“You're doing great, Scootaloo!” Rumble assured. “Keep going!”

Still no more than nine inches off of the ground, Scootaloo grunted as she worked to carry her own weight. Sweat began to trickle down the side of her face as she cried out from the exertion.

“Remember, focus on flapping those wings in unison,” Rumble advised.

“I’m trying!” Scootaloo cried.

“And you're doing great!” Rumble claimed. “But if you strain yourself too hard, you're going to pass out. Fly at a height that feels comfortable and supportive for your weight.”

Scootaloo sighed as she dropped a few inches from the air. She found the ability to fly a lot easier at this height, but now she was only six inches away from land. That was a decrease from the last time she flew. She didn't understand why she wasn't improving.

Finally, Scootaloo gave into her exhaustion, dropping to the ground. All at once, tears came streaming down her face and she cried out in frustration.

Rumble galloped over to her side and helped her to her hooves. “Hey, what's wrong?”

Scootaloo looked at Rumble who appeared blurry through her misty eyes. “Can't you see?! I’ll never fly! Nothing ever works!”

Scootaloo began to trot over to her scooter and fasten her helmet over her head. Rumble rushed over to her.

“Wait!” Rumble exclaimed. “Where are you going?”

“Home,” Scootaloo replied, numbly. “Thanks for trying to help, Rumble, but as you can see, I’m a hopeless case.”

“You can't quit,” Rumble protested. “Not now!”

“And why can't I?” Scootaloo asked, a little harsher than she had meant to. “It’s been two weeks now and I haven't even improved a little.”

Rumble exhaled sadly. “My Dad used to give me the best advice there was about flying. He used to tell me… great flyers aren't born. They're made. Made from practice, perseverance, and most of all… patience. You can't become a great flyer overnight, Scootaloo. I promise that if we keep working on your ability, you’ll begin to see that improvement. It’ll be slow at first, but… it’ll happen.”

“A-are you sure?” Scootaloo stammered, trying to wipe her bitter tears away.

“Yeah,” Rumble said. He smirked, “Have I ever been wrong?”

Scootaloo smiled a little and rolled her eyes. “Not yet.”

Rumble shrugged off Scootaloo’s remark. “Let's see if I ever am.”

Scootaloo chuckled to herself and looked up at the sky. Her heart began to beat faster again as she thought of the freedom of flight. Can I really do it?, she thought.

Dinner that night was overall silent. Rainbow Dash had picked up takeout on the way home and that's what they ate.

Scootaloo stared at the food in front of her. It didn't look all that appetizing to her. She didn't feel hungry. She just felt tired and slightly discouraged.

“Scootaloo? Is everything okay?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

Scootaloo plastered on a fake smile. “Everything's great, Mom!”

“Hmm… if you say so,” Rainbow Dash said, unconvinced.

“How did your flight lessons with Rumble go today?” Soarin asked.

“Fine,” Scootaloo replied quickly. “Listen, I’m not that hungry, so I’m going to go to bed. Night!”

Rainbow Dash and Soarin exchanged a worried glance, but gave in with a sigh. “Goodnight, Scoots,” Rainbow Dash returned.

Scootaloo trotted over to the stairs, looked at the wings on her back, and attempted to fly upstairs. She tried to heed the advice that Rumble had given her. For her first attempt without Rumble by her side, she did pretty well. But Scootaloo had to admit that she liked it better when Rumble was there to encourage her.

Scootaloo entered her room and looked around at her familiar surroundings as she prepared for bed. The Wonderbolts poster from Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich. Bouncy sat in his usual spot on Scootaloo's bed. The journal that Twilight had made for her which still remained empty. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Even though she was fond of Twilight, Scootaloo was glad that Twilight didn't come around often enough to see that she hadn't used the gift she had put her heart and soul into.

As she turned out the light and made herself comfortable in bed, Scootaloo stared at the ceiling in the darkness. She had been tired earlier, but now she was wide awake. Her mind was too active for rest.

Scootaloo tried hugging Bouncy closer to her for comfort. She tried putting her pillow over her head. She tried different sleeping positions and took the blankets on and off. However, nothing got her to sleep. She was restless and she didn't know why.

Scootaloo sighed as she heard her parents exchange a goodnight kiss and head off to bed from the hallway. Scootaloo began to feel like she was the only one awake in all of Equestria. To Scootaloo, it wasn't a pleasant feeling. It was lonely and she felt like there was nopony to talk to.

All night, Scootaloo continued her futile attempts to get to sleep until the sun finally started to peak over the horizon.

Scootaloo turned over as she finally realized why she had been up all night. She just couldn't wait to get started again. Rumble would be waiting for her.

Twilight came in for a landing at the Dragon Lands. She had to let her hooves adjust to the rock underneath them. After flying for hours on end, being in the sky had begun to feel more natural.

As Twilight let her eyes scan the area to search for Spike, she hid herself behind large boulders and open crevices along the way. Finally, she found Spike sitting alone near the spot he slept each night. He was rolling a pebble in between his fingers and looking at it with an expression of hopelessness.

In an attempt not to alert other dragons of her arrival, she called out to Spike as quietly as possible, “Spike! I’m here!”

Spike seemed to hear the noises of Twilight’s call, but not the words. He looked around in confusion before rising to his feet and walking over to the spot he had heard her speak. Peeking around the corner, his eyes widened when he saw her. “Twilight? I told you not to come!” he whispered to her.

“I had to do something,” Twilight insisted, stepping out of her hiding spot. “You think I’m really going to let your mother choose who you spend the rest of your life with? I mean, how long do dragons live again?”

“About one thousand to two thousand years depending on the type and health,” Spike replied. “But I’ll be fine. I promise. There’s a few good-hearted dragons here… maybe. I don’t really know for sure.”

“I haven’t seen any good-hearted dragons here, but you,” Twilight said. “Maybe your mother is more than she seems to be as well, but I don’t think you’d have a happy marriage with any dragon here.”

Spike smiled at her, but Twilight could see there was still sadness in his eyes. “I appreciate that you want to help, Twilight, but there’s nothing we can do. My mother is the most stubborn dragon that I know. Once she makes up her mind, there’s no changing it.”

“But there is something we can do,” Twilight told him. Using her magic, she made a parchment appear in front of them with a quill. “We need to write a declaration about your decision to marry the dragon you choose and get your mother to sign it. Simple. We don’t need her approval. We just need her to be a little… absent-minded. We’ll catch her at the right time, so that she doesn’t know what she’s agreeing to. Then by the time she realizes what she’s done and tries to revoke the agreement, it’ll be too late. Because you’ll have already made up your mind!”

“I will?” Spike questioned. “How?”

“While we’re writing the declaration, we just need you to get to know a few dragons and decide on the one who makes you the happiest,” Twilight continued. “It’ll be better than being forced to resign to your mother’s choice.”

Spike grinned at her. “You always have the best plans in mind, Twilight.”

“Aw, thanks, Spike,” Twilight said, blushing slightly. “Let’s get started! What should we write?”

Spike smiled. He knew exactly how he was going to carry out Twilight’s plan.

Author's Note

Boy, I haven't updated this story in ages! I hope you guys loved this chapter!

If you have any feedback on the story, please leave it in the comments! Thank you so much for reading.