Do It For Her

by Cxcd

05 - Falling Up

Rainbow couldn’t even begin to describe the fear that coursed through her veins.

Scootaloo jumped, and all at once, the world stopped. Somepony must’ve accidentally stuffed cotton into Rainbow’s ears, as all sound immediately canceled, the rushing wind turning on mute as Rainbow watched the filly leap.

Rainbow immediately lost her center of balance, her world becoming a blur of blue feathers and rapidly rotating skies. It took her a good few precious moments to reorientate herself, seeing the horizon slowly level out as her brain took a moment to stop making her dizzy. She shook her head, rapidly looking around, before finally looking down.

An orange speck on the cloud layer. Before she knew it, Scootaloo dipped below.

“Fuck!” She screamed, suddenly turning down and blasting off quicker than a cannonball.

Her name was Rainbow-freaking-Dash. There wasn’t ever going to be a chance of Scootaloo hitting the ground. She probably had enough time to go grab lunch, take a bathroom break, and reapply for the Wonderbolts in the time that Scootaloo was falling. It would’ve taken the filly minutes to reach the ground.

But that didn’t mean Rainbow didn’t panic. In the moment, all senses went out the window when it felt like the world was ending. The universe was folding in on itself, as she focused on the one point where Scootaloo dipped below the cloud layer.

Good going, Dash! She chastised herself. You just met this freakin’ filly, and you’re gonna end up killing her!

She burst through the cloud layer. Luckily, the clouds were only wispy clouds, meaning they were impossible to stand on. More luckily, that also meant Scootaloo wasn’t a red dot on the cloud layer instead of an orange one. She blasted a hole where she left behind, finding the little filly once more. It was darker down here, but she could still see her.

Rainbow had to let off her flying, feeling a familiar static-buzz in her hooves as her body threatened to break the sound barrier. She grit her teeth, reached her hooves out far, and grabbed Scootaloo. Immediately, her wings flared, pulling out of the glide with more than enough G’s to stretch her face.

Poof, they both hit a more solid cloud. Rainbow stood up, shaking like a dog in an attempt to get her mane dried from the rainwater they had just thrown themselves in. The cloud couldn’t have been any larger than a small room, but Rainbow found herself pacing to the other side.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Rainbow shouted, turning back around. “You- You could’ve gotten yourself killed! I- I don’t even-”

Giggling was not an appropriate response to being yelled at. But, for some reason, she was giggling like a mad mare. Scootaloo’s face was split into a smile, rolling on her back as her stomach clenched from the amount of laughing she had done. It took Rainbow more than a few seconds for her brain to catch up.

“I- I don’t-” She stopped. “W-What?” The adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins finally took a back seat. She took a deep breath, and grabbed Scootaloo in a bear hug, breathing deeply. Her wings suddenly felt sore, and she began developing a rapid headache. “You are a menace, and I hate you.”

Scootaloo’s only response was more giggles. Rainbow pushed Scootaloo back, looking at her in the eyes.

“You cannot trust ponies like that…” She sighed. “I’m some stranger to you! What if I wasn’t so quick, huh? You seriously could’ve died!” She grumbled, annoyed that Scootaloo wasn’t listening. “You remind me of… me.” She bit her lip.

She had just met this filly, and had just saved her life. Fluttershy was going to be mad.

Rainbow split into a wicked grin.

“If you like falling so much, why don’t you- uh- just go marry it!” In one big swift motion, Rainbow, quite literally, kicked Scootaloo off of the cloud. All that Scootaloo did was make a quiet little gasp as she went over the edge. Rainbow waited for a moment, tapping her hoof.

Then she went to go grab her.

Just like last time, Rainbow dashed ahead, gripping Scootaloo around the barrel and pulling her up.

“How’s that?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo was still giggling. “Is there anything going through your brain? Did I cross your wires? The fear wire replace the laughing one? Are you Pinkie Pie?” She started to regain altitude, breaking through the cloud layer and back towards the sunny portion. “I’m going to make you scream.” She said threateningly to the Scootaloo between her forelegs. She threw Scootaloo on her back, and almost immediately dipped into a loop-de-loop. Vertically. And fast.

The loops began getting tighter and tighter. All the while, Rainbow felt the little hooves of an orange filly digging into her neck. She was just laughing.

“Did I break something in you?” Rainbow asked, leveling out and feeling a little bit nauseous from the circles. Scootaloo, however, didn’t seem any worse for wear. Rainbow let out a frustrated shout, once again flinging Scootaloo into the air. She hit zero-g, going back down the curve, and being caught by Rainbow one more time.

Scootaloo was having the time of her life. It was like all of her senses were cracked up to eleven. Even more so when the previously locked-off and ignored little wings suddenly could feel every micro-movement. The sky was just so… empty. Impressively so. There was nothing above nor below! It was just air.

Maybe it wasn’t kind to think like this, but Scootaloo couldn’t help but imagine Rainbow as her ship, and she was the captain. Even if the captain kept continuously walking the plank by herself. And if her ship was also forcing her to walk the plank.

“Scream in fear!” The cyan-colored ship yelled. “Are you broken?”

The captain didn’t care. Once again, she delved into the deep waters, sinking quicker than a cannonball. The ship used her hoof to grab the captain, yanking her out of the water.

Rainbow settled Scootaloo on her back, and she began dipping in and out of the cloud, much like an ocean surfer. Scootaloo leaned to the side, using her hoof and watching the cloud conform around her. Her face was bright red from giggling and the constant amount of wind. Her hooves felt numb, and her wings were tingly. She didn’t care. She didn’t care.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Rainbow admitted, defeatidly. “It’s time to go back-”

“Again!” Scootaloo shouted.

The world froze. The only thing in Scootaloo’s ears was the rushing sound of wind. She let out a gasp right after the foreign words escape her.

That wasn’t her. That was Rainbow, right?

“Alright, one more time!” Rainbow shouted.

No. That wasn’t Rainbow. That high, squeaky, and honestly a little rough voice came from her. No other pony was up here. In a sea of infinite nothingness, they were the only two up here.

A question pierced the forefront of her brain.

Why did it matter?

Why did it matter if she spoke? She was having fun! So- Celestia be damned, she was going to have fun!

Rainbow threw her, this time following her through the cloud layer, falling side-by-side with her. Scootaloo’s smile broke into a huge grin, turning to look at the Pegasus falling with her. In one flap of her tiny wings, she grabbed Rainbow in a hug.

“Squirt-” Rainbow let out a sigh that was barely audible over the sound of the whipping wind. “You’re pretty cool, you know that? We could hang.” Rainbow let herself laugh, rolling her eyes. “Hay, you’re like my little sister, or something.” Her face split into a smile. “Yeah. Sister. I like that.”

As soon as it started, Rainbow pulled out of the dive, heading towards a lonely tree on top of a hill.

“Rainbow, I’m going to break your neck!” A gruff voice yelled, running directly at Rainbow Dash, who had just landed and was currently in the process of letting Scootaloo climb down. She put her hooves up, waving them erratically as Scootaloo scampered away.

“No-no-no, wait-!” Was all she managed to get out before she was, quite literally, tackled to the ground. Scootaloo squeaked in fear, backing up a few paces. Dusk trotted quickly, lighting up his horn quickly and encasing the two mares in his violet aura. With a flick, the two mares were separated.

“Agh- geez!” Rainbow yelled, feeling the violet aura dissipate from her. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was still being held by the aura. She spit out a mouthful of yellow feathers, still holding an earth-shattering glare leveled directly at the prismatic Pegasus.

“I told you not to drop her!” Fluttershy screamed. “I told you specifically not to drop her! You didn’t drop her, you threw her!” All ponies with free hooves covered their ears. Miles away, in the small town of Ponyville, a granny rocking on her chair raised her head, swearing she could’ve heard somepony talking in the distance. With a shrug, she rested her chin back down, falling back asleep.

“She wanted to!” Rainbow yelled back, still covering her ears. Fluttershy took a ragged breath, blinking quickly.

“She… what?”

“Alright, Scoots is a daredevil, kay?” Rainbow slowly removed her hooves from her ears, feeling her head ringing horribly. Scootaloo and Dusk also slowly removed their hooves, albiet even more cautiously. “She got some spunk, and she just jumped from my back! I swear, I didn’t drop her, she jumped!”

“No she didn’t.” Fluttershy relaxed, letting her body go limp in the violet aura.

“Yes she did- tell her, Scoots!” Rainbow asked. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, looking at her. Scootaloo just swallowed her spit, and nodded, looking down sheepishly. Fluttershy’s eyes widened.

“S-Scootaloo!” She wriggled in the aura, shooting Dusk a glare. Dusk finally relented, dropping her from the aura. Fluttershy got to her hooves, trotting forwards and ruffling her mane. “That was very dangerous! What if you gotten yourself killed?” Rainbow let out a sigh. Fluttershy caught the sigh, turning to shoot her yet another angry glare. “You’re not done yet! Why did you keep dropping Scootaloo?”

“Because she liked it!” Rainbow explained exasperatedly. “It’s like her wires are crossed or something!” Fluttershy sat down, rubbing her eyes with her hooves.

“I find that hard to believe.” She said after a moment of hesitation, turning to look at Scootaloo. “Is this true?” Once again, to her utter disbelief, Scootaloo nodded. She let out a huff of hot air, stroking Scootaloo’s mane as she sat down next to the yellow mare.

“I think it’s irresponsible.” Dusk said, stepping forwards. “What if you couldn’t catch her? What then?”

“Err- I dunno.” Rainbow shrugged. “I would catch her, that’s for sure. I mean-” She flexed her hing legs, striking a pose. “I’m Rainbow-freaking-Dash.”

“But what if you couldn’t-”

“I could!” She exclaimed. Dusk opened his mouth to retort, but soon shook his head realizing that arguing with Rainbow-freaking-Dash would’ve been akin to arguing with a brick wall. Rainbow itched her fetlock, looking wary for a moment. “I know you’re probably all angry at me, or whatever, but- Scootaloo is cool. I was wondering if she could come to our next practice session.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. She sighed, standing up. “I’ll think about it.” With a heavy head, she turned to start walking back. “C’mon, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo shot Rainbow a comforting glance, before following Fluttershy down the hill.

Dusk approached Rainbow from behind, placing a comforting hoof on her withers. Rainbow, to say the least, looked a little broken. Her lip quivered, watching the two ponies get smaller as they got further. Rainbow let out a resigned sigh.

“Sorry.” Dusk said after a moment. “I’m not really good with this… mare stuff.”

“Mare stuff?” Rainbow asked, shooting Dusk a side-glance. “What mare stuff?”

“I dunno.” He shrugged, removing his hoof. “Emotions, I guess. I had to pry Fluttershy off of you.”

“Yeah- whatever.” Rainbow shook her head. “I like that filly. If I had a sister- man, she’d be my sister.” Rainbow looked over at Dusk. “I don’t suppose you have a secret sister or something? Mare-to-mare talk?”

Dusk put a hoof on his chin, tapping for a moment. “Geez, I don’t think I-” He stopped, his eyes going huge. “Wait.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, watching as Dusk levitated the tomb he had been reading earlier out from under the nearby tree. “Do you actually have a secret sister- Dusk, I swear to Celestia, you had a secret brother, you’re telling me you have a secret sister?”

“No-no.” Dusk flipped through the pages, landing on the page that had been smeared by drool earlier in the day. He could just barely make out the letters- residue left behind that hadn’t been quite wiped away yet. He read, re-read, and confirmed in his mind. This would take a little while to translate, but it might just be possible.

Dusk looked at Rainbow with the largest smile she had ever seen.

“No- I don’t have a secret sister. And I can’t help with mare-to-mare talk.” His smile, if possible, grew wider. “But I know somepony who can.”

Scootaloo and Fluttershy were walking in silence. It was honestly a terrible feeling. A wave of guilt was rushing over Scootaloo’s face, every step she took felt like glue was holding her back. She had just gotten her new friend yelled at by a very stern Fluttershy. It was scary to see Fluttershy that angry. It almost reminded her of-

Well, never mind.

Scootaloo let her gaze flicked up to the Pegasus next to her. Fluttershy was walking forwards with a completely blank stare on her face. If one didn’t know better, they would’ve had no idea she just pulled several primaries from another pony by force. Scootaloo flickered her gaze back to the ground.

She had talked in the sky.

Now, it was time to make a mark on the ground.

“Are you mad at Rainbow?” Scootaloo asked in a timid voice. Fluttershy stopped immediately in her tracks, whipping around to face Scootaloo. Her stoic expression was instead replaced with one completely and utterly taken back and masked in confusion.

“What?” Fluttershy asked. “Did you just- talk?” A strange feeling of pride welled in her chest.

“Please don’t be mad at Rainbow.” Scootaloo whispered, head down to the grass. “It was my fault…”

“No-no!” Fluttershy sat down, pulling Scootaloo into a hug. “I-I’m sorry. I’m not mad at Rainbow, I’m just-” She licked her lips, feeling incredibly strange about talking to Scootaloo. “I’m not mad, I’m just dissappointed in her.”

“Sorry.” Scootaloo whispered.

“No need to be sorry.” Fluttershy broke the hug, putting a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder and holding her at distance. “It wasn’t your fault. Rainbow just got- a little carried away.”

“But I wanted it…”

“Okay…” Fluttershy sighed. “Okay. We can join Rainbow for her next… practice session.”

“Really?” Scootaloo looked up. “Can we really?”

“Of course, but- no falling. We’ll be watching. Okay?”

“Okay.” Scootaloo said quietly. Fluttershy bear-hugged her once more.

“I’m so proud, you’re finally talking!” Fluttershy almost shouted. She broke her hug again. “How does a treat at Sugarcube Corner sound?” Scootaloo debated it for a moment, before vigorously nodding her head.

Comments

[Fluttershyisacutegal]

so Scootaloo finally found her voice, yay!

[TheGJ90]

Oh, Rainbow...

Also, Dusk... are you gonna do what I think you're gonna do?

[Cold Spike]

One of the cutest Scoots' stories I've read in a while. So underappreciated.