Dash laid wide awake in her bed. Silvery light shone through the window, illuminating her room. Beside her, a little pegasus filly's stomach rose and fell. Dash extended a wing and wrapped it around her. Scootaloo nuzzled up to her, but did not wake up. Dash had been trying to sleep for three hours. Each time she closed her eyes and tried to force sleep to come to her, dark, chaotic thoughts swirled around in her mind. After leaving Scootaloo's home they had practiced for several hours. Dash had drilled her on everything that she had been taught. They had done crunches, wing-ups and push-ups till both had been drenched in sweat.

Scootaloo had jumped from cloud to cloud, under Dash's watchful eye. Slowly, but surely, her wings were growing stronger. They had played the game Scootaloo had so grown to enjoy. Scootaloo would jump from her cloud and attempt to dodge and escape Dash's clutches. Dash had decided to give her a little incentive to not get caught and tickled her each time she was able to catch her. Scootaloo had managed to zoom out of her clutches more times than not, an accomplishment that Dash had been truly proud of.

The only problem was that Scootaloo still wasn't able to fly without jumping off from something. Even then, she could only stay in the air for a few minutes. Dash had timed it. Scootaloo could easily stay in the air for up to ten minutes before her wings gave out. That feat made her sweat and her wings tire out.

Dash ran a hoof through Scootaloo's mane. She had her up to gliding at least. What struck Dash as odd was how easily she had accepted staying with Dash. Sure, Dash knew Scootaloo liked her and that she wasn't very attached to her parents, but Dash hadn't realized that Scootaloo would want to live with her. The thought both complimented, thrilled and terrified her. She withdrew her wing and rolled over on her side, shifting her linen bed sheets. Scootaloo gave a little whine and burrowed under them. Dash closed her eyes and tried to get to sleep. Surely, it would come. She breathed in and out, trying to get into a steady rhythm and then decided that it was a waste of time. There was no way she was going to get any sleep tonight. She lifted up and brought her head down on the pillow.

It was fortunate Scootaloo was a heavy sleeper. The disturbance rippled the bed sheets, but didn't even seem to disturb Scootaloo. Dash made a mental note to start setting up Scootaloo's own room. Scootaloo had a key just in case Oak had already cleared out. They could go over there after Dash got off work, get Scootaloo's stuff and then set up the room.

Without meaning to, Dash found herself smiling at the thought of Scootaloo actually living with her. Of her laughter and enthusiasm filling her home. Watching her grow and learn. The pride in her heart she would feel-already felt-at each one of Scootaloo's accomplishments.

Then, as if to counteract the peaceful thought, another thought came to her. What if she screwed up? What if she was too strict with Scootaloo? What if she wasn't strict enough? What if Scootaloo ended up hating her for some reason?

She brought her head down on the pillow once more as she began to accept that sleep just would not come to her this night. She looked down at Scootaloo who was resting, happy and content. Normally if Dash couldn't sleep she would turn on her bedside lamp and read her Daring Do book. The only problem with that was that she didn't want to wake up Scootaloo.

She looked at her alarm clock which announced that it was two am in green numbers. Dash growled at it. Three hours. For three hours she had been trying to sleep. Scootaloo had fallen asleep against her shoulder while they were watching TV at around ten-thirty. Dash had stayed up a bit later to watch a race between Thunder Storm and Lightning Haze, who had been rivals for a decade now. Lightning Haze had won, but only just. Thunder Storm had nearly beaten him. Lightning's victory had really brought home that it was a complete myth that mares were faster than stallions.

Dash rolled onto her side. Maybe she could go and turn the TV back on. She could watch a little bit of it, just enough to unwind, and return to bed. That decided, Dash stood up from the bed and carefully walked around her night stand. She flapped her wings and hovered into the air, floating noiselessly out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Once she reached the living room she settled onto the couch and picked up the remote, which had been placed on a stand next to the couch. She flipped on the TV and searched through the channels. There was a rerun of "Golden Mares," a rerun of "Preternatural" (she paused to watch, not because she was interested, but because all the stallions on that show were all so hot), a rerun of "Stallionford and Son", a rerun of the race she had watched a few hours before and a rerun of "My Little Puppy."

Dash groaned and flipped it off. There was absolutely nothing on TV that she hadn't watched one-hundred times before. And she was still feeling restless. She stood off the couch and stretched. As she started to leave the room, she passed the family altar. Images of her ancestors decorated the small, brown table as did flowers and two unlit candles. A silver image of an alicorn holding a triton in his mouth was in the center. This was an image of Poseidon, the ancestor of the Pegasii and other tribes. He was the Lord of the Seas, the Earth Shaker, the Lord of Equines.

He was revered in some way by all Ponies, but held a special relationship with Pegasii. Dash strolled to the kitchen and picked up a silver chalice from the cabinet and a glass of wine from the refrigerator. She poured the wine into the chalice and walked back to the altar. There was a silver bowl in front of the statue of Poseidon.

Dash lifted up the chalice. "Io Poseidon! Thou art the Earth Shaker, the Lord of the Sea, Lord of Horses, and Father of My Race! A daughter of thy blood calleth to thee...." She trailed off and sighed, bringing a hoof up to her face while carefully making sure to hold on to the chalice. This prayer didn't sound right rolling off her uncultured lips. Her grandmother could pull it off, Fluttershy could pull it off. Yet, she couldn't.

She lowered the chalice. "Let me give it to you straight, Poseidon. I...I don't know what to do. There's this kid, Scootaloo. You know Scootaloo, right? She's a sweet kid. Can't fly too well, maybe you could help with that? Ugh. One prayer at a time. Scootaloo's parents aren't worth much. You probably already know all this." Dash sighed. "I'm rambling, sorry. I don't know what to do. I've been training her for months. I...I love her. But raising her? I don't know if I can do it." She wiped away tears coming to her eyes. The chalice remained safely in the grip of her other hoof. "I guess I'm getting performance anxiety. I always used to get that way before a race or something. All of a sudden its real. Too real. I don't know what to do. Just...just give me strength, okay? I can't screw this up. I just can't screw this up. She's too important to me. Give me strength, Father Poseidon."

She brought the chalice to her lips and sipped it. The wine burned her throat going down and filled her with a comfortable warmth. She then poured the rest of the wine into the offering bowl.She went back to the kitchen, washed the chalice out and returned it to its place in the cabinet.

She returned to the altar, lifted up the bowl and walked outside. The moonbeams shone down on the field of clouds, illuminating it in a silvery glow. The stars twinkled upon the ebony abyss of the night, spreading as far as Dash could see. Dash looked up at the infinite expanse of the stars, the heavens spread out before her.

It made her feel small. Small and weak. Beneath all her bravado, there were times when she felt very small. She lifted up the bowl. "Io Poseidon. Please accept this offering."

The red liquid glinted in the light of the moon and the stars as it spilled onto the ground. Dash felt the familiar sense of the Divine Presence wrapping around her, flowing through her as the God received her gift. She closed her eyes and rested in the Presence.

"Dash?"

Her meditations were interrupted by her father's voice. She turned around. Blaze was standing outside of the house, looking at her with an expression of concern. "I thought I heard somepony watching TV. I figured it was you. I was going to go back to sleep, but I had the strangest dream. It was Poseidon, if you can believe that." He eyed the bowl Dash was holding. "He told me you needed me. You were giving an offering?"

Dash nodded. A cool wind blew, lifted the strands of her mane. "I'm going to wash this out and put it back on the altar."

Blaze followed her as they walked into the living room. Dash went to the sink, turned on the faucet and methodically rinsed out the bowl. She dried it and walked back into the living room, laying the bowl back on the altar. Her father had sat down on the couch. She joined him.

He leaned back. "So, you're up late. I'm just going to assume you couldn't sleep."

"Good guess." Dash yawned, tiredness finally beginning to overtake her.

"It's about Scootaloo, isn't it?"

"Another good guess. You're on a roll."

He lightly swatted the back of her head, turning the smack into a noogie at the last possible second. "I want to help you."

She pushed away his offending hoof. "I'm worried about Scootaloo. I just..." She trailed off. "Damn it. I feel so stupid."

He wrapped a foreleg around her, but said nothing.

After a while, she continued. "What if I can't do this? Raising a filly. I've been training her sure, but all of a sudden she has nopony else in all the world but me. What if I fuck this up? What if I fuck her up? I don't want to do that."

"That's every parent's fear."

Dash looked up at him. "Did you ever worry about that?"

"Oh, yeah. Especially when you were a teenager."

Dash chuckled, recalling her youthful misdeeds and misadventures. "I was a character. Oh, Gods, Scoots is going to be a teenager in a couple of years."

"Have fun. I'm thinking you and your mother will be taking a nice, long vacation."

"I'll send her to you."

They both burst into giggles. Dash caught her breath. "No, but seriously. I don't want to make any mistakes with her. If I have to be...if I have to be her mom, I'm going to try to be the best mom I can be."

"That's all you can do."

"But being a parent...that's not just helping them with their homework and training them to fly. You have to be firm and make sure they do their homework and eat their veggies and wash behind their ears and...and...laying down the law even when its lame and..."

Blaze patted her shoulder. "And the pride you feel watching them grow, that swells in your heart each time they do something great. It's hard, but there's nothing like it. It's the most rewarding thing you can do. And I'm sure at this point you've laid down the law with her a couple of times, haven't you?"

Dash frowned. "I spanked her and put her in the corner once."

"What'd she do?"

"She threw a tantrum because she felt like she wasn't getting far enough in her training. Broke a vase right over Tank after bucking the table."

Blaze winced. "Ouch. I know how much you love that tortoise."

"I love her too. Do you think I handled that okay? I haven't spanked her since. Not even once."

"Has she thrown another tantrum since then?"

"Nope. I taught her some breathing exercises to control her temper. Hey, even I need to control my temper."

"That you do. And, yes, if the spanking discouraged her from throwing anymore tantrums you handled it the right way. As long as you didn't beat her silly or something."

Dash shook her head. "No, just a few swats to her rump."

Blaze leaned against the couch, yawning. "Your mom used to swat your rump every now and then. I think it worked for you."

Dash thought for a moment. "Well, Mama tried. It took several injuries before I learned to tone down the risk taking. Never flew fast in the house again though."

Blaze stretched. "Oh, yeah. She told me about that one. So, are you feeling better?"

Dash stood from the couch. "I think so. Thanks for the talk."

"Anytime, Kiddo."

They hugged and Dash returned to her room. Scootaloo was still in a deep state of sleep and had snuggled all the blankets to herself. Dash shivered. While you got used to the cold living this far up, this night had a particular chill to it. While trying not to wake up the little pegasus filly, Dash gently took hold of the sheets. Scootaloo stirred and grumbled, but then went back to sleep. Dash slid under the sheets and fell into a light sleep.

...
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Wake up, its morning!"

Dash opened one bleary eye, then another. Sure enough, orange rays of the sun were streaming through her window. A rambunctious, orange filly was jumping up and down on her blue and white sheets. The clock read six am. It was set to alarm in thirty minutes. She rolled over and frowned when she felt Scootaloo tug at her foreleg.

"I'm hungry!"

Dash muttered something uncomplimentary into her pillow, and then turned around. Scootaloo was staring at her with wide, enthusiastic, magenta eyes. She wasn't sure it was possible to say no to that little face. She laid her head on the pillow. "Cereal's in the fridge."

"But I want pancakes!" Scootaloo shook her.

Dash groaned. Easy for you. You got the right amount of sleep. "I can't make pancakes. Mom can, but my folks are retired. They don't get up till eight or nine. We got Lucky Charms, Rice Krispies, Cheerios-"

Scootaloo made a face. "I don't like Cheerios."

"Nopony does. I bought them for my health. Got to keep my heart healthy. Ugh. Sometimes being an awesome athlete sucks."

"I do like Rice Krispies though."

Scootaloo bounced off the bed. Dash returned to her dream of taking a nap on the world's most comfortable cloud. A few minutes later, Scootaloo bounded back into the room and bounced back on the bed. "I can't reach the cabinet."

Dash sighed, yawned and stretched. "Okay, squirt. I'll get you your rice krispies." She tossed off the blankets and stumbled off the bed. "Just let me go to the bathroom for a minute."

Once walking into the bathroom, she splashed her face with freezing water. She shivered as it struck her. It woke her right up. Scootaloo was practically about to bounce out the door. Dash wondered how she got that much energy this early in the morning as she followed Scootaloo. Scootaloo skipped down the stairs while Dash dragged her hooves. They stepped into the kitchen, Scootaloo still ahead of Dash.

Dash yawned and opened a cabinet, pulling out a big box of Rice Krispies. She sighed and picked up a box of Cheerios as well.

They're good for my heart. Got to keep the old ticker ticking. She reminded herself as she poured herself a bowl after pouring a bowl for Scootaloo. They sat down at the table together. The morning light played against the cloud walls.

Scootaloo took a big bite into her Rice Krispies. Dash took a less enthusiastic bite into her Cheerios. They weren't so bad, she decided, after swallowing them. She had to be at work by eight. Then, she had that race at around four after her six hour shift. Four was a good time. That would give her a chance to stretch and limber up.

Scootaloo munched on her Rice Krispies. "Say, Dash?"

Dash took a swig of milk. "Yeah Squirt?"

"So...I don't like reading much, but I was at the library for a school thing and I was looking at this cool book I found about flight moves."

"Uh-huh."

"And I saw this really cool move, the triple cork screw."

"Oh, that is a fun one," Dash mused.

Scootaloo once more turned those pleading eyes on Dash. "Could we try it?"

Dash nearly choked on her Cheerios. "No way, nuh-uh, absolutely not."

Scootaloo pouted. "Come on, I've been getting a lot better! Can't you teach me at least one trick?"

"You're not ready. Sorry, Squirt, that's just the way it is." She put down her milk. "Give it another month."

"How about just one cork-screw?"

Dash rolled her eyes. "Not ready. Not having this conversation."

"I can sort of fly now!"

Dash groaned. "Sort of. Sort of is the key word there. You can barely keep a straight line as a flight pattern." She winced. "Sorry, that was a little mean. But those tricks, they can be dangerous. I've watched a lot of young, cocky, pegasii get themselves hurt."

Scootaloo looked up at her with a pleading expression. "But you'd be there. You'd keep me safe!"

Dash opened her mouth, closed it. "You're putting a lot of trust in me, Squirt."

"I do trust you."

Dash stirred her cheerios. "Look, Squirt, a month from now I'm sure you'll be ready. We are dropping this conversation."

Scootaloo groaned. "Fine!" She angrily scooped up her Rice Krispies.

The rest of the meal went by in silence. Scootaloo sulked and Dash felt like sulking herself. Scootaloo just didn't understand how dangerous those tricks were, how it could injure or even kill a Pegasus who wasn't ready for it. She stood once she'd finished her breakfast and carried her bowl and glass to the sink, washing them.

Scootaloo was still stirring her Rice Krispies.

"I got to get to work. I'll carry you to school on the way there."

"Okay." Scootaloo mumbled. She put aside her own plate, hopping into the air to put the dishes in the sink. Dash would almost have said she was trying to make some sort of point. Once that was done, she clambered onto Dash's back. Dash sailed out the front door and into the early morning air. It was cool in a refreshing way.

They sailed past the clouds and over the town of Ponyville, which was just beginning to stir. A few ponies were already up and walking the streets. The market wasn't yet set up yet, but their were a few fillies and colts being walked to school by their parents or guardians. Dash spotted Applejack, walking towards the school house with Apple Bloom right beside her.

Apple Bloom excitedly waved over to Scootaloo. Dash landed and Scootaloo hopped off her back, going to greet her friend.

Applejack tipped her hat. "Howdy, RD."

"Hey, AJ. What's up?"

They started trotting on the trail that led to the old school house. "Oh, nothin' much. Just gonna be workin' on the west field. You still up for that javelin toss Saturday?"

"You know it." She playfully shoulder bumped the farmer.

Meanwhile, the two younger ponies had trotted on ahead. Apple Bloom had known Scootaloo for a long time now and always knew when something was up. She patted her back. "Everything alright with ya?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Fine. Just got in a little fight with Rainbow Dash, but its totally fine."

Sweetie Belle pranced up as they neared the school house. "You don't sound fine. Trust me, I know about fights with sisters. Spill."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yeah, Scoots. We can help."

"Okay. I want Dash to teach me some tricks, but she won't do it. Says I'm not ready."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah see. Ah remember when Ah was a littler filly, I wanted ta learn to apple buck. But Applejack said ah wasn't ready. So one day, Ah decided to do it anyway. Apples fell right on my head, nearly knocked me out cold. But after that, Applejack showed me a few things."

"Hey! That's a great idea!" Sweetie Belle piped up. By this point the light red, one room school house had come into view. Rarity was trying to convince Applejack to get her mane styled so the three adults paid no mind to the talking fillies. "You should try doing a trick and once you do it, you can show Dash that you really are ready!"

"Ah don't know, those apples hurt a whole lot-"

Scootaloo rubbed her chin. "That is a great idea! Thanks Apple Bloom!"

"Now you wait just one minute-"

It was too late. Scootaloo waved good bye to Dash and scampered inside the school. The remaining Crusaders waved goodbye to their own sisters (as well as exchanging nuzzles) before following Scootaloo.

...
Scootaloo had a hard time focusing on her schoolwork that day. While Cheerilee droned on and on about their reading assignments and the life cycle of a caterpillar and something about differential equations all Scootaloo could think about was what trick she could do to impress Rainbow Dash. Thinking about impressing Rainbow Dash was something she hadn't done in a long time, but there had been a point in her young life where she'd done little else.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day. Scootaloo bounced out of her chair, borrowed Apple Bloom's notes and nearly ran out the door. She even hopped and flapped a little as she went outside. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had to run to catch up with her.

Apple Bloom tapped her shoulder. "So, you're really going to do it? You sure about this?"

Scootaloo gave a cheeky grin. "Oh yeah. I even know which trick I'm going to do!"

"Because some of those tricks look mighty dangerous, I've seen Dash doing some when she's over playin' around with my sister."

"Look, Apple Bloom, I got this."

"Yeah, Apple Bloom." Sweetie Belle piped up. "She's been Dash's student for a long time now, right? As long as its something simple you should be okay!"

"Should be." Apple Bloom muttered. She patted Scootaloo's shoulder. "Good luck. Ah gotta help Applejack with the west field."

"I can watch you do the trick! It should be fun!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Great. Hop on. Bye Apple Bloom!"

Sweetie Belle hopped on Scootaloo's scooter and soon they were tearing off down the road. Scootaloo tore down the roads, zooming past the market stalls and using several obstacles as ramps to launch her scooter into the air. Sweetie Belle squeaked as she shouted and grasped onto Scootaloo.

"Sorry about that." Scootaloo took her scooter past a rock in the road and adjusted it back on course. They soon left the town far behind. "I'll slow down for you."

Sweetie Belle panted. "G-great!"

Soon, they had left the town far behind. Past Ponyville was a series of rolling meadows, an expanse of grasslands. Some ponies grazed there, but few ponies liked the taste of uncultivated grass so it was rare. No one cared for it or cut it. It had a well-worn hoof path that Scootaloo used to take her to the training field.

The training grounds had a single, spreading oak tree. Scootaloo pointed to it as Sweetie Belle dismounted the scooter. "That's what I'll use."

...
Dash stretched and yawned again. She held the pencil in her hoof as she read the incident report. There had been a wild storm coming from the Everfree. They had dealt with it and then they had placed clouds for a light rain storm over Sweet Apple Acres and the carrot farm owned by Golden Harvest. Now, she just had to fill out this paperwork and she would be able to go home.

She whistled as she signed her name. Then she rose from the chair, left her office and handed the incident report to her boss who looked it over and dismissed her with a nod. Dash thought about taking a nap, then dismissed the idea. She needed to go over to the training ground. While it was a terrible idea to do an intense training session two days in a row, she could still get some stretching in as well as some light exercises.

She sailed away from the weather factory and into the blue sky, flying past some clouds. She soared over the roof tops of Ponyville, the humble, pointed, thatched roofs, the cake-like decorations that covered the bakery of Sugarcube Corner. The scents of baked goods nearly tempted her, but she had had a large lunch.

She flew over the fields of the Great Expanse. The grass whooshed as she flew by. Her ears picked up a fillyish squeal of delight. It sounded very familiar. It was Sweetie Belle, Dash had spent enough time around Rarity's kid sister to recognize it.

Crusaders are up to something... A wry grin spread across her face. Wonder if I should alert the Fire Department and the Royal Guard?

She flew closer, passing the Expanse and leaving it behind in a matter of seconds. She came up on the training ground. Scootaloo had managed to climb onto a low branch. Her scooter was parked at the side of the hoof path. Sweetie Belle was watching her. "Do it again!" She squeaked.

Dash raised an eyebrow wondering what it was Sweetie Belle wanted Scootaloo to do again. She hovered in midair, watching from afar. Scootaloo got into a rather clumsy position, lifting up her forehooves and angling her wings.

Dash's eyes widened.

Scootaloo arched her back as if stretching out her muscles. Dash recognized the stance instantly. Suddenly, Scootaloo leapt from the branch, shooting straight up into the air. Dash felt her heart leap and darted forward. She almost missed as Scootaloo twisted, doing an incredibly awkward corkscrew. She landed on her hooves. Dash landed in front of her and affixed her with a piercing glare.

Scootaloo looked up and noticed her. She gulped. Dash looked over at Sweetie Belle and smiled. "Sweetie Belle, why don't you go...somewhere and do something?"

"Oh, um, I just remembered I have a thing at a place!" She scampered away.

Scootaloo gulped again. "I, um, I-"

"Don't want to hear it, Squirt." Dash lifted a hoof. "The one smart thing you did was have a friend watch you. And for your information the only reason you didn't snap your neck is because of how slow you were going. And the reason having a friend present was smart is so she could have gotten a doctor when not if you hurt yourself."

She wasn't yelling. She was saying everything with an intense, eerie calm.

Scootaloo's ears folded back and she took a step back. Dash took a step closer. "And the only reason I'm not going to spank you or take away your scooter for a month is because..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Is because I owe you an apology."

Her ears perked up. "You owe me an apology?"

"I sure do, Squirt." She pat Scootaloo's shoulder. "Why don't we go sit down?"

Scootaloo followed her mentor. They sat down beneath the branches of the oak tree. Dash closed her eyes and breathed before laying down. Scootaloo lay down beside her. "You are ready, Scootaloo. You are. I saw that when you tried that trick just then. I've seen it for a while now. I haven't been ready to teach you."

"How come?"

"Because I once pressured a friend into something before she was ready and I've had to live with that guilt every day." She closed her eyes again. "It was back at flight school. I was tutoring Fluttershy. I pressured her into doing a trick that was above her level." Even as Dash said it, she heard the shout, the sickening crunch of bone snapping. "I thought she could do it. I wanted her to do it, to reach her potential. She crashed. Broke her leg. Ever since then, she's been scared of flying. Well, she already was. I made it worse. It's why I sometimes like to get her flying. To make up for what I did."

Scootaloo wiped away Dash's tears.

"But you're not Fluttershy. And you are ready." She flicked her tail, playfully swatting Scootaloo's rump and then rose. "So, let's get you doing those tricks."

Scootaloo grinned broadly and bounced up, saluting Dash. "Yes, ma'am!"

"By the way, I am going to punish you. We're not leaving this field until you do that trick right."

Scootaloo's enthusiasm dampened just a bit. As punishments went, it wasn't the worst though. "Hey, wait, don't we have to go back to my house and get my stuff?"

Dash brought her hoof to her face. "Ah, you're right. It can wait till tomorrow."

She drew Scootaloo into a hug which Scootaloo returned. "Hop on my back, I'll fly you to your house."

...

Scootaloo stood in the middle of her bedroom. Wonderbolts posters were all over the walls. A shelf held all of her dolls, including the Rainbow Dash doll Miss Rarity had made for her. While flying, Dash had made a slight detour and picked her up a travel bag from Dash's own closet. It was blue and decorated with lightning bolts.

Scootaloo picked up the dolls, putting them carefully in the bag along with the posters. Oak and Dash both stood in the hallway.

"So, you're really okay with all this?" Dash asked, nodding to Scootaloo.

Oak nodded. She pulled out a piece of paper from her saddle bag. "It'll just be till I get some things straight. You were right before, Miss Dash. I was neglecting her."

"At least you're being honest." Dash took the offered piece of paper and unfurled it. It was a photograph of an orange pegasus stallion. Dash saw the resemblance immediately.

"This is her father." Oak whispered this into her ear. "When she's old enough, give her this photograph."

Dash slipped the photograph into her saddle bag. "I will."

"Thank you for taking care of her." Oak glanced at Scootaloo.

The filly was standing, looking around her room. Her bag was full of her dolls, her posters, a few photographs. "I think that's everything." She looked back to her mom and Scootaloo. Suddenly, she rushed forward and gave Oak a hug. Oak returned it. Then, Scootaloo left the room. She passed the living room. The ancestral altar sat in the back of the room. Unlike the heavily decorated altar of Dash's clan, this altar only had a single rose as an offering and was covered in a thick layer of dust.

Scootaloo paused and pulled out a wildflower from her saddle bag. She laid it on the altar, bowing her head. "Good bye, Grandma. Good bye, my ancestors."

Oak and Scootaloo watched. Sootaloo turned and took Dash's hoof. Together, they trotted away from the house. Scootaloo and Dash both waved good-bye to Oak who waved back to them before disappearing into her house.

Scootaloo paused. "There's one more thing I got to do." She scampered away, around the side of the house. Curious, Dash followed her. The backyard was dominated by a large and spreading maple tree. Its trunk was vast and thick and its branches, covered in vibrant green leaves, reached over the yard.

A collection of coins and flowers around it marked it as a sacred tree, probably honored for generations by Scootaloo's clan. Scootaloo approached it, knelt her head once and laid a flower at its trunk. "Thank you." She whispered. Then she turned to Dash. "When my parents would fight I used to come out here and pray that I would find a place away from all the fighting." Her expression turned from reverent to cheerful. "Now I have you. My prayers were answered so I thought I should say thanks."

Dash swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah, Squirt. You got me."

Scootaloo pranced over to her. As they walked away, Dash wrapped a wing over Scootaloo's shoulders.

...
Poseidon's Peak was a very large, granite mountain that rose from the earth and seemed to pierce the heavens. A ring of mist and cloud eternally covered it and it cast a shadow over the valley below it. After setting up a guest bedroom for Scootaloo it was her and Dash's next destination.

As they flew over the clouds and towards the great mountain, Scootaloo held on to Dash.

"Say, Squirt, you're sure about all this right? Moving in with me?"

Scootaloo looked up from where she'd rested her head in Dash's mane. "Sure am!"

"Good." Dash veered towards the mountain. Blaze and Wildfire were already there. They greeted their daughter with cheeky grins. Scootaloo hopped off Dash's back and found a seat for herself on a rock. She was grinning widely, in anticipation of the race. The valley wasn't even visible from this height, just clouds for miles.

Dash hoof bumped her parents. "So, ready to lose?"

"I don't know, are you?" Blaze shot back.

"You both had better be." Wildfire shot back.

They paused, then started laughing.

"Okay, enough trash talk. Let's get started." Blaze pointed to a far off cloud. "Whoever gets to that cloud first wins."

"On the count of three. One, two, three!" Wildfire took off first, at first leaving the other two in the wake of her dust. Dash and Blaze took off behind her. Dash soon overtook both of them, letting her wings catch a thermal and soaring past. Blaze flapped his mighty wings and soared up next to her. Wildfire grit her teeth at being left behind.

She turned, twirling in midair and going into a corkscrew. Dash and Blaze were caught off guard and the gust of wind brought on by the flap of Wildfire's wing nearly sent Dash tumbling. Dash steadied herself and darted forward. Blaze darted forward after her and for a while both tried to pass the other while Wildfire steadily moved forwards.

With a hard flap of her wings, Dash passed Blaze and came up on Wildfire's left. "Just me and you huh, squirt?"

"I'm gonna win this!" Dash tried to soar past her, but Wildfire soared a few inches ahead every time Dash tried to pass her. While the two mares both tried to pass each other, Blaze took his time and paced himself. Suddenly, he rushed forward, spreading his magnificent wings to their full length and passed both of them.

Dash felt his feather's brush her face as he sped past her. "Hey! Oh, come on!"

Blaze laughed, exulting in the feel of the wind as it rushed through his mane. Dash and Wildfire shared a look and then zoomed past him. Blaze was thrown off balance, but quickly found his balance again. He rushed upwards, a signature move he'd had in the Wonderbolts. He rushed downwards and was once more in the lead.

Mother and daughter rivalry forgotten, Wildfire and Dash soared together, both turning into a corkscrew. The wind stirred up by the twists sent Blaze sprawling.

"Sorry, dear!" Wildfire giggled as she corkscrewed past him.

Blaze was nearly sent into a spin. It was fortunate that they were flying above nice, fluffy clouds.

Dash broke the corkscrew and used the momentum she'd gained to sail towards the finishing cloud.

Scootaloo watched from the peak of the mountain as Dash, Wildfire and Blaze, just recovered from the spin, flew together. Each pegasus tried to sail past the others, one gaining a few inches while the other fell behind. She found herself caught up in the race, intently watching every one of their moves.

She found herself wondering if she would ever be that great, if she would ever be able to fly well enough to challenge a Wonderbolt.

As the sun shone down on the clouds, turning them into a fiery field of gold, Scootaloo found herself caught up in a vision. She saw herself, an older version of herself, racing along side an older Rainbow Dash who was dressed in the blue uniform of a Wonderbolt. They raced forever towards the sun and beyond.

The vision passed. A cheer announced that Dash had hit the finish cloud, though only just barely. Scootaloo cheered for her.

Blaze landed on her other side and laid a hoof on her withers. "Next time."

"I'll look forward to it, Old Stallion."

Wildfire placed another hoof on her withers. She wiped away a layer of sweat. "Well, I have to say, you're a worthy opponent."

Dash panted. "To be completely honest? I had to give it everything I had just to keep up with you two."

Scootaloo jumped off the peak, using her wings to slow her descent. Dash, Blaze and Wildfire raced to meet her.

Dash tousled her mane. "You enjoy the race, Squirt?"

Scootaloo jumped up and down on the clouds. "It was awesome!" She kept jumping on the clouds, finding it fun and the clouds springy. She stopped and looked up at her mentor. "Say, Dash?"

"Yeah, Squirt?"

She smiled up at her mentor. "One of these days, I want to race you."

Dash smiled down at her and extended a hoof. "I'll look forward to it."

Scootaloo bumped the extended hoof.