Here I sat, watching the patrons that made up my audience for the day leaving the Cloudisuem. All they saw on me was a happy and grateful smile, every once in a while bumping hooves with some, taking pictures with others, and signing my autograph for many more.
Ask anypony who saw me that day, and they'd say that Scootaloo looked so happy and awesome! But on the inside, I was wailing, screaming, and throwing a tantrum of despair. The façade of a happy me was purely for the fan's benefit.
However, my team could always see right through it. Bless their hearts, they tried to ward away as much of the fans as they possibly could, in the most polite and subtle way possible, but who would miss out on the chance to meet the Captain of the Wonderbolts? In other words, the attempts were almost futile.
But, it was our trainer Tight Ship who actually managed to save me. I felt a hoof tap on my shoulder and turned to face who I thought was a fan, "Oh, hey, Ship! What's goin' on?"
"Hey, Scoots, how ya holdin' up?" he was light of tone, but I can see the real question in his eyes. Wanna head in?
"My wing feels a little sore; think I pulled it in the Finale," I answered. My wing was fine, and both he and I knew it.
"Alright, you head on down to the lockers, I'll hold face up here for a little while longer, then I'll see ya down there, 'kay?" He gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder with a little squeeze.
I smiled and nodded gratefully, trotting away towards the locker room and away from the fawning crowds. I did feel a little bad for having to leave them all hanging, but I'm a simple pony too, with pony problems just like everyone else. And like everypony else, sometimes, I want to be left alone.
I opened the heavy locker door marked 'Authorized Equinnel Only' and plunged myself into the dark of the maintenance way. I had to stand there for a bit and wait for my eyes to adjust, but once they did, I started moving along.
It was slow going, no spring in my steps, heart heavy, and soul broken. I just wanted to go home.
After what felt like an eternity, but was probably no more than thirty seconds, I hung a right into a more lit hallway, a door marked 'Private' to my left.
With a heavy sigh, I pushed the door open and made my way inside, reaching up with my free hoof and yanking my goggles off. Once inside, I tossed them roughly to the side and sat down heavily on the bench, gritting my teeth and resisting the urge to scream.
Finding a small way to vent my frustrations, I slammed my hoof against the bench, the sound echoing through the entire locker room.
Again and again, my hoof slammed down against the wood. It was hard enough to make my hoof ache, but I kept going, eventually turning around and kneeling down to slam both hooves into the bench, alternating their impacts.
Tears spilled out with each halt of inertia in my body, and it wasn't until about five minutes after that I finally slumped over, head cradled in my arms, and with unrepressed sobs echoing throughout the room.
Why? Why'd it have to be this way? Did I do something wrong? Was I not good enough? I did everything I wanted! Just like you told me to do! To make all my dreams come true! When I said I had the same dreams as you, that didn't mean I was gonna be the one to replace your dreams! Why did you give up on them? Why'd you give on me?
For a while, I cried, letting out my sorrows to the walls of the room. Letting my pain be known to the silence. It felt a little comforting, but I needed so much more than this. I needed her here with me. To rub my head like she used to. To give me that same wink she always did. Needed to hear her saying, "Good job out there, squirt!"
Just the memory of her voice saying those words almost got me to grin… almost. It was just a memory still. It wasn't really her. But I so desperately wished it was her.
For a moment, the tears stopped, allowing me to think a little more clearly. My brain began noticing that my body felt itchy and that I kinda stunk a little. I did just fly for almost two hours straight. And those stunts at the finale really take it outta me.
With grueling slow motions, I began wriggling my way out of my Wonderbolt Flight suit. I fumbled with the zipper at the back of my neck for a bit until it finally came lose and flew almost perfectly down the middle of my back, just out of my normal reach.
Already not in the mood to be dealing with anymore bullshit for today, I just walked over to the showers. The head piece hanging below my chin and the flaps of the suit hanging over my wings. I threw on the cold water and plunged myself underneath the torrent.
I bit back a scream of shock when the cold washed over me, but I didn't come out of the streams, letting the water run over my mane, face, neck, and into my suit.
I didn't care enough to notice the fabric clinging to my moistened fur, but I knew it would be an even bigger pain in the ass now to pull it off. For the moment, I just let myself go under the refreshing waterfall.
It was an enjoyable relief from today's tensions and struggles. Washing away my pains from only moments ago.
"Not even gonna take off the uniform this time? Well, at least you took the goggles off," Tight Ship said from nearby Scootaloo.
My eyes had been closed and the noise of the water hitting the floor drowned out his approach.
I opened my eyes and looked over to him, watching him leaning against the lockers and staring at me with a disapproving stare, "Just dealing with a lot right now."
"I can tell. You know, you're gonna have a helluva time getting out of that," Ship said.
"I'll fly over that bridge when I come to it," I sighed.
"You know, Scooter, you should go see her. I'm pretty sure she'd like to hear about today," Ship offered.
I scoffed, "Not if she can't even come see me, I won't."
"Scooter, you know she—"
"Stop, Tight Ship, I don't wanna hear it," I growled.
Tight Ship sighed and sat down on his haunches. I remained standing under the cold stream, turning my head away from him.
"What happened that day wasn't Rainbow's fault, Scooter. All the time, things like that happen. We can't control it."
"You know what is her fault? The reason why the Wonderbolts don't have their Captain," I said aggressively.
"You're the Captain now. This is your team—"
"No! No it's not!" I turned to him, glaring. Suddenly, the cold of the water didn't feel so comforting anymore, "I'm still just the Co-Captain! This is her team! Her team that she abandoned! I'm only standing in for her because it was her dream to be a Wonderbolt for as long as she possibly could. That can't happen if we fall apart!"
"Scooter," Tight Ship started, standing back up, "You know it wasn't like that. She didn't abandon anything. You know that. It's like I said: things like this just happen."
I didn't respond to him, taking a seat under the water and feeling the familiar burning return to my eyes, "I just want her back; I can't deal with this anymore, Tight Ship. It's too much. It hurts too much. I'm not as tough as she is."
I felt something warm grip me and pull me against something that was even more warm. When Tight Ship spoke, his voice was soft and right above my ear, "You're every bit as tough as you need to be. I know it hurts, I know sometimes it can be overwhelming, but that's why you're still here. Somepony decided to keep that from landing on somepony who couldn't take it," I leaned against Tight Ship's chest and felt his chin come to a rest on top of my head, his hoof stroking my mane, "You know Spitfire would have taken her position back. And if she couldn't, Soarin would have happily taken it. But why didn't they?"
I sniffed, trying to keep from crying again, "I didn't want them to, and they respected me too much. More than I deserved. I took the position for Rainbow and they knew it. Otherwise, nopony would have taken it."
"Go see her. Alright? I know she probably misses you," Tight Ship pushed me away and gently held my face in his hooves to make me look him in the eye. It was then that I finally noticed that he was soaking wet too. He hadn't even taken off his hat or whistle.
I forgot I was in the shower, "Sorry for draggin' you in here with me," I apologized, "but I appreciate it. A lot."
"Anything and everything for family. You shoulda seen Soarin when he was the Co-Captain. Blubbering like a big ol' soft baby made out of marshmallows."
I giggled, "Why marshmallows?"
Tight ship gave me a serious look, "You ever hug the guy without his suit on? Like silk."
"It's disturbing to know that you know that," I gave him a goodhearted frown.
"Hey, I know every disturbing thing about you all. Its my job. Like, I know your cycle starts in a month on the fifth," Ship winked at me.
I blushed fiercely, "Yeah, that was a really awkward conversation."
Tight Ship laughed loudly, "You're telling me!? I was the one who had to pull you off of poor Charcoal Sails when you tried to mount him like a stallion and—"
"Stop! Don't wanna relive that moment," I winced, shuddering at the horrid thought. That was not one of my prouder moments.
There was silence in the locker room, save for the constant rush of water hitting the floor. Neither of the two of us said anything, but Ship reached over and knocked the lever for cold water back into the 'Off' position.
There was a moment more of silence as he took his hat off and flung it about, flinging any excess water off. Finally, he looked back to me, "You asked him to have your foals."
I'm pretty sure all of Cloudsdale heard my scream of indignation and him laughing his flank off.
An hour later found me cruising through the streets of Ponyville. I hadn't been here in a few months, but it seemed mostly the same. Ponies were walking about, waving eagerly when they noticed me. To them, Ponyville just wasn't the same without their own Crusader to liven things up, so it was a pleasant surprise when I showed up.
I wasn't sure if the other girls were back yet, but I wouldn't count on it. I flew straight here to escape Tight Ship's antics. They probably haven't even finished the post-show meet-n-greet yet. I wondered how the team was holding up without me, but figured they were in good hooves with Tight Ship nearby.
Aimlessly, I wondered Ponyville, smiling and reminiscing when I came over memorable landmarks.
Sugar Cube Corner still looked as delicious as it did when I first moved here. That was where I got to meet Applebloom for the first time with Sweetie Belle. It was so comforting to see another filly our age without her Cutie Mark as well. This was the birthplace of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The start of my journey with my two best friends on whacky adventures to get our Mark in the most creative ways possible.
With a fond smile, I looked over my Cutie Mark, looking at the Flaming Scooter Wheel with a helmet on it. It had a large menacing grin and pointed eyes where the bearing was, adding to the intensity.
With a nostalgic sigh, I walked up to the door and made my way inside. Immediately, the smell of baked sweets and goodies made my stomach growl. This was totally not good for my calorie count, but screw it.
"Welcome to Sugar Cube Cor—Scootaloo! Oh dearie, how are you!?" Mrs. Cake, the pleasantly plump mare that was the unofficial grandmother of every foal in Ponyville.
So many times did she come to memory as the mare who comforted me and fed me good food when our Cutie Crusades failed miserably.
"Hey, Mrs. Cake! I'm doing pretty okay for now. Could be a lot better," I said, returning the warm hug she gave me when I approached the counter.
"Why is that? Didn't you have a show recently?" Mrs. Cake asked, concern apparent in her eyes, "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? Nopony on the team was hurt either, right?"
I shook my head, "Nah, just… Rainbow wasn't there. It never feels right when she's not leading us."
"Oh dearie, I know what you mean. It felt so strange when my mother let me run her bakery for the first time and she left to Germaneigh. There was nopony I could turn to for help and it felt like a hole I couldn't fill."
Hole I couldn't fill… that perfectly described what I felt. I nodded solemnly, "That's exactly it."
"Have you gone to see her lately?"
"No. No, I haven't," I said, a slight edge coming to my voice.
"Oh. It's alright, Scootaloo, we don't have to talk about it," Mrs. Cake put a reassuring hoof over mine. I smiled at her, appreciating her respect and concern, "Now, what can I getcha? You don't just fly from a Wonderbolt show and then from Cloudsdale and not be hungry!"
With a wider smile, I looked her dead in the eye, "I'll have the Pink-ocalypse."
Her smile vanished instantly. Her eyes shifted from side to side, making sure nopony was nearby.
Secretly, Mrs. Cake withdrew a slip of paper from under the counter and slid it over, pushing a pen cup over as well.
I picked up a pen in my teeth and quickly glanced over the Waiver.
Yadda yadda yadda not responsible yadda yadda occurrence of diabetes yadda sudden shortness of breath yadda yadda yadda hospital finances are primary's responsibility, all in all, the same waiver I've filled out countless times before.
With a flourish, I signed over my pancreas to the horrible amount of sugar I was about to ingest.
Mrs. Cake took the waiver back and filled out an order slip, "It'll be right out, dearie. And may Celestia help you… again."
If there was a hangover for sugar intoxication, I'm most definitely not going in for after show conditioning tomorrow. Before me was a half eaten confectionary abomination of cupcakes, cookies, brownies, candy, ice cream, and powdered sugar.
It was the most I'd ever eaten of the thing. Usually, I'd be able to take it back to the team and there would be enough for everyone to have seconds with the few brave souls going back for thirds. This time, it might not last for everypony to get seconds.
It was absolutely delicious, but by Luna's Glorious Fun was the calorie count and sugar levels ridiculous on this monster.
The whole thing was over forty-thousand calories… easily. And I just ate half of them. And the sugar? Probably for the best that I don't know how much exactly goes into it. What I do know, however, is that Mr. Cake runs out the moment it's finished and returns with a full set of saddlebags. I wouldn't be surprised if they were full of sugar.
"Mrs. Cake," I groaned, trying to hold my stomach in from exploding.
"You signed the waiver knowing what would happen," Mrs. Cake said from behind the counter, "I'll be right over in a minute, dearie. With milk and alka-seltzer."
I just grunted. Too full to risk speaking again.
For the moment, my emotions had been successfully eaten away… and they were delicious. Hazardous to my health and almost definitely lowered my life expectancy…again. I really need to stop doing this to myself.
Minutes passed by, me just sitting there and contemplating my life and thinking about the Wonderbolt Itinerary. We had two more shows to suffer through before the season was over. The end of the summer and the start of fall. I was going to be in Manehatten with Babs for the first part, but the rest was us coming and staying at Applebloom's for the Running of the Leaves and the Winter Solstice Celebration.
I belched loudly, scrambling my train of thought. But I felt leagues better. I worked up another belch, letting that one flow out too, but much longer than the last one.
It was a good thing that there were no other ponies in the shop, because that would have been embarrassing—
"The Pink-ocalypse, huh? Wow, squirt, never knew you were that low in life," a very familiar mare's voice said behind me.
With only the slightest of trembles, I turned. And there, standing in all her glory in such a casual closeness to me, was none other then the Role Model of my life herself.
There, with her hoof resting on my seat, looking down at me with a happy smile on her face, was Rainbow Dash.
My mouth worked up and down a few times, but nothing came out. There was so much I wanted to yell out at once. I wanted to vent, wanted to apologize, wanted to scream at her, wanted to listen to her tales, wanted to throw myself into her arms, and oh so desperately wanted to slap her.
"So how ya been, Scoo—Oof," and slapped her I did.
Her eyes were lowered and she hadn't returned her head back to her original position. It was a few moments before she sighed and began moving to look back at me, "Listen, Scootaloo, I—"
And slapped her once more, this time, from the other direction and with my other hoof.
Her head whipped in the other direction and stayed there, just like previously.
When she finally looked back up to me, I was glowering. I was not happy. First she ups and leaves and now this!? I think another slap is in order.
"Keep going," Rainbow sighed dejectedly.
And suddenly I felt like an asshole. My hoof stopped in its collision course with Rainbow's reddening cheek. "You're angry. I deserve this. I'm not gonna stop it."
Rainbow kept her eyes closed, not looking at me anymore. If anything, she looked like the one who needed to eat their emotions away. Part of me really itched to hit her again but—slap.
I wound up hitting her again, her rainbow mane flaring with her head's motions. It was longer and more matronly in style since I last saw her.
I hit her again, harder, forcing her head back the other direction. Then, I hit her a third time, grunting with the effort and the stinging pain growing in my hoof joint.
After my boxing match with the locker room bench, my hooves couldn't take much more punishment.
"Any harder," Rainbow panted, "and we'll need to take this outside." Her speech was sounding slurred and I noticed her cheeks were beginning to swell up.
I don't know why I continued beating on her… but I wasn't done yet. With a shout, I launched myself across the table, knocking her to the floor, me on top of her.
Again and again, I brought my hooves down on her. She never once made an effort to block anything, never once made an effort to move out of the way. She took every last hit.
At first they were just slaps. Then, they turned to true strikes. After that, they turned to wild, overhead bombing punches. Her grunts and mine filled the little shop and my eyes began to sting with tears. I couldn't hear much more than the impacts of flesh striking flesh and couldn’t' feel much more then anger and pain.
Then I became aware of something else. There was a sniffling.
My nose wasn't running, it didn't belong to me. Rainbow was leaking blood from her snout, but it sounded too far to be hers.
My punching slowed to a stop. I panted, tired from beating the mare beneath me to a bloody pulp.
"I'm… so sorry… Scootaloo," Rainbow rasped out.
The sniffling again. This alerted Rainbow to crane her head up and look back toward the entrance.
"Starlet? It's alright. Mommy… was a really bad pony," Rainbow said soothingly, but the effect was lost with her appearance.
"Mommy?" I breathed out, eyes going wider.
My head finally jerked up to see a little filly with a bright blue hair, streaked through with a green and white lightning bolt. She was the same cloud blue as Rainbow. Her purple eyes were wide with fear and brimming with tears. She was standing near the doorway watching me beat the living crap out of Rainbow.
"Yeah," Rainbow wheezed, "I came to your show… you did good. But… you left suddenly. I wanted… to introduce you," Rainbow weakly tried to sit up.
I looked back to her, eyes still wide and in a state of disbelief, "Mommy?" My brain was having a hard time starting a new sentence.
"Scootaloo, I want you to meet Starlet. The reason why I lift the Wonderbolts," then Rainbow wrapped Scootaloo in her arms, holding her tight.
All the while, I didn't budge, eyes locked on the poor, crying filly, with a single thought stuck in my mind: what have I done?
"She's also the reason I came back to you," Rainbow whispered into my ear, "because, she's your little cousin."
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TheGlitchInTheMatrix
Prologue: An Incomplete Dream...
An Incomplete Dream…
Everything I've ever done, all the awesomeness and all that, it all leads up to this point! The one place in my whole life that I always imagined myself getting to. Here, I could show everypony just how awesome I really am!
Right now, I was floating high up in the center of the Cloudsdale Coliseum, millions of fans chanting my name. Man that felt good. That vibration of hoof stomps reached me, even in midair. They loved me, they wanted more of me, they couldn't get enough of me! This was a dream come true…
I was Captain of the Wonderbolts, I was the Fastest Young Flyer Winner, Self-Proclaimed Fastest Flyer in Equestria, I was top of the world, baby! And right now, I was going to put on the best show anypony had ever seen!
I inhaled slowly, tensing myself, getting ready to finally start my routine. I had a little bit of a surprise way to start this thing off.
Suddenly, I tucked my wings in, closing my eyes tight and letting the pull of the ground take me down. I didn't control my tumble, allowing the wind to bat me in all kinds of crazy tumbles and flips spins and whirls.
The crowd gasped, clearly alarmed, and, to be honest, I felt a little bad for that. For a few seconds more of tumbling to my apparent doom, I lashed out with all my legs and wings, slamming my eyes open to get my bearings. I was sideways, rump down, toward the clouds that made up the "floor" of the Coliseum. Grinning, I tucked one wing in and flared the other, righting myself almost instantly and using my falling momentum to speed up my pull-up.
That sensation of the force of inertia, yanking on my feathers and skull, threatening to pull me back down where I should have kept falling, that was a rush a could never get enough of. No matter how many times I felt it, it was a reward for a recovery well done.
The crowd went nuts! Again chanting my name, stomping their hooves. Bliss! The only way I could describe how I feel at this very moment! True, unbridled, unadulterated bliss. I must look pretty awesome right now.
Of course, that was just the opening stunt; I never even performed my first real trick yet. Now, the show can really start!
For the first stunt, just a little spectacle to whet the crowd's appetite, I pulled around on as tight as a turn I could possibly get, kicking my wings as hard as I could, spinning in a circle.
My peripheral vision picked up the end of my tail with how tight the circling was. Faster and faster I went, feeling the wind starting to even out with me. Now, this move was an advanced Cloud-Buster's technique, not even with a real name yet, but the fans took to calling it the "Rainblow Dry".
Twilight once told me that because of the way the move starts, red and orange and the other "hot" colors will form first. I smiled to myself, remembering the nerdy unicorn fondly.
Tighter and faster I spun and spun, finally feeling the stunt beginning to take shape. The crowd whooped and cheered, seeing the Tornado beginning to form. Just like always, the "Hot" Colors, as Twilight called them, were the first to form and the blues and purples and the so called "Cool" Colors formed just afterward.
Now, I'm no egghead like Twilight, but I guess I can understand why the Hot is on top and the Cool on bottom. She told me that the spinning motion pulls down the Hot air that floats and lifts up the Cool air that sinks. My tornado is like a big blender for air, mixing the two and forcing them where the opposite air is. They get stuck trying to get back to where their supposed to go but keep on spinning. Boom, Tornado!
Once again, those familiar three syllables of my name echoed throughout the stadium, bringing a proud smirk to my face. I was going to give these ponies exactly what they wanted.
Letting myself fall free of the Tornado, now self-sustained without my Wingpower to move it along, I moved away, watching the clouds lift off the floor to form a canopy of sorts. This was part of the next stunt, but it was a little slow going.
Of course, I never do anything slow, so when the crowd got their few seconds to enjoy the Tornado, I darted in, took back control of the Tornado and moved it around the outer edge of the Coliseum Floor, making a ring of higher clouds above the lower "Floor Cloud."
Once the ring was complete, I flew up, letting the Tornado fly up into the air where it would dissolve. Using the same motion to fly up, I leaned back into a wide somersault, flying back down toward where the crowd could better watch me. It was time to finish the course for my "Super Speedy Strut".
Just as I passed the new ring of clouds, I let my wings form a pocket, catching a tuft of the cloud and pulled it down, making a trail and connecting it the lower clouds. For just a few, sad moments, the crowd was forced to lose sight of their favorite Wonderbolt as I disappeared below the clouds.
The crowd, however, never lost their spirit, still screaming out their fondness for me. When I reappeared on the opposite side, tracking cloud from below to connect to the higher ring of clouds, it didn't stop the fans from getting even louder.
One barrel roll later found me back in the center of it all. I threw my hooves up in the air, eliciting another round of cheers and applause. Sure, I'm sort of delaying the real show, but working the crowd is part of the experience! These ponies all paid good money to see me today and I'm gonna make it worth every single bit.
Strike a Cool Pose, strike an Awesome Pose, strike a Radical Pose, every pose the crowd showed me their appreciation. My cheeks were already aching from the wideness of my constant smile, and we're not even halfway through the show!
Hooves in the air everypony! Say my name, say my name, what's my name? You all know my name, you know my name, and do the wave!
I sunk my hooves low then threw them back up, as far over my head as I could. As expected, the section of the audience I was facing jumped from their seats, hooves in the air. I turned in the air, hooves still high, carrying the wave in a full circle around the arena. Once it got back to where it started, I reversed the flow and waved the opposite direction. When it came back, I darted to the edge of the stands, throwing the wave back around, this time with the wave chasing me.
Whooping with the crowd, I yelled, laughing in the elation I received from the crowd's attentions. From here, I could see every single pony who could make it. Every single foal staring at me with wide eyes, awed by my closeness. My five friends and the trio that made up the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Regardless of the millions of fans who supported me, I never would have been here if it wasn't for them. They pushed me when I needed it, helped me when I got stuck, watched me when I needed to improve myself, lectured me when I was wrong, praised me when I was right, healed me when I was injured, and revitalized me when I was exhausted. They were my best friends. True friends. Through thick and thin, through rise and fall, dark times and good times, I never could turn my head to either side and NOT see them there. Always, they stood by my side. Always there. Always.
With a small hoof-pump, I showed them that I saw them and showed them my gratitude. I couldn't actually hear them screaming my name or single out their cheers, but I knew exactly what they saying and how they were saying it.
I pulled away, coming down to the ground, not quite tucking my wings in to walk, but kept them pumping as I began to kick off the cloud in a half run/half flight. This was the Super Speedy Strut, and the crowd knew it before I even got to speed.
There they go again. My name thundering through the air. I'm pretty sure they can hear them all the way in Las Pegasus. Hoof stomps threatening to shatter the clouds that make up the very foundation of Cloudsdale.
Faster and faster I moved, keeping the motions in my hooves a steady and even trotting pace even though I was moving much faster. Now, comes the twist.
I hit the track of cloud leading up to the cloud ring I made. It was the first time I did this publicly, and I knew the fans were going to love it.
I was Super Strutting. Upside down. The crowd roared in awe. Yeah, that's right, I'm awesome and you know it.
The thundering cheers and applause, I could feel it in my chest. This was such an amazing feeling that no matter how many times I felt it, I could never get enough. Every show, I just have to do my routine, and I'll feel this.
The pinnacle of my dreams and imaginations. My wildest fantasies. All of them are right here, at this very moment. They weren't dreams or imaginations or wild fantasies anymore. This was real. This was me.
Running upside down on the cloud canopy my Tornado made, I kept up a calm and casual face, adding to the intrigue of the stunt. Oh, man, were they going nuts! It was insane!
Making a few more circuits upside down, I took the opposite track to move back down to the Ground Clouds, skidding to a halt once I reached the center. Little tufts of clouds puffed up, knocked free from my hooves dragging along them.
Cheers and applause, encore for more, eh? Sure, you know I never disappoint. I have another trick up my sleeve.
I remember when they first saw this one… How pumped it made every single one of them! Almost impossible with how pumped they were already! It was then, I felt a little pang in my heart…
I shouldn't be the one up here.
My smile took a bit of a ding, but I heard the fans calling out, cheering my name. The three syllables that make up my name. It didn't matter right now, these ponies need me!
I took to the sky, climbing higher and higher before furling my wings, tipping backwards and nose diving straight back down.
The air rushed by me, wildly buffeting my feathers and trying desperately to pull me off course. But, since it's me we're talking about here, that's never going to happen. Not in a million years!
Closer and closer I fell to the Coliseum, shifting my hips and shoulders to angle myself back on course. From below, I could the roars of the crowd getting clearer and clearer. I was falling right toward them! And they didn't even flinch! Man, thy were almost as awesome as I was! …Almost.
Smiling, I allowed my self a slow spin, just like the first time this stunt was done. Of course, I had to mix it up a bit.
Just before I hit the stands, I pulled up. Or more accurately, I pulled down. That's right, I was upside down again.
Looking up, I saw the fans cheering and waving. I cheered back, waving to them all as I zipped by them at ridiculous speeds. The Fantastic Filly Flash. This was the new Crowd Working Signature of the Wonderbolts.
I felt that pang again, but the closeness of the happiness going on right below quickly cured it.
I reached out to the fans who were trying particularly hard to reach me and bumped hooves with whoever could get up high enough.
Some of the fans had even taking to hovering out of their seats. I made special attention to get their hooves. They risked getting kicked out if the security got them! There was a super strict "No Flying During the Show" Policy. Had to give them one last souvenir to take home before the Guards nabbed them. And nabbed most of them they did.
Sure, it was bit sad, but all I had to do was go back to the Ticket Masters, get the names of the ponies kicked out, have them removed from the Black Ball list, and personally send them a letter telling them they were safe to come back next year. Can't allow anypony to miss these shows if they were willing to pay good money for it.
Three circuits around the stands later, I was back into the center of the Arena, my hoof kinda sore from the amount of bumps I made…but I'm pretty sure I got everypony. If not, my team and myself would be outside the main exit for personal meetings.
Just a couple stunts is all I have time for. We had the opening show, the first of the main races, Misty Fly and Soarin' did our first stunt show, the second races, the team show, third races, Surprise, Rapidfire, Spitfire, and Fleetfoot did their stunt collaborative. The 500 Main Race Event took up a majority of the time, but that's the second main reason the ponies even show up. It needs the most time; we fly Five hundred laps, after all.
Blaze and Firewind called out, High Winds was really sick, the twins, Lightning Streak and Fire Streak, along with Wave Chill, were running a Charity Event with Crescent Moon in Phillydelphia.
I shook my head, clearing the tangent my brain went on. Sometimes, it just happens when I start recollecting where the team was. One of the duties of being the Captain. It was automatic.
After all those events, it was my Solo show; the show that everypony talks about.
My Show.
Sure I had them eating out of my hoof with the stuff I already did, but the show can't end now. I have two more stunts. One spectacular… and one, Legendary…
Standing in the middle of it all once more, I let myself get a bit of a breather. Flying around all day, although I do it all the time, is still a lot of work! Even somepony as awesome as me needs a bit of a break.
Plus, I like to sleep a lot, so that helps.
Those wild fans, like they've been doing the whole event, kept up their cheers and applause, but it seemed like they changed the cadence.
…Yeah. It turned into a chant. They were chanting my name while stomping their hooves at each syllable.
I was pretty sure they heard this in Las Pegasus. If not, the newspapers will get there eventually.
The chanting put the fire back in my heart though. I spread my wings, dramatically spreading the feathers to show off their perfection before taking off into the air.
I skipped the preamble this time and went straight to gathering my speed. As much as I've practiced this stunt, I couldn't find a way to really modify it.
That pang in my heart hit me again. It was a pretty sucky way to ruin my day so far. And this time? This time that guilty tugging in my heart didn't go away.
Faster and faster I pushed myself, catching as much friction in my wings as I could. The electricity building up felt awkward, making my wings feel like they were about to start vibrating.
Once I felt the charge had reached a good enough level, I flew back to the center of the Coliseum and flared my wings as hard as I could. I grit my teeth, feeling the inertia yank my body, hard.
Because of the intensity of the pull, my eyes closed, but I could feel the massive blast of electricity coming off my feathers from the sudden halt. Could hear the thunder and discharge echo through the air. I couldn't see it, but I know the crowd did. They went wild.
I swear, if I could focus my hearing, I would hear the foundation of Cloudsdale groaning from the sheer force the ponies were putting on it with their stomps and jumps.
It was an amazing sound. It was the Buccaneer Blaze. It made me hurt inside…
I shouldn't be the one here, it shouldn't be my name they're chanting! That applause shouldn't be for me…
That move always did that to me. It reminded me about that. I don't wanna think about that. But the fans are here now, that's what important, I have to give them what they want. I have to. That's what being the Captain means.
Without a pause, not even to appreciate the crowd's praise, or to even work the crowd a little like I was supposed to, I flew up.
Tears began to sting my eyes as I flew higher and higher. But it wasn't because of the wind. The goggles I wore stopped it from drying out my eyes..
Higher and higher I flew, biting back the lump that formed in my throat. I shouldn't be doing this.
I am not supposed to be here…
I stopped my climbing and looked down. The Coliseum looked tiny from up here. The perfect altitude.
Throwing my entire body mass downward, I scrambled to get faster than normal. The only way I could do this, was to tap into my magic. The pegasus magic in my wings. It's not easy for any pegasus to do, but it's the main key to making this legendary stunt work.
Uncomfortably fast, the Coliseum drew closer and closer. I felt the wind beating against me, forcing me backward, threatening to throw me backward.
I kept fighting. The wind pushed me, I pushed back, pumping my wings harder than I usually do, forcing them to flap harder and faster with each stroke. Slowly, the crowd's noise reached my ears.
I shouldn't be Captain. I shouldn't be the one to live this dream. I shouldn't be here at all!
My vision blurred with the tears pouring forth. Automatically, my body kept pushing forward. My heart ached with the old and familiar pain.
Every show was like this. Each move I did, I made it my own. But the last two, hurt me. Hurt me more than I could have ever imagined.
My body began to stretch, pushing hard against the sound barrier that was once believed to be impossible to be broken.
…I can break this barrier. I have already and I will do it again.
Just a little more. Only a tiny bit more!
The crowd's cheering was now clearly heard, I was only kilometers away from crashing into the Cloudiseum.
The sound barrier broke. My heart broke. The applause broke out. This was a dream that was not my own…
The legendary Sonic Rainboom, was here. The trademark ending to the Wonderbolt's shows.
The last thing I have to remember why I was even here in the first place, suffering like I always do, was the Sonic Rainboom.
I was sobbing openly, the tears caught in my goggles. My body flew, by itself, to my friends. I think it was a natural impulse when I was in pain, to seek out my Friends.
Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, the Cutie Mark Crusaders Trio of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and…
… Babs Seed.
Now, I bet you're all wondering: Where's Scootaloo? Why is Babs the third member?
My friends all crowded me, cheering and patting my back and sides, offering me congratulations and praise, but I didn't deserve any of it.
Like, I've been saying, I am NOT the one who should be here.
The pain went away slightly when I saw my friends right here, but one of them was missing. The one I felt should have been here the most…
I looked up into the sky, ripping my goggles off.
The crowd's cheering died down in my ears, my chanted name no longer reaching me. My friends all went quiet when they realized my distress.
That name those fans were cheering?
It shouldn't be mine…
Where were you? Where did you go that you couldn't be here?
Don't you remember you're sister? Don't you remember me?
It's me: Scootaloo. And I just want you back home…
…Rainbow Dash.
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Author's Note
Well, this got a lot more Interest than we predicted. You all enjoy Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stories, don'cha?
We are pleased. We hope you enjoyed this story's Prologue, looking forward to hearing your feedback.
If you've kept up with our Blogs and our Main Profile Page, you'd find that we actually have another story underway. We're highly confident with our release dates on this story, so look forward to that!
