//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 - A Step Behind // Story: Tale of a Lost Scoots // by RDfan27 //------------------------------//     Scootaloo awoke from the sun peeking through the curtains. She strained to open her eyes, wanting to just roll over and go back to sleep. However, as tempting as it was, she knew that she needed to get up sooner or later. She had things to do today. After she sat up, memories of last night’s dream came flooding back. Fresh tears started to form in her already bloodshot eyes. She pushed the thoughts of her mom to the side and got up. “Ugh,” Scootaloo groaned as she rolled over and fell onto the ground.     Scootaloo shakily stood up, almost too exhausted to walk. Her dream last night had left her unable and unwilling to sleep much. As she walked to the door of her room, she could smell breakfast cooking downstairs, brightening her spirits, if only a little.     She trudged her way over to the stairs and shakily began to make her way down them. “Morning Scootaloo!” Firefly chimed from downstairs.     Scootaloo looked towards the kitchen from the stairs, although she still couldn’t yet see Firefly from where she was. “Morn—” Scootaloo was cut off as she tripped over her own hooves. Her vision went spinning out of control as she tumbled down the stairs like a rag doll. She heard a sickening crack, followed by a sharp pain in her left front leg as it made contact with the edge of a step. Not a moment later, her head made contact with another step just below that, sending her mind fading into blackness as she came to rest in a limp heap at the bottom of the stairs. ***     The Mane six and two remaining Crusaders slowly opened their eyes, realizing they had reappeared in a clearing within what appeared to be a forest. Slowly standing up, they looked around, making note of their surroundings. It was a relatively large clearing, not much bigger than the one they had just come from. “What’s that sound?” Applebloom thought out loud, being the first one to notice the distant sound of waves crashing against a beach.     “What’s what?” Sweetie Belle questioned her friend.     “Quiet everypony,” Twilight ordered. “I think I hear it too.” They all remained silent, ears flicking back and forth in an effort to pinpoint the very distant and faint sound. “That way” Twilight said, pointing with a hoof towards the sound. They all turned their heads in the direction she was pointing, flicking their ears and trying to hear it too.     “Yeah,” Applejack agreed. “I reckon I hear water splashing over there.”     “Scoots might have heard that too!” Rainbow said, bouncing up and down in excitement. “Come on everypony, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she tried to take off right past the others and towards the sound.     Right as Rainbow Dash got past them though, she felt a sharp tug, as her tail was jerked backward, causing her to fall right on her flank. “Ow,” Rainbow Dash whined. “What was that for Twi?”     “Calm down, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied. She gave Rainbow a reassuring smile. “I know you want to find Scootaloo quickly, but it’s getting dark. We need a plan first. How about we go find this water, and then we can see if there’s a decent place to sleep for the night there?”     Rainbow Dash let out a defeated sigh. “Ugh, fine.”     With Rainbow’s reluctant agreement to the plan, they set out for the source of the sound. Soon, they stepped out onto the beach, now lit up brightly by the glow of the full moon. “Wow, this is a pretty big beach,” Twilight marvelled.     “Uh, Twi?” said Applebloom, trying to get the mare’s attention.     “I mean, it’s nowhere near as big as Mt. Aris, but it’s still pretty big.”     “Twi.” Applebloom said a little louder this time, still not taking her eyes off of the huge objects in front of her.     “I wonder if there’s a good place to sleep around here?” Twilight thought aloud.     “Twilight!” Applebloom shouted, causing the alicorn mare to jump in surprise, and everyone to look at her, shocked expressions adorning their faces.     “Oh, I’m sorry Applebloom,” Twilight said, turning around to face the filly. “What was it you…” Twilight stopped mid-sentence. By this point, all eight ponies had noticed the massive towers and were just staring, eyes wide in shock.     “Twilight, what are those?” Sweetie Belle asked in shock.     “I-I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”     After a long moment of simply staring in shock, Twilight cleared her throat, drawing the attention of the group away from the magnificent sight in front of them. “Well,” Twilight began, trying to focus on what needed to be done. “I think we should probably just sleep out here on the sand tonight. I don’t see any better options.”     “Alright,” Rainbow Dash said dejectedly. “If we have to.”     “Aww, Dashie,” Fluttershy cooed, draping a wing over the mare’s back and causing her to blush. “Don’t worry. We’ll find Scootaloo as soon as we can, but you know we need to be well rested to find her. Also, we probably won’t find her in the dark.”     Applejack smirked at Rainbow Dash, who shot a glare back at her, before turning back to Fluttershy and sighing. “I know Flutters, I’m just worried. With all that’s happened to her lately, I just…” Dash let out a pained sigh and dropped her head.     Fluttershy waited a moment for Dash to continue, but she didn’t. “You just what Dash?” Fluttershy asked, the concern in her voice visible to everypony in the group.     Rainbow Dash mumbled something too quiet for anypony to hear. “What was that?” Fluttershy asked.     She mumbled again, a little louder this time, but still inaudible. “We still can’t hear ya sugarcube,” Applejack said, a small amount of impatience showing in her voice. “Spit it out.”     “I’m scared!” Rainbow Dash yelled, causing everyone around her to jump. “There, I said it. Are you happy now?” Rainbow Dash said trying to sound annoyed, although there was a very obvious quiver was in her voice.     Twilight sighed, walking over to place a hoof on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. “Rainbow, it’s okay,” Twilight began with a soothing voice. “You can talk to us. We’re here for you.”     “I… I-I.” Rainbow Dash threw her legs around Twilight as she broke into sobs. She buried her muzzle in her friends shoulders as sobs wracked her body. “I… I m-miss her.”     Twilight returned the hug, pulling her friend in tight as her other friends ran over to join in on the hug. Twilight slowly stroked her mane as she tried to calm the frantic pegasus. “I know you do Rainbow. I know you do.” All six mares and the two fillies packed together in a massive group hug, trying to comfort their friend.     “I-I love h-her Twi. I d-don’t want anything to h-happen to her.” Rainbow was now holding onto Twilight like she was her only lifeline in a wild ocean. As if she would be carried away and drown if she were to let go. It was Fluttershy who spoke up next. “I bet she misses you just as much as you miss her.” Rainbow Dash didn’t respond, but after a moment, her sobs began to slow. Eventually, after a few more minutes of silence. Rainbow pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from her eyes. All of the others pulled away as well, with Fluttershy and Twilight wiping fresh tears from their own eyes.     Rainbow Dash let out a defeated sigh and looked back over at Fluttershy while still holding her head low to the ground. “I… I know she does,” Rainbow Dash said, breaking the silence. “I know she misses me too… but that’s what I’m worried about.” Rainbow Dash cast her gaze back at the ground.     Fluttershy stepped up to her friend, using a hoof to lift her head up to meet her gaze. Rainbow Dash averted her eyes as her heart sped up in her chest. She looked for anything else to focus on. Something to change the conversation, although it was to no avail, for she couldn’t find anything. “Rainbow Dash look at me,” Fluttershy said in a very uncharacteristically stern voice. Rainbow Dash snapped her eyes back to meet Fluttershy’s stern glare, the strong tone from the usually calm and serene pegasus scaring her a bit. Everyone in the group stared at Fluttershy with wide eyes. It was so unusual for their friend to act so stern and commanding. Suddenly, Fluttershy’s gaze changed from stern to caring as she reached a hoof out to pull her friend in for a hug.     Rainbow Dash blinked a few times in shock, before what was happening finally registered in her mind and she returned the hug. “We’ll find her Dashie,” Fluttershy said in a very confident, yet caring tone.     “I know we will Flutters. I know,” Dash said back, although she wasn’t sure she even believed herself. After a moment longer, they broke away from the hug, before Twilight once again took the lead.     “Alright everypony, let’s get a good night’s sleep,” Twilight said as she walked towards where the sand and the woods met and lie down on the sand. “We’re going to need it to find Scootaloo in the morning.” Everypony walked over to join Twilight, including Rainbow Dash, albeit a little bit reluctantly. They all curled up on the ground next to each other. Rainbow Dash purposefully laid right next to Fluttershy. She couldn’t place it, but something about her just made it seem like things might actually be okay. Fluttershy’s eyes were already closed, and Rainbow Dash was about to do the same when she noticed Fluttershy shivering from the cold air that was brought in with the night. She quickly took a look around to make sure that all of the others already had their eyes closed. Once she was satisfied that they wouldn’t notice, she slowly unfurled her wing, and laid it over the freezing mare’s back. Fluttershy cooed in delight and shuffled her way closer to Rainbow Dash. She helped her along with a wing, pulling her in close to her side. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes and lifted her head to look up at her best friend, a warm and loving smile on her face. Even with everything going on with Scootaloo at the moment, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but smile back at the adorable smile her friend was giving her. “Goodnight Dashie,” Fluttershy said, lowering her head onto her hooves and closing her eyes. “Goodnight Flutters,” Rainbow Dash replied, giving her a warm smile. Then, right as she was about to go to sleep, she heard Fluttershy mumble something. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and lifted her head, looking down at Fluttershy with tired eyes. She thought she could make out the remnants of a blush on her face in the moonlight. “Fluttershy,” she began in a normal talking voice this time. “Did you say something?” But, Fluttershy had already fallen asleep. Rainbow Dash smiled down at Fluttershy once more. She lightly nuzzled the top of Fluttershy’s head, being careful not to wake her up. “Sweet dreams, Flutters.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head and went to sleep. If she had continued to watch, she would have noticed Fluttershy crack a smile, and seen the light blush appear on the mare’s cheeks. As she finally let the lure of sleep take her, there was only thing on Rainbow Dash’s mind:  I wonder what Scootaloo is dreaming about right now?