//------------------------------// // Lightning Storm // Story: Moonlight // by JasonTheHuman //------------------------------// Scootaloo was feeling out of breath as she pushed her wings harder than she ever had, struggling just to keep Gilda in her sights. She’d heard about Gilda a little bit. And she had seen her that one time when she came to Ponyville. Occasionally Rainbow Dash would mention her name when she told stories about Junior Flight Camp, but then she’d usually go quiet and not mention anymore. There must be some history there, some reason why Gilda would show up in Rainbow’s nightmares now. It was hard for Scootaloo to think of what it might be when she had to focus all her effort on keeping up. She glanced back at her wings, larger than they usually were. And the lightning bolt on her flank. So that’s what it was like to have a cutie mark... “Gilda!” she called out, trying not to let the strange sound of her own voice bother her. “Slow down, let me talk to you!” “What’s the matter? Too fast for you?” Scootaloo gritted her teeth. She could hear the mocking tone in Gilda’s voice. She couldn’t let herself sound like she was giving up. There was no reason to feel tired—she was asleep, after all. There was no time to focus on the feeling that her wings were just going to fall off her back and her chest felt tight from lack of breath. That was all in her head. The important thing was catching up to Gilda and getting some answers. “Too fast?” Scootaloo muttered, with a slight smirk. “Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?” Her wings were still sore, but she could ignore it. She was getting closer, that much she could tell. Dark clouds were starting to roll in, but Gilda didn’t take any notice as she weaved a path back and forth through them, and Scootaloo trailed after her. When you decide not to be lame anymore, give me a call. That was odd. It had been Gilda’s voice, but it sounded too close. Like she was flying right beside her. Scootaloo’s head jerked to the side, quickly checking that she wasn’t there. But she was flying alone, and she could see the tip of a brown tufted tail vanish around a storm cloud. She couldn’t let Gilda get to her. She just had to keep pushing herself… Lightning Dust likes to push herself a little harder than you do. That's why I made her lead pony. Scootaloo faltered, but kept flying. She glanced around. The skies were getting a lot darker, but she could tell there was nopony around. The voice had come out of nowhere. And who was Lightning Dust? Get kicked out of any flight schools lately, Rainbow Crash? It had been another voice, some snotty colt, but it was impossible to tell the source. It was like it was coming from inside her own head. A loud clap of thunder made her snap back to attention, just in time to see a bolt of lightning flash just in front of her. It was close enough to make her hair stand on end. We’ve tried everything. What if I never fly? That last voice had been her own. The storm clouds were closing in tighter than ever. She couldn’t see Gilda. She couldn’t see anything. There was another crash and a blinding flash of light. Scootaloo tumbled out of bed onto the floor. She blinked her eyes open in the bright morning sun. It didn’t get this bright in the mornings during winter. That was the thought going through her mind for some reason. Then she heard the Ponyville tower bell ringing out the hour. She counted the chimes out in her head as she laid on the floor, and by the tenth one her eyes snapped open. Scrambling back up onto her hooves, she raced downstairs. She was still feeling dizzy from flying in that storm, and she nearly tripped down the front steps of her house. The thunderclaps were still ringing in her ears. All she knew was that she had overslept. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she didn’t even know for how long. It couldn’t have been more than a day, right? She’d probably find out once she got to school. She sprinted through town, glancing around at everything, all the ponies she passed, every house and shop. Everything seemed to be normal. She was awake, wasn’t she? It looked like she was herself, at least. She’d never been so glad to be herself. After what had happened to Sweetie Belle, she was lucky to even be awake. The others must have vanished earlier because they woke up, but for a while, she had been trapped in Rainbow Dash’s dream. Had it been Rainbow Dash’s dream, though? All these questions were making her brain hurt. Before she kew it, the schoolhouse was already in front of her. The snow was covered in the crisscrossing hoofprints of the other foals, but the path was empty now. She made her way up to the front steps. She could hear Cheerilee giving a lesson as she cracked the door open. “And once we have carried that number over, the next step of the equation is—“ Every pair of eyes in the room was suddenly directed at the door. Scootaloo tucked her wings down at her sides, trying to avoid making eye contact with anypony. “Scootaloo?” Cheerilee said, frowning. “Class has started already. I hope you have a good explanation for why you came in so late.” Her eyes narrowed. “I… um… Never mind. It doesn’t make any sense,” Scootaloo mumbled, and staggered over to her desk. She tried to situate herself and get comfortable. Cheerilee’s stern expression hadn’t changed. “I’m going to have to ask you to stay for a few minutes after class. You know the rules about unexcused tardiness,” she said. “Now, let’s get back to the lesson.” The other foals in the class all seemed to forget about the interruption at once, and Cheerilee resumed writing on the chalkboard. It was math, from the looks of it. The symbols on the board blurred together in Scootaloo’s vision. Sweetie Belle was staring at her. She leaned in close. “You okay?” she whispered. Scootaloo wasn’t sure how to answer that, but she nodded slowly. Yeah, she was okay. Probably. She tried to keep her eyes focused on the lesson, but she couldn’t focus. “Well, what happened back there?” “I, um…” Scootaloo put a hoof to her forehead, and winced. She was getting a headache just thinking about where to start. “I’ll explain after class, alright?” Sweetie Belle silently sat back in her chair. She gave Scootaloo another quizzical look, trying to read her expression, then went back to scribbling down notes on the lesson. With a sigh, Scootaloo rested her head on her desk. She stared at her hoof. Orange. Like it always was. This was the real world. Even though she kept repeating that to herself, it didn’t seem to sink in. The schoolbell rang, and everypony jumped up out of their seats and started crowding towards the door. Scootaloo automatically followed the rest of them, drifting along with the crowd as the other foals pushed and shoved their way out into the snow. She felt a hoof tap her lightly on the shoulder. “Not so fast,” Cheerilee said. “You’re staying, remember?” Of course. Cheerilee never forgot about detentions, even if Scootaloo nearly had. Considering everything else, detention was the least of her concerns. Scootaloo trudged back across the room and sat down at her desk. She kept one eye on the clock. The second hand ticked along painfully slow. Her head hung forward, and if she wasn’t careful she was going to fall asleep at her desk. Luna only came at night, but the idea of going back to sleep still scared her. It was hard to put her hoof on the reason why. Sure, those nightmares usually scared her, but that wasn’t to say she didn’t get a kind of a thrill out of them. Besides, getting to fly was pretty fun. And she had been flying a lot last night. Faster than she had ever managed before… From her desk, she could look out the window. She had been watching the skies all throughout class, mostly because it was easier to focus on than the lesson. It was a cloudy day. Every once in a while, she’d see a pegasus from the weather team zooming around trying to clear the clouds away, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. More clouds would roll in. After what seemed like an eternity, Cheerilee trotted over and tapped on the edge of Scootaloo’s desk. “You’re free to go now, Scootaloo,” she said. “Try to wake up earlier from now on, alright?” Scootaloo nodded silently and hopped off of her chair. She made her way back to the front door and headed out. The moment she was outside, she spotted Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom waiting by the edge of the fence. They both perked up when they saw her, and hurried up to meet her. “Now are you going to tell us what happened?” Sweetie Belle said. “We were just flying around up there and then suddenly we couldn’t find you anymore. We tried flying back and looking all over. Where did you go?” “And after you didn’t show up to school in the mornin’, I just started assumin’ the worst,” Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo took a deep breath. “I… I think I was Rainbow Dash.” The others stared at her. “What do you mean, you were Rainbow Dash?” Apple Bloom said. “You mean it’s her dream this time?” “Yes. I think. Maybe,” Scootaloo said. She shook her head. “But I didn’t see her. There was this other pony, and a griffon, and I tried to chase them… They were treating me like I was her. I didn’t know who they were, though. And then I looked down and I wasn’t myself.” “You’re not making much sense,” Sweetie Belle said, frowning. “I can’t even understand what happened myself,” Scootaloo said. She looked around, staring down the street towards the town square. “Are we sure we’re actually awake now? This isn’t still part of the dream?” “Pretty sure,” Apple Bloom said. They started walking. Scootaloo led the way silently, still trying to put the pieces together. “I guess it’d be kind of weird to turn into somepony else…” Sweetie Belle said. “But I don’t get why you’re still so upset about it. You woke up and everything was fine, wasn’t it?” “I might’ve almost been trapped in there, like you,” Scootaloo said. “I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t even recognize that other pony. Rainbow’s never told me about her. And then there were these voices…” Sweetie Belle reached over and patted her on the shoulder. “Maybe we should just take it easy for a while until it’s time to go back. There’s nothing we can do for now, and you look like you could use a trip to Sugarcube Corner.” Scootaloo gave a weak smile, and nodded. She doubted it would help that much, but it didn’t sound like a bad idea. A strong wind was blowing as they made their way across town. The snow flurries began to pick up, and by the time they were to town square they had to keep their heads down to keep the snow out of their eyes. It had escalated into a full-on blizzard within a few minutes. It was unnaturally sudden. Scootaloo was reminded of the end of last night’s dream. It wasn’t a thunderstorm, but it still happened so fast. It had to be a coincidence. As they pushed through the doors of Sugarcube Corner, the wind slammed the door shut behind them with a loud slam. “This snow’s gettin’ out of control. I don’t remember the weather team sayin’ anything about a snowstorm today,” Apple Bloom said. Sweetie Belle went to the window and pressed her face up against the glass, wiping away the frost to get a better look. She let out a groan. “Haven’t we had enough snow already?” Scootaloo shrugged and started walking towards the counter, then she froze. The realization had just struck her. The reason why this storm was happening. “No way…” “What?” Sweetie Belle said, turning back towards her. “Rainbow Dash said most of the weather team was out sick. She’s had to work extra hard to cover for all of them,” Scootaloo said. “And if she’s out sick now, too…” Apple Bloom said. Scootaloo shook her head. “No wonder it’s getting so bad. This whole winter’s been worse than usual,” she said with a sigh. “We’ll help Rainbow Dash just like we’ve helped everypony else,” Sweetie Belle said. “You’ll see. We’ve got nothing to worry about.” “I hope you’re right,” Scootaloo muttered. “I don’t even know what she could even be afraid of. Rainbow Dash never gets scared. I’ve never seen her be afraid of anything...” They turned back towards the counter to order. Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder at the window again, at the blizzard raging outside. In a way, she knew it was her own fault. Darkness. Her surroundings began to take shape around her. Scootaloo realized she was falling asleep. This was a dream again. She quickly looked down at herself, making sure she was still herself. Everything seemed to be normal. “Good evening, Scootaloo. We have been waiting for you. Are you ready to depart?” Luna said. Scootaloo looked up and saw Luna standing across from her. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were already there at her side. They were in the forest glade, Luna's chosen meeting place. It was nights like this that the total calm of this place only freaked her out more. “Luna…” Scootaloo choked out. “Um, I need to tell you something. It’s about last night.” “We already told her,” Apple Bloom said. “At least, as much as we could,” Sweetie Belle added. Luna nodded and took a step forward. She placed a hoof lightly on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Nightmares are unpredictable. You will never see all they have to offer. What happened last night was but another illusion, nothing more.” “Are you sure?” Scootaloo said. “I felt different. I could tell I wasn’t myself.” “That may be so. Perhaps there was a reason you were experiencing what Rainbow Dash feels,” Luna said. “The two of you do consider your sisterly bonds to be just as true as blood relations.” Scootaloo shook her head. She stared at the ground. “I don’t think that was it.” “Rainbow Dash has her own fears, just as you or I do. You must understand them if you are to help her,” Luna said. “Consider how you were feeling last night.” Scootaloo sighed. “Confused. Totally lost. Definitely not like Rainbow Dash at all,” she muttered. “She’d never let herself get beaten in a race like that. She’s told me all about flight camp, and about the Wonderbolt Academy.” “Dreams are where our innermost thoughts are revealed. I am sure you remember what she said to you on that night not so long ago.” Images of the camping trip flashed through Scootaloo’s mind. That night Rainbow Dash had officially become her sister. “This is different, though!” she said. “Those were just campfire stories… And she said she’s not afraid of those anymore…” “But the truth remains that she is hesitant to admit her true fears. Just as you were. I know how much Rainbow Dash means to you, Scootaloo,” Luna said. “Ever since the first time I came to your dreams. But it’s your turn to help her now.” “Right…” Scootaloo nodded, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. The thought of going back to that dream made her feel a little nauseous, but Luna was right. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a silent look, and nodded. Luna bowed her head, and her horn began to glow with magic. The stillness of the forest was broken by a gradually building wind, escalating into a howling gale. It was a full-blown tempest, sending rain flying sideways. They were in the middle of a storm—literally. The black cloud they were standing on crackled with electricity. Scootaloo glanced over at her back. No cutie mark, same stubby orange wings as always—she was herself. For now, at least. Apple Bloom had to shout to be heard over the storm. “No time to lose, right? Sweetie Belle, think you could get our wings back?” Sweetie Belle had been standing there in shock. She blinked, lowered her head against the wind, and her horn flickered weakly with a pale green aura. As soon as the wings appeared on her back, they caught an updraft and she was sent spinning out of control through the air. The wind was too strong for those delicate wings to handle. Scootaloo’s wings buzzed and she shot off after her, grabbing onto Sweetie Belle’s hoof. They tumbled back down through the air. Once they hit the dark cloud below, Scootaloo could feel the static electricity making her hair stand on end. “Why’s this happening?” Sweetie Belle shouted, shielding her eyes from the rain. “The storm started last night after you guys left,” Scootaloo said. “It was like this before I woke up.” Apple Bloom fought her way through the storm, shielding her eyes from the rain as she dragged herself over to the two of them. She collapsed onto the cloud, already exhausted. Sweetie Belle had rooted herself down, keeping her wings stuck to her sides so she wouldn’t get blown away again. “We need to make it through this,” Scootaloo said. “There’s no other choice.” Apple Bloom hesitated, glancing over at Sweetie Belle. “Guess you heard her.” Sweetie Belle let out a barely audible groan, and squeezed her eyes shut as she focused her magic again. A pair of wings flickered into existence on Apple Bloom’s back, just as brittle-looking as Sweetie Belle’s own. “Count of three, then?” Apple Bloom said. She kept her new wings folded tightly at her sides. Scootaloo nodded, squinting at her through the pouring rain. “One… Two…” “Three!” Apple Bloom said, and the three of them spread out their wings at once. The wind picked them up instantly, like they weighed nothing. Scootaloo could barely see anything as it all turned into a blur of color and flashing light. Thunder rumbled all around them. “Come on!” Scootaloo yelled. “We just have to keep fighting—“ Before she could say anymore, a bolt of lightning flashed just inches ahead of her. The force sent the three of them spiraling away again, the world becoming a blur of dark shapes as they plummeted back down. Scootaloo felt herself hit something soft again. She stood up, her legs shaking. The others had crash-landed next to her. Apple Bloom pulled herself up and stared up at the sky. “There’s no way we’re gonna fly in this,” she panted. “Those magic wings just ain’t gonna get us anywhere.” “Sorry…” Sweetie Belle said, blinking. Scootaloo had to admit she was right. Rainbow Dash had always told her flying in a storm was a bad idea, unless you were a professional like her… “It’s just a dream, though. We always find a way to get through. We just need to keep telling ourselves we can make it through this. And the only way we’re going to help Rainbow Dash—“ “I’m startin’ to think Rainbow Dash doesn’t want our help,” Apple Bloom said. “She wants yours, Scootaloo.” “Huh?” “I don’t know what else we can do right now,” Apple Bloom said. “This is between you and your sister. I think you’d better go on alone.” “What? No!” Scootaloo shook her head furiously. “It’s way too dangerous at this point. We have to keep going together.” “You’re right. It is too dangerous,” Apple Bloom said. “But these wings aren’t gonna get us anywhere. They’re not strong enough to fight against that storm. If me and Sweetie Belle go in there, we’re only gonna hold you back.” “What are you saying?” “The two of us just need to force ourselves to wake up early,” Apple Bloom said. “I think there’s somethin’ Rainbow Dash needs to say to you. And only you.” Sweetie Belle looked down, avoiding Scootaloo’s eyes. “There’s not much we can do here. The two of us getting thrown around in a hurricane isn’t going to help you at all.” Scootaloo hesitated, then nodded slowly. She looked up at the swirling chaos overhead. The idea of heading out into that alone wasn’t appealing, but only a pegasus was going to get through there. “Luna did choose you for this whole dream-explorin’ thing,” Apple Bloom said. “You’ve always been the leader. You can do this.” Sweetie Belle nodded emphatically. “Yeah. What she said.” Scootaloo met Apple Bloom’s eyes for a moment, then the next thing she knew, both of them had vanished. She stood on the cloud alone, and the force of the storm only seemed to be getting stronger. She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself. There was nothing to worry about anymore. If this didn’t work, she could always wake herself up too… But it wouldn’t come to that, she told herself. Because Rainbow Dash needed her. She took off, heading directly skyward. Maybe she could get above the storm clouds, high enough to get a clear view of her surroundings. It was nearly impossible to keep a straight course. Lightning flashed all around her, blinding her. She could feel the heat from some of the bolts as they lit up the sky. Scootaloo was flying higher. As high as she could. Actually, it was hard to tell if she was actually making progress. Everything looked the same, the storm clouds never seemed to end. Spots were beginning to cloud her vision after all of the lightning flashes. Maybe there was no end to the storm. It went on forever, above and below her. There was no sky and no ground… No, that couldn’t be right. Rainbow Dash had to be in here somewhere. And, as far as she could tell, she wasn’t Rainbow Dash. Not this time, anyway. The wind buffeted her from all sides. She could barely keep her eyes open. At this point, she wouldn’t mind having a fully-grown pair of wings. She tried to tell herself to keep going, that this was just a dream, but it was no use. It didn’t even matter if she had Rainbow Dash’s wings or her own. On the inside, she’d always just be herself. Maybe Rainbow Dash would be strong enough not to give up, but she just wasn’t like that. This was too much for her to take on alone. Scootaloo closed her eyes, and let the wind throw her aside. She’d let Rainbow Dash down. She’d let Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle down. She’d let Luna down. Everything around her became pure chaos. She could no longer tell which way was up or down. It was all spinning around her, the rain pelleted her from every direction. She could feel herself get thrown into a massive thunderhead, a solid wall of condensed vapor. And, suddenly, the wind stopped. She opened her eyes, blinking the rain out of them. The thunder and rain swirled around her in a ring. But the air here was still, and she could hover in midair without any difficulty. Scootaloo could only assume it was the eye of the storm, but the really important thing is that Rainbow Dash was lying down there below her, on a single pure white cloud. Scootaloo looked around, still trying to figure out how she had gotten here. It made no sense. But that didn’t matter. She swooped down and landed a few steps away from Rainbow Dash, who didn’t seem to take any notice. Scootaloo’s hooves sunk down into the light, fluffy surface of the cloud. She looked down at herself. She was still normal. Still herself. It looked like Rainbow Dash was asleep, but her head moved slightly as Scootaloo crept closer. She blinked a few times, and lifted her head. Once her eyes met Scootaloo’s, she jumped up. “Scootaloo?” Rainbow stared at her, her eyes wide. “What’re you doing here? You should head back home.” “I, uh… I came here to find you,” Scootaloo stammered, taking a step forward. “Is… Is everything alright?” Rainbow let out a sigh, and turned away. “Look, kid… Whatever you came out here for, it can wait. For now, I just need to be left alone. To be honest, you’re the last pony I want to talk to right now… Sorry.” Scootaloo stared at her. “What... What are you saying? I was, um… I was worried. You’ve been gone for a while, you know.” “Just go on back to Ponyville, alright? I’ll catch up later.” Rainbow turned away, folding her wings at her sides. She sat back down and squeezed her eyes shut, like she was trying to get to sleep. “Rainbow…” Scootaloo choked out. She took a deep breath. “No. You don’t get it. I have to help you. This isn’t something you can get out of on your own. I can’t explain how I know that, I just do, alright?” “I’m serious, kid.” Scootaloo definitely hadn’t been expecting this. After all she’d just been through, there was no way she was going to turn back now. She trotted up to Rainbow's side, and gave her a punch on the shoulder. “Hey, we’re still sisters, right?” Scootaloo said. “We hang out all the time. We can talk about everything with each other. That’s why I always look forward to your flying lessons.” Rainbow’s eye flicked up for a moment, looking at her, then she turned away again. “We’ve been working a long time on them, and I know I’m still not very good, but I just like getting to spend time with—“ “Kid, listen to me.” “You know, we could go out and practice right now. Just come with me. I don’t even care if we don’t make any progress today, let’s just—“ Rainbow whirled around. “Scootaloo, haven’t you figured it out yet? You’re never going to fly!” They both went silent. Rainbow Dash’s breathing was heavy, and she stared down at her hooves. She turned away, and settled down on the cloud again. Scootaloo stared at her, then shook her head. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. “No, I get it now. This is just another one of my nightmares. The real Rainbow Dash wouldn’t—“ Rainbow put a hoof up to cut her off. “I know… I know how much it means to you,” Rainbow said quietly. “Believe me, I really wanted to see you do it. I felt like if I could get you up off the ground, it’d be like… I dunno, like I’d passed on my legacy to you or something.” She gave a weak laugh. “But you’re getting older. Your wings just aren’t strong enough.” “Huh?” “I didn’t want to admit it, but if you’re not flying by now, you probably never will,” Rainbow said. “I’m really sorry, kid.” Scootaloo couldn’t think of what to say. She turned away, and stared at her wings. They’d always been smaller than everypony else’s. Even her own classmates. And most of them could fly. “Some big sister I turned out to be, huh? All I did was get your hopes up for nothing.” Rainbow looked down. “I figured I better just admit it now. I messed up. Again. I always do.” A shadow came over them. Scootaloo took a step closer to Rainbow Dash. The clouds were closing in—the storm raging around them started to take the shape of walls. They were in Rainbow Dash’s house. Scootaloo had come over enough times to recognize it instantly. The living room was silent and dark. The view outside the windows was a dull grey. “I never really got how you do it,” Rainbow muttered. “You always seem so happy. Confident. Even if you can’t fly, and you don’t have a cutie mark. It’s like it doesn’t even get to you.” “You really think that?” Scootaloo said. She took a step closer. “I’m not really… I mean, I’m nothing like you.” “I’m not who you think I am,” Rainbow said. “I never wanted to let you see that. I’ve had to work my entire life just to try to be the best. It gets exhausting. And it’s still not enough.” The walls vanished. They were replaced by a wide blue vista. A rainbow arched overhead. They were in the middle of Cloudsdale, but Rainbow didn’t seem to notice any of the changes. “Ever since flight school, ponies have always been telling me I’m not good enough. Even after I got into Junior Speedsters. It just got worse. Flying’s all I’ve ever been good at, but they just told me it was never enough.” “You could ask anypony. You’re the best flier in Ponyville. Everypony in town knows that,” Scootaloo said. “Yeah. The best flier in Ponyville.” Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose. “What does that mean? There’s always somepony out there who’s better. I never told you what really happened at the Best Young Fliers Competition. Or at the Wonderbolt Academy.” The view changed again—the clouds swirled around, new landmasses rose up out of nowhere. Scootaloo could recognize the blue banners waving in the breeze—the Wonderbolts insignia. “But you got into the academy, didn’t you? You told me you were the best flier they had.” “Second best,” Rainbow muttered under her breath. “I know it shouldn’t bother me, but I couldn’t even admit to you that there was even just one pony better than me.” There was a flash of teal and gold overhead—Scootaloo looked up and saw the teal pony from the night before shoot past and start zigzagging through the sky. “Somehow I still thought I’d get there and completely blow them away, but I should’ve known it wouldn’t end up like that,” Rainbow said. “What could I ever do to impress them?” She let out a sigh. “It’s probably my own fault for wanting to join the Wonderbolts in the first place, but I knew I couldn’t be happy as long as I was just a regular old weather pony. But they only take the best.” Scootaloo stared at her. She’d never seen Rainbow Dash like this. “Why haven’t you told me any of this?” “Because you’re the only one who ever thought I really was as awesome as I say I am,” Rainbow said. “Flying’s all I’ve ever had. I’m no good at anything else.” The landscape shifted again. They were suddenly sitting in the grass next to Winsome Falls. The sunlight sparkled off the rainbow waterfalls around them. “I guess that’s why I wanted you to fly so badly. I just can’t imagine what it’s like to be stuck on the ground all the time. I figured if I could at least do that much for you, it’d be like I accomplished something.” The bright skies didn’t last long. Another shift, and they were in the middle of Ponyville. The sky was a dull grey, and a chilly wind swept through the empty street. Scootaloo glanced over and saw her own house. “You’d better just go back home,” Rainbow Dash said. “I let you down. You deserve better than me, kid.” With a flick of her tail, she turned around, and took off into the sky. Scootaloo stared up at her as she flew up higher, disappearing into the clouds. She gritted her teeth, and buzzed her wings, taking a running start to fly after her. Rainbow wasn’t putting much effort into it, but it still took a while to catch up. “You’re didn’t let me down,” Scootaloo said, trying to catch her breath. “If it weren’t for you, I would never have made it here.” Rainbow looked over, and her jaw dropped open. She couldn’t force the words out at first. “You’re… flying?” She started circling around Scootaloo, checking out her wings, getting a look from every angle. “I don’t get it. You’re a natural! How are you—“ “It’s, um…” Scootaloo sighed. “It’s not... actually real. None of this is. But that doesn’t mean it’s not important.” “What are you talking about?” Scootaloo took a deep breath before continuing. This went against everything she knew about talking to other ponies in their dreams, but she had to let it all out. “Princess Luna’s been sending me into other ponies’ nightmares. That’s what this is right now. You’re dreaming, and I came all the way out here to help you. All those times when ponies have been falling asleep and not waking up, it’s because they’re trapped in their dreams,” Scootaloo said. “And Luna chose me to help them.” She told Rainbow Dash everything. From the time she’d first gone into Sweetie Belle’s castle in the Crystal Empire, to running through Apple Bloom’s twisted version of Manehattan. And every dream since then, all the way up to leaving behind her friends in the storm just moments ago. “Back when this started, I didn’t think I could do it. I didn’t even understand why Luna would have chosen me, out of all the ponies in Equestria,” Scootaloo said. “But… I wanted to show how brave I could be. I wanted to be like you.” Rainbow Dash looked around. Ponyville was below them, but the streets were empty. The sky was unnaturally dark—no sun or moon, only bleak grey clouds. The bizarreness of their surroundings was starting to dawn on her. “So… this really is a dream right now,” she said at last. “And you really did all those things?” Scootaloo nodded. “I don’t know why… but I guess I believe you,” Rainbow said. She rolled her eyes. “Maybe it’s all just part of this crazy dream, but right now it almost makes sense.” “I never thought I’d be able to do it. When Luna first asked me to help her, I thought she was making a mistake,” Scootaloo said. “But I wanted to go on adventures like you and your friends do. I didn’t want to spend my whole life not being good for anything.” Rainbow went quiet again. “You actually helped Fluttershy fight Ahuizotl?” “Well… yeah.” “Heh.” The corners of Rainbow’s mouth twitched. She started to grin. “Wish I could’ve been there to see that. You really are pretty tough.” The clouds began to drift apart. Scootaloo felt warmth on her fur, drying out what was left of the rain from before. The sun was starting to beam down through the clouds. “So what happens now?” Rainbow said. “We wake up,” Scootaloo said. “You’ve been out at least a day.” “Whoa.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof to her forehead. “It sure doesn’t feel like I’ve been out that long. But first…” Rainbow said. “I don’t know when we’ll get another chance to fly together. I don’t think we should waste it.” “Huh?” “Let’s see just how fast you can fly. Think you can beat me in my own dream?” Rainbow gave a sly grin. “You’re on!” Rainbow shot off into the open blue sky, becoming a distant blur of color vanishing into the distance. Scootaloo’s wings started to buzz, and she raced off after her. They spent what seemed like a good few hours flying together, looping through the sky and bursting through clouds. It was a perfectly clear day. They raced each other from cloud to cloud. Usually Rainbow would win, sometimes she would let Scootaloo beat her and try to act like she had given it her all. Scootaloo didn’t really mind, though. She almost forgot it was a dream until Rainbow Dash stopped and perched on a cloud. She let out a yawn. “That was fun and all, but I should probably think about waking up. That is the whole reason Luna sent you here, isn’t it?” “Oh yeah. That’s right,” Scootaloo said. A small part of her really didn’t want to stop, though. Flying with Rainbow Dash was the best feeling in the world, whether or not she was asleep. And... it probably could never happen in the real world. “See you in the morning, then, kid,” Rainbow said. Scootaloo saw her fade out of view, and had just barely enough time to wonder if Rainbow would remember any of this before she felt herself waking up too. It was another cloudy, chilly morning as Scootaloo walked to school. The sunlight glittered off the snow where it shone through the clouds. Back to reality after all. She looked over her shoulder at her tiny wings. What happened last night had really just been a dream. She trudged through the snow alone towards the school. She would have to tell Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle what had happened. Another nightmare successfully defeated. And only a matter of time before Luna would show up with the next one. “Hey! Scootaloo!” Scootaloo picked her head up at the sound of her name, and saw Rainbow Dash diving out of the sky towards her. “Oh. Hey,” Scootaloo said, trying to act casual. She averted her eyes, trying not to stare too hard. “What’s up?” “Well, uh…” Rainbow scratched her mane. A thought ran through Scootaloo’s mind. What if she remembered? Nopony had ever remembered what happened in the dreams before, but if Rainbow remembered even a single thing about their conversation last night, or their flight… Actually, Scootaloo wasn’t sure how she would feel about that. They stood there in total silence for a few moments. “Was there, uh, something you wanted to talk to me about?” Scootaloo said. “Y’know…” Rainbow said. “I can’t actually remember.” “Really?” Rainbow gave a nervous laugh. “I’m being really weird, aren’t I? Hardly what you’d expect from a big sister.” “Nah, it’s fine. Are you feeling alright? I, uh, heard you didn’t show up for weather duty yesterday.” “Of course!” Rainbow stiffened. “I was, um, sick yesterday. I didn’t feel like I could make it to work, so I decided to stay home. Take it easy. You know how it is.” “Just like that?” Scootaloo asked, tilting her head. “You weren’t… Well, you know that thing that’s been going around. I kind of wondered if you…” Rainbow sighed. “I guess nothing gets past you, huh? Yeah, I woke up this morning, and… I must’ve come down with whatever everypony else got. I completely lost a day,” she said. “But listen, don’t tell anypony else about this, alright? If Twilight finds out what really happened, she’ll freak out, and want to ask me all kinds of questions, and—“ “You don’t remember anything…” Scootaloo whispered. “Exactly!” Rainbow said. “I feel just fine now. And I need to get back to weather duty. The team probably fell behind without me.” “Yeah. You are the best on the squad, after all. They do need you,” Scootaloo said. She frowned. “But you’re sure that’s all? You don’t remember a single thing? No, um… weird dreams? After all that time you were sleeping?” “I dunno. I guess I felt kind of funny this morning. Not bad, but… I guess I’ve just started thinking about how I’m feeling less like your big sister every day,” Rainbow said. Scootaloo paused. “What do you mean?” “It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you or anything, don’t worry about that! It’s just that you’ve really changed over the past year. Like you’re growing up or something.” “Oh,” Scootaloo said. Rainbow groaned. “I’m still no good about this whole ‘talking about our feelings’ thing. Applejack was right. Just forget I said anything.” “No, it’s fine,” Scootaloo said. “Really.” Rainbow paused again. “Well, I guess that was all I really wanted to say. Sorry if I was being weird. I’d better report in for weather duty.” She turned around and crouched down, ready to take off. “Wait!” Scootaloo said. Rainbow Dash turned around. “Huh?” “Hey, Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo’s voice was quiet. “I need you to be honest, alright? Do you… think I’ll ever learn to fly?” Rainbow looked down. “Uh… honestly… I really don’t know,” she said finally. “It’s true. Most pegasi your age are already flying. There’s always a chance you might… you know.” “I guess I just wanted to say that if it doesn’t work out, and I can’t learn to fly, that’d still be okay,” Scootaloo said. “I’m still really glad that you took the time to try and teach me. It’s a lot of fun.” Rainbow grinned. “In that case, we can keep taking lessons as long as you want. I’m game.” “That sounds great,” Scootaloo said. She heard the bell tower chime in the distance. Just once, for the half hour. “What time is it? I’d better run,” Scootaloo said, glancing over her shoulder. “If I end up being late again, Miss Cheerilee’s gonna be pretty mad.” “Well, don’t let me keep you,” Rainbow said. “See you after school, okay, squirt?” Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. See you.” Rainbow Dash turned around and took off, creating a flash of vibrant color against the gray winter sky.