Paper Airplanes
I’M GONNA DIE!
That was the only thought in Scootaloo’s mind. She was falling, like a comet out of the heavens. The ground was far below her, giving her a fantastic view of the countryside. She could easily see Canterlot from this height in all of its majestic glory, the sun setting behind it. But she wouldn’t see it much longer. Falling really isn’t so bad; it’s that sudden stop at the end where things tend to get... messy.
Her limbs flailed about uselessly. Her wings didn’t even manage their usual ineffectual buzzing. The air tore at her face and peeled her lips back, exposing her teeth. The goggles kept her wide eyes protected, but right now all that did was give her a view of the rapidly approaching ground. A few clouds drifted into her view. She tried to calm down as the wind tore her breath away.
I’ve got to hit one of those clouds!
Her wings finally made a useful maneuver. Not flapping, exactly, but enough to change her direction. She was right on target for a wispy little cloud. Thank Celestia, I’m gonna live!
She hit the cloud like an arrow hitting water. There was a pop and the uncanny sound of torn fog, like the ripping of silk fabric. Her eyes went wide. The ground rushed up to meet her once again.
I’M GONNA DIE!
~~~~~
Three weeks ago...
“Oh I’m so glad you’re here, Gold Feather.” Fluttershy cooed over the tiny creature. It took some conniving to acquire Gold Feather as a pet, and in the end she had to contact the princess. Even Celestia could only provide her with an egg, but when Gold Feather hatched he was Fluttershy’s pride and joy. A perfect specimen of a meadowlark, Gold Feather was small, but grew quickly. “You’re just what I’ve been looking for since the Gala.”
The fact that he was handsome and sang well didn’t hurt either. Fluttershy idly wondered if she would ever allow him to be adopted. Angel, standing on her head, thumped his hind leg on her repeatedly. “Alright, Angel, we can go to the market. Just let me tuck Gold Feather into bed first.” The bed she was speaking of was a nest of twigs, artfully constructed by Fluttershy at the last winter wrap-up. It had remained empty for weeks before Gold Feather had arrived, and it was several weeks after that before he hatched. The heat lamp hovering over Fluttershy’s bed pointing at the night stand had been removed, but the nest remained. Fluttershy set the tiny bird into the nest and brushed his crest feathers back with a hoof.
Angel thumped her again. She sighed and turned to the door. Angel turned in place on Fluttershy’s head, out of her sight, looking at Gold Feather. He pointed with a paw at his eye then the same paw right at Gold Feather. His brow was a flat line and he didn’t blink. Gold Feather let loose a high trill, which sounded like an expertly-crafted note from a flute. Fluttershy turned before she left and smiled at Gold Feather. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.” Angel pulled his lips back and gritted his teeth while staring daggers at Gold Feather. The door closed behind Fluttershy, leaving Gold Feather snug in his bed. The curtains billowed into the room under a gentle morning breeze, letting in sunlight and birdsong. Gold Feather tilted his head toward the sound.
Fluttershy hummed to herself and trotted downstairs. Her animals were currently eating breakfast, giving her a bit of time to strap her saddlebags on and head to the market. Today was grocery shopping day. She took one last look around her kitchen. It was a mess; foodstuffs for various animals were scattered across the floor as the animals ate with gusto. The dishes from last night were still in the sink, and she was fairly certain that unpleasant smell was from her overflowing garbage bin. She sighed, I’ll have to get to cleaning after I get groceries. She trotted out the door, Angel lying flat on her head, smiling. She opened the front door and took one step outside when she heard a musical birdcall directly above her.
She looked up and her expression changed at the speed of lighting. “GOLD FEATHER!” She cried as she lunged forward, throwing Angel off of her head and into the mailbox. The mailbox door snapped closed and the flag popped up. There was a tremendous thump as something soft hit the ground. Angel, fuming, opened the mailbox with a creak. He saw Fluttershy holding Gold Feather in her hooves, with several new scratch marks across her body. She was some distance from the welcome mat; she had almost rolled down the hill from where she was seated now. Angel glanced up to the cottage’s second floor and noticed the bedroom window was open. “Gold Feather, don’t you ever do that again! You nearly scared me to death. What were you thinking?”
Gold Feather called out and it was still music to Fluttershy’s ears, even if he was whining. He flapped his wings, sending little puffs of dust behind him. Fluttershy looked at the bird and her expression softened. “Oh, you just want to fly, don’t you?” She gently placed Gold Feather on her back and went back inside. “What am I going to do with you?” Angel watched in horror from the mailbox as she closed the front door. He ground his teeth together and tried to burn a hole in the door with his stare. He tried learning the stare from the master, but his gaze didn’t do anything. His eyes darted around, looking for something to destroy. He grabbed the first piece of mail he could find. It said “You’ve won 1,000,000 bits from the Pony Clearing House!” in big, bright, red letters. Still fuming, he chewed it into shreds.
~~~~~
“This is going to be fun!” Sweetie Belle carefully folded the heavy paper again and again. “This might actually work!” The paper slowly took shape with a pointed nose and three fins spread out behind it.
“Ah don’t think Ah’m gonna get a cutie mark fer this.” Applebloom’s paper resembled the shape of Sweetie Belle’s, but the edges were not so sharp and the wings were a bit lopsided. She threw it with all of her strength and looked up at the ceiling of the tree house, expecting it to fly around.
It plopped onto the floor behind her left hind hoof.
She blinked and thought, how’d it do that? Sweetie Belle bit her lips together to keep herself from laughing. It wasn’t polite to laugh at your friends’ failures. Besides, her paper airplanes didn’t fly terribly far either. She tossed hers into the air and her eyes went wide as it floated around the room. The inside of the treehouse was still bright in the waning light of the sun. The paper airplane lodged itself in a purple tuft of hair. Sweetie Belle squinted and waited for the biting remark she expected from Scootaloo, but none came.
Scootaloo didn’t even seem to notice the paper lodged in her mane. She was resting her chin in one hoof and staring out the window. Sweetie Belle quietly trotted over to her. Applebloom stopped her latest attempt at a paper airplane and looked in the direction of her friends. Sweetie Belle touched Scootaloo on her withers and spoke with a quiet voice, “Is everything okay Scootaloo? Don’t you want to make a paper airplane?” She plucked her paper airplane out of Scootaloo’s mane and tossed it away. It floated across the room and landed on top of the overflowing trash can, which was full of discarded paper. Some of the papers actually looked like airplanes, others appeared to have all the well-honed aerodynamics of a brick.
Scootaloo sighed and said, “Yeah, everything is fine. I just... don’t feel like making paper airplanes. I’ll bet it takes a real brainiac to fly, anyway.” She continued to stare out the window. Sweetie Belle followed her gaze and found what she expected to find at this time of day. Derpy was delivering the mail to Sweet Apple Acres, as she always did in the evening. It was the last stop on her mail route. She traveled just above the ground in a crooked line before landing heavily before the mailbox. She stuffed several envelopes into it and slapped the small door closed. She spread her wings and after several slow beats, lifted off into the air in the general direction of Cloudsdale. Scootaloo sighed as her head plopped onto the windowsill, her forelimbs dangling out the window.
“Flying is probably really hard.” Sweetie Belle was still beside her friend and dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “I tried to learn magic but it’s really tough; It’s easier if I just pick things up like an earth pony. But if I do that, I’ll never get better at magic. What do you do when you want to practice something, but you can’t even get off the ground?” Sweetie Belle let out a tiny gasp and stuffed a hoof into her mouth when she realized what idiom she had just used.
Applebloom walked up behind Scootaloo and stood on the side opposite Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, Ah didn’t learn applebuckin’ in one day ya know. It took practice, and a good teacher.” Scootaloo glanced between her two friends.
I seriously doubt applebucking takes brains. But maybe Sweetie Belle is right, Scootaloo thought to herself. “I...guess so. But who could I ask?” Please don’t say Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash!” Her friends said in unision.
They both smiled at her as Applebloom chirped, “C’mon Scoots, she’ll help ya.” Applebloom’s smile was so large Scootaloo could see her reflection in Applebloom’s teeth.“What’re you waiting fer? You’re not chicken are ya?”
“Yeah, I can’t believe you haven’t asked her already,” Sweetie Belle added.
“N-No, of course not! What would I be afraid of?” Other than looking like a total dweeb in front of the most awesome pony ever! Scootaloo thought to herself, hiding her feelings behind a mask of indifference. She tried to look cool and collected; instead she wore a plastic smile and one awkwardly arched eyebrow.
Sweetie Belle didn’t miss a beat when she said, “Great, lets go find her then.” She nudged Scootaloo towards the door of the treehouse.
Scootaloo’s voice rose an octave when she squeaked out, “You mean right now?” Her eyes darted around, searching for an escape hatch.
“Yeah, no time like the present.” Now Applebloom was pushing her to the exit. Scootaloo’s hooves dug furrows in the wood with a screech, but Applebloom’s strength was undeniable.
Damn earth pony muscles. If I could just fly away... but I wouldn’t have to fly away in the first place if I could fly at all! Scootaloo tried to think of something to say and came up blank. When she reached the threshold of the treehouse she sighed and started walking. She trailed behind her friends and hung her head, but smiled when they looked in her direction.
They trotted through the outskirts of Ponyville, passing few citizens, but plenty of scenery. It was still spring and the plants were in bloom. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle gawked and stopped to smell the flowers on the path several times. Even with these interruptions, they still kept a faster pace than Scootaloo. They had to urge her onward frequently. Scootaloo trudged along with them, like a convict headed to the gallows with a pair of guards.
They reached Dash’s favorite napping cloud, hovering as it always did near the old oak tree on the hill. Sweetie Belle called out, “Rainbow Dash, are you there? Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo shrunk down hoping not to be noticed. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle kept calling out for her idol, trying to catch a glimpse of a multicolored mane, or at least the sound of snores. With each shout, Scootaloo backed up another step. She didn’t notice the sounds of hooves behind her until she bumped into something and almost jumped into the air with surprise.
“Heya Scootaloo, what’re you three up too? Y’all know Rainbow Dash is busy this week clearing out that there mega-storm headed fer Ponyville, right?” Scootaloo turned around to find a bemused Applejack hitched to an apple cart. The sun was setting and it was high-time for her to return home from the market.
She looked at the emerald eyes for only a moment before she turned away. AJ always seemed to encourage honesty in others. Scootaloo couldn’t help herself. “N-No we didn’t. We’re just looking for her, actually. I-I... wanted a few flying tips. We figured she would be a good teacher.”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah doubt that filly could teach ya much.” Scootaloo was about to defend Dash but Applejack continued, “Ask yer teacher, Ms. Cheerliee. S’what she’s there fer, right?” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom appeared on either side of Scootaloo.
“That’s right, she knows how to teach anything! Let’s ask her after school tomorrow.” Sweetie Belle’s enthusiasm was endless.
“Yeah, Ah’ll bet she kin help ya, Scoots.” Applebloom put a hoof on Scootaloo’s withers.
Scootaloo’s eyes found the ground, away from the gaze of the others. “Yeah, Cheerliee, tomorrow.” The knot in her stomach untied itself. Cheerliee wasn’t super awesome. She was nice, but teachers really weren’t awesome, at least in Scootaloo’s opinion.
“It’s settled then. Come along Applebloom; it’s almost time fer supper. You kin play with yer friends tomorrow.” Applejack trotted down the road towards her home.
Applebloom trotted down the road after her, whining, “Aww, c’mon sis, jus a little longer...” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn’t hear the rest of the debate, but since Applebloom didn’t come galloping back down the road it was apparent she lost.
Sweetie Belle turned back to Scootaloo. “I should get home too. Rarity will be angry if I get home after dark.” She sighed and said, “Sometimes she’s even more strict than mom and dad. Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow and we can ask Cheerliee about flying.” She held a small smile and ducked her head, trying to catch Scootaloo’s eyes.
Scootaloo looked up and responded, “Um, let me ask her myself. I don’t want to keep you and Applebloom from crusading. We have to get our cutie marks, right?”
Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo’s face. She was smiling, but her eyes didn’t seem to hold the warmth of a real smile. Her eyes kept darting away from Sweetie Belle’s gaze. “Okay, I’ll try to get Applebloom to the clubhouse so you can ask Cheerliee yourself.” Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. Sweetie Belle turned and started to trot away but stopped after a short distance and turned back. “You know, sometimes, I try using magic on my own. It doesn’t work, but I’ve never stopped trying.” With that thought she pivoted around again and left Scootaloo at a brisk trot.
Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle’s retreating form. I wonder what she meant by that? Magic is super useful. But... I guess she doesn’t really have any magic, at least not yet. Kinda like a pair of useless wings. Scootaloo blinked at the spot where Sweetie Belle was standing only moments ago and looked around. Her expression became stony, she nodded to herself, and snorted. Without warning, she buzzed her wings with all of her might. She felt lighter, but didn’t rise off the ground. She let out a breath and sank to her haunches, exhausted. She ground her teeth and pounded a hoof into the dirt.
~~~~~
knock-knock
The door opened, revealing Spike already looking up at an angle. Most ponies towered over him, and this one was no different. “Hello Fluttershy, how may I assist you?”
“Oh, hello Spike. Please don’t be so formal, you’ll make me feel like royalty. And I’m nopony special...” Fluttershy looked at the ground. Angel snorted, blowing an errant lock of pink hair away from his nose.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you. There’s just been a lot of ponies visiting, asking for Twilight on royal business. They want her to sign stuff into law, or repeal laws, or decrease taxes, or issue zoning permits, or give out grant money, or do all kinds of stupid things she doesn’t have the power to do,” Spike huffed. “And they all think I’m a public servant and treat me like dirt.” He scowled at an imaginary visitor standing in Fluttershy’s space.
She let out an eep and hid her face behind her mane. “I-I’m sorry Spike, I didn’t mean to bother you. I’ll just go.”
“What?” Spike’s expression softened immediately. “No no, Fluttershy, come in. Twilight could use a friendly face. And I’m sure we can help you if you have a problem. We’re still friends right? Nothing is going to break up our friendship!” Spike puffed his chest out with a smile and stood aside to allow Fluttershy to enter.
FWUMP!
Fluttershy had taken only a single, tentative step inside when the sound of something soft hitting something hard echoed through the Golden Oaks Library. She froze for a moment, fear holding her in place. The sound of a sniffle followed by a quiet moan reached her ears. That was all it took to make Fluttershy rush forward. She found Twilight crumpled in a heap on the far end of the library, at the base of a bookcase. Several books were scattered on and around her; her body was covered in scuffs and bruises. She sniffed and tried to stand but her limbs quivered and she fell. Fluttershy caught her and propped her upright. “Twilight? Are you alright? What happened?” She led Twilight to one of the two overstuffed chairs patrons normally sat in to read overly long novels.
Twilight winced as Fluttershy settled her into the chair. She folded her wings, the joints popping. She sniffed one more time holding her tears back, blushing. She avoided Fluttershy’s worried gaze. Spike jogged up behind Fluttershy, snorting. “She’s been trying to fly using that stupid book. I keep trying to tell her she needs to get Rainbow Dash to teach her, but she won’t wait. That’s the third time she’s crashed in the last hour.”
“Oh, well, it’s... um... not a bad idea.” Fluttershy pulled her first aid kit out of her saddlebag, she always carried it with her. Angel hopped out of her mane and landed on the hoofrest of the overstuffed chair. He held a miniature bottle of iodine in his paws as he gave Twilight a wicked grin. Twilight’s eyes went wide at the sight. She sank deeper into the chair, but sadly, not nearly far enough to disappear from sight. “Now just hold still Twilight, I’ll get you fixed up in no time. You’ll feel so much better.” Fluttershy was cutting a length of medical tape while Angel uncorked the bottle.
“Thank you Fluttershy, but I don’t think I need medical attention.” Her eyes darted between the bottle and Fluttershy. “I don’t have any serious injuries. I’m sure if I just had a little more time to read and—!” Twilight was watching Fluttershy when she nodded at Angel, who immediately applied the iodine. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out of them. Her left wing had already been against her barrel, but was now pressed tight and quivering, a particularly nasty scuff the source of her pain. She stuffed both hooves into her mouth and bit down. Her muffled scream could still be heard by those in the market outside.
Fluttershy gasped, “Twilight! Such language! And from a princess, no less!” She applied the bandage to the wing and took the bottle of iodine from Angel. He pouted for a second, but shot Twilight another wicked grin when he saw Fluttershy apply the iodine directly to the next bandage. “Here, it won’t hurt so much if it’s in the bandage.” She gently wrapped Twilight’s left hind leg, covering the angry red scratch just below her cutie mark. “Isn’t that better?”
Twilight nodded, but continued to put teeth marks on her hooves for another minute. She glared at Angel, but every time she got close to a vengeful idea Fluttershy would apply another iodine-soaked bandage and her thought process became a train wreck. She was quickly becoming a mummy, although the serious scrapes had been covered. “What can we help you with?” She focused on Fluttershy’s issues instead of her various injuries.
“I need a book on, um, flying.”
“Why do you want a book on flying? You already know how to fly.”
“Oh, well, I thought I could use a little help. I’m going to teach Gold Feather how to fly, and I don’t think it’s the same as a pegasus. Plus, I don’t think I would make a very good flight instructor.”
“Fluttershy, that’s not true! You’re the most caring, kind pony I’ve ever met. That’s the most important part of being a teacher: having empathy for your students. You could teach anypony, even me.” Trying to get Fluttershy to buck up was simply a gut reaction from Twilight, without forethought. A bead of sweat formed under Twilight’s ear when she realized just what she had said.
“Oh, I don’t know—”
Finally, Fluttershy’s lack of confidence works out in my favor. Sorry Fluttershy, but I promised Dash I’d let her teach me, and you’re not the best choice to give flying lessons. Twilight thought to herself as she watched Fluttershy closely.
“I don’t know If I can teach two students at once, but I’m glad you think I can do it. And you’re right, I should be more confident in myself. I’d be happy to teach you.” Fluttershy smiled, her face half hidden by her mane.
Twilight’s mouth fell open for only a second before she closed it. “Um, oh, okay. Sure. Well, I’m not sure I have any time—”
“Sure you do,” Spike said as he produced her day planner and assorted checklists. “You had me cancel all of those events with the mayor and Filthy Rich, so your week is free during the afternoons.” Spike smiled at Twilight and continued, “Now you won’t have to learn this from some dusty old book!”
Twilight could have throttled him at the moment. Instead she said, “Oh, well, I guess I am free. But I’m sure you’re too busy. You have to take care of your animals, and teach Gold Feather, plus you have those spa treatments with Rarity on Tuesdays. And you have to, um—”
Fluttershy looked at Twilight with her brows raised, her big eyes sparkling and gentle. Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “Oh Twilight, it’s no trouble. I can teach you along with Gold Feather starting tomorrow.”
“Oh, tomorrow. Great. I guess I’ll see you then.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow; it will be so much fun.” Fluttershy stowed the book in her saddlebag and extended a hoof towards the hoofrest of the chair. “Come along, Angel.” The bunny hopped onto Fluttershy’s head and the two of them walked out of the library. Angel blew a kiss to Twilight and waved with his paw, his wolfish grin still burned into her mind’s eye.
Spike closed the door after they left, smiling he turned to Twilight. “Now you won’t have to learn from a book anymore. You’ll get a real teacher.”
Twilight glared at Spike. “With friends like you, who needs enemies?”
“Huh?”
Twilight sighed, “Nevermind, Spike.” She put a hoof to her face and just sat in the chair, waiting for the burning sensations all over her to cool off.
~~~~~
RINNNGGG
“Don’t forget to read chapters—”
FWOOSH
Cheerliee sighed and thought, too late, don’t bother Cheerliee. You’re in an empty classroom by now. No filly or colt is going to stay past the bell.
“Miss Cheerliee?”
I can almost hear them now. What I wouldn’t give for a really dedicated student to stay after class just once for extra tutoring.
“Miss Cheerliee? I have a question.”
They would ask lots of questions, and really enjoy learning. Cheerliee sighed again, They’re still young, how could I deny them the chance to explore the world on their own? But I could teach them so much!
“Miss Cheerliee? Are you okay? She’s just staring at the chalkboard.”
“Huh?” Cheerliee turned around to face her empty classroom. Or mostly empty classroom. Three fillies were still inside, and not heading for the exit. They stood on the other side of her desk. Applebloom placed an extra apple on the corner, near the stack of ungraded tests. Cheerliee blinked and tried to order her thoughts. “Oh, thank you, Applebloom. Did you girls say you had a question?” She tried to contain herself, but she leaned forward with a twinkle in her eye.
Scootaloo leaned closer to Applebloom and whispered, “I don’t know, she seems kinda... off right now.” Applebloom’s brow went flat as she nudged Scootaloo forward. She cleared her throat and spoke up, “Yeah, I have a question. Lots of questions, really. Uh, can you help?”
“I most certainly can! You can ask me anything! Astronomy, geography, history, geometry, biology, non-linear algebra, organic chemistry, higher-order differential equations, wave particle duality rectification theory, or even about things that rhyme with Toxoplasmosis! Um, those last few might be a little advanced for grade school, but I’m willing to try!” Cheerliee spoke without taking a breath and her cheeks were flush.
“Can you teach me to fly?”
Cheerliee froze on the spot, her smile still plastered on her face. She had studied so many subjects. She had waited for her precious students to stay after class and ask her a question so she could feed their young minds. The dream was going horribly wrong. Her smile melted into something more fitting a funeral. She swallowed before she spoke, “No. I’m afraid not. You’ll have to ask a pegasus.”
“She can’t ask Rainbow Dash, she’s out of town for the rest of the week.” Sweetie Belle spoke this time. Scootaloo’s eyes seemed to find her own front hooves rather interesting. It was a look Cheerliee had seen before on dejected students, and she hated it.
“Well, what about Thunderlane?” Cheerliee suggested. If she couldn’t help them herself, she was going to find them a pegasus who could.
Applebloom shook her head, her bow waving back and forth. “Ah think he’s got the feather flu fer real this time.”
“What about Cloud Kicker?
Sweetie Belle shook her head sadly and sighed. “She’s in Los Pegasus for the rest of the month.”
“How about Fluttershy?”
Scootaloo focused on Cheerliee and her ears perked up. “Hey, that might actually work.” She broke out with a smile. “And she won’t say ‘no’ because she’s a total pushover!” She dashed out the door with her friends in her wake.
Cheerliee’s eyes went wide as the door to the school house slammed shut. “Oh dear, what did I just do to Fluttershy?”
~~~~~
knock-knock-knock
“Hello?” Fluttershy opened her front door and looked out, but nopony was visible.
“Hi Fluttershy!” An excitable, foalish voice called up to her. She looked down and pulled out a weak smile for the three troublemakers standing on her welcome mat. Each held an oversized smile for her. She could see they had broken out the halos already.
“Oh, hello. Um, I don’t really have time to chaperone for a sleepover tonight. Maybe some other time...” She backed up slowly, closing the door. As it closed with a soft click, she let out a ragged breath and turned around.
“Can we help you with anything?” Scootaloo was face-to-face with Fluttershy, whose eyes went wide.
EEP!
She backed up, but after a single step her flank hit the inside of her front door. Scootaloo was standing on Sweetie Belle, who was in turn standing on Applebloom. Sweetie Belle’s legs quivered for a second and slipped.
thud
The three of them ended up in a heap, knocking over the hat rack and breaking it in two. It only took a second for the three to untangle themselves and stand up. “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it!”
“Oh, um—I don’t need—please don’t—it’s alright—” Fluttershy stammered out as the three flew at the hat rack like a swarm of parasprites. In less than a minute it was finished. The hat rack was now best described as modern art.
“Any other coffee tables you need fixed?” Scootaloo looked at Fluttershy with a satisfied smile. Applebloom glanced at the “coffee table,” then back at Scootaloo. She just shrugged and said nothing. “We could feed your animals for you!”
“Oh, no, you don’t need to—” Before Fluttershy could finish, the three crusaders darted in different directions. Fluttershy let out a tiny gasp and chased after them. She found Applebloom feeding the turtles, which would have been fine, has she not been giving them woodchips intended for the beavers. She found Sweetie Belle petting her goats. Feeding them wasn’t the problem; she just didn’t want the goats to get fed the pre-shelled sunflower seeds that were supposed to go to—
“Awww, what a pretty bird!” Scootaloo’s voice called from upstairs.
Gold Feather! Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat as she scooped up Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, then literally flew upstairs. Please don’t feed him anything dangerous! She imagined all sorts of things Scootaloo was doing to poor Gold Feather; what if she fed him chocolate? The thought spurred Fluttershy forward.
She burst into her room. Angel was lounging on her pillow, the remains of a half-dozen carrots surrounding him, his belly set to burst. The sunlight from the window played a spotlight on Scootaloo—she was petting Gold Feather with one hoof. He seemed content, and he let out a musical note to let everyone know it. Scootaloo gave a little gasp at the sound, and buzzed her wings. Gold Feather buzzed his wings too, but neither of them left the floor. “Cute little guy. What’s his name?”
Fluttershy’s heart finished its lap around the racetrack and settled down. “His name is Gold Feather, and he is my precious meadowlark.” In a voice so low that even the two fillies on her back couldn’t hear, she said, “please don’t hurt him.”
“Are you trying to teach him to fly?” Fluttershy looked up and found Scootaloo holding the book she had borrowed from the library. Angel glanced up and smiled. He lept across the room and onto Fluttershy’s head in only four jumps. He nodded vigorously to Scootaloo.
“Well, he wants to fly, but I don’t want him to get hurt. Why do you ask?”
“Will you teach me too? It’s only fair, we fixed your coffee table and fed your animals.” Scootaloo’s eager smile came closer as she leaned forward. She tried her absolute best to summon a shining halo over her head.
“Oh, I don’t think I would make a very good teacher.”
“Pleeeease?”
“Well, I, um... alright—”
“YES!” Scootaloo jumped into the air and buzzed her wings so loud she hovered for a split second. Fluttershy felt a pit forming in her stomach until Gold Feather trilled along with Scootaloo’s jumps. Her heart melted seeing the two of them together; Gold Feather seemed to instantly like Scootaloo. “When can we start?”
“Tomorrow.”
~~~~~
Fluttershy lined her students up in her front yard. They were a motley crew. Twilight, Scootaloo, and Gold Feather stood at attention. Fluttershy strode out of her house, full of confidence, wearing a sweatband and a whistle attached to a cord about her neck. She stopped in front of the line of students and filled her lungs to capacity. She shouted as only Fluttershy could:
“Welcome to flight camp.”
Twilight tilted her head and lifted an ear in Fluttershy’s direction as she said, “One more time?” Scootaloo nodded in agreement and swiveled both ears forward.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. “Welcome to flight camp. Um, we’re going to start with some exercises while I set up. If that’s alright with you...” Twilight and Scootaloo smiled, this is what they were waiting for: some real direction. “Drop and give me fifty wing-ups! No, how about forty? Er, no, twenty-five is enough. Or just ten, that’s plenty. If that’s okay with you.” Fluttershy started well, but by the end, her commands had turned into limp requests.
Scootaloo sighed and sank to the ground. Holding her front hooves to her chest, she pushed her wings down and with a grunt lifted her upper body into the air. Most pegasi could do fifty wing-ups if they were in shape. It was tough for Scootaloo, but she could manage ten, maybe more. She started counting them off, “one... two... thrrreeee...” The effort made her sweat; droplets trickled down her face between her eyes. She glanced at Gold Feather. He was pumping out wing-ups at a fantastic rate. Easily twice her speed! Nervously, she glanced at Twilight. She flopped onto the ground laughing. Twilight was upside down, mane and tail splayed under her. Her legs were in the air pointing in mostly random directions. She was trying to do some kind of reverse wing-up, using her horn to balance herself. Even if she were trying to do yoga, it still would have been a dismal failure.
“Um, is this right?” Twilight asked when she noticed Scootaloo pounding on the ground with her hooves and laughing.
Gasping for breath to calm herself, Scootaloo responded, “No! Haven’t you ever done a wing-up before?”
Twilight rolled over onto her stomach and pulled her legs under her. She blew away the blades of grass stuck to her bangs and shook her head. “No, I’ve only had these wings for a few weeks.”
Scootaloo blushed and said, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Uh, wing-ups go like this.” She demonstrated without grunting. She finished her fourth wing-up in a smooth motion. She was rather pleased with herself when she saw Twilight put both wingtips on the ground and push. She glanced at Gold Feather again and found him nestled on the ground, resting comfortably. Figures, he’s got perfect wings to go with his singing voice. Scootaloo put her own wingtips to the ground and counted, “five... six... seven... eeeiightt... n-nine.. ten.” She fell the short distance to earth and sucked in air. She could smell the scent of grass. She spared a glance at Twilight.
Twilight was counting as well. “Three.” She put her front hooves down, but didn’t stand. Panting, she looked at Scootaloo and asked, “How are you done already?”
Scootaloo blinked a few times and shook her head. “You’re not supposed to rest in between each wing-up.”
“WHAT?” Twilight exclaimed. “How are you supposed to do ten in a row? It’s impossible! There’s no strategy to it, is there? Maybe I’m doing it wrong?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “No, I mean, not anymore. You just gotta have wing strength.”
“Well that isn’t fair. I didn’t even have wings or wing muscles until a few weeks ago.” Twilight began her next wing-up without the benefit of her hooves.
“Rainbow Dash can do fifty wing-ups without breaking a sweat. She does fifty every morning right after she gets out of bed.” Scootaloo waved a hoof in the general direction of Dash’s home.
Twilight looked at Scootaloo, a drop of sweat trickling between her eyes. “Really? That’s impressive.” Twilight grit her teeth and did another wing-up, but no more. She collapsed onto her stomach, panting. “Are you sure Rainbow Dash does fifty of these every morning? She likes to brag you know.”
Scootaloo was still winded, but gave Twilight a hard look. “Fifty. Every morning. I know it for a fact! I watch her when... uh... YOU’RE NOT DONE, YOU HAVE FIVE MORE WING-UPS TO GO OR I’M TELLING FLUTTERSHY!”
Twilight gasped and said, “I can’t disobey a teacher! Especially not a nice one like Fluttershy.” She started in on her second half of assigned wing-ups.
Scootaloo wiped the sweat from her brow and looked away from Twilight and her struggles. Gold Feather looked half asleep, his tiny form curled into a seated position on a tuft of grass. Fluttershy was a short distance away, finishing her “set-up.”
Fluttershy had created a set of cloud rings just above the ground. The dirt race track was normally used for six-hoofed races during Nightmare Night. It sat mostly unused for the rest of the year. It was on Fluttershy’s property, but she had rarely used it herself except for the one time she was training for the weather team. “Okay everypony, lets line up and try to follow this flight path.”
The students lined up at the start of the small track. Scootaloo looked at the cloudy rings. The first ring was so low even she could jump it, but by the third ring such a thing would be difficult. She swallowed a lump in her throat and watched as Fluttershy stood in front of them with her wings spread. “So, how do we get off the ground?” Scootaloo asked, her hoof waving in the air.
“Um, you just, you know, flap your wings,” Fluttershy cracked a smile but her eyes didn’t meet Scootaloo’s. Twilight facehoofed. Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Gold Feather chirped, but gave no other outward indication of his emotions. Fluttershy gasped when she heard Gold Feather’s comment. “Gold Feather, such language! It is too that simple! Watch, I’ll demonstrate.”
With a flap of her wings, she lifted into the the air and flew through the first ring. Scootaloo knew Fluttershy wasn’t considered a great flyer, but she made it look so easy. She floated through the first three rings, hovering just off of the ground. She had to work a bit to increase her height and spiral higher as she went around the track. After she passed through the last ring, she spread her wings and began to glide. She lost altitude this way but touched down right behind the starting line after a few moments.
“You see? It’s not so bad, we’re just going to fly around this track, nice and slow. Um, if that’s okay with you.” Scootaloo shook her head as Fluttershy’s forehoof did its best to dig a circular hole in the ground. “How about you go first, Twilight?”
“Um, okay.” Twilight took off at a brisk trot, spread her wings and jumped through the first ring. She landed on the ground on the other side. Grinding her teeth, she accelerated and tried again. Her hooves hit the ground on the other side of the second ring as well. She broke into a gallop, determined not to stay on the ground for the next one. She flapped with all of her might, and lifted off of the ground.
“I did it!” She smiled wide and her eyes shut with joy.
“Keep your eyes open and try not to miss—”
woosh-crunch
Twilight accidently left the track and plowed directly into the branches of an old willow tree. Fortunately for her, the willow tree had some give, or else she would have required Fluttershy’s first aid kit again. Coughing and sputtering, she fell out of the branches of the tree and landed in a heap. She spat out several small, green leaves and said, “How did I do? Do I at least get an A–?”
“Um,” Fluttershy trotted up and helped Twilight to her hooves. “Um… how about a B+? Maybe we can work on turning next.” The two of them trotted back to the starting line. Fluttershy looked down at Scootaloo with a toothy grin and gestured to the track, “Okay Scootaloo, your turn.”
Scootaloo swallowed again and licked her lips. Her mouth felt dry, her stomach felt like it was full of feathers, and her knees felt like they were made of gelatin. She darted forward and her wings buzzed just before she reached the first ring. She took a flying leap into the air. This was it! Do or die! She was going to fly through this ring, she was going to be the top of the flight class, just like Rainbow Dash. Even if the flight class was only 3 students. She poured every ounce of strength she had into her wings, flapping them faster than she ever had in her life. They buzzed, and she felt lighter. It was working—she was flying! She could fly through the next ring as soon as—
thud
She hit the ground and dug a crater into the dirt like a crashed UFO. She was so close, she felt it. But something was wrong; she just didn’t get any air. Fluttershy rushed over to the crater to administer first aid to Scootaloo. An alien stood up out of the crater as soft, soggy clods of dirt tumbled from its head. Two antennae wiggled about, sticking right out of its cranium. It spat out a mouthful of soft earth and said, in Scootaloo’s ragged voice, “Did I fly?” Scootaloo shook her head, causing the “antennae” to fly off her mane along with several more clumps of dirt. The antennae turned out to be worms. They wiggled about on the path before they found a soft spot and dug back into the ground.
“Are you alright, Scootaloo?” Fluttershy already had her first aid kit out. “I didn’t think anypony could get really hurt, but you managed to crash pretty hard there.”
“Did I fly?” Scootaloo asked again as Fluttershy cleaned a scrape on Scootaloo’s foreleg.
“Um, you were very close, Scootaloo. I’m sure you’ll be flying in no time.”
Scootaloo snorted and sat on her rump, a little cloud of dust billowing out beneath her. She waited while Fluttershy doctored her minor injuries, of which there were several. She’d had scrapes, cuts, and bruises before. She’d gladly trade a thousand scrapes if she could fly. She felt it, but for some reason she didn’t catch air. “How come I didn’t fly?”
Fluttershy just smiled and reassured her, “Don’t worry Scootaloo, these things take time.”
“It IS time, past time. At my age, every other pegasus can fly. Are you telling me I have to wait LONGER? That I have to—” Scootaloo winced in pain as Fluttershy applied iodine to a rough patch where the fur had been scraped off, along with a few layers of skin. She sighed and said, “Nevermind...”
“I understand, Scootaloo—you want to fly. You’ll get there, I have faith in you.”
“Really? That’s your advice?” Scootaloo glared at Fluttershy. “Have you ever wanted something so bad, but you just didn’t know how to get it? And everypony around you seems to just have it given to them on a silver plate? I don’t mind getting a helping hoof, but I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Fluttershy looked at Gold Feather before she replied, “Yes, I think I know what you mean. I’m going to do my best to help you.” Fluttershy held Scootaloo closer with one wing, brushing the dirt out of her mane. “You’re right, you shouldn’t have to wait very much longer.” Scootaloo breathed out a sigh and stood on her own. She was covered in small white bandages and her coat was scuffed, but her face betrayed not a hint of discomfort. The two trotted back to the starting line.
“Okay, Gold Feather, see what you can do,” Fluttershy said as Gold Feather trilled a short song. “I’m sure you’ll do fine, and no, it doesn’t matter that you’re so short. You’re supposed to fly through all of the rings, even the first one,” she replied. Gold Feather chirped again and hopped at full speed down the track. Fluttershy shouted after him, “You’ll do great Gold Feather. You go, woohoo.”
Twilight cleared her throat, a louder sound than Fluttershy’s shout. “So, I was doing some light reading on aerodynamics last night and I understand that a good airfoil can generate lift from a thermal differential...” Scootaloo stopped listening at that point because she had already heard three words she didn’t understand. She watched as Gold Feather gave a mighty hop and spread his wings. He lifted into the air and sailed through the first ring! He floated over the crash site and continued through the second ring, losing altitude. Before the reached the third ring he landed on the ground, still flapping his wings.
Scootaloo craned her head towards the two adults and said, “Wow, that really was close. Did you two see that?”
“...Increases in air velocity also make the work required for lift substantially less, so I was thinking if we got a large rotary ventilation system we could modify it to—see what?” Twilight stopped talking and both mares abruptly turned to see Gold Feather hopping back to the starting line.
“Gold Feather flew! I mean, he didn’t fall, so that’s pretty good, right?” Scootaloo could do that on a good day. Today was just a bad day, right?
“Oh, um, yes, that’s very good Gold Feather,” Fluttershy said as the bird hopped towards them and into Fluttershy’s outstretched hoof. Placing him on her back she continued, “I think that’s enough for today. We’ll meet again tomorrow and try again. You all did very well.”
Day after day, for the rest of the week, the three students met at Fluttershy’s house and tried to fly. Twilight got several more mouthfuls of leaves from the willow tree, which by the end of the week was looking a bit bare and haggard. Gold Feather started off well, but his improvement was slow to non-existent. He could get off the ground, but just couldn’t ever do any more than glide. And there were six more UFO craters by the end of the week; one for each day.
Fluttershy watched all of this and continued to encourage her pupils. Scootaloo in particular took it hard, yet she stood back up and brushed herself off, usually with medical help. On the seventh day, after she created her seventh mini-crater, she didn’t stand up.
Fluttershy trotted over, looked down into the newly formed crater, and called out to Scootaloo, “I think you’re doing better Scootaloo. Keep at it and you’ll—” She stopped when she reached Scootaloo and saw her face. She flared her wings out to hide Scootaloo from Twilight, Gold Feather, and anypony else who might see. She sat on her flank and began to tend to Scootaloo’s minor wounds again, not meeting her eyes, and whispered, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Scootaloo had her eyes squeezed shut with hot tears dripping down her face. She had sniffled before, hiding the pain from her crash landings, but this was different. She spoke through her hiccups, “I’m n-never g-going to f-f-fly. I’m n-not g-gh-etting better, I think I’m g-getting worse.” She started to sob quietly, trying not to make any sounds that would reach the other two students standing a short distance away at the starting line.
“That isn’t true, Scootaloo. You’ll fly someday, someday soon.” Scootaloo didn’t stop, so Fluttershy tried something desperate. “How about I ask for a little help? Maybe Rainbow Dash could—”
“NO!” Scootaloo shouted, clear as a bell.
“Is everything alright?” Twilight called out to the two.
“Yes, everything is fine! I just told Scootaloo I have to use more iodine. Class is dismissed for today. I think Scootaloo might have an injury, so give me some time to fix it.” Fluttershy hollered over her shoulder, then glanced at Scootaloo and smiled. Scootaloo stopped sobbing, but the corners of her mouth were still pointed down.
“Is she alright? Maybe I can help,” Twilight offered as she walked to Fluttershy, peering around her spread wings.
“Oh, um, no, everything is fine. Let me handle it. Oh, aren’t you tired? You should get some rest for tomorrow.” Fluttershy craned her neck to look at Twilight with a stupid grin on her face.
“You know, I would like to do a little more reading. Are you sure you have everything covered?” Twilight side-stepped a bit to the left in order to get a view of the patient.
Fluttershy tilted her wing and leaned to the left as well. “Everything is just fine, I’ve got it covered. Totally covered, heh-heh.” Her stupid grin didn’t waver.
“Well, okay, see you tomorrow. C’mon Gold Feather, I’ll take you home.” Twilight lifted the bird in her magic, placed him on her back, and trotted towards Fluttershy’s cabin.
Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief before she turned back to Scootaloo and asked, “What’s wrong with asking Rainbow Dash for help?”
“She’s… too busy. Yeah, too busy to help,” Scootaloo said as she looked away from Fluttershy and inspected one of the more painful scrapes on her forelegs.
“She should be back from the weather patrol tonight. I’m sure she’d be willing to help,” Fluttershy said as she tilted her head lower and tried to catch Scootaloo’s eye in vain.
“Yeah, but, um, she’s, too good. Yeah, too good to teach newbies like us. We should learn to fly first, then ask her for the more advanced stuff.” Scootaloo sniffed again.
Fluttershy placed a hoof under Scootaloo’s chin and tilted her face up. Fluttershy rarely did such things, but Scootaloo’s expression made her temporarily forget about being nervous. When she got a look at Scootaloo’s face, she paused. She stared into Scootaloo’s eyes as she thought for a moment before she nodded. “Scootaloo, I pinkie pie promise I won’t tell Rainbow Dash you need help flying until you want her to know. I will only ask her for advice and leave your name out of it.” Fluttershy crossed her heart and stopped short of poking herself in the eye.
Scootaloo blinked away tears. “Y-You’re... the kindest pony I’ve ever—” she hiccuped while Fluttershy hugged her with both wings. Fluttershy smiled and said nothing more.
~~~~~
SKKNNNNXXXX
“There you are,” Fluttershy said as she landed on the little cloud over the old oak tree. Rainbow Dash was napping, again, as usual. Most weather ponies took all day to clear the sky, but not Dash. It was too bad she didn’t do something more useful with her time. Or maybe sleeping was required to work so efficiently? Fluttershy didn’t know, but figured Dash could afford to spend some time helping out. She gently rubbed Dash’s withers and whispered as loud as she could, “Rainbow Dash, wake up. I need some help.”
Dash sat up, rubbing her eyes as she groaned, “It’s too early for my next shift. The storm didn’t change course again did it?” Dash blinked in Fluttershy’s direction, her bleary eyes matched her bed head.
“Um, there’s no storm. I need some help teaching some foals how to fly.” Fluttershy smiled, but her eyes found the cloud beneath them more interesting than Dash herself.
Dash snorted, “Wait, I’m back home. Sweet, time for sleep! Wait, did you say, ‘teaching foals how to fly’?” Dash rubbed her eyes again. She tried to focus on the pink-and-yellow blob in front of her.
“Um, yes, I’m trying to teach a little bird how to fly. I’m having some trouble and I was wondering if—”
“Is it Scootaloo?”
Fluttershy’s stomach felt like it had dropped into her hooves. She swallowed and blinked several times before she responded, “Um, no, it’s my meadowlark, Gold Feather.” Her smile was overwide.
Dash was bouncing on her hooves when she blurted, “Finally, the squirt is serious about flying! I was wondering when she’d come around. So when is her next lesson?”
Fluttershy’s eyes darted left and right as she responded, “Um, I’m, um, not teaching Scootaloo. I’m teaching my pet meadowlark—”
“Yeah-yeah-yeah, sure. Gold Flapper, got it. Now tell me about Scootaloo. I’ll bet she’s a natural, right?” Dash leaned closer to Fluttershy, her overeager grin made Fluttershy backpedal. She fell to her flank on the soft cloud.
“Please don’t tell her you know about the flying lessons.” Fluttershy pleaded with Dash, using her best set of puppy-dog eyes. She frowned, and her hooves quivered, but she continued, “I’m begging you.” She clapped her hooves together as if in prayer. “I promised her I wouldn’t say anything about teaching her; I pinkie pie promised.”
Rainbow Dash backed off a bit, but Fluttershy stuck to her, begging the whole time. “What? Why?” Dash looked around the horizon, and spotted a tiny figure that seemed to blur the air above it.
“She adores you too much, Rainbow Dash. She doesn’t want to appear weak in front of you. You won’t tell her, will you?” Fluttershy didn’t dare take her puppy-dog eyes off of Dash.
Dash wasn’t looking at Fluttershy, she was staring at the growing figure in the distance. She could make out propeller blades now, and a peppermint color scheme. Uh oh. “Uh, did you say you pinkie pie promised not to tell me?”
Fluttershy didn’t even blink when she said, “Yes. Why?” She didn’t let up on the begging. If she could just get Dash to look at her, maybe now she would understand and agree with her.
“I-think-we’d-better-go-I-won’t-tell-her-TIME-TO-FLY-AWAY-NOW!” Dash bit down on Fluttershy’s tail and shot towards the setting sun.
A minute later, a scowling pink pony on a red-and-white striped flying machine trundled past the cloud Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had been talking on. Grumbling something about using a cannon and extra-sticky dough to catch her prey next time, the pony relentlessly followed them.
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this is going to be good
Aj's a jerk !
3852198
Well, I didn't mean to write her THAT way. Errr, what, exactly, makes you say that?
3852228
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Ah doubt that filly could teach ya much.” Scootaloo was about to defend Dash but Applejack continued,
Rainbow won the best young fliers competition and is the only pony to have ever completed a Sonic Rainboom.
Sure AJ, she can't teach Scoots anything
You're such a good friend, putting RD down
3852309
Oh, AJ just doesn't think RD is a good teacher; AJ would readily admit she's a good flyer. They have that rivalry thing going, kinda like how AB calls Scoots "chicken."
This is going to be AWESOME! Keep up the good work!
This is a very neat story so far, shame its not getting much attention.
Go on...
Your title and description reminded me of this.
Not sure why.
3860102
...
wow
I don't normally tell people about my writing process. But that song is indeed the seed for this story.
3863188
Oh sorry
, I only guessed it because I tend to try to write to music or at least get ideas.
3864771
You have nothing to apologize for. You and I simply think in the same way.
What other music do you listen to?
3868433 Hmmm usually hard rock and metal as well as alternative and a little bit of rap. The bands I listen to most right now are Shinedown, Papa Roach, Volbeat, and Skillet.
3852309 No, I actually don't think Rainbow could teach her much about flying, since it comes so natural to her. I suppose it's like trying to teach a man who was born with deformed legs and just got prosthetic ones how to walk. You could try, but you would never really be able to do so that well.
I don't know why Flutterhshy puts up with you, Angel Bunny.
5241461
The reason Rainbow would be a good teacher is because she is an expert. It takes someone with an impressive amount of knowledge on something to teach it because to teach something, you need to have semi-all-encompassing understanding on how it works. It's why Fluttershy couldn't do much else besides throw them at hoops. Flutters can provide encouragement, but not an excess of knowledge. That's my take on it anyways.