Starbound

by Nagmeister

Chapter 2: Test Flight

"Scootaloo? Scootaloo!"

Applebloom threw another pebble at the young pegasus' window. Scootaloo stirred, mumbling as she rolled out of bed and fell onto the floor.

"Scootaloo! Come out here!"

The young pegasus groggily stood up on four orange legs before walking ot her window and opening it with a blank look on her face.

"What is it? It's barely sunrise!" she yelled.

"Come on! Let's finish up that thing!"

"It's already done!" she yelled back. "All we have to do is test it!"

Applebloom's face lit up. "Really? Then let's go right now!"

"What if someone sees it? I've been trying to keep it secret."

"But if it works, don't you want people to know?"

"Yeah; if it works. Now, shut up; I'm coming."

A few minutes later Scootaloo stepped out of the door, her notebook poking out of a fold in her wing. "It's still in the barn; let's go get Sweetie Belle on the way."

"She's waiting by my house; I told her I'd come fetch you."

"Oh. Well, then. Let's get a move on."

The two fillies left Scootaloo's house and began walking down the road to the Apple Family farm. They arrived in a matter of minutes, chatting all the way.

"...and then he was like 'Pow!' and I was like 'Smash!' and --"

"We're here." Scootaloo cut off Applejack's story. The Apple Family barn stood before them, with Applejack already heading out to the orchards and Big Mac hooking himself up to the cart. The morning sun beat down onto the two fillies as they trotted into the property, towards an expectant Sweetie Belle.

"Hey, Sweetie. What'sup?" Applebloom asked as she approached the young pony.

"What took y'all so long?"

"Scootaloo was being lazy."

"Hey!" the orange pegasus interjected. "It was the first time in, like, three months that I had a decent sleep more than one night in a row!"

"Quiet, princess. Anyway, let's go do some science!"

Scootaloo sighed quietly, and mumbled to herself, "This can't end well."

---

The purple Princess watched from one of the trees in the orchard, staring through a pair of binoculars at the trio of fillies. She didn't notice the orange farmer coming to the tree to check on its health before noticing the purple shape hidden in the tree.

"Twi? Is that you?" Applejack asked, looking inquisitively at the tree,

The princess poked her head out of the green shape and hushed the farmpony. "Shhh! Don't let them spot me!"

"Aight, Twi. Just don't try any funny business."

"Don't worry, AJ. I know what I'm doing."

She returned to her vigilance as the farmpony sighed and rolled her eyes before continuing down the rows of trees. Seeing that the children were also beginning to leave, Twilight stealthily took to the air and hid above a cloud, gently pushing it along as she watched.

---

"Well. This is it. Applebloom, you sure you're holding the ropes how I told you?" Scootaloo asked, looking at the yellow filly behind her.

"Well, I'm doin' as best ah can with what you told me."

"Is the red rope on the left and the blue on on the right?"

"Uhhh..." Applebloom looked at the two ropes in her mouth. "Yep!"

"Good. Sweetie Belle, is it all clear?"

"There's nopony for miles!" Sweetie Belle said from the top of her lookout hill. "Well, except for in Ponyville, but that's still about a mile over there!"

Scootaloo sighed. "Well. It's now or never. Applebloom, get ready to let go on my mark."

"Alright."

"Sweetie Belle, make sure that nobody sees this."

"Okay."

"Ten. Nine. Eight." Scootaloo began to count down as she braced her body for the flight.

"Seven. Six. Five."

Sweetie Belle nervously turned her gaze between Scootaloo and the town, hoping that somepony would come along before something bad happened.

"Four. Three. Two."

Twilight Sparkle peeked down from a cloud at the proceedings, watching as the orange pegasus prepared for her flight. She sighed as she watched the yellow filly behind the vehicle nervously holding the two ropes that held back the wings of the vessel.

"One."

Applebloom let go of the ropes, and the glider began to accelerate down the ramp. Ten seconds later, it flew off the small incline in the ramp...

...and began to fall like a rock, on a ballistic arc directly towards the ground. Thinking quickly, Twilight Sparkle lit up her horn, and telekinetically slowed the object down to a safe speed. As she landed on the ground, she garnered a strange look from the three fillies.

"Princess Twilight? What are ya doing here?" Applebloom asked, staring up at the purple pony.

"Making sure she doesn't get herself hurt," Twilight said, gesturing to the shaken Scootaloo. "Now, come on; it's already almost noon, and your parents must be waiting for you."

Two of the fillies walked away next to each other; but they stopped and turned around when they saw that Scootaloo was standing there, unmoving, with her head towards the ground.

"Scootaloo?" Twilight asked, putting a hoof underneath the young filly's chin. "Are you alright?" she said, before looking at the face of the filly.

The filly was holding back tears as she spoke. "It... it was supposed to work! I checked the math, I made sure it was built right, and everything!" A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

"You know, Scootaloo," Twilight said as comfortingly as possible, "You tried your best. You did what you could, and who knows? Maybe this was just never meant to be. Maybe it truly is impossible."

"No. It's not impossible," the young filly said before sighing. "I just can't do it."

---

That night, the first snows of winter began to fall. Scootaloo had almost resigned to herself that it would never work; she would forever have to walk the earth as a worthless, flightless pegasus. As she lay in her bed, she wondered if it was all even worth it; if she should just give up and let go, or continue pursuing her probably impossible dream. She fell asleep as she stared at her ceiling, pondering her decision.

A mist flew through the open window, disguised as a small puff of snow. However, the draconequus hidden in the mist soon materialized, and his intentions became clear. Walking over to the sleeping filly, he dropped a single thing, an idea, disguised as a puff of snow, onto her head; and with his task complete, he flew back out into the night.

Author's Note:

Comments and critiques! I want all of them!

Sorry for the lack of updates; finals are hell. After the 19th, though, I should be able to put out a chapter or more daily, and catch up all the ones I've missed so far.