Promises

by RaylanKrios

First published 18th of March, 2014

What would you do to protect someone you cared about?

When Rainbow Dash learns that her number one fan is being abused, how far will she go to keep Scootaloo safe?

Rather than update this box every time I post a new chapter, it's safe to assume that all my chapters are pre-read and edited by:

The Patriot, eggynack, and juter4397

and they're all great, so if you liked this go give them a thumbs up or something.

Woot, I made the featured tab! (For like an hour, but it still counts)

Sequel is here

Now with a Reading

And I'll sleep well that night

It began as a Saturday afternoon like any other. In an effort to be a better honorary big sister to Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash had invited the orange filly over to her house to hang out, and maybe get some flying pointers. She had noticed that the orange pegasus had seemed somewhat moody and withdrawn lately, but every time Rainbow had asked if anything was bothering her, the filly had quickly responded that everything was fine. It’s probably nothing. Fillies are moody sometimes. Either way, surely an afternoon hanging with the most awesome pony in Ponyville would cheer the little filly up, right?

For the first hour of Scootaloo’s visit, it appeared as though her hypothesis had been correct. Scootaloo was happily buzzing around Rainbow’s living room on her ever-present scooter, and if you looked in the window you would never have guessed that anything was bothering the excited little pegasus. That illusion quickly shattered, however, when Scootaloo took a corner too quickly and slid into an end table, causing the small reading lamp on top to fall, splintering into pieces when it hit the ground. As soon as the lamp broke, Scootaloo began to cower on the floor, curling herself into a ball and trembling frantically. Her wings twitched nervously as she looked up at Rainbow Dash from behind her tail. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Please, no…” she whimpered as she tried to shield herself with her tiny forelegs while tears started to fall down her cheeks.

“Overreact much, squirt? It’s just a lamp. I think I picked it up for like three bits at a garage sale,” Rainbow said, not entirely sure what was happening.

Scootaloo continued to lay curled up on the floor, her breathing rapid and shallow as she quivered behind her tail. Rainbow Dash looked at the fearful ball of fluff that had replaced her usually bold fan; something was clearly very wrong. Rainbow Dash took a step toward Scootaloo but that only elicited a terrified wail from the tiny filly. Rainbow froze where she stood and sat down on her haunches. “Okay, kid… it’s okay... I’m not going to hurt you,” she said in a gentle whisper.

Scootaloo peeked out from behind her tail, still whimpering quietly. Rainbow smiled warmly at the little filly, trying to convince her that she was safe here in the cloud house. Truthfully, Rainbow wasn’t all that good with crying fillies; that was more Fluttershy’s territory, or maybe even Pinkie’s. Hay, even Applejack and Rarity had experience dealing with upset fillies. But for Rainbow, these were uncharted waters.

Instinctively, she reached out with a wing to try and comfort Scootaloo, but at the sight of the wing moving toward her, Scootaloo retreated behind her tail and began whining again. It was the most awful sound Rainbow had ever heard, worse than the crunch she heard when she broke her wing, and worse than the hateful laugh of King Sombra. It was the sound of a tiny filly who should never feel anything but warm and safe, begging the universe to spare her any further pain. Rainbow winced sympathetically and drew her wing back, folding it against her side. “The wing’s gone, see? It’s just me.” Rainbow again tried to smile warmly.

Scootaloo peeked out from behind her tail and saw Rainbow sitting there patiently, staring at her with soft eyes. “It’s just me kid. I’m not going anywhere and I’m not going to hurt you,” Rainbow whispered quietly, not wanting to scare the little filly any further. For a few moments, Scootaloo laid there, trembling with fear. Rainbow Dash just sat absolutely still as Scootaloo again peeked out from behind her tail. The terrified filly began to sit up, her ears pinned back against her head, her eyes never leaving the larger pegasus sitting in front of her.

“Hey there kiddo, do you wanna tell me what that was about?”

Scootaloo just stared at the ground and mumbled something unintelligible. Rainbow stayed rooted in her spot a few feet away from and leaned in slightly, hoping to hear Scootaloo better. “It’s nothing,” the filly repeated, louder.

Rainbow kept her voice as even as possible. “That wasn’t nothing. Talk to me squirt; what’s going on?”

The orange filly again stared intently at the ground, her eyes darting around the room, desperate to settle on anything other than the pegasus sitting in front of her as her wings began to twitch nervously. Scootaloo took a deep breath. “My mom’s new coltfriend moved in with us a few months ago. At first it was okay, but then he started… he... started… hitting me...” The admission that she was being hurt opened up a floodgate as all of the misery and anguish Scootaloo had kept bottled up for the past weeks came bursting out of her. Her eyes watering up, she clumsily stumbled into the waiting arms of her new protector. She buried her face in Rainbow Dash’s impossibly soft chest fluff and began to openly weep for the first time since her tragic misfortune had started.

Rainbow Dash began to tremble with rage as she held the tiny filly. Ever since she was a filly herself she’d had a problem with bullies. It’s why she had jumped in to defend Fluttershy when they were in flight school, and why she had almost quit the Wonderbolts after witnessing Lightning Dust’s behavior. If there was one thing that Rainbow couldn’t stand, it was a bully; and the thought that somepony could possibly hurt a filly as gentle and awesome as Scootaloo made her blood boil. Keep it together, Dash. The feeling of the small filly pressed against her, clinging to her as though she was somehow capable of fixing everything, made Dash feel as powerful as Celestia herself; all she wanted to do with that limitless power was keep the cruel world at bay.

Rainbow Dash rested her head on Scootaloo’s, running her hoof through the soft purple mane while the tiny filly cried out her anguish, the tears matting Rainbow’s fur. After a few minutes, Scootaloo calmed down ever so slightly. Rainbow reached down with her wing and softly lifted Scootaloo’s chin up, looking the filly in her now puffy red eyes. “I want you to listen to me very carefully. This is me, Rainbow Dash, promising you that he is never going to hurt you ever again. Okay? I promise you that with every fiber of my being. I swear it."

Scootaloo nodded meekly, but then shook her head. “You can’t help me, Rainbow Dash. He’s a captain in the Royal Guard. I tried telling Miss Cheerilee, and some stallions came over to the house, but he just talked to them and they left. He said that he’d...” Scootaloo whimpered, “That he'd kill me if I ever told anypony ever again.”

Rage again surged through Rainbow Dash. She pushed it down deep, telling herself that she would deal with it later; for now, it was an unproductive emotion. “What about your Mom, Scoots?”

“I tried telling her once too, she didn’t believe me. He never leaves any marks; she thought I was just making up stories.”

The tiny filly began to tremble again as she flashed back to all those times in her room she had felt helpless. But this time, instead of trying to find solace in the cold, unfeeling embrace of her pillow, she buried her head in the comforting warmth of Rainbow Dash; it made her feel a little better. Rainbow continued stroking Scootaloo's mane as the tiny filly pressed herself as close as possible. Rainbow could feel her tiny heart beat rapidly, and it caused an unfamiliar tightness in her chest.

“I need you to tell me everything you know about this creep.”

Scootaloo remained still for a few moments, then nodded, rubbing her ear along Rainbow's blue fur. “His name is Lightning Strike. He moved to town a few months ago. I think he was promoted to Captain in the Royal Guard,” the tiny filly said between sniffles.

“A Captain, huh? Well, I know a Princess. C’mon, Scoots; we’re going to talk to Twilight.”

Rainbow gently lowered her head and allowed Scootaloo to climb onto her back. The filly wrapped her tiny forelegs around Rainbow’s neck and snuggled up against the soft prismatic mane. Confident that her precious cargo was secure, Rainbow flew towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Normally the trip would have only taken about ten minutes, but with a filly clinging onto her, Rainbow decided to fly at a more leisurely pace. While she told herself that her decision to fly slowly was for Scootaloo’s benefit, she couldn’t deny that a small part of her liked the feeling of the tiny pegasus snuggled tight against her. About halfway through the journey, she heard a voice in her ear.

“Aren't we going to talk to Twilight?”

“I’m going to talk to Twilight; I need you to stay with Fluttershy for a little while.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Scootaloo and the orange pegasus was silent for the rest of trip. Soon, Rainbow reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, where her oldest friend made her home. Rainbow lowered her neck so that the tiny filly could climb down, and knocked on the door.

When Fluttershy opened it, she was surprised to see her friend standing there with the small orange filly hiding behind her leg.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. What are you two doing here?”

“Hey ‘Shy, I need a favor; I need you to watch Scootaloo for a few hours.”

“Well sure; I’d be happy to watch Scootaloo, but what’s going on?”

“I can’t talk about it right now, but I promise I’ll fill you in when I get a chance. For now, can you just watch her for me?”

“Of course.”

Rainbow knelt down and gently placed a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder.

“You’re going to stay here for a little bit while I go talk to Twilight, but I promise I’m coming back.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Please don’t leave, Rainbow,” the tiny filly wailed.

Rainbow Dash felt her heart snap in two at the tiny filly’s request. Before she could say anything, Fluttershy came over and gently draped a wing around Scootaloo.

“It’s okay, Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash will be back soon, and while we wait for her, we can have hot chocolate, and I’ll tell you all about what Rainbow was like when she was a little filly. Does that sound like fun?”

In that one moment, it was clearly evident why Fluttershy was the living embodiment of kindness. Her voice was so soothing and the concern in her eyes was so evident that even a traumatized Scootaloo knew that Fluttershy couldn’t possibly hurt her anymore than it could rain upwards. Scootaloo sniffled and nodded as Fluttershy gently ushered her inside.

“Thanks, ‘Shy. Listen, one more thing; no matter what happens, don’t let Scootaloo leave this cottage. I don’t care who shows up; Scootaloo has to stay here until I get back. Got it?”

“Rainbow, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”

“I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I get back, but for now I just need you to do this for me.”

“Sure Rainbow, you know I’m always here for you.”

“Great. Thanks again ‘Shy.”

Satisfied that Scootaloo was in the safest place she could think of on short notice, Rainbow Dash sped off to Twilight’s house. When she reached the library, she was not surprised to find her alicorn friend curled up on the couch, reading a rather large book. As Rainbow Dash barged through the window, Twilight put her book down and regarded her friend curiously.

“Rainbow, what are you doing here?”

“Twilight, we need to talk.”

For Twilight Sparkle the hardest part about adjusting to life as a Princess was that now everypony always insisted on doing everything for her. Don’t worry Princess Twilight your meal is on the house, Oh I insist you go first your highness…. Just because she was a princess didn’t mean she had forgotten how to do things. It was true that she occasionally attended state dinners where she was waited on, she worked very hard to let every pony in Ponyville know that they were not to give her any special treatment just because she had a crown in her closet. But for as much as she disliked ponies treating her differently she couldn’t help but notice that her status allowed her to help her friends in ways that non-Princess Twilight wouldn’t be able to. For example there was a shipment of rare silk that Rarity was expecting that was being delayed by a corrupt customs official waiting for a bribe. Student Twilight Sparkle would have been incapable of releasing the shipment, but Princess Twilight Sparkle was able to clear things up with a quick letter.

Experiences such as that led to Twilight developing an uneasy relationship with her newfound power. Long ago she had resolved never to use her status to satisfy her own desires, and she was very careful not to wield her influence capriciously; but when she did need to brandish her authority she wanted to be able to do it well. A careful examination of influential thinkers throughout history had led her to adopt a Machiavellian attitude toward power combined with the restraint of Ghandi. If you must wield power, wield it well but always wield it for a righteous cause. This philosophy allowed her to find balance within her new position. She didn’t like throwing her weight around, but Twilight Sparkle never did anything half-flanked and she wasn’t about to start now.

For a normally reserved bookish sort of pony, Twilight Sparkle could be downright terrifying when she was angry. And a guard captain abusing a helpless filly certainly qualified as one of the few situations that could make Twilight furious. After hearing Rainbow’s story, she marched directly into the barracks on the edge of town, blew the door off its hinges with a blast of magic, and demanded to see Captain Lightning Strike immediately. When she was informed that he was off duty and most likely at the Watering Hole, she refused the assistance of a messenger and insisted on heading down there personally. She then ignored any questions from the guards on duty regarding the situation and threatened a lowly private with exile if he didn’t tell her where the bar was immediately.

The bar that most guards frequented on their off hours was only a few blocks away from the barracks. By the time Twilight and Rainbow got there, Twilight had calmed down to the point where she didn’t feel the need to destroy another door. That didn’t stop her from kicking the doors open as hard as she could, however. The entire room turned to look at her as she stood in the doorway.

The Watering Hole was not a fancy establishment, to say the least. It was sparsely decorated with a few neon beer signs and wooden tables. A dart board hung on the back wall, scarred with errant shots of past games, and a jukebox rested near the door, though it looked like it hadn’t been used since the bar first opened. Lightning Strike was a large stallion with a hardened physique born of years of rigorous training. His coat was jet black with the exception of a white streak that ran down his back. His white streak also perfectly matched the color of his mane which he kept meticulously cropped close to his head. Despite his name, his flank was marked not with a lightning bolt, but a jagged-looking longsword draped in a simple blue flag. The captain of the Ponyville barracks was currently surrounded by a group of lower-ranking officers laughing at some anecdote their captain had just told. When the Princess burst in, the captain waved a friendly greeting toward his liege lord.

“Welcome, your Highness! What brings you to our humble establishment? Can I interest you in a cider, perhaps?” the stallion asked with a large smile on his face.

Twilight ignored both the greeting and the offer. “I understand that you recently moved in with a mare and her daughter. Is that right?”

“Yes your highness. We’re very happy together.”

“My friend Rainbow Dash has just told me that it’s possible you’ve been abusing the filly.”

“Well, that’s simply not true. I love her like she’s my own.”

Rainbow Dash started to protest his denial but was quickly silenced by a glare from the still angry princess. “Are you calling my friend, bearer of one of the six Elements of Harmony and a savior of Equestria, a liar, Captain?”

“No, your highness. I just think she has gotten some bad information. May I ask where she heard this ugly rumor?”

“Scootaloo told me you sack of horse puck, I swear if-” Rainbow was again cut off with a glare from her friend.

“Ah, I see. The filly is making up stories again. I promise to have a talk with her when I get home. I’m terribly sorry you had to come down here on baseless allegations.”

Twilight nodded at the captain who had taken a more hostile posture than he had first adopted.“Scootaloo will be staying with Rainbow Dash while we get this sorted out. I trust that won’t be a problem?”

“With all due respect, your Highness, she belongs with her mother and me.”

“And I think it’s best if she stays with Rainbow Dash. Is that going to be a problem?” Twilight told him with a hint of venom in her voice.

“Again, with all due respect, you don’t have the authority to do that,” the captain said as he returned the princess’ glare.

Twilight let out a derisive laugh at the mention of the word authority. “Very well then, who's authority would you like me to get? How about that of your commanding officer? I believe that would be Captain Shining Armor, I just call him Shiney because he’s my brother. But no, let’s go even further above your head. How about his wife Princess Cadence? Did you know she used to be my foalsitter? What about Princess Luna? She could certainly order you to let Scootaloo stay at Rainbow’s house. We’re not related, but I did save her from Nightmare Moon, so she kind of owes me a favor.” Twilight raised a hoof and gave an expression of having an idea. “Or, better yet, we could just take this straight to the top and just ask Princess Celestia. It wouldn't be a bother at all for me, Princess Twilight Sparkle and former protégé of Princess Celestia, to contact her and get a speedy response. So I’ll ask you one more time, Captain: is it going to be a problem if Scootaloo stays with Rainbow Dash until this mess is sorted out?”

The captain of the guard knew when he was beat. “Not at all, your Highness. I look forward to getting to the bottom of these hurtful lies,” he said with only a trace of anger in his voice.

“Good. Then we agree that there needs to be some answers here.” Twilight turned and began to walk away; satisfied that she had gotten her point across.

As Rainbow followed Twilight out the door she turned to get one more look at the Captain who was hurting Scootaloo. Much to her surprise instead of being scared or chastised he was smiling, joking with his subordinates as if nothing ever happened. All the rage that she had kept bottled up began to stir, coalescing into a terrible storm that burned with a white hot intensity. She remembered how absolutely terrified Scootaloo had looked and contrasted it with how relaxed Lightning Strike appeared to be. No, he doesn’t get to smile like everything is ok.

“I’ll catch up with you in a minute Twilight. I’m just going to use the bathroom,” Rainbow Dash said. Twilight regarded her friend with curiosity, but a stern glance from Rainbow Dash told her to just go along with it. She wasn’t crazy about leaving her friend alone in a bar surrounded by hostile stallions, but she also knew enough to not doubt Rainbow Dash when she got that look in her eyes. “Okay. I’ll be right outside,” she said loud enough to ensure that everypony heard her.

Rainbow Dash walked up to Lightning Strike and stood muzzle to muzzle with the large stallion. “My friends are kind and gentle ponies. I’m not. Go near Scootaloo again and I will put your sorry flank in the ground,” she said without any emotion in her voice, but with the white hot storm of hatred burning in her eyes.

“Buck you. I ain’t scared of you, little bitch,” Lightning said without any trace of deference in his voice, now that the princess was no longer within earshot.

Rainbow ignored the stallion’s profanity and continued her emotionless decree. “The next time I see that little filly crying because you hurt her will be the last day you spend on this earth. I will slit your throat, dump you in a shallow grave and I’ll sleep well that night. Do you understand me? You think you’re special because you’re a captain? I’ve stared down changelings, dragons, and gods. I want you to remember that the next time you even look at Scootaloo.”

Lightning Strike wasn’t sure what to make of this pegasus staring at him with such vitriol. He didn’t quite believe her, but he had no doubt that she believed herself, and that was dangerous enough. Instead of responding he merely met her gaze with his own. The two locked eyes for a second, each one fully aware of the hatred the other pony felt. After a moment, Rainbow huffed and walked out of the bar where she found Twilight waiting for her.

“What do we do now?” the cyan pegasus asked.

“You go get Scootaloo, and I write FPS first thing in the morning. That’s all we can do for now.”

“Okay. Thanks, Twilight. You’re a good friend. Also, you were totally awesome back there; remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“Nopony messes with my friends,” Twilight said, as she affectionately nuzzled the pegasus next to her.

Since there was nothing else to be done for now, the two friends promised to meet up tomorrow and Rainbow raced back to Fluttershy’s cottage. When she got there, she found Scootaloo curled up in Fluttershy’s lap, sleeping peacefully as the larger pegasus gently stroked her mane. Tiny neighs of contentment slipped out past the filly’s lips, and for a moment Rainbow Dash forgot about the pain of earlier in the day. Fluttershy gently waved to her friend as she entered, neither of them wanting to wake the sleeping filly. Rainbow Dash sat across from her friend, a weary look set upon her face as she let the day's troubles finally catch up to her.

Fluttershy broke the silence first with a soft whisper. “Rainbow Dash, I love you, and you know that I would do anything for you, but I have never seen anypony as frightened as Scootaloo was when you brought her here. So, as your friend, I’m asking you to please tell me what is going on.”

“She’s being abused Fluttershy. I took her here because I needed to drop her off someplace safe, and I couldn’t think of a safer place for a scared filly than with you. Then, I went to Twilight because it turns out the creep who’s doing this is a captain in the guard, and I don’t know what I’m doing here, ‘Shy. I’m flying blind,” Rainbow said on the verge of breaking into tears herself.

“Oh, the poor little thing. I wish I could help, but I don’t know what else you can do. I do know one thing though; I know you won’t let anything bad happen to her.”

“How can you possibly know that 'Shy?”

“She loves you Dash, and I know you. You love her too. You’re just too scared to admit it.”

Author's Notes:

After reading a couple of excellent Rainbow Dash as guardian stories (particularly Sororal Instincts and I'll Always Be Here for You) I decided I wanted to try my own hand at a Scootadopt story. So here is chapter 1. All authors love feedback so if you loved it or hated it or just thought it was ok leave a comment about what I could do better.

Something I really don't want to ask you

Rainbow Dash was stunned by Fluttershy’s statement. I don’t love Scootaloo. Sure, I think she’s awesome, and obviously I want to protect her, but I’d feel the same way about any filly that was being abused.

“Love can be scary Rainbow, but it’s a good kind of scary. Everypony needs somepony special in their lives.”

“I don’t need the hearts and hooves speech ‘Shy.”

Fluttershy giggled. “I don’t mean it like that Rainbow. Love teaches us about ourselves. I think this could be a good thing for you.”

“Whatever. Look, it’s late and I don’t want to wake her. Would it be ok if she crashed here for the night?”

“Of course it is. I’ll go get some spare blankets, but you’re not going home are you?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, she’s sleeping, and I know she’ll be safe here. I figured I’d come get her in the morning.” As Rainbow said those words it occurred to her that she really didn’t have a plan for what to do after she confronted Lightning Strike. If this were an errant storm cloud the solution would have been straightforward; kick cloud, cloud goes away, Rainbow goes on about her day. Problems like that were simple; she was just now getting the sense that this wasn’t one of those types of problems.

“Rainbow, that little filly spent the entire night glancing at the door waiting for you to come back. You should be here when she wakes up.” Rainbow Dash was taken aback by the insistence with which Fluttershy admonished her.

“Ok ‘Shy, you’re right. Hey, you don’t have a spare cloud lying around that I could sleep on, do you?”

“Sorry Rainbow, but the last time I brought a cloud into the house, the whole place smelled like mold for weeks. I’ll go get the blankets. They’re upstairs.” Fluttershy gently lifted the sleeping filly from her lap and set her down on the couch. Scootaloo twitched as her carefully constructed cocoon was disturbed, but she quickly re-established the couch as her new haven, snuggling into the cushion until she was just a tuft of purple mane protruding from a soft crater.

What kind of pegasus doesn’t sleep on a cloud? It’s like the best thing about being a pegasus, ‘cept maybe for flying. Ultimately, Rainbow was too tired to care that much. After the day she’d had, she would have slept on a pile of rocks and been thankful for the chance to do so. Fluttershy came down the stairs and gently draped a blanket over the sleeping filly. For her efforts she was rewarded with a soft mew.

“For what it’s worth, I can’t think of a better pegasus for her to love,” Fluttershy said, as the two ponies marveled at the sleeping filly.

“Wow..umm..I don’t know what to say, ‘Shy,” Rainbow stammered.

“You don’t have to say anything; I know a little something about what it’s like when Rainbow Dash decides to protect you.”

Rainbow blushed at the praise. “Umm you know I love you, right ‘Shy?‘”

“I know.” Fluttershy gave her friend a hug, squeezing gently. “You should get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

Rainbow nodded as she broke away from her friend. Fluttershy scooped up Angel and carried him upstairs, leaving Rainbow alone with a sleeping Scootaloo. Rainbow lightly brushed the purple mane out of Scootaloo’s eyes, and laid down on the floor next to the couch. The last thought she had before she fell asleep was I hope I don’t let her down.

Rainbow woke up to a curious twitch pressing against her barrel. Celestia had just raised the sun and there was a serene quality about the atmosphere. The animals that spent the day at Fluttershy’s had not yet begun to arrive and Fluttershy herself was still asleep upstairs. As she slowly opened her eyes she noticed that at some point in the evening Scootaloo had moved from her spot on the couch and taken up residence on the floor tucked under Rainbow’s right wing. Despite how terrified the filly looked yesterday, she presently looked as though she didn’t have a care in the world, nestled safely under the cyan wing. The tiny filly’s eyes began to flutter and as she opened them a smile grew on her adorable face. “Rainbow Dash. You came back,” the filly said grinning but still somewhat groggy.

“Hey there squirt. I told ya I’d be back, didn’t I?” Rainbow said in the same half awake state.

Scootaloo nodded happily and snuggled closer to her honorary big sister. The two pegasi cuddled for the next hour as they dozed in and out of consciousness. The day’s momentum eventually got the better of them, and they were forced to acknowledge the cruel truth that perhaps it was time to wake up. Rainbow Dash gently extricated herself from the tiny filly, and began to take inventory. She was a little stiff from not sleeping on a cloud. As she flexed her wings she felt some residual soreness, but nothing that she couldn’t work out with a few wing ups and a lap around the field. Far more troubling was what she was going to do about the filly sitting on the couch. I made her a promise. But unlike a promise to not crash into the library any more, she had no idea how she would possibly keep this one.

As she was considering what exactly her next move was, Fluttershy came floating down the stairs, her ever present pet bunny in her arms. “Morning girls, did you sleep ok?”

Scootaloo nodded happily. Rainbow Dash made an exaggerated show of her discomfort, “I’m telling you ‘Shy, cloud beds.”

“Well, maybe I can make it up to you with breakfast.”

“You’re in for a treat, kid. ‘Shy makes the best hash this side of Cloudsdale.”

“I love hash, my dad taught me how to make it before he…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. Why don’t you get started, and I’ll come join you in a minute.”

The distress that flashed across Scootaloo’s face disappeared as quickly as it arrived and the tiny filly hurried to toward Fluttershy’s well stocked kitchen, her wings buzzing furiously.

“How do you do that ‘Shy? You always know just how to make anypony feel better.”

Fluttershy shrugged, “It’s a gift.” If any other pony had said that Rainbow would have accused them of bragging, but coming from Fluttershy it was just stating a fact. “Have you thought anymore about what you are going to do?”

“Yeah, I didn’t come up with anything. I need to talk to Twilight. Do you think you can watch Scootaloo for another few hours?”

“She’s a wonderful filly. I’d be happy to.”

“Great, and ‘Shy? Please keep her safe, ok?”

“Wild dragons couldn’t drag her away.” A look of fear flickered across Fluttershy’s face as she pictured actual dragons knocking on her front door. “Dragons aren’t going to come looking for her, are they?” Rainbow shook her head as Fluttershy let out a relieved sigh. “Good. But you are staying for breakfast first.”

“ ‘Shy-”

Fluttershy’s voice took on a motherly tone, “Rainbow, you are no good to anyone if you run yourself ragged. Now you are going to sit right here while Scootaloo and I make breakfast and then you are going to eat it. Twilight will still be there afterwards.”

Rainbow Dash knew it was pointless to try and argue with Fluttershy when she went into caregiving mode, and truthfully she really did love Fluttershy’s hash. The primrose pegasus used to make it for her all the time when they were in flight school, but despite numerous attempts, Rainbow Dash couldn’t seem to replicate the recipe in her own home.

As Fluttershy guided Scootaloo around her kitchen, the gravity of her situation began to sink in. Rainbow couldn’t help but think that anypony else would be better suited to be Scootaloo’s protector. Fluttershy clearly knew how to keep the little filly from crying. Twilight was a princess, so she could simply declare things, and they would happen. Rarity may not have had any formal power, but she knew a lot of well connected ponies. Rainbow had no doubt that, if she wanted something, Rarity would figure out a way to get it. Applejack had neither power nor connections, but she had an earnest stubbornness, and refused to accept defeat. Pinkie Pie...well Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie. Nopony wanted to see what she was capable of when she was angry. Rainbow had gotten a quick glimpse of what had happened when Pinkie thought her friends had abandoned her, and that glimpse alone had convinced her that Pinkie was not a pony to be trifled with. But what can I do? Sure she was a great flyer but that didn’t seem like it would be useful in this situation. She would have kept on brooding but a cheerful voice from the kitchen told her that breakfast was ready.

The three ponies ate breakfast while Scootaloo kept asking Fluttershy about all the animals that came to her place. Rainbow was grateful for the diversion because it meant that she didn’t have to tell the filly that she had no idea what she was going to do now. True to her caring nature Fluttershy could tell what was bothering her cyan friend and offered her a respite.

“Hey Scootaloo, I have a lot of animals coming over today and I could really use some help. Do you think you could stay for a few hours?”

“Sure. Is that ok Rainbow?”

“Absolutely squirt.” She looked at Fluttershy with a look of sincere gratitude and the yellow pegasus smiled in return. “I need to go run some errands. Y’know, boring type stuff. I’ll see you when I get back.” She felt bad about lying to Scootaloo, but part of protecting somepony meant that sometimes you had to shield them from the truth.

Rainbow Dash flew over to the library that doubled as Twilight’s residence hoping that her friend had a better idea about what to do then she did. If anypony knows what to do, it will be Twilight. Reading all those books has to count for something.

When Rainbow Dash flew in through the library window Twilight was holding a piece of parchment with a worried look on her face. Wordlessly, she handed it to Rainbow. The parchment read:

My faithful student,

Captain Strike has just informed me that you have ordered that his foal be removed from his home. He further claims that you publicly and falsely accused him of foal abuse. These are very serious allegations and I hope you would know better than levy such charges without evidence. Captain Strike has been a loyal guardstallion for many years and I trust him as much as I trust anypony. You will return Scootaloo to Captain Strike’s care immediately. Your heart was in the right place, however your actions were unbecoming of a princess. Foal Protective Services will conduct an investigation into Scootaloo’s living situation but until they find cause to remove her from her mother’s care she will remain at home as it should be.

Princess Celestia.

Rainbow started to shake as she read the letter again, hoping to find something she missed. “No Twilight, no. I won’t let them take her. I WON’T LET THEM!” At the thought of Scootaloo going back to live with Lightning Strike she began to grow hysterical.

“Rainbow calm down.”

“You didn’t see her Twilight. You didn’t see how scared she looked.”

“I believe you Rainbow, but I have to be able to tell Celestia something other than ‘Scootaloo said so.’ Did you see him hit her? Were there any bruises on her?”

“No Twilight, he’s a very careful monster. That’s why I ha-why we have to protect her.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s with Fluttershy.”

“Ok, go get Scootaloo and take her to your house. Wait for me there.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Something incredibly stupid, but it will only work if Scootaloo is at your house.”

“Twilight?”

“I need you to trust me, Rainbow”

Rainbow Dash wasn’t sure she had ever flown as fast as she did between the Golden Oaks Library and Fluttershy’s cottage on the edge of town. When she got there she was relieved to see Fluttershy performing her usual administrations to her animals while a happy looking Scootaloo darted around her asking questions and trying to help.

“Rainbow! You’re back early,” the excited filly exclaimed.

“Uh, yeah. I decided I’d rather spend the day with my favorite filly then do some boring old errands.”

“Cool. Me and Fluttershy were just going to feed the chickens. Wanna come?”

“I have a better idea. How ‘bout you come home with me and we play battleclouds.” As she spoke to the orange filly, she shot Fluttershy a look that could only mean “I need to get Scootaloo out of here immediately”.

Scootaloo jumped up and down, her tiny wings buzzing with excitement. Suddenly she stopped. “Umm, do you still need my help Fluttershy?”

“Oh, I think I can manage from here. Thank you. You were a big help, Scootaloo.”

The tiny filly wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy. “Thanks for letting me sleep here, and for breakfast.”

Fluttershy smiled one of her impossibly warm smiles at the tiny filly hugging her leg. “It was my pleasure, Scootaloo. You should go with Rainbow Dash now. Oh and she always plays one of her clouds on D1.”

“Great. Thanks ‘Shy,” Rainbow said with mock sarcasm in her voice, but sincere gratitude in her eyes. Fluttershy knowingly smiled back. Rainbow leaned down and Scootaloo climbed onto her back again, using the prismatic mane as half pillow half safety harness. Because Rainbow’s house was on a cloud, it had a tendency to drift around. Today it was hovering near Rainbow’s favorite practice field; as an added bonus the ponyville barracks, and by extension Lightning Strike, were clear on the other side of town.

Unsure of exactly when Twilight would be meeting them, the two ponies settled in for a few games of battle clouds. Despite Fluttershy spoiling her not so secret strategy, Rainbow continued to use D1 as her base of operations. Halfway through the duo’s third game there was a furious knocking on the door.

“Rainbow, it’s me. Let me in.”

As Rainbow opened the door, Twilight rushed in and frantically pushed a piece of paper and quill at her. Scootaloo sat on the floor, apparently confused by Twilights sudden appearance.

“Sign this now! Scootaloo, go upstairs and don’t come out until I say so.”

“Twi what-”

“Just sign it!”

The urgency in Twilight's voice convinced Scootaloo that now was not the time to ask questions. The filly ran upstairs as fast as her tiny wings could carry her, and the two ponies downstairs heard a door slam. Rainbow Dash quickly scribbled a signature at the bottom of the page. No sooner had she handed the page back to Twilight when four pegasus stallions led by Lightning Strike kicked open Rainbow’s door. Lighting Strike was in full guard uniform and wearing a necklace that Rainbow could only assume allowed him to walk on clouds. The guards were in full tactical gear and carrying a set of very threatening looking spears.

“Rainbow Dash, you are under arrest for foalnapping. You will hand over the filly and come with us,” one of the guards said, as Lightning Strike looked on with a wicked grin.

“Wait, what? Foalnapping?!”

Twilight calmly placed a hoof on Rainbows shoulder, “I’m sorry captain, but you don’t have any jurisdiction here.”

“I am a duly appointed officer of Celestia’s guard. My jurisdiction is all of Equestria.”

“We’re not in Equestria. As of ten seconds ago, this cloud and anything on it has been declared the sovereign territory of Dashville. And this,” Twilight held up the parchment now bearing Rainbow’s signature, “is a signed non aggression pact between Equestria and Dashville.” She handed it over to Lightning Strike for inspection. “You will notice that it has been signed by representatives from both Equestria,” she pointed to herself, “and the sovereign republic of Dashville. So, unless you are authorized to start a war on Celestia’s behalf, you will order your guards to stand down at once,” Twilight finished her explanation with a smile.

Lightning Strike fumed with anger, growling loudly. The parchment was indeed a certified document from the Equestrian government declaring the cloud and any property on it under the jurisdiction of the newly formed kingdom of Dashville. Furthermore, the non aggression pact signed by both a princess of Equestria and the monarch of Dashville prohibited any Equestrian soldiers from using any force while in the territory, or against any citizens or guests of the new republic. Any violation of this treaty would result in an immediate court marshal for the offending officers. To add insult to injury, as the aggrieved party, the sentence would be decided by the Dashville government. Despite the fact that everypony knew this was a spectacle, the fact was that the treaty was legally binding. “This is a mockery of justice!” the aggravated captain spat out.

“Captain, I believe that you and your colts are invading my country. So as empress of Dashville I kindly request that you get your sorry flanks off of my cloud,” Rainbow said with a triumphant smirk.

“You heard the empress. Sorry colts, there’s nothing you can do here,” Twilight said with an equally satisfied grin.

“This isn’t over! You can’t hide behind the princess forever!” Lightning said shaking with rage.

Rainbow Dash just scowled at Lightning Strike, “Get out.”

Realizing he had been beat again, Lighting Strike stormed out of the house, his colts following him.

“Twilight! That was brilliant!” Rainbow said as she enveloped Twilight in a hug after the door had closed.

Twilight let out a deep breath as she gently pushed Rainbow off of her, “Rainbow, that was a stunt. It bought us maybe one day before Celestia declares the whole thing null and void.”

Rainbow’s face fell as she realized Twilight hadn’t miraculously solved all her problems. “She’s going to be mad at you, isn’t she Twi’?”

Twilight shrugged, “If she didn’t want me using royal authority, she shouldn’t have made me a princess. Let me worry about that. ”

“Look Twi’, I’m sorry I got you involved in all this. I didn’t know who else to go to.”

Twilight shook her head “You have nothing to be sorry about. You’d do the same for me.”

“You know I would. But Dashville, Twi’? Really? You gave me a kingdom and you couldn’t call it something cool?”

“Oh gee, I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. The next time I stretch the limit of my royal authority to declare your house a sovereign territory, I’ll make sure I name it something cooler.”

“Eh, I guess I can forgive you just this once.” The two ponies burst out laughing as the absurdity of their situation hit them. “Hey Twilight, wanna swing by Rarity-opolis later?" Rainbow said in between bouts of laughter.

Twilight tried and failed to contain a second round of giggling. “Sure. Maybe a delegation from Pinkie-town can send us some cupcakes for our summit.”

Twilights laughter caused Rainbow to laugh even harder, “and of course we’ll need a representative from Apple…loosa to join us.

“There already is an Appleloosa.”

“New Appleloosa then.”

“New Appleloosa it is.”

After another minute of riotous laughter the two ponies began to calm down. “Hey how’d you know Lightning Strike was going to try an arrest me?”

“I didn’t, but I figured that if you weren't a citizen of Equestria then Celestia couldn’t actually order you to hand Scootaloo over to that creep. And if whatever country you were a citizen of happened to have a non-aggression pact then Lighting couldn’t take her either. I’m just lucky I saw them heading over here and got here first.”

“Let it never be said all your reading and stuff didn’t come in handy.”

“Does this mean you’ll stop calling me an egghead?”

“Sorry Twi’ no can do. You’re just too adorkable.” Both ponies giggled at Rainbows well-known characterization of Twilight. “Seriously Twi, what are we going to do?”

“I’ve been thinking about that. FPS won’t remove a filly from her home without evidence, and we can’t arrest Lightning Strike without any evidence either, so we have to prove that he’s been abusing Scootaloo”

“How do we do that?”

“We need Scootaloo.”

“No, Twi, ….just no. I’m not putting her through that.”

“Rainbow I don’t like it either, but if we can’t prove that she’s being abused FPS will take her back to live with Lightning Strike.”

“It’s not fair Twilight. She shouldn’t have had to go through it in the first place and now you want to make her remember it.”

“You're right it’s not fair, but I’m out of ideas here. We need Scootaloo’s help to prove that she’s being abused.”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “Let me talk to her first.”

Rainbow Dash slowly walked up the stairs of her house to her bedroom. It was the only door that was closed so she assumed that it was a safe bet that’s where Scootaloo had hidden herself. She slowly opened the door, “I heard his voice. Is he gone?” came a shrill voice from under the bed.

“Yeah kid, he’s gone. You can come out now.”

Scootaloo ran out from under the bed and leapt up into Rainbows forelegs, the force of her jump pushing Rainbow back a step. Rainbow cradled the tiny filly as she gave her a few moments to enjoy her relative safety.

“Hey, listen Scoots, Twilight and I are trying really hard to make sure that Lightning Strike never hurts you again …but we need your help.”

Scootaloo began to tense up, “What can I do?”

“I gotta ask you something I really don’t want to have to ask you. I need you to show me and Twilight exactly where he hit you.”

Scootaloo swallowed a lump in her throat. “I don’t want to. Please don’t make me.”

For the second time in as many days, Rainbow could feel her heart break at a plea from the small filly in her forelegs. And, for the second time in as many days, she was to forced deny that plea despite every instinct she had screaming for her to say yes. Rainbow hugged the filly tightly against her chest, trying to choke back her own tears.

“Believe me, if there was any other way…” Rainbow whispered into the filly’s ear.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash. “Why are you crying?”

“Because this isn’t right Scoots. You shouldn’t have to do this.”

“You’d do it; you’d be brave. I can be brave too,” Scootaloo said quietly.

Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Rainbows neck and the cyan pegasus carried her down the stairs where Twilight was waiting. When the duo reached the bottom of the stairs Rainbow Dash gently set the filly down in front of Twilight.

“Did Rainbow explain what we’re going to do?” Twilight asked gently.

Scootaloo nodded. “She said you need to know where Lightning hit me.”

Twilight nodded in return. “When you get hurt, your body heals itself. That healing is a type of magic. All magic leaves a residue, so if the injuries are…severe enough… I should be able to see the residue with a magic detection spell.”

“So you can tell every injury I’ve ever had?”

Twilight shook her head, “No, the residue fades after a while. The more severe and recent the injury the easier it is to detect. Here, I’ll show you. Remember when Rainbow broke her wing?” Twilight’s horn flared up and the bone connecting Rainbows wing to her barrel began to glow. Rainbow winced as the memory of how it felt when she crashed into the ground surged to the forefront of her consciousness. Twilight continued with her demonstration, “That was a pretty big injury, and Rainbow’s body had to work very hard to heal itself. That’s why her wing lit up. When I was a foal I skinned my knee.” Twilight’s horn began to glow again but her knee remained its usual lavender shade. “That injury was pretty minor. It hurt, but it didn’t do any real damage, and it was a long time ago. That’s why nothing happened. Any magical residue from that injury is long gone.” There was a faint note of pride in Twilight's voice. Not that she was glad to be doing this, but explaining magical theory was her favorite pastime. Even under terrible circumstances, she couldn’t help but enjoy the chance to share some of her knowledge a little bit.

Scootaloo, however, had noticed Rainbow’s wince, and began to grow scared. “Is this going to hurt?”

“It may sting a little bit,” Twilight said as gently as possible.

“I’ll be right here. Ok squirt?” Rainbow said as she gently squeezed Scootaloo’s hoof.

“Rainbow, you need to give her some space. Your body could mess with my spell. Whenever you’re ready Scootaloo,” Twilight said, mentally reading the spell she would need.

Rainbow retreated to a spot behind Twilight as Scootaloo bit her lip and nodded. “Sometimes he uses a piece of hose to hit my back.” The filly sat on her haunches and turned around. Twilight's horn began to glow and a faint pattern of ugly looking crosses began to appear on Scootaloo’s back as the filly let out a small whimper, but the pattern faded away as quickly as it had appeared.

“It’s not enough,” Twilight said, clearly distraught by the implications of the marks that ran up and down the filly.

“How can that not be enough?!” Rainbow screamed, the panic in her voice growing.

Twilight tried to keep her voice from breaking. She didn’t like what was going on anymore then Rainbow Dash did, but it needed to be done, and Rainbow’s being mad at her wasn’t going to change that fact. “Because it’s not! Hoses don’t do enough deep tissue damage to leave a residue. I need a more severe injury to prove anything.”

Scootaloo turned around raised her right foreleg.” Sometime he hits me here”, she said pointing to the space connecting her leg to the rest of her body.

Twilight winced preemptively and drew in a sharp breath. There were several nerve clusters in that area, and because it was hidden, any bruises that did form would be almost impossible for another pony to see if they weren’t looking for them. If you wanted to cause a lot of pain without anypony knowing, that was as good a place as any to aim for. Her horn began to glow again, and Scootaloo howled a pain filled sob, but her fur remained un-illuminated.

“Let me see the other side,” Twilight said as she gritted her teeth.

Scootaloo trembled as she raised her left leg. Twilight’s horn again flared up. The filly let out a sharp wail. This time a faint line began to glow just under the recess between her leg and her body.

“Cracked rib,” Twilight whispered.

Scootaloo sat there whimpering loudly as Rainbow ran over and wrapped the filly in a warm embrace. “It’s ok kid…it’s ok. I’m so proud of you,” she whispered into Scootaloo’s ear as she ran her hoof through the soft purple mane. “We’re done here,” she said as she turned to Twilight and fixed her friend with a look that left no doubt about what she would do if Twilight proceeded with her examination.

Twilight nodded. “It’s a start. I’m going to write to FPS. You should stay here with Scootaloo. As long as you stay on the cloud, Lightning can’t do anything.”

Rainbow nodded, giving the tiny filly in her forelegs a quick squeeze. “Why don’t you go get washed up, and when you get back I’ll make us a pair of my world famous ice cream sundaes.”

Scootaloo smiled through her tears and hurried off to the bathroom to wash her face. As soon as she was out of earshot Rainbow turned to Twilight. “I’m going to kill him.” she said with absolute certainty in her voice.

Author's Notes:

And that's chapter 2. First off a big thank you to everyone who liked, commented and/or favorited chapter 1. By far the most common feedback seems to be, wow Lightning Strike is a jerk, I hate that guy, which is good your supposed to hate him. If I got any comments along the lines of "Gee what's RD's problem, that LS guy seems pretty cool" I'd be worried. If you're wondering about my process I write a chapter and then I send it over to Silver Blade and eggynack so that you guys can read what I've written. So if you really enjoyed this go give them a thumbs up or something. As usual here's my friendly reminder that all authors love feedback. So if you feel like it please leave some. (Unless you just want to call me names, there's enough of that on the internet) Oh and because I'm curious can anyone guess the origins of my username?

Why we tell stories about monsters

“You don’t mean that, Rainbow.”

“Yes I do! You saw what he did to her.”

“Rainbow-”

“I made her a promise, Twi’!”

“You can’t keep that promise if you’re in jail!”

“What am I supposed to do? Just sit here and do nothing?”

“We’re not doing nothing. We can write to FPS. I can request Celestia transfer Lightning to a different barrack. I can-”

“He’s not going to stop just because you move him! Do you think the distance matters to stallions like that?”

“Rainbow, Scootaloo needs you. You have to start thinking about her. You don’t get to act out of anger; not anymore.”

“I am thinking about her! I’m thinking that if that monster doesn’t exist then she and everypony else will be better off!”

“Will you listen to yourself?!”

The two ponies were too busy arguing to notice that the tiny filly had returned from the bathroom and was standing in the hallway watching the two friends argue.

“You guys are fighting because of me…. this is all my fault,” Scootaloo blurted out before Rainbow could respond. The room quickly fell silent as Scootaloo started to tear up.

“Hey, you c’mere.” Rainbow motioned for Scootaloo to sit next to her. The tiny filly slowly walked over. Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches and scooped Scootaloo up in her forelegs. “None of this is your fault, Scoots. Not one little bit.” she said in a very gentle but stern tone.

“But if-”

“No buts, Scoots. Now let me hear you say it.”

“None of this is my fault,” the tiny filly said without much conviction.

“That’s right, so I never want to hear you say that again. Ok?”

Scootaloo nodded slowly. Rainbow Dash pressed her nose against the tiny filly and nuzzled her affectionately, “‘Atta girl.” In response to the nuzzling, Scootaloo rested her head on Rainbow’s shoulder and returned the favor.

Twilight smiled at the moment of domestic bliss. For somepony who didn't let her softer side show very often, Rainbow could be downright sweet when she did. “Rainbow and I just want to keep you safe, Scootaloo. That’s the only thing that matters. Friends fight sometimes; it doesn’t mean they’re not friends.”

“Okay, Twilight,” The filly said, keeping her head pressed tightly against her cyan pillow.

“You two should stay here for the rest of the day. I’ve got some letters to write.”

“Thanks Twi’. Hey...I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Twilight smiled at her friend, “Already forgotten.”

Twilight flew home after glaring at the two guards Lightning Strike had posted underneath Rainbow’s cloud to catch them on the off-chance that they tried to leave the safety of Dashville. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo spent the rest of the day playing games, making a mess, and generally behaving as though all was right in the world, despite the obvious evidence to the contrary. Figuring she should enjoy her newfound power while it lasted, Dash officially knighted Scootaloo as Chief Scooter Rider of all of Dashville, a position the filly took quite seriously. Eventually the hour grew late and Rainbow noticed the little filly’s eyes start to droop.

“Okay, kid, it’s time for bed.”

“But I’m not even tired.”

“Tell ya what: if you go to sleep right now, I’ll let you have the cloud bed.” Rainbow had planned on giving the little filly the cloud bed anyway, but Scootaloo didn’t have to know that.

“Well... okay, I guess,” she said in a nonchalant tone that was completely betrayed by the excited buzzing of her tiny wings.

While Scootaloo brushed her teeth, preened her wings and ran through the rest of her pre-bedtime routine, Rainbow Dash set about preparing her room as a suitable place for the young filly to sleep. Normally, Rainbow’s idea of making the bed involved throwing the blankets to one side, fluffing her cloud pillow once and then jumping in while pulling the blankets over her, but somehow that didn't feel right tonight. Thinking back to when she was a filly and how her mom always insisted that she make the bed, Rainbow fluffed the cloud mattress and straightened out her comforter. She left one corner of her mattress exposed as an entry point and carefully fluffed her cloud pillow. She then took a step back and surveyed her work. Not up to Rarity’s standards, perhaps, but not bad.

To prove her point, Scootaloo came running into the bedroom and took a flying leap, landing on the forgiving cloud surface but completely negating Rainbow’s hard work in preparing the bed.

“Wow, these are comfortable.”

“Told ya, squirt. Nothing beats sleeping on a cloud.”

Rainbow repositioned the blanket so that Scootaloo was securely tucked in the center of the bed, her head just sticking out from underneath the comforter.

“Hey…Rainbow,” the tiny filly said softly.

“Yeah.”

“I’m glad you’re my big sister…things don’t seem so scary when you’re here.”

Rainbow found the tightness in her chest returning. “I’m glad I’m your big sister too,” she said softly. Rainbow leaned in and kissed the little filly on the forehead before gently ruffling her mane. “Get some sleep, kid.”

After putting Scootaloo to bed, Rainbow found herself on the edge of her cloud looking up at the night sky. Ever since she was a filly, she found peace in looking up at the sky, even before she could fly. It was so vast. Whenever Rainbow was upset, she liked to imagine that she could just take off and fly all the way to the edge, and on a clear night like tonight she could almost see past the Appleloosan mountain range. I could just take Scoots and run. It’d be easy for two ponies to get lost amongst all that blackness. As she pondered what it would be like to just disappear, she felt a very tangible presence land next to her.

“You appear troubled, child. Why so forlorn?”

Rainbow Dash turned to face the presence and saw a tall, regal blue pony standing over here.

“Princess Luna? What are you doing here?

“Every night, I take a leave from the castle to survey my realm, and on rare occasions I come across a pony taking comfort in the darkness. So tell me Rainbow Dash, why dost thou seek the solace of the night?”

Rainbow took a deep breath, “There’s this captain in the guard. His name is Lightning Strike. I know he’s hurting Scootaloo, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“I have met Captain Strike. His heart is indeed dark.”

“Then why can’t you tell Celestia that he needs to be locked up?”

“I cannot judge a stallion by the content of his heart alone. There are many who walk among us with dark hearts. If they struggle against their nature, who am I to deem them failures? My own heart was black not so long ago. Every night I battle against my dark side, and every night that I resist its calling, the shadow that it casts grows smaller. Perhaps one day it will cease to exist altogether.”

“You think Lighting Strike wants to be good?”

“Sadly, no. A heart that dark seeks no light; it seeks only to devour the suffering of others. But alas, I am prohibited from interfering in the affairs of Equestria’s citizens in the manner you have described.”

“If you can’t help me, what am I supposed to do?”

“Tell me, hast thou heard the story of 'Shepard and the Trolls of Tuchanka?”

“Yeah, everypony hears that story when they're just a foal. Evil trolls terrorize a village, a brave pony stands up to them, and the village throws a party.”

“But have you ever considered why we tell that story to our children?”

“Because it’s a good story? But that’s all it is. Trolls aren’t real.”

“We do not tell our children stories about monsters so that our children become aware of monsters, Rainbow Dash. They already know monsters exist. We tell our children stories about monsters so that they learn that monsters can be defeated.”

“But I’m not Shepard.”

“Shepard was just a pony who was forced to confront a great and terrible enemy she should never have had to face. It appears young Scootaloo has chosen you as her champion. Now you only need to believe in yourself as she does.”

“But what if she’s wrong? What if I let her down?”

“We must all risk failure if we are to triumph, but know that I believe that the young filly has chosen well.”

Rainbow Dash let the vote of confidence from one of Equestria’s most powerful mares sink in. “Thanks Luna-I mean Princess Luna.”

“Titles are not necessary, we are all royalty here.”

Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly. “You heard about that, huh?”

“The look on my sister’s face when she learned of our new neighbor was priceless. For that alone, I owe you and Twilight Sparkle a debt of gratitude. However, I must be off now, child. The night is young; there is still much to do.”

Feeling slightly better, or at least a little more tired, Rainbow Dash went back inside only to find a frightened looking Scootaloo sitting on the bottom-most rung of the stairs.

“What are you still doing up squirt? I thought I tucked you in already.”

Scootaloo stared at the floor. “I couldn’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see him.”

Rainbow walked over to Scootaloo and draped a wing around the tiny filly pulling her in close. “Do you remember what I promised you?” Scootaloo nodded meekly. “Well, I always keep my promises; you have nothing to be scared of. How about we go back upstairs and I tell you a bedtime story? Have you heard the story of ‘Shepard and the Trolls of Tuchanka’?"

“Yeah… but I’d like to hear it again.”

Rainbow Dash picked Scootaloo up, carried her up to the soft cloud bed and set the filly on her back. She tucked the filly in again and began to recite the story that so many ponies like her had memorized from repeated tellings. “Once upon a time, there was little pegasus pony named Shepard. She had orange fur and a purple mane….”

Author's Notes:

Hey guess what my favorite video game of all time is? I've revived a lot of great feedback that my pacing needs work. Pacing is one of my weakness as a writer, but i'll try to slow it down. To that effect i wanted a short chapter that doesn't really advance the story in a major way. So anyways hope you enjoyed Chp. 3