Sixty-three...sixty-four...sixty-five...GAH!
Scootaloo's body hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop on the cold dirt. She winced as she pulled herself up, pausing to wipe the grass from her flank. How many times was that? Twenty? Thirty? She started losing count after twelve. Sighing, she turned around and began trekking back up the hill.
One more time. Come one, Scoots, you're better than this.
The hill wasn't very big, with the peak being only a few feet above ground level, but it was special to her. It was one of the few places that she could call hers. She came here every week to relax. Sometimes she sat back to enjoy the view it gave her of Ponyville. Other times, she would lay down and watch the clouds pass above her. More often then not, though, she would come here to practice flying.
She finally reached the top of the hill where her scooter lay. It only took a few moments, but having to take that walk back every time she failed was beginning to feel agonizing. After taking a deep breath, she turned around, got a running start, and jumped off.
One...two...three... come on, COME ON!
Scootaloo could feel the pain building in her wings as they struggled to keep her off the ground. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. She had never worked herself this hard in her life. Other pegasi make it look so easy. What was so different about her? Why couldn't she be like them?
Fourteen...fifteen...sixteen...
Unicorns can use magic. Earth ponies have tremendous strength. Pegasi are supposed to fly. Why couldn't she?
Twenty-nine...thirty...
She was tired of looking up every day to see the weather team above her. She couldn't stand seeing the Wonderbolts posters scattered around town. It made her angry. It made her jealous. What did they have that she didn't? All of her friends have their natural abilities. Applebloom could help on the farm. Sweetie Belle could use her magic. Why did she, sister of the best flier in Equestria, have to be the odd one out?
Fourty-five...ARGH!
The pain in her wings became unbearable. She hit the ground again. Frustrated, she turned and began the walk again.
Dang it, Scoots! You couldn't even make it to sixty this time.
She reached the top, but she was exhausted. Her wings ached after almost a full hour of exertion. Sighing, she sank to the ground. She cried out and held her head in her hooves. After a full afternoon of work she was still as weak as before.
"Why?! Why can't I fly?!" She cried. "Why do I have to be so weak?!"
Tears began rolling down her face. With nothing else to think about, she began remembering her first time at this hill. She had been tired out after a long day and needed somewhere to rest. After her friends couldn't help, she came to Rainbow Dash, who took her a few minutes away from home to this spot.
"See this hill here?" Rainbow had said. "I used to come here every day after moving to Ponyville. It's my favorite place to relax after a long day of work. I call it 'Rainbow's hill'. It's nice, isn't it? It's far enough away from town that nopony will disturb me, but still a short walk away from home."
Scootaloo remembered staring at the landscape in awe. The hill allowed her to gaze at the sky above and gave her a clear view of the town below. She recalled the surrounding's beauty in the sun's light. Amid the sounds of birds tweeting and grass rustling in the wind, she could feel her exhausted body relax. It was quiet. It was peaceful. It was perfect.
"This is amazing." She said. "Can I stay here for a bit?"
"Scoots," Rainbow replied. "You can come back here as much as you want. It's your hill now."
And she did come back. Every week, she always found time to spend away from home and away from her friends to come back to her hill and practice flying. This hill became more than just a place to relax. It became the place for her to show her true self. She worked week after week trying to keep off the ground. Ten seconds one week. Thirty a few weeks after. She could never get too far beyond sixty. And now here she lay, months later, and she still can't stay in the air.
She had never felt so powerless in her life. What was wrong with her? Why can't she be normal like everypony else? Why did she have to spend everyday feeling so grounded, so hopeless, so inferior?
Maybe I'm just meant to be worthless. Maybe I'm just destined to be worse then everypony else. Maybe I'm just...
"There you are, squirt! I thought I might find you here!"
Scootaloo wiped her eyes and turned around. "Rainbow Dash!" she cried, rushing up to give her spiritual sister a hug. "I thought you were still with the weather team."
"We got done early, so they let us go." Rainbow said, returning the gesture. "And I couldn't think of anypony else I'd rather spend my day with."
Stepping back, she noticed how bad her sister looked. Her brow was drenched in sweat, her mane was a mess, her wings looked sore and exhausted, and her body was covered with dirt and scrapes.
"You look exhausted! What were you doing up here?"
Scootaloo sighed. "I don't want to talk about it..."
"You sure? You know you can tell me anything."
Scootaloo knew she could. She had been keeping her emotions in for so long. She needed somepony to talk to.
"I'm tired of being the only filly in Ponyville who can't fly. I come out here every week to keep practicing, but no matter how hard I try, I can't keep myself in the air." Spreading her wings, she said "I should've known these stupid things wouldn't work."
"Really? What's the big deal about flying?" Rainbow asked.
"What's the big deal? Flying is everything to a pegasus!" Scootaloo could feel the tears building up again. "Do you see any other grounded pegasi around? I'm the only one! Everypony else out there is so much better than me! They can all do something useful, but I can't do anything! There's no place for a flightless pegasus in Equestria. I'm weak! I'm powerless! I'm... useless."
She couldn't hold it any longer. She sank to the ground and began sobbing. Rainbow was shocked to see Scootaloo like this. She was always so happy and energetic when she saw her. She never realized how much she's been hurting inside.
"Face it, Rainbow. I'm worthless! Just look at me!" Scootaloo cried. "A pony like this doesn't deserve to be called your sister."
Rainbow inched closer and wrapped her wing around her.
"Shh... It's okay to cry. Even I do sometimes."
Scootaloo wiped her eyes. "Really?"
"Of course I do. I'm a pony, just like everypony else. Just because you cry doesn't mean you're weak."
They sat there watching the afternoon sun begin its descent. Scootaloo could feel her thoughts of worthlessness and inferiority drift away in her sister's embrace, replaced with feelings of warmth and love. She was so accustomed to seeing Rainbow Dash as a brash tomboy that she never knew she had a softer side. She felt so safe with her, like she could protect her from anything. All of her troubles melted away until her tears stopped flowing.
"You better now?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah, a little bit."
"Good, because I want to show you something." Rainbow bent down and plopped Scootaloo on her back. "Ready?"
Scoots sniffed, wiping her eyes of any excess tears. "Ready."
Rainbow took off, flying towards Ponyville and coming to a stop above the town square. Now that she calmed down, Scootaloo could admire the way the town looked in the sunset. The pastel colored houses were all bathed in orange and yellow, and all around, she could see ponies bustling about at the end of their day. She could feel the bonds they shared together in the way they moved and talked among each other. It gave her a sense of unity, one which she had been lacking the whole day.
Rainbow turned back towards her and asked "Scoots, do you know how many ponies there are in Ponyville?"
"No, not exactly." Scootaloo answered. "I know the town is pretty big, and around my house alone there are dozens of ponies."
"Yep, and there's even more in the rest of the town! Now tell me, do you ever see anypony that feels out of place? Is there anypony out there so weak and powerless that they don't belong with everypony else?"
Scootaloo looked down at the ponies below her. They're all a part of a community. She could see it in the way they acted around each other. No one pony seemed to be worse then the others. They all had a part to play in their lives.
"No, I don't think so." She said.
"That's because everypony here feels at home. Everypony has a purpose. They all have something they can do. Heck, there's a guy that makes a living off of quills and sofas. And he's happy!"
Rainbow started to glide around town, giving Scootaloo a glimpse of what everypony was doing. She could see the mayor giving a speech at the town hall, Lyra and Bonbon sharing a meal at Sugarcube Corner, and everypony's favorite mailmare coming home with a fresh batch of muffins. She saw just how different everypony was, and despite that, they all accepted each other as who they were. Nopony felt worthless, because everypony was respected.
"Now think about how many ponies there are in Equestria." Rainbow said. "There's thousands of us! And not once in my life did I ever find somepony who felt weak and out of place. Everypony has something special to offer, even a pegasus that has a little trouble flying."
"You really think so?" Scootaloo asked.
"I know so!" Rainbow turned around and started their trip back to the hill. "And now I want to ask you another question: do you know why I choose you to take under my wing?"
Scootaloo was stumped. She remembered how many fillies and colts were at her sister's fan club. There must be hundreds of ponies out there that would die for a chance to be with Rainbow Dash. What did she have that none of them did?
"I could have choosen anypony to be my sister. And believe me, a lot of fillies out there would love to. But I choose you because you're special. I could go out and teach anypony I want to, but I want a sister that I could not only teach, but learn from as well."
"And what did you learn from me?"
"I learned that everypony is special, even ones that are a bit different. I learned there's more to being a pegasus then being able to fly. There are ponies like you that can do things that other ponies can't. You made friends, got your cutie mark, and made it through life without needing to fly. And trust me, Scoots, even if your wings never take off, you're one of the strongest ponies I know, and there's nopony else in the world that I'd want as my sister."
At last, they reached the hill. Rainbow landed at the peak and let Scootaloo off her back.
"Do you really mean that, Dash?"
"Of course I do! Would I ever lie to you like that?"
Scootaloo laughed. "No, of course you wouldn't." Bringing her sister in for another hug, she said "Thank you, Rainbow. That means a lot to me."
"Anytime kid." Rainbow looked her sister in her eyes. "And I want you to promise me that you'll never beat yourself up like this again."
Scootaloo smiled. "It's a promise."
They sat back to watch the sun set beyond Ponyville's horizon. As she lay on the grass, Rainbow felt a nudge against her side. Scootaloo had fallen asleep beside her.
Rainbow chuckled and gave her a pet on the head.
"Sweet dreams, Scoots. You've earned a long rest."
