It took Scootaloo about a quarter-hour to finally start making out the shape of Ponyville's orphanage in the distance.

A few minutes later and she could clearly see Miss Heartstring and Rainbow Dash talking.

Upon her arrival both of them stopped talking to look at her with a smile.

"What's up Squirt? Are you ready for the best Friday of your life?"

"Wasn't the previous friday the best day of my life?" Filly asked playfully.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Maybe. But this time it won't be just you and me."

Scootaloo tried her best not to fall over from the whiplash.

"N-not just us?" The filly asked, flabbergasted.

"Soarin will join us two. You don't mind that, do you?" Rainbow asked.

"N-no. Not at all." Scotaloo lied.

"Remember to unpack all of your things before venturing with Miss Dash, though" Said the other mare with brown coat and blonde mane.

"Of course Miss Heart String." Said the filly and did as she was told.

Both mares smiled while watching her disappear into the orphanage.

"You have no idea how fast they grow up." Heart String said to Rainbow.

"I hope I will one day." Replied the pegasus mare.


Soarin was standing near Sugar Cube Corner almost sweating.

It was the day he was gonna meet somepony really important in Rainbow's life.

Mess it up and the relationship between him and the rainbow mare might be strained.

And that's definitely not something he wanted as he liked her more than he liked to admit.

"Soar!" A raspy voice belonging to his newly made female friend snapped him out his thoughts.

Next to hear was the filly he saw once or twice. Orange coat, cerise mane and she was riding on a small scooter, the model of which he has never seen before.

"How's Thunderlane been treating you today?" Rainbow Dash asked him with a smile.

"He's been kinder than usual, which makes me think he is planning something. You know how it is with them, bosses." Soarin replied humorously.

"In that regard I don't really know. Can't remember the last time Spitfire was acting nice." The mare said.

The stallion thought it would be a good idea to acknowledge the filly's presence.

"I take it you're the famous Scootaloo that Rainbow has talked so much about." Soarin said trying to sound as enthusiastic as he could.

"Yeah…" Little pegasus replied short and dryly looking sideways.

Not the response Soarin wished for. Has he screwed up already, somehow? He decided to approach from a different direction.

"Do you know how me and Rainbow met?"

"You saved her from a fall to her death." Scootaloo said in a disinterested voice.

The stallion grinned from ear to ear.

"... Which wouldn't have happened if you didn't temper with the sign during the race."

His smile dropped immediately. "Ehhh…"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash interjected suddenly. "Why don't we go to that newly opened skatepark? That would be a perfect opportunity for you to show us those new moves you've learned."

Filly's face brightened immediately. "You're on it!" She put on a helmet and rode off on her scouter.

"Last pony to reach the park buys ice cream." The filly shouted while speeding off.

Rainbow Dash and Soarin took to the air.

"Thanks." Stallion said to his friend.

"Don't sweat it." She replied. "Don't know why she said that. She probably didn't mean anything bad. Just a filly talking through her hat."

"Hey, she's right though, you know?" Soarin said half-joking, half-serious.

"Yeah, but she shouldn't be judging you for that. Nopony should." Rainbow said, her demeanor changing to a more somber one.

"Hey." Soarin nudged her, wanting to redirect her thoughts. "We're here to have fun. Everything's for Scootaloo, remember ?"

She smiled nodding back and they continued their race.


Scootaloo who had reached the skatepark first was already busy when her older companions arrived.

"You've got some sick moves there, kid!" Soarin shouted encouragingly.

The filly didn't even bother to look at him.

"Wow. She's even more focused than usual." Said Rainbow Dash.

The stallion had a feeling it was something else than just being focused but decided not to voice his thoughts.

"Do you think it bothers her?" Rainbow-maned popped the question suddenly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Asked Soarin confused.

"The fact that she can't fly. Do you think other foals… pester her about it?" The mare explained, feeling the lump forming in her throat.

This didn't go unnoticed by the weather pony. He put a hoof on her shoulder.

"I might not know how she fully feels, but here's what I know for certain."

The mare looked at him with a puzzled look.

"You are one of the best ponies she could come across in her life. A parent figure that is a wonderbolt? I'm sure she loves you with all her heart. Didn't she form your fanclub? That's gotta count for something."

The mare chuckled. "I guess it does."

Soarin thought that now would be the best time to ask.

"So… How did you two even meet?"

"I haven't told you?"

"No, I don't recall so."

"Oh man. Where do I start?" Rainbow Dash took a deep breath

"About two years ago we were performing near Ponyville. Nothing exquisite, just your usual run of the mill show. Then in the middle of our performance something flies through the retractable roof. A scream could be heard. Imagine my surprise when it turns out to be an orange filly falling down with a scooter. Next thing I know, I'm diving to save her. She was alright, the scooter not so much. When we landed she was bombarded with questions. It turns out she was a local orphan, such a fan of mine that when she couldn't afford the ticket, she built herself a ramp to get in and watch me in action."

She put a hoof on her chest. "From that moment onward we became inseparable. She's like a little sister to me, you know?"

Soarin thought for a moment. "I can only imagine. I never had any younger siblings of my own." He smiled. "Having said that, I think that's incredibly generous of you. So much so that Time Turner will have to look out for his position as the element of harmony."

The mare grinned back at him. "Thanks. You and my parents are the only ponies that seem to think that.

He raised one of his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "It's my co-workers. They keep telling me that somepony on my position shouldn't be 'playing-pretend to be a parent', as they put it."

He could feel anger rising inside of him. "Buck them, then."

She was slightly taken aback by his language. "You think so?"

"Of course. You're trying to balance a life of being both second in command in the Wonderbolts and hanging out with your little sister. That makes you more than awesome in my book. If they can't see that then to Tartarus with them."

Despite his impulsiveness, Rainbow couldn't help but feel at home with him.

It was at that moment that they heard a very similar shout. They turned their heads to see Scootaloo tumbling down with her scooter on one of the arms.

Soarin noticed a scraped piece of skin on the lower part of her right foreleg. It was dripping with blood.

They both instinctively flew up to her.

Soarin approached her first.

"Don't worry kid! I've brought first aid kit just for a situation like this. Now, if we-"

"Raargh! I'm fine! I don't need your help!" The filly shouted back agitated.

The stallion took a step back. "I just wanted-"

"I don't care what you wanted!" She replied to him abrasively.

Rainbow Dash furrowed her eyebrows. "Scoots, I don't know what has gotten into you today but if you don't stop, we will have to drop you back at the orphanage and tell Ms. Heartstring about everything."

"You'd love to do that don't you?" She replied to her idol with an accusatory tone. "Go ahead. I won't try to bother you two!"

Before the wonderbolt could say anything else, the filly drove off with tears in her eyes.

Rainbow's ears fell. The look of guilt was painted on her face.

"I'll go after her." Declared Soarin.

"Are you sure about this?" Asked Rainbow Dash with uncertainty.

"I think this would be the best course of action. There was a misunderstanding and I'm trying to sort things out. Worst case scenario you'll try to get to her instead."

She nodded her head. "Okay, good luck."

With that he took off and followed the orange filly, leaving the mare alone.


Scootaloo rolled her scooter to a stop just outside the café, her wings buzzing slightly as she caught her breath.

That cursed stallion. It was all his fault. Not only did he endangered Rainbow's life, now he was trying to steal her.

That wasn't fair. One good thing that has happened in her life and it was slowly drifting away. Was this some kind of a cruel joke played by Faust?

She couldn't really reflect that for long enough.

"Hey! Scootaloo!" The voice was dripping with mockery.

Even without looking she knew who it was.

As she turned her head she saw two pegasus colts a few years older than her.

"What is it Rachet?" She asked with as much defiance as she could master.

"Not much, just wanted to check if you're still… grounded." The colt said and burst into laughter, his friend soon joined in.

"Yeah, don't peg her as the flying type. More like the crawling type." The second tormentor said, earning a new wave of laughter.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, gripping the handlebars of her scooter. "Whatever. I've got places to be."

But before she could ride anywhere Ratchet. "You know that Rainbow Dash only hangs out with you out of pity, right? She looks at you like her personal charity case."

"That's not true!" The filly snapped back at them. Her voice cracking slightly from all the emotions.

"Of course it is." Said the second colt. "Why else do you think a big-shot wonderbolt like her would bother with a flightless warm like you?"

She closed her eyes, trying, with all her might not to cry. Why does today have to be so rough?

"Hey."

All three of them turned their heads to see Soarin. His eyes locked on the bullies with the intensity Scootaloo haven't seen before. His normally easygoing demeanor replaced by a quiet but undeniable authority.

"Is there a reason you're bothering her?" He asked cooly.

"We were just talking, no big deal." Replied Ratchet mustering all his courage.

"Really? Because for me it Sounded more like a couple of loudmouths trying to pick on somepony smaller than them." Stallion replied.

Ratchet's bravado faltered. "We weren't-"

"Save it," Soarin interrupted, his tone sharpening. "Here's how this works. You leave her alone, and I don't have to explain to your parents why two colts thought it was a good idea to mess with somepony half their size. Got it?"

The colts exchanged nervous glances, realizing they were in over their heads.

"Let's go." Said Ratchet, his friend mumbled something under his breath.

Soarin didn't move until both colts disappeared between trees. Then he turned to Scootaloo, his expression softening.

"You okay, squirt?" He asked gently.

"Yeah… thanks." She thought for a moment. "Why did you do that?"

"You were getting punched down by two wet wipes. What kind of stallion would I have been if I hadn't done anything?" He said smiling warmly.

"After all I've said to you?" She asked in a surprised.

His expression turned slightly more serious.

"Listen Scootaloo… I understand how you feel. Some new stallion just appears and you have to share your big sister with him. She's a hero to a lot of ponies, including me. But I'm not here to take her from you. It would be best for us to burry the hatchet. We both love- "

"Love?" Asked Scootaloo. It seemed like a weird word choice for her.

"Care, I meant to say care. Care about Rainbow. " Soarin said mentally slapping himself. "You're a big part of her life, Scoots. She talks about you all the time—how brave you are, how you never give up. She's proud of you. And I think that's pretty awesome too."

She looked at him with a teary eyes. "You really mean that?"

He put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Of course Scoots. I'm hoping there's room for both of us. Rainbow means a lot to me, and I want to be here for her—and for you too, if you'll let me. I'm not here to compete with you. I'm here because I think you and Rainbow are both amazing. And if you ever need someone else in your corner—whether it's cheering you on, giving advice, or, I dunno, scaring off bullies—I'd be honored to be that pony."

She looked at him with both red eyes and a smile on her muzzle. "I think I would like that."

The stallion grinned back. "See squirt? I'm not that bad when you get to know me better."

"No, I guess you're just kind of basic compared to her."

"Ouch." He replied playfully. "Right in the feels."

The filly giggled. "You lead the way back. I don't really know where we are now."

The stallion looked all around himself. "Eeeh… I think we should go… there."

And so they went.


Rainbow started getting nervous. It's been half an hour since Soarin left.

Is it possible that both of them got lost?

What if Scootaloo can't find her way back. Good Faust, what if her wound is getting worse? She's bleeding in some unhospitable-

"We're back!"

She turned her head to see Soarin trotting and Scootaloo driving towards her. A wound on the filly's foreleg was wrapped in a bandage.

Rainbow quickly hugged the little pony. "It's great seeing you again Scoots. You two got me really worried."

"Rainbow Dash?" Asked the filly.

"What is it kiddo?"

The foal took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. About you and Soarin."

That was something the wonderbolt didn't expect. If she knew one thing about the filly it was the fact that she was the most stubborn pony Rainbow knew.

"I'm… glad that we're on the same page, squirt." Replied the mare.

Soarin cleared his throat, making both female ponies look at him.

"Now that everything is water under the bridge I propose a race to the Sugar Cube Corner. The last pony buys whatever the winner desires."

Scootaloo flashed a wide grin and almost immediately bolted off on her scooter.

"See ya later suckers!" She shouted driving off.

Soarin looked at Rainbow. "We're not gonna keep her waiting, are we?"

Rainbow chuckled. "I guess not."

And with that both of them flew after her.


"She's a good kid." Soarin said to Rainbow Dash as they were walking away from the orphanage. Scootaloo was probably preparing to go to sleep at the moment.

"The best," Rainbow agreed. She turned to him, her magenta eyes sparkling. "Y'know, I wasn't sure how she'd feel about you. She's kinda protective of me. But you two got along way better than I expected."

Soarin shrugged with a small smile. "She's got spirit. Reminds me of someone else I know."

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah, yeah, you're real funny. But seriously, thanks for being cool with her. It means a lot."

"Hey, it's no big deal," Soarin said casually, though his tone softened. "She's important to you, so she's important to me too. Besides, I like her. Kid's got guts."

"You two have that in common." Rainbow Dash replied, a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Careful there Rainbow." The stallion chuckled. "You're gonna make me blush.

The mare looked at him for a moment thoughtfully. Then without a warning she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek."

"Challenge excepted." She said playfully making him freeze in place. "Don't let it go to your head, hotshot," she teased, her tone light but warm. "Just… thanks for today."

The pegasus stallion started blushing furiously. "A-anytime, Dash."

Rainbow gave him a playful nudge with her wing before taking off into the sky. "See ya around, Soarin!"

Soarin watched her disappear into the evening sky, a dazed smile on his face. "Yeah… see ya, Dash."

He gently brushed spot where she kissed him with his hoof.

"What a mare."