When Twilight arrived home from her unplanned spa trip with Rarity, it was three o'clock. Spike and Scootaloo were waiting for her at Golden Oaks Library.
"Oh," Twilight said. "Hello, you two."
"Where have you been all afternoon?" Spike asked.
"I was with my friend Rarity," Twilight said, not wanting to give Spike the details about why she needed a spa date.
"But you were gonna teach me how to fly!" Scootaloo said. "I've been waiting forever!"
"But...we didn't plan a time for our first lesson..." Twilight said, scratching her head. "Ah, no matter. I've got time to teach you now, if you want. Spike, can you watch the library?"
"I guess I can do that, sure," Spike said, shrugging his shoulders.
Twenty minutes later, Twilight and Scootaloo were standing on the second-story balcony, ready for the final test. Since Scootaloo's primary feathers hadn't quite grown in yet—in fact, their growth was astonishingly stunted, considering her age—Twilight decided to start with something simple: paper airplanes.
The two pegasi had spent the past fifteen minutes, throwing paper airplanes off of the balcony. Twilight used them to demonstrate basic aerophysic principles, all in preparation for this moment.
"Okay, so what's the proper gliding position again?" Twilight asked.
"Wings out, legs in, body straight," Scootaloo said, adjusting her body so she was in the right position.
"Perfect!" Twilight said. "And remember, your instincts will tell you to flap your wings to keep yourself in the air, but don't do it. Right now, you're just gliding, not flying."
"Uh huh! Uh huh!" Scootaloo said excitedly. "Can I go now? Can I?"
"Almost," Twilight said. "What's the proper landing procedure?"
"Uh...when I'm close to landing, I tilt my wings up so I can swoop," Scootaloo said.
"Exactly," Twilight said. "Once you've gotten the hang of gliding, we can work a bit on swooping. Now let's go!"
Scootaloo could barely contain her excitement, as she jumped to the rail at the edge of the balcony. She put her hooves on the railing, while Twilight bent down and picked Scootaloo up. Standing on her hind legs, Twilight held Scootaloo over her head.
Scootaloo could feel Twilight's legs shake, and she felt a dollop of worry. "Are you sure this will work?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes," Twilight said. "My brother used to throw me off of ledges all the time, when I was learning how to fly. Now get in the position!"
"Right!" Scootaloo said. She spread out her wings and pulled in her legs.
Twilight was leaning back and forward, trying to determine what the best angle would be. "Remember, you have to—" she said.
The door behind Twilight slammed open. "Urgent message from the princess!" Spike shouted.
Startled, Twilight gave a small shriek and threw her forelegs forward, hurtling Scootaloo into the air. Twilight instantly turned around and shouted, "Spike! Don't interrupt my—Scootaloo!"
Twilight turned around again and looked at Scootaloo in the sky. "I...NO!" Twilight cried. She took to the air and silently berated herself for being the worst teacher ever. What kind of teacher accidentally throws their student off a balcony?
Scootaloo had no idea that Twilight threw her prematurely. She was too busy focusing on following the gliding techniques she had learned. To her astonishment, it worked perfectly, just Twilight had said it would.
"I...I'm doing it!" Scootaloo shouted. "Woo hoo!"
Resisting the urge to throw her legs out in triumph, Scootaloo slowly glided forward. This is the greatest! The only way this could be better is if...OH YES!
Scootaloo caught sight of her hero, hovering in the air about ten feet ahead of her.
"Rainbow Dash, look! I'm gliding!" Scootaloo cried, as she went past.
"Cool," Rainbow Dash said.
Rainbow Dash thinks I'm COOL! Scootaloo thought. I don't believe this! I—augh!
Scootaloo lost her focus, having been distracted by Rainbow Dash. The ground was now much closer than she would have wanted. Scootaloo tried to remember how to land properly—something about angling your wings? She tilted her wings downward and found herself going into a dive, right at the ground.
Scootaloo shrieked in fear and closed her eyes seconds before she crashed face-first and—huh?
Scootaloo cracked open her eyes, when she realized that she wasn't dead. She looked up and left to see that she was wrapped tightly in the arms of a sky-blue pegasus.
"Don't worry, I got you," Rainbow Dash said. She landed on the ground and set Scootaloo down.
"You...you saved me!" Scootaloo said.
"Don't mention it," Rainbow Dash said. "Was that your first time flying?"
"Yeah..." Scootaloo admitted somewhat reluctantly.
"Thought so," Rainbow said. "I—"
Twilight Sparkle landed on the ground, between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. She had not been too far behind, having flown after Scootaloo at top speed.
"Scootaloo!" Twilight said, picking up Scootaloo and giving her an anxious hug. "Oh my gosh, are you alright? I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"I'm fine!" Scootaloo said. "I glided, just like you taught me!"
Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "When I threw you off the balcony, I didn't mean to—"
"You threw your sister off a balcony?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight blinked in confusion. "I'm not Scootaloo's sister," she said. "I'm her teacher."
"Oh," Rainbow Dash. "Sorry. You both have purple manes, so I guess I...heh heh. My bad."
"It's okay," Twilight said. She brushed aside her mane, which had been disturbed in her frantic flight. "I saw you catch Scootaloo before she crashed. Thank you."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo said. "You saved my life! You're the greatest!"
"Aw, hey, it's no big deal," Rainbow Dash said. She nudged Scootaloo with a friendly hoof. "You did pretty well for a first timer. Keep it up, and you'll be flying in no time."
Scootaloo squeed in pure delight.
"You know a lot about flying, don't you, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked.
"Heh, are you kidding?" Rainbow asked. "I love flying! My dream is the join the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow sidled up next to Twilight, putting a wing casually over Twilight's back. "You're the pony who got tickets for the Grand Galloping Gala, right? I heard the Wonderbolts will be there...any chance you could put in an order for me?"
Twilight shook her head. "That makes you the fortieth pony to ask me for gala tickets," she said. "I don't know where you can get them. Mine were a gift."
"Awww, seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked, disappointed. She removed her wing from Twilight. "Oh, well. I guess I'll have to meet them at the Best Young Fliers Competition, then."
"You're entering that, huh?" Twilight asked.
"Of course!" Scootaloo said. "Rainbow Dash is the best flyer ever! She can do a Sonic Rainboom!"
Twilight's eyes widened in surprise. "I remember seeing that, about twelve years ago!" she said. "That was you?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled and rubbed the side of her face. "Yeah, that was me," she said. "I was in Cloudsdale at the time."
"Well, since you're such an expert on flying, maybe you can help us with Scootaloo's flying lessons," Twilight said. "It'd be a lot easier for me to demonstrate what I'm talking about with an assistant."
"Please please please?" Scootaloo pleaded
Rainbow Dash considered it, then shrugged. "Sure, why not?" she asked. "I got a little bit of free time to help out a new flyer."
"Really?" Scootaloo asked.
"Would I lie to you?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Now come on, let me show you how that landing is supposed to go."
Rainbow Dash flew up in the air a bit, then demonstrated the simple glide-to-swoop landing. "You turned your wings in the wrong direction," she said. "You want to turn them away from the ground to slow down."
"The angle you tilt your wings at determines how quickly you slow down," Twilight said. "Most ponies don't realize that it's unnecessary to turn your wings at a full 90 degree angle, perpendicular to the ground. Rainbow, could you demonstrate flaring your wings for a landing?"
"Right," Rainbow said, taking to the air again.
Ten minutes later, the flying lessons finished, with Scootaloo gliding off of Sugarecube Corner. Her gliding form was perfect, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash glided next to her the whole time, offering words of encouragement.
"You're doing it!" Twilight said.
"You rock! Woo hoo!" Rainbow Dash said.
When she landed, Scootaloo wanted Twilight to fly her back to the roof of Sugarcube Corner, so she could try again. But since Rainbow had to leave, Twilight said that was enough learning for one day. They said goodbye to Rainbow Dash, then walked back to the library.
"Oh my gosh, that was so amazing! It was so much fun!" Scootaloo said, bouncing around like a maniac. "I love gliding! And you and Rainbow Dash are the coolest ponies ever! Thank you so, so much for teaching me!"
"You're welcome," Twilight said. "Now calm down, Scootaloo. You don't want to hurt yourself."
"Oh," Scootaloo said. She stopped bouncing and started walking slowly. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Twilight?"
"Yes?" Twilight asked.
"You know how Rainbow Dash thought we were sisters?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes," Twilight said, opening the door to the library. "That was a bit unexpected."
"Well, uh...I..." Scootaloo said, scratching the back of her head. "The thing is, I don't—"
"Hey, Twilight!" Spike said, jumping out of a chair. "I was wondering when you'd come back. The letter from Princess Celestia is on the table there."
"Thanks, Spike," Twilight said. "Now what were you going to say, Scootaloo?"
"Ah, it was nothing important!" Scootaloo said, grabbing her helmet and scooter from off of the wall. "I gotta go home now. Later!"
"Goodbye, Scootaloo!" Twilight said. "You did well today!"
"Bye!" Scootaloo said. "Thanks, Twilight! You're the best!"
My dear Twilight Sparkle,
I would like to thank you for all the hard work you've done. You haven't been in Ponyville for a week yet, and you've already found a third of the ponies you need. I am also very glad that you have found a true friend in Rarity, Pinkie Pie and the others. As you know, true friends can sometimes be hard to come by.
That said, I am a little concerned that your suggested Element of Honesty is a little filly. I agree that fillies can be more honest than adults, but I cannot condone sending a filly to fight Nightmare Moon. This is a potentially dangerous situation; even if you were one of the Elements, I would be worried for your safety. Unless you get permission from Scootaloo's parents, I cannot allow her to go on this mission.
Spike says there was a minor uproar when I sent you the tickets to the gala, as everypony in the area immediately ran over each other in a hurry to see them. I would like to offer my apologies; I had no idea that you were in a roomful of ponies at the time. I have already sent an apology letter to the stallion who got injured, and I offered him a free ticket to the gala in compensation. If you need any more tickets—which I'm sure ponies have been asking you for—let me know. At the very least, I'm sure I can spare tickets for the six Elements of Harmony.
In your last letter, you mentioned our next step in this venture. Once you find the Elements of Harmony, I want you to gather them together and tell them about Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. Explain to them why they are the only ones who can save Equestria. Since they are your friends, or at least, friendly acquaintances, I'm sure they will listen to you.
The physical Elements of Harmony are located inside protective orbs, in the throne room of the Ancient Castle of the Pony Sisters. As you may know, this is the castle which Luna and I used before Canterlot was established as the capital of Equestria. The castle is currently located inside the Everfree Forest.
As a test, I would like the Elements of Harmony to go collect these orbs. If they are truly meant to wield the elements, this task shall be no challenge at all. But just in case, I want you to go with them. I will also send your brother, Shining Armor, to help with this mission. He has been asking me about you, ever since I sent you to Ponyville. Perhaps you should send him a letter?
Your Princess and Friend,
Celestia, Raiser of the Sun and Moon
Most ponies think that Scootaloo's favorite possession is her scooter. That is wrong. Scootaloo's most important possession is a photograph that she keeps on the desk near her bed.
This particular photograph was taken seven minutes after Scootaloo's birth. It featured Scootaloo, in the arms of her exhausted-looking mother. By the looks of it, the mother was no more than sixteen years old. On the back of the photograph was a hoof-written note:
Scootaloo,
I will always love you, no matter what. When it's safe, I will come back for you.
-Mom
Less than a week after her birth, Scootaloo was left in a basket, outside of a fire station. The photograph was the only thing she had to remember her parents by. Before going to bed that night, Scootaloo talked to the picture of her mother.
"And then Rainbow Dash helped us! It was the best day ever!" Scootaloo said enthusiastically. "I told you about her, right? She's the coolest and most awesome pegasus ever! Twilight isn't exactly what you would call awesome, but I still like her. She's really nice! She even invited me to her party yesterday!
"You know what the craziest thing is? When Rainbow Dash first came by, she thought Twilight and I were sisters! At first I thought it was kind of funny, but then I thought...well...it'd be kind of nice, you know? I'd love it if Rainbow Dash or Twilight could be like my big sister.
"But don't worry! Even if get a hundred big sisters, I still won't forget about you, Mom."
Scootaloo smiled at the picture of her and her mother for a moment, before repeating the words she had memorized. "I will always love you, Mom. No matter what."
The next day was Monday, which meant it was the start of another school week. Twilight wanted to speak with Diamond Tiara and Cheerilee about the possibility of them being Elements of Harmony, so she went with Spike to the elementary school.
The playground at the school was abuzz with talk. It seemed that Silver Spoon got her cutie mark over the weekend, and most of the children were gathering around to see it and hear the story of how it appeared. In reality, her spoon-shaped cutie mark had appeared while she was eating a bowl of cereal, but Silver Spoon said that it appeared while she was singing the Mary Trottins song, "A Spoonful of Sugar".
The children who weren't listening to Silver Spoon were listening to Scootaloo talk about her flying lessons. Twilight was close enough to hear this conversation. "I must have glided over a hundred feet!" Scootaloo said. "Rainbow Dash said I was the most talented first timer she had ever seen!"
"Hmmph, I doubt that," Diamond Tiara said. Diamond was in a particularly foul mood that day. "If you can fly, why don't you prove it?"
"Weren't you listening?" Scootaloo asked. "I only learned how to glide!"
"That's not flying; that's falling slowly," Diamond Tiara said.
"It's still pretty impressive," Featherweight said.
"I'll believe it when I see it!" Diamond Tiara said. "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is and fly for us, you little chicken?"
Hearing this, Twilight decided to step in on Scootaloo's behalf. "Don't call Scootaloo names," Twilight said. "She's telling the truth about learning how to glide yesterday."
"Yeah!" Scootaloo said. "Help me show them, Twilight!"
"Okay," Twilight agreed. Twilight picked up Scootaloo and flew about eight feet in the air. Hovering in place, she held Scootaloo over her head and gently threw Scootaloo forward. Scootaloo glided perfectly, to the other side of the playground.
All the children ran along underneath Scootaloo, shouting excitedly. That is, all the children except Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon followed after Scootaloo.
"She actually did it," Silver Spoon said, sounding impressed.
"Yeah, well, she's still an orphan," Diamond Tiara said dismissively. Twilight, hovering overhead, gasped in surprise. "I bet that's why she shows off so much. She just wants attention, when you deserve attention for getting your cutie mark!"
Silver Spoon put an arm on her friend's shoulder. "Di, you don't have to pretend," she said. "I can tell you're upset with me."
"Yeah, well...I thought we were going to get our cutie marks together!" Diamond Tiara said. "Now you're the coolest girl in school, and I'm still a blank flank. It's...it's not fair!"
The two children walked away, Silver Spoon assuring Diamond Tiara that they would still be best friends, cutie marks or not. Twilight landed softly on the ground, her mind still reeling from the news that Scootaloo was an orphan. Twilight was so busy trying to recall everything she knew about Scootaloo, she didn't even notice when Cheerilee walked up to her.
"Did I just see you throw one of my students across the yard?" Cheerilee asked.
"Huh? Oh!" Twilight said, jumping out of her thoughts. "Uh, it's not what it looked like! Scootaloo is my student, too. I gave her a flying lesson yesterday."
"Hmmm..." Cheerilee said skeptically.
"I'm sorry," Twilight apologized. "She just wanted to show everypony what she learned about flying. I promise I won't throw her around again."
"That's good to know," Cheerilee said. "And it looks like Scootaloo is perfectly safe. You must be a good teacher."
"Not as good as you are," Twilight countered. "I read the syllabus you sent home with Spike. I'm impressed that you can come up with a viable teaching plan, with so many students of different ages."
"Apart from Apple Bloom and Twist, all the students are the same age, so it's not much of a problem," Cheerilee said. "In any case, I should probably round up the students. It's almost 8:00."
"One more question first," Twilight said. "Which student is Diamond Tiara?"
"Diamond Tiara is the pink filly with the light purple mane," Cheerilee said, pointing her out.
That mean girl is Diamond Tiara? Twilight wondered. "I heard she's the class clown, is that true?"
"She does talk out of turn more often than I'd like," Cheerilee said. "But I wouldn't call her a clown. She doesn't tell many jokes."
"I see," Twilight said. "Thank you very much for your time, Miss Cheerilee."
As Cheerilee rang the school bell to get all the students to line up, Twilight flew back to the library. As she flew, she wondered what would now happen to her list of the Elements of Harmony Bearers. Specifically, the fourth item on the list would need to be revised.
4. Element of Laughter—Diamond Tiara, Pinkie Pie
I think I'll take Diamond Tiara off the list, which leaves Pinkie Pie as the Element of Laughter by default, Twilight thought. I guess that works. She loves entertaining ponies and making them smile.
But what am I going to do about Scootaloo? I can't get permission from her parents, if she's an orphan. But nopony else was honest with me at my party...oh...maybe Princess Celestia will know what I should do?