//------------------------------// // Guided Tour // Story: Canterlot's Newest Star // by BudCharles //------------------------------// Pupa’s hooves clip-clopped as he raced to keep up with Scootaloo as she galloped down the hallway, almost sending the intricately decorated posters on the walls flying off in the hurricane-force wake behind her.   “Wow! You’re fast!” Pupa called out in amazement.   Scootaloo turned her head to see Pupa drifting into the distance.   “Am I going too fast?” Scootaloo called back.   A slight hint of fear crept into Pupa’s voice. “Um, j-just a little.”   “Heh, sorry, I’ll slow down for ya” Scoots replied, spreading her wings to stabilise herself as she skidded to a halt, leaving a long scratch on the polished wooden floor.   Pupa was panting breathlessly by the time he caught up. He looked up at Scootaloo with a mixture of gratitude and confusion on his face.   “You’re not… teasing me, for being slow?”   “Why would I be teasing you?” Scootaloo replied, equally confused. “Plenty of ponies are slow.”   “N-no reason. Nevermind.”   “Alright” Scootaloo smiled.   Pupa smiled back, reassured.   “Uh, by the way,” Scootaloo continued, “which way’s the exit? I kinda forgot.”   “The exact opposite of the way we’re going” her changeling companion said matter-of-factly, pointing back down the mile-long hallway the two of them had just finished running through.   “Why didn’t you tell me earlier, you silly filly” Scootaloo laughed playfully.   “I thought you were going on a tour of the school” Pupa giggled back.   “Hey, that’s not a half bad idea. But… you might have to show me around. Since I can’t even find the front door.”   Pupa giggled again. “Alright, follow me!”       --✈--       “So, what’s it like being a changeling?” Scootaloo asked as the two friends wandered into the gardens out the front of the school, passing through a brightly coloured maze of exotic plants from Saddle Arabia and Moo Zealand.   She glanced briefly at the Pegasi from earlier, flying around and passing what looked like a soccer ball between them. A few metres away were a group of unicorns, gossiping and giggling. There were a few sheets of homework sitting next to them, as if they’d tried to get some study done, then given up when they realised it’d take actual effort.   Scootaloo turned back to Pupa.   “It’s alright, I guess” he answered. “I don’t know what it’s like to be… not a changeling, so I don’t really know what to talk about.”   “Fair enough,” the pony answered back. “What about mealtimes? Do you have mealtimes? Dinner and stuff?”   “Kinda,” Pupa explained. “Mummy goes out and makes friends with lots of ponies, and then she gives me a big hug when I get home, to share the love she collected.”   Scootaloo froze in place for a second, clutching her chest.   “Are you alright?” Pupa squeaked, concerned.   “Huh?” Scootaloo gasped, trying to downplay the incident. “Oh yeah, right, I’m fine. That’s, uh, cute… ish… I guess.”   “Okay” he smiled. “I guess it’s kinda like those birds you have here in Equestria. You know the ones that collect food, then vomit it into their babies’ mouths?”   “Eww!” Scootaloo exclaimed.   “I thought ponies liked love?” Pupa inquired, tilting his head to the side.   “Yeah, we like love, but not bird spew!”   “Oh, okay.”   Pupa made a mental note. Avoid the bird analogy in future.   “So, what about being a pony?” Pupa asked back as the two of them passed a particularly large palm tree, with bright orange flowers. Beneath it was a wooden bench.   “It’s alright too, I guess” Scootaloo chuckled. “Ponies are usually easy to get along with. Emphasis on usually.”   “I bet since you’re so fast, you’re a really good flyer.”   Scootaloo stopped in his tracks, this time staring at the ground.   “Are you alright?” Pupa squeaked a second time. “Did I say something?”   “N-no” Scootaloo lied, “I’m great at flying. Super great.”   “Cool!” Pupa smiled.   “So, I guess we’ve seen most of the garden now - and I’m getting kinda bored of this tour thing. Wanna introduce me to your friends?”   “Well, actually… they’re away at an… event… somewhere” Pupa lied back. Miraculously, Scootaloo bought it.   “Alright. I bet you’ve got heaps of them though - you’re pretty cool. Hey, speaking of cool, you want me to show you my scooter? It’s awesome!”   “Sure!” the little changeling exclaimed, clapping his front hooves together excitedly.   “Alright, I just gotta get back to class, I left my b-”   “SCOOTALOO!” a loudspeaker interrupted, nearly blasting the filly’s ‘awesome’ ears off. “YOU’RE REQUIRED AT THE FRONT OFFICE!”   Scootaloo sighed. “Ugh, probably some meeting or something. We have that for new students at my school too. Nevermind. I’ll show ya tomorrow, alright?”   Pupa nodded eagerly. “Alright Scootaloo!”   Scootaloo turned towards the building behind her and started to race off. She skidded to a halt seconds later at the sound of Pupa’s voice.   “Wait!” he called out, racing to catch up to his new friend. “S-sorry, I was just wondering - do you think we could make a secret hoofshake?”   Scootaloo giggled. “Why?”   “All the cool ponies have them! Can we make one? Please?”   “Sure I guess. Repeat after me.”   Scootaloo slowly hoof-bumped Pupa with one hoof, then the other. Then she buzzed her wings, hovered a few centimetres off the ground, and hoof bumped both hooves at once.   “You got all that?” Scootaloo asked.   “Yeah!” Pupa squeaked.   “Awesome. See ya round!”   Pupa nodded, practicing her side of the ritual over and over as Scootaloo raced off into the distance.       --✈--       Scootaloo, now carrying her backpack, arrived to find the office completely crammed full of students. The line stretched several metres into the corridor. Camera flashes were going off in the distance, and the fillies at the front were chattering and squealing with excitement.   Flustered teachers were scattered throughout the crowd, trying desperately to keep the rowdy foals under control.   “What’s going on?” Scootaloo asked a foal at the back.   “Haven’t you heard?” she replied. “Rainbow Dash is at our school! As in the Rainbow Dash! The newest Wonderbolt!”   Scootaloo’s ears perked up with realisation. She was leaving early today, to catch the Wonderbolts during their break time.   “Rainbow Dash!” she called out. “Over here!”   “Wait your turn, it’s not like she’s gonna come all the way over here, just to - EEEEE!”   Scootaloo heard a thud as the filly fainted next to her. She turned her attention back to the door to see Rainbow Dash, zooming towards her in full Wonderbolts costume, about to tackle hug her to the floor.   Scootaloo giggled wildly as the two of them got back to their hooves and shook off the dust. She turned to see the crowd gathered around staring at her, wide-eyed.   “What?”   “She… hugged you” a colt at the front of the mass of ponies said in disbelief.   “Well yeah!”  Scootaloo replied. “She is my sister!”   “Your… what?”   “Her sister,” Rainbow Dash confirmed as Scootaloo casually climbed up onto her head. “I’m here to pick her up early, we’re gonna catch up with the Wonderbolts this afternoon.”   The crowd stared in stunned silence.   One lone filly up the back took the opportunity to quietly step forwards with a pen and a notepad in her mouth, but another filly shushed her and stopped her in her tracks.   “Well, uh, nice meeting you all!” Rainbow Dash said awkwardly as the crowd continued staring. “I’ll see you at the show, I guess.”   With that, Dashie went speeding out the door, Scootaloo and all, leaving the teachers to hold back about two hundred ponies, all chasing after her in a massive stampede of fangirling.