Scootaloo tried to ignore them. She really did.

“What kind of Pegasus doesn’t know how to fly?” she heard Diamond Tiara “whisper” to Silver Spoon.

Scootaloo tried to focus on what Miss Cheerilee was saying. Maybe the teacher’s lesson could block out the sound of the two fillies behind her.

Her hopes were dashed when she heard Silver Spoon stage-whisper back. “I heard even the Cakes’ baby Pegasus can fly. It must be so sad to be a Pegasus at our age and not being able to.”

Shut up shut up shut up shut up, thought Scootaloo. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Class was over in just a couple of minutes; all she needed to do was keep calm…

Diamond leaned forward in her desk and said, “I think that a flightless Pegasus doesn’t deserve to be a Pegasus at all.”

Scootaloo gritted her teeth and looked to her right side. Apple Bloom was sitting at her desk, carefully watching Scootaloo. When she noticed that the Pegasus was looking at her, Apple Bloom started shaking her head frantically. She knew that Scootaloo was reaching the end of her patience.

Scootaloo turned her head to the left, trying to see what her other friend thought about this. Sweetie Belle was glancing nervously at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. When she noticed that Scootaloo was looking at her, she picked up a piece of paper that said PLZ STAY CALM.

Scootaloo sighed. She was staying calm. Why should she care about anything that Diamond Tiara said? It’s not like she said-

“You know,” said Diamond, “If I were a Pegasus that couldn’t fly, I wouldn’t even call myself a Pegasus. I’d call myself something that couldn’t fly. Like a chicke-”

SMACK

Diamond’s tiara sailed across the room as the filly fell to the floor. Scootaloo froze, her eyes wide as she realized what she did. She put her arm down and slowly turned her head to the front of the classroom. Cheerilee was staring at her in shock. From the floor, Diamond started to sob loudly.

After Cheerilee had made sure Diamond Tiara was okay, she turned to Scootaloo and scolded her. “Scootaloo, I can’t believe you hit her. Stay here, we need to discuss your punishment.” She turned to the rest of the class. “Class is dismissed.”

Diamond Tiara, with no visible tears on her face, smirked at Scootaloo as she left with Silver Spoon. The second they were out of sight, Scootaloo heard them burst into laughter.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rushed towards Cheerilee. “Miss Cheerilee! It wasn’t Scootaloo’s fault!” said Sweetie Belle.

“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were makin’ fun of her!” said Apple Bloom.

Cheerilee held up a hoof. “That’s enough. This is a matter between me and Scootaloo. You girls should head home.”

“But-”

“Now.” said Cheerilee, her tone leaving no room for argument. She watched as the two dejected fillies left. She turned back to Scootaloo with a frown on her face. “They were making fun of you?”

“Um…kinda…” said Scootaloo.

“Kinda?”

“W-well…they were making fun of how I can’t fly.” explained Scootaloo.

Cheerilee sighed. “I can understand why that made you upset. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that you hit Diamond. If it bothered you, you should have come to me and told me. That way, I could talk with their parents and get this straightened out.”

“…I’m sorry.” said Scootaloo.

“I know you are.” said Cheerilee. “But you still need to be punished. Starting tomorrow you will stay behind after school to clean the classroom. You’ll do this for one week, understand?”

“I-” said Scootaloo. She sighed and muttered, “Fine…”

“Good. Now,” Cheerilee dropped her stern expression and took on a more kindly one, “Is there anything else that’s bothering you? You can always talk to me about it.”

“W-well…there is something that’s been bothering me…” said Scootaloo. She took a deep breath and asked, “Why can’t I fly yet? There are plenty of Pegasus ponies my age that can fly, so why can’t I? I practice a lot, but I don’t seem to be getting better.”

“You’re just growing.” said Cheerilee. “Your body just isn’t ready to fly yet.”

“That’s what everyone says.” huffed Scootaloo.

“Just be patient and keep practicing.” advised Cheerilee. “You’ll be flying in no time.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I think I’ve kept you here long enough. You’re free to go for today. Don’t forget that you need to stay behind tomorrow.”

“Ok.” said Scootaloo. She got up and left the classroom. Once she was outside the school building, she looked around for Apple Bloom and/or Sweetie Belle. They were nowhere to be seen. They must have gone home by now, mused Scootaloo. With nothing else to do, Scootaloo headed home.

After several minutes of walking, Scootaloo stopped. In front of her was a large, grassy hill that towered over her. Scootaloo remembered Cheerilee’s voice. “Just be patient and keep practicing.”

“Now’s a good a time to practice as any.” muttered Scootaloo. She climbed to the top of the hill, stumbling a few times on her way up. Once she was at the top, she gazed at the view in front of her. The path she had been walking on looked so small. Scootaloo gulped. Maybe I should find a smaller hill, she thought.

Suddenly, Diamond Tiara’s voice rang through her head. “I think a flightless Pegasus doesn’t deserve to be called a Pegasus at all.”

Scootaloo gritted her teeth. She couldn’t be afraid. She had to do this to prove that she had what it took to be a real Pegasus. With that in mind, Scootaloo ran towards the edge of the hill and jumped, her small wings flapping desperately.

At first, it was amazing. Scootaloo felt weightless as she glided through the air. The wind rushed through her mane as she soared. For a moment, everything was perfect.

Scootaloo felt her wings tense up and become heavy and unresponsive. She watched as the ground came closer and closer and she braced for impact.

She bounced off of the ground before landing hard on her side. Scootaloo grimaced and blinked tears out of her eyes as she tried to get up. Her right leg shook and gave out, sending Scootaloo back onto the grass.

“Oh my goodness…” said a soft voice. “Are you okay?”

Scootaloo lifted her head and gazed at the pony a few feet away from her. “Fluttershy?” she asked.

The yellow Pegasus shook her head and said, more to herself, “Oh, of course you’re not okay, what am I thinking? I’m sorry. Where does it hurt?”

“My leg hurts.” groaned Scootaloo as she attempted to get up.

“Don’t move!” Fluttershy ordered quietly. She paused as she thought for a moment. “Or…do move so I can see what leg it is. Wait, no.” She shook her head. “You’ll hurt yourself. Let me help you move so you don’t hurt yourself and I can see.” She lifted Scootaloo up and set her down on her opposite side. She looked at the injured leg and gasped. “Your leg is all scraped up! Oh goodness…that’s quite a bit of blood.” Fluttershy grew paler and paler the longer she looked at the leg.

“Um…Fluttershy?” asked Scootaloo, sitting up. The pain in her leg had abated to a dull ache. “Are you okay? You look like you’re about to faint.”

Fluttershy blinked rapidly. “N-no. I’m fine. Stay here while I go get some bandages for you.”

Scootaloo started to get up. “It’s fine. I can just-”

Fluttershy glared at the other Pegasus. “Stay here until I come back.” Her glare softened and her lip trembled. “Please?”

Scootaloo sighed and sat back down. She watched as Fluttershy dashed down the path, moving faster than Scootaloo could ever remember her doing.

In almost no time at all, Fluttershy was back. Scootaloo’s eyes widened when she saw that the older Pegasus had not only brought bandages, but an entire first aid kit.

“D-do I really need all of that?” asked Scootaloo hesitantly.

“Better safe than sorry.” said Fluttershy softly. She pulled out a bottle and said, “This will sting a little.” She pulled out a ball of cotton from the first aid kit and poured a small amount of the liquid from the bottle onto it.

As Fluttershy pressed the cotton onto Scootaloo’s leg, the small Pegasus hissed in pain. “I think I felt better before.”

“Sorry…” muttered Fluttershy. “But this disinfectant will help in the long run. Now…” Fluttershy rummaged through the kit, “Where’s the needle and thread?”

“Fluttershy! I don’t need stitches!” said Scootaloo hurriedly. “I’ll be fine with just the bandages.”

“Oh…” said Fluttershy. She put the thread back into the kit and got out the bandages. “How did you get hurt, anyway?”

“I…” began Scootaloo, thinking back to her disastrous attempt at flying. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Scootaloo.” said Fluttershy firmly. “What happened?”

“I…I tried to fly and I crashed.” admitted Scootaloo. “I thought I could do it, and I can’t.” Scootaloo stared at the ground. “Maybe I don’t deserve to be called a Pegasus after all…”

“Who told you that?” asked Fluttershy as she wrapped Scootaloo’s leg.

“Diamond Tiara said that in class today.” explained Scootaloo. “She said that if she was a Pegasus and couldn’t fly, she wouldn’t call herself a Pegasus at all.”

“And do you agree with her?” asked Fluttershy.

“I’m starting to.” admitted Scootaloo. “I mean, almost every other Pegasus my age can fly. Even Pound Cake can fly and he’s still in diapers! Why can’t I fly?”

Fluttershy was silent as she finished wrapping Scootaloo’s leg in bandages. “Not every Pegasus learns to fly right away. Sometimes they learn a little late.”

“Name one.” huffed Scootaloo.

“Rainbow Dash.” said Fluttershy.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Rainbow Dash?”

“Rainbow Dash.”

“As in ‘Sonic Rainboom’ Rainbow Dash?” asked Scootaloo.

“That’s the one.” affirmed Fluttershy.

“B-but…” sputtered Scootaloo. “Rainbow Dash is the best flier in Equestria! She had to have learned how to fly way early!”

“Back when we were fillies,” began Fluttershy, “Rainbow had a tendency to crash into things whenever she tried to fly. It got so bad, other ponies gave her the nickname ‘Rainbow Crash’.”

“But then, how did she get so good at flying?” asked Scootaloo.

“She practiced. And she took it slow.” said Fluttershy. “She always would practice flying low to the clouds, so, if she did crash, she wouldn’t get hurt.”

Scootaloo looked back at the hill behind her. “I guess I tried to overdo it, huh?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Just a little. You don’t need to fly high in the sky right now. Learn how to keep flying for long periods of time first before you take to the skies.”

“Ok.” said Scootaloo. She smiled. “So if I practice a lot, do you think I’ll be as good as Rainbow Dash?”

“Can I tell you the truth?” asked Fluttershy.

Scootaloo nodded.

“I think you’ll be better.” whispered Fluttershy.

Scootaloo stared at Fluttershy in shock for a moment. Then she smiled and hugged the older Pegasus. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. But you don’t have to lie.”

Fluttershy smiled as she hugged Scootaloo back. “I’m not.”