With a few Small Flaps
by: Radiogenicpony
A bright flash disturbed my slumber.
I looked around. It was a perfect morning, the sun was shining, the apples glistened in the light, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, but…
“Where am I!?”
I took a moment to look around taking note of what I saw: an apple orchard, a dirt path down the middle, a cliff to my left, and a western style town to my right. I knew this place I had been here before.
“Well, howdy,” sounded the voice of an overly excited earth pony stallion.
I knew him… he was Applebloom’s cousin.
“Braeburn?” I questioned, having a hard time believing what I was seeing.
“Scootaloo? I sure didn’t expect ya t’ be back here so soon.”
“Neither did I.” I said plainly.
“Say, Scootaloo, was that you that caused that earthquake and bright flash o’ light?”
“Huh?... I don’t know.” I replied, “All I know is I fell asleep and there was a bright light that woke me up.”
“That’s it huh?... What happened before ya fell asleep?”
“I was helping Sweetie Belle try to learn how to use her magic…” I paused in realization “Sweetie Belle! She must have teleported me here… somehow.”
“So does that mean Sweetie can use magic now?”
“Maybe, look, I need to get back to Ponyville, can you help me?” I asked hopefully.
“I might be able t'. Tell me, can ya fly yet?”
My spirits deflated at the question.
“No… not really,” I replied. “I’ve been practicing, but I haven’t been airborne yet.”
“That’s too bad. That earthquake caused a chasm t’ divide us from the train.”
“So you have no mode of transportation? How do I fit into this?”
“The chasm is too wide for any non-pegasi to cross it.”
“And I a pegasus who can’t fly. I don’t think I could help you there.” I scoffed.
“I’ve seen pegasi take t’ the sky with a few small flaps o’ their wings.”
“*Ha*, I’m not those pegasi.” I laughed. “I can’t take to the sky in a single flap, I can’t even do it in twenty, or fifty.”
“Then I guess ya have t’ wait it out here with the rest of us.”
“Can’t you just fix the track or build a bridge?”
“Nah, we ran out of supplies a month ago… we ordered more, but it was all on the train.”
“What about the train conductor? Can’t he just go back and get help from Dodge?”
“Nope, he’s here in town. When the earthquake started, he stopped the train and jumped over the chasm before it became too wide.”
“So I’m stuck here until somepony decides to come to Appleossa and notices what happened.” I summarized unenthusiastically.
“Now, don’t say it like that. Appleoosa’s a great town.”
“Yeah, but it’s not my town.”
“I’ll tell you what. Since ya’ll be stayin’ here, I’ll set ya up with a place t’ live.” Braeburn said cheerfully.
I stared in the direction of Ponyville for a moment, then at the ground before replying.
“Fine… How often do ponies come here?” I asked.
I was still clinging onto the hope I would be in Ponyville again soon.
“About every few months, mostly ponies comin’ t’ visit their kin.” Braeburn replied.
I was afraid to ask my next question.
“And *gulp* how long until then?”
Please say a few days. Please say a few days. Please say a few…
“Not for another month or so.”
It was the exact reply that I had feared.
“Why don’t we head on over to the town? I can show ya where ya will be staying.”
He turned to leave, and reluctantly I followed. We left the apple orchard while it was still early and arrived in town just before midday.
He took me to the inn and got me a room, then took me to the sheriff’s office to tell him my story.
“Howdy, Braeburn,” greeted Sheriff Silverstar
I tumbled in after Braeburn, earning a surprised look from the sheriff.
“Scootaloo, what are you doing here?” asked Sheriff Silverstar, then he continued more lightheartedly. “Not causing any trouble I hope.”
I winced as I briefly remembered the last time I was there, but a voice pulled me back to reality.
“Sheriff,” I heard Braeburn’s voice at my side say, “I found Scootaloo at the source of the light.”
“Is that so?” questioned Silverstar.
“That’s so Sheriff.” replied the Apple.
“Well young filly, do ya know what happened there?”
I dug around in my mind for something to say. Just as Sheriff Silverstar started to become impatient, Braeburn stepped in and saved me.
“Only assumptions so far, sheriff.”
“I need more than assumptions, Braeburn. Give me the facts.”
“Well, so far we don’t know anythin’ we didn’t already know.”
“And what of the assumptions? Can ya prove them?”
“Not ‘till Scootaloo gets back t’ Ponyville.”
“That may be a while.” sounded the sheriff, “then again, maybe not, Scootaloo is a pegasus.”
“But I can’t fly yet,” I interrupted.
“Hmm, well then there’s nothin’ we can do then except wait it out.” commented the sheriff.
I felt disappointed like I’d let everypony down, let myself down.
“I’ll have Braeburn let ya know if anythin’ happens, for now just enjoy Appleoosa while we try t’ think of a solution.”
I turned and left the sheriff’s office, feeling like a failure. Braeburn stayed behind to discuss some things with Silverstar.
No! I was not going to be a failure. I might have been in Appleoosa, but I could still learn how to fly.
I walked up to the cliff above the apple orchard and jumped…
___________________________________________________________________
I had spent five days practicing gliding distance and speed. By the end of each day, I had gone further than the previous try, and decreased the time it took to get there.
___________________________________________________________________
“Scootaloo, why do you want to fly?” Rainbow Dash asked in what I knew was a dream. “What is your reason to fly?”
“My reason to fly is the indescribable feeling of gliding through dreams.” I responded.
“You already know your reason. You’ve told me this before.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Then why haven’t you tried flying?”
I stared blankly for a moment
“What?” I finally responded.
“You have not yet tried flying.” Rainbow Dash said plainly.
“I’ve been practicing how to fly for the past five days!”
“You’ve only practiced what you already knew.”
“What I know is all I can practice!”
“Then know this, what Braeburn first told you about the pegasi is your next lesson.”
___________________________________________________________________
I awoke suddenly. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, but ponies already went about their day.
I had been in Appleoosa six days now, then another thought crossed my mind…
What was it that rainbow Dash was trying to tell me? She couldn’t possibly mean… could she…
“With a few small flaps,” I said to myself in recognition.
I trotted to the cliff that I normally used to practice. I positioned myself, and beat my wings as hard and as rapidly as I could.
I didn’t even make it off the ground.
I sucked in my gut and I tried again.
I got the same results, nothing.
Just then in the back of my mind I heard Rainbow Dash speaking to me.
“What is your reason to fly?”
I knew what I had to do.
I put all of my energy, all of my focus into lifting myself off the ground. My eyes were not on the goal, however. In fact, everything around me started to seem like a dream.
I flew.
I took a moment to reflect on what just happened. I wasn’t very good, in fact my flying skill could be compared to Fluttershy at summer flight camp, but I flew nonetheless.
I ran to the chasm that divided Appleoosa from their hope of freedom and supplies. Apparently Sheriff Silverstar had seen me fly, because all of Appleoosa was waiting for me there.
I saw Braeburn out of the corner of my eye. He appeared to be mouthing some words.
“With a few small flaps, take to the sky.”
That was all I needed.
I took a running start and jumped…
I beat my wings midair, once, twice, three times…
I wasn’t going to make it.
I was falling.
I took my eyes off my goal and turned them to the very reason for my flight.
And with a few small flaps,
I made it.
I heard cheers of joy behind me, but I looked on I made it to the train and set it rolling. I looked back one last time to the ponies of Appleoosa, and I vowed I would send them help. I scanned the crowd once more, and I picked out two faces. I saw the sheriff looking at me with hope, and I saw Braeburn shouting something over the crowd, something I could just make out.
“And with a few small flaps you saved the town.”
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Authors Note
With a few small flaps, although it may seem insignificant, like it’s only part of the whole, just know even the most seemingly insignificant things can turn out to be greater than you have ever imagined. And if that’s only part of the whole, that just makes the whole so much more grand. Use all your talents, and all your resources, in the end the seemingly most worthless part can outshine all the others, and just make the whole thing that much better. Stay tuned for ‘A Flight to Last’. Special thanks to my wonderful pre-reader Cormac McCloppy.
