Slowly Scootaloo gingerly stretched up, kissed Dash on the nose, and nuzzled her cheek. "The pain's gone now," she soothed groggily.

Dash nuzzled her back, and sighed out through a sniffle, "yeah, mine too, little sis."

Dash hugged Scootaloo for a while longer. Then the little filly blinked a few times, and yawned, the night bearing down on her. "Hey Dash? I'm getting kinda t..." Her ears fell to the sides, and her eyes narrowed in instant frustration as Dash suddenly snored. "Really?"

Scootaloo's world began to teeter as Dash wavered back and forth. "Dash! Wake up!" The little filly panicked as they pitched forward, and scrambled to escape the blue vice grips around her waist. "Dash! Wa...Squeeee!!"

Dash chuckled in her sleep, her eyes glued shut as an unconscious grin played out on her lips. Scootaloo wriggled for dear life, bucking and scrabbling to escape out from under her. With a final strained grunt she popped her flank out to safety, only to faceplant into the ground, tail in the air. She sat up after regaining her bearings, turned towards Dash, and "Aaachi." Her head darted around frantically, Aww, I hope nobody heard that girly sneeze! Her eyes narrowed as she shot Dash a deadpan glare. The mare giggled in her sleep again. "DASH!" No response...

Scootaloo's eye twitched, heat welling up inside flushed into her cheeks as her heart sped up relentlessly abusing her chest. "Oh, no. I'm not taking care of your sorry flank again!" She trotted behind Dash. Meticulously, with the discerning eye of a scooter engineer she lined up the base of her tail with Dash's, and estimated the distance. She balanced on her forehooves, curled her hind legs nearly to her ears, "WAKE," and with finality she bucked her frustrations right into Dash's hindquarters, "U-chi!"

Dash opened her eyes unable to sleep that early morning and gingerly rubbed a hoof on her aching flank. She glared over the side of the bed, and down at Scootaloo who was subsequently glaring back while rubbing a welt on the top of her head. They sat in hazey mute silence, the stars twinkling their little dances around the descending moon outside.

"Aaachi," Scootaloo's squeaky high pitched sneeze broke the silence. Dash's jaw dropped. Scootaloo glared at her menacingly, daring her to make fun, but rolled her eyes and gave up as Dash went into a fit mirthful laughter which died down momentarily. The uncomfortable silence permeated once again. Scootaloo, staring out the window at the stars, alternated between rubbing her aching noggin and running little circles with her hoof on the floor. Suddenly, her eyes widened as the tickle spread through her snout again. She held it back, fought it hard, but it mercilessly overpowered her. "Aaachi!"

Dash busted up laughing, guffawing, and slamming her hoof against her pillow riotously. "Most adorable teensy filly sneeze ever!"

"Dash, sometimes you're a real plot." Scootaloo rolled over, turning away from Dash.

"Hey! What would your Dad say if he heard you talk like..." -Aaachi- Dash was interrupted by another sneeze, followed by more thrashing about on the bed as she laughed uncontrollably. "Oh, really? You think he'd say that?"

Scootaloo jumped onto her hooves and glared at Dash, her name vehemently on her lips, "D'aachi."

Dash clutched at her stomach, trying to breath through the mirth wracking her body. "Stop! You're killing me!"

Scootaloo, mortified, turned to storm out of the room, but was caught by a blue hoof attached to a mare who was finding it increasingly difficult to breath. "Wait!" She sucked in air, and said squeakily, through silent but mirthful little shakes. "Sorry!" She let the air out in a blast and took another in. "Please stay!" She looked at Scootaloo's deadpan gaze trying with monumental effort to force her lips not to smile. "Please," she strainedly squeaked with flushed cheeks and wavering eyes.

The little filly let out a long drawn out sigh. "Yeah fine, but promise you won't make fun of me."

"Promise," she forced out in a squeal, and grabbed Scootaloo, hauling her up onto the bed.

Scootaloo lay there in silence next to Dash who was still struggling to control herself. Finally, she huffed, "would you just go and say whatev..."

"Sure thing Squee-chi!" Dash followed with more riotous laughter.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and let out a deep groaning sigh. "You aren't going to let me live this down ar-aaachi!"

Dash stopped laughing suddenly and frowned. "Wait, this really is a problem isn't it?"

Scootaloo face hoofed. "Aaachi!"

"Ok, so I'm not going to lie to ya Squee-chi. This is a tad bit weird." Dash peered into a mortified Scootaloo's snout.

"It'd be easier if we had something brighter than moonlight you know." Scootaloo stated blandly. "Aaachi!" Dash dodged the filly's adorable sneeze with a chuckle.

"Don't think I'll ever get tired of that. It's just so...cute!" Dash snickered relentlessly.

"Oh, laugh it up, but I will get you..." Dash pinched Scootaloos nose between her hooves, making her voice sound nazaly. "...It won't be tonight, or probably tomorrow, but you will get yours..." Scootaloo tried to look nazaly menacing as Dash continued her task of peering into her nose.

"Did that help at all?" Dash played off the prank as an attempted fix while forcing down her chuckles.

"Aaa..." Dash swiftly sandwiched Scoots muzzle, clamping her mouth shut. -SNOT-

Scootaloo opened her eyes, a little dizzy from the monumental sneeze, and sniffed in a long breath of air. "Wow! I think you..." She halted in mirthful yet mortified shock as she noticed the look of sick horror on Dash's face with her mouth and eyes squeezed shut. "Rainbow Dash I'm so sorry..." She whispered, followed by a hoof to her mouth to control the little filly giggles that were clamoring up her throat, demanding release.

Dash wordlessly shoved her little sister gently aside, stood, and moved swiftly for the door. It was only moments before Scootaloo heard the sound of the shower. Once safely out of earshot she let the mirth overtake her and laughed whole heartedly, letting the nights frustrations ebb off until much needed sleep overtook her.

Dash, once thoroughly clean, let the water roll over her coat, enjoying the heat as it seeped through her, and the feel of the steam as it traveled down her snout, throat, and into her lungs. She smiled in thought, Squee-chi, and giggled. She's such a pain in the flank, she rubbed the welts her little sister had left, letting the water sooth them. But this isn't so hard. I've taken harder hits than that, and I'm having fun. I can't wait for tomorrow! Dash was already forming ideas on how to train the flightless filly, Oh, not so flightless filly, hmmmm. Dash thought back to earlier how Scootaloo had nearly reached the cloudhome through sheer will, determination, and GUTS! She smiled at her plan, which would get the little filly into the air immediately. The stress of the day slowly ebbed off, replaced with the soothing warmth of accomplishment, and then the burning ego of, AWESOMENESS! "Yeah, I'm going to be the best big sis ever!" Dash did a little dance, her hooves slapping the water. This is gonna be amazing!

Finishing up she shut the shower down, briskly toweled off, plodded over to the bedroom, and passed out before hitting the pillow. Scootaloo snuggled into her arms, and the sisters softly snored the night away with sweet dreams.

Rays of sun crawled across the bed slowly, centimeter by centimeter, it hunted its prey. Patiently it crept in silent inevitability. Closer and closer with all the patience of its years behind it, savoring the anticipation. Creeping, closer and closer, it touched a blue snout, closer and closer, it meticulously passed each little hair, closer and closer, to alight upon the cheeks, closer and closer. Until the exact moment when it would reach...SEERING BLINDNESS. Dash woke with a start, opening her eyes, she quickly shut them and thrust her head up to avoid the suns piercing rays, but was forced back under the barrage of light by a violent sun induced sneeze. Blinded a second time, her eyes stinging and watering, she thrust the sheets over her head with an exasperated groan.

Elsewhere...

A derisive cackle, which could not be heard by any mortal pony, sounded loud and riotous from afar to echo across the land and fell upon the ears of two sisters who were sipping afternoon tea out in the royal gardens.

Celestia snorted, suddenly grabbing her nose and squinting her eyes shut. Luna looked at her inquisitively as her sister went into a fit of intermittent coughing chuckles. "Tia' is thou possessed of an imp?" Luna ribbed her sister, deliberately falling back into the old dialects.

"No, dear sister, I seem to have inhaled some tea." Celestia sniffed daintily, trying to clear her assaulted airway, and curb her sudden mirth.

"And you find that funny?" Luna chortled, bouncing back to the more common linguistics of the time. An eyebrow raised in concern. "I know you've been bored Tia', but masochism is more my thing isn't it? I always felt you more on the sadistic side..." She trailed off and shot her sister a wink.

"Oh, haha," Celestia shot back her retort with an eyeroll. "I believe Starswirl is up to his old tricks again. He sounds happy. I bet he got a sneeze this time." Celestia continued in answer to the inquisitive look in her sister's eyes. "You never met him unfortunately, but he was an old protege' and a dear friend. He gained immense power but fell just shy of becoming an Alicorn."

Luna nodded. "Yes, so thats who laughed. I take it he has achieved an ethereal existence of half life then?"

"Yes, he chose to stay behind and guard over the stalwart minds of future generations. Secretly, and thanklessly, he helps the determined and promising ones reach new heights of magic." She paused to take a sip of tea. "However," she grinned impishly, "his favorite prank is to guide my suns rays into the eyes of the lazy who would sleep the day away." She giggled, Luna joining her, and continued. "Of course his favorite reaction is when it elicits a sneeze."

"He sounds fun, and I feel I'd enjoy meeting him. Perhaps I will call out to him tonight." Luna savored her tea, basking in the shadows of a large umbrella meant to save her from the harsh burning light of the sun. "I hope he answers." She added wistfully. "Ethereal guardians, as such, can be quite fickle."

"Oh you would get along well. I bid you two well met this eve." Celestia stopped, brow furrowed suddenly deep in thought. "Oh, I know he would want to meet her. I wonder why he hasn't already..."

Dash, sheets over her head, stared muzzle to muzzle at Scootaloo. I thought it was hard to breath! She took in the scene before her, filing it under adorably creepy and certain she would never forget it. Scootaloo lay stretched out across Dash's stomach, her head laying on her chest with her ear to Dash's heart snoring softly. Foals sleep deeper to the sound of a heartbeat. Mrs. Cake said that a few weeks ago when Applejack asked about her twins. She said they always crawled up next to her or she would wake up with them on her chest. "Dang, Squee-chi, that's one heck of a deep sleep." She whisper mumbled to herself.

Scootaloo's wings were fully extended down tickling Dash's sides with her primaries. Her head cocked sideways, a puddle of drool matting Dash's chest, and half open eyelids fixed in a blank distant gaze. Despite being a little grossed out and the creepy chill tingling her spine, Dash's cheeks turned rosy as she smiled. A warmth spread through her as she reached up to hold Scootaloo closer as she stared, transfixed by those adorable light purple rings. Scootaloo's pupils expanded of their own accord and then retracted as Dash accidentally lifted the sheet, letting a trickle of light in. Dash dropped the sheet, the pupils expanded again. She paused for a moment, taking in the whole scene, an impish smile spreading on her lips as her exhausted little sister continued to sleep soundly. The sheet went up and down again, the pupils following their pattern of shrink and expand. She giggled a little. Scootaloo's soft snores stopped.

Dash froze, still muzzle to muzzle with her little sister, eyes wide and holding her breath. Scootaloo's pupils traveled slowly upwards, back down, and back up like tiny slow motion balls they bounced. Her lips moved, mouthing around silent whispers. Dash's ears perked forward straining as little filly lips, in little filly breaths that tickled along her nose, uttered the wondrous of words heard by one, unbeknownst to the other. Dash, only daring to chance a breath as the gentle rise and fall of the filly patterned out softly, eyes once again fixed on distant nothings. Dash's heart thundered, her ears burning, her forelegs wrapped around the little filly pulling her gently tight. She rolled to the side, and gingerly enwrapped Scootaloo with her wings, nuzzling the sleeping filly's mane she uttered words heard by one, unbeknownst to the other. "I love you too..."