This is just little one-shot I wanted throw out there for ya'll. I'm currently in the process of writing a pretty grimdark story, but I also really wanted to write this little story to show that I can do something more light-hearted and sweet. Plus I just really enjoy Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo and I had this idea floating around for a while, I just had to write it down. I don't know if there is a MLP fanfic out there that has tackled this particular issue, and if there is then I haven't heard of it (seriously, my worst fear is writing a fanfic and finding out somebody else wrote about something similar) but I hope you all find it interesting, and maybe even a little moving.

Plus I just recently quit smoking so this fic holds a certain relevance with me. Anyway, I've rambled enough, enjoy.

MLP: FIM is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and Lauren Faust. I claim no ownership of this awesome series.

Up in Smoke

By veryoriginalponyname

Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief as she slipped behind the patch of bushes just outside the schoolhouse. It seemed likely that nopony had seen her, but just to be sure she poked her little head out through a seam in the bushes and glanced around at her surroundings. The schoolyard was filled with happy young fillies and colts all bounding and prancing through the soft grass, playing tag, bouncing rubber balls around, somersaulting, and generally enjoying their recess, all under the watchful eye of Miss Cheerilee. Luckily for little Scootaloo, though, her teacher hadn't seemed to notice her take cover behind those green, scratchy bushes, as neither she nor anypony else was coming towards her.

Scootaloo sighed with relief again, but it was short-lived when she saw her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle off in the middle of the crowd of foals. They looked confused and worried, no doubt they were searching for her. Scootaloo felt bad that she had pretty much been avoiding them all day, or... at least she had been since that encounter she'd had with that strange stallion earlier that morning. But this was something she wanted to do on her own. Maybe once she felt more comfortable with what she was about to do, she would include them in on it, but for now... she just wanted to be alone.

Luckily, her two friends had taken off in another direction, so maybe now she had enough time to give this new "hobby" as the stranger and called it a try. Scootaloo pulled her head back on the other side of the bushes and sat herself down on her haunches. She then pulled her leather sack off her back and opened it up. She rummaged through her books, papers and other school supplies until she found what she was looking for: a small, white rectangular carton, and next to it, a book of matches. Printed on the front of the carton was an image of a large red stallion that almost vaguely resembled Big Macintosh staring off into an orange sunset. Below the image were printed the words: Red Stallion Menthol Cigarettes.

Scootaloo grabbed the end of the carton in her mouth and pulled it out of the bag. She pushed the top end of it open with her nose and looked down at its contents: Two rows of long, thin, white and gold cylindrical sticks and a white, cottony looking material at poking a bit through the golden ends. The orange young pegasus just stared curiously at the contents of the carton for a few minutes, recalling the events that led up to her obtaining them.

She had been scooting along the road to school and was just pulling up to the building when she had heard a small "psst" sound coming from behind a nearby tree. She turned her head to see a strange grey stallion peeking out from behind the trunk. He had a spiky black mane and a gold nose-ring. He lifted his forehoof and beckoned for her to come over. Scootaloo had taken a nervous glance around to see if there were any other ponies in the area that he might've been referring to, but there were none. Through the open door ahead of her she saw a couple of her classmates at there desks, and Miss Cheerilee shuffling through what appeared to be some old homework. They were all out of the stallions line of sight, though, it had to be Scootaloo he wanted to see.

Forgetting everything she had learned about strangers, Scootaloo left her scooter behind and slowly trotted over to him. When she got up to the stranger, he asked her if she would like something that would make her the coolest filly in school, something that would make her seem mysterious and unique in a good way. Scoot was a bit confused by what this stallion was implying, she had always considered herself fairly cool. She had friends after all, and they seemed to think pretty highly of her. But still, could this stranger be offering her a way increase her awesome level? Maybe make her as cool as her idol Rainbow Dash? The little filly asked him what he had in mind, and with a seemingly benign smile the stranger pulled out the white carton and flicked it open, showing her its contents.

Scootaloo vaguely knew what these were. She had, on occasion, seen a pony or two walking around town with one of those thin white sticks hanging out of the corner of his/her mouth, small lumps of ash dropping from its faintly glowing end. She knew what they were called, and by watching those other ponies she had a pretty good idea of how they were used. What she didn't know, however, was if what this strange stallion had would indeed make her appear more cool to others. She had never exactly been educated properly in just what these cigarettes were and what they did. One would think that perhaps her parents would've talked with her about them at some point, as well as other more... mature topics, but her parents... were never exactly there for her. Her father was spent most of the day at work, and when he came home he always just ate dinner and went straight to bed. And as for mother, well... let's just say she had no problem with using the back of her hoof to keep lil' Scootaloo in line when she had to. Not exactly an ideal foalhood.

The stranger told the little pegasus that all she had to do was smoke a few of those "lil' babies" as he called them, and she would start to notice a gradual increase in her popularity, that even if she smoked them in private, everypony else would still be able to sense her coolness. He went on a long tangent about how all the coolest fillies and colts were doing this, and that if she didn't take it up as well, she'd always and forever be known as a loser.

Scootaloo, while intrigued by what this stallion was offering her, also felt a bit uneasy. For one thing, she had never seen anypony her age with a cigarette, and she had never really heard anypony say anything good about those who did smoke, and on top of it all, she had never seen any of the adult ponies she knew personally with one of those strange white and gold cylinders, not even Rainbow Dash, and that pony was the very definition of awesome to Scootaloo.

But, wait a minute... what if Rainbow Dash actually did smoke in private or something? What if that was the reason she was so cool, and why so many other ponies seemed to admire her? What if all her friends smoked in private? What if she was the only one who didn't? She'd be a total outcast! The biggest loser in Ponyville, possibly in all of Equestria! No way Dash would ever want to hang out with her if that was the case. She'd probably be so uncool that she'd remain a blank-flank forever.

Still, that feeling of unease remained in the pit of her stomach. There was a chance this stranger had told her nothing but lies, but there was also a chance that he knew exactly what he was talking about. Something about that smile of his told her that he knew what was what. After some heavy thought, Scootaloo decided that she couldn't risk being uncool, especially in the eyes of her rainbow-maned heroine. Maybe she would soon find out that all her friends were into this smoking business, and she would feel so much better about this decision.

She reached forward for the carton, but the stranger pulled them back. He wasn't about to just give them away.

"Coolness has a price," he had told her.

Scootaloo asked him how much he wanted.

"Waddya got?" Was his reply.

Scootaloo happened to have five bits on her at that time, five hard-earned bit she might add. She had received them for helping the Apple family out with moving some freshly harvested apples to their cellar for making cider. It hadn't earned her her Cutie Mark, but she was happy enough with the bits. The young pegasus had been a bit hesitant to hand over something she had worked for so hard for something she wasn't quite sure about. She had actually been hoping to buy a new wheel to replace a damaged one on her scooter. But in the end, the supposed promise of epic coolness that these cigarettes offered was too tempting. She handed over the five gold coins and took the white carton from the stranger; he threw in the book of matches for free. She tossed them both into her bag, gave the strange stallion an awkward thank you and hurried off for the schoolhouse. The stranger watched her go with a sinister smile on his face.

"No, thank you, sucker," he chuckled to himself. "Have fun coughing your lungs up."

Scootaloo had spent that whole day feeling nervous and unsure of herself. She hadn't said more than two words to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and she paid little to no attention to schoolwork. Twice that day Miss Cheerilee had called on her to answer a question, and twice she'd had to say her name more than once to get her attention. She spent that whole morning staring longingly at her little leather bag, almost seeing through it to that mysterious white carton. Was it right that something that was supposed to increase her coolness make her feel so nervous and unsure of herself?

Once recess came, Scootaloo had been the first one out the door. She was little more than an orange blur as she sped outside, immediately taking cover behind the nearest bush, leaving her friends confused and worried in the dust behind her.

Now, here she was... all alone, where nopony could see her, about to do something she had never felt more unsure of before. For a brief second she considered just putting them back in her bag and going on with her day. She could try again later, when she felt more comfortable about it. But something told her this feeling of uncertainty would never really subside, that putting it off was just going to make things worse and worse. Now was the best time, she was alone, she had the pack right in front of her, and the possibility of increased coolness was too alluring. She had to get it over with now. She took one more quick peek through the bushes to make absolutely sure that she wasn't being followed. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were no longer in sight, and Miss Cheerilee was in the process of scolding a couple of roughhousing colts. Nopony seemed aware of her... she was set.

Turning back to the carton, the young filly clamped her teeth around one of the white cylinders and slowly pulled it out. She flicked the box closed and tossed it back into her bag, unaware of the fact that it had landed right next to fairly good sized tear in the leather, just big enough for it to slip through. She then flipped the matchbook open, grabbed one match between her two forehooves and, with some effort, broke it off from the others. She held it firmly between her hooves. She had never struck a match before, but she had seen other ponies do once in a while and had a pretty good idea of how it was done. She held the red bump end of the match down against the thin strip of rough black material at the top of the matchbook, pushed down lightly on it and swiped it across. Nothing, not even a spark. The matchbook went skidding a little ways across the ground, luckily not going to far. Scootaloo brought it back over to her and placed a back hoof on the edge of it to make sure it didn't slide again. She made another attempt at striking the match, this time pushing down a little harder. She got a small spark this time, but no fire. She tried a third time, and the match broke in half. Groaning in frustration she pulled out another match and tried again.

Five matches later she was starting to feel her nerve slipping away. The end of the cigarette in her mouth was becoming heavily damp with her saliva, causing her to wonder if it would still work. She finally had success on her sixth match, but it was short lived as the sudden burst of fire caused her to panic and drop it in an instant. She broke off another one, feeling a little bit better that she had at least made some progress. It took two swipes for her to get this one to light, and this time she managed not to let the sudden spark of flame freak her out. With shaky hooves she slowly brought the flame to the end of the cigarette and held it there for a moment. Slowly it began to smoulder, a thin wisp of smoke wafted from it. Scootaloo took that as a sign that she was doing it right, and sucked, not inhaled, but sucked on the golden end.

Though she couldn't necessarily feel the smoke, her tongue was overrun with an oddly flavored sensation that she couldn't quite describe. There was an element of icy coolness to it as well (the menthols, perhaps) that felt somewhat refreshing, she had to admit. Scootaloo let the smoke tantalize her tongue for a few seconds more, then slowly blew it out the corner of her mouth opposite her cigarette. The smoke swirled and wafted up into the air and, much to Scootaloo's relief, disapperated before rising up over the top of the bush; she wasn't giving her position away.

Scootaloo repeated that process a few more times before she started to get the feeling that she wasn't exactly doing it right. When she had seen other ponies smoking, they had always appeared to be actually inhaling the smoke instead of just sucking it in and letting it dance around their mouths. She figured that maybe she oughta give this inhaling method a try; if she was gonna do this, she might as well do it right. The little filly breathed in normally, the lit end of the cigarette glowed faintly and smouldered a bit. The second Scootaloo felt the smoke seep down her throat, she broke out into a fit of coughing and sputtering, the cigarette falling from her mouth onto the dirty ground.

The young pegasus did all she could to muffle her coughing so others wouldn't hear, but her throat tickled so much and her eyes were growing so watery that she pretty much unable to think rationally. She buried her face into the ground and coughed and coughed and coughed.

'This is what cool ponies do?' She thought to herself.

There was no way she could picture any of her friends doing something like this. She felt like her throat was on fire. How could anypony consider this cool? It felt horrible! She felt no cooler than she had earlier that day. If anything she felt more uncool. But wait... maybe it just took some getting used to. Maybe she had to give it a few more puffs before it started to work. As much as she didn't want to put that thing back in her mouth, her will to be as cool as Rainbow Dash eventually won out. When her coughing finally subsided she picked up the smouldering stick off the ground, its smell starting to overtake the area, and placed it back in her mouth.

She inhaled again, and this this time she was prepared for the feeling. Though she still coughed a bit, the smoke went down much smoother. It gave her chest a strange, tingling sensation that was actually quite enjoyable. She exhaled, and sent a much thinner puff of smoke drifting into the wind. After repeating this process a few more times, Scootaloo began to feel a bit light-headed and woozy. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling, though. In fact, it was quite relaxing; it put her mind at ease. Maybe this was the main reason why ponies did this. Something that made you feel this great couldn't be bad, right? Rainbow Dash would totally be into something like this... right?

The smouldering cigarette was nearly half-way gone now, and Scootaloo was becoming more and more out of it. She didn't even hear soft beating of wings coming from above her.

"Squrit!" A familiar voice called out.

Scootaloo's heart froze. She'd know that voice anywhere, and there was only one pony referred to her as "Squirt." Scootaloo wasn't ready to be seen like this, especially by her idol. She still felt unsure about how others would take this new hobby of hers. Maybe they wouldn't approve; she needed more time to feel comfortable with it. Thinking quickly, the young filly spat her cigarette out and covered it with her forehoof, making sure not to press down too hard.

She heard a 'thwump' noise right next to her and turned to see the rainbow-maned pony she adored so very much smiling warmly down at her. Scootaloo felt a bit relieved at the fact that she was smiling; apparently she hadn't seen the cigarette. The little filly attempted to mentally calm herself and act cool. She looked up at the object of her hero worship and managed a weak smile.

"Uh... hi, Rainbow Dash," she said as calmly as she could. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Well," Rainbow Dash began. "I just happened to be flying in the area when I noticed your purple mane from way up above. It kinda stands out, ya know? So anyway I just figured I'd drop in and say hi to my number one fan."

"Oh, um... well, hi," Scootaloo said shakily, unable to make eye-contact.

She hoped that was all Dash wanted, and that she would just give her a friendly ruffle of the mane and take off again. That hope was dashed, though, as the older mare casually sat herself down next to her admirer. She placed her forehooves behind her head and reclined a bit, giving a sigh of contention. Scootaloo did all she could to keep from panicking.

'Just stay calm,' she thought to herself. 'Just be polite and she'll leave before too long.' Scootaloo couldn't believe that a moment had come where she actually didn't want to be with Rainbow Dash.

"So what's up, kiddo?" Dash asked with another contented sigh. "How's school goin'?"

"F-fine... just fine..." Scootaloo replied, trying to hide the shakiness in her voice, but failing.

Dash arched an eyebrow in confusion, an expression of worry flooded across her face. Why did Scoot sound so worried?

"Say, what are you doing hiding in this bush anyway?" She asked. "Why aren't you off playing with your friends?"

"Well, I was... just, um..." Scootaloo struggled for an answer, but she couldn't come up with one quick enough.

"You alright, Scoot? You seem kind of nervous," Dash said with concern.

"I'm fine," Scootaloo said a little more forcefully than she had intended to. "I just... wanna be alone."

Now Rainbow Dash knew something was wrong. Usually she was the one trying to get Scootaloo out of her mane. Not all the time, mind you. She enjoyed the filly's company every so often, but sometimes she could be a little too much. Dash stared down at the filly with genuine worry, and noticed that she couldn't seem to stop staring at one of her forehooves.

"What's wrong, squirt? I know something's up," Dash said. As she leaned in closer she caught a strange scent. She sniffed the air a few times and her concern increased. "What's that smell?" She asked.

"I-I don't smell anything," Scootaloo said shakily. There was no hiding her fear now.

Rainbow Dash looked down at Scootaloo's hoof. It was positioned awkwardly on the ground, and she could barely make out faint wisps of smoke wafting out from underneath it.

"What's under your hoof?" Dash asked, leaning in towards it.

"Nothing!" Scootaloo shouted, catching Rainbow Dash a little off guard.

"Whoa, calm down there, Scoot, I'm just curious," Dash said, throwing her hooves up in defense.

"Well don't be," Scootaloo hissed. "Can you please just leave me alo- OW!" The little filly lifted her hoof and shook it vigorously. It had come into contact with the lit end of the cigarette. Now it lay there in full view, smouldering away on the dirty ground.

Rainbow Dash looked down at the deadly stick with shock, then turned to her admirer, who was looking down and away, her lip trembling with fear.

"Scoot, what are you doing with that thing?" She asked, her tone filled with worry rather than anger.

"I-I was j-just looking at it, I swear!" Scootaloo replied, her voice cracking.

Right as she said that she felt something drop out of her bag and land on the ground next to her. With horror she looked down and saw that red stallion marked carton lying there, plain as day. She knew one day she would regret not fixing that tear in her bag, and today was that day. Unable to meet her idols gaze, for fear that it would be filled with rage, Scootaloo tried to run off, just run and hide back inside the school. She had never wanted to be found out this way; she had wanted to tell others about this new hobby of her own free will, when she felt ready. But now it was too late. Rainbow Dash must think she's a no-good liar now; she'd probably never think she could ever be cool.

With tears streaming down her face, the little filly attempted to speed away, but barely got more than a foot before she ran into a cyan-colored fore-hoof, which firmly yet gently held her in place.

"Whoa whoa whoa, take it easy, kiddo!" Dash cried. "Calm down, calm down, I just wanna-"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just please let me go!" Scootaloo whimpered as she struggled to get away.

"No, Scoot, I'm not gonna let you go just yet," Dash said resolutely. "I just wanna talk to you for a sec. Just calm down, alright? I'm not angry at you."

Scootaloo slowed a bit. Dash wasn't angry at her? She definitely didn't sound like it. Maybe she should hear her out, it couldn't hurt. Scootaloo stopped struggling and went limp, her head still hung low in shame. Rainbow Dash removed her hoof from the young pegasus and sat back in her reclining position again. She patted the ground next to her with her forehoof, signifying that she wanted the filly to sit with her. Scootaloo slowly walked over and sat herself at Rainbow Dash's side. She hung her head again, too ashamed to look the target of her adoration in the eye. She felt a gentle patting on her back, and that at least got her to open her eyes. She felt a forehoof placed under her chin. Slowly her head was lifted under it, and she found herself looking into the beautiful magenta eyes of her heroine. They were filled with worry and care, not anger and reproach.

"It's alright, Scoot," Dash said calmly. "Let's just talk for a minute, alright?"

Scootaloo closed her eyes and nodded. Dash removed her hoof from under her chin and picked up the Red Stallion carton from the ground and held them in the cleft.

"First, I want to know where you got these," she said firmly.

Scootaloo thought about lying and telling her that she had just found them on the ground somewhere, but her conscience got the better of her. Dash seemed like she was really worried about her, and that she really wanted to help. She had to be honest, especially when it came to talking with her idol.

"This grey stallion gave them to me," she said after a moment of thought. "Well, actually he charged me five bits for them. He gave me matches too."

"When and where was this?" Dash asked.

"Just this morning, over by the tree next to the school," Scootaloo replied. "He.. he said they would make me cool if I smoked them in private. He said that my friends would be able to tell how awesome I was without even seeing me actually do it."

"Were there any others around?"

"No. Miss Cheerilee and a few others were inside, but there was nopony with me. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle weren't here yet, either. I... wasn't sure if what I was doing was really a good thing, so I didn't want anypony to see me doing it until I felt comfortable with it. That's why I've... kinda been avoiding everypony all day."

Rainbow Dash took a moment to take that all in. She had always known that Scootaloo looked up to her, and Dash had always tried to be a good role-model. But this was a truly intense subject that she was dealing with now, one that also struck a little close to home with her. Still, she had to help this little filly; she owed it to her for all the support and praise she had given to be there for her in her time of need. She wasn't the wisest of ponies, she could admit to that. She wasn't exactly sure how useful any advice she could offer would be, but she still had to try. The rainbow-maned pegasus cleared her throat.

"First off," she began. "What were you thinking going up to a stallion you'd never seen before? What if he had snatched you up or something? Trust me, Scoot, you would not believe how sick some ponies can be. You're smarter than that, squirt."

Scootaloo took that statement in. It was true she had heard somewhere not to talk to strangers, but she had never exactly had that ideal pounded into her head to the point that it was like one of the great truths of the world. Her parents weren't exactly giving her much in terms of care and guidance, after all.

"Secondly," Dash continued, holding up the carton of Red Stallions and pointing at them. "You don't wanna mess around with this stuff, Scoot. Cigarettes are dangerous."

Scootaloo's brow furrowed with worry.

"They... are?" She said quietly.

"Oh yeah," Dash replied. "These things have chemicals and poisons in them that can make you really sick; they'll ruin your lungs and junk. Worst case scenario: these things can kill you."

Scootaloo's heart began to race, she shook visibly. Those things could kill?

"Am... am I gonna die now?" She whimpered.

"No, squirt, you're not gonna die from just one," Dash sighed. "But if you smoke enough of 'em your health will really start going downhill. Believe me, it is not a pretty sight to see somepony dying from smoking; it's slow and painful. I know, I've seen it for myself."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah, some relatives of mine were heavy smokers. I was pretty close with some of them too. It was hard watching them slowly lose themselves to this habit, and I felt totally powerless to stop it, even though there were things I know I could've done to help them. I'm not gonna make the same mistake with you, squirt; I'm not gonna let my number one fan end up losing herself like they did."

Scootaloo took that in; Rainbow Dash really did care about her. She had always thought that Dash had considered her as just another fan, but this whole confrontation was shaping up to be something truly special. But the little filly's mind was far from at ease. In fact, she now had bunch more questions buzzing around her head.

"But, if cigarettes are so bad, then why do some ponies use them?" She asked.

Rainbow Dash thought about this for a while. It was a good question, she had to admit, and there was no real easy explanation for it. Still, she figured she'd give it a shot.

"Well, ya see for some ponies... smoking helps with relaxation," She explained. "It relieves tension and stress, helps calm you down. But, there's a down side to it, ya see; cigarettes have this chemical in them called nicotine, and nicotine is extremely addictive. Once you've had a shot of it, you start wanting more and more because of the good feeling it gives you. You start to crave it, ya know, to the point where you feel you need it, can't live normally without it. And when you don't have it, if you go one day, just one day without a hit... you feel terrible. You feel sick to your stomach, like you'll die if you don't get that junk back in your system as soon as possible. Soon you start going to extreme lengths to get them, like stealing bits from your family and friends, or..." Dash paused there. She decided it would probably be best not to go into some of the more graphic and disturbing lengths that some ponies went to so they could get their fixes.

"That sounds pretty bad," Scootaloo said, more to herself than to Rainbow Dash.

"It is," the older mare continued. "You start to wither away into nothing before too long. It's just... not a good way to go..." she was now gazing intently down her admirer, who was in turn, gazing intently back up at her. "Now, does any of what I've told you sound cool or awesome to you? Do you really think cool ponies would get involved in that kind of thing?"

The orange little filly looked down at her hooves, as though she were hanging her head in shame.

"No," she said quietly "No, I don't think any of that stuff sounds cool at all," she looked back into the eyes of her idol. "But why do they say it's so cool? That stranger really seemed to believe that smoking would make me cooler."

"That's exactly what they want you to think, Scoots," Rainbow Dash replied. "That's how they make their profit; they market their wares to foals your age to get them hooked early on. They tell you things like 'it'll make you look cool' because foals are more impressionable and easier to mis-lead."

Scootaloo felt her cheeks flush. She could no longer bear to look her heroine in the eye. If what Dash was saying was true, then she had really messed up big time today. Her eyes began to well up again, and small, soft sobs escaped her. Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed with worry as she leaned in close to crying little filly.

"Hey now, what's this cryin' about, kiddo?" She asked gently.

"Y-you must... th-think I'm a t-total loser now..." Scootaloo sobbed.

"What? Why would I think that?" Dash asked.

"B-because I was stupid enough to fall for that strangers tricks," the little filly whined. "I... really screwed up today..."

Rainbow Dash frowned a bit, shook her head and patted Scootaloo gently on the back.

"You're not a loser, kid," she said kindly. "You just didn't know any better. It was a simple mistake, we all make 'em."

"Not you," Scootaloo whimpered. "You're like... the most perfect, awesome pony who ever lived."

Dash couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. While it was indeed true that was the most awesome pony who ever lived... perfect? That was a bit of a strong word, and as much Dash would've liked to believe she was perfect, there was no covering up the fact that she'd had her share of blunders here and there. One of which she felt was more than necessary to tell her little admirer.

"You wanna know something crazy, pipsqueak?" She asked her. Scootaloo looked back up into those beautiful magenta eyes intently, curious as to what Dash had to say. "There was a point in my life I took smoking for a brief period too."

Scootaloo let her jaw drop a little. There was no way she could've heard that statement correctly.

"You... you did?" Scootaloos voice shook slightly. "W-when?"

"When I was around your age, maybe a little older," Rainbow Dash answered. "It wasn't for very long, but it left an impact on me, I'll tell ya that."

"Well... why did you do it?" Scootaloo asked, her eyes still brimming with shock.

"Well..." Dash had to think for a moment. There were actually quite a few reasons. "Mostly it was just the general stress of life, ya know? All the bullying, the neglectful parents... it just kinda got to me after a while."

Scootaloos eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Rainbow Dash was bullied when she was a foal? And her parents neglected her? She had more in common with her idol than she thought...

"Also," Dash continued. "I kinda did it for the same reason you wanted to try it today: I thought it would make me look cooler. That's what the ads in the magazines had me believe. So I bummed a few of 'em from pop without him knowing -he and I never really got on well anyway- and... well I just kinda let 'em take hold of me for a while."

Scootaloo was now staring up at her heroine with rapt awe. She was learning more about Rainbow Dash than she had ever thought she would. The cyan pegasus must've really trusted her if she was opening up to her about this kinda stuff.

"And let me tell ya," Dash carried on. "For a while... it worked. It really worked. I loved the feeling they gave me; it was like I didn't have a care in the world. All that mattered to me were those little white sticks; they would take all my pain and troubles away. It was great feeling they gave me, I have to admit. But... once I had been doing it for about a week, I started to feel all weird and sick. I was always short of breath after taking flights, even if they were just quick ones, and I was coughing a lot more.

"I knew it was the cigarettes that were causing it, I had seen first hoof what they were doing to some of my family, but... I don't know, I guess I just thought I could handle it better than they could. So I tried to stop, just quit cold turkey, ya know? I went one day without a smoke before I felt absolutely miserable. I felt like I needed those things. Needed them. So I started up again, then I tried to quit again, then started again, then tried to quit again. It was a full month before I was finally able to stop for good. Let me tell ya; that whole week after I had decided to quit for good... I thought I was gonna die."

"W-was it really that bad?" Scootaloo asked shakily.

"Oh yeah, kiddo, you would not believe how painful it was," Dash paused for a moment, she leaned in closer to the little filly. "But I knew what those things were doing to me, I knew that there were a lot of things I would never be able to do, like join the Wonderbolts, if I continued using them, and I knew that if I didn't stop soon I'd just get worse and worse, and in time... my craving for them just sorta faded. I was lucky, not every pony has the strength to quit on their own. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I messed up big time when I decided to use them."

Scootaloo never ceased to be mesmerized by all this. She had never heard Rainbow Dash act so humble before. It was oddly comforting, seeing her idol in a more relatable light, instead of the usually brash and egotistical pony she usually was. Though she loved that Rainbow Dash as much as ever, she had never felt as close to the spunky pegasus as she did at that moment.

"Now, let me ask you something, kiddo," Dash continued. "Just because I had one slip up a long time ago, does it make me any less awesome than I am right now?"

"No way!" Scootaloo said with vigor. "You'll always be the coolest pony in Equestria, Rainbow Dash!"

The rainbow-maned pegasus chuckled and rubbed her hoof vigorously in the little filly's mane.

"Exactly!" She announced jovially. "Now, why would you think that you'd be any less awesome for having one little slip up?"

Scootaloo gasped, she could almost feel herself vibrating with excitement.

"You... you think I'm cool?" She said shakily.

"Are you kiddin'?" Dash waved her forehoof. "You're the coolest filly I know, just a notch below myself!"

The orange little filly looked as though she were about to burst with excitement. She was all but jumping up and down now.

"Do ya really mean that, Dash? Do ya?"

Rainbow Dash smiled warmly and leaned in even closer to her admirer. She down at Scootaloos eye-level now, their forehead nearly touching. She gently placed both her forehooves on Scootaloos sides. They cyan pegasus wasn't exactly much for sentimentality, but after what she had seen from her little fan today, she figured she could spare a little.

"Of course I do, Scoots," she said. "You... you really mean a lot to me, kid. It's fans like you that keep pushing me to be the best I can be. Whatever I've achieved these past few years, it was in no small part thanks to you having my back through it all." She paused for a moment to brush a small tear away from Scootaloo's eye. "So when I found you with those cigarettes today, I knew right off the bat that I had to do something for you, just to show that I care. I'm not letting my number one fan... go up in smoke, for lack of a better term."

"W-wow," was just about all lil' Scootaloo could muster. "Th-thanks, Rainbow Dash."

Dash smiled and patted the little filly on the head.

"You bet, squirt," she cooed. "You're gonna go far in life, kid, I know it. You remind me of myself at your age. Just be smart, make the right choices, and you'll do just fine..." she paused for a moment, as if she were considering something. "But, ya know... If ya ever feel kinda like you need somepony to talk to, or just... ya know, hang out with... well, I mean if I'm not too busy with my weather patrol- whoa!"

She was cut off there by Scootaloo throwing her forelegs around her neck and squeezing tightly.

"THANK YOU, RAINBOW DASH! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" She cried joyously.

Rainbow Dash, though a bit short on breath, managed to chuckle a bit and wrap her own forelegs around the filly.

"Alright, alright, you're welcome, ya little runt," she said with a laugh. "But seriously, if I'm too busy with my job, you can always try talking to Twilight or something; she's pretty helpful." Dash thought about that for a moment and frowned. "Actually, she'd probably just bore you to death with one of her lectures." Scootaloo giggled a bit. "There's Rarity, she's a good listener..." once again, Dash thought about that. "Well, she's actually a little too good of a listener. I swear, you tell her anything and she'll have it all over town in a matter of minutes." Scoot laughed even harder at that. Dash was pleased to see she was able to get these reactions out of the little filly after such an intense conversation.

"Aaaaand, let's see... there's Applejack... naw, she'd probably just put you to work on her farm. Fluttershy... aw forget about that, she wouldn't know what to say. She'd probably have a panic attack if you tried to ask her for any guidance. And then Pinkie Pie... heh heh, I don't even wanna think about what she smokes."

Scootaloo was laughing full-on now, and even Rainbow Dash was unable to stifle her own chuckles. She still held the filly tightly in her forelegs, feeling the short breaths of Scootaloos laughter hitting the side of her neck. Slowly, the older mare loosened her hold on her admirer and let her down gently in front of her. She was still chuckling heartily.

"Seriously now," Dash said, trying to straighten up. "You could always go to your parents if need somepony to talk to. They can help you out, right?"

Scootaloos laughter stopped abruptly, she hung her head and closed her eyes, a small frown on her face. Rainbow Dash bit her lip and exhaled sharply.

'Aw jeez,' she thought to herself. Probably wasn't a wise idea to bring them up. Though Dash didn't know Scoots parents personally, the look the little filly had given her was enough to suggest that maybe things weren't exactly sound for her at home. As much as she wanted to press for further information, Dash figured it would probably be best to let Scootaloo decide when she wanted to talk about it. Instead, the rainbow-maned pegasus opted to give her fan a little more encouragement.

"What about your friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle? I'll bet they really care a lot about you."

And at that moment, Scootaloo realized something she should've known all along: she had friends... friends who already thought she was cool. Along side Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo had two of the most loyal friends a pony could ask for. She didn't to try and impress them to get them to think she was cool; they already thought the world of her, she knew they did. How she had let herself be tricked into thinking she wasn't cool enough, she'd probably never know. A small pang of guilt twitched in her stomach at having ditched them all day. She supposed she would have to make it up to them somehow.

The smile that was now starting to form across her face was enough to tell Dash that she had done her job. With a smile of her own, Dash ruffled the filly's mane lovingly.

"Just remember, Scoots," she said. "You have a friend in me, and I'll always have your back, just like you've always had mine. And remember that you have friends, friends who wouldn't have you any other way than you are right now." Dash gestured to the white carton lying on the ground next to her. "You don't need that crap in your life to feel cool or special, ya understand?"

Scootaloo nodded. She trotted up to her idol nuzzled into her front side affectionately.

"I understand now, Dash," she said. "Thanks again, for everything. You're the best."

Dash gave a cocky grin and patted her on the back.

"Don't mention it, Kiddo," she said kindly. "So you gonna be okay now?"

Scootaloo smiled a bit and nodded, though after a moment her smile faded a bit, replaced by a small frown and a sad sigh. Dash arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"Something still bothering you?" She asked.

"Nothing major," Scootaloo replied, shaking her head. "It's just... I wish I still had those five bits that I gave to that stranger. I wanted to buy a new wheel for my scooter."

"Hmmm," Dash hummed to herself. She took a moment to gaze around her surroundings. "What'd this guy look like?"

Scootaloo described the grey, spiky maned stallion with the gold hoop through his nose. And as if it were fate, Dash caught a glimpse of a stallion fitting that description exactly, poking his head out from behind a tree from was across the school yard. He was staring intently at a couple of young filly's playing rather close to him.

"Tell ya what, squirt," Dash said with a small smirk forming on her face. "How 'bout you go find your friends; I'll bet they've been looking for you all day, and, um... maaaaaaybe I'll see ya later..."

And with that, that cyan pegasus took off into the air, leaving a rather confused little filly behind her. Scootaloo watched Rainbow Dash take off high up into the sky until she was forced to shield her eyes from the sun. Shrugging slightly, Scootaloo decided she should indeed be looking for her friends. Before exiting the bush, however, she took a moment to stare down at the still smouldering cigarette on the ground. Scrunching up her face in disgust, the young pegasus brought her hoof over it and slowly crushed it into the dirt. She then turned to the white carton, still full of of those deadly sticks. This time she reared back onto her hind legs and with full force smashed the entire carton under both her forehooves.

The grey stallion smiled nastily as he watched his next two target play gleefully, totally unaware of his presence. He playfully fondled the small leather pouch at his side, filled with the bits of stupid little foals who had really believed him when he made up all that crap about cigarettes. Eager to add more to that leather pouch at his side, the stallion prepared to step forward and make his presence known to them, but the sound of something thumping on the ground behind him caused him to jump a bit and spin around. Standing there before him was a cyan colored, rainbow-maned pegasus, a rather sinister grin spread across her face.

"Sup?" the pegasus said nonchalantly.

"Uh-um, hello there," the stallion replied, trying to retain his composure, though he could do little to hide the nervousness in his eyes.

The pegasus approached him slowly, still grinning rather nastily.

"You sure it's a good idea to be hanging around school yards like this?" She asked him. "You might give some ponies the wrong ideas about you..."

The staillion shuffled his hooves nervously. His eyes shifted all over the place, as if he were desperately searching for some kind of excuse.

"Well, uh... you see I'm a, uh... parent... of one of the foals here." He said shakily, yet with a slight hint of confidence.

"That so?" Dash said, cocking an eyebrow and getting right up in his face. "Mind pointing out which one's yours?"

'Crap crap crap!' The stallion forced a nervous smile and glanced around the school yard, shifting between possible candidates for his fake child. The rainbow-maned pegasus watched him intently, knowing full well that he was about to straight up lie to her.

Finally, the stallions eyes fell upon a familiar white unicorn with a pink mane.

"Uh, that little one right there," he pointed directly at her.

The pegasus exhaled sharply and shook her head.

"You're not Sweetie Belle's dad," she said with a sneer.

"Uh... uh um," the stallion began to stammer. "I uh, meant the one next to her." He pointed at the yellow, red-maned earth pony with the big bow.

"You're not Apple Bloom's dad either," the pegasus said shortly.

Now in full panic mode, the stallion turned to a completely rather prissy looking little filly nowhere near where he was looking moments ago.

"That one right there!" He practically shouted. "That's my darling little... um..."

The cyan pegasus laughed out loud.

"Now I know for a fact you're not Diamond Tiara's dad!"

Finally, the stallion had had it. He spun back around to the rainbow pegasus, glaring nastily at her.

"Look, whaddya want with me, lady?" He spat.

The pegasus narrowed her eyes and pushed her face right up against his.

"I want you to stop peddling your filth to these kids," she said in a threatening tone. "I don't know or care if you're even aware of the damage you're doing to them, but I'm not gonna allow it anymore. You're gonna stop... whether you like it or not..."

The stallion just sneered at her and rolled his eyes. He had no intention backing down. But unfortunately for him, the pegasus wasn't finished just yet.

"Speaking of which," she continued. "A friend of mine wasn't satisfied with your product and she'd like her money back."

The stallion just laughed at her.

"Sorry, babe, but I have a strict no refund policy," he sneered.

"Oh but I just happen to have a receipt with me," the pegasus said with a smile.

"A... receipt?" the stallion cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah," the pegasus replied. "Riiiiiight... HERE!"

The stallion was met with a sharp cyan colored forehoof right upside his face...

"Scoot! There ya are!" Apple Bloom cried out joyously as she spotted her orange pegasus friend approaching them.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Sweetie Belle added her concern.

"Sorry, guys," Scootaloo apologized sincerely. "I... just had a lot goin' for me today. I'm okay now though."

The two fillies looked at each other with concern in their faces, then turned back to their friend.

"Are ya sure yer alright, Scoots?" Apple Bloom asked. "We were really worried about ya."

Scootaloo had to think for a moment before answering. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell her friends about what she had done that day, at least not yet...

The time would come though. She knew she could trust her friends with anything, and that they'd always stick with her no matter what. As a smile began to form across her face, she embraced her two friends in a big bear hug.

"Why wouldn't I be alright?" She said as she squeezed them tightly. "I've got the best role model, and two of the best friends a pony could ask for! Of course I'm alright!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged confused glances as they were practically crushed by their friend. They had never seen Scootaloo act quite this affectionate before. Still, they returned the hug warmly, giggling a bit as they did. When they finally broke apart, they were all smiling happily.

"So who's up for some good ol' Cutie Mark Crusading after school?" Scootaloo asked excitedly.

The fillies all cheered jovially and slapped their forehooves together. It was at that time that Scootaloo noticed the eyes of her two friends shift upwards as if they noticed something in the sky. A shadow suddenly covered her, noticeably blocking the heat of the sun from her back. Before she could turn around, fives little gold bits landed directly at her hooves in front of her. An excited grin spread across Scootaloos face as she gathered up the small coins and turned around. Rainbow Dash hovered above her, smiling warmly down at her admirer. Scoot beamed radiantly up at the 'too awesome for words' pegasus, unable to find the proper words to express just how grateful she was.

Rainbow Dash just shot the filly a quick wink, then took off again into the clear blue sky. Scootaloo and her friends watched her go until she was out of sight.

The smile on Scootaloo's face never faded for the rest of that day. She was truly lucky to have such a great friend and role model in that amazing pegasus.

And there ya go. I hope that was good enough for ya'll. I just had to get that outta my system. Seriously, I love Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo stories. If anyone knows of any good ones out there, please tell me about them. I've read quite a few, but I'm sure there are some I haven't gotten to yet, so please help me out. Feel free to offer any constructive criticism if necessary, just don't be a jerk about it and we won't have problems. :)

Now if you'll excuse me I need to go back to writing my story about the Mane Six robbing a bank... No seriously, that's what my other story's about: the Mane Six pulling off a bank heist. It's a little out there, but please feel free to check it out if you feel so inclined.

Thanks again for reading this. Please review, I'd appreciate it greatly. Oh, and um, brohoof and all that noise...