Skyscraper

Chapter 4: Apex

Scootaloo woke reluctantly, hitting her alarm clock. She hadn't wanted her dream to end; she’d been high in the clouds, above Ponyville. The filly laid on her back, looking at her sky blue ceiling, smiling. Scootaloo yawned, stretching herself out. She hadn't realized she was on the edge of her bed, and slipped over the slide. The filly gave a yelp as she landed on one of her wings. Now thoroughly awake, Scootaloo exited her room and descended the stairs.

She noticed the house was silent, save for the perpetual ticking of the clock in the living room. Scootaloo found the reason in the kitchen. Breakfast sat on a plate wrapped in wax paper, with a note and a sack lunch next to it. Scootaloo read the note:

“Gone to work, had an early shift. Have a great day <3”

After finishing breakfast, Scootaloo grabbed her saddlebags and packed her lunch. Ready for her day, she set out. The filly made a quick stop at the Quill and Sofa shop to buy a couple dozen of the former product and refusing to buy any of the latter before heading to the clubhouse. She only had one more day to practice, and it was important she use it as fully as she could. Spending the day in school would just be wasting flying time, she reasoned.

Setting her bags down inside the tree house, Scootaloo started her wing stretches before stopping, and deciding to skip them entirely. They’d never seemed to help any, and she’d only learned them from watching Rainbow Dash, not from any direct lesson. For all she knew it was something else she’d been doing wrong. Instead, Scootaloo cycled her wings though the flapping motions she’d learned the day before, making sure she still had the movements right. It felt much more natural now, taking less time to get into a rhythm. With that preparation done, Scootaloo grabbed a few of the quills and went out to the balcony. With a short running start, she jumped off, and started the day’s first practice launch.

==========================================================

Scootaloo shot forward, her wings flapping as hard as they could. She briefly arced upwards before her upwards momentum was spent, and she started her descent. The filly was airborne a full five seconds before her hooves touched back to the ground. Scootaloo landed with a slight stumble, but kept upright. Scootaloo wiped the sweat from her brow, and took the last quill she’d been holding and stabbed it into the ground. She compared the feathery marking against the others, all poking out of the ground at varying distances from the clubhouse.

Scootaloo went back up to the balcony, and looked over her markers. She’d been able to go about twice as far as the day before, but still couldn't stay in the air. The little pegasus had gotten better at landing, and hovering for short bursts, but real flight had still eluded her. She hadn't been able to change directions either, only being able to use the momentum from a running start.

It was around two o’clock, as good a time as any for a lunch break. Scootaloo sat down and started eating the contents of the lunch she’d brought. The filly had been excited by how far she’d been able to make it from the clubhouse at first, but had gotten frustrated when she’d realized that was the only progress she’d been making. It didn't really matter if she went ten feet or fifteen feet if she couldn't stay in the air.

If I can’t even stay off the ground, there’s no way I’ll pass, Scootaloo thought, and I need to be ready by tomorrow.

The filly almost panicked when she reminded herself of how little time she had left.

Calm down. Scootaloo took a deep breath. You still have time. Maybe another lesson or some more training would help.

It was true enough that her training so far had only covered the very basics of how to flap her wings. Surely further lessons would only help even more. With that in mind, Scootaloo finished her lunch and headed into town. The filly again found herself scanning the sky for any signs of Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo kept her eyes out for the grey mare from before, as well, but focused her search on Rainbow Dash. She started asking ponies she came across if they had seen her. Some had said they saw her on weather duty, another had pointed to the park where she had been doing tricks, and another had last seen her headed to Twilight’s. When nopony was there, Scootaloo was running out of places to look. After almost an hour on the hunt, Scootaloo hadn't been able to catch any sight of her.

Figuring that she wasn't about to find Rainbow Dash anytime soon, she thought to shift her search to the other pegasus. Problem was, she had no idea what her name was, and being a mailmare, she could be literally anywhere in Ponyville. Feeling defeated, Scootaloo sat on a bench in town square.

This is hopeless, she could be anywhere. She could be on the other side of town, or maybe even delivering some long distance package to- Scootaloo saw the grey mare exiting the post office- or right there, where she works. Wow, I’m horrible at finding ponies.

The filly hopped off the bench and started towards the mare. Scootaloo called out as she was about to take off. The grey mare stumbled forward as she aborted her launch. Her head panned around with her eyes searching in independent directions until they both briefly landed on Scootaloo, then went their separate ways. The display was just shy of disconcerting.

“Hello, again.” She said with a smile.

“Hi.” Scootaloo replied, stopping when she reached the mare. “Thanks again for yesterday.”

The mare waved a foreleg. “Think nothing of it. If you don’t mind me asking, how’s the flying coming?”

“Better. I mean, I still can’t, really, but it’s a lot better. Better than nothing.” Scootaloo rambled out before forcing herself to slow down. “Actually, I was hoping you would help me some more. Teach me a few more things, maybe. I mean, if you have the time.”

“Sure.” The mare replied without hesitation. “I just got off work, so I've got plenty of time.”

“Really?” Scootaloo hadn't expected such a quick response. “Thanks!”

Scootaloo tried to think of a good place to practice. She looked at the clock on the front of the post office; already a little after three. The day was going by too fast. Her friends would be getting out of school around now, and she’d feel a little silly bringing a grownup to the clubhouse either way.

“There’s a park nearby we can go to.” The mare suggested.

“OK, that’ll work.” The filly said, before realizing she still didn't even know this pony’s name. She stuck out a hoof like she’d seen enough adults do. “By the way, I’m Scootaloo.”

The wall-eyed pegasus took the offered hoof and gave it a gentle shake. “And I’m Ditzy Doo, but all my friends call me ‘Derpy.’”

“Nice to meet you, Derpy.”

==========================================================

The walk to the nearby park ended up being a trek halfway across town. Perhaps everything just seemed closer when you could fly there. Scootaloo didn't mind, since the trip was long enough for her to make some small talk with her new friend. She’d learned Derpy was a mailmare, but worked part time in weather. She’d told a few funny stories, such as the time she’d accidentally gone north to get the southern birds for Winter Wrap Up, or the time she’d almost gotten into a fight with the mayor over a cursed stuffed doll.  From her end, Scootaloo mostly talked about her misadventures as a Crusader before steering the conversation back to flying.

Despite being a grownup, Scootaloo found Derpy to be incredibly easy to converse with. The mare never talked down to her like most adults do with fillies her age, whether they meant to or not. Once in the park, Scootaloo trotted ahead to find a location comfortably separated from the other ponies there. She’d just found a nice spot when she caught a glimpse of a particular multi-coloured mane in the corner of her vision. Scootaloo’s head snapped to, and she saw Rainbow Dash and Twilight just as they were leaving the other end of the park.

Scootaloo’s first thought was to run after her, as well as the second. The third was to look back over her shoulder at the mare she had come with, who had just caught back up.

“Good spot.” Derpy said, placing her bags under a tree.

Scootaloo looked back at Rainbow Dash, then back again to Derpy. The grey mare still had that disarming smile she’d had since they’d met.

You've already found a teacher. Scootaloo thought, turning fully towards Derpy. After all, a pegasus is a pegasus is a pegasus.

“So, what do you want to learn?” Derpy asked.

“Anything, I guess. Everything.”

Derpy scratched at the back of her head. “That’s a tall order. How about we start with what we know, and work from there?”

“The only stuff I know is what you taught me yesterday.” Scootaloo replied. “I don’t know how to do any loops or rolls or anything. I can’t even change directions.”

“That narrows it down. Let’s start with that." Derpy said. "The last one, not the, um, other stuff.”

Derpy turned to the side and described the wing motions for angling forward or backwards, left or right, and moved her wings through the relevant motions. Then, she hovered in the air and demonstrated before fluttering back down.

“Okay, now you try.” Derpy prompted. “Try going forward first; it’s the easiest direction.”

Scootaloo had watched the entire display with rapt attention, mimicking the movements. The filly nodded, then started flapping her wings. She’d gotten good enough she didn't need to jump to get off the ground anymore. Scootaloo made it a couple feet up before she started to tire and hovered back down. She hadn't been airborne long enough to even try going anywhere.

Scootaloo made two more attempts, but both times she couldn't keep herself aloft more than a brief few seconds. On her fourth try, Scootaloo ducked, then jumped up, and immediately tried flying forward. She tilted too far, and landed on her face before her body tumbled over her in a somersault.

“You okay?” Derpy asked, holding out a hoof.

Scootaloo got up without the offered hoof, her face red with embarrassment. She took a few furtive glances around. The filly could almost hear laughter, but couldn't see where it might have come from.

“I’m fine.” Scootaloo replied.

She jumped again, and again angled too far forward, landing on her front knees and scraping along a few feet. The filly quickly got up and tried again, and again had her attempt end with her face meeting the ground. Scootaloo again heard laughter, and looked around for the source. A few colts were playing tag, one of them laughing when he caught another. One of them noticed her looking their way, but went back to chasing his friends when he was tagged.

Scootaloo was about to try again, but paused. She looked around again; there were quite a few ponies in the park, and with school out more were arriving. Derpy followed her gaze and stepped in front of her.

“Hey. Don’t worry about them.” Derpy said.

“But I feel like they’re watching.” Scootaloo replied, still looking around.

“Nopony’s watching you. Look, they’re all busy doing their own things.” Derpy said, gesturing towards the other ponies.

Scootaloo still felt nervous. “Maybe we should go somewhere else. It’s getting crowded here.”

“We've got plenty of space." Derpy assured. "The only ones here you need to pay any attention to are the two of us.”

“But it’s embarrassing.” Scootaloo persisted. “They’ll see me fall on my face and laugh.”

“Nopony here is laughing.” Derpy said. “You can’t let it bother you.”

“Easy for you to say; you can fly.” Scootaloo hadn't intended for the conversation to go this way, but she found herself venting anyways. “I’m the only pegasus I know that can’t.”

Scootaloo sat down, staring at her hooves. “I’m always getting made fun of for it. It sucks. Just because my wings don’t…they aren't-” Scootaloo trailed off with a huff, her head turned away.

“Like everyone else’s?” Derpy finished. She sat down in front of Scootaloo. “They’re a little different. Kids usually pick at the one that stands out like that. I know how you feel.”

“How would you know how I f-“Scootaloo started, looking back to Derpy when something occurred to her. Looking into those eyes, Scootaloo realized they had probably always been like that.

Scootaloo fidgeted a bit, feeling a little awkward now. “Sorry.”

“No reason to be.” Derpy replied.

The mare looked for a moment like she was trying to think of what to say next. “Look, I’m not really any good at motivating speeches, so sorry if this isn't very… motivating. It’s…OK, I get that you don’t want to get made fun of, but that doesn't mean you should hide from everypony. Those other folks are always going to be there, whether it’s here in the park, or at school or wherever. The best you can do is focus on you. And if some of them laugh, well, you just gotta keep going. Ignore it. And if you can’t do that, don’t let it get to you. Instead, use it as fuel or something, and when you show them that you can be just as good as them, it’ll be all the more satisfying. Either way, it’s good to find some way of dealing with it, but you should never feel like hiding yourself.”

I can’t tell how much of that was good advice and how much wasn't. Scootaloo mused.

She was still mulling over Derpy’s words when the mare spoke again. “So, you still want to try some flyin’?”

Scootaloo took a last look around, nopony was looking back. She turned back to Derpy. “Yeah.”

The two stood back up. Scootaloo was about to jump again, but stopped when Derpy interrupted.

“Hang on a second. How long can you stay in the air?” she asked.

Scootaloo shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t jump or anything, and see how long you can hover. Don’t worry about going up, or anywhere.” Derpy instructed.

“But I want to learn how to fly.” Scootaloo said.

“If you can’t stay airborne, then none of that other stuff will do you any good. Let’s keep to the basics for now. Baby steps.”

Scootaloo didn't care much for the phrasing, but had to admit it made sense. The filly nodded, then started flapping, and after some effort felt her hooves leave the ground. Derpy counted the seconds out loud. She was about to count off the third when Scootaloo touched back down.

“Ok, when you’re ready, go again.” Derpy said

Scootaloo took a moment to prepare, and started flapping again. Derpy restarted her count, and had just reached five when her hooves met the ground.

“Much better.” Derpy said with a smile.

“But I still had to come back down.” Scootaloo said, disappointed.

“Yeah, but you were up a lot longer.”

“I don’t want to come down, I want to fly.” Scootaloo persisted.

“Everypony’s gotta come down sooner or later; nothing flies forever.” Derpy explained. “Even birds land when they get tired.”

“Well, they can all stay up a lot longer than I can.” Scootaloo muttered.

“The important part is that you’re improving. Just don’t look too far ahead of yourself, otherwise you might end up hurting yourself.” Derpy put a hoof to her chin as she thought something out. “Ok, here’s an idea. Set some smaller goals, then meet ‘em and set new ones. You just hovered for about five seconds; let’s see if you can make it to ten. Sound good?”

I guess staying in the air that long could be considered flying. If I can meet that, I might even be good enough for tomorrow. Scootaloo thought. She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Try again?”

The filly gave a more enthusiastic nod. “Yeah.”

Scootaloo flared her wings back out, and started flapping. Not long after, her hooves left the ground and Derpy’s count started anew.

==========================================================

The filly’s hooves touched back down after the count of seven. She’d been at this for what felt like an eternity, though looking to the clock tower revealed it had been a little under thirty minutes. Scootaloo sat down, wiping the sweat from her brow in between ragged breaths.

Derpy looked down at the little pegasus. “Might be time for a break.”

“Nah, I can go again.” Scootaloo said, shakily standing back up. “I still haven’t reached ten seconds.”

“You’re wearing yourself out. The highest you got was nine, but if you’re tired you’re only going to hover for less and less time, and then you’ll be tired, and discouraged.” Derpy turned and sat next to her bags under the tree. “Need to relax a little, get your wind back.”

Scootaloo started flapping her wings anyways, but was too exhausted to lift off. Giving up, she relented, and joined her teacher in the tree’s shade. The mare was munching away on something she had brought along. Derpy dug into her saddlebag.

“Want one?” She offered the filly, holding what looked like a banana-nut muffin.

Scootaloo wasn't particularly fond of bananas or nuts, but felt it would be rude to refuse. “Thanks.”

The filly looked at the muffin for a moment, resisting the urge to pick bits out of it, and took a tentative nibble. It was the single most delicious muffin she had ever tasted.

“This is really good.” Scootaloo said between bites.

“Thank you.” Derpy beamed. “I made them myself.”

The mare patted the earth next to her. “Take a seat; catch your breath for a bit.”

Scootaloo sat next to the mare, digging into the muffin. The filly allowed herself to relax. The grass in the shade was nice and cool, and felt great after all the exercise. Once she was done with her snack, she turned her eyes skyward, looking at the clouds. It was funny, but they didn't look so distant anymore. A little more work, and they’d be in her reach. She could almost see herself flying up to them. Derpy joined her in staring at the sky for a few moments, just watching the clouds float by.

“Probably about time to call it a day.” Derpy said.

“What?” Scootaloo said, snapping to. “But what about reaching ten seconds?”

“You’re almost there.” Derpy replied. “You should be able to keep practice hovering without me. If you don’t want to do it here, you can do it at home. Don’t need much room to hover.”

“I guess.” Scootaloo admitted. “It’s just so much easier with a teacher.”

There was a pause. Scootaloo could sense an uncomfortable moment approaching.

“So, um,” Derpy started hesitantly, “I wasn't really sure how to ask this earlier, but why do you need a flying teacher? I mean, why me or Rainbow Dash? Isn't there somepony at home that can teach you?”

“No, just me and Butterscotch; she’s an earth pony” Scootaloo answered.

Derpy cocked her eyebrow. “You call your mom by her name?”

“Butterscotch isn't my mom.” Scootaloo replied, her eyes now focused on the grass at her hooves.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry. Your parents aren't, um…are they…?” Derpy said, fumbling, before stopping for an awkward moment and finishing with another “I’m sorry.”

“They’re not dead,” Scootaloo said with a sigh, “and they could probably teach me themselves, if they were around.”

Derpy was surprised by the bitterness in the filly’s last statement, as well as the statement itself. The mare’s wasn't really sure what to say to that. “Do you not want to talk about it?”

“No, not really,” Scootaloo answered, “but thanks for not prying.”

“No problem.” Derpy said. “You going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” Scootaloo said, a little sullen. “I think I’ll take your advice and practice some more at home."

“Is it far?” Derpy asked.

Scootaloo sighed. “Yeah.”

The wall-eyed mare flared her wings. “Want to fly there?”

==========================================================

Ponyville slipped by beneath the filly, a wide smile firmly plastered across her face. The wind in her face felt amazing, flying along just below the clouds. Scootaloo had to resist the urge to reach for them, but her forelegs were busy holding onto the mare beneath her. The little pegasus closed her eyes and opened her wings, taking in the moment.

I could get used to this.

Derpy looked back over her shoulder and pointed a hoof. “That’s it, right?”

Scootaloo opened her eyes, seeing her home approaching. She nodded. “Yeah.”

The pair glided in a soft downwards helix around the house, landing near the front porch. The mare lowered herself onto hear knees to allow Scootaloo to climb off.

“Thanks. That was so awesome.” The filly said excitedly.

“No problem.” Derpy replied. She looked past Scootaloo, and waved a hoof. “Hi.”

Scootaloo turned around to see Butterscotch coming down from the porch, an unreadable expression on her face. She reached the pair and extended a hoof to Derpy. “Hello. I don’t believe we've met.”

Derpy took the offered hoof. “Oh, I’m Ditzy Do.”

“She’s teaching me to fly.” Scootaloo added. Derpy nodded in confirmation.

Butterscotch’s expression warmed. “Really? That’s wonderful. Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothin’.” Derpy replied. “She just needs someone to show her the ropes.”

“Why don’t you come inside for a bit? I can put on some tea on, if you have a little time.” Butterscotch offered.

“Sure, tea sounds good.”

Scootaloo tried not to roll her eyes, and failed, catching a sideways look from Butterscotch. The trio entered the house, and the filly excused herself to her room after saying goodbye to Derpy and agreeing to another lesson the following morning. Scootaloo left her door open, listening to the conversation below. No doubt Butterscotch would be subtly trying to get to know about the stranger that just flew her home. Her ears tuned, she grabbed a stopwatch from her desk and started practicing hovering.

The purple mare poured out the tea and took a seat on the couch next to the wall-eyed pegasus. A good thing about tea with new acquaintances was that it took time: time to allow the tea to steep, and time again to cool. Time plenty to make conversation. Once it was cool enough, taking a drink could cover most pauses, or allow time to think.

“You’re the mailmare, right?” Butterscotch started.

“Yup, but I work a little in weather, too.” Derpy said, blowing on her tea. “Part time. More of a backup when they need extra help.”

“And a flying teacher.” Butterscotch added. “It’s not too much of a hassle is it?”

Derpy waved a hoof. “Oh, no, I've got plenty of free time, and she needed a teacher, so I figured I’d help out.”

Both mares looked up when there was a pair of loud thumps from upstairs.

“You okay, Scootaloo?” Butterscotch called, about to get up.

In her room, the filly picked herself back up. She’d tried moving forward, and her head had promptly met the wall. The rest of her had then become acquainted with the floor. Scootaloo rubbed at her forehead. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Reaffirming her decision to stick to hovering indoors, Scootaloo picked up her stopwatch, and started flapping. Once she left the floor, she started the counter, clicking it again when she landed. After a few minutes and several attempts, she’d stopped paying any attention to the conversation downstairs, only pausing when she heard them laughing.

Butterscotch took another bite from the muffin her guest had offered. “I remember now; didn't you end up wrestling the mayor?”

Derpy held her hooves up in mock surrender. “In my defense, there was a cursed doll-thing involved.”

The grey mare took a sip of tea. “That, and she’s a lot stronger than she looks.”

“Scootaloo told me about that. Some spell from Twilight, or something.” Butterscotch finished off her cup. “I guess the princess can be kind of scary when she gets unhinged like that.”

Derpy laughed. “I know, right? Like, full on climb into the clock tower and start casting magic missiles scary.”

Butterscotch chuckled, then took a breath and collected herself. “About Scootaloo, did she tell you why she can’t fly?”

Derpy’s smile faded a little as she caught the change in tone. “No. She just seemed to not know what she was doing. And she didn't, she was doing everything all wrong. She’d probably be a lot farther along if she’d had someone teach her sooner.”

Derpy looked over the photos on the mantel, noticing what was missing. “Sorry if it’s not my place to ask, but where are her parents?”

“They live in Cloudsdale.” Butterscotch answered simply.

“And they can’t teach her?” Derpy asked.

Butterscotch set down her cup. “It’s complicated. It’s not just about someone teaching her to fly. It’s also…medical.”

Derpy put the pieces together. “Her wings?”

Butterscotch nodded. “I just want to say thank you for trying to teach Scootaloo to fly. I also want you to know that…well…”

“You’re telling me it might not work.” Derpy mulled this over. “But why aren't her parents here to help her through this? Why are they in Cloudsdale?”

Butterscotch stared into her empty cup, weighing her words, when she was interrupted by another loud thud. “Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo picked up her saddlebag. The books in it made a pretty satisfying sound when it was thrown against the wall. Her Daring Do and the Kingdom of the Equine Skull was now a little bent in one of the corners, but its sacrifice had killed the line of conversation downstairs. “I’m okay.”

The filly reset her stopwatch, and resumed her flapping.

Derpy looked back down from the ceiling. “I should probably get going. I need to buy some groceries before the market closes.”

The pair made their way to the door. “It was very nice to meet you Derpy, and thank you for that muffin. I’ll have to get that recipe from you sometime.”

“Sorry, family secret.” Derpy smiled, and looked at the stairs. “Bye Scootaloo.”

“Bye.” The filly called back.

She heard the front door close, and the sound of Butterscotch taking the dishes into the kitchen. Scootaloo was getting tired, but she reset her stopwatch, and started flapping again. Once she felt her hooves leave the floor, she started the count. The filly’s face contorted with the effort, blinking when a drop of sweat made its way into her eye. With a last grunt of effort, she ascended a couple inches and fell back to the floor. She landed with a wobble, clicking the stopwatch as soon as her back hooves touched down. Scootaloo nearly jumped when he heard clapping, dropping the stopwatch.

Butterscotch stood in the doorway, beaming. “Very good! That was incredible!”

“How long were you watching?” Scootaloo asked. The mare was like a motherly ninja when she wanted to be.

“Not long, and you left your door open for once.” Butterscotch explained. “I wanted to see how you were doing. Looks like you've made a lot of progress.”

“Yeah.” Scootaloo said, sitting on the edge of her bed.

Butterscotch entered the room, sitting on the bed next to Scootaloo. “It was very nice of Ms. Derpy to agree to teach you to fly, but what happened with Rainbow Dash? She didn't turn you down, did she?”

“Nah, I just couldn't find her. She moves around a lot, I guess.” Scootaloo answered, looking at a Rainbow Dash poster on her wall. “I bumped into her, and she offered to help.”

“That’s too bad about Rainbow Dash, but it looks like everything worked out.” Butterscotch said. “I've never seen you airborne that long.”

“Why were you going to tell her about my wings?” Scootaloo turned back to Butterscotch. “You don’t think I can do it, do you?”

The mare opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off. “You were going to tell her something about not getting her hopes up.”

“No, I wasn't.” Butterscotch said tersely. “And you should know by now I wouldn't do that to you. Did you forget I encouraged you to find a teacher?”

Scootaloo broke eye contact with the mare, feeling a little silly for the accusation.

Butterscotch sidled next to the filly and put a hoof around her. “It’s just that we can’t ignore that you might be a little…slower catching on than other ponies. You might need more time.”

Scootaloo squirmed out from the hoof and stood up. “So you don’t think I can do it?”

“I think that you've made amazing progress, but I don’t know if you can pass.” Butterscotch answered, standing up, a swell. “You got a flying teacher; you think that a quick lesson the day before and day of is enough to pass? Things like this take time.”

“It’s taken enough time!” Scootaloo said, starting to shout. “I've been here more than a year! I want to go home!”

“And I don’t want you getting hurt again when you’re hopes are too high.” Butterscotch added. “Last time you thought you'd pass after you managed to glide from the couch to the chair. You need to be realistic.”

“You just don’t want me to leave!” Scootaloo countered.

Butterscotch opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came. Scootaloo gave a huff and turned her back to the mare. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready.”

The pegasus opened her wings and started going through the practice motions. A moment later, she could hear the sound of slow steps down the stairs. Scootaloo turned back around, and closed the door. The filly started flapping her wings, about to lift off when she remembered the stop watch. Scootaloo picked it up; it had stopped at thirteen seconds.

Despite her mood, a grin spread across her face. She looked to her door.

You’ll see. Scootaloo thought.

The watch was reset, wings were flared, and hooves planted. Scootaloo started flapping with renewed vigour. She could feel her hooves leaving the floor, and the clock started its ticking. A few seconds in, she started moving forward.