Broken Wings

Scootaloo left her "home" the same way every day, not a word to Cherilee, not a word to anyone on the streets. Ponyville was quiet anyways, the clouds seemed to be thicker than usual. Her interest was peaked due to the fact that even though it was supposed to be cloudy, usually rainbow dash could be found adjusting the grey skies periodically throughout the day. But there was no flash of color between them, not bright mane to be seen. So Scootaloo began to move towards Rainbow's cloud home, wondering all the while what had happened. Was she sick? Maybe princess Celestia had sent her and Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack on another mission to save Equestria. But no on her way she bumped in to Applejack and Applebloom. "Hey Applejack, have you seen Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo inquired lightly. "Ah Sugarcube I don't think she wants any company right now, you and Applebloom had best play somewhere for a while, I'm sure she'll be out later." But Scootaloo, ignored her and proceeded forwards, even after Applebloom called out for her. The little filly had noticed Applejack stare at the clouds with some unspoken thought which only made Scootaloo more curious.

She continued to follow the path until she heard a sound. It was well off the path but it sounded as if somepony were crying. Scootaloo followed the sound wondering who it was, surely not Rainbow Dash, she was tough. But her surprise was unhidden when she came upon the broken down cottage, no doors, no windows, the place was a disaster, the roof had fallen in on the upper level and a wall was missing. Still right in the center of the only solid room was Rainbow Dash, shoulders hunched and trembling, the blue pony sobbed. "Why did you both leave me? I was so scared but you left anyways." Scootaloo heard it and felt her own eyes grow misty. "R-Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo called to her friend softly hoping she wouldn't get snapped at. "Scootaloo... come here" Rainbow Dash responded not taking her eyes off of where they were. Scootaloo approached and sat beside her only to feel tears wet her cheeks, for on the ground before her beloved Rainbow Dash lie a burnt and torn photograph, of two Pegasi. One gray with a Rainbow mane, and the other was blue with a short cropped white mane. Her parents Scootaloo knew, but she couldn't speak for the whole scene was bringing her abruptly around to the memories of her parents. There were none, so the filly turned to her sky blue friend and spoke softly. "Mine are gone too Rainbow Dash... I-I never got to meet them... where yours nice?"

Rainbow spun with alarming speed for someone whom seemed so sad. "They were the best! This stupid stupid place had to catch fire... and then the weather Pegasi couldn't stop the wind... If only I had been bigger." Rainbow Dash stopped and wrapped her wings around Scootaloo, who began to sob for Rainbow Dash's loss as well as her own lack of parents. The two sat in a loving embrace full of sadness in comfort before Scootaloo asked, "Rainbow Dash can I stay with you tonight?" Cherilee is great and all but... but she's just not... like me." Rainbow Dash perked up a little at the prospect, "Sure kid that would be nice." She said between sniffles. "How bout we keep this whole crying thing a secret between us, we wouldn't want anypony thinking we're as scared as Fluttershy would we?" She gave a red faced smile to her little friend. They dried their tears and left the ruined cottage, more than once though, Rainbow Dash cast a glance back in it's direction.

It didn't take long for them to reach Cherilee's home on the edge of town and ask her permission for Scootaloo to stay with Rainbow Dash. She agreed with a very grateful glance to the blue Pegasus, hope was obvious on her face for her little charge, an unspoken question hung in between the earth pony and the Pegasus. Will you be able to fix her heart, so torn by loss?" So they set off with Scootaloo now riding on Rainbow's back. Soon enough they had reached the beautiful white home Rainbow Dash had created. Lavish almost in appearance yet nothing was too insane for Rainbow Dash when it came to making things look cool. So for the night they stayed up late, Rainbow Dash told stories and Scootaloo listened as if her life depended on it, soon afterwards it had become a very regular thing. Scootaloo would spend as much time as she could with Rainbow, she would see her every day after school and the two would hang around or play pranks on the townsponies.

The end result being that one day Rainbow Dash asked Scootaloo the one thing she had always wanted to hear. "Hey Scoots, let me teach you how to fly." The little tan filly nearly had a heart attack. "YES RAINBOW DASH YES YES YES!" She exclaimed at the top of her lungs. With a laugh Rainbow took her to her own private place, it was a a large stone near the everfree forest, with many smaller ones surrounding it, the perfect place to teach a filly how to properly fly. The first day Scootaloo, found a way to scrape nearly every part of her body at least once, yet as time went by it seemed to happen less and less. Scootaloo was slowly learning how to fly. It would take time but eventually the filly knew she and Rainbow Dash would take to the sky.

Months passed and Scootaloo's skills grew, she could hover now, and glide. Though her speed was still to come she had learned to control her wings, to read the wind rather than flap wildly in the hopes that she would fly. After all Pegasi needed to be taught to fly the same way Earth Ponies had to be taught to walk, first you crawl, then you walk, then you run. Of course this was in the air and required much more focus, and more than once Rainbow had to catch Scootaloo when they began to ascend higher in her training. It was tiring and often times Scootaloo would return to Cherilee's home exhausted and banged up but smiling so broadly that the teacher never would say anything to stop her lessons. She would bandage Scootaloo with a smile and send her off to bed. Finally it seemed that the little filly was finding the family she had lost, and the one Cherilee knew she could have never given her. She was thankful to Rainbow Dash for it. It was the beginning of a beautiful thing.