Chapters The next day, back in Ponyville, Scootaloo decided, after a morning of moping in her room, that she was going to go out and get her cutie mark, so that she could show it off proudly to Rainbow when she got back from Los Pegasus. She cantered through Ponyville towards a field on the outskirts of town, stretching her wings as she trotted, making sure each orange feather was in place.
The field was empty apart from the tall oak tree which stood proudly in the centre, leaves rustling in the slight breeze which swept through the air. Scootaloo, wings stretched out fully, stood for a moment, feeling the breeze over her feathers, before raising her wings and beginning to beat them quickly up and down. They made a slight whirring sound as they flapped in a blur, but Scootaloo had barely lifted a couple of inches off the ground before she tired; her wings flopped to her sides and she touched down again.
Frowning, Scootaloo allowed her wings a few minutes to recover before repeating the action, with the same result. Scootaloo straightened her feathers and was about to begin again when a delicate butterfly fluttered before her face to come to rest on her snout. Scootaloo snorted and shook it off irritably, only for a second butterfly to join it, the two brightly-coloured insects gracefully riding the breeze. They were joined by more and more, until a hundred or so butterflies crowded the air, two hundred pink, blue and yellow wings flapping in the sky.
"Oh!" came a familiar voice from above. "No, little ones, the next field is the one with the flowers..."
The crowd of butterflies opened up and Fluttershy descended slowly to the ground beside Scootaloo. She conferred quietly with three of the fluttering insects, who hovered before her face for a moment, before flying back into the cloud of the fellows. Slowly, the butterflies rose up and flew together to the next field, where many yellow daffodils swayed and bobbed their pretty heads.
Fluttershy looked over at Scootaloo. "I'm very sorry- they just got excited and came down too soon. What are you doing here on your own, anyway?"
"I was trying to fly." muttered Scootaloo ruefully. "But I wasn't getting anywhere."
Fluttershy looked surprised. "Really? But your wings are the right shape, your flight feathers are fully grown in... they're like Rainbow's wings, just right for high speed flight."
"But they're so weak ." spat Scootaloo.
Fluttershy frowned. "Try again- maybe I'll be able to tell you what's wrong."
Scootaloo dutifully unfurled her wings and repeated her high-speed flapping, tiring and sinking back down after a few seconds. Fluttershy tilted her head on one side.
"You're flapping them too fast." she confirmed.
"Huh?" said Scootaloo incredulously. Fluttershy unfolded her own wings.
"You need to beat them slowly, and put all the power in the downstroke, not the upstroke." To demonstrate, she flapped her wings down once, much more slowly than Scootaloo, and rose a foot in the air. Scootaloo was fascinated, and instantly tried to replicate the action.
Fluttershy watched as Scootaloo swung her wings down, putting all her strength into the action. Somehow, it felt right, and she lifted a few inches off the ground. Immediately, Scootaloo pulled her wings up again and repeated the downstroke. But as she began to rise higher, she became excited and began to buzz her wings again, only to fall back down, exhausted. Fluttershy smiled.
"You need to get more power in your wings before you can fly properly, anyway. I once trained with my animals for Hurricane Day; maybe I could give a training session?"
This was the closest to flying Scootaloo had ever got; eagerly, she accepted.
Half an hour later, Scootaloo was sweating. Having been defeated in an aerial tug-of-war by butterflies, seven times over, could take its toll. Fluttershy glided over, whistle dangling around her neck, and asked, "Are you ready for weightlifting?"
Scootaloo braced her wings against the dumbbell, and pushed upwards. It began to lift, and she grinned, only to glance at the weights and see that there were no weights on the pole.
For the rest of the day, Fluttershy kept Scootaloo on a training course, practicing press-ups with her wings, lifting weights, and practicing the wing motions for flight. Scootaloo had to drag herself back home, but she already felt stronger.
The morning after, Scootaloo rushed straight to Fluttershy's cottage, eager for another lesson. A yawning Fluttershy answered the door. "Oh, good morning, Scootaloo... what brings you here so early?"
"I want another training session! Please!" exclaimed Scootaloo.
Fluttershy looked sad. "Sorry, Scootaloo, but I have to count the baby squirrels today, and move some newts to a new pond. I really don't have time- maybe just practice on your own today?"
Scootaloo turned away, dejected, but then grew determined. "I will practice, and practice harder, until I'm as good a flyer as Rainbow Dash! No, better than Rainbow Dash! I'll prove to her, and myself, that I belong up in the sky!"
Day after day, Scootaloo trained. Some days she trained with Fluttershy, others by herself. With every lift of the weights, with every push-up, with each successful tug-of-war, Scootaloo's wings grew stronger.
Until one day, when Fluttershy was otherwise occupied, Scootaloo decided she was finally ready for true flight. So she set off for the gorge, where Rainbow Dash had once raced against the animals who wished to be her faithful pet.
Standing on the edge, Scootaloo spread her wings- and jumped.
At first, things went fine. Scootaloo's wings reacted just as they should, and she flapped along slowly above the chasm. But then, she decided to try a couple of stunts. Beating her wings harder, she rose into a loop-the-loop, and then, folding her wings, dived towards the bottom of the gorge. Calmly, as she neared the rocky base of the gorge, Scootaloo threw open her wings, but too late; her eyes widened as the ground zoomed up to meet her, there was a sickening thud- and darkness.
Much later, Scootaloo woke up. Stars glittered overhead, but as she tried to stand, she felt a sharp pain in her back leg and cried out in agony. Squinting in the darkness, she saw that her hind leg was trapped beneath a considerably-sized rock, and was twisted at a strange angle; it was apparently broken. Scootaloo suddenly remembered that nopony knew she was here, and thus would not think to look for her here. Fear at being left here to starve filled her, and she began to cry out into the fathomless night, a high-pitched keening sound.
After a few moments, there was an answering screech. Three kestrels swooped down to land beside her, and scrutinized the young orange pegasus with bright yellow eyes. At first, Scootaloo ignored them, but then they began to scratch at the rock, and she turned to face them. The kestrels fastened their sharp talons onto the rough surface of the rock, and then slowly began to lift it off Scootaloo's leg. Scootaloo quickly stood, keeping her weight off her injured leg, and smiled, thanking the three kestrels for their help. They just bobbed their heads and blinked a bit more, but as Scootaloo began to limp along, they stayed with her.
After a long, agonising walk, Scootaloo reached the far end of the gorge, and climbed laboriously out, her bruised wings offering little help. She limped back to town, and arrived back as the sun began to appear on the horizon.
Through all this, the smallest kestrel stayed by her. Its peers had winged away as Scootaloo left the gorge, but the youngest hovered over her, occasionally swooping down for a rest on her back. Scootaloo smiled at her little companion, and she blinked back.
Scootaloo arrived at the hospital, and immediately was rushed for an x-ray which confirmed that her leg was broken. It was wrapped up in plaster and then Scootaloo was dismissed from the hospital, bemused at the pure speed of it all. She limped more comfortably along home, where she found the little she-kestrel waiting on her windowsill. It cried musically to her, and came to rest on her shoulder. Examining the young raptor further, Scootaloo saw that one of her talons was missing, and took it to Fluttershy with all haste.
Fluttershy told Scootaloo that one of the kestrel's talons had been wrenched out as she lifted the rock, scolded Scootaloo for being irresponsible, and then treated the injury carefully.
But when Fluttershy let the kestrel go, she flew straight to Scootaloo and rubbed her head against her cheek, hovering by the orange pegasus's shoulder.
"Well, Scootaloo, it appears you've found yourself an animal willing to be your pet, if you'll accept her." said Fluttershy. "She says she feels a special connection with you, and she'd like to be your companion."
Scootaloo surveyed the young kestrel perching on her back. "Pet, huh? I've always wanted one of those..." And it was true. Applebloom had Red, one of Winona's puppies, and Sweetie Belle had Glimmer, one of Opal's kittens (who thankfully had a much more friendly attitude than her mother). But up until now, Scootaloo had had no pet, and had put little thought to how to obtain one. But now it seemed she had one.
"Sure, you can be my companion!" said Scootaloo enthusiastically. The little kestrel screeched happily.
Fluttershy prompted, "Do you want to give her a name?"
Scootaloo looked around at the bird, who surveyed her with beady yellow eyes. "Oh, right! I'll call her..."
Scootaloo racked her brains for a good name. "Dash... no... Finesse...no...Ha! Vitesse! That's an awesome name, right Vitesse?"
The kestrel screeched in confirmation. Fluttershy smiled, and then firmly sent Scootaloo home to rest her broken leg.
Flying with a broken leg was dangerous, since the leg hung limp and could not be used for balance in the air, so Scootaloo was grounded until it could heal. She would have been miserable were it not for Vitesse flitting around and screeching, soaring around above her new owner's head.
As Scootaloo trotted through Ponyville, she wondered if she still needed a teacher for her flying. Not really- but she wanted to learn stunts, and be a flier like Rainbow Dash, not just a weather pony. Cloudbusting wasn't something she had tried, just in case that turned out to be her special talent and not aerobatics. A Sonic Rainboom was the ultimate goal, but it would be a long while until she could even attempt such a thing. Basic stunts, like corkscrews, loop-the-loops and other simplicities had to be utterly mastered before any action towards tackling advanced stunts.
As Scootaloo thought through this, she forgot to look where she was going. She bumped head on into somepony who was leaning on a streetlight.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Scootaloo cried, but the figure just gave a noncommittal grunt. As she looked at the figure, it was evident that it was not a pony, and as it stepped forward, a sharp beak, large brown wings, and twitching lion's tail came into view. It was a griffin, and not just any griffin. This was-
"Gilda ?" exclaimed Scootaloo.
Scootaloo, though having never met the griffin personally, had nevertheless heard tell of her from Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and of course, Rainbow Dash, though these things were seldom very pleasant. Now, Gilda's unfamiliar form loomed, and Scootaloo felt the sudden urge to cower.
Vitesse, however, was unperturbed, and went to perch on Gilda's outstretched wing. Gilda inclined her head slightly, as did the kestrel, in a signal of respect for a fellow raptor, and then the griffin turned her piercing yellow eyes on Scootaloo.
"Hey." said Gilda offhandedly. Her large, bronze-feathered wings folded with a rustle. Vitesse swooped over to perch on Scootaloo's back again. "Nice pet. How'd you know my name, anyhow?"
"Well...um... Rainbow Dash told me about you." stuttered Scootaloo.
"Dash?" Gilda said. "I came here to see her, actually, and congratulate her on becoming a Wonderbolt. She around?"
"No, she's away in Los Pegasus." replied Scootaloo, still edgy.
"Shame. I wanted to introduce her to Peleus." said Gilda.
"Who's..." Scootaloo broke off as a young griffin emerged from Gilda. "Uh, is that-"
"My little brother." interrupted Gilda.
"Oh." Scootaloo blinked at the little griffin. His feathers were sandy gold colour, and he was only a little bigger than a colt. He blinked back at her with sharp, intelligent orange eyes.
"Sorry, Peleus, Dash isn't here." said Gilda, wrapping her brother in a winged hug; the griffin cub pushed her off. Gilda looked up and surveyed Scootaloo coolly. "That girl Pinkie Pie still here?" she asked.
Scootaloo was instantly defensive. "Why?"
Gilda shrugged. "Wanted to apologise to her. I was a bit nasty when I was here last. Just a difficult time in my life. Oh, and I'd like to see the yellow and pink one too."
"Fluttershy?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"She is here... both of them are, but I'm not sure they'd be too glad to see you..." Scootaloo said nervously.
Gilda scowled. "I'm guessing they've been bad-mouthing me to you?"
"Truth be told, yes." admitted Scootaloo. "But-"
"Wait." Gilda pointed with one of her claws at Scootaloo's flank. "Where's your... uh..."
"My cutie mark? I don't have one." confessed Scootaloo.
"Why not? I thought you ponies all had them."
"We get them when we discover our special talents. I haven't found mine yet, so I don't have a cutie mark."
"Huh.You ponies are so weird. Anyway, I gotta go give Peleus a flying lesson. Laters, uh..."
"Scootaloo. How long will you be staying here?"
"Until Dash gets back, probably."
"You'll be here a while- she's in Los Pegasus for a year."
Gilda seemed thoroughly unruffled by this information. "Well, I'm a free griffin. I'll take Peleus back home in a few weeks, then come back and wait. See you around, Scootaloo, Vitesse."
"How did you know that was her name?" said Scootaloo as Gilda spread her wings.
"She told me. Duh." Gilda rolled her eyes and took off, Peleus clinging to her back.
Scootaloo watched Gilda soaring away, and smiled. The griffin didn't seem so bad.
Scootaloo's leg mended quickly since she was young and healthy, and a few weeks after her accident she was given the all clear to fly again.
It felt so good to be airborne once again that Scootaloo, once she'd settled into a glide far above the ground, closed her eyes and just enjoyed the sensation of the air through her feathers.
As she slowly descended, the story of Rainbow's cutie mark passed through her head. Maybe, if she could do a Sonic Rainboom, she'd finally get her cutie mark.
Scootaloo opened her eyes; in a flash of daring, she soared upwards as high as she could go, then tilted into an almost vertical dive. She stretched her hooves out before her, kept her wings almost folded in order to minimise drag, and gained speed rapidly as she dived.
To her delight, a smooth curve of force began to build around her hooves, but even as it appeared she felt it pushing back on her, and seconds later she was forced backwards, losing a lot of speed.
Scootaloo pulled up, and then heard a voice call to her. "You have to push forwards, not just keep going!"
Scootaloo whirled around to see Gilda hovering nearby, Peleus at her side.
"How do you know?" called Scootaloo, a bit of scorn in her tone; did the griffin even have a clue about what she was talking about?
Gilda flew over and told Peleus to stay with Scootaloo, before beating her wings and carrying herself upwards, to the same height Scootaloo had started from. Then the griffin took up the same stance Scootaloo had and plunged into a dive.
Duly, the curve of resistance materialised before Gilda's outstretched claws, but the griffin was not deterred. Continuing to dive, she pressed forward, and the curve grew bolder, until it narrowed into a cone.
And then there was an almighty boom. Scootaloo stared, expecting to see the colours of the spectrum painting the sky, but there was nothing.
Gilda stalled and slowed down, coming to hover in front of Scootaloo. She ran a claw through her white head feathers. "For some reason, it's only you ponies who can do the rainbow thing; it's just a sonic boom for us griffins. But then, who wants to look like they're farting rainbows?"
For some reason, that made Scootaloo giggle. Gilda looked thoughtfully at her. "Say, you seem okay, for a pony. And you certainly seemed to know what you were doing with the dive, until the resistance bounced you back. I could give you a few pointers on that if you like."
"Oh, thank you! I'd like that, I'm certain my special talent must be something to do with flying." gushed Scootaloo, before regaining her composure. "I- I mean, if it isn't too much trouble."
"Sure it isn't. I'll see you later, Scoots." Gilda swooped away, followed by Peleus.
Scootaloo went home, and Vitesse was there to greet her. "Somehow, Vitesse." said Scootaloo, "I think everything might be okay from here on."
The kestrel just screeched.
"Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash!"
"Hey, squirt. How are ya doing?"
"Oh, great! But I ... still can't fly."
"Don't let it get you down, kid. Hey, why don't I give you a few pointers after I get back from the Wonderbolt trials on Friday?"
"Really?"
"Sure. Anything for my biggest fan..."
Scootaloo reflected on that conversation as she sat on a bench in the village square. It had been almost six months ago now...
Rainbow hadn't come back from the Wonderbolts trials. The Wonderbolts had been so astounded by her Sonic Rainboom, and other assorted stunts, that they had enlisted her on the spot. Now Rainbow was in Baltimare, performing with her fellow Wonderbolts to crowds of thousands. Scootaloo had the tour schedule pinned up on her bedroom wall. Next week, the Wonderbolts were coming to Canterlot for their final show before the end of the tour, and Scootaloo was going to be there. Sweetie Belle, now a worldwide singing sensation, was the half-time show, and as a result had bagged VIP tickets for her sister and two best friends.
Sweetie Belle had gained her cutie mark just before Rainbow became a Wonderbolt; it was a microphone, with two purple musical notes next to it. Applebloom, following the family tradition, had earned her cutie mark a month or so after, after successfully cross-breeding Golden Delicious apples with Zap apples, resulting in something Applebloom called 'Rainbow Deliciouses'. Applebloom's cutie mark was one of these such apples.
But Scootaloo's flank remained stubbornly blank, quite an embarrassing thing for a pony her age. She was almost full grown now, and her wings were the right shape and size for flight at long last. But they were pitifully weak from lack of use, and usually stayed permanently folded against her sides. The other day she had seen the Cakes' son, Pound Cake, pummeling clouds above her head, his cutie mark, a hammer smashing a cloud, clearly emblazoned on his flank.
Everywhere she went, ponies looked at her with pity in their eyes, and Scootaloo hated it. She had tried, time and time again, to fly, but her efforts would inevitably end with her spitting out dirt after another failure. But not for much longer. Next week, she'd see Rainbow Dash, and Rainbow would finally give her those long-overdue pointers.
The day of the show dawned bright and sunny. Scootaloo climbed into the first-class carriage of the train with Sweetie Belle, Rarity and Applebloom. They were the only occupants. Rarity and Sweetie Belle looked quite at ease with the cleanliness and elegance of the carriage, but Scootaloo felt edgy, like everything was so fragile she could break something if she touched it. Applebloom was fidgeting on the leather seats, so it was clear she shared Scootaloo's feelings.
The train began to pull out of the station and Scootaloo took a seat next to Applebloom.
Sweetie Belle yawned, waving an elegant white hoof. "I'm gonna catch some shuteye- I mean, I'm going to catch up on my beauty sleep, if you don't mind." she corrected as Rarity eyed her sternly. Rarity seemed satisfied by the correction, and she nodded. Sweetie Belle's head snapped back and she started snoring loudly and fakely. Scootaloo and Applebloom stifled sniggers at the look on Rarity's face.
Eventually, the train arrived in Canterlot, and the three younger mares were hustled off to the showground. They fought their way through an army of journalists and admirers, and then Rarity told the other two to just look around, before whisking her protesting sister away to her dressing room.
Applebloom went to find a drink, while Scootaloo opted for wandering the hallways. Eventually she came across a heavily guarded corridor. A row of doors, each with a gold star and the name on a Wonderbolt emblazoned on it, lined the corridor.
A guard stopped Scootaloo. "Where d'you think you're going, missy?"
Scootaloo smiled a hopefully convincing smile. "Rainbow Dash knows me. She asked to see me."
The guard looked suspicious. "And what's your name, missy?"
"Scootaloo." she answered. The guard turned away to mutter into a walkie-talkie, then turned back to Scootaloo. "Okay, proceed."
Scootaloo trotted along the corridor, passing the doors of Soarin, Spitfire and others before arriving at the door engraved with 'Rainbow Dash'. She carefully pushed it open and stepped inside.
She was met by the sight of a pegasus mare in a blue Wonderbolts uniform. Cyan wings were folded against her sides, and a spiked mane and tail coloured with all the hues of the spectrum drew the eye.
"Scootaloo!" cried Rainbow. "You've really grown... well, show me then."
Scootaloo was caught off guard. "Show you what?"
Two bright violet eyes rolled. "Duh. Your cutie mark."
"Oh." Scootaloo lowered her head. "Well, you see..."
"What's wrong?" asked Rainbow.
"I don't actually have it yet... I can't even... fly...
There was a pause. Then, "Really? You can't fly? But your wings are perfect, just like mine when I was your age..."
"But they're useless!" flared Scootaloo. "That's why I've come... I hoped you could-"
Suddenly Spitfire burst in. "Dash. We've ten minutes until we need to start the show. Make sure you're-" Spitfire blinked at Scootaloo. "Who's this?"
"Old friend." said Rainbow automatically.
"Well get her out of here. You've not even warmed up yet." Spitfire left, slamming the door.
"Sorry, Scoots. We'll have to talk later. Ponies to dazzle, ya know?" Rainbow started to stretch her wings.
Scootaloo left Rainbow to prepare, joining Rarity and Applebloom in the VIP box.
The show soon began. Scootaloo's eyes were on Rainbow the whole time. Rainbow performed several of her trademark stunts, but not the Rainboom; Scootaloo supposed they were saving that for the finale
At the interval, Sweetie Belle trotted in, adorned in a beautifully detailed dress, as obviously Rarity's hoofwork as the stunts were Rainbow's.
Sweetie Belle started singing, but the words mostly flew over Scootaloo's head. Only a couple of lines caught Scootaloo's ears.
"I will keep on chasing rainbows in my dreams,
I will keep on chasing rainbows 'til I find you. "
After a selection of songs, Sweetie Belle took a neat curtsy and trotted out to momentous applause. The Wonderbolts returned, and took flight.
Again, Scootaloo couldn't take her eyes from Rainbow. Finally, the cyan pegasus began to spiral upwards, and Scootaloo stopped blinking. When she was so high she was only a speck, Rainbow began to dive, and as her fellows spun around her, a Sonic Rainboom burst across the sky. Scootaloo found herself on her hooves, pounding them on the floor and yelling as the Wonderbolts took one last lap around the stadium, a band of rainbow colours leading them in their flight.
Scootaloo cantered towards Rainbow as the Wonderbolts left the stadium, struggling through the crowds. Rainbow turned to face her, eyes shining. "Hey, Scoots! We're going on a training course in Los Pegasus for a year! Spitfire just told me! When I get back, and you've got your cutie mark and can fly, I'll be able to show you some amazing tricks! Now, what were you saying earlier?"
Scootaloo grinned. "Nothing to worry about. Enjoy your training course!" Rainbow flew off with Spitfire and Soarin, and Scootaloo turned around, tears glittering in her eyes.
"How will I ever fly now?"