//------------------------------//
// Part 4 Side by Side 
// Story: We Will Fly 
// by Zephyr Spark 
//------------------------------//

	After a nice breakfast, Spike proceeded to the hill where he agreed to meet Scootaloo. He had no idea what to expect, but given yesterday’s progress, he could only imagine what they might accomplish today. 
Soon the hill came into sight and he saw Scootaloo standing next to Rainbow Dash. They both seemed happy as they waved to him. He hoped they managed to make up.
“Morning, Spike,” Scootaloo smiled, “glad you could make it.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Spike grinned. He looked at Rainbow Dash curiously. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, Twilight passed on your message and Scoots and I just made up,” she explained, “thanks, Spike.”
Spike nodded and hoped there wasn’t any lingering frustration between them, “I’m sorry if I made you feel unwanted, Rainbow Dash.”
“It’s fine,” Rainbow Dash dispelled any tension between them with a beaming smile, “anyways, I’ve decided to hang around and help you two out anyway I can. I figure I can help keep you two safe if something goes wrong.”
Spike suddenly felt a little nervous, “why would anything go wrong?”
Then he glanced behind them and noticed a wooden ramp on the slope of the hill. It was supported by wooden beams and sanded down to reduce friction. The ramp touched the hill and then branched off pointing upward to the sky.
“Um, Scootaloo,” he didn’t like this one bit, “what is all this for?”
“I’m glad you asked,” she trotted over to her knapsack and began rummaging through it, “you remember how yesterday you used your fire breath to make us go really fast?” She didn’t wait for his answer as she pulled out a helmet, strapping it to her head, and some goggles, which she carefully placed over her eyes, and continued searching her knapsack. “It got me thinking. What if we used your breath to launch ourselves into the sky so I could ride the winds all the way at the top?”
“What?” Spike looked at her in wide-eyed disbelief, “that’s insane! We could get seriously injured doing something like that!”
“That’s why Rainbow Dash is here,” Scootaloo said, “besides all we’ve been doing is taking risks.” She tossed him an identical pair of goggles and a helmet and pulled out two parachutes, tossing it to Spike and strapping the other to her back while carefully sticking her wings through the straps. She grabbed her scooter and inspected the wheels.
“I promised Twilight we wouldn’t be doing anything this dangerous,” he frowned, “I’m not about to betray her trust.”
“Spike,” Rainbow Dash walked over to him, “can I speak with you for a moment?”
Spike frowned but nodded. Together they walked out of earshot. Rainbow Dash spoke, “let me ask you a question.”
Spike blinked uncertainly, “Okay.”
“What made you want to help Scootaloo fly in the first place?”
Spike considered the question for a moment and recalled when he first saw her staring longingly at the sky. “I guess when I saw her so unhappy at the prospect of never flying, I just had to help.”
“You know how important this is to her,” Rainbow Dash continued, “you know what this means to her. She wants to fly more than anything in the world and for the longest time, she thought she never would. But then you came along and she made progress. You came along and she finally had hope. I don’t know how you did it but she needs you to keep giving her hope.”
“Yeah,” Spike conceded, “but this all seems so drastic. Twilight’s not going to like this.”
“Let me deal with her,” Rainbow Dash dismissed his concern. “Scootaloo needs this. You know it. You saw it. She’s so unhappy being stuck on the ground when every other pony is soaring through the clouds. She just can’t help but feel that if she doesn’t fly, then she—.”
“Will never be a true pegasus,” Spike finished her thought. “Or fly beside her greatest hero in all of Equestria.”
Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to say.”
Spike sighed, “I think I understand the feeling all too well.”
This meant everything to Scootaloo. She wanted to fly like her hero, Rainbow Dash. She needed this. Spike needed to believe she could. He had to hope she could surpass every pony’s expectations and learn to fly, even though she didn’t have some pony who could teach her properly. Not just for her sake.
“Alright,” he reluctantly said, “I’ll do it. Just promise me you’ll make sure we’re safe.”
“You have my word,” Rainbow Dash beamed.

***

Spike put on the helmet, goggles, and parachute and listened to Scootaloo’s plan. They would descend from the top of the hill and boost their speed with Spike’s fire. With all that momentum, they would bolt off the ramp into the sky. Next, Scootaloo would jump off the scooter and rocket through the clouds catching the wind from up high to replicate her gliding actions. Spike would pull his parachute and Rainbow Dash would catch the scooter and gently set it down on the ground. If something went wrong with their parachutes, Rainbow Dash would intervene.
Scootaloo told Spike she adjusted her board so he could hang on more easily, but Spike was still certain he would be hanging on for dear life. When he asked how Scootaloo acquired two parachutes, she responded by asking where he found the six mattresses. She stated that he didn’t want to know how many answers that question had.
Before they began, Rainbow Dash laid a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder and said, “Let me give you one piece of advice. Don’t think, feel.”
With that, they mounted the scooter and Rainbow Dash hovered readily in the sky. Scootaloo and Spike stood before the drop at the top of the hill. 
“Ready, Spike?” Scootaloo glanced over at her friend clinging to the skateboard nervously.
Not for the second time, Spike was having second thoughts but then he remembered why he was doing this and steeled himself, “Yes, let’s do it before we can think about it any longer.”
With that, they descended from the hill. Spike released a powerful jet of flames that combined with their rapidly increasing descent down the hill, propelled the both of them at least ten times faster than they had moved through Ponyville yesterday. Scootaloo felt the wind whipping past her ears and reveled in the sensations. Spike had to admit this was incredible. He never moved this fast before. Unlike yesterday, it wasn’t to help his anxious friend get somewhere on time. It was to help her achieve her dreams. Knowing this made Spike’s flames all the more passionate and powerful.
Soon, they flew from the ramp into the sky. Spike closed his eyes in fear. 
“Spike!” Scootaloo called, “don’t close your eyes! Don’t miss this!”
Opening his eyes, he could only stare as the world below them grew increasingly distant and the blue sky overtook them. They touched the clouds and felt the sun, shining brighter on them than ever before. His ears popped and his stomach felt empty and nauseous, but he was free.
They began to lose forward momentum and Scootaloo leapt from the scooter with her wings outstretched. Spike pulled his parachute as he began to fall, slowing his descent. He had maintained his death grip on the scooter, eliminating Rainbow Dash’s job to retrieve it. Feeling the wind on his scales and his feet dangling through the air imbued him with a sense of uncertainty, but good uncertainty. He wasn’t sure where he would land but he was free up here. 
He left the kingdom of clouds, and soon touched the ground. Moving out of the parachute, he looked up to see an orange dot glide through the clouds. Quickly extricating himself from the parachute, he decided to remove the cumbersome thing all together and pursue Scootaloo on foot. He grabbed her scooter and followed the dot.

***

Nothing else she had done could prepare Scootaloo for everything she felt now. She felt pride that she had come this far, purpose as she zipped through the clouds with ease, power as she gazed at the world below, excitement as she barreled through the clouds like a torpedo, but above all, she felt peace and freedom. The wind tickled her ears and ruffled her orange fur. It was all too wonderful. All of these sensations melted away and were replaced with pure bliss, when she glanced to her left to see Rainbow Dash flying by her side, matching her speed and flight.
The blue pegasus grinned at her orange protégé. She no longer cared that she wasn’t the one to get Scootaloo in the air. Now she was here, beside Rainbow Dash as they spiraled through the clouds side by side. 
“Pretty cool, huh?” Rainbow Dash smiled at the wonder blazing through Scootaloo’s eyes.
Scootaloo couldn’t find the words to speak her emotions and joyfully choked on her own words. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help smiling at her blissful face. If I see Spike again, she chuckled to herself, I just might kiss him if she doesn’t. Then she reconsidered that idea when she thought about Rarity’s possible jealous glare. Stop thinking, she chided herself, just feel. She moved closer to Scootaloo, “let’s take this safely for now, okay? We don’t have to do any crazy flips or anything. Let’s just keep doing this for as long as you can.”
Scootaloo nodded her agreement and glided to the left. She anticipated the day she could fly vertically and meet her mentor in the sky as an equal, but for now, for the moment, gliding next to her like this was more than enough. 
To any Ponyville citizen looking from below, the blue and orange specks danced through the clouds in beautiful harmony, matching each other in every way. To them, it made them blink uncertain as to what they saw. To one baby dragon, it made him pray for the day that now seemed so much closer. A purple and green dragon would soar through the sky at long last despite all the barriers before him. Perhaps, when he took to the sky, it would be beside a purple alicorn as her equal and her eternal friend.

***

At long last, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash touched the ground together in a vast field. Both were exhilarated but peaceful. And both shared greater kinship than ever before. They stood there side by side in silence. There was no need for words.
“Scootaloo! Rainbow Dash!” Spike excitedly rode up to them on Scootaloo’s scooter, “I saw the whole thing from the ground! That was incredible!”
They both turned and smiled. Wordlessly, they embraced Spike together. Scootaloo said, “Thanks Spike. If it weren’t for you, I’d never have felt so much closer to the sky.”
“I should thank you too,” Rainbow Dash added, “if you hadn’t helped out, I wouldn’t have gotten to fly side by side with my sister.”
Scootaloo stared at Rainbow Dash in awe. She called her a sister! A sister! It was everything she wanted in one day! She got to soar high above the clouds next to Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash recognized her as a sister! This day couldn’t get any better!
A teary, happy smile spread across Scootaloo’s face. She tackled Rainbow Dash in a bear hug and Rainbow Dash rolled over, laughing with glee. Spike just looked on, feeling immeasurably satisfied to have helped any pony, especially his friends. Helping Scootaloo soar beside her idol gave him personal hope.
“There you are!” They all jumped and turned to see an irate Twilight glaring at them as she stomped towards them. “I saw you two flying over Ponyville.” She turned to Spike with a piercing glare that struck his heart, “Spike, you promised you wouldn’t do anything that endangered either of you again! You said you would be safe!”
“Spike had nothing to do with this!” Rainbow Dash stepped between her friends, “I was the one who suggested it and convinced him to help us. I promised him I’d keep both of them safe. I just wanted to fly side by side with Scootaloo.”
Twilight scowled angrily at Rainbow Dash, “I’m not mad with you for wanting that. But I am mad that you made Spike break his promise. And you,” she pushed past Rainbow Dash to stand before Spike reprovingly, “you broke your promise! How am I supposed to trust you ever again?”
“Hey, leave him alone!” Scootaloo interjected, “he was just trying to help me make my dreams come true.”
“At the cost of his own life?” Twilight turned and glared.
“I was there the whole time,” Rainbow Dash insisted, “neither of them got hurt.”
“But what if they had?” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash with a look of concern bordering motherly, “something could have gone wrong and they could have been hurt. And now,” she turned to Spike more disappointed than truly angry, “I can’t trust you anymore. I can’t let you go off helping Scootaloo anymore if you’re just going to put yourself in danger whenever she asks.”
Spike stared at the ground ashamed and feeling absolutely sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to betray her trust. He really didn’t. But when he saw Scootaloo’s desperation to get off the ground, he just couldn’t help it. He just wanted to help her. Why couldn’t she understand?
“Twilight,” Rainbow Dash put a hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder, “I think there’s something Spike should tell you.”
“What?” Twilight and Spike said simultaneously. They both glanced at each other confused.
“What you told me when we talked alone,” she looked at Spike. Then she turned to Scootaloo, “this is a little personal for Spike, so maybe you could give us some privacy?”
Scootaloo wanted to protest but realized Rainbow Dash wasn’t asking her. Grumbling, she walked past nearby trees and faded out of eyesight.
Twilight turned to face both Rainbow Dash and Spike, “alright, what do you want to tell me, Spike?”
“I don’t,” Spike stammered as the twiddled his fingers nervously, “I don’t know.”
“Cut it out,” Rainbow Dash sternly said. “I think we both know what needs to be said. Let me ask you a simple question and I want you to answer honestly.”
Spike slowly met her eyes, gentle but firm.
“Why did you want to help Scootaloo so badly?”
Spike scowled confused, “B-because I wanted to make her happy!”
Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow, “Spike be honest. I promise you neither of us is going to think any less of you,” she glanced at Twilight who nodded an agreement, feeling concern for her little assistant. “What did you see when you saw her staring at the sky longing to fly like other pegasai?”
“I-,” Spike looked both of them in the eye, faltered, and found his gaze falling to the ground. “I saw myself.”
Twilight gave a quizzical look while Rainbow Dash gave a reassuring smile.
“I saw myself looking at the sky,” Spike continued with difficulty, “wanting to fly like other dragons. Remembering that I don’t have—,” he looked at his back once more in painful disappointment, “wings. I’ve never seen another dragon without wings so why don’t I have any? I don’t have some dragon to give me the answers and no pony can help me. Even if I did grow wings, they’d be different from either of yours, not feathery and small, but scaly and large, so how would either of you be able to help me learn to fly? I just wanted to believe that if Scootaloo could fly, even though nothing any pony did could help her, even though she had no idea what she was doing, maybe, someday, I could fly too. And maybe, some day, I could fly next to you, Twilight. Because, well, you’re my hero.”
He put his face into his hands, fighting back the tears. Twilight was instantly beside him, lowering his hands and embracing him. She stroked his scaly head and fought back tears of her own. 
“I’m sorry, Spike,” she calmly said as her friend trembled, “I should’ve known how much this meant to you. I never knew you were so scared of never flying yourself. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
She began to tear up a bit as she spoke, “I’m sorry I don’t know anything about dragons and I’m sorry that you felt so sad. I don’t know what I’m doing half the time with you so I just try to do the best I can. I’m sorry I failed you. If this really means this much to you, I won’t stand in your way.”
Spike quickly embraced Twilight to keep her from leaving, “you didn’t fail me,” he said as he recognized she was trembling, “you raised me as best you could, you’ve always been there for me Twilight. I don’t expect you to be perfect or to know what you’re doing all the time. We should just figure this out together.”
They both smiled and embraced. Rainbow Dash smiled at how easily the two could make up. It reminded her quite a bit of her and Scootaloo.
“But you’re right,” Spike said with sadness in his voice, “I broke our promise and I’ve been selfish, wanting her to fly in some desperate hope it would help me fly. If you’re angry with me—.”
“What?” Twilight rested a hoof on his shoulder, “how could I be angry with you for trying to help a friend? She will fly. And someday, you will too. On that day, we’ll fly together, okay?”
Spike looked down unconvinced. The fact remained Scootaloo hadn’t truly flown yet and he didn’t have any wings. Neither of them was close to flying. Even if Scootaloo was, that wouldn’t mean that Spike was going to fly as well. It just meant he would be staring at another friend soaring high above him.
Little did any of them realize, an orange pegasus had heard this entire exchange and was filled with a new determination and resolve. Not only did she need this, her friend needed this. She ran away eager to achieve true results no matter the cost.