The Prompt: One of the Cutie Mark Crusaders becomes an apprentice for one of the Mane Six after their Cutie Mark appears.
Scootaloo had waited for this for so long. Everything in her life was leading up to this point, and she knew as she waited for it that her life would forever change once it happened. She knew that it would change for the better, and that she would finally be able to win the respect of her peers. She already had the respect of her two closest friends, but she yearned for respect from the others in her class as well. Even more than that, though, she wished for respect from her idol, Rainbow Dash. She'd often imagine herself pulling off some amazing trick that would earn her her cutie mark. Once she did, Dash would take notice of her awesome skills, and from there on in, everything would be smooth sailing. She had always wondered what it would be that earned her her cutie mark. She figured it'd likely be some awesome scooter trick, or possibly an amazing flying feat. Something that would make Dash take notice of her and take her under her wing. She definitely did not expect this.
"Ugh, this is soooo boring!" Scootaloo groaned. She'd been sitting with Fluttershy for the last hour as she lectured her about the various things she'd need to know to take care of the many animals around her home. She'd earned her cutie mark a few days ago when she'd found an injured bird on the side of the road between the CMC clubhouse and the schoolhouse. She'd stopped and cared for it because she felt bad for the little guy. She didn't think much of it; it was just a nice thing to do. Apparently, though, it was what she was meant to do, because no sooner had she helped the bird and fixed its wing up that her cutie mark finally appeared. It was a nice enough cutie mark, she guessed. A little red cross with a pawprint in the middle. It did look sorta cool. However, this was certainly not what she'd had in mind for her special talent, and it was definitely not something that would come off as super-cool to Dash. Plus, sitting and listening to Fluttershy was a major snoozefest.
"Oh, come now, Scootaloo," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "You were looking forward to getting your cutie mark, right? Now that you have it, we need to teach you the things you'll need to know to use your special talent properly." Scoots rolled her eyes. Fluttershy was probably right, but she didn't want her to be right, so in her head, she wasn't.
"But I wanna go out and pull some awesome stunts!" the filly moaned. "And I can't do that if I'm cooped up in here, hearing about bird skeletons! Skeletons are only cool when they've come to life and we have to fight them off or something!" Fluttershy meeped and cowered a little bit. The thought of such a terrible thing occurring scared her. Scootaloo got up and started to walk out, but the yellow pegasus managed to muster up the courage to place a hoof on her back and stop her.
"Um...I'm sorry," Fluttershy said quietly. "But this is very important, and I want you to know the things you'll need to know. I think that once you've gotten to work with my animals, you'll start liking it in no time." Fluttershy offered a sweet smile. Scootaloo frowned and plopped herself back into a sitting position. As much as she didn't want to do this, Fluttershy was a nice pony, and she didn't want to hurt her feelings too much.
"Fine," Scoots said, rolling her eyes. "But just for a bit. And if I don't like it, I'm leaving!"
"Um...well...alright...if that's what you want..." Fluttershy said. The yellow pegasus floated over to a nearby coop and opened the door. She reached inside and pulled a small chicken out. "This is Henrietta. The poor dear hurt her leg this morning and I haven't had the opportunity to help, as I've been just buried in work. Could you see what you can do about her? I've told you everything you need to know to help her."
Scootaloo took the chicken in her hooves. It looked at her, confused. Fluttershy smiled as she watched. Her chickens were very friendly to her, but tended to react poorly to ponies they didn't know. Even the fact that Henrietta was remaining still for Scootaloo was a great sign.
"Uh...hey, Henrietta," Scoots said, then rolled her eyes. "Why am I talking to a chicken? This isn't cool at all." Fluttershy gave her a big, encouraging smile. She sighed and looked back at Henrietta. "So your leg is hurt, huh?" She swore the chicken nodded at this, but that was probably a silly thought. Fluttershy took notes as she watched the two interact.
"Uh...well...here, maybe this could help," the pegasus filly said. She carefully shifted the chicken over, almost instinctually holding her leg so as not to jostle it too much. She worked on it for a few moments, bandaging the leg with a level of care that frankly surprised her just a bit. Fluttershy beamed as she watched her little apprentice care for Henrietta. She was a natural.
"There you go," Scoots said once she'd finished the task. "Do you think you're ready to walk around a bit?" She placed Henrietta on the floor. The chicken looked to wince slightly, but then managed a few steps. Before long, it was walking comfortably. Scoots couldn't help but smile. Her smile grew wider still as the chicken hopped back onto her, resting on her as if to hug her. Scootaloo gently hugged the chicken back, as Fluttershy watched on with pride. Maybe her newly-found special talent wasn't the coolest or the most showy, and maybe it wouldn't grab Rainbow Dash's attention, but this was cool in its own way.