Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and it’s creative properties is owned by Lauren Faust and Hasbro, not me.

Scootaloo: On the Winds of Change

“Report, Private.”

“Sir, the castle is secure. Nothing suspicious found on patrol route.”

“Good. How is Princess Luna?”

“Unharmed. She’s still safe, and we haven’t seen any signs of the rogue, princess-snatching dragon, Sinister Spike.”

Scootaloo adjusted her cardboard helmet while grinning at her two subordinates, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “Well done. Make sure the princess remains safe until we get her back to the castle.”

“Sir, yes sir!” the two fillies replied with a salute.

Luna grinned as she watched the fillies adjusting their blue Royal Guard winter cloaks. “Thank you for keeping me safe, Captain Scootaloo. You and your team are doing a most splen-”

“Raaaaaawr!”

Scootaloo whipped around, drawing a toy sword from her hilt while Sweetie Belle drew a toy bow with suction cup arrows. Apple Bloom took unstrapped a cardboard shield from her back and stood in front of Luna.

“It’s Sinister Spike!” Sweetie Belle cried out. “He’s here for the princess!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Royal Guards! Forward! Get that princess-snatcher before he captures Princess Luna!”

Spike laughed as sinisterly as possible while letting out what he hoped was a scary hiss. “Princess Luna, I am here to take you to my lair! You cannot escape!”

Luna raised a hoof to her forehead in mock worry. “Dearest me, how terrifying!”

“Don’t ‘orry, Pri’cess, ‘e’ll p’otect ‘ou!” Scootaloo shouted as she bit down on the sword with her teeth. “Al’righ’ team, ch’rrge!”

The three fillies galloped towards the baby dragon as he blew a few embers of green into the air before growling and running towards them. Scootaloo managed to smack him in the tail with her sword while a suction cup arrow struck him in the stomach. He ran towards Sweetie Belle, but Apple Bloom cut him off by bumping him with her shield. He fell onto his back in a mild daze.

“Haha! You’ finish’d, drag’n!” Scootaloo held her sword at his snout, and he raised his claws in defeat.

“Grrr...curse you, Royal Guards.”

The sound of hooves clopping together was heard as Princess Luna applauded the four. “Well done, guards. Now, I suppose we should take this mean little dragon to Princess Twilight’s dungeon so he can get to work on his studies.”

Spike sat up and pouted. The three fillies followed suit. “Awww, but Princess Luna!”

Luna raised a hoof, cutting off further argument. “Now, now, Spike must not shirk his reading. I promised Twilight I’d make sure he got to his studies by two, and it’s almost time.” She walked over to the four children and gave an apologetic smile. “I promise I’ll tell you and the girls here about the first time I met an Ursa Major if you do.”

Spike’s eyes widened before he got to his feet. “Alright, but you got to promise to tell me that story!”

“I promise,” Luna smiled.

With that, Spike waved to the fillies and took off towards the library.

“Now what do we do?” Apple Bloom sighed. “We can’t protect Princess Luna from dragons if they ain’t attackin’ her.”

“Maybe we can see what Rainbow Dash is up to,” Scootaloo suggested. “She said she wanted to show us what she does, right? I bet she’s got loads of cool magic spells that she does with the weather! Maybe she can even teach me how to-”

“Actually, I think she’s napping right now,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “She’s usually covering the later shifts, and she’ll probably be asleep until three.”

Scootaloo’s wings drooped at this revelation. “Darn.”

“Maybe Applejack can show us some stuff! I mean...she’s doin’ court duties right now, but she said it won’t be that busy with the holidays and what not.” Apple Bloom grinned. “That, an’ Princess Celestia’s supposed to be workin’ court in a little while, right?” The earth pony filly turned to Princess Luna.

Luna laughed a little at the thought of her sister. “I believe so, but she’ll probably be rather...tired. She enjoyed the festivities a little too much last night after the concert.”

“Miss Derpy told me that a lot of the adults were hanging over this morning...” Scootaloo frowned in thought. “What are they hanging from?”

“They ain’t haning over anything, Scootaloo. Braeburn said it’s called a ‘hangover’. It’s a thing that adults get when they don’ know their limit.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “No, Rarity told me it means a pony was having too much fun last night.”

“Huh? That don’t make sense at all. Why do only adults get it, then? We had lots of fun last night, an’ I don’t feel weird at all!” Apple Bloom shook her head before looking to Luna. “Princess Luna, adults are weird.”

“Indeed, they are,” Luna agreed with a small chuckle.

Scootaloo walked up to the midnight alicorn, an inquisitive look on her face. “So, what is a hangover?”

Scootaloo noticed a myriad of emotions flicker across Luna’s face before she went quiet, thinking deeply about the question. “Well, Scootaloo...erm...you know that sometimes adults will have...stronger beverages.”

“Like prune juice?” the pegasus filly inquired.

“Ah, no...have you girls ever heard of mead?”

Scootaloo and her friends all remained silent.

“It’s...a type of drink made from the honey of bees and-”

“Honey? Wow, that sounds good! We should have some!”

“No!” Luna shouted, before smiling apologetically to the three alarmed fillies. “Heheh...ahem...no, it’s...an adult drink.”

“You mean like wine?” Scootaloo asked.

Luna’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Yes, it’s an alcohol! Well...anyway, when an adult drinks too much of a drink like that...they may get a headache, and a very, very bad stomachache.”

Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side. “So...it’s like a really bad sickness?”

“Precisely,” Luna smiled. “You see, alcohol has...impurities, and those impurities cause ponies to become dehydrated over time. Dehydration leads to sickness.” She gave the trio a small smile. “It’s just how the body reacts to it. You three will learn when you’re older.”

The three went quiet once more, this time looks of confusion on their face. “Why do adults do that if they’ll get sick, then?”

“From drinking in excess,” Luna explained.

Scootaloo was once again frowning. “Adults are weird...”

“Well, I don’t know about you girls, but I ain’t never gettin’ one of them hangovers. They sound downright awful!”

Luna chuckled, but said nothing further.

“C’mon! I bet if we get to the throne room now, we’ll be able to see Rainbow Dash when she arrives!” Scootaloo urged. Her three friends consented, and galloped off, Luna trotting at their heels.

The girls were still a little unclear about what hangovers were, but Applejack had briefly explained that they were too young to be getting them anyway, so they stopped asking after that. They had occupied themselves with asking Applejack and a somewhat groggy Celestia about anything they could (in their quiet voices, as requested by Celestia). Scootaloo was starting to get impatient, wondering when Rainbow Dash would wake up.

Rainbow Dash, while she had greeted Scootaloo and Apple Bloom after they arrived, had promptly returned to bed so she could catch up on her rest. Scootaloo recalled her once calling them “power naps”. They were probably the reason why Rainbow Dash was so fast and cool, the filly thought to herself.

“So, um...is it true that you’re over one thousand years old?” Scootaloo inquired quietly, her eyes gazing at Celestia curiously.

Celestia opened one eye before chuckling quietly, as though Scootaloo had told a joke. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in mild awe and reverence. “Wow...”

Celestia smiled a little, her hoof still massaging her temple. “Unfortunately, I still haven’t managed to learn some simple lessons about socializing at a party, it would seem.”

“Huh?”

Celestia waved a hoof. “Nothing to worry about.” Celestia sipped some water at a small table by her seat before speaking. “So, are you enjoying your time here so far, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. Princess Luna even played Royal Guards with us, but we had to stop when Spike went to go study.” She tapped her hoof absentmindedly on the floor. “Hey, Princess?”

“Celestia is fine, Scootaloo.”

“Um...okay, um, Celestia, do you have any family besides Luna?”

Celestia paused for a few seconds before looking to Scootaloo with that signature soft smile of hers. “Well, I do know that my family is right here with me as I speak.”

Scootaloo blinked before looking around. “Really?”

“Yes,” Celestia nodded slowly. “I have Applejack, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and you as well.”

“Wait, you-”

Celestia’s smile seemed to brighten a little as she looked to the confused filly. “Family can be a very broad term sometimes, Scootaloo. I consider mine to encompass all of Equestria. When you’ve ruled the land as long as I have, you tend to view things in such a manner.”

Scootaloo scratched her mane with a hoof. “I...guess that makes sense.”

“Since you’re my family, I want you to know that you’re always welcome to talk to me, alright?”

“You mean like the letters that Twilight sent you back when she was in Ponyville?”

Celestia chuckled. “Or in person, if you wish.”

“Aren’t you too busy?”

“Never for family.”

Scootaloo felt the smile on her lips grow a little. “Okay...” She pawed at the floor a little before continuing. “I’m glad you’re our princess, Celestia.”

The alicorn just smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

“So, I heard a couple of Cutie Mark Crusaders wanted to learn about the weather with me, huh?”

Scootaloo’s ears perked up before she spun around and began galloping to the entrance. A cyan alicorn laughed before greeting the eager filly by ruffling her mane a little. “Heya, squirt. Good to see you, too.”

“Rainbow Dash, is it true that you’re even faster now?”

“Um...well, maybe, but I haven’t really tested my new body out that much yet...”

“Miss Derpy’s been teaching me a few things, but she admitted that she’s not really a trick flier, and I want to learn every-”

Rainbow Dash placed a wing over the filly and laughed. “Easy, Scootaloo, one thing at a time, heheh. I like your attitude though.” She gave a nod to the two other members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders before smirking. “I’m going to be directing a blizzard through Equestria, and it’s going to be totally awesome! We’ll be getting almost three feet of snow from the feeling I’m getting.”

“Yeah, we just got word back from all the towns that are goin’ to be affected by it. They said they’re all prepared for the incoming weather, and have a few snow teams on stand by if things get to be really bad for ‘em.” Applejack presented Rainbow with a few papers before continuing. “Sounds like Cloudsdale’s goin’ to be caught in the snow as well, huh?”

Rainbow studied the papers before raising an eyebrow. “Huh...Fillydelphia’s getting a lot more than I expected if these weather maps are right...wait...Coltsburg” She set the papers down and walked towards the window. Her horn began to glow before she frowned. “The clouds are a lot denser than they should be...”

Scootaloo and the others watched as the clouds outside began to move, some breaking apart while others combined. Her horn began to glow bright red as she began to change the directions of a few of the larger clouds. Her horn’s glow began to fade as she opened her eyes once more. “There, that’s more like it.”

“What was wrong?” Celestia asked.

“The town of Coltsburg was going to be getting a lot more than it should have. I mean...yeah, the weather’s doing its own thing, but I don’t want to see an entire town disappear under tons of snow. They’re too small to deal with that much weather.” She made her way back to the throne as she continued. “I broke up a few of the clouds that were heading that way and divided up the chunks before dispersing them westward. They’ll hit the mountains bordering the Griffon Kingdom, and there’s no settlements out that way to worry about.”

“Wow, you did all that with just yer horn? That’s so cool, Rainbow!”

“It’s a lot harder than it looks, Apple Bloom, but thanks.” Dash gave a confident smirk before continuing. “Right, well, if you three want, we can go to the observation tower and I’ll show you a little of what I do. We may...hm, wait a sec...that...” Rainbow Dash’s face lit up before she zipped over to Applejack’s side. “AJ! I just had a killer idea!”

Applejack’s eyebrows rose before she frowned. “Does it involve flyin’ at high speeds?”

“Maybe,” Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly before sighing. “Alright, fine, yes. A little bit. I was thinking of taking the girls for a little ride around Canterlot on my back. You know, let ‘em get a taste of what it feels like to fly.”

“I get to ride in the chariot every school day, Rainbow Dash,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Pfft, that’s not real flying. You can’t do tricks or anything like that in a chariot.” The cyan alicorn looked to Applejack pleadingly. “I swear I’ll be super careful with them! Come on, it’ll be so much fun, and I’ll work whatever time I miss during my shift later!”

Applejack sighed. “Well, I can’t speak for Rarity on Sweetie Belle’s part, but I suppose I can let you give Apple Bloom a ride. That sound like somethin’ you wanna do, Apple Bloom?”

The earth filly’s eyes widened before her face split into a grin. “Yeah!”

“Hm. Scootaloo, seein’ as we’re sorta holdin’ throne right now, I guess you can go too. Just make sure this crazy daredevil don’t crash with you three on her back.” The orange mare turned to Celestia. “What do you think?”

Celestia gave a nod. “I don’t see any harm with a little flying, so as long as you’re careful.”

Scootaloo began bouncing in place. “This is going to be awesome!”

Sweetie Belle sighed. “Rarity probably won’t let me.”

“Won’t let you what, Sweetie Belle?” came the voice of the filly’s older sister.

The unicorn filly looked up before giving a nervous smile to Rarity, who was entering the throne room. “Um...let Rainbow Dash give us a ride on her back through air above Canterlot.”

Rarity nearly tripped before regaining her footing. “Y-you mean as in...flying?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Typically that’s what moving through the air is called.”

Rarity chewed her lip nervously before looking to Sweetie Belle. She looked really excited, and her eyes were practically begging for the okay. Was she doing the right thing? Would it be safe?

Her gaze drifted from Sweetie Belle to Rainbow Dash, who stood before her with a confident smile, her wings stretching a bit as she looked to her. Rarity sighed before nodding. “Alright. It’s only because I know you’re a capable flier, Rainbow Dash. Please don’t go too fast.”

“I promise. I’ll avoid doing Sonic Rainbooms, and any of my really complicated tricks. Heck, I’m pretty sure we can find something to keep these three secured to me.”

A guard cleared his throat, and the princesses turned to see the unicorn stallion grinning awkwardly. “Actually, Princess Rainbow Dash, there are...saddles I guess would be the best term...available in the Flight Corps storage building. The only thing I’d be worried about is the weight of three fillies on your back at once.”

“Oh, I didn’t plan on having all three riding on my back at once. That’d be too much for a mare my size. Applejack could probably do it with no problem at slower speeds, but...not everypony is as awesome of a flier as me.”

“Or as much of a braggart...” Rarity added, earning a raspberry from the cyan mare.

After about twenty minutes, Rainbow had a saddle on and Scootaloo was strapped in tight. She was shaking a bit, but Rainbow suspected it was from the excitement.

“You ready, kiddo?”

Scootaloo nodded.

Rainbow spread her large wings and began a gallop. They passed by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, who waved as the Princess of Weather and Water picked up speed. She kicked off the ground before flapping. The sudden speed caused Scootaloo to rock back a little, but she held her hooves around the alicorn’s shoulders near the neck.

“O-oh...wow...”

Rainbow laughed, enjoying the filly’s reaction. “Pretty neat, huh?”

Scootaloo was unable to form words at the moment, to mesmerized by the view of Canterlot

“You know...” She banked a little to the right, dropping a bit as Scootaloo giggled in delight. “...I can help teach you how to fly. I can teach you all sorts of things...if you want to learn, that is. I’m not the best teacher, but...well, I think you’d be a great flier, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo’s ears perked up. That’s right...the letter Rainbow Dash had sent her. She had mixed feelings about it, most of them were good though. There was just one thing that tugged at Scootaloo’s chest that bothered her. “Would...would I have to leave Ponyville?”

“Not permanently. I mean, you could probably travel here after school with Sweetie Belle a couple times a week...or everyday...or weekends. It’s up to you, I promise!”

Scootaloo’s ears flattened a bit as she looked down. This was a really cool offer, a once in a lifetime opportunity! Yet...

“I can’t fly at all, though. I can only hover a bit, and my wings get tired really quickly.” She slumped a bit. “I’m probably nowhere near as good as you were when you were little.”

“Well, I was already flying by your age, yes. Still, not everyone starts off the same, Scootaloo. You know, you’re a lot better at plenty of stuff than I was when I was your age.”

“Really?” Scootaloo found herself looking up in surprise. She was better at stuff than Rainbow Dash? The coolest flier in all of Equestria? How? What?

“Oh yeah. Whenever I saw you riding around on that scooter of yours in Ponyville, I would wonder why I never picked up on anything like that when I was young. You’re also good at dancing from what I’ve been told.”

The filly’s eyes widened. “...what?”

“Oh crud, I wasn’t supposed to say that.”

“Who told you that?” Scootaloo’s voice was filled with embarrassment. “It must have been Sweetie Belle! Darn it, she was such a blabber mouth sometimes! She said she wouldn’t tell anyone either!”

“First of all, there’s nothing wrong with dancing. Ballet isn’t my thing, but so what? I had some friends who danced back in Cloudsdale that could stand on the tips of their hooves without even trying, and they could lift and carry a pony without breaking a sweat while dancing.” She steadied herself and began to glide on an updraft before looking over her shoulder. “Scootaloo, I...I really would like you to be my student in flight.”

“Why me, though? I’m sure there are better colts or fillies who can fly way better than I can.” Scootaloo didn’t know why she was asking such things. She should be jumping all over the offer, right now!

“Maybe,” Rainbow began. “Though I doubt any of them have the same kind of adventurous spirit you’ve got.”

“So...if I started...learning under you...would I still be able to stay with Miss Derpy Hooves and Dinky?”

Rainbow smiled. “If you want to, absolutely.”

Scootaloo smiled. “Miss Derpy’s really nice. She makes Dinky and I the best muffins for breakfast, and she visits me during school at recess when she’s delivering mail.” The filly’s voice became quiet. Celestia’s words rang through her mind. “She’s...not my...mom, but...I think what Princess Celestia said is right. Dinky and her are sort of...family...”

Rainbow looked ahead to gain her bearings and change course a bit. “Derpy can be a little clumsy sometimes, but she’s a great pony.”

“Hey...Rainbow Dash?”

“Hm?”

“I...I think I want you to teach me.”

“You sure? This is your decision. I don’t want to make you feel like you have to do it.”

The filly gave a small smile before nodding, even if Rainbow couldn’t see it. “Yeah. I...I think it would be cool to learn under the most awesome princess in Equestria.”

“Hm. Guess I’ll have to let the others know that I’m your favorite, huh?”

“Um,” Scootaloo suddenly got nervous. “I don’t want Celestia or the others to think I don’t like them, but-”

“Hahaha, chill, Scootaloo, I’m just pulling your leg a little.” Rainbow veered a little to the left before looking over her shoulder. “So...you ready to dive?”

Scootaloo’s face paled a little. “D-dive?”

Rainbow grinned. “This will be fun, I promise!”

“W-wait, Rainbow Dash, I think I need a little-waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...”

Scootaloo giggled as she watched Rainbow Dash spiral downward like a corkscrew with Apple Bloom screaming in a mixture of sheer terror and unbridled fun. The filly found herself bouncing in place a little as she stood beside Sweetie Belle, who had yet to take her turn on Rainbow’s back.

“I-is it..scary?”

Scootaloo grinned. “At first, but there’s nothing else like it! Trust me, you’ll love it, Sweetie Belle. It’s nothing like the carriage we took to get here.”

Sweetie Belle gulped deeply as she and Scootaloo watched Rainbow do several flips in mid-air before abruptly stopping and making a beeline for the garden where they were watching. She skidded to a halt while a green-faced Apple Bloom clumsily galloped to a bush before promptly tossing her cookies.

“Heheh...looks like she couldn’t handle the loop-de-loops like you, Scoot. I’ll have to watch you three better while flying next time.” She looked back to the little filly. “Apple Bloom, you alright?”

Apple Bloom groaned before nodding slowly. “I...I think I’ll be alrigh’...just...woozy...unngh.”

“Sorry about that, kid. I guess I didn’t take the possibility of you getting dizzy while flying into consideration,” Rainbow sighed. “Good thing you managed to get my attention so quickly. That could have been a bad experience for both of us.”

Sweetie Belle took a tentative step back. “Um...on second thought, I think I’ll skip my turn, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Um...Scootaloo, you want to have my turn?”

Scootaloo leaped into the air while letting out a whoop of joy, her little wings fluttering and making her hover for several seconds before she landed. She was about to gallop over to Rainbow Dash when she saw the alicorn’s crestfallen look.

Rainbow Dash...she wanted for them to each get a turn. She wanted to do this with all of them.

As much as she loved flying on the back of Rainbow Dash, she wanted Rainbow Dash to be happy, too.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s fun, trust me. It looks scary, but, maybe you can just fly around without the spinning and flips.” She looked to Rainbow, who perked up a little.

“Y-yeah, Sweetie Belle. If you want, we can go slower. I mean...I really think you’d have fun. If you don’t want to though, then-”

“I...guess I’ll take a ride. C-can you just not go so fast?”

“Sure thing, Sweetie Belle.” She lowered her body and waited for the filly to crawl on. Sweetie Belle strapped herself in, and Rainbow did a quick check to make sure everything was fastened tight before flapping her wings. “Alright, here we go!”

Scootaloo watched as her unicorn friend took off into the air with her idol. Sweetie Belle let out a little cry of surprise when Rainbow banked off to the side before flying around one of the towers.

“Ungh...y’know, it was pretty fun up until she started doin’ those tricks of hers,” mumbled Apple Bloom. “I mean, I really did enjoy it.”

The earth filly looked a little better, but she still had the look of nausea about her as she spoke. She imagined for a pony who spent their whole life on a farm, feet almost always on the ground, doing something like a triple frontal flip in the air was definitely not something she was used to.

“It’s okay, Apple Bloom. I mean...you’re not a pegasus, after all. Flying like that isn’t something earth ponies are really meant to adjust to so quickly.”

“Heh, I suppose.” She adjusted her bow a little before smiling at the sight of Rainbow slowly circling around the top of the highest tower in Canterlot Castle. “I reckon Sweetie Belle’s glad she went for the ride, huh?”

“Yeah...” Scootaloo looked down as the recent conversation with Rainbow Dash came to mind. “Um...hey, Apple Bloom...would you be mad if I started getting flying lessons from Rainbow Dash in Canterlot?”

Apple Bloom frowned. “Now why would I get upset ‘bout somethin’ like that?” The corners of her mouth turned upward as she smiled. “You always said you wanna learn from her, don’tcha?”

“Well...I’d have to come here. I probably wouldn’t be around as much to do any crusading with you.”

“Oh.” Apple Bloom went quiet for several moments before laughing. “That’s alright, Scootaloo. I mean...Sweetie Belle got her cutie mark, and she did it all by herself.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. Maybe...” She couldn’t believe she was going to say it. “...maybe we don’t need to worry about getting them so quickly. I mean, Sweetie Belle said she got hers from singing, and from seeing how happy everyone was when they heard her music.” The pegasus filly exhaled deeply. “Maybe what Applejack told us that one time was right. We can’t make these things just happen like that...”

“Well, maybe not, but...we’re all still the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?”

There was the faintest sound of urgency in Apple Bloom’s words. Scootaloo looked up to see the filly pawing the ground nervously. “Of course! No one can break us up just because we’re not always going to be together! Besides, I’ll still be living in Ponyville with Miss Derpy Hooves and Dinky! So it’s not like I won’t be close to you!”

“Yeah...though, sometimes I wish we could see Sweetie Belle more often than just at school and once and awhile durin’ the weekends.”

Scootaloo walked to her friend’s side and placed a hoof over her shoulder. “That’s what we’re all doing right now though, isn’t it? We get to spend all of Hearth’s Warming here!”

“Heh, I suppose, huh?” Apple Bloom shook her head a little.

Scootaloo continued to grin, but a small part of her felt like something had changed between the Cutie Mark Crusader trio. She was pretty sure it wasn’t a bad thing, but it had put a bit of a distance between the three of them. That was bad though, wasn’t it?

She pushed down the uncertainty for now and watched as Rainbow Dash finished her ride with Sweetie Belle, landing at a leisurely trot before coming to a stop.

“So, what did you think of that?”

Sweetie Belle hopped down before turning around and giving a hug to Rainbow. “Thanks, Rainbow! That was lots of fun!” She pulled back, looking a little sheepish. “I guess I had no reason to be so afraid after all, huh?”

“Bah, that’s alright. You’re not a pegasus, so flying like that isn’t normal.” She ruffled Sweetie Belle’s mane a little. “Don’t sweat it.”

Scootaloo found herself feeling envious all of the sudden. Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle had obviously become a little closer ever since moving to Canterlot. She wouldn’t deny that she was jealous of Sweetie Belle being able to spend more time with her idol, not to mention she got to fly to school every day.

“Scootaloo, you coming?”

“Huh?” The filly blinked, looking up to see her friends following Rainbow Dash back to the doors leading inside.

“Rainbow’s gonna let us watch her work with the snow clouds. She said the blizzard’s going to be here soon! Come on!” Apple Bloom waved a hoof, urging her to follow.

Sure enough, the first bit of snowfall had arrived. Light, puffy flakes of white flitted down to the ground, landing silently on the cold ground beneath their hooves.

Scootaloo quickly galloped towards the three, yet again putting her thoughts aside.

The rest of the day had passed at a leisurely pace for the three fillies. The blizzard had started up rather quickly, and even Rainbow admitted she was surprised when she first found out how much snow they would be getting. After about an hour of watching Rainbow Dash work with the clouds (she stated that she was working with clouds that were mostly too far away to be seen by the fillies), the Cutie Mark Crusaders felt their stomachs rumble with hunger.

Leaving the observation tower with the cyan alicorn, the four made their way towards the dining hall. It seemed that Rarity, Braeburn, Big Mac, Spike, and Twilight Sparkle had the same idea as well, and were currently seated with a few of the guards who were currently off duty.

“Ah, there are the girls right now,” Rarity stated with a wave. “Well girls, how was your flight with Rainbow Dash?”

“Fun!”

“It was awesome!”

“Dizzy.”

A few chuckles were heard from the older ponies as the three sat down and recalled their their escapade in the air with Rainbow Dash. By the time they had finished, dinner was being served to them.

“Mmm, now don’t this look great?” Braeburn stated as he tied a napkin around his neck. “Y’know, I remember one time when I visited Aunt an’ Uncle Orange in Manehatten, an’ I remember havin’ to ask for fourths and fifths at almost every meal with how little they served.”

“Eeyup,” Big Macintosh stated before digging into his plate of collared green and vegetable salad with his side of applesauce and fruit.

“Sis says that Aunt an’ Uncle Orange are arista-cats, and that’s why they don’ eat as much as us...” She frowned in thought before speaking. “What’s an arista-cat?”

“An aristocrat,” Rarity began as she daintily set down her fork. “is a name given to ponies who live in the upper class of society.”

Apple Bloom gave the platinum pony a blank look.

“She means to say that aristocrats tend t’have more money than normal pony folk do, and do lots of fancy things because it’s what their groups do. Lots of frou frou stuff...” Braeburn clarified. Apple Bloom’s eyes lit up in understanding before she returned her attention to her apple and strawberry salad with greens.

“Aristocrats also tend to talk a lot about nothing whenever court is being held...” Spark Fyre commented off-handedly. That got another chuckle from most of the guards present.

Sweetie Belle looked to Rarity, and then to Twilight who was seated next to her. “Is that true?”

Twilight sighed while shaking her head. “Well...” She tapped her hoof to her chin. “I’m...not sure how to put this, but I...”

“Twilight, I assure you that whatever you say at this table shall remain here,” Rarity spoke, her tone reassuring and friendly.

“Yeah, Princess, don’t worry about us. Pretty sure whatever you have to say is true, anyway,” spoke Summer, who had taken her helmet off to let her auburn and green mane hang loose around her neck.

Twilight chuckled quietly before smiling. “Well, Sweetie Belle...unfortunately that’s sort of true. The aristocracy for the most part in Canterlot is rather...self-absorbed.”

Scootaloo piped in. “You mean they’re selfish?”

“Yes and no. While some of them aren’t intentionally trying to be mean, some of them can be a little rude. Or dull. Or talkative about nothing...” Twilight groaned, apparently having already experienced some of the drier aspects of ruling Equestria.

“Can’t ya just have ‘em send ya petitions or letters instead of just talkin’ yer ear off?” Braeburn inquired.

Rarity smiled. “Trust me, Celestia had tried that almost three hundred years ago. She said it worked for about thirty years before the aristocracy started to realize that they weren’t getting as much of their favors granted as they used to. Eventually Celestia said that she was not intending on granting special favoritism over rich ponies. Eventually the class system fell apart completely, but one hundred years later there was a revival of the aristocratic society. It’s not nearly as bad as it used to be, though.”

Twilight nodded in agreement before adding. “Most of the higher class ponies can be a bit pushy, like I said, but there are also lots of nice ponies among them, too. They may appear a little boring or concerned about silly things like the state of the sidewalk on Gilded Hoof Street, but...I guess somepony has to be,” She took a bite of her salad before continuing. “A lot of them give away lots of money to various charities each year as well.”

“So...are the Wonderbolts aristocrats?” Scootaloo asked.

Rainbow Dash, who had been rather engaged with her soy, pepper, and veggie stir fry, spoke up. “Not really.”

“Aren’t they famous, though? I thought aristocrats were all important ponies.”

“Famous is a little different from being an aristocrat,” Dash answered. “Most of the Wonderbolts live in rooms within the castle near the guard barracks.”

“Soarin’ actually has a room right across from my little brother,” added a pegasus stallion on the far end of the table.

Further conversation was cut off by the sound of the kitchen doors bursting open. Several chefs bustled out, followed by Pinkie Pie, decked in a chef’s hat and apron.

“How’s everyone doing?” Pinkie asked with a smile. The pink alicorn had several trays of cupcakes floating beside her, her soft pink aura holding them steadily as she trotted towards the tables. “I figured you would all like some dessert, so we all made some cupcakes!”

Apple Bloom reached for one as soon as they were set on the table, only for a red hoof to lightly slap it away. “Not until you finish yer dinner, little missy.”

Apple Bloom pouted, but complied. Big Mac returned to his own meal while quietly listening to the others converse.

“Honestly, Pinkie, all of you have done a marvelous job with this meal,” Rarity complimented while looking to each of the chefs proudly. “Please tell me you have all eaten as well.”

“Milady, we’ll eat our share afterwards. Think nothing of it.” replied Barley. The tan coated stallion smelled of rich flour, and despite the smile on his face, looked rather tired. Though, considering who he had been working with for the better portion of the day, it was understandable. Pinkie Pie could be exhausting, even with the most energetic of ponies.

“Barley’s a super-duper great chef,” Pinkie began before turning to all of the ponies in white chef attire behind her. “You all are, actually.” She cleared her throat before speaking and raising a single hoof, mimicking the graceful pose often assumed by Luna and Celestia. “I hereby declare that you all have the rest of the evening off. Please do take time to enjoy the food as well, since there’s plenty of it left over in the kitchen.”

“I...Princess, really, you don’t have to-”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, come on, Barley! It’s the holidays! Since you were all so nice enough to stay around and make our food for the holidays, you should at least be able to eat with us!”

“Yeah, come on, Barley! You still haven’t told us about your vacation to the tropics!” said Spark Fyre with a grin. A few of the other guards joined in, urging the chefs to take part in the meal.

Barley looked to his junior chefs. Most of them just had defeated grins on their face. Sighing while letting out a chuckle, Barley nodded. “Alright, everyone. Dig in. Princess’ orders, after all.”

Pinkie Pie bounced up once before smiling. “Yay!” Without warning, she galloped back into the kitchen. The sounds of pots and pans clanging against one another was heard, followed by a few giggles and a ‘whoopsies!’ that could only belong to Pinkie Pie. The doors opened once more with the aid of the party alicorn’s magic as she trotted out with a large cake in tow.

“I was going to save this for later, but I figured now was as perfect time as any to eat it!” With a light flick of her horn, the tray levitated over to the table, landing gently in the center. “Hope you all like it! Oh, does anyone have any food allergies?”

“I get a mild reaction from cauliflower...” spoke up a chef. “That’s about it, though.”

The room was silent.

“What? It’s not my fault,” the chef pony replied, returning his attention to his cooked daisy and greens.

“Oookie dokie...anypony else?” No one replied. “Great! There’s chocolate in this cake, and you never know with new ponies!” She plopped down in a seat right next to Scootaloo, beaming. “Heya, Scootaloo!”

“Hi, Pinkie,” Scootaloo didn’t know Pinkie Pie all that well, but she was a friend of Rainbow Dash, and the filly couldn’t deny that the pink alicorn was the best at throwing parties. “Thanks for the cupcakes and everything.”

“No problem, it’s what I do best, right? Well, maybe it’s singing? Hm...or maybe it’s mountain climbing! No, wait, I bet I’m pretty good at bocce ball!” Pinkie giggled. “Gah, there’s so many superrific things I could be good at that I don’t know yet!”

“I thought your talent was throwing parties and making ponies happy?” Scootaloo asked. “Remember, you told us back in Ponyville.”

Pinkie grinned. “Well yeah, that’s my special talent, but anypony can be good at lots of different things! Like Spike!”

Spike looked up from his bowl of turquoise and zinc with a side of hay fries. “What about me?”

“You’re really good at blowing flames!”

“...I’m a dragon.”

“Pfft, details! You’re also a good writer!”

Spike smirked. “Well, thumbs are kind of helpful, I guess.”

“You’re also a super awesome princess-napping dragon!” Sweetie Belle added with a laugh. “Well, until you had to go study, anyway.”

Scootaloo listened as her friends began to recap their game with Spike and Luna. The little filly added a comment or two, but remained quiet for the most part.

A gentle brush to her back snapped her out of her thoughts. Scootaloo looked to see Pinkie Pie drawing her wing back, giving the filly a small smile. “You alright, Scootaloo?”

“Y-yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Pinkie frowned a little, but it quickly vanished, her small smile reappearing as though it never left her face. “You sure?”

Scootaloo felt a strange, yet comforting warmth spread through her. The warmth, strangely enough, didn’t frighten her. It felt good, like the feeling a pony might get when they’re by a fireplace or wrapped in a blanket drinking hot cocoa.

She began to think to herself. Was she alright? She didn’t have any broken bones or anything...

“I mean how are feeling...in your heart, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened and she stared straight to the pink alicorn. How was she doing that?

“Magic?”

Oh, that explained things...sort of.

“Yeah, it’s a little confusing for me, too.” Pinkie’s voice agreed. “I can feel something inside you, but I won’t push you to talk. It’s just...I feel like your hiding something. Something that’s making your heart feel heavy.” Pinkie gave the filly an understanding look. “If you want to talk, I’ll be around, okay?”

Scootaloo gave a mental equivalent of nodding, or at least she thought she did. Pinkie’s smile grew a little as she lifted up a spoonful of lily soup. “I’m running the night court with Applejack tonight, so come talk to me if you want.” Her voice was just above a whisper.

Perhaps, Scootaloo thought, she would take her up on that offer.

Scootaloo had gotten up from her own little bed, claiming she wanted to get a glass of water when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had asked where she was going. By the time she had passed the bathroom, and began wandering the halls towards the throne room, she knew what she really wanted to do.

“Oh, Scootaloo! You’re up pretty late!”

There sat Pinkie Pie in the throne to the right, while Applejack was seated in the left. The two mares both looked pleased to see the pegasus filly.

“Heh, usually I’d be tellin’ you to scamper back off t’bed, but I reckon with the holidays we’ll let it go.” Applejack adjusted her hat and smiled. “Everything alright, Sugarcube?”

“Um...” Scootaloo stood awkwardly at the foot of the small series of steps leading to the thrones. Pinkie patted a small spot on her chair, and Scootaloo tentatively climbed the stairs and took a spot beside the pink pony.

“Dashie says you had lots of fun flying with her,” Pinkie stated in a conversational tone. “You know, I’m not much of a flier myself. I think Applejack’s probably flown more than I have! Isn’t that silly?”

“Heh, you bounce high enough to make up for that, Pinkie,” the orange mare chuckled.

“Yeah, it was fun. Rainbow Dash did all these cool stunts with me riding on. She wouldn’t do a Sonic Rainboom when I asked if she could, though.”

The Earth Princess quirked an eyebrow at the filly before shaking her head and chuckling some more. “Well, good thing she didn’t. You’d probably have flown clear off her back and that wouldn’t be good for anypony.”

“Yeah, Dashie said that she has to break the sound barrier to do that, and going that fast with anyone holding onto her is risky!” Pinkie giggled. “Still, I wonder if we could do a Sonic Rainboom!”

“Eh, that ain’t my cup o’ tea, Pinkie. I don’t think I’ll be attemptin’ anything that crazy anytime soon.”

Scootaloo’s wings fluttered as she hopped up to her feet. “I hope someday that I can do a Sonic Rainboom!”

“Weeeell, there’s a really cool pony who can help teach you how...” Pinkie said with a wave of her hoof. “She happens to be here in Canterlot.”

Scootaloo’s wings sagged a little. “Yeah...she...talked to me a little about that.”

Applejack seemed to choose her words carefully. “She sounded like she really was hopin’ you’d want to learn from her. You’ve been all she was talkin’ ‘bout the past few days before you got here.”

“Really?”

“Yep yep! She was saying how she wants to have the best student to teach flying to. She wants to also open up a school for pegasi that aren’t in Cloudsdale, and she thinks that helping you could be a good way to start!”

“She also cares ‘bout you, as well as Sweetie Belle an’ Apple Bloom.”

“We all do!” Pinkie said while placing a hoof around the filly’s shoulder.

The filly once again found herself enveloped in that warm feeling she had felt before. She had the strangest desire to smile and laugh as Pinkie Pie made a funny face at the filly.

So she did.

Applejack joined the filly, laughing a little at Pinkie’s antics before speaking. “So, Scootaloo, anything else on yer mind?”

Scootaloo managed to get her laughter under control and stopped. She smiled a little before shaking her head.

Pinkie gave the filly a nuzzle. Scootaloo was initially caught off guard, but accepted the friendly gesture and returned it in kind. “I think I understand what was bothering me earlier, Pinkie Pie.”

The pink alicorn cocked her head to the side. “You do?”

“Yeah...I...I was worried that if I let Rainbow Dash teach me...or started coming to Canterlot...that Miss Derpy and Dinky...Apple Bloom...all of my friends...I was afraid they’d be upset that I left them or something.” She gave an awkward grin to the two princesses. “Silly huh?”

“Not at all,” Applejack replied. “Well, I guess the thought of everypony being upset with you is, but hey, we all get nervous ‘bout things like that sometimes.”

“Yeah...and...well, I mean, with Mom and Dad...and what happened to them...I was worried that I’d have no where to go in Ponyville. It still hurts...right here...” She tapped her hoof to her chest. “I wish it didn’t hurt, but it’s not as bad anymore.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile had become a little somber, and the faintest trace of moisture could be seen in her eyes. “It’s never a good feeling, but it’s important to remember who your parents were. That hurt will probably never leave, but it’ll get better with time.”

“She’s right, Scootaloo,” said a new voice. “It’s important to remember the fun you had with them, all the good times...stuff like that.”

Scootaloo looked up to see that another pony had entered the throne room. “Rainbow Dash?”

The cyan alicorn looked to the ground, giving an awkward smile. “Heh...sorry...I um...kind of overheard you three talking.”

“I thought you said you were going to see if Scootaloo would want to speak to me?” Pinkie inquired, earning an eye roll from Applejack and a facehoof from Rainbow.

“I...ugh...” Rainbow Dash looked to Scootaloo. “Scootaloo...I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to take you away from Ponyville. I would never do anything like that.”

Scootaloo got up from the throne and walked towards her idol. “I know.”

“S-so...do you...still want to learn stuff from me? I-I know you said so earlier, but if you changed your mind, I understand...” She let out a frustrated huff. “Darn it, I’m no good at these kinds of things.”

Scootaloo wrapped her hooves around Rainbow’s neck, which wasn’t that hard considering she was the shortest of the alicorn princesses. “I want to you to teach me, Rainbow Dash. I think that’d be awesome!”

Rainbow’s smile grew, and she sniffled a bit. “Cool. I think it’d be awesome, too.”

Scootaloo eventually was ushered back to her room by Rainbow, who said that tomorrow she’d start teaching her flying basics. Were the little pegasus not so tired already, her excitement at the news would have probably kept her awake.

As her mind began to cloud over with sleep, her thoughts turned to her friends and family. Again, Celestia’s words rang true in her mind. Yes, she still, and probably always would, dearly miss her mother and father. No, she would never be able to replace them in her heart, nor did she want to. However, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were as close to her as sisters could be. Derpy and Dinky were great ponies too, and Derpy said that Scootaloo was just as much of family to her as anypony was. Rainbow Dash was more than just her idol now, she was going to teach her!

She wondered how many ponies could say the knew the princesses as well as she did. Aside from Ponyville’s ponies, probably not many.

If her parents were watching, she was sure that they were happy with her. She would be the become the best pegasus that she could. She would do it for her mother and father, for Rainbow Dash, for all of her friends, and most importantly, for herself.

End of Chapter 6- Scootaloo 1

Next Up: Hearth’s Warming; a time to enjoy the company of friends and family. A time to reflect on what you’re thankful for, and spread the cheer of the holidays to those around you. For the first time ever, Celestia and Luna will be spending their holiday not only together, but with many, many ponies that have come to be part of their newly formed family unit.