//------------------------------// // The One With Sitterloo // Story: Close the Curtains, There's a Breeze. // by All Art Is Quite Useless //------------------------------// Rainbow narrowed her eyelids, searching for any sign of hesitation. “And, you’re absolutely sure that you’re up to this?” A surefire nod from the sleepy filly in front of her definitely wasn’t enough to alleviate her worries, but it was going to have to do. She’d already tried everywhere else she could think of. “Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash, I’ve got this,” Scootaloo dragged out the last three words, probably for dramatic effect, causing Rainbow to groan under her breath, rubbing her eyes with her hooves as she hovered in place above her. “This isn’t a game, squirt. You’ve gotta be able to look after him properly, okay? Honestly, after what happened last time, I didn’t really wanna put this on you, but I’m really hoping you’ll pull through for me. I’ll be really grateful if you can help me out,” Rainbow thought this would be better than saying ‘I literally had no other options, I’m sick with worry that you might lose Tank, or something, but this is the situation I’m in.” Apparently, her spoken words were the better choice; the prospect of Scootaloo being the recipient of Rainbow’s gratitude seemed to fill her face with awe, then determination. “Alright,” she breathed, clearly excited, “Just tell me what needs to be done and,” Scootaloo yawned heavily, “I’ll do my best to stick to it, okay?” “Alright, Scoots, I’m counting on you,” Rainbow smiled, her tone serious, but encouraging. Scootaloo squeed at this, and Rainbow had to hold back a smile, if only for the nature of the situation. Usually, Rainbow reveled in the time that she got to spend with her honorary sister, who spent her days almost as busy as Rainbow, what with her school work and the enterprise her and her friends had going. Rainbow would never openly admit it, but she was almost jealous of her. Scootaloo still hadn’t learnt to fly, unlike Rainbow, who began flying at a young age. Instead of devoting all of her time to learning how, she had spent her it focusing on other things throughout her youth, such as making friends, discovering a purpose that isn’t almost a caricature of your racial or familial background, and finding time to help others and build a well known and respected brand. Rainbow was almost sure that if her and the other crusaders were to start charging any time soon, they’d be out-earning her in weeks, not that she minded. A glance back at Scootaloo, and she was unresponsive, her chest lightly rising and falling as she drifted back to sleep. Rainbow lightly tapped a hoof against the bed, hoping to wake her, before looking back to Scootaloo’s open bedroom window and silently berating herself. I really shouldn’t have flown into her room and woke her, her parents are probably still pissed with me for getting her to kick that storm cloud at me. Thoughts of that day assisted in putting Rainbow in a guilty and sour mood. Picking up a quill and notepad from Scootaloo’s desk, she began to scribble down a list of everything Scootaloo absolutely needed to know. Writing was always a suitable outlet for Rainbow, even if it was something as rudimentary as a list of instructions, she knew that she was creating something of potential use. Rainbow included passages on water depth and temperature for bath times, reminding Scootaloo not to clean out the water or take him out early if he did his business in there. She also told her exactly how many cucumber slices he could eat in a day, encouraged her to walk him at some point during the early afternoon (even if it wasn’t very far), told her to make the house comfortable for him (but not worry too much about pet proofing it, as he knew to avoid sharp objects and long drops), and explicitly forbade her from putting him in his flying machine under any circumstance. Writing this all out gave Scootaloo the chance to get an extra few minutes sleep. Rainbow considered it to only be fair, she had burst into her room and woken her up, after all. However, allowing Scootaloo to sleep for longer was likely going to have a detrimental effect on Rainbow in the long run, she did need to be at work in just over thirty minutes, after all. Nevertheless, Rainbow left her be until the list was finished, then floated over, lightly tapping her on the shoulder, bringing her back into consciousness. Scootaloo’s eyes were bleary when they opened, but they shone with happiness as she beheld her favourite pony, and Rainbow felt that smile tugging at her again, which she eventually submitted to. When Scootaloo had finished beaming like an idiot, Rainbow gestured towards her back. “Climb on, squirt! We’ve gotta go to my place to get Tank, and I’m really in a rush now.” Scootaloo rose from her mess of blankets, quickly climbing aboard. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, I shouldn’t have let myself fall back to sleep. I hope you’re not too upset.” Rainbow couldn’t see Scootaloo from her position, but her tone of voice registered as ashamed. Well, at least I know she’ll take this seriously. “Don’t worry, I wanted you to be well rested, can’t have you looking after Tank all day if you’re half asleep, can I? Anywho, less talking, more moving!” Rainbow took off with a start, fighting an instinct to corkscrew out of the narrow window for fear of throwing Scootaloo off and having her fall twenty feet to the ground. Luckily, Scootaloo took the initiative and ducked, despite her sleepiness. They flew at a sedated speed, Rainbow more worried about the small filly’s grip than the extra weight, but regardless, they were outside her front door within a couple of minutes. Scootaloo held on tighter than she needed to, and didn’t disembark for a full ten seconds after Rainbow had landed. After a few seconds of stubbornness, Rainbow gave in, bouncing Scootaloo off of her back, and then returning her unorthodox embrace. The hug was short lived, but it seemed to imbue Scootaloo with new energy. She’s probably three times as excited as she was earlier. Maybe two and a half. Rainbow sagely informed herself, opening her door and heading for her bedroom, Scootaloo in tow, finding Tank laying on her bed, where she had left him, still sleeping soundly. Eyeing Scootaloo, she motioned toward Tank. “The little guy doesn’t usually wake for another two hours or so, so I’ll carry him back down when it’s time to go, okay?” Suddenly alert, Scootaloo nodded. “Are you gonna take us back to my place?” “I’ll have to,” Rainbow murmured. “I can’t have you walking all through Ponyville with him, he’ll wake too easily.” Rainbow left the room then, prompting Scootaloo to follow. “I’m gonna give you one of my saddlebags, packed with food and shell wax, and a couple of other necessities.” “Shell wax is a necessity?” Echoed Scootaloo, incredulous. “What?” Rainbow laughed, cheeks lightly tinted, “He takes pride in his appearance, so obviously it’s necessary! He only needs a quick application, it’s pretty efficient stuff.” Scootaloo didn’t need much convincing. “Okay! Got it! What else?” “Well, I’m also going to leave a list in the bag, I wrote it after I first woke you. On it, you’ll find everything you need to do for the day, but I’m gonna give you a couple pointers now, just to be safe.” “Like what? Is there really that much to it?” Rainbow shook her head as she fished a box of cucumber slices out, putting them in a bag which she had left on the kitchen table. Then, she turned to face Scootaloo. “Just a few little things. First off, Tank’s pretty smart, so don’t talk down to him, okay? Treat him like a pony, and he’ll really appreciate it. But then, at the same time, he’s only a little guy, and he’s not very old, so remember that too. Also, do try and talk to him every now and then, he gets pretty lonely when there’s no one to talk to.” As Scootaloo ardently nodded, making a point of her understanding and eagerness to impress, Rainbow reminisced over recent weeks, and wondered just how many days Tank had spent feeling alone and unloved. When she next spoke, she had misty eyes. “Just, make sure that you make him feel comfortable, he deserves to have some nice company like you, squirt.” she smiled through her brief wave of emotion. “Are you okay, Rainbow? You look pretty upset,” Scootaloo said, reluctantly. “Fine,” Rainbow sniffed, “Just had a little less sleep than I wanted, my eyes are still streaming from the flight.” “If you say so!" Scootaloo chimed, forgetting her worry. "Say, how long until you’ve gotta leave?” she asked, glancing over to the kitchen’s clock. Rainbow followed her eyes, before cursing under her breath. “About five minutes if I wanna get you back on time and make it to work without any hassle. I’m gonna go get Tank now, meet me at the door with the saddlebags?” “Sure thing, Rainbow, I won’t keep you waiting,” Scootaloo grinned. “Thanks, Scootaloo, you really are the best sister a mare could ask for. I’ll just be a sec.” With that, Rainbow left the room to grab Tank, but not before getting an eyeful of the huge smile forming on her little sister’s face. It warmed her inside, and reminded her that despite fate’s constant bad rolls, she could still come out on top today, and every day, for that matter, if she only persevered. When Rainbow gently picked up Tank, she briefly rubbed her muzzle against his shell, as if he were a hard, round pillow. Rainbow was sure that if tortoises could purr, he would be doing so then, as he appeared utterly relaxed, unaware that he was currently airborne, defying gravity. Rainbow softly glided through her home, cupping Tank’s sleeping form against her chest for warmth and safety, greeting Scootaloo with a stifled ‘hey’ and urging her to jump onto her back again. When Scootaloo dithered, Rainbow quietly assured her that everything was fine, she was perfectly capable of carrying both her and Tank at once. Still, Scootaloo appeared unsure. Rainbow forced a smile, a poor effort at hiding her growing annoyance. “Scoots, come on, I’m gonna be late, what is it? I don’t have time to take you one at a time, you’ve gotta trust me, okay?” Scootaloo shook her head, spurring Rainbow’s anger further, but spoke before she had a chance to voice her irritation. “No, it’s not that, it’s... Um, I’ve never seen you go to work like that before, and I’ve seen you a lot of times.” Suddenly, Scootaloo jumped, her eyes darting to the floor and her head craning down with them. “Uhh, not that I watch out of my window when you’re flying to work sometimes, or anything.” Scootaloo’s voice was even smaller than her wings. Usually, Rainbow would have laughed, but she was too confused. Go to work like what? I’ve showered, haven’t I? Yeah, of course I have, I remember doing that earlier. Then what is she talking abou-- “--Oh, crap!” Scootaloo flinched at the sudden profanity, causing Rainbow to grimace. Double crap. “Oh, cr-- err, crud. Sorry, Scoots, didn’t mean to swear, don’t tell your parents you heard that.” When Scootaloo nodded, she continued. “You were talking about my uniform, weren’t you?” “Yeah, aren’t you gonna go put it on?” Scootaloo questioned. “That’s a bit of a problem. You see, one’s caked in sweat and the other one’s soaking wet right now.” “Are you sure it’s soaking wet?” Scootaloo pressed, hopeful. “I left it in a sink with soapy water earlier,” Rainbow replied. “Oh... Crap.” she winced. “Scootaloo!” Rainbow yelled, slightly shocked. “Oh, yeah, sorry, heh heh,” Scootaloo brushed the floor with her hoof, but Rainbow barely noticed, speeding for the bathroom. When she arrived, Scootaloo wasn’t far behind her. “Have you still got time to dry it?” “No way,” Rainbow’s face was grim, but she knew there was no other option. “I’m gonna have to wear it as is.” “But, Rainbow! It’s literally soaking!” Scootaloo leant forwards and lowered a hoof experimentally, finding the bottom of the flight suit and pulling on it, lifting it out of the water and attempting to wring it out. “It literally weighs half a ton, how are you gonna wear this?” “I dunno, but I can’t just turn up with no uniform!” Rainbow replied, visibly panicked. “Fleetfoot turned up without uniform once a couple months ago, and he had his pay docked for a week! I can’t afford that! What do I do?” By this point, Rainbow was pacing on the spot, while Scootaloo had taken a break from wringing the water out of the flight suit, shock painted across her face. “Whoa, what? Fleetfoot had his pay docked for not having his uniform for one day? But he’s been a wonderbolt for like six years!” “Focus, Scootaloo!” Rainbow snapped, before momentarily forgetting her worry driven hysterics and considering Scootaloo’s words. “Yeah, it was a pretty big shock... His face when Spitfire chewed him out was scary, I thought there’d be a revolt or something for a few minutes! I’ll tell you more about it later though. Right now, I need to get this on.” “You’re really gonna wear this?” Scootaloo extended her hoof, allowing Rainbow to take her damp suit. When Rainbow grabbed the flight suit, she shuddered at the feel of it, knowing it would be all over her fur in seconds. “Y-Yeah,” she stuttered, “I’ve gotta. Give me a hand with it?” “How can I?” Scootaloo asked, puzzled. “Just hold it out for me, I’ll try and get my hind legs in first.” As she said so, Rainbow lifted one of her hind legs, signaling Scootaloo to come around and put the back end of the suit under her, so her leg would go into the right place when she pushed it down. When at first Rainbow tried, her leg wouldn’t fit, no matter how much she pushed. When Scootaloo stretched the skin tight fabric, it made a horrible sound and as Rainbow finally managed to force her right hind leg in, the friction burnt all the way up her leg. It was incredibly uncomfortable and wet. Then, the next leg, and this time, it was even harder. As Scootaloo made her best efforts to keep the fabric slack, and allow enough space for Rainbow’s leg to slide in, her other hind leg refused to keep traction with the floor, slipping this way and that, as her front hooves began to ache from bearing the brunt of her weight. After a good minute of trying and failing to get it in, Rainbow stomped her hoof down incredibly hard, frightening Scootaloo and reigniting yesterday’s pain, but finally pushing it all the way in. When Scootaloo recovered from her shock, Rainbow decided her brash move was worth it, despite the pain. Then came the awkward job of getting Scootaloo to roll her uniform up to her barrel. Of course, this took way longer than Rainbow anticipated it would, with the only easy task being pushing her wings through the holes. When it came to the front hooves, she found she could do it alone, and zipping up wasn’t quite as infuriating as she expected it would be. Still, she was freezing cold, she looked like she had flown through a tidal wave, and she was running late for work. Shivering slightly, she thanked Scootaloo for her help and offered for her to climb aboard. Thankfully, Scootaloo wasn’t squeamish about climbing on her wet back, and easily complied. They fetched Tank one last time, and Rainbow flew the pair of them back to Scootaloo’s house, the wind slicing at her the entire journey, eliciting a terrible, numbing feeling. When Rainbow eventually landed, she thanked Scootaloo once again, reminding her that she owed her one, and telling her to expect her back at around six-thirty. Scootaloo beamed at Rainbow, likely already devising a way she could repay her. Something awesome, Rainbow hoped. Well, it’s Scootaloo, if it isn’t awesome in some way or another, I’ll probably eat my hoof. However, when she opened her mouth, it wasn’t to talk about returning favours, yet, at least. “Rainbow?” Scootaloo briefly appeared embarrassed, her ears folding back and her hoof scraping across the floor. Then, with a small smile from her drenched, disheveled big sister, she stood up tall, and found her voice. “I just wanna say how happy I am that you think you can count on me. I absolutely promise that I won’t you down, no matter what. When you get back, you’re gonna come home to a real happy tortoise, okay?” Rainbow mirrored Scootaloo’s expression, giving her a brief nougie. “Of course I can count on you! Come on, I know that if there’s anypony out there that will always look out for me, that pony is you. Don’t get all sappy on me though,” Rainbow winked, “It’s just pet sitting.” “Don’t lie to me, Rainbow, you love Tank a lot.” Scootaloo smirked. “Heh, yeah, I really do,” Rainbow soberly stated, before mouthing her soft goodbyes to the still sleeping Tank. “By the way, are you totally sure you’re gonna be okay going to work like that?” Oh Luna, work. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine! Gotta go, see ya later!” Half a second for takeoff, and Rainbow was speeding away, the thin air doing absolutely nothing to dry her flight suit, which remained as wet as it was before she even put it on. Rainbow was currently of two minds. One told her just how lucky she was to have remembered Scootaloo at the last moment, as well as how glad she should be to have a patient and helpful sister who was willing to drop whatever she might have had planned to look after Tank at a moment’s notice. Also, having at least a temporary solution in place for Tank was excellent, and would allow her to focus on other things during the day, and stress less. The other told her just how mortifying it would be to turn up to work over ten minutes late in soaking wet clothes with a terrible excuse, as well as having one colleague pissed at her and another that she really didn’t want to run into. Not now, at least. All Rainbow knew is that while one portion of her mind had clearly decided to retain its recent optimism, the other wished to iterate to her as clearly as possible that today was going to be utterly terrible, and there was nothing she could do to alter that fact. Rainbow told the latter part of her head to shove it, there was still hope yet. Rainbow flied onward with a fragile smile, soundlessly hoping that something would come along to cement it soon, lest it wither away naturally, leaving nothing but the resounding echo of her fleeting attempt at simple satisfaction.