Mentor
After weeks of intensive training, the time arrived for Scootaloo to take her first shift on patrol. At first, Scootaloo was excited to get out of the tunnels and into the open air. Then, the trouble started.
It began early, when Rainbow Dash called everypony to roll call. Scootaloo was by far the smallest pony in the group, but she tried not to let it bother her. In this world of eternal night, it seemed, childhood was a luxury that could no longer be afforded.
"All right, we all know the drill," Rainbow Dash said. "Scouts circle out a thousand trots, then check in with the lookouts. Lookouts then become the new scouts for the next shift. Nopony—and I mean nopony—goes anywhere alone."
One of the older pegasi, Downdraft, raised a hoof. Rainbow Dash sighed. "Yeah?"
"I was just wondering if the kid is going to do any scouting," he asked.
"No," Dash answered. "She'll stay at her lookout post."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
Dash fixed him with a scowl. "Excuse me?"
Downdraft's voice was calm, in spite of Dash's glare. "She needs to learn to face danger, and she can't do that from a sentry post. I think at least one scouting shift would do her good."
"In case you haven't noticed, she's a filly," Dash said, drawing out each word.
"I have noticed," Downdraft replied, his graying mane and feathers ruffling in the wind.
Dash waited for him to say more, but his mouth remained closed. "Well then," Dash continued. "If that's all, I think it's time for us to do our jobs."
Downdraft's expression remained stoic as he, and all the other pegasi, took to the sky. Scootaloo's wings beat furiously, and she was just able to keep up with the others. The pegasi split into six groups of four and spread out across Hoofington. Scootaloo and hear team were stationed at Hoofington's observatory, one of only two scout posts with decent cover. Scootaloo couldn't be sure how cold the other's got—Dash had yet to assign her to one.
The four pegasi landed inside the dome and looked around at each other for a moment. "Well, looks like Plume and I are off," one of the pegasi said. "Take care, you two." With that, the first-shift scouts left, and Scootaloo was left alone with a lanky pegasus Scootaloo didn't recognize.
"S-So," she said through chattering teeth. "W-What's your name."
"Tempest Gust," the pegasus replied. He had already settled into position "And you're Scootaloo, the kid who can barely fly."
"Hey!" Scootaloo flared her wings indignantly. "I can fly just fi—"
"Look, I don't really care," Tempest drawled. "Just go to your post and watch for danger, since that's apparently all you're good for."
His words brought a stinging to her eyes. "Fine," she spat before turning to take up her post.
The two sat in silence for nearly two hours. Scootaloo stretched her wings from time to time, until she caught Tempest shooting her sideways glances when she did. "Problem?" she asked.
Tempest rolled his eyes. "Just wondering why you keep fidgeting with those numbs of yours."
Scootaloo sucked in a breath. "What's your problem, anyway?" she snapped.
"The problem is you," he shouted back. "You're dragging us all down. Everypony who comes through here might have to take a double shift scouting 'cause you're too weak to handle the job." He sneered. "Guess old-timers like Downdraft will just have to carry your dead weight, huh?"
Scootaloo's voice caught in her throat, but before she could unstick it, an angry voice answered for her. "Shut it, newbie!" Rainbow Dash hit the floor hard and flared her wings in Tempest's face. The scrawny pegasus scrambled back. "You wanna repeat that to my face?"
"I-I was just—"
"You were just nothing," Dash yelled. Tempest covered his ears and turned away from her. Dash's partner, Downdraft, stood quietly near the entrance while Dash continued to back Tempest against the wall. "Let me explain something to you, punk. If you have a problem with the ponies in this patrol, I'll be more than happy to send you to excavation. This job's hard enough without jerks like you taking cheap shots at fillies half your age! Now, apologize!"
Tempest glanced in Scootaloo's direction. "I-I'm sorry."
"LOUDER!"
"I'm sorry!"
Dash straightened and adjusted her goggles. "We have nothing to report," she said curtly. "Now, if you're done wasting my time, Downdraft and I will be off."
"Ahem." Downdraft's eyes flitted between Scootaloo and Tempest. "I'd like to propose a change of plans."
Dash raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I want to take Tempest with me," Downdraft continued. "It sounds to me he's not very happy with his current job."
"H-Hey, wait a minu—" Tempest started to protest, but glares from both Rainbow Dash and Downdraft silenced him. Dash took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Yeah. OK," she said. A smirk crept onto her face. "Looked like you were starting to slow up out there anyway."
Downdraft raised an eyebrow. "What can I say? Old wings don't work like they used to." Dash took off her goggles and handed them to Tempest, whose hoof shook a little as he took them. Downdraft held out a hoof to help him up. "Come along, young'un. Looks like you're getting a chance to show this filly how well you pull your own dead weight, eh?"
Tempest scowled but said nothing. Without another word, he and Downdraft lifted off and continued their journey.
Dash fluffed her feathers and took Tempest's position. "Whelp, looks like it's you and me, Scoots." Scootaloo rubbed her foreleg with a hoof, and not just because it generated a little heat. Rainbow Dash watched her. "You're not taking that jerk seriously, are you?"
Scootaloo couldn't answer. Her throat was still too tight. Dash stood and walked beside her, placing a wing over her body. "Look. Just ignore what ponies like him say. Just because you're not the strongest flier doesn't mean you're weak."
"But I'm in the way. I can't even scout," Scootaloo choked out.
"Bah! He's just a big blowhard."
"But he's not the only one," Scootaloo continued. Tears began to drip down her muzzle. "Downdraft has to take a double shift because of me."
Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. "Listen. Scoots." She turned to look Scootaloo right in the eye. "I switched teams to scout with Downdraft, so I could find out what his deal was earlier. He told me something really important."
Scootaloo wiped her face dry. "W-What?"
Dash smiled. "He was worried I might be going too soft on you. He said if I don't let you take risks, you'll never be the best pony you can be." She sighed and stared ahead. "I was really mad when they gave you this job. To be honest, I didn't think you'd be ready, even after all that practice we did. But then I realized something. I remembered the first time I ever did a sonic rainboom. There was no way in Equestria anypony could have known I was ready to do that, but if I hadn't tried, I never would have known."
Scootaloo waited quietly for Dash to finish. "What I'm saying, Scoots, is you're one of the bravest ponies out here right now. Even though you're just a kid, and your wings might not be a strong as everypony else's, and Celestia knows you don't deserve to be doing this..." She chuckled. "What I'm saying is, you've got guts. And believe me, that counts for a lot more than strong wings."
Scootaloo felt a warmth in her chest. "So, does that mean we're going scouting next?"
Dash smiled. "In a couple more hours, Scoots, you'll be a full-fledged sentry. And no matter what happens, I'll be right there, believing in you."