Supercruisin’
By Petal Laboratories.
“And that’s how I got my cutie mark.”
Rainbow Dash finished her story, turning around to show off the rainbow lightning bolt on her flank, with its three individual, vivid colors of red, yellow, and blue, emanating from a thundercloud.
“Whoa…”
The three fillies sighed in unison.
The pegasi had been doing their job well for the past few weeks. Scootaloo woke up to the sound of wings and dialogue as these dependable winged ponies moved the clouds, one by one, out of ponyville, exposing a clear and beautiful blue sky. Inside her house, the window was open, and a wind picked up as Scootaloo awoke.
A fresh breeze wafted in, faintly smelling like cut grass. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes and scrambled out of bed. Her hooves hit the wooden floor, making a muffled tapping noise as she moved tiredly into the kitchen. On the table was a plate of flowers and a note. Scootaloo slowly placed the flowers absent-mindedly in her mouth as she read the note.
Hey Scootaloo! This is Applebloom. Come on over to Sweet Apple Acres. Me and Sweetie Belle have something awesome to show ya!
Applebloom
“Alright, alright,” Scootaloo yawned.
Scootaloo went to her garage to find her helmet and her scooter. It was in the corner, covered with dust and spiders. Using her wings, she flapped all of the debris away, and then put on the helmet, buckled the straps, and pulled the scooter outside. There was a light breeze, and the grass wore a light coating of dew. It was still early; the sun was flickering faintly on the eastern edge of Equestria.
Scootaloo rushed off into Ponyville. Her scooter ran smoothly and, aided by her flapping wings, she zipped over the hard parvement. It was a catharsis for her to ride her scooter; She loved speed. She loved to hear the wind whistle beside her and flow through her coat.
Only one thing was missing. She was still on the ground. As she headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo looked upwards and couldn’t help but think.
“One day… I will finally be able to fly.”
As she entered Sweet Apple Acres, passing under the wooden arch and into the barn, Scootaloo noticed something strange. Normally, while visiting Sweet Apple Acres, a pony could hear Applejack outside working or inside talking to friends. Today, she was nowhere to be found. Normally, a pony could hear Big Mac working the fields or Granny Smith baking her pies.
Today, it was silent.
“Hey Scootaloo! Over here!”
Scootaloo turned around. For some reason, her eyesight wasn’t as keen as it usually was, but she still saw the rough outline of her friends, who waved at her and quickly rushed inside the barn. Scootaloo followed. Upon entering the barn, her eyes finally focused, and she could not believe the sight in front of her. There were only three ponies in the barn: Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom. The three ponies looked fine except for one thing.
All of them had fully developed wings.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle turned their attention towards Scootaloo. “Isn’t this neat Scootaloo? We woke up one day and we became Pegasi!” the two fillies chimed. Rainbow Dash, occupied with some unknown object in the corner, turned around, and greeted Scootaloo with a, “Oh hey, Pipsqueak.” Scootaloo was speechless. She couldn’t believe it.
“Since we got Pegasus wings, Rainbow Dash said she’d give us lessons on flying so that we could race and all!” Applebloom cheered.
“Okay, Okay, enough talking,” Rainbow Dash said. “It’s time for your lesson. Do you see that hole in the barn up there? Try to fly precisely up to that hole and out as a warm-up. Once we’re all out we’ll start the real lesson.” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked up, paused to think about the task, and then attempted to fly. Applebloom was first. She easily graced upwards towards the hole, and exited. She poked her head into the hole down towards Sweetie Belle and was watching her in anticipation. Sweetie Belle looked up, prepared her wings, and then flew easily through the hole. Both of them, heads poking into the barn, then focused their attention on Scootaloo.
“Cmon, let’s do it,” Rainbow Dash commanded.
Scootaloo had never flown before.
“What do I do, what do I do, what do I do, what do I do?”
She tried. Her wings could only carry her two inches off the ground.
“Cmon! Try harder pipsqueak! We’re wasting time!” Rainbow Dash started to become frustrated. “Cmon!”
Scootaloo was trying, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never escape the darkness of the barn. She was earthbound.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time guys.” Scootaloo hung her head.
“Just go home. I’ll teach Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. If your flying improves, pipsqueak, then we’ll talk,” Rainbow Dash said. She flashed upwards and out of the barn. Scootaloo walked outside on the cold, unforgiving earth, and watched the three ponies fly away together. A single tear developed in Scootaloo’s eye, and she began to cry. She wanted to fly so badly.
So, so badly.
Yet she couldn’t. Even by her best friends left her behind . Twilight never said anything about that. Friends would never leave each other behind. Scootaloo cried.
* * *
“Applebloom and Sweetie Belle couldn’t have grown wings. It's impossible!”
Scootaloo’s shouting woke her up. She looked around. It was dark. Her clock read 12:30 AM. It was only a dream. Scootaloo pushed her covers aside and went into the kitchen to drink some water. She now realized that her body was wet; she was in a cold sweat. Scootaloo poured herself a glass of water and drank vigorously. She lazily placed the glass on a table and then walked back to her bed, throwing herself onto the covers and crying profusely for a few minutes. That dream seemed almost real.
It was only after a few minutes could Scootaloo compose herself and sleep, wrapped within tear-soaked sheets, with the moonlight dancing on her body.
* * *
The young filly awoke to the sound of chirping birds. Scootaloo opened her weary eyes. She stared at a pair of black dots, feathery and friendly, looking back at her. She blinked. The young bird, startled, instinctively flew onto her window frame and out the door. Scootaloo watched the bird fly away into the fresh morning air. The sun was just beginning to rise, and small rays of light shone weakly across the lawn of the house.
“Soon, those rays would become big and strong, and they’ll be able to warm the earth, traveling at the speed of light. Might I be like such a ray, one day?“ Scootaloo pondered. Although last night was painful, her mind was lucid today. Indeed, it was a very lazy saturday. Jumbled thoughts floated in her mind.
“It’s time to stop lazing around and DO SOMETHING,” Scootaloo reminded herself. She forced herself off the bed and gazed the clock. The clock read 9:46 AM.
Scootaloo went into the kitchen and decided to pour herself some cereal. Upon gazing at the empty, dry cup she had left last night, she began to think. “I really should consider flying lessons. I’ve been trying so hard for the past weeks but I can’t do anything except a little hovering here and there...”
Her parents were outside performing their usual saturday errands. “Mom has to negotiate a business deal with Mr. Breezy, and Dad has to go to Cloudsdale on the business trip...” Scootaloo wondered. “That leaves the entire day to me! I’ll go see Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Maybe we can go hang-gliding or something... But wait.”
Just the idea of Applebloom and Sweetie Belle reminded Scootaloo of her vivid dream last night. “What if it was real? No, it can’t be. There's no note! If I was Rainbow Dash, I wouldn’t be put down by a bad dream! I’d... I’d step up again and focus! Yeah! That’s what I need to do.”
Scootaloo opened her front door and peered outside. Some of the residents of ponyville were already walking about, some of them whistling winter wrap up under their breath. Scootaloo, as she did in her dream, went to her garage and picked out her scooter, similarly tucked away in a dark corner and covered with cobwebs. After a bit of cleaning, Scootaloo was ready to go. She pushed off and headed to Sweetie Belle, who was staying with Rarity at her Carousel Boutique.
“Just a minute Scootaloo. Stand still.” Rarity asked. Scootaloo was already used to this torture; she had experienced it tens of times whenever she visited Sweetie Belle.
“Big Sis, can you please let her go? We have a lot of stuff planned today,” a little filly with the purple and pink cotton candy hair asked.
“Alright then,” Rarity submitted. “You girls have fun now. Unfortunately for me, I still have deadlines to meet. Good luck on finding your talents, girls!”
* * *
“Scootaloo... you seem... Tense.” Sweetie Belle sat on a shiny red wagon trailing Scootaloo, who was scooting faster than usual. “Oh, Sweetie Belle, it’s... just a dream I had. Nothing.”
“No! Tell me!”
“No Sweetie Belle, it’s private.”
“Holding it to yourself won’t make it any better Scootaloo. Honestly.”
“Alright Alright! Okay?” Scootaloo began to feel frustrated again. “I had a dream where you and Applebloom had wings and left me behind like I was some sort of trash or something.” She stopped her scooter and shifted her gaze to the trees around her. “I want to learn how to fly. I want to stop riding on this scooter and instead ride those updrafts in the sky.”
“That dream sounds horrible.” Sweetie Belle comforted Scootaloo. “As friends, we would never leave you. Also, if you want help flying, why don’t you ask Rainbow Dash? We’ll visit her after we get Applebloom. Friends always help each other.”
“Alright, Alright. Let’s do it then” Scootaloo felt a bit better, but her anxiety was ever present, only tucked away in the recesses of her mind.
* * *
“And so ya just kick at the tree trunk with all your might, but make sure you hit it smack center. Your aim will develop in time Applebloom,” Applejack explained.
Applebloom, kicked at the tree with her short, chubby feet. A few apples fell into the ground, and ever fewer apples landed in the basket. “Ah’m so excited sis. Might I finally get mah cutie mark?”
“Well Applebloom, I can’t guarantee that, but by helpin’ us work on the farm, you might find your special talent somewhere. I mean, apple-related cutie marks have been the family tradition! You’re bound to get your cutie mark faster by working with these apples here!”
“Well sis, I just gotta keep practicin’ then. Maybe tomorrow you could teach me how to make apple pies?”
“Sure,” Applejack replied. She was beginning to feel sorry for Applebloom, who was trying so hard to earn her mark. However, the symbol had yet to appear on her flank. Applejack sighed. The sun was high in the sky, and it was beginning to get hot. The morning air was drying up.
“Applebloom, I think we should go inside.”
“No big sis, I wanna keep tryin’ to get some of these apples in the wagon. You go. I’ll keep practicing”
Applejack refused to leave her little sister under the harsh sun, and instead just sat there, silently watching Applebloom strike the trunk blow by blow, causing a few apples to fall here and there. A few birds were chirping in the background. Little peeps and warbles mixed with the sounds of Applebloom grunting and apple thudding as they landed. Eventually, Applebloom stopped to catch her breath.
“This isn’t working. Can we try something else? Please please please?” She jumped on her sister, begging for a lesson in something else besides apple-bucking.
“Applebloom, what the hay are you doing?” Applejack stood up, and Applebloom slid to the ground. “Take some time with this Applebloom. You sure are rushin’ this. You can’t just force yourself to find your special talent or place in this world. It just comes naturally! Remember my cutie mark story? I never worried like you ‘bout my cutie mark. It just came when it needed to!”
“Alright, alright,” Applebloom sighed. “Can I go and see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?”
“Sure,” Applejack said.
Suddenly, Applejack felt a light breeze rustling, light pushing the apples on the ground and the leaves on the tree. She looked at the horizon towards the source, and saw a small little red-headed filly running off to meet her friends.
* * *
Scootaloo began worrying again after 10 minutes of riding through the dirt roads of ponyville.
“Well Scootaloo, you shouldn’t worry so much about flying. I mean, my magic hasn’t developed, and I’m not worrying!” Sweetie Belle said. “Plus, we’ll all work together to help our skills develop and find our cutie marks. Don’t worry.”
Scootaloo was not convinced. She wanted to fly now. She didn’t want to learn fancy tricks or a sonic rainboom... yet. She just wanted to fly. Scootaloo stared off into the distance, ignoring a little yellow filly who, like a deer in headlights, stopped to wave at her friends, and panicked as her friends continued to get larger.
When the dust cleared, all three fillies were on the ground. Miraculously, nopony was hurt; right before the crash, Scootaloo snapped out of her daydream, heard Sweetie Belle’s urgent screaming, and swerved right. The three fillies were now caked with dust.
Scootaloo stood up first, coughing. “Hi Applebloom! Sorry about that.”
“Scootaloo, you should’ve been more careful. What were you thinking about?” said Sweetie Belle.
“It’s fine Sweetie Belle. Ah’m alright. Just a bit sore, but everything is still functioning all and well.” Applebloom stood up and swept the dust off of her back. “So Scootaloo, what’s up?”
“Well, we just just going to visit you so that we can begin working to get our cutie marks,” Scootaloo began.
The filly with the cotton candy hair suddenly interjected.
“Scootaloo isn’t feeling too well today. She had a dream where we had wings and we left her. But we’ll support her all the way, right?”
“That just sounds terrible. You bet we’ll support ya, Scootaloo!” Applebloom looked around. “So, where to?” she asked.
“I was thinking Rainbow Dash’s house” Scootaloo suggested. “I wanna go ask her if she can at least teach me how to fly. Nothing big or anything.”
* * *
“What is it, pipsqueak?”
Rainbow Dash was leaning of the edge of her door frame, looked at the three fillies floating in a balloon in front of her. “I mean honestly... pipsqueak... I don't know if I have the time..“ Rainbow began.
“I told you! It’s scootaloo!” the impatient orange filly interjected.
“... yeah, Scootaloo, whatever. Thing is, if your wings are not developed enough, you have zero chance of flying. I’d be useless for me to help.”
“But Rainbow, at least let me try.” Scootaloo begged Rainbow Dash. She jumped onto the clouds and approached Rainbow Dash. “Pleeeeeease? I want to fly so badly,” she asked.
Rainbow Dash, who was rapidly losing her patience, decided that resistance was genuinely futile. She stared into the filly’s young, pitiful eyes. “Yeah, yeah let’s see what you’ve got,” Rainbow Dash sighed.
Scootaloo hugged Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, with her eyes slanting upward, gave a sigh.
Scootaloo was back on the ground. The air smelled thick with the afternoon sun beating, pulsing its rays onto Equestria.
“Alright, try flapping. I know you can’t fly, but let’s just see how far you can get yourself off the ground and hover”
Scootaloo was suddenly reminded of her dream, when she failed to fly and was left behind. Her mind suddenly emptied, but she flapped anyways. The force was barely enough, and Scootaloo rose two inches. Scootaloo, panicking and desperate to impress Rainbow Dash, flapped harder and harder and rose to a measly height of 5 inches. Scootaloo couldn’t maintain her height anymore. She sank to the ground.
“A filly half her age could produce that sort of flight. Does she have some sort of birth defect or something?” Rainbow wondered.
Rainbow Dash ignored her thoughts and spat out a few positive words. “That was.. um... fine.”
“Rainbow Dash, you don’t have to say that. I know it’s bad.” Scootaloo sat down on the soft grass and looked at the blue sky. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to fly. “Am I going to be confined to the earth and chained forever?” Scootaloo wondered.
“The earth ponies have such a connection with the earth, and the Pegasi fly to join with a beautiful sky. I have neither of the two skills.” Scootaloo thought.
She wanted to give flying up forever. She had been disappointed too much in both her dream and her reality. She had hoped that perhaps, the dream was not true and that with a bit of encouragement from her idol Rainbow Dash, she might be able to fly.
Today, that thought broke up and flew into the wind that she craved so much. “Perhaps tomorrow,” it seemed to say.
“Aw, don’t get so discouraged, pipsqueak. I was at least two years older than you when I was able to fly.”
Rainbow Dash was lying. She learned how to fly, performed her Sonic Rainboom, and had her cutie mark two years before she was Scootaloo’s age.
Suddenly, Scootaloo stood up. Scootaloo quietly ran off to her scooter, whistled by her friends, and galloped towards Ponyville.
“No, Scootaloo! Come Back!” they all shouted. Scootaloo couldn’t hear. She was just a dot in the horizon now, heading towards Ponyville and out of sight.
“Can you still help her?” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom asked, simultanteously.
“I don’t know. Maybe her wings aren’t developed enough. You should all go back now, fillies.” Rainbow Dash said. “Go and see Scootaloo. She obviously needs some support.”
The two small fillies galloped off into the distance, chasing the path their best friend had made with sweat and tears.
“Well I better clean up. I brought all this exercise material for nothing.” Rainbow Dash turned towards her equipment but suddenly stopped. The ground her hooves were on wasn't like the surrounding grasses, which had a soft and velvety feel. This ground was hard.
Rainbow Dash looked downwards, and instead of green grass, she saw a circle of hard brown soil. Around the patch of exposed soil was a small ring of grasses, displaced by a force Rainbow Dash could not explain. “Weird,” she said.
What was the most striking aspect of this anomaly was a small groove in the ground, still slighty warm to the touch.
“That looks just like...” Rainbow Dash began. “No, there’s no chance that that filly could do that.”
“That race at Manehattan. I lost that race to her. I think she moved on to nationals and subsequently won. Nopony’s seen her since. We all just assumed she died, and that her secret died with her. She would never teach anyone how to supercruise.”
To be continued...