Fluttershy felt something push against her mane. That push made her moan, but she was too tired to get up. It pushed again, feeling like a light nuzzle. Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes, blinking away the blare. There was blue covering her blaring vision. It was white at the center with a hint of magenta. Her eyes started focusing, allowing her to see the eyes of her waker.
“Rainbow?” Fluttershy questioned. But when she noticed the cute red lightning bolts next to Rainbow’s eyes, she remembered. Her eyes went wide and she gasped, quickly picking herself off the floor. “Scootaloo! Is Scootaloo okay?!”
Rainbow kept her smile, closed her eyes, and took a few steps back. Fluttershy was taking a look at her stomach as she did so. She sucked in a deep breath and reached inside her with her three tentacle tongues. The bulge outside her stomach could be seen stretching out briefly. But when it started to shrink, Fluttershy’s eyes went pea-size.
Then that bulge appeared climbing up Rainbow’s neck. Her mouth opened wide, pulling out her coils with something wrapped in them. When Fluttershy saw the purple mane, she noticed that it was Scootaloo, covered with saliva. She was still sleeping as she was released. Fluttershy was still breathing heavily as Rainbow used her tongues to gently set Scootaloo down to the floor. After the tongues unwrapped around Scootaloo, they started licking around her body, causing her to stir and giggle.
“Gahahey! Ahah! Cut it out!” Scootaloo’s hooves flailed trying to catch her tickle monster... or monsters. But they avoided her every time. The tongues were licking across her stomach, her legs, her wings, even the back of her ears. “Stop it! Haha! I’m up! I’m up!” They wouldn’t stop despite her protests.
Fluttershy thought this was Rainbow showing her affection, which was a bit excessive. She was gonna stop it, until she realized on closer inspection what was really happening. The more those tongues licked, the dryer Scootaloo’s body looked. Rainbow was actually lapping up the excess saliva that was covering Scootaloo’s body.
Scootaloo’s forehoof managed to make contact with one of the tongues and pushed it away. But that tongue just slid down, wrapped itself around the bottom base of her hoof, and slid itself up, bringing the last of the saliva with it. All three tongues retracted back to Rainbow’s mouth, leaving Scootaloo gasping for breath with her other hoof to her stomach.
“Jeez, ah... Can’t you take a hint?” Scootaloo took a few pants before she noticed Fluttershy, still looking uneasy from the whole ordeal. “Morning Fluttershy.”
Hearing Scootaloo’s response, Fluttershy realized she had nothing to worry about anymore. Scootaloo was released and unharmed. Even Rainbow was looking okay. She could finally calm down and breath normally again.
“Good morning, Scootaloo,” Fluttershy responded with a smile.
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Now that Scootaloo was outside of Rainbow Dash and well, Fluttershy offered her to stay and join them for breakfast as she removed the leash from Rainbow's collar. How could Scootaloo refuse? It made her wings flutter in excitement as she accepted.
Fluttershy cooked honey flavored pancakes stuffed with tiny blue berries inside, as well as a few bunny shaped cookies to the side. She tossed a two layer pancake stack with her spatula onto Scootaloo’s plate while Scootaloo helped herself to filling another plate with cookies and chocolate oat-swirled milk. She licked her lips as she readied her butter and syrup, unable to wait and devour such a complete breakfast.
And then she gasped as Fluttershy heaved and carried what looked like a thirty or fourty layer pancake already with butter and syrup spread between every fifth layer. It caused everything to jump, including Scootaloo, as it pounded on the table for Rainbow’s plate. On top of that pancake tower was a circle of strawberries stuck into the pancakes.
Before Scootaloo could ask how Rainbow was gonna eat that all, Rainbow had already jumped in the air to its top chomping down on it. Both Scootaloo and Fluttershy yelped and covered themselves as the syrup, butter, and juices of strawberry flung from each chomp that Rainbow made on that pancake. Her food was scattering everywhere, hitting the sides of her face, splashing on Fluttershy and Scootaloo's coats and manes, and splatting against the ground and walls. The chomping continued all the way until she hit the bottom.
When the onslaught ceased, Rainbow Dash was revealed chewing with huge bulging cheeks heavily covered in the stains of butter and syrup. Fluttershy and Scootaloo looked at each other, finding themselves covered in those same stains decorating their bodies. They couldn’t help but laugh.
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Everypony ate their fill and got themselves cleaned up from the mess. Fluttershy had to remove Rainbow’s bandages and collar during this process. She would’ve put new bandages after cleaning up, but seeing as the scratches from yesterday had already healed, there was no need, just like she thought they would. The collar however was placed back on. Oddly enough, Rainbow didn't seem to mind.
Now that breakfast was over, Scootaloo started walking to the front door. “Well, I gotta get going.” When she reached the door, she opened it and looked back to Fluttershy. ”Thanks for the breakfast, Fluttershy. Good bye.” She then turned to Rainbow. “And cya later Rainbow Dash, hopefully not for lunch. Bye!”
Fluttershy waved her goodbye as the door closed. She couldn’t help but smile so proudly. Having Scootaloo around today felt better than any other day she was around. Maybe because this little experience help her learn more about Rainbow Dash as a tatzlpony.
But when looking at Rainbow, she didn’t seem as joyful as Fluttershy was. In fact, her eyes were turned down, looking rather sad. Seeing her sad made Fluttershy’s smile disappear and be replaced with concern.
“What’s wrong, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked, but Rainbow didn’t respond. Moving her body to face in front of her, Fluttershy tried approaching with what she thought was wrong. “Don’t worry. Scootaloo will come back, and you’ll be able to see her again.” Again, there was no response. Instead, Rainbow just turned her body away from Fluttershy, looking down to the ground while her tail wrapped around her hind legs.
Fluttershy lightly gasped when she saw the look in Rainbow’s eye. Those weren’t the eyes of somepony missing something. They were filled with guilt. Wondering why, the last thing that Scootaloo said came to mind.
“Is it what Scootaloo said about being lunch?” When Fluttershy asked that, Rainbow turned to her. Maybe this was what happened. Scootaloo meant that as a joke, but it seemed Rainbow was taking it seriously.
“Rainbow, Scootaloo didn’t mean that. She had a wonderful time.” Fluttershy bent down to reach eye level with Rainbow. “You said you would keep her safe, and Scootaloo trusted you. You kept your word and now she’s happy.”
Rainbow looked away and let her body lay down. A deep breath was released through her nose. “I didn’t protect her…” she said depressingly.
Concerned, Fluttershy peaked towards her face and asked. “What do you mean?”
There was silence for a few seconds. Rainbow didn’t look to Fluttershy, but she started slowly. “A bad… tatzlpony.” Fluttershy listened carefully. It sounded like Rainbow was referring to what she was called. “I was scared… and flew away. Scootaloo was with me.” She turned to Fluttershy. “Timberwolves… Scootaloo was in danger because of me. Bad… Bad…”
Now Fluttershy understood what was going on. The guilt Rainbow showed back in the Everfree Forest came back. Even though she protected Scootaloo, she blamed herself for putting Scootaloo in danger in the first place. To her, it wasn’t protecting if she started the danger in the first place. And now the words ‘bad tatzlpony’ must’ve been echoing in her mind.
But it wasn’t entirely Rainbow’s fault. Fluttershy had to make her understand that. “Rainbow. You’re not a bad tatzlpony. You were just scared.” There wasn’t a response, but Rainbow’s ears were up and listening. “You say you put Scootaloo in danger. But that was just a mistake. Everypony makes mistakes. Just like I did with you.”
Rainbow’s head bopped up after hearing that. Her head turned to Fluttershy. “If I didn’t use my Stare on you, you wouldn’t have gotten scared and put Scootaloo in danger. I know you didn’t mean to put her in danger.” She put a hoof to Rainbow’s mane. “You told her you would protect her. And that’s exactly what you did. I know you Rainbow Dash. And I know you are a good pony.” That was when she looked Rainbow in the eye with a Stare of comfort. "You fight to protect, to protect those who are in danger... to defend those who are bullied, to never let your friends down. Somepony like that, is not bad. And that is who you are."
Rainbow and Fluttershy stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. The feeling was all too familiar to Rainbow and she felt like something like this happened before, a very long time ago. This feeling she felt with Fluttershy went as far back to when she was young.
“I’m a… good pony?” Her question was answered with a simple smiling nod. It was reassuring. But it also made her afraid, afraid of what would happen because of her. She picked herself up, Fluttershy following suit, and took a step back. “I’m a good pony… b-but…”
“Hmm?” Fluttershy curiously replied, ready to close her distance with Rainbow again.
“Are tatzlponies good?”
Fluttershy froze upon that question. It wasn’t a question about herself. The question was about what Rainbow was and whether it was good. She wanted to answer, but she wasn’t sure of the answer herself. Rainbow wasn’t originally a tatzlpony. Somepony, someone, turned Rainbow into this.
Fluttershy’s lips tried mouthing a few words, but they came out as mumbles. She may have known Rainbow Dash, but she knew next to nothing about what a tatzlpony was. From the looks of Rainbow’s pulsating eyes, she didn’t know either and really wanted to know.
That was when Rainbow opened her mouth, releasing her three tentacle-like tongues. They came out slowly, moving to Fluttershy. Fluttershy gasped nervously as those tongues came to her. They stretched long, slithering along her coat, feeling her. One made several wraps along her right forehoof. She lifted it and it stuck with her, making her nervously grit her teeth. When she tried to back away, another one slithered and wrapped behind her hind legs and under her tail. It continued and went under her stomach, making one wrap around her back to bind her wings.
Both coils were wrapped firmly along her body. The last one slithered along the front of her neck, sliding up to her cheek. Her heart raced and her breath was heavy, seeing and feeling just how flexive these tongues were. The strength that they had, the length that they could stretch, it made her feel trapped. When that last one slithered along the back of her neck, she squeezed her eyes and...
"Mmrph!" Fluttershy squeaked.
That was when the coils froze. Fluttershy could feel the firm grip on them loosen. They were now hesitant, no longer holding. Then, they unwrapped themselves and retreated. She opened her eyes as they went back to Rainbow Dash. And when Rainbow closed her mouth after they returned, all Fluttershy could see was Rainbow’s eyes turned down with the fearful and depressed expression written on her face. That expression said it all. Rainbow's fear held true.
“I… I’m sorry…” Fluttershy said as her heart sank to a black hole. This was why Rainbow asked that question, why she was so afraid of herself. Rainbow was still Rainbow, but she would still act upon her tatzlpony side.
What was a tatzlpony? Why did they do what they did? Who would want to turn Rainbow Dash into a tatzlpony? And why would they need to take Rainbow’s memory away?
The only thing Fluttershy could go by was that tatzlponies could capture and trap their prey into their stomach pouch with ease. What would they do afterwards? She didn’t know. And after her feared reactions to the coils, she and Rainbow feared only bad things.
Rainbow started walking away, walking to the direction of the door. “W-Wait!” Fluttershy pleaded, reaching a hoof out as her heart ached to the core. “Please, don’t go.” But Rainbow showed no signs of stopping. Seeing her tail limply drag along the ground, Fluttershy wanted to say something, something that would allow her to see reason. “I know you Rainbow Dash. You’re not a bad pony. You’re not…” But she knew that wasn’t what Rainbow wanted to hear.
Rainbow wasn’t leaving because she thought of herself as a bad pony. She was afraid that her tatzlpony side was bad and would harm Fluttershy. That was why she was leaving. Fluttershy knew she had to say something that would tell her a tatzlpony wasn’t bad. But she knew next to nothing about what a tatzlpony was. And everything she saw of the tatzlpony side so far…
Rainbow Dash stopped when she reached the door. She looked back to Fluttershy. And she was... smiling.
“Come with me,” Rainbow said.
It took a few seconds for the words to register to Fluttershy. “H-Huh?” she asked softly.
“I want to show you something.” Rainbow’s response lifted a weight in Fluttershy’s heart. She was curious as to what Rainbow wanted to show her if it made Rainbow smile like that. Maybe Rainbow remembered something that brought her hope? Perhaps her memory was the key to solving how she became a tatzlpony.
Fluttershy nodded and started walking to Rainbow. Seeing Fluttershy coming, Rainbow looked to the door and opened it.
Rainbow’s eyes grew. Somepony was there, a filly, causing her to yelp and zip quickly away from the door. Fluttershy and the filly flinched from the response, but Fluttershy was more confused about the filly at her door.
“Scootaloo?” she asked as she rushed to the door, causing Scootaloo’s eyes to shrink. “Were you listening in on us?”
Scootaloo started sweating and spoke frantically. “N-No! I mean, yes! I-I mean, I didn’t mean to! B-But… u-um… here.” She picked something that was on her back with her mouth and showed it to Fluttershy. Fluttershy blinked and craned her head.
“A letter?”