“You will never be able to fly!”
It wasn’t the shard of glass that nicked her cheek and caused a droplet of blood to run like a teardrop that hurt. Nor was it the sting of alcohol in a raw wound, that smarted. What hurt was the semblance of truth in her drunk mother’s words.
Scootaloo was almost ten now, and much like her cutie mark, her wings still hadn’t developed as all her classmates’ had. Her small wings had grown strong, and with a good leap she could even stay in the air for a moment longer than any earth pony could, but it was hardly anything to be proud of. All her pegasi friends had left for Flight Camp over a month ago, and she had been left behind. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were still here, of course, but as they were an earth pony and a unicorn respectively, it didn’t do much to make her feel better.
Scootaloo blinked away tears as her mother started on about her being the most worthless pegasus she had ever seen that wouldn’t amount to anything… Yadda yadda, Scoots had heard it all before, and wasn’t going to put up with it today. What did her mother know anyway? It wasn’t like she was ever around to see anything her daughter had ever accomplished. Flightless or not, Scootaloo knew she had worth, and shouted back a few choice words of her own as she stormed out the door. A week ago she wouldn’t have dared, but know she knew that it didn’t matter whether she was locked out of the house or not. She knew Rainbow Dash would let her crash at her place indefinitely, if need be, although she might have to come up with a creative reason as to why. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to admit the reasons why no-one seen her family, and especially not to her idol.
Late evening in Ponyville was always beautiful, and although she knew she probably shouldn’t be out at this hour, Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel comforted by the gentle twilight that surrounded her. Luna’s sky arched above her, each star gently glittering in a silent melody. The breeze that drifted through town was chilly, but not uncomfortably so, and it rocked the trees and flowers into a gentle sway that made her smile. There was something about the barely audible noise it made that felt peaceful to her. If it weren’t for the nightmares, the week she had gone camping with her friends would have been the most peaceful nights she’d have known.
Scootaloo grinned softly to herself. It would work out next time, she was sure… And anyway, it had all turned out perfectly in the end, so she wasn’t going to give it more thought than it was due.
Letting her hooves carry her where they may, the orange filly wandered through the streets of a sleepy Ponyville. She knew the town off by heart, so she wasn’t concerned with getting lost. Even as they slowly carried her out of town and into a quiet flower field a ways off, she didn’t worry. She had a good sense of direction, and knew that she could find her way back without issue.
She stopped there, in the middle of the field, Ponyville little more than glimmering lights on the horizon. She had gone much farther than she had originally intended, but she couldn’t help but feel she had arrived at her destination. She let herself flop down among the sweet-smelling blossoms with a satisfied sigh. Her eyes slowly drifted up the stars, and she rolled over onto her back to simply watch them.
Normally Scootaloo would have been in bed by now, curled up and silently hoping to have a dream in which her and Rainbow Dash could fly through the heavens together. Right now, however, she didn’t even feel tired. Instead, there was a gentle energy coursing through her veins, as if her whole body was sure something good was about to happen.
The wind rushed by her in a sleepy sigh, rustling the flowers about her, and causing them to gently bob in the breeze. Scootaloo slowly sat up, stretching her wings in a gentle sweeping motion. They were so achy lately, and she was soon amusing herself with various musings as to why. The most likely reason would be that she had simply overdone it a bit on her scooter this week, especially if she took in her last few attempts at a trick she had read about in a book into consideration. It was dreadfully complicated, and she had spent several hours the day before trying to duplicate it. With the amount of spectacular wipe-outs she had done, she was grateful she had decided to make a much smaller ramp than the one the book had described, and had borrowed a few of the school’s gym mats to pad any unwanted landings as an added precaution. If and when she finally got it right, she wouldn’t even touch them, but so far, all she had accomplished was a perfect understanding of why Cheerilee had been so willing to let her use them.
Scoots laughed, letting the stress that had bound her bones that long evening to dissolve into the wind with her giggles. The breeze almost seemed to be laughing with her in whispering music for a moment… Until she realized she actually was hearing music far off in the distance.
Following her ears, the young pegasus quickly left the lights of the town behind, disappearing off into the night. It wasn’t long before she found the source of the whispering melodies she could hear.
A simple gramophone sat on the grass, playing a well-worn vinyl record of violin music to the night sky. As her eyes took in the empty field, her heart took in the music, and a small part of her began to dare. Orange wings unfolded with an unknowing hint of excited trepidation, eyes rising to the sky to look for who had set the music playing. It took a minute, for her to see him, dark blue against the midnight sky. When she did though, she couldn’t help but grin in amazement as she watched.
He didn’t have the speed, nor flare that Rainbow Dash did, instead holding a daring grace that she’d never seen before. Rainbow would leave a glittering mist in her wake, crashing through clouds that dared be in her way; He instead seemed to dance with them, shaping them with a wing’s brush as he spiralled around them, leaving sculptures of emotion behind.
So, with such a spectacular show above her, it is perhaps no wonder that the young mare ended up spending a long hour sitting under the stars, watching the pegasus above her simply fly. The moment only broke when the record skipped, stalled, and then fell silent altogether. Scootaloo dropped her eyes back to the ground, suddenly feeling very sheepish for spying on someone’s probably very secret practice. Wholly intending to sneak off while still unknown, Scootaloo took to her hooves, and began the long walk back to town.
She heard the pegasus land behind her, the soft ruffle of feathers and the muffled thud of hooves on grass- But she didn’t expect to hear the gramophone come to life again, or see the young stallion smiling at her when she peeked over her shoulder at him. He gave her a small nod, before tilting his head to the sky, and opening a wing in invitation.
Scootaloo could hardly believe that somepony was inviting her to fly with them. Other ponies her age only laughed at her, never believing that she could so much as take off with her small wingspan… And yet, she could feel her wings unfolding, she could feel herself daring. The stallion smiled again, unfolding his wings in a sweeping arch as she found herself walking over to him. Her hesitations were fading as instinct seemed to bid her upwards, and as the air thrummed with his wing beats, it soon began to hum with her own.
Her hooves barely brushed the top of the grass before she landed again. Frustration threatened to come back, but was brushed away by the breeze as the stallion swung around on the wind’s current to glide along side her for a moment. Their eyes met, and a sort of understanding passed between them. Scootaloo’s eyes widened as an epiphany began to bud in her mind.
Perhaps flying wasn’t about fighting gravity, or defying death, or proving everyone else wrong. Perhaps it was about dancing with the world, moving with the twists of the wind, about discovering your own strength.
This time, when she unfolded her wings, she didn’t fight. This time, she let go, closed her eyes, and took a step forward into the breeze, then a step with the music, and then a step upwards as her wings cut through the air, allowing it to lift her up. As her eyes slid open once again, she found herself flying.
A huge grin split her face, and she nearly whooped as instinct bid her wings to flap, allowing her to take the place in the sky she had desired for so long. The wind grew stronger, pushing her farther upwards, and for a second the young pegasus panicked, feeling herself rocking unsteadily in the growing gale. Before she had so much as had chance to gulp, she found herself steadied by a blue wing underneath her own. The gust passed, and as soon as she found herself in control once again, the blue wing tilted away, and the stallion was soon looping up into the night sky again, his mouth open in a silent laugh that Scootaloo quickly found herself joining in with.
It was truly wonderful, an ecstatic peace that filled every fiber of her being… And so the night was spent.
Learning, living, laughing with each other, and occasionally leaning on through the night’s tricks and currents, the two pegasi danced the night away.
