Author's Note
Disclaimer: I do not own “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic,” or its characters. They are property of Hasbro Studios and DHX Media.
After the Games
“After the Equestria Games”
By TwilightSparkle3562
Scootaloo felt like the biggest failure in Equestria. She had wanted to prove to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon that she was capable of flying in her flag carrying routine with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. When she told them that she was quitting the routine before they left on the train for the Crystal Empire, Scootaloo had returned to her home and threw away everything that inspired her to be who she was: her posters, her helmet and her scooter. As Scootaloo sat there in her room with tears in her eyes, a certain blue Pegasus with rainbow colored hair threw open the door to her room and entered with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle behind her.
“Throwing away your scooter?!” gasped Rainbow Dash, seeing what Scootaloo had done to her bedroom. The young Pegasus filly turned and saw Rainbow Dash flying right in front of her.
“Rainbow Dash?” she asked.
“Yup,” replied Rainbow Dash. “But not just me.”
And she flew away to reveal Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle who entered the room with a look of apology deep in their eyes. Scootaloo was still angry at them for not believing in her when it mattered most in their routine and show her resentment towards them.
“I don't wanna see them,” said Scootaloo, turning away from them in disgust. “And what are they doing here, anyway? They're supposed to be on the train.”
But, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle really did mean that they were truly sorry for being rough on Scootaloo and knew that they had to convince her to come with them back to the Crystal Empire.
“We're not going,” cried Apple Bloom, stepping forward with Sweetie Belle.
“Not without you, Scootaloo,” added the young unicorn filly. Rainbow Dash was surprised by her biggest fan’s behavior and wanted to find out what was wrong with her.
“What's gotten into you, Scootaloo?” asked Rainbow Dash, trying to find out what was going on. At that moment, Scootaloo could not hide her feelings anymore.
“I didn't want to ruin their chance to win just because I couldn't fly,” cried Scootaloo, lowering her head in shame.
Rainbow Dash was amazed by this as Scootaloo felt that the only way by carrying the Ponyville Flag in the Equestria Games was by flying and Rainbow Dash fully understood the trouble that Scootaloo was going through.
“And who said you had to?” wondered Rainbow Dash.
“But flying's what Pegasus ponies are supposed to do!” cried Scootaloo, thinking back to when Rainbow Dash spoke in her class. “You flew when you carried the flag in the games!”
Rainbow Dash was shocked at Scootaloo’s confession at this and at that point, her own pride didn’t matter and she remembered back to when she was full of herself so much that her friends had to each portray a masked hero called Mare Do Well in an effort to get her off her high horse. Now, it seemed that Scootaloo’s ego was starting to grow inside of her and Rainbow Dash had to convince her otherwise.
“But that was me! You're you!” explained Rainbow Dash. “And it just doesn't matter if you can fly or not. Your routine was amazing 'cause it represented exactly what makes Ponyville special. You do still know what that is, right?”
“Friendship,” said Sweetie Belle, as she and Apple Bloom were joining in on Rainbow Dash’s motivational speech.
“Three kinds of ponies livin' together as friends,” said Apple Bloom. “Just like us. Earth ponies...”
“...unicorns...” added Sweetie Belle.
“...and Pegasi,” finished Scootaloo. But, with the matter of the flag carrying routine cleared up, there was still one question on her mind that she still had to have answered.
“But, Rainbow Dash,” whimpered Scootaloo. “What if…what if my wings never grow? What if I never fly?”
Scootaloo flapped her flightless wings in sadness as Rainbow Dash flew over to console her in her time of sadness. For all she knew that Scootaloo was perfect just the way she was.
“Listen, Scootaloo,” replied Rainbow Dash, flying down to her level. “Maybe you'll fly someday, or maybe you won't. You're all kinds of awesome anyway. Who's the toughest little pony in town?”
Those were the moments that Scootaloo was remembering about that conversation while she was on her way home from the Crystal Empire once the games were over. She and her friends had carried the flag for Ponyville proudly and now her she was, feeling like the biggest winner in Equestria. True, Spike was the hero who saved the empire from destruction, but Scootaloo and her friends were the ones who shined above all the rest.
As she looked at the Crystal Empire as it faded away in the distance, Scootaloo could only think of how far she had come. Not just towards the Equestria Games, but of how far she came as a filly period. All her life, she had thought of herself as the Pegasus who couldn’t fly and who didn’t have a cutie mark. Now, it seemed that she had proven her critics wrong.
“Hey, Scoots,” called Rainbow Dash as she entered the cabin where the Crusaders were staying. “Thought I’d come to see how Ponyville’s flag carriers were doing.”
“We’re doing fine,” said Apple Bloom happily. “This certainly was the best Equestria Games ever! Don’t you agree, Crusaders?”
“I’ll say,” added Sweetie Belle, who was equally excited as well. But, Rainbow Dash knew that she wanted a little one on one time with Scootaloo and turned her attention towards the other crusaders.
“Actually, I was wondering if I could have some alone time with Scootaloo, if you guys don’t mind?” asked Rainbow Dash and the other two crusaders didn’t mind that at all.
Nodding in agreement, they got off the seats they were on and left Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash alone in the cabin. After all, they wanted to check in on their sisters anyway so they thought that this would be an opportunity to do so.
“We want to see how our sisters were doing anyway,” said Apple Bloom. “They’ll probably want to spend time with us anyway.”
So, they shut the door and Rainbow Dash sat next to Scootaloo who then looked at Rainbow Dash with eyes of happiness. It had been a long road for Scootaloo to overcome what she did and both she and Rainbow Dash knew it.
“How does it feel knowing that you carried the flag in the games like you wanted?” asked Rainbow Dash, rubbing her hoof into Scootaloo’s short mane. “You and your friends really did good out there, Squirt.”
“We did, didn’t we?” chuckled Scootaloo. “Too bad we didn’t our cutie marks in flag carrying. Still, we have plenty more crusading until we do.
Rainbow Dash had to smile at this, as Scootaloo and her friends were still eager to get their cutie marks, no matter how many times they had ever tried in their existence as the cutie mark crusaders.
“You’ll get there eventually, Scootaloo,” replied Rainbow Dash warmly. “But, I can’t help but notice that you were feeling a little quiet after the closing ceremonies tonight. You’re not still obsessed about flying are you?”
Scootaloo could see that Rainbow Dash was trying to get on her case about that again. Her behavior and obsession to fly in the flag carrying routine nearly brought the crusaders to a bittersweet conclusion. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Scootaloo sighed and looked up towards her big sister figure with puppy dog eyes.
“Actually, Rainbow Dash,” she said to her. “I am still obsessed about flying. I’m sorry, but I just can’t help it.”
“It’s all right to dream the impossible dream,” said Rainbow Dash, placing a hoof on Scootaloo’s chin. “But you are who you are, Scootaloo. Princess Cadence said to me and the other ponies after the closing ceremonies tonight how impressed she was with how you and the other crusaders handled your routine. She told us and that there were two things, no, three things she liked: Spike saving the empire again, seeing you and the others in your routine as you had intended it to be and seeing Ponyville win the medal count. In fact, everypony attending the games understood about your handicap and that they are all saying is what makes you special.”
This made Scootaloo think for a moment. Much like Spike, she had all of Equestria on her and her fellow crusaders. Although everypony was watching the competitors taking part in the games, they were also paying close attention to the flag carriers and many ponies were most looking forward to the crusaders themselves because Princess Cadence made sure that.
“I never knew that,” remarked Scootaloo, her eyes quivering. “Princess Cadence said that about me and the other crusaders?”
“She did say that about you, Scootaloo,” replied Rainbow Dash, releasing her hoof from Scootaloo’s chin. “And I told her about your inability to fly and Cadence said that it didn’t matter if you flew or not, she loves you and the other crusaders just as you all are. After all, you were the flower fillies at her wedding remember? That was a great honor in itself.”
Scootaloo was touched by this and small tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. It seemed that the princess of the Crystal Empire understood how Scootaloo was who she was meant to be and Rainbow Dash could see that.
“As for if you would ever fly or not,” continued Rainbow Dash, as the train neared Ponyville. “Just remember this, Scootaloo: just because you can’t fly doesn’t mean that you are unworthy of being a Pegasus. You are who you are meant to be and that is being a good friend to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. No matter what happens from here on in, you are what you are meant to be and you have ponies like me, Twilight and all the others who got your back.”
And the two Pegasi embraced one another as the train came to a stop at the Ponyville station, Scootaloo went home that night and remembered greatly what Rainbow Dash had said to her. Yes, she may never fly, but carrying the Ponyville Flag at the Equestria Games was a sign that Scootaloo had learned that she was who she was and that was a great friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader.
