Beyond Expectations

by FromTheMoon

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad
Length: 9875

Scootaloo has always idolized Rainbow Dash but can she surpass her childhood hero?

Scootaloo has always wanted to fly but just could never seem to get the hang of it.One day after being helped by her hero Rainbow Dash she is offered to be taught how to fly by her. It all seems so perfect but how can it be everything expected when she never realized what was possible?*Inspired by the song " i'll Fly Higher" By AcousticBrony & MandoPony. Cover Image by SagebrushPony*

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-15 22:00:39 UTC

An Awesome Opportunity

Beyond Expectations

By FromTheMoon

Chapter 1: An Awesome Opportunity

It was a normal day in PonyVille it seemed with the bright sun shining its warmth down onto the town and every pony going about their day’s business. There was one Pegasus filly however that seemed rather concerned and was rushing through the crowded streets determined to get to her destination. Scootaloo was speeding down the street as fast as she could trying to get to Sweet Apple Acres on time to meet Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell for that days cutie mark crusading.

“Out of all the days to sleep in, why did it have to be the day when we try rock climbing to get our cutie marks? It was already hard enough to get those two to agree to it in the first place after my bungee jumping idea. How was I supposed to know that bee’s had made their nest in that rock face?”  Scootaloo remembering the hours it took last week to get all the stingers out of their bodies did not notice that Carrot Top had begun to pull a wagon full of supplies directly in her scooters path.

By the time that Scoots noticed it was too late to stop completely at the speed that she was going. She opened her wings to slow down but the scooter hit a rock and both it and Scootaloo went flying across the street. Scootaloo face planted and skid across the dirt a good few feet. She quickly picked herself up and looked around for her scooter which was still flying through the air and on a collision course with Mr. Breezy’s shop window. “Noooooooooooooooo! Not again!”  Scootaloo shouted.

Scootaloo was confused for a few seconds after what she had just seen.  Her scooter had come mere inches away from the window but had not gone through it. Instead it seemed like it just vanished in a blue blur followed by a short rainbow.

“Wait!? What just!? Huh?” Scootaloo took off her helmet and started rubbing her head when from behind her came an all too familiar voice.

“I give you a nine for the speed but a two for the follow up and landing squirt.”

Scootaloo quickly turned around and her eyes lit up with joy and excitement when she saw Rainbow Dash leaning on her scooter. She quickly rushed over to the prismatic pegasus. “Rainbow Dash! Where did you come from?

Rainbow quickly put the little filly in a hug. “Oh, you know…just happened to drop out of the sky at the right place and the right time. Nothing special really.” Rainbow quickly looked over Scootaloo’s body. “Hey squirt, you got a little dirt…well…everywhere I guess.”

The small pegasus's eyes quickly filled up with terror as she noticed that she was covered in dirt and worse still she was getting it on Rainbow Dash. She quickly broke from the hug and started brushing herself off looking embarrassed while doing so.

“Sorry for getting dirt on you Rainbow.” Scootaloo looked at the ground blushing.

“Sorry? For what? A little dirt never hurt any pony. Who do you think you’re talking to? Rarity? As a dare devil I expect to be covered in dirt by the end of the day.”

Scootaloo looked up from the ground and rushed over to Rainbow’s side again with a look of relief on her face. “Thanks for saving me from having to explain to Mr. Breezy why my scooter was in the middle of a pile of broken glass again.”

Rainbow Dash stopped leaning on the scooter and passed it over to Scootaloo, “No problem squirt but hey, where were you going in such a hurry anyway?”

Once her helmet was firmly on her head again Scootaloo hoped back on the scooter. “I was on my way to Sweet Apple Acres to meet the girls. We’re trying to get our cutie marks in rock climbing today!”

“Hey it’s a good thing you got these huh?" Rainbow pointed to the young pegasus's wings. " I’m sure they’ll come in handy.”

“Actually…I can’t fly yet. I can’t even stay off the ground for more than a few seconds” Scootaloo quickly turned away from her idol.

Rainbow realized that she had messed up but before she could do anything to fix it Scootaloo was already moving away from her. “I got to get going, thanks again for helping me out Rainbow Dash!” She didn't get farther than ten feet before Rainbow Dash jumped in front of her. “Uh…is there a problem Rainbow Dash?”

The older pegasus gave no answer. Instead she just stood there for a few moments looking over the confused filly. Scootaloo was about to say something but before she could Rainbow was next to her lifting the little filly’s wings. “Wait!? What are you doing Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow quickly let go of her wings. “Do me a favor squirt and spread your wings for a second.”

Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to do. “Umm do I have to?”  Rainbow Dash gave her an annoyed look and that answered her question.  It took a few moments for Scootaloo to gather up the courage to open her tiny wings in front of her hero.

“Just as I thought…there’s nothing wrong with your wings. They seem perfectly fine to me.”

Scootaloo quickly closed her wings again and looked at Rainbow Dash still a bit confused. “Okay but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well it would be pretty hard for me to teach you how to fly if your wings were broken!”

The small filly's mouth was wide open as she tried to comprehend what had just been said. ”Yoooo..o.ou teach me how to fly?” Scootaloo’s whole body was shaking at the very thought. “But I can’t ask you to do that I mean I’m probably too young to learn how to fly still.”

Rainbow Dash giggled for a moment and then laughed. “ Not old enough to fly? Squirt I’m  pretty sure that I was younger then you are right now when I taught myself to fly. If I could teach myself then i’m pretty sure I can teach you.”

Scootaloo at this point was hopping up and down in circles around Rainbow Dash with the biggest smile on her face. “When do we start?  When do when start?”

“How about tomorrow morning?” Rainbow suggested.

"Tomorrow? Really?”

Rainbow nodded her head. “Yup just meet at Ghastly Gorge and we’ll go from there. Now I think you better get going. Don’t want to keep your friends or the rocks waiting!” Once realizing that she was going to be late for the daily crusading said goodbye to Rainbow Dash and rushed off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Scootaloo hardly slept the night before but had managed to catch a few minutes of sleep here and there, enough to keep her eyes lids from closing by themselves. The fact that her body was bit sore from yesterday’s rock climbing had also kept her up. Now that she thought of it she realized that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to climb over those wet rocks. It didn’t matter though since today was the day that she would finally learn to fly from none other than her hero.

She sped on the path towards Ghastly Gorge on her scooter as fast as she could.  When she arrived it took a few minutes to find Rainbow Dash but Scootaloo finally found her napping under a nearby tree. “Rainbow Dash I’m here and ready to learn from the best!”

Rainbow quickly got up at looked at Scootaloo with a smile on her face. “Well that’s good, but before we can get started there’s something you need to do first.”

Scootaloo looked at Rainbow Dash with big open eyes, “Yeah, yeah, what it is?”

Rainbow Dash looked over at the gorge before turning back to face Scootaloo. “Simple…just throw your scooter into the gorge so that hopefully it breaks into like a million little pieces.” The energetic eager smile on Scootaloo's face quickly faded and instead a look of confusion and despair appeared.

What We Really Want

Chapter 2: What We Really Want

It took Scootaloo a moment to comprehend the words that had just come out of Rainbow Dash’s mouth. A smile then reappeared on her face. “Hehe…good one Rainbow Dash. You really had me believing that you wanted me to throw my scooter over the cliff!”

Rainbow Dash simply smiled again. “Oh I'm serious…you want to learn how to fly? Well the first step is getting rid of that scooter.”

The smile disappeared from Scootaloo’s face again, “But…but…why?”

The older pegasus opened her wings and started to hover over the ground. “Simple, once your scooter is gone you won’t have anything to go back to and that will allow you to focus only on learning how to fly. But if you want you can still keep your helmet. You might actually need it now that I think about it.”

Scootaloo was refusing to believe that her hero wanted her to destroy the one thing that brought joy to her life on a daily basis but she could not think of any other pony  more qualified to teach her how to fly. “So if I throw my scooter off the cliff you’ll teach me how to fly, right?”

Rainbow Dash landed right in front of the little Pegasus. “ Actually there are a few more rules that you need to agree to if you want me to teach you.”

The filly pegasus became bit more wary. “What kind of rules?”

“Well the first rule is that we will train every morning when you don’t have school and after school each day until i’ve decided that you can fly.” Scootaloo nodded her head.

“The second rule is that you cannot question my teaching methods , you can quit the lessons whenever you want but if you leave then don’t come back.” Worry began to seep into Scootaloo's mind.

“The third and final rule is that you must devote all your priorities to these lessons, which means that you can no longer be part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

Scootaloo just couldn’t believe what was expected of her. “ But…my friends...” Rainbow was now nudging Scootaloo to the edge of the gorge.

The little pegasus began to resist a little which annoyed was beginning to annoy Rainbow. “Oh don’t worry about your friends. I’m sure they want you to learn how to fly and will understand why you can be in the CMC anymore. Don’t worry, you can see them every day after training. Just don’t expect to do much, you’ll be pretty tired after what i’ve got planned for you.”

Scootaloo took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. She was still being nudged towards the gorge but didn’t look at Rainbow Dash. She thought for a moment about all the rules that she had just been told and figured that they seemed reasonable enough. Doubt still clouded her mind though despite her attempts to calm herself.

“Can you guarantee that i’ll learn how to fly if I agree to all this?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Then fine, let’s get this first part over with.” Scootaloo hopped on her scooter and made her way to the cliffs edge.

The edge was less than twenty feet away but Scootaloo couldn't help but notice that it seemed like it was the longest ride of her entire life. Her heart pounded faster and harder as she got close to the cliff edge. Finally she stood there on top of her scooter looking down into the gorge. She got off her scooter, took off her helmet, and just stood there looking down for a few moments. She put her hooves on  her scooter and prepared to push it off, struggling to gather the strength to go through with it.

“Any day now squirt. We’ve got a full day ahead of us.”

Anger and sorrow filled Scootaloo as she closed her eyes and pushed her scooter over the edge. Regret immediately filled her mind but it was to late. Time seemed to slow down as she watched her beloved scooter fall into the gorge. It smashed against the cliff a few times bouncing off a few rocks before finally laying in the middle of a cloud of dust. Tears streamed down her face but she quickly wiped them away so that Rainbow Dash wouldn't see her crying.

“Good, now follow me. We got a lot to do.” Rainbow Dash lead the way down a small path into the gorge and Scootaloo followed. She glanced back at the site where her scooter had gone off but quickly looked away again when she felt tears in her eyes again.

The sun was beginning to set as Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash made their way out of canyon. The little Pegasus was covered in dirt and mud from head to hoof. Her hooves seemed swollen and her wings throbbed in pain. Scootaloo barely had enough energy left in her little body to make her way out of the gorge. “So Rainbow Dash, how did I do for my first day?”

Rainbow Dash answered but did not look back. “Eh i’ve seen better. But don’t worry you’ll get better if you want to learn how fly.”

Not really what Scootaloo wanted to hear after all the hard work that she had done that day. She thought back to the day’s activities.

As soon as they had made it into the gorge Rainbow Dash had ordered Scootaloo to run laps around the gorge until she told her to stop. Scootaloo had run for four hours straight until Rainbow Dash finally allowed her to rest. A small lunch of a few apples had done little to replenish her energy. After that Scootaloo was told to run another two laps around the gorge. Then she was told to do two hundred wing push ups before finally flapping her wings for two hours straight. It was at that point that Rainbow Dash decided to call it a day since the sun was setting.

“Hey squirt!”

The sound of Rainbow’s voice snapped Scootaloo out of her reminiscing. “Um…yeah Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo could barely even speak at this point.

“So what did you think of the first day?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Scootaloo quickly held her tongue to avoid offending Rainbow Dash and instead thought of something else to say. “Well uh…it was…interesting…and painful I guess?”

Rainbow Dash appeared content with herself after hearing that response.

“Um Rainbow Dash, is it always going to be this hard when we train?”

The uncertainty in the little filly's voice caused Rainbow Dash to laugh for a few moments. “No, it won’t always be this hard.” Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. “Every day will be harder than the last, every week will be even more grueling, and every month will push you farther over the edge.”

Scootaloo frowned but did not have the energy to respond. Finally the two pegasus were back at where they had begun their day at the cliff edge. “Well I got to get going squirt, see you tomorrow morning.” Rainbow Dash jumped off the ground and flew a few feet in the air before she heard Scootaloo call for her.

. “Wait! Rainbow Dash! Any chance you could give me a lift back into town?”

Rainbow Dash smirked at the thought. “You got wings don’t you? Just fly back.” She didn't even wait for Scootaloo to respond before flying off into the distance. Scootaloo couldn’t believe that her hero had left her like that. She looked over at the gorge for a moment and then looked in the direction of the town. She flapped her wings for a moment before beginning the walk back.

A month had passed since Scootaloo began her training with Rainbow Dash and she had still had not learned to fly as her hero had promised her. Doubt grew in her mind as the weeks had passed and it seemed to get harder to stay on task. At the end of each week Rainbow Dash had made Scootaloo jump off a small boulder in the gorge in an attempt to fly. Each time Scootaloo had attempted to jump she could barely hover for more than a few seconds before she fell to the ground face first. Each time Rainbow Dash looked more frustrated and annoyed at the little filly.

They were in their second month of training and the Fall season was just starting. She was doing wing pushups which she had gotten used to doing but now the cold wind was blowing over her body and chilling her wings as she did her work out.

“Faster squirt, you got another two hours of carrying rocks after this.” Out of all the training exercises that Rainbow Dash made her do it was the rock carrying that she hated the most. Her mentor would put rocks on her back and then make the small pegasus march for a few hours. If she were lucky the rocks would be dry instead of being covered in mud and tree sap.

A few hours passed and Scootaloo was running through the gorge again with Rainbow Dash following her in the air.  The wind had begun to pick up and Scootaloo felt a drop of rain land on her back followed by another drop on her nose until finally it began to fall in a steady stream. “Hey Rainbow Dash,  don’t you think we should stop? It’s starting to rain.”

Rainbow Dash looked down on  her. “A little rain never hurt any pony. Besides we can't afford to waste a day as good as this one!”

Scootaloo kept running but did not stop talking to Rainbow Dash. “But isn’t it dangerous to do this in the rain?”

Annoyed with Scootaloo’s attempts to stop the training, Rainbow flew down and landed in front of her forcing her to stop. “Let me ask you a question squirt. What do you want most in life?”

Scootaloo took a moment to catch her breath, sucked in a gust of cold air, and then looked at Rainbow Dash. “All I want is to learn how to fly and to be just like you Rainbow Dash since you're my hero.”

Without warning Rainbow Dash shoved Scootaloo aside with enough force to make the small pegasus lose her balance and fall on the cold wet ground. “Let’s get one thing straight squirt, you will never, and I mean never be like me no matter how hard you try.”

Scootaloo struggled to get up off the ground but it took a few minutes to do so both from the lack of energy and the fact that she was in complete shock after what had just happened.  Tears were forming in her eyes but she held them back, "But..that's always been my goal in life Rainbow Dash, to be just like you. You are the best flyer in all of Equestria and i’ve always tried to be like you."

Rainbow Dash became agitated after hearing her student's response. “If I had known that then I probably wouldn’t of wanted to teach you how to fly in the first place!” Scootaloo was fighting back the tears with what little strength she had left in her body.

“But you're my hero! How could you treat me like this? I’m your number one fan!” Rainbow Dash pushed Scootaloo to the ground again.

“Do you think I care that you're my number one fan? All you are to me right now is a student who is making her teacher angry every time she opens her mouth. Now I think you’ve had enough rest, start running again and don’t stop until I tell you to.”

Rainbow Dash jumped into the air to allow Scootaloo to run but the little Pegasus just stood there looking at the ground. “Didn’t you hear me? I said run!”

Scootaloo still didn’t move but finally mustered up the energy to speak. “No.”

The fuming pegasus flew down , her face only a few inches away from Scootaloo’s face. “What did you just say to me? What did you just say to your hero?”

Scootaloo finally let her tears and anger flow out of her. “I said no, I’m not running anymore and I’m not listening to your stupid orders any more. I was wrong about you Rainbow Dash, you’re not a hero, you’re a selfish jerk!”Once that was said the filly pegasus began running off in the opposite direction.

“Hey squirt! You’re running the wrong way!”

“My names not squirt! Its Scootaloo and I quit!” Rainbow Dash didn’t need to hear anymore as she shook her head angrily and took off into the sky.

Scootaloo with tears flowing down her face made her way to where she thought her scooter had landed one month ago. It took some time to find it since she had to continuously rub the water from her eyes. Finally she found it in one piece buried under a few rocks. Her whole body shook vigorously from the cold rain and the anger that swelled up in her.

She finally managed to free her scooter, it was cracked in a few places and rusty but she didn’t care. She hopped on it and began to make her way through the gorge which was being completely soaked in the rain. It had been a month since she last rode her scooter and her wings were a bit tired from the training but she sped away through the gorge.

Hate, anger, and regret filled her mind as she rode through the gorge. “Stupid Rainbow Dash. Some hero she turned out to be! I should of never agreed to this stupid training in the first place!” As Scootaloo thought of how much she loathed Rainbow Dash the front wheel of her scooter broke off causing her to go flying through the air.

She landed in a mud puddle and her scooter came down next to her but two of the three wheels had broken off and the steering apparatus had completely come off. Scootaloo looked at her broken scooter in disbelief. The last object that tied her to her previous life was gone.

“No…no.NO! Please no…not my scooter.” She slammed her hoof against the ground and wept as the rain and wind poured over her.

She lay on the ground next to her broken scooter, crying, unsure of what to do next.  She heard the sound of something large splash the ground in front of her. She looked up, rubbed her eyes, and saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of her. “What do you want?”

Rainbow Dash looked over Scootaloo and the scooter before speaking. “ Well I guess you really don’t have anything to go back to now huh?”

“SHUT UP! Why don’t you just leave me alone you jerk!”

What Rainbow Dash did next surprised Scootaloo. She walked over and lay down next to the little filly and covered her from the rain with her wing. “Listen Scootaloo, you have to realize that no matter what you do you will never be like me. I don’t want you to be like me.”

Scootaloo stopped crying and looked up at Rainbow Dash. “But why don’t you want me to be like you? You're my hee…” She stopped herself from saying that word.

“I don’t want you to be like me because I want you to be you.  If you try to be like any pony else then you will always fail in the end when your not satisfied with who you've become.” Scootaloo leaned in closer under Rainbow Dash’s wing trying to cover more of her body from the rain. “The reason why I wanted to train you is because I saw a lot of potential in you.”

“What type of potential did you see in me?” Scootaloo asked.

“I don’t know but whatever it is I know it is going to be beyond every pony's expectations.” The rain and wind started to die down as the sun started to peek through the clouds.

“I’m sorry for all the mean things that I said to you Rainbow Dash. I didn’t mean it, I was just angry.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed Scootaloo’s mane. “That’s okay Scootaloo. I know you didn’t mean what you said.”

Both pegasus looked at the sky for a few minutes. “How about we call it a day and continue training tomorrow after school? That is, if you still want me to teach you how to fly.”

Scootaloo jumped out from under Rainbow Dash’s wing. “Are you kidding me? Of course I want to continue training with you! But I don’t want to wait till tomorrow, let's continue right now! I mean how often do ponies get to train with their hero’s?”

Rainbow Dash flew into the air with a giant smile on her face. “That’s the spirit! How about you go run two laps around the gorge?” Scootaloo nodded enthusiastically and ran off. Both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were both happy with what had just happened and both had the feeling that something new had developed between them, something that hadn't there before.

Against Our Doubts

Chapter 3: Against Our Doubts

Four months had passed since Scootaloo had begun her flight lessons with Rainbow Dash. It was that time of the week again and Scootaloo was preparing to make another attempt at flight. “Whenever you’re ready squirt. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize it.”

Scootaloo did as she was told as she stood on the boulder. She took several deep breaths before finally opening her wings and jumping off. She flapped her wings as hard as she could trying to keep herself in the air.

“That’s it Scootaloo! Just keep your cool and don’t lose your focus this time.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of losing her focus. The last thing on her mind was falling on her face again in front of Rainbow Dash. She was tiring quickly and just being able to flap her wings was becoming a huge strain. “Just a little bit more squirt! You’re doing great!”

Scootaloo began to descend slowly as she struggled to stay off the ground. She closed her eyes trying to put what little energy she had left into her wings.  “Come on wings, just a bit more.” Her right wing had hit her body by accident throwing her off balance as the wing struggled desperately to regain the rhythm. She tried her hardest to focus on getting her wings working in harmony again but after a few seconds both wings collapsed and she fell to the ground.

The small pegasus closed her eyes for a moment, wanting to scream in rage at another failed attempt at flight. Rainbow Dash flew down next to her student who was laying down in a cloud of dust looking up at the sky. Some birds flew above her in the gorge and Scootaloo couldn't help but feel a bit of hatred mixed with jealousy towards them. “Those birds are mocking me again, don’t they have better things to do?”

Rainbow Dash held out a hoof and helped her student off the ground. “Don’t be silly squirt, I’m sure those birds are just flying through the gorge.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come the only time I see those two is on this day of the week and only when we’re doing this flight test?”

“I bet those aren't even the same birds from last week.” Rainbow Dash responded while wiping dirt of her students body.  "You're just imagining things."

Scootaloo took a closer look at the two objects of her hate. “Those are the same red and blue birds from last week, and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that…”

Rainbow Dash quickly flew up in the air to block Scootaloo’s view of the birds. “Hey squirt, look on the bright side. You were up in the air for fifteen seconds this time. That’s three seconds better than last week!”

Scootaloo thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that her teacher was right, she had done better and every week she seemed to be improving. There was still one thing that held her back from celebrating. “I can float in the air for a few seconds but I still can’t move. I’m always stuck trying to hover in one spot.”

“Hey don’t be too hard on yourself squirt.  Every pony has to learn to walk before they can gallop. It just takes some time.” Rainbow landed and gave the small pegasus a playful punch in the shoulder.

She tuned out Rainbow Dash as they walked back up the gorge since she wasn't interested in hearing another motivational speech. She looked up at the blue sky and then at her hero’s body.She couldn't help but notice just how similar in color the two were. She thought for a moment that maybe if she dyed her coat a blueish color then she might be able to fly. She smirked at the thought and pushed the idea out of her mind. They reached the top of the gorge and Scootaloo decided that it was time to start paying attention to Rainbow Dash again.

“…and that’s why I am no longer allowed to perform at the PonyVille retirement center. You understand what I’m saying squirt?”

Scootaloo couldn't for the life of her imagine what Rainbow had been talking about but nodded her head. “Oh…yeah…I definitely understand what you’re trying to say. Great speech again Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow smiled looking quite pleased with herself. “Well I’m no Twilight but I do what I can when it comes to these kinds of things. Anyway it seems like it’s getting dark. I’m going to take off for the day. See you tomorrow after school.”

Smiling and waving goodbye, Scootaloo watched Rainbow as she disappeared through the clouds. As soon as her hero was out of sight she stopped smiling.  “How long until I’ll be able to fly through the clouds with you? I just hope that you’re not wasting your time on me.” She looked at the sun setting in the distance and then made her way into town.

Making her way to the tree were she always met Rainbow Dash before they began their day’s lessons, Scootaloo put her saddle bag down under the shade of the tree and waited for her teacher to arrive.

Scootaloo did not find it unusual that Rainbow was late. In fact she found it more unusual if Rainbow Dash arrived at the gorge before she did. She waited for half an hour before her mind began to create scenarios about what could have happened to her hero.

The best case scenario she figured was that Rainbow Dash had been tied up with work over at CloudsDale which had occurred a few times in the past couple of weeks. Scootaloo’s mind then drifted to the worst case scenario. She remembered the story that Fluttershy had told her about when Rainbow had gotten her wing stuck in the gorge.

. She was just about to head down into the gorge when a shadow passed by over her head. Rainbow Dash landed on the ground directly in front of Scootaloo kicking up dirt in both their faces causing both to cough. “Sorry about that squirt, landed a bit too hard that time.” Rainbow flapped her wings to push the dirt away and Scootaloo mirrored this.

“Looks like you were going to head down into the gorge, wanted to get a head start on today’s lessons?”

Scootaloo thought about telling Rainbow Dash her true reason for heading down into the gorge but decided that there was no need to. “Uh…yeah, wanted to get a few laps done before you got here.”

Rainbow Dash smiled, pleased with this answer.  “Well you don’t have to worry about your lessons today. I was at CloudsDale all day helping put together next week’s thunderstorm so I’m pretty tired. I figured that you and me could just hang out today around town.”

Scootaloo nearly had a heart attack. The chance to hang out with her childhood hero. While they saw each other every day of the week during their lessons, Rainbow liked to keep it strictly business. Scootaloo was jumping with excitement but then stopped herself when a thought appeared in her mind. “What kind of…hanging out?”

Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh at Scootaloo’s caution. “Don’t worry squirt. I’m not going to make you train today. I figured you earned a day off after all your hard work. Just don’t expect a trip to the spa.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Scootaloo beamed back.

Both pegasus made their way into town. Rainbow Dash was walking right beside Scootaloo instead of flying. This bothered Scootaloo a bit. She didn’t want Rainbow to hold back just because she couldn’t fly. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it not wanting to cause tension on the day she finally got to hang out with Rainbow Dash. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and made small talk with Rainbow. They continued talking as they made their way through PonyVille’s streets. “So that’s the real reason why Big Mac has been hanging out with Fluttershy so much?”

Rainbow Dash stopped walking for a moment and cleared her throat. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeee’yup!” Both Pegasus laughed hysterically for a few minutes before wiping the tears from their eyes. A sudden low growl from Rainbow’s stomach quickly changed the topic. “Hey squirt, you hungry?”

Another low growl was heard but this time it came from Scootaloo causing her to blush slightly. “Ummm…yeah…I could definitely eat.”

The older pegasus's gaze went up and down the street looking for a suitable place to eat. “How about that place?” Scootaloo looked at where Rainbow Dash was pointing with her hoof and thought she was joking.

“Don’t you think that place is a bit too fancy for us?”

“Too fancy for us? Stick close to me squirt and you’ll learn a thing or two.” Rainbow Dash made her way to the restaurant with Scootaloo tagging close behind.

As Scootaloo thought they had to wait a few minutes to be seated by a waiter which really annoyed Rainbow Dash. Her hero was taking bites out of daisies in the lobby by the time they were finally seated. At Rainbow’s request they were given a table by the window, Scootaloo could think of a few reasons why her hero would want this. Their waiter left them menus before going to another table.

“What the…? What kind of place doesn’t have chili hay fries?” Rainbow expressed her disappointment rather loudly. Scootaloo was sure there wasn’t a pony in the restaurant who didn’t hear her.

Their waiter came back a few minutes later. “Madam, are you and the child ready to place your order?”

Scootaloo didn’t like being called a child and was about to speak but Rainbow cut her off. “Yeah, first off how can you guys not serve chili hay fires?  Who doesn't love those? Secondly if you’re gonna be all formal and call me madam then you can call my friend here that too.”

The waiter didn’t seem to care but obliged in order to avoid a problem. “My apologies madam, can I take your order now?”

“I guess I’ll have a daffodil and daisy sandwich with a couple of apple rolls.. Rainbow handed her menu back to the waiter turned her attention to her student.

The waiter turned to Scootaloo. “What about you madam?”  Scootaloo looked at the menu over and over again but could,'t look past the prices.

Rainbow Dash shot the small pegasus a smile. “Don’t worry squirt, the foods on me.”

Scootaloo looked back at the waiter. “I guess I’ll have the same thing she’s having.” Just before the waiter left Rainbow called him back.

“Oh yeah, and two slices of the best chocolate cake you have!” Their waiter nodded and then went about his business.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo waited for their food telling jokes and stories of their personal lives. “Let me get this straight squirt, that was you and your friends that caused that bear to tear up town hall?” “Another one of my ideas that didn’t go so well.” They laughed so hard that they didn’t notice their waiter had come back with their food.  He placed the food on the table before moving on.  Both Pegasus dug into their food with a ferocity that would rival a Manticore. Their cake arrived a few minutes later and Rainbow Dash was the first to take a bite but as soon as her teeth bit down it her face froze.

She had a look on her face that looked like she had taken a bite out of a brick. She spat the chocolate cake onto the floor and called angrily for the waiter. “Hey bub what gives? I said bring us your best chocolate cake!” The waiter hurried over and attempted to calm the upset pegasus .

“I assure you madam that I did bring you our best.”

Rainbow scoffed, “Yeah right! You brought us cake that tastes like dirt!”

Scootaloo noticed that other ponies were starting to stare in their direction. “Madam please calm down! You're upsetting the other patrons!”

"You’re the one upsetting me and my friend here by trying to make us eat your dirt cake! I've had better tasting cake that Pinkie Pie stuck her face into!” The other patrons were starting to talk.

The waiter was just about done with Rainbow Dash. “Madam, if you don’t calm down I’m going to have to ask you to leave!”

Rainbow Dash signaled for Scootaloo to stand up, “Don’t have to tell us twice, come on Scootaloo!” They were about to leave for the door but Rainbow turned around to face the waiter one last time. “Oh and guess what?” She took Scootaloo’s uneaten cake and shoved it in the waiters face. “You can have your dirt back.” Both pegasus quickly made their way out of the restaurant.

They stopped running after Rainbow Dash was sure they weren’t being followed.  “Sorry about that squirt, just couldn’t stand that dirt they were serving us.”

Scootaloo gasped a little trying to catch her breath. “Not a…problem…Rainbow…Dash.” Scootaloo was curious about one thing though.  She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Hey Rainbow Dash, can I ask you a question?

Rainbow Dash was busy trying to get some of the chocolate cake out of her mane, “Uh…sure squirt, fire away.”

The small pegasus walked up in front of her teacher. “Aren’t you worried about what other ponies think of you when you do stuff like that? I mean no offense but you seem to get into a lot of crazy situations where you don’t always come out on top.”

Once she got the last piece of chocolate cake out of her hair Rainbow Dash began thinking of a response. “Nope, not at all. Should I care what they think of me? I got to where I am in my life right now by just being me. If I cared about what other ponies thought I wouldn’t be able to do half the stuff I can do right now. My friends support me and that’s all I care about.”

Scootaloo responded quickly to this. “But what if the WonderBolts saw what you did in that restaurant and wouldn’t take you because of how you acted?”

Rainbow had to truly think hard for this one. “You know squirt, if the WonderBolts take me then they'll do it because of who I am. I’m not going to change my personal lifestyle and be some pony that I’m not.”

Scootaloo was a bit taken back by this answer. She had always assumed that Rainbow Dash would do anything to join the WonderBolts. “Listen Scootaloo, as long as you’re happy with who you are there isn’t anything you can’t do in life.” Scootaloo thought about this. She was always upset with herself about not being able to fly and always hated it when others thought less of her for it. “Hey squirt I’m going to head home. The sun’s starting to set. It was fun hanging out with you. Definitely need to do it again some time.”

Before Rainbow could take off she was stopped by Scootaloo. “Rainbow can I ask for a favor? Could you come to Ghastly Gorge with me real quick? There’s something I want to try out.”

Rainbow was thrown a bit off guard by this but  knew what the small pegasus wanted to do. “Sure thing Scootaloo.”

“Close my eyes, clear my mind, ignore the world, and be myself.” Scootaloo stood on top of the boulder preparing herself to make the jump. She asked Rainbow Dash not to speak to allow her to concentrate. She opened her eyes and then flared her wings. “This is it. This is for me. It's finally my time.”

She leapt off of the boulder looking straight into the darkening sky in front of her. She flapped her wings in good rhythm and hovered above the ground. “One, two, three, four,…” she counted the seconds that passed in her head until she had been hovering a good distance above the ground for more than thirty seconds. Rainbow Dash kept her distance from the little Pegasus to give her some room. “I’m happy with who I am and I can do anything.” She shifted her wings along with her weight and flew forward.

Rainbow Dash cheered and flew up to Scootaloo to give her a hoof bump. “Rainbow Dash! I’m doing it. I’m actually flying!” She flew circles around the gorge swooping down and moving around Rainbow Dash.  She attempted to do an inverted loop but ended up falling backwards. Rainbow Dash flew up under her and caught her before throwing her back into the air.

“Never doubted you for a second squirt, plus having me as your teacher helped a bit.” Scootaloo barely heard Rainbow as she continued to zoom around the canyon. “I guess this means that your lessons are over squirt. You can go back to your life now.” Scootaloo’s right wing hit her body and she crashed to the dirt.

Rainbow flew above her to see if she was okay but before she could speak Scootaloo flew up to her. “Rainbow Dash, these past four months have arguably been the best months of my entire life. I really enjoyed the time we spent together.”

“Not gonna lie squirt, I had a pretty good time also.”

Scootaloo nodded. “I know, which is why I’m hoping that you’ll help me practice to become a better flyer maybe?”

“I’ll help you train squirt but under one condition. You have to help me train to become a better flyer too. Seems fair right?” Scootaloo almost exploded with delight.

“Of course I’ll help you train. I mean how could I say no?”

Rainbow flew up higher into the air. “That settles it then, from now on you and me are training partners! Now come on! We've got a whole night to start training together!” With that Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky and Scootaloo eagerly followed. She felt tears stream down her face as she flew behind Rainbow Dash. They flew through the cloud barrier and finally for the first time in her life Scootaloo saw the stars shine above the sea of clouds.

Better

Chapter 4: Better

It was an average day as the clouds hung low over PonyVille. Ponies below were going about their day’s business heading in and out of shops, buying supplies at the market, and making conversation with one another.

Suddenly from above the clouds a loud boom was heard. The towns residents took no heed of it and thought of it as just thunder. Two figures suddenly burst through clouds leaving two gaping holes that allowed sunlight to shine through. In front was what seemed like a blue blur followed by a short rainbow. Just a little behind it was an orange and purple blur that was quickly catching up on the leader. Both blurs immediately changed their direction at a perfect ninety degree angle as they flew parallel to the ground through PonyVille’s streets. As both figures flew through the streets they overturned tables, chairs, carts, and smaller ponies with the gust of wind that followed them. They tore through the entire town with dust and leaves being scattered everywhere.

Once they reached the end of town they flew above the tree tops of the EverFree forest causing the birds, squirrels, and any other little woodland creatures to run for cover. The two then made their way to Ghastly Gorge where they dove into the canyon closing the distance to their objective. The blue blur made the final turn first and hit the ground hard kicking up dirt and rocks as it skidded across the ground before finally coming to a complete stop in the middle of a dust cloud. Out of the dust emerged Rainbow Dash who began to brush herself off as she waited expectantly for what was to come. “Still has trouble with those rocks I guess.”

From around corner of the gorge the orange blur fast approached but did not hit the ground like Rainbow Dash did. Instead it flew straight up before coming down hard for a landing that kicked up dust into Rainbow Dash’s face. Rainbow coughed looking rather annoyed that she had to dust herself off again. “You came close this time but still no dice. I win again Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo flared her wings suddenly pushing the dust away from her and onto Rainbow Dash once again. “Whoops, did  I do that?"

Rainbow Dash wiped the dust from her face before putting Scootaloo into a hug. “Don’t sweat it Scoots, just shows me that you’re putting those wings to good use.” Scootaloo opened her wings proudly showing them off to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow still could not believe just how much the little filly’s wings had grown.

Six years had passed since Scootaloo had learned to fly and they had begun training together as partners. In fact Scootaloo wasn’t such a little filly any more.  She was about Rainbow Dash’s size now and her wings were the same size if not larger than Rainbow’s were. Scootaloo had come a long way indeed from being the little squirt that she used to be.

“Hey Scoots, you got a little dust on your flank still. I'll get it for you.” Rainbow Dash dusted off the filly’s flank with her wing and revealed a cutie mark.  It was about three years ago that Scootaloo had finally managed to earn her cutie mark during a training session of punching holes through the clouds letting sun shine through. Her cutie mark was rays of the sun breaking through a cloud and she couldn't be prouder of it.

“Lets go grab some chow Scoots, I’m starving!” Both Pegasus flew up out of the gorge and landed under the tree where they had their lunch every day. Waiting for them under the tree was a basket filled to the brim with apple treats that Fluttershy had left for them.

They dug into the basket and started popping food into their mouths. “Gee Rainbow, looks like Fluttershy is definitely getting better with cooking ever since she and Big Mac started going steady.”

Rainbow Dash leaned over and grabbed a slice of  apple pie. “Apple Jack's cooking lessons with her are finally paying off. I guess Apple Jack figures that if Fluttershy is going to be with her brother then she’s got to know how to cook for him.” Both Pegasus enjoyed a brief laugh before turning back to their food. Rainbow Dash finished off the apple pie slice before turning to Scoots. “Speaking of which, heard any news from Apple Bloom?”

Scootaloo looked up from her pie. “Oh yeah, I got a letter from her the other day saying that she got promoted. She's working hard in Canterlot it looks like. I also got a letter from Sweetie Bell yesterday.  She and Rarity are doing awesome in Manehatten!”

“That’s good to hear, been years since I’ve seen Rarity. Glad to know that she’s doing okay with her sister.” They finished their lunch and bunched up the napkins and picnic cloth back into the basket. “Sooo Scoots, you ready to try that trick again?”

Scootaloo gulped nervously, she knew what Rainbow Dash was referring to. “Ummmmm…I don’t know Rainbow. Last time I tried that move I almost broke my right wing.”

Rainbow just laughed at her friend’s nervousness. “Come on Scoots, it’s time for you to make your mark in the sky!”

“Any chance we could just race again? I mean…you do still owe me that rematch from last month.” Rainbow thought for a moment unsure of what to do next. True, she did owe Scootaloo a rematch after accidently making her crash into the PonyVille water tower last week.

“Let’s save that rematch for tomorrow Scoots. I think we’ve caused enough collateral damage to the town today from that race. I don’t want Mayor Mare getting all up in my face again and I’m definitely not in the mood for Twilight to lecture us on the principles of being a responsible PonyVille citizen.” Scootaloo knew that what Rainbow Dash said was true but she really did not want to attempt her new trick again.

. It was five months ago during one of their training sessions that Rainbow Dash had decided that it was time for Scootaloo to have a signature move. Rainbow Dash had the Sonic Rainboom and the Buccaneer Blaze but Scootaloo still had nothing that she could call her own. They spent weeks planning and fantasizing about what Scootaloo’s own signature move would be.

It was during lunch one day that Scootaloo had thrown an idea out in the open that immediately caught Rainbow’s attention. They kept the idea secret from all the others except for Twilight who Scootaloo wanted to consult with for good measure to be sure that the move was even possible. After vast calculations Twilight had concluded that while the move was possible it was very unlikely that it could be done by Scootaloo. That had been enough for her and Rainbow Dash to begin the numerous attempts at accomplishing it.

Scootaloo picked up their lunch basket and put under the shade of the tree where Fluttershy would be able to find it latter. “Well I guess it couldn’t hurt…that much…to try again.” Both Pegasus flew up into the air until they were above the cloud layer. They then closed their wings and landed on the fluffy surface of the clouds.

The feeling of standing on clouds is one that Scootaloo very much enjoyed. She liked the way that they wrapped around her hooves as they sunk into them. “Okay Scoots, you know what to do right?” Scootaloo nodded, it had been years since she had felt nervous like this. The last time was when her lessons had begun with Rainbow Dash. “Now dive Scoots and make sure you have a good amount of clouds around you this time in order to cushion yourself if things go unexpected again.”

In a moment Scootaloo dove into the clouds but did not pop out from under them.  Instead she began to slowly flap her wings so that the clouds would warp around her. She made sure that every inch of her body was touching the cloud before she began. She flapped her wings in a fluid motion with slow heavy strokes as she began to move forward. The cloud started to move with Scootaloo but needed to be pulled by her tail in order to move along with her at a reasonable rate.

. Finally when both she and the cloud were moving in perfect harmony she took a steep dive towards the ground dragging the cloud down with her. As she began to pick up speed the cloud around her began to dissolve leaving only the parts that were touching Scootaloo directly. She pulled up steeply and opened her wings to scatter any part of the cloud that was unwanted. She flew back up into the sky but now covered in what seemed an armor of clouds. Her cloud body gave her an exaggerated look five time her size .To any pony that was watching it looked like there was a giant Pegasus made out of clouds galloping across the sky.

Rainbow smiled knowing that finally her training partner had accomplished her own signature move. The cloud pegasus flew up towards Rainbow Dash before shaking violently as the clouds that surrounded Scootaloo began to scatter in different directions. Scootaloo stood there at the center of the mass of clouds with the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes. “Rainbow Dash! I did it! I actually pulled it off this time!”

She flew up to Rainbow Dash and put her in a giant hug. “Whoa easy there Scoots, you’re going to make me start tearing up with all this sappy love.”

Scootaloo quickly released Rainbow Dash from the hug and wiped her eyes.“Sorry about that.”

Rainbow put Scootaloo back into the hug. “Don’t sweat it Scoots. Now how about we head into town to celebrate your new move? I’m sure Pinkie Pie wouldn’t mind throwing you a party!”

“But isn’t she babysitting Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake today?”

Rainbow chuckled a little, “Well if she is it just means that party is going to be even wilder!” Both pegasus laughed as they made their way into town and headed into Sugar Cube Corner.

The party lasted long into the wee hours of the morning. At first it was just Pinkie Pie, the Cake twins, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash but soon word started to spread that Pinkie was throwing a party and sure enough almost every colt and mare in town with some free time had joined. It was at the party that both Pegasus had announced Scootaloo’s new move to the crowd of partying ponies. One colt had asked what the name of the move was called which was actually a good question since neither Scootaloo nor Rainbow Dash had even thought of a name. After a few minutes of talking between themselves Scootaloo announced to the crowd that the new move was called, “The Pegasus Knight!”

Even Twilight and Applejack showed up to the party to congratulate Scootaloo. Eventually Big Mac and Fluttershy entered the building together and slowly through a sea of stares made their way over to Scootaloo to give her a hug. She wished that her friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom could be there but she knew that that they were off pursuing their own dreams and goals.

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were the last to leave the party. They both offered to help Pinkie clean up but she insisted that she could handle it. “Well Scoots, I say that was a night well spent. I’m going to take off and get some sleep. I’m pretty beat.” Rainbow took off and headed in the direction of her cloud home. Scootaloo was pretty tired too but figured she would head back to the gorge to try her signature move one more time.

“Definitely got the hang of it now!” Scootaloo had perfectly completed her new move and was shaking off the last bit of cloud from her body.

Just as she was about to head home though an unfamiliar voice came from behind. “Hey! You! Hold up a second will ya? I think we need to talk.” Scootaloo turned around scanning the area for the source of the voice. “Up here kid!” Scootaloo looked up and saw the outline of a pegasus. It was still pretty dark forcing Scootaloo to squint her eyes in order to focus on the unknown pegasus. “Hold up a sec, let me get closer.” The pegasus flew towards Scootaloo and it was only then that she realized that the stranger was sporting the WonderBolts colors. Scootaloo then immediately recognized the pegasus as Fleet Foot, the current captain of the WonderBolts since SpiteFire had retired a couple years ago. “Your names Scootaloo, right?”

Scootaloo nodded her head. “Ummm…how do you know my name?”

Fleet Foot took off her goggles before answering. “Well you see I’m actually from PonyVille and I come back from time to time when I’m not training for some r&r. I heard from some ponies on the street that you’re one awesome flyer which is why I’ve come to make a proposition to you.”

Scootaloo’s mind raced with thoughts and ideas. “What kind of proposition?”

A smile formed on the WonderBolt Captain's face. “How would you like to join the WonderBolts?” Scootaloo’s jaw dropped and she thought that it had hit the ground. “From what I’ve seen you’re just what we need in our group of flyers. I heard that you’ve been training with Rainbow Dash and I can safely say that from what I’ve seen you might just be better than her at this point. Just come by the academy so we can train you properly and you'll be part of he team in no time!”

It took Scootaloo a moment to comprehend those words. “Better?” She asked making sure she had heard the WonderBolt correctly.

Fleet Foot nodded. "Definitely, so what do you say Scootaloo? Ready to join the elite?”

Scootaloo turned away from Fleet Foot, looked off in the distance before turning back to her. “Thanks for the offer, but I can’t do it.” Scootaloo quickly turned away and flew as fast as she could from Fleet Foot leaving the WonderBolt Captain confused and speechless.

[Message to readers after 8/15/2013]

Hello there! I am FromTheMoon, that's to say i'm not actually from the moon, but never the less it is the my author name/ username.

Right now I am currently in the process of re-editing and cleaning up this fanfic of mine to make it easier on the eyes. Before this edit "Beyond Expectations" was done under a very old format from when I had just begun writing fanfic. With the summer coming to a close I have decided to come back to this story and spruce it up a little.

What does this mean? Well to be quite honest it really means nothing really. The story will stay exactly the same  with the same ending and all that. During this time however some chapters will become unavailable until I have finished going over them again. Ninety-Eight percent of the dialogue will remain the same with only a few small things altered here and there.

I plan to finish this cleaning as soon as I can. As of right now the first two chapters are done and can be read. What about if you're already past the first two chapters and were reading the later ones? Well unfortunately it means you're going to have to wait a bit but not very long.

Anyway that's all for now so ta ta!