Beep. Beep. Beep.
The familiar sound of an alarm clock reverberated throughout Scootaloo's room, awakening her from sleep. Groggily, she reached a hoof out and slammed it onto the top of the clock, silencing the beeping. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes for a moment, and prepared to lie back down in her bed again, before a sudden realization hit her like a pile of bricks, causing her to shoot upwards.
The Pool of Desire. The wings. The promise.
Scootaloo leaped out of her bed, and immediately looked back at her wings. They appeared to be back to their normal size now. In order to reassure herself that they were indeed her original wings, she attempted to fly. After a minute of straining, she managed to reach a height of eight inches off of the ground.
Scootaloo lowered herself to the ground, looked back at her wings, and sighed. For better or for worse, things seemed to be back to normal with her once again. No more flying, no more awards... and no more living a lie. Still, despite her best efforts, she couldn't help but feel her face contort into a look of disappointment. Sure, it was for the best this way, but even so, Scootaloo couldn't help but miss what she had. Flying had been the best experience of her entire life, and now... it was gone. Scootaloo stared at her backside for a moment, before violently shaking her head.
"No." Scootaloo said out loud, "Get yourself together, Scootaloo! You made a promise to Rainbow Dash! You promised her you wouldn't mope and dope over this!" As she spoke, she said each new word louder than the last, in order to make sure it sunk in. "Rainbow, I promise that I will fly someday! I will be the greatest flier of all time all by myself, just watch!" she shouted. She knew that Rainbow Dash couldn't hear her, but she liked to imagine that Rainbow would've been proud if she heard what she just said. With a confident nod, she walked out of her room, and headed for her kitchen. Before anything, she'd need something to eat.
Knock Knock Knock
Scootaloo looked up from her half finished apple with a confused expression. Other ponies didn't usually knock so early in the morning, right? Why the heck would anyone come to her house so early? She took a final bite out of her apple, before walking over to the door. Before she reached the door, the pony on the other side started knocking again. Scootaloo wasn't sure who was at her house, but whoever it was sure wasn't very patient.
"Coming!" Scootaloo shouted, which stopped the knocking for a moment. She opened the door, and saw that nopony was on the other side of the door.
"Umm... hello?" Scootaloo asked, as she took a few steps out of the house to see if she could spy somepony running off. However, nopony else was in sight. After taking a few steps, Scootaloo turned around and began walking into her house... before the sudden sound of a scream rang out from behind her!
"Gah!" Scootaloo screamed, leaping several feet away in shock. She was about to slam the door behind her, when the sound of a familiar voice rang through her ears.
"Gotcha!" the other pony exclaimed while trying to hold back laughter. Scootaloo immediately stopped in her tracks. She'd recognize that voice anywhere. She slowly turned around, and sure enough, saw Rainbow Dash sitting on the ground in front of her house, loudly chuckling.
"Rainbow Dash! It's you!" Scootaloo exclaimed. She leapt right at Dash, tackling her to the ground. The duo collapsed to the ground, Rainbow chuckling the whole way through.
"You know it, Squirt! Just wanted to try a little prank on ya! Glad to see you doing so well!" She exclaimed, wrapping one of her wings around Scootaloo as she spoke. The second Scootaloo felt her wing, her smile grew enormous.
"Your wings! They're back!" Scootaloo said at the top of her voice, the excitement overwhelming her, "You can fly again! You're back to normal! This is so gre...!" Rainbow quickly put her hoof over Scootaloo's mouth, silencing her before she could continue. Scootaloo looked up at her hero, and noticed that Rainbow was looking at her with a puzzled expression, as if she had no idea what Scoots was talking about.
"What are you talking about, Scoots? When did I ever not have my wings?" Rainbow asked. Scootaloo's excited expression changed to one of confusion. What the heck was Rainbow talking about? Why didn't she remember?
"Don't you remember, Rainbow? That wish I made? The one that got rid of your wings? The Pool of Desire? Any of this ringing a bell?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow looked to both sides, and then turned back towards Scootaloo.
"I have no idea what the hay you're talking about, Squirt." Rainbow said without hesitation. Scootaloo could only manage to continue to stare at Rainbow in confusion. She just didn't get it: How could Rainbow have forgotten? Did the pool do something to make Rainbow forget all about it? Or...
Scootaloo felt her heart sink as the new possibility entered her mind. Could it be... that Rainbow didn't remember... because it never happened. Was it all just a dream Scootaloo had conjured up?
"But... that can't be!" Scootaloo said to herself as she continued to run it though her mind. It couldn't be a dream! It was all way too real to be a dream! But if it was something the pool did... then why didn't it alter Scoots memories? Rainbow made this wish after all, right? So if her wish caused Rainbow to forget her past, than wouldn't Rainbow's wish cause Scootaloo to forget about these events?
"What can't be, Squirt?" Rainbow asked. Scootaloo didn't respond. If she had just dreamt it, it would explain everything, but... if that was true, then that would mean... nothing Rainbow said to her then was real...
"Scootaloo! Equestria to Scootaloo! Hello?" Rainbow shouted, finally getting Scootaloo's attention. Once Scootaloo was looking at her, Rainbow asked, "Again, what can't be, Squirt? What are you talking about?"
Scootaloo shook her head. She had no idea what to think. Was it real? Was it fake? Scootaloo wasn't sure anymore.
"I honestly have no idea." Scootaloo finally admitted. Rainbow took a look towards the horizon, just right of the sun rise, before turning back to Scootaloo.
"Well, y'know what I like to do when I'm confused?" Rainbow asked. Scootaloo shook her head. Rainbow stood up and stretched her limbs out, "I like to take a flight. No destination, no rush, nothing. I just fly and talk it out with myself. It makes it so much easier to sort everything out, you know?"
Scootaloo felt a grin return to her face. She knew exactly what Rainbow was suggesting they do.
"I mean, I don't have cloud duty today, so my schedule's clear. What do ya say, Squirt? Think a flight might help things along?" Rainbow asked with a smile on her face. Scootaloo felt her grin grow wider. It felt like it had been forever since she was last able to do this, and it was something she missed dearly. A chance to talk with her hero in the sky. She'd be darned if she missed it.
"I'd love to, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said with a determined grin. Rainbow Dash nodded back, before lowering herself to the ground.
"Well then climb on, and hold tight, Squirt! We've got a long flight ahead of us!" Rainbow exclaimed. Scootaloo climbed onto her Rainbow's back, and wrapped her forelegs tightly around Rainbow neck. Once she was firmly holding on, Scootaloo held on as tightly as she could as Rainbow rocketed off of the ground at top speed. As Scootaloo felt the sudden wind rushing through her mane as they rocketed off, she couldn't help but scream in excitement. Rainbow knew how much she loved going fast, and the speed Rainbow flew at was beyond anything she'd ever experienced. There was no doubt about it; Rainbow knew how to make her happy.
After about a minute of flying at top speed, Rainbow slowed down and increased the duo's altitude. They were just below the highest layer of clouds, with nothing but the clear skies of Equestria below them. As the duo looked down, Rainbow turned to Scootaloo and said, "Well squirt? Things seem any clearer now?"
Scootaloo's eyes widened. In the excitement of the flight, she'd completely forgotten about what bothered her down below. However, it wasn't long before the doubt returned.
"Well..." Scootaloo began, but was unable to coax any other words out aside from 'Well'. After a moment of silence, Rainbow chuckled.
"Thought not. Well, I didn't expect it to clear out right away anyway. Luckily, we've got all the time in the world up here. Go ahead, speak your mind, Squirt." Rainbow said. Scootaloo sighed to herself. She wasn't particularly eager to tell this story a third time, but if Rainbow truly didn't remember, telling it again might jog her memory.
"Well, it all began a week ago..." Scootaloo began, as the duo flew together through the sky.
"...And that's what happened." Scootaloo said, after thirty minutes of flying. She had long since stopped looking down at the ground, and was now lying on her back, lazily running her hoof through the layer of clouds as she spoke. Rainbow Dash hadn't asked too many questions, but had made it clear she was listening through her responses. Once Scootaloo finally finished, Rainbow chuckled to herself.
"Well, Squirt, that was certainly quite a tale you told. If you said that to anypony in town, they probably would've called you insane." Rainbow responded. Scootaloo felt her heart drop, but tried to convince herself that the feeling was just Rainbow Dash beginning to descend.
"Do you remember any of it?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow remained silent. Scootaloo waited for a moment, before sighing to herself, "Yeah, I was worried about that. I mean, it couldn't be a dream, could it? It was all so real! But if you really don't remember a thing, then that means that either that Pool did something to your memories, or..." Scootaloo felt her voice peter out. She didn't want to imagine that she'd dreamt it, because if she did, then that would mean that Rainbow hadn't said any of those things to her...
"There's been something about the story that I'm curious about." Rainbow began. Scootaloo rolled over onto her belly, and got her first view of the ground below. It appeared to be a desert of some sort.
"What's up, Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked. Rainbow looked around the area for a moment, before pointing a hoof towards one specific area.
"I'll tell you on the way. For now, you might wanna hold on, cause I'm about to pick up the pace!" Rainbow exclaimed. Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow's neck, at which point Rainbow dived towards the area she pointed to at an insane speed. They went so quickly, that Scootaloo was half convinced that she would get to experience a Sonic Rainboom first hand. The idea made Scootaloo so excited, that she spent the entire descent looking behind her, hoping to see the legendary technique first hand.
Rainbow, however, wasn't bothered by the speed, and spoke as if she weren't moving at all, "Here's my question, Scoots. Did this cave where you found this 'pool of desire' thing..."
Rainbow suddenly stopped her speedy descent, and lowered herself and Scootaloo onto the ground. Scootaloo immediately hopped off of Rainbow's back, and felt her jaw drop in surprise. She knew where she was.
"...look something like this?" Rainbow finished with a confident grin on her face. Scootaloo just looked up at Rainbow in shock. She'd didn't tell Rainbow where the pool was while they were flying, and she was sure Rainbow wouldn't have looked it up in a book for no reason. That could only mean...
Scootaloo turned towards Rainbow and nodded, unable to say anything. Rainbow just continued to grin as she spoke, "I got it right? Well, lucky me." Scootaloo felt her heart rising up again, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.
"I have to say, I really liked that bit at the end of your little story, squirt. Y'know, the bit where I said I knew you were gonna be a great flier someday, and you promised me you would become a great flier? I really liked that bit. Really spoke to me, Scoots."
Scootaloo began smiling from ear to ear, as she wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow. She didn't even know what to say; she was just so happy her idol remembered that everything else seemed to melt away.
"I guess the only question I have for you, Squirt." Rainbow Dash began, wrapping her wing around Scootaloo. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash, "Think that little promise will come true? Because I do."
Scootaloo continued to embrace Rainbow Dash. It had been one heck of a journey for her, but Scootaloo couldn't have been happier with the resolution. She knew she had a long way to go, but she also knew that her idol believed in her, and frankly, that was enough for her. There was only one answer to Rainbow's question, and they both knew full well what it was. Nothing left to do but to say it.
"Yes, Rainbow Dash. It will. I know it." Scootaloo answered.