The Question

by CitreneSkys

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Drama, Scootaloo
Length: 5385

Scootaloo decides to ask a question. Rainbow isn’t quite sure how to respond.

Scootaloo was so excited that her big sister decided to sleep over with her. She planned so many activities, and food, and fun!

...But a thought had been troubling her for the best part of her life, a thought she’d hope she could get over by now. She decides to bring it up to Rainbow, hoping she’d have an answer.

Published 2020-09-16 07:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2020-09-16 07:50:00 UTC

The Question

Scootaloo could hardly wait for class to end. She’d been sitting in the same seat or hours, counting down the seconds until she could leave. As the day went on, she began to get more and more impatient. She squashed herself into her seat, trying to stay still as possible. The pegasus bit her hooves trying to stop herself from making any exciting squeaking noises, though a few may have slipped between the cracks.

In fact, she had been so uncharacteristically silent the whole day the class began to worry. She heard a few whispers from concerned classmates, asking Sweetie Bell or Applebloom what was wrong with the orange pegasus. Even Miss Cheerilee had to pull Scootaloo over on the side to check if she was okay.

“Are you sure you're fine?” She asked, placing her hoof the Scootaloo’s forehead. The little filly swatted her hoof away.

“I’m fine Miss Cheerilee! I just don’t want to disrupt class today,” Scootaloo said as calmly as possible, but her wings flapped in uncontainable excitement. She made her way back to her seat, a little bounce in her step.

Scootaloo sat through the lecture, practically not listen as she watched the clock. She clapped her hooves in delight as when there were only thirty more seconds.

“...and that’s the history on how the carrots came to be!” Miss Cheerilee concluded, turning back to the fillies and colts. She turned the projector off, happily smiling at the students in her classroom. Scootaloo counted the last few seconds in her head.

...3.....2.....1-

On cue, the school bell rang, filling the room with its obnoxious ringing. Before Cheerilee dismissed the class, Scootaloo shot out of her seat, leaving the classroom door open as she dismissed herself. She galloped over to her scooter, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a certain blue pony with rainbow hair.

She didn’t have to wait long.

The filly heard the familiar sound of wingbeats over the head. Turning up towards the sky, she made out of the shape her big sister, and the shape only got bigger and bigger. Scootaloo squealed from excitement.

“Hey, Scoots!” Rainbow landed on to the gravel ground with a thud, shaking out her wings. She gave the Scootaloo an affectionate ruffle of her mane, and the orange filly couldn’t help but giggle.

“Rainbow! You here, you here, you’re here!” Scootaloo said in a sing-song voice, her contained attitude bursting at seems with lovable energy. The filly was practically bounced off the walls, Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh.

“Alright, alright,” Rainbow eyebrow perked up, giving Scootaloo a challenge. “How ‘bout a race, see who can get your house first, hm?”

The orange filly gaze filled with determination, smiling wide. “Oh, your on, Rainbow Dash! The last one to get there is a rotten egg!” Scootaloo hopped onto her scooter, beating her wings fast, and took off, leaving her older sister in the dust.

“Hey!” Rainbow called towards here, but her voice was holding back a laugh. Stretching her wings to their wingspan limit, she took off into the air, leaving a trail of rainbow behind her.

Scootaloo sped throughout Ponyville, flapping her wings harder and faster. It felt good, the wind on her face, the adrenaline she felt, it all felt awesome!

She wondered if that’s how it was to fly. Did Rainbow Dash felt the same way when she went cloud racing or flew with the Wonderbolts? Did other fillies and colts her age felt the same way that she felt on her scooter?

The more she followed the train of thought, the more she began to feel a familiar sadness well up within her. Scootaloo shook her head, determined not to lose the race that Rainbow had set up. Curving around the corner of the street, she came to a screeching halt.

The house before her had two stories, painted bottom purple, and top pink. Green leaves and vines trailed down the top story, filling the young pegasus with comfort. She looked around, not spotting the rainbow mane anywhere. Smugly, Scootaloo parked her scooter against the porch, locking it in place. There was a proud pep step in her, opening the large, wooden door.

“Ah! Finally, Scoots!” Scootaloo gaped, seeing Rainbow sitting at her kitchen table. Scootaloo sputtered, shocked.

Rainbow laughed. “Aw Scoots, you did well today! We can have another race next time. You get faster every day!”

Rainbow swooped the orange filly into her hooves and Scootaloo giggled, taking in the compliment. It has become a while since she’d been complimented.

“So! How was school today?” Rainbow asked, settling her little sister down. Scootaloo went quiet, not sure how to respond.

“Uh...Miss Cheerilee taught us the history of carrots!” Scootaloo responded, remembering only the last thing her teacher said that entire day.

“Uh-huh, what else?”

Scootaloo pouted, “Aw c’mon Rainbow, can’t we get the fun stuff? I planned out everything we are doing today to maximize the fun!” She rushed cabinet, pulling out a little list.

Rainbow gasped. “What has Twilight done to you?” She dramatically asked, putting a forehoof to her forehead. “Making a list? Did she make you sit through a lecture on the history of the Wolderbolts, too?”

Both pegasuses stared at each other for a while, before caving in and laughing. Scootaloo had a more contained giggle while Rainbow laughed like there was no tomorrow.

“I was hoping we can start some arts and craft first, if you’d like,” Scootaloo asked sheepishly. Rainbow simply smiled.

“If that’s want to do, Scoots!”

“So here the yarn, the beads and...whatever those are,” Scootaloo propped the items on the table. A collage of material scattered the wooden surface, leaving them with many options to choose from.

“Wow,” Rainbow looked in awe of the sheer amount of things. “Where did you get all this?”

Scootaloo smiled. “I’ve been collecting them for a while now,” she answered simply.

RD looked a little overwhelmed. She grabbed a green yarn ball, tossing it between her hooves. “So what do you plan to make?”

“I wanted to make a big sister bracelet for you!” Scootaloo clapped her hooves together, beating her wings with excitement. Rainbow’s eyes lit up.

“Awesome! That’s sounds great,” Rainbow peered at the green yarn. “What is I made you one, too?”

Scootaloo gave a sheepish grin. “You don’t have to...”

The blue pegasus interrupted her. “Nope, I’m going to make you one, and that’s final.” Scootaloo giggled, snorting.

“....so how would you make a bracelet?” Rainbow asked, finally occurring to her that she definitely didn’t know how to do that.

Scootaloo was happy to show her idol and big sister how to make a bracelet. She brought out a little booklet, the cover decorated with glitter. Flipping the pages, she showed Rainbow the basics of bracelet making. Dash took the booklet, determined to figure out the ins and outs of the art.

While her sister struggles to understand, Scootaloo went on with her own bracelet making. Grabbing the darker blue yarn, she braided the string into a thick base bracelet, occasionally putting a few beads into the mix.

She wasn’t too far along when she realized she had forgotten something important.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to get something,” she excused herself, trotting across the floorboards. She made her way down the hall, opening a wooden door.

Her room was still a mess, posters laying across the floors, sparkly pens scattered about, and her the top bunk of her bed was not made like always.

Eh, I clean later, Scootaloo thought to herself, knowing full well she probably won’t. It wasn’t the mess she was after anyway, it was something on the top of her self.

They lied a single glass jar, filled with small, wooden beads she had crafted herself. Sweetie Belle has offered to help clean her room a few months back, even helping to reorganize her stuff. Scootaloo has allowed her to do so.

Now she realized it probably wasn’t a good idea, as Sweetie Bell placed the jar atop the shelf, much too high for Scootaloo to reach.

Oh well, just another challenge for Scootaloo.

She started stacking books upon a chair, climbing her way to the top. The jar was just in reach, but still too far for Scootaloo to grab it.

Flapping her wings as hard as she could, she managed to get herself a few inches off the ground, trying to keep herself afloat just long to reach-

And Scootaloo wings gave out. Instead of getting the jar, the orange filly fell out of the air, toppling the chair and books and crashing with a loud thud!

“Ow okay the hurt-“

“Scootaloo?!” Rainbow came flying in, panic shown in her eyes. When she saw the young set immediately sped for her.

“Oh sweet Celestia, you’re ok,” Rainbow picked her up, sighing. She gave Scootaloo a stern look. “What happened?”

Scootaloo blushed with embarrassment. “I was trying to get the jar,” she said, pointing an orange hoof towards the bead-filled jar. Rainbow smiled, setting her little sister down.

“Scoots, if you can’t reach something you can always ask me!” Rainbow said, rubbing her hoof between her hair. Scootaloo felt her ears droop. “Your less likely to fall and hurt yourself.”

Scootaloo turned her gaze away from the blue pegasus. “I guess...”

Rainbow flapped her wings, getting the jar in one fell swoop. The beads within the glass container rattled as Dash brought it down with her. “Here! Now let’s get back to bracelet making, shall we?”

Scootaloo’s mood peeled up against. “Yeah, just you wait and see what I plan to make you!”

Scootaloo raced out the door, excited to start working on the craft again.

“Wow, this is impressive,” Rainbow eyed the intricately braided bracelet, admiring the handiwork. Beads were woven expertly into the string, silver charms hanging off the sides, shining in the light. She may not be much of a jewelry pony, but she’s definitely going to wear this every time she gets. The blue pegasus grimaced when he looked at her own creation. “Sorry about you.”

Scootaloo looked at her loosely twisted together bracelet, only having one bead and many knots from the times Rainbow got confused by the booklet. She giggled.

“It ok, I know you tried your best!” She assured the pegasus. Rainbow smiled, ruffling her hair once again.

“So what’s next on the list?” She asked. Scootaloo beamed at her.

“I’ve been practicing new scooter tricks, but there’s this one I can’t seem to do right,” Scootaloo leaped from her chair, making her way to the front door. “I was hoping you’d help me with it.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow cheered, following her. “So what trick were you trying?”

“It’s kinda complicated, but I‘m trying to do a flip on my scooter off a ramp and land on the wheels. There’s more to it than that, but it’s the best way I can explain it. I can’t seem to get the flip properly, and I know it’s possible, so maybe you can give me some tips?”

“We’ll see Scoots,” Dash smiled. “We’ll see.”

“....there’s the ramp I scooter on, then I flip, and then I hand over there so I can continue to scooter on afterward,” Scootaloo explained the premise to Rainbow, pointing with one orange hoof towards the obstacle laid out in front of her. “I always mess up here,” she tapped the wooden ramp, then lifted a hoof up.

“So you fail to do the flip midair?” Rainbow asked, watching the filly explain the obstacle course.

“Yeah, but I can’t figure out why.”

Dash tapped her chin, examining the course. She looked for weak spots, hazards, anything that could perhaps hinder Scoots performance. Nope, nothing seemed like it could prevent the orange filly from succeeding.

“Show me,” Rainbow said suddenly.

“What?”

“Show me how you do your stunt, and then I can give tips,” the blue pegasus said, sitting on her haunches. Scootaloo glances nervously at the ramp, before stepping on her scooter. She flapped her wings as hard as she could building their momentum.

She sped towards the wooden ramp, her wingbeats getting faster as she went along. The orange pegasus felt herself vault off the ramp, feeling the wind in her face. For a moment, Scootaloo felt a rush of adrenaline flow through her veins as she flung into the air.

The feeling was short-lived.

As she feared, Scootaloo lost grip of the handlebar, her scooter crashing into the ground below, and sending the small orange filly flying across the yard.

Warm arms wrapped around her body, and for once Scootaloo felt glad that she had Rainbow Dash sporting as her safety net. She would have definitely woken up the next morning with bruises.

“Yeah...I think I know where the problems are,” Rainbow said, eyeing the obstacle course with suspicion. She set the filly on the grass, rubbing her mane.

“One, I think that ramp is too steep,” Scootaloo gave a disagreeing look. The ramp is was actually pretty shallow. She’s been on worse things.

“...and two, when you go vaulting off the ramp, pull your scooter towards you, that way the weight shifts and you’ll be able to flip,” Dash noted, Scootaloo listening intently. The rainbow maned pegasus went on. “It a lot like flying, being able to pull your body weight over you can turn or loop in the air.”

The filly frowned, flapping her wings instinctively. Rainbow didn’t seem to notice the agitation that the analogy had given smaller pegasus, and if she did she didn’t mention it.

“Ok, I guess I can try to do that,” Scootaloo muttered, getting up to her hooves. However, blue hooves held her back.

“Oh no you don’t,” Rainbow said, laughing as Scootaloo squirmed in her arms. “It’s nearly sundown, I say we head back inside and make dinner, okay?”

“What? No!” Scootaloo wriggled, trying to escape the tight grip. “I wanna practice!”

Rainbow chuckled, picking Scoots up into the air with her. “You can practice in the morning once you’ve had a good dinner and a night's rest.”

Scootaloo squealed as Rainbow dragged her back into the house, a light-hearted laugh filling the air.

The aroma coming off the pot filled the kitchen, making Scootaloo stomach growled with anticipation. She watched her big sister standing in front of the stove, storing the sauce every couple of seconds.

“What are ya making?” Scootaloo asked, eagerly waiting for whatever Rainbow was making to be done.

“Pasta. You like pasta, right?”

“Yeah! Pasta is the best! Mom makes it all time when she’s home,” Scootaloo thought fondly of her mother, wishing she was here with her. A familiar sadness settled in the young pegasus’ stomach, thoughts about her parents swirling in her head.

They were off on a business trip again. Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter were always away. It’s been two years since they’ve been home. Scootaloo was starting to miss them.

I hope they're having fun, Scootaloo thought hopefully. Whatever mom and dad are doing, there doing it to better Equestria.

“Hey, Scoots, pass me the oregano please,” Rainbow’s voice took her back to the present. She blinked a few times, before hopping off of her stool. She hovered herself just enough to reach to counter, looking for the red-capped bottle.

Grabbing the oregano, Scootaloo passed it over to Dash, who expertly caught it and added a big shake of it into the pot of sauce. Stirring it constantly, Rainbow looked back at the young pegasus, concern etched onto her face.

“You okay?” The blue mare asked, turning down the stove’s heat. Scootaloo stayed silent for a few more moments, before shaking her head and smiling.

“Yeah, I’m fine!” Scootaloo hopped off the counter. Rainbow concern stayed on her face, before melting away.

“Okay, well can you let get the plates? I almost did.”

Scootaloo nodded excitedly, open the bottom draws and bringing out ceramic plates, carefully holding them so they wouldn’t drop. Rainbow brought over the pot of sauce, placing it onto the table in the living room. Scootaloo places the plates and forks in position.

Plating the pasta onto the plates, Rainbow slathered on a large helping of red sauce. It by no means pretty in any way, but the smell made Scootaloo’s stomach growl. Rainbow laughed.

“Scootaloo if you could just wait a moment-“

Anything Dash was going to say was cut off when Scootaloo took the fork and stabbed it into the pasta, twirling it onto the metal utensil, and shoving it into her mouth. Immediately, Scoots pulled the fork away from her, sticking out her tongue and fanning it frantically.

“Ow OW ow hot!”

Rainbow chuckled. “I was trying to warn you. I’ll go get you some water.” She filled a plastic cup with water from the tap, handing it to Scootaloo. An orange hoof snatched the cup quickly, and the filly gulped down the water. She let out a sigh of relief as her mouth stopped burning.

“Thank Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo smiled, which turned into a sheepish grin.

“No problem kid.”

Scootaloo picked up her fork again, making sure she blew on the morsel before taking a bite. Rainbow flew over to the other side of the table, sitting in the seat her plate had picked out for her.

“What did you do today? Any cool Wonderbolt things?” Scootaloo asked as Rainbow ate her dinner. She tapped her blue hoof to her chin.

“Honestly? Not much. Although Spitfire did say we had a performance in a couple of months, other than that nothing new.”

“You promise to take me to that performance? I really want to see you flying fast and do all the cool tricks!” Scootaloo smiled hopefully at Rainbow. The older pegasus chuckled, looking at Scootaloo fondly.

“We’ll have to see,” Rainbow smirked, booping Scootaloo’s nose.

“Aw c’mon Rainbow! I never get to see them.”

“That’s because you had school.”

“But school is boooring.”

Rainbow laughed at that comment. She too thought school was boring, but she wasn’t going to let Scootaloo miss school. Her parent would definitely rip her a new one if she did.

“I’ll see if Spitfire lets me help with the scheduling, but for now you need to stay in school.”

Satisfied with that answer, Scootaloo went back to eating her pasta in peace. She and Rainbow shared a laugh for the rest of the evening.

“Aww, I don’t wanna go to bed yet!” Scootaloo pouted as Rainbow picked her up into her arms again. The blue pegasus chuckled, placing the filly on the top bunk.

“Scoots, it’s half-past ten, I think it’s time for you to sleep.”

“No! I will not sleep. You can’t make me! I’m not even that ti-“

Scootaloo broke off with a yawn, wiping the tired tears from her eyes. Rainbow dash cocked an eyebrow, and Scootaloo smiled sheepishly.

“Okay...maybe I’m a little tired...”

“Uh-huh, right,” the rainbow hair mare smirked. Scootaloo places her head atop her pillow, relishing how soft and comfy it was. Rainbow pulled over the covers, laying the blanket comfortably on the young filly.

Rainbow headed towards the door, flicking the lights off. The darkness of the room lulled Scootaloo to sleep.

“G’night, Scoots! I’ll be down bunk if you need me.”

“Goodnight Rainbow,” Scootaloo said, and with another yawn, she felt herself fall into a light sleep.

Scootaloo walked around, the grass underneath her hooves crinkling. She rolled her scooter up the hill with her, coming to a stop once she reached the top.

She looked down, seeing a crowd of other ponies all around the obstacle course than had been set up for her.

“And here comes Scootaloo, the great stunt master of the millennia! She’s the best of the best! And today Scootaloo will perform her famous ‘Double Flip of Awesome’ for all her dedicated fans today!” A spokes pony said from above, camera flashing as they tried to get a good picture of the orange filly.

Scootaloo puffed out chest, Pride flowing through her gains. She stood taller, lavishing the ponies cheering from the bottom.

That pride was immediately shattered when she saw flames shoot up from the ground, in the middle of where your flip should be. Scootaloo gulped.

Nervously, she stepped onto her scooter, sweat dripping down her face. She buzzed her wings, accumulating the energy before she sped off like a rocket. The wind assaulted her face and eyes, making her vision fuzzy. She and her scooter vaulted of the steep ramp, flying into the air. She gripped onto her scooter for dear life.

It wasn’t enough.

With a slip of a hoof, Scootaloo fell off her scooter. The inanimate object kept flying, landing on a platform safely. The same couldn’t be said for the orange filly, who plummeted from the air. She flapped her wings uselessly, failing to save herself. Audible gasping could be heard as she fell into the fire.

Scootaloo jolted awake, sweat rolling off her face like a river. Rubbing her eyes, she looked out the window. It was still night, the stars still showed brightly outside, with a glowing orb that fit in the middle of the dark purple sky. The orange pegasus breath slowed down, but her heart still pounded in her chest, threatening to break her rib cage.

Oh good, it was just a dream.

She heard Rainbow snoring from down below. Looking over the edge, she saw the peaceful face of the blue mare, which almost made Scootaloo want to go back to sleep herself. But she couldn’t. Not after that dream.

Quietly she climbed down the ladder, hoping to make as little sound as possible. Her hooves clacked atop the wooden floor, causing Rainbow to stir in her sleep. With a shaky hoof, Scootaloo reached for the sleeping mare’s wing and tugged.

“Hmm?” Rainbow mumbles drowsily, lifting her head. “Oh, hey Scoots. What’s the matter?”

Scootaloo bit her lip, unsure how to respond. She clicked her hooves together, her tail flicking back and forth nervously.

“Umm. Rainbow? I wanted to ask you a question...”

In the dim light, the older pegasus yawned. “Shoot.”

“Why...why can’t I fly?”

That certainly got the older mare’s attention. Rainbow went from her tired half-open eyes, to wide open and alert. She looked at Scootaloo as if she had sprouted a horn and became the alicorn of acorns.

“Why are you asking me this?” Rainbow asked, shifting her position in her bed. Scootaloo chewed the inner part of the cheek.

“I had a dream....where I was a on a big ramp performing, and I fell off my scooter and I tried to save myself but I can’t fly so I ended up falling into a pit of fire-“ a blue hoof pressed to her lips, silencing her. Worried magenta eyes met with purple ones, and Rainbow sighed.

“Come sit next to me,” Dash tapped an area under her wing, and Scootaloo crawled on to the bottom bunk. She snuggled into the little crevice between her forehooves and her stomach. Rainbow placed a blue wing protectively against the filly’s body.

“Did you get this checked out by a doctor at all?”

“Yeah but, the doctor never found anything wrong,” Scootaloo whimpered, remembering that day grimly.

“Is my baby be okay?” Mane Allgood asked, holding Scootaloo between her arms, fretting over the health of her daughter. Next to her, Snap Shutter places a comforting hoof on his wife’s shoulder.

“Ma’am, we haven’t been able to conclude much. Her wings are a normal size to any other filly or colt her age, and the x-ray scans showed us nothing,” the unicorn said, giving an apologetic look. Allgood stared at him, her eyes widen with tears. She looked down at her daughter, the orange filly not quite understanding what was going on.

“Will she be able to fly?” Her father asked, dreading the answer. She stood up from his seat, a pleading glint in his eyes.

The unicorn doctor gave an unsure glance at the filly. Scootaloo met his gaze, unwavering purple eyes stared back, obviously to the situation.

“We are not sure. She is perfectly healthy otherwise, but at this rate, I don’t expect her to fly at all.”

Allgood snapped her head back, her glaring gaze thrown at the doctor, tears glistening down her cheeks. Stepping down from her seat, she took a step towards the doctor.

“Can’t you do something?!” her voice broke as she pleaded, her eyes glinted with something that Scootaloo couldn’t quite process. “You're a doctor, and you're a unicorn, can’t you use your magic and make her wings work?!”

The doctor shrunk back, biting his lower lip nervously. “W-with all do respect, Mrs. Allgood, it’s most likely that even with unicorn magic your daughter won’t be able to fly on her own.”

Mane Allgood opened her mouth, presumably about to yell at the doctor some more, when Snap Shutter placed a hoof on her shoulder. Whatever tirade that was about to unfold was stopped.

“Mane, there is nothing we can do,” her husband told her, sadness in his eyes.

“There must be something!-“

“Mane,” Snap Shutter voiced firmly, “The doctors have done all they can, if they can’t help her, we can’t help her.”

Mane Allgood held her husband's gaze, her voice lost as she tried to find the right thing to say. It all came crumbling down when she pressed her face into his chest, tears free-flowing down her face as she let out a sob.

Snap Shutter looked at the doctor. “Could you give us a minute?”

“Of course, sir,” he nodded, stepping out of the room, letting the couple take in what they had heard.

Scootaloo would never forget the hollow gaze her mother had.

Scootaloo looked down at her hooves, relishing the warm wing laid across her back. Rainbow had been uncertain how to answer and was even more reluctant to give a possibility.

Sighing, Rainbow lowered her head to meet with Scootaloo’s eyes. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like your worth is based on how well you can fly?” Rainbow explained further, and Scootaloo drew her head back.

“I never said-“

“You didn’t need to.”

Scootaloo was silenced by her big sister interruption. Suddenly she felt smaller than ever, like an ant against next to a tall oak tree. The moon cast a solemn aura through the window, and Scootaloo had been at a loss of words for a while. She kneaded the quilt nervously, unsure what to say.

“How long?” Rainbow prompted again. The orange filly sighed, tears welling up in her eyes and she took in a shaky breath.

“....since you became my big sister.” Rainbow’s eyes widen at that answer. Scootaloo began shaking, trying with all her might to not break down and cry right then and there.

“Why would I being your big sister affect that?” Rainbow asked, suddenly nervous about the answer she was given. Had she been making Scootaloo feel sorry for herself without realizing it?

“You took me under your wing years ago, and at first I was happy to have my idol be my sister,” she said shakily, small droplets from her eyes falling down her cheek. “You are the best flier in the whole world!....a-and I can’t even hover long enough to grab a jar from the shelf.”

Her mind went to the jar she hadn’t been able to grab for herself. It was Rainbow who had to fly up and get it.

“I felt bad...I felt like I was holding you down because I can’t fly...like I couldn’t rely on myself to even save me. It always was somepony else. I still think you’re only my sister because you pity me, and I know it wrong to think like that but I can’t help it. That one day...you’re going to get fed up with me and leave like mom and dad always did...”

Scootaloo trailed off from the tangent, unable to hold the tears built up in her eyes. She let the water flow down her cheeks, the tears dribbling down onto the bedsheet. She didn’t dare to look back at Rainbow, not wanting to see the hurt..or anger..or pity in her eyes. She waited for a lecture her sister might come up with, telling her to not eye that get in the way of her life or something...not that she knew because she didn’t listen to the friendship speeches.

The lecture never came.

Instead, Scootaloo felt warm hooves warp around her small body, pulling her into a tight hug. Scootaloo was surprised at first, and letting her tears free fall once again, she wrapped her forehooves around Rainbow neck.

They stayed in the tight-knit hug for a couple of minutes, before Scootaloo pulled away from her. Rainbow did the same, keeping a wing wrapped around the orange filly.

“Scootaloo...I want you to listen carefully to me,” Rainbow usual brash voice was soft and comforting. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes, nodding. “You don’t need to know how to fly to have worth.”

Scootaloo scoffed. “Easy for you to say...”

Rainbow nodded, having this uncanny patience she never seemed to have. Though, to be fair, her little sister is breaking down so as much patience as she could muster was welcomed.

“I know it’s hard, but...answer something for me. What is your special talent?”

Odd question but...okay. Scootaloo sniffled. ”Helping other ponies find their destiny?” She remembered fondly about when she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom have gotten there cutie marks.

“Do you need to fly to accomplish that?”

“No...”

“See?” Rainbow lifted Scootaloo chin with one blue hoof. “You’re doing fine without needing to fly. You don’t need to put this much pressure on yourself because of it.”

“Well...I guess that true but...don’t you feel tired about having a sister that is grounded to the earth? Don’t you feel dragged down by me? At all?” Scootaloo blabbered on, regretting every word that came out of her mouth. She nervously waited for Rainbow’s answer.

“...do you really think that about me?”

The one sentence made Scootaloo wince. She hadn’t meant it to sound that way, but it was too late now. Rainbow sighed, she looked tired but determined to make Scootaloo see straight.

“Scoots, I don’t think less of you because you can’t fly,” Rainbow presses, making sure her little sister knew that as a fact. Scootaloo sniffed, nodding her head, but Rainbow could tell there was still doubt in her eyes. “I’m your big sister because I care about you. I like it. I like being around you. A lot of times, you’ve made my day brighter, and I don’t want you to be feeling like your a burden on me, because you aren’t. I need you to know that. I’m sorry if I’ve done anything that made you feel like that. That isn’t my intention, nor will it ever be. Got it?”

“Yeah...” the orange filly muster the courage to look at Rainbow’s eye, and she was surprised. The magenta eyes showed no anger or pity. They showed genuine care and determination, and Scootaloo felt her spirit lift once again. She let out a soft sigh, letting her tired body lean against the older pegasus. “Thanks Rainbow....for everything.”

Rainbow chuckled, pulling a blanket over the both of them. “No problem kid...love you.”

Yawning, Scootaloo snuggled into Rainbow’s side, letting the warmth entrap her in its comforting grasp. Her eyes became unfocused as she closed them, blurring the lines between sleep and awake.

With a final sigh, Scootaloo let the last three words on the night.

“Love you, too.”

Author's Note

I’ve been wondering if we’d ever get a reason for why Scoots here can’t fly. And since the series is over, and we never got an answer, I took it into my own liberty. Scootaloo herself doesn’t know why she can’t fly, so I made it play off of Rainbow. Admittedly, I had a hard time nailing down Rainbow’s personality, and I still don’t think I did her justice. Aw well, I’ll chalk this up to learning experience.

Constructive Criticism is welcomed, I would love to get ideas on how to better my writing.