"Put your tail into, kid. I'm making it turbulent on purpose. You're gonna have to learn to use your tail if you want to stay upright."
Nevertheless, the appendage dangled limply behind me. I found myself teetering hard to the right in the upwards wind that Rainbow Dash was generating beneath me.
She blinked from where she lay on her back, wings flapping.
"Yo. Earth to Scoots. Are you listening to a word I'm saying?" Her voice rasped, "Part of taking lessons is being willing to learn from them. Not that I'm a friggin' expert or nothing, but... y'know what I mean, kid... kid?"
I sighed, jerking left and right in her wind currents.
"... ... ..." At last, Rainbow Dash cut her wings entirely, coiling them tightly at her side.
I found myself flailing in mid-air. "Wh-whoah!" I fell. Thwump! "Ooomf!" A protective set of forelimbs caught me. "Rainbow Dash?"
"Once again, you prove you're good at falling." She winked, but then continued giving me a concerned look. "What's the matter with you, Scoots? You don't seem to have your head in the game today."
"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash."
"Don't be sorry, kiddo. You've just got me worried, that's all. Don't you wanna learn to fly?"
"Well, of course I do, I... I-I guess I'm just distracted."
"What for?"
"Well..." I stepped into the grass of the hilltop beside her. "It's just that..." I shrugged with a shudder. "Eh, it's not important."
"Don't say that." She sat up. "If it's important to you, then it's important to me, squirt."
"You wouldn't understand," I said. "I'm not sure even I understand."
"Will you just spit it out already?!" her voice cracked.
I flinched. "Well..." A gulp. "It's just that... Apple Bloom seemed really... really mopey today."
"You don't say?" Rainbow stifled a yawn. "That kid's got issues. Out of three of you little duckies, I'd say she's the most obsessed over cutie marks."
"Yeah, but this had nothing to do with that," I said, shaking my head. "Sweetie Belle and I tried to hang out with her at recess, but she said that she wasn't in the mood for playing any games."
"Wuh oh. I wonder what got stuck in her craw." Rainbow chuckled. "Maybe somepony slipped her another Tartarusian viper in her lunchbox."
"I... don't think that's it."
"I'm just joshin' ya, Scoots."
I cleared my throat. "Sweetie Belle tried asking her what the deal was, and... and Apple Bloom just said 'Applejack's been acting strangely.'"
Rainbow Dash blinked. "... really?"
"Yeah." I bit my lip. "Apple Bloom said that Applejack was... being really moody and grumpy and just..." I shrugged. "I dunno. I never saw Apple Bloom get so sad over nothing."
"She's not sad over nothing."
"Oh?"
"I mean, she cares about her older sis and if something's eating Applejack, then..." Rainbow Dash blinked, frozen in place.
"What, Rainbow Dash?"
"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash coughed. "Say, kid. Uhm... I know we just started doing flight practice, but... but would you kill me if I postponed for another day?"
"Of course not, Rainbow." I stood up. "Is something the matter?"
"I... I'm not sure, kid." She ruffled my mane, turned-tail, and rocketed skyward in a blink. "I promise we'll continue this! Soon! You'll see!"