Episode Six: Camping Out - [Friendshipping]
“--And that's how I got my cutie mark!”
Scootaloo and her fellow Crusaders exchanged seriously questioning glances as Pinkie Pie finished her tale. Judging by the looks on the grown-ups' faces, they were just as confused, if not more.
“Wait, wait, wait,” said Rainbow Dash around the marshmallow roasting stick she held in her mouth. She laid it down on the log beside her and furrowed her brow at Pinkie. “How did you even get to Cloudsdale? And how come you didn't fall through the clouds?”
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I don't know. Unicorn magic?”
“Unicorn-- But what-- Ugh, forget it,” said Rainbow, shaking her head and grabbing her stick again. She held it over the campfire as Pinkie gave her a cheery smile.
“Well, thank you for sharing that, Pinkie,” said Twilight uncertainly. Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack offered vague nods of approval. “So, firelight storytelling – check!” Twilight magically ticked off another box on the checklist beside her. Idly wondering how much more of this she could endure, Scootaloo tried to get a look at how many items were left on the list – but it was far too dark for her to read.
“What's next, Twilight?” asked Sweetie Belle excitedly.
“Let's see here...” Twilight held the list close to her nose and lit it up with her horn. “Roasting marshmallows, storytelling... aha! Campfire songs!”
Rainbow's eyes bugged out at the same time as Scootaloo's. “Uh, y'know, Twilight – It's getting kind of late,” said Rainbow, dropping her stick again. With an obviously pretended yawn, she looked over at the Crusaders. “I bet the kids are about ready to fall asleep, right?”
“I am!” said Scootaloo loudly.
“Aw, no way!” Sweetie Belle pouted. “I wanted to hear Twilight sing!”
“Me too!” said Applebloom, frowning at Applejack in a pleading sort of way.
“You're welcome to stay up with us if you want, girls,” said Twilight with a reassuring smile. “But if you two are tired,” she added, glancing between Rainbow and Scootaloo. “Then we won't keep you up.”
“Thanks, Twilight,” said Rainbow, getting to her hooves. “You girls have fun with your singing and stuff – we're going to go hit the hay. C'mon, squirt!”
“Right! G'night Crusaders, g'night everypony!” said Scootaloo as she hurried to her own hooves to follow Rainbow away from the campfire.
“G'night, Scoots!” the Crusaders called after her, amidst similar wishes from the grown-ups. Scootaloo quickly caught up with Rainbow Dash, who was holding open the flap of one of the tents.
“Thanks,” Scootaloo whispered as she ducked inside, soon followed by Rainbow.
“Don't mention it, squirt,” said Rainbow. “I don't really feel up to singing tonight either.” Scootaloo nodded and clambered inside her sleeping bag with a smile. Rainbow settled atop her own before casting a smirk over to Scootaloo. “But hey, it was a pretty cool trip, right? Who knew plants and animals could be so awesome!”
Scootaloo turned in her sleeping bag so that the sides fell over her ears and smiled back at Rainbow. “Yeah, Whitetail Wood is awesome. Can we come here again some time?”
“Sure, I don't see why not,” said Rainbow with a shrug. “It's big enough, so I bet there's enough to see that we won't get bored.”
“Uh huh,” grunted Scootaloo. “...Hey, Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah?” said Rainbow.
“Thanks for hanging out with me today,” said Scootaloo. “This trip wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without you.”
“Aw, c'mon, squirt,” said Rainbow, scratching at the back of her head. “Don't get all sappy on me – you know I love hanging out with you.”
“Right, sorry,” said Scootaloo with a grateful smile that said she wasn't sorry in the slightest. The two of them fell into a sort of companionable silence and before long they heard the beginnings of campfire songs from outside. Scootaloo could make out Sweetie Belle's voice at the head of the chorus. As decided as Scootaloo was that she didn't want to be out there singing herself, she couldn't help but smile at the lullaby sound of her friend’s singing...
When Scootaloo next opened her eyes, she found herself in silence. Her fellow Crusaders were sleeping soundly beside her, each curled up in a sleeping bag. It was still very dark, but she could see well enough to tell that Rainbow Dash was still laid atop her own sleeping bag, staring up at the roof of the tent with her hooves behind her head. She glanced over at Scootaloo.
“Thought you were asleep,” said Rainbow quietly.
“Just resting my eyes,” said Scootaloo with a content smile as she shuffled around in her sleeping bag. Rainbow gave a quiet chuckle and went back to staring upwards. Scootaloo frowned at her thoughtfully. “Is something up, Rainbow Dash?”
“Huh? Oh, nah – it's nothin',” said Rainbow. “Just can't get comfy, I guess.”
“Oh. Okay,” grunted Scootaloo. Unable to think of any other comment, she simply shut her eyes and tried to get back to sleep.
“...D'you ever find it weird, trying to sleep on the ground?”
Scootaloo craned her eyes open at the sudden question. She wasn't even sure if it was meant for her until she met Rainbow's eyes. “Huh?” she grunted intelligently. “You mean... when we're camping out, like now?”
“Just generally,” said Rainbow. “Like, it just feels... 'weird'?”
Scootaloo furrowed her brow. “...I don't get it,” she admitted.
Rainbow rolled over to look at her properly. “I don't know, maybe it's just because I grew up in Cloudsdale,” she said. “But I just can't get comfortable when I'm not... you know, on a cloud.”
“Oh,” said Scootaloo. “Well, I grew up in Ponyville, so...”
Rainbow nodded. “So it's just natural for you?”
“So I've never slept on a cloud,” Scootaloo corrected with a frown. “I don't really know the difference.”
“Ah,” said Rainbow with another nod as she turned to look up again. A moment later, she did a double-take. “Wait, what? You've never slept on a cloud?”
Scootaloo shook her head and retreated into her sleeping bag a little. “No,” she muttered.
“Like, 'never' never?” said Rainbow, as if there was any doubt.
Scootaloo huffed and shook her head again, prompting a little laugh from Rainbow Dash. She wouldn't hold it against her though – she had to admit that it was pretty funny to be a pegasus and never have slept on a cloud... just like it was funny to be a pegasus who couldn't fly...
“Aw, man – this is going to be huge!” said Rainbow, clambering out of her sleeping bag and hurrying towards the tent flap. Scootaloo gave her a questioning look as she held it open. “C'mon, squirt! Try not to wake anyone.”
“What? Where are we going?” said Scootaloo, making to follow Rainbow.
“You'll see, just come on!” Rainbow whispered urgently. Curious, Scootaloo crept around her fellow Crusaders and stepped outside with Rainbow Dash. The fire in the middle of the camp had long since been extinguished, so the only light was that given by the crescent moon above.
Scootaloo glanced over at Rainbow Dash to find her looking up at the sky, apparently scanning it for something. “What--”
“There!” Rainbow muttered, thrusting a hoof upwards. Scootaloo followed it as closely as she could, but she couldn't make out what Rainbow was pointing at.
“What are we looking at?” asked Scootaloo, squinting to try and get a better look.
“That!” said Rainbow, pointing again. “Right there, can't you see it?”
“I don't-- You mean the cloud?” said Scootaloo doubtfully.
“That's not just any old cloud, squirt,” said Rainbow taking a few strides forward. “C'mon, let's get up there!”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to remind Rainbow that she couldn't fly, but Rainbow pre-empted her by kneeling down and cocking her head upwards. Scootaloo hesitated for a moment, then quickly trotted over and clambered up onto Rainbow's back. Wrapping her hooves tightly around Rainbow's neck, she braced herself for take off.
The blast of wind forced her ears back and her eyes closed as the two of them rocketed into the sky. Past the pounding of the wind against her, she could just about make out the rhythmic flutter of Rainbow's wing beats as they rose higher and higher. It didn't seem like that long at all before they slowed enough for Scootaloo to open her eyes and get a look at where they were.
A small cloud – about two ponies wide either way – hovered in front of them. “Perfect,” Rainbow muttered as she brought them slowly closer and alighted soundlessly on the cloud. Not daring to let go of Rainbow's neck, Scootaloo chanced a look down at the cloud. It certainly looked comfy, and it was obviously solid enough if Rainbow could stand on it, but...
“You okay, squirt?” said Rainbow, turning to look over her shoulder as best she could.
“Uh, y-yeah!” said Scootaloo, though she made no attempt to loosen her grip.
“Well, are you going to climb down or what?” Rainbow chuckled, taking a couple of steps towards the middle of the cloud.
“O-oh, right!” said Scootaloo. She began to slide over to one side, steadily lowering a hoof down to test the cloud. It felt... spongy... sort of like the marshmallows they'd cooked earlier that evening. She shifted more of her weight onto it, a little at a time, and soon she had both back hooves embedded in the fluffy cloud.
“You stuck again?” Rainbow asked jokingly. Scootaloo felt her face grow red.
“That was one time!” Scootaloo groaned. She released her grip on Rainbow's neck and brought her front hooves down so that she could support herself. Rainbow chuckled again, but Scootaloo hardly noticed – she was far too fascinated by the cloud that seemed to mold itself around her.
She poked the fluffy thing and watched it spring back into shape before her. She poked it again for good measure before stomping it harder. It was like beating her hooves against a giant pillow – except way more comfortable...
“It's cool, right?” said Rainbow with a smirk.
Scootaloo snapped away from her experiment and looked up to meet Rainbow's eyes. “Yeah!” she said excitedly.
Rainbow chuckled. “Well, that's not the half of it,” she said, slowly kneeling down in the cloud stuff. A content sigh escaped her as she laid down on her belly, after which she looked up at Scootaloo with a smile. “C'mon, try it!”
Scootaloo followed her lead and lowered herself into the cloud, letting it embrace her in a soft, warm cuddliness that could only be described as...
“Awesome!” she breathed. “Are all clouds like this?”
Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, this one's special – it's what I call a 'napping cloud' – I've got an eye for 'em,” she said proudly. “I mean, all clouds are pretty comfy, but these ones are the best for sleeping on.”
“Wow,” Scootaloo muttered, lowering her muzzle and rubbing it around in the cloud stuff. “I guess this is why you find it weird to sleep on the ground, huh?”
“...I don't know,” said Rainbow, resting her own chin on the cloud and frowning in thought. “There are some really comfy beds on the ground too – like those ones in Canterlot castle. But they all just feel weird after laying in them for a while, you know what I mean?”
Scootaloo shook her head, smiling as she felt her chin rub against the cloud. “Nuh uh,” she said dreamily. “Can you try explaining it differently?”
Rainbow gave a chuckle, though it seemed distant somehow. “That's okay, squirt – I'd probably be better off asking Fluttershy,” she said lightly. “But hey, thanks for trying.”
Scootaloo smiled wider and settled her chin into a spot beside Rainbow's foreleg. “Don't mention it,” she muttered. A gentle breeze started up – brushing through her mane and down her back – slowly and softly lulling her into sleep.
~FIN