Scootaloo was on her way to the library to see if any new comic books had come out. Having recently been taken under Dash’s wing, she had learned to fly. However she was still a weak flyer. She flew up to the balcony of the library and walked inside.
Before she could go downstairs to find Twilight and Spike, she heard a hushed conversation. She crept to the edge of the stairs to listen.
“No, Spike, we can’t go visit Rarity as a filly. It could mess up the timeline,” Twilight said.
“What’s the point of building a time machine if we can’t go explore the past?” he replied.
“Observing is one thing, but it has to be done carefully! Besides, I mostly built it just to see if I could. Didn’t you learn your lesson after the accident where I visited myself from a week in the future?”
“Please,” Spike whined. “I just want to see what she looked like, then we can go!”
“It doesn’t work like that. The machine’s effects last for 24 hours, you can’t just leave.”
“Aww. . . I’m gonna go read some comics then.”
Scootaloo watched Spike head towards the kids section of the library. Twilight then locked her basement door and hung the key on a nearby nail on the wall. It was high off the ground to prevent fillies from reaching it. Luckily for Scootaloo, she would be able to fly up and get it.
Her mind had been made up without having to even think twice about it. Scootaloo was going to go back in time and meet her hero, Rainbow Dash, as a filly. So once Twilight had left the room, she flew over and grabbed the key, opened the door, locked it behind her, and headed down into the basement.
It didn’t take her long to find the time machine. She then began to fiddle with the controls. The first dial seemed to select the pony, so she twisted it to Rainbow Dash. The next was how far back, and she decided ten years ought to do it.
After working her way down the convienently labeled, filly friendly control panel, she saw a giant red button that said ‘Do not press!’ Clearly, that was the activation button.
Scootaloo smiled and hit it with her hoof. The lights in the room instantly flickered out, and she heard the crackling sound of electricity arcing between two metal rods. Her smile vanished as the smell of burnt ozone reached her nose, and the lights began to flicker on and off. All of Scootaloo’s hair was standing on end from the static charge in the air.
Panicking, she backed away from the machine. Everything in the room made of metal had begun to vibrate and levitate off the ground. Scootaloo saw several metal studs in the ground beginning to arc electric current, surrounding her. Before she could scream, there was a blinding flash as the machine discharged.
Scootaloo timidly opened an eye, expecting to see bits and pieces of herself strewn about the basement. Instead, she saw Cloudsdale. Slowly, she got to her hooves and looked around. This was the track of a flight camp, and there were young fillies and colts everywhere learning to fly. Scootaloo buzzed her wings and hovered in the air.
The machine must have worked, so she flew around looking for her hero. She passed over an obstacle course, full of soft clouds to dodge. Then Scootaloo flew over a racetrack where the fillies could challenge each other. At last she saw that unique rainbow mane she had come to idolize.
She flew down and landed on her cloud. “Hi, Dash!” Scootaloo said.
“Ah!” Dash squealed. She turned to face her, eyes wide from being startled. Dash had been drinking from a small juicebox when Scootaloo had landed. “Here, take it! Please don’t hurt me,” she said.
“What? I didn’t come to steal your juice,” she answered.
“Oh, then why did you come? I don’t want any trouble,” Dash replied.
Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. “Why would anyone give you trouble? you’re the best flyer in Equestria.”
Dash frowned and turned her head, beginning to cry. “Now you’re just making fun of me like everypony else. All the Pegasi know what an awful flyer I am!”
Her mind raced as she watched her childhood hero wallow in self-pity. It was so unlike the Rainbow Dash she had grown up idolizing, she didn’t really know what to do, so Scootaloo did the only thing that came to mind. She began to treat Dash like Dash had always treated her.
Scootaloo sat down and put a wing around Dash. “I’m sorry, Squirt. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.”
“D-do you r-really mean it?” Dash asked, her voice quivvering. “You didn’t c-come to call me R-Rainbow Crash or f-fillyfooler?”
“Of course not!” Scootaloo bit her lip to figure out why she had come. At first, it would have been a chance to bask in the glory of her hero, and watch her kick flank. Now however, it would seem her hero needed somepony to believe in her when nopony else did. “I came because I’ve seen you fly, and I know how much potential you have.”
“Thanks,” Dash said. She drank the rest of her juice, causing a slurping sound as it ran out. “Dad says the same thing about me. He said I have to come to flight camp to learn confidence, but all the fillies and colts here hate me.”
“That’s not true, I don’t hate you, and neither does Fluttershy.” Scootaloo remembered the stories of how close those two had grown, and figured Dash must have at least that one friend. She took her wing off Dash and moved to sit in front of her.
“Who is Fluttershy?” Dash asked.
“What?” Scootaloo eyes went wide. “You don’t know her? Yellow pegasus with a pink mane?”
“Oh, I think I saw her, but she doesn’t talk to other ponies.”
Scootaloo hit her forehead with her hoof and groaned, wondering what she had gotten into.
“So,” Dash said. “What year are you?”
“Huh?” she replied.
“You look a couple years older than me. I’m in fourth grade. This is my first year in flight camp.”
“Oh, that. I’m a. . . fifth grade. This is my first year here too.”
“Twister says only fillies who are horrible at flying are sent to flight camp.”
“Oh yeah?” Scootaloo smirked. “Then why is he in flight camp?”
Dash giggled and set down her juice box. “What’s your name? I like you.”
“I’m Scootaloo!” she said enthusiastically.
“Nice to meet you, Scootaloo! So, do you wanna hang out?” Dash asked.
“Of course! Want me to teach you some tricks?”
She smiled widely. “I sure do!”
“Come on, then.”
Scootaloo trotted over to the obstacle course with Dash and they sat down on a bench near the starting line. She began to stretch out a little and began giving Dash advice.
“Now, I used to have small wings and couldn’t fly, but once they grew to the right size I had to learn one thing fast: flying isn’t about thinking and knowing science and stuff. Flying is about feeling, about instinct. Pegasi are born to fly, to be free. When you fly, I need you to trust yourself and keep a clear mind. Can you do that?’
“But when I’m not careful I crash. I have to go slow and plan ahead,” Dash answered.
“I need you to trust me, and not worry about crashing or thinking. We’re going to go through the obstacle course, and all you have to do if follow me, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
Scootaloo went to the starting line, and Dash followed her. “Deep breaths, Squirt, and remember not to worry. All you have to do is stay behind me.”
She jumped into the air and flapped her wings, flying forward. Scootaloo looked back and saw that Dash was right behind her. They began to weave through the clouds at a gentle pace, easily avoiding them.
Scootaloo turned right and led them into a more narrow part of the course. Dash followed her, still managing to focus on her one simple goal of keeping a clear mind.
Dash saw Twister watching down below and stopped paying attention to Scootaloo. With a muffled thud, she hit a cloud, and fell ten feet to the safety cloud below. She bounced up and down on her back a couple times, before Twister landed next to her.
“Hey, Rainbow Crash! What did I tell you about messing up my obstacle course?” Twister said. He flared his wings and grimaced.
“I’m s-s-sorry, Twister! It w-won’t happen a-again!” Dash whimpered.
“It better not, Crash, or everypony will find out about that Wonderbolt doll you sleep with—”
“Hey!” Scootaloo landed hard on the cloud, causing the other Pegasi to bounce slightly. “You leave her alone!”
“And who are you? Some fifth grade blank flank bossing me around? Ha!” Twister said.
“My name is Scootaloo, and I could kick your flank on the obstacle course anyday!” she bluffed, throwing in a cocky grin. “This is my friend Rainbow Dash, and if you’ve got a problem with her, you’ve got a problem with me!”
Twister laughed loudly. “Yeah right, I bet you’d crash before the first marker.”
“Then let’s race, unless you’re a chicken!”
He smirked. “You’re on, blank flank.”
Dash could only watch in shock as they went to the start line for the narrow part of the course. It was full of cloud walls, rings, and even wind tunnels to create crosswinds. She usually couldn’t even finish the beginner’s course, yet here was a perfect stranger standing up for her.
“Hey, Squirt, count us down,” Scootaloo shouted.
Twister and her stood at the start line, bodies tensed up and ready to launch into the air.
Dash cleared her throat. “One. . . Two. . . Three. . . Go!”
Scootaloo threw herself into the air with her mind focused on winning. Her sheer determination masked the fact that she’d barely been flying for a week, or that she had never flown an obstacle course. The words of her mentor Dash filled her mind, giving her courage. Though Scootaloo had only been taken under her wing recently, she had already learned so much.
She kept her legs tucked into her belly, but let them relax so they didn’t tire out. As she weaved right and left, she used the changes in the air currents to tell where the obstacles and her opponent were before she saw them. The slight advantage this gave her became obvious when they passed a wind tunnel. Scootaloo felt the air pressure changing slightly and braced herself for the gust. While she pierced through the current, Twister was caught in the side and fell behind her. He struggled to pass the obstacle and catch back up.
She was nearly at the end of the course when Twister tried to shove past her, causing her to skid along one of the clouds. She pushed off it with her hooves and grit her teeth, beating her wings hard. Scootaloo passed him at the finish line by a hoof’s length, winning the race.
The two Pegasi circled down to a nearby cloud. “Not bad, blank flank. What’s your name?” Twister asked.
“Scootaloo. From now on, don’t be mean to Dash.”
“Whatever. I’m out of here.” He flew off towards the cafeteria to get some food.
“Wow!” Dash cheered. She landed on the cloud next to Scootaloo. “That was amazing! How’d you do it?”
“Easy, Squirt, you just need some self-confidence.” Scootaloo ran a hoof through her mane. “Trust me, you’ll be the fastest flyer in Equestria one day!”
Dash smiled. “Thanks, I gotta go eat and go to bed. It’s been a long day. What cabin are you in?”
“Oh, I uh. . . haven’t been assigned a room yet.”
“You can come share a room with me.”
“Thanks, I’ll do that.”
The next morning Scootaloo woke up to the feeling of a hoof in her back and a loud snoring sound. She rolled over and saw a filly Dash drooling on the pillow. Her memory quickly returned, and she remembered that she had time traveled to meet Dash, and spent the night at an impromptu sleepover.
Scootaloo got out of bed and stretched. Dash began to stretch out too, noticing her bed was now empty. She woke up and climbed out while yawning loudly.
“Good morning, Squirt,” Scootaloo said. “You ready for some more flying?”
“Yeah, but I’m still not sure why you’re being so nice to me. Why would you stand up for a stranger?”
She sat down and smiled. “I think there is one thing everypony needs at one time or another. They need somepony to believe in them, to stand up for them, and tell them that they do have what it takes. If it weren’t for my mentor, I’d still be riding a scooter around instead of flying.”
“Heh, your mentor sounds awesome,” Dash said.
“You have no idea,” Scootaloo replied.
“If we hurry we can watch the older students racing before breakfast, let’s go!”
Dash ran out the door and Scootaloo chased after her. Before long they had arrived at the track.
Scootaloo stopped to catch her breath, suddenly feeling very winded. She felt a jolt of electricity pass through her, and knelt to the ground.
“Dash, I don’t feel so well,” Scootaloo said. Dash didn’t hear her. She was focused on a whimpering yellow Pegasus.
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!” two bullies chanted.
“Yeah, nice going Klutzershy!” a colt said.
“My baby brother could fly better than you!” another added.
Scootaloo got up to go help Fluttershy out, but was hit with another jolt of electricity. She didn’t understand what was happening, as the world began to ripple and get blurry. It felt like something was tugging at her, attempting to yank her off the cloud. She dug her hooves into the cloud and held on.
“Leave her alone!” Dash yelled.
The colts looked at her and rolled their eyes. “Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Rainbow Crash?”
Dash looked for her backup, and saw Scootaloo watching from a nearby cloud. Scootaloo smiled and nodded her head.
“Keep making fun of her and find out!”
Scootaloo could feel her hairs standing on end. The familiar smell of ozone filled the air.
“You think you’re such a big shot?” the colt said. “Why don’t you prove it?”
“Whaddya have in mind?” Dash asked.
“A race,” said the colt. “First to the finish line wins.”
The second colt laughed. “You’re going down!”
“Yeah right, see you at the finish line!” Dash said.
Scootaloo could see Dash pause to take a deep breath and clear her mind. Dash then walked up to the starting line. Scootaloo struggled against the unseen forces pulling at her to get a better view. She saw the Pegasi taking off, and watched Fluttershy fall from her cloud. She then saw Dash pull into the lead, and a large explosion of color.
Crackling electricity zapped her again as the loud boom reached her. She closed her eyes and felt herself being pulled. It felt like she was being sucked through a straw, and she was deposited with a thud on the other side.
Scootaloo stood up and saw the time machine smoking, with the smell of burnt wiring. “Oh crap, Twilight’s gonna be ticked!”
She ran to the basement door, grabbed the key, and let herself out. Scootaloo took off and flew towards Dash’s house. Surely she would protect her from Twilight’s wrath.
Scootaloo crashed onto the porch and sprinted inside, finding Dash on the couch.
“Squirt, what happened to you?” Dash said.
She extended her wings and examined them. Her feathers had been scorched black, and she was missing some patches of fur. She looked like she had been hit by lightning, and that was not far from the truth.
“It’s a long story, Dash. I need you to do me a favor though,” Scootaloo explained. “I sort of broke one of Twilight’s experiments and I need somepony to stand up for me!”
Dash chuckled and waved her over to the sofa. Once Scootaloo had climbed on, Dash wrapped a wing around her and hugged her tightly. “Squirt, when I was a filly a pony told me that everypony needs somepony to stand up for them at one time or another.”
Scootaloo gulped and looked her in the eye.
“You know the funny part? That pony’s name was Scootaloo too. I don’t know why I didn’t recognize it until now, but it was you, wasn’t it?”
“I uh—”
“Don’t sweat it, Squirt.” Dash winked. “It’ll be our little secret. First thing we better do so nopony knows about my little time traveling sister, is to come up with a cover story for that.”
Dash poked a hoof into Scootaloo’s flank. The filly looked down and gasped. There was a golden shield and a pair of silver wings on it.
“No way! You mean when I stood up for you, I got my cutie mark?” Scootaloo said with her eyes wide in amazement.
“Looks like it, Squirt. Just don’t go giving the crusaders any ideas that they can get time traveling cutie marks, or the whole country is doomed.”
Scootaloo buried her head in Dash’s mane and hugged her tightly. Her hero hadn’t been anything like she expected as a filly. Dash was just like everypony else in her youth: nervous, insecure, and innocent. She had expected to hang out with an awesome young filly to make her feel better about herself. Instead, she had given Dash the very inspiration she needed to become the hero she had idolized for so long.
Dash wrapped her wings around Scootaloo and cherished their special moment.
Author's Note
Story prompt/Requested by:TheDarkPrep
Edited by: Selbi, Abcron
Part of my one-shot week.
