A sharp pain pierced through Rainbow Dash's mind, slowly feeling returned to her sore limbs. "Uuhh," she moaned softly, eyes fluttering open. Standing over her was a purple alicorn mare, her horn was alight with a pink aura, a damp rag floated over and began to wrap around Dash's face
"OUCH!" she cried, the liquid on the towel burned her skin. Twilight jumped back in surprise, wings unfurling, "Oh! Sorry I didn't know you were up!"
"What the buck are you doing Twilight!?" Dash shouted, tossing the towel off her face and rising from the bed.
"I was applying healing ointment to your head injury!" she shouted back at her. A fuzzy memory surfaced, 'Ya....that' Rainbow groaned inwardly.
"I don't need that" she said confidently. Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Im not sure that a good-"
"Thanks for the help anyway Twilight," Dash cut her friend off. Wanting to save herself the embarrassment she opened a nearby window in preparation to leave, "but I have to get back on the job, see ya later" The moment she spread her wings Rainbow's vision began to blur, causing her to stumble slightly
Twilight rushed over to her friends side, keeping her steady with a hoof, "Rainbow Dash you are not leaving till I help you Not only do you have a concussion but since when do you run into storm clouds.......is something wrong?" Dash sighed, there was no getting out of this, "Ok, I'll tell you, just get me over to the bed" Guiding her over to the bed Twilight used her magic to pull back the sheets, allowing Rainbow to climb inside.
"So tell me, what's on your mind?" Twilight asked, pulling the sheets back over Dash.
"Well last night I had this dream...." she began, the warmth of the bed comforting her, making the pain subside slightly. For what felt like an eternity Dash laid there telling her story, sparing most of the sappy details, "Then this black hole opened up and-"
"Hold that thought" Twilight stopped her, leaving the bedside for a moment she returned with another damp towel. "Oh no, I don't think so. Im not putting that on" Rainbow glared at her. "Do you want to get better?" Twilight asked, slightly exasperated.
"Yes"
"Well this ointment is the only thing that can get rid of your concussion quickly, Im sure even a pony like you understands that......unless" she paused, a smirk crossing her face, "you cant handle it."
Rainbow snorted, this sounded like a challenge, "Give it to me" she demanded; snatching the towel out of Twilight's aura with a hoof she placed it right over her forehead, the pain was intense.
"See, not so bad' Twilight remarked.
"Ya, easy enough for you to say" Dash managed to get out through gritted teeth.
"Im no expert on dream magic but I may know why you had that dream" Twilight began, getting back on the subject.
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked, she started to get up, Twilight held her down with a hoof.
"Don't get up yet, but yes, from what you told me you are afraid of failing. More specifically, failing Scootaloo. Is there would be a reason you are afraid of such a thing happening?"
Dash thought for a moment, 'I haven't spent a lot of time with Scoots in a while, is that it?'
"Me and Scootaloo haven't hung out in a while." she told Twilight. Before her friend could respond the door at the end of the room flew open, Spike came running in, "Twilight! Princess Celestia sent you a letter," he produced a scroll from behind his back. Without a word Twilight levitated the paper in from of her face, reading it quickly. "Thanks Spike, sorry Rainbow Dash the princess needs to meet with me. You should be able to take that towel off now, we can talk about this some other time."
Closing her eyes, a bright light radiated from Twilights horn, building in intensity until there was a loud "CRACK!" and she was gone. "Some things never change," Dash muttered, throwing the towel away and getting back on her hooves. As she turned and left the room Spike came running up from behind. "So..." he started, trying to make conversation, his small voice echoed off the high ceiling. "You where out for quite a bit."
"How long?" Dash asked, her voice exposing some mild concern.
'Umm, a few hours, I don't know."
Throwing back the thick velvet curtains Rainbow Dash watched the sun sink behind Ponyville. "NO!" she cried, Spike jumped back in alarm. Tossing the window open Dash dove out and unfurled her wings, speeding off toward the town. 'I can make it, I can make it' she repeated over and over again, the streets around her getting narrower and narrower until she reached the edge of town.
Drawing in her wings, Dash landed perfectly in front of a small building. A sign in the dirty window read 'Cloudsdale Weather Team Outpost'. Opening the door she was met with a simple room, the Cloudsdale flag hung proudly behind a counter. Reaching behind her ear Dash retrieved a time card, "Whew, its still there" she told herself aloud. Trotting over to the corner of the room, Rainbow deposited the card into a wall mounted device, it punched the time.
"Ahem" came a gruff voice, her heart dropped.
"Hey Mr. Cloudlifter," Rainbow said awkwardly, turning around. A large male stallion with a brown fur coat stared down at her, his tired eyes obscured by the grey mane that stuck out from under his weather factory hat. "Late again I see," he huffed, 'Do you remember what I said would happen if you were late again Ms. Dash?"
"No, you cant! Im the best pony you have on the team, I can clear the sky faster than anypony else," Dash sputtered, she began to panic. Cloudlifter continued, unfazed by her pleas, "You can clear the sky faster than anypony else but you only do it if you want to do it. I cant have employees on their own agenda while they are working on my time, they give the factory and Cloudsdale a bad name. Im sorry Ms. Dash, your fired."
A mixture a fear and rage boiled up inside Rainbow, 'He- he fired me! The best flyer in Equestria no less! Oh he'll regret this, soon the business will suffer and they'll come crawling back to me' Without a word she galloped out of the building, flying off toward home with the dying light of the sun as her guide.
Dash muttered a string of curses to herself as she landed at her cloud house. Upon entry she instantly went over to a small coffee table and sat on a cushion. She stared unblinkingly at the collection of papers in front of her, words like 'Final Payment' and 'Foreclosure Warning' burned holes right through her. "How am I going to pay these off now?" she asked herself aloud. For as long as she could remember Dash had been in tough financial position, spending all her money on Wonderbolts training had left her unable to pay for her house.
Rainbow sighed, "Im sorry, Im so, so sorry. I failed myself.....and I failed you." she picked up a picture of her mother off the table. A beautiful white Pegasus with a red mane and rose colored eyes was smiling back at her, a single tear splattered against the frame. "No" she spoke, strength back in her voice, "I will not give up!" she was up on her hooves again, standing proudly as if to impress some unseen crowd. "All I need to do is get a job," she declared, shouting it out to the world, yet no pony ever heard it.
It was early morning in Equestria, the moon still basked the countryside in a silver glow. Every pony was fast asleep, accept for one. The large 'Help Wanted' sign loomed in front of Rainbow Dash. She decided to come here early, she didn't want any pony seeing her looking for a job, especially her friends. They would never look at her the same way again, think that she was a failure, she could never live that down.
"Lets see here." she muttered, looking over the advertisements. "Lost puppy, please return, human artifacts needed, vote for Ponyville disaster relief fund, work in Ghastly Gorge mines.....I don't think so" For several long minutes Rainbow scanned the board, nothing of any use turned up. "Ugh this is hopeless!" she yelled aloud, voice carrying down the empty streets. About to give up hope Dash gave the board another look over, seeing if there was anything she missed.
This time a small, yellowed paper caught her eye, hidden behind the others. Tearing it off she read over it
'Help Wanted: Ponyville Orphanage'
Several care givers are required to watch
after the young fillies and colts.
There is only one work day a week and you
are paid fifteen bits an hour. If at all interested
visit us at 103 Stirrup Street
"The orphanage?! Im no good with kids." Rainbow groaned, " and fifteen bits an hour, I only have enough bits for two more weekly house payments. This will barely even help." A image of Scootaloo flashed through her mind, she looked over the paper again, " This may be the only chance I have.......thats it, I'll give it a shot": Folding the paper up and sticking it behind her ear, Dash flew off for home. 'Hopefully,' she thought, 'I'll actually get some sleep tonight'
~'~'~'~
Midday rolled around and Rainbow touched down on Stirrup Street. The road was lined with many quaint cottages, all with well maintained thrash roves and little flower boxes. Finding the address, Dash gazed up at the orphanage, it was a large two story building lined with many small windows. Over a set of double doors hung an old sign that read 'Pon-ville Orpha--ge' Walking up the steps Rainbow paused in front of the door, looking back she could see Sugar Cube Corner. The rational part of her brain came through, 'Just go to Pinkie, she'll help you' Dash nearly turned around but her usual stubbornness kicked in, 'No I cant know that I lost my job'. Dash had made up her mind.
Knocking twice she waited for some pony to open the door, "Hello?" a white mare with a pink mane and a red cross cutie mark stepped out.
"Nurse Redheart, you work here?"
"Indeed I do Ms. Dash, the hospital makes us nurses work here for several hours a week. Now what brings you here, not going to steal any books I hope"
Rainbow cracked a slight smile, "Na, Im here about this" she handed her the flier.
Looking it over, Nurse Redheart raised an eyebrow, "Hm, I never expected this to come up again, especially from some pony like you"
A look of concern crept over Dash's face, "No dont turn me away, I'll try my best I swear"
The nurse chuckled, "Dont worry I give every pony a fair chance, follow me"
Relieved, Dash followed her into the building, a simple entry hall greeted them. The room was decorated in dark wood, two passages lead off to the left and right, giving way to halls lined with doors, a staircase lead up to the top floor. "Where are all the kids?" she inquired
"All the fillies and colts are spending time in their rooms today, just come back to the kitchen and we'll talk" the nurse answered.
Entering the kitchen the two mares took a seat at a small table, Rainbow tried fixing her mane to make it look for presentable. "Now Ms. Dash that is hardly necessary" Redheart told her.
"Right" Dash brought her hooves down, her face began to feel hot.
"Now you do know this job is all about caring for children right?" Redheart inquired
"Ya, of course"
"Good, you see the Ponyville Orphanage needs ponies to keep up a unique program we have called 'parent for a day'. The is when volunteers meet here once a week to spend time with one of the children, and at the end of the day you get paid."
"If you dont mind me for asking," Dash started, trying her best to be polite, "Why is the pay so low?"
"Most ponies ask that question, you see the orphanage is only kept open by a meager fund that Mayor Mare gives us, and it gives us just enough to pay volunteers and keep this place running"
"Ok well when can I start?" Rainbow pressed, wanting to get started
Redheart laughed, "You sure are eager aren't you. Im not going to bother with the paper work for nowbut I need to get a list of children for you to-"
"Scootaloo!" Dash blurted out
"What?"
"I want to look after Scootaloo." she told her
"Oh, her. Are you sure about that, she can be a bit rambunctious at times." the nurse warned
"Ive never been more sure about anything in my life" Dash said bravely.
"Well..." Redheart began,"If it isnt any problem could you start today?"
"Ya, totally" excitement in her voice. Despite a financial situation that would discourage most Rainbow couldn't help but feel happy, she could finally spend time with Scoots the way she should have a while ago.
"Follow me please" Nurse Redheart lead Dash back to the main room and up the stairs, the hallway up there was tight, only allowing them to go down single file. Reaching a door at the end of the hall Redheart opened the door and let her inside. Upon entry Dash's heart nearly exploded, the small room was decorated floor to ceiling in Wonderbolts posters, small figurines lined the window sill. An image flashed before her eyes, it was Dash's childhood room, similar to this one, proudly displaying her love for the flight team she planned to join. Snapping back to reality Dash finally turned her attention to a small bed, on it laid a orange and violet ball, the sleeping form of Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo, wake up" Redheart whispered, walking over to her. The filly opened her eyes, they instantly locked on Rainbow. "Oh my gosh, Rainbow Dash!" the pegasus jumped out of bed and galloped over to her idol, tiny wings fluttering excitedly, "what are you doing here?"
"She is here to be your parent for the day" Redheart explained before Dash could get anything out. Scootaloo paused for a moment, a look of bewilderment across her face, then a smile appeared, wider than what should be physically possible. She gave Rainbow a hug, "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou SSSOOO much!!!!"
A feeling unlike any other spread through Dash's body, it felt more amazing than any adrenaline she ever had and yet......she had no idea what this emotion was. "Uuh, no problem squirt" was the only thing she could manage to say.
"Come on, lets go" Scootaloo grabbed Rainbows foreleg and pulled her out of the of the room.
"Be back by nine!" Redheart shouted after them, not raising a hoof to stop the pair from leaving.
~'~'~'~
Ponies stared in confusion as a small filly practically dragged Rainbow Dash behind her. All she could do is put on a awkward smile and wave at them with her free hoof, 'This is so embarrassing' she thought, 'but at least Scootaloo is happy' At long last the two of them arrived in a small field just outside of Ponyville. Finally releasing her Scootaloo flopped on to the ground, panting loudly, "See.....we're finally...here" she spoke between breaths.
Rainbow looked around, it was just a empty field, nothing special. "What is here exactly?" she asked.
"Its my special spot" Scootaloo began, that impossible smile still on her face, "I come here to think sometimes. It means a lot to me and your the first pony Ive ever brought here so I really hope you like it"
"Wow, I dont know what to say" Dash could believe that Scoots was showing this 'secret spot' to her, was this something kids usually did?
"Thats ok." the filly continued with boundless enthusiasm, "Hey Rainbow Dash...if its fine with you could maybe......teach me to fly?"
Dash knew this would come up sooner or later. The pegasus' wings were very small, even for a kids, she wasnt sure if you would ever be able to fly, but she had to try.
"Sure" she agreed
"YES!" Scootaloo fluttered her wings in joy, causing her to float several inches off the ground.
"Right well first you have to....." in that moment Dash realized she had no idea how to teach any pony how to fly, it just seemed to come to her naturally. 'Where to start' she wondered, 'Oh hey preening, thats it'
"I think preening is an essential thing to know when you start flying" she told the filly.
"You mean like this?" Scootaloo asked,before streching her wing out and burying her face in it. A second later she looked back up at Rainbow, a small tuft of feathers in her mouth, "Ith luk tis writ?"
Dash stood, mouth open wide. Never before had she seen preening so bad, it was almost like the kid hadn't learned how to do it.
"Umm no, not even close"
"Oh" Scootaloo's mood seemed to shift instantly, she released the feathers from her mouth
"Has no pony taught you how to preen?" Dash asked
"No, the orphanage is mostly filled with earth ponies so I tried learning it myself"
"Watch this" Rainbow ordered. Scootaloo looked up from the ground and watched as Dash unfolded her wings. Dash glanced over her wings, sensing the soft breeze run through them, what a wonderful feeling. A small broken feather caught her eye, "You see this" she asked the filly, pointing to it. Scootaloo nodded in understanding. "When your preening you have to look for broken feathers and get rid of them. Also if there are any out of place, put them back."
Scootaloo scanned her own wings, seeing tons of a ton of broken and out of place feathers a frown crossed her face, "This will take forever" she complained. Yanking the broken feather out Dash turned to her, "Do you ever want to fly?"
"Ya"
"Well if there is one thing thats holding you back its your wings, and not the fact that they're small. Its because you never learned how to preen!"
This brought some energy back into Scootaloo, "Ok, I'll do it right this time"
"I think I should preen your wings first, just to show you how to do it" Scootaloo raised a hoof, "I got this Rainbow Dash. Just watch"
"Ok I trust you" Dash relented, sitting down. 'Man, she is nearly being a stubborn as Applejack'
Burying her face in her wing again Scootaloo pulled her head up a minute later, two feathers in her mouth. One was broken, one was not. Sighing, Dash had to control her impatience, 'Just stay calm Rainbow' she told herself, 'she's just a kid who hasnt learned how to do this yet, no use in getting angry'
"No thats not it either, here I'll do it for you"
Bringing her wing around, Dash wrapped it around Scootaloo and brought her back against her chest, she flinched upon contact. "Everything ok?" she asked
"Ya, Im just not used to this" the little pegasus replied.
"Thats fine, I wasnt comfortable with preening my first time either" Rainbow's mind came to a halt, a memory, locked away in the recesses of her brain surfaced again.
"I dont want to preen, its boring" a small voice cried.
"Now Dash," another voice spoke, this one warm and full of love. "You know you wont be able to fly if you dont do it"
"Ugh, fine" the filly dropped the argument. A white wing wrapped itself around her, pulling her up against a soft, warm body. Looking up she saw a familiar face looking back at her.
"Mom" Rainbow whispered, a feeling of joy spread through her.
"What?" Scootaloo's voice pierced through the memory and reality came flooding back. Dash looked down at the child below her, in the same position she had been in years ago. It had come full circle. The same unfamiliar feeling swept through her body again. "Sorry, its nothing" Rainbow told her.
Scootaloo shrugged, bringing out her wings for Dash to see. Looking over them, she bent down and pulled out all the broken feathers, pushing others back into place. She did it carefully, slowly, taking it one step at a time as to not hurt the filly. Catching a glimpse of Scootaloo's face, Dash saw that her closed eyes and small smile, content just to have her idol take care of her. Seeing her happy, strangely, made Rainbow happy too.
After what may have been a decade Dash finally moved the last feather into place. "There you go squirt" she announced, straightening herself back up. Scootaloo responded with a loud snoring noise. Dash laughed, causing the pegasus to wake up in alarm, "Hhu, what's going on?" she said sleepily.
"You enjoy that?" Rainbow asked, standing back up and stepping away from her.
"Uh...no" Scootaloo lied, not wanting to seem weak in front of Dash.
"Whatever you say" Dash said, seeing through the lie, "Well I think now I can teach you to fly"
A giant smile came back on to Scootaloo's face again, "Oh ya, what do I do first?"
"Well...." she began thinking again, "all pegasi are born to fly, its in our blood. At flight school we learned a routine that almost guarantees takeoff, its called the run and jump. Have you heard of that one?" Scootaloo just scratched her head in confusion.
"Its pretty self explanatory, let me show you" Rainbow explained, trotting a short distance away she turned to face Ponyville. 'Lets do this' she told herself, beginning to gallop over the soft grass. After traveling a little ways Dash jumped and opened up her wings, the momentum picking her up off the ground. Pumping her muscles up and down, Rainbow gained altitude, heading for the sky.
"Woo hoo, go Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo yelled up to her. Sensing the wind around her, Dash turned in a wide arc and descended back to the ground. "That was so cool!" Scootaloo ran up to her as she landed.
"It was pretty cool wasn't it." Dash commented, soaking up the praise. "Did you get that?" she then asked the filly, going back to being the teacher.
" I think so, can I try it?"
"Go ahead" Dash told her, using a hoof to rough up the kids mane slightly
"Hey, ha ha, cut that out" Scootaloo laughed, pushing herself away. Rainbow watched as the little pegasus took off running, after some distance she jumped and fluttered her wings as fast as she could. She began to take off the ground just when her wings gave out and Scootaloo landed on the ground. "Nice try kid!" Rainbow encouraged her, "Try it again" this process repeated six times before Scootaloo had enough, "Thats it, I give up" she plopped down on the ground next to Rainbow Dash.
"Now dont give up kid, just because you didnt make it the first few times doesnt mean you should just give up. What I noticed is that your flapping your wings way to fast, try slowing them down, get some wind under them" Dash advised
"Fine, one more time" the filly decided
Getting back up, Scootaloo took off once more, going a few meters before jumping. Instead of doing her usual wing flutter, she slowed them down, catching the wind underneath them. Dash's heart flew straight up to her throat as Scootaloo caught some air, actually going several feet off the ground before her wings gave out and she flopped on to the ground.
Dash rushed over, "Are you alright?!" she asked, panicked. Flipping Scootaloo over she could she the filly's wide eyes and the biggest grin she had ever seen., "Did you see that? I flew, I actually flew!"
"Ya squirt, that was awesome!" Rainbow gave her a hoof bump. 'I just can believe it she flew!' she just couldnt wrap her head around it. For the longest time every pony thought that teaching Scootaloo to fly was an impossible task, that she was a cripple. Yet here she was proving them wrong.
Another memory, one long forgotten, emerged from Dash's mind again. Opening the door to her parents house, a young Rainbow Dash entered, throwing her saddle bags on the floor as she entered the kitchen. Her mom sat at the table, clad in a weather factory outfit and sipping a cup of coffee. "Hey honey, how was your first day at flight school?"
"Terrible" she admitted, tears flowing from her eyes, " Every pony could get off the ground but me, *sniff* They laughed at me and called me Rainbow Crash"
The older mare got up from the table and went over to her, "Rainbow Crash, is that what they called you?" Dash nodded her head silently. "Well let me tell you, all those kids had as much trouble as had when they learned to fly."
"Really" she dried her eyes and looked up
"Yes, even your father, the captain of the Wonderbolts had trouble flying when he was young. So dont worry about it, you'll learn in time"
"But I want to fly now." Rainbow wined
Dash's mom gave her a look, but then she smiled. Leaning over to her ear she whispered, "I can teach you a special trick that can get you off the ground every time, but it has to be our little secret"
"Please show me, I'll keep it a secret I swear" Dash promised
"Here, follow me" she said, leading Rainbow outside. "Did they teach you the run and jump routine yet?" her mom asked.
"Yes"
"Well you may not know this but pegasi can control the wind around them by using their magic and use it to make them go faster"
"Wow, that's so cool" the filly marveled at this.
"Just watch this," she instructed. moving over to the edge of the cloud mass. She took off, galloping over to the other side of the cloud before she jumped. Unlike how Dash had learned it in class however, her mother didnt flap her wings fast to gain height, she moved them in a more slow and graceful fashion and yet took of faster than any pony Dash had ever seen.
"How did you do that?!" Rainbow asked, running up to her as she landed.
"You see Dash its very simple, I concentrated and felt the wind around me and told it where to go. Then it propelled me forward, as long as you can do that you'll get of the ground and fly every time"
"Can I try it?"
"Of course you can silly filly, dont worry about falling, I'll catch you"
Doing as her mother had done, Dash began running to the edge, jumping at the last second. Closing her eyes, all of time seemed to come to a halt. She could feel the wing against her fur and the feathers on her wings, she wanted it to change direction, to propel her forward. Reopening her eyes, Rainbow say that it had worked, she was airborne. Flapping her wings, she began to go even higher, doing flips and tricks as if she had been doing it her whole life. Never before had Dash experienced something so wonderful, "I-Im doing it! Im flying!" she cried happily
"Go Rainbow Dash!" her mom cheered from below. The world faded into mist, dragging Dash back to the present. Such a long memory had passed in seconds, 'Whats going on?' she wondered, ' I thought I forgot about that.' Looking down she still saw the smiling face of Scootaloo, her vision blurred with tears, yet none fell.
"Great job kid, but I may know a trick that can get you off the ground every time"
"Seriously?" she asked, looking at her with wonder.
"Ya, its something I learned when I was your age"
The two ponies practiced in that field all day, every attempt brought Scootaloo closer and closer to touching the sky. As the sun began to turn the heavens a brilliant orange Rainbow laid on her back, scoots at her side. They rested and watched the clouds above, "You that before long you'll be up there squirt"
"But I only got a few feet off the ground today" she pointed out
"If you practice flying and preening everyday like I did getting to the clouds wont be a problem anymore, Besides, flying only a little bit is better than not flying at all in my opinion" Dash told her
"Ok....hey Rainbow Dash, what do clouds feel like?"
"They're pretty soft and a bit bouncy, why do you ask?"
"Ive always wanted to sleep on them like you do" Scootaloo explained, "The orphanage doesnt let me have a cloud bed, they say it costs too much."
"The orphanage," Dash mulled over that word, "The orphanage!" she got up off the ground quickly.
"What are you talking about?" Scootaloo asked, getting up to.
"Nurse Redheart told me to bring you back by nine, We're going to be late!"
'Oh great, late for something two days in a row, get it together Dash' she couldnt believe that the time passed so quickly, they needed a way to get back fast.
"Hey Scoots, you up for a hoof race back to the orphanage?'
Scootaloo seemed a bit surprised by this, then her expression hardened, "Your on"
"One, two, three, GO!" Rainbow counted, the filly next to her took off as fast as she could. She watched as her small form moved further and further away toward Ponyville. "I think I gave her a good enough head start" with that she galloped down the hill, gaining speed with relative ease. Entering the outskirts of town Dash passed up Scootaloo, "You got to try harder than that if you want to beat me"she shouted behind her.
"No fair!" the younger pegasus shouted back, "Your just winning because your older"
Looking back ahead Rainbow could see the orphanage near the end of the long street, 'I got this in the bag' she gloated. 'What do you think your doing?' the more rational part of Dash's brain cut scolded her, 'Scootaloo is just a kid, let her win'. Glancing behind her she could see that Scoots had begun to slow down, struggling to keep pace with her.
'Fine, I'll let her win. Just this once', still running, Dash scanned her surroundings. Big Mac stood next to a apple cart off to the side of the road, checking over his end-of-day inventory he found a mushy apple and tossed it into the street. "Perfect!" rushing forward, Rainbow planted her hoof down on the apple, shifting her weight forward. "Woah!" she cried, falling face first on to the street.
"Rainbow......Dash" Scootaloo came up, "Are you.....ok?"
Dash spat some dirt out of her mouth, "Im fine, go on, we're racing remember."
"Right, Im going to beat you" and like lightning she ran toward the orphanage. A red hoof appeared in Dash's vision, she extended her own and got up off the ground. "Thanks" she nodded to Big Mac
"Eeyup" he nodded back, giving his signature short answer before going back to his work.
Heading back up the street she found Scootaloo looking rather smug on the orphanage steps, "Ha, I actually beat you"
"Ya, I guess you did. Congratulations" Dash clipped her fore-hooves together several times, "Just wait till next time though, you wont be so lucky'
"Bring it on" Scoots challenged, extending her wings
Rainbow knocked on the door, waiting for an answer. "One minute late" Nurse Redheart noted, opening the door. "You know, for a pegasus who is all about going fast your not very good with time"
"Nurse Redheart you wont believe it" Scootaloo said, bounding up the steps, "Rainbow Dash taught me to fly!"
The nurse threw Dash a sideways glance, "Really?" she asked
"Fraid' so" she admitted, "show her"
Running back down the steps, Scootaloo jumped, taking to the air for a solid minute before landing awkwardly on the ground again. "Sweet Celestia," Redheart was absolutely stunned, "B-but she.....I thought she was-"
Dash stopped her, "Lady, Im a professional" The white mare blinked several times as if she didnt comprehend the situation, "Scootaloo, time to come inside" she called to the filly upon recovery
"Ok" she groaned sounding disappointed, walking back up the steps she stopped in front of Dash, giving her a big hug, "Thank you so much for everything Rainbow Dash" For the millionth time that day Dash was overcome with that strange feeling again, "Its no problem really" her voice cracked slightly.
"Will you come next week?" Scootaloo pressed, letting her go.
"As long as you practice flying and preening everyday, sure I will"
"Yay!" the filly began bouncing up and down with glee.
"Im sure Ms. Dash wants to go home now Scootaloo. Why dont you say goodbye and head upstairs for bed now." Redheart interjected.
"Bye Rainbow Dash" Scootaloo said, voice filled with sadness, before heading into the orphanage.
"See ya later squirt" Dash called back.
"I cant thank you enough for what you've done today," Redheart turned to her, handing over a small bag of bits. "Theres your 135 bits for your nine hours of service. You deserve more but Im afraid thats all I can give you"
"Dont worry about it, it's what I do" Rainbow replied nonchalantly.
"Have you ever had much experience with kids Ms Dash?" the nurse asked
"No, why?"
"You could have fooled me. I dont know, maybe you'd make a good parent some day." and with that the door closed softly in her face, leaving Dash with nothing more than a bag of bits and her own thoughts.