Silence sits over Equestria. Everypony was still fast asleep and the sun was not due to be risen by Princess Celestia for another hour or so. It was that point in the year where the Running of the Leaves had passed but Nightmare Night was still distant, so there was just a bit of a chill in the air, though it would warm up as soon as the royal duties would change shift. Nopony is outside at this hour. Well, Nopony but you, that is. What would Rainbow Dash, think if you didn’t take this opportunity to practice. You haven’t seen your mentor in a while, sadly. She got an opportunity with the Wonderbolts Elite crew about a year ago, so it’s become very difficult to keep in touch. Whenever she comes back, though, she has awesome stories, candy and a lot of souvenirs for everyone. You, Scootaloo, can’t wait to see Dash again. You haven’t seen her in months, and miss her dearly. But Dash isn’t what’s important right now.
You have your workout today. That’s the plan for this morning.
That’s why you’re up so early. The Junior Pegasi Endurance Meet, the top marathon of all Academy Pegasi competitions, is just around the corner. You are, of course, expected to place highly. The Ponyville Sportsmare and the Equestrian Papers, two of Equestria’s most trusted sports magazines, listed you as an “Athlete to Watch for”. Plus, your performance at the Wonderbolts Pegasi Combine was labeled as legendary by some. But those aren’t reasons to rest on your laurels. As Dash always said, “It’s always better to shoot higher, Scoots”.
You’re sitting around the edge of the Everfree Forest, reading the scroll which lists this morning’s workout. 3 miles of running for warm up, 50 push-ups, and 100 wing sprints”. Seems simple enough to follow. You go for your run, but it doesn’t take very long. Literally, you’re done with it in about 15 minutes. As for the 50 push-ups, you get through them without breaking a sweat. But now you have to complete the bulk of your work out: the wing sprints. You stretch your wings in preparation; hum a tune Sweetie Belle sang yesterday to ease your nerves, and stare up to the clouds in anticipation for your workout. For your wing sprints, you have to fly up at full speed on a 90 degree angle for 400 yards. This workout can be downright killer, but nothing brings you more pride and joy than a medal around your neck and Rainbow Dash’s approval. So you begin.
The first 40 wing sprints are a breeze, as you soar high in the sky like a champion. It’s nothing, considering you have the largest wingspan in your age group. Not to mention that your wings strength surpasses the strength of even some adult Pegasi.
You go through another 59 sprints, methodically, climbing to your height of 400 yards and swooping back down to the Earth, just as a kite which no longer can find wind to carry it. Your hooves gracefully touch down as you catch your breath. Now, as you can observe, the sun is just coming over the mountains in the distance. It reminds you a bit about when Rainbow Dash would take you out at the early morning to practice flight. Of course, back then it was merely hovering and fluttering but after constant work and a lot of dedication, you’ve exceed even her expectations (and coincidentally lost your “Chicken” status).
Dash was always there for you, ever since you first came to Ponyville. It was so long ago, but it feels like it was just yesterday. You were just a little filly back then. Before the whole thing with the “Cutie Mark Crusaders” or with your acceptance into Wonderbolt Prep. Yes, the day you met Rainbow Dash was unforgettable. But, you can sit around and think through more happy memories later. Right now, you have to finish these sprints.
You stand and look straight into the sky. Only 400 more yards and the workout will be over. You feel a twitch in your wings, as you look straight into the clouds. You know what you must do. Your wings feel the burn of lactic acid from the other 99 sprints and your breathing has been very heavy. Only few Pegasi your age would even dream about taking this kind of work load. But, you have faith in your abilities, so you shake out your wings one last time and prepare for flight. You do a little countdown in your head and before you can even think about it, you’re gaining speed and climbing the sky. Now, your wings are really on fire, your mane is dripping sweat and your stomach is starting to feel queasy. You’re feeling like crap, to put it bluntly. But you open your eyes and fight harder. Nopony is around, but you begin to hear voices. They aren’t the voices of fans or spectators. They’re the voices in your head.
“Quit it Scoots. You’re done for. It’s over. It doesn’t matter if you finish or not. No one will care”, one voice pleads. You hate that voice but the voice is very convincing. You are tired, you’re hungry and Nopony is around to say whether or not you finished the workout. You begin to slow down at 200 yards and your self-confidence begins to dive. You are about to stop, when another voice begins speaking in your head. It’s the sound of a louder voice. This voice is shouting, “Don’t stop! It’s not over! Don’t end like this Scoots”. The voice is very familiar. It may only be in your head but, damn it, it’s the voice of Rainbow Dash. The one who gives you strength, confidence, faith and courage. The voice of someone who believed in you, when no one else did. Someone who you consider to be the coolest pony of all time, not to mention trained you in the art of flight. Now you know there is no doubt that you will finish this. It’s only 200 yards left to finish.
Now your veins are pumping, heart is beating faster and your body is losing its energy. But you’re almost there. Just a few more yards to go and you’ll be done. You mind is racing as fast as you are flying, but you know it is almost done. You are almost there. Just. A. Few. More. Yards!
Before you know it, you’ve reached the 400 yards. You spread out your tired wings, and begin your descent back to the ground. You’re sweating and you can taste a bit of blood mixed with vomit in your throat, but you feel satisfied with how you did. You finally reach the ground and fall out. Your tired body can barely hold yourself up. As, you lie on the ground, you mumble to yourself, “That one was for you, Dash”. You close your eyes, and take easy breaths.
“I heard you have a race coming up. From the looks of that work you just put in, it looks like I’m in for a treat kiddo!” You turn over to your left and see a pony in a Wonderbolts formal uniform with an unforgettable rainbow color mane approaching you. This workout…totally worth it.