Working Towards The Future

by Dasponi

Chapter Two; Lessons Begin

Scootaloo woke up bright and early the next day. She wasn't normally a morning pony but the promise of flight lessons from one's idol does things like that to a pony. She took a quick shower and hurried down in to the kitchen for breakfast with Rainbow Dash. When she got to the kitchen she saw that Rainbow wasn't there though. She dashed back up the stairs to see if she was in her room but she wasn't there either. Scootaloo was more than a little curious about where Rainbow Dash had disappeared to until she heard the sound of something hitting something soft coming from outside the house. It sounded almost like the sound a pony would make when they hit a cloud. When she looked out the window Scootaloo saw that was exactly what had happened. She let out a laugh at the sight of Rainbow Dash stuck with her head in a cloud, her back end presented for all the sky to see. Rainbow dragged her head back through the cloud and looked up at the little filly laughing at her. Rainbow shook her head, sighed, and made her way up to the window where Scootaloo was.

“You're up early Squirt.” Rainbow said, snapping Scootaloo out of her fit of giggles.

“Yeah I...uh...yeah.” Scootaloo replied, rubbing her forelegs sheepishly. “Why are you up so early?” she asked Rainbow Dash.

“I always get up this early to practice. Ponies think I'm lazy 'cause I nap all day but it's just that I get up so early to practice. It takes energy to be as awesome as I am all day every day and naps help.” Scootaloo knew that Rainbow Dash wanted to be a Wonderbolt, everypony did, but she didn't know how much Rainbow put in to her practice.

“You practice every morning before work?” Scootaloo asked.

“You wake up pretty late don't you Squirt? You've never seen me practice?” Rainbow replied. It was a little hard for her to believe that Scootaloo really had no idea after living with her for a week. Scootaloo shook her head and Rainbow could tell from the look Scootaloo gave her that she had earned some more of the fillies respect. That is, if such a thing was even possible. “So what are you doing up so early?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh, right! The flying lessons!” Scootaloo said with excitement as she remembered just why it was she had woken up so early and had looked for Rainbow Dash in the first place. Rainbow Dash giggled at her excitement.

“Let me get a shower and some breakfast first, then we can get started right away.” she said. Scootaloo gave out an excited gasp and jumped up, wrapping her hooves around Rainbow's neck in a hug. Rainbow grinned sheepishly and waited a few seconds before easing Scootaloo back in to the bedroom before she fell. She then got a better idea and scooped Scootaloo up in her forelegs and flew her down to what passed as Rainbow's garden and practice area. It was a large expanse of cloud that she had attached to the back of her manor so she could practice whenever she wanted. The clouds provided a soft landing in the, rather quite likely, event that Rainbow lived up to her old Flight Camp nickname of Rainbow Crash. It was a less common occurrence these days but it had only been downgraded from “inevitability” to “almost guaranteed”.

After telling Scootaloo to wait for her she zipped back in to the house and jumped in the shower. Her practice had been cut short but it had still been vigorous and she did her practice before having a shower anyway. She might not have been as smart as Twilight Sparkle, smartest pony in Equestria, but she could see how silly it would be to have a shower before doing something that would mean she had to have another. There was no point in having two showers so very early in the morning.

When she was done in the shower she had a quick breakfast of toast and hurried back outside to find Scootaloo where she had left her. She was playing with the clouds. From the looks of it she had tried to scoop the clouds up and form various shapes like a pony would with snow. She wasn't very good though and so Rainbow Dash couldn't tell exactly what she had made. It looked a little like a small hill.

“What ya making there Squirt?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo jumped in fright before realising who it was that had spoken to her. She had gotten so caught up in playing with the clouds she hadn't noticed Rainbow come back out.

“It's supposed to be you...I'm not very good am I?” Scootaloo said a little dejectedly. She really had tried to make Rainbow Dash and thought it wasn't that bad a job.

“Don't worry about it Squirt.” Rainbow said in an attempt to cheer her up. “It takes a while to get really good. It took me years to build all this” she added, sweeping a foreleg around to indicate her cloud manor.

“You built all this by yourself?” Scootaloo asked. She worshipped Dash as a hero sure, but some claims just seem a little too much no matter the pony making them.

“Sure did. I'm the fastest cloud sculptor in Equestria as well as the fastest flyer. Why do you think I'm in charge of the weather team?” Rainbow boasted.

“You're actually in charge? No wonder you nap so much, you have nopony in charge of you telling you not to.” Scootaloo teased with a smirk. Rainbow let out a sigh of exasperation as her ego was deflated somewhat.

“Yeah yeah. So do you want those flying lessons or what?” Rainbow asked. Scootaloo gave a delighted squeal and flapped her wings so hard she hovered ever so slightly above the ground. She was determined that no more would that be the highest she could fly. “I'll take that as a yes.” Rainbow giggled and hovered a little in the air herself. “Now, just watch my wings and try and copy what I do.” Scootaloo watched Rainbow like a hawk as she did something nopony had ever really seen her do before; she flew slowly. She moved her wings slowly enough for Scootaloo to see how she moved them when she was flying. Because she wasn't moving her wings very fast she kept landing and then kicking back up in to the air but Scootaloo was able to get a very good look at how she flew. It wasn't simply moving her wings up and down, she was flapping them properly and folding them as she did so, generating a large amount of thrust with them to take off.

“Your biggest problem is that you're just moving your wings. You have to flap them properly when you're learning and when they're as small as yours.” Rainbow Dash explained.

“You sure do know a lot about flying.” Scootaloo commented. Rainbow Dash sighed as she stopped flapping her wings and settled down on to the cloud below.

“You don't get to be the fastest flyer without knowing a thing or two about flying. You need to stop doubting me squirt. Now, let's see you give it a go.” Rainbow said. Scootaloo gave her a salute, a hearty 'Yes ma'am!' and gave it her best shot. She started flapping her wings slowly like Rainbow Dash had done and she could feel the updraft being generated by them. She wasn't taking off like Rainbow had done so she started flapping them a little harder, creating even more thrust. She kept flapping until she was out of breath but it just wasn't any use. Her small body never left the ground no matter how much of a force her wings generated. After trying for as long as she could while Rainbow watched patiently and tried to encourage her, Scootaloo lay breathless on the cloud.

“I just...can't do it...” Scootaloo said between deep breaths. “I'm really trying but I just can't seem to get up...”

“Don't worry about it Squirt.” Rainbow Dash said as she moved next to Scootaloo and patted the top of her head. “I guess your wings are a little smaller or a little weaker than I thought. We can work on that, and try again okay?” she asked. Scootaloo nodded and smiled up at her. “For now though I think we need to get you something to eat. You're exhausted.” Rainbow said. Scootaloo tried to argue but all that came out of her mouth was another deep breath. She lay back down, defeated. Rainbow Dash giggled at her and picked her up and dropped her on her back. She carried her to the kitchen and began making something for the two of them to eat while Scootaloo sat at the table, drinking a cup of water like it was the first drink she'd had in a week.

Author's Note:

Well here's the second chapter. I know I said I would update Wednesday but seeing as I finished writing chapter seven today, I felt like being generous. I'll update again on Thursday and I'll decide then when I'll update once more. I'm going to update at least once a week. Twice if I have a significant backlog. I have the entire thing planned out now, as for as major plot goes, so all that's left is to write it and come up with smaller plot developments and random slice of life.

Comments

[Frankie2]

This seems pretty good. I do have to wonder who, if anypony, Rainbow will talk to about Scootaloo. Also, the other crusaders are going to be curious as to where she had been and why she didn't show up at school. I look forward to finding these out and more. Keep up the good work.

[Dasponi]

2508868
The school scenes ARE written but so far the OC is yet to make an appearance. I'm surprising myself with this. I think I have one more chapter to go before the OC is introduced, and in terms of on here...let's see...she doesn't go back to school until chapter six.

Well...this is either slow paced or perfectly paced

[Frankie2]

2510664
I know Rainbow is going to get help from your OC to help her fly. I was talking about Rainbow's other friends. The rest of the Mane 6.

[Dasponi]

2510796
Ahhh to be honest they aren't making an appearance except for Twilight. I'm trying to focus solely on the relationship between Scoots and Dash. The OC is there to answer questions and fulfill a role neither one could.

[Rainbooms]

Twilight Sparkle, smartest pony in Equestria

I know this chapter is old, but I call BS while the Doctor's around.

[Crimsony]

Scootaloo will fly one day I tell yee!!

[Quiznak]

Rainbow Dash giggled at her excitement.

You know, I've never thought of Dash as a giggler. ..she seems more of a chuckler...eh, just my opinion...

[Silent_Knight]

9952519
Dash neither giggles nor chuckles she guffaws

[Lemonshrike Catworthy]

10382388
Despite this, she does do all three.
Often howling, above those.
Usually all at once.