"Time to get up Scoot, you can't just sleep all day," Rainbow Dash hypocritically said with her eyes still closed and a pillow over her face.

Scootaloo let out a few moans and groans before sitting up to glare at the intrusive pegasus. "I'm up..."

Rainbow stood up off the bed and cracked her neck, then hid her red tired eyes behind a pair of sunglasses. "What time do you have to be back before you get in trouble?"

"Hmm, lets see. Like fifteen hours ago." Scootaloo fell backwards on the bed and placed her hooves over her aching eyes, dreading the punishment to come.

"So does that mean we can sleep in today?" Rainbow asked, plopping back down onto the bed.

"Sure why not, maybe I can just drop out of school and be homeless. Sound good?!" Scootaloo retorted.

"Jeez, cranky much? Whatever, just get up and lets go already." Rainbow stepped over empty bottles and made her way into the club.

Scootaloo attempted to fix her mane and followed. The two entered the main cloud chamber and realized everything had already been cleaned up. The barmare was still there, cleaning and organizing the bar, the sets, and stages. She was whistling a high pitched cheery tune that sounded like a shrill screech to Rainbow.

"Please, stop that whistling before somepony gets hurt." Rainbow rubbed her head with a hoof.

"Oh, good morning Dash. You and your little friend sleep well?" The barmare smiled down at Scootaloo, who just rolled her eyes at being called little.

"I'm not sure, but I could really use some coffee."

"Sure thing Dash, help yourself back in the breakroom. You know where it is." The barmare went back to her chores.

Rainbow Dash made her way back behind the bar and into the employee lounge, an area she was once very familiar with. She looked up at the clock and to her surprise it was already past three in the afternoon. She then poured herself and Scootaloo a cup of coffee, hoping to wake herself up a bit more before the flight home. Rainbow quickly swallowed the hot bitter liquid, while Scootaloo took hesitant sips.

"Slow down there kiddo, you know, they say coffee stunts your wing growth," Rainbow playfully teased.

Scootaloo's eyes widened and she spit a small sip back into the cup. "Can we just go now?"

"Sure thing kid, I just have one more thing to do. Wait here." Rainbow trotted back into the club while Scootaloo groaned and impatiently waited.

Rainbow walked up to the pink maned barmare. "Hey there gorgeous, what do I owe you?"

"Come on Dash, tell me what you're buying first."

"Okay, the kid, the drinking, the secret, and anything else that I might be forgetting that you think I'd want to buy." Rainbow put on a slick smile.

"Ninety."

"What?! Seriously... Come on Sugarcake, how long have you known me?"

"I gotta make my bits off you somehow right?"

"Whatever, but don't expect me back here for a while." Rainbow scoffed and returned to Scootaloo with her ears lowered.

Sugarcake just rolled her eyes and smiled, then continued sweeping.

"Alright, get up! Let's go!" Rainbow shouted at the migraine-inflicted Scootaloo.

"Shush, I'm ready when you are." The little pegasus trotted up to her side.

Rainbow wrapped a wing around her neck and led her to the balcony of the club.

"We're going to do this the fast way alright? So lay down on your back and grab on tight."

Scootaloo did as instructed. Rainbow stood over her and lowered her body so that Scootaloo could wrap her hooves tightly around her neck. Once secure, Rainbow jumped over the edge of the balcony and spread her wings. With Scootaloo's added weight, she quickly gained speed as she nosedived straight towards the ground. After a minute or two of gaining velocity, she sharply pulled up leveled out with the ground. Ponyville was approaching quickly as Rainbow's speed began to slow. Eventually she came to a trotting stop along a dirt road just outside the city. Scootaloo let go and fell flat on her back, knocking the air out of herself. Rainbow stood off to the side and barely contained her laughter as Scootaloo held on to her stomach and rolled over on her side.

"How's that for a thrill ride?" Rainbow laughed.

"... Shhh. I think I'm gonna be..." Scootaloo pressed her hooves over her mouth and tightly closed her eyes.

"Awe, get up ya pansy. We've gotta get you back home before that bitch of a counselor freaks out on you again."

"She's already going to... Just give me a minute alright?!" Scootaloo drearily stumbled to her hooves.

Rainbow quickly led her to the group-home in which she currently lived. She paused a good distance from the entrance and turned to face Scootaloo.

"You're not going to have to live here forever, trust me okay?" Rainbow's eyes were sincere, although she knew may be making a promise she couldn't keep.

"Look Dash, I know what you're trying to do. But you can hardly take care of yourself, how are you going to take care of me? Not that I wouldn't be fine living in a Manehatten back-alley if it meant I could stay with you, I just wouldn't want to see you go through anything that would change who you are."

Rainbow Dash took a moment to reflect on those words. "Why are you like that, huh kid? Look, everything's going to work out. Everything always works out. Now I have some business to take care of with Pinkie, so you head in there and deal with whatever crap you have to take, and I'll deal with mine, alright?"

Rainbow laughed at the nervous Scootaloo, who gulped before working up the nerve to head inside.

Scootaloo paused again, not knowing what to expect or how afraid she should really be. She had never spent the night away without permission before, and the last time she was late checking in...

"You alright Scoot? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Dash, you don't wanna know..."

"Psh, whatever. I'll go in with you if you want."

"No no, that's fine! I got this..." Ignoring her, Rainbow Dash quickly headed inside to greet Scootaloo's counselor.

Each member of the group home was assigned one of five counselors, each of which were notoriously known for their lack of respect and bureaucratic coldhearted ways. To them, these young colts and fillies were nothing but numbers and a paycheck.

"Hey, I need to talk to Scootaloo's counselor." Rainbow placed her hooves on the receptionists desk.

"I am her counselor. I presume you're here to explain her absence last night?" The stoic mare held her sharp expression.

"Yeah, well, I was helping her with her flying lessons and studying last night. I talked to Cheerilee already so you can confirm it with her. I know I should have reported it to you guys but it slipped my mind. So if you want to be mad at anypony, be mad at me." Rainbow held a responsible tone and stood up straight.

"Very well, I suppose I can let it slide this once. Simply because I don't have the time to deal with that one today. I have more promising individuals to attend to." The mare then rolled away in her chair over to another desk with stacks of paperwork.

Rainbow swallowed her anger and took a deep breath. You better hope I never catch you alone...

Scootaloo was standing below the desk behind Rainbow Dash, silently begging her not to say anything else. Rainbow hopped down and kissed Scootaloo on the forehead.

"You're all good kiddo, I'll see ya later today, okay? Promise." Scootaloo nodded in response and quietly headed into her room.

Rainbow Dash flew off to go see Pinkie, and hoped to work out some issues she had time to think about last night. At the very least, she wanted to salvage their friendship.

Scootaloo quietly closed the door and collapsed onto her small bed. Something told her she wasn't off the hook that easily, but was relieved Rainbow actually covered for her, something she'd never have imagined before. After a moment to relax, Scootaloo knocked on the door to the room adjacent to her own. Moments later a dark brown colt answered. He was a bit taller that Scootaloo, and clearly older. His long black mane hung over his shoulders and down his back. Not only was he clearly older, but he still lacked a cutie mark. He spread his wings at the sight of Scootaloo and quickly gave her a hug.

"Oh snap! You're back? And you made past Ms. Creatch alive?"

"Hells yeah I did! I had Rainbow Dash cover for me and she was like, 'Oh I'm so sorry Miss Rainbow Dash, you won't have any trouble from me ma'am.'" Scootaloo laughed, speaking in a mocking tone.

"No way, that's so awesome!" The colt offered a hoof bump.

"I know right?! Dash is the best!"

"So what did you do all night?"

"Oh not much. We just flew up to Cloudsdale and partied all night, got trashed, and slept together." Scootaloo put on a smug smile.

"No way... That's so not fair, you should have came and got me too."

"Maybe next time, Crank. So what did you do last night?" Scootaloo smiled knowing it'd be dull in comparison.

"I just worked on another song, wanna hear it?" He raised his eyebrows and gestured towards his room with his eyes.

Scootaloo followed him into his room. He leaned up against his bed and picked up a guitar with a hoof. With his wing, he switched an amp on and began strumming with the other wing. After ensuring everything was fine tuned, he began playing. He picked up a pick in his mouth and slid it into a thin, filed out notch in his hoof. Standing on his back hooves, the strap fell softly over his shoulder and using left hoof and wing, he precisely pressed the desired frets while strumming and picking with his right wing and hoof. Scootaloo sat back and enjoyed the soft soothing sounds of the instrument being well played. Then, without warning, he stamped on a small metal device sitting on the floor next to his back hoof. The soft soothing sounds turned to harsh distorted clashes. He began rapidly picking and sliding his hoof and wing high up the neck, creating high pitched scales. Despite her searing headache, Scootaloo enjoyed it.

Suddenly, two loud pounds on the door distracted him. "Keep it down in there!"

Crank and Scootaloo shared a quiet laugh and he sat his instrument down.

"That was awesome Crank, I wish I could play like that." Scootaloo gave a halfhearted clap with her hooves.

"Just takes practice, ya know?"

"Yeah, well I'm still really tired. I'm going to take a nap alright?" Scootaloo yawned and headed back into her room.

"Sure thing, talk to ya later."

The exhausted filly fell onto her bed and rolled over, recalling the events of the previous night. She then thought about how Rainbow stood up for her in the office today. That thought hung in the back of her mind as she closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to live with her. Maybe she's actually serious about this. The hopeful little mare thought as she drifted off to sleep.

***

Rainbow Dash made her way to Sugarcube Corner hoping to find Pinkie. She walked in and was immediately greeted by Miss Cake.

"Good morning there, Ms. Dash. What can I get you?"

"Actually I was looking for Pinkie." Rainbow attempted to peek past her into the kitchen.

Miss Cake looked confused for a moment. "Well she's actually been requesting days off and disappearing all day. I kind of assumed she was with you."

"Well, she isn't... I guess I'll go look somewhere else then. Any ideas?" Rainbow asked, hoping for a place to start.

"No, no clue. But before you go, are you sure you don't want something to eat?" Rainbow's stomach growled in a timely manner.

"Uh, yeah sure. I'm pretty hungry actually. How about a cinnamon roll or something."

"Sure thing dear, just a moment." She trotted into the kitchen and pulled a fresh batch of pastries out of the oven.

Rainbow took the morning treat and thanked her with a smile. She placed the bill on her ever growing tab and trotted off. After taking a few steps down the sidewalk, she ravenously devoured her breakfast, then took flight. She flew high up into the air, hoping to catch a glimpse of that pink pony happily bouncing in the distance. With no such luck, she continued gliding through the air and decided to ask her friends if they'd seen her.

The remains of the abandoned Sweet Apple Acres wasn't far off and it caught her attention. It was depressing to see, but filled her with an empty sense of nostalgia, and often served her as a quiet place to think.

With a sharp swoop, Rainbow landed right in front of the farmhouse door. She nudged the old creaky door open and headed inside of the empty room. It was terribly weathered, the leaky roof was never properly repaired and the scheduled heavy rains had taken their toll over the years.

Rainbow trotted upstairs and entered Applejack's bedroom. She brushed her hoof along the window sill, recalling all the times she had entered and left from here. She turned to face the old bed, but it was nothing but an empty frame now. She closed her eyes and grazed her muzzle across the headboard, taking in it's familiar scent. She missed her old friend, and let out a woeful sigh. I'll see you soon, okay?

Rainbow opened the bedroom window and placed her two front hooves outside as she prepared to take off. First she stopped and looked back one last time, taking in the memories the room had to offer. She then shrugged and flew back towards town.

The next sight to catch her attention was Twilight's Library. She considered stopping there for a moment and quickly decided she'd rather not. Next stop was Fluttershy's tree home, Rainbow felt that she would at least find words of encouragement there.

She swooped down and came to an abrupt stop, skidding across the dirt trail. With a deep breath, she brushed her mane down and knocked on the door. A few seconds later Fluttershy opened the door, then quickly shut it. Rainbow tilted her head and knocked again.

The door inched open. "Oh, hi there Rainbow Dash. What brings you here?" Fluttershy shifted awkwardly and crossed her hooves while avoiding eye contact.

"I was wondering if you've seen Pinkie anywhere?" Rainbow asked slowly, looked Fluttershy over with a raised eyebrow.

"Who? Pinkie? Oh no, I haven't seen her anywhere... lately." Fluttershy quickly looked away and twiddled her hooves.

"Fluttershy, I can read you like a book. Now what I want to know is why are you lying to your oldest friend?" Rainbow let herself in and stared Fluttershy down.

"Well... um... I... I..." Fluttershy cowered and closed her eyes.

"Come on, out with it! What are you hiding?" Rainbow shouted.

"I promised Pinkie I wouldn't tell you..." Fluttershy braced herself for an attack.

Rainbow didn't react as expected. Instead her ears drooped and she lowered her eyes. "Why would Pinkie make you promise not to tell me something?"

Fluttershy detected the pain in Rainbow's voice, but couldn't bring herself to break a promise. "I don't know, please don't make me tell you. I'm sorry Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow swallowed her pride and let out a deep breath. "Fine don't tell me, just nod your head in her general direction. She'll never know it was you. I promise you that."

Fluttershy hesitated for a few moments, then nodded her head towards the Everfree Forest.

"Gotcha, thanks Shy." Rainbow gave her a quick hug and flew off.

She flew straight into the forest and decided to trot down the trail quietly. Looking down a path to the right, she saw Zecora's hut. She headed down to see if that's where Pinkie was, and nervously tapped on the hut door, not sure what to expect within.

"Ah, Rainbow Dash, what brings you hear? I had a feeling someone new was near."

"I was just looking for Pinkie Pie, have you seen her anywhere?"

"If a pink maned pony is what you meant, I saw her this morning and recall which way she went. Straight down that trail to the north, Pinkie travels daily, back and forth."

"Daily? Alright, thanks." Rainbow politely nodded her head and took off.

Zecora let out a lonely, rueful sigh and retreated back into her hut.

Rainbow calmly and quietly made her way down the trail, wondering why Pinkie would travel into the forest daily. In a clearing, she discovered a strange building. Upon further investigation she realized it was empty but somepony was definitely living there.

"Pinkie?!" Rainbow called out, but her own echo was her only reply.

"Anyone home?!" Still no answer.

She trotted around back to investigate further. There she discovered a unsettling image, there was a portrait of Pinkie Pie wrapping her front leg around a vaguely familiar blue unicorn. Rainbow carefully looked over the painting, attempting to discern the situation.

"Did she... did she leave me for this mare?" the distraught pegasus asked aloud.

Rainbow angrily grabbed the painting in her mouth and threw it to the ground, then began to stomp on it until it was completely ruined and unsalvageable. She then bit a few strands of various colors off her tail and dropped them on the tattered remains, simply to indicate she was to blame and that this was her form of repercussion.

Rainbow managed to mask her inner anguish with anger, something easier to deal with. She flew into the air and took shelter on a cloud. Staring up into the bright blue sky, her anger faded and only self pity was left in it's wake. She closed her eyes and rolled over on her side. All the happy days she spent with Pinkie filled her mind, the fun times they had, the laughs they shared, and most importantly, the love they once held for one another. Rainbow wasn't ready to give it all up, but sadly, she wasn't the one to make that choice. Shroud in self loathing, she drifted off to sleep, wishing there was a way to make everything right again.

Scootaloo woke up late in the evening. Her sleep schedule was going to be messed up for a while now. She yawned and stretched her wings out, at which time she realized she was in desperate need of a shower. As she gathered up soap and a towel, she got a knock at her door.

"Open it up."

Crank walked in, his expression unusually grim. "Hey Scoots, I got some news."

"What would that be?" She yawned again mid sentence.

"I'm gettin' out of here, and I got my cutie mark..." Crank looked down, his eyes full of tears.

Scootaloo looked over, taken aback by the usually upbeat and confident colt.

"Don't sound too happy about it." Scootaloo joked, her words soft and concerned.

Crank turned his flank to one side, revealing a spatula crossed with salad tongs. Around the image, his flank was sore and reddened. Scootaloo's heart sank. She was at a loss for words, and couldn't begin to express her sympathy.

Crank broke the silence. "Well, Ponyville needs it's fast food employees right? Someone's gotta do it..."

Scootaloo couldn't contain her tears, she trotted up to Crank and gave him a tight hug. "How did it happen?"

"I got too old. It's the CMBA, the Cutie Mark Branding Administration. If you don't get your mark in time, they'll give you one. I'll be graduating school this year, then I'm supposed start my job..."

Scootaloo hugged tighter, desperately trying to think of a solution. "What if... What if you get your real cutie mark before you finish school?"

"Can't happen... There're magic blockers of some kind in this thing, they made that clear..." Crank closed his eyes and desperately tried to remain strong in front of Scootaloo.

"The reason I'm here Scoot, is because I want you to run away. I can give you some bits, and a temporary place to hide out. But you can't let them do this to you, you're better than... than any of this."

"What will you do?" Scootaloo hesitantly asked.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. You though, I have something for you." Crank entered his room and retrieved his guitar and equipment.

"I want you to have this, as a thanks for being my best friend in this dump."

Scootaloo lowered her eyes as he set the equipment next to her bed. She began to breath heavily, "This... this isn't happening..."

"Don't worry, alright? I'm serious. I'll see you soon kid, hopefully not too soon, but in due time." He patted Scootaloo on her head and trotted into his room and began packing up a bag.

Scootaloo sat down, searching for the words to say. She looked over at Crank, who was still fighting tears as he gathered his essentials.

"...Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Crank trotted back up to her with a large bag strapped around his haunches. "Good luck kid, you've still got at least a year before they'll do this to you, so don't rush it. I'll send you bits and instructions as soon as I can. Wish me luck."

With that, Crank rushed out his door and out the emergency exit. He took flight and disappeared into the night. A few ponies quickly chased after him, but were too far behind to catch up before he was no longer visible in the darkness. Scootaloo held onto her chest as she leaned up against the wall. She couldn't believe what had happened and that he was gone, just like that. It all happened so quickly and there were a thousand things she wished she had said, but regrettably didn't have the chance.

Scootaloo stood up and wiped her tears, older ponies running away from this place wasn't uncommon. However, actually seeing the cutie mark being branded on somepony was a first for her. Scootaloo couldn't imagine that happening to herself, and decided that her cutie mark needed to become a top priority once again.

Maybe zip-lining... Scootaloo thought, and chuckled.

She picked up her towel and headed off to the shower. The cool water rushed down her back while she pressed her front hooves up against the shower wall. A pang of loss rested in her stomach as she imagined the room next to hers being empty. There'd be no subtle sounds of an unplugged electric guitar's strings being delicately plucked with the tip of a wing. I'll miss you, Crank...

The thought brought the guitar to Scootaloo's attention. She had always wanted to play, but never had one of her own.

A guitar playing cutie mark would be awesome! Scootaloo couldn't help but imagine.

After quickly scrubbing herself clean, she toweled off and rushed back to her room. She lifted the instrument and leaned up against her bed, quietly strumming the strings with her wing while carefully holding it with her front hooves. A short while after getting the hang of balancing the device in her hooves, she began to play with the frets, experimenting with the different sounds she could create. After a few moments of mild entertainment, Scootaloo returned to her sad thoughts. She laid back down in bed and tried to force herself to sleep, knowing she had a long day ahead tomorrow. She realized how late it was and noticed Rainbow Dash hadn't come to see her like she promised she would.

No surprise there... The filly squeezed onto her pillow and closed her eyes. It's probably not her fault, who knows what Rainbow had gotten herself into.

Scootaloo instead let it go and rolled over on her side facing the wall. She closed her eyes and imagined living in the amazing city of Cloudsdale, having large wings that flew with amazing speed. More than anything, she imagined living with Rainbow Dash, the coolest, fastest, and most amazing pegasus in Equestria. It wasn't long before Scootaloo's deep thoughts and imagination turned into dreams.

For the first time she could recall, she woke up bright and early, feeling well rested. Rather than panicking to get ready for school in time, she'd be able to eat breakfast for a change. After stretching out and fixing her messy mane, she shut off her alarm, which wasn't meant to sound for another hour. Trotting down the hallway towards the dining hall, she was stopped by another counselor.

"Good morning there Miss Scootaloo, are you going to attend the weekly morning assembly for a change? I'm sure it would do you some good. We have a motivational speaker today." The counselor looked down at her with insincere eyes.

"Yes ma'am, of course I am." Scootaloo caved, knowing disagreeing with them in any way would get her nowhere.

"Carry on then, foal." The counselor nudged her out the door and directed her towards the school's auditorium.

Scootaloo felt a sense of loss in her stomach knowing she'd be forced to miss breakfast yet again, and shot a glance of disdain at her counselor's back before trotting off to school and into the assembly. It didn't take long to arrive, considering the school was less than a full block away from her facility.

She trotted into the auditorium and looked over a sea of unfamiliar faces, the few that she recognized were ones she'd rather avoid. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle wouldn't be there, they'll show up to school last minute like Scootaloo usually does, missing the assembly entirely.

Scootaloo took a seat away from the randomly distributed bunches of friends chattering away about things that couldn't possibly interest her. Cheerilee took the stage and began to address the students.

"Welcome to the morning assembly everypony. We have a very special guest today, a mare you might all recognize as your mailmare. Today, Ditzy Doo will share her experiences with you all and hopefully teach you the importance of safe practices. Please welcome her kindly."

Cheerilee bowed and backed off the stage. Derpy Hooves made her way past and took her place center stage. She took a moment to look across the hundreds of sleepy faces sitting in the crowd. However her attention was drawn to a frantically waving orange pegasus sitting at the top row. She offered a subtle smile after she realized who it was, then cleared her throat to begin her speech.

"Hello everypony, I hope you're all having a happy morning today. I know I sure am. I'm happy because I get to see all of your smiling faces. Now the reason I'm here is to talk about how sticking to the safety guidelines for using magic can help save you from serious injury..." Derpy was cut off by an obnoxious colt.

"Duh, tell us something we don't know!"

Derpy looked over the audience nervously, trying to figure out where the shout came from. Cheerilee pressed a hoof into her face, ashamed.

Derpy swallowed her embarrassment and continued speaking. "Oh, sorry. Um, what I was saying was, even though unicorn magic is the most common threat when used unsafely, pegasus magic and earthpony magic can be just a dangerous..."

"Boo! Get off the stage!"

Derpy shifted uncomfortably and lost her train of thought. She tried to remember where she was in her speech, but the distraction remained prevalent. Her eyes scanned the crowd of young fillies and colts looking for a reassuring face, most of them were either stunned by the behavior of their fellow student or laughing at her expense.

Derpy retained her composure as best she could, but nervousness and embarrassment washed over her. "Well that concludes the, my, um... Speech. Bye."

Derpy backed off the stage and exited from the back. Cheerilee had taken the disruptive colt by the ear and dragged him into the principals office for discipline. As she dragged the colt down the hallway she saw Derpy heading for the exit.

"Wait Ditzy, I think a certain little stallion here has something to say to you." Cheerilee angrily nudged the disobedient colt towards Derpy.

She stopped and looked at him with worried eyes. "...Sorry Ditzy..." The young colt offered a halfhearted apology.

"That's alright." Derpy smiled and continued on her way out.

"I'd like if you could finish your speech next week, this time I promise you'll be uninterrupted, alright?" Cheerilee said, hoping Derpy wouldn't be too affected by the actions of this colt.

"Sure Cheerilee, but maybe not next week. Maybe some other week, a later week." Derpy smiled and exited the building.

"You're horrible, Jeb, you know that?" Cheerilee glared down at the colt.

Just then, Scootaloo came rushing out of the auditorium and brushed by Cheerilee. "Where do you think you're going little lady?! I have to talk to you about your absence yesterday!"

"No time Miss. C, I gotta catch Derpy. Write me down as absent again today because I probably won't be coming back." Scootaloo rushed out the door before Cheerilee could reply.

"What is with you kids lately?! Sheesh!" Cheerilee finished dragging the colt to the office and returned to the teachers lounge before setting up for her fist class.

She opened up her personal refrigerator and took a long swig from a flask. I swear, these kids are going to drive me into becoming my sister...

Scootaloo caught up to Derpy. "Hey, remember me? I just wanted to say sorry about that kid, he's a total hayseed. No one likes him."

"Ha, that's alright. I do remember you by the way. How's Rainbow Dash." Derpy smiled crookedly.

"I don't know, she's probably fine. So um, if you don't mind me asking, I was wondering about something... I'm really trying to figure out as much about cutie marks as I can so I can get one before the CMBA gets a hold of me. Why is your cutie mark bubbles when you're a mail mare? Shouldn't it be a letter or something?"

Derpy closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "I wasn't always a mail mare, this is just my way of still being a pro... product-ive member of societ... et... Ponyville. My cutie mark isn't bubbles, it's dew drops. If you want, I'll tell you my story."

Scootaloo sat down on the grass and nodded her head, hoping to have some light shed on how cutie marks work. Derpy sat next to her and wrapped a wing around her.

"Well, it all started way back when I was just a little filly, about your age. Back then I still went by the name Ditzy Doo. I had just earned my cutie mark and I was... on top of the world..."

Ditzy was dancing around high above the ground through the stray clouds of Cloudsdale. She loved spinning through the air and crashing through the fluffy white masses that were clouds. Each time she crashed through one, it was as if a part of it had fused to her core. She loved the feeling of absorbing their magic into her body. However, after a certain amount of time, she'd begin to feel heavy and flying would become a chore, she she'd have to rest and recover before continuing her playful dances that she loved so much. One bright summer's day, she rested on a cloud near the start of the pegasus race. She looked down to see Rainbow Dash preparing to show off her speed.

She wanted to participate in the race, if only to be near her friend for a while, but the strange weight residing in her wings wouldn't allow it. Instead she decided to watch and cheer. As Rainbow picked up speed and rushed towards a low ground check point, she created an amazing rainbow explosion that filled the sky with its beautiful, ever expanding magic. The amazing sight caused Ditzy to jump off her could and hover in the air. Her wings were still heavy but it didn't stop her celebration. As the powerful rainbow hit her, she felt the powerful pegasus magic surround her and fill her body. She connected with Rainbow's magic, and it flowed through her like fire in her veins.

She spread her heavy wings out to their maximum width and thousands of tiny water droplets rained down as she spiraled high into the air. Ditzy opened her eyes and looked around as the droplets fell to the ground so far beneath her, just then she felt a soothing warmth on her flank. Her cutie mark had appeared, and she had Rainbow Dash to thank for it.

"Wait a minute! Rainbow's sonic rainboom got you your cutie mark too?! It seems that the only way I'm going to get mine is if she makes another rainboom for me." Scootaloo crossed her front legs in frustration.

"Oh wait, but that still doesn't explain why you're a mail mare, why don't you use your magic to... spread dew or whatever."

Derpy smiled and pat Scootaloo on the head. "Let me finish my story and you'll find out."

The days to follow after she discovered her talent for absorbing cloud magic and converting it to dew drops were more than she could have hoped for. There were several others with similar cutie marks, and they became an elite team. Ditzy was by far the youngest of the group due to the fact that it was very difficult to discover convergence magic. Without the boost of Rainbow's magic, it could have taken her years to realize she had that ability.

She spent several weeks in a training camp learning safety protocols for gathering and distributing morning dew. Their job was essential to the preservation of certain species of plant, insect, and animal life alike, which were essential to balancing a delicate ecosystem on the ground, one which every unicorn and earthpony relied heavily upon. Ditzy leaned first and most importantly, to never attempt to carry a load that may push her limits, and that the risk never outweighs results. She took careful note of this and continued to learn all the practices of safety and all the steps to a proper morning spread.

Once her training was finally complete, Ditzy was ready to go out on her first run. Still being the youngest of the group, she was determined to prove she was just as capable as the rest, even though she was told not to overdo it. Her quadrant wasn't suffering and could go with a few dewless days and be fine. She was in charge of spreading morning dew across one quadrant of land marked off just east of Ponyville. She steeled herself and began gathering the charging magic from preset clouds specifically for this purpose. Once her wings felt full and heavy she dived straight down towards the ground. Upon nearing her target, she swooped up in a graceful spiral, spreading millions of tiny dew drops across the plant life beneath her. Looking down at the results, she felt a sharp sense of pride as the plants beneath her sparkled in the rising sunlight. She then quickly flew back up to the sky as fast as she could. The trip up was much more difficult than the trip down, mostly because now she was flying against gravity.

As she reached the recharge platform, she collapsed on the surface cloud and panted, trying to catch her breath.

"What, too much for ya kid? That's why they shouldn't give a little filly a stallion's job." A large pegasus looked down at her and laughed mockingly before gathering up a massive load of water and heading back down with shocking speed.

"I'll show you!" Ditzy stood up and took a deep breath, forcing herself to prepare for another trip.

The flight back and forth alone was enough to tire any filly her age, but exerting her pegasus magic only took that much more out of her. She knew she could do this though, she had to. She estimated it'd take about three more trips to finish off her quadrant. However, she didn't have time for three more trips, the sun was quickly rising and she needed to get it done faster. She could do it in two trips if she took on a bit of an extra load, only slightly exceeding her weight capacity. She decided to go for it.

She flew up into the recharge clouds and gathered up an extra amount of water, then quickly dived down as fast as she could. It took nearly every ounce of her strength to pull up away from the ground into her distributing spiral. She didn't take the time to look at the results this time, instead she forced herself to return to the clouds as quickly as possible. Upon reaching the platform, she noticed everypony else was done, and she still had another trip and a half's worth of dew to distribute.

As Ditzy landed on the surface cloud, her wings were burning and her chest even more so.

"Done already huh? Wait, no your not, I still see a dry quadrant over there. Don't worry, I'll pick up your slack." The cocky stallion scoffed at the little filly.

"No, I can do it. Just go away, I still have at least five minutes before the sun completely rises." Ditzy held her confidence.

"Better hurry then, chump."

Ditzy stood up and braced herself for one last trip, She gathered up her heavy load and dived off the cloud backwards, she spiraled down at impressive speeds and allowed her aching wings to rest as she fell. She spread them as she approached the ground and felt the sore muscles stinging as she forced them to attempt to pull up.

The weight proved to be too much for her already fatigued wings, and she came crashing down into the ground. She rolled and skidded across grass, narrowly missing a large rock jutting from the ground. She began to lose speed as she tumbled across the terrain, but her luck ran out as she crashed forcefully into a thick tree trunk. She leaned up and looked at her wing, it was severely broken, having been pressed between her and the tree during impact. The light hollow bone was snapped and quickly-pouring water mixed with blood seeped from the wound. She touched the back of her head with a hoof then looked it over to realize it was now covered in blood. Her vision began to blur, and the blood soaked hoof split into two images. She attempted to stand up but only stumbled and slipped across the soaked ground beneath her. As her chin hit the mud, she blacked out.

"Then I woke up in the Cloudsdale hospital. They said I was out cold for over three weeks. After that I was unable to fly at all for a really long time, and I lost my pegasus magic. Even if I tried, I just can't concentrate hard enough to absorb and spread the cloud's magic the way I used to. It's part of my head injury, along with the messed up eyes. My class mates started calling me Derpy Hooves as a cruel nickname since I used to stumble around and fall over a lot when I was still getting used to seeing double all the time, but I didn't let it bother me, and it just kind of stuck. Now almost everypony know's me as Derpy."

Scootaloo reached around and hugged Derpy, her sympathy overwhelming. "So then you moved here to become a mail mare?"

"I didn't really fit in around Cloudsdale anymore, especially since I didn't have any magic to offer their community. So yeah, I came here and got offered this job. It doesn't pay much, but it's a simple life and I get to see everypony around town and they usually greet me with a smile and a thank you. Who could really ask for more?" Derpy massaged Scootaloo's sides with her wing, nearly causing her to laugh with a tickle.

"So what were you doing at that club the other night?" Scootaloo asked, simply to keep the conversation moving.

"Well, I still like to dance, I'll never lose that part of me." Derpy jumped up and grabbed Scootaloo by the hooves.

She then began bouncing around in circles with her. "See? Isn't this fun?"

Scootaloo smiled at the endearing moment. "Yeah Derpy, it is. We should hang out more often, I like you."

"I like you too, maybe we can see Rainbow Dash too?" Derpy smiled at the thought and continued spinning around with Scootaloo.

"Good luck with that one, but I think it would be nice. The three of us, pegasi against the world and all that, ya know?" Scootaloo smiled and stopped spinning.

"That would be nice. Now I have to go... give mail to ponies. Bye-bye Scootaloo." Derpy waved her off and took flight towards the post office to retrieve her mail bag.

"Bye..." Scootaloo waved and decided she should go back to school now, if only because it'd be lunch time soon and she was starving.

She entered the building just as forth period let out. A couple of older colts intentionally walked into Scootaloo, knocking her over on the floor.

"Why don't you watch out before you get hurt pipsqueak! Oh wait, it's you. Did you skip class to catch up with your retarded marefriend?" The two colts shared a hoof bump and laughed.

"Don't you dare make fun of her, I swear, you'll regret it!" Scootaloo stood up and prepared to fight.

"What're you gonna do about it huh? Get your crosseyed fillyfriend to lecture us? Ha!" Once again the bullies shared obnoxious laughs and encouraged each other's bad behavior.

"That's it, you asked for it!" Scootaloo lunged up on her back hooves and began throwing punches as hard as she could.

She caught the much larger colt's nose and caused him to recoil for a moment. The other one quickly grabbed Scootaloo and violently pressed her against the lockers, smashing her head into the steel as he placed a foreleg across her neck.

"You better hide when school lets out, cause we're gonna be lookin' for you." The large colt let her fall to the floor and she began gasping for air.

"You better walk away! I ain't scared of you!" Scootaloo struggled to her hooves and caught her breath.

As she looked up, her eyes were immediately drawn to a cutie mark. It was a golden star with a two bars and music notes wrapped around it. She looked to the left to see another, this one a paintbrush leaning against an apple.

"Are you okay Scootaloo?" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle helped her regain her balance.

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about me, I can handle bullies. Now lets go get some lunch!" Scootaloo put on a cheerful smile and led her friends to the cafeteria.

"What were you guys fighting about anyway?" Sweetie asked with a worried frown.

Scootaloo looked over to her questioning friend, she was often referred to as the most beautiful mare in school by her peers. In all honesty, Scootaloo wouldn't disagree. Her mane was long and always styled to perfection. Her long slender body always shined brilliantly in any lighting, especially on the stage when she was singing one of her songs. It would appear beauty runs in her family.

Scootaloo shook her head and cleared her mind. "Nothing, they're just being jerks and I stood up for myself."

"Oh really? You sure about that, I think I heard somethin' about your marefriend when they were pokin' fun," Applebloom teased with a devious grin.

This time Applebloom caught her attention, despite her elegant poise and artistic nature, she still retained her southern accent and charm. She had traded in her large bow for a much smaller one that she wore on the end of her long mane that hung over her shoulder. She began wearing a magenta beret, and she looked rather cute in it. To top it off she now wore a pare of thick-framed glasses, completing her new look. Scootaloo definitely found Applebloom to be one of the cutest and strangest mares in her life.

Scootaloo shook her head once again and blushed for a moment. "No, Applebloom, she's not my marefriend. It was Derpy Hooves, and I was sticking up for her. Happy?"

The other two spoke in unison. "Riiiiiight." Then they shared a light laugh as they all got in line for food.

Rainbow Dash had woken up in the middle of the night, and kept herself awake ever since. She was pacing around cloud tops and aimlessly destroying them. She decided to go scope out that forest house again, simply for the sake of sating her thirst for closure. She continued to weigh the possibilities in her mind, how likely it was that Pinkie actually did leave her on a whim for another mare. The more she tried to convince herself it wasn't true, the more she began to focus on the fact the she made Fluttershy promise to lie to her. As she continued to think about it, it became obvious. Pinkie found somepony to treat her right, the way she deserved to be treated.

Rainbow made her way to the house and perched herself on a cloud. She leaned over the edge and tried to see what was happening. There was a dim light coming from within the home. Rather than finding the urge to burst through the door and confront this mysterious mare, she was left wondering if those impulsive selfish acts were the reason she lost Pinkie in the first place.

Torn within her own mind, she backed off and flew back into town. After another nap atop a large cloud, she woke up at some point in the afternoon and couldn't force herself back to sleep, so she took flight. The day continued to slip away as she mindlessly glided over the treetops and wondered what Pinkie was up to, if she was okay, and if this new mare really was able to treat her the way she deserved. Suddenly, there she was, the mare she'd been looking for. However, now that Pinkie was in sight, Rainbow lost her motives. She wasn't sure what to say, Pinkie having found a new mare was beginning to feel like a relief.

Feeling she owed Pinkie some closure at the very least, she flew down to confront her. She landed right behind the pink mare and trotted up to her.

Pinkie must have heard her trotting as she turned around with furious eyes. "You, I've been looking for you Dash!"

Rainbow gulped and prepared to receive a verbal assault for her earlier actions. "Let's just get this over with..."

Rainbow decided it was time to pay Scootaloo a visit. As she made her way near the school grounds, she came across a disturbing sight, spotting a bright orange filly laying in the dirt. Rainbow immediately recognized her as Scootaloo and rushed to her side.

"You alright Scoot? What happened?" Rainbow asked, with anger apparent in her voice.

Scootaloo coughed and squinted her eyes. "I'm alright, just a little fight is all."

"What?! You're fighting now?" Rainbow scolded her.

"I had to! I couldn't let some stupid bullies make fun of Derpy." Scootaloo coughed again as she spoke, her lip was bleeding and her coat was messy, but there was no real harm done. At least not physically.

"I guess you're right, I'd have done the same... Get up kid, lets get you cleaned up." Rainbow helped her beaten friend to her hooves. "So you tried to defend Derpy's honor, and got beat. That's pretty crappy of you Scoot." Rainbow teased.

"There were two of them and they were way bigger than me. I tried but... I..." Scootaloo tightly closed her eyes and felt the shame from Rainbow's words wash over her.

The older pegasus looked over Scootaloo again, pitying the poor little filly. Her intentions were admirable, especially since she was outnumbered and outmatched. Her heart was in the right place.

"This town is really going all to hell, isn't it? We need to get you out of here, pronto." Rainbow closed her eyes and considered raising the bits by any means necessary.

Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow. Her eyes were to the sky and she stood strongly with her mane blowing in the cool summer breeze. Scootaloo felt for the first time in her life that Rainbow was somepony she could rely on, rather than just look up to. She closed her eyes and pushed her sore muzzle into Rainbow's soft warm coat.

"Thanks, I'm glad I at least have you to take care of me. I love you, believe it or not, you're my whole world Dash."

Rainbow smiled and looked down at her young admirer. "I believe it."

Scootaloo laughed at Rainbow's cold response, realizing she felt something much stronger but chose simply to keep in inside because that's who she is.

Rainbow looked back up and took a deep breath, then surprised her friend. "No, seriously though. I love you too kiddo, and I'm gonna take care of you no matter what I have to do. You're my whole world too, you're all I have left, and all I need."

Scootaloo took great comfort in those words. She stood up on her back legs and tightly wrapped her arms around Rainbow's neck. The older mare hesitated for a moment, then returned the hug with one leg. She began to force herself to breath regularly as she held back tears.

"Scootaloo, are you sure you'll be okay with leaving your friends behind?" Rainbow had to ask, she didn't want any last minute decisions or changed minds.

"Of course, I mean, it'll be hard but I can do it. We're all almost done with school anyway, then we'll probably just drift apart. Are you okay with leaving Pinkie behind?" Scootaloo asked, simply to put Rainbow in her position.

"Pinkie broke up with me... That's why I said you're all I have left, I meant it. I mean, there still Fluttershy, but we don't talk much anymore, and Twilight seems to hate me. The other two moved away already and I just spend all my time avoiding everypony, ya know?" Rainbow squeezed the filly tighter.

"I'm sorry Dash, I didn't mean to pry... Well, you know, if you get lonely, I'm always here for you."

"Shh, it's fine. Lets get out of here, alright? Come hang out with me in Cloudsdale again, this time it'll just be the two of us. Maybe we can check out places to live, it'll be fun." Rainbow forced her lip to stop quivering as she spoke.

"Sure, oh, and maybe Derpy can come too. I think she gets lonely down here." Scootaloo backed up and looked at Rainbow with wide, pleading eyes.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. She's always trying to get me to spend more time with her anyway. Lets find her and we'll go right away!"

Scootaloo glanced over at some books she left lying on the sidewalk next to the school that contained her homework for the day. She rolled her eyes and shrugged it off, then followed Rainbow Dash to the post office. The two laughed and joked the whole way there, mostly at Scootaloo's expense, but she enjoyed seeing Rainbow back to her old self after coping with not only the loss of Pinkie's relationship, but very possibly her friendship as well. Derpy was of course happy to join them for a night on the town in Cloudsdale, then the three took flight. Rainbow carried Scootaloo tightly as they soared into the sky and disappeared into the brilliant sunlight.