12 - Trouble
Sky Dance Kindergarten, Two Weeks Later
“All right everypony, outside!” Mr Bright Spark announced to the gathered fillies and colts, opening the classroom door and gesturing for them to leave in a neat single file line.
The children all did as they were told, for the most part at least. Little Wing and Misty Gust were among the group, talking idly amongst themselves as they all made their way outside. When they arrived, they all gathered together in one big mass while awaiting their teacher to begin his explanations.
Any of the children who looked up may have noticed a few clouds in the shape of rings. There were six in total, the rings being arranged in a small circular circuit that reminded Little Wing of some similar rings used by her sister and the other Wonderbolts in their tricks. They weren’t exactly as high off the ground as the rings used by the Wonderbolts, but they did stand above the head of their teacher, higher than any of the foals could reach via jumping no matter how hard a few of them tried.
“Alright, alright, settle down,” Bright Spark announced to the class. “I’m sure you’ve noticed the little course we’ve set up just above us, and I do have an explanation.”
Little Wing hoped so, he was the teacher after all.
Bright Spark continued. “You may think that school is all about learning the alphabet and the basics of our own magical properties, and you would be right, but today we decided to allow you all to stretch your wings for a while. Literally, you are pegasi after all. So today we are skipping the books and seeing if you all know how to use those wings of yours.”
“Oh! So flying lessons!” one of the colts in the group shouted out.
“Bingo!” the thestral confirmed. “Now we don’t want you to do anything over strenuous, so we’re going to start with some warm ups. I’m going to place you into four groups, each of you will be given some warm up exercises to prepare you wings. Alright, so first off…”
Bright Spark went about splitting the class into four, each group holding an equal number of children amongst them. After they are been arranged, he went to each one individually and explained the warm up exercises they would be conducting. What Little Wing ended up doing with at first just a series of stretched not only for her wings but for the rest of her body as well, Mr Bright Spark explaining that more than their wings had to be in peak condition if they wanted to be the best flyer they could be. Following their stretches they were required to simply jump into the air and hover in place for a few moments, just so that their teacher could see they could remain in the air at all. You couldn’t well fly if you couldn’t even hover a metre above the ground.
Little Wing wasn’t anywhere near as proficient as she was when she had her magic surges all that time ago, which was to be expected. However, she and the other fillies and colts all were able to perform the simple action with little problems, even if a few of them had a couple of false starts.
Little Wing, much to her embarrassment, was one of them.
“Sheesh, you couldn’t even get that right first time,” Silver Breeze, also being in their group, remarked. “Maybe it’s that meat you eat.”
“I do not!” Little Wing objected, coming out of her hover and pointing an accusatory hoof at the colt.
“Then you’re just a stupid liar!” Silver Breeze rudely shot back, his own hover remaining uninterrupted.
Little Wing looked away from the colt, intent on ignoring him. She jumped and flapped her wings, coming back to a hover as her innate pegasus magic jumped to life.
After another minute or so of that exercise, the teacher called for all of the children to stop and turn back towards him. Little Wing was still a bit fumed as Bright Spark began to explain what came next, but tried to put it in the back of her mind as she listened to the kindergarten teacher.
“Alright class, that’s some good work,” Mr Bright Spark complimented. “Now we get serious. One by one I am going to take you up to the course, and then will accompany you as you complete one lap each. Don’t worry, I’ll be there to catch you if you fall. Now, who wants to go first?”
Several hooves immediately shot up into the air, waving around erratically to get Bright Spark’s attention. The thestral considered the options a moment before picking one of the calmest of the group to be the first up. He guided the little filly up into the air, staying close to ensure her safety. One she was up, and she was given the all clear by the teacher, she began to fly forwards and pass through each ring systematically. She completed her lap in no time at all, Bright Spark giving her an approving smile.
“See? Easy. Simple flight is an ability open to all pegasi, and I have every confidence that you will all excel."
Little Wing frowned to herself. If flight was open to all pegasi from their age, what about Scootaloo?
“Alright, who is next?”
One by one he made his way through the fillies and colts. Each made it through the course, though one smaller colt almost plummeted from the sky just after making it through the final ring, but Mr Bright Spark had been ready for such an eventuality. Misty Gust’s turn eventually came, and with a smile of encouragement from Little Wing she stepped on forwards and cautiously flew up to the small course.
Little Wing cheered as her best friend successfully completed the course, flying through all the rings to near perfection. She wasn’t by any means the fastest, but as Bright Spark reminded a few of the participants it was a lesson, not a race.
And then it was Little Wing’s turn.
“Little Wing,” Mr Bright Spark called out. “Come on up.”
Little Wing was among the last, only two others behind her. Sure she was a little nervous, but she had seen all the others complete the course. She was sure she could also complete it.
She had been so sure…
As she stepped on forwards, she just overheard Silver Breeze remark: “Pfft, she’s not good enough.” Little Wing swore she had somepony say that to her before, but she couldn’t place it.
“Come on, up we go,” Bright Spark encourage, easing Little Wing into the air alongside him.
The filly had to admit a small giddy feeling at returning to the air, aside from a few hops she had remained mostly grounded since her magic surges had ended. She was quickly present before the first hoop, which she examined in anticipation. Bright Spark gave her a nod, and she flapped her wings and proceeded through the first ring with haste. She closed in and passed through the second, and then the third, her teacher encouraging her onwards the whole time.
But despite her elation at returning to the air, what Silver Breeze had said still bothered her. Only when passing through ring number four did it finally hit her.
“You’re not good enough,” her father stated dismissively, returning to his newspaper.
“But I promise I am!” the ten year old begged. “I know I am, please let me try!”
“School is for bright sparks, not you,” her mother agreed with her father. “You’ll stay here until you’re old enough to marry a good man and make him a good wife. Like me.”
“But I want to go to school!” the child begged further.
“No means no!”
“I’ll escape!” she threatened feebly. “Tell someone!”
Her father grabbed her arm, making the girl yelp in both surprise and pain. It hadn’t been the first time. “Listen here, Emma, you will do no such thing! If you do, you won’t be welcome back into this house, and you will have nobody!”
Emma relented, tear wetting her cheeks as she fled the living room and didn’t stop until she crashed down onto her own bed.
When reality came back to Emma, no… Little Wing, she found herself not in the air but back on the ground with Bright Spark looking over her with a worried expression.
“Little Wing, are you alright?”
“Y-yeah, I think so…” Little Wing mumbled as she sat up, quite thoroughly confused as to what happened.
There were several more adults outside with the group now, one mare running over to Bright Spark and Little Wing with a first aid kit in her mouth.
“What happened?” the mare asked as she placed the box down next to Little Wing.
“I’m not certain, she just spaced out and dropped like a stone,” Mr Bright Spark explained. “I don’t know why.”
Amongst the crowd, Silver Breeze and his buddies were snickering to themselves rather cruelly. “Ha! She really can’t fly! All she’s good for is crashing!”
“Hey, enough of that!” Bright Spark barked out, having heard the colt. “I’ll be talking with you afterwards, trust on that.”
The colt huffed, ‘trying’ to act unintimidated by the pony with the fangs.
Even if he’d been told off, Silver Breeze’s comment still stung Little Wing sharply. She had fallen from the sky and crashed in front of all the others, the filly then gave a sniffle as she imagined how pathetic her classmates now thought she was.
“Little Wing?” Misty called out in concern, but was kept back by one of the teachers.
“I don’t see anything wrong with her,” the mare with the first aid stated. “But better safe than sorry, it might be something deeper. I’ll arrange for a quick check-up at the hospital, I trust you’ll call her parents?”
Bright Spark nodded. “I’ll get it done.”
That Weekend
Little Wing sat on the edge of her bed, sniffling as she stared at the wall opposite her. After the incident a few days prior she had been rushed to the hospital and given a full examination by a unicorn doctor, all of the tests coming back clear. Her parents had been there with her, holding her hoof, and were relieved when the results came back. It, however, did leave the doctors clueless as to what happened to the filly, who didn’t give much of an answer.
How could she explain to them what she had experienced? It had been just like when Rainbow Dash and Little Wing first connected, Little Wing had been in the present and then the next moment she was almost reliving memories she’d much rather bury and forget. Perhaps it was some sort of side effect to whatever Penumbra had done to her, but the only one who could answer that was the mysterious alicorn herself. But she, of course, was completely absent.
The doctors had instructed that she take the rest of the week off, and that Windy and Bow both keep an eye out for any returning symptoms. Of course, none ever did. Now it was a Sunday, and the next morning Little Wing was due to return to school as if nothing had happened.
But something had happened, with all those eyes watching her. Little Wing wished she could just bury herself under her covers and never come out, like she had been doing all weekend. She could tell her parents were worried about her, but it wasn’t like they could do anything about it anyway.
Little Wing looked down at a Wonderbolt action figure on her bed, which she had been idly examining a moment before. With a sigh she glumly kicked it off the bed, her downcast eyes then moving to the floor.
“That’s no way to treat a Wonderbolt,” Rainbow Dash joked as she entered the room, having only just arrived at the house.
“Hey Rainbow,” Little Wing half-heartedly greeted her elder sister.
“That’s it? No hug?” Rainbow Dash asked as she sat down next to Little Wing.
The filly shrugged, not answering.
Rainbow Dash sighed. “You know, Mum and Dad are pretty worried. They say you won’t talk to them, so they dragged me up here instead. So… what’s up?”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh come on Little Wing, you’re not old enough to be acting all down in the dumps like this, you’re not even two yet!”
Little Wing had to concede that point. She supposed the increased rate of mental aging in pony children compared to human children could be a bit of a curse in bad circumstanes.
“I mean, sis. You should be out there and having fun, playing with Misty Gust maybe,” Rainbow stated. “Not… this.”
“Hm.”
“Is it Silver Breeze?” she asked somewhat knowingly. “I got told about him, and what he said.”
“He’s a jerk!” Little Wing blurted out accusingly. “Why can’t he just leave me alone!?”
“So he IS what’s bothering you?”
“I… guess. Sorta,” Little Wing said, unsure. “I don’t want to go to school tomorrow. Everypony probably hates me.”
Rainbow Dash gave her little sister an odd look. “Okay… Why?”
“I crashed in front of everypony!” Little Wing shouted, shooting up and staring Rainbow in the eyes with tears flooding out of her own. “I’ll never be as good as you now!”
“Scootaloo couldn’t fly at your age, and is only now even getting off the ground,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “But she never gives up. Never.”
“That because she’s almost as cool as you,” Little Wing muttered. “I’m just a stupid kid…”
“Let me tell you something,” Rainbow Dash said, draping a wing over her sister. “When I was in school, I wasn’t always the best flyer. Sure I was the youngest flier to compete in all those competitions, but for the longest time I lost every single one of them.”
Little Wing sniffled again. “Y-you did?”
“Yeah, I wasn’t great. Another friend of mind, Derpy, used to be the best actually. But she’s a long and kinda sad story…” Rainbow trailed off before getting back on subject. “But I practiced, and I got better. And there’s something else too.”
“There is?”
Rainbow nodded. “Once, I also had a bit of an… accident. Only I crashed into a bin and got given the name Rainbow Crash.”
Little Wing tilted her head. “But… isn’t that what the Wonderbolts called you?”
“I crashed into a bin a second time on my first day with them,” Rainbow stated slightly sheepishly. “But it’s not quite as mean spirited with them, and Spitfire’s nickname is waaaaay worse.”
“Really? What is it?”
“I’ll explain later,” Rainbow promised. “But yeah, when that happened it made me a little sad. But despite that, I pressed on and now I’m only the coolest Wonderbolt there is!”
Little Wing giggled. “You're the big sister best Wonderbolt forever!”
Rainbow hummed. “BSBWF, huh? Heh, I’m not sure if Twilight would be thrilled or annoyed that we stole her thing.”
“Huh?”
Rainbow laughed. “It doesn’t matter. Point is, don’t listen to whatever that colt has to say, I promise you that it’s all complete horseapples. Besides…”
Rainbow Dash got up and offered her hoof to Little Wing, who stared at it in obvious confusion.
“No offense to the guy, but who needs Mr Bright Spark when you’ve already got the best flight instructor there is?”
Who wants to see Rainbow Dash take her sister flying? 
Also... Emma. Now you know what her name once was.
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i do
The flying lesson should be fun, can’t wait to see what happens next.
s2.quickmeme.com/img/17/17f7d19ccad2a8f737fa292a42fee2f3781c11b1cbf43280c1df40c60fc7f3a9.jpg
Flying lessons with Rainbow Dash, this should be interesting.
Swallowfire.
Okay, amusing.
That ending so touching! ...i hate to ask but what ever happen to her cruel human parents did theyf reak out their daughter died made abunch of noise and someoen called the cops thinking was a fight?
We better get to hear that long, sad story
8415370
We already know it from the show. Her eyes began to go... as they are now, and her flight performance dropped because of it (we saw this in Parental Glideance).
And in Where the Apple Lies we also saw a teenage Derpy at the hospital with bandages around her eyes, likely trying to get them fixed, which fails.
There always is a bully at school. Always.
8416048
Ah
Emma's former parents need to be arrested.
That's not just criminal levels of neglect, that's willfully and knowingly breaking laws.
Although a thought occurs to me: Were they actually Emma's real parents, or was she a kidnapping victim being raised for sale as somebody's future wife? She might not even remember her real parents if she was taken at a young enough age.
In any event, we now know that Emma was ten, so while small, that's still a somewhat sizable corps that her supposed human "parents" have to dispose of. Possibly another, larger, corpse as well if the "father" decides to take it out on the "mother" for letting their investment die.
"Stop thinking dark thoughts please..."
Okay, Pinkie.
"Now come on everypony, smile smile smile!"
O.O
8416498
They were her real parents.
Not that they deserved children.
RD and LW flying together would be great.
8416662
Somehow, that sounds even worse than if they had kidnapped her at a young enough age to not remember her real parents.
Kidnappers at least have the (pitiful) excuse that the child they are neglecting/abusing isn't their own flesh and blood.
If Emma's previous body is discovered, both of her former parents look to be facing serious jail time. Sure, the father was away at work, so wasn't there when she died, but Emma was ten, living in the house, and not registered for school, so there is no way that he's not culpable.
"Anyway, since it's unlikely to be covered in the story itself, I shall simply be happy imagining their trial, sentencing, and subsequent stay in separate prison cells."
"Geeze, Twilight, and you thought my Smile HD song was dark!"
"That's because it is dark, Pinkie."
"What happened to everypony deserves a second chance?"
"They let their daughter die from neglect. They get to live with that knowledge. That's all the second chance I'm willing to give them."
8419197
eh
pics.me.me/american-police-in-films-british-police-in-films-found-at-14498032.png
we're still better! (don't care if im a jerk!!! ) USA USA
8419197
salty much? lol
8421358
Replying to your own comment as if you were someone else agreeing with you was just pointless, so it's gone.
I couldn't give a shit if you're from the USA or anywhere else, and I don't see why a slight difference in dialect gives you reason to, as you rightly asserted, be a jerk.
8420984
Needles violence and brutality vs. being a public service.
Sure. 'Better.'
SHE IS A CHILD WITH P.T.S.D. WHAT THE BUCKING TARTORIUS?
8432981
She is a child who had an abused childhood, causing her death. She was then yanked aside on her way to 'the beyond' by some powerful being and then reborn into a body greatly differing from her original in a five minute span.
You really surprised it left some scars?
I really hope this thing with silver breeze is just a 'colt has a crush on a filly' type bully.
Here I hoped Little Wing would suprise them with her wing control. It was a nice chapter, but it felt like a situation where she didn't had to fail.
Maybe I judged it to fast, but I got the feeling like she would fail at everything at first.
Tom, I thought we talked about the whole 'depressing backstory' thing! I know it adds layer and emotion to the story, but man does it send a crossbow bolt through my heart...
And know i want to see the story go back to little wings old life just a bit so we can see her human parents getting their karma
8420984
I'm American, and I thought this was terrible.
Still, it's generally an exaggeration, but we sadly publicize the more negative events over the positive in many cases.
*round of intense applause for bringing up Derpy's canon backstory*
So she has some kind of PTSD. That honestly sucks and painful to go through. Hope she'll get better.