The throng of ponies crowded around the hospital bed was impressive, considering how little space they had to all squeeze in together. Applejack lay in the bed with a look bordering on irritation, though her voice reflected just how good it felt to be surrounded by her friends and family.
"Y'all don't have to be standin' around like I'm some sorta invalid!" Applejack said with a hint of dry humor. "The Doc said there ain't nothing wrong with my leg that he could find, so I'll be up an' outta here in no time. Y'all should go on home an' I'll send word when they let me go."
"Nnope." Big Mac said, shaking his head. "Yer stayin' right here and we're stayin' with ya."
Apple Bloom reached over and gave her sister's hoof a squeeze. "There ain't no way we're gonna leave you alone, sis." she said soothingly.
"Girls, I think we should give them a moment, why don't we step outside?" Twilight said to the other ponies. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all turned to follow Twilight and join Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo outside in the waiting room, but Rainbow Dash remained steadfast.
"Rainbow?" Twilight urged gently. "Come on, Big Mac and Apple Bloom have things under control here."
"No way, I'm not leaving her." Rainbow Dash insisted. To emphasize her statement, Rainbow Dash took a seat right by the door.
Twilight shook her head and said to the others, "I'll join you all in a moment." The rest of the ponies nodded in understanding and Twilight walked back to Rainbow Dash, lowering her voice as to not disturb the three Apples.
"Rainbow Dash, I know you want to stay, but visiting hours will be over soon and as close as you two are, they will limit visitation to family only. Those are the rules."
"Buck the rules!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "You didn't see her in the field, Twi. I've never seen Applejack helpless before and I couldn't do anything for her."
"But you did, Rainbow. You went and got help, there's nopony that could have found assistance faster." Twilight tried to reason. "You've done what you can here for now."
Twilight cleared her throat a little and then said, "Also, someone needs to talk to Scootaloo about the incident at school today. It all started because she got upset when she felt you were being insulted. I promised Cheerilee that I would talk to her, but I think Scootaloo will appreciate it more coming from you."
Rainbow Dash frowned. If there was one thing that she hated more than anything, it was feeling as if her loyalties were being divided. Still, Applejack herself had said she was fine and she had her brother and sister close.
"OK, I'll talk to her, but not here. A hospital isn't the right place." Rainbow Dash acquiesced.
"Thanks, Rainbow. It will mean a lot to Scootaloo for you to talk to her about this." Twilight smiled.
The two mares made their way outside to join the rest of their friends in the waiting area.
"Ah, Scoots...let's go for a flight and talk, OK?" Rainbow Dash said, trying not to sound uneasy. Scootaloo's face brightened at once at the idea of going on a flight with her idol.
"We should take our leave as well." Rarity said. "Sweetie Belle and I need to have a conversation on what a lady does and does not do in the face of ruffians."
"It has been quite a day," Twilight said, then grimaced as her stomach growled. "Ooops...I guess I forgot to eat, eheh" she blushed.
"Let's go to Sugarcube Corner and I'll fix us up a snack!" Pinkie Pie offered.
"That sounds very nice, Pinkie." Fluttershy smiled. "I'll go."
"I'm in!" Twilight said enthusiastically. The three ponies said their goodbyes and made their way towards the exit. Rarity and Sweetie Belle followed, talking quietly among themselves.
"Guess that leaves us." Rainbow Dash said. "C'mon, Squirt. Let's go." Leading her younger charge to the door, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and soared upwards, headed back in the direction of her cloud home. Scootaloo took off right behind her.
In just a few minutes, the pair landed on top of the cloud base where Rainbow's cloud home floated lazily in the sky. "Come on inside," Rainbow Dash said, pushing the front door open. "Don't mind the mess though."
Scootaloo tried to contain her excitement since she knew she and Rainbow were supposed to "have a talk" but it was nearly impossible to rein in her zeal at being invited into Rainbow's home to hang out together. In the past, before Scootaloo could fly, Rainbow Dash had always made time to spend with her on the ground, the prospect of being able to hang out in the sky together was like a dream come true.
Rainbow Dash walked in and nodded over at the couch. "Grab a seat if you want, I'll get us something from the kitchen." Scootaloo happily plopped down on the fluffy cushion. In a couple of minutes, Rainbow Dash returned with a basket of quick-heat hay fries and a couple of glasses of apple juice. "No cider for you, Squirt." she said with a grin.
Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash ate in silence for a bit, neither having realized how hungry they were. Finally, Rainbow Dash wiped her muzzle and said, "So, I hear you got in a fight at school today. Something about somepony talking smack about me?" Rainbow looked over at Scootaloo, who had seemed to shrink a little. "Want to tell me what all that was about?"
Scootaloo gulped, trying to think what to say, then finally blurted out, "They were calling you a loser and saying we stole your cutie marks and that we hadn't earned our talents and..." Finally Scootaloo ran out of steam and fell quiet.
Rainbow Dash had to force herself not to grin. She admired the spirit of the act, but she had to reinforce the lesson.
"I totally understand wanting to stick up for your friends. Back when I was your age, I got in my fair share of scrapes defending another pony's honor. But you can't sink to the level of a bully just to get back at somepony. That's not cool at all." Softening her expression, Rainbow Dash reached over and tussled Scootaloo's mane. "Mini-tornado though? If it was for any other reason, I'd have to say that was pretty cool."
Scootaloo smiled at the off-handed praise and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but crack a little smile. "I want to see some of this fancy flying of yours. How about you show me?" Rainbow Dash asked encouragingly.
"You bet!" Scootaloo gushed and together the two pegasi trotted outside. "I'll give you a head-start, wouldn't want you lost in my dust." Rainbow Dash said jokingly. Scootaloo giggled and then zipped off of from the cloud, shooting forward like a little butterscotch streak. Rainbow Dash counted to ten, letting Scootaloo get a decent lead, then took off to chase after her.
For several minutes, the two friends played a game of chase, with Rainbow Dash hot in pursuit. Rainbow had to admit, the filly was fast...much faster than she'd expected. Perhaps she would get Twilight to do one of her wing power measurements, if Scootaloo was this far along at her age then she would be a force to be reckoned with when she reached marehood.
"Is that the best you got?!?" Rainbow called ahead playfully and Scootaloo responded, banking hard to her left and doubling back past Rainbow Dash. Rainbow hit the air brakes, barrell-rolling around to give chase. Putting forth a burst of speed, Rainbow Dash started closing the gap to her protégé. Just as she felt she was about to be able to tag Scootaloo's hind hooves, Rainbow Dash felt a sudden twinge, causing her to wince in pain.
"What the hay?" Rainbow gasped in surprise, then the sudden wave of exhaustion hit her like a brick. Rainbow Dash tried to coax forth enough control to maintain level flight, but she couldn't feel herself moving the air at all any longer. Her wings locked up and Rainbow was able to cry out "Sc...Scoots...Help!!" before she started to plummet towards the ground.
Scootaloo heard Rainbow's voice, but she was too caught up in the game to make out what Rainbow Dash said. "You'll never catch me!" she exclaimed and tried to accelerate just a little faster, daring to take a quick glance backwards. When she didn't see Rainbow Dash behind her, Scootaloo pulled up into a loop, searching the sky. As she reached the apex of her turn, she saw Rainbow's cyan form hurtling downwards, out of control.
"RAINBOW DASH!" Scootaloo cried out in alarm and without a second to waste, poured all of her speed into a dive to catch her mentor. The green patch beneath them was growing in size very, very fast and Scootaloo strained to push a little more speed from her tiny wings. "Hang on Rainbow!" she yelled, pressing her forelegs ahead of her like a diver through the air. Scootaloo didn't even feel the formation of the mach cone, so intense was her concentration on catching Rainbow Dash before she hit the ground. With the last of her strength, Scootaloo pushed as hard as she could for the last of her speed.
Suddenly, the air around Scootaloo went completely silent, she couldn't hear anything, not even the beating of her wings as she rocketed forward, faster than she had ever gone. Her mind barely registered the large prismatic flash behind her as it started to slowly flare outwards. She ignored the spectral contrail behind her as she caught up to Rainbow Dash with ease, grabbing her between her forelegs and drawing Rainbow Dash protectively against her as she leveled out the dive.
Rainbow Dash glanced up weakly, her expression one of utter shock. "Scoots...how...how did you..." Rainbow Dash managed to stutter before she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Scootaloo didn't slow down to answer, she banked around, holding Rainbow Dash tight against her as she made a beeline back towards Ponyville Hospital.
"Thanks Pinkie," Twilight said. "These cupcakes are great and really hit the spot." She finished off the last bite and sat down to watch the sun start to set.
"Oh yes, these are wonderful," Fluttershy agreed.
"Only the most super duper cupcakes for my most super duper friends!" Pinkie Pie beamed.
"So, Twilight, when do you think Applejack will be able to go home?" Fluttershy asked gently.
"It's hard to say, but thank Celestia that nothing was broken. If she's strained a muscle, they might just want to keep her overnight for observation. I suspect they will let her go as early as..."
A sudden loud blast resounded through the air, interrupting Twilight and causing everypony to stare skyward. The large, multi-hued ring from the Sonic Rainboom stood out against the early evening sky and Twilight watched the streaming rainbow speeding back towards Ponyville. It didn't take long to guess the destination.
"I knew she would be eager to check up again on Applejack, but a Rainboom? That's a bit much, even for her." Twilight said in surprise.
While everypony else gaped, Twilight's attention was drawn away by a sudden tugging on her leg. Turning to see who it was, Twilight blinked with some surprise to see Sweetie Belle beside her, a look of grave concern on her little face.
"Twilight! You've got to come help. It's Rarity!" Sweetie Belle cried.
"What's the matter?" Twilight asked with alarm. Something in the back of her mind was starting to scream trouble.
"I don't know! We both saw the Rainboom and then Rarity just collapsed! She...she doesn't sound like herself and I'm scared!" Tears were flowing freely from the little filly's eyes.
Instantly, Twilight jumped to her hooves, her leadership instincts kicking in. "Fluttershy, I need you to fly to the hospital as fast as you can, Rarity may need medical help. Pinkie Pie, look after Sweetie Belle, I'm going to go check out what's happened." Fluttershy took off at once and and Pinkie pulled Sweetie Belle behind her. Twilight galloped over to the Carousel Boutique and dashed through the door, magic flaring off her horn as she cast a light spell to help her see in the fading sunlight.
"Rarity?!? Rarity, where are you?" Twilight called out. When no reply came, Twilight ran onward into the workroom. As she crossed the threshold, she caught sight of Rarity lying on the ground. But even more surprising were the tendrils of black mist hovering over the fallen mare that seemed to hesitate at the presence of Twilight's illumination.
Without a second thought, Twilight teleported herself to stand protectively over Rarity. "Get away from her!" Twilight snarled in a tone that offered no quarter. The black mist slowly complied, pulling back from Rarity and seeping down into the floor until it was gone from sight.
"What in Celestia's name was that?" Twilight wondered aloud as she bent down to check on her friend. Her concern started to abate when she didn't detect any injury, then suddenly Twilight gasped as her gaze drifted to Rarity's flank. The alabaster coat was unmarked, the three diamonds no longer present. It was like a slate that had been wiped clean.
Apple Bloom was sitting by her sister's bed while Applejack slept quietly. The doctor had prescribed a mild sedative to help Applejack rest and she had drifted into a peaceful slumber. Big Mac had returned to the farm to let Granny Smith know what the doctor had said and to take care of the chores that couldn't wait.
Apple Bloom gazed out the window at the sunset, glad that this day was finally drawing to an end. It hadn't been at all the good day she and the other Crusaders had planned for and Apple Bloom yawned, tempted to crawl in bed next to her sister and nap with her.
Suddenly, a flash of color burst on the horizon outside the window, and Apple Bloom gasped as she saw the concentric circles of color of the Rainboom spreading outwards. She'd heard about the Sonic Rainboom, but she'd never seen it before that she could remember and the sight certainly lived up to her expectations. She watched, nearly mesmerized, as a streak of rainbow steered in a curve and headed straight towards her.
The sudden sound of thrashing snapped her out of her daze and Apple Bloom turned to see Applejack writhing under the sheet in her bed. "Sis?!? What's wrong!?" Apple Bloom exclaimed and ran over her sister, calling out her name. As a cold chill of fear gripped her, Apple Bloom started to holler for the nurse and in moments Nurse Redheart ran into the room.
"What happened?" Nurse Redheart asked Apple Bloom, cradling Applejack's head to protect it during the seizure. "DOCTOR! Room 12, stat!" She called out loudly.
Apple Bloom shrank back, terrified, and wailed "I don't know! I saw the Rainboom out the window an' then she started flailing all over! Help her, please!" Apple Bloom felt herself curling up as the fear took over, mumbling over and over "Jus' help her..." Tears streamed down her muzzle as she watched the nurse hover over her sister. "Jus' help her..."