> Big Sister Rainbow Dash > by Mayhem Darkshadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Big Sister Rainbow Dash > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Mayhem Darkshadow ******************** Big Sister Rainbow Dash Scootaloo walked down Main Street during the last few hours of light. She was trying to make it back to the clubhouse before night fall; she was slightly scared of the dark. The clubhouse was her home, or at least at this point in time. She had lived other places and she had once even had a real home and a family. But those days were gone and she was toughing it out. This could be due to the fact she was modeling her life after her idol, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was never afraid of anything, and would triumph over any feat. Scootaloo had always told herself to do the same, even if it meant that she was always alone. Of course she had friends, but they all had families to go to at the end of the day. She had herself and she made do with it. She had left her scooter at the clubhouse and was having to hoof it to get back to the clubhouse. Only problem was she had run out of energy for the time being and had to walk until it built back up. Most of the town had already shut down so she wasn’t being bothered by anyone. “Hey squirt where you going?” called a voice. She knew that voice, she would have known it even if it had just been a whisper. It was Rainbow Dash calling at her. She turned around to see her and her boyfriend Mayhem walk out of Sugar Cube Corner. Mayhem was a Prince, a younger brother to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. He also had two younger sisters, Princess Annabell and Princess Midnight. Midnight was the fourth cutie mark crusader and one of her friends. They had been living in Ponyville for only a few months now, but he and Rainbow Dash hit it off immediately. She had very mixed feeling about him. He was very kind and treated everyone with the upmost respect, but at the same time he scared a lot of the fillies and colts in Ponyville, he had this weird twisted side that only came out when he was angry. She sometimes wondered what Rainbow Dash liked about him so much. “Oh…um…hi Rainbow Dash…hi Prince Mayhem,” she said nervously. Mayhem chuckled. “No need to call me Prince Scoots, Mayhem is just perfect,” laughed Mayhem. Scootaloo laughed nervously. “So where you going pipsqueak?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Oh…I’m just you know…um,” she mumbled. They looked at her, looked at each other, and then back at her. “Going to go try and sleep in that dingy old clubhouse for yet another night?” asked Rainbow Dash. How did she know? “Well…um…waithave you been spying on me?” asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash gave a confused look. “Well no I saw you heading there a few days ago. I’d tried to come see you but got cut off by some of the other weather pegasi,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looked down at the ground with embarrassment; she had never had a problem talking to Rainbow Dash until now. “So why are you out there all alone squirt?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Well…um…I…am…all alone,” mumbled Scootaloo. She felt like crying and throwing up, she was revealing her deepest secret to her idol. “Well that just isn’t going to do,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looked up at her. “I think I’m going to have to take you home with me until we figure out what to do with you,” said Rainbow Dash with a smile. Scootaloo perked up immediately. “Rainbow Dash do you really mean that?” asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash smiled and nodded at the little filly. “Oh thank you thank you thank you Rainbow Dash,” said Scootaloo, “Oh but I have some things at the clubhouse.” “We can go get them tomorrow kid, it’s getting dark. Anyway let’s go, hop on,” said Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash spread her wings out and Scootaloo hoped on her back and held on to her neck. Rainbow Dash turned to Mayhem and smirked. “Race you home,” she said. They took off into the sky leaving Mayhem in the dust. Scootaloo had never traveled this fast before and was holding on for her life. “You okay kid, if I’m going to fast I’ll slow down,” yelled Rainbow Dash over the wind. “No, I’m okay,” yelled Scootaloo. Scootaloo turned to see where Mayhem had gone and then there was a burst of fire and he was right beside them. He smiled at them. “See yah,” he yelled. There was another burst of fire and he disappeared. “Hey using magic isn’t fair,” yelled Rainbow Dash. They sped up even fast, Mayhem had appeared way ahead of them and she was trying to catch up. They burst through the clouds and then Scootaloo saw Rainbow Dash’s house, a giant cloud home sitting amongst the other clouds. Rainbow Dash was closing the distance between them. They were right behind him when he tried to teleport again, but this time Rainbow Dash grabbed his hind legs and threw herself in front of him and then touched down at the front door. “Yes!!!” she exclaimed. Mayhem teleported in front of them and opened the door for them. They walked into the house and Rainbow Dash turned on thelights. The house was quite large. Scootaloo jumped off Rainbow Dash’s back and walked around. Mayhem was breathing hard. “You cheater,” said Rainbow Dash, “You used magic but you still lost and now I get my prize.” She planted a kiss on him, just a quick one, and then they turned to Scootaloo, who was looking at some of Rainbow Dash’s pictures. “Alright squirt let’s get to bed, I’m sure your tired,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo didn’t argue, she was really tired and to get a proper night’s sleep for once would probably feel good. Dash led them upstairs to her room. Her bed was massive, big enough for five ponies, and it was made out of clouds. “You can sleep with me until we get a room made up for you,” said Rainbow Dash, “Now down the hall is the bathroom. There are some tooth brushes under sink. Grab a fresh one and brush your teeth for me.” Scootaloo left the room, leaving Rainbow Dash alone with Mayhem. “This is such a sweet gesture Dashie,” said Mayhem. She smiled at him. “So I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” said Mayhem. “Wait can you stay, just in case I need you?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Yes love I suppose I can, I’ll sleep on the couch tonight,” said Mayhem. “What? Just sleep on the bed,” said Rainbow Dash. Mayhem looked at her. “That’s a bit weird Dashie if Scoots is gonna sleep in your bed to,” said Mayhem. “Well…um…yeah I guess that is weird, but last time you slept on the couch you said your back didn’t feel right for a few days. Just sleep on the edge or something and I’ll sleep with the pipsqueak,” said Rainbow Dash. “Dash you know she has a name right?” asked Mayhem. “Yeah, I just like to tease her and call her that,” smiled Rainbow Dash. There was a knock on the door and Scootaloo came back in. “Ready for bed?” asked Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo nodded and climbed onto the bed. Rainbow Dash laid down close to her but not to close and Mayhem went to the other side of the bed. “I hope you don’t mind but the couch hurts Mayhem’s back so he is gonna sleep with us to,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo mumbled that she didn’t mind and instantly fell asleep. Rainbow Dash stretched over and gave Mayhem a kiss good night and then curled up for some much needed sleep. ********** Rainbow Dash wasn’t sleep for more than two hours when she woke up. The bed was shaking. She looked at Scootaloo and saw she was shivering. It looked like she was trying to use pillows to keep warm. Rainbow Dash touched her and she was cold as ice. “Hey babe, babe wake up,” whispered Rainbow Dash. Mayhem grumbled. “Wassgoinon,” he said. He turned and looked at them. Dash had picked up Scootaloo and was holding her but she was still cold. “She’s freezing and I can’t get her to warm up,” said Rainbow Dash with panic in her voice. Mayhem rubbed his eyes. “Well get some blankets,” said Mayhem. “That’s the problem, I’m so use to the cold I don’t have any blankets,” said Rainbow Dash. Mayhem noticed she was really panicking, and he found it very interesting. “Okay hold on just a second,” said Mayhem. His horn glowed bright and then a thick purple blanket appeared. Rainbow Dash took it and wrapped Scootaloo up in it. “She’s still shivering, but I think she’s warming up,” said Rainbow Dash, still panicking. Dash then gave an idea some thought. She pulled Scootaloo close to her body and squeezed her tight and then covered her with her tail and wings. “You feel better ki…Scootaloo?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Still a little cold,” said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash looked at Mayhem with a look of panic. “Oh come here,” said Mayhem quietly. He moved closer to them and pulled them up against his body and wrapped his wings around Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo stopped shivering and cuddled at little closer to Rainbow Dash and fell back asleep. Rainbow Dash looked down at her and Mayhem looked at Rainbow Dash. Her mind was swimming with different thoughts. She looked back up and saw Mayhem looking at her funny. “What?” she whispered. “Oh nothing, night,” said Mayhem. Mayhem relaxed and then went back to sleep. Dash kept looking at him and then she too decided to go back to sleep. ********** Mayhem had to wake up early to get down to the store. He was very careful not to wake them. Before he was about to leave Rainbow Dash woke up. “Hey you leaving?” she asked quietly. “Yeah I gotta get to the store we are rearranging everything. I’ll come find you later when I’m on break,” he said. He gave her a soft kiss goodbye and then left. Rainbow Dash looked at the clock, it was 7:30. “Hmm, a bit more sleep couldn’t hurt,” she said. She looked down at Scootaloo. She was still snuggled up against her. Rainbow Dash though she looked very cute and put her head down next to Scootaloo’s. “The weather can wait I think,” she said quietly to herself. ********** They slept for another hour but then Rainbow Dash told herself she had to get up and get to work, Cloudsdale was sending a large storm today and they had to get everything arranged. “Hey Scoot, Scootaloo it’s time to get up,” said Rainbow Dash softly. Scootaloo moved and then opened her eyes. “Morning,” she yawned. Rainbow Dash smiled at her. “Alright we need to get up I got to get to work. Cloudsdale is sending a storm today and I gotta coordinate with the team and still have time to get your stuff from the clubhouse. If you want you can just stay here it shouldn’t take more than an hour,” said Rainbow Dash sweetly. “Sure so long as you get back before the storm,” said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash though this was a weird request but said she’d be back as quick as possible. Rainbow Dash made sure Scootaloo got breakfast and got ready for the day and then left to get her work done. Scootaloo was alone in Rainbow Dash’s house; she could do anything the world. She had already eaten breakfast and brushed her teeth, but she had not bathed herself. She decided that was a good idea. She went to the bathroom and turned the water on and started to fill up the massive tub with some water. When it was full enough for her she got in. The water was just right and she sat and relaxed in the steaming water before working on cleaning herself off. She decided it was time to get out when her skin started to prune up. She got out and dried off and drained the tub. “What to do now,” she said to herself. She decided to go downstairs. She looked around and saw a pile of Daring Doo books sitting on a book shelf. She grabbed the first one and opened it up and began to read it. It was starting to get dark and grey outside, where was Rainbow Dash. It had not been an hour yet but Scootaloo was hoping she would be home soon. She kept reading to keep her mind off the storm, that was until the first crack of lightning followed by a big boom thunder. Scoot dropped the book and ran upstairs to the bedroom and dived under her blanket. ********** It had taken Rainbow Dash exactly as long as she thought to do everything. The storm was almost at full force and she was trying to get Scootaloo’s scooter up to her house. She managed to make it and get inside just before it started raining. She set the scooter down and then looked around. The lights were on but she didn’t see Scootaloo. She saw one of her Daring Doo books sitting open on the table. “Scootaloo,” called Rainbow Dash. She walked around downstairs but couldn’t find the little filly, so she went upstairs. “Scoot,” Rainbow Dash called again. Rainbow Dash walked into the bedroom and saw a large lump hiding under the purple blanket. She walked over and pulled it off slightly. Scootaloo was hiding under it. She had her eyes shut and her hoofs over her ears. Rainbow Dash got up on the bed and sat next to her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were afraid of storms?” asked Rainbow Dash quietly. Scootaloo looked up at her with big, wide eyes. “Hey everyone is afraid of storms at some point in their life. I know at your age I was afraid of them,” said Rainbow Dash. “You were?” said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash nodded. “But I had to get over that fear when I became a weather Pegasus, they still scare me sometimes though,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo smiled and realized that even the bravest pony in Ponyville was afraid of something. “Come on let's go downstairs,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo grabbed her blanket and followed Rainbow Dash downstairs. They went over to the couch and sat on it. “Why don’t we pick up where you left off in the book,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo smiled and snuggled up close to Rainbow Dash and then Rainbow Dash picked up where Scootaloo had left off. ********** Scootaloo’s life had changed dramatically. She was no longer fending for herself every day and hoping that she would be able to find food and a place to sleep out the night. She now had her own room, her own nice warm bed, a full stomach every day, and a pony who cared for her like an older sister. Rainbow Dash had originally said that they would figure out what to do with her, but everyday she became more attached to Scootaloo. During the week Rainbow Dash would take her to school and go to work, then when Scootaloo was done they would go and work on flying, something that was going okay but not as well as Rainbow Dash hoped it would. They would spend lots of time together at night or Rainbow Dash would help the Cutie Mark Crusaders if that day they felt like pulling off something that bordered on insanity. For the first time in a long time Scootaloo was happy. There was one thing that had been hovering over her head for a long time. She had told Rainbow Dash she was alone but she never told her why. In fact she had never told anybody, just thinking about it made her uneasy. She figured at some point she would have to tell Rainbow Dash about it, but she just couldn’t figure out when that time would be. ********** Scootaloo was alone in the house; she was sitting on the couch reading a book. She looked at the clock. Dash will be home in just a few minutes, she thought to herself. She was going to talk Rainbow Dash today. Specifically she was going to tell her why she had been alone for all those years. The door opened and Rainbow Dash came into the house. She took off her scarf and hung in up. “Wow it’s starting to get cold out there, we may need to get some winter clothes made for both of us it looks like it’s gonna be a cold one this year,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo put the book down and looked at Rainbow Dash. “Can we talk, I have something I want to tell you,” said Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash looked at her funny and then came and sat down on the couch next to her. Scootaloo took a deep breath and then began to tell her tale. “You remember when I told you when you first brought me here that I was alone. Well that isn’t that whole story exactly,” said Scootaloo. She took another deep breath. “The truth is I had been alone for a long time, a few years. I had lived in a foster home and then an orphanage for a few years before I left them all but it was absolute torment and I couldn’t take it,” said Scootaloo. She could feel some tears coming but she held them back. “The truth is that at one time in my life when I was much younger I had a family, if you can call it that. Daddy worked at a dead end job and would spend his time at home drinking and beating mommy. Daddy would beat mommy so bad sometimes mommy wouldn’t be able to take care of me. One night mommy tried to take me and make a run for it, but Daddy got home and caught us.” Tears were now falling down Scootaloo’s face but she pressed on. “Daddy had been drinking and he got real angry. They started to yell and mommy for the first time fought back. They threw things at each other and then Daddy picked up a knife and threw it at mommy. It pierced her right in the heart and she bled out and died right in front of me. Daddy then tried to go after me next but I ran, I don’t even remember how young I was but I just ran. I made it to the police station and they caught Daddy and took him to jail. He got sentenced to life in an insane asylum and from what I know is still there.” Scootaloo couldn’t go on anymore and she just sat there and cried. Then she felt Rainbow Dash pick her up and squeeze her really tight. She could feel tears falling onto her wings, Rainbow Dash was crying to. “You will never ever have to go through that again Scoots. If anybody ever tried to hurt you they would pay the price,” said Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash let her go and then they looked into each other’s eyes. “Scoots go to my saddle bag and in it there is a manila folder. Grab it and bring it over here,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo got off the couch and did what Dash had asked her to. “Set in on the table and open it,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo opened it; it contained some papers in it. “Read them,” smiled Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo read through the papers and then new tears fell from her eyes. But these were different tears, these were tears of joy. She turned to Rainbow Dash, who was smiling at her and crying slightly. “Are these real? I mean does it mean what I think it means?” asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash spread her arms open. “Come here and give your new big sister and big hug,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo jumped into her arms and they squeezed each other tightly. “I love you Big Sister Rainbow Dash,” said Scootaloo. “And I love you Little Sister Scootaloo, and now you will never have to be alone ever again,” said Rainbow Dash. This was now marked down as the best day in Scootaloo’s life. Contained inside the folder her adoption papers, process by Ponyville town hall and signed by Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo had always felt that Rainbow Dash was like her big sister, and now thanks to just a few pieces of paper and an incredible amount of affection it was official. ********** They decided not to tell anybody for a while. Well actually Rainbow Dash made the proclamation not to tell anybody for a while. She did tell Mayhem, but hey he was her boyfriend and he’d find out at some point, everybody would probably find out at some point. Until that time Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo continued to stick to the story that Scoots was just staying with Dash until they figured out what to do. They still went about their normal days and then spent quality time with each other at night. One morning Rainbow Dash had to get Scootaloo up early and take her in for a doctor’s appointment. Waking up Scootaloo this early in the morning was never a fun task. Rainbow Dash walked quietly into her room and opened the blinds, the sun was just barely coming up. She then walked over to the bed and nudged Scootaloo with her head. “Scoots, time to wake up we got to get you to your doctor’s appointment," she whispered quietly in the filly's ear. Scootaloo groaned and rolled around. Rainbow Dash smiled. “Okay I guess Mr. Ticklehoove is just gonna have to do the job of waking you up,’ said Rainbow Dash. She reached under the covers and started tickling her sister’s soft little tummy. Scootaloo burst into laughter. “Haha…Dash stop…hahahaha…you know…hahaha…I’m ticklish,” laughed Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash let her catch her breath and then herded her into the bathroom to get ready. “Why do we have to do this?” asked Scootaloo. “Because you have no medical records and I’m taking legal guardianship of you. It’s just a quick check up I’m sure you’ll be okay,” said Rainbow Dash. ********** They got to the hospital right on time. When they arrive Nurse Redheart took them to one of the rooms. She did some simple vitals checks and then told them the doctor would be in shortly. Scootaloo sat nervously and kept clicking her hooves, she had never been to the doctor before. There was a knock on the door and a young mare came in. “Hi I’m Dr. Flora,” said the mare with a smile. She came over to the table and set down some papers. “So just a simple examination today?” asked Dr. Flora. “Yep, she’s never been to the doctor before,” said Rainbow Dash. Dr. Flora nodded. “Yes I read the notes on her charts and I understand. Well then just some simple examinations of parts of the body and possible a few injections for Pony Pox’s and Hay Fever.” Dr. Flora went about her work while Rainbow Dash sat in the chair. Scootaloo was still nervous and Dr. Flora picked up on this. “Nervous dear?” she asked. Scootaloo nodded. “Don’t worry every filly and colt get's nervous about the doctor. I know I was when I was a filly,” said Dr. Flora. Scootaloo smiled and then she began to relax. They really didn’t do much. They took Scootaloo’s weight and height, her blood pressure, her pulse, and then Dr. Flora just assessed Scootaloo’s state of health. When she got to Scootaloo’s wings however she spent a long time with them. “Hmm…have her wings always been this small?” asked Dr. Flora. “Well for as long as I’ve known her I’ve never seen them get any bigger,” said Rainbow Dash. Dr. Flora seemed a bit puzzled. “Probably a stunt of growth due to lack of proper nutrition. Does she use them regularly?” asked Dr. Flora. “Yes she uses them to propel her scooter and I try to give her a flying lesson every day unless she is tired,” said Rainbow Dash. Dr. Flora looked from Scootaloo to Rainbow Dash. “Has she been able to fly at all?” asked Dr. Flora. “Really only like a foot off the ground,” said Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash had now gotten out of her chair and had walked over to them. “See and that makes sense, these wings are not the right size to lift up her body. Propelling a scooter would be possible with even baby wings. I’m just worried that if they don’t start growing again she may not ever be able to fly,” said Dr. Flora. Those words hit Scootaloo like a ton of bricks. Never be able to fly? She would never be able to fly along with the other pegasi, never be able to fly around with Midnight, never been able to fly with her own sister. ********** After the exam Dr. Flora gave Scootaloo a few injections and then instructed Rainbow Dash to bring her back once every two weeks for physical therapy for her wings. They headed to Sugar Cube Corner to meet Mayhem for breakfast. He was already outside at a table when they arrived. “And how are we doing this morning?” asked Mayhem. Rainbow Dash smiled and greeted him with a smile and a kiss. Scootaloo said hello and then went back to being silent. “Is she okay?” he asked. Rainbow Dash shrugged. “The doc said she was worried that Scoot’s wings may not grow. She wants me to continue with flying practice and come in for physical therapy every two week,” said Rainbow Dash. “Oh that’s awfully dark news,” said Mayhem. His horned glowed and some sugar flew out of a bowl and into Rainbow Dash’s coffee. Scootaloo looked at him and then got a big, bright smile on her face. “Magic,” she shouted. They both looked at her funny. “Umm…Scoot’s you okay?” asked Rainbow Dash. She continued to smile. “We could use magic to help my wings grow. Mayhem could you maybe.” But Mayhem cut her off. “No Scootaloo I will not use magic to interfere with nature,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo’s face turned from a smile back to a sad frown. “Okay that was rude of me to snap like that. But spells like that are complex and most ponies can’t do them, well quite frankly even Celestia can’t do them real well either,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo looked at him. “But I’ve seen you do these spells and morph your body. Why can’t you use it on me?” asked Scootaloo. “Because that is the exact spell that has cause damage to me. It is a very complex spell and I’ve gotten to the point where I no longer wish to use it. I know it would be great to have me just make your wings big, but I’ve that spell back fired and I hurt you in any way I would never be able to forgive myself,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo went back to being sad, but she understood why Mayhem didn’t like the idea, what if she became twisted like he did. ********** The months rolled on and soon it was winter. The house had become colder then it normally was, even Rainbow Dash had to bundle up to keep from catching a chill. The snow meant that they could work on flying outside. However, with some magic from Mayhem, they created a large empty room and connected it to the house. This is where they worked on flying while winter raged on. When Rainbow Dash wasn’t busy with the weather they would play in the snow, sit by the fire and read while drinking hot chocolate, or spend time at Mayhem’s house, well Dash would spend time with Mayhem and Scootaloo would play around with Midnight. One week when it was starting to move into December all the Cutie Mark Crusaders ended up over at Midnight’s. Annabell and Fluttershy were foalsitting for them because their sisters were off running errands. Applejack had gone to help some relatives with their farm and getting it ready and winterized, Rarity was off in Canterlot acquiring more fabric and supplies, and Rainbow Dash was off in Cloudsdale trying to help with an out of control weather machine. Scootaloo felt a little anxiety because Rainbow Dash was always with her, but having her friends with her helped. They were just playing around and coming up with more crazy ideas to earn their cutie marks. They had been pondering and thinking for hours when they finally Applebloom came up with an idea, Cutie Mark Crusaders Ice Fortress Builders. They all squealed over the idea and then ran for the front door. Midnight was turned around and facing them, not watching where she was going. “Okay, the backyard still had a huge amount of snow piled up, we could.” But she stopped talking as she tripped and started falling down the stairs. “Midnight,” they all screamed as they ran after her trying to catch her. But Midnight was moving faster than they could run. They got to bottom of the stairs and found her lying on the ground, crying and not moving. Annabell had jumped up from the couch and ran over, she looked very worried. “Fluttershy, watch the girls I got to get her to the hospital,” said Annabell. Annabell put Midnight on her back and flew out the door like a bullet. “Girls what happened?” asked Fluttershy. Fluttershy wasn’t angry with them, or at least they didn’t think she was, you could never tell with her. “Well we were going to go outside and build a snow fortress,” said Applebloom. “And Midnight had turned around and was telling us there was still snow in the backyard,” said Sweetie Belle. “But she wasn’t looking where she was going and she tripped and fell down the stairs,” said Scootaloo. Fluttershy looked at them and nodded her head. They heard the door unlock and Mayhem came in covered in snow. “Wow the snow is coming down again,” he said not looking at all of them. He shut the door and turned around, and realized something was wrong. “Where are Annabell and Midnight?” he asked them. Fluttershy walked up to him to explain. “Midnight tripped and fell down the stairs. Annabell took her to the hospital, she didn’t look to good,” said Fluttershy. Mayhem nodded. “Okay I need to send a letter to Celestia and let her know. After that I’m gonna head over there. Fluttershy can you watch the girls until then?” asked Mayhem. Fluttershy nodded and then went back and stood with the girls while Mayhem rushed around and then left. “Is he mad?” asked Scootaloo. They were all very afraid of Mayhem when he was mad. “Nope, and why would he be mad it was just an accident,” said Fluttershy. ********** They all ended up falling asleep on the couch. Annabell came home around Midnight; she looked horrible; she looked like she had been crying the entire time. Annabell, with a lot of help from Fluttershy, herded the girls up into Midnights room and put them to bed. But they did go to sleep, they kept talking. “I hope she’s alright,” said Sweetie Belle. “Yeah she didn’t look very good,” said Scootaloo. “Well I’m sure we’ll find out in the mornin’,” said Applebloom. They all put their heads down and tried to get some sleep, all of them thinking about their friend and getting feelings of guilt in their stomachs. ********** Mayhem brought Midnight home right about the time they sat down to breakfast. The Snow had piled up and the door wouldn’t even open sot they had to teleport inside the house. Midnight was wrapped up in different places and had a cast on her wing, but she was still her normal energetic self and wanted to keep planning crazy ideas for them to get their cutie marks, despite Annabell and Mayhem telling her the doctor told her she had to take it easy. Midnight didn’t listen but the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders felt they would take it easy until she got better. Around lunch time Princess Celestia and Princess Luna showed up to see Midnight. They were of course happy to see everyone, they even told them not to bow to them when they tried. They stood around and talked and then Celestia asked Annabell if she could see her in the kitchen. They weren’t really paying attention because Luna had started playing a game with them; they were trying out their new idea, Cutie Mark Crusaders street magicians. They were moving along when they heard yelling coming from the kitchen. Annabell then burst out of the kitchen crying and ran upstairs. Mayhem had just walked into the room and he looked furious. “Girls, the magic tricks are going to have to wait,” said Luna furiously. Luna got up and joined Mayhem and then they began to yell at Celestia. Scootaloo and the rest of the girls all thought Mayhem was going to snap but he was controlling his temper. Celestia didn’t say a word; well she could because every time Mayhem stopped yelling Luna took over and vice versa. What really shocked them was when Fluttershy join them. They had no idea whether she was angry or not but as usual she didn’t yell at all. When they finally finished they all left Celestia and rejoined the magic act. Celestia just stood there, her eyes wide and she looked very guilty. She left them and went upstairs to go and try to talk to Annabell. *********** Celestia and Annabell rejoined them after they fixed there broken bond. Celestia and Luna ended up staying the night with them because the weather had gotten much worse outside. Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle all had to stay another night because none of their sisters could come and get them, again due to the weather. It was a fun night though. They played games, had a wonderful dinner, told stories, and just had a laugh. Eventually it got to the point where they all decided to go to bed. Annabell and Fluttershy tucked them all in upstairs in Midnight’s room. They made sure that Midnight slept they way the doctor had said to and then they left the girls for the night. They stayed up for a while just talking. Eventually they started to one by one fall asleep. Scootaloo was the last to fall asleep. This was the second night in a row that Rainbow Dash had been away from her, and she didn’t like it that much. At least she had her friends though. ********** Scootaloo was lying on the floor in the house. It was dark and a storm was raging outside. She felt blood pouring from her nose; it had been crushed by a kick. She was also crying her eyes out. Every single flash of lightning kept lighting up the room, and she kept seeing the most horrific thing in her life. Rainbow Dash lying on the ground, a large knife sticking out her chest, blood pouring from the wound. She wasn’t moving, she wasn’t even breathing, she was dead. “Why? Why would you do this to me? Why would you kill my big sister, I loved her,” cried Scootaloo. “Because I’ve come to finish the job,” said a murderous and haunting voice that sent chills down Scootaloo’s spine, “An she got in the way on me finishing the job, so disposed of her.” Scootaloo kept crying, and also screaming for help. Lighting flashed and a figure in the shadows became visible. A blood red unicorn wearing a torn straight jacket. He had blood in his mane and on his face, Rainbow Dash’s blood. It was her father, the one that was supposed to locked away in an asylum. He walked towards her and she cried even harder, her was going to kill her. He used magic and then knife that was stuck in Rainbow Dash flew to his side. “Don’t worry, you’ll be joining mommy and your big sister soon,” he said menacingly. Lightning flashed and the blade lit up, and Scootaloo could see it as if came closer to her. ********** Scootaloo woke up breathing hard. She had tears in her eyes and she was sweating. Once her eyes had adjusted she could see that she hadn’t woken up any of her friends. That was the scariest nightmare she had ever had. She couldn’t stop crying. She got out of bed and walked out into the hallway. She debated on walking down to Annabell’s room, but she didn’t want to wake the older Princesses, especially since Celestia would be up soon to raise the sun. So instead she walked down to Mayhem’s room. She kept crying as she walked along the dark hallway. Every time there was a creak she would jump and look around. She got to the door and when she reached up to open in it opened from the other side. The door opened and Mayhem was standing in the doorway. “I thought I heard someone crying, come in dear,” said Mayhem sweetly. Scootaloo followed him into his room. She had never been in it and it was littered with instruments. He turned on a light and then picked up Scootaloo with magic and put her on the bed. He got up on it and sat next to her. “Alright now tell me what happened?” asked Mayhem. Scootaloo told Mayhem about her nightmare. Mayhem used magic to bring over and box of tissues and he let her blow her nose. “Well that is quite the bad dream. But you must remember that it is just a bad dream. We all have them Scootaloo. You just have to think happy thoughts,” said Mayhem. “I know, but what would I do without my big sister?” asked Scootaloo. “Well I don’t think you’d ever have to worry about that,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo looked up at him and smiled. “Now there is the smiling that your sister loves,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo laughed. Now she could see why Rainbow Dash loved him so much. “So ready to go back to bed?” asked Mayhem. “Umm…can I stay here tonight?” asked Scootaloo. Mayhem got a very awkward look on his face. “Well…umm…that really wouldn’t be very appropriate Scootaloo. You are my girlfriend’s sister after all,” he said. Scootaloo got a frown on her face, but could see why it bothered him. “I tell you what, my couch has a pullout in it. Give me a few seconds to pull it out and then you can sleep there,” he said. She nodded that she would like this and he got the bed ready. The pull out was the size of a queen bed and it was extremely soft. Scootaloo climbed into it and Mayhem tucked her in with help from some magic. “I’m right over here if you start having bad dreams again,” he told her. Mayhem climbed into bed and then shut off the light. “Night Scoots,” yawned Mayhem. Scootaloo yawned and put her head down. “Mmmm night Mayhem,” she whispered. ********** Scootaloo woke up again, she was screaming out loud. She was having that nightmare again. It had been a month since she had had the nightmare about Rainbow Dash getting killed. This was actually only the second time she had had it. There was a knock on the door and Rainbow Dash came in to her room. “Oh, I’m sorry for waking you,” cried Scootaloo softly. Rainbow Dash yawned and sat on the bed. “Did you have a nightmare?” asked Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo nodded. “Was it the same one you had when you were over at Mayhem’s?” asked Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash with tear filled eyes. “He told me about it,” she said. Rainbow Dash wiped the tears from her sister’s eyes. “You would never have to worry about that ever happening. I would never let anypony hurt you,” she said softly. “But…but what if it did happen. What would I do without you? I’d be alone in this world all over again,” cried Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash picked up her sister and held her close to her. She gave her a kiss on the forehead and then looked at Scootaloo. “Shhh no more fussing. I would never leave you, but if it ever happened you wouldn’t be alone. When Mayhem told me this story we talked about it. He said if anything ever happened to me he would be sure to take care of you,” said Rainbow Dash. Tears stopped pouring from Scootaloo’s eyes, she felt a bit better now. Rainbow Dash really was the best sister in the world, Scootaloo just wished more people could know about it. “Alright now let’s get to bed we have to get up in a few hours,” said Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash didn’t leave Scootaloo though, she pulled the covers over them and then pulled Scootaloo closer to her and cuddled with her. “Good night Scoots, and know that no matter what I will always love you,” said Rainbow Dash. She squeezed Scootaloo tight and then fell back asleep. Scootaloo yawned and then fell back asleep. That was the last time she ever had that nightmare. ********** They had to get up early to get down to the train station and meet all their friends. They were Princess Celestia’s personal guests for the Winter Ball. Scootaloo wasn’t really awake but Rainbow Dash had to give her a big task. “Okay Scoots I have to carry the bags so I have a big question for you, are you ready to try a big flight today?” asked Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo looked at her sister. “Do you think I’m ready?” asked Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash nodded. “If you can’t do it I can go get Mayhem,” said Rainbow Dash. “No I want to try,” said Scootaloo. “Alright then let’s go,” said Rainbow Dash. They made sure the door was locked and then Rainbow Dash jumped off the cloud and headed for the ground. Scootaloo looked down and gulped, but then the adrenaline hit her and she was ready. She leaped off the cloud and closer her eyes. When she opened her eyes she saw she wasn’t falling, she was hovering. Her wings had been growing well with practice and therapy and it was finally paying off. She looked down and her sister far below she and then shot after her. She had never moved so fast and she caught up real quick. Rainbow Dash turned and smiled at her and then headed for the station. When they touched down Scootaloo received much clapping. She blushed and became bashful; she had her big sister to thank for this miracle. ********** It took a few hours for them to get to the castle but when they got there Princess Celestia greeted them along with Luna and Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. There were told to go ahead and do something until it was time for pictures. Mayhem approached Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. “So that was a spectacular feat you achieved Scootaloo,” said Mayhem. Scootaloo blushed smiled at him. “You up for a bit more flying?” asked Mayhem. She nodded and then looked at Rainbow Dash. “Alright but if you get tired you need to tell us,” said Rainbow Dash. Mayhem was going to take them on a tour around Canterlot. They took off into the air. They flew at a comfortable pace so as to not tire Scootaloo out. The scenery was beautiful, the cool air combined with Celestia’s warm sun felt good. Somehow it was much warmer in Canterlot then it was in Ponyville. Mayhem and Rainbow Dash smiled at Scootaloo, who was keeping up well with them. “Doing alright sis?” asked Rainbow Dash. She nodded and smiled, she was really enjoying flying now that she was able to do it. ********** They got back to the castle just in time to shower up and get dressed for photos. Rainbow Dash had to help Scootaloo with her dress, Rarity made the wing holes only just big enough and Scootaloo’s wings were really growing now. When they were ready they went downstairs and joined everyone. Pictures took quite a long time, the photographer wanted to take lots of different photos. When she asked towards the end if there were any other photos to be taken Rainbow Dash stepped forward, she had told Scootaloo it was time their friends all knew. “Yeah, why don’t we let Scootaloo take some pictures with her new big sister,” said Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo felt like crying, but she held them back for the camera. She followed Rainbow Dash and then photographer had them stand together. When Scootaloo turned she saw that everyone was smiling at them. The camera started flashing and Rainbow Dash pulled Scootaloo closer to her. Scootaloo could not have been happier and she knew that Rainbow Dash was thinking the same thing. Scootaloo smiled, to think just a few months ago she had no one and now her life was different. It was better, and she hoped it would stay this way forever.