Taking Takeoff to the Next Level
The dominance of the Foal Mountains glared down on Equestria.
Its might and power easily matched by its sheer height, the snow-covered tips of the mountains could almost pierce the heavens. The wind battered against its ragged peaks though it would never have the strength to budge them.
Just as they couldn’t budge the five ponies trekking up the side.
Scootaloo eagerly perched on her shoulders, Rainbow Dash confidently marched up the spiral of the mountain, her smile never once dissolving from her face. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack, on the other hand, were another story; after all the endless climbing, their legs were just about ready to shrivel up into stumps. Their faces drenched in sweat, even Pinkie’s, didn’t do anything to help either.
“Wouldn’t it have been easier just to use a trampoline back in Ponyville or something, Rainbow?” Fluttershy’s dry throat barely allowed her to call.
“Trust me, Fluttershy!” the blue pegasus replied, her crimson eyes still focused on the cliff edge coming up soon, “This is a way cooler method for takeoff!” Holding onto her Stetson, Applejack could only shake her head as they finally neared the top.
“Ah really don’t know why Ah let you talk us into comin’ up here.” She muttered to herself. The moment they finally felt the flat surface of the cliff edge under their hooves, she, Fluttershy and Pinkie simultaneously collapsed in three panting, wheezing heaps. Rainbow only stood tall and proud as she gently set Scootaloo down. Trotting over to the edge, she peered down toward the foot of the mountain, the trees and rocks below practically the size of peanuts in her eyes.
Turning around, she ruffled a hoof in Scootaloo’s purple mane.
“Whaddaya say, squirt?” she asked, still smiling, “You up for a flight?” Scootaloo could do nothing more than grin ecstatically and jog on the spot.
“You bet, Rainbow Dash!” came the joyful response, “Maybe I can finally become a great flier! Just like you!”
“Or even better,” Rainbow stated, lifting Scootaloo up by her sides and holding her in the air with her forelegs stuck out to the front, “Maybe like a Wonderbolt!”
“Dashie, I don’t know about this.” Pinkie interrupted their sisterly moment, having finally found her breath and the strength to stand again. She wasn’t even smiling. “Scootaloo’s still a pretty under-developed pegasus. And a young filly for that matter.”
“Pinkie’s right, maybe she’s not ready to fly yet.” Fluttershy added, standing alongside her with an equally nervous glance. Rainbow’s happy expression towards the orange child instantly changed to a frown directed at her friends.
“Guys, this is how pegasi learn the basics of flying.” She snapped, “You throw them off a really high area and they figure it out.” Her response was only met with three expressions from the others: one being horrified, one looking bewildered and the last one glaring in disbelief.
“Say what?!” Applejack finally cried out, her voice almost rising to a screech, “Couldn’t ya’ll have just gotten a platform and a buncha pillows?” To her chagrin, Rainbow only shrugged in return.
“Eh, that’s how my folks taught me.”
“Can we get to the flying now, Rainbow Dash? Can we? Please?” Scootaloo begged, bouncing on the spot like she was a practical clone of Pinkie. The blue mare’s smile returned once again as she stroked Scootaloo’s head.
“Sure thing, kid. And don’t worry, I’m right here if you need me.” With that, Rainbow picked up the filly by her sides and began to make her way to the edge of the cliff.
“I can’t look!” Fluttershy squealed, grabbing Applejack’s Stetson hat and shoving it into her face. Pinkie could only try to bury her face into the rocky ground while Applejack began regretting not bringing her lasso with her.
“Ya ready?” Rainbow cried out, still smiling as she swung her forelegs holding Scootaloo back and forth, over and away from the cliff’s edge. The filly’s eyes only widened more with anticipation as Rainbow started the countdown.
“Launching in three… two…”
“Please don’t.” Pinkie begged in one last attempt to make her friend reconsider. But to no avail.
“…one… GO!”
Her hooves came away completely as the other ponies looked on in horror.
“Whooooooo-hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…”
Scootaloo flew through the air and instantly began plummeting down the mountainside, her never-ending whoop of joy growing fainter as she did so. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack all shot to the rocky edge in a panic and glanced downwards as the child only fell more and more.
A few seconds passed.
“She still ain’t flyin’.” Applejack broke the silence.
“She will.” Her pegasus friend replied, standing to the side with closed eyes and a completely confident smile on her face.
Four more seconds.
“She’s still not.” Fluttershy added.
“It’ll happen.”
Five seconds.
“Never knew the mountain was this tall.” The cowpony couldn’t help but comment.
“That’s what makes it awesome.” Came the collected response.
“Umm, I-I think you should grab her.” Pinkie stated, a nervous grin present on her face.
The supposedly-ongoing cheer was quickly replaced by a long scream growing fainter.
“RAINBOW!” Fluttershy screamed, bringing her hooves to the side of her head.
“I did that on my first time.” The pegasus retorted calmly, her smile never leaving.
The filly’s screaming continued.
“Nothin’s happening, Rainbow Dash! DO SOMETHIN’!” Applejack hesitantly resisted the urge to tackle her winged friend and strangle her.
“SHE’S GONNA BECOME A PEGASUS PANCAKE!” Pinkie practically screeched, yanking on her mane to the point where it could nearly tear off her head completely. Finally Rainbow’s eyes opened and her smile vanished instantly.
“Y’know what? She’s not gonna fly.”
Shooting past her friends in a multi-coloured blur, Rainbow Dash made a vertical dive down the mountainside for the screaming child. The wind stung her eyes to the point where she shed tears but she kept diving nonetheless. The ground rushed up towards Scootaloo quickly. Her screams of terror never stopped. She gradually got closer to the falling kid.
Swooping into a ninety degree angle, Rainbow snatched the orange pegasus into her open arms, a few stones from where she would have landed rolling out of place from the swift breeze. Bringing out her wings to create a wind barrier, Rainbow Dash instantly stopped in midair and slowly set her hooves on the ground, gently letting Scootaloo get down from her arms. Both their manes stood up in a frozen style from the fighting winds and their coats ruffled as they both panted. Their eyes both remained wide from the recent life-or-death endeavour.
“Are you… alright there… squirt?” Rainbow asked with each panting breath as the filly stared at her with an emotionless expression. Then she spoke.
“That… was… AWESOME! Let’s do that again!”
