//------------------------------//
// Thunderstorm 
// Story: Innocence 
// by pinkiemyster2 
//------------------------------//

Applebloom sat in her room, not wanting to be disturbed. She hardly even noticed as Applejack opened the door and peered in, "Ya'll alright?"
"Go away...," Applebloom muttered looking down at the floor.
"It's alright Applebloom, ah'm sure things'll get better," Applejack walked into the room and sat down beside her younger sister.
"No it won't, she'll just end up leavin' us, just like Dad did...,"
"Now don't ya' say somethin' like that, ah'm sure she'll come around,"
"No she won't, ah' don't wanna see her no more!"
Applejack put her hoof around her sister's shoulder, "Don't say that Applebloom, ah' know ya' want ta' forgive her,"
"No, she don't deserve it. Ah' never wanna see her again...,"
"Applebloom..."
Then there was a knock at the door. Applejack moved her hoof away and stood up, "Ah'll be back...," she left the room, leaving Applebloom alone.
-----
Scootaloo was up all night. She felt sick to her stomach about how she had made Applebloom feel. About what her father did... How she didn't want to make the same mistake that he had.
She had also been thinking about many things, how she would properly apologize to Applebloom, how just seeing her like that made Scootaloo want to cry herself... And also about what would happen if Applebloom didn't forgive her. She tried, however, to push the thought from her mind as she flew quickly towards the farm.
She soon arrived, drenched in the rain from the storm. She knew that there was a thunderstorm scheduled for that day, but she didn't care. She realized that all she cared about was finding Applebloom and fixing the rift that had been made in their friendship.
She arrived at the farmhouse. Drenched and completely out of breath, she knocked on the door. Not long afterwards, she saw it open and a slightly shocked Applejack standing on the other side of the doorway.
"What are ya' doin' out there in tha' storm Scootaloo? Get inside where it's safe and warm," She gestured for Scootaloo to enter the house, to which she followed.
"Sorry Applejack. I just really needed to talk to Applebloom,"
"Well, she ain't really in tha' mood ta' talk to nopony,"
"Please Applejack?" Scootaloo was looking at Applejack with a pair of puppy dog eyes.
Applejack sighed, "Fine, ah'll see if she'll come down here for a few minutes, but it ain't no promise alright?"
Scootaloo weakly smiled at her and helped herself to a seat on the couch as Applejack walked up the stairs towards Applebloom's room.
After a moment or two of silence, Scootaloo could hear some shouting. She couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but she had a pretty good guess of what it was about.
After a few more seconds of shouting, Applebloom walked down the stairs with her brow furrowed. Scootaloo stood up as she felt her heart skip a beat, she was truly scared that what she had planned wouldn't work.
Applejack followed after her younger sister, glaring at her as she did so. They reached the bottom of the staircase and Applebloom walked towards Scootaloo, not taking her eyes off the ground for a second. Applejack left the room saying, "Now y'all go ahead and talk it out, ah'll be in tha' kitchen if ya' need anythin',"
Scootaloo and Applebloom just sat there, each one not knowing what to say to the other. Actually, Scootaloo didn't know how to start and Applebloom had absolutely nothing to say to her.
Scootaloo tried to clear the knot that had formed in her throat, to little success, "Applebloom, I know that what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have left you like-"
"Don't even bother Scootaloo, ah don't wanna hear it,"
Scootaloo closed her mouth, but quickly began talking again, "Applebloom, I know about your father, and what he did. I also know how close you two were,"
Applebloom let her brow relax a little as she looked up towards Scootaloo, "How did ya' know that?"
Scootaloo shook her head, "It doesn't matter, what does matter is that I know how that must make you feel, how hurt you must have been when he left,"
"Ya' don't know nothin'! Ya' don't know how it feels ta' go through life without either of yer' parents! Ya' don't know how much hurts ta' lose somepony so close ta' ya'!"
Scootaloo could see the tears beginning to well up in her friend's eyes. "You're wrong Applebloom, I do know how you feel," She closed her eyes shut and squeezed then tight as she attempted to tell her the truth, "I... I'm an... orphan..."
Applebloom's face went blank, she didn't know how to react or what to say. It quickly went back to anger as she said, "That don't mean nothin'..."
Scootaloo opened her eyes in shock, she looked directly at Applebloom, who was trying to look away from Scootaloo. "Wha... How can you say that?" Her eyes now beginning to swell with tears as well. "It... doesn't matter to you? I grew up without either of my parents! I don't have any siblings and if I do, I don't know who they are or where I can find them! You had the chance to know how it is to feel the warmth and security of having a parent, I had nopony to even act like a parental figure for me!" Scootaloo was completely crying now, she didn't even bother trying to stop the tears.
"Ya' got no idea! None at all 'bout how ah felt when ah lost my dad! The crushed feeling ya' get when ya' realize that..." She began to calm a little as she was crying now, "ya' ain't gonna get him back... ever," She quickly looked back at Scootaloo, the anger again returning. "That never happened ta' ya', now did it?"
Scootaloo was now just as angry as Applebloom was, "My parents left me before I was born! You had a chance to love him before he left! I have no idea what any of that feels like!"
"Just shut up! Ah can't believe ah was ever friends with such a SELFISH PONY! JUST LEAVE!"
"No, I'm not leaving Applebloom!"
Applebloom was now furious, "JUST GET OUT! Don't ya' get it? Our friendship is OVER! Ah'm tired of dealin' with ya' Scootaloo! We ain't friends no more!"
Scootaloo was visibly hurt by her words. Applebloom just continued to stare at her former friend. After a few seconds, Scootaloo simply said, "I'm sorry," and dashed out the door and into the storm, heading anywhere away from there.
-----
Rainbow Dash soared through the storm, searching for any sign of the lost filly. "Scootaloo!" She continued to call. "Where are you?"
After a few minutes of searching, she saw Scootaloo flying aimlessly through the sky. With a grimace, Rainbow took off towards her. After reaching her, Rainbow said, "Scootaloo! What are you doing out here? It's dangerous!"
Scootaloo turned towards her, "Leave me alone...,"
Rainbow jumped a little, the filly had never even attempted to talk to her like that before. "Squirt, I know that it hurts, but right now you have to get out of this storm! It's too dangerous!"
"I said go away,"
"Not until you come down and-"
Scootaloo shoved her away. Rainbow's mouth dropped a little, something awful must've have to make the normally cheery filly shove her idol.
"Scootaloo... Listen to me,"
"No! You're just gonna tell me to apologize! Well I tried! She doesn't want to be my friend any more!" Scootaloo was now angry, Rainbow could see her crying even through the heavy rainfall.
"Look, you just need to calm down Scootaloo,"
"No! Applebloom doesn't want to be my friend! I... I just...," Scootaloo turned away. "I just want her to know I'm sorry...,"
Rainbow sighed, "Scootaloo," she flew back over to the filly. "Just come down, it's not safe to be up here. We can talk about this when we get inside,"
Scootaloo sniffled, "... I just want to be alone...,"
"I won't leave you, Scootaloo,"
"Fine...," Scootaloo turned and dashed away, flying as fast as her wings could take her. Rainbow just sighed, "Scootaloo! Come back!" She then took off after the distraught filly.
Rainbow flew right after Scootaloo, she knew it wouldn't take long to catch up with her. She was mostly worried that one of them would get hurt, she was more concerned, however, for Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo! Just stop! Come down from here!"
Without turning back, Scootaloo yelled, "No!"
Rainbow, who began to squint at the combination of rain and wind, now flew closer and closer to her. She didn't want to hurt Scootaloo, so Rainbow decided that she would just get close enough to her to grab onto one of the filly's hind legs to slow her down. 
Rainbow Dash was only a few feet away from catching Scootaloo, she reached out her leg to try to grab one of her legs. Only a few more inches when...
Crack.
"AUGH!"
Scootaloo turned and it felt like the breath was ripped from her lungs. She saw Rainbow Dash falling, not diving, but falling. She stopped dead in her tracks and flew straight towards the falling mare. "Rainbow Dash!"
She was close enough to see Rainbow's eyes open. Her face was expressionless.
Scootaloo flew as fast as her wings would carry her, she slowly and slowly grew closer to Rainbow Dash. Her wings were burning, but she paid them no mind. All she thought about was saving Rainbow. Tears were streaming from her eyes as she realized, 'This is my fault,'
Scootaloo reached out for Rainbow, she flapped her wings as hard as she could, and wrapped her hoof around that of her idol's.
She tried to pull on Rainbow's leg, attempting to slow their descent. She hardly slowed them at all. "Rainbow! I... can't carry... you!"
Rainbow Dash, her face still blank, pulled Scootaloo towards her. Scootaloo was shocked at this, especially as she felt Rainbow's legs wrap around her as she gripped the filly in a hug.
"It's ok Squirt," she pulled away from the hug and looked straight into Scootaloo's eyes. "you still caught me...,"
She pushed Scootaloo away from her as they neared the ground. Scootaloo was so shocked that she actually began to flap her wings again. "Rainbow Dash!"
She flew as fast as she could towards Rainbow, but it wasn't fast enough. She saw as Rainbow hit the ground with a thud.
Scootaloo hardly slow as she neared the ground, "RAINBOW DASH!" She slowed just enough to keep herself from getting any serious injuries as she hit the ground.
Scratched and bruised, Scootaloo slowly walked towards the cyan mare. "Rainbow?" No response. "Rainbow Dash?"
Scootaloo got over Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow, wake up! Please... Wake up...,"
Scootaloo began to cry again, this time, however, she buried her face in Rainbow's fur. "Please...,"
She continued to cry, she didn't move, she just stayed there in the middle of the storm. After a few minutes, she looked up at Rainbow Dash's face. It was... expressionless. She noticed something out of the corner of her teary eyes.
She turned her head to look at Rainbow's right wing. She saw that it was singed, then she realized that lightning had struck her.
She felt more tears well up in her eyes. Returning her gaze to Rainbow's face she said, "Th-this is... all... my f-fault...,"
She buried her face back into Rainbow's chest and wrapped her front legs around her. "I w-wasn't... fast enough... I wasn't... s-strong enough...,"
She cried for what seemed like hours. The storm raged on, soaking her in rain, but she didn't care...
-----
Days later, a funeral was held for Rainbow Dash. Everypony was there. Scootaloo recognized most of the ponies, but some of them she had never seen. She saw Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, who seemed to be the saddest one there...
She also saw Applebloom, who she hadn't seen since they got into their last argument.
After the ponies gave their goodbyes to Rainbow, Scootaloo walked slowly up to her casket and gazed at her. Her eyes immediately filled with tears as she turned and ran. She wasn't looking where she was going and ran into Applebloom.
"Oh, hi... Scootaloo...,"
"Uh, hey... Applebloom...,"
"Um, ah'm sorry Scootaloo, ah shouldn't have acted tha' way ah did," Applebloom tried to look away from Scootaloo.
"No, I'm sorry, I should've been more sensitive to how you feel,"
Applebloom barely managed a smile. Scootaloo tried to do the same. "So... friends?" Applebloom reached out her hoof.
Scootaloo sadly chuckled, "Rainbow wouldn't have had it any other way," she then reached her hoof out and bumped her friend's. Scootaloo began to tear up again as she remembered Rainbow's last words. "It's ok Squirt, you still caught me...,"