It was a mildly warm sunny day, the birds singing and the flowers in bloom. The playground swarmed with small fillies and colts alike. Screams of joy echoed throughout as those who played hide-and-seek were found. There was one small filly who wasn't playing or having fun with the rest of the ponies. She was sitting out in the middle of the previously mowed field, the scent of fresh grass making its way through her nose and calming her slightly as she looked towards the sky. A fresh tear made its way down the orange coat, slightly darkening the fur as it passed along.
Scootaloo had always wanted to be just like her, but never had the chance to. The 'gift' that she was given was her nightmare. Other fillies and colts called her 'chicken' for being the one flightless pegasus that they had known. Sure, she had two other friends that loved her for who she was, but the mockery passed onto them for being an affiliate to the chicken. They seemed to be able to handle it themselves, but she felt guilty for imposing the insults that were fired onto them. She had always felt a need to attach herself to somepony great in order to learn how to fly, so she went to Rainbow Dash because of her amazing talent. Rainbow Dash was an amazement to watch for her, soaring gracefully with ease through the sky. That was where she wanted, or more of needed to be so that she could be considered a normal pony.
Normal was a funny word to her, everypony that they had called 'normal' was somepony who was mean to others or it was somepony who was a self-righteous snob. That wasn't what she hoped to be; so why did she feel a need to be called normal by others? It didn't matter what others said to her at first, but now that the abuse had reached for a matter of months, the poison and fangs began to sink deeper into her skin as she took more of it to heart.
The deep purple eyes kept locked onto the midday sky; hoping for a future where she could be accepted by everypony. Another tear leaked down her cheek as she watched a rainbow streak across the horizon. It was obviously Rainbow Dash seeing as there was no rain that day.
Dash had tried to help her multiple times to gain flight, but it was all to no avail. The key concept to Rainbow had always been speed, and even though the little orange wings would beat faster than any in existence, there was no flight. Time after time, hope was becoming bleak for Scootaloo, and with each failed attempt her morale lowered. It continued to lower until one day when she found a scooter while walking home.
The scooter was just laying there, off to the side in the brush as if somepony had tossed it away. She checked around the general area to see if there was anypony near that it may have belonged to, and she found no pony anywhere near her. Navigating through the bushes, Scootaloo inched closer to it, the bushing leaving small scratches on her flank. Its bright red handle seemed to be as soft as it had ever been, giving it an extremely comfortable grip. A blue wood plank was attached to the handle; and four red wheels bolted to the underside. Grabbing the handlebar in her hooves, she lifted it out of the bush and placed it back on the path. Then began the check to make sure nothing was visibly wrong with the scooter. After the checks had been completed, she was ready to be on her way.
Scootaloo stood on the main platform of the scooter trying to get a feel for the way it was balanced on the wheels. Looking down the stretch of path directly in front of her nervously, she dug a hoof into the dirt and gave a swift push to achieve movement. They began to move in unison, the speed increasing as she gave push after push, an adrenaline rush from the speed starting to form. Scootaloo leaned over the handlebars to make herself more aerodynamic. That was when she realized that she was still gaining speed. She looked back over her shoulder, a buzzing sensation suddenly making its way into her mind. The wings that had once caused her to be flightless now gave her the opportunity to take on a new form of speed on the ground instead of in the sky. A large grin came over her face; Scootaloo doubling the power she was exerting from her wings. The speed of both her and her scooter continued to grow as the tiny orange wings hummed behind her.
Rainbow Dash flew up next to her, giving her a smile and signaling for a race. Scootaloo nodded to her, letting Dash know that the challenge had been accepted. Before Rainbow Dash could even give herself a boost of speed, Scootaloo took off in a cloud of dust, leaving Rainbow behind dumbfounded at the feat. She took off, catching up to Scootaloo and giving her an approving glance. This warmed the small orange pegasus, her heart skipping a beat. She had finally gotten what she had always wanted, the acceptance of her idol.
She turned her head from the sky and looked towards all of the ponies that played on the playground. The memory of when she found herself, what she had always been waiting for. A sigh escaped her as she stood and walked back towards the schoolyard and to her fabled scooter. Ponies pointed and laughed at how strange she was; not wanting to be in the sky like every other pegasus.
Rainbow Dash flew overhead, stopping near the school to smile towards her. Scootaloo gave a warm smile back, turning towards the scooter. It clicked in her mind, what she had wanted all along. The scooter was the key to it all; what she was made to do. She was good, no, amazing at riding it anywhere and everywhere. A mild squee came from her, the scooter filling the void that she had to be accepted. Scootaloo thought to herself, If you can't accept me as I am, then don't.
Glancing back, she was happy that she was unique. Even though it hurt her at times from constant insults, it was well worth being the black sheep in a herd of white.
The day you start being yourself is the hardest day in your life. No one ever tells you who to be, but society is always trying to mold you into what it wants you to be. With the conforms of society and what is considered normal, being unique in the herd makes you a target to those who are afraid to become something for themselves. Who are you, if you are just like everypony else?
