When You Fly.

The sky was becoming pitch black.

Not a star in sight to light the way for the weary. The once calm breeze of the morning, replaced by a icy chill of the coming abyss. It was a void that few would choose to travel, that few would dare face alone.

Scootaloo quickly packed her saddlebag with anything she thought was of use, not wanting to over pack but also not strand her somewhere alone and helpless. She hated bumming off her friends all these years, most of all Rainbow Dash these past few months.

But all that had changed quickly as she at long last learned to fly. After years of being small and stunted in growth, she grew into herself , much like her friends as well.

Time had blessed her with a far overdue growth spurt, her wing span now wide and healthy. After a few months of flying lessons from her idol, she was at long last ready to strike out on her own.

“So you just going to jolt?” Rainbow spoke up from the doorway of Scootaloo’s room.

“I have to.” The young mare replied never skipping a beat from packing.

“Have to? Kid as long as I’m bucking and flying, you are always welcome here.” Rainbow narrowed violet colored hues to her friend in the darkness.

“I know. I just promised myself, if I ever learned to fly, I was going to find them.”

Rainbow blinked long lashes in silence. The room filling with a cold chill from outside, the mare choosing her words with care. Scootaloo slowly gazing over to her idol, eyes burning like embers in the dark.

“You have that right. Though you might not like what you find.” Rainbow frowned looking away out the open window.

“I have to at least try!” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and slammed the saddlebag shut.

“What will happen if you get lost?”
“That won’t happen.”

“What if you never find them?”

“Then maybe I’ll just fade away with their memories.”

“Willing to just turn your back on friends?”

“No.”

“Willing to just throw out all the kindness given to you?”

“No.”

“Then just stay!”

“I can’t.”

“You think you need to fly across the world to find peace!? When right here and now, we are your family!”

“I WANT A REAL FAMILY DASH!”

Scootaloo screamed out from the top of her lungs. The mare rushing quickly over to the open window, allowing the icy cold wind to rush across her slender frame. Fighting back the growing lump in her throat and the tears stinging her eyes.

“A real family?” Rainbow spoke in a soft and calm tone, never letting the mare see her heart shattering.

“Dash. I didn’t mean.” Scootaloo bit her lower lip, looking down to the world below her hooves in deep thought.

“We might not be bound by blood. But we still gave from our hearts, never wanting anything in return.” Rainbow sighed as she shrugged and turned towards the door.

“Family is to give and never abandon. To share and never judge.” Rainbow slowly folded her ears back in the growing silence.

Scootaloo sliding on the saddlebag as she gazed out to the massive world before her, glancing back to the mare in the doorway fighting back tears. Letting them flow freely down her cheeks, she extended her wings proudly and shot off out the window.

“To let go but never forget.” Rainbow glanced back to the empty room, her heart sinking deep within her chest.

“I’ve let go of many ponies in my life. I can let go of you too.”

Rainbow sighed and walked back over to Scootaloo’s bed in silence. Slowly crawling up onto the cloud made mattress and curling up into a small ball. Tears falling down her cheeks, much like the rain staring to fall from the clouds outside.

Jolting through the sky at top speed, the young pegasus shot across the sky like lightning. She watched Ponyville fading from view as she rushed through darkening clouds.

She was doing her best to stay ahead of the coming storm. Deciding to not say goodbye to her friends in Ponyville, it would be better this way if they just allowed her to slip away.

The wind was picking up around her, wings struggling to fight against the growing force of nature. Rain starting to pour down all around her, each drop hitting her body feeling like a shard of glass.

Everything was so dark around her, she could barely make out anything in front of her as she fought the storm. Each large gust of the howling wind threatening to cast her out of the sky.

Her mind on fire with questions.

Her heart aching from already knowing the answers.

“Why did you not want me!?” A howl of wind pushed the mare lower towards the ground.

“Why did you not love me!?” She screamed forward as a bolt of lightning almost cracked into her.

“What have you been doing all this time!?” The rain pushed the drenched mare lower, the ground coming into view as she struggled to pull back up.

“What was wrong with me!?” She snapped to the dark skies above sobbing as Rainbow Dash shot out from the distance.

Scootaloo could feel her wrap hooves around her waist, pulling her upward through the sky. Much like when she was a filly and only dreamed of flying, her sister pulling her higher as they both punched through the darkness.

Scootaloo winced in pain her whole body aching as they broke free of the storm. The mares making it over the horizon as the rain began to cease, Scootaloo looking ahead to see the sun starting to rise in the distance.

“We made it! Dash we…” Her smile fading as she gazed up to see nopony there.

Scootaloo simply fluttered in place on the calming winds of the sky, knowing deep within her heart that Dash was still with her. The wind under her wings and the strength in her heart.

“Thank you...sister.”

The mare shot across the sky once more.

The burden of her past weighing her down.

But never grounding her.