Scootaloo scuffed at the dirt with her back hoof anxiously as she rocked her scooter side to side. Her eyes were glued to the sky, darting back and forth. I know you're out there! she thought with a smirk as her hoof ground the grip pad around its handle. She quickly risked a glance up and down the street. Ponies were going about their business…of being obstacles in her way! Gah, there must be hundreds of them. Scootaloo went over the plan in her head again, glancing at Sugarcube Corner behind her. I'm dead center of the library and Sweetie Belle's sister’s house. If she heads to either I can catch her quick. She shivered in excitement. If she heads to Apple Bloom's farm to see Applejack, they are set to hog tie her up until I get there. Fluttershy even agreed to make her lunch in case she visits. Oooh this plan is foolproof! Her wings hummed as they flapped furiously in anticipation.
…and time passed…
Scootaloo splayed out on her scooter, which she had propped against a nice shade tree, her wings drooping over the sides as she gazed mindlessly at the sky. The sun was making its rounds, just passing its zenith to begin its slow descent into night. Ponies had retreated indoors to avoid the heat of midday. The day was clear and vibrantly blue, except for the annoying sunspots in her vision that refused to go away, otherwise, not a cloud nor a Rainbow in sight.
Scoot blinked, if nothing else but to feed her bored imagination. Her eyes closed, the rays of the sun slowly being shut off by her orange lids as it filtered lazily through the rustling branches. For a split second the top lid made contact with the bottom lid, high fiving each other in a moisturizing job well done, briefly making small talk of sun dots. Then, sick of the others company, they began their return trip. One to alight atop her cheek, and the other to take refuge just below her brow. Wow…even my imagination’s boring right now… And then there was pink… Lots of pink. Scootaloo studied the blurry pink that had flooded her vision, forcing her pupils to dilate as it blocked out the sun in all its fluffy glory. A shiver ran up her spine. A shiver of terror. Not the terror of one who fears for one’s life, but the kind of terror accompanied by a crazy mare screaming "HEY SCOOT" right in said Scoot’s face.
"Pinkie!" Scootaloo whined and glared at Pinkie indignantly. "What is wrong with you?"
"Wrong with me? Oh nothing, I am having a fantabulous day!" She hoofed her chin for a second. "But you look reaaalllyy bored."
Another shiver of terror ran up Scootaloo's spine, this one incurring an instinctive fight or flight response. For in Ponyville, children with nothing to do were often subjected to horribly sappy stories, lectures, given chores or tasks, or— no…this was Pinkie. Scootaloo's heart sped up, thumping violently against her ribs. She wants to play! "I'm busy! Really busy… I’m waiting for Rainbow Dash!" She nodded emphatically, and pointed to the sky. "Reaalllyy important! So uh...yeah, see ya!"
Scootaloo swept her scooter under her, wings humming furiously kicking up dirt as she spun and leaned forward, kicking off with a hoof. Fly! She bolted forward, shops and pedestrians streaking by as she skillfully weaved in and out of the crowds. Her trained eyes caught the blurred images of each pedestrian out of habit. One pony, two pony, pink pony, four pony, five pony, six pony, pink pony, eight pony, nine pony, pink pony, pink pony…Pinkie! Scootaloo buzzed faster, her feathers frizzing at the tips from the strain. Pink blur, pink streak, pink sign, pink water… Pinkie was everywhere! Scootaloo skidded to a halt, her tire catching on a rock, sending her into a rolling tumble to stop, flop, and stare up at a very close proximity Pinkie Pie muzzle.
"That was fun! What do you want to play next?" Pinkie grinned manically.
Scootaloo answered with a worried sob. "Celestia why?!"
"Ooohh, did you hurt yourself? No worries, I have a first aid kit!" Pinkie giggled merrily. Scootaloo turned and scrambled for her scooter but to no avail. Pinkie grabbed a hind leg and tossed her up and onto her back. She landed with an "erf" and, upon seeing the nurse outfit her captor had pulled from what can only be described as plot-space, she face-hoofed and resigned herself to her fate. This is hopeless. Nopony escapes Pinkie! And now my tummy hurts again...
Rainbow Dash reflected upon how tired she was. Every gust of wind, turbulent buck of an updraft, every mild breeze even sent her nearly careening off course. She knew the rules: "don't drink and fly," "don't fly hungry," and "don't ever fly tired." The last one was really important. If a pegasus were to fly tired, then they may fall asleep, fall, break things, and find themselves stranded out in the middle of nowhere with no food or water and no way home. However, Ponyville was right in front of her. She had made it, risky as it was to fly here from Cloudsdale in her condition, she was finally home. She looked ahead and cursed when she realized her house was still on the opposite side of Ponyville. Her aching muscles groaned at the prospect of waiting any longer before sinking into her bed and easing the pain of the last forty eight hours of sleepless Wonderbolt Academy endurance drills.
The sun was slowly dipping towards the horizon, golden rays mingled with the elongated shadows of trees and buildings below Dash. Golden rays…like honey smothered over the dark shadowy crevices of Pinkie’s cinnamon twirls. Her stomach growled, reminding her of the second rule of flying. Her wings sputtered, twitched, and refused to flap any further. "Aww, out of energy!" She looked forlornly at her cloud home looming on the other side of Ponyville. With a sigh she locked her wings and spiraled down, Sugarcube Corner fast approaching.
Scootaloo shivered under the mirthful gazes of the Cakes. Mrs. Cake handed her a consoling hot chocolate with little marshmallows twirling in a swirling of foam. Scootaloo smiled despite her misery, trying to forget the day of Pinkie induced trauma.
Mrs. Cake smiled warmly. "Is the warmth of the cocoa working sweetheart?"
"Yeah, my tummy feels a little better..." She trailed off with a heavy sigh, finishing the sentence mentally, her eyes diverted down and to the side in irritation. ...but I usually feel sick so this is nothing new.
Mrs. Cake put a hoof on her shoulder, her look of concern washing over the downcast Scootaloo like a wave of shame that turned the cocoa bitter on her tongue. "Oh, sweetie, Pumpkin didn't mean turn your tail pink. I’m sure that a quick spell in the morning can change it back. I promise, Pinkie won’t tie you to any more chairs for pirate tea parties either."
Scootaloo sat in dejected silence, pouting over her ruined tail in all of its neon pink glory, "It…glows." Her eyes turned downcast. "It looks really stupid…"
Mr. Cake stepped forward. "Well, we’re going to make up for it, Scootaloo. We’ll pay for any magic services to get it fixed."
"Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. I think Twilight will help me out though. I can run a few errands with Spike like usual to pay her back. It's just…" She trailed off, then with a huff she continued. "It's dark out, I have a glowing hot pink tail, and I don't want to go home like this. My dad is already passed out anyway, and my mom is off in Cloudsdale on duty so no one’s going to miss me. I just have to find a place in town tonight. I have to fix this before Rainbow Dash gets back!"
Before anyone could answer, the front door swung open and a wild Rainbow Dash appeared. "Evening, Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Hey, Scoot, why are you still in—" It used merciless laughter attack. "WHOA! Your tail looks ridiculous!" It's super effective!
Scootaloo died a little inside, her eyes wavering through a torrent of pent up tears that flooded through, bursting the dam of her self control. She launched off the chair, over the table, and hit the floor at full speed, her head lowered in challenge. On any other night, Dash would have caught Scootaloo, but not tonight. The enraged filly bowled over the weakened mare like an enormous china cup under a tiny angry bull, sending Dash spinning face first into a wall and leaving her to clatter to the floor as she bolted out the door. Stunned, Dash wiped the haze from her stinging head as she picked herself up.
Mrs. Cake met Dash head on, backing the surprised mare into the wall. "Rainbow Dash, shame on you! That little filly thinks the world of you. For her sake I hope you plan to go after her!"
Dash, having taken too many shocks in one moment, was caught speechless. She had never seen the benevolent Mrs. Cake even slightly mad before. She had all the calm and composure of a loving, caring, and endlessly patient… Oh, that’s where I've seen that look before… Dash thought back to her mother and all the times she had incurred this level of wrath. "I bucked up bad, didn't I?"
Mr. and Mrs. Cake nodded with a glare. Dash stood and took a deep breath. "I can't fly, I'm on empty. I need four cinnamon rolls and three cupcakes."
Mr. Cake tossed the order into a bag haphazardly and chucked it at Dash, who shoved it into a saddlebag and bolted out the door knowing they would throw the bill on her tab.
Rainbow Dash guessed at the direction Scootaloo went, her fuzzy state of mind making her fight for every organized thought. Finally, settling on the simplest logic, she figured Sweetie Belle's was closest. And since the filly usually stayed with her sister, that means Rarity's shop for tonight. She whipped out a cinnamon twist and wolfed it down while forcing her wings to flap. I'll be running on empty for a bit, but I got to catch Scoot! She leaped into the air, pumping her numb wings weakly. She struggled to level out until coming to a steady height, tossed a forlorn glance towards her comfy inviting cloudhome, and began surveying Ponyville below with loyal determination. It wasn't long before she caught the pink neon streak bolting towards Carousel Boutique. Dash flapped hard into a dive, her stomach growling in disapproval.
She caught up to Scootaloo quickly; her wings flapped down hard to control her descent but the world teetered with other plans in mind, a product of her near delirious exhaustion. Instinctively, Dash curled into a ball and folded her wings against her sides, landing into a roll and slamming into a nearby wall. Coughing up dust, her world became a bleary, double visioned mess. Scootaloo materialized into that world, at least she thought so. She was saying something, but nothing important. If it was important it would have made sense. Not the string of gibberish that filtered through Dash's muddled brain. She waved a hoof, trying to shoo away the Scootaloos buzzing around her head as she tried and failed to stand. The last of her energy ebbed out as her body relaxed from the exertion of surviving the crash. Finally, defeated, she sat trying to fight shock and the dire need for sleep that so desperately demanded her attention.
Scootaloo hummed furiously through the streets, her wings flapping madly enough to pick her up off the ground for a few leg spans. The feat would have sent her into jittered little fits of accomplished bouncing any other day, but not tonight. Stress churned and ground into the pit of her stomach. She desperately fought the tears back as the anxiety rose up her chest and wrapped its icy malign around her neck to mercilessly deny her air.
Stupid Dash! I hope you crash! She wiped a hoof through her teary eyes, clearing them just in time to see, by some avenging force, Dash smash into the ground and hit the nearby wall of a closed shop. Wow! She stopped momentarily to check her flank. Ooh I hope its an avenging hammer crossed with a lightning bolt! And…nothing, just a ridiculous glowing tail. With a disappointed deadpan gaze, she rolled over to her mentor, trying to ignore the urge to leave her where she lie.
"Rainbow Dash? You alive?" Dash mumbled something back at her about holding still. "Dash, hello? Scootaloo to Dash, come in Dash?!" Dash wavered struggling to stand as her eyes glazed over half asleep. Scootaloo sighed, took her mentor by the mane, helped her up, and coaxed her down the road. "Come on, your home isn't too far off."
"…bought food…" Dash mumbled.
Scootaloo eyed the crumpled saddlebag. "I'll look when we get you home. Come on, that a girl. Walk with me."
"…hungry…" She whined.
"Right, fine..." Scootaloo sighed in exasperation, "...hold on." She reached into the saddlebag and produced a paper bag full of…uhm…something. She could smell cinnamon and lots of sugar; it looked to be a twisted remnant of a cupcake smashed into a cinnamon roll. She shook the bag, seeing that more mangled nummies lay below. With another deep cleansing sigh, she stuck the bag on Dash's muzzle and looped the handles around her ears. "Just eat." Dash complied, munching away deliriously.
Dash stumbled more than once, having to lean on a straining Scootaloo for support. Eventually, Scootaloo left her scooter and helmet in a secluded corner out in front of a shop, securing it to a bike rack. "You know you can be real mean sometimes?"
Dash grumbled unintelligibly through the bag in response.
"You are always ignoring me. You never spend time with me unless it's some big planned out thing. You never take me anywhere with you. You don't tell me any of your plans. Then when I spend all day trying to catch up to you, you laugh at me." She looked back at her ridiculous pink tail. Its glow was slowly fading, but neon pink was still neon pink despite its glowy levels. She snorted out her irritation. "And after all that, instead of an apology, I'm the one taking care of you!"
Dash mumbled something unintelligible, bringing Scootaloo's irritation levels to a boiling point. "Dash, you're such a jerk! Maybe I actually need you! Did you ever think of..." Scootaloo caught herself, biting back her words as she glared nervously sideways at Dash. Her mentor munched away obliviously.
Scootaloo's face turned red, half with embarrassment at the slip up, and half with rage that Dash had completely ignored her. She was ready to explode. Vehement words fueled by rage and indignation, coupled with the stress that weighed down her gut like a lead ball, welled up barely held back in her throat, ready to burst forth to tear into her neglectful mentor. Yet, without warning, Dash's first coherent bag muffled words reached through her angry haze, nearly sending the unsuspecting filly to stumble face first into the walkway as the blood drained from her rage addled mind. "Thanks, sis…"
They arrived at Dash's cloud home a few minutes later. Scootaloo was gibbering unintelligibly on and on about being Dash’s sister through bouts of hysterical little giggles until it hit her that there was no way to get the debilitated pegasus up to her home. "Dash, can you fly a little?"
Dash looked up, sensing her bed close by. The cinnamon roll cupcake mash-up from earlier finally working its sugary magic into her wings. "Mmhmm…"
Dash grabbed Scoot, who squeaked in surprise, and gruffly shoved her under a foreleg eliciting an "erf" from the confused filly. Then, limbs drooping, head hanging low, and her Scootasisterluggage secured, Dash began the short ascent to the porch. Landing flufflepuffly, she kicked open the door and lurched inside, crossed the living room with a couple of trots, bounded up the stairs bouncing off the walls for support, and leaped across the room into her bed.
Dash was asleep long before she hit the pillow, completely missing the teensy filly fit happening in her forelegs as Scootaloo snuggled down for the best night ever.