Follow The Rainbow

by UnlicensedBrony

Don't Forget Me [Slice Of Life]

Episode Nine: Don't Forget Me - [Slice Of Life]

The wind boomed past Scootaloo's ears as she sprinted across the field, her hooves pounding against the grass and her breath growing more ragged by the second. Far ahead was her target – a group of six ponies hanging around beside a picnic blanket. Specifically, the rainbow-maned pegasus who stood out brightest among them.

Each breath was like an icy dagger in her chest, but Scootaloo dared not slow down. Already, her target was had broken the hug with Pinkie Pie and shot into the air – saying her last goodbyes to her closest friends. A tear of equal parts exhaustion and fear streaked down Scootaloo's cheek – she wasn't going to make it.

“Rainbow Dash!” she yelled. “Rainbow Dash, wait!”

Her words didn't reach them – they were still too far away! Scootaloo's hoof caught on something, throwing her off balance. Determined to go on though, she growled and broke out of the stumble, back into a vicious run.

She could almost make out their voices now, but it was too late. Diving down, Rainbow Dash grabbed her saddlebags, then kicked off from the ground again and darted towards the sky. “No!” Scootaloo cried, begging her legs to move faster.

The ground itself shook with a yell of “Don't forget to write!” as Pinkie Pie screamed into some kind of loudspeaker. As Scootaloo was coming up on the group, Pinkie mumbled something else to her friends, before her eyes settled on Scootaloo at last. “Oh, hey, Scootaloo!” she called with her usual grin. “What're--”

Scootaloo shoved past, breathing heavier than ever. Her eyes were starting to get foggy – as were her legs and pretty much everything else – but she could just about make out a fast-disappearing rainbow blur in the sky up ahead. She took a breath. “Rainbow Dash!” she choked. “Please stop, Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!”

Her eyes went wide and her limbs locked up as her last yell came out as a deafening roar that hurt even her own ears. Striking the ground face-first, she lost touch with reality for the briefest of moments. When she opened her eyes and dragged herself up into a sitting position, she saw that the speck-that-was-Rainbow Dash had stopped, and was – presumably – looking back towards Scootaloo.

For her part hopelessly confused, the filly glanced over her shoulder towards the other ponies. Most of them looked just as shocked as Scootaloo herself, but when her eyes met with Twilight Sparkle's, the lavender unicorn offered her a meaningful wink.

“Yo, squirt!” came Rainbow's voice from behind. With a sharp gasp, Scootaloo turned again to see the awesome, multi-hued pegasus coming in for a landing. Rainbow buffeted her wings to slow herself before touching gracefully down on the grass in front of Scootaloo with a concerned half-smile on her face. “Where's the fire?”

Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but only a choke came out. Her throat had gone incredibly dry. She held up a hoof as a signal to wait whilst she steadied her breathing and gulped on nothing a couple of times. Rainbow simply gave Scootaloo a funny look – but at least she showed no signs of trying to run off again.

“R-Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo managed at last, still panting a little as she looked up into the older pegasus' eyes. “I... You... Where are you going?”

Rainbow blinked, then smirked and rubbed her hoof on her chest proudly. “Oh, nowhere special, just the Wonderbolts Academy...”

Scootaloo's heart sank. “...So it's true? That you're leaving?” she panted, though she already knew the answer.

“Uh, yeah,” said Rainbow. “The Academy isn't here in Ponyville, so... yeah – I've got to leave to go there. You feeling okay, squirt? You're looking a little 'out of it'.”

“But... But...” Scootaloo's breathlessness got the better of her for a moment, and Rainbow furrowed her brow in confusion. “W-Why didn't you... say goodbye?” Scootaloo asked. “Were you just... going to leave... without telling me?”

Rainbow blinked, clearly taken aback. “Huh? I... uh, no! I mean, yeah, I was, but now you're here so I don't have to.” She offered her warmest smirk, but it didn't work for Scootaloo that afternoon.

The filly shook her head sadly. “...Don't go, Rainbow Dash. You can't... you can't go...”

“Geez, squirt, it's only for a week,” said Rainbow, cocking her head to the side. “I'm pretty sure that Ponyville can manage without me for just seven days... probably.”

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow again with a furrowed brow. “...Just a week?” she repeated. “But then... you're not going forever?”

At that, Rainbow drew back and gave a short chuckle. “Ha! Forever? Who gave you that idea?”

“I-I don't know,” Scootaloo admitted. “Around town, everypony's saying that Rainbow Dash is... finally going to go join the Wonderbolts and... and move to their Academy in the sky. And some of the guys from the fanclub said... that when you get in, you'll have to stay there all the time, for training and stuff... That's not true?”

“What? No, of course not!” said Rainbow, taking a step closer. “You don't just 'join the Wonderbolts' after one week at the Academy. This is, like, a trial type thing – when I come out top of the class this week, they'll know to invite me back for the next stage, whenever that is...”

Scootaloo blinked at her in wonderment. “S-So you're just staying for a week? That's it?”

Rainbow nodded.

A sudden, grave feeling of embarrassment built up in Scootaloo's stomach. Or maybe that was just her body telling her off for pointlessly running so far. Whatever the reason, she felt her cheeks turning red as she averted her eyes from Rainbow's. “O-Oh... Well, uh, sorry. My bad. I'll just go now...”

Feeling incredibly stupid, she spun in place and started back towards Ponyville. Rainbow Dash zipped around to block her path. “Hold on a sec, squirt. What's the hurry?”

“Nothing,” said Scootaloo, hiding her eyes again. “There's no hurry.”

Rainbow blinked. “Uh, are you going to tell me what this is about or what? I mean, you don't really expect me to believe that you thought I was going to leave forever without telling you, do you? Heh heh.” She chuckled, as if expecting Scootaloo to smile or join her. The filly just felt her cheeks burning hotter. “...Uh, right, squirt?”

Scootaloo shook her head and sighed. “I just thought you might've... forgotten about me.”

“Okay, now I know you're messing with me,” said Rainbow, with more seriousness than her words implied. “When have I ever forgotten about you?”

The frown deepened on Scootaloo's face. “Well, there was that time when we played hide-and-seek on that camping trip--”

“Oh, c'mon, that doesn't count!” said Rainbow defensively. “I didn't forget you – I just fell asleep! And I felt way guilty about it anyway...”

“Yeah, I guess,” Scootaloo muttered.

“Is everything alright over here, darlings?” came Rarity's voice. Looking up, Scootaloo saw Rainbow's group of friends trotting over towards them, with Sweetie Belle's sister at the head of the group and Twilight Sparkle hanging behind to clear the picnic blanket alongside an uncharacteristically dejected-looking Pinkie Pie.

“Yeah, we're cool,” said Rainbow automatically, waving a hoof. When her eyes met Scootaloo's again though, she hesitated. “...I think?”

“Y'all want us to take the young 'un off your hooves?” Applejack muttered to Rainbow. “I mean, ain't you got somewhere you need to be?”

Fluttershy took a timid step around the farmpony and smiled at Scootaloo. “Um, Scootaloo, I think Rainbow Dash needs to go now. But don't be sad – I have some cookies over here, if you want, I mean. They're lots more interesting than Rainbow Dash anyway--” Rainbow shot her a half-shocked, half-appalled look. When she realised what she'd said, the demure pegasus' eyes went wide and she retreated behind her mane. “T-That came out wrong...”

Rainbow glared at her for a moment longer before turning back to the group as a whole. “Seriously guys, Scoots is cool. Thanks anyway. I mean, if it was Sweetie Belle--” She broke off when Rarity threw her a dangerous look. “--Uh, yeah, forget that. Anyway, I've still got time before I need to be there. Catch you later, okay?”

Her friends watched her for a moment longer, before each nodding or shrugging. “If you say so,” said Applejack, turning back towards Twilight and Pinkie. “C'mon girls, let's leave these two to their little 'heart-to-heart'...” She winked at Rainbow Dash, who snarled in response.

When they were all confidently out of earshot, Rainbow met Scootaloo's eyes again. For the longest, awkwardest moment, she just stared in silence, with a thoughtful frown on her face. Scootaloo scraped a hoof along the ground meekly, trying to think of something else to say. Nothing availed her.

“Hey, squirt,” Rainbow began carefully. “You don't... really think I'd forget you, right?”

Scootaloo kept her mouth shut.

After another long moment, Rainbow sighed and trotted forward to stand right in front of Scootaloo. Then she sat down on her haunches, bringing their eye levels a lot closer and thus making it a lot harder for Scootaloo to avoid contact.

“...I'm not so good at this,” Rainbow muttered, scratching at the back of her head. “Look, uh... you need to understand-- I mean, I just want to tell you, uh... Ah, hay!” Rainbow shot to her hooves suddenly and took off, performing a random, impromptu loop-the-loop in midair. Scootaloo looked on in surprise and curiosity.

When Rainbow came to a stop, hovering before Scootaloo with her fetlocks crossed across her chest, she looked a lot more confident. “Alright, listen up!” she said clearly. “The two of us are friends, right?”

“Yeah,” said Scootaloo immediately.

“Right! And, being the awesome, loyalful pony that I am, I would never abandon my friends, right?”

Scootaloo blinked. “...Right.”

Rainbow smirked proudly. “Exactly! Look, squirt, even if I did leave to join the Wonderbolts or live at the Academy or whatever, I'd never really be there forever. I mean, if I got so much as a letter from Applejack asking for--” She shuddered a little. “--help on the farm, I'd be there in a second. Same if you just needed somepony to hang with. You guys will always be first in my book.”

Watching the multi-chrome pegasus just hovering there, saying that with a such casual awesomeness, was refreshing. It actually brought the beginnings of a smile to Scootaloo's face.

Rainbow folded her wings and landed with a quiet thud, before taking another step forwards, so that she and Scootaloo were barely a hoof apart. The older pegasus glanced around, then leant in and whispered. “And, between you and me, if joining the Wonderbolts really meant leaving Ponyville, there wouldn't be a snowball's chance in Tartarus that I'd go for it.”

Scootaloo drew back in surprise. “What? But... it's your dream, isn't it?”

“Well, yeah,” said Rainbow, with what Scootaloo thought was rather inappropriate nonchalance. “But this is home now. And sure, I've left home before, but that was only because what was keeping me there left first.”

Scootaloo cocked her head. “Didn't you say something like that before, too?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Probably. And I'm still not telling you what it is – doesn't really matter anyway. The point is that I've got stuff keeping me here now too--” With a smile, Rainbow pointed a hoof at Scootaloo's chest. “And you're one of those... stuff... Yeah, I could've worded that better...” She scratched her head and frowned.

That brought a giggle to Scootaloo's lips. She looked up into Rainbow's eyes and offered a smile, which was returned just as warmly. “I get it, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “...Sorry for being silly...”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Whatever. No big deal. So, are we cool?”

Getting to her hooves and taking a step back, Scootaloo gave a firm nod. “We're cool.”

“Good,” said Rainbow, unfurling her wings. “'cause now I really am late. I've got to get going.”

Scootaloo's eyes went wide. “Ohmygosh! Right! Sorry! I--”

“Going now!” Rainbow reported, not waiting for an answer before she spun in place and took off to hover just above the ground. “I'll catch you in a week, okay, squirt?”

“O-Okay!” said Scootaloo, nodding more to herself than anypony else. Just as Rainbow lowered her head and prepared to launch herself upwards, a strange urge gripped Scootaloo. “Wait!”

Rainbow stopped in her tracks, almost falling out of the sky. She threw a questioning look back over her shoulder. Scootaloo bit her lip for a moment, before offering a weak smile.

“...You're one of my stuff too.”

Rainbow blinked. Then again. And then a smile melted onto her face. She dropped down again next to Scootaloo and pulled the filly into a wing hug. Feeling very proud of herself, Scootaloo smirked and nuzzled into Rainbow's warm, fluffy chest.

~FIN

Comments

[Tyek]

Oh man, I just reread all these stories... the feels, the diabeetus causing, heart attack inducing feels. Excellent writing.

[UnlicensedBrony]

1840525 I loved that episode! It means a lot to hear that, thank you so much! I only have about fifteen more semi-weekly episodes scheduled for this story, but I'll never stop writing things like it, because I love it

1849463 Thanks! The 'make it sound like shipping' approach is apparently quite common, though stories like that usually end in something random or funny. I prefer cutesy Merry Christmas to you too!

1891686 Feels induced? Mission accomplished (Thank you )