can go back to focusing on school and stuff. This story takes place about 15 years after Rainbow Dash goes back to Cloudsdale to become a Wonderbolt, but leaves behind somepony thought to be held dear to her.
When Scootaloo's Friends Left Her Behind
The cool, calm morning had birds chirping, bees buzzing, and clouds drifting in the wind. But it wasn't that special; this had been going on for a month now. What made today special was the fact that Ponyville's own Wonderbolt was coming back for a reunion with her friends.
The calm of the late morning was interrupted by a flash of rainbow as it gracefully sliced through the air. If you were anypony now-a-days, you would know that that streak of prismatic light was none other than the great Rainbow Dash. Most would cheer her on in her endeavors, and had good reason to. She was one of the most talented pegasi to ever become a Wonderbolt. She was fast, brave, dare-devilish, and loved to show her skills.
As the pegasus slowed down she could see her friends whom she hadn't seen in a decade and a half walking to a hill in a large field. Twilight Sparkle, a very gifted unicorn turned alicorn, was joined by Fluttershy, a shy, timid pegasus who absolutely adored all walks of life. Applejack, who ran Sweet Apple Acres, had her sister, Applebloom, along with her. Applebloom had gone on to be a home designer, but still helped Applejack on the farm occasionally. Right behind her walked Rarity, a unicorn with a passion for fashion, who had come back from Canterlot recently having been a very famous dress designer. She had her sister along with her as well; Sweetie Belle had come back from her parent's after moving back there years ago. Bringing up the rear was an extremely hyper pink coated and maned pony who was walking, or rather bouncing, up the hill after her friends. Pinkie Pie was still known throughout Equestria as the pony who threw the best parties ever, but today was just going to be a picnic with her friends, some of whom they hadn't seen in a really long time, so she was happy with just that.
As Rainbow Dash's head flooded with memories of her friends, she descended to meet them. The group had reached the top of the hill, and with one flap of a picnic blanket, an entire place setting of food unfurled. There were sandwiches, punch, cake, and cookies in the wrapping, which all received hungry looks from the group it was to feed.
"Hey guys" said Rainbow Dash, making all of the other ponies spin around at the same time with gaping mouths. "D'ja miss me?"
Rainbow Dash had never been tackled by that many ponies at the same time, and hoped not to have it happen again. She was adorned with the hugs from her old friends, and finally after what seemed like hours, they got up and apologized at the same time. "It's okay guys, I understand that it's pretty amazing to meet a Wonderbolt" This earned her nothing but playful rolls of eyes, and a giggle from a couple. Rainbow looked down at the spread that lay on the picnic blanket that was beautifully stitched together, and walked over to grab a sandwich. She motioned to the others to join her, and they all zipped down to begin enjoying their meal. The air was immediately filled with conversation as the ponies who still lived in Ponyville asked the ones who moved away how they had been, and vice versa.
After a while of chatting, and with most of the sandwiches and punch gone, Rainbow had lied on her back and rested her head on her hooves. She left the others to continue talking amongst themselves while she just stared up at the clouds. She had gotten so used to living on clouds, and never had time while doing shows to actually look up at them. They were so mesmerizing and peaceful; she had started to drift off. As she was about to shut her eyes all the way, a strange purple streak sliced through the clouds above. It made her think of who it could possibly be. After being unable to think of who it was, she asked her friends. "Hey look up there! Who is that?" Said Rainbow, pointing up to the sky with her hoof that everyone else followed.
"Oh that must be Scootaloo!" Said Twilight, looking at Rainbow, "You should go say hello! She hasn't seen you for years!" To this, Rainbow got up, got into a good take off position, and rocketed away to meet her number one fan.
"Wait, no! I don't think that's a very good idea!" Piped up Fluttershy, but Rainbow didn't hear her.
"Why isn't that a very good idea?" asked Twilight with a puzzled look on her face. Fluttershy only whimpered and buried her head in her hooves. The others looked back to Rainbow who was almost to Scootaloo. Of course thought Rainbow how could I forget the Squirt? The purple streak had slowed down and changed to an orange dot as it appeared to notice Rainbow flying up to meet it.
When Rainbow finally got to where a gape-mouthed Scootaloo was floating, she took note of her. She had gotten bigger, about at her height. Her mane and tail had gotten a bit longer, but it looked like she had her mane trimmed recently. Her wings were now fully formed and strong, and she had her cutie mark! It was a black scooter wheel with shiny, silver wings coming out of the sides. "Hey Scoots, how's it going?" Was the simple question she asked before fully realizing the look of disdain on the other pegasi's face.
"How's it going?" Started Scootaloo with a tone of distaste. "I haven't seen or heard from you in a decade and a half, and that is all you have to say?" Her face turned to a scowl that scared Rainbow a bit.
"Well, what do you want me to say? I have to start the conversation off with my Number One Fan somehow, don't I?" Said Rainbow with a rub of the back of her neck.
"Number One Fan?" said Scootaloo, her face getting darker "I am not your Number One Fan anymore, not after that day you left without telling me." This shook Rainbow up a bit more. Left without telling her? Could she mean when I left for Cloudsdale? Rainbow Dash couldn't tell what was making Scootaloo so mad. And it showed enough that she picked up on it. "You don't remember? Why isn't that surprising. You never took notice of me except for a couple of times you felt bad and had an obligation." Scootaloo was in a full glower at this point. "Since you don't remember, I'll fill you in." She said as she started to fly in circles around her.
"Remember that day you left for Cloudsdale to become a 'Fabulous Wonderbolt'? I do, but I didn't know that is what happened that day. I found out three weeks later when I asked Fluttershy where you were. At first I couldn't believe you wouldn't care enough about me to tell me, but then I realized that that was in your nature. You only care about three things: Flying, your close circle of friends, and the Wonderbolts." She had stopped flying circles around Rainbow and looked her dead in the eye.
"Do you realize what you had done? You were the last friend I had after Sweetie Belle moved to her parents, and Applebloom stopped talking to me after she got her cutie mark. I didn't feel that sad after they left though, because I knew I still had you. Then, you were gone. I was left all alone in this world, no friends, nopony that I could trust except for Fluttershy, but let's face it; she's no fun to hang around." Rainbow could only float there, taking in all of this information. She had not known the Cutie Mark Crusaders had completely disbanded. She also didn't know until now how much she had hurt her, or how much Scootaloo had loved her.
"Ever since that day" she continued, "I had trained for hours on end to try to figure out how to fly; something I thought you were going to help me with by the way, but no, you didn't. When I finally figured it out on my own, I was actually happy for once in the months after you left. But I didn't falter; I knew it was not enough to get you to notice me. I continued training, strengthening my wings and flying faster. It was then that I had gotten a job as a cloud buster and was able to move into a nice cloud home. I kept getting stronger and faster, never missing a day or hour of training, except for when I went to every Wonderbolt Derby you were included in. When I saw how fast you had gotten, I knew I had to step up my game."
This monologue only got more one-sided after Rainbow Dash had stopped changing her facial expression with everything Scootaloo was saying, and stopped following her gaze when she had started pacing in the sky. "I had started getting recognition in the Ponyville Cloud Clearing force, and had risen to squad commander. From then on I knew that I was the strongest flier in Ponyville. Now THAT had made me happy. Then about four years ago at a Wonderbolt Derby you had held in Fillydelphia, I finally got the chance to meet you after more than a decade of only watching you fly. I wanted to show you how I could fly, so I walked up to you and said 'Hey Rainbow Dash, remember me?' really hoping you did. What you replied with only hurt me more. You said 'Oh, are you that pegasus that is always following me around Cloudsdale?' You didn't even remember who I was!" Scootaloo was now starting to cry "I was about to tell you that I was from Ponyville when another pony had come up to you, whispered into your ear and told me you 'had to jet, see ya kid'." Scootaloo had to pause to regain her composure before she continued.
"I didn't even care about the rest of the shows from then on. I knew that it didn't matter; that I didn't matter. I flew all the way back to Ponyville and shut myself in my house for the next three days. I finally got myself together and told somepony: Fluttershy. I told her 'How could she do this? I was supposed to be her number one fan! Her little sister! Didn't she like me at all?' I knew she'd take your side and tell me that you had a lot of fans, and couldn't keep track of them all."
"I had a pretty good feeling that that wasn't true though, nopony you accept and take on as a little sister is just a fan to you; that's really the only reason I kept looking up to you after the heartbreak you put me through. From then on, I had a new goal; to get faster and faster and faster until I was as fast as you. To try to make you notice me. And you know what, Rainbow Dash?" She waited a split second before completely disappearing from Dash's sight, then like magic reappearing right behind her, whispering into her ear "I think I'm getting pretty close" Right after she said this she lazily fell towards the ground and picked herself up, flying into the distance.
"Get back here!" Yelled Dash after her, snapping out of her trance. For reasons she couldn't understand, she couldn't catch her. She had started to gain on her, but that was only because of the experience she had under her belt. The two pegasi had dipped, ducked and dived through the clouds, leaving holes in them as they zipped around. Scootaloo had continued to evade Rainbow for a few minutes before she decided that she wanted to lose her and get away. She had flown until she had spotted the picnic below; fully figuring out how she wanted to do get rid of her. She flew to the middle of the field and stopped, floating 100 feet above the ground. Rainbow had lagged behind a bit, and finally caught up to her. Both were panting like mad dogs for a few seconds before Scootaloo told her something they both knew.
"You…only…care…now…because…I'm…hurting…your ego" She said through her panting. Rainbow then drew in a sharp breath, and stopped taking in the large amount of air she needed. Scootaloo only scowled more before rocketing off at Rainbow, flying circles around her, creating a vortex in the tight sphere she was flying. Before long, Rainbow had given up trying to keep her balance and was sucked into the miniature tornado. After she decided she had spun enough, Scootaloo floated there, looking at the rainbow colored tornado. "Some Element of Loyalty you are" She said before shooting off into the distance, quickly disappearing over the mountains. After she had slowed down enough to come to a complete stop, Scootaloo was already gone. Still hazy from her spin, she shakily descended to the picnic, collapsing on the ground.
"So, uh, how was your race?" Asked Twilight, taking note of the depressed look on her friends face.
"What race? I was trying to catch her to try to talk to her." Said Rainbow through her heavy breathing.
"Why did y'all need tah catch her?" Asked Applejack, truly concerned about Dash.
"Because Scootaloo despises Rainbow Dash" Said Fluttershy, breaking the silence that ensued after Applejacks question. Gasps were drawn from everyone except Rainbow, who just lied there, looking like she had been crushed by a crate of bricks.
"Why in the world does she despise her? I thought she simply adored Rainbow Dash" Asked Rarity. The whole group looked to Fluttershy, who would be intimidated had it not been her friends doing it.
"Because she thinks Rainbow Dash completely forgot about her when she left to be a Wonderbolt." The group looked at the exhausted pegasus who only stayed looking at the grass, with her back turned. "Scootaloo told me this after coming home from a performance where Dash had seemingly completely forgotten she existed. She was so upset after I took Rainbow's side, and hasn't talked to me at all since that night.
"Well guys, it's been fun hanging out with you, but I feel like going home right now." Said Rainbow, slowly getting up and walking off.
"Hold on Rainbow Dash!" Said Twilight, getting up and looking toward the direction Scootaloo had disappeared to. "I've been working on a new spell, and I think you will want to be here when I use it." As she said this, a purple aura appeared on her horn, and another purple rippling bubble appeared above the grass a few feet away. After some grunting, the bubble started to shine, and with a flash of light, Scootaloo bulleted out of the sphere. After skidding to a stop on the ground, she was tackled by Applejack who held her down while her friends came galloping toward her. Scootaloo had obviously been crying, for she still had tears in her eyes. They quickly evaporated from her sheer frustration from struggling to get free, yelling at Applejack to get off. But Applejack would, plus she was too strong for her. She kept her pinned down until she stopped thrashing.
"Do yah promise to stop after Ah get up?" Asked Applejack with an interrogative look on her face.
"Raghh, fine" Said Scootaloo through her gritted teeth. Applejack started to get up when Scootaloo brought up her hind legs, and bucked her off. She got into a good take off stance and rocketed away, but Twilight was too fast. She already had her on the ground again before she could get ten feet away. "Stop it Twilight, let me go" she said as she got up from being teleported back.
Rainbow Dash was still at the picnic blanket trying to decide on whether or not she should go over, deciding on the former and trotting off to meet her friends. When she got over, Scootaloo shot off again at a faster speed, trying to get away from Twilights spell, but she wasn't fast enough. Twilight kept her eyes shut and her teeth clenched, teleporting her back several more times before Scootaloo understood the nature of the spell. Banking before she was teleported again, she was sent flying into Twilight, knocking her to the ground. "I SAID STOP!" yelled Scootaloo, raising her hoof to strike her before she realized what she was about to do. She scrambled off and lied down; watching Twilight struggle to an upright position.
After seeing this, the others ran over to meet them, and they all said in unison: "What is your problem Scootaloo?!" She grimaced, got up, and somehow met the eyes of everyone that said it at the same time. "MY problem? What are your problems? You three" looking to Rainbow, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle "You left me with little" looking to Sweetie Belle "to no notice of your abandonment" looking to Rainbow and Bloom "At least Sweetie Belle told me she was leaving. But you two, just left without telling me. I had to ask somepony about both of you leaving. Apple Bloom, as soon as you got your cutie mark, you just stopped talking to me all together, and started hanging out with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. You even chimed in when they called me a Blank Flank" At this point Scootaloo started crying again, the word Blank Flank like poison on her tongue.
"We-well, why didn't y'all come talk to me when you got yer cutie mark?" Said Apple Bloom, realizing what she had actually said just a bit too late.
"Why?" Began Scootaloo "Because I didn't want our friendship to be based on the fact that I had one. Plus…" As she said this she got right in Apple Blooms face. "I hated you for what you had done" She left it at that and walked away.
"Apple Bloom, how could yah abandon yer friend? Ah thought you three were inseparable!" Said Applejack, giving her little sister a look of disappointment.
"Oh please, Applejack, don't pretend like your hooves are clean, And same for the rest of you! I repeatedly asked all of you to tell Rainbow Dash that I said hello, but I know none of you remembered to even mention me. Rainbow Dash forgot I even existed when I went to meet her after a performance"
Scootaloo then groaned as she was about to begin the next few sentences. "Now we're back to her: The Great Rainbow Dash, The Daring Rainbow Dash, The Spectacular Rainbow Dash, The Horrible Rainbow Dash" The last title she gave to Dash was drawn out, made to sound worse.
"You told me you were going to be my big sister and, and teach me how to fly! Or at least like me and treat me like I'm not just another fan like the rest of them. Do you realize what you did? You had torn away what was left of what I could even hope to call family after Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle left me. I didn't have any kind of family until I met you, and you tossed me aside like I was nothing. I had been living at the Sunny Side Orphanage here in Ponyville almost all my life." No family? Was the collective thought between the eight ponies.
"I know now what you really are, Rainbow Dash. You are a selfish, egotistical show pony who doesn't care at all about anypony she hurts" Rainbow then looked down at her hooves, looking like she was about to cry. This made Scootaloo a bit happier, knowing she was breaking Rainbows heart close to how badly she did to her.
"So you know what everypony, just leave me alone. I don't want to talk to any of you." Said Scootaloo, as she turned and fluttered away. No one tried to stop her this time, they just watched her go, upset with themselves for doing something like they did.
"Did anypony know she had no family?" Asked Pinkie Pie. And after a few seconds of silence, Rainbow piped up.
"Of course none of us did, we never bothered to ask." Rainbow then turned and laid down next to the tree that provided the shade for the ruined picnic.
"Now what?" Asked Sweetie Belle, breaking the silence. All everyone did was look down and sniffle.
"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do, we have wronged her too much. It's might be best to just leave her alone." Answered Rarity, looking her little sister in the eyes. "There's just nothing we can do."
After that, Applejack walked over to the picnic blanket, and rolled it up. She knew nopony had any appetite after what had happened. They all stood in a circle, looking at each other, before going their separate ways. Rainbow Dash had gone to stay with Applejack and Apple Bloom, and Rarity and Sweetie Belle had gone to stay at Twilights for their visit. When Rainbow, Applejack, and Apple Bloom got back to the farm, Rainbow just walked up to the guest room, laid on her bed, buried herself in her covers, and drifted off to sleep.
She woke up several hours later to the glow of Princess Luna's moon. She decided to go outside into the cold of the night to try to cool off after her sweaty nap. It had been so long since she had just gone out for a casual and relaxing fly; she didn't know what to do with herself. She fluttered up above the cloud layer and rested on an extra poofy looking one. After laying there, looking down to the town she used to call home, she groaned and lied back, still thinking about what had happened that day. She had never in all the years she knew Scootaloo had been her fan know just how much Scootaloo loved her, and how much she did actually mean to her.
How could I have possibly done that to her? I told her I was her big sister, but never did anything to show that I was. She's right, some Element of Loyalty I am. After thinking this, she just buried her face into the cloud she was laying on, letting the tears soak through. For once in a very long time, and possibly for the first time, she absolutely loathed herself.
Was what I did really that bad? Or am I just sad about the things Scootaloo said. Dash thought about this for a while, finally deciding that it was both. She's right again, I DID do something really bad to her, and she did damage my ego. How am I capable of causing so much hatred in another pony? Especially somepony as sweet as her.
After lying there for a bit, she began to notice this pesky bit of purple hair that she kept trying to push out of her face, but kept reappearing. It was getting really annoying, and no matter how many times she pushed it out of her face, it just kept coming back. This was strange, there wasn't any wind at all, why did this bit of purple hair keep coming back? Then it moved on its own, which made Rainbow jump. She got up to realize that the purple hair was not hers.
It looked like it was growing from the cloud she had just been laying on. She began to dig out the curly purple hair before she found what it was attached to. Rainbow fell off the cloud after realizing what it was she had found, luckily catching herself before falling too far. She walked over and cleared the last of the cloud away to find Scootaloo sleeping soundly underneath. She couldn't believe her luck. She tried waking her up, only receiving grumbles and moans from the young mare. "Hey, Scootaloo, what are you doing here?" Asked Rainbow.
"Ngh, I fell asleep here after running from Rainbow Dash" Said Scootaloo, still half asleep. She turned over and opened her eyes enough to see who had asked the question, jumping awake after realizing it was Dash. "Wha-what are you doing here? Didn't I say leave me alone?!" Demanded Scootaloo.
"I-I'm sorry, I was just out for a short flight when I came to rest on this cloud." Started Rainbow "I wasn't trying to find you. But listen for one min-" but before she had gotten the chance to say something to Scootaloo, she took off. "Not this time!" called Rainbow after her, shooting off to catch up. Their flight pattern wasn't much different from before, the only difference being that it was at night. Finally after diving from above and below the cloud layer, Scootaloo stopped and hovered above a cloud, thinking she had lost her. At that moment, the cloud she had been floating above exploded after Rainbow had shot through it, firmly taking hold of Scootaloo. They struggled in the sky before they flew upright, and she just kept pushing on Rainbow, trying to get free.
"Just let go of me, Rainbow!" Screamed Scootaloo, raising a hoof to punch her in the muzzle. Before she let the punch fly, she noticed that Rainbow had tears in her eyes, softening a bit and lowering her hoof. She finally gave in and decided to hear her out.
"Please, just let me talk for a minute" plead Rainbow, quickly regaining her composure and stopped herself from breaking out in tears. They flew over to one the clouds and rested on top once again. Rainbow didn't know where to start, for she didn't think she would get through to her. She then formulated the words in her head and began. "Look Scoots, I'm sorry I did what I did. It was a horrible thing to do, and it was only made worse by the fact that I didn't recognize you back in Fillydelphia. Nopony should ever be put through what I put you through."
" Look, I know you can't forgive me for what I did, but I just want you to know that I would give my left wing if it meant I could go back and turn it all around, and make everything right again." Rainbow looked down to the cloud and said the words she wished she didn't have to say. "I won't bother you anymore" As she said this she turned away from a very sad faced Scootaloo, and flew off.
"Rainbow Dash, wait!" Hollered Scootaloo after her. Rainbow turned around to find her looking down at the cloud she was lying on. She fluttered back over and stood on the cloud. Scootaloo gave a sniffle and began.
"Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry I said what I said to you guys today. I was just so mad that you all seemed so unaware about the stuff you guys had done. It was completely uncalled for of me to say the things I said to you guys." She somehow looked down even harder as the tears began trickling down her cheeks.
Rainbow gave a small smile after realizing she had gotten through "No, Squirt, it was completely wrong for us to do what we did. You're entirely justified in your actions. And you were completely right; I am an egotistical show pony who only cares about three things. I just hope you can forgive me for it." Said Rainbow with a one syllable chuckle at the end. Scootaloo looked up at the pony she used to adore to find that she was crying too. "Oh great, now this kid has gotten me all sappy. I'm just glad the only pony to see me like this is the one who won't speak to any of my friends ever again." She added the chuckle again, along with a wry smile.
Scootaloo only chuckled a bit at this notion. It was true she had said that, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that that was not the way to handle things. She would only be inviting more loneliness in. Although it might take some time to completely forgive Dash and Bloom for their total abandonment. "Oh that's not true, the rest of the Wonderbolts aren't that bad" She said, receiving a full on laugh from Dash.
"You know what kid? The reason I'm here now is so I can get away from them for once! I might look like I'm having a good time with them, but behind the curtains most of them are a bit insufferable." Now they were full on laughing, Scootaloo finally enjoying time with Dash, which was surprising taking into consideration what she had said earlier. They both finished laughing, and let out a sigh. "I really do apologize for what I did all those years ago. I should have taken our sisterhood more seriously" As she finished the word 'sisterhood' she scooted over next to her young friend, no, sister,and wrapped her wing around her.
"It's okay Rainbow Dash, I forgive you." Said Scootaloo, resting her head against Rainbows side. As she did this, a single tear fell from Dash's eye before being quickly wiped away.
"Hey, do you mind if I crash with you tonight? I don't feel like going all the way back to Applejacks house." Asked Rainbow, truly hoping she would say yes.
"Sure, Rainbow, It's not that big though, you might need to sleep on the sofa. All I really need is a…a one bedroom house." Rainbow took in the second meaning to her statement, only making her more and more mad at herself.
"Well, let's head off, it's getting a bit chilly." Said Rainbow with a shiver. Scootaloo nodded, and took off, but this time she waited for Rainbow. She smiled as she fluttered up to meet her.
"It's pretty much just a straight shot across Ponyville, you wanna race?" Said Scootaloo with a determined look. Rainbow matched her look and nodded. "Okay… onyourmarkgetsetgo!" Said Scootaloo as she shot off.
"Hey!" Said Rainbow as she was left behind. She shot off after her, but couldn't catch her until Scootaloo looked back, and slowed so she could catch up. After she did, they raced to their highest speed. Oh my Celestia this kid is fast! Thought Rainbow who could only keep it neck and neck at her top speed. Finally after feverishly flying, the two spotted Scootaloo's house. It looked a bit like Rainbows old house, but was a bit smaller and didn't have rainbow falls. Still it was pretty impressive. They both heavily landed on the doorstep at the same time, and collapsed on the floor, both panting as they got up and went inside.
While the exterior of her house looked like a mansion, the inside was really small and practical. There was a large window at the other side of the room, with a couch and coffee table sitting underneath it. On the other side of the room was the kitchen that had very ordinary items, cloud powered refrigerator, oven, counters, drawers, cupboards, and a table with chairs.
"Well, here we are!" Said Scootaloo with a smile as she flopped down on the couch, motioning for Rainbow to join her. She did and found it amazingly soft, softer than a normal cloud was. She shrugged, deciding that it was because she was still exhausted, even after her seven hour nap. She was about to drift off before she realized she wanted to say something.
"Look Scoots, I just want you to know that I will never abandon you again" Said Dash, looking over to Scootaloo, giving a small chuckle as she saw she was already asleep. "Ah forget about it, I'll tell you in the morning."
End
Again, sorry about another Scootaloo fic, but everything you guys are writing about her nearly put me into a depression or something. I found that writing these stories gets them off of my mind, so bear with me. Please review and tell me how I did plox! /)^3^(\
