Chapter 2 - Biting off more than you can chew
“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” Applejack asked, looking down at the little filly, concern showing in her eyes.
Scootaloo jumped up and started running as fast as her small legs could carry her, tears still streaming down her face as she zigzagged through the maze of tombstones trying to get away.
“Rainbow, get her!” Applejack yelled, trying to keep pace with the fast moving filly.
“On it,” Rainbow answered with a salute, before quickly leaping into the air and unfolding her wings. She flew effortlessly after the young filly, quickly gaining on her. It was a lot easier for Rainbow Dash to keep up with her, and after a few more seconds of chasing, Dash dove downwards, tackling the young pegasus to the ground.
Scootaloo struggled, buzzing her wings to try and get away from Rainbow Dash, but Rainbow Dash just gripped the little filly in her hooves tighter. Eventually the filly gave up and laid there looking up at her idol, her ears flattened against her head and she looked down knowing that she was caught.
“Scootaloo, what is going on? Why are you running away from me and Applejack?” Rainbow asked, a mixture of concern and annoyance in her voice.
Applejack trotted up next to Rainbow and looked down at the scared filly.
“It’s okay, we’re not gonna hurt you, but you need to tell us what’s goin’ on. It’s gettin’ late... why aren’t you home with your family?” Applejack asked, sitting down next to Rainbow dash.
The words seemed to strike Scootaloo, almost like a physical blow. She glanced at Applejack, then at Dash, who let go of Scoots so that she could get up. She sat down in front of the two, not willing to make eye contact, her front hoof playing with the dirt as a nervous tension fell over them. After a few more seconds, Scootaloo relented. “I…I can’t go home.”
“Why not, is something wrong? Do I have to go have a talk with your parents?” Rainbow asked, unfolding her wings ready to snap into action.
“NO! No it’s not that…I can’t go home because…Because I don’t have one,” Scootaloo said, her head dropping, not wanting to see the look the two older mares were giving her.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other, sharing a look of surprise and confusion. “What do you mean you can’t go home, and where are your parents?” Rainbow Dash asked, before stepping closer to Scootaloo.
Scootaloo let out a sigh and started trotting back to where the two mares had found her. Rainbow Dash and Applejack gave each other a look of apprehension before trotting after her. After a few moments, the bright orange filly came to a stop and pointed with her hoof at a pair of graves.
The graves looked no different than any other, each with a cutie mark, and a few words about the deceased ponies. One had a sun peeking out of a cloud, the other a hammer and screwdriver crossed together.
Rainbow and Applejack both let out a gasp as it finally dawned on both of them. Scootaloo was an orphan. Both mares stood, their mouths agape, trying to swallow this new information that bombarded them. After a few more seconds, Rainbow Dash ran over and put her front legs around her number one fan, and held her tightly in a comforting hug.
“Oh my gosh Scoots, why didn’t you tell anypony about this?” Rainbow asked as she looked down at her number one fan, fighting back the tears that were trying to force their way out. She couldn't get sappy in front of Applejack, no matter how heart wrenching this was.
Scootaloo refused to make eye contact. She kept her eyes locked on the ground, thinking about what to say. She looked up at Rainbow Dash, and with a voice filled with sorrow replied, “Why should I? So that I can get dragged back to an orphanage far away, away from Ponyville, my friends, my school... besides, nopony would want me. I’m a pegasus that can’t fly, I don’t have a cutie mark, and I have no worthwhile talent. Why would anypony want to adopt me?”
“NO!” Rainbow exclaimed, flaring her wings for emphasis. Scootaloo jumped, looked into Rainbow’s eyes shaking. “You are not worthless, you are a very special little pony, and somepony does care about you… I do,” Rainbow said bending down and nuzzling her affectionately.
“You…you do?” Scootaloo said, her mouth dropping open in disbelief.
“That’s right, and ah do too,” Applejack said as she trotted over and nuzzled Scootaloo, giving her one of her trademark country smiles.
“You both really care about me?” Scootaloo asked in a dazed voice, looking from one to the other.
“Sure we do, not only both of us, but you also have the rest of the gang, and you have two of the coolest friends to back you up,” Rainbow said her cocky smile on her face. “But squirt, how long have you been on your own, and what happened to your parents?”
Scootaloo tensed up suddenly and looked down. Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at each other, and then back down at the purple manned filly, whose newfound delight had seemingly evaporated.
“It’s okay sugar cube, yah don’t need to feel forced to tell us if you don’t want to,” Applejack said, trying to comfort her, sensing that she had probably hit a sensitive topic.
“I guess I would have to tell somepony sooner or later,” Scootaloo said, looking up at the two older ponies. “Well... I suppose it all started when I was born. My mom’s name was Sun Ray, she was a pegasus like me. She had an orange coat and a blazing red mane.”
“Wait... Sun Ray... as in the Wonder Bolt ‘Sun Ray’...? Your mom was a Wonder Bolt?” Rainbow exclaimed, looking down at Scootaloo. The small filly nodded as Rainbow continued enthusiastically. She was clearly a big fan of this Sun Ray pony... Applejack couldn’t help but feel the teeniest, tiniest bit jealous of the rainbow manned pegasus’s infatuation.
“She was one of the greatest and most daring fliers in all of Wonder Bolt history! Like oh my gosh Applejack! She had this one move called the Blaze of Glory; it’s what I based my Buccaneer Blitz on. She was the coolest Wonder Bolt ever, until…the accident.” Rainbow trailed off as she looked down at Scootaloo, realizing what that meant to the little filly.
“So what happened in the accident?” Applejack asked. Seeing as she had zero interest in those flying showstoppers, being an earth pony and all, it wasn’t surprising to the two pegasi that she didn’t know about the horrible accident. She glanced down to look at Scootaloo, putting a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.
“Well, a few years after I was born, she was doing a show, trying out a new stunt. She was performing some high-speed loops, and the air pressure was too much. One of her wings broke, and she crash landed going at terminal velocity.” Scootaloo rushed through the description, stopping as new tears started forming at the corners of her eyes.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack both leaned down and gave Scootaloo a comforting nuzzle, giving her the strength to go on.
“After the crash, they rushed my mom to the hospital as fast as possible, but her injuries were too severe. She died only a few hours after the crash. I was at home with dad; he had a shop at home that he worked at. He was a ‘fix-it’ pony; my dad could fix or repair anything that a pony would bring to him. But when we got the news that Mommy was dead… something changed in him. Everypony was really nice at first, there were hundreds of ponies that came and gave their condolences, but after a while... nopony really cared anymore.”
“Well that’s just awful, how could they not care anymore. Shoot, yah even told us she was a Wonder Bolt. Why would them ponies stop carin’?” Applejack asked, stomping her hoof on the ground in irritation.
“It was probably the media. They’re just looking for the next big thing so that they can make the most bits,” Rainbow Dash remarked, rolling her eyes as she crossed her front legs over her chest.
“Well that still don’t make it right,” Applejack retorted with a huff. “Ah’m sorry, Scootaloo. Please, keep on goin'.”
Scootaloo nodded, and after a few moments of clearing her thoughts, she continued where she left off. “After that, Daddy just seemed to give up. I guess Mommy’s death was too hard for him to accept; he would stay out all night, and would smell really bad when he got home in the morning. Then about a year ago I got home from school, and I went inside and he was just lying there on the floor. When I saw him there I panicked, and ran outside trying to find somepony to help, but Daddy was already dead. So after the funeral they took me to an orphanage. Every day all the other ponies would make fun of me because I didn’t know how to fly. So I ran away, and I’ve been here on my own ever since. Nopony even came to look for me.”
“That’s just awful; no wonder yah went and ran off. So Scootaloo... how long has it been since y’all ran away from the orphanage?” Applejack asked, a curious and concerned look etched across her face.
Scootaloo paused and thought about it for a few minutes before answering. “.... I guess it’s been about six months now...”
“Wait, Scoots... you’ve been out on your own for six months? Where have you been living?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
“Well I’ve been living in a wooden crate between two shops downtown... But its fine I’m doing okay you both don’t have to worry about me,” Scootaloo rushed again, hurriedly waving a hoof as an attempt to brush the subject off.
Both Rainbow and Applejack’s mouths dropped open in shock. They both stood there, just staring at her. “How could such a young filly survive that long by herself...I’ve got to do something!” Rainbow Dash thought to herself.
“Scoots, you can’t keep living all alone in some crate,” Rainbow said, looking down at Scootaloo with a stern look on her face. Scootaloo looked down in pity, knowing what was coming next. Or so she thought.
“So, that’s why you’ll be staying with me,” Rainbow Dash announced in a prideful tone.
Scootaloo’s head shot up in surprise, she stared at Rainbow Dash, her delight instantly returning. “Really, you mean it?” Scootaloo asked, her wings buzzing in excitement.
“Yap, I sure do!” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash just as surprised as Scootaloo. “Uh, Rainbow, could ah speak with you for a minute?” Applejack asked, tilting her head to a random spot a few yards away.
“Sure thing,” Rainbow Dash said trotting over near to the spot Applejack had motioned to. “So what’s up, is there something wrong?” she asked, stopping in front of Applejack.
“Rainbow, are you sure about takin’ in Scootaloo?” Applejack asked, giving Rainbow a worried look.
“Of course I’m sure, why wouldn’t I be?” Rainbow Dash responded, raising an eyebrow in a question.
“Rainbow, you know that takin’ care of a filly is a lot of hard work, and it takes a whole heap of responsibility.”
“Yeah so? You think I’m not responsible enough?” Dash slit her eyes competitively at her ‘opponent,’ taking her statement as a challenge rather than heartfelt worries, for both Rainbow and Scoot.
“No, but what ah do think is that y’all are bitin’ off more than yah can chew. Y’all’ve never raised a filly before, and ah don’t think you’re prepared for it. Besides, how yah gonna support her? Y’all hardly make enough bits fer yerself as it is.”
“I’ll manage, it can’t be that bad,” Rainbow replied, coolly brushing aside Applejack’s observation.
“Maybe, but why couldn’t she come live at the farm, we’ve got plenty of room, and one more mouth to feed wouldn’t hurt Granny none.”
“You really don’t think I can handle this, do you,” Rainbow Dash retorted icily, glaring at Applejack. It hurt Dash to know that AJ couldn’t trust her, making her look bad when she was trying to be a mature adult. This was ironic considering she was arguing like a filly. “Well I’ll show you that I can do this with no problem!” Rainbow yelled, her competitive nature causing her temper to get the best of her.
Applejack took a pace back from the force of Rainbow’s reply. “Well alright, if you think you can, than ah will support you in this, but if yah need any help just let me know,” Applejack said, trying to sound as reasonable as possible, despite how the pegasus in front of her was acting.
Rainbow looked at Applejack and realized she may have been out of line. “I’m sorry AJ; I’ve just been having a lot of stress recently,” Rainbow Dash responded, her thoughts drifting back to her recent discovery of the feelings she had for the mare in front of her.
“It’s alright, is that what you wanted to talk with me about tonight?” Applejack asked, tilting her head and smiling kindly at her friend.
“Yeah, sorry. Things kind of got... interrupted,” Rainbow said, as she glanced over at Scootaloo with a grin. Who, for her part, was sitting and waiting for the two mares to finish their conversation.
“It’s alright Sugar Cube. Any time you need to talk, yah know ah’m there for yah,” Applejack said as she crossed her front hoofs.
“Yeah, and that’s one of the many things I love about you Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling at the small filly that waved at her.
Applejack’s eyes shot open in surprise. “Uh, Rainbow, what did you just say?” Applejack asked, tilting her head.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes rivaled Applejack’s in size, as she realized that she had just said what she was thinking out loud. “Uh…nothing, well I better get going it’s getting late and uh I’ve got to get Scoots settled in umm bye Applejack,” Rainbow Dash hurriedly responded, almost as quickly as she flew over, and picked up Scootaloo. “You ready Scoots?” Rainbow asked, looking down at her passenger.
Scootaloo nodded and Rainbow flew off back to Ponyville. Leaving a very stunned and confused Applejack still standing where Dash had left her. “Did she say she loves me?” Applejack said to no one in particular. Her head started swimming with thoughts of Rainbow Dash, and her face became as red as the apples on her flank.
She immediately started galloping toward Ponyville. It was just after dark, so most ponies were already in their home getting ready to go to sleep. That fact did little to hinder Applejack’s pace as she thundered down the town, and right up to a carousal shaped building. She went to the front door and started hammering away with her hoof.
After a few minutes a blue light glowed around the door, opening it and revealing a disheveled white unicorn on the other side.
Rarity looked at Applejack and let out a gasp. “Applejack, darling what happened? You look simply dreadful!” Rarity said, a look of worry for her friend on her face.
“Rarity, ah… ah think ah’m in love with Rainbow.”