To Fly

by Background_Pony

Flight

On a crisp fall morning, Scootaloo let her wings unfurl open, basking in sugary sweet sunlight near the edge of a cliff. Rainbow Dash stood anxiously next to her, impatiently trotting in place and widely grinning.

"Come on, Scoot," the cyan pegasus laughed, flapping her wings competitively. "we don't have all day!"

"R-right... It's just..." Scootaloo shook her head to clear the dark thoughts that fogged up her mind, searching for words that were caught in her throat. "n-never mind! Alright, what's first?"

"Uhh," grumbled Rainbow Dash, searching for the correct word choice. With a flick of her tail and a beat of her wings, she was up in the air and directing Scootaloo. "first yo- Well, you just flap your wings in rhythm, and by instinct, you fly!" her answer was over all not very helpful but the orange pegasus wasn't about to second guess her mentor, role model, and Wonderbolt captain.

She looked down, back up, and behind her before sending her wings downwards and floating up off the ground. The young mare's eyes brightened and she flapped them again. After a few more experimental flutters of her coral wings, she was soaring through Grabby Gorge, the soggy rocks brushing against her fur.

Scootaloo looked up as she floated gracefully towards the top of the cliff. All she could see was a vast sea of cobalt, speckled with a few stray clouds. She stopped when Rainbow Dash was just a pastel colored dot in the distance. The air was thin up here and her lungs felt as if they would pop.

With a final glance downwards, she slammed her wings into her sides and fell backwards, dropping like a rock. Her coat felt like it was on fire, white hot flames lapping at her withers. Her eyes drifted shut, and she relished the feeling of wind roaring in her ears and sending her mane haywire.

Sooner than she expected, the orange pegasus could smell the enticing scent of wet stones. On a dime, Scootaloo forced her wings to spring open, causing her to shoot upwards faster than Dash could keep up with.

The coral pony squealed and did graceful arches in the air, looping and diving like a trained Wonderbolt, even if she had just learned to fly.

Meanwhile, a cobalt pegasus stared off in awe at the pegasus filly, watching eagerly as Scootaloo whipped around the sky at dizzying speeds.

"Alright Scootaloo," Rainbow's raspy voice called out, snapping out of her stupor. "that's enough practice for today."

Scootaloo couldn't agree more. Her wings felt sore from her stunt and her lungs burned from traveling through rushing air so fast. Her eyes stung from trying to keep them open while careening downwards and her mane was highly disheveled.

"Y-yeah," stuttered the coral pegasus, running a colored hoof through her magenta hair in an attempt to tame her wild locks of dark pink. "I'm going to go to the c-clubhouse and meet up with the CMC."

Rainbow snorted a little. "You're still called that? You got your cutie marks already!" She pointed towards the young mare's flank, adorned with a storm cloud shooting a flash of rainbow lighting.

"Yeah, I guess so..." she paused, mulling over what Dash had said."bu-but why should that matter! It's a really cool name!"

"I wasn't insulting it, featherhead." The cyan pegasus took to the air, flapping her wings furiously. "I better be off. I have new recruits in the Wonderbolts. One blind, one afraid of heights, and one that's never flown before. Gotta dash!"

"See ya later, Rainbow!"

"Bye, Scoot!"

-_-_-_-_-_-

"Scoots! Yer finally here!" Apple Bloom drawled. She was of reasonable height; not too tall, not too short with a paintbrush for a cutiemark. A bulk of red locks covered most of her head, occasionally getting in her eyes.

"It took you long enough," mused a voice smoother than silk, belonging to Sweetie Belle. The alabaster unicorn had long, spindly legs and a thick waterfall of lavendar curls cascading over her ears and along her neck. Her cutiemark was two linked eighth notes, even though half of it was covered up by a rugged white and green saddle bag.

"Quit your griping, guys! I learned how to fly today!" This coaxed a burst of shouts.

"YOU DID?!"

"WHAT KIND OF STUNTS DID YOU PULL OFF?"

"DID YOU ATTEMPT TO DO A SONIC RAINBOOM?"

All of their excited banter was silenced by a bang on the door. The older Cutie Mark Crusaders sat stock still and quiet as death.

Apple Bloom beckoned a hoof. They slunk under the hoof painted desk and waited.

"See, Silver Spoon?" gloated a prim voice. "Nopony ever even glances at this dingy old clubhouse anymore. We can probably pay Apple Bloom a couple of bits to fix it up," the crusaders could hear the voice pause for a moment. "that is, if she has a fraction of a brain in that country bumpkin head of her's!"

Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom, only to see the filly's hoof clenched in her teeth to prevent her from shouting.

"Yeah, the only half-intelligent one of the three is Sweetie Belle! Now, let's see what secrets this dingy old deathtrap holds!" Scootaloo looked awestruck. She glanced over to the unicorn filly and saw that she was screaming silently into her saddlebag. As Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon rummaged through their belongings, Apple Bloom had curled up in a tight ball and squirmed whenever they would pull something out.

"Hey Silver Spoon! Read this!" mocked Diamond Tiara, yanking a tattered piece of paper from beneath a microphone. "Dear Feather Weight," Scootaloo could hear the violet unicorn cackle and stomp her hind leg. "would it be possible that you spy on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?"

Apple Bloom looked over to Sweetie Belle and whispered, "Ah thought Ah told you ta throw that away!"

"Pony feathers! Sorry I forgot!!" Sweetie Belle murmured, raising a hoof to silence the yellow earth pony.

Diamond Tiara continued. "She's been driving me up the wall and she looks over my shoulder in math test. Eavesdrop as much as you can with out getting caught! Signed, the CMC. Pffftt... AHAHAHAAAABAAHAAA!! They still use that idiotic nickname? I thought they learned their lesson when we hijacked their talent show act! I could have sworn that giant globe would've crushed Sweetie Belle if we had loosened it more!"

Scootaloo had enough of this. She threw herself out from under the desk, the two other ponies following her.

"WHAT?!?" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked on in fear, but their expressions of chagrin quickly changed to sinister grins.

"Well, what have we here? The accused sits and shakes with fear!" Diamond Tiara hissed, glaring at the three ponies infront of her.