A Lesson with Scoots
Chapter 8- A Lesson with Scoots
Soarin' and I fly home in silence, although I refuse to admit it, I am still pretty upset about the race. Still, maybe it's for the better. It gives me a year to overcome my nightmares and flashbacks. If I had won this race, I would have ended up freezing up with the Wonderbolts.
What if the screaming never stops, though? That means I'll never become a Wonderbolt. No, that's not going to happen. I'm going to come back fighting, and with Soarin' to help I can perfect a few tricks which will make me look better. I can do this, I will do this.
Soarin' has constantly been watching me with a look of concern plastered across his face from the moment we departed the library. I don't think he knows that I've noticed, but the big dope really needs to stop worrying about me, I'm okay. Like I've said before, it was just a silly race.
Okay, that's a complete lie: it wasn't just a silly race. My whole dream of becoming a Wonderbolt was resting on the results of that race. If the crowds weren't there, I would have won. I need to stop; I learnt my lesson of being a sore loser back when Applejack and I competed in the running of the leaves. This time, I didn't cheat, but I can't stop thinking about the race, thinking about the 'what if's' and 'if only's'. I just need to forget about this race and move on, if I don't forget about it now I will never get back up on my hooves again and I'll never be able to get into the Wonderbolts.
I can feel Soarin’s eyes constantly on me as we slowly fly towards my grand cloud home, which is sitting alone in the sky, isolated from everything. Although I can feel him watching me, I pretend to be oblivious to it. The air is tense between us as I can feel a question forming on the tip of Soar’s tongue, and he’s anxious to ask it.
Finally, we touch down on the soft cloud and I sigh in relief, glad to be away from that awkward flight. I enjoy hanging out with Soarin’, but I just know that he wants to ask if I’m okay. I don’t want to tell him that I’m not, but I know that I’ll have to because I can’t lie to him. That’s why I’m dreading walking upstairs and having this conversation with him. That’s why I try and drag it out as long as possible by slowly taking out my key, taking my time as I unlock the door and drag my hooves as I walk into the warmth of my house.
Slowly, I trudge up the stairs into my room. Soarin' follows behind me, stopping me just before I sit down on my bed.
"Dashie, I know you aren't okay," he frowns, of course he knows I'm upset, he'd be upset if he was put in the same situation too.
"Okay, Soar, I'm not okay." I kick the soft cloud with my hoof.
Soarin' sits down on my bed, pulling me to sit next to him. "Okay, well talk to me about it, what's hurting you the most?"
I groan inwardly, hating to admit that I'm hurting, but Soarin' is the only pony I can actually talk to about this stuff, I can't bottle it up. "The fact that I let the screams control me. They won't stop, Soar, I hate it."
"Next time, try and imagine a sound that comforts you drowning out the screams. Maybe that will help?" Soarin' suggests gently. "But I'm always here to help Dashie, even when I'm back at HQ I'll just be a letter away."
Lying back on the bed, I nod in acceptance. He's right, I'll always have him here to help me, and I'll be okay. "Thank you," I whisper as I pull him down beside me. "Tomorrow we're giving Scootaloo some flight lessons after school, is that okay with you?"
Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day. Scootaloo is the type of filly that can always make you happy, always make you forget your problems. Still, I sometimes worry about her. She and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders tend to go off gallivanting straight into danger, some days I stay close by, just to make sure they don't do anything overly stupid. Fortunately, I have never had to interfere with their crusading since there have been no life threatening accidents, thank Celestia.
Then I wonder about her parents, and why they've never bothered to teach her to fly. All Pegasi fly within their first few months constantly, but forget once they reach the age of one. Most Pegasi relearn the skill of flying once they reach the age of three. Scootaloo is now almost ten and she can only hover off the ground for a few seconds at the most. I know of her parents as well, it's not as if they're Earth Ponies or Unicorns, even then I'd expect them to send her up to flight camp. Whenever I ask Scootaloo about it, she just says they're too busy and she'd rather if I taught her. Not that I'm complaining, I love hanging out with the squirt.
Soarin' smiles at me. "That's great, I met her the other day whilst you were waiting to be discharged, and she's awesome on her scooter."
I laugh, "Yeah, we're all convinced that's what her cutie mark should be, but it's not like we can tell her. She and her friends are trying all sorts of crazy things to try and get it, although time and time again we tell them to look at what they already know."
"Well, her wings seem to be pretty powerful already; I mean they're powerful enough to lift her and the scooter. Why can't she fly already?" He frowns, asking the question which has been on my mind for months now.
"How about you try and ask her, maybe she'll tell you." I look at him sadly, I sometimes just want to go and yell at her parents for abusing her like this, why would you not teach your Pegasus foal how to fly?
Soarin' shakes his head. "She looks up to you, Dashie. If she didn't tell you she certainly won't tell me."
Sighing in defeat, I rest my head on his soft chest. "I suppose we should get some sleep, it's getting pretty late." I mumble sadly.
"Don't worry about it, Dashie, she'll learn how to fly, she has the best Pegasus teaching her." He wraps his forelegs around me and pulls me close.
I chuckle and glance up at him, a grin spread across my face. "You're a bit cocky, aren't you?"
Soarin' rolls his eyes. "No, I'm talking about you."
"I know, I just wanted to hear you say it." I smirk and close my eyes. "Goodnight, Soar."
Slowly, I drift off into the world of sleep, the last thing I hear before total silence is Soarin' whispering, "Goodnight, Dashie, we'll be okay. I promise."
****
The sun shines brightly through the window of my bedroom. Soarin' stirs beside me before falling back asleep. I smile as I slowly slide out from his embrace and walk over to check the weather Rota. I have been put back on patrol since there has been a lack of Pegasi after the accident last week.
Sighing in annoyance, I place my goggles on over my head and walk over to Soarin', gently shaking him awake. He mumbles in confusion before opening his sleep filled eyes.
"Wha-huh? Why are you up so early, Dashie?" He mumbles, clearly still half asleep.
"I have weather patrol; I'll come get you once I'm done okay?" I kiss him gently before he rolls over and instantly falls back asleep.
I fly out of the window, not bothering to get breakfast, and head towards the edge of the town where the clouds are usually clear. Today, they seem to be quite sparse, so I don't think it will take me too long. Plus, I have about three hours before Scootaloo gets out of school, so I have all the time I need.
The town is silent, not a single pony around, the only sound to be heard is one of some birds chirping away as they fly overhead.
I begin to kick the clouds, gently at first, making sure to examine each one for electrical currents beforehand. However, as I progress, I decide to play a game by throwing the cloud up in the air and bucking it as hard as I can. Soon enough, I've finished the job and begin to return home, but I make a quick stop at the library first.
Twilight Sparkle is sitting at her desk reading, as per usual and the Wonderbolts are beginning to pack up their stuff for their journey home tomorrow.
"Hey, Rainbow!" Spitfire greets when she spots me walking through the door.
I smile and wave at her, I wonder if Soarin' will get a chance to hang out with them before they leave tomorrow.
"Hey Captain, what time are you heading back tomorrow morning?" I ask as I sit down on the floor beside her bag.
Spitfire places her suit onto of the rest of her possessions before pulling the bag shut. "Bright and early, six AM on the dot. Why do you ask?"
"Why don't you stay at my place tonight? It's closer to Cloudsdale and I'm sure Soarin' would want to spend the night with you guys," I smile at Spitfire, hoping that she'll accept my offer.
The Wonderbolts captain grins at me. "Are you sure you can handle six more Wonderbolts in your house, Rookie?"
I roll my eyes. "Of course I can; anyway, I want to show you guys some tricks of my own."
Spitfire laughs and nods. "Okay, we'll be around later this evening. See you later, Dash."
I spread out my wings and give her a quick salute before flying out the door as fast as I can. The clock in the town square chimes two PM, indicating that school is about to finish. Knowing that I'm late, I speed across the town, my mane being pushed back by the sudden force of the wind. Within ten seconds flat, I'm at the other side the town, arriving at the school just as Scootaloo's class files out.
Scootaloo sees me in an instant and waves to her fellow crusaders as she runs into my forelegs and hugs me. "Hey Dash! Where's Soarin'?"
"He was asleep when I had to get up and do weather duties, we're going to go and grab him now." I smile and ruffle the filly's mane before placing her on my back.
I feel her hooves wrap around my neck as I prepare to fly. Behind me, Scootaloo giggles in excitement as I shoot off into the sky, back towards my home where Soarin' is probably still sleeping.
The moment we touch down on the soft cloud of my home, Scootaloo hops off of my back and begins to bounce up and down, excited that her hooves are touching the unfamiliar surface. From what I know, she has only been up in the clouds once before, when I took her on a day trip to Cloudsdale, a few months ago.
The filly had been so excited that she began rolling around giggling in joy as the soft white cloud got caught in her purple mane.
"Thank you, Dash! This has been the best day ever!" Scootaloo bounced up and down as she looked at Cloudsdales architecture in awe.
"Wow, squirt, you make it seem as if you've never seen Cloudsdale before." I commented, completely oblivious to her situation.
The orange filly blushed as she gently kicked the cloud with her hoof. "Well, I've never even been on a cloud before." She mumbled sheepishly.
I stood there with a gobsmacked expression plastered across my face, as I attempted to find the right words. "W-wait," I stuttered, completely shocked. "You've never been on a cloud before? Why didn't your parents ever take you?"
Scootaloo looked away, her purple eyes full of evident unease. "They were busy, you know, with work and stuff." She lied through her teeth, her eyes were full of pain as she lied to her idol.
I carefully picked up the young Pegasus and placed her on my back. Although it was blatantly obvious that she lied to me, I decided not to push it because I was only just gaining her trust. I didn't want to scare her off.
I'm thrown back into reality as I watch Scootaloo bounce happily into my home, bumping straight into Soarin's tall light blue
body.
"Whoa, hey there kiddo, how was school?" He asks as he stops her from stumbling over.
Scootaloo looks up at Soarin' with an expression which shows that she sees him as just another pony and not as a Wonderbolt, but I can tell that she respects him greatly. I never expected her to like him this quickly; it can be hard to get on the good side of Scootaloo even if you are a Wonderbolt.
"It was so boring! But, we're planning our next crusading attempt," Scootaloo beams at Soarin' as I wonder what their stupid idea is going to be this time.
Soarin' raises an eyebrow at her. "Oh, well what are you going to do this time?"
"Abseiling, of course. It's going to be so fun!" Her wings buzz excitedly as she flutters a foot off the ground before landing again.
My eyes widen in shock as I imagine the three Cutie Mark Crusaders abseiling down a mountain. That definitely won't end well; it looks like I'm going to have to hang close by when that happens.
Soarin' chuckles at my expression, before turning to Scoots. "Right, well, be careful okay?"
Scootaloo grins and nods before turning to me. "Are we going to go flying now, Dash?"
"Yup, Soar can give you the ride down if you want?" I ask, knowing how much she'd love to fly with a Wonderbolt.
I know that deep down she is jumping up and down in joy because she's in the presence of a Wonderbolt, something that not every pony gets to experience, but she's trying to keep her cool and treat him as if he's one of us, which he is. I'm proud of her for the way she's handling it because I didn't even handle it this well. Okay, I'm pretty sure I passed out the first time I got to talk to a Wonderbolt, so I definitely didn't handle it as well as she is. I know that Soarin' probably appreciates it too because it can get pretty annoying being surrounded by fanfillies non-stop.
Soarin' bends down and allows Scootaloo to climb happily onto his back, before she wraps her forelegs around his neck. She has a smile spread across her face as she prepares herself for the flight ahead of her.
"We'll go to the park by Sugar Cube Corner because that has the emptiest space," I smile as I watch Soarin' stretch out his wings and prepare to fly.
Scootaloo lets out a small giggle which melts my heart instantly. I may not act sappy around other ponies but when it comes to Scootaloo, well I just can't help it. She's like the little sister I never had, I promised I'd take care of her and take her under my wing and that's exactly what I've done.
Somehow, she has managed to make me forget about all the problems which have been haunting me for the past few days. She always seems to make me feel like a better person. It's strange, in the few months I've gotten close to her, I've changed a lot. I never thought I could love something as much as I love her, and now Soarin' has come along and the two of them together has made me a sappy mess. I kind of like it though, I feel happy for once in my life. Not that I'd admit it to any pony.
Soarin' flies ahead of me with Scootaloo holding onto him as he slices through the air with ease. I can hear Scootaloo yelling at him to fly faster, and he obliges without protest. I take my time for a change; giving Scootaloo and Soarin' a chance to bond because I have a feeling they'll be seeing a lot more of each other.
Now that I've been left alone to my own thoughts, the screams are beginning to dully ring in the back of my mind. Still, it is bearable, but only just. My wings quiver slightly in fear, but I continue to fly. I need to get used to flying again, I cannot let the screams take over my life. The park begins to appear before me, and I descend towards the ground to find Soarin' already giving Scootaloo some key tips.
My hooves touch the cool grass, sending shivers through my body. Slowly, I walk over to the two Pegasi, to see Scootaloo flapping her wings vigorously. I put on a brave face as I attempt to block out the screams, gradually they grow quieter, they're still there but they are now only a whisper.
"Whoa, whoa, squirt. You'll sprain a wing if you do that," I say gently. "Try flapping then slower, bringing them as high as they can go, then as low as they can go."
She takes my advice and begins to give her wings more powerful flaps. Her hooves very slightly come off the ground. Her small orange wings tremble slightly as her body floats higher and higher.
Soarin' looks at me in concern before reaching up and gently bringing her to the ground again. "Okay, that was good but your wings aren't very strong at the moment."
Scootaloo looks up at us, disappointment evident across her face which sends pangs of guilt all through my body.
"Hey, don't worry we can do some exercises which will fix that in no time," Soarin' reassures. "Plus, you've already gotten the hang of hovering, which is the tricky part."
Hovering was the one thing I managed to teach her during our only lesson last month. I would have had more with her, but summer was over and then the whole accident happened. Nonetheless, I'm impressed that she's practiced and she must have practiced a lot.
Scootaloo's face changes from one of disappointment to one of joy within a nanosecond. "So, what exercises do you want me to do?"
"Well, you just need to do wing-ups every morning, start on ten the first morning then gradually add on ten more each day. Keep using your scooter too, without that your wings would even be half as good as they are now." Soarin' crouches down by her right wing and carefully begins to examine it. "There isn't anything wrong with them, so there is no reason why you won't be able to fly by the end of this year. Why didn't your parents teach you how to fly?"
I hold my breath, hoping she'll finally tell us the truth. Although, I very highly doubt it, every time I ask she makes up an excuse.
I was relaxing on my regular cloud beneath the afternoon sun, when I heard my name being called from below. I popped my head over the edge to find Scootaloo looking up at me with her round purple eyes, a grin plastered across her face.
"Rainbow! Can you teach me to fly?" she asked.
Slowly, I jumped off of the cloud and landed beside her. "Sure, but why haven't your parents taught you?" I frowned.
The little filly shrugged as if it meant nothing. "Busy, busy, busy, you know. They don't really have a lot of time. Anyway, I'll see you here tomorrow?"
I nodded, but I still felt uneasy about the whole situation. "Okay, sure, Scoots. Remember, if you need to talk I'm here okay."
I blink as I'm thrown back into reality, to find Scootaloo looking up at us both with a very uneasy smile across her face.
"Oh, they're very busy you know," she says nonchalantly. "Anyway, I need to go. Bye Soar, bye Dash, thanks for the lesson!" She gallops off out of the park, leaving Soarin' and I staring after her, dumbstruck.
Soarin' looks around the park in confusion as if he's only just realised that Scootaloo has run off. The both of us stand in silence, still shocked from the sudden departure of the young filly.
Without the distraction of teaching Scootaloo how to fly, the screaming begins to grow in my mind. It is always there; always present but sometimes it's easier to cover it up. Now is not one of those times. My legs shake as if they've turned to jelly and the screams grow louder and louder, suddenly blocking out all sound around me.
Soarin' is now looking at me, his emerald eyes full of concern. I put a smile on my face, pretending that I'm okay. Squeezing my eyes shut for a few moments, I take a deep breath and wait, hoping that they'll slowly begin to die down.
Hooves are now on my shoulders, shaking me, attempting to get me to open my eyes. When I do, we're in the cave, surrounded by fallen debris. Soarin' is standing in front of me as his lips move quickly. All I can hear are the screams. The never ending screams.
Gasping for air, I look around in fear, we need to get out. Suddenly, the roof caves in on us, causing me to scream out in fear. Soarin' continues to call out to me; his voice is muffled by the noises all around me. The crumbling of rocks, the constant screaming and then there is silence. I fall onto my flank and begin to sob uncontrollably.
Soarin' is beside me as he silently comforts me, not needing to say a word. When will these screams go away? How long will they haunt me for? I do not know, but all I can do is hope that it doesn't affect my chances of becoming a Wonderbolt, because if it does, I will never forgive myself.
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2717386 Ah, yeah, she did sadly lose. However, yay! No more Hiatus!
Thanks for all your comments!
2720499 Just in time
Amazin'... But it still reminds me of that car crash... gosh... IT has started again D:
2722759 Ah, I'm sorry about that...
When is Dashie going to found out about Scoots secret? I'm glad the exams went well. Congratulations.
2725269 I'm not too sure since Scoots won't be the main point of this story, but she will be appearing a lot more... But I feel this has been set more around the time where they are just beginning to get close...
2725507 Ah
the feels 
2726169
Ks. Although I feel Dashie is the kind of pony that would be torn between respecting a friends / little sister's privacy, and following Scoots. Because she's not the kind of pony that would ignore a problem if she thought that it was hurting her friend / little sister. (I mean I can see her getting to the point where she'd look for Scoots parents just to see that she's being treated ok.). And I'm not just saying that because ScootAdoption / ScootaLove fics are my favorite fics.
But I hope that Dashie gets help with her mental torment. This is a good fic. I can't wait to see what happens next.
2726202 Yeah, I mean I'm not saying she'd ignore the problem, but we can see she is gradually beginning to worry since she watches over her when crusading, and she's thinking about what her parents have been doing, so I mean she probably will get more information later.
I'm still not sure how I'm going to help her deal with this problem though
We'll have to see 
Thank you, I'm glad you like it
2725214 Dont feel sorry...
it will stop soon... i hope.... the thing that started it was that i was in a shopping center where suddenly a car came in trough the windows and... Well... crashed...
it will stop soon 
Right?
2726509 You should talk to someone about it, maybe that'll help?
272713 Allready have sugarcube
and it has allready started to stop 
the shopping accident happend a week ago. And the crashing has slowed down ALOT . So doughnut worry!
Will you be updating soon?
Sorry guys, I've been pretty rubbish with comments recently...
2798167
Well I have written it all, I just need to wait for it to be edited, and also see if my editor thinks anything else should be added in, ect. It should be up soon.
2751891
Ah, I know, the feels
2727168
Ah, I'm glad you're talking to someone about it.
Oh my gosh .....oh dashy I feel so bad for her but at least she has soarin, and scootaloo even tho I'm pretty intrigued by what her story is if you know what I mean anyway AWESOME job thank you for another chapter
REALLY DASH REALLY! ugh!
I thought you were smarter than this
To get rid of the scremes the nightmares or at lest get it under control is toTALK TO A PHYCATRIST OR TO YOUR FREINDS EVEN BETER TO TWILY
Ask for help. Dont feel comfortable with a phycatrist Twily is your next best option dont talk to Soarin only about the trauma sure I know your probobly thinking 'But Easy, they been throu the same senario won't it be easier to talk to someone who can relate to your problems?
' Truth is yeah it will since that person understands how you feel and there for knows your pain but Dash's problems is sge only talks to one and only one person or ponyThat dosent matter now! My point is she shuld get help ASAP if possible so it wont get worse.
Really, ask me how I know all of these stuff annnndddd the ans. I'll give you is LOGIC!!!!!
I have been silently saying that.