Best Sisters Forever

Best Sisters Forever
By: Sunbeam

Closing the locker door, Rainbow Dash leaned back against it and let out an exhausted sigh. These twelve hour days were going to be the end of her, she figured. Awesomeness could only carry her for so long, after all. Working from sunup to sundown always took the energy out of her, and she idly thought about just laying down on the bench and sleeping until the following morning. Of course, she couldn't do that since she had to get back home.

“Hey Dash, we're going out for ciders tonight.” Cloud Chaser called out across the room. “Interested in joining us?”

Dash shook her head, her colored mane rubbing against the metal behind her. “No can do guys. I've got to get home and cook for my little sis, you know that.” They nodded their understanding, and one by one ducked out of the room to go on their way. After making sure the weather team's locker room was tidy and empty, Rainbow left as well, making sure to lock the door behind her. Once outside, she spread her aching wings and began the flight home, letting her mind wander as she sailed through the air.

She had never really been one for hard work, she admitted. Sure she had run the weather ponies for some time, and she would always help Twilight and her friends if they needed her to. But there had always been plenty of time to relax, to nap on a cloud and bathe in the sunlight almost every day of the week. That privilege, unfortunately, hadn't been granted to her in almost a year's time. Instead, she had started pulling double shifts on weather duty most days of the week, which did allow her to take the weekends off, but they were rarely for 'Dash time'.

The cloud house in sight, Rainbow made a slight adjustment to her trajectory, and in short order was landing in front of her door. She took a moment to wipe the tiredness from her face, replacing it with her trademark grin. She went inside, shutting the door behind her. “I'm hooooooome!”

Before she could go another step, a small orange pegasus was diving through the air, forelegs outstretched and ready for a hug. “Rainbow Dash, you're back!” Scootaloo shouted, a large smile on her face. Rainbow caught her easily, and spun around in a circle before setting her down.

“Glad to be home, squirt. I hope you're ready to eat, because I am starving.” On most days, Dash would pick her up after school or her time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but today had been an exception due to a large number of pegasi being ill. They walked into the kitchen together, and as Dash began preparing the food, Scootaloo quickly went off into what she had done today. Her attention divided, she did manage to catch bits and pieces of what she was saying.

“Well first, we totally had this great idea for helping Sweetie get her cutie mark...” Let's see, now how long does this have to cook for? Rainbow thought, turning to the cookbook. “... And then the bricks went flying over the wire...” Dash lost the next few words as she clanged around under the counter for a pot, managing to find it after a brief moment. “... And Fluttershy managed to talk the manticore down before things got crazy...” Speaking of Fluttershy, I'm going to have to thank her for flying her around. Scootaloo had yet to learn to fly, so the filly relied on Rainbow or Fluttershy to get her up and down from the cloud house.

After getting the last of the prep work on the counter, she turned to see Scootaloo looking up at her, positively bouncing. “How about your day? Did you get lots of work done?” Rainbow let out a small chuckle as she glanced down into the younger one's bright, excited eyes.

“You bet! I had to rush to get some paperwork done, since they didn't send us all of the storm clouds we ordered for tomorrow. Otherwise, I'd have had those skies cleared and the Sun out way before noon.” Setting down some food, she nodded towards the rest of the house. “Why don't you go play while I whip something up here. It'll be done before you know it.” Without hesitation, Scootaloo ran and disappeared out of the kitchen, leaving Dash alone with her thoughts. It had been almost a year now since Dash had taken the young filly in, and she remembered that day well...

Standing a few feet from the door, Dash looked the building up and down. It looked like the place had been well taken care of, but it still held a bland look about it, the only thing breaking up the barren walls of the outside was a small sign that read “Filly Care and Orphanage”. After a moment of staring, she slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

Dash had always wondered if the building started out as a house and was built around to encompass the extra occupants, or if it had originally been a small storing house that was redone on the inside to make it look more homely. Whatever it used to be, the building now acted as a daycare center, an overnight care for sick fillies, and as the orphanage. The walls inside appeared to be much newer, but that could have just been the fresh coat of paint on them. The door led her into a fairly large room, that held very little furniture apart from a chair or two. The myriad of toys scattered all over the ground made it fairly obvious that the room was meant more for play than relaxing. No pony was around, but Rainbow wasn't surprised by the fact; she had chosen to swing by while she knew the place would be empty.

Stepping carefully, she made her way through the room without breaking anything or falling over. She made her way from room to room, passing from playroom to kitchen, from kitchen to dining room. Except for the toys that littered the floor in each one, the place was practically spotless; she could only imagine the time it took to wipe up after all the fillies were done eating their breakfast. Having been here several times recently, it didn't take her long to find the stairs leading to the upper floor and after that, the master bedroom, which doubled up as the main office. Even though the door was open, Dash knocked lightly on the door frame with her hoof to announce her presence.

“Ah Rainbow Dash, do come in.” Trotting into the room, she turned to the desk. Behind it sat the owner and caretaker of the building, Crystal Shard. she was an old unicorn, her mane long and silvery-white, with a short-cut tail of matching color, her sapphire-blue fur giving quite some credit to her name. She pulled out a folder from one of the drawers and laid it open on top of the desk, before looking up at the pegasus. “Were you able to resolve our dilemma from last time?”

Rainbow nodded vigorously. “Of course I did! I manged to rearrange the schedule so that I'll pull long shifts all week, and have the weekends completely free; and between her school and club stuff, it should only be rare occurrences where I wouldn't get home until after she did.”

“That's good to hear,” Crystal replied. Her horn glowed a pale green as she shuffled the papers around, glancing over them one at a time. “Well then, it looks like everything is in order. By rule, we'll have to check up on you two every now and then over the next year or two to make sure things are going well, but you shouldn't have any worries.” She slid one of the pages over to Dash, along with a pen. “Just sign on the bottom, and you're all set.” Without hesitation, she scrawled a signature and slid the sheet back to her. “I had her stay from school today to simplify things, so she'll be in the bedroom down the hall, second door on your left.” They shook hooves, Crystal giving Dash a very big smile. “Thank you, for helping her out like this. I know you two will be perfect together.”

Dash found the room with no issue, and glanced around the edge of the door frame to look inside. The room held half a dozen beds and wardrobes, three of each decking either side wall with varying colored sheets and pillow cases. On one such bed lay Scootaloo, who was preoccupied with two Wonderbolt figures she had in each hoof, flying them around in circles as she commentated on their 'race'. Cracking a smile, Rainbow remembered how she had used to play the exact same way with them; of course, she had also been in those imaginary races, and won every one of them.

“Hey there squirt, how's the race?” The orange pegasus shot up onto her feet instantly, her toys forgotten as she jumped up and down in joy.

“RainbowRainbowRainbowRainbow!” She shouted, before leaping from the bed to give her chest a small nuzzle. Pulling away, she glanced up with a quizzical look on her face. “I thought you were busy today, why are you here? Are you the reason they didn't let me go to school?”

Sitting down on the nearest bed, Dash patted beside her. “Pull up a seat Scoots, I'll tell you what's going on.” Hopping up, Scootaloo slid up next to her, snuggling a little against the warmth they shared. “So, I never really asked before, but how do you like it here?”

“Oh, it's not so bad.” She answered, looking down as she idly kicked her back legs to and fro. “I mean, Miss Shard is really nice, and there are fillies my age that I can play with, and they do all the stuff a normal house does.” Letting out a sigh, she leaned her head once again onto Dash. “But it's not the same, you know?”

Nodding slowly, Dash looked down at her. “You do seem a little too awesome for this place to handle. You need somewhere much cooler, somewhere that can handle your spunk.”

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, Rainbow let a small smile show. “Well, I've been talking with quite a few ponies lately around town, setting stuff up with Crystal and the weather center. I know you aren't a fan of this place, and I've got a few spare rooms back at my cloud house...” She trailed off, waiting for the filly to figure it out.

Scootaloo stared at her in confusion for a moment, before everything clicked into place and her jaw dropped. “D-d-do you mean what I think you mean?” She whispered.

“What I'm asking Scoots, is if you'd like to come live with me, as sisters.”

Tears welled up in Scootaloo's eyes, as she jumped up and wrapped her self around Dash's neck. “O-of course I want to live with you!” She sobbed happily. “I-it's all I've ever wanted!” Hugging her back, Dash allowed a few tears of her own to fall onto the little one's shoulders, causing her to chuckle lightly. “P-pity about the rain in here, isn't it Dash?”

Rainbow cracked a smile and nuzzled her cheek affectionately. “Yeah squirt, sure is.” Using the edge of the blanket, Dash dried both their eyes before scooping up the younger pegasus. “Come on, let's get your stuff, and I'll show you the room I've got ready for ya.”

It hadn't been all smiles and laughter though: even with the extra time she put into the job, it was just enough to cover the expenses of the house, school, food, and to fix any damage the duo dealt on their weekend exploits. Even with all that, though, Dash had never, for even a moment, regretted taking in Scootaloo. The teachers told her that she had made remarkable improvement in her work over the first month they had been together, and Applejack had commented on how she always had a smile on her face nowadays, especially when the filly was regaling one of the rainbow pegasus' many feats. Dash knew how happy she made Scootaloo, and she made no attempt to hide how delighted she had become ever since inviting the little one into her life like she had.

Pulling her creation out of the oven, she quickly divided it between two plates and carried them precariously on her back into the living room. Since she had worked an extra long day, it was a tradition of her's to watch any movie that Scootaloo picked out while they ate dinner, to make up for the lost time they normally spent together. Being a Friday evening, that meant that her bedtime was relaxed, which would likely cause a second movie to follow the first.

“C'mon Scoots, dinner's hot and ready!” Dash called, setting it down on the table. A moment later, the orange filly was hopping over the couch, thrusting a movie out in her hooves. “I found the one for tonight! I think you might even like this one.” Glancing down at the cover, Rainbow realized that it was a Daring Do movie, based on one of her many books.

“Nice choice, kid. This is one of the better in the series. Got another one?” A second movie was shoved under her nose, this one definitely intended for a much younger audience than herself. Scootaloo knew this, and shuffled her feet a little.

“I-if you don't mind, Sweetie Belle let me borrow it, and I'd like to get it back so she doesn't miss it, because it's her favorite movie.”

Dash chuckled, nuzzling her purple mane for a moment. “Of course we can; you know that movie night is your choice.” Tossing the first movie in, the two pegasi sat down and began their meal. While her budget was fairly limiting, neither of the two ever ended up hungry; at least, after the older pegasus had learned to cook. It had taken her a few weeks to learn to cook the basics, which was helped by the fact that burning down a house of clouds was, thank Celestia, nearly impossible to do.

The moment the Daring Do movie ended, Rainbow switched to the second movie, immediately losing interest as the cartoon figures started popping up and talking. Scootaloo seemed to be enjoying it though, and there was no way she was going to upset her. Instead she let her mind wander again over the past several months, a smile growing on her face as she remembered the day that the filly had gotten her cutiemark. It had barely been a month or two ago...

“Come on Rainbow, or I'll be late for the competition!” Scootaloo urged, scooter in hand and helmet on head.

“Please, Scoots... Me, late? You must be joking.” She replied, grinning widely. Spreading her wings wide, she nodded to them. “Hop on, and we'll be there with plenty of time to spare.” Once the orange filly was situated, Dash made a running start and took off in a flash, putting them in Ponyville in no time at all, and landed just outside of the newly constructed skating park.

About a month ago, when the park was beginning to be built, Mayor Mare had announced that all fillies attending the elementary school would be allowed to participate in a contest, to see which was the most athletic on wheels. Most of the fillies were here to participate, carrying a variety of skateboards, scooters, skates, and the like, all itching for a chance at the prize: a week of free shaved ice.

Originally, Scootaloo hadn't been sure if she wanted to enter, certain that there was no way she would be able to win. “Sure”, she had said, “I ride it around a lot, but I don't really know that many tricks.”

“That's not a problem.” Dash had answered, slapping a helmet on. “I know a place in Cloudsdale that you can train up proper, like I used to do back in the day.”

And so over the course of the month, Rainbow had taken her out to practice and train as often as they could squeeze in the time together, often working late into the night to perfect something. It was true that Scootaloo didn't know a great many tricks, but her natural skill more than made up for it; in no time at all, she had picked up a whole array of tricks that, while mostly simple, were sure to 'wow' the judges, and warm her up for a few of the crazier ones. Dash also had to admire her spirit: no matter how many times she missed a landing, she would jump up and get back on, racing around to try the move once more. She wondered if this is how she appeared, whenever she crashed into the library while trying to pull off a new stunt.

And now, Scootaloo would get to show off all of her hard work in front of everypony.

It only took them a moment to sign up, since there really weren't many rules or procedures that had to be followed for the contest. The only rule that actually merited any attention was the one that forbade the use of magic or wings, to keep the contest even between all participants. Getting her number, 9, she sat down in the waiting area and began going over her trusty blue scooter, making sure everything was in place and set up.

“They're kicking me out to the stands; you gonna be okay?” Dash said.

When she looked up, Dash could see the worry written all over her face. “Rainbow, I... I'm scared.”

Nodding slowly, the older pegasus gently patted her helmet. “I know the feeling, kid. Listen, if you don't want to do this, I won't think any less of you if we just go back home now, and I know your friends won't either.”

A tear came to Scootaloo's eyes, her voice quavering a little. “B-b-but you're all here for me! Y-you're depending on me to win!”

Sitting down in front of her Rainbow pulled her close. “Winning is great and all, squirt, but what we're counting on is you having fun out there; you love to scoot, which is why I suggested coming here in the first place.” Holding the hug for a moment, Rainbow looked down at her. “Know that, whatever happens, we'll be cheering for you. We even have Pinkie Pie here to... be Pinkie.”

Mayor Mare walked up to them, looking between the both of them. “Is everything okay, dears?”

Looking up at Dash, Scootaloo wiped her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, everything's fine Miss Mare.”

Smiling, she nodded slowly. “Well in that case, we're about to start the contest, so I'm going to have to ask Miss Dash to head to the stands now.” One last quick hug, and the two parted.

Lost in thought, Scootaloo missed most of the contest. Every now and then, a loud amount of cheering would wake her up momentarily, but sitting down she couldn't see what was going on. Judging by the amount of noise though, she clearly had her work cut out for her when her turn came up. She was certain she could pull off the bulk of her tricks without an issue, but she needed something, anything to get the judges to notice her above the others. But none of her even most difficult tricks, she thought, amounted to that moment. It wasn't long before...

“Number nine, you're up!” The unicorn handling the clipboard gave her a gentle nudge. “You're up, kiddo. Good luck!” Gulping, Scootaloo walked to the edge of the field, scooter in front of her. “You got one minute to warm up, then the judges will tell you to start.”

Slowly scooting out on to the field, she heard the sound of loud cheers coming from one side of the stadium. Glancing over she saw Rainbow Dash and her friends, along with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, all yelling and whistling loudly for her. Finding a good place to start from, she hopped off and did a few quick stretches to try and loosen up a bit. Hopping back on, her breathing becoming slightly ragged, she waited for the go-ahead. “All right nine, let's see what you got!” Cheerilee called out, clapping her hooves together in encouragement.

And then, everything slipped into focus.

Suddenly, there was no crowd, no contest, no judges or pressure; all that Scootaloo could see was Dash, sitting alone in the stands, just like at their practices. She took a slow deep breath, shot her idol a grin, before pushing off down the ramp and letting loose.

The ramp giving her speed, she steered towards the bulk of the course: pulling off a few quick grinds, she proceeded to shoot up another ramp and spin three full circles in the air before landing perfectly and speeding on. Not being able to use her wings was a small detriment, but there were plenty of ups and downs for her to make use of.

She sailed through the rest of her playbook of spins, flips, rolls, and the like in short order. Knowing she had to finish with something spectacular, she quickly wracked her brain for something to pull out. An idea hit her then; and idea so crazy, so impossible, there was no way she could fail. Shooting Rainbow her most daring grin, she took off back to her starting point. Kicking the ground as hard and fast as she could, she could, she flew up the final ramp.

As she hit the peak, she kicked off the board and flipped herself around. With only the very back edge of the board on the structure, Scootaloo landed on one hoof and sought her balance. A moment later, she was standing on the front of the board, the handle pointing the same direction she was facing, the bottom of the board behind her. She maintained her position for a few seconds, before she swung down and kicked the board up into the air, catching it as it came back down.

The world came back then, as the entire park was silent. Looking around, she saw that everypony, including Dash, was staring slack-jawed at what they had just seen. Blushing furiously, Scootaloo brought her helmet down over her face to hide it.

The stadium erupted into applause, cheers, hoots and hollers. The judges looked back and forth at each other, before Cheerilee used a megaphone to raise the mayor's voice about the crowd “I think it's safe to say, without a doubt, that we have our winner! Give it up for Scootaloo, mares and colts!”

Scootaloo felt her helmet get pulled up, and stared at the smiling face of Rainbow Dash. “Scootaloo... that, that was the MOST awesome thing I think I've ever seen!” Pulling her into a tight hug, Dash nuzzled her gently, not caring who saw. “I am so proud of you, kid.” Looking down, Dash gave out a loud whoop and set her down. “I think you should see this, Scoots.” She said, pointing to her flank. Turning her head, the filly's jaw fell as she saw.

“I... I got my cutie mark!!!” She screamed, turning to the side and showing a bright blue scooter flanked on each side by a wing: her own cutiemark. She jumped up onto Dash's head, so she could show it to everypony. “BEST.... DAY... EVER!!!”

It took Rainbow a moment to realize that the second movie had ended some time ago. Wondering why Scootaloo hadn't said something, she looked down to find the filly had curled up and fallen asleep right there in her lap. Stifling a yawn of her own, she gently placed the sleeping pegasus on her back and quietly went down the hall to the filly's room.

Dash hadn't really known what to do with the room, since she wasn't sure what Scootaloo liked. After the move, however, the two had been quick to toss up posters and the like around the room: mostly Wonderbolts, but a few Pony Hawk pieces decorated the room. On several occasions Scootaloo had tried to put up a poster of Rainbow Dash after she had won the Best Flier Competition, but Dash always felt too embarrassed to allow a poster of herself to hang up. Sure, she was the coolest pony ever to come to Ponyville, but it just felt... weird.

Slipping the gently snoring pegasus onto the bed, Rainbow grabbed the blanket with her teeth, bringing the edge up to her chest, slipping in her small plush Wonderbolt against the filly's side. Moving silently, she slipped out of the room and across the hall, into her own. The room was lit with several magic candles that Twilight had given her, specifically to light up the room when it got dark outside.

While Scootaloo had some variety in the theme of her room decorations, nothing but blue and gold decorated Dash's: Wonderbolt posters, pictures, tickets... practically anything with their mark on it was in this room. In the past, these things had always brought unbridled joy to her face whenever she gazed upon them, as they reminded her of what she would one day accomplish. Today though, she sighed, her head hanging a little low. Going over to the desk in the room, she opened the bottom drawer, shuffling the contents around inside. Once she found what she was looking for, she pulled out the envelope and set it on the table.

While normal in appearance, the seal it contained was one that no pony could mistake: the mark of the Wonderbolts. Slipping out the paper stored within, she unfolded it and fought the tears that were threatening to come to her eyes. Anypony who looked on would have thought it was a rejection letter, but quite the opposite was true: it was inviting her to join the team, a letter not a week old.

The weather for the day had been planned as sunny, and with no wind to blow clouds over Ponyville, Rainbow had gotten off of work rather early. Normally with the day to herself, she'd fly around or visit the library. “Only to talk to Twilight.”, she swore to anypony who asked. Today, however, was a day of rest and relaxation. She had taken a nice long nap, and even fixed herself up a lunch that was more than a simple sandwich. Currently, Rainbow was sprawled across the couch, idly watching another Daring Do movie. With no plans made for the day, she was quite surprised when there was a knock on her door. Figuring it was just the mail being delivered, she didn't make any rush to get to the door. What she saw when she opened it sent her flat on her flank.

“Hey Rainbow Dash,” said Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts.

Her jaw hanging, the blue mare found herself completely surprised into silence. After a quick moment to restart her brain, she hopped up and gave a quick salute. “Ma’am!”

Letting out a small giggle, Spitfire waved her off. “This isn't the training camp Rainbow; there's no need to go throwing me salutes and formalities. How are you?”

Shifting uncomfortably, Dash shrugged. “Oh, I'm... I'm doing fine.” She glanced behind her, nodding towards the couch. “Come on in?”

“Yes, thank you.” She took a few steps inside, allowing Rainbow to close the door behind her.

“How did you figure out where I lived? And why are you here?” She inquired, glancing her idol up and down. “Not that I mind of course,” she added quickly, afraid of offending Spitfire. “I'm just... surprised is all.”

“I still have your address on file from the training camp, from the paperwork you had to fill out.” She responded. “Also, I do apologize for the sudden visit, but I had something very important that you needed to read, and I figured I'd deliver it myself.” Reaching into her bag, the captain pulled out an envelope and passed it off to Rainbow. “Normally I'd let the mail do its job, but I couldn't let just any random pony deliver this to you.”

Moving over to the table, Dash looked the envelope up and down; it was addressed to her house, to her, and had the official Wonderbolts seal on the front. Normally with her mail she simply tore it open and let it be, but this time she was VERY careful to not damage any part of the envelope\. After all, it was a Wonderbolts official letter addressed to HER; she had to make sure it was in a condition to show off to other ponies. Sliding the letter out, she opened it up and began to read it.

“Dear Miss Rainbow Dash,” she began, “We of the Wonderbolts are delighted to inform you that you have been...” Her voice trailed off, her eyes growing wide as she quickly read the sentence again several times. Looking up at Spitfire, she started shaking visibly. “Spitfire?”

Chuckling, she clapped Rainbow on the shoulder with a hoof. “Welcome to the team, kid.”

Unable to contain it any longer, Dash hopped into the air and began back-flipping. “Ohmygosh! Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!!!!!!” When she had landed and gotten herself a little under control, Spitfire continued.

“Now, there's just a few quick things you need to know.” As she launched off into details, Rainbow let her mind wander a bit.

“This is it!” She thought. “I'm finally a Wonderbolt! I mean, Twilight and them will be super excited for me, especially since we haven't had Elements of Harmony stuff to do lately. And just wait until Scootaloo hears that Spitfire stopped by! Why, she'll...” Her thoughts stopped dead, as she thought about the small filly in her care. The smile disappeared from her face as she let out a loud sigh, holding up a hoof to silence the Wonderbolt Captain.

“I... I'm sorry captain, but I... I have to refuse.” She said quietly, trying to keep a tear from forming and rolling down her face.

Taking a step back, Spitfire tilted her head. “I don't understand, Rainbow. I thought that this what you wanted? You've been watching us forever!”

“I know!” she said desperately, her head hanging low. “It's all I've ever dreamed of becoming. But, well...” Her voice trailed off as she glanced behind her, at the pictures of her and Scootaloo over their various adventures the past months. “I have someone that needs me, and I can't leave her hanging, not even for you guys.”

Walking around the upset pegasus, Spitfire looked through the pictures there. “Cute filly. Is she your sister?”

“It's... a bit complicated, but yeah, she is. I promised, to her and to me, that I'd take care of her as long as she needed me; and I'm a mare of my word.”

Turning around, the orange mare gave her a small smile. “Kid, you've really got a big heart in ya; that little girl is lucky to have you.” Glancing at the pictures again, she fell silent for a few moments. “Here, I can't make any promises, but you keep that letter. Whenever you're ready, bring it in to show off. You'll have to run through some pacers, and we may not have a spot open on the lead team; but with your skills, and your attitude, you'll still get a good shot at it.” She offered her hoof to Rainbow.

She shook it briefly. “Captain... Spitfire... thank you, so much. When I show up, I'll kick all your flanks into the ground with my flying.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less from you.”

Spitfire took her leave shortly after, having to get back to her team. As she shut the door, Rainbow slid down onto the floor, letting a few stray tears escape her eyes. Wiping them away, she went and hid the letter at the bottom of one of her desk drawers , where she wouldn't lose it.

“Rainbow Dash, I'm home!” Scootaloo called. Going out, Rainbow leaned against the wall. “Fluttershy wanted me to thank you for giving her those treats for flying me around today. What did you do while I was gone?”

Letting out a small smile Dash came and gave her a hug, nuzzling her gently. “Oh, you know me, nothing big.” Setting Scootaloo on her back, Rainbow shifted her a little to be comfortable. “Come on, we're going out tonight; dinner and a movie, just you and me. How's that sound?”

Letting out a small squee, the orange filly hugged Rainbow from behind. “You're the best, Rainbow Dash.”

Setting the letter back inside the drawer, Rainbow softly closed it, wiping her eyes very quickly. It had been devastating, she admitted, having to turn down the Wonderbolts like that. But there was somepony that needed her far more than she needed the Wonderbolts, and darn if she was going to be selfish. Besides, Spitfire was going to give her a shot whenever she did show up, and Rainbow knew that she would be able to fly the jumpsuits off anypony on that team.

Yawning again, her eyes beginning to droop, she hopped into the bathroom; It didn't take much time for her to brush her teeth and wash up a bit, ready to lay in bed and pass out. It had been a long day, and an even longer week. She was also sure that tomorrow, the start of the weekend, Scootaloo would undoubtedly have some crazy scheme or prank for the two of them to pull off on the unsuspecting ponies around town. While it was a lot of fun, it also required her to be awake.

Walking back into her room, she threw back the covers of her bed, situating the pillows and everything to her liking. As she turned to blow out the magic candles that lit the room so well, she saw little Scootaloo standing in her doorway, shaking and obviously a little upset.

“R-rainbow, I h-had a bad dream.” She said softly, sniffling a little.

Giving her a soft smile, Dash held out her hooves to her. “Come here, kid.” Picking up the filly, she hugged her close. “You know it was only a dream, right?”

“Y-yeah, b-but it was so r-real.” She sobbed quietly, her face buried into Rainbow; after several months of this, the pegasus knew exactly what to do.

“There's plenty of space up here on the bed with me, why don't you just sleep here tonight.” Laying down, Rainbow pulled the covers up around them, the filly snuggling up against her chest. Wrapping her hooves gently around her, Rainbow gave her a squeeze. “Don't worry, I'll keep you safe; no pony is going to get you tonight.”

“Not with you around.” Scootaloo said, nuzzling into the older mare's chest. “You're the best sister ever, Rainbow.”

The two of them lay there for a while, Rainbow taking care not to fall asleep until the younger pegasus had done so first. She didn't have to wait long, before the gentle snores of the filly sounded throughout the room. Hugging her tight, she kissed her purple mane before closing her eyes to sleep.

“Nah Scootaloo, you are the best sister ever.”

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