12. How to Save a Life
Rainbow Dash struggled to put the pain out of her mind, trying to take stock of her situation. She tried to move her right wing, but stopped as she felt the branch hit bone on both sides. The pain was so intense she nearly blacked out. Struggling to mantain conciousness, she locked that wing as immobile as she could get it. She checked the rest of her limbs carefully. Left wing was completely untouched. All four legs worked just fine. Turning her head, she could see where the branch had punched completely through her body. Taking a careful breath, she found no trouble with breathing, and her heart seemed to be ebating normally...for the situation, at any rate.
Examining her situation, she knew she wouldn't be able to get down on her own. She would need help. Unfortunately, nopony knew where she was, so unless Zecora happened to stumble across her...
She heard crashing through the underbrush, and saw the movement of plants low to the ground. Knowing who was there, she quickly furled her left wing over her body, hiding the full extent of the damage from view.
"Rainbow!" Scootaloo shouted as she leapt into the clearing. "Are you alright?"
"Hey Squirt!" Rainbow said, trying to sound casual. "I'm...kinda stuck. I need you to go get some help."
Scootaloo nodded. "Zecora's hut is nearby. I can go get her, but...are you sure you'll be okay?"
Rainbow tried to smile confidently. "Sure, squirt, I'll be just..." Her voice trailed off as she heard a familiar snarl. Glancing into the trees, she froze.
Timberwolves. A full pack, at least 30 of them...closing on their location from deep in the forest...drawn by the smell of fresh blood.
"Scootaloo, forget Zecora. I need you to run as fast as you can to Ponyville and get help!"
"What?" Scootaloo asked in confusion. "But...Zecora's closer, and-"
"Scoot, there's Timberwolves! A full pack! Get out of here before they get here!"
Scootaloo stumbled backward. "But...but what about you?" She ran forward to get to Rainbow.
Rainbow winced. She was close enough. She knew what she had to do. *Scoot, forgive me...* Flaring her wing, she knocked Scoot head over tail. "Run you stupid foal! Run!"
Scootaloo stumbled backward and to her feet...and caught sight of Rainbow's injuries. "R...rainbow..."
"GO!" she snarled, moving her wings and legs rapidly, trying to keep the Timberwolves attention on her and off Scootaloo. At least she could give Scootaloo time to run. If she died saving another...so be it.
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Scootaloo stared up at Rainbow. She knew what she was doing. She was throwing herself to the wolves to give her time to get away. To live. But...what life would she have, without her big sis? She couldn't just...abandon her. Not after everything she'd done for her.
Inside her, she felt her blood begin to pump faster and faster. She didn't know what was happening, but her vision was beginning to turn red. She knew she should be afraid...but instead, a deathly calm settled over her. Turning her back to Rainbow Dash, she reared, pawing at the air with her forehooves and yelling a challenge at the Timberwolves.
Though Scootaloo didn't know it, she came from long bloodlines of racing pegasi, bred to be the fastest. What history had forgotten was that those traits had been bred for in pegasi since before Celestia's reign. However, in those days, the speed of a pegasus wasn't for winning bits or the cheers of the crowd. Speed was the quality that made a warrior. The racing bloodlines were descended from the fastest, strongest, most brutal warriors the pegasus tribe had ever produced...and that blood roared in Scootaloo's veins, drowning out Rainbow's orders to run.
To a pegasi such as Scootaloo was born from, born to be, there was only one way to run in battle. Forward.
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Rainbow stared as Scootaloo reared and yelled a second time at the Timberwolves, calling them names that Rainbow blushed to hear. She could only stare as her little sister braced herself as the timberwolves surrounded her, little wings spread full length as she pawed the dirt in eagerness for battle. As she stared, she noticed something that shocked Rainbow Dash to the core. There was light coming from Scootaloo's eyes...and her flank. Then, with the sound of a striking match, her wings erupted into full growth, large enough to carry her in flight. And then, with a warcry as old as the Hurricane, Scootaloo hurled herself at the nearest Timberwolf.
At first, Rainbow Dash couldn't bring herself to watch, sure that all she'd see would be Scootaloo getting torn apart. However, after a few moments, she realized the only sounds of pain she heard came from the timberwolves, and she dared to look.
Scootaloo spun like a whirling dervish, hooves flailing, teeth flashing, and wings whipping in frenzy. Three timberwolves had already fallen, one with its head bucked right off its body to shatter against a tree, one head crushed beneath flashing hooves, and the third snapped in half down the spine...and Scootaloo didn't look like she was slowing down at all.
Several tried to take Scootaloo at once, but she wasn't there. She had leaped into the air - not flying, just jumping - and the wolves smashed into each other. She came down on them hooves first, striking where she seemed to instinctively know they were most vulnerable, wounding all five.
One Timberwolf had tried to use the distraction to get Rainbow Dash, but the moment he got to close he found himself transfixed to a tree by the spine of another timberwolf, ripped out and thrown like a javelin.
As the violence continued, Rainbow could only stare in amazement. However, a stray thought crossed her mind that - in any other situation - would have likely made her laugh.
*Luna, if this is a dream, can I get some popcorn? Cause this has to be the awesomest thing I've ever seen!*
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Scootaloo was lost in a sea of red. She heard herself cry out in fury, in challenge, shouting imprecations at the timberwolves. She felt the impact of hooves, head, wings, and teeth against wood. She felt a wrench as her left wing popped out of its socket, but she ignored it. Her blood roared, and it was almost as though she could hear ancient voices speaking to her from her blood, instructing her, teaching her. But it all boiled down to one thing.
Strike.
At long last, she struggled through the sea of red until she could see...and saw that she ahd her teeth in one of the wolves tails, slamming it repeatedly against a tree until it shattered, the magic of its animus shattered through sheer brutality. The remaining members of the pack - numbering three undamaged, 5 damaged, and 6 half-wolves, took to their heels, fleeing in fear.
"COWARDS!" she heard herself shout after them as her blood continued to roar through her veins. "TODAY YOU REAP THE WHIRLWIND!" She reared on her hind legs once more as she cried her victory to the heavens, pawing at the air. As she came down, her blood began to slow, and she felt the pain of the battle.
She had strained muscles and tendons in all her limbs. Her left wing was dislocated, her right had some feathers pulled out. There were cuts and bruises across her body, as well as a bite mark on her throat where a timberwolf had gotten too close before she'd...aparrantly torn it limb from limb. She shuddered a bit. She had no idea what had come over her.
"Scoot..." she heard, the voice sounding breathless.
"Rainbow!" she shouted, spinning. "Did they get you?"
Rainbow was still stuck on the branch, having not moved the entire time. She was staring at Scootaloo in undisguised awe. "Luna's sweet flank, Scoot, that was amazing! I've never seen anything like that! Where the hay did you learn to fight like that?"
Scootaloo could only shrug, blushing slightly. "Don't know. It just kinda...happened." She walked forward. "Now let's get you down and to Zecora's. She'll fix us up."
Rainbow hesitated. "I don't know, Scoot. I don't know much medicine, but I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to pull out the stick with a puncture wound..."
"Then we'll just have to take the branch with us," Scootaloo said matter-of-factly. She rested her hooves at the base of the branch, pressing downward with all her strength.
"Take the branch?" Rainbow asked, surprised.
"Well, we certainly can't take the tree." Once Rainbow's hooves were on the ground, Scootaloo spun and struck the base of the branch with both rear hooves. It broke free of the tree. Rainbow started to stagger from its weight, but Scootaloo positioned herself under the heavy end, bracing her dislocated wing on top, holding the branch there. She then pointed them towards Zecora's and started walking.
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They walked slowly, being careful to match their strides. Rainbow could feel ehr vision blurring a bit as she began to suffer from the effects of heavy blood loss. She struggled to stay concious, to stay focused. "You...saved my life back there, Scoot," she said finally. "I owe you one."
"Actually," Scootaloo said quietly, "I still owe you three...not counting the whole Elements of Harmony stuff where you saved all of Equestria."
Rainbow managed to chuckle. "See what you mean...but I've saved you four times?"
Scootaloo nodded. "The most recent - number four - was back in that freak storm...when you lost your wings." Rainbow nodded in response. Scootaloo continued, "The third time was when you adopted me. There, you saved me by giving me a life."
Rainbow smiled. "I did a good days work adopting you, Scoots. You were worth it." As Scootaloo blushed again, Rainbow tried to focus on the conversation. "So...when was the first time, then?"
Scootaloo was quiet, obviously thinking how to phrase it. "It was about...seven years ago."
Thinking somewhat sluggishly, Rainbow realized she would have been...almost sixteen then, starting her plan to move out.
"Things had gotten...really bad at the orphanage. Candy Cane had begun to look at me in a way that...scared me. I was desperate to escape any way I could. So...I decided I would fly...or die. So...I leapt off the edge of Cloudsdale, fluttering my wings for all I was worth."
Rainbow blinked. She remembered something vaguely, now. "I remember seeing a little filly leap off the clouds, flapping for all she was worth. I dove down beside her, following her almost completely to the ground, to see if she would actually manage flight...and she never asked for help."
Scootaloo nodded. "That was me. I saw you so effortlessly struggling to keep up, and it made me try all the harder. Then, just before I would have hit the ground, you banked and caught me effortlessly, easily flying back up to Cloudsdale. ...you said I had real guts, a real fire inside. You...said I'd go far...but not to jump off the edge anymore, as you wouldn't always be there to catch me." She smiled. "It made me realise I still had something to live for. You looked just so cool, and if somepony as cool as you thought I was worthwhile, then I wasn't worthless like Candy Cane kept telling me. That's...when I started chasing after you, Rainbow."
Rainbow grinned. "Well, whaddayaknow. I geuss I'm just awesome like that, huh?"
"Always have been."
Rainbow blinked. She could see Zecora's hut in the distance, but her vision was getting blurry. "When...was the second time?" she asked, trying to keep focus, trying not to stumble.
She couldn't see Scootaloo's face clearly just now, but she could hear her voice, and locked her attention on it. "It was actually the day you gave me my first autograph."
"Really?" Rainbow thought for a time. "I...remember that day. I'd been flying over Ponyville after work, and I saw you do this crazy flip on your scooter."
Scootaloo chuckled. "Yeah. I was watching you and not where I was going, and hit a bump. I don't know which surprised me more that day: that I landed that jump without getting hurt or that you were standing next to me asking if I was okay."
Rainbow chuckled. "And then you asked me for my autograph. I...remember that day. I asked, 'Who do I make it out to, Scoot?' You were so flusterred you hesitated over your own name."
Scootaloo paused as she walked. "Not exactly, Sis. What I actually said in response was, 'Scoot...who?'"
Rainbow blinked. "Wait...what?"
"I didn't have a name before that day, Rainbow. I never got one from my folks as far as I know, and Candy Cane only called me 'idiot', 'useless', and things like that. But I still remember that first autograph: 'Scootaloo, don't ever quit. Someday you'll be - almost - as awesome as I am. --Rainbow Dash'. That day, Rainbow Dash...you named me."
Rainbow tried to blink away the tears she could feel forming. "Scoot...you never said..."
"I was just so happy that I finally had a name...that YOU had given me my name. You made me who I am, Rainbow Dash. I...owe you everything." They stopped walking. "We're here. Just hang on, sis. ZECORA! ZECORA, ARE YOU HOME?"
There was noise from within. "Such a racket would wake a rock, tell me Scootaloo, can't you kn-" Zecora froze as she saw their condition. "Inside now!" she said quickly, helping them in, not bothering to rhyme.
Rainbow was laid down on the bed. She ehard Zecora writting something, then heard what sounded like the spell Spike used to send letters. "For you Rainbow, I can do naught. Your wounds peril, much to fraught. But as for Scootaloo's licks, ball and socket is an easy fix."
Scoot grunted stoically as Zecora shoved her wing back into its socket. She then applied medicine to the worst of Scoot's wounds, having stuffed something into Rainbow's mouth that she slowly chewed. She could feel herself losing focus. She needed to ask someone...
There was a small explosive sound. "Zecora!" Twilight shouted. "I got your lett-ohsweetcelestia, RAINBOW!"
Rainbow opened her eyes. She saw Twilight standing over her, her eyes filled with worry and fear. "Twilight..." she said groggily.
"I'm here, Rainbow, hang on! I'll take us straight to the hospital!" Twilight started to gather her magic.
"Twi..." Rainbow gasped out. "Take...care of Scoots..."
She saw the shock in Twilight's eyes as her vision started to go dark, and knew she understood. As Rainbow Dash sank into darkness, the last thing she heard was Scootaloo's anguished voice.
"Rainbow! Rainbow! SIIIIISSSSSSSS!!!!!"