Apple Bloom stared in disbelief at the words at the bottom of the page.

TO BE CONTINUED

“What the hay?” She flipped through the rest of the magazine. “Where’s the rest of it?”

“It’ll be in the next issue,” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s what makes Equestrian Adventures Monthly so great! You never know what’s going to happen next in these stories.”

“That was really somethin’. I mean, the volcano’s eruptin’, rocks are fallin’ from the sky, and right before the dragon snaps its jaws—“ She made a sweeping motion with her hoof. “She flies away at the last second!”

“That one was the best! Just when you think you know what’s about to happen, something completely unexpected pops up!”

“There’s just all kinds of stuff in here,” Apple Bloom said, flipping through pages of illustrations. “Pirates, explorers, detectives, inventors… We haven’t been serious enough about earnin’ our cutie marks lately. I’m already gettin’ new ideas!”

“I’m so glad Twilight showed this to me,” Sweetie Belle said. “She said even the first Daring Do story was first published in this magazine.”

“Speakin’ of which, where’s Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom said, looking around. “I bet she’d really like this.”

As if on cue, they heard the buzz of Scootaloo’s wings like a motor as she zoomed up the path. She swerved around, jumped and spun around in midair, and skidded sideways to a halt in the middle of the schoolyard. There was a gleam in her eye, and she seemed to be in an oddly good mood for this early in the morning.

The dust around her settled, and they saw why.

“Now that’s somethin’ unexpected,” Apple Bloom said, rolling up the magazine and passing it back to Sweetie Belle.

“Scootaloo! You got your cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle said with a grin. She slid the magazine into her saddlebag, then galloped over to Scootaloo’s side.

“Whoa!” Apple Bloom trotted over to get a better look at the mark on Scootaloo’s flank. It looked like a single feather, leaving behind a trail of flames. “How’d you get that?”

“You know. By being a totally awesome daredevil and pulling off all kinds of sweet aerial stunts,” Scootaloo said, unfastening her helmet and hanging it over her handlebar. She gave a shrug. “I’ve been perfecting my moves for years now. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“Well, yeah, but… really?” Sweetie Belle said.

“Really.”

Apple Bloom couldn’t take her eyes off it. “Aerial stunts? You don’t mean, like… flyin’?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Totally! I mean, I should practically start practicing for the Wonderbolts already.”

“Wow!” Sweetie Belle said. “You’ve gotta show us!”

“I don’t want to show off too much,” Scootaloo said. “Especially not before you guys get your cutie marks, too.”

“It wouldn’t be showin’ off at all,” Apple Bloom said. “We’re real happy for you!”

Scootaloo’s eyes shifted. “It’s just not a great idea right now. Maybe later.”

She leaned her scooter against the fence in its usual spot, and began walking towards the schoolhouse. As they crossed the playground, a few ponies raised their heads and began to gape at her.

“Isn’t that Scootaloo? She got her cutie mark!”

“What is it? Let me see!”

A crowd had started to gather around the three of them, forming a circle and cutting off their path to the front door. Scootaloo’s wings clamped down to her sides, and she shrank back.

Diamond Tiara shoved her way to the front, and glared at Scootaloo’s cutie mark. “What is that supposed to be?”

Scootaloo took a step away. “It’s my cutie mark. Why do you care?”

“She got it when she learned to fly!” Sweetie Belle said. “Scootaloo can do all kinds of cool flying moves like you’d never believe!”

“Uh…” Scootaloo looked over her shoulder, but she was surrounded by her classmates on all sides. She smiled nervously. “Sure do! You should’ve seen me yesterday. I was flying all over the place.”

“And we thought you’d never learn to fly,” Silver Spoon said.

“Better late than never, huh?” Diamond Tiara said. She raised an eyebrow. “Well? Aren’t you going to show us those ‘moves’ of yours?”

Scootaloo went pale. “Well, there’s the thing. You see, uh, I was flying so much that, um, I’m completely exhausted now. I was just about to head inside and sleep through class.”

Apple Bloom turned to her, frowning. “Huh?”

Scootaloo started to trot ahead through the crowd, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon blocked her path.

“Come on, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said. “I mean, you’ve gotta do something…”

Scootaloo took a step back. “Uh… I’d better not. I mean, the kind of stunts I’ve been working on are way too mind-blowing to do right here. I’d need a lot more space to move around. And, uh, class is about to start soon anyway.”

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes. “We haven’t even seen you take your hooves off the ground. Is that cutie mark even real?”

“Of course it is!” Scootaloo said, her voice cracking.

The school bell tolled, and Cheerilee stepped outside. She looked around and spotted the group of foals gathered in the playground.

“Alright, my little ponies! Time for class,” she called out.

Diamond Tiara took one more quick glance at Scootaloo’s cutie mark and then turned away without another word. The crowd dispersed and began to file into the classroom.

Apple Bloom turned back to Scootaloo. “So, uh… If you’ve got all these awesome moves now, how come you aren’t showin’ ‘em off? Thought you’d be itchin’ to rub it in Diamond Tiara’s face after all this time.”

Scootaloo looked away, and scratched her head. “It’s, uh… It’s a long story, alright? I’ll tell you guys after school.”

She turned away and made a dash for the classroom doors. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle traded a wordless glance, then followed her inside.

---

The school day seemed to drag on forever. When the bell finally rang, it jolted Sweetie Belle out of her seat. She glanced over at Scootaloo. Usually she would be the first one out of her seat, but today she had to drag herself up onto her hooves, then sulked out the door.

Apple Bloom traded a glance with Sweetie Belle. Together they followed Scootaloo back out into the schoolyard. She headed out to the fencepost where her scooter was still propped up.

“So, ready to tell us what’s up with you and that cutie mark?” Apple Bloom said.

“Come on, Scootaloo. We’re your friends. You can tell us what’s wrong,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo was quiet for a long time.

“Well…” She scratched her head. She let out a sigh, and continued in a whisper. “The truth is… Last night, I was out in Whitetail Woods. There’s this really cool and totally dangerous off-road trail out there. All kinds of sweet jumps and stuff. It’s a great place to practice my new tricks. So, anyway, I took my scooter over one of those hills, but I lost control. The next thing I knew, I’d let go of my scooter, and I saw it falling away from me. I thought I’d end up in the hospital for sure. But then I realized I wasn’t falling.”

“You mean you were flying?” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo nodded. A trace of a smile had started to come across her face. “Yeah! I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I wish you guys would’ve been there to see it. It was like I’d always known how to do it or something.”

“So how come can’t you do it now?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I, uh… I don’t know. After I found my scooter—I mean, I’m just lucky it didn’t get broken—I tried doing it again, but I just couldn’t remember how,” Scootaloo said. She glanced back at her cutie mark. “If it weren’t for that, nopony would even believe me.”

“Well, that sure is quite a story…” Apple Bloom said. “So what’re you going to do now?”

“Who knows?” Scootaloo said with a shrug. “I knew all my stunt training would pay off eventually, but this is the last thing I expected.”

Sweetie Belle looked down for a moment. Then she blinked. “Wait a second! I nearly forgot!”

She reached back into her saddlebag, dug around for a while, then whipped out the magazine, pushing it into Scootaloo’s face.

“I bet this is just what you need!” Sweetie Belle said, beaming.

“Huh? What…” Scootaloo pushed it away and glanced at the open page. “What is that?”

“It’s the new issue of Equestrian Adventures Monthly. They publish all kinds of cool stories, stuff where you just never know what’s gonna happen, and—“

“Wait, you’re subscribed to that?” Scootaloo said, wrinkling her nose.

“Yeah! Twilight told me about it one time,” Sweetie Belle said. “What’s the matter?”

“I just never thought you were that much of an egghead, is all,” Scootaloo said. She stared blankly at the title of the story. “So, uh, why are you showing me that, anyway?”

“I think you’d really like this story,” Sweetie Belle said, flipping through the pages. “It’s called Fight or Flight, by Golden Flare. It’s one of the best, most exciting stories I’ve ever read!”

“It… is?” Scootaloo said. She shook her head. “I mean, whatever.”

“It’s about this pegasus, like you, and she goes around with her big sister exploring the most dangerous places in Equestria, fighting evil and hunting for treasure. This is just their first adventure, and they’re climbing to the top of a dormant volcano looking for a hidden vault of lost gold.”

“Where are you going with this?” Scootaloo cut in.

“Well, there’s this part at the end where they’re trying to escape the—“

“Don’t tell her that! It’s the best part!” Apple Bloom cut in.

“As if I was ever going to read it anyway,” Scootaloo muttered. She turned away and hopped back up on her scooter. “I need to work on my flying. There had to be something I did differently last time…”

“Well, um, that’s what I was trying to get to,” Sweetie Belle said. “The main character in this story can’t fly at first either. But then, at the last minute, when her sister’s in danger, she’s finally able to pull herself together, figure out how to fly, and save both their lives!”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “She uses the adrenaline rush and figures out how at the last minute… I can’t believe I never thought of that! The only reason I could fly last time was because I had to.”

“So what you’re sayin’ is…” Apple Bloom said. “The only way for you to remember how to fly is to put yourself in some dangerous situation that’ll probably get you killed?”

“It’s either that or Diamond Tiara never leaves us alone,” Sweetie Belle said.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” Scootaloo was fastening her helmet. “You girls ready to go? I know just the place!”

---

Scootaloo had led them over the bridge at the end of town, along the edge of the Everfree Forest, and up a winding mountain path. Sweetie Belle didn’t think she had ever been out here before.

“Where exactly are you taking us?” she asked.

“This is Rambling Rock Ridge,” Scootaloo called back from up ahead. Despite the rising slope as they climbed, her speed hadn’t flagged. “Pretty much the best place for extreme stunts and flying. Just like the mountains they climbed in that story. Except, y’know, real.”

“Huh? Oh. Right,” Sweetie Belle said.

She hadn’t thought Scootaloo actually read a single word of that story. But she still probably hadn’t seen the part about the rockslide, or the swirling high-altitude winds, or the thin mountain air that made it hard to catch your breath. Otherwise she’d probably be less eager to be up here.

Apple Bloom looked over the edge of the cliff, and squinted to see the tiny houses in Ponyville, far off in the distance. “Seems like it’s been forever since we had a real adventure like this.”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle muttered. “Don’t you think it’s a little bit dangerous up here? Why can’t you just go back to Whitetail Woods?”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s dangerous. I’m going to need these steep hills to build up some speed before I can take off and fly. What kind of a daredevil would I be if I played it safe all the time?”

“And what if it doesn’t work?” Sweetie Belle said, biting her lip.

“She’s already flown once before. It shouldn’t be that hard the second time,” Apple Bloom said.

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said. She grinned nervously. “I, uh… I think it’s already coming back to me.”

She flapped her wings harder and sped up, then circled back around Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they walked at a slow pace. She seemed restless.

Scootaloo swerved around a bend in the narrow path, and Sweetie Belle caught a glimpse of that feather-shaped cutie mark. It was hard to believe, but Scootaloo had actually managed to fly once before. So she’d probably be able to do it again.

“I still can’t believe you finally got your cutie mark and then forgot how,” Apple Bloom said. “How’s that even possible?”

“I mean, it’s kind of like when Rainbow Dash got hers for doing the Sonic Rainboom, right?” Scootaloo said, swerving around a rock in the path. “I mean, this kind of thing even happens to the best ponies. In a way, it’s almost like another sign that we were totally meant to be sisters.”

“I guess so.” Apple Bloom shrugged.

The higher they climbed up the mountain trail, the more Sweetie Belle was reminded of that story. They were a long way from Ponyville now. They might as well be in a remote mountain range out in the far reaches of dragon territory…

“Why didn’t you ask Rainbow Dash to help you practice?” Sweetie Belle said. “You must’ve told her yesterday when you got your cutie mark. I bet she’d love to help you.”

“No way. Are you kidding?” Scootaloo said. “Do you know how embarrassing that’d be? Besides, she, uh… She probably wouldn’t be real happy to hear we came up here alone, anyway.”

Apple Bloom cocked her head. “You still sure you wanna do this?”

“For the last time, of course!” Scootaloo rolled her eyes and sped forward. “Besides, we’re already here.”

The mountain trail ended just ahead. They were at the top of the ridge, and there was nowhere else to go except back down. Sweetie Belle shielded her eyes from the wind as she gazed out towards town.

Scootaloo turned around and positioned herself at the edge of the hill, leaning forward over the handlebars and staring down at the path before her. Her wings twitched with anticipation.

Sweetie Belle was getting nervous just watching her, as if she was the one on the edge of a cliff. What if it didn’t work this time? What if she couldn’t get her wings to work?

For a while, Scootaloo stood there, motionless. It looked like she might be having the same thoughts Sweetie Belle was.

“You can do this, Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom said, forcing a smile and trying to keep her voice from wavering. “We’re right here watchin’.”

“Uh, yeah,” Scootaloo said. She glanced up at the sky. The clouds looked a lot closer when they were up here. Biting her lip, she looked back down at the trail. “Here goes nothing, then.”

Scootaloo’s wings twitched, started to buzz, with a sound like a motor, and she took off down the mountain.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran to the edge of the ridge to watch her on her way down. She had taken off in a flash and was still gaining more speed as she raced down the slope.

Her scooter weaved between rocks in the narrow path. Several times it seemed like she was about the crash, before swerving away in the nick of time.

She made a sharp turn and did a jump off the ridge, but her back hooves stayed firmly planted on her scooter. She didn’t even attempt a midair spin or flip.

“Probably wasn’t high enough,” Apple Bloom said. “She’ll need a bigger one than that if she’s gonna catch any air.”

“Yeah…” Sweetie Belle muttered.

Scootaloo was poised over her handlebars. Even from this distance, Sweetie Belle could recognize this. Scootaloo was “in the zone,” like she called it sometimes. Whenever she got like this, absolutely nothing could break her concentration.

Sweetie Belle started to gallop along the ridge, trying not to lose sight of her. Apple Bloom followed behind her, and both of them watched Scootaloo as she raced along the rocky trail, still at top speed despite the bumpy road. This was it. It was going to work. It had to.

Her scooter rounded a tight corner. It looked like she wasn’t going to make the turn, like she was going to sail right off the edge of the cliff, but then—

Then she did.

Scootaloo was out of sight. Everything seemed like it had gone silent. Even the wind felt like it had stopped blowing.

“Is… Is she flyin’?” Apple Bloom said, squinting, trying to get a glimpse of her.

“Y-Yeah. I bet she is,” Sweetie Belle said. “Like she did last time.”

They kept watching for a moment. Any moment now, they’d see a spot of orange come zooming through the air.

Apple Bloom frowned. “Maybe we should go down there and see what’s goin’ on?”

The two of them headed down the ridge, struggling to keep their balance as their hooves slid down the steep incline. Sweetie Belle was starting to feel sick. This kind of suspense might be fun to read about, but it wasn’t as great in real life.

They paused at the edge of the cliff, looking down. There was no sign of anypony there.

“She… must’ve flown away then,” Sweetie Belle said, with a nervous grin. “She’s okay!”

A streak of color shot above their heads, blowing their manes in the breeze.

“Don’t worry, I got her!” they heard Rainbow Dash say.

Rainbow swooped down for a landing, holding Scootaloo in her front hooves. Scootaloo’s eyes were wide and unblinking as she looked down at them.

They came in for a landing, and Scootaloo dropped to the ground, poking at the solid ground with her hooves, as if making sure it was really there. Her legs were shaking.

“What the hay was all this about?” Rainbow Dash demanded.

Scootaloo opened her mouth, but was barely able to get the words out. “Rainbow Dash? H-How’d you… find us?” she stammered.

“I was on cloud duty and saw you three heading up here on your own,” she said. “I told you before you’re not ready to take on Rambling Rock Ridge by yourself, remember?”

Scootaloo hung her head. “Sorry…”

“Uh, it was actually our idea, kinda. We were tryin’ to help her remember how to fly!” Apple Bloom said.

“I knew this was a bad idea…” Sweetie Belle muttered under her breath.

“What do you mean ‘remember’ how to fly?” Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow. “You’ve never flown before. I mean, you would’ve told me if you had, right, kid?”

Scootaloo’s eyes darted away. “Uh… I—I mean, I really did think this might work, but… uh…“

“It’s how she got her cutie mark! See?” Apple Bloom said, pointing at Scootaloo’s flank. “I think she wanted to surprise you. She said she got it yesterday when she was practicing out in Whitetail Woods.”

Rainbow Dash stared at Scootaloo’s cutie mark, the feather with the trail of flame, as if she was noticing it for the first time. She stared at it blankly for a few seconds. “When did you have time to do that? We were hanging out all day ‘til dark yesterday, and I’m pretty sure you didn’t have that then.”

Scootaloo was frozen. Speechless.

“Huh? You were? But… then how’d you get it?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You told us the whole story!”

“That’s… all it was,” Scootaloo muttered. She hung her head with a sigh. “I just made up a story. That’s my real talent, after all.”

“Hold up. What’s goin’ on, here?” Apple Bloom said.

“My cutie mark isn’t a feather. It’s a quill,” Scootaloo said. “It actually showed up this morning. When my copy of Equestrian Adventures Monthly came in… and I saw they published my story.”

“Hang on. You don’t mean…”

Sweetie Belle reached back in her saddlebag and pulled out the magazine. She flipped it back to the story she had been reading. Fight or Flight, by Golden Flare. A brand new author for the magazine.

“I used a pen name so nopony would know it was me. I didn’t even think they’d publish it. I definitely never thought you’d read it.”

“That was you?” Sweetie Belle said. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

Scootaloo gave a shrug. “Writing that story was fun and all, I guess, but then when I saw I got my cutie mark, I couldn’t believe that it was actually my special talent. It can’t be. I’m supposed to be like Rainbow Dash, not like some egghead.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up.” Rainbow shook her head. “Nopony ever said you had to grow up to be exactly like me.”

“I know that, but…” Scootaloo kicked at the dust with her hoof. “All I did was just sit around making stuff up. That isn’t exciting or cool at all. That can’t be my talent.”

“Now that definitely ain’t true,” Apple Bloom said. “That was the most bang-up tale I ever read. I thought it was plenty excitin’.”

“Yeah! And now there’s ponies all over Equestria who are going to read it,” Sweetie Belle added. “You’re practically famous now!”

“Or you would be. If you used your real name,” Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo smiled weakly. “I guess that is kind of nice,” she said. “But it doesn’t change much. I still can’t fly.”

Rainbow Dash put a wing around her. “Just about any pegasus pony can fly. But you? You’ve got your own special talent now. I always knew whatever it turned out to be would be pretty cool.”

“You really think that?”

“Well, uh, I mean, I haven’t actually read your story yet… But I guess it’s probably pretty good,” Rainbow Dash said, scratching her head. “I’m still getting the hang of this big sister pep-talk thing. Give me a break, will ya?”

Scootaloo grinned. She looked out at Ponyville over the edge of the cliff. “How about we go back for now? I’ve got a second chapter to finish!”