The bitter path to sweet victory.
"But how!? I was ahead! I knew for sure I'd win, but Pipsqueak won! Out of everypony, Pipsqueak beat me to the finish line! There's no way! I was the one who was supposed to win the medal, I was the one who was supposed to be cheered on by everypony! Not him!"
"Pipsqueak is the winner!" Cheerilee declared with a smile on her face, lifting his hoof up to the sky as a crowd of ponies cheered him on.
"But- I was- He!-" I stepped closer to the two, but they didn't even listen to me! I was soon trampled by all the other ponies, and they just went on their way, leaving me standing there like an idiot! Just watching him hog all the glory, that's not fair! It should've been me, not him!
"Nopony likes a sore loser like you, blank flank." Diamond Tiara said, her smug smile making me want to punch her!
"I'm not a sore loser! I should've won! He probably cheated or something- I was ahead! You all saw it!" But they didn't care.
"Yeah. Right." She and her stupid friend strutted out of the running track, still with that stupid smugness!
It's not fair, it's not! I was supposed to win. They should be celebrating my victory too! I was too focused on the celebration Pipsqueak was getting, to notice that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle stepped closer from behind.
"Scootaloo, you didn't win this time, but that doesn't mean-" I stopped Applebloom mid-speech.
"It doesn't matter! I lost again, nothing's gonna change that! He's the one that gets to go home with a shiny medal, and I'm just a disappointment!" I kicked some dust with my hooves as I began trotting off. I didn't know where I was going exactly, but I just wanted to be as far away from the running track as I could. I wouldn't stand seeing Pipsqueak again.
The girls followed me.
"You trained hard for it, but sometimes it doesn't happen! You can't be a sore loser because of it!" That again!?
"I'M NOT A SORE LOSER!" The sudden scream stopped the two dead in their tracks. "I DESERVED TO WIN! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!"
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged looks, but they stayed quiet. They don't get it! They don't know what it's like to be in my place, to have trained for days on end, and I still failed! Nopony remembers second place, they only care about first place! I turned around and just kept walking away. Applebloom called out.
"Wait! You still need to stay to get your second-place medal!" I'd rather not go home with an embarrassing medal like that. Second place? Who cares about second place? I didn't even stop to look back or answer their question. I just went off on my way.
Second place... As if! I deserved to be first; I put my heart into that race! It doesn't matter that it was just a school competition; I don't care. I should've won! I should've been the one on the podium, ponies all around, screaming my name, confetti covering the floor, celebrating me. If I can't win, then what am I even good for?
"UGH!" I fell onto my bed, wanting to sink my face into the sheet and hide away underneath a pillow. I didn't want anyone to see my face. I just wanted to stay hidden in my bedroom all day, or all week. All month... Maybe all year? This is so embarrassing; I can't believe I actually lost to Pipsqueak!
Then, a sound at the window. And a voice, one that I knew too well. "Woah, now that's a sad sight if I ever saw one." Rainbow Dash! I can't let her see me, not like this!
"Go away! I don't wanna talk!" But she was stubborn.
"Chill out, Scootaloo. I just want to know what happened. Applebloom told Applejack you weren't feeling alright, and Applejack told me. So here I am, I wanna know what happened." Did she really come all this way just to talk to me?
"It's nothing, I'll be fine." I can't let her know I lost; she's going to be so disappointed in me, she might not even want to talk to me at all. She wouldn't want to be seen around a loser like me; she's a winner, after all. She's not like me.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be pushing me away like this. Trust me, I know something's wrong when I see it." Stubborn! Well... Maybe if I told her a half-truth, she'd at least go away. I don't want her to be embarrassed by me, for her own good. Something like... Like...
"It was just something that happened at the school competition... But I'm fine now! Now can you go? And close my window!" She was still hovering on the outside of my bedroom, but as soon as I said that, she crawled inside. That's like the opposite of what I wanted her to do!
"Then you got a medal, right? Can I at least see that? A trophy, or an award or something?" Damn it, I don't have anything to show! "C'mon, I've been in your place. You can be honest with me about what happened." She was talking like she already knew I lost! Which was even worse!
"Okay! Fine! Wanna hear it!?" I lifted myself away from the sheets for just a second, placing the pillow to my side. "I lost! I came in second place! Are you happy!?" And once again, with unbearable shame, I hid my face in the sheets, under my pillow. I just didn't want to look her in the eye.
"You came second? That's great!" What? Why's she happy? I lifted my head from my sheet once again, I think she noticed how confused I was as she sat on the edge of my bed.
"What? But- I don't think you heard me, I LOST. I came SECOND. I DIDN'T WIN." Maybe she'd misheard it, but now she, for sure, knew I lost. Yet she was still smiling.
"Yeah, you came so close. But maybe next time, huh, Scoots?" Next time!?
"Yeah, I came close, but I didn't win! Pipsqueak did, I lost!" The smile on her face still didn't let go. Maybe she's just pranking me or something, but this is not funny, and I don't get it.
"Winning isn't just about winning. It's about improving too. Tell me Scoots, last time you raced, what place did you get?" Last time? Well, that was a long time ago... I don't remember it, and maybe it's because I keep repressing that memory.
"I didn't win either, I'll let you know that." I honestly don't remember my placement; I just remember I lost.
"Well, I was watching from the clouds. You got 5th. And the year before that, you were 12th! Look how cool that is, you're improving over time!" I felt her hoof wrap around my body, pulling me close while she ruffled my mane. I... Guess she was right on that, but still.
"That doesn't change the fact that I lost. Again."
"Yeah, but you keep trying and trying. Y'know, you might just win next year if you keep practicing." That's all I do almost! Practice! I practice and practice, and nothing changes, I still lose!
"But what if I lose again? I practiced so much the last times I raced too, and I lost again today! What's gonna be so different next year?"
"Listen, improvement isn't a one and done thing. You gotta keep at it. If you give up early, you'll never be as good as you can be. It's always about being better." Psht. As if. It's about winning, not improving.
"If someone like Pipsqueak can win, how come you need to keep training to improve?" I doubt he even knows what exercise is.
"And how many times have you seen him win?" So far... Only once... He'd never won any of the competitions before. Maybe that's why he was so happy to win? "And there's something else... My dad used to tell me this all the time. I always thought he was just making up stuff for me to feel better, but I see he was right all along."
Rainbow leaned closer, maybe too close.
"You can't savor the taste of victory if you don't know the taste of defeat." She pressed her hoof against my chest. "I thought it was just some thousand-year-old proverb about never giving up, but the more I lost, the more I learned what it actually means. Think with me, what's the point in winning all the time if all you do is win? Wouldn't it get boring to win all the time?" She... Did make a point, I guess. I mean, if I won all the time, maybe I wouldn't like it as much as I think I would. I lost so many times now; maybe that's why I want to win so bad and know what it feels like to be first place.
"I mean... Yeah, maybe..." I looked down, trying to hide my feelings. "But I thought you'd find me a loser if I told you I came second... I mean, you never lose, so you don't even know what it's like to lose..."
Rainbow burst out laughing. Did I just say something stupid? Oh, of course, I did...
"Of course, I've lost! So many times too! I was so frustrated, like you are! I was so mad that I didn't get to win, that It made me want to win even more! And I used that to help me practice and improve, and in the end, I started winning more often. I still lose from time to time, but that's just how it is. You can't win them all, but you can learn from every defeat." What? I thought someone like her never ever lost... She's Rainbow Dash, after all, who can even compete with her?
After it was all said and done, I stayed quiet for a few seconds. We both did, but I could see a smile grow on her face as I regained my train of thought. What she said made a lot of sense, and she was right most of it too.
"So what you're saying is... I gotta use what I'm feeling right now to practice for next time?"
"Yeah! I'm sure you'll win next time. And if you don't, you're not just gonna give up, are you? 'Cause I don't like to hang around lame ponies who give up on what they wanna do..." What!?
"No! I won't be a lame quitter!"
"That's what I like to hear, Scoots! The real winner is always the one that never gives up, no matter how hard it is!" She ruffled my mane with her hoof once again.
"Here comes Scootaloo, running for the finish, with Shady Daze right behind her!" I couldn't even concentrate on Cheerilee's narration; I was too focused on just running for the finish. The same track, racing against the same ponies.
I knew the colt behind me would try to overtake me at the next turn, but one quick turn and one misstep, and his face was planted right on the dirt! My chest was puffing, my blood boiling with adrenaline! That's it! I see the finish line!
Come on! So close! I don't have time to look behind, but I know I'm first; I can win this! I just need to keep my head in the game! The crowd is cheering, my body is so tired that it feels like I'll collapse at any point— But I'm not giving up! I can't give up!
Then, finally...
"And we have our winner, mares and gentlecolts, Scootaloo!" I won!? I did it!
"WOOOAH! I DID IT! YEAH!" I was jumping with happiness; I'd finally done it! I did it! I won! I won the race! I was first! I can't believe it!
I quickly looked up at the clouds, I could see one rainbow-colored mare staring down at me with a smile.
Author's Note
Short story that I wrote and published in about 3 hours. I like it. Has a cute moral
