It was a beautiful afternoon. Not a cloud in the sky, which, of course, meant that Rainbow Dash had done her job. And after her job was done, you could always find her napping on a cloud on the outskirts of Ponyville. It was the perfect place to get away from it all. It was pristine. Peaceful. Silent.
At least, that's what the plan was. Her dreams were interrupted by a loud, strained buzzing sound. Dash peered off her cloud, and saw little Scootaloo hauling all of her supplies into the Everfree Forest.
"Hey, Squirt. What's with the gear?", asked Rainbow, from atop her cloud. "Oh, hey Rainbow. I'm gonna use this stuff to get my cutie mark", replied Scootaloo. "Probably could've guessed that with you", quipped Rainbow, "Well, have fun. Don't hurt yourself." "Thanks, Rainbow. See you around", said Scootaloo as she rode off into the forest.
She needed to find a spot in the woods that was fairly open, but had some sturdy low-hanging branches to hang the trapeze swings from. It took some work, but she found the perfect spot. It was a spot that had been logged out, but the surrounding forest had remained untouched, leaving several branches hanging overhead. It was the perfect spot to get shot out of a cannon.
After she unloaded her wagon, she put on the climbing boots and climbed up one of the trees with a hanging branch. She attached one of the trapeze swings to the branch, and then, she did it again three more times with the other branches. Then, she aimed the cannon just above the first swing, making sure to compensate for her weight. Finally, she set up the trapeze net at the place where she thought she'd land, should she miss the swing right out of the cannon.
As she was putting everything together, she thought about just how perfect her plan was. There was a chance that she would get all three of the things she desperately desired in one stunt. First, the branches were too far apart to reach by simply jumping. She needed to be able to fly. Second, the routine she had planned was complex enough that she'd probably earn her cutie mark by the time she stuck the landing. And third, with her cutie mark and flying ability, she'd earn the respect of Rainbow Dash.
With everything set up, she set the charge, put one of the fuses into the cannon, and lit the other end. She only had 15 seconds to climb into the cannon. She quickly jumped up, and snugly fit herself into the barrel of the cannon. She began counting down. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...
"Wait, how strong is this charge gonna BEEEEEEEEEEE?"
When the fuse ran out, Scootaloo was blasted out of the cannon. She went way over the swings, way over the safety net, and was still climbing higher. She needed a miracle, and none was in sight.
So, she started flapping her wings.
She thought, "If there's any time for my wings to start working, NOW IS THE TIME." She flapped her wings, but she didn't feel any change in her trajectory. So, she flapped harder, still nothing. She closed her eyes and kept flapping and flapping and flapping. And suddenly, she felt something.
She felt her body begin to level off. She was actually flying. Scootaloo was in a state of shock. She didn't know what to do next. There was just one problem.
She didn't know what to do next.
She started to wobble. Thinking that she wasn't flapping her wings hard enough, she trying flapping harder. But, all that did was cause her to go completely out of control. She plummeted out of the sky, right back toward Ponyville.
Rainbow was just finishing up her nap, when her ears perked up. She heard a whistling sound, and it was getting louder. She looked up just in time to see Scootaloo hurtling toward her. Rainbow leaped off her cloud just as Scootaloo flew right through it.
Scootaloo leaned her head up to try and keep from slamming into the ground. She was able to level off right before she hit the ground. But, she was still flying incredibly fast, she still had no idea how to stop, and she was still headed straight for Ponyville.
Applejack had just set up her food stand. She had brought her brightest apples, her juiciest pies, and her fritteriest fritters. She was ready for a good day. Until.
"AHHHHHHHHHH". Scootaloo was aimed right at her cart. She hunkered down, braced for impact, and began thinking about how much more she could get done if she wasn't consistently busy repairing stuff. But, the impact never came. Applejack opened her eyes, and saw Scootaloo right in front of her. Panic was still in her eyes, her wings were still frantically buzzing. But, she was flying in place. A.J. looked behind Scootaloo, and saw Rainbow grabbing Scoots' tail, while flying in the opposite direction.
"Relax your wings, kid", strained Rainbow. Scootaloo calmed down, and fell to the ground. She'd used up all of her energy, and was on the verge on passing out. A.J. gave her a cup of apple cider to pick her back up.
"I'm... sorry,... Rainbow", stuttered Scootaloo bewteen gasps of air and sips of cider. "Don't worry about it, kid. Nobody got hurt, so it's all good. I just didn't know you could fly that fast", said Rainbow. "I can't... I shot myself... out of a cannon". "Why would you do that, that's kinda insane?", said Rainbow, now much more concerned. "I told you... for my cutie mark... and...". "And what", wondered Rainbow.
"I don't know... how to... fly", admitted Scootaloo. "Well, there're easier ways to learn how to fly than shooting yourself out of a cannon. Look, if you're looking for advice on flying, I could give you some tips". Scootaloo's eyes shot open. "REALLY?", shouted Scootaloo. "Well, sure. As long as it keeps you from shooting yourself out of a cannon", said Rainbow. "OH MY GOSH, THAT'S ONLY WHAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED SINCE I FIRST MET YOU", fangirled Scootaloo. "Ooooooook, then. Come on, Scoots. I've got a couple of ideas for you."
The two trotted off, with a smile on each of their faces. "Well, I'm glad that's all sorted out", said Applejack, "Who wants some apples?" "A.J., I'm glad I found you", said Pinkie. "I heard somepony needed energy, so I brought the quintuple-chocolate boysenberry-jelly filled ultra-donut. Now, where this worn-out pony?" "They already left, and she's all perked up now", said Applejack. "ARRRRRRGGH, WHEN AM I GONNA SELL THIS THING?"