"Hey, Rainbow Dash?" A tiny hoof prodded Ranbow's flank, jarring her from a groggy half-sleep. "Can I ask you a question?" "Nyum? Mwuh?" Rainbow smacked her lips and squinted at the pint-sized filly lying beside her on the cloud. "Yuh-huh. W'zup, Squirt?" Scootaloo tucked her legs beneath herself like a cat. "Back when you were a filly... if you found out that you couldn't fly, that you'd [i]never [/i]be able to fly... what would you do? How would you deal with that?" "Throw myself off the side of Cloudsdale," Rainbow Dash said, automatically, through a yawn. "Learn to fly, or die trying." "...Oh. Uh, thanks." "Anytime." Rainbow Dash shut her eyes and reclined on her back, wadding up a lump of cloud to serve as a pillow. Then Rainbow, realizing what she'd said, froze. She abandoned her half-formed pillow, and took a long, hard look at Scootaloo. Her wings were half-open, flapping experimentally. "Why're you asking?" Scootaloo's wings snapped shut. "No reason!" Rainbow Dash turned to her side, propping her head on her hoof. "Scoots, what's on your mind?" "Nothing. Nothing's on my mind." Rainbow frowned. "No, I mean it. Really!" Scootaloo grinned, a little too widely. "Just thought I'd blurt out a random question – something to wake you up. 'Cuz, uh... you snore. Like a chainsaw." "I mean, yeah, but that's never bothered you before. Unless it's always bothered you, and you've never said anything because—" Rainbow caught herself drifting, and stopped for a deep breath, grounding herself in the moment. "Are you sure that nothing's wrong?" "Positive." Rainbow paused. "'Cuz, like, you know you can tell me if something's—" "I know. I do." Scootaloo turned away from Rainbow Dash, gazing over the edge of the cloud, at the ground far below. "I just..." "What?" Rainbow rose to her haunches. She felt sluggish, her muscles taut from disuse. "It's just us up here, Scoots." Scootaloo didn't answer right away. When she did, her voice was a thin whisper. "You'd seriously rather die than live without flying?" Rainbow's eyes traced over Scootaloo's wings, folded tightly against her body. She bit back a sigh, and a wince, at her prior thoughtlessness. "I mean, when I was a filly, maybe I would've felt that way. But you gotta understand..." She crept closer to Scootaloo. "You gotta understand that I was a really, [i]really [/i]stupid filly. I knew exactly what I wanted – even if I didn't know really how to get there – and I didn't really think too much about anything else. So, yeah, if I couldn't fly? That would've felt like the end of the world." Her hoof cupped Scootaloo's cheek, tilting the filly's head until their eyes met. "You don't gotta worry about that, though," Rainbow said. "You're tons smarter, and more mature, than I was at your age. Heck, you've learned stuff I didn't figure out until I was a grown-up. So, even if you never got the hang of flying, even if you just... couldn't... you'd make it. You'd find your own way to be awesome." "...More mature than you, huh?" Scootaloo flushed, a bashful smile crossing her face. "No offense, Rainbow Dash, but that's not too hard." "Aw, shaddap, you." Rainbow's tail whipped Scootaloo's cutie mark, making her yelp. "Think you're so cool, with your regular sleep schedule and your balanced diet." "And my big sister." Scootaloo pounced at Rainbow, squeezing her in a hug. "I got that over you too, y'know." "Heh. Yeah." Rainbow stroked Scootaloo's mane, her hoof shaking almost imperceptibly. "You're way ahead of me, Scoots." It wasn't long before they parted, and Scootaloo peered over the edge of the cloud again. "It [i]does [/i]look like a long way down," she remarked softly. Rainbow craned her head to get a glimpse for herself. Far below, an expanse of green fields and gold-roofed houses stretched, carved in two by a jagged blue scar of a river – a shade darker than the sky above. Her feathers itched. "C'mere," said Rainbow, pulling Scootaloo away from the edge. "Let's stop thinkin' about it." She settled down, and draped a wing over Scootaloo, who snuggled tightly against her. Gradually, the filly drifted off, her breathing prickled with a little rumble of a snore. Rainbow closed her eyes, but couldn't keep them shut. The endless blue sky stretched out before her, and for the first time in her life, it didn't promise excitement. All she could do was stare into it, and hold Scootaloo close.