The Card
Celestia’s sun was heralding a new day as a little orange Pegasus filly was making her way towards the outskirts of the village known as Ponyville. This wasn’t just any day though, and she wasn’t any other Pegasus filly. She was Scootaloo, Cutie Mark Crusader extraordinaire. She had decided she was an extraordinary Cutie Mark Crusader, even if she didn’t have her cutie mark. It didn’t make her any less extraordinary. She was definitely extraordinary at riding her scooter, which she proved to herself by weaving in a pattern across the road she was riding on. The day itself was one known as Hearts and Hooves Day. It was a day when ponies celebrated love in all its forms. While romantic love was the one that seemed to be celebrated the most, the love between family and friends was also recognised. Last Hearts and Hooves day Scootaloo, as well as the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had given their teacher Miss Cheerilee a card. To call it a card though would have been a bit of an understatement, as it was larger than all three fillies put together. Even though there were some other mishaps that day involving a love POISON (that little incident had taught Scootaloo to always read the fine print) and Apple Bloom’s big brother Big Macintosh and Miss Cheerilee, Scootaloo felt the day overall wasn’t too bad. At least Miss Cheerilee had liked her first present, and she hadn’t punished them too badly over the incident. Scootaloo even saw Big Mac (as he was usually called) and Miss Cheerilee wandering together at times and felt that maybe what they planned that day had worked after all.
This year she had a different present, for a different pony, in mind. It was a card, albeit a much smaller one that was small enough to be tucked delicately in to her helmet. She needed a little bit of help delivering it however. That was why she had come so far out of Ponyville. The pony she was looking for to help her didn’t live exactly in town, she lived near the Everfree Forest. Scootaloo would sometimes wonder just why she lived there when she seemed so afraid of the Forest, but she guessed that Fluttershy had her reasons. It was probably due to all the animals she was taking care of, some of them probably came from the forest and would need to go back there eventually. Not everything in the forest was as dangerous as a cockatrice, Timber Wolf or an Ursa Minor (or Major). There had to be some regular creatures in there somewhere, surely?
Scootaloo was snapped out of her train of thought as she came to the bridge leading to the cottage, and to the Pegasus she had been looking for. She quickly scooted across it and made her way to the front door of the cottage. She set her scooter down against the cottage before knocking on the front door. The door was opened a few seconds later by a yellow Pegasus with a pink mane. She looked around for her visitor but didn’t spot her until she looked down.
“Oh, it’s you Scootaloo”, she said, smiling at the little filly. “What are you doing here so early?” Scootaloo steeled herself before replying.
“Oh, hey Fluttershy. I know it’s early but I was hoping you could help me with something.” She said with mock bravado, trying to mask her nerves.
“Why don’t you come in and tell me all about it?” Fluttershy asked, opening the door for Scootaloo to come in. While Scootaloo went inside and sat down Fluttershy went to her kitchen and made herself a cup of tea. She also prepared a cup of hot chocolate for Scootaloo. She returned to her living room with a tray in her teeth and set it down on the table next to the couch Scootaloo had sat on. Fluttershy pulled up a chair and sat down before motioning for Scootaloo to take her drink.
“Thank you Miss Fluttershy.” Scootaloo said politely as she took the drink and sipped at it. It doesn’t help to be rude to the pony who was a major part of your plans. Plus she had grown quite fond of Fluttershy after she had saved her and the other Crusaders from the cockatrice in the forest. Scootaloo sighed and smiled as she drank the hot chocolate. It was cold outside, what with it being so early in the morning, and even though riding her scooter had warmed her up she was grateful for a little extra warmth.
“Just Fluttershy is fine, thanks.” Fluttershy corrected her, taking a sip of her tea. “Now what did you want my help with?” Scootaloo relaxed some more as she pulled off her helmet, the enveloped card she had put there falling out and on to the table.
“That.” Scootaloo simply said, pointing a hoof towards the envelope. Fluttershy picked it up and turned it over in her hooves. She put it back down when she saw the name on the envelope.
“It’s not for me though, is it?” Fluttershy asked. Scootaloo shook her head in reply. “So whatever do you need my help with? Do you want me to take it to her for you?”
“Not really.” Scootaloo said, shaking her head and shifting uncomfortably in her seat. “I want to take it myself, I know where she lives, it’s just…” she trailed off, flapping her small wings. Even though the little Pegasus had wings but she couldn’t quite fly just yet. The best she could do was hover an inch or so off the ground. She mostly used her wings to pick up speed on her scooter. It was fast, and thrilling, but not the same.
“I see” Fluttershy said, quickly realising what the problem was. “So you want a…lift, shall we say?” she asked, laughing softly at her little joke. Scootaloo smiled back nervously and nodded her head. “Alright then.” Fluttershy said, getting up. “Just give me a second, I want to get something myself before we head out.” With that she walked up the stairs to her bedroom and returned a few seconds later with an envelope of her own in her mouth. She walked towards the door of the cottage and motioned for Scootaloo to follow her. When they were outside she spread her wings and waited while Scootaloo put her helmet back on, the card safe and secure underneath it, and jumped on to her back and settled in so she wouldn’t fall off mid-flight. When she was sure that Scootaloo was safe and secure (and Scootaloo had told her as much) she took off.
~~~~~~~~~~
Scootaloo had ridden on Rainbow Dash before, but riding on Fluttershy was a different experience. While Rainbow Dash was fast and exciting, Fluttershy was slow and graceful. This does feel different…Scootaloo thought to herself, but not worse. Fluttershy was flying even more careful than usual with the passenger on her back. This was because she wanted Scootaloo to be safe and because of the weight of the little filly. She had pulled carts and carried a critter occasionally, but carrying a full size filly on her back was not something she was used to. She had to admit it felt nice though, and it also helped to carry a passenger who was able to appreciate and enjoy the experience. Normally when she was carrying critters, especially when she was using the cart, it was tough to control them. They would get scared and try to jump out, or just become so afraid she had to comfort them every so often, or try especially hard to get them out at the end of the trip. Scootaloo had no such fears though, and Fluttershy could hear her oohing and ahhing as she took in the sky around them.
“Didn’t you fly with Rainbow Dash before?” Fluttershy tilted her head and asked the filly, careful not to drop the card in her mouth.
“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, careful to not fall off. “But she just goes so fast I never really get to look around and see everything. Plus I still love the view. I can’t wait until I can see it any time I want.” She added.
“I’m sure it won’t be too long” Fluttershy nodded as she spoke. “For now though enjoy the ride.”
“Of course!” Scootaloo said, grinning.
The flight took a little over twenty minutes but soon enough the pair were outside a cloud house. Well, cloud mansion seemed like a more accurate description. The architecture was as grand in scale as the house itself. Tall columns rose high in to the sky. That is to say higher, at least, as the home was already situated in the sky. There was even a small rainbow fountain on the side that no one was quite sure of the origins of but its owner. There were tales ranging from an elaborate theft from the rainbow factory, to a very simple story where Rainbow Dash had simply paid for the rainbow liquid out of her weather patrol wages. While this was the most likely way the liquid had been obtained (and records kept in the weather factory proved this to be true) Rainbow had enjoyed the more grand exploits and had been known to encourage them and act like she couldn’t talk about how she got it, lest she incriminate herself.
Fluttershy hovered when they got to the door and allowed Scootaloo to use her hoof to knock on the door. With it being a door made of cloud, not much sound was produced. The door did slowly open however, and Fluttershy tentatively hovered inside. She lowered down on to the floor and leaned forward towards the ground to allow Scootaloo to jump off safely. When Scootaloo was down she looked around, taking in the home of Rainbow Dash. It was sparsely decorated for the most part with mostly furniture being found. She did spot some Wonderbolts paraphernalia though, including several figurines of Rainbow Dash’s idols. The Pegasus herself wasn’t anywhere to be found though.
“Dash?” Fluttershy called softly after she laid her card on the table she saw. When she didn’t get an answer she looked around until she found some stairs leading to another floor of the home. “Dash? Are you home?” she called again, this time up the stairs. When she still didn’t get an answer she gasped as she felt something move under her. She quickly realised it was Scootaloo though. The filly was heading up the stairs with her envelope in her mouth. Fluttershy dashed over to the table and grabbed her own card before following the little filly upstairs. When they reached the second floor they quickly looked around and soon found Rainbow Dash’s room. They found Rainbow Dash herself sat at the window and staring out in to the sky. She had a sad expression on her face but they couldn’t see it as her back was to them.
“Dash?” Fluttershy said, causing the Pegasus to jump. “Didn’t you hear us calling you?” Rainbow turned around slowly, quickly hiding her sad face behind a fake smile.
“Oh, it’s you ‘Shy” she said as she saw the yellow Pegasus. “And the little squirt too.” She added when she saw Scootaloo. This earned a little giggle from Scootaloo. She didn’t really like being called “Squirt” but she didn’t mind when Dash said it. She liked the thought that Dash had a pet name for her. “What’s up?” She asked, with a mock bravado similar to the one shown by Scootaloo at Fluttershy’s cottage.
“Well…” Scootaloo began, taking a deep breath (as the envelope fell out her mouth) and preparing to say a lot of things very quickly. Fluttershy cut her off though and placed a hoof in front of her to silence her.
“What’s wrong Dash?” Fluttershy asked the blue Pegasus, placing her envelope on the bed. Fluttershy had known Dash longer than just about anybody and knew when her friend was hiding something. Especially when that something was sadness she didn’t want the rest of the world to see.
“What do you mean, Fluttershy? She looks just as awesome as ever.” Scootaloo asked, confused. She hadn’t picked up on the subtle things that Fluttershy had.
“Yeah, ‘Shy, I’m just as awesome as ever. Nothing’s wrong.” She said, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane in approval. Scootaloo let out a slight squee and her face lit up at the touch. Fluttershy simply sighed in resignation.
“Well anyway,” Fluttershy said, deciding to change the subject. She would find out the truth sooner or later though, she told herself. "Scootaloo here asked me to bring her up here to see you. She says she has something for you.” She finished, nudging Scootaloo. Scootaloo snapped out of her blissful day dream and picked up the envelope, holding it out to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow carefully opened the envelope and out dropped a small card, as well as an abundance of loose glitter. The card fell to the floor and when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked down at it they gasped in surprise. It was a clearly hoofmade card. The colour matched the little filly’s coat too. The real surprise was what Scootaloo had drawn on the front. It was a picture of a heart, coloured delicately in a rainbow pattern, and in the centre of the heart was Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo riding on her back, cheering with excitement. There was also a rainbow trail behind Dash that was connected to the heart on the card.
It was a picture of Scootaloo riding on Rainbow Dash as she performed a Sonic Rainboom, with the Rainboom itself forming a heart. Fluttershy started to tear up a little and Rainbow Dash would have joined her but she kept her emotions in check once more. Scootaloo shifted nervously and opened the card so that Rainbow Dash could read what she had written inside.
To Rainbow Dash
You’re the bestest big sister ever. I love you.
Squirt
The message inside the card was written in crude hoofwriting, but it still made Fluttershy cry harder. Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed Scootaloo in her hooves and held her close for a bone shattering hug. As happy as she was about the hug, Scootaloo didn’t catch the real reason Dash had grabbed her quite so quickly, and hugged her quite so hard. Tears were starting to fall down her cheek and she didn’t want Scootaloo to see them. She didn’t mind Fluttershy seeing them so much, but she still didn’t like crying in front of other ponies.
“You feel better now?” Fluttershy quietly whispered in to Dash’s ear. Dash nodded silently and kept hugging Scootaloo for a little longer. Dash didn’t cry for very long and after Fluttershy quickly wiped away the tears (she was used to her friends quirks and knew how to handle her) she eventually let go of Scootaloo. Scootaloo was a little disappointed, but also slightly happy to be able to breath properly again.
“Can you wait here for a second Fluttershy? There’s something I have to do.” Rainbow Dash asked. Fluttershy nodded, knowing that when Dash used her full name it had to be something serious.
“Awwww, are you going somewhere?” Scootaloo asked, disappointed.
“That’s right Squirt.” Dash said, causing Scootaloo’s pout to grow. “But you’re coming with me.” She added, causing the filly to squee again. Rainbow Dash picked Scootaloo up in her mouth and tossed her on to her back. “Hold tight Squirt, real tight.” Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo held herself as close to Rainbow Dash as she could as she quickly took off and soared out the window.
Come back soon… Fluttershy thought to herself, staring at the card she had brought, still laid on the bed. Rainbow Dash was written on the envelope. Fluttershy was thinking about how to hand the card over when she was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts by two very loud sounds.
One was the sound caused by a Sonic Rainboom, the other was the sounds made by a small orange Pegasus filly who was screaming in a mixture of excitement, happiness, and a small bit of fear.