Morning came almost too quickly, at least as far as Rarity was concerned. For the first time in awhile she had woken up in a bed she had all to herself; No purple maned pegasus nestled between her hooves and her stomach, no miniature version of herself had her hooves wrapped around her chest. It confused her, almost worried her for a moment.

“Twilight...” Rarity whispered to her sleeping friend.

“Pssssst! Twilight!” A little louder this time, stirring the purple mare from sleep.

“What is it?” Twilight yawned. Not moving from her comfy position but her eyes were half-open.

“Where are the girls?”

Much to Twilight's surprise, Applebloom was nowhere to be found either. Twilight could have sworn she was right by her side when she went to sleep.

“They couldn't have gone too far Rarity.” Twilight smiled, still not moving. “They know better by now. Just go look around, I'm sure they're just playing somewhere.

Rarity was a bit peeved Twilight was making her look for the fillies alone but she opted to skirt the whining and get to it. She went through her morning ritual of cleaning, fumigating, and perfecting her mane, then made her way through the hallway and out onto the street.

It must have been the weekend as the constant trickle of ponies wasn't happening. Instead, it was empty. Nopony was to be seen on the road.

“Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Applebloom!” Rarity called for them as she made her way down the road. “Girls?!”

_______________________

“So, what cool things do you think we're going to do when we get to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked casually.

“I dunno.” Sweetie Belle answered, “I still don't get how we're going to defeat the Princess, I mean my magic is....not good and Rarity can't do much aside from house-work and fashion-related spells.”

“Maybe it'll be like the weddin'!” Applebloom exclaimed excitedly.

“What a bunch of weird black things will try to wipe out Canterlot? Wouldn't that kind of ruin the whole plan?” Sweetie Belle wondered.

“No dictionary, Twi said somethin' about Cloudsdale helpin' us out, there's got to be a lot of pegasususes in Cloudsdale! Maybe Rainbow Dash will be--”

Applebloom was a bit late to stop herself. Scootaloo never liked hearing that name following her incident.

“Sorry Scootaloo—ah meant....”

Applebloom trailed as the pegasus was quiet. Awkward silence came into play for a few minutes, until that is Sweetie couldn't take any more of it.

“What about Cadence and Shining Armor? They're there too!” Sweetie Belle worried, “Twilight said something about freeing Discord, and that doesn't sound like a great idea, you girls remember what happened last time.”

In fact they did: The streets of Ponyville were but sheets of ice, various homes floated upside down. The crusaders found it fun...that is of course until they fell onto the roads and couldn't go anywhere. They also remembered it was themselves that freed him through their fighting, though they never told anypony.

“You think Twilight's going to have us fight again?” Scootaloo wondered.

“Ah don't think so, we'd have to be really mad about somethin' for it to even work.” Applebloom replied.

“I just hope we get to do something.” Scootaloo said, “Twilight and Rarity aren't hogging the title od 'Awesome ponies who saved ponykind's flank'!”

“No way!” Applebloom agreed.

“What can we do though? We're just fillies.” Sweetie Belle said.

“Just fillies?” Scootaloo stood up. “Just fillies? Sweetie Belle what kind of attitude is that? We aren't just fillies, look at what we've accomplished!”

“Anythin' other than falling down and usually getting' tree sap all over us ah can't think of anything we've...accomplished.” Apple Bloom looked at her blank flank. “Poof is in the puddin' if you ask me.”

Scootaloo let her wings fall to the side as she sat down again. Her friend was right.  

Sweetie Belle's ears suddenly shot up indicating she had heard something.

“What is it Swe--” Scootaloo began only to be shushed by Sweetie.   The fillies darted their eyes around to see where that rustling some was coming from. Suddenly, a cyan and butter colored streak darted between the three causing them to scream in terror.

“W-what was that??” Sweetie Belle panicked.

Scootaloo however sat back down, deflated and had a look of irritation. She knew.

“Her.” Scootaloo panned.

“Who?” Apple Bloom asked.

“The worst pony in all of Equestria,” Scootaloo spat,  “That jerk with the ego bigger than Celestia's sun, that no-good scatter-brained--”

“WHO?!” Sweetie and Apple Bloom didn't want a lead.

“Me.” Rainbow Dash stood a good distance from the fillies. Fluttershy was beside her.

“What the hell do you want you freak?” Scootaloo hissed. Wings flared, ready to attack.

“I cam to apologize actually...” Rainbow didn't like that being her only reason, “And to find Rarity and Twilight.”

Scootaloo muttered something to herself and crossed her hooves as she looked daggerrs at Rainbow Dash.

“What ya say Scoots?” Apple Bloom asked. No answer.

“Look—All I need to know is where Rarity and Twi are, I'll be out of your mane and--” Rainbow began, only to be startled by two back hooves smashing into her face. She stumbled back a bit.

Scootaloo was now in a hostile position. Tail swooshing in anticipation.

“Scootaloo stop!” Sweetie Belle whined.

“No!” Scootaloo growled, “This piece of crap deserves it!”

“Look kid, I said I was sorry now knock it off.” Rainbow wasn't sure how to handle this.

“Shut the buck up!” Scootaloo yelled as she charged for the pegasus only to strike wind and fall to her face.

Rainbow Dash landed on the other side of the fillies now as Scootaloo got up and made a mad sprint bearing her teeth like some rabid attack dog.

Sweetie Belle wasn't having this. She stood in the way hoping Scootaloo would stop.

“Scootaloo! Sto--” Sweetie Belle was brought to the ground with a thud as an orange pegasus lorded over her.

“Stay out of my way Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo growled as she turned her attention back to her target who now simply hovered in the air.

“Scootaloo please! Stop!” Sweetie Belle was on the verge of tears. “Remember what happened with me? With Spike? This isn't the answer Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo stopped and turned to Sweetie with the same look of disgust. “Not the answer? Why dont you tell that to Mrs. Bucking perfect up there? You think she listened to me? No! She beat me, belittled me and destroyed every dream that I had!”

Sweetie's ears flattened as she heard this. Tears were escaping Scootaloo's eyes as well though she didn't show emotion anyplace else.

“Scootaloo...I--” Rainbow Dash started. Seeing now interruption in sight, she contunyed softly. “I'm sorry. There's no excuse for what I did and what I said....I was just—I just wasn't thinking straight. I was angry and—I'm so, so sorry.”

Scootaloo turned to look up at her former idol. Face unchanged. She then looked back to Sweetie Belle who was now looking down at her hooves.

“Just leave me alone.” Scootaloo whispered. “Please, just leave me alo--” She couldn't finish that sentence as she broke down crying. Sweetie Belle didn't move however, she remembered what Rarity had told her and she was sticking to it.

Rainbow Dash at that moment mad a balsy decision at best, she swopped down and pulled the filly into a hug. Surprisingly to everypony there, she didn't resist. Instead she surrendered to the embrace and put her hooves around the cyan pegasus.

It took some time for Scootaloo to compose herself but she did and looked up at who was holding her. She apparently hadn't had a clue. Though again she simply buried her head further into Rainbow Dash's protective fur.  

“I'm sorry.” She mumbled.

“No.” Rainbow Dash replied softly, stroking the fillies mane, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hurt you—I would have never killed you but—I just should've ignored you.  I was selfish and ungreatful. All te times I've been at my worst you were always there for me—because I was all you had. I abused that respect, that loyalty....it was as if you were my—sister.”

Scootaloo raised her head from its buried position, tears freely flowing down her cheeks.

“Sister?”  Scootaloo whimpered.

Rainbow Dash simply nodded. Hugging the filly a little tighter. “I fuc—bucked up, I did a terrible thing—but I'm glad you're okay. I couldn't stand to be without you.”  She recoiled a bit from how that sounded but she figured the filly in question wouldn't think of it the way she did.

“I won't ask you to forgive me but, will you at least give me a second try? We're going to need to be at peace with each-other if we expect to do this job right.....also, you've grown on me quite a but over these last few months.” The cyan pegasus let out a weak, trembling smile.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash, unsure of what to say. Two arguments played in her head, one for ditching this sappy loser and ending it then and there, or, taking the Element Of Loyalty at her word and taking another chance at friendship. There would be some work, it would take time, but it was possible.

Scootaloo then craned her head to look at Sweetie Belle,  who essentially served as her ponified conscience. Sweetie did nothing but stare back. This was Scootaloo's decision to make on her own. The orange pegasus rested back into cyan fur to think for a moment, she then looked back at Rainbow Dash, this time with a smile.  

“Yeah.” She grinned. “Just don't screw up this time.”

Rainbow Dash put the filly down and glided back to where Fluttershy sat. Incapable of saing a thng without letting out some emotional barrage.

“Thank you Scootaloo.” Fluttershy said on her friend's behalf. They then wandered into town.

The three fillies sat there looking at the dirt. Scootaloo included.  Sweetie Belle trotted up to her friend and hugged her. Apple Bloom came around and did the same.

Things were finally beginning to look up. Next Chapter: Days Go By Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 58 Minutes