//------------------------------//
// ... Go! 
// Story: On Your (Cutie) Mark... 
// by Scantrel 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash was early. She'd breezed through her weather duties for the day and as a result had time to stop by her cloud home and pick up the cap and whistle she'd used during her coaching for the tornado training before heading to the swimming hole. She glanced back up at the sky and from the sun's position, Rainbow Dash guessed she might have time for a fast nap before Scootaloo arrived for her flying lesson. As she pulled the cap down over her eyes and settled in to catch a few winks, Rainbow Dash heard a faint buzzing-like sound in the distance that was growing steadily louder. The nap would have to wait.

Shortly thereafter, Scootaloo crested the little hill and caught some impressive air on her scooter, doing a 360 degree spin before landing on the sand and sliding to a halt just a few feet from Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash grinned at the sight of the young filly and said "Hey Scoots! Not bad, but you could have stuck the landing a little firmer." Rainbow Dash tried to keep the playful smirk off her face and straightened her cap.

"Thanks, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo beamed, apparently too excited about spending time with her idol to notice the little jest. "Give me a second and I'll be ready." With that, Scootaloo took off her helmet and placed it on top of her scooter before pushing them both out of the way to the edge of the sandy area.

"OK, Trainee! Front and center!" Rainbow Dash snapped in her coaching voice and Scootaloo zipped to attention in front of her.

"Before we begin, let's review the basics of flight. If you ask an earth pony or unicorn, they'll just tell you it's a matter of flapping your wings. Well, they'd be wrong!" Rainbow Dash lectured. "While it is necessary to create lift with your wing-strokes, it's less about the physical movements than it is controlling the air around you."

Rainbow Dash paused and flared out her wings. "First question, does the size of your wings determine how strong of a flyer you are?"

Scootaloo gulped and thought for a moment, before answering tentatively, "Mmmm...No?"

"That's right, Trainee!" Rainbow Dash answered, once again folding her wings against her sides. "Size matters not. Take Snowflake for example. His wings are nothing compared to the size of his body, yet he was selected to attend the Wonderbolt Academy."

Scootaloo pushed out her own small wings and fluttered them, glad that their diminutive size wouldn't be an obstacle to her training. 

Rainbow Dash nodded approvingly, then continued, "Now then, Trainee, if wing size isn't the most important factor in flying, what about wing power?"

Scootaloo pondered that for a moment and then said, "Well...wing power has to be more about how strong your wings are...I guess?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, then started to walk around in a slow circle around her student. "Close, but not exactly. Wing power is a representation of how strong your movements are through the air. For most, they consider it to be a measure of speed, but it's more than that. For example, when we were selected to lift the water to Cloudsdale this year, our team had to generate enough total wing power to lift the water out of the Highland Reservoir." 

Rainbow Dash paused her pacing, and looked down at Scootaloo. "And being able to create a tornado with wing power comes back to what?" she asked.

Scootaloo hadn't expected the day to turn into a quiz session and it was a little unnerving. "It comes back to...err...controlling the air?"

"Pre-cisely!" Rainbow Dash exulted, favoring Scootaloo with a proud grin. "That's what gives Pegasi their magic. We fly because we channel our magic through our wings to control the air around us, providing lift, thrust, and control. The more attuned we become to that magic, the faster we can fly, the more agile we are in the air, the more wing power we can generate, that kind of thing."

"Oh! Oh, I get it!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "And that's what lets you do Sonic Rainbooms!"

"Yep, you got it kiddo!" Rainbow Dash replied with a satisfied grin. "So, that's the first lesson of the day. For you to learn to fly, you have to learn to tap into that magic. After a while, it's not a conscious thing, it's just something that comes with practice and some concentration to start."

Rainbow Dash lifted her whistle towards her muzzle and said "Now, I want you to focus on controlling the air around you and see if you can hover. Let your wings be an extension of your desire to fly and feel how they move the air as you flap them. When I blow the whistle, I want to see you at least four hooves high off the ground for as long as you can hold it!"

Scootaloo flared out her wings again, a look of determination engraved on her face.

Rainbow Dash counted down, "On your mark ... get set ... GO!" and lifted the whistle into her mouth, blowing it shrilly.

Scootaloo closed her eyes and started flapping her wings, trying to keep her thoughts on the air around her. "Move the air, move the air!" she told herself over and over. With what felt like a surge of energy within her, Scootaloo felt herself lifting and she scrunched her brow trying to concentrate harder. The energy within her surged again and suddenly Scootaloo felt extremely light, as if she could feel the air whipping around her giving her a nearly weightless sensation. The strain was getting to her though and Scootaloo felt her strength ebbing. She muttered through clenched teeth, "Is...this...high enough, Rainbow Dash?"

When no reply was forthcoming, Scootaloo opened one eye to peek and see Rainbow Dash's expression. But instead of her mentor's cyan-colored face, all Scootaloo could see was the cyan of open air. The shock of it snapped her eyes open fully and she realized she wasn't hovering just off the ground, she was in the middle of the sky! In a near panic, Scootaloo whipped her head around, up and finally down where she could see the pond below her as a tiny blue spot against the ground, with a bluish dot next to it. 

"Whaa...aaaa..aaaaahhhh!!!!" Scootaloo screamed, her concentration evaporating like fog on a sunny morning. Suddenly unable to control her flight, the filly flailed her hooves around her and with a squee of terror, started to plummet towards the ground at a high rate of speed.

Rainbow Dash had been standing there completely stunned, the whistle falling limply to the end of the cord around her neck as she couldn't believe her eyes. The sound of Scootaloo's scream woke her from her dumbfounded state and she realized if she didn't act, Scootaloo was done for. "Hang on Scootaloo!!" Rainbow Dash hollered and zoomed upwards to catch the orange blur as it tumbled from the sky, a multi-hued contrail left in Rainbow's wake as she kicked in her full acceleration.

Scootaloo saw the rainbow trail and tried to flap her wings in desperation, trying to steer herself into the path of her heroine. As she did, the words of Rainbow Dash's lecture came back into her mind. It's not a conscious thing, it's just something that comes with practice and some concentration to start.

With extreme effort of will, Scootaloo forced herself to stop screaming and regathered her focus, once again extending her wings to flap them. As she did, she felt the surge of energy return, stronger than ever. Before she realized it, Scootaloo had turned her fall into a power dive, shooting past Rainbow Dash, who was reaching for Scootaloo desperately with outstretched hooves as she approached.

With a controlled spiral, Scootaloo flew down towards the ground, and leveled out for a smooth landing. Moments later, Rainbow Dash zipped down to land beside her and gathered the trembling filly between her forelegs into a protective embrace. "Thank Celestia, Scootaloo, are you alright? I...I can't believe what you just did!" Rainbow Dash breathed.

Scootaloo returned the hug, burying her muzzle against Rainbow Dash's chest, hoping she wasn't too angry with her. "I'm sorry!" Scootaloo wailed. "I just was falling, it was so fast."

Rainbow Dash ran a comforting hoof along Scootaloo's mane and said "It was amazing! Scootaloo, you flew! You actually flew!!"

"I..I did?" Scootaloo said uncertainly at first. Then the rush of what happened hit her and her eyes grew double in size. "I flew! I flew!!! I really did it!"

"You sure did kiddo! I can't believe it, but you totally did!" Rainbow Dash said in a tone filled with praise. As the mare and filly broke their hug, Rainbow Dash did a bit of a double-take. "What the hay is..." her voice trailed off as she took a closer look at Scootaloo. 

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Rainbow Dash said in surprise. "I think...Scoots, it looks like you got your cutie mark!" Rainbow Dash let go and pulled Scootaloo up so she could see better. Rainbow Dash's expression became even more surprised as she gazed at Scootaloo's flank. 

"REALLY!?!?!" Scootaloo shouted, spinning around in a circle trying in vain to see her own flank. "What is it? What does it look like? Tell meeeeeee!!!"

Rainbow Dash blinked to make sure she was seeing straight and then her face took on a hay-eating grin as wide as it could. "This is so awesome!!" she burst out. "It's...well, it's a cloud, with a rainbow-colored lightning bolt. It's...its the same as MY cutie mark!"

Scootaloo stopped spinning and stared at Rainbow Dash like she was crazy. Seeing the look on Scootaloo's face, Rainbow Dash shoved her over to the water's edge, where Scootaloo could see her reflection. Sure enough, just as Rainbow Dash had said, the mark adorning her flank looked to be a copy of the mark held by Rainbow Dash.

"I always knew you had it in you Scoots!" Rainbow Dash said proudly. "At least we know what your special talent is, to be the second most awesome flyer in all of Equestria!"

"Oh wow...oh, oh..I have to go show the other Crusaders!" Scootaloo burst out. She started to reach for her scooter, then stopped and looked back at Rainbow Dash. "If that's alright with you that is?" 

Rainbow Dash just chuckled, "Of course it is! But you aren't using that to get there." Rainbow Dash reached over and pulled the scooter under her wing. "I'll take this back to Ponyville. You can fly to Sweet Apple Acres."

Scootaloo jumped up into the air and without even thinking about it, flew a perfect little circular flip. Hovering in the air to orient herself, she turned towards the direction of the clubhouse and with a final "Thank you, Rainbow Dash!" zipped off, leaving a little orange trail as she flew.

Rainbow Dash watched her go, her chest filling with happiness and pride for the little filly. Gathering up the scooter and helmet, Rainbow Dash prepared to fly back into town. 

A sudden sound made her pause, it sounded almost like whispering. Shaking her head and telling herself it was just the rustle of wind, Rainbow Dash lifted up into the air to soar back to Ponyville and share the good news with her friends.