Scootaloo dug her hooves into the soft cloud, a few beads of sweat ran down her forehead as the tension of the moment began to creep up and wash over her. Her eyes turned and looked at the spectacle going on all around her, the sound of cheering and whistling from hundreds of pegasi seated upon fluffy white bleachers filled the air, though there was only one pegasus Scootaloo wanted to hear rooting for her, and she knew where that pony was right now.
At the finishing line. That was where Rainbow Dash would be waiting in the audience, to watch her cross the line. To cheer for her. To be proud of her.
Rainbow Dash. The closest thing to a family the little filly ever had in her life. Though many ponies were kind to Scootaloo, only Rainbow Dash had acted like an actual sisterly, if not motherly, figure to her. It was one of many reasons why the filly held the cyan show-off in such high regard and respect.
Gotta keep it together now, Scoots. You and Rainbow Dash have worked long and hard for this. You gotta give it your all. For Rainbow Dash as much as for yourself, Scootaloo's thoughts echoed. But the little pegasus filly just couldn't help but let the memories of her tie spent in the presence of Rainbow Dash flood her mind.
She thought her little tiny heart was going to stop functioning when her idol came out of the blue and asked her if she wanted to try her hoof in a race where the winner would get the chance to meet and fly with the Wonderbolts. Scootaloo didn't love the Wonderbolts as much as Rainbow Dash did. She worshiped them as much as Rainbow Dash did. Perhaps it was because Scootaloo's obsession over the Wonderbolts was second only to Rainbow Dash's own, that the only pony Scootaloo admired more than the Wonderbolts themselves came to her of all other pegasus fillies and colts.
Rainbow Dash had warned Scootaloo that the training would be hard and strenuous, but that it was necessary to see that the little filly would win. But Scootaloo simply smirked and demanded they got started right away. And Rainbow Dash wasn't kidding, the many attempts at the obstacle courses, the many attempts at flapping her wings at a certain rhythm, and the many, many attempts to stick to a special diet while resisting the urge to consume foods which her hero considered 'dangerous to her training' nearly wore Scootaloo out to the point of exhaustion. But the time they both spent with each other through it all certainly bonded them, brought them closer than Scootaloo ever dreamed of being. In a way, Rainbow Dash became more of a sister than a teacher, and the training even made Scootaloo's wings strong enough to lift her from the ground. Finally able to fly about with her mentor, Scootaloo made that moment a precious memory in her thoughts, one she would never, ever forget.
And now, here at the starting line, Scootaloo would show Rainbow Dash just how much her time spent under her wing had paid off. To see her beloved hero and sisterly figure smile with pride as she cheered her on. The image was tattooed inside of Scootaloo's mind, and just thinking about making her idol proud of her was enough to make her squeal quietly in excitement. She looked to her side, at the several other fillies and colts who were lined at the starting point with her, sighing in relief once she confirmed none of them had heard her make that embarrassing noise, especially at what was undoubtedly the most awesome and important opportunity of her lifetime.
A brown unicorn walked past by Scootaloo, a gun levitating in her magical grasp. She seemed to be a little shaky despite her efforts to keep an appearance of professionalism about her, probably because she hadn't gotten used to the idea of walking on clouds quite yet. She stood at the sideline for a moment, taking time to get her footing before her azure eyes looked at each contestant to see if they were ready. She then raised the gun in air, barrel pointed above her head. Scootaloo realized the race was going to start any moment now, and so she closed out the sounds of the world around her, the cheering and whistling of the crowds now barely audible to the filly.
"The race is about to begin", the unicorn mare said, and all the fillies suddenly hunched down and got into their ready stances. "On your marks..."
Ahead of Scootaloo, a line of rings constructed from cloud matter made up the array of checkpoints that the flyers had to go through. To win the race and claim her prize, Scootaloo had to fly through every checkpoint and then cross the finish line. She would be awarded points at the end of the race based on her position, but extra points were rewarded for each checkpoint she flew through perfectly, though she would lose points if she messed up while trying to pass through them, such as any part of her body touching the rings themselves. Therefore, simply finishing the race first wouldn't guarantee an immediate victory - it could all come down to how well a flyer did on the obstacles as well as how fast they were.
"Get set", the unicorn said as she used her magic to load the pistol."
And the ponies who would be scoring her and the other flyers were none other than the Wonderbolts themselves. Not that it was really much of a surprise to Scootaloo. After all, who better to judge flying than those who were the best at it? Scootaloo silently confessed to herself that just knowing that the Wonderbolts would be watching their performance - and her performance - in the race, was nearly enough to make her lose her calm and collected self. She denied her hindlegs permission to tremble from the peer pressure.
Scootaloo continued to stare forward, eyeing the track ahead of her, waiting for the sound of the -
BANG!
"GO!"
Scootaloo's eyes went wide, and almost instantly her little body shot forward before any of the other foals even lifted a hoof off the starting line. She smiled, the time she and Rainbow Dash spent working on her quick-starts having already assured she'd have the early lead. By the time the other competitors had stepped over the line, Scootaloo was already flapping her little wings and going airborne.
The first checkpoint was coming up, and Scootaloo tilted herself slightly to her right to align her body just enough to pass through flawlessly. Scootaloo allowed herself to take a quick glance behind herself, to see her opponents also clearing the first checkpoint. At the very back of the pack, a pale green pegasus colt swerved a little too far to his right, and his wing clipped the edge of the ring. From their cloud above the scene, the Wonderbolt judges observed the mistake, and began to scribble away at their clipboards.
Scootaloo pressed on, being careful not to exhaust too much of her energy until nearing the finishing line just as Rainbow Dash had taught her. She perfectly shot through the next three checkpoints without much difficulty, tucking in her wings at just the right time before she passed through the first and second cloud rings, and opening them out again just as she cleared the third. Her feat left the other flyers behind her in awe, almost causing them to miss the checkpoints themselves. Their distraction was momentary, but it was all Scootaloo needed to take herself even further ahead.
For now, it was a clear zone. There were no checkpoints to fly through for a few ten yards, and Scootaloo had attained a comfortable lead, so she slowed down her pace to conserve her strength while she could, and allow her time with her thoughts.
She imagined herself passing the finishing line, Rainbow Dash in the bleachers at the side cheering for Scootaloo with the same enthusiasm and energy as the filly herself displayed for her. Spitfire, Soarin and Fleetfoot would be applauding for her, and Spitfire would personally fly down to present the winner's trophy to Scootaloo, her name engraved in large golden writing. And then Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash both would take to the skies with the greatest flyers in all of Equestria by their sides, circling all of Cloudsdale and making their dreams come true at last for them both.
And the best part of it all would be that Scootaloo would be doing it all with the coolest pegasus mare in the whole wide world next to her, whose help and faith in her made her chance of winning today possible. "I knew you could do it, kiddo! I just knew you'd win! You're the best most coolest little filly in the whole of Equestria! No wait, in the whole universe!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she grabbed hold of Scootaloo in mid-flight and hugged her for all she was worth, Scootaloo doing nothing to stop her hero from showing the affection she craved for.
Scootaloo's daydream ended there and then, leaving a smile on her face. And a good thing it ended too, because the next hurdle of checkpoints were just about to come up, and the competition had just began to catch up to Scootaloo. So Scootaloo returned her attention to the race, ready to tackle the rest of the course.
Get ready to be proud, RD. I'll see you at the finish line real soon...