Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo walked to Scootaloo's home. Scootaloo took notice that Rainbow Dash walked with her all the way instead of flying off somewhere else. She couldn't help but think that if she were capable of flight, they'd be soaring above the landscape instead of trotting slowly along the ground. Her scooter was completely trashed, and one of the wheels had fallen completely off. It wasn't going to be any problem for her, though. She had made repairs to her scooter plenty of times before.
"You alright there, Scoot?" said Dash as they entered Ponyville.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just thinking about how much work it's gonna take to fix up my scooter." She turned her head to take a look at it on her back.
"Yeah, you really managed to bang it up this time," said Dash, without much else to say.
"Nothing a little hard work and time can't fix," she replied confidently.
"Keep it up with that attitude and you'll be flying in no time," she said with a smile and a pat on the back.
"I sure hope so..." said Scootaloo. They had reached her home after a few minutes of walking. It was late afternoon and the Sun was making its way back down towards the horizon.
Rainbow Dash continued. "I mean it! You've got more determination than anypony else."
Scootaloo took the compliment with great warmth. Not much felt better than having the pony she looked up to so much compliment her. She didn't get a lot of recognition elsewhere, unless she was doing stunts on her scooter of course. Her parents weren't ever really around all that much, either. She wondered what they would think about her jump across Ghastly Gorge. Thinking about the jump in hindsight made her wince slightly. She wanted to kick herself for doing something so careless just to feel recognized. But then she realized that she hadn't done that jump to garner recognition: she had done it for herself. If she couldn't handle flying, she would do the next best thing. It wasn't about being the center of attention or being awesome as she had thought earlier, but rather, it was about proving to herself that she could achieve her dreams. Even with her handicap of being unable to fly.
She looked back up to Rainbow Dash. "Thanks, Rainbow Dash," she replied with a warm smile.
"No problem, Scoot." She put a wing around her once more and then stepped back. "But I've gotta go," she added. "I've got to prepare for my Wonderbolts Final Exam!"
Scootaloo's eyes lit up. "Your final exam? You mean, like...you'll be a--"
"A Wonderbolt," Dash responded. "Yup," she said with a big grin. "It's tomorrow morning at dusk. It's a flying exam, too. Should be a piece of cake!"
"Wait, tomorrow? Isn't that kind of sudden?"
"There isn't a set time when you become a Wonderbolt," said Rainbow Dash. "When it's time, one of the captains of the academy selects a group of ponies to take their final test, and for me, that day's tomorrow," she said with a hint of excitement. "You're welcome to come watch with everybody else," she added. "There's a hot air balloon leaving early tomorrow morning. Anyways...I gotta go! See ya later, Scoot!"
Rainbow Dash took off from the ground, leaving a contrail of rainbow behind her and a flurrie of grass and dirt that swirled around Scootaloo for a few moments. She couldn't help but watch in awe as she rocketed through the skies, but a small twinge of jealousy made its way into her thoughts. It passed, of course, after just a moment or two. After all, Rainbow Dash said herself that she was more full of determination than anypony else. She just had a hard time believing it.
She walked into her home, closing the door behind her. Inside it was dark and silent, as usual. She set her scooter down on a small workbench and got to work. It took a bit longer than usual this time, but as always she was able to fix it up with a little time and effort.
---
Rainbow Dash resumed her training in the skies above the landscape surrounding Ponyville. She wanted to be absolutely certain that she was prepared for her Wonderbolts exam the following morning. She felt such a sense of excitement just thinking about it. It had been so long she had been waiting for this moment, and she had come so far. She had been training at the Wonderbolts Academy, rising through the ranks one by one, and now it was finally time to rise to the top and become a Wonderbolt. She did a loop in the air as a exciteful shiver went down her mane, then swooped quickly downwards and picked up as much velocity as she possibly could, the sheer speed through the air making her feel like a knife slicing through butter. She glanced over at Ponyville off in the distance, looking at all the earth and unicorn ponies walking about their daily lives. She couldn't help but think about Scootaloo, who also walked among them, and here she was speeding through the sky. It was no wonder she decided to jump the gorge, Rainbow Dash thought. Pegasi ponies were meant to be in the skies. It was their home; it was where they felt home.
---
She continued her flying maneuvers, making sure every one of them was perfect before moving on to practicing the next. It wasn't until late at night and exhausted that she finally decided that she had practiced enough. The skies had turned dark and the stars and moon came out, twinkling above her. She returned to her home in Cloudsdale and flopped straight onto her bed. She felt exhausted, but couldn't fall asleep from all of the excitement for the next morning. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.