A/N: Please note that these snippets take place within the same continuity of time, so that while one is happening another would be happening at the same time. I haven't exactly decided on a chronology of the individual episodes yet, but it's not necessarily important.
I am curious how you think I am doing with these, and a few constructive criticisms would be appreciated. I realize that there are a myriad of these particular stories out there (this one in particular), but I hope this one is at least as adequate as some of those.
/ - / - / - /
Rainbow Dash lay her head back against the tuft of cloud that she had saved for herself after a hard days work of clearing out the sky. Letting out a deep sigh, she smiled at the upcoming air show in Ponyville. While the Wonderbolts weren't all going to be there, Soarin was going to be present to sign autographs and, hopefully, be impressed by her in the process. She had been working on some brand new tricks aside from her signature Sonic Rainboom.
But training could wait for a few hours, she decided. It was a nice day, and she was due for a mid-afternoon nap. She smiled contentedly, muttering to herself about how life was good.
She heard the buzzing of wings flapping furiously below, and she creaked one eye open at the noise. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked down at the ground, seeing a familiar orange and purple pegasus zooming across the dirt street below. She smiled as she saw her number one fan moving off into the distance. Scootaloo might be a little obsessive and annoying at times, but Dash still felt an attachment to the little filly who idolized her. Not just because of the attention she showered on Dash, though that didn't hurt.
Dash saw a lot of herself in the young filly. There was a drive to be the best, to compete until you had given your all. That was something that Rainbow Dash could certainly appreciate. She smiled as Scootaloo moved down the road towards the edge of town, disappearing from view. Rainbow Dash turned back to go to sleep, letting thoughts fade away from her mind.
Until she suddenly sat up startled. There was nothing on that edge of town, that she knew of anyway. She looked back and curiously wondered exactly where she was heading over there. Probably something to do with her also obssessive search for a cutie mark. She started to go back to sleep, but the nagging thoughts in the back of her mind got the better of her. Deciding on the best course of action, she took off from the cloud and tailed the filly to wherever her destination. She just wanted to make sure that Scootaloo arrived there safely...wherever there might happen to be.
In a short amount of time she caught up with the subject of her tracking. She kept a close eye on her, maintaining a safe distance from the ground so as not to attract any unwanted attention towards herself. As she flew along, various points about Scootaloo's appearance and actions in Ponyville suddenly came to mind. She knew virtually every single pegasus pony in town, and never once had she met Scootaloo's mother or father. While it was certainly within the realm of possibility that they weren't pegasi, it still was a curiosity. Come to think of it, she had never even seen where the young filly lived. Nor had she ever even mentioned her parents except in passing. Little quirks and oddities began to add up in Dash's mind, and she didn't really like the result it added up to.
She shook her head, her mane flapping wildly in the wind. 'You're just being paranoid,' she told herself. She looked down again, only to find that the target she had been following had suddenly disappeared from the road. “Where did she?” Dash took off and landed near the edge of the Everfree Forest, glancing around in every direction to try and catch sight of that familiar orange speedster that she had been tracking. Finding no sign of her anywhere, Rainbow Dash jumped back into the air, trying to get a better view above the tree line. After a few more minutes of searching, she sighed deeply. Apparently in her thoughts and reflections, she had completely lost track of the one she was thinking about in the first place. She was about to fly off when she caught sight of something sticking out of a nearby tuft of grass. Looking around the tree branch, she recognized it almost immediately.
It was Scootaloo's scooter.
“Now what in Celestia,” Dash muttered to herself at this latest development. The presence of her scooter there meant that she had to be somewhere nearby. She landed back down on the ground, trying to trace away steps from the scooter. She squinted off in the distance, turning her ears so that she might be able to hear. If she was very quiet, she could barely make out the sound of a voice carried along the wind. Following said voice, Dash quietly crept through the underbrush on the edge of Everfree, careful not to make too much noise or give away her position. Though it would have been easier to fly, she didn't want to scare off anypony who might be there. Peeking her head from behind a tree branch, she finally caught sight of the source of the voice she was hearing.
Scootaloo was situated in the nook of a large tree, sort of a makeshift cave within the trunk. A small bundle wrapped up lay in the corner, and said filly was currently breaking apart a piece of bread off of a stale loaf. In the corner of the makeshift home, Dash could make out the shape of a small photo frame that stood reverently in the corner of the home. Struggling to listen, she risked sight by poking her head out a little further, eager to see what the little filly had to say.
“...she was just being her usual self Gramps. I know you said I shouldn't get into fights with other ponies, but I couldn't help it. Tiara was picking on Dinky again for her mother being so clumsy, and I just didn't want to stand for it any longer.” Dash could see Scootaloo's head perk up as she exclaimed, “I wanted to do what Rainbow Dash would have done. She wouldn't stand for anypony picking on another one! She would've been proud of me.” She then added, in a voice barely audible “Just like I hope you'dve been proud of me.” She sniffled, her breath catching in her throat a couple of times, before she went back to eating her bread.
Dash felt the beginnings of tears well up in her eyes as she watched the scene play out before her. So focused on it was she, that she failed to notice that she was leaning a bit to far from behind the tree where she was standing. A few moments later, she lost her balance, stumbling backwards and breaking a stick in the process. Scootaloo suddenly sat up, aware of the noise. With a hint of trepidation and a sigh, Dash emerged from the back of the tree, confronting the wide-eyed, and suddenly very fearful pony in front of her. “Uh...heya squirt,” Dash said, chuckling as she dusted the fallen leaves from her mane. “I..uh...just wanted to make sure you made it home alright and...” she saw the fear in her eyes well up even more. It was a fear that she herself was all too familiar with.
Dash took in a gulp of air, glancing up at the beginnings of dusk in the Equestrian sky. She slowly appraoched the filly, trying to keep a calm look on her face “Look, Scoot, I...”
“NO!” Scootaloo reared up on her hind legs and slammed her front legs into Rainbow Dash as hard as she could. The sudden movement caught Dash by surprise, and she stumbled backwards a ways from the hit. Before she could react, Scootaloo had rushed off from the area and jumped onto her scooter, abandoning what few things she had in haste to get away.
“WAIT!” Dash called after her, but stopped when she heard the tears coming from Scootaloo's eyes flying back from her at an alarming rate. Dash was ill-equipped to handle such situations, or at least that's what she told herself. Sighing, she turned back to what had been Scootaloo's makeshift shelter. She glanced around at the few things the little pegasus owned, and her eyes centered on the picture she had been looking at. It was a picture of an older earth pony, wrinkled and gray, and an even younger Scootaloo, who was smiling without a care in the world. She had called him 'Gramps,' when they were talking, so obviously they must have been related.
But...where were her parents?
Dash tried not to think about it too hard, and darted off in search of Scootaloo.
/ - / - / - /
Dash groaned as she circled the outskirts of Ponyville for what seemed to be the eighteenth time that afternoon. It was now starting to descend into the evening, and Dash was getting worried. Though there was no rain scheduled for that day, it was starting to get colder with the coming fall season. She didn't want Scootaloo to be left out alone in the cold. Celestia knew how long she had been left out in the cold already.
As she continued to search for Scootaloo, her flight became a bit more erratic and less organized. She found herself canvasing the same area two, three times in a row in her desperation. Even after seeking out the help of Twilight, who unfortunately wasn't home at the time of her calling, she felt herself growing more and more desperate to find her. Finally she stopped for a moment to collect her bearings, trying hard to figure out exactly why she was looking for the filly so much.
Certainly part of it was because she didn't want her to be cold. That was as good a reason as any, Dash told herself. But part of her thought more and more to what she had seen, and it dredged up far too many bad memories for her then she wanted to deal with at the moment.
Memories of before, when she herself was left out in the cold too.
Fluttershy...she needed to see Fluttershy. Not only would that help her clear her head, but it might also be a place the kid would hide away in. Forcing down some particularly bad memories that seemed to have been dredged up in the last few hours, Rainbow Dash sped off to Fluttershy's cottage to regroup and collect her thoughts.
As she approached the small cottage with the wide expanse of land for its many animal inhabitants, Dash got a feeling that something wasn't completely right with this situation. Normally at this time of night Fluttershy's cottage would be a quiet haven in the evening of Ponyville. Though it wouldn't be an overtly active place, it would at least show some sign of habitation. A light, smoke in the chimney, the usual chatter of animal activity, something. As it stood though, there was none of that. The cottage appeared to be completely deserted.
“What the hay is going on here,” she asked herself. She knew Fluttershy wasn't leaving town anytime soon, or at least she hadn't said anything to her friends about it. Curious, and more than a little skeptical, she poked her head into the window frame, trying to see if there was any sign of life. Not seeing anything, she tried the direct approach, walking over and rapping her hoof against the door. “Fluttershy, you there?” she called out, not hearing a reply. She was about to turn away when she heard a small shuffle inside the cottage. Rolling her eyes, she cried out, “Come on Fluttershy, I don't have time for this. It's me Rainbow Dash.” A few more moments passed before the small light came on in the cottage and the lock was turned. The door opened and Rainbow Dash looked down to see Angel Bunny ushering her inside.
“Sorry for all the trouble,” came the quiet voice of her friend from clear across the room. “I'm just expecting some company from out of town...and well, I sort of...didn't want them here.” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at her oldest friend, but said nothing. She shook her head, more focused on her own problems at the moment.
“You haven't seen Scootaloo anywhere, have you?” Dash asked, sitting down across from her yellow coated friend. Fluttershy, poured them both a cup of tea, constantly looking around the cottage as if someone would jump out at any moment.
“No I haven't.” Fluttershy answered back, before her eyes suddenly went wide. “Oh I hope the poor dear isn't lost or something. You think we should go look for her. I think we should go look for her...” Fluttershy continued to ramble caught up in worrying over the little filly, while Rainbow Dash merely rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“Fluttershy!” she shouted, trying to get the pegasus to stop her rambling. When she had calmed down, Dash began staring at the floor unsure of how to continue. “I don't really know how to say this so I'll just explain what happened,” she said, before launching into her story. She told her friend about finding Scootaloo's makeshift shelter. She told her about the conversation with the photograph, about her ill-fated attempt to find out more information about what happened to her parents. Finally, after a few moments of silence, Fluttershy reached the same conclusion that Rainbow Dash had.
“She's an orphan,” she stated simply, causing Dash to nod her head.
“I don't know why we didn't see it. Why...I...didn't see it. You'd think that I of anypony would be able to tell considering that...” she trailed off, looking out towards the night time sky.
“Considering you're an orphan too?” Dash nodded her head at Fluttershy's statement, her ears lying down at discussing it. The fact that she was an orphan was a sore subject with her, especially considering the circumstances. Dash was surprised when she felt Fluttershy wrap her fore-legs around her shoulders, but she quickly leaned into the hug.
“You're not really an orphan Dash,” Fluttershy said firmly, but gently. “You have me, and Twilight, and all the rest of your friends. Plus you have all of my family.” Fluttershy leaned back, her smile a bit faded. “We took you in and made you part of my family.”
“I know,” Dash admitted, “It just brings up a lot of bad memories.”
“Maybe Scootaloo could help you with those memories,” Fluttershy suggested. “Maybe you could find her and talk with her about it. Show her that she's not alone.”
“But where could she be,” Dash asked again, this time a bit more forcefully.
“I don't know for sure,” Fluttershy replied, almost in a coy fashion, “But if I was her, I'd try that “secret” clubhouse they have on the Sweet Apple Acres.” Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes when she heard Dash quickly set down her cup of tea and zoom out the open window. “I hope this will help,” she said to herself, before realizing that the light was still on and her company was still expected. Letting out a soft yelp, she turned off all the lights and returned to her previous position of hiding away.
/ - / - / - /
Rainbow Dash flew at a strong pace towards the far end of the Sweet Apple Acres with purpose. As she approached the location of the Cutie Mark Crusaders “secret” clubhouse, she could barely make out a slight flicker of light through the open window. Sensing that it might be the pony she was looking for, Dash sped up to the edge of the treehouse, and peered inside. She had to withhold a gasp when she saw the sight in front of her.
Scootaloo was nestled up against the far corner of the clubhouse, a threadbare blanket the only protection she had from the cold autumn night. The scene seemed all to familiar to Dash, and she couldn't help the flashbacks of memory that came to her.
/ - / - / - /
The streets of Cloudsdale were unusually quiet for it being evening rush hour. Normally one could expect to see several ponies bustling to and fro across the clouded streets, all moving towards their homes after a long days worth of work. For today, though, most ponies were either already home, or staying out late, hoping to avoid the scheduled transportation of rainclouds from the weather factory to the distribution center across town.
One of the few groups that was braving the evening was a young stallion and his daughter. The cyan-colored stallion with dark magenta hair walked down the street with a purpose, looking around every now and again before continuing on, looking back to make sure the rainbow haired filly was following him. As he continued towards a building in the corner, he turned back to his daughter and looked down at her, a cold expression on his face giving way to reserved smile, he leaned down and placed a hoof on his daughter's shoulder.
“Thanks for taking me to the park daddy!” the young filly Rainbow Dash said with a carefree smile across her face. The stallion ran his hand through her mess of a mane, his face a careful mask of emotions.
“Now Dashie,” the tall proud stallion said to his daughter, his tone even, “Daddy has to run an errand real quick. I want you to stay here like a good filly. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course daddy!” Rainbow Dash proudly declared. “I won't move from this spot!” She stamped her hoof down on the cloud pavement dramatically to prove her point. Her father smirked at her and then stood up, looking around again before walking off into the distance.
Rainbow Dash watched her father disappear into the distance as the rainclouds began their planned migration through the streets of Cloudsdale. She had a smile on her face still as she watched them move across the sky, occasionally letting loose with a small downpour and making the usually cold weather of Cloudsdale even colder. As time continued to pass on and more and more rain started to come down, she couldn't help but shiver. Yet despite this she kept her vigil, staying true to her word.
Several hours later, as she was starting to get worried as to where her father might have gone, she was approached from behind, startling her. Turning to the source of the interruption, she turned into the face of her cousin, Fluttershy, staring blankly at her. She then looked up at her Uncle Aeros looking down at her with an eyebrow raised.
“Rainbow Dash,” he said in a concerned and shocked voice, “What are you doing out here in the rain? Where's your father?”
“Oh, he'll be right back,” Rainbow Dash confidently replied. “He just went to run an errand...a while ago.” Aeros nodded, seemingly half-expecting the answer.
“And he hasn't come back?” Fluttershy asked, not really understanding the situation. Rainbow Dash just dismissed her speculation with her hoof.
“Of course he'll be back in just a few minutes,” Dash confidently replied. “He's the bestest, coolest pony in the world!”
“We live just down the road from here,” Aeros said. “Flutters, why don't you take Dashie to our place so she can get out of the rain.”
“But daddy told me to...” Aeros placed a hoof on her shoulder and smiled at her.
“I'll stay here and bring him by when he shows up. You just don't need to get anymore wet okay?” Dash nodded, and she followed her cousin to the small townhouse just down the street. She took one last look at her Uncle, who motioned for her to follow her cousin, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed a police pony being waved down at the same time.
/ - / - / - /
The scene played through Rainbow Dash's head again and again, and she had to shake the image out in order to deal with this situation. Swiftly as she could, she climbed through the window of the clubhouse and approached Scootaloo. Tapping the filly on the shoulder, she was slightly startled when Scootaloo jumped up quickly. The orange pegasus looked up at her idol, a look of fear quickly giving way to a sheepish grin as she tried to hide the obvious. “Hey squirt,” Rainbow Dash said confidently, trying to play it cool for right now. “Shouldn't you been inside somewhere warm?”
Scootaloo's eyes darted back and forth, traveling between focusing on the wooden floorboards of the clubhouse and the raggedy blanket she had in the corner. “Uh...well you see,” she started to explain, desperate to find some way out of this. “I'm trying to earn a cutie mark in survival! Yeah...that's it! Besides, I'm not really that tired.” The yawn that followed shattered the illusion of that claim.
“And how's that working for you,” Dash asked, crossing her hooves as she already knew the answer. A draft of wind suddenly blew through the clubhouse, causing an involuntary shiver in the younger pony.
“F-F-Fine,” Scootaloo replied, trying desperately at the moment to warm herself up.
“Doesn't seem to be,” Dash answered back. Scootaloo looked aside and then turned away, a well of defensiveness seeming to wash over her.
“I don't need your pity,” she said with a hint of confidence in her voice, though it seemed to be merely an act. “I know you don't understand what this is like...what it's like to be...” she turned away, unable to finish the story. She looked back when she felt Rainbow Dash's hoof on her shoulder.
“Yes I do,” Dash simply said with a caring smile on her face, her own treacherous tears leaking out. “I'm an orphan too.” Scootaloo's eyes went wide at this, as if she could hardly believe that her idol would be just like her. “But that doesn't mean I struck out on my own,” Dash continued. “There are places you can go that will help you...places that.” At the mention of “places”, Scootaloo suddenly quivered in fear. She looked up at Rainbow Dash with a pleading look in her eyes. “Please Rainbow Dash, don't tell anypony about this. I...I like it here in Ponyville! I don't want to go back!”
“Back?” Dash asked, suddenly curious. “Back where?”
“The orphanage,” Scootaloo confessed, her eyes closing in defeat. “In Derbyville. I went there after my gramps died and...they were always so mean and...” she looked up again at her idol, tears starting to form in her eyes. “Please don't make me go back there.”
Dash smiled at her and gave the filly a hug. “I'm not going to squirt,” she replied softly. “But I am going to take you away from here.” Scootaloo looked up at her, not quite understanding, “I'm gonna take you back to my place. Sound like a plan?” Scootaloo smiled, and Dash felt a warmth grow in her chest as the young filly nuzzled up next to her.
“That sounds great Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo replied, sleep threatening to overcome her as she yawned again. Dash grabbed the little pony by the nape of her neck and gently placed her just above Dash's own wings. As Scootaloo grabbed on tight, she muttered sleepily, “You're the bestest, coolest pony in the world.” Dash choked back a sob, and quietly traveled off into the night, heading for home.
/ - / - / - /
A/N: Again, probably not my best work, but there it is. For those wondering, there will be an epilogue after all these oneshots are complete that will flesh out the characters a bit more, and bring resolution to lingering plot questions at the end.