Fallen Feathers
By: scootaloogie
Prologue:
The sound of wheels and wings flapping could be heard through the streets of Ponyville people shrieking as they dodged the oncoming pony. The orange and pink blur that was none other than Scootaloo as she bobbed and weaved through the streets, her purple mane flowing in the wind since she was a filly she had let it grow out a little more along with her tail. Scootaloo continued down the street towards the schoolhouse that had gotten bigger to accommodate the increase I students now with 4 classrooms. She and her friends had gotten lucky enough to have Miss Cheerilee as their teacher through school so far. Scootaloo had let herself get lost in thought for a moment not noticing some movers carrying a table into a house; she jumped opening her wings and glided over the table while her scooter went under before landing back on the scooter and continuing on.
“Sorry about that guys!” the movers just grumbled shaking their hooves at her while she giggled heading down the road to the school.
Scootaloo stopped just after she made it to the schoolyard and folded up her scooter and put in her saddle bag. She looked around and remembered when the school used to be only one small building but once Ponyville noticed that Cheerilee was getting way to stressed with teaching all day everyday they decided to upgrade the school and let her pick what grade she wanted to teach. Much to everyponies surprise she wanted to be the teacher for her favorite class of the year for each grade, and seeing how they gave her the option she got her wish. That was 3 years ago and since then Cheerilee has been teaching Scootaloo and her friends in every subject for the last two years. Scootaloo let out a sigh as she started walking around the grounds, being thirteen now was putting a lot on her she was starting to grow into a beautiful young lady and some of the colts had started to take notice. She let them down easily of course well most of the time, but it also came with a lot more responsibilities which she could handle. The only problems she had was that at thirteen she couldn’t fly yet and she still hadn’t gotten her cutie mark and was always ripped on at school for it, sure Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were in the same boat but it was the name calling that got to her the most.
“Hey Scootaloo over here.” Sweetie Belle called.
“Hey girls what’s new with you two, sorry for not hanging out lately.” Scootaloo gave a smile that would fool anypony and their mother.
“It’s ok me and ma big sis were busy with stuff on the farm so it didn’t leave me much time during the summer.” Applebloom laughed.
“Yeah and I’ve been with Rarity a lot helping her with her fashion shows. It was fun and all but talk about a long and boring summer.” Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out at the thought.
“Well all that matters is that the Cutie Mark Crusaders are back together once again.” Scootaloo smiled seeing her two best friends smiling and laughing as they headed into the school for class.
Miss Cheerilee had something big happen to her during the previous school year she had finally found her special somepony. The only problem was that she never did mention to anypony who he/she was during the whole school year and this year was definitely something different. As soon as Cheerilee entered the room she was assaulted with a barrage of questions when they saw the necklace she was wearing that held and engagement ring on it. Everyone in class asking who the special somepony was who had stolen her heart but she wouldn’t reveal anything only leaving it at that come the end of the school year her whole class was welcome to come to the wedding. Once class started it was just another normal day listening to Miss Cheerilee talking about the subject for the next few days and taking the necessary notes for what would be a test in the future. The class seemed to drag on forever today but her mind was on that of Cheerilee she was so kind and sweet Scootaloo just couldn’t keep her eyes off of her here recently.
“Scootaloo is there something you’d like to share with the class?” Cheerilee asked, the rest of the class giggling while she snapped back to reality.
“Um sorry Miss Cheerilee it won’t happen again I promise.” Scootaloo blushed, the rest of the school day went by pretty fast after that and before she knew it school was over for the day. She walked out with Applebloom and Sweetie pulling her scooter out of her saddle bag and getting it set up and putting her helmet and goggles on. “I’ll catch up with you girls later okay; I got to head to flight school next so we can hang out later sound good?” Scootaloo smiled as she watched her friends nod in agreement.
“See you tomorrow Scooter Looser!!” Silver Spoon yelled.
“Yeah later there Blank Flank!!” Diamond Tiara chimed in.
Scootaloo took off riding fast down the streets of Ponyville pulling her goggles off as she rode from the tears in her eyes. Yes it was true out of the three of them Scootaloo was still the only one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders that didn’t have her Cutie Mark and not only that she still couldn’t fly very high at most she could hover above the ground. Scootaloo made her way to the outer part of Ponyville to a building that just sat in the middle of a field. It was only a two story house just your average looking home but on the inside was a school with flight gear and everything anypony would need to get their wings into shape for flying. Scootaloo walked in seeing the rest of the students inside the teacher’s desk directly across from the main door, flight trophies lined the wall on the left in a large cabinet each one having obvious symbolism behind it. Sitting on the wall were two degree’s the first a major in teaching and the second a minor in phycology, the students were talking amongst themselves keeping well clear of Scootaloo, nopony wanted to be around her since she couldn’t really fly they didn’t understand why she was even in this class. Suddenly the back door opened and entered a blue stallion; his mane was short and red with a patch of sky blue in it. His tail was just as red as his mane but it split off into three different pointed strands, his black jacket held the flight school logo offset his orange eyes and his cutie mark of shooting star with wings on it.
“All right class everypony calm down and follow me outside to the airfield.” His name was Star Wing and next to Rainbow Dash herself he was one of the fastest ponies in all of Equestria and one of the most talented and gifted flyers. The class headed outside and saw some clouds made into rings in the sky mapping out a flight course that anypony could easily master. “All right your first test for the day class is to fly through the course as many times as you can the one that lasts the longest will get a day off from class.” With that added incentive the rest of the class took off into the air flying towards the cloud rings all of course except for Scootaloo who was just barely hovering above the ground trying hard to get airborne but couldn’t. The rest of the class was laughing as they flew around the course “Don’t worry kido you’ll get there soon I’ve got a feeling on it.” Star smiled as he walked further into the field yelling at the students for laughing at Scootaloo, he turned around to talk to her only to see her running off before taking off on her scooter.
Scootaloo wanted to stay but she had to get to her next event for the day which was something she didn’t like anypony knowing about and that…was dance. Ever since they did their performance on stage she had gotten more into dancing which she had managed to keep a secret. The dance class wasn’t very long it was just to work on their normal moves but there was also a dance contest that she was hoping to enter in the future. For now she was just content with just getting her moves down so that she would stand a better chance at winning the contest when it started later in the school year. Scootaloo was one of the best dancers in the whole group which was something that made her feel very proud. The dance time went on for to her seemed like forever which was something she liked but she knew that it could never last forever. Scootaloo packed up her things in her saddlebag and headed towards home on her scooter dodging more pedestrians on the streets.
“Hey Scootaloo what’s going on with you today?” Scootaloo looked to her left to see Rainbow Dash flying next to her causing her to panic before she ran into Applebloom and Sweetie Belle in the road her scooter getting sent flying. Rainbow Dash caught the scooter placing it down “You know you really oughta watch where you’re going kid.” Rainbow laughed before flying away.
Scootaloo grumbled as she snatched her scooter “Hey Scootaloo ya’ll care if we come over and hang out for a little bit?”
“What?...no you can’t I’ve got to help my parents with some stuff tonight.”
“Oh come on Scootaloo that’s your excuse every time we ask we’ve never even been inside your house.” Sweetie Belle mentioned.
Applebloom stomped her hoof “Yeah we’ve brought you over to our houses what are you hiding from us Scootaloo?”
“I’m not hiding anything from you guys it’s just that my parents don’t like having my friends over since they’re always so busy.” Scootaloo jumped on her scooter and took off back towards her home leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Her friends just looked at each other and watched as she vanished into the distance aggravated at the fact that she didn’t want them to come over.
The trip home was something that Scootaloo was fearing most of all she didn’t want to go home she never did but where else could she go, she didn’t want to impose on Rainbow Dash or any of her other friends. She had so many friends and a good life but all the bad things she had always managed to catch up to her once she got home. Scootaloo stopped just outside the door to her house putting away her scooter she slowly entered looking around, she was late getting home and she knew it.
“Where have you been Scootaloo?” a voice came from her right, her mother; Sweet Melody a blue Pegasus with a purplish pink mane and purple eyes stood to her left tapping her hoof obviously waiting for her to get home.
“I was out with my friends and I just lost track of time that’s all really.” Scootaloo didn’t dare look at her mother she had kept her dancing a secret from even them.
Scootaloo heard the back door close and she panicked trying to hide her scooter only to have it fall out of her saddlebag right at her father’s hooves. Fire Blitz was a bright orange pony with a fire red mane and a tail that looked like fire itself.
“What the hay is this thing still doing here?” Blitz questioned picking up the scooter and tossed back on the floor. “Why don’t you use those wings of yours girl and just fly places like every pony else or are you too good to use your wings?” Blitz slapped Scootaloo on her face with his left wing making her wince in pain, looking to her mother hoping she would say something but was only greeted by a cold stare.
Scootaloo grabbed her things and ran upstairs the tears in her eyes made it harder to judge the steps “You know I can’t fly so this is the next best thing!” she yelled at her father who gave her a vicious look as he started up the stairs. Scootaloo gasped as she ran for her room she knew what was coming and she didn’t want it to happen not again. She slammed her door shut but it was all for nothing as Blitz kicked the door open and started walking towards Scootaloo, she couldn’t get any words out but her eyes said it all. Backed into a corner of her room her eyes pleaded with her father not to do what she knew was coming but all she was met was with his cold stare while her mother sat downstairs pouring some hard cider into a glass and started drinking away the noise of her daughters crying.