A few moons ago you might have seen the sky full of Pegasi just doing their jobs; delivering mail, clearing the sky, or flying late for an important business meeting. Of course all that came to an abrupt and flagrant end when the whole of Cloudsdale cheered in uproar over their selection as host for the Equestrian Games. Even Rainbow Dash herself wanted nothing more than to explode right where she stood, though I'm not saying she didn't, she certainly took to the sky quick enough to blow out eveypony's eardrums...Though the cheering itself died down within short order as when Dash returned her hooves to the cloud she did so with a look of utter determination.
"LISTEN UP all you flappy wannabee butterflies!" With a distinctive and heartfelt apologetic nod in the general direction of Fluttershy "There only stand 12 months between this lame little get together and the horrendous feather plucking party were gonna have if we don't collectively shape up our overweight, underflight, WIND FLAPPERS! Now I know we call them the Equestian Games because it's supposed to be fun, and bring us all together as a family. But that doesn't mean it isn't the biggest Competition this side of Celestia blazing Sun, and I sure as Luna's Full Moon won't be giving that gold medal to anypony without wings when it's our hometown on the line! No, not even that! Silver, Bronze, or that little lacy ribbon for fourth place, when they leave Cloudsdale they won't take nothing but the Clouddust they tracked in here!" Anypony with even a shed of pride was moved by Dash's speech, not that you could hear a complaint or much else from all the cheering and whistles.
It may not be for long, and the reasoning might be a little off but for the next 12 months the whole Pegasis Race was welling with pride and camaraderie. That is, all except for one Dusk Copper coated young mare. As she blew away her disheveled Amaranth locks she turned on her Pride and Rainbow Dash and even her wings if she could, Scootaloo would be abstaining from the Equestrian Games and any practice thereof. Though not for some petty ideals or laziness or even some terrible disease, Scootaloo's reason for ostracizing herself was clearly portrayed in the archaic rule that "nopony young enough to not yet behold their own cutie mark shall not be allowed to participate." The rule was enacted for safety of young foals and Scootaloo had even received a pardon from the rule for "extraordinary circumstances" but even that was a branding that haunted her. There were only a few slots for ponies to participate and without her mark she felt it wrong to take somepony else's place who had worked their whole life around that one talent. This was her decision to make and nopony could force her to compete despite Dash's words earlier, even if it only caused her to despair.
