be too difficult to make time for that during your lessons. I’d hate to think Sweetie Belle is missing out on developing her magic. I’ll need to ask permission first, but it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Scootaloo fought to keep the squeal of excitement out of her voice. “Thanks, Twilight!” She turned and hurried to the training grounds and started running through a set of wing-jacks to warm up her muscles. Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a lingering nuzzle in passing, dropping her face into the mare’s saddlebag and removing the stop-watch. She smirked at Twilight around the watch before turning and trotting up to the filly.
“Alright, we’re aiming for eighty or more wing-ups in a minute.” Scootaloo dropped to the sod and spread her wings, taking a deep breath. “Ready? Set?” Rainbow’s hoof snapped down on the timer’s button. “Go!”
Scootaloo thundered through the exercises. Wings pumping, dropping and lifting her small frame from the ground at a fevered pitch, she pushed herself to her comfortable limits and past them. Rainbow Dash grinned at her with glowing pride, her eyes jumping back and forth from the timer to her bobbing form. “That was fifty, Scoots! Twenty-five more seconds, keep goin’!”
Twilight’s voice, much closer than she was expecting, chimed in alongside Rainbow’s. “You can do it, Scootaloo! Twenty-five more!”
Scootaloo grinned through the sweat pouring off her face, pushing through the tremors in her wings, willing herself to not falter.
“Ten seconds!” Rainbow cheered.
“Only a few more to eighty! You can make it!”
Wings and sides burning, the filly grit her teeth and grunted to pull herself up. Tremors raced down her wings and across her back. With each successful rep being completed slower than the one before, her nerve began to waver, sure that with the next descent her weary limbs would give out and she’d thump to the grass. Holding herself up on wavering wings with only seconds remaining, she groaned out, “Can’t…”
Rainbow and Twilight’s voices melded together, a bright battle cry of, “Yes you can!” echoing through the park. Scootaloo closed her eyes, letting the words bounce through her head, and conjured the dark yellow gaze of the colt to her mind. She dropped low and pushed up again.
“Time!” Rainbow cheered, snapping the stopwatch off.
Scootaloo fell muzzle-first to the grass and released a slow whine. “…How many was that?”
Smirking at Twilight, Rainbow dropped her tone to reserved. “Well, it wasn’t eighty.”
Scootaloo weakly struck the ground with a hoof. “Dang it…” She released a breathless whinny in frustration.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash grinned at each other, exclaiming in unison, “It was eighty-four!”
Snapping her eyes open wide and leaping to her hooves, Scootaloo flashed them both a huge smile. “I did it? I did it!” The mares both smiled fondly, watching the filly prance in place. “This is awesome! So I get to do hovering stuff now?”
“Yep!” Rainbow Dash grinned at the filly, handing the timer over to Twilight. “Eighty-four in a minute should be strong enough to get ya hovering a bit. You’re not gonna be able to get any lift, but you’ll be up off the ground for a good amount of time.”
Scootaloo squeaked with joy, bouncing on her hooves. “Can we do it now?! How do we do it now?!”
Chuckling, Rainbow Dash nodded gently. “I think we can manage a quick one now, but we’re gonna need to start goin’ through wing motions before we do a real one.”
“Alright! So whadda we do?” She grinned brightly, leaning towards Rainbow with her wings splayed and fidgeting.
Rainbow leaned back and shared a conspiratorial glance with Twilight. “Well, Scoots…Flap!” she shouted, lunging forward and sweeping her forelegs under Scootaloo’s belly. Scooping the
Scootaloo fought to keep the squeal of excitement out of her voice. “Thanks, Twilight!” She turned and hurried to the training grounds and started running through a set of wing-jacks to warm up her muscles. Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a lingering nuzzle in passing, dropping her face into the mare’s saddlebag and removing the stop-watch. She smirked at Twilight around the watch before turning and trotting up to the filly.
“Alright, we’re aiming for eighty or more wing-ups in a minute.” Scootaloo dropped to the sod and spread her wings, taking a deep breath. “Ready? Set?” Rainbow’s hoof snapped down on the timer’s button. “Go!”
Scootaloo thundered through the exercises. Wings pumping, dropping and lifting her small frame from the ground at a fevered pitch, she pushed herself to her comfortable limits and past them. Rainbow Dash grinned at her with glowing pride, her eyes jumping back and forth from the timer to her bobbing form. “That was fifty, Scoots! Twenty-five more seconds, keep goin’!”
Twilight’s voice, much closer than she was expecting, chimed in alongside Rainbow’s. “You can do it, Scootaloo! Twenty-five more!”
Scootaloo grinned through the sweat pouring off her face, pushing through the tremors in her wings, willing herself to not falter.
“Ten seconds!” Rainbow cheered.
“Only a few more to eighty! You can make it!”
Wings and sides burning, the filly grit her teeth and grunted to pull herself up. Tremors raced down her wings and across her back. With each successful rep being completed slower than the one before, her nerve began to waver, sure that with the next descent her weary limbs would give out and she’d thump to the grass. Holding herself up on wavering wings with only seconds remaining, she groaned out, “Can’t…”
Rainbow and Twilight’s voices melded together, a bright battle cry of, “Yes you can!” echoing through the park. Scootaloo closed her eyes, letting the words bounce through her head, and conjured the dark yellow gaze of the colt to her mind. She dropped low and pushed up again.
“Time!” Rainbow cheered, snapping the stopwatch off.
Scootaloo fell muzzle-first to the grass and released a slow whine. “…How many was that?”
Smirking at Twilight, Rainbow dropped her tone to reserved. “Well, it wasn’t eighty.”
Scootaloo weakly struck the ground with a hoof. “Dang it…” She released a breathless whinny in frustration.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash grinned at each other, exclaiming in unison, “It was eighty-four!”
Snapping her eyes open wide and leaping to her hooves, Scootaloo flashed them both a huge smile. “I did it? I did it!” The mares both smiled fondly, watching the filly prance in place. “This is awesome! So I get to do hovering stuff now?”
“Yep!” Rainbow Dash grinned at the filly, handing the timer over to Twilight. “Eighty-four in a minute should be strong enough to get ya hovering a bit. You’re not gonna be able to get any lift, but you’ll be up off the ground for a good amount of time.”
Scootaloo squeaked with joy, bouncing on her hooves. “Can we do it now?! How do we do it now?!”
Chuckling, Rainbow Dash nodded gently. “I think we can manage a quick one now, but we’re gonna need to start goin’ through wing motions before we do a real one.”
“Alright! So whadda we do?” She grinned brightly, leaning towards Rainbow with her wings splayed and fidgeting.
Rainbow leaned back and shared a conspiratorial glance with Twilight. “Well, Scoots…Flap!” she shouted, lunging forward and sweeping her forelegs under Scootaloo’s belly. Scooping the
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