//------------------------------// // Scootaloo // Story: My Little Academia: Friendship is Heroic! // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// “Well, now that you’re all healed up, it’s time to draw lots for the next round!” Cheerilee scanned over the sixteen students in front of her. Dash and Lightning were heedless to Cheerilee’s call, the former because she was staring straight down and the latter because she was glaring at Starlight. Cheerilee saw that at least one of Derpy’s eyes was focused on her and Sunset’s intensity gave her a bit of a thrill. Straightening up, Cheerilee pushed a box with a hole in the top in front of her and called out, “We’ll be going in order of who crossed the finish line, so Maud Pie and Twilight Sparkle are up first!” Maud methodically stepped up to the box and pulled out a ball with a six on it. With a blink, she deposited the ball to the side and withdrew. Twilight followed after her. Unlike Maud, she felt all the eyes of the colosseum on her. There were probably some scryers from all across Equestria too. With a gulp, she plunged a hoof into the box and pulled out a ball with a number one on it. When she turned, a line had queued up behind her with Derpy and Applejack ready to come up. She walked back, not daring to look Dash or Sunset in the eyes, but she could feel them and others glaring at her. After a few minutes, all the lots were drawn. Pinkie had squealed with delight when she had pulled out a six. Fluttershy had turned white when Sunset had pulled a number three, matching the ball she had pulled out. That dread intensified when a large covered board poofed up behind Cheerilee. “Oooh,” said Pinkie, “I can’t wait to see what we’re doing!” “Time to grant your wish then!” said Cheerilee. She pulled the cover away, revealing a roster: “After a small break with our first musical guest of the day, you’ll be competing head-to-head, hoof-to-hoof in a series of one-on-one battles!” Sunset grinned. Fluttershy grew even more pale. Lightning perked up. Pinkie gasped and grabbed Maud. “Ohmigosh! We’re gonna have a fight! Neato!” While Pinkie shook her back and forth, Maud stated, “Yes.” Suri strode around Rarity. “Well, I’ll guess we’ll be facing off once again.” Rarity grinned. “Quite a bit different this time around.” “Yes.” Suri turned away to hide a grimace on her face. Trixie jabbed a hoof at Twilight. “Prepare yourself, Twilight Sparkle! The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to make you regret passing her in the first round!” Twilight did not know how to respond to Trixie’s eccentrics and did not have time to before Dash clamped down on her shoulder. “Ignore the riff-raff. We need to talk.” ~~~ A bead of sweat rolled down Twilight’s face. Goosebumps ran up her legs while she faced the brunt of Dash’s glare. There was no longer the hot-headed animosity behind it she had felt during the class exercise. This was something far more focused that kept her on edge. “Uh, so what did you want to talk about?” she dared to ask. “You made me break a promise,” Dash muttered. When Twilight flinched, she sighed, “It’s nothing personal, but combined with everything else, I think it’s time you get the full picture. You seem to keep stumbling across it anyway. I just wanna know something first…” “W-what is it?” With a straight face, Dash asked, “Are you secretly Princess Celestia’s foal or something?” Twilight’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates at the insinuation, but it took her brain a few seconds to fully process Dash’s question. Beet-red, she stammered, “N-no! It’s not like that… Princess Celestia would never… I mean, that’s not…” “Hmm.” Dash took a breath and then refocused her glare on Twilight, snapping her to attention. “So, it’s not quite that, but there’s some connection, isn’t there? Well, I can’t be upset with you being tight-lipped with how I’ve been acting, but maybe you’ll understand after I explain things.” Twilight felt the air grow thick. She stared straight at Dash, not daring to blink. When Dash opened her mouth, Twilight listened intently. “You’re not the only one with ties to a top hero. As much as I hate to admit it, there was a time when Shadowbolt took me under his wing.” “Sh-shadowbolt?!” Twilight gasped. “The number four hero,” Dash spat. “So, if you’re really connected with the number one hero, it’s all the more reason for me to crush you without using pegasus magic.” “I… I don’t understand,” Twilight gulped. “How is this all related?” Dash turned so that the scar running down her left side was on full display. “I’ll tell you. About Shadowbolt. About this scar. And, about my future partner. It all started back at summer flight camp six years ago. Some jerks had been messing with Fluttershy and I decided to show them what was what by challenging them to a race…” ♦♦♦ Dash flew faster and faster. She churned the air around her tighter and tighter. Her wings and back were aflame but the colts that had dared to bully Fluttershy were still a few feet ahead of her. Their attempts to block her with clouds and slam into her had only made her desire to show them up grow, and now she was pushing herself to her limit. Her eyes watered, and her own velocity constricted her breathing, but she continued to exert herself. Crack Dash spiraled to her right with the wing on that side flopping back and forth. She could feel the joints grinding against each other at odd angles and cursed her lack of practice. At the speed she had been going, the slightest degree change could have wound up like this. With focus, on top of the adrenaline already surging through her veins, she was able to hone back in on the colts as they sped away. Her sharp ears picked up their laughter. In spite of the pain, Dash forced her wing out and, with another sharp crack, roughly set her bones back in place. With a battle cry, she surged forward. The colts, seeing such a brutal demonstration of Dash’s determination, were momentarily stunned, long enough for Dash to close in on them. Both yelped and flew ahead. Yet, Dash’s battle cry had shaken them. Combined with the speed they were going, they fell prey to the same backlash that had nearly knocked Dash out of the race. Dash did not laugh at their expense, all the mattered to her was the finish line. With all her might, she blitzed through it, and then crashed into the clouds hard enough for them to pile up. ~~~ Dash awoke to the feeling of soft linen and the scent of antiseptic. Even before she opened her eyes, she sighed and leaned back on the pillow she knew was behind her. At the age of eight, she was already familiar with a hospital room. Her vision was blurry at first, so she blinked. “Rainbow?” came a voice. Just as Dash’s vision cleared, yellow and pink overtook it. Hooves wrapped around her. She felt something wet spill onto her shoulder. “Oh, thank goodness! When I heard about what happened, I flew back as soon as possible!” “Whoa, whoa, easy, ‘Shy,” Dash coughed. Fluttershy immediately retreated to her seat. A little bunny popped out of her mane and scurried onto her shoulder. Dash blinked, but the bunny was still there. With a shake of her head, she focused back on Fluttershy. “Heh, guess I went a little too hard, but worth it to put those jerks in their place.” “R-right.” Fluttershy looked down and teared up again. “I… I’m sorry. You didn’t have to get hurt because of me.” “Eh, worth it.” Dash leaned back, but as she did, she caught sight of the three butterflies on Fluttershy’s flank. She shot back up. “Whoa! Totally worth it! This race was so awesome that you got a cutie mark from it?!” “Well, um, actually, I sort of… fell.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane. “I… I wanted to come back up as soon as possible, but there were so many animals down on the ground. I never imagined I could see so many in one place. Then, when I felt connected with them, the most amazing thing happened…” Fluttershy gave the bunny on her shoulder a nuzzle. Dash’s eyes widened when Fluttershy’s ears lengthened, her hind legs grew thick with muscle, and her tail shortened and poofed into a puffy ball. Dash grinned from ear to ear. “Awwwwessssommmeeee! I’ve never heard of a pegasus with a Talent like that!” “Well…” The changes receded and Fluttershy glanced down. “…I’m not the only one.” “No way,” Dash gasped. She reached for the blanket. Her heart pounded. “No way, no way, no way!” When Dash pulled the blanket off, she saw her flanks were now graced with a cloud shooting out a tri-colored bolt of lightning. She raised her hooves into the air and yelled, “Yes! Yes! I got my cutie mark!” “C-congratulations,” Fluttershy stuttered in the face of Dash’s outburst. “Um, also, there’s somepony that wanted to talk to you.” “Right.” Dash deflated a little. She glanced back to her see her wing bandaged up. She also noted a few other dressed cuts and scrapes across her body. “Doc is probably gonna yell my ear off, but worth it to win against those jerks.” A deep rumble of laughter came from beyond the partition that separated Dash’s bed from the others in the room. A hulking stallion marched out from behind it. His muscles bulged against his skin-tight purple and black flight suit. His wings, like the rest of him, were massive, and their teal feathers glistened like a dazzling array of swords. His eyes were obscured by sinister-looking yellow goggles, but Dash felt the intensity flowing from behind them. The skull and wing emblazoned on the flanks of his suit sealed his identity. “Ah, that reminds me of what it was like as a colt. Not enough pegasi with that tenacity anymore.” Dash stared dumbstruck at the stallion. “Sh-Shadowbolt.” “Pleasure to meet you, kid,” Shadowbolt chuckled. He strode past Fluttershy and took a seat next to Dash at the head of the bed. Due to his size, he loomed over Dash even without sitting in a chair. His sharp smile both chilled Dash and made her shake with excitement. He peered over at her wing. “Takes a lot to force a broken joint back into place and overcome your competition.” “You… you were watching?” Dash stammered. Her mind was in a haze. Here she had just woken up, found out Fluttershy got her cutie mark, found at she had gotten her cutie mark, and now the number three hero was talking to her. It was almost overwhelming until Dash leaned to the right— the ache from her wing refocused her on Shadowbolt. Shadowbolt’s smile broadened at the display. “Yes, I happened to be on patrol in the area and sensed weather manipulation like nothing I had ever felt before. You may not have realized it, but I think you were on the cusp of something legendary. It’s unfortunate that such a tiny miscalculation kept you from it, but your ability to bounce back is admirable.” Dash was stunned into silence by Shadowbolt’s words. “You just need a little more refinement and I think you’ll gain flying abilities that may one day even surpass my own.” Shadowbolt extended a leg and clasped Dash’s. “Rainbow Dash, I think you would make an excellent trainee.” “Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh!” Dash squealed. “When can I start!?” “As soon as you’re discharged,” Shadowbolt chuckled. “Um, excuse me?” Dash and Shadowbolt turned their heads toward Fluttershy. She gulped. “I… I’ve been friends with Dash for a while, so I know recovery doesn’t end with discharge. Aren’t… aren’t you moving a bit fast?” Shadowbolt snorted. “I know what I am doing. She won’t be flying immediately. We’ll start by working on her weather manipulation.” “Yeah, Fluttershy,” Dash joined in. “Like the best flyer in Equestria wouldn’t know how wing recovery works.” “B-but don’t you think you sh-should also talk with your parents about this?” “Duh! ‘Course I’m gonna tell them as soon as they get here. Hay, they’re probably gonna be here any second now. Not that it matters, there’s no way they’ll turn this down.” Dash paled and sunk a little into her bed. Glancing at Shadowbolt, she muttered, “My parents are kinda embarrassing, so the—” “I don’t want to hear it!” Shadowbolt growled. The air in the room grew thick with the scent of ozone. He bared his scowl at Dash for a brief moment before backing off. With a sigh, he put a smile back on his face. “I highly value honoring parents. It’s the kind of respect I demand from those I take under my wing as well. So, while you are under my guidance, I never want to hear insubordination like that, am I clear?” Dash quickly nodded her head back and forth. “Good.” Shadowbolt got up. “I’ll be back to discuss things further with both you and your parents. Rest well, Rainbow Dash, because once you’re out, you’re going to enter a whole new world of training.” ~~~ A small bolt of lightning zoomed at Dash, she raised a hoof to block it, but was a few millimeters off. The bolt slammed into her shoulder and knocked her off her hooves. She twitched in agony for a second as the electricity worked its way through her body. While she was gasping for air, Shadowbolt loomed over her. “Too slow. Get up and we’ll try again.” Dash gritted her teeth and pushed back onto her hooves. ♦♦♦ “Shadowbolt was merciless, but I stuck through it,” Dash continued. “When my wing healed, he immediately threw everything he had at me, saying, ‘villains would be far less kind.’ He drilled me on flight tactics too, stuff even Tantabus probably wouldn’t force us to read. I didn’t care though, because he was the number three hero and I was a star-struck fan.” Dash took a breath. “After about a year, I got through what was basically Shadowbolt’s Initiation. I’m sure he’s done the same to countless other pegasi. The training only got harder, but he started taking me get food and even showed me around his agency. He said it was good networking, but it was really just a chance to show me off like a trophy now that I was genuinely worth his time and effort. Then, one time, I got to stay over at his house for the weekend for some training…” ♦♦♦ Dash marveled at the vast array of gold, silver and jewels in front of her. The precious metals and stones came in the shape of medals, trophies, plaques, and several other types of awards. The walls around her also contained pictures of Shadowbolt meeting with everypony from other top-ranking heroes to mayors of various towns to the Princesses. Framed newspaper clippings hung from the walls too. Dash zipped up to them one-by-one with glistening eyes. “Here’s the Cloudsdale Caper!” she exclaimed before moving on. “The Roc’s Retreat! Ohmigosh! The Canterlot Derby where you beat Wind Rider!” “Ah yes,” Shadowbolt remarked while striding through the den toward the dining room. Even without his costume, his frame gave him an imposing appearance and his eyes always seemed to be piercing something off in the distance. The numerous scars across his body only added to the awe Dash felt towards him. Plus, it made her feel a little better about the nicks and scrapes she had sustained over the past year. “These are nice mementos, but I’m always seeking to add more. I can’t imagine what Princess Celestia and Nightmare Knight’s merits must look like.” “I guess,” Dash pouted, “but Nightmare Knight is no fun and the Princess is, well, the Princess. She’s on a different level.” “I wouldn’t be so certain.” Shadowbolt came to a stop and turned to face Dash. Sensing the change in the mood, she drifted to the floor. “Do you remember what I told you when we first met?” “I’ll never forget!” Dash exclaimed with a grin. “That wasn’t mere flattery,” Shadowbolt said in a straight tone that made Dash stiffen. “I’ve waited a bit to tell you, but I think you almost did a Sonic Rainboom that day.” “No way,” Dash gasped. “Everypony says that’s just a myth.” “Heh, ponies are likely to believe something’s a story when they can’t see it for themselves, but I’m different. The weather manipulation, the speed, and the aerodynamic all line up to say it’s possible. With the right combination, a pegasus could do it. I think you’re that pegasus, Rainbow Dash.” Dash opened her mouth to squeal in delight, but Shadowbolt unfurled a wing to keep her silent. “There’s still more training to be done though, so don’t get ahead of yourself. You’ve seen where that got you before.” Shadowbolt let the tension of his warning hang in the air for a second before breaking out a smile. “For now, let’s have some dinner.” He stomped a hoof a few times and a stallion in a black suit and a tie emblazoned with Shadowbolt’s cutie mark appeared from the kitchen. “Tidy Hooves, prepare the first course.” ~~~ “… so then, the idiot tries to go up higher!” Shadowbolt howled with laughter. Dash joined him, basking in his tales of capturing villains that had eluded other heroes. Combined with the superb soup and salad, the fine china, and being with Shadowbolt without him putting her through a gauntlet, made Dash grin from ear to ear. When Shadowbolt settled down, he stomped his hooves to summon Tidy to bring out the main course. However, it sounded like his hooves echoed. His and Dash’s ears perked up and they realized the sound was coming from the front of the house. Tidy came into the dining room, received a signal from Shadowbolt, and made his way to the door. He quickly returned, glanced at Dash, straightened up, and stated, “Sir, Ms. Trick is at the door and it appears urgent.” Shadowbolt stood with enough force to shake the cloudy floor. He stormed over to the door, leaving crackling imprints in the ground. There was a reverberating slam and then silence. Dash waited while Tidy stood at attention until Dash heard something crawling around in the house’s foyer. Jumping into the air, she moved toward the foyer. Tidy shouted for her to come back, but her curiosity propelled her on. In the foyer, she spotted something pressed against a wall near the stairs. When she drew near, she spotted an orange lump of fur with a cerise mane and tail. It was a young filly. “Uh, hey?” The filly removed the leg that was covering her right eye and stared at Dash. After a second, she whispered, “Hello?” Reminds me a lot of Fluttershy. Well, might as well introduce myself the same way. Dash thrust a hoof to her chest and declared, “I’m Rainbow Dash!” “Rainbow… Dash?” The filly’s eyes widened, and she jumped up. She raced across the floor, her little wings buzzing at her sides. Darting around Dash, she exclaimed, “Ohmigosh! You’re the filly Daddy is always talking about! I wanted to meet you so bad because it meant Da—” Shadowbolt threw open the door. Behind him, a chariot wheeled off into the night. His scowl froze Dash and the filly. With a snort,  he slammed the door shut, marched over to them, and then jerked his head at Tidy. “Tidy, get an extra place ready.” “Of course.” Tidy bowed out of the foyer and into the dining hall. A glare from Shadowbolt at the filly made her scuttle to his side and stand stiff as a board. “My apologies, Rainbow Dash. I thought this would be better to bring up later, but this is my daughter, Scootaloo.” Scootaloo bowed her head. “N-nice to meet you.” There were no more tales at the table. Dash and Scootaloo tensed each time Shadowbolt sliced into his mushroom steak and the metal clanged against his plate. Dash managed to get down the rest of the meal since it was part of her training, but Scootaloo only nibbled at hers. Given how strict Shadowbolt was about her diet, Dash was surprised to see him not demanding Scootaloo eat what was given to her. With how her legs were shaking, she may not have been able to get anything up to her mouth though. “Scootaloo,” Shadowbolt said at the meal’s conclusion, “could you go up to your room? Rainbow Dash and I have training to discuss.” “Y-yes, sir.” Scootaloo slipped out of her seat, rushed out of the dining room, and disappeared upstairs. After she disappeared, Shadowbolt slumped in his seat and let out a great sigh. “Again, my apologies, Rainbow Dash, this was a side of heroics I didn’t want you to see until you were a bit older. Don’t let it distract you from your training.” “I…” Dash gulped. “I didn’t even know you had a daughter.” “And I’d like for it to be kept that way.” Shadowbolt’s glare raised the hairs on Dash’s neck. “There was a time where I thought I could keep a family and be a hero, but I came to realize that wasn’t meant to be. It was a terrible choice, but the needs of Equestria outweighed the needs of a single family. It’s made me distant from Scootaloo and her mother. Sometimes, I wonder if Scootaloo still sees me as her father. I hope you understand.” Dash let Shadowbolt’s words sink in. Then, she bowed her head. “I do. Protecting Equestria is a full-time job. Just training for it takes everything I’ve got.” “Ah,” Shadowbolt sighed. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. This hopefully won’t derail our training schedule too much, but I think it will be nice for Scootaloo to have somepony closer to her age to be around. Unfortunately, when she’s with me, I usually have to stay at home with paperwork or training, so she doesn’t get much opportunity to interact with other fillies and colts.” Dash’s eyes widened. “Getting to hang out with your daughter? That sounds great!” Shadowbolt flared out a wing to keep Dash in her seat. “Easy there, Rainbow Dash. Like I said, my relationship with Scootaloo is a little stressed because of my job, so let me talk to her first to explain things.” Dash nodded in agreement. Shadowbolt got up and made his way upstairs. Dash patiently waited while Tidy cleaned up the table. When Shadowbolt returned, Scootaloo was by his side. “Scootaloo will show you to the room. You may have some free time together, but I expect you to be asleep by nine thirty. Understood?” Dash nodded again and got out of her seat. Shadowbolt moved aside while Scootaloo remained in place until Dash came up to her. Under Shadowbolt’s gaze, Scootaloo slowly turned, remaining tense. “C-come this way, please, Ms. Dash.” Scootaloo led Dash out of the dining hall, through the foyer, and up the stairs. On the second floor, more awards and pictures lined the hall. Scootaloo continued down it until she reached a door identical to all the others. With a huff, she unfurled her tiny wings and flapped them as hard as she could to reach the handle. Seeing Scootaloo straining, Dash took the air and opened it. “Don’t worry, I got it.” “T-thank you, Ms. Dash.” “Just Rainbow Dash is fine,” Dash chuckled. “Know your dad is big on the whole respect thing, but I’m the one who should be calling you Ms. Scootaloo.” “I… I don’t understand.” “Well, you’re Shadowbolt’s kid. That’s like way more respect points than just being his trainee.” Scootaloo shuffled in place. “I don’t know.” “Okay, forget about the ‘miss’ stuff. We’re just fillies after all,” Dash chuckled. Walking into the room, she saw there was only one bed, but it was a king, more than big enough to fit two young fillies. There were bookshelves with various tomes, but nothing that looked appropriate for a filly Scootaloo’s age. In one corner she spotted a small cabinet with some coloring books, elementary flight manuals, and a few toys. Other than that, the room was bare. “So, is this the room you usually stay in?” “Y-yes.” Scootaloo then shut the door behind herself. “Hey, no need to act so nervous.” Dash hopped onto the bed and leaned back. “Ah, room may be a little dull, but this bed earns my stamp of approval.” Instead of flying onto the bed, Scootaloo clambered up a side. She looked right and left, pricked up her ears and then sat by Dash. With a bit more confidence in her voice, but still in a low whisper, she asked, “So, you managed to get through the first year with Daddy?” “Hay yeah I did.” Dash grinned. “He put me through the wringer, but nothing is gonna stand in the way of me and being awesome!” “Wow.” Scootaloo dared to smile. “You’re the first pony I’ve met that’s managed to do that.” Wanting to give Scootaloo a little confidence boost in the same way she did with Fluttershy, Dash said, “Well, I’m sure I’ll have some competition soon from you.” “Me?” Scootaloo gasped. “But I’m…” She paled and bowed her head. “Sorry, I’m not supposed to talk about it.” Dash turned her head to the side. “Talk about what?” “I…” Scootaloo gulped. “I’m not the best flyer.” ♦♦♦ “Tell me, Twilight, have you heard of Marked Weddings?” Dash asked. Twilight bit her lip. Something was crawling up the back of her mind that got closer to the front of it when she spoke, “It’s not an illegal practice, but it is frowned upon. It’s where ponies marry based on their cutie marks and the belief that their foal will earn a mark and a Talent with features from both parents. The science on it is sketchy though.” “That didn’t matter to Shadowbolt.” Dash’s feathers bristled. “You get what I’m saying? That bastard used his fame and money to snag another hero, a unicorn with a high proficiency in magic, and used her in the hopes of creating a pony that could surpass him. When Scootaloo failed in his eyes, he cast her and her mother aside like garbage. It makes me sick just thinking what he must have done to them before he gave up and started looking for ponies like me.” “How could he?” Twilight gasped. “How come this never made the news?” “Like I said, Twilight, fame and money,” Dash spat. “At the time though, I still saw him as a hero just dealing with a bad divorce. I should have known something was up when he started asking me to ‘play’ with Scootaloo while he went off on patrols or business meetings. I didn’t care, I was living the life: the student of a top ranked hero, friends with his daughter, and on the fast-track to become a star in my own right. Dash took a breath. Her wing pressed against her scar. “Then, the storm came…”