Vignette was walking back home after helping at the Sugarcube Corner, when she noticed something in the distance: a skate park.
More specifically, she recognized one of the kids at the park as Apple Bloom's purple-haired friend. And she seemed upset about something.
Naturally, curiosity got the best of Vignette, and she walked to the park, getting her attention as soon as she entered.
"Vignette?"
"You're one of Apple Bloom's friends, I remember," Vignette hummed. "You're Flute Salute, right?"
Scootaloo wanted to correct Vignette, but the hilarity of the name made her laugh instead.
"No, Flute Salute is over there."
Scootaloo pointed at a green-skinned boy, who was playing a flute while sitting on the benches.
"My name's Scootaloo," she said, getting Vignette's attention.
"Scootaloo, right! That was my second guess!" Vignette snapped her fingers. "So, why are you upset?"
Scootaloo, remembering why she was sad, frowned and looked elsewhere.
"It's nothing you need to worry about."
Vignette sat next to Scootaloo. "It's a little late to say that, you know? Come on, at least tell me if there's someone you'd be more comfortable with so I can get them?"
Scootaloo, however, was a bit more stubborn than expected. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"I'm learning to become a better person and all that, and one of the things I was told that a better person does, is help someone while they're feeling down," Vignette answered. "That, and I couldn't walk away after seeing how sad you were."
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. "I bet you'd have left without a second thought if I wasn't one of Apple Bloom's friends."
"Okay, fine," Vignette stood up and dusted herself. "If you're going to act like this, I guess I'll just leave you alone-"
"Wait, don't go!" Scootaloo exclaimed, startling Vignette into freezing in place. "Sorry about the way I reacted, I'm not in the best mood right now."
"Spreading the mood never helps, you know?" Vignette looked elsewhere and frowned. "I had to learn that the hard way."
"Look, I do need help with something, but it's not something we can talk about in public," Scootaloo scanned her surroundings. "If you follow me to a safe place, I can tell you about it. You in?"
"Sure, lead the way."
Scootaloo nodded, and left the park, Vignette following her closely behind.
Eventually, the duo reached a purple house and Scootaloo knocked the door three times.
"What's this place, Spotaloo?"
"Scootaloo, and this is my house," the girl replied. "I live here with my Aunt Holiday and Auntie Lofty."
As if on cue, a woman with blue hair, Yellow skin, and a Purple sweater with matching pants and shoes opened the door, immediately looking down to greet Scootaloo.
"Hello there, Scootaloo, I didn't think I'd see you here so early," she said before ruffling her niece's hair. "How has your day been."
"It's been fine, I guess," Scootaloo glanced at Vignette. "By the way, Auntie Lofty, this is Vignette Valencia. A... friend, I guess?"
"Oh, so you brought a friend!" Lofty chirped. "Sorry for not seeing you before, sweetie, I always look down to see if Scootaloo's there."
"It's okay, I don't mind," Vignette waved her hand. "Can I come in?"
"Be my guest."
Vignette walked inside and began scanning the house while Scootaloo followed, quickly running to a woman with Orange skin, blue sweater and pants, and white boots.
"Hi Aunt Holiday!" Scootaloo greeted, getting her attention. "Hey, I brought a... someone who says they're gonna help me with a problem. We're gonna be at my room if you need us."
"Okay then, sweetie," Holiday tilted her head. "Is this someone we know?"
Scootaloo pointed at Vignette, who was looking at a lava lamp with a look of mesmerized astonishment.
"Isn't she the woman who caused the Equestrialand fiasco?" Holiday whispered.
"Yeah, but on the flip side, she's also the woman who helped drive back the shadow centaur," Scootaloo whispered back. "That, and she told me she's trying to become a better person."
"And you believed her?"
"Aunt Holiday, she's got nothing to gain from helping me; so why would she even offer?"
The woman hummed. "I guess you got a point there, but please, don't lower your guard."
"I won't, don't worry."
And so, Scootaloo walked to Vignette, grabbed her hand and dragged her to her room, Vignette's eyes staying focused on the lava lamp all the while.
Once at her room, Scootaloo put Vignette on her bed, and snapped her fingers, returning her to reality.
"Huh? What? What happened?"
"You were mesmerized by Auntie Lofty's lava lamp, but don't worry, you're not the first one to be captivated by its colors," Scootaloo said as she sat next to the woman. "Anyway, are you ready to hear what's bothering me?"
Vignette nodded. Scootaloo took a deep breath, and explained:
"You saw all those guys riding their skateboards, right? Well, I wanna join them, I really do, but... I... don't know how to ride a skateboard."
Vignette blinked twice. "Wait, that's it? That sounds like something Rainbow Dab could help you with, have you tried calling her?"
"I did," Scootaloo rested her cheek on her palm. "But she told me she wouldn't be able to help me since she's got practice today."
"Go figure," Vignette sighed. "The one person who could deal with this problem in five seconds just so happens to be unavailable. Like, W.A.T.O.?"
"I'm guessing you asked about the odds, and whatever they are, they're not on my side."
"Okay, now, here's what I don't get," Vignette spoke. "Apple Bloom says you're an expert riding a scooter, which is just a skateboard with a handle. How can you ride that, but not the handleless version?"
"It's not as simple as you think it is, Vignette: with a scooter, I can use the handle as a safety measure. If I wanna go right, I tilt it right, and the scooter follows, same if I tilt it left, and no matter what happens, I can keep my grip on the handle to keep my balance. A skateboard's totally different; no handle means I have to move manually in order to change direction, and if I lose my balance, I can't do anything to regain it.
"Is it that bad?"
"You know those people who can ride a bike with the training wheels, but as soon as they're removed, they flop to the ground like a fish, every time? That's pretty much me on a skateboard."
Vignette looked at Scootaloo sympathetically, and flashed a smile as she said, "Well, I think I can help you with that."
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna teach me how to ride a skateboard?"
"Hahaha, no! My father trained me to be a ruthless businesswoman, not a professional skateboarder!" Vignette replied. "But if there's one good thing I learned from the training he put me through, it's the value of positive thinking!"
Scootaloo leaned back. "Positive thinking?"
"It's been proven that the way we think influences how things go for us," Vignette clasped her hands together. "If you only focus on the negative, bad things will happen to you, and you're more likely to fail. But if you think positive-"
"Everything will work out?" Scootaloo suggested.
"That's a way to put it, yes," Vignette shrugged. "Of course, just thinking positively isn't guaranteed to give you what you want, or even what you need, but it's an important first step to take nonetheless!"
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "So, in other words?"
"You already know how to handle a scooter. Therefore, if you just believe that you'll be able to ride a skateboard, which is rather similar, there's a high chance you'll be able to do it!"
"But that can't possibly be it. Are you saying that by believing in myself, I'll be able to do something I've never tried before?"
"You just said it: you never tried it before. And the only way to find out if it really works, is by taking the chance," Vignette scratched her chin. "Now, we just need an obstacle course to try this out. Either that, or a spacious area, but the obstacle course sounds more fun."
"Our backyard actually works as an obstacle course."
"Wait, really?"
Vignette and Scootaloo stood up, and saw the backyard through the window: among the grassfield were several safety cones, arranged in a line, and above a track of mud was a pair of planks and cement blocks, arranged to look like ramps.
"Whoa, that's so cool! Why is the backyard like that, though?"
"Aunt Holiday likes to refresh her skills once in a while."
"Your aunt's a skateboarder?!"
"Was a skateboarder, she's retired. Anyway, should we go downstairs?"
The answer was so obvious, that next thing Vignette and Scootaloo knew, they were at the backyard: the former was sitting at the table with Scootaloo's aunts by her side, while the latter stood at the start of the course, a red skateboard next to her.
"Don't worry about breaking it, sweetie," Holiday said. "Little Holiday has seen better days, but she's not as fragile as she looks!"
"She named her skateboard Little Holiday?" Vignette asked out loud.
"Giving names to inanimate objects is all the rage nowadays," Lofty remarked, getting Vignette's attention. "Holiday decided to give the trend a shot, and her skateboard was the first object she named."
Holiday quickly shushed the pair, Lofty laughing while Vignette smiled sheepishly. She then flashed a thumbs up at Scootaloo, who put a foot on the skateboard as she scanned the course in front of her.
Okay, Scootaloo, Vignette's weird, but there might be some value of that positive thinking she told you about. Just... try to believe in yourself, no matter how cheesy that sounds.
Scootaloo took a deep breath, narrowed her eyes, and rolled forward. She put both feet on the board, and looked at the cones ahead.
She paused before tilting to the right, then the left, and again and again as her balance grew a bit more unsteady with each tilt.
Once she left the final cone, she stopped and flailed her arms as she wobbled left and right, trying to regain it as Vignette and her aunts watched with shock.
She put a foot on the ground and pushed herself forward, flailing her arms again until she regained her balance on the board. She stopped the board and flashed a thumbs up at the women.
"You're doing great, sweetie!" Holiday said cheerfully while Vignette and Lofty raised thumbs up as well.
Scootaloo returned to the course and sped towards the ramps, jumping over them and stopping at a circular patch of dirt soon after.
She turned the board around, and eyed the course with a look of determination, and a confident smile.
She pushed the board forward, jumped the ramps again, and tilted across the cones until she landed back where she started, spinning once before stopping.
"Ha... I-I can't believe it," Scootaloo said, scratching her head. "I actually rode a skateboard!"
"Well, you did have to stop for a moment to regain your balance," Lofty remarked. "But that was still a pretty good first try."
"With a bit more practice, you should be able to ride that like a pro in no time," Holiday said.
"Thanks Aunt Holiday," Scootaloo turned to Vignette. "And thank you too, Vignette. You're kinda odd, but that advice you gave me seemed to work."
"Aw, thanks, Scootaloo," Vignette blinked twice. "What are you talking about, though?"
"The advice you told me."
"What advice?"
"The positive thinking!"
"It worked?!"
"Yeah, it did!" Scootaloo tilted her head. "Why are you surprised?!"
"Kid, I'm not a professional skateboarder, remember?" Vignette shrugged. "I adviced you to think positive 'cause that's the only good thing I learned I was your age."
"Haha, I like this woman," Lofty chuckled. "She's a riot!"
"And I'm even more unsure of what to think of her now," Holiday remarked, before brushing Scootaloo's hair. "But still, progress is progress. I'm proud of you, sweetie."
"And you're gonna be even more proud when Scootaloo shows off at the skate park," Vignette remarked. "Right, Scootaloo?"
"Um... I think I wanna practice a little bit more," Scootaloo hummed, then snapped her fingers. "Until then, why don't you give it a try, Vignette?"
Vignette gasped, her eyes beaming with joy as she stood up and looked at Little Holiday. "Can I?!"
Holiday snatched Little Holiday in an instant.
"Absolutely not!"
Vignette sulked, Lofty rubbing her back as she spoke:
"Ah come on, Holiday, give the girl a chance."
"Nuh-uh! Little Holiday is a family treasure, the only people who are allowed to even look at her are family members!" Holiday stated. "You should know this better than anybody else, Lofty!"
"Yeah, I know, but this woman did give Lil' Scootaloo some advice, and look at her now: she's standing on Little Holiday and riding her without a single bruise!"
"And I agree that was something nice from her, but I'm not letting her put a foot on Little Holiday! And stop looking at her, SnapGab Woman!"
Vignette flinched and turned to Lofty.
"Don't feel bad about it, Holiday takes a long time to get comfortable around new people," Lofty smiled. "I, meanwhile, have no problem showing you my lava lamp collection if you're interested."
Vignette's joy instantly returned. "You have more?!"
Lofty stood up and lead the way, a joyfully giggling Vignette following her while Holiday handed Little Holiday back to Scootaloo, and tried to stop then, exclaiming:
"Lofty, stop! Last time you showed someone that collection, it was a disaster!"
And so Scootaloo was left alone, with Little Holiday on her hands, and the obstacle course ready to be tried again.
She put Little Holiday on the ground, set a foot on her, and with a little, ready smile, she rode towards the course.
Author's Note
This probably could've been turned into a somewhat longer story, but the plot is too simple to add much depth to it.
That, and this is more or less just a setup for a later story: and I know that sounds terrible, but trust me, I put some effort into the story.
Anyway, got any suggestions on what character should Vignette interact with next? I mean I got a billion ideas cuz I like Vignette way too much, but what do you think?
Also, this story was done to celebrate my invitation to the~~Positive Ponies~~ group. Give it a look when you can :)
Anyway, that's it from me. Draxonos135, flying away.
