Missed
Rainbow took the front of the group, her head hung, tears slipping down her mussel and falling to the ground with each step she took. Rainbow hadn't spoken or looked at the others sense they started on their path home, in fact, she was so depressed by the recent events, she hadn't even flown once on the way back to Ponyville.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were following far behind the cart, grieving as well, but staying close to each other as a kind of comfort.
Apple Jack was busy pulling the cart, walking next to Rarity, her eyes watching Rainbow Dash, she wanted to drop the cart and gallop over, comfort her friend but she held back, knowing Rainbow preferred to think about things on her own.
Rarity walked on, tears on her cheeks as well, her make-up smeared down her face, making her look like an utter mess.
Silence clouded the air, no pony spoke to each other. No pony dared to, not at a time like this, all of them just wanted to have a moment to themselves, to think, especially Rainbow.
Rainbow beat herself up for it, she felt as though she had no pony to blame but herself, it killed her inside, no pony could convince her it wasn't her fault, not even herself.
All five ponies soon made their way back into their home town, Sweetie Belle and Rarity returned to the boutique, Apple Bloom and Apple Jack returned to the farm, and Rainbow Dash walked back to her cloud home, making the last effort to fly up in a drooping manner, and landed on the steps to her home.
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"She's been sittin' there all day like that." Apple Jack stated, looking over at Rarity.
"Well.... She did take Scootaloo's..... passing, harder then any pony did Apple Jack." Rarity said back, chewing on her lip some when she tried to figure out how to say Scootaloo's death kindly.
"Sweetie Belle an' Apple Bloom took it just as hard. They're still grieve I mean, but, it's like Rainbow is lifeless or somethin'. She hadn't spoken to us in a month." Apple Jack replied, tapping her hoof on the table some, trying to distract herself from the thought of last months events.
Rarity released a sigh, not wanting to talk about it anymore then Apple Jack did, she hated thinking about it, she tried everything to push it out of her mind, making more dresses then usual at the boutique helped most days, but somehow it still found a way to plague her thoughts.
When news got out about Scootaloo's passing, Princess Celestia and Luna desperately sent guards to search for the missing filly in hopes they could find her alive, but as days passed, it seemed grim.
"It just seems, like she knows somethin' we don't, ya know?" Applejack said, finally breaking the thick silence in the air.
Rarity drew her attention up to her friend sitting across from her, then turned her attention back to Rainbow Dash who's head was still low and she was scuffing her hoof in the dirt.
"Do you think so?" Rarity finally replied after a moment. "Maybe we should go talk to her." She added, turning her attention back to Apple Jack.
With that, Apple Jack nodded, standing up on her four hoofs and walking over to Rainbow Dash, she plopped down next her friend, looking at her for a moment.
"So, Rainbow..." Apple Jack began, rolling over in her head on how to word her question.
Rainbow Dash didn't even bother to look at Apple Jack, instead she scooted so her back was to her friend, making it clear she didn't want to be bothered.
Apple Jack let out a heavy sigh, gently putting her hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "Rainbow, c'mon, it's been weeks, ya have ta talk to us sometime." Apple Jack said, hoping for a reply from her friend.
Rainbow Dash shrugged Apple Jack's friendly gesture off. "Leave me alone." She muttered to Apple Jack before getting up and walking away.
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Rainbow Dash found comfort and isolation in her cloud home, she was able to be alone, to sulk in peace and quite while she continued to play that horrid event over and over in her head, she refused to let it go, the guilt eating her alive.
"Rainbow Dassshhh," Rarity's voice rang from outside. "Please come out, every pony is worried about you...." She said, looking up at the floating home.
"Go away." Rainbow Dash called from inside loudly so it reached Rarity's ears, making it obvious she didn't wish to come out.
Rarity hmphed, and stomped her hoof on the ground. "Rainbow Dash, come out here this instant."
"Your not my mother." Rainbow Dash called out to Rarity, still refusing.
"Pleeassseeee Rainbow, I want to talk to youuuu." Rarity whined, hoping it would work, and to her surprise, it did, she smiled successfully as the the light blue pony flew lazily out the front door and down, landing in front of her but not making eye contact.
Rarity looked over her friend, she looked absolutely terrible, her mane messy and small stains on her coat. "Oh dear, Rainbow, you look-"
"What do you want?" Rainbow growled slightly, cutting Rarity off in the middle of her sentence.
"Well, me and Apple Jack just wanted to know... what happened that day... on the camping trip...?" Rarity replied, a bit surprised by Rainbow Dash's outburst.
Without saying anything, Rainbow turned around and about flew off before her tail was harshly grabbed by Rarity.
"oh nu yeu dun't." Rarity said, a mouth full of Rainbow Dash's tail causing her words to be slightly muffled.
Rainbow Dash got mad, pulling her tail from between Rarity's jaws as she quickly turned around "I missed ok?!" She snapped at her friend.
Rarity was taken a bit off guard by Rainbow Dash's instant anger. "Missed...?" She asked both curiously and a bit fearful.
Rainbow Dash's eyes welled with tears. "I had woken up in the middle of the night and glanced over to find that Scootaloo was gone, so out of curiosity I left the cave to find her. I searched all over the woods for her when I thought I heard her voice coming from nearby, so I went to look, and when I got closer I heard a splash with rushing water and I panicked," Rainbow Dash said, landing harshly on the ground as she stared down Rarity, tears falling down her cheeks.
"I quickly ran to the far end and found a waterfall, when I looked up I saw Scootaloo's scooter splash into the river in front of me, so I bolted up the waterfall to see where it led. That's when Scootaloo came out of no where, I reached up to grab her but.... I don't know what happened...." Rainbow Dash began to cry some, fighting back the tears, she wiped her eyes with her hoof.
"She just... s-slipped between my hoofs... and I saw her disappear into the rushing water... I-I searched the water up and down, but she never resurfaced... it's all my fault..." Rainbow finished, wiping more tears that fell down her cheeks.
Rarity stared in dismay, before she wrapped her hoofs around her companion. "No, no, darling, that was none of your fault..." She said, trying to comfort her friend the best she could.
Rainbow Dash stayed quite, leaning her head against Rarity's shoulder, actually enjoying the comfort for once.
"I just wish there was some way I could bring her back." Rainbow muttered sadly.