The weather had only got better by the time Scootaloo got home. It felt like the pegasi had shifted things along several months and given Ponyville a full summers day. The air was practically vibrant with positive atmosphere, the warmth of Celestia's light even more pleasant than before. It was like a mirror, a glimpse into the soul of Scootaloo. Things felt better than they had in a long time and if the rest of today went even a tenth of as well as she hoped, it was only going to keep getting better.
Scootaloo hummed happily to herself as she opened the shed up and put all her gear away. She wasn't planning to keep them away for good, but today, today was about her wings. With everything securely tucked away, she locked the shed up up and took off, taking a look round Ponyville from her vantage point. A group of pegasi flew past on their way to somewhere else, a few of them giving her a wave as they passed. She waved in return, letting the realisation sink in a moment later. They had clearly seen who it was they were passing, yet they didn't seem to think anything of it. Being noticed so casually, well it felt good.
It meant she fit in, just what she'd hoped.
Scootaloo grinned to herself and set off, taking in the sights on the ground as she flew. Instinct was a fine thing but there was something special about the feeling of knowing that she was the one in control of what she was doing right now. Each flap gave her a small warm feeling, such a mundane act still meant the world to her.
A minute of flight brought her to the park, dropping down and landing with a bit of a stumble. Scootaloo looked round at the town clock in the distance, taking a moment just to relax with her hooves on the ground again. There was still about an hour before her meeting and everypony around was busy with their own activities, except one. She could see Trixie sitting under a tree, practicing her illusion magic show with a small grin on her face. Scootaloo walked over and watched, seeing it was the ursa minor incident she was reminiscing about.
"Oh Trixie, you were a fool back then," She said quietly, catching sight of Scootaloo in the corner of her eye and letting the magic trail off as she looked over. "Hello, Scootaloo. I was just, reminding myself of how I got here."
"Do you regret it?" Scootaloo sat down with Trixie, waiting as she let a sigh go.
"Maybe a little, I was twenty five when I first came to Ponyville and if I saw it now, well, I'd want to punch the Great and Powerful Trixie too. That isn't me now but, that was me when I could have been making the most of my life. Now, I'm past my prime and I don't know what to do."
"Listen," Scootaloo slowly took Trixie's hat off and placed it down before undoing her cape, placing it down next to her. "You keep hiding yourself from regular ponies, I can understand that. You're scared of them judging you on your past an-"
"Scared? Trixie is not scared!" Trixie glared at Scootaloo, who simply raised an eyebrow and waited as the bluster wore off. "O-okay, maybe I am worried about them judging."
"It's hard, but come on, I've seen the you behind that mask and you're a decent pony. You're clever, quick to adapt and you're defiantly talented with magic. You could do a lot with that kind of talent, ponies have done it before. Ever heard of Moondancer?"
"Err...Should I have?"
"Well, no, but Twilight told me about her. She masked herself behind a bookworm attitude until Twilight convinced her to open up properly. She applied all that knowledge she'd built up over the years and now she's heading up the Canterlot Institute of Development."
Trixie looked down at her things, thinking it over. Scootaloo had a point, she wasn't young anymore and the attitude was as much of a restriction as it was a comfort. She couldn't cling to the 'Great Trixie' ideal forever, there were other things she wanted to do with her life, while she still had time.
"Well, I've always wondered what more I could do with my magic that wasn't an act...Or powered by an evil amulet. I'll give it some thought. I owe you one for putting the idea out there though."
"Good, because I'm going to call that favour in right now."
Things were quieter on the outskirts of Ponville, Trixie wasn't really a fan of it but this was where they were going. She glanced up in the sky, seeing Scootaloo flying overhead just as she ducked into a cloud. Scoots hadn't said exactly what she had in mind, only that Trixie would want to stay and enjoy the show. Trixie stopped and waited, curiosity compelling her to see just what this was about. A few minutes later, she glanced up to see a familiar face coming into town. None other than Rainbow Dash, suddenly she knew what Scootaloo had in mind.
Rainbow Dash landed nearby and trotted over. As she got closer, Trixie saw just how much of a mess she was. Rainbow looked like she hadn't slept properly for a week and her chest fur was matted and slightly torn. All the same, she still had the same air of almost smug confidence about her, something that the years probably would never take from her.
"Trixie, YOU wanted to meet up with me?"
"Nice to see you again too. But no, I didn't send you any messages, meeting up or otherwise."
"Then, who did?" Rainbow Dash looked round in confusion, trying to see if any other ponies were around. Trixie looked up at the cloud and winked while Rainbow's back was turned, looking forward to see just how this would go down. Scootaloo poked her head over the top of the cloud and stretched herself out.
"Morning sis. I can see why you like these clouds so much, very plush." Scootaloo stifled a chuckle as Rainbow tensed up and whipped her head almost completely straight up to find the source of her voice. It was worth it though, seeing her face light up as she shot into the sky and up to the cloud.
"Scootaloo? How did you get up here?! Are you okay? What happened to your eye?!"
"Woah woah, what happened to you?!"
"Long story." They both said at the same time, chuckling when they realised. Rainbow relaxed slightly and sat down on the cloud next to Scootalo.
"Seriously though, how'd you get up here?"
"Well, do you remember when I said I was pursuing my own lead on the flying issue?"
"Ye...No way!" Rainbow shot up into the air, grin widening as Scootaloo followed her up. "My little sis is a flying buddy! Ye-he-eah! Woo!"
"This is the greatest moment of my life." Scootaloo hugged Rainbow Dash affectionately, trying to keep composed as Rainbow hugged her in return. The two of them nodded before taking off again, doing long laps over the area. Rainbow wanted to go at her usual full pace but held back, making sure Scootaloo didn't overexert herself.
"You sure, squirt? What about this one?"
"Ok, there's this, and a number of days that got me here. You were a big part of it though, looking out for me all these years, keeping me on the path toward this. I owe you more than I can properly repay."
"That's, really sweet of you, kid. You can make it up to me by enjoying this." Rainbow wrapped a hoof round Scootaloo's waist and shot up higher into the air. She chuckled slightly at feeling her surrogate sister clinging on so tight, understandable, she probably hadn't been this high before. A minute of climbing later and Rainbow Dash reached another cloud, stopping and setting them both down on it. Scootaloo slowly managed to remove her iron grip on Rainbow's side and look round.
"That, would take some getting used to before I call that enjoyable."
"Yeah, the first time weirds everypony out. That wasn't what I was referring to though," Rainbow chuckled and looked back over the edge of this cloud. It was quite a height, at least the same gap between Cloudsdale and the ground. That was another idea for another day, for now, something she'd been waiting on for years. "Did you ever try for a skydiving cutie mark?"
"Once, before Spike interfered. Why?"
"Ever since I took you under my wing, I'd been hoping for today to happen. We're going to do this pegasus style; Cloud diving." Scootaloo perked up slightly at hearing this, getting up and watching as Rainbow stepped to the edge of the cloud and turned so her back was facing it.
"I'm guessing I know how this works, but we jump? With no gear?"
"Come on, you're with me. I wouldn't let something happen to my little sis. Just stick close, do as I do and open your wings as soon as you feel you need to."
Scootaloo nodded and stepped up next to Rainbow Dash, taking the same position. Glancing over, she saw Rainbow nod and lean backwards, preparing to drop off the cloud. She knew it was a long way down but her wings were up to strength and it wouldn't have been suggested if Rainbow didn't have faith that she could do it. The only thing she had to think about was, did she trust Rainbow Dash enough to follow her down?
Scootaloo practically jumped after her.
A moment of weightlessness, then gravity kicked in and she plummeted headfirst, bringing her hooves to her sides and locking her eyes on Rainbow just ahead. The rushing wind, the coursing adrenaline, the slow realisation that Rainbow Dash had been waiting to share this moment with her for over twenty years. She tightened her pose up a little and dropped into place beside her big sister, glancing over and smiling. Rainbow smiled back, the look in her eyes showing how proud she was in a way that words couldn't describe.
The two of them held the moment for several seconds before Scootaloo looked up, trying to judge how fast they were coming up on the ground. Her bad eye was making it difficult to be precise at this speed with this much wind and she decided to play it safe. Her wings shot out and she threw her body back, all her momentum sheared away within a second. Two seconds later, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and pulled out of the dive, looping back up to where Scootaloo had come to a stop.
"You okay, Scootaloo? That was a pretty hard stop right there." She asked, checking her over. To her surprise, Scootaloo just hugged her, panting hard from the drop but clearly in high spirits.
"Thank you, that was incredible! You wanted such a moment with me and we did it and it was just amazing! I love you, big sister." Rainbow Dash blushed softly at those words, looking round to make sure nopony was looking before hugging Scootaloo in return, nuzzling her gently.
"I love you too, little sis. Now come on, I've got to show my buddy some flying tricks." Rainbow let the hug go and the two set off. Where they'd be doing this, Scootaloo didn't know. What she did know, was that this part of her life journey was done. All she'd wanted was to be like other pegasi and now, now she was just like any other. She had a lot of friends and family who had supported her to this point and each of them would receive more fitting thanks in time. For now, Scootaloo simply smiled to herself and flew after Rainbow Dash.
She didn't need flight to be awesome. But with it, she was going to be something far greater.