“Scootieloo!” cried out Rose Blossom. “Where are we going?”
“Just to the park, Rosie,” I responded. “I gotta get my scooter practice in for today.”
“Yay!” she cried out happily. “I love watching you. You go like this! And this! And this!”
I let out a little laugh at her rambunctious nature as she did little spins and acted like she was doing scooter tricks. It really reminded me of the way I used to be. Rose Blossom really looked up to me. After all, I had been caring for her since she was just a baby, starting out with me saving her from a fall and foalsitting her almost every week after. She was almost six now and pretty soon she would enter elementary school.
When we got to the park I told her to sit on the bench and I’d give her a show. She sat down instantly, a mile-wide smile on her face as she waited. Once again I couldn’t help but be reminded of the way I used to admire Rainbow Dash. I strived so hard to be everything she was, until she finally set me straight and told me that I should be my own pony, not just a copy of her. She was right, of course. My cutie mark attested to that. My destiny was to be an amazing scooter rider. I could be a professional racer, or be a delivery pony and transport items for other ponies. There were so many paths ahead of me to choose.
I did beat Rainbow Dash in that race a week ago, but just like she told me about herself I wouldn’t let that make me lazy. I still had a long, long way to go if I ever truly wanted to be her equal.
With a determined look I gazed down at the area of the park in front of me, plotting out my course. Taking a deep breath I began my usual warm-ups of wing stretches and measured ins and outs of breath. Revving my wings I kicked off, racing down the small hill of the path. I headed towards the pond to my left, and just before I hit the water I jumped, doing five front flips before skidding across the last part of the pond. Seeing another small hill ahead I jumped it, twirling around in rapid rotations before approaching a tree. As soon as the board hit a branch I put out one of my hooves and jumped, flapping my wings hard as I gained more air and did horizontal spins until I neared the ground.
Straightening myself out before I hit the path I pushed my scooter forward, quickly rotating to throw my scooter ahead of me with the momentum. Jumping off the ground and flapping my wings hard I caught up to my scooter, jumping off the board and doing a hoofstand on the handlebars. Feeling daring I took off one of my hooves, laughing because of how much I enjoyed riding my scooter. As I came upon another small hill I pushed off, back flipping back onto the board and lying down upon it upside down, pushing myself up on my front hooves and using my back hooves to steer it back towards Rose Blossom. Timing it perfectly I jumped off, doing several more backflips before twisting on the last one to stand back on it properly. Putting out my hoof to slow down I skidded to a stop right in front of her.
Rosie clapped her hooves so hard I thought they would fall off, cheering and screaming her little heart out. I let out some giggles as I bowed to her. For the third time I was reminded of my younger self. I thought of the day I had first met Rainbow Dash and had asked her to show me moves, and I had reacted much like my sister did.
I wiped my brow, letting out a little pant at my exertion. Setting my scooter against the side of the bench I sat down next to her. “How was that, huh?”
Rosie quickly jumped into my lap. “That was so amazing! Oh my gosh! That was the most amazing, most spectacular thing I’ve ever seen! No wonder you beat Rainbow Dash! You’re so much cooler than her.”
Holding her to me I smiled and laughed as I let out a small sigh, thinking it would be pointless to try to change her mind. After all, no one could have done that for me at that age. The parallels between me and Rose Blossom were obvious to me. We were a lot alike in so many ways. I didn’t mind, of course. Just as Rainbow Dash had said about me, I liked having a little sister to look after and care for. Things with my new family had worked out better than I had ever dreamed.
“Scootieloo?”
“You do know my name is Scoot-a-loo by now, don’t you? You’re almost ready for school, you know?”
“So what? My name is Rose Blossom, but you like to call me Rosie, right? So I’m just trying to be like you. Because I love you so much, sis!” She looked up at me with bright eyes, before throwing her hooves around me and holding me tight.
A few warm tears come down my eyes. “I love you too, little Rosie.” I felt her settle into me further as my heart swelled with all my affection for the little munchkin.
After a few more seconds she pulled out my hold and looked up at me again. “So, sis?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I can be cool like you?”
“Of course you can, if you work at it. Just practice really hard.”
“Can I ride with you for a little while? I really want to see what it’s like. It looks like so much fun.”
“Hmmm. I don’t know. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
She pouted at me. “Is that a no?”
“Maybe for a little while, but I can’t do most of my usual stunts. For those I need to be in total control. I can do some simple stuff though if that’s okay with you.”
Rosie’s eyes lit up with delight. “Hooray! Let’s go! Let’s go!” Jumping off the bench she pulled me hard with both her front hooves. “Come on, Scootieloo!”
“Okay! Okay! Give me a sec, will ya?” Standing up I walked over to my scooter, setting it up. “Okay, now stand behind me and put your hooves around me really tight and don’t let go no matter what! Got that?”
“Right!” she said with a nod, shaking with anticipation.
Once again I was reminded of myself, first of getting to do a sonic rainboom from Rainbow Dash’s back and then of how excited I was of getting to do it later.
Once I was sure she was securely on behind me I tested my wings. I didn’t want to be constantly hitting her with them, after all. Thankfully my wings were far enough out on my body that I didn’t have to worry about that. I kicked off, flapping my wings much slower than I would have usually. I didn’t want her to fall off and get hurt from an unexpected burst of speed.
As we went down the hill I jumped off, thinking of doing a front flip but deciding against it. Instead I just landed right on the ground. I aimed for another hill, jumping and getting as much air as I could. I did three slow rotations before landing back on the ground. I continued doing simple tricks, Rosie laughing and calling out “MORE! MORE!” all the while, until on one of my comedowns I accidentally pushed too far forward and Rose went flying into the air. Quickly jumping off with all four of my hooves I flapped my wings, catching her before she hit the ground.
Rosie was laughing away, but my heart was racing. “Okay, squirt. I think that’s enough for now.”
I fully expected her to pout and complain, but all she did was smile. When I set her down she threw herself at me again and hugged me. “Thank you so much, Scootieloo. You’re the best sister ever! I love you!”
“I love you too, sis.” I saw her grin disappear. “What’s wrong, kid?”
“Scootieloo, do you think… I mean… can we…”
“Come on, Rose. Spit it out.”
“Could you teach me how to ride a scooter? I don’t even care about flying. I just want to be just like you, so I want a scooter too.”
“I guess so. We’d have to talk to Mom and Dad about getting you one. This one is too big for you. You wouldn’t be able to ride it right.
“So you wanna just go home for now so we can ask?”
She nodded her head hard. “Can we ride home? You don’t have to do any tricks. I just wanna ride some more with you. I don’t ever care what we do as long as we can spend time doing stuff together.”
“No problem. I don’t mind that. Let’s go.”
As we rode home I thought about how there wasn’t a day of my life I wasn’t glad that I had been the one to rescue Rose Blossom. Sure, sometimes she got on my nerves like sisters do, but most of the time she was a big ball of love just looking for a target to unleash it on, and usually it was me. She was always asking me to read her stories, or napping on my lap, or sleeping with me at night. She could never get enough of me. It really was an amazing feeling being a big sister.
When we got home we found Mom and Dad in the kitchen, making some lunch.
“Hey, you two,” said Mom. “You’re home early. I thought you’d be out later.”
“Well,” I said, “Rosie here has a request.”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I want a scooter just like my big sister,” said Rosie. “so I can race around and be just like her!”
“Rose,” started Dad, “I’m afraid we just don’t have the money for that right now. We have bills that we have to pay and we can’t afford to get a brand new scooter for you.”
As expected she started crying and pleading and begging. I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t want to leave her like that, but I couldn’t help her. I didn’t have the money for a new scooter either.
I felt like there was a lump in my stomach as an idea came to me. I couldn’t give her a brand new scooter… but I could give her a used one. I took a shuddering breath and said, “I remember now. I can give you a scooter, Rose.”
Her sobbing stopped almost instantly. “R-really?” She sniffled.
I nodded. “Come on.” I walked toward my room, her anxiously following behind me. I opened my closet, and with a heavy feeling I slowly rolled out the scooter my grandmare had given me all those years ago. The memories I had with it came flooding back. I didn’t know why it felt so painful. I had already decided back when I got my new scooter that it wasn’t the scooter itself that was important. All that really mattered of what she had left behind is what she had given to me: an open heart full of love. And yet… and yet… to think of allowing someone else to have this most precious memento, someone who had no idea what they were doing and might cause it to get destroyed… I didn’t know if I could take it.
I saw her eyes light up with pure joy, one of those gigantic smiles on her face as she hugged it like an old friend, just like I had done with it a few times. She ran over to me and I saw happy tears coming down her eyes. “Thank you so much, sis! This is the best present ever! Oh, I want to go ride it right now! Come on, Scootieloo. Let’s go!”
Without another word she rushed out of the house, leaving me alone. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, feeling one of the scars on my heart crack open a little. I sniffled, feeling the tears well up inside.
A short while later I saw Mom at my door. She gave one look at me, and then she turned towards the hallway and called out, “Honey, would you look after Rose Blossom for a bit? I need to talk to Scootaloo.” I heard him reply that he would.
Mom came in and sat down on the bed. She patted the area next to it, and I moved automatically, sitting down next to her. “What’s the matter, Scootaloo? You made your sister’s day with that.” I heard the sound of Rosie laughing and playing outside, sounding cheerier than I’d ever heard her.
I continued sniffling, holding back the tears that wanted to come out. I felt her put a wing around me and nuzzle my face. “Scootaloo, you faced down a dragon for the sake of the entire town and to keep everyone safe from it until things could be settled. But even so, I have to say that what you just did was the bravest, most unselfish, and most wonderful thing you have ever done. You took a gift from the heart, something that meant the world to you, and you gave it to someone else, not knowing what is going to happen to it. That took a lot of courage, and I am so proud of you for that.”
My whole body clenched, my breathing shortened, and before I knew it I was sobbing into her body, her words meaning so much to me. She kept her wing around me, gently rubbing my back just like my grandmare used to do.
When my weeping settled down a little I looked up at her and muttered, “Being stupid.”
“You’re not being stupid, Scootaloo. It was a tough decision you made, but you did it for the sake of someone you loved. You are a fantastic big sister, and I’m so glad to have you every day. Rose never would have become the wonderful child she is without your guidance. We owe you a lot for saving our child back then, and you continue giving us gifts all the time just by being your wonderful self.”
I sniffed, wiping my face. “W-well, you gave me a home to live in when I needed it. You gave me a mom and dad to love, and a sister to take care of. It means a lot to me too.” I hopped off the bed, walking near the window. It had gotten quiet now so I wonder if Rosie had gotten bored already, or maybe dad took her to the park.
“I am being dumb. When all of you gave me a new scooter for my birthday I was both happy and sad. I was sad because I had to put my old scooter away. I grew up with that scooter. Of course I had Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, but that scooter was like my best friend for years. I liked flying, but I loved riding my scooter. Now that my grandmare is gone it’s one of the few things I have left of her. I told myself that it was okay, that I had other things to remind me of her, that her love would always be inside me, but it just wasn’t enough. When I passed that scooter over to Rose it hurt me so much. I felt like my heart was breaking in two.” More tears came down my eyes.
As mom went to say something I heard a small voice. “Scootieloo?”
I turned toward the door and I saw Rose Blossom there, and she looked upset. She looked like she was about to start sobbing too.
She walked into my room with the scooter, going towards the closet and putting it away. She turned to me, tears now streaming down her face. “You can have your present back. I don’t want it anymore. I’m s-sorry I made you cry and hurt your heart. F-f-forgive me?” she asked in a shaking voice.
I realized that she had heard my crying fit and what I had just been saying. She cared more about my happiness than her own, and didn’t want to do anything to hurt me.
I started crying along with her as I sat down, holding her to me as she sat on my lap. “Yes, Rosie. I forgive you. I love you! I really do.”
“I love you, too!”
For a while we were both crying wrecks. As I began to calm down again I felt a shift in my thoughts and emotions. Seeing Rosie’s totally unselfish way of giving up her heart’s desire simply to cheer me up meant a lot to me. She really did mean everything to me, and I would do anything it took to keep her safe. That was absolute. If she was going to follow in my hoofsteps then she was going to need the right equipment.
I didn’t want to be selfish either. As I stood up I went back to the closet and took out my old scooter. It had been well loved. I had done repairs to it over the years so it was still in good shape despite its copious use. My grandmare had given me this scooter as a gift from her heart. I had a lot of my heart invested in this scooter too. Just like with my new scooter. where everyone had played a part in getting it for me, I wanted to bestow my hopes and heart upon my old one… and give it to someone who needed it.
“Rose Blossom… this is for you. This scooter is very important to me, so you need to take good care of it.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want it anymore!”
“Yes, you do!” I said firmly. “I know you do, because I know how wonderful it feels to have and ride a scooter. You need one too, so you can ride alongside me as my sister. And maybe one day you’ll have your own scooter cutie mark like me. I know I started crying before but I can’t keep holding on to this forever. Someone has to ride it and enjoy it, and I want that pony to be you, sis. I’m really grateful to you for choosing to give it back to me, but I want you to have it. I want to see you use it and grow up with it just like I did. I want to see what you can do, and I’ll be alongside you every step of the way to teach you and keep you safe.
“Now, c’mon. Go throw your helmet on and let’s go practice, sis.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, still looking uncertain.
“Yes! I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I want you to have this scooter. I promise.”
Finally, she took it from me. “Okay,” she said, a grin coming back to her face. “I super-duper promise I’ll take as good care of it as you did, that way I don’t ever have to hurt your heart again.”
I patted her head a few times. “Thanks, Rosie. That means a lot to me. You ready now?”
She nodded hard. “Let’s go have some fun!” She ran out of the room with the scooter, me following after her.
The two of us stood outside, helmets on and side by side. “Alright, kid. We’re gonna take it slow for now, but soon enough you’ll get used to it and maybe we can start you on a trick to practice.
“Now, open your wings and kick off.”
“OKAY!” she cried out.
The two of us took off, traveling slowly through our yard. I was now feeling confident in my choice to give her my old treasure. I thought it was wonderful that it was finally getting some use again, even if it was by someone else. But it was a someone else I loved to death, so that was okay.
I wasn’t afraid anymore.