A Matter of Perspective
by NTL
"There you go, little one. Welcome home."
Fluttershy set the hatchling gently back into its nest, having brought it back up from the ground below where it had fallen to not moments ago. Luckily, the chick had not been injured, but it had still been quite a big scare for the whole family.
The bird’s parents chirped happily as their fallen young was returned to them. Fluttershy smiled at the feathered pair, before turning her gaze towards the other occupants of the nest.
“You really should be more careful with your little brother. This is a small nest, and there are four of you up here," she addressed them with a strict, but gentle voice. "Your parents make sure to gather up enough food for you all, so there’s no need to start fighting and pushing each other around so recklessly. You don’t want to scare your parents like that again, do you?”
The three chicks shook their heads, ashamed of themselves for putting their little brother at risk, before rounding up on him for a collective hug. A content smile found its way onto Fluttershy’s face as the parents chirped their thanks to her.
“You’re quite welcome. Have a nice day, now.”
A smile still upon her face, she took off from the branch she was perched on and let her wings carry her to the ground below, feeling the warmth of the sun’s rays between her feathers as she glided. It was such a beautiful day of the early summer. All of her animal friends had been fed and taken care of, with the fallen chick being the biggest occurrence so far, and even that had only taken a couple of minutes to resolve.
Her chores for the afternoon pretty much completed, she decided to head into town a grab a bite to eat for herself, and maybe see what her friends were up to. With no need to rush, she folded her wings and began her leisurely stroll towards Ponyville proper, humming to herself.
Her little walk did not go uninterrupted, however. After a few minutes, she found herself passing a little patch of trees when her ears shot up. A muffled noise, one she couldn’t immediately identify, alerted the motherly instincts inside her. An injured animal, maybe?
Concerned, she made her way into the bushes surrounding the tree trunks, trying to make as little noise as possible. She didn't want to scare whatever creature lay in there and thus have it potentially worsen its injury. As she drew closer, she realized it wasn't some injured animal she was hearing, but a rather upset pony. That was when she came across a discarded scooter and a little helmet lying on the ground.
Scootaloo.
Wading further into the bushes, she spotted the pegasus filly sitting underneath a tree next to the stream that accompanied the path towards Ponyville from her cottage. Scootaloo hadn’t noticed her, and was crying into her hooves.
"Um... excuse me? Scootaloo? Is... is everything alright?" What a stupid question, she chided herself. Of course it wasn't! "Are you hurt?"
The filly's head shot up. She looked around startled, but visibly relaxed when she recognized Fluttershy.
"No," she sniffled, turning away again. "Go away!"
"What's the matter?" Fluttershy asked instead, having no intention of leaving. "Why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying!" Even though Scootaloo had her back turned on Fluttershy, the older pegasus could still see her running a foreleg across her eyes. "I just got... something stuck in my eyes."
"Now, we both know that’s not true. Is it some trouble you're having at school?" Fluttershy took a cautious step closer.
"No."
"Did you have a fight with your friends?" Another step.
"No."
"Your parents?" One more step.
"No!"
"Rainbow Dash?" By now, she was standing right behind Scootaloo and noticed her visibly tense up at the last question. Ah.
"No..." Her voice was hesitant and shaky, and that was all the clue Fluttershy needed. "It wasn't a fight. I... I just..."
When Scootaloo didn't continue, Fluttershy just pulled her into a tight hug. Scootaloo struggled for a short moment against her chest, then she buried her face in Fluttershy's coat and started crying again.
"There there. It's okay," Fluttershy said after a while, running a comforting hoof through Scootaloo's mane. "Just tell me what happened."
It took a few more minutes for Scootaloo to come round before she began talking. She was hesitant at first, but then it began pouring out of her. Fluttershy sat there, doing her best to comfort her and patiently listening as Scootaloo recounted today's earlier events to her.
* * *
In her dreams, flying was the greatest thing imaginable. She would shoot through the air at a thrilling speed, fast enough to blur the world around her. Her powerful wings, large and beautiful, would extend to their full spread, carrying her through the sky as the wind breezed through her mane. That moment she would be as free as only a pegasus could be. The thought alone made her heart pound in her chest.
However, Scootaloo's actual attempts at flight were a lot different from those dreams. It began with climbing the small hill in the woods just outside of Ponyville, which she had chosen as a training ground. Once at the top, she would close her eyes, take a deep breath and then jump off its steepest side. What followed was a wild and straining flapping of her wings, desperately trying to keep her afloat for a few seconds. All the while the constant repetition of please, please, please echoed in her mind. And all too soon, her hooves would hit the unforgiving ground again.
Today was no different.
The moment Scootaloo touched down, her friends began to cheer for her. Good friends as they were, they assured her that she managed to fly at least an entire quarter of an inch further than before. But she barely registered Sweetie Belle's and Applebloom's enthusiastic voices. For one thing, because she knew she hadn't been flying. But the predominant reason was the single sound she had wished she wouldn't hear again. Despite its rather low volume - compared to the cheers - it rang louder in her ears than any thunderstorm she'd ever heard.
The sigh.
It was full of disappointment and impatience. By now, it even carried a hint of annoyance and, worst of all, boredom. It could have been a stab to her chest for all she cared.
Expecting the worst, she opened one eye and immediately closed it again when the disapproving look of her idol met her. Don't hide from her, she told herself. You are not a foal anymore. Scootaloo took a deep breath before she finally managed to pry both her eyes open and meet Rainbow Dash's.
"Not any better?" she asked carefully.
Rainbow Dash only shook her head.
"Not at all?"
"You're not flying. You're just falling, more or less gracefully."
Scootaloo let her head hang in disappointment. One of the reasons why Rainbow Dash was the coolest pony alive was that she didn't sugarcoat it when she came across something that wasn't cool. Scootaloo agreed with her on that. After all, sugarcoating was for foals. Yet, a not so small part of her had hoped her idol might make a one time exception for her and maybe dip the feedback on her flying in sugar. Just a little bit.
"I'll try again", said Scootaloo, defeated. Her initially ample enthusiasm had been on the wane for sometime now, crumbling with every failed attempt since the early afternoon. By now it was all but gone. The fear of being called a quitter was the only thing that kept her going. She was about to turn around and climb the hill once more, when Rainbow Dash spoke up again.
"Look, Squirt, it's getting late. Why don't we call it a day?"
Scootaloo jerked round. "But... but you said you'd help me!" A sick feeling of panic rose in her throat. She had blown it, hadn't she?
"Yes, I did. And I will. I'll show you every trick I know," said Rainbow Dash in an assuring voice, only to continue in a more dismissive tone. "But there's no use in teaching you the advanced stuff, when you're still stuck on the basics. Without those, there's not much we can do."
The basics. It was not the first time Scootaloo had heard that. Not even the first time today. She just didn't know how to. "Can't you help me with that, too?"
"There's nothing I can do about that. You've got to figure out those first steps for yourself. I can't beat your wings for you. Listen here, you want to be as awesome as me, right? Well, nobody helped me either. Just keep trying." She gave Scootaloo an encouraging smile. It hurt more than anything else.
"Can we try again tomorrow? Please?" Scootaloo's voice had broke into a desperate high pitch. It sounded pitiful. And so uncool. Judging by Rainbow Dash's expression she'd noticed it too. The older pegasus mare sighed again and shook her head.
"Doesn't look good. I have got a lot of weather stuff on my schedule tomorrow."
"And the day after..?" Scootaloo began warily, before Rainbow Dash cut her off.
"How about we try again the same time next week? It's important to... uh... take some breaks between practice sessions, you know. Let those muscles of your wings have some chance to grow."
"If you say so", said Scootaloo. It wasn't more than a whisper.
"Great! See you then. Take care. You too, girls!"
And with that she was off and almost out of sight in a matter of seconds. Scootaloo's gaze fell to the ground, watching her hoof unearth a patch of grass in frustration. She was pretty sure Rainbow Dash never took a day off from practicing.
"Bye, Rainbow Dash!" Sweetie Belle called after the speedster.
"I think you did great," said Applebloom as Scootaloo's friends approached her.
"Yes," Sweetie Belle chimed in. "Even if it was just falling, I thought it had a lot of style."
"Thanks."
The answer was almost automatic and without any heart in it. She was trying to suppress the lump in her throat. Her friends didn't get it. How could they? For them it was probably just another failed attempt at getting a cutie mark. But Scootaloo knew that for every pegasus flying was the very definition of their being, and it was something she was constantly missing out on. So, her cutie mark wasn't the only thing holding out on her. Misfortune had struck her twice. Only her. It just wasn't fair!
The worst part was, it had taken her weeks to convince Rainbow Dash to train with her. Months even, if she counted the time she'd spent on getting Rainbow Dash to notice her. When she finally agreed to do a practice session with Scootaloo, it had felt like Hearth's Warming Eve and two birthdays at once. But now it had all gone sour. Today had been supposed to be the big day. The day she finally took to the sky. Instead she'd completely humiliated herself in front of the coolest pony in all of Equestria. She also doubted there would be another training session next week. No way Rainbow Dash would be wasting anymore time on her.
"Scootaloo, we're talking to you!"
Applebloom's screaming into her ear, tore her from her thoughts and made her jump in surprise.
"What?" she asked, annoyed.
"We asked you what we should do now," said Sweetie Belle as if nothing was wrong. "There's still some time left before I have to be at home."
"I still think we should try our Cutie Mark Crusaders Alligator Wrestling again," suggested Applebloom. "We were onto something with that."
"I don't know. I still think Gummy isn't enough of a challenge for us."
"But Pinkie Pie said he had fun last time," Applebloom pressed on. "Maybe we could give him a little advantage, like an armor or a steel chair?"
"Yeah," Sweetie answered after a short thought. "That could work! Scoots, what do you think?"
"Sure, why not?" Scootaloo said, still only half listening to those two. "Wait here, I'll get the scooter."
Scootaloo was glad to have a chance step a way from her friends. She felt like screaming. Nothing was further from her mind than another cutie mark crusade right now. How could they not understand that?
Just another failed attempt for them, on to the next one.
Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were too busy planing their next adventure, to even notice her unhook the trailer. Her eyes were misting when she jumped on her scooter. She flapped her wings and drove off, no direction in mind. Her friends called after her in confusion. She ignored them.
* * *
Oh, Rainbow Dash.
After Scootaloo had finished recounting this afternoon's events to her, Fluttershy couldn't help herself but feel a bit disappointed at her friend. She was pretty sure Rainbow had meant the filly no harm. It was just how she was sometimes. That, however, did not mean Rainbow couldn’t at least try to be more sensitive. Fluttershy knew she was certainly capable of it.
Scootaloo had stopped crying by now, but Fluttershy still held her close. The leaves above them rustled in the soft wind, the stream was gushing by gently. Birds sang all around them. It was peaceful, just the way Fluttershy liked it. Scenery like this always helped her calm down when she was upset herself. She looked down to the filly in her arms. It might not be enough for Scootaloo, though.
"Don't worry," Fluttershy began after considering her words. She ran a soothing hoof through Scootaloo's mane. "It'll be all okay. You'll try again and..."
Scootaloo pulled free from her embrace, still looking upset. "No, it won't be okay! Today was my big chance and I blew it. I'm the biggest failure in pegasus history."
"Now that's a very silly thing to say, Scootaloo. You're not a failure."
"Oh, really?" snapped Scootaloo. "Have you seen the pegasus foal at Sugercube Corner? He flies around like a champ and I'm stuck on the ground. It's unfair!"
"Yes, I have seen him," said Fluttershy, maintaining her calm. "And in two or three months, when he's grown a little, his wings won't be strong enough to carry him around anymore. I'm pretty sure you were flying at his age, too."
Scootaloo looked thoughtful for a moment. "I... I don't remember."
"Well, it's pretty common for pegasi foals to lose flight again until they are older. And some of them don't even fly when they are babies. It's perfectly normal. Haven't your parents told you?"
"They are earth ponies." Scootaloo's voice carried just a whisper of disappointment. "They have no idea about that stuff."
To her shame, Fluttershy had to admit she hadn't known that. Under these circumstances, she could imagine how being a pegasus pony wasn't the easiest thing for the filly. After all, she remembered her own parents having a hard time at first when her affection to the ground and its fauna had revealed itself. Maybe that was the reason Scootaloo was so captivated with Rainbow Dash?
"So, what did you expect from today?" she asked.
Scootaloo threw her hooves up in exasperation. "Learning to fly, of course", she said, sounding like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "From the best herself!"
"I see."
"What?" Scootaloo gave her an insulted look. "Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in Equestria!"
Fluttershy nodded lightly. "Probably, yes. But she's not the best teacher in Equestria. She was right when she said can't help you with the basics, but for the wrong reasons. For example, has she told you at all that it's not just about flapping? Sometimes you have to glide, too."
"No..."
"You see?" Fluttershy continued. "Most of the basics you have to figure out by yourself, but there are still some pointers an older pegasus can give you. It's just... Rainbow knows these things by instinct. She never had much patience for the theory of flying, and that's okay. She doesn't need it. But that's also the reason why she's not very good at teaching it to others."
"And what would you know about that?" asked Scootaloo, apparently angered by Fluttershy criticizing her idol.
"About what?"
"Fly-"
Almost the same moment as Scootaloo started to speak, Fluttershy spread her wings apart and gave them a short flap.
"-ing. Right, sorry..."
Scootaloo looked down apologetic and a little bit ashamed, too. As Fluttershy folded up her wings again, a tiny voice in back of her head suggested she should actually be offended. She chose to take it with humor instead. The filly wasn't the first to forget that Fluttershy was indeed a pegasus pony. And she was the first to admit she wasn't the best flyer, far from it. But with every passing year she had become better and better. By now she had reached a level she found acceptable, or could even be proud of. At least, sometimes. If she remembered her own strength, that is.
"Do you think Rainbow is the only pony around who knows a thing about flying?" she asked Scootaloo.
"No, of course not. She's just..."
"The best, I know." Fluttershy sighed, her eyes wandering to the stream for a moment. She had no plans on taking Rainbow Dash away from Scootaloo as a role model, but the filly needed to broaden her view a little. Desperately.
"Let me tell you something about Rainbow Dash," she began, still thinking about the best way to put it. "As far as flying is concerned she always had it easy. Very easy. She told me once, she doesn't remember a time when she couldn't fly. I guess she got lucky and her wings always grew right with her." Or maybe her body didn't. Rainbow had been a very tiny thing, when Fluttershy first met her. "She can do all the incredible things she does, because the fundamentals of flying come to her as naturally as breathing. But that's something she can't teach to anypony. And I think she sometimes forgets that others might have it tiny bit harder."
Lots of times actually, thought Fluttershy as she remembered her own, mostly fruitless, training sessions with Rainbow Dash back when they were in school.
"What I'm trying to tell you is," she continued, looking a Scootaloo. "It is good that Rainbow Dash is your idol, she is a very special pony. And it's important to have ponies to look up to. Strive to be like her, if you want to. But don't expect to walk the exact same path as she did. You might have to work a lot harder and find your own way to get where she is at right now."
Scootaloo set there silently for a while. She seemed to need a moment to process everything Fluttershy had told her.
"How did you learn to fly?" she asked, eventually.
Fluttershy smiled. "I told you the story how I got my cutie mark, didn't I?"
"You fell off a cloud, were caught by swarm of butterflies and sang a song. Then Rainbow Dash did the sonic rainboom and you got your cutie mark, right?"
"That's... um... the gist of it. Yes." Fluttershy was a bit stunned, hearing one of the most significant moments in her life summed up like that, but she caught herself. "What do you think happened afterward?"
"Hm, you knew what your special talent was and what to do with your life..." Suddenly a shocked expression crept onto Scootaloo's face. "And then you were able to fly? Does that mean I have to wait for my cutie mark before I can learn to fly?"
"Well, no. Before I got my cutie mark, I could already float a little and do some prolonged jumps." And was always the last in flying class. And got teased a lot. And cried a lot, though she chose not to disclose this fact to Scootaloo. "I have to admit, it got a little bit better afterward. I was able to hover above the ground longer than before. Mostly because I stopped thinking about it too hard and just enjoyed being with my new friends. However, I was still a very weak flyer. But that's not what I meant. What do you think happened immediately after I got my cutie mark?"
Scootaloo looked puzzled for a moment, but gave up quickly. "I don't know."
"Then let me tell you. Of course I was overjoyed and spent some more time with my new animal friends." A warm feeling spread in her chest and she had to smile again as she remembered that beautiful day all those years ago. "I had so much fun, I actually forgot everything around me and only realized how late it'd gotten, when the sun began to set and the animals returned to their homes. That was when I realized I was alone in a forest and had no idea how to get back up into Cloudsdale."
"What did you do?"
"I cried," Fluttershy confessed without hesitation. It hadn't been her proudest moment – as so often. "Then shortly before nightfall my parents found me and took me home."
"Then what?"
"On the next day I couldn't think about anything else but the animals on the ground. So after school had ended, I flew down to the ground again and..."
"You flew?", Scootaloo asked, excitedly.
"Um... no. Actually it was more like falling slow enough to not get hurt. My mom figured out where I'd gone and picked me up again an hour later. But when I did it again the next day she got very angry and told me not to do it anymore, or she'd leave me down there for a whole week."
"That's not too bad."
"I thought so, too. Until I realized that seven days also meant six nights."
Scootaloo looked at her, an unspoken question on her lips.
"I was very afraid of the dark back then," Fluttershy explained. She still was sometimes. After all, some nights were dark and full of terrors. But she chose not to tell that either.
Scootaloo grinned, but without any glee. "Is that when you decided to live on the ground?"
"No, I was way too young to live on my own. Besides, I still had some years of school ahead of me. After some days of pining, I had Rainbow Dash build me a staircase out of some clouds, which I could reach with my short flights." Fluttershy grinned when she remembered that. She had never felt more mischievous than in those days. "But after a few days we were caught and forbidden to do it anymore. Rainbow was actually to young to be allowed handling clouds. After that I got my mom to fly me down to ground once a week and pick me up again."
Actually, it had taken a long, tearful argument to convince her parents that the ground and its many creatures were indeed very important to Fluttershy and not just a silly and passing idea she picked up somewhere else. After that they were supportive yet still bewildered by their daughter's calling in life, which was so different from anypony else's in Cloudsdale. But it had not taken them too long to fully accept it. They were happy knowing that she was happy - her parents were, after all, the best parents in the world.
"That was not enough for me, though," Fluttershy continued, her thoughts returning to the present. "So I finally started to take flight classes more seriously. And train a bit for myself after school. After a while I got good enough to fly down and back up again by myself, so I could see my animal friends anytime I wanted."
"I don't get it." Scootaloo frowned in confusion. "What was your trick then?"
"No trick. I just kept my eyes on the goal and kept patiently working towards it."
Her shoulders slumping, Scootaloo groaned in frustration. "Patience! So it's just same as with my cutie mark?"
"I guess, that's not what you wanted to hear?"
"No, not really." Scootaloo seemed to deflate. Fluttershy felt a trace of panic arise in her. She was losing her!
"I think what I'm trying to tell you is: just keep trying and sooner or later you'll reach your goal," she added quickly. "I've seen you on that scooter of yours. I'd say your wings are working just fine and I am pretty sure your next growth spurt will take you the sky. As for having patience, isn't that what you and your friends created the Cutie Mark Crusaders for? To be patient together? Aren't you having fun with Sweetie Belle and Applebloom?"
"Yes, I do. Of course!" Scootaloo finally showed the energetic spirit again Fluttershy was so used seeing from her, but then her ears dropped as she seemed to remember something. "But... but it's still unfair. They only have to worry about their cutie marks. There are two things still holding out on me. I got it double hard!"
"Oh, really?" Fluttershy said in a mock surprised tone. "I hadn't heard that Sweetie Belle was able to use magic already. Somepony must have forgotten to tell me."
"No, but..." Scootaloo tried to protest.
"And Applebloom can now buck apples with her family, too? She's really strong for filly of her size."
"That's not what I meant. That's..."
"Different? How so?"
There was a long pause, Scootaloo was lost in thought. Then she looked up at Fluttershy and quickly stepped forward, hugging her.
"I've been stupid. Thank you, Fluttershy."
"You're welcome," Fluttershy said with a pleased smile, as Scootaloo let go of her, looking a little embarrassed. "I think it was just a matter of setting your perspective right again."
"Yeah, well... I gotta go, see my friends. There's an alligator waiting for us."
The filly grabbed her helmet and scooter and stormed away through the bushes.
"Um... have fun, I guess?"
Fluttershy followed her back out onto the road, slightly perplexed by Scootaloo's sudden burst of energy. The young pegasus had already fastened the helmet to her head and was standing on her scooter, ready to depart.
"You can come by my house whenever you want," she offered. "You know, when Rainbow is busy and you need a pegasus to talk to."
"Thanks, I will." Scootaloo gave her a big smile, then she turned her eyes on the road and started flapping her wings. A moment later she was dashing off.
"Bye, Fluttershy!" she called, already from a distance.
Fluttershy felt pleased as she watched Scootaloo drive away, then her gaze went up to the sun. It had gotten late. If she still wanted to make it to Ponyville and be back in time to feed the animals their dinner, a relaxed walk wouldn't do anymore. A smile on her lips, she spread her wings and took to the air.
"It's a good thing I have you two."
* * *
It had been a while since Scootaloo enjoyed a ride on her scooter as much as she did this very moment. She sped towards the place where she'd left her friends earlier. On the way there she took every opportunity to make a daring jump, prolonging the hang time as much as her wings would allow her to. The world sped past her, not exactly in a blur, but still faster than anything she would have achieved by mere running. And the wind in her face and mane felt just so great.
She didn't exactly know what Fluttershy had done, but Scootaloo felt better now. A lot better than earlier to be exact. Even though nothing had changed at all. She still had to wait for her cutie mark to appear, or being able to fly. Well, one thing had changed. She wasn't as stupid as she had been two hours ago. She really had been so egoistical to think her friends had it way easier than her. But they were also waiting for more than just their cutie marks. Scootaloo wondered how much it bothered Sweetie Belle not being able to do spells, or if Applebloom hated not being able to buck trees like her siblings. Well, she was going to find out! After she'd apologized.
The way she felt right now remembered her of the time she'd met Sweetie Belle, and a short while later, Applebloom. Like she was not alone anymore in her trials – again. She had to make sure her friends knew that. After today they'd be the new and improved Cutie Mark Crusaders.
A big smile spread on her face as she used a big, flat rock as an improvised ramp for one final jump and then came to a screeching halt at the base of the training hill. The trailer was still there, but her friends were not. She wasn't too surprised by that, they'd probably returned to the tree house by now. The trailer was hooked to her scooter in a matter of seconds and she was ready to drive on, when her gaze fell on the hill.
The nasty feeling of failure and disappointment crept into her gut again for a moment, but she quickly shook it off. That was the old Scootaloo thinking. The new Scootaloo would try and try again, until she was a truly great a flyer. Just like Rainbow Dash! And right now she had time for one more try.
Her helmet came off and one short climb later, Scootaloo stood atop the hill one more time. She looked down its steep side as so many times before. What had Fluttershy said? It's not just about flapping, sometimes you had to glide, too. She was pretty sure she'd never tried that before. She didn't really know how to.
Only one way to find out!
She closed her eyes and jumped.
Please, please, please.
She flapped her wings, as she always did, to gain some more altitude from her jump, but then she forced herself to stop, instead spreading her tiny wings as far apart as she could and holding them like that. A way too girly squeak escaped her lips, as she expected to fall to the ground like stone. But she didn't. It felt weird and unfamiliar, but right, too, in a way. Still, a few seconds later her usual reflexes set in and she started flapping again. Soon after that her hooves touched down in the grass.
Scootaloo open her eyes and turned around, looking at the hill. Was it farther away than it had been after her earlier tries? Did it look smaller than before? She really didn't have a way to tell.
That was when her gaze fell on a little hole in the ground. This was were she had unearthed the patch of grass before, after her last attempt in front of Rainbow Dash. A grin from ear to ear spread on her face. She had landed beyond that point. She had flown farther than ever before!
"Wohoo!" she screamed happily and jumped into the air.
She quickly dug another small hole, then went to get a stone as a more lasting mark of her current progress. Tomorrow you'll get past that point as well, Scootaloo challenged herself.
Her head held up high and smiling broadly, she returned to her scooter. It was time for some cutie mark crusading.
- The End -