“Dash, when did seeing you suddenly become less of a thing?” Scootaloo eyed the pair with her best attempt at a neutral expression but the horse apple eating grin on Dumbbell’s face made that hard.
 
Rainbow Dash didn’t notice until the younger pony had nearly bumped into her flank. She jumped and turned to face her.
 
 
“Oh! Hey Scoots, what’s up?”
 
 
Scootaloo stormed up , her narrowed eyes focused on the stallion. “And why is seeing you with Dash becoming more of a thing?” She growled. “I don’t like this trend.”
 
 
“Is…something wrong, Scootaloo?” asked Rainbow Dash.
 
 
“Uh yeah,Dash! A number of things, the main one being how often you seem to be dropping out of reality. It’s like you’re never even in Ponyville anymore.”
 
 
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow, perplexed, then looked at Dumbbell who seemed to be patiently keeping silent though not without the slight traces of a smirk. “I don’t…think I’ve been gone all that much,” Rainbow Dash smiled amiably. “I mean, Bell and I were just talking about going to check out a ~~“
 
 
“What?” Scootaloo leaned forward aghast. “You cannot be serious, Rainbow Dash, you’ve been gone for, like, a month!”
 
 
Rainbow Dash blinked and broke eye contact. “It can’t have been that long.”
 
 
“Oh trust me Dash,” Scootaloo said towards Rainbow Dash though her eyes never left the stallion. “If you were any other pony you would already be on my milk carton.”
 
 
Dumbbell cleared his throat and briefly turned his attention to the blue mare standing next to him. “Why do I get the feeling that Crash jr. here doesn’t like me very much.”
 
 
“Hush you.” Rainbow snapped. Dumbbell’s shrug was comically exaggerated as he looked away.
 
 
“Well you see, Scoots…that’s a bit of a story.”
 
 
“Yeah I can tell,” Scootaloo muttered. “What’s going on with your mane?” She looked to the side a bit. “And your tail?”
 
 
“That’s part of the story,” Rainbow continued. “But first let me just say longer manes and ancient rotating pre-Equestrian machinery really don’t mix.”
 
 
Scootaloo’s demeanor quickly changed from anger, to concern with a hint of befuddlement. “What?”
 
 
“Heh, we can talk about that later,” Rainbow Dash said hastily. “But you were looking for me because you have something to tell me right? Well?”
 
Scootaloo wanted to pout but stopped herself. She sighed in an attempt to regain her thoughts but without warning her stream of thought seemed to falter. “Well I,uh, I’ve had these ideas for the kind of show I want to put on and I’ve been wanting to run them by you first.”
 
 
Rainbow’s eyes brightened. “Sure thing, squirt! So tell me some of your-”
 
 
“Don’t call me that.” Scootaloo deadpanned.
 
 
“Oh right!” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Sorry. Go ahead.”
 
 
“Well I was talking to Snips about this yesterday and he suggested something like…” Her train of thought hit another stray log thrown across the tracks.
 
 
“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked, eying Rainbow Dash a bit more critically than before. “Like I dig the new style and all but you look kinda…charred?”
 
Rainbow lifted a hoof to inspect her mane, she actually looked proud of the frayed and ragged edges. “Just a souvenir from recent scrapes. It’s Nothing I didn’t handle in the end.”
 
 
“But what were you doing?”
 
 
“I’m-”
 
Scootaloo’s attention snapped to Dumbbell. “What were you doing?” Her eyes narrowed. “While Dash was almost getting flattened by giant rocks and roasted by dragons?” She asked Rainbow. “It was dragons wasn’t it?”
 
 
“Actually it was-”
 
 
“Woah, hold it kid,” Dumbbell cut in. “Are you implyin somethin?”
 
 
“You don’t look nearly as bad as she does.” Scootaloo snarked. “That’s all I’m saying.”
 
 
“Wait, who do you think you’re talking to you little snot!”
 
 
“A big muscle headed idiot who thinks he’s all that but probably can’t even keep up with her on your best day!”
 
 
“Implying you could?”
 
 
“I’m not the pony walking around pretending to be her coltfriend!” Scootaloo’s nostrils flared.
 
 
“Woah hold the wagon you two!” Rainbow Dash was suddenly between the two bickering ponies. “Dumbbell don’t argue with a kid. He’s not my coltfriend, and Scootaloo, where the heck is this coming from?”
 
 
“This stallion is no good for you if he can’t even protect you from a dragon!” Scootaloo said, her ears falling back. “And I’m not a kid anymore.”
 
 
Dumbbell rolled his eyes. “Trust me, Rainbow would be dead at least five times over if it weren’t for me.”
 
 
“Pfft. In your dreams.” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “I’m the one who saved your tail more times than I could count.”
 
 
“See I knew he was no good for you, Dash!” Scootaloo leaned closer to Rainbow Dash’s ear, her voice lowered to a harsh whisper. “I mean he’s, like, been to prison before, right?”
 
 
“I heard that!” Dumbbell snorted. “That was the result of some incredibly unpredictable circumstances and, by the by, none of your business. Who even told you anything about that anyway?” He glanced accusingly at Rainbow Dash.
 
 
“Wasn’t me.”
 
 
“So you don’t deny it.” Scootaloo raised her eyebrow in scrutiny.
 
 
Dumbbell frowned dangerously before smiling mischievously. “I’ll throw you a curveball,” he said. “Dashie here’s been behind bars too.”
 
 
Instead of calling Dumbbell a liar as Scootaloo expected. Rainbow Dash went stiff, her lips pursed.
 
 
“Say what?”Scootaloo stepped back in shock. “When?”
 
 
Dumbbell laughed. “Only a few Hearth’s Warming Eves ago. And you’ll never even guess why.”
 
 
In desperation, Rainbow Dash reared up and clamped the flat of her hoof against Dumbbell’s mouth. “Shut up, Brainless! I didn’t want Scootaloo to know about that!”
 
 
“You went to jail, Dash? Hell yeah I do!”
 
 
“Hey, watch your language!”
 
 
Incensed, Scootaloo ruffled her feathers, she could feel a few bunching up uncomfortably under her jacket. “I am fourteen, and my birthday is in two months,” she yelled up to the sky. “I will not be quelled anymore by mom sanctioned swear words, do ya hear me!”  

 
Dumbbell: Who do you think you are callin me a coward, buddy!  
Scootaloo: I’m not your buddy, guy!  
Dumbbell: I’m not your guy, pal!  
Scootaloo: Well I’m not your pal, friend!  
Rainbow Dash: Freakin Stop this, you two!
 
Scootaloo doesn’t like Dumbbell very much. For he has stolen her -waifu~~ sister.
 
Ok that was too long but I enjoyed writing it. Dumbbell has had his ups and downs and in my headcanon, Rainbow Dash got caught after blowing up the weather factory in Tanks for the Memories. She spent the night in Cloudsdale jail and sentenced to 3 months community service, so no Hearth’s Warming Eve festivities for her! But she did reconnect with some old friends in Cloudsdale so it wasn’t a total loss.
 
In this pic Scootaloo is older, nearly a legal adult, and is slowly becoming her own pony. I’ve always seen her as daredevil. Like a little pony Evel Knievel. Her wing is covering her flank because I’m not going to use her canon cutie mark, I’ll probably have to make up my own (or ask someone really nicely if they’ll let me borrow their cutie mark idea).
 
Somehow Rainbow Dash ran into Daring Do for a second time which explains her burnt mane, but she doesn’t seem all that bothered by it. Just another day as the most amazing pony ever getting to hang out with the other most amazing pony ever.