Scootaloo took a deep breath before opening her eyes slowly, staring at the empty space in front of her - space that would soon be hers to occupy at a moments notice if she felt so inclined. Sweetie Belle and Applebloom cheered her on from below with easy, simple words. With a sharp flit, her wings extended to full length at her sides. She supposed that she must have looked cool because her friends gasped quietly and their eyes grew just a bit wider. She took on a determined look, a grin making her confidence obvious.
With as much of a run as she could get on top of the box, she took off toward the edge, jumping as high as she could. She flapped her wings harder than she had ever flapped them before, faster, harder, more methodical. She could feel it! The wind was underneath her, generating lift! For a moment. Then she plummeted downward into the hay. Her fall was cushioned, so her stomach did not hurt that bad. But her confidence was not necessarily cushioned. Refusing to accept defeat, she immediately tried again, launching herself into the air from on top of the hay, but falling backward onto her shoulder blades right after takeoff.
Again. Again. Again, and again, she tried. Again. Again. Again, and again she failed, falling onto the ever more painful blocks of hay. After a few minutes of trying, her legs were getting sore and her body was covered in forming bruises from the landings when she didn't land on the hay. She rolled over, finally giving up on her endeavor for the day. She lay, panting, for just a few moments before sitting upright. Her friends immediately joined her and put reassuring hooves on respective shoulders, trying to console their battered friend and picking hay out of her coat and mane.
From the shadows of the nearby trees, Rainbow Dash watched on with a furrowed brow. She knew what Scootaloo was putting herself through in order to achieve her goal, and for all intents and purposes she should have met her goal by now by natural wing development and constant exercise. With a somber expression, Rainbow took off and flew away silently.