//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three 
// Story: For You, Rainbow Dash! 
// by UniqueSKD 
//------------------------------//

The hospital room was but a blurred scene when Scootaloo opened her eyes, groaning from the slight headache that immediately struck her. After a moment of blinking her vision began to correct itself, and the world returned to normal. The first thing Scootaloo realized upon waking up, was that she was in a hospital bed. The second thing she noticed as she raised her hoof to her head in a futile attempt to ease her headache, was that it was bandaged. The third thing she finally noticed was Rainbow Dash standing over by the window, staring out into the sky world of Cloudsdale.

"R...Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo said weakly. But Rainbow Dash did not seem to hear her.

Scootaloo tried calling out again, this time a little louder than before. "Rainbow Dash?". 

This time, her hero lifted her head, indicating her attention. Slowly Rainbow Dash turned her head to look at her, and Scootaloo saw a stern frown on her face. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the little filly disappointingly. No. No, it wasn't a look of disappointment but more of...disgust?

"Oh...you're awake." Rainbow Dash said dryly.

"Oh, my head is spinning," Scootaloo winced. She tried to clamber out of the bed to go over to her hero, but a sudden jolt of throbbing pain suggested it was probably best to stay put, just for the time being. "RD, did I...did I make it to the end?" Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "You made it to the end. But you didn't pass it. You lost the race, Scootaloo. You just had to cross the damn finish line and you screwed that up spectacularly." Scootaloo felt a sickening feeling in her stomach began to build up. She lost the race? After her flawless performance throughout the rest of the course, it all concluded with defeat? She wanted to ask what place she came in, but her gut told her she was better off not knowing lest the truth pained her more than the headache.

Rainbow Dash moved away from the window, walking over to the end of Scootaloo's bed. She stopped and turned to look at the little filly, a total lack of emotion in her features. "Three months," she said.

Scootaloo looked up at her puzzled. "S-sorry?" she asked, feeling rather timid all of a sudden despite being in her idol's presence.

"Three months, Scootaloo," Rainbow Dash repeated, this time louder and with a hint of anger to her tone. "I spent three months with you, getting you into shape, teaching you how to fly and getting those wings of yours to work properly. Three whole months. That's about eighty-four days of my own life, my time, I spent helping you get this good. I really thought you were going to do it, Scootaloo. I really thought you was going to win the prize, but you screwed it up for both of us. All you had to do was cross the finish line, not fly right into the post! How did you mess that one simple thing up so badly? I was cheering for you, Scootaloo. Now I feel awful for rooting for the loser!"

Scootaloo listened to each word spoken, feeling them piercing her like ice-cold daggers to her little chest, her eyes beginning to fill up with tears. "R-Rainbow Dash, I-I'm sorry. I really am. I'll make it up to you somehow! I promise!"

But Rainbow Dash was hearing none of it. "Save it, Scootaloo!" she snarled, leaning over the bed baring her teeth. Scootaloo ignored the pain in her head as fear gripped her and she backed up against the headboard in fright. She'd never seen Rainbow Dash this angry before. 

"I really thought you were worth all those hours I gave to you," the rainbow-mane mare continued. She pointed a hoof at the trembling pegasus child. "But you went ahead and made it all a complete waste of my time! Do you realize how humiliating that makes me feel? Everypony will look at me and know me as the pony who trained the filly that flew into a freaking finishing line pole! Did you even think of me when you did that? Did you consider how stupid you losing would make me look?"

Scootaloo tried to answer, but Rainbow Dash stopped her. " Don't bother Scootaloo! I don't want to hear your excuses. You screwed up big time out there. You made me look like an idiot, all that training and practice I gave you trying to get make you the best there was, maybe even second to me. And you nearly fooled me into believing so too!"

"B-b-but Rainbow Dash it was an accident!"Scootaloo cried out, throwing her hooves above her head. "I-I saw you in the crowd and I saw you cheering for me and I just felt...happy. I felt excited that I was making you proud of me that I just lost focus for a moment and then...!" Scootaloo sobbed, her tears leaking from her eyes. "I did the best I could for you, Rainbow Dash, I really did!" The filly moved a little closer towards her mentor, hooves clasped together as she begged to her idol. "I'm sorry I lost! Please forgive me!"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "No, Scootaloo. I won't forgive you. You let me down more than you think. You made me believe you had a lot of promise, and I hate liars more than Applejack does. Don't ever come near me again, Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash turned away and began heading towards the door out into the hallway.

"No! Rainbow Dash, wait! Please! Please!" Scootaloo scrambled over her bed sheets and fell to the floor flat on her face, intensifying the throbbing ache of her head. But she ignored it as she began crawling after the rainbow mare. "Rainbow! I'm sorry! Please don't leave me! Please forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Her cries echoed in vain, yet she continued to pull herself to the door. But whenever she got closer to the exit of her room, the more distant it suddenly appeared to be. Like as if the doorway was moving further away from her each time she got closer.

"RAINBOW! I'M SORRY! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE HERE! RAINBOW DASH!"

Suddenly, Scootaloo's whole world began to shake and shudder, and she curled up into a ball and cried into her legs.

Then from out of nowhere, she heard a familiar voice shouting out to her. "Scootaloo! Wake up!"