Chapter 1
The Visit.
(Inspired by the song Rainbow (feat. Feather) by Koroshi-Ya)
It's ok,
I'm still here,
I'll always be,
Your best friend,
It's alright,
I'm loyalty,
I'll be here 'til,
The very end,
Come on, let's fly,
Just, you and I,
Let's race 'til we touch the sky,
Never let you fall,
I was, here for it all,
And I'm here, for you now.
~~~~~~
“Rainbow?” Scootaloo squeaked.
“Yeah squirt...” Rainbow Dash choked out fighting back tears.
“I’m scared...”
“It’s okay kid, I'm not going anywhere.”
“Thanks...”
~~~ 12 hours earlier ~~~
*CRACK*
The storm was getting worse.
A rouge thunderhead had made its way in from the Everfree Forest. The Ponyville Weather Team was having a rough time trying to control it. The team had managed to keep it away from the main town, but every time they attempted to move it back to the forest, it fought back with more force.
“HOLD ON GUYS,” Rainbow Dash called out to the team “WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP IT AWAY FROM TOWN!”
“RAINBOW THE NORTHERN TIP IS STARTING TO BREAK FREE!” one of the team members called back over the high winds.
“ALRIGHT ON MY COUNT WE WILL HAVE TO ROTATE THE TOP LAYER OF CLOUD A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY DEGREES AND HOPE IT BREAKS BACK TOWARDS THE FOREST!” Rainbow called back. “PASS THE MESSAGE ALONG!”
“OKAY” There was a few seconds delay before the message had been passed around the storm.
Finally, “ON YOUR COUNT RAINBOW!” was called out from the storm.
“ONE … TWO … THREE … NOW!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The Team started flying at top speed in a clockwise circle around the storm. Slowly the layer of cloud started moving. It was working.
Suddenly, there was a flash of lightning and a shriek from one of the ponies behind Rainbow Dash. She quickly stopped and glanced back. She knew that voice. “SCOOTALOO!” Rainbow cried out as she saw her friend plummeting to the ground. Reacting quickly, Rainbow Dash tucked her wings tight into her body and dove after the orange pegasus.
Fighting against the high winds and rain, Rainbow Dash flew after Scootaloo constantly willing her body to go faster and faster. She got closer and closer to her friend, close enough to see the fear in the younger pegasus’s eyes, but still too far away to do anything. Then, as Rainbow took her eyes off of Scootaloo she saw it, the earth, rushing towards her and knew it was going to be a close call. She pumped her wings forcing them to make her dive faster. Praying she can make it. She was still 10 yards away from Scootaloo when it happened.
*THUD*
Scootaloo hit the ground with such force that a small crater had formed in the field below. “Scoots!” Rainbow screamed as she landed hard next to her companion. There was no response. Fearing the worst, she carefully picked up the broken filly and raced to the hospital in town.
“Come on squirt … you’re gonna be okay ...come on.” Speaking to the unconscious pony on her back, and more so to herself, she ran through the downtown core of Ponyville. Fighting back tears with adrenaline pumping through her body, she moved faster and faster. In the distance, Rainbow Dash could see the illuminated red cross standing atop the hospital. “We’re almost there, kid. Just a little further.”
Memories of the times that the two ponies had shared came flooding back in the cyan pegasus’ mind. When Scootaloo was younger, Rainbow had tried to avoid her but as the young filly grew they became closer and closer. Rainbow Dash had taught her to fly, how to manipulate the weather and had been there for all the colt friends that came and went. The two were inseparable.
As Rainbow Dash neared the hospital she felt the breathing of Scootaloo fade. “I’m not going to lose you squirt, you need to keep fighting!” She screamed to the unconscious pegasus on her back. Legs pumping at full speed she finally reached the hospital and burst through the door. “HELP!” Rainbow called out to the nurse behind the desk, who was already rushing over. The doctors nearby sprang into action gathering up supplies and a stretcher. Rainbow Dash slowly lowered her friend to the stretcher, taking one last look at Scootaloo, and collapsed.
~~~
“Huh? Where am I?” Rainbow Dash had just awoke and was slightly confused as to where she was. The events of the prior night came rushing back all at once. “SCOOTALOO!” Dash started looking around frantically. A nurse came running in to see what was wrong.
“Where is Scootaloo?”
“Miss Dash, you’re awake.”
“Where is she?” the patience in Rainbows voice was quickly fading and fright was taking over.
“She is in another room but you need your rest.”
“What room.” Rainbow fired back ignoring the plea for her to rest.
“She is at the end of the hall. but-” The nurse was cut off as Dash raced out the door.
Rainbow was slightly slower due to the amount of exertion she had put on her body mere hours before, but she pressed on. Finally making it to the room where Scootaloo was. Slowly she nudged the door open, afraid of what she might find. There on the bed was the broken orange pegasus with the wild purple mane, wrapped in bandages and surrounded with medical machines.
“Miss Dash, I need to speak to you about Scootaloo. Would you please have a seat?” The nurse from before had followed her.
“Umm.... sure. Is she going to be okay?”
“Miss Dash do you know of any family that Scootaloo has? Any next of kin?”
“No... Her parents passed away a few years ago... I have been looking after her...What does this have to do with what I asked? Is she going to be okay?”
“Unfortunately no ... she is paralysed from the neck down. She will never walk again. She can’t move her legs...” the nurse finished and looked up at Rainbow Dash with a look of remorse.
“No no no no no. This can’t be true. You’re lying. This can’t be happening.” Rainbow Dash let all of her emotions out at once. Falling to the ground bawling. “How could I have let this happen. It’s all my fault. I never should have let her join the weather team-”
“Rainbow?” Scootaloo squeaked.
“Yeah squirt...” Rainbow Dash choked out fighting back tears.
“I’m scared...”
“It’s okay kid. I'm not going anywhere.”
“Thanks.” Scootaloo choked out.
“For what? For getting you stuck in this stupid bed? For getting you injure-”
“No. Rainbow thanks for being my ... big sister … “
Fighting back tears Rainbow dove in to embrace her sister. They stayed that way for so long and with so many emotions flowing Rainbow Dash didn’t realise the small pegasus had stopped breathing. Suddenly alarms started ringing from the machines surrounding the room. Dash let go of Scootaloo and stepped back to let the doctors attempt to revive her, but she knew it was already too late.
In the waiting room the nurse from before came out and saw Rainbow Dash sitting in a chair sipping on a coffee. “Miss Dash... I’m sorry... she didn’t make it.”
“Can I see her … one last time?”
“Of course.”
Back in the hospital room Rainbow approached the bed. Scootaloo looked so peaceful. Eyes closed and wings folded back. She even had a tiny smile on her face. That was all Rainbow Dash needed to see, to see that Scootaloo had gone peacefully. She gently walked forward kissed the top of the orange pegasus’ forehead just below her wild purple mane. Nodding to the nurse she quietly walked out of the room down the hall and out the door.