"It is with great pleasure that we welcome back our retired Wonderbolts, Spitfire and Soarin!" The stadium erupted in applause as the two pegasi flew slowly to the center. There son and daughter, both Wonderbolts, joined them.
"It is good to be back. Soarin and I are here to announce the newest member to the team." She said full of volume. He trademark hair never lost it's shape, but it is slightly faded from it's bright flame resemblance. Lines had formed in her once smooth face, and she spoke again. "Many have tried, and this one has beat the odds and succeeded. Please put your hooves together for the newest member... Scootaloo!"
The orange pegasus came flying out, smiling halfheartedly as she reached the cloud. Her hood of her uniform was down, and her mature face could be seen.
She has grown into a fine pegasus, and she owes that to her... well, not her parents. They were never around. She owes it to the closest to a mother she ever had, Rainbow Dash.
**********************
"Come on, Scoots! You can do it!" Rainbow cheered.
She flap her wings as hard as she could, pushing off the ground.
"YOU CAN DO IT!" She screamed again. "Jump and flap, jump and flap!" She encouraged.
"I can't do it..." The filly cried, never leaving the ground she pushed so hard from. "My wings are too small, and I haven't even started flight school!"
"Well I never finished flight school, and they never taught me anything I didn't learn on my own!" She scolded from the clouds. "Before I was your age, my old man taught me how to get in the air. Then he died... And I learned everything else myself." She frowned.
"Well I don't have a dad! Or a mom for that fact!"
"Well you got me!" She yelled. "And that's going to have to be enough for you." She looked down at the young pegasus before flying down to stand over her.
"It is..." The filly looked down at her hooves.
"Then try." She spat.
"Jump and flap, jump and flap..." Scootaloo whispered to herself.
Bouncing on her feet, she finally jumped and started to beat her wings. To her disappointment, her feet hit the ground again.
"Jump," She gave a strong jump. "And flap!" She flapped her wings, squeezing her eyes shut in the effort. Her muscles burned, and she heaved as she worked harder.
"YEA! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!" Rainbow shouted. "Look at yourself!"
Scootaloo opened her eyes slowly, and looked down. She was in the air.
"I did it! I did it!" She cried.
"Now that you got that, try to fly over to me." Dash said lightly. She hovered a few feet away. "All you need to do is lean forward and turn your wings slightly..." She tried to make it sound easy.
The tired filly did as she was told. She hovered for several seconds before attempting, but the attempt was not that successful. She eased forward and tilted her wings, and lost balance. Instead of flying forward, she took a nose dive to the ground.
SLAM!
"Owwww..."
"You ok, Scoots?"
"Fine... fine." She shook her head to wiggle off dirt.
"No you're not, you're bleeding." She tapped the filly's nose to show her the red coming from her face. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Grudgingly, she started to walk with the cyan pegasus.
"I'm real proud of you." She smiled warmly at the orange filly. "Real proud..."
**********************
"We are honored to have this talented mare join our ranks."
"Thank you, Miss Spitfire." Scootaloo replied. "I am privileged to have been chosen."
She walked up to the new recruit to share something secretly. "We are real proud to have a fine flier like yourself."
"Thanks..." She stepped up to the stage.
**********************
"Do a barrel roll!" Dash cheered to the teenaged pegasus. "They're a real crowd pleaser!"
"How?" She stopped in the sky, her choppy mane wind blown.
"Press z!" She joked. "You have to go like you're turning, but shift your weight a little more to turn over. Then your going to have to follow through or you will end up upside down and have to do a U-turn. And that is not 20 percent cooler."
Determined, Scootaloo followed the orders given. First try ended in a U-turn.
"Just try to get a little momentum in your turn, that should help. Turn the opposite way, then throw yourself the other way into the barrel roll." She flew up to Scootaloo. "That's how I did it until I worked out enough to pull up."
"So you cheated?" She laughed.
"Not cheating, it was training for the real thing!"
"Alright, I'll give it a try!" She zoomed away. The wind rippled her mane, and she gained enough speed for the stunt. She started leaning right, but then threw herself left. With a full 360, she was right side up again.
"That's how we do it!" She was giddy. "And the crowd goes wild! Rahhhhhh!"
"Thank you, thank you!" She took fake bows.
"Lets go to Sugarcube Corner and get us some victory cupcakes!"
"I'd like that..." She smiled at her idol.
**********************
"H-hello." The stadium fell silent again. "I am so thankful to have been selected to join the ranks of the best fliers in... all of... Equestria." She bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry..." Without another word, she sped away, through the cloud floor to a lone cloud in the sky. Only one shy pegasus bothered to follow.
**********************
A hurricane was ripping it's way through Ponyville, tossing pegasi out of the sky. Only the best fliers were able to stay in the sky. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo screamed over the winds.
"I need to stop it!" The rainbow pegasus called out.
"Are you crazy? You'll be killed!"
"You're talking to the element of Loyalty! I am going to save Ponyville, or die trying!"
"Not with out me!"
"No! It's too dangerous!"
"I was taught by the best flier in all of Equestria!" Rainbow stared at the orange pegasus and saw a young filly. "I am going with you! Friends 'till the very end!"
"Scoots..." Rainbow whispered to herself before hugged the pegasus. She did something right.
**********************
Scootaloo cried on the cloud, which absorbed the tears with eaze. Her soft whimpers didn't go unheard.
"Scoots?" A voice asked her meekly. "What happened?" The yellow pegasus landed on the cloud.
"I couldn't do it..." She breathed out sadly. "I couldn't..." Her body shook with new tears.
"It's ok..."
"It's not! It's not fair..." She doesn't even look at Fluttershy.
"What isn't?"
"That she isn't here, and I am."
**********************
They flew side by side into the calm eye, fighting inch by inch but eventually getting there.
"Ready?" Rainbow's voice shook.
"Ready."
"1...2...3... NOW!" Both started flying as fast as they could.
Small rocks and fragments scraped against the two, cutting their skin and getting stuck, but they kept flying. Seconds turned into minutes, but they felt like hours.
"Just a little mor-AH!" Rainbow screamed out as a large chunk of somthing slamed into her and nearly knocked her out of the sky. "Keep... Going!"
After another minute, the storm finally was conquered and the other pegasi were able to fly in and kick out the clouds. The two heros fly to the ground, where Rainbow collapsed.
"Rainbow!" Scootaloo was at her side in a second, holding her to her chest. "Somepony help! HELP!"
"It's so nice..." She looked at Scootaloo. "To have done something right in my life, Scoots. I got you right, and that's all I need."
"Dash..."
"They're proud of you, your parents. Your mom can't believe *cough* how beautiful you've gotten, and your dad."
"Dash." Tears blurred her eyes.
"My dad..." A tear slipped down Rainbow's cheek. "I see him, Scoots."
"Stay with me, please!"
"Rainbow!" Fluttershy flew down. "Oh my Celestia... no..." She stared to cry when she saw the blood that started to pool on the ground. She knew it was too late.
"Fluttershy, tell everyone I love them..."
Fluttershy stared to sob and fell to the ground. "I-I will..."
"And Scoots... I love you so much. You were what made my life worth it."
"I love you Rainbow. But please don't leave me! You're all I have!"
"I love you so much..." She repeated.
"I love you." Scootaloo looked into Rainbow's eyes as she disappeared, and everything came crashing down on in that moment.
"Don't cry Scoots... I miss her too." She tried her best to console her.
"She was all I had, all I loved." No luck.
"Everyone loved her-"
"Not like me." She snapped at her. "There is a difference between admire and love."
"I'm sure ponies loved her..."
"But you don't know."
*********************
The sky filled with clouds as every pegasi was on the ground. A large crowd had formed on the field around the new grave. All looked down at the grass, focusing on nothing in particular. One ditzy mare looked guilty from information withheld.
Six ponies stood around the grave.
Murmurs around them were all the same.
"She was a great flier..."
"That Sonic Rainbow was awsome..."
"How sad..."
Twilight broke the silence. "I will miss you Dash... The way you crashed into my libaray, and always stayed to help me out."
Rarity followed. "I will miss your nagging. You always spoke your mind, and that was honorable."
"Those pranks we pulled were pretty superawesomeamazing! Now I will need to be the prank master." Pinkie sighed.
"Y'all were one of the most competitive ponies Ah every saw, an' Ah will miss all our competitions..." Applejack admitted.
"You helped me from the very first day I met you, and taught me so much... I miss you already..." Fluttershy began to cry.
"I will miss the one pony who believed in everything I did, and loved me. I didn't lose a friend, I lost a Mom."
*********************
"Everypony loved Rainbow in their own way, and you probably loved her the most, I admit it. Look at you, your a Wonderbolt! And Dash would be so proud." She flew up next to Scootaloo.
"This was her dream." She turned away from her.
"And she would be happy for you still. Her real dream, even if she didn't realize it, was raising you into a strong mare. And look... You are one of the best mares around." She looked at
"Thanks."
"And knowing Dash, she would want you to honor her, and that would be to go back and make that speech in her name."
"I can't do it..."
"And what do you think Dash would say to that?"
A lump formed in her throat. "Try..."
The orange pegasus flew through the hole she left upon her exit, head held low but determination in her eyes. Everyone grew silent as she took the podium.
"I apologize for the way I acted. I would wish to finish my speech." She put on her proper voice, but then decided to drop the act. "I want to finish this speech, so all you guys can hear what I want to say."
She cleared her throat. "No pony is perfect." She let that statement hang in the air. "Not a single pony. And I am no exception. I grew up with nopony for a while, but one pony helped lead me here today. Her name was Rainbow Dash..."
Standing tall, she retold her story.
