"Good morning, class!" Cheerilee greeted her students.
"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee!" a couple dozen or so foals answered back in unison.
"Today is a very special day—"
"Ooo! Ooo!" Snips interrupted, rapidly waving his hoof in the air.
"Yes, Snips?" Cheerilee asked.
"Is it your birthday?" he asked.
"My birthday?" the mulberry mare repeated. And then she burst out laughing. "Sorry, Snips, but I'm afraid that today's not my birthday, but today is special nonetheless: we have special guests coming to talk to you today!"
"Who is it? Is is somepony we know?" Rumble asked.
"Yes, but I want their appearance to be a surprise. Yes, Silver Spoon?"
"What is the guest going to be talking about?"
At that, Cheerilee's green eyes flashed and a mysterious smile lit up her face. "The most wonderful and amazing thing in the world: magic."
Dinky raised a tentative hoof. "Miss Cheerilee?"
"Yes, dear?"
"When is Mrs. Doctor Princess Twilight Sparkle coming?"
At that, Spike crashed through the door, accidentally dropping his scrolls, quills, and corked vials of ink.
"Sorry!" the hatchling grimaced as he scrambled to pick up his things.
"I told you to let me carry some of those for you!" Twilight chastised from outside the door. "Honestly, you wouldn't be in this situation if you just listened—"
"Ugh, you're just like Mom," Spike grumbled as he rolled his eyes.
"Well Spike, if I'm 'just like Mom,' then why don't you listen to me like you do with her?" Twilight snapped as she entered.
"Do we need to—?"
A deep, rich chuckle interrupted the pair. "Ah, true sibling love. There is no greater blessing from the heavens above," Zecora sighed as she followed the alicorn inside.
"Zecora!" Applebloom exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the zebra.
"And a 'hello' to you, my dear Applebloom," the Zebrican mare smiled at her.
"Class, I would like to present our special guests today: Zecora, Champion Spike Sparkle, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Say good morning, children!"
"Good morning!" the foals chorused.
"Uh, hey, guys," Spike waved a claw at them. "(Um, Cheerilee, do you think you could lay off on our titles next time?)" he whispered to her under his breath.
"Spike, we're behind schedule! We need to get everything ready!" Twilight whined.
"And a good morning to you very special foals," Zecora greeted the class with flawless ease. "Let us hope that we can make a wondrous day unfold.
"Not too long ago, our dear Miss Cheerilee approached Twilight Sparkle with a proposition, don't you see? She would like Twilight to teach the magic of your pony races each."
Scootaloo raised a hoof. "So Twilight is going to teach us how to do the magic that pertains to our race?"
Zecora chuckled, skillfully ignoring the movement and noises of the two mares and dragon behind her. "Nay, sweet Scootaloo, I'm afraid that would be far too much for a single pony to do!"
"But you and Miss Cheerilee just said we're going to be learning about magic!" Diamond Tiara protested.
"Indeed you are—"
"Yes!" Twilight suddenly popped up from behind her presentation easel. "You are going to be learning about magic, but as for how to do magic, well..."
"You might want to go to somepony else for that," Spike supplied as he and Cheerilee finished the setup. "Besides, from what I've seen with her sessions with Granny Smith and Rainbow Dash, her earth and pegasus magic needs alot of work."
The alicorn glared at her brother. "Thanks, Spike, I really appreciate—"
"Our princess visited my home in Everfree seeking wisdom and guidance from me," Zecora continued, her aura of calm unshakeable. "I said before she begins, she must tell you all of your origins."
"Um, Miss Zecora?" Dinky once again raised a tentative hoof in the air.
"Yes?"
"What story are you going to be telling us?" the violet filly mumbled softly.
"Oh, I will not be today's literary architect, instead I'll just be handling the special effects!" And Zecora laughed, causing every other foal to laugh along with her.
"Instead that honor belongs to none other than Princess Twilight. No doubt her story will bring great curiosity and delight!" the zebra concluded as she joined Spike and Cheerilee in the background.
"Thank you, Zecora," the alicorn nodded. "A few days ago, I visited Zecora and told her about this little project I'm doing, and she suggested instead of diving in horn-first into the basics of our pony magic, I should start with the oldest story known to Equestria, a story that may be oldest-known to all of the world. Spike, Cheerilee, could you please shut the curtains?"
"Sure thing!"
One by one, the curtains were drawn shut until at last, the schoolhouse was dark.
The class passed some time in silence.
Finally, from the extremely dim lighting of the classroom, they saw Zecora gather something in her hooves. She brought her muzzle close to her hooves and stared at it. It slowly began to glow.
She then took a sharp inhalation, scattered glowing dust with her breath.
The foals looked on in the wonder at the dark green mist that now creeped at their hooves and desks.
"No mortal in the world can say for certain what it was like when Equus was first made," Twilight began. "Even Discord, Queen Celestia, and Queen Luna— each of them old and powerful gods filled with deep magic— couldn't tell when or how the world started. Nevertheless, with scant evidence (and sometimes no evidence at all), everyone in the world has ideas on how everything began.
"Some say that Equus was once a place even more wild and wonderful than it is now— filled with beasts and plants and souls we no longer have the imagination for. A few believe that a great civilization, one dominated by two-leggers, ruled the world and then destroyed it. But the theory with the most evidence is the one stating that Equus was nothing but a barren, inhospitable waste. Regardless of what one believes, something that everyone does know was that in the beginning, there was Lord Grogar, the Ram of Death and the ruler of the Asphodel Fields."
Zecora blew another puff of powder, and this time, a stolid, silent image of the death god meandered between the desks.
"Before ponies, the world was a lifeless and miserable place. The skies were wild and untamed, leading to massive and destructive tempests that destroyed everything in their wake."
Grogar dissipated into nothingness and Zecora blew smoke to the ceiling of the schoolhouse. Miniscule bolts of lightning occasionally crackled from the smoke clouds overhead.
"The seas were constantly churning and unpredictable, causing great tsunamis to crash into the shores, rivers to disappear and reappear, and floods to come and go with no rhyme or reason."
Zecora trotted down the center of the classroom, and where she passed through, the green mist turned into tumultuous waves.
"The earth was brown, barren, and lifeless— utterly incapable of nourishing any creature."
The shaman silently cantered along the edges of the room, spreading dust that turned the green mist of that area into an ugly, murky brown.
"But worst of all were the heavens."
Zecora stomped a hoof and at that sharp sound, and everything instantly condensed into three spheres: one gold, one silver, and one of brown and blue. The three of them floated around in random, aimless directions.
"For some reason or another, Equus was not in line with either its sun or moon. Instead, it floated around without a set path. Without the sun and moon to regulate the ebb and flow of the planet, Equus was almost destroyed."
The three orbs disappeared, only to melt back into the creeping green mist of earlier.
"But even though all seemed lost, something mysterious happened: ponies were born.
"In the wild skies, it is said that someone, no one knows who, scattered feathers in the tempestuous wind and clouds. From those feathers, pegasi took flight! With each flap of their wings, they tamed the storms and skies."
From above, the foals watched as misty apparitions of pegasi dove through the air, dissipating an tumultuous storm.
"In the seething seas and waves, someone scattered the hairs of a tail into the waters. The moment each hair came into contact with the ocean, sea ponies sprung up! With a flick of their tails, they quieted the churning sea and became the guardians of the world's waters
Sea ponies now swam underneath desks as they stilled imaginary waters.
"On the earth, hooves were said to have been mixed in with the soil and earth ponies sprouted up. With each step they took, life followed and they dutifully nourished all living things."
Through the mists, earth ponies galloped in herds throughout the classroom, summoning trees and animals in their wake.
"Finally, it is said that a horn was exposed to the light of twilight, the time when the light of the three Divine Lights— the sun, moon, and stars— shone. From that horn, the unicorns were said to spring into existence, and with that, they lit their horns and became masters of the heavens."
Small unicorns, each of them the size of dolls, materialized on everypony's desk and the three spheres appeared once again. This time, the sun and moon glided in perfect orbit around Equus.
"The four races— the pegasi, the sea ponies, the earth ponies, and the unicorns— brought harmony to the world. "
The fillies and colts marveled at the ethereal apparitions that Zecora had crafted for them, each of them drinking in the lively images.
But all good things must come to an end, and Zecora snapped a curtain open.
Her creations vanished in the morning light and everypony sat in silence for a moment.
At last, Scootaloo, never one to sit still for long, grinned. "That. Was. Awesome!" she proclaimed as she clapped her hooves in appreciative applause. Everypony (and dragon) in the room joined her.
"That was so cool!" Snips and Snails agreed in unison.
"You've got to show me how to do that!" Applebloom exclaimed with excitement.
"Like, I wish my parents were able to see this!" Diamond Tiara grinned at the zebra.
"Mine too!" Silver Spoon concurred.
"I wish my whole family was here for that!" Sweetie Belle proclaimed.
Zecora looked away, a bashful blush coloring her white and black cheeks.
"My illusions were lovely, I suppose, but credit to the mare who had this tale told. A cheer for Twilight Sparkle, and Miss Cheerilee too. They wanted to make this just for you."
Another round of applause filled the schoolhouse and both princess and teacher smiled at the children.
"Thank you, Zecora," Twilight nodded at the zebra. "We couldn't have done this without you. Now do you have any questions about the story?"
Foal in the room raised their hoof.
"Um, yes, you, with the peppermint sticks for a cutie mark. What is your name and what is your question?"
"My name ith Twi-Twi-Twist, printh-princess" she managed to articulate properly. "How long ago did all that thuff happen?"
"Excellent question, Twist," Twilight nodded. "Truthfully, nopony can pinpoint an exact date as to when this all happened, and many academics— academics are those who dedicate their lives to learning— doubt the validity of these stories. Nevertheless, some ponies guess that all this happened over ten thousand years ago, maybe even longer than that!"
"Ten thousand years ago?" Sweetie Belle interrupted without raising her hoof. "How many zeroes is that again?"
"Four," Spike supplied as he drew the number on the board.
"That's, um...!" Applebloom began as she looked up at the ceiling in thought. "That's one-hundred hundreds!"
"Very good, Applebloom!" Cheerilee beamed.
"Yeah, great job on the math," Spike complimented her with a nod of approval. "Anyway, like Twilight said, at the very earliest guess, all this stuff could have happened ten thousand years ago, but for all we know, the whole shebang could have been twenty thousand years ago, or fifty thousand years ago, or even a hundred thousand years ago!"
The class tried to wrap their minds around the numbers. Applebloom, quick as a whip, did the math again. "A hundred thousand years ago? That's, uh... that's... a thousand centuries?" she finished, uncertain with her answer.
The dragon and three mares at the front nodded.
"Gosh... that's a lot," the Apple filly concluded.
"Any other questions?"
More hooves shot up in the air and Twilight decided on the next foal to pick.
"Yes, Scootaloo?"
"You said everypony— everyone in the world knows that Lord Grogar was the first one around, but you also said that nopony knows who actually scattered the feathers and planted the hooves and stuff. How do you know that Lord Grogar wasn't the one that made ponies?"
"Good point, Scootaloo," Twilight nodded in approval. "There are two reasons why we know for certain that he had no hoof, or actually a limited hoof, in creating ponydom. First and foremost, he has said so himself, and sec—"
"Woah! Really?!" Snails exclaimed. "He can talk? I thought ponies just heard his bells whenever he was about to collect the soul of a dead guy!"
"Snails, what did I tell you about interrupting?" Cheerilee admonished with a stern look.
"Oh, um, sorry, Princess Twilight," the chubby blue colt apologized with a deep bow.
The alicorn gave him a gentle smile. "You don't have to bow, Snails; just raise your hoof next time. And to answer your question, yes, Lord Grogar can indeed talk. While he prefers to use his bells to announce his presence, he will, from time-to-time, grace someone with either wisdom, warning, or knowledge. On one of the few instances he decided to speak, he told Meadowbrook— a powerful wizard from long ago— that he had no significant part in creating us. Lord Grogar stated he merely set the stage. Now Scootaloo, what was your question again?"
"How do we know that Lord Grogar didn't make us?"
"Ah yes. Like I just told Snails, Lord Grogar said so himself, but even before he denied playing a major role in our creation, ponies were mostly certain it was impossible for him to do so. Why did our ancestors draw that conclusion? Well, just like the moon can't grow crops and the sun can't control the tides, the ability to give life is simply beyond Lord Grogar's ability. For death to create life is completely antithetical— that is to say 'completely against'— what he is. He may be the oldest and most powerful of the gods of Equus, but even gods have their limits and Lord Grogar is no exception. Does that answer your question? Excellent! Anypony else? How about you... Miss Hooves? Your last name is Hooves, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mrs. Doctor Princess Twilight Sparkle. How did you know?"
Twilight laughed. "I'm not a doctor of anything, Miss Hooves, and furthermore, 'Mrs.' is a title reserved to married mares. Just call me 'Miss Twilight.'"
"Sorry," the filly murmured with a blush.
"It's okay," the alicorn assured her. "You look just like your mother, Derpy. What is your name, little filly?"
"Dinky, Miss Twilight," Dinky responded into her desk.
"Speak up, Dinky," Cheerilee gently prodded from behind the princess.
"Sorry," she mumbled again, this time slightly louder. "Miss Twilight, I think I might have two questions."
"Okay. What's your first one?"
"The feathers, the tail hairs, the hooves, the horn... did all that stuff come from a pony?"
"In all frankness, Dinky, nopony really knows. However, I personally don't think so. Ponies did not exist before they were made to bring harmony to Equus, so how could all those parts come from a pony?"
"Well it's just that—"
"Speak up, Dinky," Cheerilee reminded her again.
"It's just that... it sounds an awful lot like somepony's, maybe an alicorn's body parts were separated to make the four races, kinda like how the Apple family takes parts from old apple trees to make new ones. And Miss (Mrs?) Granny Smith Apple told us that Sweet Apple Acres wasn't always around, so all the trees must have come from either one grandma tree or from a few grandma trees."
"They came from a few grandma trees," Applebloom quickly supplied.
Twilight frowned in concentration as she listened to Dinky's parallel. "Is this related to your second question or your first?"
"Um, both, I think."
The princess studied her intently. "What is your second question?"
"Well, you and the other alicorns are more than your wings, tails, hooves, and horns..."
"Right."
"So if somepony's body was used to make the four races, what happened to the rest of that pony?"
The cogs began turning in Twilight's head as she pondered Dinky's words. She began to pace around the room.
Spike, knowing his sister was already gone, took over.
"Those are very good points you're bringing up, Dinky, but like Twilight said earlier: the beginnings of Equus and ponydom are mired in mystery. Maybe there was some sort of grandmother alicorn of all ponydom, or maybe there wasn't, but either way, there currently isn't enough evidence to answer your question accurately, sorry. But who knows? Maybe you'll learn the answer in the future," he finished with a wink.
"Mmm, maybe you should move on the next points," Cheerilee proposed, watching her princess pace and rub her chin thoughtfully.
"Good suggestion. Perhaps it is time we change direction," Zecora agreed.
"Okay, guys," Spike went over to the presentation easel and had Zecora turn the page. "Like Twilight said earlier, there are four races, but did you also know about the four elements and the four domains?"
Sweetie Belle raised a hoof and Spike nodded for her to speak. "Aren't there six Elements?"
"There are six Elements of Harmony, if that's what you're talking about, but there are other types of elements out there: the periodic table of elements, the four natural elements, the element of surprise..."
The class erupted into giggles.
"The elements of which he speaks are the elements of your races each. Air, water, earth, and fire— those are the four natural elements, my child."
"Exactly. As everypony knows, all ponies have magic, and your magic stems from the four natural elements. Pegasi have air magic, and they use their wings to manipulate the air molecules (did you learn about molecules yet?) to fly, move clouds, and create lightning. Sea ponies have water magic and apparently use their tails to do their magic, but since sea ponies are so mysterious about themselves, that's about all we could tell you about them. Earth ponies have earth magic, and they use their hooves as conduits, but their magic is weird in that it extends to plants and animals— that'll be explained later in the week. And unicorns have fire magic which they use to produce the light and the will for magic. If you have any questions, write them down and save them for later; Twilight is more of an authority on this stuff than I am.
"Now in addition to the four races drawing their power from the four natural elements, there are also four domains. Does anypony know anything about the four domains?"
Dinky raised a hesitant hoof.
"Yes, Dinky?"
"The four domains are heaven, earth, sea, and sky."
"You got it!" Spike grinned at her. "Can you tell me anything else about the domains?"
She quickly shook her head and the lesson continued.
"As the tale illustrated, the four races had a domain to straighten. The pegasi were born to tame the skies, the sea ponies exist to guardian the seas, the ponies of earth were made to nourish and serve the earth, and unicorns were born to fix heaven with their horns. And thus to stop the world from breaking, a domain and element for each of the pony races."
Twilight snapped out of her thought processes. "Oh! I'm so sorry, children, the lesson!"
"I think your brother and Zecora did a fantastic job in finishing today's lesson in magic," Cheerilee assured her with a wink. "Besides, it's lunchtime everypony! Class dismis—!"
"Wait!" Snails shot a desperate hoof in the air.
Cheerilee raised her brows in surprise. Normally, he was one of the first to go racing outside for lunch and recess. Nevertheless, she paused her dismissal and addressed him.
"Yes, Snails?"
"Mr. Sparkle, you said that there would be more explanations later this week. Is that true?"
Twilight smiled as she answered his question. "Of course! It takes more than one day to learn about magic, and I plan on having you learn about the magic from all the races."
Scootaloo sat up in her seat, her wings fluttering slightly. "Really?" she asked, her violet eyes shining with excitement.
"Yes, Scootaloo," the alicorn assured her. "Today was only the first part in a six-part—"
"Six?"
"— educational series. We only covered the basics today, but over the next four days, we are going to talk about each individual race and their magic. Tomorrow should be of particular interest to you, Scootaloo, because tomorrow we are going to learn about pegasus magic."
Excited chatter rose up from the students, particularly from the pegasi.
"Be prepared for the princess' lecture tomorrow; it will take place after lunch! Dismissed!"
Ponyville Schoolhouse was abuzz with excited speculation that Wednesday afternoon.
"This is so cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Twi's gonna teach us pegasus magic!"
"I know, it's so awesome!" Rumble agreed.
"What do you think she's going to cover first?" Cotton Cloudy pondered. "Flying? Making lightning? Making rain or snow or hail? I can't wait!"
From her seat, Diamond Tiara scoffed. "I bet she's not going to show you guys how to do any of that."
Scootaloo's face darkened. "Why? Because I'm a 'blaaaankflaaaank?' Well, tough cookies for you, cuz—"
Diamond rolled her eyes. "That's not it, Blundermark Goofsader."
"Yeah," Silver Spoon chimed in. "Don't you remember what they told us yesterday? Zecora said that'd be too much for one pony to do, and Spike said that his sister isn't the best at earth or pegasus magic yet."
"Yeah, well, Twilight knows more about magic than you ever will," Scootaloo countered.
"And the Cake's baby colt knows more about magic than you ever will, considering he can already fly," Diamond rebutted.
Scootaloo immediately bolted upright from her seat. "Why don't you—?"
"Aw come on, guys, can't this wait until after the princess finishes her lesson?" Cotton Cloudy implored.
"Yeah, calm down," Tornado Bolt agreed.
A chorus of foals echoed Cotton Cloudy's sentiment.
Scootaloo glowered at her classmates for a moment before sinking back into her seat. She turned to pout at the window.
"Honestly, I really don't care if Princess Twilight teaches you guys how to fluff clouds or make hurricanes," Dinky's soft voice added. "I just want to hear more of her stories."
And at that, Cheerilee and Spike entered the schoolhouse.
"Sorry for the delay, children!" she apologized in a singsong voice. "Unfortunately there's been a miscommunication, and the princess and the other guest speakers are going to be a bit late. But for now, we'll begin with Spike. Let's make him feel welcome."
"Good afternoon, Spike," the foals greeted him.
"Hey guys, good afternoon!" the dragon smiled at them as he placed a stool in front of the class. Once he was seated, Spike continued speaking. "So as Miss Cheerilee said, a mistake was made and the lesson will begin later. But don't worry. I'll just kill some time before the real experts get here.
"Today we are going to teach you about the basics of pegasus magic. I know that some of you can't wait for this, and I pretty sure some of you want to zone-out because you're not pegasi. I politely request that you don't."
"Mr. Sparkle?" Silver Spoon raised a hoof.
"Just call me 'Spike' please. What would you like to ask?"
"I wasn't going to be disrespectful and zone-out or anything, but, like, why are you and Princess Twilight teaching everypony about pegasus magic. I can't walk on clouds, and like, Berry can't make tornadoes. Why not separate each race and just teach them magic they can use?"
"A very good question," Spike nodded. "We're teaching all of you at once for several reasons:
"number one- this is just easier for us, the instructors, to do;
"number two- Ponyville is a diverse town, and as such, it's important for you all to understand the ponies outside of your race;
"and number three- you're all going to have to do a little assignment that involves knowing some of the basics of all four types of magic."
"Ugh, an assignment? Really? Come on, Spike, be cool!" Scootaloo begged.
"Scootaloo!" Cheerilee immediately chastised.
Spike rolled his eyes but nevertheless smirked in amusement. "Sorry, Scoots, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Moving on: we will have two guest speakers today, two who you should know very well— yes, Scootaloo?"
"It's Rainbow Dash, right? Rainbow's gonna be one of the speakers?"
Spike almost answered her immediately, but he froze. A quick grimace of pain overtook his countenance for a moment and he hiccuped. A small puff of green smoke escaped his mouth, and Spike forced himself to swallow.
"Spike, are you going to—?"
"I'm alright, Cheerilee," he assured her as he managed to give everypony a thin smile. "But I'm afraid my visit's going to be a bit shorter than I hoped. Scootaloo, to answer your—" he hiccuped again "— question, yes: one of the speaker's is Rainbow Dash, and she's going to cover the tactile portion of the lesson." Spike's tail began to twitch in agitation. "Our other speaker will be Fluttershy—"
"Ugh, Fluttershy?" Rumble bemoaned.
"Rumble!" Cheerilee barked, fury shining in her eyes.
Spike raised an eyebrow in distaste. "It's fine, Miss Cheerilee. And yes, Rumble, Fluttershy is going to be—" he hiccuped and a thin stream of smoke began to unfurl from his nostrils "—lecturing you on magical theory. Fluttershy admits that she isn't the best flier, but when she was in flight camp, she managed to pass the advanced written exam with an outstanding score of 115. For the record, a passing score is 50 for the regular, and a 70 for the advanced exam. There's more than one way to be deemed a fit flier, and Rainbow Dash chose one way, Fluttershy chose another. Twilight and I don't know the scores of the other pegasi in Ponyville, and we didn't ask, but Twi figured that few would—" he shuddered in pain but forced himself to keep going. "— match Fluttershy's knowledge of theory. To repeat what I said earlier: I politely request that nopony zones out."
Rumble shrank in his seat, a heavy blush coloring his cheeks bright red. Diamond snickered.
"Yeah, Rumble. Don't be rude," she whispered to him.
"Shut up," he muttered into his desk.
Before Cheerilee could chastise her students, everyone in the schoolhouse heard timid knocks at the door.
Spike immediately scurried to the door.
When he opened it, a demure pegasus mare greeted him. "Oh, um, hello, Spike, am I—?"
"Sorry, Fluttershy, but I really gotta go, you're on your own, bye!" the dragon apologized as he hurried past her.
"Oh, um..." Fluttershy watched him race away from the schoolhouse. "Okay, I guess..."
"What's with him?" Snails whispered to Applebloom as Fluttershy walked to the front.
"You 'member how Miss Cheerilee called Spike 'Champion Sparkle' yesterday? Well, you don't get called 'Champion' without making some sacrifices."
"Alright, class, let's give a warm welcome to Miss Fluttershy. Good afternoon. Miss Fluttershy."
"Good afternoon Miss Fluttershy," the foals echoed.
Fluttershy blushed and turned her gaze downcast. "G-good afternoon, everypony," she mumbled back. "Twilight and Spike approached me about doing this project with them, and-and I just couldn't say no. I know magical theory sounds dull, but please understand that theory is an extremely aspect in both your education and your personal lives." Fluttershy turned to Cheerilee. "Um," she whispered, "where should I begin?"
"Princess Twilight gave me... notes. They're right on my desk."
Fluttershy eyed the heavy tome. "Oh. Did Spike give you—?"
"He had some index cards that he was going to review with you before, well..."
"Let's see those cards then. Um, just a moment, children, sorry!" Fluttershy apologized.
The two mares quickly scanned Spike's notes and after a few uncertain whispers, Cheerilee faced her students. "Alright, children. Miss Fluttershy is not sure where to start, so perhaps why don't you tell us what you already know about magical theory? Yes, Scootaloo?"
"Spike told us yesterday that pegasi use their wings as conductors for our magic."
Fluttershy nodded. "That's right, Scootaloo. Pegasi, if you haven't noticed, are not naturally aerodyna— pegasi do not have the build to fly, like eagles and butterflies." The mare opened her wings to their fullest length. "I'm sorry that I don't have any of my little friends to show you this, but if you were to study a bird's wings, and compare it to ours, you would see that bird's wings are bigger in relation to their body's size. However," Fluttershy began to flap her wings and rise up from the floor, "unlike griffins, insects, or birds, we rely not on our muscles, but our innate magic to give us flight." She circled around the schoolhouse before landing at the front of the schoolhouse.
Hooves went up in the air. She nodded to Cotton Cloudy.
"Miss Fluttershy, the princess told us a story about how ponies came into existence. Is it true that somepony scattered somepony's feathers into the sky to make us?"
The pegasus cocked her head and thought about her response. "In all honesty, I can't give you a straight answer."
The filly slumped in her seat. "That's what they said yesterday," she grumped.
"And for good reason. We don't know for certain where we came from, but..." and the pegasi in the room perked up. "When I was a filly and studying to pass the fit flier's exam, I came across some books that stated that the mother of pegasi is none other than the Thunderbird.
"Who's that?" Rumble asked without waiting to be called on.
"The Thunderbird is... Miss Cheerilee, you wouldn't happen to have a map of the world or a globe, would you?"
The mulberry mare pulled down the map of Equus from the top of the board.
"Thank you, Miss Cheerilee. The Thunderbird is... mysterious. Nopony knows her past or her purpose. But what we do know is that the Thunderbird has made her nest on top of the Claw of Equus, and the Claw... is not on this map."
"Er, sorry," Cheerilee blushed.
"It's fine. Anyway, the Claw of Equus is a mountain that sits directly on the northern-most point of the world, and while it is not the tallest mountain in the world, it is the widest. The Thunderbird has a nest at the peak of the mountain and has been there since anypony can remember. But legends say that she is the biggest and most powerful flier in all the world. Her very voice is thunder, her eyes shine like lightning, and a single flap from her wings can generate the most violent of tempests! There's even an ancient prophecy that states if she ever leaves her nest, the earth will tremble, the sun and moon will stop orbiting Equus, and the skies will remain still. Or at least that's what the some old prophecy says, if you want to believe that; I personally don't. The queens will always move the sun and moon.
"Nevertheless, I can see why some ponies would think that the Thunderbird had a wing in creating us, though. Who else but the most powerful flier in the world to make the most magical fliers?"
Silver Spoon raised a hoof.
"Yes?"
"Um, has, like, anypony ever met the Thunderbird?"
"Oh a few pegasi have," Fluttershy informed her.
"Really?! But if ponies have met her, then why is she such a mystery?"
"Well for one, few have even met her in the first place, and secondly, when ponies— that is to say pegasi— went to her nest, it was more to simply meet her, not to speak with her. You see, there is an eternal storm that surrounds the Great North, and at the center is the Thunderbird. She likes to be alone, I guess. In the past, pegasi flew to her to prove their skills as mighty fliers. Very few have attempted this journey, fewer have ever reached her, and even fewer managed to fly back home. From what little was said about her, she congratulates the pegasi for making it to the eye of her storm and wishes them safe journeys home."
Scootaloo raised her hoof.
"Scootaloo?"
"Do you think Rainbow Dash could—?"
"Stop."
The firmness in her voice surprised everypony in the room
Never ever challenge a pegasus to fly through the Thunderbird's storm. I don't know if the Thunderbird is our mother, but to be in her presence is the most sacred act a pegasus could ever do. Additionally, even attempting to fly to her takes tremendous magic, athleticism, and courage, and most pegasi simply do not possess all those traits. Rainbow may the most magical, athletic, and courageous pegasus I know, but it is so very, very easy to die out there, and if she does, we wouldn't even be able to get her body back for a funeral."
Scootaloo flattened her ears against her skull and shrunk down in her seat.
The firmness in Fluttershy's voice softened and she walked over to the orange filly. "I'm sorry for raising my voice and speaking to you that way. But making such a journey is a personal and even spiritual decision. Don't goad ponies into doing that unless you are prepared to bear the burden of their loss." Fluttershy gently caressed Scootaloo's cheek with a hoof before returning to the front.
"As interesting as this is, Miss Fluttershy, I think we've gotten off track from magical theory."
"You're right, Miss Cheerilee, pardon me. Now let's talk about a lighter topic: air.
"As pegasi our magical element is air. Was that covered—? Excellent, and our domain is the sky. With our wings we bend and move the air itself to generate and dissipate heat, transport the water in the air, and even charge molecules to generate lightning. While other creatures may fly, pegasi are the only species known to even be able to tame the skies."
"Molecules are the things that make up air. Molecules are extremely tiny, in fact they're so small we can't even see them. But pegasi can feel them: we can feel their position, their temperature, and electrical charge with our wings.
Sweetie asked her a question. "I understand that pegasi control the air, but aren't clouds made of water? How can pegasi make and break clouds if they only have air magic?"
"An excellent question. You're right when you say we have air magic, and we use that to bend the air around the water in the sky. We simply will our magic to either push the water vapor into a cloud, or scatter the water vapor away from a cloud."
"Miss Fluttershy, if pegasi can bend the air around water vapor, why can't we bend the air in ant tunnels?" Cotton Cloudy asked.
"Ant tunnels?" the pegasus mare repeated.
"Yeah, or sand?" Rumble chimed in. "When we went to the beach, I noticed that my bucket was heavier when I carried water than when I carried sand. My brother says the reason why a bucket of sand is lighter than a bucket of water is because the sand bucket has some air in it, while the water bucket only has water."
"Thunderlane is correct. In fact, many solid-looking things have air in them. However, it is much easier to bend the air around water vapor because water vapor, like air, is very light and a fluid, so the vapor will flow in whatever direction we coax the air. Sand and dirt though are solids, and solids do not have the same flexibility as fluids do. I suppose manipulating the air inside an ant tunnel or a bucket of sand is possible, but doing so would require tremendous magical strength and control. I'm not even sure if Queen Celestia or Queen Luna would be able to do that, but if anypony could, it'd be them. Now just a moment please. Twilight and Spike had a script for me to follow and I should see what they wanted me to teach you."
Fluttershy walked back to Cheerilee desk to look at Spike's index cards. She nosed through his notes. She paused at one particular card and looked at it with a raised brow.
Finally, she sighed and turned to face the foals. "Thankfully, I covered most of your lesson plan, but now I need to talk to you about the dark side of magic.
"As you all know, ponies are magical beings and our magic stems from the elemental energy within ourselves. The younger we are, the less control we have over our magic, which is why you will see babies who do powerful, but often times clumsy, feats of magic. As babies grow into foals, these magical displays happen less often but the foal has a bit more control, and these burst of magic are called 'surges.' Pegasi also like to call our surges 'unleashing the storm.' We've all heard of foals who've done this, and many of us will surge, but not everypony does, or if they do, it might not be as dramatic as doing the impossible or rediscovering a legend. As foals become adults, the surges stop.
"Nevertheless, even pegasi mares and stallions can unleash their storms, though it is very rare (though not impossible!) for an adult to unleash their storm. Usually, when a pegasus unleashes their storm, they perform feats of magic that pushes them to their absolute limits. But sometimes ponies push past their limits and when that happens, the storm they released will... consume them."
The colts and fillies all looked at each other. What did she mean by 'consume?'
"Miss Fluttershy," Diamond Tiara raised an almost tentative hoof. "What happens when an adult pegasus releases their storm?"
"The pegasus will... disintegrate into air."
Diamond looked at her in horror. "They'll what?"
Fluttershy flattened her ears and cast her eyes down to the ground. "I know it sounds foul, but it's true. If a pegasus goes past their limit, their elemental magic will consume them. Everypony, not just pegasi, has the potential to push past their limits and be consumed by their internal storm. With pegasi, we begin to... unwind at our wings, and once the process has started, it can't be stopped. Piece by piece our bodies will turn into air... and that's not the worst part."
"How could anything possibly be worse than turning into air?" Diamond demanded.
Fluttershy pursed her lips, trying to think of how to word her next explanation. At last, she started speaking again. "When anyone dies— and I mean anyone— Lord Grogar, the god of death, will come to guide the soul to his kingdom of Tambelon in Tartarus. There, the soul will wander through the Elysian Fields until the soul... forgets their past life, and once the soul forgets who they once were, the soul will be reincarnated into the world of the living. But when a pony unleashes their storm, this is not the case."
"Why?" Snips asked.
"Because... because when a pony pushes past their magical limits, their elemental magic will consume their body and their soul. The pony will break their cycle of reincarnation and be lost forever."
The children looked at her in stunned disbelief, trying to digest the macabre information.
At last, shy, soft-spoken Dinky Hooves raised a hoof.
"Miss Fluttershy? Do you know any pegasi who were... consumed by their storms?"
The mare shook her head. "I personally don't know any pegasus who have done that, but I do know of one. In fact, I believe you know his name: Hurricane."
"Hurricane?" Twist repeated. "The Commander Hurricane from the holiday thtory?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, but his actual title was Tyrant Hurricane. Pansy was one of his commanders of Ancient Pegasopolis."
"Pansy was the commander? But why—?"
"We'll discuss that at Hearth's Warming, Silver," Cheerilee interrupted. "Right now, our guest has some very important information you need to hear. Miss Fluttershy, what happened to Tyrant Hurricane?"
"It's not a story that most pegasi care to remember, but I do. I had to learn it to pass my exam. In the Hearth's Warming story, Commander Pansy, Smart Cookie, and Clover found a way to defeat the windigos with their friendship. However, the other ponies of their tribes didn't really learn from those three. Sure, now everypony knew windigos were causing the enchanted winter, but ponies were still bitter and hateful towards each other because of past actions, and many were still under windigo influence. From what I've read, most ponies now just blamed each other for attracting the windigos in the first place. And I put emphasis on 'most.'
"But a few didn't play that petty blame game, and one of those few were Tyrant Hurricane. By all accounts, Hurricane was a violent, despicable pony, but even he knew that the windigos would push us into extinction unless they were driven away and ponies were allowed to heal.
"And so he lived up to his name: he made a hurricane by himself."
"By himself?" Tornado Bolt repeated with quiet awe.
Fluttershy nodded. "Yes. Tyrant Hurricane did the impossible: he made a hurricane by himself using nothing but cold air and cursed windigo clouds. He succeeded in making his hurricane and it was said to have been so violent and terrible that windigos learned a lesson that they will never forget."
"But Miss Fluttershy, one pony? How?"
"I know it's shocking, Miss Hooves, but that's what the story says. Even now, I'm not sure whether I believe that story or not, but that's what I learned and that's what I'll tell you. Hurricane's hurricane aside, the tyrant's actions gave birth to another far more believable legend: the sonic rainboom."
"Hurricane did the first sonic rainboom?!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"I don't know if Tyrant Hurricane performed the first sonic rainboom, but he's the first pony I've ever heard doing the sonic rainboom.
"Mith Flutterthy, what'th a thonic rainboom?"
"One of the greatest feats of magic a pegasus may ever do. In fact, Rainbow got her cutie mark by performing a sonic rainboom.
"Really?" Tornado asked.
"Yes. When we were still fillies in flight camp, Rainbow Dash got in a race and was flying against one of the best fliers in our age group. Rainbow managed to get way ahead of him so she knew she was going to win, and she probably would have set a new record too! But the faster she flew, the more air pushed against her. Now normally, when a pegasus feels that much air getting in their way, that pegasus will either slow down or bear it, or if they are magically-skilled, the pegasus will bend as much air as possible out of their path. In fact when you see a pegasus streaking through the sky, you are seeing their very magic trail right behind them.
"However, Rainbow Dash felt that she could push herself faster— she told me she had to go faster. When the air felt like it was doing its best to stop her, Rainbow surged. She was able to bend most of the air out of her way and flew with only the minimum amount of air needed. At the moment she conquered the air, Rainbow Dash's magic was able to boom and shine throughout Equestria. Rainbow has done more sonic rainboom's since then and now when she does a rainboom, she no longer needs to flap her wings to use her magic."
"We... we don't even need to flap to do magic?" Rumble whispered, his eyes wide with wonder.
Fluttershy shook her head. "Very, very few pegasi could ever hope to do that, Rumble. But please don't feel discouraged. Lots of pegasi aren't at her skill, but that doesn't make them lesser ponies. Equestria is made up of more than just fast fliers. Most on the Ponyville weather team can't do magic without flapping their wings, but do you think less of Flitter or Bulk or even your brother?"
Rumble flattened his ears. "No," he mumbled into his desk.
"This goes for all of you. Twilight has asked some of the most magical and knowledgeable ponies she knows to help her with this project. Please, please don't feel inadequate when the guests lecture you about magic. Believe me, I spent most of my fillyhood feeling worthless because I wasn't as magical the other foals around me. But Equestria is more than just wizards, Wonderbolts, and sages. Would our lives be better off without Golden Harvest's vegetables, or Nurse Redheart's care, or Pinkie's parties? Magic is wonderful, but magic is only an extension of you; it does not define your worth. Rarity doesn't need the knowledge of a wizard to make her clothes, Thunderlane doesn't need the speed of a Wonderbolt to make the sun shine, and Roseluck doesn't need the power of a sage to grow her flowers. Each of you can do amazing things without pushing the limits of your magic, and you can certainly do amazing things without Twilight's genius or Rainbow's skill. Never forget that. As long as you live, never forget that."
Just then, there was a knock the door before it was flung open. Rainbow Dash came prancing in with a sullen (and sweaty) Twilight panting behind her.
"Hey, Flutters, hey guys, how's it going?" Rainbow greeted everypony. "Sorry I'm late, but my nap took longer than I meant it to."
"And I had to flag you down," Twilight grumbled. "I hope Miss Fluttershy and Spike were able to... where's Spike?" she asked.
"Spike... wasn't feeling well, so he had to leave," Fluttershy explained.
The princess sighed. "I see. I'll go check up on him after the lesson."
"You can go to him now if you want, Twi. We got this covered," Rainbow assured her.
Twilight pursed her lips in thought. "Are you sure—?"
"Hey, c'mon, Twilight. We're only teaching the foals basic magic stuff, not lecturing a university class. We're can totally handle this!"
"I, well... okay, Rainbow, Fluttershy, I trust both of you. Sorry, children, maybe in the next part of this series. Good bye."
Twilight disappeared in a flash of light and Rainbow Dash started to talk.
"Okay, guys, I'm gonna— yeesh. Why all the long faces?"
"They just learned about some of the more... unfortunate consequences of magic," Cheerilee informed her.
Rainbow raised a brow. "Was that all you covered?"
"Oh no!" Fluttershy exclaimed aghast. "I spoke about how we bend and manipulate air for flight, how our magic trails behind us the faster we fly, how we create and disperse clouds, sonic rainbooms—"
"Aw, you covered sonic rainbooms?" Rainbow Dash pouted. "I wanted to—"
"Well, you still can, but..." Fluttershy's words trailed off as she whispered something in her best friend's ear.
Rainbow's eyebrows shot up in surprise, and then she gave Fluttershy a questioning look. "If that's what you feel is right," the weatherpony shrugged. She turned to Ponyville Elementary.
"Okay, I'll start again. As most of you know, I'm Rainbow Dash, and I'm one of the weatherponies here in Ponyville. Today, I'm going to teach the pegasi students some extremely basic magic. But first, Fluttershy asked me to explain a couple of things. Before I do that, let's go outside. I'm a pegasus; I need fresh air and I need to be with the wide, open sky."
Rainbow Dash led the young foals of Ponyville to the shadow of the two trees outside the schoolhouse. The young ones settled in a sloppy arrangement with Cheerilee and Fluttershy lying behind the herd and Rainbow lounging at the front.
There was going to be a downpour soon. Everypony there could feel the weak-to-moderate wind blowing against their coats, as well as the fluctuating pressure of an incoming storm. The clouds darkened the sky and blotted out the sun. The scent of impending rain filled their nostrils. Thunder occasionally rumbled from up above. And once every so often, the foals could see lightning crackle inside a cloud.
"The Weather Bureau told me to schedule the storm for 14:50, but I pushed it back a bit to 16:00," Rainbow assured the children. "I didn't want any of you little ones to be stuck walking home in this."
"How considerate of you, Miss Rainbow Dash. Children, why don't you thank her?"
"Thank you, Miss Rainbow Dash," the foals chorused.
"Aw, it's nothing," the weatherpony waved a dismissive hoof, but even the children could see that she appreciated the gratitude. "So anyway, Fluttershy told me she explained the legends surrounding Tyrant Hurricane, pushing your magical limits, the sonic rainboom, and how I got my cutie mark. As unpleasant as some of that information is, it is important you know it so that you can understand the consequences of unleashing your storms."
Thunder rippled across Ponyville and a particularly strong wind blew, causing their manes and tails to billow to the side. Rainbow resumed speaking.
"Fluttershy may be skeptical about some of the stories about Tyrant Hurricane, but I'm not. I believe that he did a sonic rainboom, and I believe that he used his rainboom to create the hurricane that drove the windigos away from our sky. Tyrant Hurricane, by all accounts, was a racist, violent, domineering jerk, but he was still willing to sacrifice both his body and soul for us. He gave up literally everything for us to be sitting here in this warm, safe, and harmonious land. For that, I am grateful.
"But Hurricane is gone, and his soul will never again reincarnate. Should any of you ever find yourselves in a position where you might have to sacrifice your body and soul, remember that. Remember the price Hurricane paid, and try to think if what you're doing is worthy of that price. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Miss Rain—"
"No, not just the pegasi. I want to know if everypony here understands what I'm saying."
"Yes, Miss Rainbow Dash," all the foals stated.
"Good, I'm glad I cleared that up. Yes... uh, 'Dinky' is it?"
Dinky nodded. "Miss Rainbow Dash, you—"
"I'm gonna need you use your outside voice, kiddo. Can't hear much over the wind and thunder."
"Miss Rainbow Dash—"
"Louder, sweetheart."
"Miss Rainbow Dash, you said something about choosing to be consumed by your storm. Don't babies unleash their storms all the time? And what about foals who surge? We don't have full control over our magic, so how can we choose to be consumed?"
"As somepony who has... really pushed her magic to the limits, you can understand the difference between a simple surge, and being consumed by the storm. When I did my first sonic rainboom, that was a surge. I felt my magic trying to show its true potential and I just..." Thunder rumbled. "... let it take over. The second time I did my rainboom, I was able to let my magic flow from my wings instead of it just bursting out, but there was something else I sensed. It was... I'm not sure honestly. I guess I felt like I was... I was in a bubble. With a bit of force, I could pop out of that bubble, but something inside me told me not to, so I didn't. A couple weeks after I did my second rainboom, I guessed that bubble was all that was between me and the full power of my storm.
"It takes a lot of magic to pull off a rainboom, but it only takes a little bit more to let your magic consume you. If any of you ever get to that point where you can feel yourself in the bubble, remember to have restraint. Magic can be great, but it can also be dangerous."
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. The wind whipped the grass and their hair. Rainbow closed her eyes and inhaled, taking in the scent and feel of the air. Her wings snapped open and she stood.
Everypony watched her in silence.
At last she opened her eyes. "Could the pegasi please stand before me?" Rainbow requested.
Everypony else immediately got up and the pegasus foals gathered in front of Rainbow in a loose semicircle. Ground-bound foals watched the magic lesson from the back.
"Open your wings," Rainbow ordered. They did so.
"We are pegasi. From the wild skies we were born and to the wild skies we belong. Our wings are our conduits of magic, with them, we tame the untameable, we create harmony between stagnant order and unbridled chaos, and we bend and manipulate the very air to do our bidding.
"Now close your eyes. Forget about your thoughts. Use your wings to feel. Feel the air with your feathers. Feel the electrical charges in the molecules, feel the molecules shifting with each breeze, feel the water vapor surrounded by the air. Now, if you can, let your magic touch the molecules. We are pegasi. Our domain is the sky and our element is the air. This is our primal home and our very essence."
Cotton Cloudy inhaled. Her wings and magic were still immature, but she could feel both the air and the water-surrounded-by-air flow in and out of her lungs.
Tornado Bolt's wings twitched once as the wind caressed her. Her feathers felt so sensitive to the tiny molecules tickling her.
Rumble's tail lashed once. The electrical charges that everypony had been talking about... was this what they felt like? Unbeknownst to him, an instantaneous wave of electricity rippled through his coat.
Snips almost gasped as he saw Rumble's brief surge, but Fluttershy silenced him. This was a sacred moment between pegasi foals and their element. Interruptions would have blasphemous.
Rainbow watched the pegasus foals with stolid eyes, drinking in each and every one of them. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be formally guiding little ones to their innate magic.
And she felt so proud. Not for her sake, of course, but for theirs.
From what her wings could pick up, they were all doing so well. Well... most of them were.
Rainbow Dash glanced at Scootaloo.
Scootaloo stood with her tiny wings extended to their greatest length. Tears rimmed her eyes and she bit her lip in concentration. Why couldn't she feel anything?! They were standing in an impending storm for Celestia's sake! A big storm that she knew had the magical signatures of the Ponyville weather team. There was so much magic around them, so why couldn't she feel anything?!
A particularly loud boom of thunder echoed throughout Ponyville. Scootaloo quickly wiped her eyes and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
"Hey, Rainbow, do you think you could do a sonic rainboom right now?" she blurted.
The other pegasi foals immediately whipped their heads to glare at her. Their primal, sacred connection had been interrupted, and for immature and inexperienced foals, those connections were not easily formed.
Rainbow Dash closed her wings and released a soft sigh. "Sorry, kiddo, but if I did a rainboom, it'd clear the clear the sky. Ponyville needs this storm."
"Too bad," Scootaloo shrugged with no remorse. She faked a yawn and used that as an excuse to wipe her eyes again.
"Yeah, Scootaloo," Rumble growled. "Too bad."
Scootaloo pretended not to notice the dirty looks.
"It's almost 14:45, guys. Let's get back inside so you can get your things," Rainbow told them.
Cheerilee led her students back to the schoolhouse and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash guided the young herd from the rear.
When they got inside and the foals were seated, Cheerilee stood at the front and spoke. "Earlier today, Spike mentioned something about an assignment. Now don't worry; it's not like I'm not auditioning you for Queen Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns! The assignment is a short, easy one, so I expect everypony— and I mean everypony— to get an outstanding score. Just try to remember basic things, like what magical conduit is associated with each race, some abilities associated with each race, nothing out of this world. No need to take notes if you don't want to, but just bear in mind that this is knowledge that you should carry with you for the rest of your lives. Understood?"
"Yes, Miss Cheerilee!"
"Excellent! Now for tomorrow, we're going to learn about sea ponies."
Ponyville Elementary began to whisper amongst each other.
"I know that Equestria doesn't have any official relationship with Aquastria, but tomorrow is another day. Why, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and I were fillies, we never could have imagined that the Mare in the Moon was actually the long-lost queen of Equestria, and I'm sure that Miss Fluttershy and Miss Rainbow Dash never could have imagined that they'd help restore Queen Luna to her throne. Maybe in your lifetime you'll be able to meet some sea ponies. But even if you don't, it's good to have a well-rounded education. Miss Fluttershy, Miss Rainbow Dash, do either of you have anything to add?"
"Not much, but..." Rainbow trailed off. "It's suppose to rain until about 3:00 tomorrow morning. It's also supposed to be cloudy tomorrow, but something tells me we're going to have clear skies instead. The sunrise is scheduled for 6:23. You might want to wake up a couple minutes before that to watch the sunrise," Rainbow finished with a wink.
Scootaloo was awoken to something tapping at her window. She woke up with a gasp! Had she missed the sunrise?! Was she late for school?! Was that Sweetie outside?!
Oh wait, it was still dark. Scootaloo's eyes searched for her clock, and she relaxed when she read the time. Okay, 6:10. She still had plenty of time till the sunrise.
The tapping continued and she went to her window to open it. Maybe Sweetie wanted to see Rainbow's surprise with her.
"Hey, Swe... oh. Hi, Fluttershy. What are you doing here?"
"Good morning, Scootaloo, I'm sorry for waking you, but I was wondering... would you let me watch the sunrise with you?"
Scootaloo yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. "Um, okay, I guess."
"Can I ask you another thing, Scootaloo?"
"Go ahead."
"Would you like to watch the sunrise somewhere else?"
"Uh, you mean like the roof?"
"I was thinking the roof of town hall, but anywhere you like is fine."
"Town hall? Hm... I think that sounds like a good idea."
"Then let's go, Scootaloo. Rainbow is getting ready for her surprise."
The filly slipped out of her window, and Fluttershy bent down. Scootaloo got on her back and they flew.
Fluttershy was slow and careful, the exact opposite of how Rainbow Dash flew. Still, Scootaloo liked this. She knew that Fluttershy wouldn't let her fall.
They reached town hall. Thunderlane was already lounging on the roof with Rumble tucked underneath his wing. Flitter and Cloudchaser nuzzled each other and giggled, clearly enjoying their impromptu date. Bulk Biceps offered the two ladies a welcoming grin which Fluttershy returned with a small smile and nod.
Fluttershy landed and Scootaloo hopped off before she fully lowered herself down. "Where should we sit?" the filly asked.
"I picked the roof. Why don't you pick the spot?"
"'kay! How about... here?"
Fluttershy followed her without a word. The mare sat down and tapped the spot directly in front of her in invitation.
Scootaloo chose to sit between Fluttershy's legs. The shampoo Fluttershy used on her coat smelled lovely.
The filly glanced at the clock. It was—
"Look at the sky, Scootaloo, not the clock. Rainbow's going to be up there, not down here."
Scootaloo turned her violet eyes back to the dark, starless sky.
The pegasi of Ponyville waited in silence for a couple of minutes. At last, a deafening boom filled the air. Everypony whipped their heads to the direction of the sound, and Fluttershy held Scootaloo close to her in a protective embrace as town hall shuddered.
They all watched in wonder as Rainbow Dash's magic rolled through the sky, causing the clouds from yesterday's rain to disintegrate.
"Look east!" Cloudchaser exclaimed.
Their eyes immediately went east, and in the evaporating light of the sonic rainboom, they saw Celestia's sun peak through the horizon.
From the roof of Ponyville's town hall, the group watched as the glorious colors of dawn light the sky. Scootaloo leaned against Fluttershy. She could hear the mare's heart galloping in excitement.
They watched the clear, beautiful sunrise for a few minutes, but at last, Bulk Biceps bid them all goodbye. Thunderlane and Rumble soon left as well. Flitter and Cloudchaser started to get more affectionate with each other.
Fluttershy blushed. "Let's take you home, Scootaloo."
Scootaloo made a face at the two lovebirds. She needed no further prompting to leave.
They wound up back at Scootaloo's.
"Scootaloo?"
"Yeah, Fluttershy?"
"I think we need... to make your bed. Um, if that's okay with you."
The filly had a feeling that Fluttershy didn't fly through town just to help her make the bed. But Scootaloo didn't turn her away.
As they fixed the sheets, Fluttershy spoke.
"Scootaloo, I've been in your shoes before."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Please don't avoid the subject."
Scootaloo flattened her ears and went to go pick up her upturned rubbish can.
"I know what it's like to be the slowest learner. I know what it's like to not have my wings sense anything no matter how hard I try. I know what it's like to always be last the pony to accomplish anything to do with magic.
Tears rimmed the filly's eyes. "W-well I don't know wh-what that's like!" she insisted.
Fluttershy finished making the bed. "I also know what it's like to constantly wish I had even half of Rainbow Dash's magical talent."
A tear slid down Scootaloo's cheek. "W-well who asked you anyway?!" she demanded.
"Scootaloo, Rainbow and I saw you what you were trying to do yesterday. We also what you couldn't do."
"How do you even know?!" Scootaloo snapped. "You're the weakest flier in Ponyville! Maybe even Equestria! how could you possible even see what I was doing?!"
The insult didn't phase Fluttershy in the slightest. She had heard and thought words countless times before. "When you try as hard as I did, you get good at seeing what the others are doing. Even if you can't really feel any of it."
Scootaloo broke down to sob. "It-it's just not fair! N-no matter how hard I try to even do just a little bit of magic, I just can't!"
Fluttershy walked over to the crying filly and laid down next to her. "Shh, shh, it's okay, Scootaloo. It's okay to feel frustrated. I was there."
"Why can't I be like the others?" she asked Fluttershy. "W-why can't I even feel anything?"
The mare draped a wing over Scootaloo and pressed her close to her side. "I can't answer that, Scootaloo. But I can tell you that everypony has magic. In someponies, like Twilight and Rainbow, their magic is strong: they can make the impossible happen and turn myths into reality. In someponies, their magic is weak: they will spend the rest of their lives struggling to do even something as basic as flying and even feeling. But everypony has magic."
"B-but I can't be like that! I try and I try and I try, and Rainbow's always telling me that if I keep trying, I'll be able to do something!"
"And Rainbow's right, Scootaloo."
"Then why can't I do anything?! Why can't I even feel?"
"You'll get there some day—"
"'Someday' is not good enough! I want to do magic now! I want my cutie mark now!"
"Shh, shh, I know. But all you can do is be patient."
"I don't want to be!"
Fluttershy sighed. "I see so much of Rainbow Dash in you: her impatience, her courage, her brashness... but I also see a lot of myself in you too, Scootaloo. But you're not Rainbow Dash. And you're not me either."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
"I... I see all your struggles, Scootaloo, and I feel them because I've went through them too. I know you'll fly one day."
"Why? 'Because everypony has magic?'" she mocked.
"Because you belong to the sky. You belong to the sky more than I ever will."
"What?"
"Even... even when I was a filly, there was a part of me that understood I wasn't like everypony else. I didn't feel the same joy or yearning for the sky. I didn't feel, and what bothered me was not that I couldn't feel the air, but rather that everypony else could. I was upset at being different, not numb. Why do you want to fly Scootaloo? To be like everypony else? To impress Rainbow Dash? Or do you want to fly to become one with the wind and sky?"
Scootaloo didn't even wait to answer. "I want to bend and manipulate the air! I want to know what it's like to just go up there by myself without having to rely on somepony else's wingpower to get me there! I want to fly with my classmates and I want to be able to keep up with Rainbow Dash!"
Fluttershy retracted her wing and stood. "Then you'll fly, Scootaloo. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow. But you belong up there, and you'll get there no matter what."
Scootaloo stood and wiped the mucus and tears away from her face. "But I can't even do basic magic. How can I get up there?"
"You have more magic than you know, Scootaloo. After all, not many ponies can get all the way the Crystal Empire with just their wings and scooter. Fewer still can make that journey when they're dragging two of their friends behind them. Even for a surge, that is impressive magic."
Scootaloo's eyes widened in realization. "I... I surged? That time for the games, do you think I surged?"
Fluttershy smiled. "Don't be late for school, Scootaloo. Goodbye."
The mare slipped out the window, leaving Scootaloo feeling lighter than air.
