> To Fly Higher
>  by dark-spirited Bakura
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> To Fly Higher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When Scootaloo opened her eyes that morning, it felt like a normal day to her. She laid in bed for a few minutes to let the sleepiness wear off, and then yawned as she dragged herself to stand up. Her unruly mane stuck out in all places and promised to be a pain to brush out later. She quietly made her way through the empty house, not wanting to disrupt the peaceful silence. 
The filly’s eyes brightened as she entered the kitchen and saw her favorite cereal sitting on the table. Scootaloo clumsily scrambled onto a chair and grinned as she shamelessly poured the rainbow colored bits into her mouth. Chewing noisily, she looked out of the one dirty window that the house contained. To her delight, she caught sight of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom walking this way. Her ears twitched happily. 
She galloped over to the door and opened it even before the knock came. “Hey guys!” she announced cheerily, almost laughing at the surprised looks on their faces. 
“Hey Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle replied, a shy sort of smile gracing her features. “We just came over to see how you were doing.” 
“Yeah, we’ve been worried about you lately, with… ya know,” Apple Bloom said, seeming extremely hesitant and a bit awkward. 
Scootaloo blinked. “Of course I’m fine, why wouldn’t I…?” Oh. Right. She’d almost forgotten. She shot a dreary look at the wreckage of her beloved scooter, not able to hold back a wince when the memories came flooding back. 
She could do it. She knew she could! She was going to make this jump and that was that. She was going to make Rainbow Dash see her!
Exhilaration filled her as the intimidating gap in the cliff came into view. Her wings fluttered rapidly behind her, and the next thing she knew she was flying. She held her breath as she soared to the other side, heart thumping uncontrollably. She could do this. She could do this. 
Suddenly a realization crashed into her. She didn’t have enough speed. She wasn’t going to make it to the other side. As horror overcame her, she held her scooter in a death grip as she plummeted down to the ravine below. She squeezed her eyes closed, bracing herself for impact. She didn’t even feel a thing as she hit the ground, losing consciousness immediately. 
Scootaloo shook her head, pushing the memory aside. She glanced back up to the other members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, seeing that both had worried looks on their faces. “I’m fine guys, really,” she said while she grinned, trying not to let her voice waver. “It’s not that big of a deal, I’ll get over it.” 
Apple Bloom looked doubtful, but eventually nodded. Sweetie Belle followed suit. “Well if you need anything just holler and we’ll be here quicker than a flick of your tail,” the red-haired filly said, smiling.
“Yup!” Sweetie Belle added, feeling the need to have the last word.
Scootaloo kept the grin on her face until the door closed, then let out a sad little sigh. Having lost her appetite, she trotted back to her room and gazed in the mirror that sat against the wall. More memories presented themselves, all in flashes.
“Hold still, this is going to hurt,” an unfamiliar voice said, sounding somewhat urgent. She didn’t even have the chance to open her eyes or ask what was going on before white-hot pain seared through her. She’s pretty sure she screamed.
“Her injuries are extremely severe…”
“She landed on her back when she fell…”
“I’m not sure what else to do…”
“If she survives this, she’ll never…”
“We have no other choice, we’re going to have to do it…”
“I’m truly sorry for what we’re about to do, Scootaloo…”
Scootaloo barely glanced at the numerous patches around her face, or the bandages wrapped around her torso. What really looked at were her wings. Or what was left of them, anyways. 
A feeling of numbness passed over her as she stared at the heavily wrapped stumps that poked out of her back. They’d had to be amputated to prevent any serious problems in the future. The loss weighed heavily in her chest, and she already felt tears springing to her eyes. How was she ever going to prove her worth like this?
Rainbow Dash was never going to accept her. Everypony was going to stare at her in horror whenever she left her house, or even worse, pity. She would never ride her scooter again, she would never get the chance to fly, and she might not even gain her cutie mark. Scootaloo sniffed miserably, letting herself sink to the floor and buried her head in her hooves. 
She sat in that position for what seemed like forever. Alone, surrounded by silence, a wreck. A knock startled her out of her thoughts and she quickly composed herself. Wiping away the tears, she walked over to the door and looked out the window. To her surprise, no one was there. Confused, she started to walk back, but then caught sight of a small piece of paper sitting on the floor. 
Scootaloo blinked, picking it up cautiously and discovered that it was a picture. It was of her and Rainbow Dash, probably when they had gone camping with Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Rainbow was laughing, ruffling Scootaloo’s mane with one hoof and holding the filly close to her with the other. Scootaloo had one eye closed, grinning widely and looking fondly up at the elder pony. 
She smiled softly, turning the photo over. There were a few words on the back, written very sloppily. But it was enough to make the tears return sevenfold, though this time they were of happiness. 
That small, insignificant photograph had flipped Scootaloo’s life back around the way it should be, and was hung up on the wall. She treasured and worshiped it, making it a part of her daily ritual to gaze at it for at least five minutes before breakfast. She repeated the words in her mind at least a thousand times a day. 
And she did eventually gain her cutie mark. How she got it? She realized she had a knack for dancing and performing on stage. She didn’t need wings to glide gracefully across the stage. She didn’t need wings to leap and twist through the air. She didn’t need wings to make herself or others happy. 
All she needed to do was to acknowledge herself. 
“You’ll always be my number one.” ~ Yours Truly, Rainbow Dash