//------------------------------// // Lack of Faith // Story: Lack of Faith // by Tennis Match Fan //------------------------------// "You gave such a good report, Scootaloo!" Windy Whistles squealed. "I was moved to tears." To emphasize her point, Windy wiped away a tear from her eye. "You killed it, Scoots!" Rainbow Dash held out her hoof to her young fan. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash!" A beaming Scootaloo hoof-bumped Rainbow. "I swear, Scootaloo, I'm as proud of you as I am of Rainbow Dash!" Bow Hothoof chimed in, winking at Scootaloo from across the table. The four pegasi sat around a table in an ice cream parlor of Rainbow Dash's choosing. Rainbow Dash's parents, Windy and Bow, sat on one side of the table, while the younger two ponies were seated across from them. Rainbow and her family had insisted on taking Scootaloo out to eat after her school report. Scootaloo had known Windy and Bow for a short time, but she had already formed a strong bond with them. "I hope you don't mind if we come see future reports," Windy said. Her light scarlet bob bounced as she spoke. "Now that Rainbow Dash is always training and such-" Windy cast an apologetic smile in her daughter's direction "-we'd love to cheer another young pony on." "Come as often as you want!" Scootaloo flushed happily. "You guys are so cool!" "Glad you think so, little lady," Bow chuckled. "Aw, stop, you'll embarrass her!" Rainbow Dash said, slinging a hoof around Scootaloo's shoulders. At that moment, the waitress arrived with their ice cream. "Yes, I am starving!" Rainbow immediately killed the sentimental mood by digging into the rainbow sherbet that had just been placed in front of her. Scootaloo took her ice cream sundae, as did Windy and Bow. "To Rainbow Dash and her amazing career as a Wonderbolt!" Bow cheered, raising his spoon in the air. "And to Scootaloo, and her blossoming school career!" Windy exclaimed with enough enthusiasm to rival Pinkie Pie. "Cheers!" "Cheers!" everyone chorused, bringing their spoons together. Clink! Clink! "I hope you had a fun time, Scoots," Rainbow Dash remarked as she escorted Scootaloo home. Dash's parents had returned to their cloud house with the promise that Scootaloo could visit anytime. The orange glow of dusk blanketed the Ponyville streets. "I did!" Scootaloo replied eagerly. "I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: your parents are the coolest!" "You guys really hit it off," Rainbow commented, smiling at her faux sister. Her smiled faltered a little. "Scootaloo, can I ask... how's your relationship with you own parents?" "Huh?" Scootaloo turned towards Rainbow, curiosity in her lilac eyes. "You told me that your parents didn't give as much supported as mine did," Rainbow said quickly. "Was that it? Did they discourage you at all? Did they, er... hit you?" "What?! No!" Scootaloo exclaimed in alarm. "No, they weren't abusive or anything. It's just..." Scootaloo sighed. "They didn't really do much. It's kinda complicated. Did you know we used to live in Cloudsdale?" Scootaloo hobbled through the halls of her house. She was five years old and hungry. Her parents were around here somewhere, she knew. Scootaloo stumbled. It was hard for her to get a grip on the cloud foundation. Sometimes, Scootaloo felt that if she wasn't careful, she'd slip right through the clouds. None of the other pegasi had this problem. Scootaloo stopped outside the kitchen. Within, she heard voices. She recognized two as her parents', but there was a third she couldn't identify. "Let me get this straight, doctor. You're saying our daughter has a defect?" said a feminine voice. Scootaloo's mother. The tiny filly's ears pricked. Was her mother talking about her? "To put it frankly, yes," responded another voice, a deep masculine one. "If you say she has difficulty walking on clouds- well, that in itself will clear up with time, but it's often an indicator of an underlying issue. Weak Pegasus magic in the bloodstream. Your daughter might not even be able to fly as capably as other Pegasi do." Scootaloo didn't understand even half of those words. Even though she was hungry, she sensed that this wasn't a conversation to be interrupted. She sat on her rump and waited for the grownups. "So what do we do?" asked the gruff voice of Scootaloo's father. "Some physical therapy aught to fix her right up." "I can recommend you to a specialist, if you'd like to get a more in depth diagnosis. I don't specialize in magical deficiencies." The doctor paused. "Your daughter will be fine, though." "How will she be fine if she's defective?" Scootaloo's mother asked indignantly. Scootaloo flinched at the malice in her mom's voice. "We're speaking about a foal, not a machine," the doctor answered cooly. "Even if she's a Pegasus who can't fly, that doesn't diminish her worth." One of Scootaloo's parents snorted, as if the doctor had declared something absurd. "Thank you for your consultation, doctor." "Anytime." There was rumbling in the other room. Scootaloo backed away from the doorway as the doctor emerged from the kitchen. "Oh, hello!" He was flustered. "Hi," Scootaloo answered. "Were you talking about me?" "Er..." The doctor's eyes darted from side to side. "Yes. It's my job to make sure little fillies like you are healthy." Scootaloo giggled as he ruffled her close-cropped mane. The doctor left and Scootaloo made her way into the kitchen. Her parents were talking in low, hushed voices. "Hi!" Scootaloo said cheerfully. "Mommy, can I have some macaroni?" Her mother looked up, startled. "Oh, uh, of course, sweetie." "None of that," Scootaloo's father scoffed. "We should start her on a nutritious diet, after what the doctor said." "What's nutritious?" Scootaloo asked. "Be quiet, honey," Scootaloo's mother ordered her in a clipped voice. She resumed talking with her husband in low tones. Scootaloo sat and waited for another half hour before her mother finally got up and begrudgingly prepared Scootaloo's meal. "Scoots, wow..." Rainbow Dash stared into the sunset. They were almost at Scootaloo's house. "I didn't figure out what they were talking about," Scootaloo admitted, "until the Equestrian Games a few years ago. Diamond Tiara brought that memory back... and I understood." "So, what happened?" Rainbow asked. "Have they been ignoring you because you have difficulty flying?" "Who knows if that's the only reason," Scootaloo said, shrugging helplessly. "We moved to Ponyville soon after that. I think it's because my parents wanted me on safer ground. But my dad still worked in Cloudsdale. He was a corporate boss, actually. He runs a plumbing company. I don't see him often. But my mother was a different story." "Mommy!" Scootaloo trotted into her new house. It had been just over year since they had moved in, but the rustic Ponyville cottage still maintained a new-house smell. "Mommy, guess what!" "What is it, Scootaloo?" Scootaloo's mother asked, poking her head around the corner. "What has you so excited?" "My friend Toola Roola is doing a dance competition, and she said I can be her partner!" Scootaloo clapped her hooves excitedly. "So can I? Can I?" "Are you sure you can dance?" Scootaloo's mother raised an eyebrow. "You, well, you're not good at flying, and flying and dancing are awfully similar." Scootaloo's smile wobbled, but she picked herself back up. "Not really! Earth ponies like Toola Roola can dance too. It's on Friday. You gotta come!" "You can dance if you want to." Scootaloo's mother smiled thinly. "I'll try to come." "She didn't come, did she?" Rainbow guessed. "Nope." Scootaloo shook her head. "At the time I was disappointed, but when I got home she told me she had too much work. I believed her, but I'm not sure what 'work' she was doing. And if you want another example, there's the time I built my scooter. I made it a few months before Twilight came to Ponyville, actually." "Moom! Daaaad!" Scootaloo called from the front yard. She lugged a crate of old wooden planks across the yard. "Come see what I'm doing!" Scootaloo's father, on one of his rare off days, poked his head out the window. "What are you doing with those boards, Scootaloo?" "Making a scooter!" Scootaloo said, her wings fluttering excitedly. "Miss Cheerilee said I could take these home and try to build something with them! Aaand if I do make something cool, she'll give me extra credit!" "I'll have a word with your teacher about giving you false ideas," Scootaloo's father said to himself. Scootaloo was close enough to overhear, and her face fell at the comment. "You don't think I can do it?" Scootaloo's ears flattened. Scootaloo's father shrugged. "Have a go, kid. Don't come crying to me when you can't finish your stupid little project." He retreated inside the house. Scootaloo's stare fixated on the wood in front of her. She could do it... couldn't she? With less enthusiasm than before, Scootaloo set to work on her new project. Cheerilee's extra credit was her only motivation, now. A few hours later, Scootaloo had hammered the last nail in place. She allowed a grin to slip onto her face. "Dad! I did it!" she called. "Mom! Dad! Come look at my scooter!" It wasn't perfect. Several nails were bent, the wheels were crooked, and the base was in dire need of a sanding. But that was nothing that couldn't be fixed. Maybe Rumble or Sweetie Belle would help when she brought her new scooter into school tomorrow. "Mother? Father?" Scootaloo shouted again. Scootaloo's mother didn't bother to come outside. Instead, she shouted as loud as she could: "Your father went back to work. Be quiet, honey." Scootaloo frowned. She stared forlornly at her handiwork. "I guess it's just you and me," she said to the scooter. "I don't know why my parents ignore me." The scooter fell over. "Wow." Rainbow Dash was angry yet perplexed. "What total jerks." "Yeah, well..." Scootaloo stood on her porch. "I have the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and you! They don't matter so much when I have other ponies to support you." "Still, not okay!" Rainbow shook her head firmly. She wrapped Scootaloo in a giant bear hug. "I'll always believe in you, I promise. My parents, too." "Thanks Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo giggled. "I think I've figured that out."