Rainbow Dash arrived back at the small family home. The light that once burst from the windows, illuminating the surrounding area, having been replaced by a solemn and silent darkness, connoting that Scootaloo’s parents had gone to bed.
“Well, she did look pretty tired.” Rainbow thought to herself.
Rainbow didn’t bother pondering on the concept of the sleeping parents for too long however, knowing that she had a purpose for coming back to the humble home so late at night. She had visited Scootaloo’s home only once prior to that evening, during the trials for the right to bare the Ponyville flag in the Equestria games, which the CMC had won with an excellent routine. Though some comments on Scootaloo’s handicap from her former bullies, in an attempt to discourage her and prevent her from wining the right, had left her with almost no self-esteem, causing Rainbow to visit her and give her the encouragement she needed to perform the routine to the judges.
Rainbow had very fond memories of that day. Her sister very rarely showed weakness, thus she had learned to treasure and enjoy the few opportunities she had to show her comfort and support to the filly, bringing them closer together. Though now, Rainbow could only question why Scootaloo’s own parents hadn’t talked to Scootaloo about her self-esteem themselves. Had she just not told them about it? No. Whilst Scootaloo did try her hardest to masquerade her self-doubt and inner turmoil behind a confident façade, she was still a young filly, and thus couldn’t properly convince those who cared for her that everything was fine in her darker hours. Her parents simply had to have noticed her struggles and should’ve acted upon them. In fact, where had they been that day? They were absent from their home when Scootaloo needed them most, her spirit shattered, and confidence destroyed! Leaving only Rainbow to step in and restore the energetic and loyal filly to who she was meant to be. It was possible that they had been at work that day, though Rainbow recoiled at the thought of Scootaloo being forced to face similar instances of turmoil by herself due to her parent’s absence.
Rainbow crept around the house to where she remembered Scootaloo’s room to be. Moving quietly, as if to not wake up any of the sleeping ponies, though she really knew that doing so was pointless. She reached Scootaloo’s window, gently hovering to get a good view of the sleeping filly. She had expected to see her sleeping peacefully, snuggling into a soft pillow and far off in an amazing dream that only the mind of a filly could conjure. She was not prepared for the devastating reality. Scootaloo rigorously fidgeted across her bed, uncomfortably swaying from side to side. She showed a horrified facial expression, her face recoiling into her head and her eyebrows pushed down, putting pressure on her eyes. She noticeably flinched every few seconds, projecting painful groans from her mouth. Scootaloo was having a nightmare!
Rainbow pushed her hoofs on the glass of the window, so desperately wanting to comfort the distressed filly. To take her in her forelegs, as she had done earlier that night, to gently rock her and stroke her soft fur until she calmed down and recognised that the exaggerated illusions of her mind could hurt her no longer. Though the glass, the invisible barrier, denied either of them the release of the nightmare’s perish. Rainbow couldn’t burst into the room, like the supermares she and Scootaloo had always admired, and safe her sister from her terror. All due to the invisible barrier. Scootaloo would be forced to survive by herself all night, with nopony to comfort her or assure her that it was just a dream and make her a cup of warm milk. And Rainbow would be forced to live, knowing that she had handed over the filly she cared for more than anything to parents that would let her sink from the peaceful sleep she took in her older sister’s own forelegs, into the nightmare she was faced with now.
Rainbow knew from her own foalhood that one of the many roles a parent encompassed, in showing their love for their colt or filly, was always recognising when their foal was suffering a nightmare. They would then quickly wake their foal, showing them that the darkness they were just faced with wasn’t real, only a product off their still over active imagination, before making them a warm drink or reading them a soothing story to send them back into a, much more peaceful and happy sleep. But Scootaloo’s parents were nowhere to be seen. They were likely sound asleep themselves, ignorant to the torment their daughter was faced with, leaving her to fight for herself like no pony her age should’ve had to. This concept angered Rainbow Dash, believing their actions to be a serious neglect of their daughter’s, her Scootaloo’s, needs as a young filly. Though she really knew it wasn’t their fault for sleeping, Electric had looked exhausted and it wasn’t a hyperbolic suggestion to theorize that the father had been also.
Rainbow Dash was about to leave, knowing that there was nothing she could do for the precious foal behind the glass at that time, the restriction only leaving her more determined to help the filly and her family even more in the coming days! Though she suddenly heard Scootaloo muffler some faint words in her sleep.
“No… Don’t… I’m not… NO!”
This left Rainbow’s heart even more shattered than it had been previously, breaking it into tiny, indistinguishable pieces as despair filled her body. The nightmare had become real for her also. Something was hurting her Scootaloo, not being able to help completely broke Rainbow Dash. Anger, once again, began to consume her. She furiously begged Luna to reach Scootaloo and to stop her unjust torment, saving ponies, especially foals, from their sleeping mind’s torment was her job after all. Though Luna had all of Equestria to care for, she couldn’t always help everypony, leaving some ponies to be forced to face their struggles alone, as the princess of the night dealt with the more oppressive and terrifying dreams of other ponies.
Rainbow rested her head on the invisible barrier between her and Scootaloo once more, ashamed of herself for failing to protect the pony she loved so deeply. She then raised it to take one final glimpse of the filly, tears pouring from her eyes like parallel waterfalls.
“I’m gonna help ya Scoots. I promise! This is never gonna happen again. Ya here me. NEVER! You’re gonna be safe from now on… I guarantee it.”
Rainbow finally pushed away from the small house, knowing that she would only fall deeper into despair the more she reminded herself that she couldn’t help the orange filly. She quickly shot back to her cloud home, not wanting to make her own parents worry any longer.
…
Rainbow Dash arrived back at her cloud home, expecting to see the light that once illuminated the surrounding sky to have vanished, a similar scene to what she had seen with Scootaloo’s home. However, she still saw a single light beaming from her living room’s window. Her parents really had waited for her.
She slowly dragged herself into her home, the anger and disappointment she felt with herself for being unable to help Scootaloo out of her nightmare still overwhelming her. Her parents rushed to the door to meet their daughter, whilst they knew her to be a strong and independent mare, they couldn’t help but worry when they became aware of her being out alone at night. She was destined to always be their little Dashy. They initially met her with cheerful smiles, though they quickly adapted to show concerned frowns upon seeing the dazed and depressed state that their daughter was in.
“Dashy, what’s wrong?”
“Not now mom, go get some sleep, we can talk in the mornin’.”
Rainbow attempted to go to her room, hoping to drown her despair and disappointment in a peaceful sleep, ideally making her more fit to help Scootaloo in the morning. However, she suddenly felt her mother drag her towards her effortlessly, as if she had the strength of Big Macintosh, for an affectionate, motherly hug that she knew her daughter needed. She gave her Rainbow a concerned, parental look that Windy hadn’t shown her for almost a decade.
“Rainbow Dash! I thought you knew better than to hide your sadness from those who love you. Something clearly happened whilst you were down there, and you look just awful! Talk to me Dashy… We both love you so much. And were not going to let you just waltz of to bed feeling so glum. You expect Scootaloo to open up to you. Give her a good example to look up to.”
Rainbow sighed, knowing that she was going to have to open up to her parents about what she had seen, knowing that supressing her emotions from her parents was what caused her foalish burst of anger on them when they found out that she was a Wonderbolt.
“Uh… Fine mom, I guess it would be wrong for me to not tell ya. Just… Don’t tell anypony else this alright… It’s is kinda mushy.”
“We wouldn’t dream of it Dashy.” Bow said, entering the conversation. “Now tell us what’s on your mind.”
“Okay guys… Here it is… I was down at Scootaloo’s house, expectin’ to see her sound asleep, like she was in my forelegs earlier, it would’a been real cute and I would’a been worryin’ about nothin’. But… Instead… Instead I saw her looking so distressed, she was rollin’ around everywhere and she was making these horrible groans… She was having a nightmare. Now I know, foals get nightmares all the time, but ain’t it the parents job to wake them up and tell ‘em everythin’s all right. Her folks were sound asleep, just ignoring her! Ugh! I so badly wanted to help her, blast into her room and take her back in my forelegs, ya know… Like you used to when I got scared at night. But I couldn’t. I was so… POWERLESS! An’ now she’s gonna have to go through the whole night in that horrible dream! I just can’t forgive myself, I should ‘a been able to help her… In some way.”
Rainbow began to feel her eyes swelling with powerful tears, the thought of being unable to help somepony, especially her Scootaloo, was crippling her! Though she suddenly felt both her parents embracing her with a tight hug, similar to that which they gave when Rainbow had been through a rough day as a foal. They just couldn’t leave their little daughter so emotionally distressed.
“Oh sweetie, don’t worry yourself over this. It is terrible that Scootaloo’s having a bad night, but it’s the excellent day we gave her that she’s going to remember, not this nightmare. And we’re gonna be here for quite a little while yet, so we’re gonna be able to help her properly. So please, don’t get so upset dearie. It’s going to be alright… Mommy’s here now.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, but she’s right Dashy, daddy’s here too. Don’t think that we’re not gonna comfort you when you’re upset, just because you’re a grown mare now. It’s horrible that Scootaloo’s parents aren’t gonna comfort her, and you can bet that we’re gonna try our absolute hardest to help her in the comin’ days. But right now, we’ve got our own filly in distress.”
“Daaaad! I’m not a filly anymore!”
“Oh, but my little Dashy, you’ll always be our little filly.”
The two loving parents brought in their daughter closer to them, practically lifting her of the ground in their show of the love and affection they had for their Rainbow. Whilst initially hesitant, Rainbow finally let go of her confident façade and gave in to the embrace.
Rainbow accepted that seeing Scootaloo, the one filly she was determined to keep safe at all costs, afraid and alone with nopony to comfort her had deeply upset her. She hated being so powerless to help somepony so small. Thus, her parents showing her the love that Scootaloo deserved came as a comfort to her, it reminded her that she wasn’t alone in her quest and that Scootaloo wouldn’t be forced to suffer through such horrible isolation for much longer. It also reminded her of the many nights from her own foalhood where her parents would take a break from their constant support and would instead hold her close to them, reassuring her that whatever troubles she was faced with were insignificant compared to the love they had for her.
Rainbow remained peacefully in her parent’s comforting grasp, letting her previous despair and worry wither away as a pleasant warmth filled her, making her feel like a filly in a perfect state of bliss, and showing her that they were going to help Scootaloo. No matter the obstacles they would inevitably face.
“Ha, alright my little pony, its time for somepony to be getting to bed.”
“But mooooom.” Rainbow said jokingly.
“Ha, no buts little filly, it’s very late and you look so exhausted. So, listen to your mother Dashy.”
“Okay then, it is pretty late. I’ll see ya in the…”
Before Rainbow could finish her sentence, she felt her father sweeping her off her hoofs and carrying her in his forelegs.
“Um, dad… What’re you doing?”
“Ha, you really think I’m gonna let my little foal walk to her own room?” Bow said, nuzzling his daughter.
“Okay dad, I’ll give ya this one.”
The three walked through the large home until they reached a white door with Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark painted onto it.
“I’m guessing’ this is your room Dashy.”
Rainbow gave a small nod, causing Bow to open the door and turn on the light. He revealed a relatively small room, in comparison to the size of the rest of the house at least. It had a dark blue aesthetic, with an occasional Wonderbolt poster attached to the cloud walls and a draw holding a feminine mirror, juxtaposing Rainbow’s usual coltish demeaner, off to the left. She had also recently installed an oak wood shelf to the right of the room, to hold her Wonderbolt trophies. There were currently only two of them, yet she knew that wouldn’t be true for very long. At the back of the room rested a small cloud bed, with two pillars at either side of it, one holding a lamp, the other, a picture of Rainbow and her five best friends. A rainbow banner also hung over the bed.
Bow gently tucked her daughter into the bed, lifting up the covers and carefully placing Rainbow under them, as he had done so many times all those years ago. Rainbow suddenly felt the weight of the day catch up to her, she had found it fun, yet she now felt as exhausted as she did after a rigorous Wonderbolts show. She found her mind trying to turn of and enter Luna’s realm, though she wasn’t quite finished with the day yet.
“Hey… Guys.”
“Yes?” Both her parents responded.
“Thanks for everything… I don’t know if I could do this alone… And its nice to know that there are other ponies who love Scootaloo as much as I do.”
“Oh Dashy, we’re happy to help, and I assure that we’re going to find out what Scootaloo’s going through and fix it. But you get some sleep now my darling, you can’t help her whilst you’re tired.”
“Okay mom, have a nice… sleep…”
Windy saw Rainbow’s breathing change and her eyes force themselves shut. Connoting that sleep had took her.
“Ha, she really is the world’s greatest napper, isn’t she?”
“That she is Windy. Ha, we’ve raised her good, hu.”
“I’d certainly say so, she’s loyal, determined, and the way she loves Scootaloo unconditionally is just adorable!”
“She’s grown ‘to a fine young mare… Doesn’t mean we can’t coo over her when she’s cute and asleep though.”
“Ha, no it does not Bow. I know she’s a gown pony, but I can’t help but see our little filly right there… But come on, as cute as she is, we should probably get some rest. We’ve got another foal who needs our help tomorrow, and we need our sleep for that just as much as Rainbow does.”
“I suppose you’re right Windy. I can’t wait, that little pony’s just as energetic and determined as our Dashy! I’ve really taken a liking to her… Lets hope we can help her soon… I don’t think any of us want to see her suffer any longer.”
“I can agree with you there, she deserves so much more, and we’re gonna make sure she gets it... He, but I love how concerned you are Bow. You gentle-colt you!”
“Thanks, Windy, I love you too. Now, after you my princess.”
“Ha, you old charmer.”
Bow turned of the light of Rainbow’s room and shut her door, leaving it slightly open just so they could here if their daughter fell into a nightmare. The two then quickly headed to the master bedroom of the home, which Rainbow had neglected to take herself when she moved in. They swiftly got under the covers and wished each other a good night before falling into a blissful sleep. Unaware of what was to come over the following days, but prepared to face any obstacles. To ensure that the two fillies they loved so deeply were properly cared for.