Sisterly Bonds

Part X
‘Shadows Revisited’

Written By: Secret_Shadows
Edited By: avorin
Consulting Advisor: Enlistedpony

Rainbow looked over at Scootaloo who was going through documents on the shelves.

‘How could I have missed that! The pictures, the plush, my mothers plush! her age, everything! Oh I’m so stupid!’

“Yeah Rainbow?” Scootaloo tilted her head as she approached. Something was off, and wrong, very wrong.

“Why don’t you uh.....why don’t you go play with your friends today, huh?”

“We um, yeah, we’ll continue that later....just um, go play with Applebloom or Sweetie Belle, ok?”

“Well, ok, if you want...” Scootaloo felt a bit disheartened, assuming Rainbow was displeased with her in some way, but she quickly ignored the thought thinking Rainbow had a good reason for her actions.

After a frantic gallop to Twilight’s library and several moments of waiting for all of her friends to arrive, Rainbow tried to explain the situation.

“Well, yeah Rainbow we know you adopted her as a surrogate sister-” Applejack was cut off.

“Rainbow, do you have any proof of this?” Twilight asked. She was concerned for her friend, she had been through so much in just a few days.

“You think I’m crazy don’t you, ok, well, say that to this birth certificate.” Rainbow said as she pulled the burnt piece of paper out from under her wing. She hoofed it over to Twilight.

Twilight examined the paper as she levitated it in a purple aura. She flipped it around several times, examining every square inch of it.

“This, this is real...” Twilight nearly dropped the paper from her magical grip when she said that.

“The question now dear, should you tell her.” Rarity said as she sipped a glass of tea she levitated to her mouth.

“Of course she ‘ould tell her Rarity! what kind of silly nonsense question is that?” Applejack was adamant about her opinion.

“I like silly things!” Pinkie said, almost instantly everyone in the room gave her a weird look. “What? They make me giggle.”

“When I was looking through the records....I also found this.” Rainbow pulled the second piece of paper out from under her wing. It was the paper that said Scootaloo was dead.

“Its a report of the children from the orphanage, they have to report the number of children to their parent town so they can get bits to care for the children.” Twilight said, being overly knowledgeable about the paper.

“Probably to get more bits, if the orphanage is as bad as Scootaloo said it was...unfortunately, the paper is cut, the name of the orphanage is not on here, we can’t do anything about it.”

“Twilight! You can’t be serious, She’s my sister for pony sake! and you’re telling me you can’t do anything!”

“Rainbow, calm down, I’ll take it to the princess and see if she can do anything, but for now, we don’t know who these ponies are-”

“What a help you are.” Rainbow said cutting off Twilight as she stormed out slamming the door behind her.

Rainbow started to walk around Ponyville, wondering. How would she tell Scootaloo? Better question, would she tell Scootaloo? How would Scootaloo respond if she did tell her?

Rainbow was stuck at a crossroads, she could tell Scootaloo and risk ruining her sistership, or she could keep it secret and risk Scootaloo finding out on her own and being mad at Rainbow for not telling her.

Rainbow went to her favorite place to think. A small tree in the park. There was leaves concealing a branch that was large enough to lay on. It was the perfect place to go and hide away when she was feeling blue.

“Scootaloo, I have to tell you something.” Rainbow sat down next to Scootaloo.

“Yeah Dash? What is it?”

“Well, you, you...”

“What’s the matter?”

“You’re my sister.”

“I know, you adopted me-”

“No, you’re my missing sister...”

Scootaloo’s face went from being happy to angry.

“What! You knew I was your sister and you never came to save me!” Scootaloo yelled.

“But, I didn’t-”

“I can’t believe you, You could have saved me, you never were a real sister, I hate you! Never talk to me again!” Scootaloo flew away as fast as she could crying.

Rainbow started to tear up, sitting there crying about how she had failed her sister.

Rainbow was jolted awake from her nightmare. She was crying in her sleep, no one had heard her. She wiped her tears from her face before leaving the tree and returning to Ponyville.

As she walked through town it was getting late, but there was one thing she had to do. She had promised Scootaloo she would take her to the next Wonderbolts derby that came close to town. But she had another reason for going now.

The mare behind the counter smiled and hoofed her two tickets to the Wonderbolts Derby the next day.

Rainbow started to walk away after receiving the tickets. They were special tickets, they would allow her and Scootaloo to meet Spitfire. Rainbow would tell Scootaloo it was to get a hoofagraph. But the real reason would be for Rainbow to get advice from her idol.

Eventually after a while of walking she was just below her home. She flew up and landed on her doorstep. The door was open, meaning Scootaloo had come home.

She walked into the livingroom to find Scootaloo trying to build that puzzle, again.

“Nothing, hay, I have a surprise for you.” Rainbow pulled the tickets out from under her wing.

“And it gets better, these are meet and greet tickets, so we get to meet Spitfire while we are there, you could get a hoofagraph!”

“Wow Rainbow! This is so awesome!” Scootaloo jumped onto Rainbow and gave her a big hug.

“You should probably take a bath and brush your teeth first, you want to look presentable don’t you?”

“Yes, come on, I’ll run you a bath.” Rainbow said as she walked into the bathroom. Scootaloo followed. Rainbow pulled a fluffy orange towel out of the closet and set it on the counter for the sink. Rainbow turned the knobs on the bathtub causing water to spill in. It was warm water giving off steam.

“Uh, sure? I guess....Do, do they hurt?” Scootaloo hadn’t ever had a bubble bath.

“You’ve never had a bubble bath before? You know you put the special soap in and it makes bubbles? Its suppose to be fun for fillies and colts your age.”

“Uh, no, I, I have never had a bubble bath...” She held her head down thinking she had done something wrong.

“Aw, now don’t get all sad on me, hold on for a second..” Rainbow pulled a small bottle of purple soapy liquid out of a cabinet and poured it into the tub. Bubbles started to form instantly.

Rainbow splashed he hoof in the water and pulled some bubbles out and put them on her face.

“See, bubble beard, fun!” Rainbow was trying to be fun, but to Scootaloo she just looked weird.

Scootaloo giggled a bit at her weirdness. “Ok, if you say so.” She dipped a hoof in the water and pulled it out instantly.

“Now, don’t go splashing this, its soap, so it’ll sting if it gets in your eyes.”

“Ok, well, what am I suppose to do with the bubbles then?” Scootaloo pushed some of the bubbles around with her hoof as she asked.

“I don’t know, have fun, the, uh, just...” Rainbow put her hoof to her face as she thought of what to say.

Rainbow then picked up a big pile of bubbles and started to bury Scootaloo in them. “See, its like, sand...” She trailed off.....

Scootaloo was cleaning off her left forehoof, she looked up at Rainbow and smiled. “Of course!”

“Good, good.” Rainbow continued to wash Scootaloo’s wings for her as they talked.

“Rainbow, is everything alright?” Scootaloo looked concerned. Rainbow was not the type to hold it in if she thought something was wrong. Maybe her own feelings, but not her opinions.

“I’m fine, why would you think otherwise?” Rainbow was still cleaning Scootaloo’s wing.

“Because you’ve been cleaning my wing for the past five minutes without any connection to what you’re actually doing.”

“Um, Rainbow, you remember that funny feeling you said i’d get in my wings? I think, I think you’re causing me to have that.” Scootaloo looked a bit embarrassed and her wings started to flare a bit.

“oh, Oh.” Rainbow’s eyes suddenly went wide and she jerked her hooves back. “I think I’m going to let you finish your bath alone, I’ll just um, wait outside, sorry Scoots” She tripped over her hooves as she left. Mortified at what she had just inadvertently done to poor Scootaloo.

Several moments later Scootaloo emerged from the bathroom clean and presentable. With the exception of her mane being filled with soap still.

Scootaloo put her hoof up to her head and brought it back down to find soap on her hoof.

“Come on, I’ll help you.” Rainbow then led Scootaloo back into the bathroom.

A lone pegasus mare sat atop a daybed in a dark room lit by torches. She was being fed grapes by a stallion.

“Oh, are you sure you have found her this time?” Her eyebrow raised as she got up from her daybed.

She laughed. “Yes you would, its a shame really.” She walked closer to him and put her muzzle a few centimeters short of his and in a hushed voice she spoke. “You used to have such a handsome face, its a shame last time you came to me with this information, I had to put a permanent reminder not to fail me again.” She backed away. The stallion was trembling.

She moved swiftly over to her daybed and sat down on it once again popping a grape in her mouth.

He swallowed before answering. “W-well, mistress, we have found that she will be attending a Wonderbolts Derby tomorrow with her guardian, they have meet and greet passes, so, they will be alone backstage for a short period of time while the Wonderbolts are racing.”

“I see, and you think I would risk being caught by sending in my stallions to a public place to foalnap a filly, you must think I’m insane.” She glared at him, then turned to one of the stallions standing next to her daybed. “Take him away, twenty five lashes, then plan for the foalnapping. We will have to eliminate the guardian, I will personally take care of that, Dismissed.” She said as she waved a hoof dismissing the remaining guards.

“Alright Scootaloo, time for bed, we’ve cleaned your mane of soap now, so go to bed.” Rainbow nudged Scootaloo into the bedroom.

“Fine.” Scootaloo sighed. She trotted over to her bed and jumped in it pulling the covers over herself.

“Night sis!” Rainbow froze for a moment when she heard this, but continued to walk over to her bed.
Rainbow put out the candle and climbed into her bed. She pulled her covers over her and turned herself away from Scootaloo.

‘Why is this so hard?’ Rainbow thought to herself. ‘Scootaloo is my sister, it should be easier to tell her! She is already like a sister to me, why is it so hard for me to tell her she is my real sister!’ Rainbow laid in her bed staring at the wall. After a few minutes she could hear Scootaloo sleeping soundly. She rolled onto her back and looked over at Scootaloo. She looked so peaceful, Rainbow didn’t want to destroy what she now had with Scootaloo. After all, Scootaloo now had the one thing she wanted most, somepony who loved her, and Rainbow didn’t want to ruin that. Rainbow soon drifted off to sleep, in what would be a very restless night.

Scootaloo woke to find Rainbow’s bed empty. She got up and took care of her morning bedmane, then went to the kitchen to find Rainbow sitting staring out a window.

The room was lit only by the sun shining in. The table was relatively clean where a lone tea cup on a plate sat.

“Hi Scootaloo, are you excited for today?” Rainbow sipped her drink, continuing to stare out the window.

“Good, well, go get ready, we need to leave soon.” Rainbow set her drink on the table.

“Ok Rainbow!” Scootaloo scampered off into the other room to fix her mane and make herself look a bit more tamed than usual.

“Prepare yourselves, today we bring back a naughty foal who thought she could get away.” The mare said walking past a line of six stallions. They all stood as if in a military line up. “Not once has a foal managed to escape us before, and I am not about to mark this one as escaped. We are going to take out her sister, and leave no traces we were there, and if anypony messes up.” She paused standing, her face inches away from the last pony in the line. “I won’t hesitate to eliminate you.”

“Scootaloo, don’t forget to eat, I put a sandwich on the table for you.” Rainbow set the plate down on the table as she proceeded to get herself ready. She started to fix her mane. Scootaloo trotted into the kitchen and gulped her sandwich down in one bite.

“Chew, and swallow before you do anything else.” Rainbow scolded. Even she knew it was bad manners.

The mare stepped away from the line of stallions as she proceeded to her personal room. She fixed her mane. Soon she stepped out into the line of Stallions. “Ready” She said as one of the unicorns in the line powered up his horn in a red aura before they disappeared in a red flash.

“Alright Scootaloo, lets go, we’ll be late!” Rainbow shouted. Scootaloo quickly appeared behind Rainbow. Rainbow closed the door and spread her wings. “Follow me.” She said as she leapt into the air. Scootaloo following close behind.

They flew for a short time over Ponyville. Not much happened. Eventually they reached the Derby, it was just outside of Ponyville in a cliffside arena. Most of the track was made out of clouds but the stands and the majority of the other parts were carved into the side of the mountain.

Rainbow and Scootaloo landed at the gates. Rainbow presented her tickets and they were let into a the derby. Scootaloo and Rainbow were led past several area’s. The stands, the concession stands; Scootaloo was taken back by all of it, Rainbow however was used to it all. They were led to a large room under the stands. It was like a storage room with a small lounge area for the competitors in the Derby.

In the lounge Spitfire, Soarin, and several other Wonderbolts were prepping for their flights.
Spitfire saw Rainbow and Scootaloo and approached them from the lounging area.

“Well hi there, what’s your name little filly?” Spitfire smiled as she looked down at Scootaloo.

Spitfire smiled again and rustled Scootaloo’s mane. “Nice to meet you Scootaloo.” She then turned to Rainbow. “I remember you, you’re the mare who won the best young flyers competition in cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash, right?”

Rainbow was a bit taken back that Spitfire remembered her, but she eventually came to terms with the fact that her idol was standing in front of her. “Yes, that’s me.”

Scootaloo then produced a small picture of Spitfire that she had gotten at the gate when she showed the tickets.

“Would you, um, mind, um, I mean, if it’s not too much trouble.” Scootaloo held the picture out in front of her.

“You want a hoofigraph, No problem kid.” Spitfire then walked over to a small table and picked up a pen with her mouth and wrote a special message for Scootaloo. “

She hoofed the picture back to Scootaloo. Scootaloo simply smiled and stared at it.

“Well the first rounds are starting, you two can sit back here with me until the next round when I have to go out, or you can go watch.”

“Scootaloo, why don’t you go watch, come get me when the next round starts.”

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. “I can tell when somepony wants to talk about something, I get that sort of thing a lot.” Spitfire sat down on a small bench and gestured for Rainbow to sit down next to her.

“Well, I came here to ask you for your opinion on something, because you’re my id-” Rainbow stopped in the middle of that sentence.

“It’s fine, I’m your idol right? I get that a lot to.” Spitfire smiled reassuringly.

“Well, Scootaloo, the filly that was just here, is my sister, and I just found out, and she doesn’t know yet.” Rainbow held her head down low.

“I’m afraid she won’t want to be my sister, all she ever wanted was for somepony to love her as a family, and I gave that to her, but...” Rainbow trailed off.

“I’m just worried that if I tell her, she won’t want to be my sister and she’ll be mad at me for not telling her sooner.”

Spitfire sighed. “Rainbow, if you truly gave her the love and family that she wanted, it wouldn’t matter if you were sisters or not, I think you should tell her, its closure for you, and its closure for her.”

Spitfire put her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder as she got up. “I really think you should tell her.” Spitfire then walked out passing Scootaloo.

Rainbow was cut off when a stallion came up behind her and bucked her to the ground. She jumped back up after the blow and turned to see six stallions and a mare standing behind them.

“What’s-” Before Rainbow could even finished another stallion charged her pushing her to the ground. He raised his hooves and crashed them down on her side. Rainbow squealed in pain. She managed to get back up again.

“Scootaloo, Run!” She yelled as she bucked the stallion causing him to fall backwards.

*Crack* Rainbow fell to the ground as the mares rear hooves collided with Rainbow’s head leaving an audible sickening crack. She landed on the ground.

‘It’s all my fault, I should have tried harder, Scootaloo, run away! go find help.’ Rainbow was trying to speak again, but she couldn’t.

A lone tear seeped its way out of Rainbow’s eye and dripped down to the floor. The moment Scootaloo finally got over to Rainbow she stepped into a puddle, when she looked down she realised what it was.

“B-B-Blood?” Scootaloo stepped back a bit, leaving a hoof trail of blood stains. She then stepped closer to Rainbow, trying to get over her fear of blood. “Rainbow! Wake up, wake up Rainbow! Please!”

“And full circle, it was easy really.” The mare said as she stepped out of the shadow.

Scootaloo turned around to see the mare that had caused her so much dismay in the past.

“What, what are you doing here? How did you find me? Why did you hurt Rainbow!”

“Oh, you didn’t really escape us, Scootaloo, we were always coming for you.” The mare smiled in an devilish way.

“Oh, she won’t be waking up my dear.” The mare waved her hoof over to Rainbow.

Scootaloo started to back away, she went to run when a brown cloth bag was forced over her. She struggled to no avail.

“Make sure this time, I don’t want anypony realising what happened here.” The mare said as she, the bag containing Scootaloo, and a unicorn disappeared in a red flash.

“Yep, this one won’t be giving us any trouble.” The stallion said as he reared his legs up and bucked Rainbow right in the chest.

Trapped in the bag Scootaloo had no idea where she was going, how she was going to escape, if she would even live. She had stopped struggling by this point, knowing it was useless. She started to silently cry. Tears slipped down her face and dropped staining the cloth bag that was already stained from the puddle of Rainbow’s blood that Scootaloo had stepped in.

Sisterly Bonds

by Secret_Shadows

Shadows Revisited