//------------------------------// // Cool (Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, Slice of Life) // Story: Bombastic Bookpony's Bazaar of Oneshots // by Bombastic Bookpony //------------------------------//         Underneath that blue sky, sitting on that empty grassland, Scootaloo had the strangest feeling that life wasn’t her biggest fan. It wasn’t enough to have small, unable to fly wings. Neither was being a blank flank longer than everypony else in her class, besides Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. And just letting her off with being bullied pretty much her whole life wasn’t bad enough. Noooo, life just had to take away the one thing that kept her going; the hope for a totally radical cutie mark. Something like an orange lightning bolt, or a wheel surrounded by clouds of lightning, or skulls on fire(though Scootaloo didn’t want to think about what her talent would be with a cutie mark like that). Basically, it had to be cool. It had to be something Rainbow Dash would respect. Instead? Instead she got a stinking chicken for a cutie mark!         Oooh, yeah, go ahead, laugh it up. Everypony else did. Scootaloo can hear you, you know. ‘Oh, so Applebloom was right! In a way, You are a chicken!’. Scootaloo would surely applaud your wit, if she was not so astounded by your originality. Here’s the story, alright?          One of Fluttershy’s chickens had gotten loose, this time it was totally not her and her friends fault. Scootaloo had found it with its foot caught underneath a small log. To its credit, it didn’t stop and whine. It kept trying, even though it didn’t have the strength to get out.         Scootaloo had to help it. She has an affection for underdogs, considering she’s been one her whole life. It was what got her to get those bullies off Sweetie Belle, and it was what got her to stand up for Applebloom. The only difference was, those were two of the best decisions she’s ever made. This turned out to be the worst. Anyway, she went right up and used her all of her strength to get the log off the chicken. While she succeeded, the foot wasn’t looking too good. It was sprained, and had a few cuts. The chicken couldn’t move.         But Scootaloo’s time on her scooter had taught her how to have a level head and how to think on your feet when things went wrong. But this was different. Somehow, seeing that poor chicken’s foot set off her autopilot. She was just filled with a desire to help it.         “Stay right here, chicken,” she soothed(yeah, she actually soothed something. Awful, right?). She went off, got a couple of leaves, and used them to help the cuts and support the foot. Then she put the chicken on her back and trotted to Fluttershy’s. The chicken bawked disgruntledly. “Hey, I get it. I don’t like being carried around and coddled either, chicken. But you deserve it. I mean, being under that log for all that time and still fighting to get out? That’s so cool! You are one cool chicken.”         The chicken crowed proudly, and stopped struggling or whining for the rest of the trip. In fact, it even laid its head on Scootaloo’s neck. It felt pretty … good(Please don’t tell anypony; she’s lost enough of her street cred as is). She got to the hut, where Fluttershy was all ‘Oh, Scootaloo! Thank you so much! You’re a real hero!’. Scootaloo had blushed, acted humble, and she was ready to call it a day. Then Fluttershy pointed out that there was a cutie mark on her flank. Scootaloo looked upon it with eager eyes and … let out the biggest scream she ever had in her life.         So that’s the story of how she got the cutie mark that nopony could help laughing at, not the bullies, not her friends, not the teacher. Even Dash couldn’t hold it in. That’s the story of how she was working under Fluttershy to better ‘utilize her talent’. And she had tried her best, honestly. She had tried to pay attention, to be respectful towards Fluttershy and her work. But when you’re forced to stay on the ground to help animals because of a cutie mark that everyone laughs at when your wings ache to fly into the sky, can you blame her for exploding? She doesn’t even remember what set her off, or what she said. All she can remember is the tears on Fluttershy’s face, and trotting as fast as she could out of that hut.         And there Scootaloo sat on the open grassland under the blue sky, wallowing in self pity and self loathing. It wasn’t her style, usually. But she couldn’t help it. She couldn’t play cool, be strong, not anymore. Not when she was just a big chicken. So she cried. She cried hard. But life’s a jerk, as you’ve seen, so it wasn’t enough for her to be bawling, no. Her idol had to catch her doing it.         “Hey, Scoots!” She called as she landed near her. Her face seemed angry at first, probably because she heard what Scootaloo did to Fluttershy, but she softened when she saw her crying. “Scoots, it’s okay,” she comforted, trotting up and placing a wing on her shoulder. “We all make mistakes, dude.” “Mistakes?!” Scootaloo cried. “This cutie mark is a mistake! This talent is a mistake! My whole life is a mistake!” “Stop right there, Scoots,” Dash said in a tone that brooked no argument. “You are not a mistake. You are the coolest filly I know, kay? And I’m not gonna let you beat yourself up. Nopony can do that to my biggest fan, you included.” “Cool,” Scootaloo snorted in disbelief. “Cool would be having a cutie mark that was flying. Cool would be able to fly with you. Instead I have the lamest cutie mark and talent ever.” “Lamest!?” Dash exclaimed in disbelief. “Listen, Scoots. You have an amazing talent.” “Don’t lie to me Dash.” “I’m not! Listen, flying’s cool, sure. We do a bunch of tricks, make you go ‘ooh’ and ‘aaah’. But what you do? You help a momma chicken, or baby rabbit, or whatever, get back to their family! You help them live! Every moment they eat or play or do anything, it’s because you helped them! They wouldn’t have been able to do any of that without you. I can’t even come close to affecting a life like that!” “And that’s … cool?” Scootaloo asked hopefully. “So cool. Now c’mon, you owe Fluttershy an apology. Don’t worry,” Dash comforted when she saw Coots fearful face, “Fluttershy’s the most forgiving pony I know, and I’ll be right there with you, Scoots.” “Thanks, Dash,” she beamed. “But you’re wrong.” “About what?” “About not even coming close to effecting a life like that. Because you sure as heck changed my life for the better.” Scoots could swear she saw some tears in Dash’s eyes. Must be from flying. “Heh. T-thanks.” She wiped her eyes. “Come along, little chicklet.” Scootaloo decided right then and there that Dash was the only pony who could call her chicken. She loved her for that.