//------------------------------//
// Chapter One - Jumping Ghastly Gorge 
// Story: Soaring Above 
// by PonyThunder 
//------------------------------//

	"You really think this is a good idea, Scootaloo?" said Apple Bloom, peering over the edge of Ghastly Gorge and kicking a pebble down. It bounced down the rocky walls and echoed until nothing could be heard.
"Yeeaaahhh...this sounded cool, but now that we're here it's starting to look a little crazy..." said Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo put her hooves on her scooter. "It's not that bad," she replied,  adjusting the helmet on her head with a determined look on her face, ensuring it was nice and tight. She looked down at the long path in front of her. At the end was Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on each side of a small wooden ramp they had set up in front of Ghastly Gorge. Their other friends sat at the other end of the gorge, surrounding where Scootaloo was supposed to land after clearing the jump. She felt a small twinge of doubt as a cool breeze suddenly came upon her, sending a prickling shiver down her mane. She shook it off and readied herself on her scooter.
"Ya sure bout' that?" yelled Apple Bloom.
She was sure. There was no doubt in her mind that she couldn't do this, at least in the current moment. "Yep! You ready to witness something awesome?" she yelled out enthusiastically.
A chorus of yeahs echoed across the chasm, and that was all that Scootaloo needed to kick her hooves off the ground and onto the scooter. She picked up speed quickly, feeling the wind slice past her. She used her hooves to get going, but eventually kept them on the scooter and started to use her wings to propel herself even faster. She lowered her head down towards the handlebars and kept a steady gaze on the ramp in front of the gorge. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched with both worry and amazement at what was about to happen.
She reached the ramp at blazing speeds, launching into the clear blue skies as everypony stood  with mouths agape staring upwards at her. She reached the apex of her trajectory and felt a sense of weightlessness, just for a single moment. Her wings were outstretched and she could feel the lift they created as she soared through the air. Scootaloo felt like she was flying, mostly because she actually was. This is what she lived for. The feeling of soaring high above the ground, feeling weightless and capable of anything. And most importantly, being awesome, like Rainbow Dash. She lived for the feeling of being un-tethered to the ground, even if it was just for a single moment. That was enough for her. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of wind rushing past her.
Scootaloo looked down after a couple moments as she began to descend closer towards the ground. Her gaze shifted towards everypony at the other end of the gorge. The looks of all the other schoolponies had turned from amazement to terror at the realization that she wouldn't be able to clear the jump. She felt another shiver down her mane, this one out of terror instead of excitement. She would not be able to clear the jump with her scooter. She started picking up speed as she fell down further and further, watching the gorge below her get bigger and bigger. She panicked for a moment, but quickly regained composure and realized she could probably make the jump if she leaped off her scooter, sending it tumbling down into the gorge and her safely on the other side. She readied herself for a few moments, getting ready to execute this emergency maneuver when suddenly, a blaze of rainbow light shot towards her from afar, catching her from below and sending the scooter tumbling off wildly towards the landing zone on the other edge of the gorge. The ponies all quickly scrambled out the way of the tumbling scooter as it crashed on the ground.
Rainbow Dash fluttered down towards the ground with Scootaloo in her hooves with a mixture of pride and worry on her face. She landed next to the group of spectators and set Scootaloo down gently. Scootaloo had a look of pure disappointment spread across her face. There was no way she could have made that jump, she realized now. If Rainbow Dash hadn't been there to rescue her, she might have been in big trouble.
"Scoot," said Rainbow Dash softly, "what were you thinking? Jumping Ghastly Gorge? I mean, that's super cool and all...in fact that's pretty awesome. You were going so fast, too. I mean, wow--" Rainbow Dash stopped herself. "I mean, what were you thinking? You could have gotten seriously hurt!"
Scootaloo leaned her head down even further and kicked at the grass beneath her hooves. "I don't know..." was all that came out of her mouth. "...I just wanted to do something awesome, Dash."
Rainbow Dash put a wing around Scootaloo. "There's a difference between being awesome and being careless, Scoot."
Scootaloo sighed. "I know," she sighed again. "Maybe that was a little too crazy..."
Sweetie Belle shouted across the chasm, "I told you it was crazy!" Her high pitched squeak echoed loudly. The rest of the ponies stood silently together in a huddle watching Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo talk.
"Alright, everypony," said Rainbow Dash, "show's over. You can all head home now."
The others left, and Scootaloo looked up at Dash, who still had her wing around her. She was still regaining her composure from the adrenaline rush of the jump. "Thanks for saving me, Dash."
"No problem, little squirt," she replied with a smile as she tossed around her mane a little with her hoof. "Now let's get you home, alright? Your parents are probably worried about you."
"Not really," she said monotonously, "they aren't really home that much."
Rainbow Dash looked at her for a moment. "Well, I sure as hay am worried about you."
"I didn't even crash!" said Scootaloo, with a smile on her face.
"Yeah, well...who cares. Come on, let's get outta here."

Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash walked away from the gorge and towards Ponyville, leaving Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on the other side. They exchanged glances and headed off as well.