Beyond Expectations

Chapter 3: Against Our Doubts

Four months had passed since Scootaloo had begun her flight lessons with Rainbow Dash. It was that time of the week again and Scootaloo was preparing to make another attempt at flight. “Whenever you’re ready squirt. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize it.”

Scootaloo did as she was told as she stood on the boulder. She took several deep breaths before finally opening her wings and jumping off. She flapped her wings as hard as she could trying to keep herself in the air.

“That’s it Scootaloo! Just keep your cool and don’t lose your focus this time.” Scootaloo couldn’t help but smirk at the thought of losing her focus. The last thing on her mind was falling on her face again in front of Rainbow Dash. She was tiring quickly and just being able to flap her wings was becoming a huge strain. “Just a little bit more squirt! You’re doing great!”

Scootaloo began to descend slowly as she struggled to stay off the ground. She closed her eyes trying to put what little energy she had left into her wings.  “Come on wings, just a bit more.” Her right wing had hit her body by accident throwing her off balance as the wing struggled desperately to regain the rhythm. She tried her hardest to focus on getting her wings working in harmony again but after a few seconds both wings collapsed and she fell to the ground.

The small pegasus closed her eyes for a moment, wanting to scream in rage at another failed attempt at flight. Rainbow Dash flew down next to her student who was laying down in a cloud of dust looking up at the sky. Some birds flew above her in the gorge and Scootaloo couldn't help but feel a bit of hatred mixed with jealousy towards them. “Those birds are mocking me again, don’t they have better things to do?”

Rainbow Dash held out a hoof and helped her student off the ground. “Don’t be silly squirt, I’m sure those birds are just flying through the gorge.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come the only time I see those two is on this day of the week and only when we’re doing this flight test?”

“I bet those aren't even the same birds from last week.” Rainbow Dash responded while wiping dirt of her students body.  "You're just imagining things."

Scootaloo took a closer look at the two objects of her hate. “Those are the same red and blue birds from last week, and the week before that, and the week before that, and the week before that…”

Rainbow Dash quickly flew up in the air to block Scootaloo’s view of the birds. “Hey squirt, look on the bright side. You were up in the air for fifteen seconds this time. That’s three seconds better than last week!”

Scootaloo thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that her teacher was right, she had done better and every week she seemed to be improving. There was still one thing that held her back from celebrating. “I can float in the air for a few seconds but I still can’t move. I’m always stuck trying to hover in one spot.”

“Hey don’t be too hard on yourself squirt.  Every pony has to learn to walk before they can gallop. It just takes some time.” Rainbow landed and gave the small pegasus a playful punch in the shoulder.

She tuned out Rainbow Dash as they walked back up the gorge since she wasn't interested in hearing another motivational speech. She looked up at the blue sky and then at her hero’s body.She couldn't help but notice just how similar in color the two were. She thought for a moment that maybe if she dyed her coat a blueish color then she might be able to fly. She smirked at the thought and pushed the idea out of her mind. They reached the top of the gorge and Scootaloo decided that it was time to start paying attention to Rainbow Dash again.

“…and that’s why I am no longer allowed to perform at the PonyVille retirement center. You understand what I’m saying squirt?”

Scootaloo couldn't for the life of her imagine what Rainbow had been talking about but nodded her head. “Oh…yeah…I definitely understand what you’re trying to say. Great speech again Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow smiled looking quite pleased with herself. “Well I’m no Twilight but I do what I can when it comes to these kinds of things. Anyway it seems like it’s getting dark. I’m going to take off for the day. See you tomorrow after school.”

Smiling and waving goodbye, Scootaloo watched Rainbow as she disappeared through the clouds. As soon as her hero was out of sight she stopped smiling.  “How long until I’ll be able to fly through the clouds with you? I just hope that you’re not wasting your time on me.” She looked at the sun setting in the distance and then made her way into town.

Making her way to the tree were she always met Rainbow Dash before they began their day’s lessons, Scootaloo put her saddle bag down under the shade of the tree and waited for her teacher to arrive.

Scootaloo did not find it unusual that Rainbow was late. In fact she found it more unusual if Rainbow Dash arrived at the gorge before she did. She waited for half an hour before her mind began to create scenarios about what could have happened to her hero.

The best case scenario she figured was that Rainbow Dash had been tied up with work over at CloudsDale which had occurred a few times in the past couple of weeks. Scootaloo’s mind then drifted to the worst case scenario. She remembered the story that Fluttershy had told her about when Rainbow had gotten her wing stuck in the gorge.

. She was just about to head down into the gorge when a shadow passed by over her head. Rainbow Dash landed on the ground directly in front of Scootaloo kicking up dirt in both their faces causing both to cough. “Sorry about that squirt, landed a bit too hard that time.” Rainbow flapped her wings to push the dirt away and Scootaloo mirrored this.

“Looks like you were going to head down into the gorge, wanted to get a head start on today’s lessons?”

Scootaloo thought about telling Rainbow Dash her true reason for heading down into the gorge but decided that there was no need to. “Uh…yeah, wanted to get a few laps done before you got here.”

Rainbow Dash smiled, pleased with this answer.  “Well you don’t have to worry about your lessons today. I was at CloudsDale all day helping put together next week’s thunderstorm so I’m pretty tired. I figured that you and me could just hang out today around town.”

Scootaloo nearly had a heart attack. The chance to hang out with her childhood hero. While they saw each other every day of the week during their lessons, Rainbow liked to keep it strictly business. Scootaloo was jumping with excitement but then stopped herself when a thought appeared in her mind. “What kind of…hanging out?”

Rainbow couldn’t help but laugh at Scootaloo’s caution. “Don’t worry squirt. I’m not going to make you train today. I figured you earned a day off after all your hard work. Just don’t expect a trip to the spa.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Scootaloo beamed back.

Both pegasus made their way into town. Rainbow Dash was walking right beside Scootaloo instead of flying. This bothered Scootaloo a bit. She didn’t want Rainbow to hold back just because she couldn’t fly. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak but thought better of it not wanting to cause tension on the day she finally got to hang out with Rainbow Dash. She pushed the thought to the back of her mind and made small talk with Rainbow. They continued talking as they made their way through PonyVille’s streets. “So that’s the real reason why Big Mac has been hanging out with Fluttershy so much?”

Rainbow Dash stopped walking for a moment and cleared her throat. “Eeeeeeeeeeeeee’yup!” Both Pegasus laughed hysterically for a few minutes before wiping the tears from their eyes. A sudden low growl from Rainbow’s stomach quickly changed the topic. “Hey squirt, you hungry?”

Another low growl was heard but this time it came from Scootaloo causing her to blush slightly. “Ummm…yeah…I could definitely eat.”

The older pegasus's gaze went up and down the street looking for a suitable place to eat. “How about that place?” Scootaloo looked at where Rainbow Dash was pointing with her hoof and thought she was joking.

“Don’t you think that place is a bit too fancy for us?”

“Too fancy for us? Stick close to me squirt and you’ll learn a thing or two.” Rainbow Dash made her way to the restaurant with Scootaloo tagging close behind.

As Scootaloo thought they had to wait a few minutes to be seated by a waiter which really annoyed Rainbow Dash. Her hero was taking bites out of daisies in the lobby by the time they were finally seated. At Rainbow’s request they were given a table by the window, Scootaloo could think of a few reasons why her hero would want this. Their waiter left them menus before going to another table.

“What the…? What kind of place doesn’t have chili hay fries?” Rainbow expressed her disappointment rather loudly. Scootaloo was sure there wasn’t a pony in the restaurant who didn’t hear her.

Their waiter came back a few minutes later. “Madam, are you and the child ready to place your order?”

Scootaloo didn’t like being called a child and was about to speak but Rainbow cut her off. “Yeah, first off how can you guys not serve chili hay fires?  Who doesn't love those? Secondly if you’re gonna be all formal and call me madam then you can call my friend here that too.”

The waiter didn’t seem to care but obliged in order to avoid a problem. “My apologies madam, can I take your order now?”

“I guess I’ll have a daffodil and daisy sandwich with a couple of apple rolls.. Rainbow handed her menu back to the waiter turned her attention to her student.

The waiter turned to Scootaloo. “What about you madam?”  Scootaloo looked at the menu over and over again but could,'t look past the prices.

Rainbow Dash shot the small pegasus a smile. “Don’t worry squirt, the foods on me.”

Scootaloo looked back at the waiter. “I guess I’ll have the same thing she’s having.” Just before the waiter left Rainbow called him back.

“Oh yeah, and two slices of the best chocolate cake you have!” Their waiter nodded and then went about his business.

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo waited for their food telling jokes and stories of their personal lives. “Let me get this straight squirt, that was you and your friends that caused that bear to tear up town hall?” “Another one of my ideas that didn’t go so well.” They laughed so hard that they didn’t notice their waiter had come back with their food.  He placed the food on the table before moving on.  Both Pegasus dug into their food with a ferocity that would rival a Manticore. Their cake arrived a few minutes later and Rainbow Dash was the first to take a bite but as soon as her teeth bit down it her face froze.

She had a look on her face that looked like she had taken a bite out of a brick. She spat the chocolate cake onto the floor and called angrily for the waiter. “Hey bub what gives? I said bring us your best chocolate cake!” The waiter hurried over and attempted to calm the upset pegasus .

“I assure you madam that I did bring you our best.”

Rainbow scoffed, “Yeah right! You brought us cake that tastes like dirt!”

Scootaloo noticed that other ponies were starting to stare in their direction. “Madam please calm down! You're upsetting the other patrons!”

"You’re the one upsetting me and my friend here by trying to make us eat your dirt cake! I've had better tasting cake that Pinkie Pie stuck her face into!” The other patrons were starting to talk.

The waiter was just about done with Rainbow Dash. “Madam, if you don’t calm down I’m going to have to ask you to leave!”

Rainbow Dash signaled for Scootaloo to stand up, “Don’t have to tell us twice, come on Scootaloo!” They were about to leave for the door but Rainbow turned around to face the waiter one last time. “Oh and guess what?” She took Scootaloo’s uneaten cake and shoved it in the waiters face. “You can have your dirt back.” Both pegasus quickly made their way out of the restaurant.

They stopped running after Rainbow Dash was sure they weren’t being followed.  “Sorry about that squirt, just couldn’t stand that dirt they were serving us.”

Scootaloo gasped a little trying to catch her breath. “Not a…problem…Rainbow…Dash.” Scootaloo was curious about one thing though.  She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Hey Rainbow Dash, can I ask you a question?

Rainbow Dash was busy trying to get some of the chocolate cake out of her mane, “Uh…sure squirt, fire away.”

The small pegasus walked up in front of her teacher. “Aren’t you worried about what other ponies think of you when you do stuff like that? I mean no offense but you seem to get into a lot of crazy situations where you don’t always come out on top.”

Once she got the last piece of chocolate cake out of her hair Rainbow Dash began thinking of a response. “Nope, not at all. Should I care what they think of me? I got to where I am in my life right now by just being me. If I cared about what other ponies thought I wouldn’t be able to do half the stuff I can do right now. My friends support me and that’s all I care about.”

Scootaloo responded quickly to this. “But what if the WonderBolts saw what you did in that restaurant and wouldn’t take you because of how you acted?”

Rainbow had to truly think hard for this one. “You know squirt, if the WonderBolts take me then they'll do it because of who I am. I’m not going to change my personal lifestyle and be some pony that I’m not.”

Scootaloo was a bit taken back by this answer. She had always assumed that Rainbow Dash would do anything to join the WonderBolts. “Listen Scootaloo, as long as you’re happy with who you are there isn’t anything you can’t do in life.” Scootaloo thought about this. She was always upset with herself about not being able to fly and always hated it when others thought less of her for it. “Hey squirt I’m going to head home. The sun’s starting to set. It was fun hanging out with you. Definitely need to do it again some time.”

Before Rainbow could take off she was stopped by Scootaloo. “Rainbow can I ask for a favor? Could you come to Ghastly Gorge with me real quick? There’s something I want to try out.”

Rainbow was thrown a bit off guard by this but  knew what the small pegasus wanted to do. “Sure thing Scootaloo.”

“Close my eyes, clear my mind, ignore the world, and be myself.” Scootaloo stood on top of the boulder preparing herself to make the jump. She asked Rainbow Dash not to speak to allow her to concentrate. She opened her eyes and then flared her wings. “This is it. This is for me. It's finally my time.”

She leapt off of the boulder looking straight into the darkening sky in front of her. She flapped her wings in good rhythm and hovered above the ground. “One, two, three, four,…” she counted the seconds that passed in her head until she had been hovering a good distance above the ground for more than thirty seconds. Rainbow Dash kept her distance from the little Pegasus to give her some room. “I’m happy with who I am and I can do anything.” She shifted her wings along with her weight and flew forward.

Rainbow Dash cheered and flew up to Scootaloo to give her a hoof bump. “Rainbow Dash! I’m doing it. I’m actually flying!” She flew circles around the gorge swooping down and moving around Rainbow Dash.  She attempted to do an inverted loop but ended up falling backwards. Rainbow Dash flew up under her and caught her before throwing her back into the air.

“Never doubted you for a second squirt, plus having me as your teacher helped a bit.” Scootaloo barely heard Rainbow as she continued to zoom around the canyon. “I guess this means that your lessons are over squirt. You can go back to your life now.” Scootaloo’s right wing hit her body and she crashed to the dirt.

Rainbow flew above her to see if she was okay but before she could speak Scootaloo flew up to her. “Rainbow Dash, these past four months have arguably been the best months of my entire life. I really enjoyed the time we spent together.”

“Not gonna lie squirt, I had a pretty good time also.”

Scootaloo nodded. “I know, which is why I’m hoping that you’ll help me practice to become a better flyer maybe?”

“I’ll help you train squirt but under one condition. You have to help me train to become a better flyer too. Seems fair right?” Scootaloo almost exploded with delight.

“Of course I’ll help you train. I mean how could I say no?”

Rainbow flew up higher into the air. “That settles it then, from now on you and me are training partners! Now come on! We've got a whole night to start training together!” With that Rainbow Dash flew up into the sky and Scootaloo eagerly followed. She felt tears stream down her face as she flew behind Rainbow Dash. They flew through the cloud barrier and finally for the first time in her life Scootaloo saw the stars shine above the sea of clouds.