But, I Don't Want To Become A Wonderbolt
The air itself was now Scootaloo's enemy. One second all she could do was suck it in, gasping, and the next it was like each breath was a new knife ready to pierce her.
Scootaloo soared upwards through the sky going so fast that the wind she made boomed around her. Every inch higher made the temperature drop what seemed exponentially, but the pain would have to be endured. One look down was all she needed to know that this was the farthest up she had ever been. The land below was now all white from the layers of cloud that blanketed it. Above her was only blank blueness.
Scootaloo's wings were now the size of a normal pegasus' and if anything more muscular. The days of only being able to look up were gone; now she too could stare down at those who said she would never make it. More than her wings, though, was her cutie mark that was the greatest changer in her appearance. It was a large purple and orange butterfly with two smaller ones to its side on top of a bright purple streak of lightning. Her special talent, scooting. Looking back it should have been obvious from the start, but hindsight's always like that.
"Okay, sis, time to blast down!" Rainbow Dash popped over the clouds with her mouth to the megaphone wearing her usual coach's hat and a necktie whistle. She descended back into the clouds.
Scootaloo braked and turned her eyes downwards. Alright, not that difficult. Next was the easy part, pumping herself up, or at least it should have been.
She was literally on top of the world, higher than her former, wingless self could have ever imagined. Even Dash was below her. Scootaloo expected a rush to overtake her any second, but instead all she could do was stare at the white covered ground, missing it.
Only now could she realize, the sky was not where she belonged.
The thing she missed the most was her scooter, which was now all but invisible thanks to the clouds. Even now, so high up that she too was invisible to all her friends, the rush of scooting through the streets of Ponyville overtook her. The wind against her face, the ponies around her fading into the background; if only she could feel it now too. None of that mattered, though, for as Dash said, it was time to blast down.
Scootaloo readied her wings and shot downwards, ripping through the air and clouds. The blankets of white overtook her view until all around her was a dense but soft wet fog. Not even a second later the sky cleared and she found Dash standing on the grass below on the outskirts of Ponyville.
The filly contorted her body into an arrow and let the boom around her blast ever louder. The ground approached so fast like it too was flying towards her. She spread her wings and felt her body jerk forwards from the deceleration.
"Come on, just brake!" Dash yelled.
Scootaloo tensed her wings as hard as she could but found herself still shooting towards the ground. She straightened her hooves, knowing what would come next, and made contract. Her hooves scraped against the dirt and grass, leaving a burning trail. After skiing over an entire hill she finally stopped, now back on the earth she missed so much.
Dash ran to her sister with a smile big even for her, "Now that's how you do it!" and put Scootaloo in a headlock. "That was nuts! Seriously, one second you're comin' in like a meteor and then you total the whole hill!"
Scootaloo smiled nervously, "Wasn't that good... I did mess up the landing."
"Eh, whatever... All that matters is that you're on the ground," Dash said. Her sister stayed still, as did her half smile. "Come on, what's the matter? You did great! You don't gotta be that hard on yourself, kiddo."
"If you say so..." Scootaloo looked away for a second, "Actually, there's something I need to talk about..."
"Can it wait?"
Scootaloo paused.
"We've got alot of training to get through today and there's not a second to lose!" Dash turned her cap backwards, "Now let's go! This was just the warm up. Nothing like a good sky dive to get the blood rushing."
"Got it..." Scootaloo frowned.
"I'm telling you, Scoots, you sure got one heck of a potential," Dash put her hoof on her sister. "I might even be a little jealous, but you didn't hear that from me," she said, cracking a laugh. Scootaloo's frown remained. "Seriously, it's hard to believe that your wings only developed a few months ago, but hey, better late than never. At this rate I got no doubt that you'll be a Wonderbolt, none!" Scootaloo nodded her head, looking down, only to have Dash grab her and lift it up.
The two sisters walked away with Scootaloo following a few steps behind.
I wonder where I left my scooter?
...........................................................................
They traveled to a more remote and grassy plain farther away from Ponyville and began the next bout of training. For the entire rest of the day Scootaloo performed tricks, tests, speed runs, aerial maneuvers and whatever else Dash could think of in her excitement. The young filly got top marks in every test and by the end of it all Dash's vocal cords had gone sore from all the yells and screams of joy.
Scootaloo's frown only grew as the hours progressed, though. Not once did even the semblance of an adrenaline rush hit her. In fact, she was pretty much bored.
All Scootaloo wanted was a chance to talk with her sister, but any attempt was futile as the barrage of tests and training was all Dash could think about. "Next test! Come on, more training!" Her sister's frown had become invisible. By sunset, Scootaloo was once again soaring upwards through the aerial glacier. Below her was Dash's final test, a dive plus speed run through a canyon. The setting sun in the distance gave the sky a glittery reddish hue.
The wind struck hard against the filly's still developing feathers. The speed was literally breathtaking and her heartrate rose with every inch ascended. Her gaze was focused straight up and jaw clenched; this was how it was supposed to be, her versus the sky.
All Scootaloo could think about was scooting through Ponyville. Even a slow drive would have been okay.
Grrrr! Her jaw clenched harder as her thoughts converted into rage. The image inside her head only grew more solid the more she tried to fight it until it was all she could see.
Am I really gonna have to do this all my life?
She blasted upwards so fast that her skull felt like it was about to crack open from the pressure.
"Come down now! Don't go that high!" Dash yelled, giving chase.
Scootaloo paid no attention to the noise and rose until the curvature of the world was now visible all around her. The sky around her had turned from blue to black. A silence overtook her. "If this is what you want, Dash, then fine!"
Her wings tensed like never before and she rocketed herself down through the atmosphere so fast that even Dash jumped back from the speed. "Whoa!" A cone of red fire burned around the filly as her descent pierced through the approaching night sky. Her eyes had long since closed shut.
The canyon below approached with an ever fastening pace, and almost as if she just knew when to start, Scootaloo's wings propelled her forward into it. She opened her eyes and found herself closed off to the world on both sides by a series of rocky cliffs that stretched forward until they met. Her mane and feathers swung around gracefully; her pose and form were flawless. In the end, though, her current prowess in the air wasn't even the last thing on her mind. All she could see was the finish line in the end, and the end of her training.
Forever.
The rocks dragged along her. She shot up the canyon keeping her eyes and body pointed only straight ahead. Dash wasn't at the end zone which meant that the time couldn't be recorded, but that didn't matter. All that did was whether or not she was on the ground.
It only took a few more seconds for Scootaloo to reach the finish line. Once there, she planted her hooves into the ground and came to a complete stop without a hitch. All that was left now was to wait for Dash.
With her jaw dropped and head raised up, Dash came forth flying at a calm pace. Scootaloo stood tall and with a blank face. Her eyes glared.
"I don't even know what to say..." Dash made landfall, still with shock filled eyes. Scootaloo kept her glare.
"Seriously... how in Equestria did you do that?! I don't even need the stopwatch," Dash said, throwing it away, "That was by far your best time, I-I... You know what, come here!" She put her little sister in another headlock, only this time all her force was put into it. Scootaloo's head rested on the warmth of her sister's hoof, but that was all the warmth she could feel.
"Give it here," Dash said, sticking out her other hoof, "You deserve it. I'm proud of you, kiddo... no, I'm more proud of you than ever!"
"I don't care!"
Scootaloo threw her sister's hoof away and snorted with a death stare directed straight at the pony who had only embraced her.
"Huh?"
"Don't you get it?! I don't care about any of this! Racing, the Wonderbolts! How can you not see that?!"
Dash stood frozen and without a single expression on her face.
Scootaloo choked back a single tear, then saying softly, "I never did... No matter how fast I went or how high or... how much you said I was special... I just don't, and ge-etting my cutie mark just made me realize that more."
Dash took a step forward, "But... then why did you do it?" It was uncanny hearing her voice spoken so softly.
"Be-cause... I didn't want to disappoint you, after everything you've do-one f-or..." Scootaloo could only hold back her tears for so long, "I'm so sorry..! Please don't be mad or disappointed in me! If it means that much to you I can-."
Dash put her hoof in the filly's mouth, "You can do what? Huh?" She took her hoof out, "Look, if you don't like racing then you don't, it's as simple as that."
"But..."
"But nothing! There's nothin' wrong with not liking racing. I only do it cuz I love it, and so should you!" She smiled, "You never had anything to be scared about... You should've ju-,"but it wasn't long until it turned to a frown, "Actually, I'm sorry..."
"For what?" Scootaloo said with obvious confusion in her voice.
"This is all my fault... It was wrong for me to keep on forcing you to fly like this without making sure you were actually into it. Ever since you've gotten your wings, I've been trying to force my likes on you without making sure they were your own too... and I'm sorry, really."
Scootaloo's glare ended, now replaced by a smile, and she jumped on top of her older sister. "Whoa there!" Dash said, now carrying her.
"And I'm sorry for not saying anything before... I was just scared..."
Dash pushed back her sister, then saying with a glare, "But I am mad about one thing."
"W-What?"
"That you thought I'd be disappointed in you. Listen carefully, I'll never be disappointed in you, got it?" Dash said, still glaring.
Scootaloo's smile returned, "Got it."
As did Dash's, "Good. Just do what makes you happy, that's how you can pay me back."
"Don't worry," Scootaloo said with a smile full of confidence, "You'll see me kicking flank in my scooter soon enough."
"That's all I wanted to hear. You know, I actually know about this scooting competition that's going on next week in Cloudsdale. You-."
"Obviously! Though I've never scooted on a cloud before."
"Not too late to start. You up for some training? It's okay if you're too tired from all the flying."
"Tired?!" Scootaloo struck a confident pose, "Is that another word for excuse?"
Dash nodded. She really did get the perfect sister.
Author's Note
Hope you all liked the story 
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