“Ughhh… I really shouldn’t be so hung up about this…”

The last thing that Rainbow Dash wanted to do was get caught talking to themself as they flew through the mid-afternoon skies above Ponyville. However, considering how well they understood air pressures and how loud wind currents could get, they were sure that nopony could hear them from the ground. But alas, the pegasus still tried not to wince while glancing down at the landscapes below, and noticing how close some of those ponies looked from their own perspective. Rainbow knew that their worries were just paranoia, but that didn’t stop them from feeling vulnerable with their thoughts. Especially since their thoughts were related to something only Spike and Pharynx were aware of.

It’s been two weeks since Rainbow found the courage to come out to Spike and his boyfriend, and the pegasus had absolutely no regrets about confessing such a daunting secret about themself to them. Not only were they a hundred percent supportive (although given the circumstances, Dash doubted there was any chance they wouldn’t be), but General Pharynx actually went out of his way to provide the Wonderbolt with some literature related to Changeling-based hormone treatments. Rainbow may have not been an expert on how gender transition was supposed to go, but they were fairly impressed with how simple and effective the process looked on paper. Of course, the pony still knew that if they wanted to confirm anything, they had to talk with someone like Twilight first.

And because of that detail, Rainbow Dash had grown fretful while avoiding the subject ever since.

Rainbow sighed as they flew down closer to the ground, hopeful to spot somepony to help quell their panicked mindset. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the countless worries rushing through their head over what to do about coming out. They knew deep down that their friends would support them no matter what, and that only the biggest idiot would try to hassle Dash’s desire to become a stallion. But no matter how logically they tried to think things over, or reassure themself that nothing bad would occur, the pegasus couldn’t silence that nagging voice of doubt that gnawed into the deepest recesses of their mind.

“Uggghhh… come on, Dash!” they muttered under their breath through gritted teeth as they soared ever closer to ground-level. “Twilight would totally be on board with helping out! Just… Just go up to her, and tell her the truth. She won’t mock you for that, you KNOW it!!”

The pegasus then closed their eyes for a moment while flying, despite knowing how dangerous such a reckless action that was. Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash could barely think straight as that nagging doubt continued to torment their thoughts, and tried to intensify their paranoia by speaking in Twilight’s voice:

Ohhhh… Are you sure you feel that way, Rainbow? Maybe you’re just confused…

Rainbow winced sharply while gliding closer downward, and struggled not to keep thinking so negatively.

You… are aware that you can’t change chromosomes, right? You’d still be a mare, even with magic-based transitioning.

Dash gritted their teeth tightly, and clenched their eyes even tighter as those hurtful words kept flooding their head.

Why can’t you just be happy with who you are now? You’re already a Wonderbolt with a lot of friends who love you! How much will a fake penis really help?~

Dash could feel tears starting to bead at the corners of their eyes, but they tried to convince themself that it was just because of the rushing winds. But despite how fast they may have been flying just a few feet from the ground, that fake voice of Twilight’s kept feeding words into Rainbow’s head to upset them even more.

Do you really want to make your life so much harder for yourself? You know how dangerous it can be for those types of ponies during transition…

Maybe you need some more time to think this over. Obviously you haven’t thought this through enough...

How dissapointed do you think your parents would feel about this? Can you imagine how heartbroken they’d be about losing their daughter?

Just admit it, Rainbow Dash. You’re just saying this stuff for attention. Deep down, you’re not really a sta--

“RAINBOW, WATCH OUT!!!”

The instant Rainbow’s eyes shot wide-open, they gasped upon seeing the huge oak tree they were about to collide with. Very luckily for the pegasus, they were able to skew their wings quickly enough to veer away from the trunk and shoot towards the side. Unfortunately, the Wonderbolt couldn’t avoid the plethora of branches they steered towards, and was thrown off-balance by the multiple sticks that smacked them out of flight. While it was definitely an improvement from colliding with the tree at near-fatal speeds, Rainbow Dash still tumbled down to the ground hard enough to elicit a panicked shriek from the filly who shouted earlier.

“OH NO!!!” Scootaloo skidded to a halt on their scooter, and tried to rush off and help while Rainbow was tossed like a ragdoll across the field beside the tree. “RAINBOW, HOLD ON!! I’M COMING!!!”

Rainbow Dash finally came to a screeching halt about fifty yards from the tree, their body notably battered from how many times they rolled following that collision. Even though it wasn’t the worst crash the Wonderbolt experienced by a mile, they still groaned painfully while their head spun from such a jarring impact. Fortunately, even though Dash couldn’t process how injured they really were, they were able to hear Scootaloo frantically running towards them while shrieking. “Rainbow, PLEASE say something! Are you okay?! Oh my gosh, what happened?!?”

“Urrrrghhhh…” Rainbow may have suffered a severe fall that knocked them off their hooves, but they were able to roll onto their stomach and slowly process their vitals. A small clench of their hooves didn’t elicit any pain, which meant their legs probably weren’t broken. The pegasus also tried to move their wings, and sighed in relief when they didn’t feel any strain from either of those. There were definitely a lot of regions Rainbow felt that were likely going to bruise super-hard, but they couldn’t feel anything severe enough to warrant a hospital visit just yet. Instead, the Wonderbolt groaned with a sharp wince as they pulled themself up onto their hooves, and muttered under their breath, “Oh man… that was really stupid…”

Rainbow wanted to curse themself for doing something so irresponsible, since they knew how dangerous it was to fly with their eyes closed. Even if they weren’t too badly injured from the crash themself, the fact that they almost hurt Scootaloo was a detail they knew would be coming back to haunt them for a while. Fortunately, the pegasus was able to stand upright with a relieving stretch of their back, and sigh contently by the time their sorta-sister ran up to them. “Oh my gosh! Rainbow Dash, what happened?! I saw you flying in suuuuuper low, and I was just thinking you were practicing for a stunt or something! But then you were heading towards the tree, and I…”

Scootaloo had to pause to catch her breath, and held a hoof over her chest to make sure she wasn’t too winded from that frantic run into the field. But as soon as she felt her vitals settling down, the filly looked up towards her mentor with a worried pout of her lips. Rainbow couldn’t help but cringe when they saw how worried Scoots looked, and had to look away briefly in guilt. Fortunately, that reaction wasn’t enough to keep her from lunging in and hugging Dash tightly. “Mnnnghhh!! Rainbow, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

Rainbow let out a quivering breath before hugging their friend just as tightly. “I-It’s okay, Squirt,” they said reassuringly while hugging the filly. They could feel Scootaloo’s back convulsing a little against their hooves, which made them wince from the fact that she was most likely trying not to cry. That made the Wonderbolt double-down and hold the filly even tighter against their chest. “Scoot, I’m really sorry I freaked you out like that. I was acting stupid, and I… I really wish I kept my focus back there.”

Scootaloo gave a light nod of her head while it was nestled within Dash’s chest floof. However, she was then able to huff briefly as she pulled away from the pegasus, and wiped her cheeks with a hoof before smiling up at her. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re so tough~” she said with a slightly more confident tone and a light smirk. “Sometimes I forget you’re stronger than most of the stallions in your fleet!”

“Pbbt! Oh, come on,” Dash jeered with a scoff and a roll of their eyes. “You don’t have to say that.” Even though they certainly weren’t the type to feel bashful, their mindset was still a bit winded to feel so confident towards their Number One Fan. However, the Wonderbolt did feel a strong twinge of pride at hearing Scootaloo make such a positive claim. After a moment, Rainbow began to blush as they sighed and gave in to the filly’s praise. “... Buuuuutttttt… I guess I can’t exactly deny that idea either~”

The two shared a brief giggle, and remained side-by-side as they headed back towards the dirt road and the filly’s scooter. Rainbow grunted in slight discomfort upon feeling a couple notches of pain in their upper thighs, but they were able to soldier on without any audible complaint. As the two walked back across the field, Dash tilted their head as they noticed that Scootaloo had a wheeled wardrobe rack strapped to the back of her transport. And on that rack housed at least a dozen different dresses that would’ve made Rarity gush like mad.

Despite their gender dysphoria and recent intrusive thoughts, Rainbow couldn’t say that they were triggered by the sight of such girly clothing hanging in a multicolored row of lace and satin. However, the pegasus still winced a little from how garrish those clashing colors looked in a jumbled mishmash. But alas, Dash kept their opinions on the dresses to themself while glancing back towards Scootaloo. “So, ummm… I’m guessing you’re off to do a Cutie Mark mission or something?” they asked the filly, secretly hopeful that those dresses weren’t all for her. They certainly didn’t mind the idea of Scoots being girly sometimes, but Rainbow couldn’t imagine her looking that stellar in any of those poofy garments.

“Yeah, pretty much,” replied Scootaloo with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked back at Rainbow with a casual smile and explained, “Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are getting stuff for the job too, but I was asked to get dresses since my scooter can tow it.”

“Well, that’s cool,” they said with a genuinely happy tone as they gave her a light nudge with their wing. “Lemme guess: You girls are helping somepony with a makeover or something?”

Scootaloo gave a light shrug of her shoulders instead of a confident nod. “Ehhh… It’s sorta like that…” She then paused briefly enough for Rainbow to see the filly’s smile skew noticeably. “But, umm… I probably shouldn’t say too much about it. The pony we’re helping is kinda… worried about being outed, I think?”

Rainbow Dash’s brows rose upon hearing her say something like that. Even though they knew better than most ponies how important privacy really is, the fact that Scootaloo actually used a term like “outed” caught their interest. Was the CMC’s task related to something similar to Dash’s? Was there another pony dealing with the same issues? And if so, what were Scootaloo and the others planning to do to help?

The last thing that Rainbow wanted to do was intervene, or press their luck by intruding on something their friend wasn’t too keen on discussing openly. However, the Wonderbolt felt compelled to at least try and get some more info on the matter. Even if they didn’t know who the pony was, they wanted to make sure Scootaloo was doing the right thing in regards to them. “Well, ummm… If you’re worried about them being exposed or anything, I won’t ask who it is.”

Scootaloo sighed before pursing her lips shut, clearly not too comforted by her hero’s assuring statement. The filly’s uneasy expression made Rainbow look wary as well, and kept them from saying anything else for a moment. During that brief bout of awkward silence, Scoots shrugged uncomfortably and scratched the back of her neck with a skewed muzzle. “I… I know you won’t say anything, alright? And I… I don’t want you to think I don’t trust you, because I do. I really do. It’s just…”

That response worried Dash even more, but they bit their lips shut to keep from saying anything too soon. Fortunately, that decision proved to be the right one, since it helped give Scootaloo enough time to add following her pause, “Well… the girls and I are putting a lot on the line from doing this plan, and I don’t… I really don’t want him to think we--HHHH!!”

Scootaloo gasped and covered her mouth with both hooves, even though that accidental slip was heard by Rainbow. The older pegasus didn’t say anything, and tried their hardest not to raise their brows in surprise from hearing that pronoun. The filly looked utterly horrified by that slip, and exhaled sharply as soon as she put her hooves back down. “Crap!” she hissed under her breath as she turned her head away from Rainbow, clearly more guilty about saying “Him” than that light expletive.

“Hey, hey…” Rainbow raised their hoof slowly, and kept their tone as calm as possible to try and settle the filly down. “I… I’m not gonna say anything, Scoot. I’m the Element of Loyalty, you know I wouldn’t do you wrong like that.”

Scootaloo huffed before lowering her head, hopeful she could hide her pained wince from Dash. “I know that,” she said firmly while holding a hoof over her eyes, sounding as if she was more upset at herself than anything else. She sighed once more before adding in a less intense tone, “I’m sorry, I just… I promised I wouldn’t say a thing about it, and now… now I feel like a jerk.”

“Oh, Scootaloo…” Rainbow felt genuinely bad for the filly’s mistake, and didn’t hesitate to pull Scootaloo in for a much deserved hug. Despite a little resistance from her, Dash was able to hold her rightly against their chest and say assuredly, “I promise you, you didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t say anything to break the pony’s trust in you, alright? I have no idea who it is, and I swear to you I won’t tell a soul about it.”

Rainbow hoped that deep down, Scootaloo would understand that her mentor was right about their assuring words. Even if the pegasus knew that those dresses were meant for a boy, they still had no way to really guess who it could be (or even if the pony was really a boy). Unfortunately, they could still hear Scootaloo sniffle audibly from what she accidentally said. Dash could definitely understand why it would make her so distressed, but they still smiled warmly when they pulled back and began to speak down at her.

“If you want me to be honest, Squirt? I’m really proud of you for taking this so seriously. Secrets can be a huge thing to carry sometimes. Especially other ponies’ secrets. I know you might feel bad, but believe me when I say it could’ve been a lot worse. I’m not judging you at all, and I highly doubt whomever you’re helping will judge you too badly as well.”

Scootaloo still had her lips tightly pursed shut, but she still breathed through her nostrils before looking up at them with a weak-looking smile. After the filly nodded her head in understanding, Dash stepped back to say with a more confident smile, “And you know what? I’m willing to prove that by doing something I usually only do with my Elements…”

Rainbow Dash cleared their throat, and took a breath before raising their hoof to deliver the proper motions of a Pinkie Promise. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. I promise you that I will never tell a soul what you told me, alright? And I also promise you that you’re still an awesome friend, and anypony would be lucky to have someone like you.”

Scootaloo’s eyes were widened quite a bit from hearing the Wonderbolt say such a comforting promise, and her lips curled upward even more while trembling at the corners. Even though a couple tears were beading at the corners of her eyes, the filly managed to keep her composure while nodding her head again. Rainbow then went in to hug her tightly, which resulted in Scoots returning the gesture with an equal amount of adoration in her grip.

After a long moment was spent in embrace, Scootaloo was the first to pull back while sniffling and wiping her cheeks with a hoof. Rainbow didn’t say anything snarky on the matter, and just waited while smiling proudly at her. The filly may have still looked a little overly emotional, but her smile was much more natural-looking from Dash’s perspective. Because of that, the pegasus hoped that she felt more comfortable as they asked, “So… you feel alright, kiddo?”

Scootaloo nodded as she let out a more relaxed sigh, and held a hoof against her chest to help quell her racing heart. “Y… Yeah, I’m alright…”

“Awesome!” Rainbow then motioned towards Scootaloo’s transport, and waited for her to comply by following them back to the road. As the two went back to trotting side-by-side, Dash treaded carefully as they asked, “So… without giving any personal info away… you and the girls are helping this pony out with dresses?”

Scootaloo lowered her head as she blushed sheepishly, but she seemed less upset by the pegasus’ question as she nodded and replied, “Ummm… yeah, kinda. The pony, uhh… they’re really good at modeling and makeup, and other girly stuff like that. But… they don’t feel like they should do that hobby since it’s totally different from their cutie mark.”

Rainbow shrugged sympathetically and replied, “Hey, I can totally understand that mentality. Like… remember when you and your friends caught me at that spa getting a hoof massage?~”

Even though Scootaloo cringed in embarrassment from that reminder, she still giggled before smiling back at her. “Yeah, exactly! I mean… I don’t blame the pony for thinking he shouldn’t do it, but… we really want them to feel comfortable in doing something that makes them so happy.”

That response made Rainbow feel even prouder in their friend, and they smiled wider while blushing at the cheeks. “Hey, that’s a really good idea. I mean… even if the pony doesn’t accept the gesture, I’m sure they’ll appreciate having that kind of support.”

“That’s what Sweetie Belle said!~” chirped Scootaloo as her tone grew more chipper. Due to the lingering blush the little pegasus had across her cheeks, Dash couldn’t deny how contagious that cute little smile really was. Meanwhile, the filly was able to speak more casually on the matter by adding, “I mean… I was a little worried since the pony is still living with their parents, and… we really didn’t want to try anything that would get him caught or in trouble by them.”

Rainbow Dash nodded once more, their muzzle briefly clenched to indicate how well they knew that feeling. “Yeah, I… I can’t say I can blame you for being cautious about that. Hopefully you three have that planned out?”

“Uh-huh,” nodded Scootaloo as she kept her confident-looking smile. “Apple Bloom already made sure the pony’s parents will be out of the house for a few hours, and Sweetie checked the house for all the exit points. She also borrowed the clothing rack from Rarity so we can just push it out if we need to.”

“That’s really smart!” Dash said with an honest tone and a caring glance back at her. “And I gotta say, it’s really cool that you’re going out of your way to do something like this.”

“Thanks,” replied Scootaloo as she blushed a little deeper, and looked away in bashfulness for a brief couple of seconds. “I dunno, it just… It feels like the right thing to do for him. I mean… even if he feels scared to do it now, we just… we want the pony to feel like they can do it safely as soon as they live on their own as an adult.”

Despite knowing fully well that Scootaloo was responsible enough to be considered an adult, Rainbow was surprisingly impressed at how mature the filly’s reasonings were. Not to mention, the fact that she was doing all of this for somepony who Dash assumed was a stallion was even more noble.The Wonderbolt wanted to congratulate her for being so considerate on the matter, or even for taking such a progressive stance in her work. But despite how proud they felt of Scootaloo, Dash wanted to make sure she was going about this plan for the right reasons. “So… just to be clear, you’re not planning to push this pony into anything they’re not comfortable with, right?”

Scootaloo glanced back at her mentor with a more studious look, clearly catching the older pony’s more serious tone. Even though it was clear she understood Dash’s concerns on the matter, she sighed before answering honestly. “Well… We’re not gonna force the pony or anything. If he doesn’t want to accept it, we’ll have everything ready to leave in a matter of seconds. We just want them to know that it is an option they have, and that… well… that there’s nothing wrong with feeling special from something that’s not on their flank.”

Rainbow nodded their head as they smiled warmly, but still felt the need to ask, “And… what are you and the girls hoping will happen?”

That question made Scootaloo smile with an optimistic blush, and she replied in a more uplifting tone of voice, “Well, obviously we hope he doesn’t kick us out. But after that, we… we kinda hope the pony will at least try some of the things we’re bringing them. I mean… at the end of the day, we really don’t think he should feel like he has to keep from doing something because it’s not expected, you know? Like… nobody expected Spike to be gay, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less of an awesome guy to hang out with. And… if a pony wants to do things more expected from the other gender, that shouldn’t be a big deal either. Ponies should be happy no matter what, and… I’d rather try to help than to waste my time judging them.”

Rainbow couldn’t have felt better about hearing their friend say such a comforting thing, and their smile was as wide as it was grateful. Scootaloo may have not realized it, but she said just what the older pegasus needed to hear prior to that crash. “Yeah, I… I agree with you one hundred percent, Squirt~”

Scootaloo beamed with pride from hearing her hero’s praise, and blushed just as deeply as the Wonderbolt she was walking beside. By the time the two reached her scooter, Rainbow held her in close for another hug as they said with genuine love in their voice, “Scootaloo… I couldn’t have picked a better pony to make a fan club for. I know I already told you I was proud of you, but… I seriously think you’re just as awesome as me.”

Scootaloo tightly hugged the pony in return, looking just as thankful for the kind words as Dash felt about hers. After the two pulled back again, the filly huffed under her breath to keep from showing how overwhelmed with emotion she may have felt. As she sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg, Scootaloo’s smile remained as she exclaimed weakly, “Wow, I… I’m not gonna lie, Rainbow. I really didn’t expect you to be so happy about this.”

Rainbow blushed more notably from that truthful statement, and shrugged as they tried to play it off casually. “Well, I… let’s just say, you’re… you’re helping more than just that pony.”

Scootaloo tilted her head in slight confusion, unsure what their mentor was talking about. But before she could try to ask, Dash leaned in to ruffle Scootaloo’s mane with their hoof. The filly giggled from that unexpected gesture, and tried to pull away while Rainbow added, “B-But don’t worry about right now, kiddo. I got some stuff to do anyway, so I’ll let you get to your duties too.”

“Hehehe… A-Alright, thanks.” After Rainbow pulled their hoof away, Scootaloo tried give a faux-annoyed glance up at them. Unfortunately, the filly’s smile couldn’t really be extinguished that easily after that mane-mussing. However, Dash’s playfulness didn’t distract her enough to ask, “So… what are you planning to do today.”

Rainbow stayed silent for a moment, and took a breath as they processed that innocent question. They could’ve easily said it was a personal matter (which would’ve been true), and have Scootaloo instantly understand due to their discussion. But as the brief couple of seconds passed between them, it wasn’t long before Dash huffed and decided to give her a little insight for now. “Ummm… I was kinda thinking about talking with Twilight about something I’ve been doing research on. It’s… it’s not really a big deal, but… I promise I’ll tell you about it later on…”

Scootaloo didn’t try to press the matter, and just nodded before getting back onto her scooter. “Well, hopefully that works out for you, Dash!~”

“You too, Scoot,” nodded the pony as they waved back at her and waited for her to make her departure with a flap of her little wings. After the two gave their goodbyes, and the filly raced off to make it to her job, Rainbow waited a while before shooting back up into the skies. Instead, they looked around the flawless landscape as they processed their friend’s noble words, and also the weightlessness they felt after hearing them. The pegasus took a deep breath, and smiled more contently as they said to themself. “Y… You too...”

Author's Notes:

This is a Patreon-suggested chapter by nfreak.