//------------------------------// // If you weren't okay I'd understand // Story: Promises // by RaylanKrios //------------------------------// After what was clearly a trying morning for Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash figured that the filly deserved a fun day. So, true to her word, she got Cloud Kicker to cover her shift on the weather patrol, and spent the rest of the day showing Scoots around Cloudsdale. They picked up some Wonderbolts posters and other assorted items for Scootaloo’s room, Rainbow took Scootaloo to her favorite ice cream parlor and the Wonderbolts museum, and then they caught dinner and a movie. Everything seemed to be going fine; Scootaloo was definitely enjoying herself, but despite that, Rainbow couldn’t shake the idea that recent events were beginning to take their toll on her little sister. Rainbow Dash figured she’d ask Scootaloo about it when she tucked her in. For some reason, Scootaloo seemed to open up more when she was securely tucked under the covers. If Rainbow had to guess, she would have said that it was because Scootaloo was more willing to be emotionally vulnerable when she felt physically safe. Of course, Rainbow didn’t analyze things to that degree. She just knew that Scootaloo seemed to share her feelings more readily at bedtime than she did otherwise. The two pegasi flew back to the cloud house. Well, Rainbow flew; Scootaloo took her usual spot on Rainbow’s back. The two ponies hung up Scootaloo’s new posters and assorted goods, and by the time they were finished, Scootaloo’s room looked like a place that a young filly actually lived instead of a sterile hotel room. Shortly afterward, Rainbow found herself tucking Scootaloo into bed. “How are ya holding up, kiddo?” Rainbow asked with a soft tone that she hoped conveyed genuine concern. “I’m okay,” Scootaloo said quickly. “Yeah? Because if you weren’t okay, I’d understand. In fact, if you weren’t okay, and you wanted to talk to me about it, that’d be okay too. It might even make you feel better.” Scootaloo bit her lip, flattened her ears against her head and opened her mouth, only to close it without making a sound. “I’m okay,” she repeated, “but could I maybe... sleep in your room tonight?” “Sure, squirt.” Rainbow let Scootaloo climb on her back and trotted down the hall, enjoying the now familiar sensation of Scootaloo snuggled against her mane. She hopped into bed and curled herself up in a ball, leaving a Scootaloo sized hole next to her for the little filly to join her. Scootaloo happily jumped into the bed and snuggled next to Rainbow Dash in her allotted gap. Scootaloo placed both forelegs over Rainbow’s right foreleg and used the appendage as a pillow on which to rest her head. Rainbow wrapped a wing around Scootaloo; the tiny filly closed her eyes and let out a soft mew. Instead of closing her eyes and falling asleep, Rainbow just watched as Scootaloo’s back rose and fell with each deep breath, and the way her wings would randomly twitch at uneven intervals. She knew there was something weighing heavily on the young mind, and she didn’t want to allow herself to fall asleep while she had the feeling that something was lurking beneath the surface of Scootaloo’s calm façade. This feeling was why she was still awake when she heard the distinctive click of a door being opened downstairs. Rainbow Dash was an elite flyer. One of the reasons for this was that the hours she spent practicing had carefully honed her instincts. Primarily, she used her instincts to catalogue and manage the plethora of stimuli she had to process while flying at high speeds, but a side effect was that even when she wasn’t flying she relied on her intuition to guide her actions. So, while most ponies would have just dismissed the click as the wind beating against her window, or perhaps the echo of a rockslide at Ghastly Gorge, Rainbow’s instincts began screaming that something was seriously wrong. Most ponies would have dismissed that feeling as paranoia brought on by recent events, but Rainbow Dash was certainly not most ponies. She bolted out of bed, waking a startled Scootaloo. The young filly looked up with no small degree of annoyance until she saw the look of alarm on Rainbow’s face. “Go in the bathroom and lock the door. Do not come out until I come get you.” Rainbow said in a harsh whisper, meant to emphasis her concern rather than any sort of anger. Scootaloo started to protest but a glare from Rainbow told her she should do as she was bid. As Scootaloo ran into the bathroom, Rainbow slowly looked out the door. Seeing that the upstairs hallway was clear she began to slowly descend the stairs. When she got there she saw Lightning Strike standing in her living room with murderous intent glowing in his eyes. He was wearing a combat bandolier and that same necklace that she had seen him wear the first time he had been in her house: a silver wing pendant attached to a simple silver link chain. Rainbow again surmised that that necklace was the only reason Lightning Strike could stand in her house without falling through the floor. Lightning Strike saw Rainbow and sneered. “Some ponies came to visit me at work today. This FPS investigation could ruin me. I didn’t get to where I am by letting some worthless filly take away everything I’ve worked for,” the stallion’s mouth twisted into a disturbingly creepy smile, “So clearly, you have to go.” Lightning drew a sinister looking combat knife with a jagged edge from his belt. It was the kind issued to Equestrian Special Forces when they had to conduct operations in griffon or dragon territory. Its design was meant to maximize the tearing power of the blade. Soldiers were taught to inflict gaping wounds and then let their opponent bleed out when faced with an adversary who by nature had advantages in flight and strength. Lightning spun the blade around in his right hoof as though it were a toy. “By the time I’m done, both of you will be in so many pieces that it’ll look like a bloodthirsty griffon broke in. Then, I’ll take what’s left of your body and dump them in the Everfree Forest. When they find you it will look like a timberwolf attack. Of course, you could try and go get help. I’ll even let you leave. It’ll be a fun game. Do you think you can get help and fly back before I find the little filly and gut her? I’m betting on no.” Rainbow arched her back as her ears flattened against her head. Rather than respond to his taunts, she let out a low growl. She had been in a few scrapes before and once had tried to punch a dragon, so it wasn’t like she hadn’t been in a fight, but studying Lighting Strike, she got the sense that this wasn’t like any of those fights. Up until now, she had never faced a trained opponent who actively wanted her dead. Lightning moved with a relaxed confidence, his muscles tense and ready to strike with frightening precision, like a coiled snake. There was also the issue of that knife; Rainbow had always been taught that when you’re fighting something with claws, your best strategy was to get in close, control the claws and strike back with everything you have, but as she looked at the stallion in front of her, she got the sense that he was just waiting for her to get close enough to use the blade. Rainbow planted all her weight on her hind legs, and with the balance and agility of a trained athlete, she sharply pushed off of the ground, darting to Lightning’s left and hoping to bridge the distance before he could react. However, Lightning Strike saw through the amateur ruse and slashed low across her body with his blade. A long and ugly looking gash opened up that started on Rainbow’s flank and ran clear across her barrel, as she let out a howl of pain. Lightning Strike jumped back and let out a laugh that was far too controlled and full of joy for the situation. “Tell me where she’s hiding and I promise that I’ll kill you quickly.” Rainbow winced with pain as she took a defensive stance. Her side was throbbing and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow saw a small orange blur charge straight on a collision path with the large stallion. Dear Celestia, no! Unfortunately for Scootaloo, Lightning saw the orange filly coming and hit her in the face with a wicked backhoof that sent her sprawling. The little filly struggled to get up, but before she could get to her feet, Lightning hit her across the back of her head with the weighted pommel of his blade. Scootaloo let out a pained grunt and fell to the ground. As soon as Lightning turned to hit Scootaloo for the second time, Rainbow filled with rage. She charged at him, tackling him from behind and sending the knife skittering across the floor. Lightning Strike quickly recovered from the sneak attack, and twisted his hips to create some space between himself and Rainbow Dash. With a smooth motion, he bucked Rainbow off of himself, sending her flying backwards until she hit the floor, the impact causing her body to scream in pain. Her vision went black for a second, and when she looked up, Lightning Strike was standing over her with a hoof pressed against her throat. He began to slowly apply pressure, and Rainbow could feel her throat close as she gasped for air. She grabbed the black hoof cutting off her air supply, and tried to pry it off her throat, but she was too weak. She looked up and saw Lightning Strike grin with glee as his necklace sparkled. The necklace! If I can just get to that necklace. Rainbow reached for the silver wing around Lightning’s neck, and as her vision started to go black, she felt the smooth chain in her hoof. With her last remaining bit of strength she twisted the chain and pulled as hard as she could. As soon as the clasps broke, the magic that allowed Lightning to defy the laws of physics ceased to protect him. He began falling through the cloud as a panicked look ran across his face. Lightning frantically flailed his forelegs, trying in vain to grab onto something to stop his descent; but without his necklace the clouds were just vapor to his touch. He wrapped a hoof around Rainbow’s leg and looked up with desperation as he clung to the only thing preventing him from plummeting to his death. Rainbow wheezed as the air came flooding back into her lungs. She looked over at Scootaloo, and then down at the stallion hanging onto her for dear life. Any semblance of mercy Rainbow might have felt evaporated the instant she saw Scootaloo slumped on the ground; he had caused so much pain to such an innocent little filly. That was the only thought on her mind when Rainbow let out a snarl and kicked Lightning as hard as she could with her other leg. The force of the kick sent him flying away from her, continuing his frantic flailing as he plummeted toward the unforgiving ground. The cloud floor closed up behind him, but Rainbow still heard a thud, followed almost immediately by a sickening crunch. Rainbow slowly stood up and reached down to touch her side where Lightning had stabbed her, blood still oozing out of the wound, and lightheadedness overwhelming her senses. Scootaloo. That one thought pushed all others out of her mind as she frantically raced toward the filly. Rainbow stumbled through the house only to see the small orange body lying there, unmoving. “No, no, no, no, no... c’mon Scoots, get up. Get up!” She wailed, the panic in her voice growing with each passing moment. She bent her ear down and was relieved to feel a short raspy breath escaping Scootaloo’s lips. She shook her as gently as she could, but the filly’s eyes remained closed. She picked Scootaloo up as gingerly as possible and held her in her forelegs. As fast as her wings could carry her, she began to fly to Ponyville’s hospital. As soon as she left the house, Rainbow looked down and saw Lightning Strike lying on the ground; a pool of blood was forming around his head and his legs were splayed out at unnatural angles. He wasn’t moving. As she flew, she felt herself growing weaker, and her vision getting more blurry with each passing second. By the time she reached the hospital, Rainbow could barely see straight. Her breathing was ragged and Scootaloo felt like a lead weight in her arms. She kicked open the doors and promptly collapsed.