//------------------------------// // 5: Thinking Back to Old Times. // Story: I Dreamt to Fly // by MrDynasty //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash and Twilight were sitting down next to each other as they were going through a series of questions that Twilight had for her cyan coloured friend. Twilight was writing down all of the answers she got on a piece of paper. “Okay, so what main things did you do to motivate her during training?” She asked, looking over to the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash gave a small shrug to the question before answering. “I just told her that she could do it. I guess moral support? I think the thought of flying is enough to motivate her alone though.” She said as Twilight wrote down her answer. Twilight seemed to disagree, shaking her head slightly to her cyan friend. “That can’t be true though. If she had that much of an aspiration to start flying, she’d have already been doing it by now. Maybe she’s just a slow learner, but that also doesn't make sense considering how fast she’s learnt with you.” The Pegasus fluttered her wings and rolled her eyes. “Twilight, you’re thinking too far into something that doesn't need to be thought into. Scootaloo didn't know how to fly, so I'm teaching her how to fly. I'm pretty sure it’s that simple.” She said, lifting up her front hoof in motion. Putting down the quill she used to write with, Twilight gave a small nod. “You’re probably right, but I'm just trying to figure out how Pound Cake managed to start flying when she got into diapers, but Scootaloo struggled on hovering until now.” She said, placing a hoof on her chin and thinking. As she stretched, Rainbow Dash lifted herself up and started to hover around the room, looking at all the books that were scattered around. “I'm no egghead, but I'm pretty sure that if that question meant something it would have been answered already. This probably isn’t the first time a baby has flown years sooner than a filly you know.” She said, picking up some of the books, reading the titles and then dropping them to the side afterwards. Despite Twilight seeming to want to cling onto her question, she just nodded in agreement to Rainbow Dash. “I guess you’re right. Maybe I am thinking too far into it. Anyway thanks for coming over and answering some questions for me, I'm still interested in her learning process, so it’s nice to keep up to date with it.” She says, smiling and pushing the notes on her table to the side. “No problem Twilight!” Rainbow Dash said cheerfully. She was still floating around the room, picking up random books and reading their titles. Most of them were history books, which of course Rainbow Dash had no interest in. Even the Wonderbolts history books were thrown to the side by her, most likely because she was confident she knew everything already. “What’s with all the books everywhere? Doing your weekly rearrangement again?” Twilight got off her seat and trotted over to where Rainbow Dash was throwing the books down, making whichever ones she threw float in the air using her telekinesis. “My book rearranging is actually every two weeks, not one. But no, I'm not rearranging my books right now; in fact I was just reading through them again since I like to keep up to date.” Rainbow dropped the rest of the books in her grasp, looking uninterested. “Reading history books you've already read before? Yawn. I can’t read through one the first time without falling asleep.” She said, looking down to Twilight. The alicorn just shrugged to her, placing all of the floating books back in a neat pile on the table. “Well that’s you Rainbow Dash. I find it quite exciting and it brings back so many memories of when I first read them. Some of these go all the way back to magic school. The good times there of course, not the bad times.” She said as she trotted back over to where she sat. Rainbow Dash floated back down to where she sat before as well. “Well I wouldn't have any of that, since I never read books in the first place. I don’t know what I’d have nostalgia for, maybe seeing the Wonderbolts when I was younger? Still gets me pumped up today so I guess that counts.” Twilight nodded slightly to her. “I’d imagine you’d have some sort of nostalgia for the Wonderbolts. I do too actually, since I did watch them when I was younger! I was more fascinated by the moves they could do; how precise and coordinated they were. It was riveting to watch and for the most part still is!” She said, having a small smile on her face. The cyan Pegasus paused for a bit, just letting herself remember some of the old Wonderbolts displays she watched when she was a small foal. “…Actually, that reminds me of something. You know how the Junior Wonderbolts league is coming up soon? I was thinking that maybe Scootaloo could join in. I know she can’t exactly fly yet, but she’s getting there!” Having a small frown on her face, Twilight tilted her head to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow Dash, that’s not a good idea. Most of the fillies that enter that league have usually been flying for years, whereas Scootaloo doesn't even know how to yet. Maybe hold off until next year’s league so she can get to grips with flying first?” She said as she started arranging the books on the table with her magic. Rainbow Dash didn't do much but nod, understanding that doing this year’s league was quite a stretch. “You’re right; it is a pretty silly idea considering that she might just lose on the first course. Boy would that crush her motivation. Okay yeah, next year then.” Rainbow Dash said, having a small smile but feeling a little disappointed inside. Twilight knew that Rainbow felt a little upset, hoping to say something that might make her cheer up. “…Well, maybe you should ask Scootaloo? If she does manage to start flying before the league starts, then you could ask her and see if she wanted to participate.” She said as she looked over to her cyan friend, who seemed a bit more cheery from Twilight’s words. The rainbow maned Pegasus just rolled her eyes pre-emptively. “And again, you’re right. Why don’t you just set up an advice giving shop because I'm sure you could make something out of it.” She started floating up with her wings. “Thanks for the advice Twilight, and I hope you have fun with your… notes stuff. Anyway, catch you later!” She said before zooming out of the castle. Twilight raised her hoof when she was about to respond, only to see her friend already gone. “You’re welcome!” She yelled, before pulling a book over from a stack and opening it. She was going to continue reading before she was interrupted by Spike coughing to get her attention. It took her a second to realize what he was asking, only closing the book and smiling nervously afterwards. “Whoops, sorry Spike. I suppose we could still visit some more ponies in the meantime.” Both Applebloom and Scootaloo were racing to pick the most apples in the shortest amount of time. They both decided on getting fifty each before they were able to say they won. Applebloom had been using a strong and quick approach, bucking the trees like her older sister would do until an apple fell down to the ground. Scootaloo used a slower but more guaranteed approach, floating up and grabbing a few apples before coming back down and dropping them, only to repeat the process again. They were both head to head a lot of the time, or at least it looked like it any way. There wasn't an easy way to tell who the winner was, but they both finished at roughly the same time, changing the tie breaker to how many apples they actually collected. Both fillies were counting in their head as they assessed the apples they collected. “I collected fifty three Scootaloo!” Applebloom said, feeling proud she went over the initial goal. Scootaloo was still counting hers, moving them behind her with each one. Eventually she reached the last couple apples, having a grin on her face. “Well I got fifty six! Looks like my tactic worked better!” She said, gloating a little at her small victory. Applebloom giggled and trotted over to her. “I guess it did. You won fair ‘n’ square then, but I blame the trees only givin' me one or two apples sometimes, if only they gave me three more. But don’t worry, I don’t feel jealous or sour or anything. We at least helped out Applejack a bit with her apple pickin', so that’s a win for both of us in my books!” Scootaloo nodded to Applebloom with a smile. “That’s the most important part!” She said, taking a small breather to look around at the apples before looking back to Applebloom again. “So, cutie mark crusaders meet up tomorrow then? Hopefully we can get Sweetie Belle involved if she isn't busy.” She said as she sat down in front of Applebloom. The red maned filly nodded in response, hoping their other friend would be able to join them. “I’d like to hope so too. I haven’t heard much from her since that whole music class thing, startin' to miss her company. But don’t tell her I said that.” She said, pouting and sitting down along with Scootaloo. Without much of a notice, Rainbow Dash had suddenly flown right next to the two fillies, having just come back from Twilight’s place. Scootaloo quickly got back up on her hooves and tried to hug the hovering Pegasus. “Rainbow Dash! How did you know I was here?” Scootaloo asked Rainbow as she dropped to the ground. Once she was on the ground the orange filly managed to hug her, wrapping her hooves around one of Rainbow’s front legs. “I have vision like a hawk! Also you told me you were going to visit Applebloom or Sweetie Belle, this was just my first guess.” She said, rubbing the filly’s mane with her other front leg. “So what have you two been up to? Finding your cutie marks again or just chatting?” Applebloom shook her head to Rainbow Dash. “Nah, we challenged each other to see who could collect the most apples. Scootaloo won by three o' them.” She said, standing up on her four hooves again. The rainbow maned Pegasus just grinned as she spoke. “Oh did she now? You win some you lose some, you just move on from what you lost. But at least you two had fun! Or at least it seems like you did.” Scootaloo pulled herself off of Rainbow’s leg. “We did have fun, and it gave me time to practice what I've learned from the flying training stuff!” She looked over to Applebloom with a smile. “But I better head back with Rainbow Dash now, save whatever else we might have done for tomorrow. Don’t want to end up having nothing to do.” Applebloom nodded with a smile as well. “That’s okay; I need to tell Applejack about all these picked apples over here anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow Scootaloo!” She said as she waved to her friend. Scootaloo waved back to Applebloom and said her goodbyes to her as well before being lifted onto Rainbow Dash’s back and flown back towards their house. While the time was only the afternoon, Scootaloo still wanted to go back home to relax a bit. All that training and apple picking really expended most of her energy for the day. But tomorrow was a new day and she had plans for it, hoping to hang out with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle again after not being able to for a while. Training can go on pause for a day or two; she didn't want to stress out her wings too much at once.