The Flight of Destiny
“Come on squirt, I know that you can do it, you just have to put your back into it some more! I mean come on, you do want to fly, don't you?”
“Well I do want to fly, and I’m putting my back into it and giving it my all, I just don't how to fly yet, but I don't think your comments are helping me either!”
“You never know until you try so just keep on trying squirt, come on, just do it!”
“I am trying to do my best right now!”
“Well, try harder than!”
“I am doing my best!” Scootaloo said.
“Well, guess what? It’s not good enough yet!”
“Rainbow Dash! When I say that I am doing my best, I actually am!”
“I know squirt, but I just really want to see you fly, okay?”
“Yeah, so do I,” Scootaloo said with a sigh.
Scootaloo was indeed trying her best to fly but had no luck even with all the safety precautions Rainbow Dash had set up for her just in case she fell down.
Rainbow Dash cared for her a lot and only wanted the best for her, but so far despite all the time that they spent together and all the training that they had done Scootaloo still had not been able to fly. Yet Scootaloo never let her hope die, and so did Rainbow Dash too. They always kept their hope alive and well, just in case that special day ever did come to them. They had already been training for well over an hour, but Rainbow Dash kept pushing her even more than she usually did, probably because she was a Wonderbolt now and was therefore one of the best fliers in Equestria and probably expected even more now.
“Look, if you fly I wouldn't bother you about it anymore!”
“Well go figure!”
“Look Scootaloo, I only want the best for you, understand?”
“Yes, I really do Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said with a sigh yet again.
“Come on, just try one more time, okay?”
“Alright, fine then, third time’s a charm then I guess…”
“Yeah, that’s right, totally the spirit, just get into it.”
Scootaloo took a deep breath in, just breathe, she told herself, that was always the first step of her flight training, just breathing and nothing more.
She calmed herself down and then went on to the next step of her training, stretching and then flapping her wings up and down. She tried to use every part of her body in a goal of trying to take off of the ground and then fly upwards like she had always dreamed about. She pounded as hard as she could but still felt like she was trapped to the solid earthly prison that she called the ground so she flapped even harder than before. “Scootaloo…” Rainbow Dash said.
Scootaloo continued to flap, another part of flying was focus, in fact she closed her eyes because she wanted to focus only on the flapping of her wings now…
“Scootaloo!” Rainbow Dash cried out even louder this time.
“What?” Scootaloo shouted back to her.
“Open your eyes!”
Scootaloo did so and found that she was now almost face to face with Rainbow Dash… off of the ground when she looked down, and instead of the ground being up close it was now far away, but not quite a speck of green grass either.
“Am I actually flying right now?”
“Scootaloo, yes, you are indeed.”
Tears started to flow down Scootaloo’s face, “Rainbow Dash, I’m actually flying right now… I always hoped and dreamed, but I never imagined it…”
“I know squirt, I know,” Rainbow Dash said also with tears down her face too.
“Rainbow Dash, now that I can fly, can I fly with you?”
“Squirt, I’ve been waiting years to hear those words because yes Scootaloo, I would gladly fly with you any day of the week to make your dreams come true so that you can be happy, in fact, let’s race to tell your friends, shall we?”
“Yes, later, but right now I just want to fly with you.”
“Okay then, fair enough, whatever you want, squirt.”
“Thanks Rainbow Dash, you’re the best!”
“Yeah, I know I am,” she said.
“Okay, since I’m new at this I’m going to need you to teach me everything…”
“No problem.”
“And I mean everything, even all your special moves and tricks.”
“That will be for later when you’ve mastered all the basic stuff first.”
“Okay, whatever, just fly with me right now, okay?”
“Okay squirt, I think I can manage that much for now.”
“Thanks,” she said now relieved.
They both smiled and then Rainbow Dash went over to a cloud and said, “Just watch me and then try your best to follow along with what I do, okay?”
“Okay, I got that, it seems simple enough.”
“Maybe, we’ll have to see, just try your best, okay?”
“Don't worry, I will,” Scootaloo said.
Rainbow Dash smiled and then stretched out her wings and gently glided away as Scootaloo went along following close as she could possibly get and she took it all in, the wind in her face that went through her feathers and fur making every inch of her body feel alive and vibrant, it was like nothing she ever felt before.
It felt so good and she never wanted these feeling to go away or end either.
It felt so good being up here in the air, to finally be free to live her dream.
It felt so good being able to escape the pain of reality and the world down below her. It felt so good, and yet she knew that eventually she would have to go back down to the ground, but she was scared that she might not be able to come up again if she did, and she knew that her fears were silly, yet she still had them.
After many minutes, or possibly hours Rainbow Dash and herself got tired and went down to rest at a cloud and it was then that Scootaloo started to talk.
“Rainbow Dash, does flying always feel this good?”
“The first time? Yeah, after that it’s up to you decide.”
“Well, I never want the dream or freedom to end,” Scootaloo said.
“Okay then,” Rainbow Dash said uncertain of what to say or do next now.
“But I’m scared of going back down to the ground again because what if I can't come back up again? What if this was it? What if I only got one chance with you? What if this is my first and last time flying, ever?”
“Ah, Scootaloo, don't be so silly and ridiculous, of course you’ll fly again! You can't let your fears hold you back anymore, you have to be brave and stand up and face them, and if you can't face them then you will never be brave.”
“Yeah, I know, but I just want to be with you right now, okay?”
Rainbow Dash sighed, “Okay, I suppose we can stay up here for a bit longer.”
“Thanks Rainbow Dash, you’re the best,” Scootaloo said hugging her tightly.
“Yeah, I know squirt,” Rainbow Dash said.
They stayed on that cloud in silence for quite some time until they could no longer. “Come on squirt, it’s time to go back home now, sorry.”
“That’s okay, I had fun with you, and now I can tell my friends too.”
“Yeah, I guess that you can now,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Yep,” she said.
Together they slowly flew back down to the ground, and together they walked over to her friends who Scootaloo would only tell them that she had a surprise waiting for them back at their treehouse. Filled with curiosity they both soon came. “What is it Scootaloo? Did you find something important like pirate treasure or something like that?” Apple Bloom asked. “Pirate treasure? No way, she would have a musical instrument if anything, right Scootaloo?”
“No girls, this is bigger and better than what you’ve said so far or what you probably can say because guess what, I can finally fly now!”
Both of them stared at her in shocked silence until Sweetie Belle decided to speak, “Okay, awesome, great, but no offense, can you prove it to us first?”
“Yeah, sure thing! I can fly anytime of any day of the week!” Scootaloo said running towards the edge of the treehouse not afraid of falling down to the ground, instead she leapt off… and actually flew up and went around in a circle back round to the group again. “There, do you believe me now?” she said.
“Uh yes, we definitely do,” Apple Bloom said.
“Yep,” Sweetie Belle concurred too.
“Yeah, this is totally cool and awesome and…”
“Radically amazing?” Rainbow Dash suggested.
“Yeah, that too!” Scootaloo quickly said agreeing with her.
“Look, this is great and all, but I need to get back to the farm…”
“Yeah, and I’m sure that you can show us your moves any day of the week…”
“And don't think that we’re not happy for you…”
“Because we are, it’s just that…”
“We have other things to do first, okay?”
“Yeah, that’s okay I guess, totally fine, go, do what you want, I'll still be here just in case you need me, and we’ll still always be friends, right?”
“Yeah, sure thing, whatever,” they said as they left the two of them to be alone.
The way they said these things seemed like they almost didn't care anymore, almost like they had a spell on them or something like that. They then went away to do their own things leaving Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash alone.
“Weird, I thought that they would be happier,” Scootaloo said.
“Oh, they probably are, but like you they’re growing up and that also means learning how to control your emotions as well.”
“Yeah, I know, I just wish that they could and would share more with me.”
“They probably do even more than you can realize.”
“Eh, maybe, we’ll see, won't we?” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Rainbow Dash said casually.
“Anyhow, anything you want to say to me now?”
“Uh, yes actually, Scootaloo, I’m so proud of you, I mean first you find a group of friends to call your own, then you get your cutie mark, and now this. You finally achieved your dream, but you’ve been so focused on this one thing, this one goal, this one dream that you probably don't know where to go on from there, but I can help if you want me to, you just have to make new dreams, hopes, and goals and share your ideas and also never stop working on anything, especially for things that you really want. You have to keep moving forward with new ideas, hopes, and dreams even when the old ones die, are lost, or actually come true instead. Do you understand what I’m trying to say here to you squirt?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so, never give up and never surrender either?”
“Yeah, sort of I guess, that's a nice summary of it. But here’s the real point, I’m asking you if you know where you want to go after this.”
“Yeah, I have a few ideas, continue in flight school, maybe try to train to be a Wonderbolt, or you know, maybe just military instead, or whatever works best I guess, I mean I don't really know, but I am more than willing to learn it.”
“Well, those are all really good ideas so long as they will make you happy.”
“Yeah, thanks, but why are you so concerned about me being happy?”
“Because Scootaloo, you are, and always have been like a sister to me.”
Scootaloo was lost for words for a long moment, “Rainbow Dash…”
“And if not that much, then at least call me your very best friend, okay?”
“Yeah, sure thing, I guess that much will work out with me,” she said.
Rainbow Dash slowly smiled at her and then sighed.
“What is it? Something wrong?”
“No, everything is just fine squirt, all is well.”
“Well, okay then,” she said with some uncertainty, and she had every reason to doubt Rainbow Dash now, especially after what her friends just did to her.
Rainbow Dash sighed knowing that soon she would have to tell Scootaloo the secret that she had been trying to hide away from her for many years.
But she was still wondering if she should, and also why.
She wondered if Scootaloo would be able to handle the knowledge, but she couldn't hide the truth any longer, she needed to tell her the truth before it was too late. “Scootaloo, I have something important to tell you…”
Scootaloo turned her head towards Rainbow Dash, “Well, what is it?”
“Scootaloo, I’ve hidden the truth from you about something for a very long time, so please don't get upset at me, but you see, the truth of the matter is this, I do know what happened to your family, or, at least a part of it.”
Scootaloo was shocked and so stunned that she was completely lost for words.
“Yeah, I know I should have told you sooner, but here’s the thing, I was scared.”
Scootaloo almost couldn't believe it, Rainbow Dash, scared? Inconceivable.
“Okay then, here’s the thing, you see, both of your parents are dead, or at least this is what you’ve believed, but the one thing you didn't know is that your mother might be alive and that you have a sister who is currently still alive.”
Scootaloo was even more shocked now, “Seriously? Is that it? Is that all that you have to say or are there more lies that you’ve hidden from me?” she asked.
“Well, almost, I haven't told you who your sister is yet.”
“Well, who is she then, huh?”
“Oh squirt, haven't you already guessed? Your sister is me, duh.”
Scootaloo was now in total shock and was completely silent for a very long time before she finally decided to react again. “You knew all these years, and you never bothered to tell me when it could’ve helped me out, but why?”
“Because I didn't think that you could handle it, but truth be told, I was scared, and I’m sorry for that, but no matter how much we might want it, neither of us can change the past now, we can only be certain of today and use the time that we have now so that we may move on forwards with the future, understand?”
“Yes, I do, but I think that you should’ve told me sooner,”
“Yeah, I know that I should’ve, but as I said before, let’s move on with the future.”
“Okay then, I think that I can try that much if you will.”
“Oh, trust me Scootaloo, I will.”
“Thank you, big sister.”
Rainbow Dash smiled at that, “You’re welcome, little sister.”
“That’s going to get some time to get used to.”
“Indeed, yes it will, Scootaloo.”
They then looked at each other, smiled, and hugged each other, but deep down inside both of them started to wonder about the new burdens that they would both have to carry, and if together it would be enough to carry and lift them up.
But some burdens might be too heavy alone or together.
After all, that was just life.
