Follow The Rainbow

by UnlicensedBrony

Up There With The Stars [Friendshipping] [Best]

Episode Two: Up There With The Stars - [Friendshipping]

Scootaloo grunted as she pulled herself over another rocky outcropping on the mountainside. Finding her balance, she wiped the sweat from her brow and turned to smirk back at her friends – who were still way behind. “C’mon, you guys!” she panted. “We’re almost there!”

“Wait up, Scoots!” Applebloom pleaded as she and Sweetie Belle dashed uphill after her. “Our legs ain’t as strong as yours!”

Scootaloo laughed and turned on the spot, not wanting to lose her lead. “Slowpokes!” she taunted before hurrying on, bounding over rocks and up ledges as she steadily made her way towards the summit. It wasn’t long before she came up on – and promptly galloped past – the group’s vanguard, consisting of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, all of whom had saddlebags strapped across their backs.

Twilight looked up from the map in which her nose was buried. “Don’t go too far, Scootaloo!” she warned. Scootaloo grunted in vague response and continued her rush to the peak.

“Ah swear that filly’s got more energy than Pinkie Pie with a sugar rush!” Applejack commented with a smile. She raised her voice to call out. “Hey, maybe ya want to come help us out on the farm sometime, eh, Scootaloo?”

“AJ, nopony wants to work except you-- and maybe Twilight if books are involved,” Rainbow added with a chuckle.

“Did somepony say books?” said Twilight, suddenly sounding very alert.

“Speaking of work, didn’t ya say ya were going to help me clear out the barn yesterday?” said Applejack dangerously.

“Oh yeah, uh, about that…” Rainbow began slowly. “Uh, what’s that, Scootaloo? Right, coming!”

Scootaloo turned her head at the sound of her name and saw Rainbow dashing towards her whilst Applejack rolled her eyes and Twilight glanced around, apparently searching for something. Rainbow Dash alighted beside Scootaloo and quickly gestured for her to keep moving. Not wanting to let her idol down, Scootaloo fell into step.

Rainbow chuckled and gave her a sideways glance. “I was napping,” she admitted with a smirk. “Don’t tell AJ.” Scootaloo nodded emphatically and smiled – proud that Rainbow Dash would put such trust in her. Clearly satisfied, Rainbow looked back to the path ahead and the two of them walked in silence for a while.

It was a comfortable sort of silence, even though Scootaloo was still a little tired from her rush to get this far. The other Crusaders seemed to have stopped their chase, probably giving up once they reached the grown-ups. Scootaloo couldn’t really blame them – the climb had been hard enough thus far with wings to help her with little jumps, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had to manage with just their legs.

For a fleeting moment, Scootaloo imagined herself soaring through the sky, carrying her friends atop her back. She frowned and gave her wings a longing flap.

“Excited for tonight, squirt?” asked Rainbow Dash, pulling Scootaloo away from her thoughts.

“You bet I am! It’s going to be so awesome!” said Scootaloo with a smile.

“Yeah, apparently this star thing only happens every fifty years or something,” Rainbow commented with an idle shrug. “But you’d probably have to ask Twilight about that.”

Scootaloo just kept smiling in silence. She was of course looking forward to watching the stars that night, but not as much as she was looking forward to spending time with Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t every day that she got a chance to hang out with Equestria’s fastest flier after all.

“Hey, looks like we’re there!” said Rainbow, peeking up over the next ridge, which was a little too high for Scootaloo to reach. Brimming with excitement, she hopped up and grabbed on to the ledge, struggling to pull herself over it. She ground her back hooves against the rock wall for a moment, trying to find a decent grip.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Let me help you with that, squirt,” she said brightly. Scootaloo gave a start as she felt Rainbow’s mane against her rump – pushing her up over the ledge and onto the flat ground above. Rainbow joined her a second later, clearing the height with an effortless, wing-assisted jump.

Pushing herself to her feet, Scootaloo blinked and looked out over her new surroundings. Contrary to the steep mountain path, she found herself atop a wide, flat-ish summit with a perfect view of the twilit sky above. The light of the setting Sun gave Rainbow Dash an awesome, clementine glow as she stepped forwards and dropped her saddlebags. She rolled her neck and stretched out her limbs, one-by-one.

A yawn escaped Scootaloo, but she quickly shook her head to remind herself that she was staying up all night – this was no time to be tired! A sudden flash of white caught her off guard. As she blinked the haze from her eyes, she beheld Twilight Sparkle looking up from her map, flanked by a dizzy-looking Applejack, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

Rainbow turned to Twilight with a furrowed brow. “If you could teleport up here, why did we just climb all the way up on hoof?”

Twilight smiled as she set down her map and saddlebags and trotted past Rainbow. “Oh, I have to be able to see where I’m going and it’s quite difficult to teleport long distances,” she said factually. “Besides, the exercise will do us good!”

“Uh huh,” Rainbow grunted, raising an eyebrow at Applejack, who responded with a silent chuckle. Scootaloo didn’t quite understand the joke, but she smiled all the same as she rejoined her friends, who were still gawping at the view.

---

It wasn’t long before the rest of the group arrived – Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy each came bearing their own saddlebags full of supplies. Together, they went about setting up camp – erecting three tents around the summit and laying a blanket out along the eastern edge, ready for the night.

The Sun soon fell completely – its orange glow replaced by a chill darkness. The grown-ups talked about lighting a fire to ward off the cold, but eventually decided against it because Twilight warned that the light would make it harder to see the event. Instead, the group draped blankets over themselves as they sat out under the stars, chatting idly and playing games whilst they waited.

The Crusaders were just starting their third round of I-spy when Twilight Sparkle raised a hoof to interrupt. “Look, girls – it’s starting!” she said excitedly.

All eyes turned upwards. Scootaloo cast her gaze about rapidly to try and catch a glimpse of whatever it was they were supposed to be looking for. The starlit sky looked no different than it had a moment ago. Scootaloo waited a good minute or so before starting to worry that she had missed it. Turning her head, she saw that Rainbow Dash too was squinting upwards in vain.

“You sure, Twilight?” asked Rainbow. “I don’t see anything.”

“Just wait for it,” said Twilight calmly, not taking her eyes off of the horizon.

Scootaloo looked up again and waited as patiently as she was able. She shuffled around under her blanket, eager with anticipation. It occurred to her that she had no idea what she was waiting for. All she knew was that it was something to do with the stars and that it was a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ – at least, that’s what Twilight had said to Scootaloo’s parents.

She was just opening her mouth to ask when the first glimmer of blue appeared on the horizon. It started as little more than a faint glow, but within seconds a star-like entity had formed in its centre. Scootaloo watched in awe as the brilliant blue light rocketed silently across the sky and vanished into the distance, leaving a beautiful trail of sparkles in its wake.

And then it was gone.

“Wow, that was awesome!” Pinkie Pie commented loudly, her voice echoing over the summit.

“Wait, what?” said Scootaloo after a moment, looking to Twilight for confirmation. “Was that all of it? I mean, it was pretty, but…” She trailed off.

Twilight turned to her with a smile. “Of course not, we could’ve seen that from anywhere.” She nodded gently up to the sky. “Watch the stars,” she whispered.

Scootaloo did as she said, and once again saw that the stars hadn’t changed in the slightest. She frowned impatiently, wondering why this had to take so long. But it proved to be worth the wait…

Starting with the closest to the horizon, the stars began to fade, drawing a round of gasps from the group. One-by-one, they winked out of existence, as if a giant, black curtain was being drawn across the sky. After the last star had vanished, they were left in darkness for the briefest of moments before the true marvel began.

With some difficulty, Scootaloo could just about make out a fleck of light steadily growing in the distance. It was one of the stars returning, except it was the wrong colour. It was red. A second star faded back into view, this one purple. Another came back blue, another green – Scootaloo watched with wide eyes as every colour imaginable appeared, dotted seemingly at random across the night sky.

“Whoa, what is it?” she muttered breathlessly, unable to tear her eyes from the spectacle.

“Nopony knows,” whispered Twilight. “Once every fifty years, that comet passes over Equestria. They call it the ‘Celestial Prism’, because in its wake, all the stars shine brighter and change colour. It’s rumoured to be one of the most magical events in Equestrian history.”

Scootaloo let out an awed breath. She briefly tried to count how many stars there were, but it made her dizzy just thinking about it. They were so small, yet so beautiful. She wished she could fly up there and get a closer look, maybe even soar high enough to touch one of them. What did stars feel like?

On instinct, she glanced over at Rainbow Dash, whose wide eyes were still fixed on the sky – twinkling with mottled flecks of light. Rainbow Dash would know, Scootaloo was sure of it, but Rainbow looked so perfectly awesome right then, she couldn’t bring herself to break the silence and ask. Instead, Scootaloo turned her eyes back to the sky to enjoy the display while it lasted.

When, after hours that felt still not long enough, the stars finally began returning to their normal hue, Twilight Sparkle got to her hooves. Everypony else followed suit, except for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, who were fast asleep atop the blanket. Scootaloo wondered how they could possibly sleep through something so amazing – the climb must have tired them out more than she thought.

In smiling silence, their respective sisters lifted them up and carried them into one of the tents, whilst Twilight Sparkle gave Scootaloo a look that wordlessly said ‘bed time’. With a conceding yawn, Scootaloo nodded and followed her sleeping friends into their tent.

---

Scootaloo rolled over in her sleeping bag. It was comfy enough, but she just wasn’t tired. Glancing over at her fellow Crusaders, she found that, sure enough, they were still sound asleep. She sighed and stared up at the canvas of the tent.

Her mind swam with questions that wouldn’t keep quiet – what was that mysterious comet? Why did it only come around every fifty years? What did stars feel like?

She shook her head and slithered out of her sleeping bag, feeling strangely determined to have one last look at the starry sky before bed. Her hooves felt a little wobbly and it was really dark inside the tent, but she eventually managed to find her way to the exit and poke her muzzle out into the night air. The coast was clear, so she pushed out under the flap.

A refreshing breeze blew past her, bringing an instinctive smile to her face. She was glancing around in search of the ledge on which they’d sat earlier when she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye. She did a double-take and stared at the shadowy figure at the edge of the summit.

As she took a few nervous steps closer, she began to make out various familiar features of the pony laying there. When it stretched out its wings, there was no doubt about it – it was Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo wasn’t quite sure whether she should head back inside the tent and pretend she was asleep. But when Rainbow re-folded her wings, Scootaloo felt her curiosity drawing her forwards.

“R-Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo called out quietly as she approached. Rainbow turned her head, but the darkness hid her expression. Scootaloo paused, half-expecting to be scolded and sent back to bed.

Rainbow Dash gave a short chuckle. “You come out to look at the stars too, huh squirt?” she asked gently. Scootaloo opened and closed her mouth a couple of times uncertainly before simply nodding. “Cool. I won’t tell Twilight,” said Rainbow, her voice smiling.

Scootaloo smiled back nervously and finished her approach as Rainbow watched her. Not wanting to invade Rainbow’s personal space, Scootaloo laid down on her front about a pony’s distance away and turned her head to the sky. It was a lovely view – typical of Rainbow Dash to find the most awesome seat in the house…

Scootaloo gave a start as something brushed up against her side. Turning quickly, she saw that Rainbow had sidled closer and bumped into her. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out as she watched Rainbow look towards the horizon with her mouth tilted up in thought.

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Rainbow after a moment. “This spot’s better.”

Managing only a proud smile in response, Scootaloo followed Rainbow’s eyes to the stars. Though they were back to their usual colour, they still looked a little different than they did when beheld from ground level. They were brighter somehow – that was probably why Twilight Sparkle chose to bring them to the summit in the first place.

The questions came back to the forefront of Scootaloo’s mind but, again, she didn’t want to break the perfect silence by voicing them. Besides, who needed questions when you were watching the stars with Equestria’s most awesome pegasus?

Scootaloo wasn’t sure how long they lay there, gazing up at the twinkling lights in the sky. The ground got steadily comfier as time went on, and Scootaloo found herself resting her muzzle atop her hooves as she enjoyed the warmth against her one side and the relaxing rhythm of Rainbow’s breathing.

Her eyes were already half-lidded when she finally found herself speaking up. “Rainbow Dash?” she muttered quietly. “What do stars feel like?” Rainbow stayed quiet. Maybe she was thinking about it, or maybe she just didn’t hear, but Scootaloo couldn’t find the energy to ask again.

“I don’t know,” Rainbow admitted after what felt like forever. “I’ve… never actually flown high enough to touch one.”

“…But you could, right? If-If you wanted to?” asked Scootaloo, letting out a loud yawn.

Rainbow chuckled. “Why don’t we find out?”

“Huh?” grunted Scootaloo slowly. “Right now?”

“Nah, it’s your question, so we’ll have to wait until we can fly up there together,” said Rainbow matter-of-factly. “Tell you what, why don’t we make a promise?”

“A promise?” Scootaloo repeated.

“Yeah. How about, as soon as your wings are strong enough to fly, the two of us promise to go flying together – up there, with the stars?”

Scootaloo smiled contently and let her eyes fall shut. “That’d be awesome,” she muttered. “I promise, Rainbow Dash.”

“Me too,” said Rainbow softly.

Scootaloo felt something warm drape over her like a blanket. She didn’t bother opening her eyes to see what it was, she just turned her head to nestle her nose in it as she drifted off into the bliss of sleep.

Comments

[WhirringGears]

To the stars. To the stars.

[bookplayer]

I love these both! So sweet!

I can't wait for more.

[UnlicensedBrony]

1269810

1270011 Thank you very much! I'm a fan of your Appledash project so the praise means a lot. Expect more in about a week's time!

[BronyNeumo]

Magnificent!

[Darth Sparkle]

Simply brilliant! May the stars shine ever brightly for little Scoots!

[Its ya boi guzma]

awwwww soo cuteeeeeee five stars