(Lesson 1-Your prideful Pegasus filly. Being a proud race Pegasii are reluctant to accept help. Even if they get stuck on a cloud.)

Dash flew over Ponyville, letting the wind carry away her worries. Today had been particularly stressful as she had dealt with a rabid manticore that had rampaged through the town. She had kicked it several times while Twilight had used her magic to too knock the creature out and cure its madness. Fluttershy had then gently led it back into the forest. A few ponies were injured and there was some property damage, but nothing too serious. She landed on a cloud where she was greeted with a very rare sight. Scootaloo was on another cloud. She kept wildly looking down. Dash flew over to her.

“Hey, Squirt.”

“H-hi Rainbow Dash!” She said brightly.

“How’d you get up here? I didn’t think you could fly yet.”

“Well, um, you see, um…” She trailed off.

“The manticore scared you didn’t he?”

“MANTICORE?! WHERE?! WHERE?!” Scootaloo shouted looking down.

Dash ruffled her mane. “Don’t worry, I kicked it out of town.”

Scootaloo gazed at her with admiring purple eyes.

“R-really?”

“Yep. Bucked it right in its ugly jaw. It tried to bite me, but I was too quick for it. It lunged at me with its supers sharp claws, but I dashed right under its claws and bucked it in its chest. Well it fell down, but jumped right back up-yeah, okay, kid, get comfortable it’s a long story.”

Scootaloo had snuggled into Dash’s tummy the second the elder pegasus had leaned back. Dash stroked Scootalooo’s mane.

“So, there I was the fastest flyer in all of Equestria against this drooling, insane beast. It roared so loud that the trees shook and the birds scattered. Then it leaped at me, its claws going straight for my throat.”

“W-were you scared?”

“A little bit. Not much.” After all, I had my friends to back me up. “But even though I was a little scared I charged right at the monster and slammed my hooves into its face.” And that’s when Twilight’s spell took effect and knocked the thing out. “Anyway, that’s how I singlehoofedly saved Ponyville from a manticore. Well, Twilight and Fluttershy helped too.” She wrapped a wing around the filly. “So, you don’t have to worry about that mean ol’ manticore. Big Sis Rainbow Dash took care of it.”

“You are soooo awesome!” Scootaloo squealed, wrapping her hooves around Dash’s neck.

“So, you need helping getting down from here?”

“No, I can get down.”

“Sure?”

“I got up here didn’t I?”

“Yes, but you’re wings carried you because you were scared. That’s just reflex. Getting down will be harder.”

“I can do it, alright?” Scootaloo said, a bit of fire in her voice.

“Alright, alright.” Dash said, removing her wing. “I got some weather work to do, see ya around.” She stood up and Scootaloo was forced to give up her favorite pillow, Dash’s tummy.

Dash flew off and Scootaloo pawed at the cloud. I shouldn’t have snapped at her. I should just tell her I don’t know how to get down. I hope she’s not mad at me!

She looked down at the ground. The hard, cold, unforgiving ground that seemed very far away. On the other hand the cloud she was standing on seemed very comfortable and most importantly, safe.

I can’t just stay up here forever!

Scootaloo spread her tiny wings, buzzing them as fast as she could. Soon, she hovered above the cloud. After about two seconds she fell back down on it.

Dang it! Okay, you can do this! Rainbow Dash wouldn’t give up and neither will I! She stomped the cloud. Here goes!

She ran from the cloud and jumped. She buzzed her wings to keep from falling. For a while she hung suspended between the endless, blue expanse of the sky and the grassy meadows. She then felt her wings begin to give out and grabbed back onto the cloud, pulling herself up with a supreme effort. She collapsed against its soft surface, panting.

Okay, I’ll just wait a bit to get my breath back then I’ll try again! Scootaloo thought optimistically. (Unbeknownst to her Rainbow Dash was watching her from a nearby cloud. The minute Scootaloo had leaped Dash had left the cloud, but now she returned.)

Scootaloo pawed the cloud and then leaped. For a moment the wind whistled beneath her wings and she felt the full glory of her birthright as she soared in the sky. But her wings gave out and she flew back to the cloud with one last burst of strength. Dash soared over to the cloud.

“This is ridiculous!” She grabbed the filly’s hoof. “You’re coming with me, squirt!”

Scootaloo pulled away from her mentor. “I can do it!”

“You’ll get hurt.”

“I can do it! You’re the one that said I had guts remember?”

“Guts, yeah, but you don’t gotta lick of sense in that head of yours. Now, come on.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “I’m going to get off this cloud all by myself!”

Dash sighed and flashed back to memories of a proud, rainbow-maned filly. “Sure, Scoots.” She patted the filly’s mane. “Call me if you need me.”

She flew over to another cloud. There was no way she was going to be able to talk the filly off that cloud. For the next hour or two Scootaloo alternated between resting and making leaps from the cloud. Dash thought about grabbing the filly, but decided against it. Each time she leapt she stayed in the air slightly longer, her wings acclimating to holding up her body.

'Huh. Maybe this is good for her.'

Scootaloo clung to a cloud with both hooves then fluttered her wings to get back up.

'Filly’s got guts. I was right about that. Nearly as awesome as I am.' Dash thought as she observed the scene.

Scootaloo curled up on the cloud. The sun was now setting below the horizon turning the clouds into a sea of yellows, reds and oranges. Dash flew over to her.

“I give up. I can’t get down.” Scootaloo said to her tail, which she had wrapped around her body.

“Told ya so.”

“I’m stupid.”

Dash patted her head. “That’s not true. You’re just reckless, like I am.”

“You could get off this cloud.”

“I probably couldn’t have at your age.”

“You’re lying. You’re trying to make me feel better.”

“Look, Squirt, I have another story for you.”

She leaned back. Scootaloo climbed onto her tummy. A sheen of sweat had covered her forehead.

“Once upon a time there was an awesome rainbow-maned pegasus named Dainbow Rash who decided to go flying since it was her special talent after all. Well, she got tired and decided to nap on a cloud. When she woke up it was sunset. She thought to herself, Papa’s gonna take away my toys forever if I don’t get home before curfew. Er, if she didn’t get home. Well anyway I tried to fly, but my wings were just too tired.”

“Wait, this story is about you? Your wings got tired?”

Dash chuckled. “Yeah, kid, ya got me. My wings got tired. I was still a filly remember? So, I sat on the cloud thinking I was going to be stuck up there forever. That’s when my dad showed up looking for me. He carried me home on his back. I thought he was going to be mad at me. He wasn’t. He told me he understood. He told me sometimes everyone needs help to get out of a bad situation. And it’s totally true. Let me tell ya, I couldn’t have taken out that manticore without Twi and Fluttershy backing me up.”

Scootaloo buried her face in Dash’s chest fur.

“Scoots? You need help?”

“I don’t have guts. I need help and I was too scared to admit it. I just…I wanted to impress you! You’re so cool and awesome and if I asked you to help you’d know I’m not cool.”

“Even cool and awesome ponies need help sometimes. Do you need help?”

“Just let me try one more time.”

'Celestia’s tits…' “Fine.”

Scootaloo hopped from the cloud and leapt. Dash leapt after her. Scootaloo landed on Dash’s back.

“I did it!” She exclaimed in pride as she wrapped her arms around Dash.

“Yeah, Squirt. You sure did.”

Scootaloo buried her muzzle in Dash’s mane. She was asleep by the time Dash got her home to her parents.