It was a cool but sunny day in Ponyville, as requested by the elected officials -through triplicate forms, no less- and delivered by the local Weather Patrol. And for little Rumble, it was to be a good day, a momentous occasion.
Flight practice with two Wonderbolts reserves. Instead of the usual one, that is.
Up in the air with his brother, heading towards the local obstacle course, the grey pegasus colt enjoyed the gentle breeze under his wings, the cold tickles on the frogs of his hooves, and the calming smell of the winds that blew through his dark grey mane. Donut-scented winds, with a hint of cherry. Sugarcube Corner’s ovens always made the wind smell good, as long as it was an easterly wind. Western winds went over Sweet Apple Acres, and that was usually a toss-up between apple pie and pig dung. But today’s wind was easterly, and it smelled good.
Yes, this day was going to be perfect.
“So, what was it you wanted to practise today?” Thunderlane asked.
“Huh?” Rumble snapped his head around, never missing a beat of his wings.
Thunderlane quirked an eyebrow at his distracted brother. “You wanted to practise, right? Which move are you doing now?”
“The pony glove catch,” Rumble replied. “You know how to do that?”
“Sure do,” Thunderlane replied. “But that’s a pretty advanced one. Are you sure you’re up for a rescue manoeuvre of that level?”
The boy nodded eagerly. “I’m sure. I wanna get a headstart before Flight Camp.”
“But you can already catch just fine. You’re already going to beat any pony when it comes to interception. You know, in about five years, when you can go to the first camp for that kinda stuff.”
Rumble rolled his eyes. “I know, but I want it to be as good as it can be, right now. I want it to be my best. Wonderbolts don’t sit on their laurels.”
The stallion chuckled. “We sure don’t. So you do need to practise, and you’re not just making this up so I’d check on Scootaloo?”
Rumble looked away and blushed. “Umm…”
“That is all you want me to do, right? Check up? No tricks, no pranks? Scootaloo and her friends have a reputation, you know. If they offer me and Dash some punch, I’m out.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. No pranks, no tricks, honest. It’s just for Scootaloo. Apple Bloom asked if I knew anything, and, well, you’d know it better than me. It’s just to make sure Rainbow Dash isn’t missing anything. And I think I do need the practice. Besides, maybe Rainbow Dash can give me some pointers, too. I wanna know what she thinks, see what I still need to work on.”
“Well, I doubt she’s missing anything on Scootaloo, and she’s probably going to tell you what I keep telling you, but if you insist… Speaking of which, there she is.” Thunderlane looked down at the mare below, who was flying low next to the kids who’d tagged along.
Rumble gulped. “She brought a crowd?”
Down below, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were having a discussion of their own, with Rainbow Dash and the two Sugarlump Rumps.
“So you really just want a second pair of expert eyes on you, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying along at a head’s height.
“Don’t look at me: it was Rumble’s idea!” Scootaloo said, keeping up the pace.
“But I’m the one who asked,” Apple Bloom noted. “It’s just to make sure. And besides, you gotta learn more than one style, don’tcha? Thunderlane probably trains different, too.”
“Obviously: he’s a stallion. You can’t expect that to be exactly the same. Plus, he’s less of a showpony and more of a workhorse. A little too uptight, too, if you ask me.” Rainbow grinned knowingly.
“It probably won’t make much of a difference,” Scootaloo said. “After all, you’ve been teaching me, and you’d tell me if there was anything really wrong, right?”
“Of course I would. Buuut... if you want to be sure, like a hundred percent totally sure, then Thunderlane probably is your best bet. Two Wonderbolts are better than one, even if that one happens to be me.”
Sweetie Belle winced and lowered her voice, talking to the two rich kids who’d tagged along. “You think this is going to turn out okay?”
Diamond Tiara winced right back. “Knowing Rumble, probably. Knowing Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane, maybe not.”
“Yeah, haven’t you ever seen Thunderlane do the weather?” Silver Spoon asked. “He’s a lot slower than Rainbow Dash is, usually.”
“Really?”
“Sort of,” Diamond Tiara said. “Thunderlane’s more, umm, touchy when it comes to weather.”
“Hey, girls, if you’re gonna gossip about me and Thunderlane behind our backs, you might wanna get your facts straight first,” Rainbow Dash interrupted.
“Sorry, Miss Rainbow.” Diamond shivered.
“It’s okay, no need to call me a ‘Miss’, I’m just messin’ with ya.” She chuckled. “But, for your information, Thunderlane is not slower when it comes to weather stuff. He can do it pretty fast. Not as fast as me, obviously, but close enough. He just likes to take his time, make sure it’s perfect. That’s why we joke about him being lazy: he always finishes last on the job.”
“Oh, so he always wants to do it perfectly. Is that why he didn’t see a doctor when he was getting sick for tornado duty?” Apple Bloom remarked.
“Err, yeah, speaking of which, probably a good idea not to mention that around him. Or around Rumble. Or Twilight. Or the mayor. Actually, now that I think about it, it’s probably best if you never mention that to anypony, ever.”
The group arrived at the obstacle course. The perfect spot to test the agility of ponies (or their pets), the course had been set up primarily for a circus camp, with a bunch of seesaw ramps, high tubes, it used to have a set of trapezes, too.
Of course, once the ponies in charge of the camp decided to pack up and move to Hoofington, the course had fallen into disuse, but never disrepair. It was still a fine place to hold contests for flying pets, and the junior flyer groups from neighbouring towns liked to practise here, so it wasn’t a complete money drain.
This would do nicely.
Rainbow Dash set down from her light hover, Thunderlane and Rumble landed with all the quiet grace of ninja deer stalking a predator.
“So, umm, we’re sharing the track today, huh?” Rainbow Dash started, looking up at the neatly arranged sky. “Nice day for it.”
“Yup,” Thunderlane replied. “Nice day.”
Awkward silence fell between the two.
Thunderlane, ever the gentlecolt, was the first to break it, clearing his throat. “Okay, look, I know you’re teaching Scootaloo and all, and you’re probably doing an awesome job at it. I don’t think you need any help, but Rumble insisted.”
“I heard. Hey, Rumble,” Rainbow greeted.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash,” he squeaked with that girly voice of his.
Thunderlane continued, undisturbed. “So this is just to make sure everything’s good. I’ve been teaching Rumble some advanced flying, I think he’s doing fine, but maybe having somepony else giving him a little pointer or two might make it even better. Besides, he really has his heart set on joining the Wonderbolts one day, and me and Cloud Chaser aren’t exactly impartial judges to tell him if he’s good enough. But he doesn’t need any serious help, and neither do you, I’m sure. This really isn’t a big deal. Right?”
“Exactly, couldn’t agree more. It’s just to show the kids that everything is fine, give’em some different perspectives, right, Scootaloo?” Rainbow nudged the girl.
Scootaloo nodded. “Right. Hey, Rumble.”
“Hi, Scootaloo, and, umm, everypony. Hi, girls.” He gulped nervously.
“So, why don’t we all get started on our routines, and if anything comes up, we’ll just talk it out.”
Diamond and Silver exchanged a glance. Sweetie Belle noticed, and gulped almost as hard as Rumble had. “This is going to get weird.”
“Alright, Scootaloo, let’s see some trotting! Hut, two, hut, two, hut, two!” Rainbow barked, prompting Scootaloo to set off at a quick pace around the track.
“Uh, do you always yell at her like that?” Thunderlane asked.
“Yelling? That’s not yelling; that’s being a good authority figure. Like they do on Flight Camp.”
The stallion rolled his eyes and turned to his little brother. “If you say so. Okay, Rumble, so you’re gonna want to make sure you can fly backwards first. Go up to those rings, line it up, and fly backwards, hooves all down, tail folded around your haunches, ears folded in. ”
“Do I need to go in blind or turn my head?” The colt asked.
“Turn your head first, then try it blind. Once you can do that, we’ll work on the backstroke and the turns, and then we’ll launch.”
“And do I fold my tail left or right?” He swished his short-cut tail back and forth.
“Tail goes the other way you turn your head,” Thunderlane replied, motioning with his hooves. “You don’t want to accidentally swat at your eyes.”
“I’m not growing my tail out that long, Thunderlane; it wouldn’t reach.”
“Do it anyway; it’s a good habit.”
Rainbow Dash squinted. She waited for Rumble to be out of earshot before saying anything, though. “He has to ask if he can turn his head, and which way to fold his tail? Seriously?”
The dark stallion shrugged. “What? He just wants to be sure he’s practising right. Nothing wrong with that, is there?”
Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to Scootaloo, and forced out a smile. “Of course not. It’s not like you need any help, right?”
“Nope,” Thunderlane replied. “And neither do you.”
On the sidelines, the Sugarlump Rumps and Cutie Mark Crusaders watched, keeping a safe distance.
“Wow. They ain’t even been on the same track for a minute and they’re already arguing,” Apple Bloom said.
“It’s a Weather Patrol thing. Every pony, like, has their own turf, and they can get defensive about it sometimes,” Diamond Tiara explained. “It’s kind of a pegasus pony thing, too.”
“They’re not going to fight, though, are they?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“No, no, I doubt it. Thunderlane’s too much of a gentlecolt to fight.”
Sweetie Belle pondered as she watched the boy practise flying backwards. “Huh. Guess that’s where Rumble got it.”
“Yeah, probably.” Diamond looked away, hoping no one would notice her nervousness.
“Okay, now that you’re warmed up: let’s see some flapping!”
No sooner had Rainbow Dash barked another command, or Scootaloo had gone off the ground, flapping and buzzing her wings like a hummingbird. The girl had her eyes closed, her arms and legs clenched, her face locked in a grimace with the effort.
“Err, Rainbow? Are you sure she’s okay?” Thunderlane started.
Rainbow waved the concern away. “Sure she is, why wouldn’t she be?”
“Umm, her face is turning orange. Well, a redder orange than usual, I mean.”
“She’s fine.”
“Fffffwaaa!” With a cry and a dull thump, Scootaloo dropped like a brick.
“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash called out. “That’s a whole twelve seconds, two better than before.”
Thunderlane felt his jaw come loose. “Tuh-twelve se- she can’t even…” He swallowed whatever remark he was going to offer. “Rumble? Get ready for launch!”
“Here it comes,” Diamond started.
“Comes what?” Silver Spoon asked. “You’ve seen him do this?”
The pink filly nodded. “Yup. He’s the only kid in town who can do moves likes this. That’s why my mom likes him so much. And that’s why I kinda covered for him for the whole tornado thing, I meant to tell you. His pride was seriously hurt after he came out of the hospital, I didn’t want to hurt it any more.”
“Aww, that’s sweet, Diamond Tiara,” Sweetie Belle said. “So he really is Wonderbolts material?”
“I don’t know. My mom sure thinks so, and a lot of ponies he’s talked to in Canterlot think so. None of them are professional flyers, though, so it’s hard to tell.”
“But can he catch a pony already?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Like, Wonderbolts rescue manoeuvers?”
Diamond whimpered. She cringed and shrunk herself down as much as she could.
“What’s the matter?” Apple Bloom turned to the pink filly.
She gulped and looked down at the ground again. “Just, like, fear of heights, is all. Looking up too long, you know? I get dizzy thinking about it.”
Silver Spoon quirked an eyebrow. “You never told me about that.”
“Hey, I have a whole life you know nothing about.”
“And pull!” With a mighty heave, Thunderlane threw the pink filly-shaped doll towards his brother.
As the exercise demanded, Rumble waited for it to come past its highest point, then dove after it. Down below, the girls were.
He could feel their eyes on him, watching his every move, evaluating him.
Judging him.
“So it’s dash, turn, arms out-whoa!”
The doll bounced off his chest and dropped unceremoniously to the ground.
With a quick dash across the field, Thunderlane fetched the thing and got it ready for another go. “Keep your arms ready for the catch, Rumble, don’t spread them out too far!”
“Got it!” Came the reply.
“Pull!”
Another throw, another fall, another dash and pick-up. “What’s the matter with you? You know how to catch, don’t you? Don’t bunch up your legs like that! You wanna save this pony, not kick her in the head!”
“Sorry! I’m ready for another go!”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Don’t you think maybe you should let him try it on his own a couple of times? You know, just to get the motions down?”
Thunderlane blinked in confusion, much in the same fashion as he had when Discord had turned his side of town into gingerbread houses. “But he’s doing the motions wrong, when he knows how to do them right. You don’t want me to correct him?”
Rainbow held her hooves up defensively. “Hey, it’s none of my business how you train your little brother, but I’m just saying that he’s not going to get the move down right if he keeps overthinking it. And you telling him every little thing he’s doing wrong is going to make him overthink it.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind, thanks. While we are exchanging tips, you mind if I ask Scootaloo something?”
“Go right ahead.”
Thunderlane gulped in a big breath of air to carry his voice. “Hey! Scootaloo! What does your doctor think about your flight practice?”
The call was enough to get the girl to fall down. “My what?”
Thunderlane shook his head, mentally checking if he’d heard her right, before continuing. “Your doctor. Your physician. The medical pony. The one with needles in one hoof and lollipops in the other. What do they think about you trying to fly?”
Scootaloo picked herself up and dusted her arms off, turning towards him. “Umm… they don’t think anything about it. I’m not even sure if any doctor knows me.”
Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Thunderlane, what do you think you’re doing? Medical records are personal, especially for a little girl.”
“But isn’t that why I’m here? For a different perspective? If you want me to tell you what I think, I need to know if there are any medical issues. Are there?”
“W-well, I don’t know.” Rainbow huffed, before turning to the stationary Scootaloo. “Keep flapping, Scootaloo! Try the running leap again!”
As the girl kept on jumping and the boy kept on killing his supposed rescue-ee, Thunderlane grimaced. “What do you mean, you don’t know?”
“Like I said: I don’t know. If I knew what was wrong with her, I’d have fixed it by now.”
“Well, has she said anything about her doctor’s visits?”
“No. We don’t talk about that.”
Thunderlane dashed off and tossed the pink Earth pony doll up again, catching it again before it even hit the ground. “Mind your tail, Rumble! You’re gonna put somepony’s eye out if you’re not careful!” He shook his head. “But I thought you said you were taking her under your wing?”
“I am.”
“And you went and did the Sisterhooves Social together? Rumble, don’t-” He sighed and dashed off again for another catch. “That’s not a glove catch; that’s a regular catch! Glove catches are below the pony! Spread your body out like a glove!”
“I know!”
“And don’t reach out until you’re below her!” He rolled his eyes and chuckled, before chucking the filly doll again. “Anyway, what was I saying?”
“Don’t listen to him, Rumble, you’re doing fine! You just need to keep at it, you’ll get it!” She turned back to the stallion. “Me and Scootaloo did the Sisterhooves Social together. So what?”
“What did her sister have to say about that?”
Rainbow Dash flinched. “Scootaloo has a sister?”
“You don’t even know if she already has a sister?” Thunderlane’s eyes widened.
“Sure I do. Umm, she doesn’t. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t.”
“Pretty su-? And what about her parents? Were they okay with you teaching her?”
“Err…” Rainbow looked away. “Probably?”
“Do you even know who her parents are?”
“No, do you?”
He pressed a hoof to his forehead. “I’m not the one teaching her how to fly, Rainbow Dash. You know, that thing where you can plummet and hurt yourself if you do it wrong? Do you at least know where she lives?”
“Of course I do, I’m not dumb: Horseshoe Avenue, number 43, the place with the columns.”
The stallion let out a sigh of relief. “Okay, that’s something. But you don’t know who her parents are? You’ve never even met them?”
“Err, not really, no. I was only over there once or twice, and Scootaloo was the only one home then. I kinda figured her family was out, you know, working. So what?”
“So what?! Are you nuts?! Do you have any idea how badly things can go wrong? How much trouble you two could get in?”
“Oh, please, what’s the worst that can happen?” Rainbow let out a hearty laugh.
“What if she has an accident on your watch? Scootaloo could end up in a hospital, and you wouldn’t know if she’s allergic to any medication. You wouldn’t even know what ponies to call. Imagine meeting her parents for the first time, and it’s right outside the emergency ward. If you don’t know who her family is, you could get in serious trouble. More to the point, you don’t know if what you’re doing right now is helping. What if she’s got stunted growth, and you’re forcing her past what she can do? You could be hurting her, right now.”
Rainbow grunckled, which is what Pinkie Pie called the sound somewhere between a chuckle and a grunt. “Oh, look who’s talking. At least Scootaloo’s still having fun. That’s more than I can say for your little brother.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you know what they call Rumble in Cheerilee’s class?”
The stallion’s eyes narrowed into a glare. He turned to face her. “I’m warning you, Rainbow, don’t start. You’re not gonna like where it ends.”
Unabashed, Rainbow faced him and butted her head against his, showing her teeth. “Try me.”
“Err, Thunderlane?”
The two broke away from their headlock and looked down at the little pegasi who, without further instruction, had dropped their practice and listened in on the conversation.
Rumble dropped the doll in front of his brother. “I’m ready for another pull. Am I doing it wrong? Am I supposed to learn it different?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Thunderlane walked off towards the other end of the field. “We’ll try a different approach, focus on the catching. Away from any distractions.”
Scootaloo pouted at Rainbow Dash when the two wandered off. “There’s nothing wrong with me, is there?”
“No, Thunderlane didn’t mean it like that. How are your wings?”
Scootaloo turned her head to inspect the little flappers. “Getting a little tired, but I can keep going. I just have to try harder, right?”
“Right. Ten times harder, you can do it!”
“Twenty or thirty times, if I have to!”
With that, she jumped and soared through the sky, or at least a few inches of sky, and a matter of seconds at that.
Rainbow slowly and reluctantly looked back at Rumble and Thunderlane, their pace-by-pace training, and the calm air of authority that hung over the stallion. Rumble followed Thunderlane’s every word, the colt moved so smoothly, and Thunderlane never had to do more than nod and prod.
As for Rainbow Dash, she was floundering, and she knew it. This wasn’t just about her anymore, not like the Wonderbolts written exam was, or her first Best Young Flyers Competition.
She sighed.
I’m gonna need to get some of that.
While the kids were eating their lunches on the ground, Rainbow Dash went up to Thunderlane. The big lug liked to eat his lunch on a cloud, always had. He seemed to think stuff just tasted better if you ate it in the cold air. Rainbow Dash had never noticed any difference, except when the wind was coming from the western side of town.
“What was that all about?” She asked.
Thunderlane swallowed a bite of his sandwich before replying. “What was what all about?”
“You, giving Scootaloo the third degree about her doctor’s notes. Are you trying to give her nightmares?”
“No. Are you trying to distract my little brother? I know Rumble, I know how he picks up new moves. Why are you trying to get in the way of that?”
“Ugh.” Rainbow Dash pressed a hoof to her forehead, setting down on the cloud. “Look, I’m not trying to get in the way of anything, okay? I’m sure it works great for you two. It’s just really hard for me to see you waste a perfectly good talent like that.”
“Oh, and you’re any different? I thought you were taking Scootaloo under your wing? Acting like a big sister?”
“I am.”
“But you honestly don’t know if she has any medical issues?” He looked down over the edge of the cloud to make sure all the kids were present and accounted for, and not dropping any eaves. “Between you and me?”
Rainbow flicked her ears back and plopped her rump down with a sigh, lowering her voice. “Between you and me? Well, no. She never mentioned it to me, she just told me her wings are too small and she’s scared they’ll never grow.”
Thunderlane’s eyes narrowed to glare at her. “But they’re not, though; they’re just as big as Rumble’s. Not to mention Bulk Biceps has even smaller wings, and more, you know, bulk to carry, and you took him to the Equestria Games and won, so you can pretty much rule that right out. Something else is the matter, something that might be dangerous. You need to know this sort of thing before you end up hurting her. You’re flying blind here, and I don’t mean with special Wonderbolts training, either.”
“What difference does it make?”
“It makes all the difference. Like I said, she might have a stunted growth problem, something in her muscles or her joints, or a growth spurt that unbalanced something, and forcing her to train right now would be making it worse. Or, here’s a thought: she might just need more time. Maybe whatever is keeping Scootaloo from flying is something basic, something simple.”
“If it was that simple, wouldn’t it be fixed already, then? I’m sure she has seen some doctors by now. They get check-ups in school,” Rainbow argued.
That got a groan of frustration out of him. “Oh, come on, you know as well as I do that those check-ups aren’t up to snuff. It’s all Earth pony nurses and unicorn doctors. You need a pegasus doctor to treat a pegasus problem.”
“Yeah, the whole feather flu thing was kinda my fault, I’ll admit.”
“I don’t mean it like that, stop changing the subject! Look, the feather flu outbreak, Scootaloo, it’s the same thing, and it happens all the time, you know it does. Unicorn and Earth pony doctors just forget what makes pegasi different. They treat us like we’re nothing but Earth ponies with wings, and that’s it. We’re not. Don’t you remember when you broke your wing, and they just pushed you out of the hospital, never even considering how you were gonna get back up to your front door? You know, the one that’s up in the clouds? Without using your busted wing?”
Rainbow Dash grimaced. Not her finest hour, that hospital trip. “Okay, I see your point. I should have taken her to a pegasus doctor by now. Maybe I can trick her, get her to Rainbow Falls for a Wonderbolts thing. The doctors there would notice.”
“That would be a pretty good place to start, Rainbow Dash. It is sort of their job. And yours,” he argued.
“Sure, rub it in, why don’t you. But it’s not like you’re any better. What kind of big brother are you? You’ve got poor Rumble messing his head up because he’s too worried about his posture to do anything right.”
Thunderlane shook his head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him today; he doesn’t usually have trouble with this sort of thing. I’m telling you: he usually flies like a little Wonderbolt. And besides, that is totally different.”
“Oh, really? That’s not what I heard. Do you know what they call your little brother in school? Crazy. Obsessed. Apple Bloom told me he doesn’t even eat cake anymore. He’s only nine, and he’s afraid of eating cake. Why would you do that to your little brother?”
Thunderlane snorted. “Hey, I’m not the one who did that, alright? He does that to himself.”
“Then why do you let him?”
“Because it works, for pity’s sake! Cheesy Crust, you think I don’t watch my little brother? I keep my eye on him whenever I can. I have to drag him to parties nowadays, make him eat cake and just talk to the other kids there, he won’t even go if I’m not there. It’s like he’s scared I’ll get angry at him for slacking off or something.”
“Does he have any reason to?”
“No! That’s what I don’t get: he asks me for approval, even when I tell him he doesn’t have to ask. He doesn’t even do that with dad.”
Rainbow thought that over for a moment. “That is kinda odd. You’re sure you have nothing to do with it?”
“Of course I’m sure. He’s my little brother. I don’t force him to train, I do the opposite. I always tell him not to overdo it, not to overtrain, to mind his muscles, to stretch, to stop when he has to. I know I can trust him alone; I wouldn’t let him fly at all if I didn’t. He’s never disobeyed me or our parents on the safety stuff, or the health stuff, ever. And no pony is as worried about him as I am. I’d never pressure him, into anything. Even our parents don’t know how hard he pushes himself. But it’s his choice, and it works. He’s probably the best flyer in town, at least his age.”
“And until I can get Scootaloo off the ground. Then he’s gonna get some competition.”
“Obviously. Maybe it’s because I’m a Wonderbolts reserve now. He’s always wanted to be a Wonderbolt, same dreams as me. Now that I made it, kinda, he might just be trying to make sure he copies me as much as he can. But I’m not the one pressuring him, Rainbow. I don’t know if anypony is. He’s not usually this clumsy when he flies, either. He’s happy the way he is, at least he used to be. You should see that goofy little grin of his when he’s talking about his practice. He’s healthy, too; he gets regular check-ups, doctor’s appointments to tell him he’s not overdoing it, that he’s healthy, like any- err, ahem, athlete… would, at his age. Maybe you should consider the same thing for Scootaloo.”
There, she had to admit, he had another point. She hated that about him. “Well, okay, but strict routine only works for strict routine. Rescue work is unpredictable, you can’t overthink it. And if he is pushing himself too hard, he’s going to be overthinking everything all the time.”
“Who knows, maybe it’s just because the girls are watching; he does get a little antsy with crowds. Everything’s gotta be just right when he’s putting on a show. Wouldn’t know how to get him past that; stage fright never bothered me. Neither did obsession. And you’re in the same boat as me: you never had issues like Scootaloo is having. She’s not going to get off the ground unless you find the root cause of her problem. That’s assuming you even want to.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Nopony else their age can fly, not really. Rumble’s the only one in all of Ponyville who can get up to Flight Camp right now on his own strength. Scootaloo’s wings are fine, she can check with Rumble and Featherweight; they’re just as big as anypony’s. So why is she so uptight about it, I wonder? Do you think maybe you have anything to do with that?”
Rainbow brushed a hoof through her mane and shook her head, thinking. “No, I don’t think so. I’m pretty sure she’s been like that since before she and I, you know… This isn’t about flying, Thunderlane. It’s about hovering. I think she knows by now other ponies her age can’t fly, and she probably has checked her wings against other ponies.”
“But?”
“But those other ponies can still hover, or glide. They get off the ground, and that’s way more than she can do right now. Pound Cake can get off the ground already, and he’s only a baby. She’s just worried, that’s all. And I don’t blame her. She wants to be like me someday. She idolises me, tries to be everything I am, or was. But as long as she can’t fly, she’s always gonna have that nagging little voice in the back of her head telling her something is wrong, that she was born wrong and there’s nothing she can do about it. So I try to be a good role model, and I don’t ask for medical mumbo-jumbo I know nothing about anyway. All I’d do is make her worry more, make it worse. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to fix it. I just want her to know that she’s growing up fine, that there’s nothing stopping her. I don’t want her to have to listen to that voice anymore.”
Thunderlane nodded solemnly. “No. No sister would. No brother, either.”
Rainbow Dash sighed. “I guess Rumble was right, huh?”
“Maybe.”
The blue mare nudged him. “You know what I’m gonna ask next.”
He nodded again. “You want me to take over teaching Scootaloo for a while. Get technical on her, see what comes up.”
“Yeah. I mean, you’ve got Rumble, and as much as I hate to say it, you’re right. Physically, I don’t think there’s any kid in Ponyville in better shape than him, if what I keep hearing is true. He’s almost as good as I was at his age.”
“Almost?”
“I didn’t go crazy about getting faster, or mess myself up in the head. Rumble’s not having any fun, he doesn’t have any friends, doesn’t even eat cake. That can’t be healthy. He’s hurting himself, and he’s gonna seriously hurt himself if nothing changes.”
“You have no idea.”
“I wouldn’t mind teaching him, you know. To have fun, I mean. If he just learns to relax, I’m sure he’ll come out of his shell and those rescue moves will get a lot easier for him. Is he really that hardcore just because he wants to be a Wonderbolt?”
“Yes. It’s his dream. Same as you and me.”
“Then maybe I’m a better pony to tell him even Wonderbolts can take it easy sometimes. Give me a couple of hours with him. I know how to deal with stage fright, or with ponies who can’t ease up. It wouldn’t take me that long to figure out what’s really wrong with him; I’ve done this sort of thing before.”
Thunderlane bit his lip. “Fluttershy and Lightning Dust, I know. I’ve told him about that, too, actually. Didn’t seem to sink in. If you think you can talk some sense into him, be my guest. But I don’t think you can.”
“Why not?”
“He started getting obsessed over it after tornado duty. But now, now he’s not even obsessed; it’s like he’s depressed about something. He’s taken down all the posters in his bedroom, I don’t know why. He won’t tell me.”
“And you have no idea why he would be feeling down in the dumps?”
“Nope. For as long as I can remember, Rumble’s wanted to be a Wonderbolt, and be in the Equestria Games. Dreaming about that made him happy. Now it’s almost like it’s become a chore, like he’s forcing himself to do everything the Wonderbolt way. It’s always ‘Wonderbolts do this’, ‘Wonderbolts don’t do that’, it was cute at first but, honestly? Now it’s getting kind of scary. He might just be doing all this to, ah, uphold the family name, so to speak. It’d be a shame if he quit now, but it’s his choice,” Thunderlane explained.
Rainbow nodded. “Oh, so you think he’s not motivated anymore. Maybe he’s just going through the motions. Maybe that’s why he’s trying rescue work now: he wants to be a hero, like me. Maybe he just needs something new to do, something to shake things up, have fun with it again.”
Thunderlane shook his head. “That’s a lot of maybes. He doesn’t talk about that sort of thing, not to me, not to our parents.”
“I’m sure I can talk him out of it. A little slump’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and if he just gets over it he’ll be right back to being his ace flyer self again. He’d be the most popular kid in school if he just opened up a little. Well, second most popular.” She rolled her eyes. “Maybe third or fourth. Top ten. You know what I mean.”
“Be my guest,” Thunderlane replied. “I’m not one for the motivational stuff like that.”
“Okay. And Scootaloo?”
He smiled. “I’ll do it. You do your thing with Rumble, see if that helps, I’ll do everything I can to get Scootaloo off the ground.”
“Thanks, Thunderlane.”
“Now, can I finish my sandwich, please?”
Rainbow’s stomach let out a growl. “Yeah. I think I need to eat, too.”