Rainbow Dash was back in Ponyville after quitting the Wonderbolts team. She and her husband, Bookworm, were still getting their new house built and Rainbow Dash began to once again teach the young filly how to fly. On this particular day, the cerulean mare was giving her another lesson in the park, while Bookworm slept under a nearby tree.
“Come on, squirt!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “You can do it!”
Scootaloo took a running start towards a small ramp, ran up it and began flapping her wings like crazy. Try as she might, though she only lasted in the air for a few seconds before making a huge thump to the ground. Rainbow Dash immediately ran to make sure she was ok.
“Oh buck!” exclaimed the rainbow mare. “Are you ok!?”
“FOR THE LOVE OF BUCK!” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Hey! Watch your mouth,” said Rainbow Dash. “Where the hay did you pick up that kinda language?”
The orange filly simply arched an eyebrow at her mentor/surrogate big sister, which caused her to blush brightly.
“Ok, fair enough,” chuckled Rainbow Dash.
“IT'S NOT FAIR!” shouted Scootaloo. “I PRACTICE EVERY SINGLE BUCKING DAY! I DO ALL THE EXCORSIZES YOU TELL ME TO DO! BUT I STILL CAN'T FLY!”
“Relax, Scoots,” said Rainbow Dash. “Flying isn't something that happens over night.”
“Stop giving me that crud,” exclaimed Scootaloo, who was starting to tear up. “I doubt most ponies my age can't fly! Heck, Derpy Hooves can fly better than me, and she constantly runs into stuff! Then there's that muscle bound freak, Snowflake! His wings are tinier than mine, but...but he can fly too! I know my wings are strong enough! I've had them checked on. Doctor Stable told me so that my wings were perfectly healthy and growing fine.”
“I know, Scootaloo,” said Rainbow Dash, wrapping her hooves around her protégé.
“Then why can't I fly!?” the young pegasus shouted. “I thought you were the best flier in all of Equestria!?
“Hey now, don't get mean,” shouted Rainbow Dash. “It's not my fault you can't fly!”
“Maybe the Wonderbolts threw you out because you don't got it anymore!”
“You know I quit the Wonderbolts! They were lucky to have me on the team!”
Things were very much heating up between the two of them and they began to insult each other back and forth. Finally, the shouting woke Bookworm, who intervened.
“HEY!” he shouted, in a rare loud tone. “That's enough! Both of you!”
“SHE STARTED IT!” both females shouted.
“I don't care who started it!” exclaimed Bookworm. “I'm finishing it!”
“She shouldn't talk to me that way!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I'm her mentor! I'm also her elder!”
“Dashie, you're not wrong,” said Bookworm. “But she's still just a kid. She's just frustrated.”
He then turned his attention to Scootaloo.
“But Rainbow Dash is also right, Scootaloo,” said Bookworm, in a calming voice. “She is your elder. I understand that you're frustrated.”
“How can you understand?” asked Scootaloo. “You're a unicorn.”
“That doesn't mean I haven't had my own set of problems,” explained Bookworm. “Magic didn't come easy to me, you know.”
“Really?” asked Scootaloo.
“Absolutely,” said Bookworm. “I was a bit of a late bloomer in that department. I more so excelled at books and other scholarly endeavors, as my cutie mark would make clear.”
Bookworm then motioned to his cutie mark, which featured a worm popping out of a pile of books.
“It varies from pony to pony,” continued Bookworm. “Some ponies excel at magic early on, like Twilight, and others don't.”
“It's just so frustrating,” moped Scootaloo.
“I know,” said Bookworm, then giving Scootaloo a hug. “But you're not alone in this. You got your friends, Rainbow Dash, and me.”
“You?” asked Scootaloo. “Why would you care?”
“Because you're important to Rainbow Dash,” he explained. “And Rainbow Dash and I are important to each other.”
That remark caused Rainbow Dash to blush like crazy. Her husband gave her a sly smile, indicating it was his intent.
“So what's important to her is important to me,” he continued.
Scootaloo teared up again and rubbed her face in Bookworm's chest. He just let her cry and patted her back.
“Dashie and I are going to do our very best to make sure you learn how to fly,” he assured the orange filly.
“You got that right!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, in a triumphant tone. “Rainbow Dash never gives up!”
Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo into her hooves.
“What you need to do is shout, 'I'M SCOOTALOO! AND I CAN DO ANYTHING!'” she commanded to her pupil.
“I-I'm Scootaloo, and I can do anything,” said the filly rather timidly.
“Aw! Come on!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I Know you can do better!”
“I'm Scootaloo! And I can do anything!” she shouted again.
“EVEN LOUDER!” encouraged Rainbow Dash.
“I'M SCOOTALOO!” she finally let out. “I CAN DO ANYTHING!”
“AND WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO!?” asked Rainbow Dash still in a commanding tone.
“I AM GOING TO BUCKING FLY!” proclaimed Scootaloo.