//------------------------------// // 14 - Inspiration // Story: Soaring on Little Wings // by tom117z //------------------------------// Sky Dance Kindergarten, Many Months Later In almost but a flash, the final week had approached. Little Wing sat in class next to Misty Gust, the entire class consumed in one story book or another. The book Little Wing read was the fairy tale of the Mare in the Moon, which some of the other kids had said to be true and that Nightmare Moon was Princess Luna. She would have to remember to ask her elder sister about that the next time she saw her. As for the book itself, well it was no Hungry Caterpillar but she enjoyed it nevertheless. As for her progress, she could scarcely imagine herself as soon to be attending the Junior Flight School. The summer would start in the middle of the week, and so too would come her second birthday not too long after that. Or in actuality, which Little Wing kept strongly to herself at the back of her mind, her fifteenth. She certainly felt a lot smarter than when she had been two the first time around, which she didn’t remember in the slightest. But neither did she feel nearly fifteen, if she would equate it to anything it would be the feeling of being a six to eight year old. She had to wonder how long she would mentally stay at that age, she had heard it mentioned that the age of graduation of the main Cloudsdale Flight School was sixteen, having heard from her sister that she’d immediately gotten a job offer from Ponyville’s weather team on graduation. Little Wing had tried to ask further questions, but even Rainbow herself didn’t entirely know the reasons why that was, but was just thankful it happened to allow her to meet her best friends. Little Wing shook herself away from her stray thought pattern, returning to her book. With beautiful art emblazoned on the page she saw the white alicorn with the pink mane fire rainbow coloured magic at the Mare of the Moon, the dark alicorn vanishing in an instant and being replaced by the moon with the alicorn’s shadow sitting upon it like graffiti. She had also heard the moon had actually looked like that until four years before her own arrival, and that she would learn that portion in history class in the Junior Flight School. Little Wing couldn’t help but feel a little impatient at that, she didn’t like being left out of the loop on things. Still, she couldn’t deny what little history she’d been taught to that point had been interesting to hear about. The six founders of Equestria with the Hearth’s Warming legend was a favourite. Mr Bright Spark had also briefly glossed over the four ruling alicorns of Equestria, Celestia, Luna, Mi Am-something or other and Princess Twilight. He had been particularly brief about the first two, saying they had come to Equestria’s aid during its darkest time and defeated a creature called ‘Discord’. But that was where he had stopped, saying that it may have been too scary a story for some of the foals, which Little Wing took some childish offense to. He had been more forthcoming when it came to the latter two, however, as they had been far more recent. The Princess of Love had been a Princess since she was a filly, but only stood up as Celestia and Luna’s equal and created the Equestrian Triumvirate after regaining some birth right that the teacher had, once again, glossed over the details of. Apparently then Princess Twilight became the fourth ruling princess later that same year. And Little Wing hadn’t at all blurted out that her sister was close friends with the Princess of Friendship before sitting back down in a sheepish and embarrassed silence. Not at all. “Hey, Little Wing?” Misty whispered over to her friend, giving her a gentle nudge with her wing. “Are you finished with that one?” Little Wing nodded. “Yeah, I just finished it. What one are you reading?” “This book about a kind pony who visits little fillies and colts in their dreams,” Misty explained as the two fillies swapped books over. “I wish she would visit me…” Little Wing looked at the cover, and her muzzle scrunched up as she noticed a weird similarity to the depicted pony on the cover and the Mare of the Moon. Their coats were a slightly different shade, but still… “Thanks,” Little Wing said to her friend, getting to work on reading the new book in her hooves, before simply putting it back down and looking over at Misty. “Misty? What do you think you’re going to do at Flight School?” “Huh?” Misty looked at Little Wing like she’d grown a head to three. “Well, I’ll go wherever you go, silly! Why, you think I’d make other friends and forget about you?” Little Wing scoffed. “No! We’ve known each other since we’ve been in Equestria; we’re practically joined at the hip! No, what I meant was… what do you want to do there?” “You mean… what do I want to be after?” “Yeah, whatever, that works to,” Little Wing remarked. “So? What?” Misty Gust hummed to herself, the tip of her tongue sticking out the side of her muzzle as she entered deep thought. “No idea!” she finally announced. “Really? None at all?” “Nope!” “Oh. OK.” It was then Misty’s turn to question Little Wing. “So… What about you?” “Me? You really wanna know?” “Well duh!” she responded with a giggle. “You asked me, and now I get to ask you!” “Oh, um… OK then…” Little Wing thought to herself for a few minutes, Misty Gust watching her expectantly for the whole time. In the end, however, Little Wing merely gave a noncommittal shrug. “Dunno. Suppose I haven’t thought about it either.” “Aww, I was expecting the most amazingly amazing answer ever!” Misty moaned in disappointment. “Well, we need to think of something soon. We’re practically grownups now!” “We’re one,” Little Wing deadpanned. Misty puffed her cheeks to argue against the point. “So? It won’t be long!” Little Wing huffed. “Whatever. We’ll have all of Flight School, both junior and otherwise, to figure it all out.” “Well whatever we do, we’ll do it together!” Misty announced, before taking a more unsure expression. “…Right?” Little Wing giggled, throwing a hoof around Misty and giving her a side hug. “Well duh! We’re best friends, we’ll always be there!” The two fillies giggled to themselves, the other foals either ignoring them or, in the case of a few of the colts, made mock gagging sounds. Silver Breeze was, unsurprisingly, the loudest of those. After their friendship cuddle was over they both dislodged themselves and returned to their books with renewed vigour. They only had another ten minutes give or take before the school day was to end anyway, so they wanted to finish up their respective reading before the bell. Little Wing was a little distracted by her conversation with Misty, however, and began to wonder to herself. What did she exactly want to be? What did she want to strive for? She simply didn’t know, there were too many options to think about, making her head spin. Where once she had no options, now she had them all. What was her purpose? What was her special talent? What would she be? Little Wing glanced back towards her blank flank with an air of irritation, a little jealous at all the older ponies with their cutie marks already discovered. But could she even get one given her past? Little Wing shook her head, placing that hardly new worry back into the depths of her mind along with the rest of the old, and very bad, memories she possessed. She instead turned her mind to narrowing down those possibilities, thinking on what had made her happy and if it made any relevance to what could be. She liked reading, she could be a librarian perhaps? Then again, she didn’t find much appeal in working throughout all those dusty old shelves day in and out. Boring was a word that came to mind. But what else was there? Little Wing’s mind then went back to some months previous, the memory of a kingdom high in the sky as fresh in her mind as it was the day she experienced it. The day that Rainbow Dash had helped her regain her flight properly for the first time since she flew under the power of random magical surges. She remembered the feeling of flying alongside her elder sister, loving every moment of it as they playfully competed in the course that Rainbow Dash had set up for them. And then when she had taken her up as high as they could go. The sight that had been before her, unparalleled in majesty and beauty, a sight unlike anything she had ever seen and one that had remained with her since that day. The bell rung. Little Wing glanced down on the book in her hooves, realising with a tinge of annoyance that she hadn’t got past the second page due to her own inner thoughts. The class had already began to rush on out, Silver Breeze in particular shooting Little Wing a dirty glare as he departed, which she did her best to ignore. With a sigh, Little Wing picked up her book and went with Misty to return it to its proper place. Then the two fillies turned to leave, before stopping when Little Wing turned back to look curiously at Bright Spark. The thestral in question was arranging some things on his desk, as well as eying up an apple one of the foals had left on his desk before leaving. “Are you coming, Wing?” Misty asked. “I, uh… I’ll catch up,” she stated in return. “I want to talk to Mr Bright Spark.” “Well, alright. I’ll find our parents then.” Little Wing gave her best friend a nod, the filly then bounding off out of the classroom and into the mass of foals making up the hallway. Little Wing then turned back to Bright Spark and began her approach. “Oh? Still here?” the thestral questioned as the filly sat down onto her haunches next to his desk. “Is something the matter, Little Wing?” “N-no, not exactly…” Little Wing responded in a slightly sheepish tone. “Really? So what do you need me for?” “Mr Bright Spark… Did you always want to be a teacher?” Bright Spark raised an eyebrow at the question. “Hm? Little Wing, why are you asking me this?” She scuffed the floor with a hoof. “Well, I was thinking about what I want to be…” “Hm, I see… So you want to know if I always knew my true calling in life?” “Uh, I think so?” Bright Spark chuckled. “Little Wing, things are rarely so defined. Not even our cutie marks necessarily define us, or what our jobs are to be. I know a pony whose natural talent was singing, and yet she’s now a doctor. She still loves to sing to be sure, but never as a career.” “Oh. So… I’m just being silly?” “Now I never said that,” Bright Spark responded. “So what was it you wanted to be, Little Wing?” A bit of steely determination entered Little Wing’s gaze, her eyes meeting Bright Spark’s. “I… I want to fly with my sister! And so to do that, I want to be a Wonderbolt!” “A Wonderbolt? That’s a high place to dream being, and a difficult one.” “I don’t care!” Little Wing retorted. “I don’t want to be the best. I don’t want to be better than Rainbow Dash. I just want to fly with her!” Bright Spark chuckled for a moment, and then gave a light hearted chuckle. “My my, what a duo that would be. I fear for Equestria, truly.” “Huh?” “Little Wing, you must understand that as the years go by you may want to move onto other things. As I said, these things are rarely so easily defined,” he said, but then added: “But then again, I do believe your sister too wanted to be a Wonderbolt since kindergarten, and she achieved her dreams. If that is the path you truly so desire, then it will be up to you to see it through.” Little Wing blinked at his words, and then nodded vigorously. “Oh yes! I promise I will work really really hard! Just like Rainbow… and Scootaloo!” “I see. So they’re your inspiration for this goal of yours then?” “Yup! Because they’re the most super and most awesome ponies in Equestria!” Bright Spark chuckled again, shaking his head in amusement. “Yes, I’m sure they are. But I’m also sure you have your parents waiting ever so patiently for you outside. Go on, before they send in the search and rescue teams.” “Okie dokie lokie! Thanks Mr Bright Spark!” Little Wing stated as she darted out of the room, spirits soaring. She found her parents waiting in reception, Misty Gust having insisted to her parents that they also wait as well. When asked what she was doing, she simply responded that she wanted to ask the teacher a few questions before trotting out the door. As they left Sky Dance Kindergarten there was a noticeable spring in the filly’s step, and there was one very specific goal set deep into her mind.