//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Small Wings and a Kind Heart // by jdb1984 //------------------------------// After school hours, the door to the schoolhouse opened without a sound, as an orange head poked her head inside. Scootaloo glanced around, noticing that the only occupant was Cheerilee. Satisfied that they would be alone, she stepped in and let the door slam shut behind her. The slamming door made Cheerilee jump. A few of the papers she was grading were accidentally thrown in the air, as she turned to see that it was only Scootaloo. She took a couple of deep breaths, as she tried to calm her heart. “Oh, Scootaloo, you scared me,” she said. “Next time you come in after school hours, can you please knock first?” “Sorry, Miss Cheerilee, but I want to talk to you about something. Do you have a moment?” the young pegasus asked. “Of course I can. I always make time for my students,” the teacher answered, motioning a hoof towards the empty desks. “Would you like to sit down?” Scootaloo slowly walked towards them, at first going towards her own. But after a thought crossed her mind, she went and sat in Diamond Tiara’s seat. She smiled a bit, anticipating her reaction when she tells her tomorrow that a blank flank sat at her desk. If Cheerilee noticed which seat she sat in, she didn’t mention it. “Okay, so what was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked, leaning forward in her desk and folding her hooves in front of her. “I...um...” Scootaloo stammered, looking down at the desk in front of her. After a moment, she said, “Forget it. As an earth pony, you probably won’t understand.” She slid back out of the desk and started for the door, before Cheerilee walked over and stopped her with a hoof on her shoulder. “Scootaloo, I’m here to help you,” Cheerilee told her, some concern creeping into her voice. “Even if it’s a problem unique to pegasi, I’ll help any way I can.” Scootaloo looked at the ground in front of her for a moment. Then, after a deep breath, she suddenly let it all out. “I...I HATE THAT I CAN’T FLY!” she yelled, stomping a hoof in frustration. “POUND CAKE CAN FLY, AND HE'S JUST A BABY. I HATE BEING STUCK ON THE GROUND! I HATE THAT I CAN'T FLY WITH RAINBOW DASH! AND WHAT IF MY CUTIE MARK HAS TO DO WITH FLYING? WHO KNOWS WHEN I'LL FIND IT THEN!” Scootaloo started to pant after her outburst, even starting to cry slightly, as Cheerilee just stood there in stunned silence for a moment, unsure of what to say. Then she grabbed a tissue and started to dry Scootaloo's tears. “You’ll fly eventually, and with your determination, I'm sure you’ll be one of the best fliers in Equestria. The only reason Pound Cake can fly is because he’s a baby, and babies are known to have random bursts of magic or flying ability.” she explained. “If he wasn’t so small and weigh so little, he wouldn’t be flying either. You’re still young, and different pegasi can fly at different ages. With the way you ride your scooter, I bet your wings are getting stronger everyday.” “I...I guess,” Scootaloo answered, not sounding totally convinced. “But I’m also one of the only pegasus ponies living in Ponyville, and I’m not sure if any of them would be willing to train me.” “Scootaloo, I know it’s probably tough living in a town with mostly earth ponies, but we still have some talented fliers living here in Ponyville,” Cheerilee replied. “And I’m sure at least one of them will be willing to assist a young pegasus filly...” Then her face beamed, as if she was suddenly struck with a wonderful idea. “Have you ever thought about the summer flight camp in Cloudsdale? I heard they have wonderful flight instructors, that I'm sure can give you excellent training. The classes last for only a few weeks, so you won’t be away from Apple Bloom or Sweetie Bell for very long, and you may even meet somepony new. If you bring your parents in, I can talk to the three of you about going up there. I’m sure it’ll be a big help.” When Cheerilee mentioned her parents, a flash of fear shown on Scootaloo’s face. Though, with Scootaloo’s back turned, Cheerilee didn’t catch it. She tried to keep herself calm, but her mind was starting to panic. "No, no, no. Did you have to say something about them? Scootaloo thought. “I’ve been able to keep my life a secret for this long, I don’t want it to unravel now.” Scootaloo took a deep breath tried to put on a straight face as she turned around and looked up at her teacher, while trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ll... have them look into it,” she said. “And thanks for listening to me.” Despite her straight face and level voice, Cheerilee taught enough students to know when something was going on. Though she couldn’t put a hoof on what it was, she knew that there was something Scootaloo wasn’t telling her. “Scootaloo, is there something else troubling you? If there is, you can talk to me about it. I’m here to help,” she asked. “E...Everything’s fine,” she answered, though stammered a bit. “I...I’ll see you at class tomorrow.” “Scootaloo, wait!” Cheerilee called out, as Scootaloo ran out the door of the school. She ran after her, but all she got was a cloud of dust and a rapidly shrinking scooter. Cheerilee knew she would never be able to catch up, so she went back in and tried to concentrate on grading the papers in front of her. But her thoughts kept drifting to her student, wondering what she was trying to hide. And wondering if she would be able to help her