It is a beautiful day the sun is shining the flowers are a bloom and fillies are running out of the school yard laughing. The cutie mark crusaders are heading off to Sugarcube Corner to get something sweet to bite. As they make their way over to Sugarcube Corner they run into Featherweight and Rumble flying through skies just above the rooftops. Scootaloo looks at them and involuntary flap her wings.
"Ah what cha doing there Scoots?" Asks Applebloom
"Huh?"
"You're flapping really hard." SweetieBelle says as she points to Scootaloo's wings which were flapping so hard that they were buzzing.
Scootaloo stops and looks down at the ground kicking it with her right foreleg. "Oh ah sorry about that. Was just thinking about something."
"Something or some pony?" SweetieBelle winks as she nudges Scootaloo in the shoulder.
"What!? As if! What makes you think I was thinking about some pony?" Scootaloo was now turning a bright shade of pink.
"Look she's turning pink! That's how you know you got her! Who is it? Is it Rumble or is it Featherweight?" proclaims Applebloom.
"Huh?! Neither! What makes you think that I was thinking about either of them?"
"So it's not one of them? Is it one of the other pegisi at school?" SweetieBelle asks.
"Don't be so ridiculous! Scoots likes older stallions! Oh is it Thunderlane?! Don't tell me you're interested in Bulk Biceps?!" Says Applebloom.
"What?! No!"
"Then what is it!?" the two fillies ask in unison.
Scootaloo bites her lip as she looks back at her wings and flaps them a little.
"Oh that's it! Scootaloo I thought we went over this with Rainbow Dash. You'll fly when you're ready." States Applebloom in a comforting voice.
"That's what this is about? I thought we were just teasing her about liking a boy." Sweetie Belle says as Applebloom gives her a stern glare.
A group of older pegisi walk pass the fillies laughing all the while.
"Hey did you guys hear about that little pegisus that can't fly?" Says one of the pegisi
"Yeah my younger sister goes to school with her. Sad isn't? I mean what kind of pegisi can't fly? Even Bulk Biceps can fly and his wings are no bigger then a new born's." answers another one.
"Sad? No so much sad as pathetic. Can you even be called a pegisus if you can't fly? Even Fluttershy can fly! If you call what she does as flying that is?" laughs another one.
"She's is cute though!" answers the first one.
"Yeah!" Answers the rest of the group in unison.
Scootaloo starts to cry as she bolts from her friends; running out of town.SweetieBelle gives an angry looks towards the group of pegisi. While Applebloom takes note of which pegisi they were for later. SweetieBellle and Applebloom turn around and give chase after Scootaloo but quickly lose sight of her.
Scootaloo runs off to a secluded part of the lake she had found some years ago. She drops her tears into the lake making the little minnows scatter. She clinches her jaw as she flaps her wings with all her might only able to get a few inches off of the ground for a second. She falls foward into the lake making a large splash. The cold water rushes into her lungs as she goes under; the last thng she sees is a blurry outline of some pony reaching for her.
Scootaloo wakes up on a couch covered in a heavy blanket. A strange silence surrounds her making her sit up. She was in Fluttershy's cottage but it was too quiet there weren't any animals to be seen. She coughs really hard as Fluttershy enters the room with hot soup. Fluttershy puts the sop down and pats Scootaloo on the back until she coughs up some water that was still in her lungs. Once Scootaloo catches her breath she looks up at Fluttershy buries her face into Fluttershy's chest and starts crying again.
"There there everything will be alright." Fluttershy says as she embraces Scootaloo in her wings and hooves like a mother would. "What were you doing out there anyways? If I wasn't nearby to hear the thrashing you could could have been in real danger."
Scootaloo stops her trembling after a few passing seconds. She looks into Fluttershy's concerning eyes and takes a deep breath. " It's just not fair! Why am I the only pegisus in Ponyville that can't fly!? No matter how hard I try I can't even get off of the ground for more then a few seconds! I thought that if I trained with Rainbow Dash I would get better, but I haven't! Even new born pegisus are able to fly, but not me! It seems like the world is playing some kind of sick joke and is using me as the punch line! All I want in this world is to fly in the sky like I'm supposed to! Why can't I fly!?" Scootaloo starts crying again and buries her head back into Fluttershy's chest.
Fluttershy gives a loving smile as she caresses the little filliy's mane. An idea sparks into her head and she gets off the couch.
"Come with me Scootaloo there is something you need to see."
Fluttershy leads Scootaloo to one of her guest rooms. It was turned into a veterinary hospital. On the bed there was a little robin laying in a nest with it's wing bandaged up. The robin chirps happily as it sees Fluttershy walk into the room. Fluttershy greets her little patient with kind words.
"Awe Its nice to see you to. How's your wing feeling today?" Fluttershy nuzzles the robin with her cheek. The baby bird answers with happy chirps. The robin backs away when Scootaloo sticks her head over the bedframe to see.
" This poor little guy fell out of his nest when he was young breaking his wing in half. Everyday he looks out the window looks at the birds flying through the air, and flaps his wings so he can join them; even though it causes great pain in his wing. When the birds leave he chirps to try to get them to come back despite being unable to fly with them. It breaks my heart seeing him so lonely, but he never gives up everyday he flaps, and chirps, flaps, and chirps."
"Why are you telling me this Fluttershy?" asks Scootaloo
Fluttershy smiles "Because today is the day he gets his bandages removed, and I think you should see this." Fluttershy takes a pair of scissors and cuts the bandages off of the injured wing. The robin slowly opens it's wings to their full length. Fluttershy goes over to the window and opens it and looks back at the little robin. " Go on you can do it your friends are out there waiting for you."
At that moment the sound of birds chirping fills the room. The robin closes it's eyes as it starts to flap it's wings slowly at first but gradually picks up speed. It opens it's eyes to see that it was flying; a jubilant song springs from it's beak as it whips around the room and darts out the window. Scootaloo looks out the window to see two more robins join the one that flew out the window. A song of joy comes from the group of robins as they begin to play in the air. The robin flies back into the cottage nuzzles both Fluttershy and Scootaloo and leaves.
"You see Scootaloo that little robin never gave up hope that it would one day fly. Everyday it told itself that it will one day fly so it can be with it's friends. Now look at it it's dreams have come true it is flying with it's friends. Even if all the world is against you telling you that you will never fly; you just have to believe that you can, and one day you will. Scootaloo you are just like that robin. You can't fly now but if you keep at it telling yourself that one day you will it will happen. I believe in you."
Scootaloo starts crying again but not tears of sadness but rather tears of joy; a great weight has been lifted from her heart. She smiles as she looks at the birds in the air. " Thank you Fluttershy I feel better now. If it's alright with you I'm gonna go and find SweetieBelle and Applebloom let them know that I am better now." Fluttershy gives her a warm hug and bids her goodbye.
Scootaloo finds SweetieBelle and Applebloom outside of Rairty's house with a look of concern on their faces. However they are overjoyed to see Scootaloo with a smile on her face.
"You alright Scoots?" asks SweetieBelle
"Yeah I had a little talk with Fluttershy she really helped me out."
"That's good to hear." says Applebloom
As Scootaloo tells them of what she saw at Fluttershy's cottage the same group of pegisi that they saw earlier walked around the corner. They were covered in bruises and a couple of them had swollen eyes and ruffled feathers. They turned right back around when they see the little fillies.
"What happened to them?" asks Scootaloo
"I told Applejack and she told Rainbow Dash who had a little 'talk' with those rude pegisi." chuckles Applebloom. The girls laugh and continue on with their afternoon of playing. Scootaloo looks at the birds overhead and smile thinking of that little robin.