//------------------------------//
// Lighting Up the Sky 
// Story: Flying to the Future 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 8: Lighting Up the Sky

The competition stretched on through the day.  Scootaloo and Dawn watched the other competitors attentively.  But very few of them came close to  Cyclone's acrobatic display or Sunflower's dancing clouds.  After a few hours, the competition was briefly halted for lunch.  Cyclone quickly towed Sunfower away to eat together, so Scootaloo and Dawn missed a chance to introduce Sunflower to their friends.  Nonetheless, they enjoyed themselves, eating and chatting with the others as they waited for the performances to resume.  Then it was back to the waiting area to wait for their turn.
The afternoon waned, the sun drooping lower and lower towards the horizon as their turn neared.  Dawn estimated that the sun would have set by the time they began, which was for the best, considering what they had planned.  As the sun dropped below the horizon completely and the last of the colors of sunset began to fade, powerful lights switched on throughout the Cloudeseum, giving the audience a clear view of the competitors.
"We're gonna have to ask them to tone down the lights," Scootaloo noted, shifting nervously.  With each minute that their turn drew closer, she was growing more and more anxious.
"That should be simple enough," said Dawn, his eyes tracing the path of another performer as she rocketed around the circumference of the stadium as fast as her wings could carry her in an effort to show off her speed to the audience before winding her way through a series of close-set rings in the center of the stadium in a blur, showing off an impressive amount of control for the speed she was going.
"All right!  Time for the last group of competitors.  Report here," called out the staff member, holding up a clipboard.
"That's us," said Scootaloo.
Dawn nodded.  Together, the two of them stepped into the line, finding that they were actually third-from-last.  That was good enough for their purposes.  They talked to the organizer, confirming their planned cloud layout and also adding the request that the lights be dimmed slightly.
From there, they returned to the balcony to watch the acts that preceded theirs.  As their time approached, Scootaloo felt herself growing more and more anxious.  Her wings twitched nervously.
Then Dawn wrapped a wing around her back and pulled her towards him.  He turned her so that they faced one another.  Then Dawn gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing their foreheads together.  His wings extended to enshroud her, enveloping Scootaloo's senses and blocking out the outside world.  The sounds of the audience and their fellow competitors faded away.
"Remember," said Dawn softly, "we can do this.  Just relax and breathe."
Scootaloo nodded, leaning into the embrace.  She closed her eyes and took deep, slow breaths, letting her breathing match Dawn's.  They breathed in unison and she could even feel their hearts beating in the same rhythm.  Her mind cleared of extraneous thoughts.  Her worries drained away, leaving a blissfully peaceful sensation behind, her mind becoming blank.
Finally, it was their turn and Dawn let her go.  Scootaloo was once again beset by the sounds of the outside world.  However, it seemed distant and she felt she could perceive everything much more clearly now.  Her senses extended through the air and she felt the contours of everypony and everything around her with ease.  She felt Dawn.  She knew, without even having to think about it, that he was about to spread his wings and take off.  She didn't miss a beat, spreading her wings alongside him.  Flapping their wings in unison, the two of them flew out to the staging area to wait for the signal to begin.
For their performance, the Cloudeseum floor had been closed and layered with malleable, construction-grade cloud that could be easily shaped with their skills.  The lights of the stadium were dimmed somewhat to give the audience a clearer view of the night sky above.  Scootaloo could sense the gazes of her friends and family.  That feeling warmed her and filled her with a sense of confidence and peace.  Her friends would be with her, no matter what.  More importantly, she felt Dawn standing next to her, ready to follow her lead as they started the form they had created for their routine.
At the signal to start, the two of them kicked off of the staging area, drifting into a low swoop that carried them over the floor and across the breadth of the Cloudeseum.  It was a moderate, easy flight, something that they could both do in their sleep, something that nearly any pegasus could do for that matter.  However, few pegasi, if any, could match their synchronization, as they beat their wings in perfect time with one another.
They reached the inner wall of the Cloudeseum and broke apart, flying along opposite sides of of the stadium until they reached the halfway point, where they were directly across from one another.  Abruptly, they launched themselves away from the walls, accelerating so suddenly that they seemed to vanish, only to meet again in the exact middle of the stadium.  Dawn and Scootaloo had already turned so that they were facing in opposite directions as they met, sweeping the wings on the sides that faced each other in wide circles, creating opposing waves of air pressure that clashed between them.  The space between the two of them appeared to ripple.  Then their techniques rebounded, pushing them away from each other.  At the same time, it created a shockwave that washed over the stadium floor, picking up the clouds layered over it and pushing them back away from the center of the Cloudeseum until they reached the inside wall and crashed against it, spraying upwards like the waves of the sea over the rocky shore.
Dawn and Scootaloo closed with one another again.  This time they went into flat spins, spinning in the same direction as they came at each other.  Scootaloo's spin drifted upwards slightly, carrying her directly over Dawn's back.  As she moved above him, she extended her left wing.  Down below her, Dawn extended his left wing as well, though he was facing in the opposite direction she was.  In unison, they both swept their wings back in a wide arc, putting the strength of their whole bodies into the movement.  Their motion pulled in the air, drawing it up into a small, but powerful tornado that pulled the clouds that had been pushed outwards by their initial collision back in towards the center of the stadium.  When they had initially been planning their performance, they had dismissed the idea of a tornado as too dangerous to perform within the confines of the Cloudeseum.  However, they had come to the conclusion that, if they kept it small enough, they could control it so it didn't become a threat to the audience.  With the construction-grade clouds to work with, it allowed them to produce something visually spectacular with comparatively little power.
They rode the currents of the tornado, moving with it as it pulled both them and the clouds upwards into a smooth column.  As they flew, they used their wings to carve a rising spiral into the side of the column, decorating it as they moved up its length.  The tornado petered out, leaving the new cloud construct behind it.  From the top, Dawn and Scootaloo circled back down.  Even though the cloud column blocked each other from sight, they could still feel each other through the wind.  With their hearts and minds working in unison, they didn't fall even slightly out of synch as they descended.
With a loud snap, lightning began to crackle back and forth across Scootaloo's wings.  The buzzing from the other side of the column told her that Dawn had called forth his lightning as well.  When they reached the base of the column, they touched their hooves to the stadium floor before kicking off with another powerful flap, shooting up the length of the column, trailing wide veils of crackling electricity behind them as they flew.  They met again at the top.  This time, Scootaloo snapped both her wings towards Dawn, thrusting her leading primaries out at him like spears.  Dawn mirrored the motion perfectly and lightning jumped between them with a thunderous crack.  They caught each other's bolts and maintained their own, binding them together with what looked like a pair of ropes of solid electricity.
They circled one another, maintaining their posture and the lightning that connected them together.  With each revolution, they drew closer and closer to one another, until the tips of all four of their wings were on the verge of touching, the lightning between them condensing together into a tiny orb of pure energy that blazed between the four primaries pointing inward at each other.  Giving one last, sharp push, Dawn and Scootaloo made the tiny orb of lightning burst outwards with a loud boom, reminiscent of a firework going off.  It exploded into countless, colorful sparks that scattered like a halo across the night sky.
Again, the explosion pushed them away from each other.  They resumed circling the same point, lightning once again crackling across their wings.  This time, they each channeled the energy into a more confined space, letting it circulate more and more fiercely.  The electricity began to charge the air around it, changing its quality, forming to orbs of plasma that dangled from their outside wings like ripe fruit.
Rolling her body, Scootaloo swiped the wing that was holding her plasma orb towards Dawn, lobbing it straight at him.  Across from her, Dawn did the same.  They caught the orb that the other had thrown, rolling them across and around their wings much like the jugglers Scootaloo had once seen at a carnival do with balls.  As they juggled the orbs they'd caught, the lightning sparked across their wings again to create a second, so that they were now juggling two orbs of volatile plasma each.
Through the humming buzz of the accumulated electrical energy that filled the air, Scootaloo could feel the faint buzz of tension from the audience below as they leaned forward in their seats, most of them stunned by the dangerous feat that she and Dawn were performing.  Her continued practice and training in the Gale King had made Scootaloo somewhat inured to the practice of generating and controlling lightning.  It had become a mundanity for her.  However, to most pegasi, it was practically an impossible feat, one that many of them had never expected to witness in their lives.  Their excitement was palpable in the air.  It surged through Scootaloo, filling her with exhilaration.
Even as she basked in the excitement of the moment, Scootaloo's body was already moving onto the next steps of the form of its own volition.  The past couple months of endless repetition allowing her to act and move without thinking, responding automatically to any moves that Dawn made.
In the course of their circling, they had moved closer and closer, to the point where their wingtips were only a meter away from each other.  Simultaneously, Scootaloo and Dawn rolled one plasma orb each across the length of the wing on the inside of their circle.  They directed the orbs so that they met in the center.  Rather than clashing, Scootaloo and Dawn worked carefully, molding and merging the orbs together until a new one hung, suspended in the air between them, blazing like a miniature sun.
Scootaloo whipped her body into a roll that carried her over the top of the plasma, while Dawn went into a roll that carried him beneath it, the hairs of his mane nearly grazing the top of the cloud column as he did so.  The roll brought the small orbs they held in their outside wings around so that they could then add those orbs to the larger one, merging them together and increasing the size of the orb again.  It now blazed atop the cloud column like the lantern of a lighthouse, throwing out its radiance in all directions, easily eclipsing the recently-dimmed stadium lights.  Down below, ponies in the audience shielded their eyes, squinting now that Dawn and Scootaloo were shadows dancing between them and the small sun.
This was the most difficult part of their performance.  Though Dawn and Scootaloo looked as though they were doing the same thing, calmly circling the large plasma orb, they were in fact working on separate tasks.  As he circled around, Dawn moved to a slightly higher altitude, using his magic to increase the orb's charge while still maintaining its shape.  Down below slightly, Scootaloo began to forcefully direct air into the charged mass, compacting and energizing it.  The whole thing was dangerously close to exploding in dramatic fashion.  This close, both she and Dawn were at serious risk.  They'd practiced this move thoroughly and had gotten it to work...seven out of ten times.  Thankfully, their skill with the Gale King allowed them to avoid injury.  However, failure of the move would nip their finale in the bud, as it always left them tumbling after it happened.  There was no way they would be able to pass it off as just "part of the show."
The key lay in breaking off at just the right moment.  Scootaloo completely let go of her conscious thoughts, forgetting about the crowd far below, her aspirations, and her desire to prove herself.  She lost herself completely in the feeling of the two things that truly mattered at this moment: Dawn and the plasma approaching critical mass between them.
Then she sensed it, the instant the orb was on the verge of exploding across the sky.  Abruptly, she broke off feeding air into it and moved up on the same level as Dawn.  She felt him push down slightly on the orb and it exploded...exactly the right way.
With a low boom that resounded for miles, the orb exploded outward, blooming across the sky like a massive flower, the shockwave blowing away the cloud column it had formed above.  The petals of said flower dissolved into whipping veils of shimmering light that danced in the sky above the stadium, shimmering blue and green, with flashes of purple, pink, and orange.  The artificial aurora writhed above the Cloudeseum, performing a dance of its own.
Still circling, they dipped their flight down.  Scootaloo was unable to keep from giggling as she passed through the aurora and it swept across her, leaving a faint tingling sensation behind it that tickled slightly.  After this, it was a simple, slow, continuous circle back to the floor and a smooth landing at the staging area...
Then Dawn broke from the routine.  A tingle of panic swept through her as she sensed him break off from the circle they'd always practiced.  Was something wrong?  Had she missed something?  However, Dawn maintained his rhythm, keeping his wingbeats in synch with her, telling her that this was deliberate and that he was improvising something.  It also told her to continue on as usual.
Dawn swooped upward, passing through the flickering veils of charged air and went into a series of rapid, tight rolls.  To Scootaloo's amazement, she watched as the aurora wound about his body, swirling about him like he'd just flown through a massive spider web.  Dawn pulled his ascent into a tight loop that brought him in a sweeping descent, pulling the aurora he'd wrapped around himself down with him.  The even strokes of his wings reassured Scootaloo that there still wasn't anything wrong.  The confidence that instilled in her kept her from flinching as Dawn's arcing flight carried him directly across her flight path so that she flew directly into the auroral veils he was pulling behind him.  They settled across her skin, once again covering her body with a gentle, tickling sensation.
She knew what Dawn was doing now.  Scootaloo reached out with her magic.  The veils of their aurora were streams of atmospheric gas, charged by the intense energy of the plasma they'd gathered.  Reaching out with her magic, she held on to the tingling feeling produced by the aurora, causing the glowing streams of light to cling to her body, whipping about in her wake as she continued her circle.  At the same time, Dawn was pulling out of his descent and again climbing upward, flying up to gather even more strands of the aurora and pull them down, intersecting Scootaloo's flight at a different angle, once again draping the auroral veils across her body like so much cloth.  Scootaloo was now clothed in a dress of shimmering light, the aurora's veils whipping about in her wake like strips of a long skirt.
A grin found its way onto her face.  If Dawn could improvise, then so could she.  As Dawn made a third pass, drawing most of the remaining aurora behind him, she flew through it as usual, but altered her course until she was flying parallel to Dawn, twisting and rolling until they were flying nearly belly-to-belly, their hooves scant inches away from one another.
Scootaloo guided their flight from there.  She began to execute a tight barrel roll, using a nudge of wind to direct Dawn into the same motion, causing the two of them to wind around each other as she brought them into a steep descent.  Her auroral dress now swirled around both of them, resembling a shimmering, glowing tornado as they descended down to the staging area.  At the last second, the two of them pulled away from each other, just above the clouds, and landed simultaneously, flaring out their wings and dispersing the aurora so that it dissolved into streams, then motes of light, then faded out altogether, leaving the two of them facing away from each other, wings raised, their performance unquestionably concluded.
Complete silence greeted them.  Panting slightly, Scootaloo held her pose, able to sense Dawn doing the same behind her.  Her wing twitched the tiniest bit, sending a gentle breeze that brushed across his feathers.  Dawn returned the gesture of silent assurance.
It began gradually.  From the Royal Box, Scootaloo could hear Sweetie Belle suddenly screaming her lungs out, the sound of her voice powerful enough to be heard across the Cloudeseum as she cheered wildly.  The rest of their friends were only a beat behind her.  The cheering caught on and the crowds surged to their hooves, bellowing and shrieking their approval, clapping hooves together fiercely or smacking them into the cloud floors as hard as they could.  The crowd's roar of approval thundered throughout the stadium, making Scootaloo's bones thrum as a grin broke out across her face.  She lowered her wings, relaxing.  Dawn did the same and they turned to face each other.
"We did it," she said, still scarcely believing it.
"That we did," said Dawn, walking over to within reach of her and kissing her on the lips.
They leaned in and pressed their necks against each other, Scootaloo reveling in the sense of Dawn's nearness, of just being able to rest up against him for a minute.  They held it for a little bit, but then Dawn whispered into her ear, "We should probably get out of the way so they can send out the next pony."
Scootaloo nodded against him and they headed back to the waiting area.  As they closed in, they could see several of their fellow competitors gaping unashamedly.  More than a few of them were cheering along with the crowd, not seeming to care that their performances had been spectacularly outshone.  Sunflower reared up, resting one forehoof on the railing to support her weight as she waved frantically with the other, grinning from ear to ear as they came in for their landing.
"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen!" she shouted, barely able to make herself heard as the three of them were swallowed up by a crowd of other competitors, many of them slapping her or Dawn's back in congratulations for the incredible display.
Though she was hemmed in by exultant ponies on all sides, Scootaloo could feel beyond the reaches of the crowd with the wind.  She could tell that a few ponies weren't joining in on the congratulations.  Some were sulking at having their performances blown out of the water.  Others appeared angry.  Probably, she reasoned, because they didn't notice that tandem performances are allowed under the rules.  There was one in particular she could sense, a pony whose outline felt especially familiar, Cyclone.  She stood on the fringes of the crowd, the tension in the lines of her body and the faint trembles making their way up and down her legs betraying her rage.  Serves her right, thought Scootaloo before turning her attention back to Sunflower.
The excitement was so overwhelming that the last three competitors progressed through their routines virtually unnoticed by their fellows.  It was hard to tell, given their current circumstances, but she suspected the audience's response to those last few performances was decidedly lackluster as well.  She felt a twinge of sympathy for those ponies, feeling that she'd inadvertently reduced the appreciation they were due for the hard work they'd undoubtedly put into their routines.
Still, as Dawn wrapped his wing around her once more, it was hard to feel down considering all the praise they were being showered with.  Besides, she felt that they had more than earned the response they had received.  Even if certain other ponies felt otherwise.



As the competition drew to a close, ponies waited with baited breath for Spitfire and Princess Celestia to announce the winner and the runner-ups.  As they deliberated, the staff closed the floor and shaped some clouds into a raised stage, along with a podium where the announced winners would stand when their names were called.  In the meantime, the participants were assembled on the rest of the stadium floor, waiting eagerly for the competition results.
Celestia and Luna descended from the Royal Box, stooping gracefully, they landed off to the side of the winners' podiums.  Spitfire landed a beat behind them, the two Wonderbolts that had been sitting next to her following in her wake.
Celestia swept her eyes across the group of pegasi assembled in front of her.  "I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your participation.  You have all performed exceptionally well and this has been on of the finest competitions I have seen in many years."  She smiled fondly at them, her warm approval making the speech genuinely encouraging, rather than patronizing for all of those ponies who would not be flying home with the victory this evening.  "And now, Captain Spitfire of the Wonderbolts will announce the winners."
Spitfire stepped to the fore and coughed to clear her throat.  "Now then, the third-place winner is Cyclone of Cloudsdale with her incredible acrobatic display."
The sounds of applause, clopping hooves, and cheers accompanied the white pegasus as she stepped up onto the lowest platform of the podium.  One of the Wonderbolts that had accompanied Spitfire fluttered over to hang the bronze medal around her neck.  Cyclone smiled politely and nodded to the Wonderbolt as he gave her his congratulations, but her eyes told a different story, glittering with frustration and anger.
"In second-place, with her impressive skill at cloud control, we have Sunflower of Cloudsdale," continued Spitfire.
Sunflower yelped with surprise.  Dawn had to gently nudge her in the direction of the podium before she got the idea and flew over, applause and cheers following her the entire way.  There, the second of the two Wonderbolts with Spitfire hung the silver medal around her neck.  Sunflower stood there, dazed, clearly having trouble taking in what had just happened.  Scootaloo was surprised to see Cyclone look over at Sunflower and give her an approving smile before turning to face forward once more.
"Finally...in first-place...for the most incredible display I've seen since Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom...Scootaloo and Dawn Lightwing of Ponyville!"
Dawn and Scootaloo flew to the podium and alighted on the tallest of the three platforms.  The space was a little cramped, but they managed to both fit on there without edging each other off.  As they got settled, Spitfire herself fluttered over, Princess Celestia walking up behind her.  Celestia hefted a pair of gold crowns, shaped to resemble laurel wreaths, in her magic.  Spitfire took one and settled it onto Scootaloo's head and then took the other to settle onto Dawn's.  She grinned at them, pride clear in her eyes.  "It's with great pleasure that I hereby pronounce you two the Best Young Fliers of this year's competition."
The audience and their fellow competitors erupted into cheers, with the notable exception of Cyclone, who glared at Scootaloo in quiet fury.



"That was awesome, squirt!  I'm so proud of you!"  Rainbow Dash wrapped Scootaloo up in an enthusiastic hug, her wings flapping to lift them both off the clouds and spin them around through the air before letting her go.
"Aww...thanks, Rainbow," said Scootaloo, blushing fiercely.
"I knew you two could do it," said Rainbow, settling back onto the floor again.
"You two were perfect together," added Soarin', also grinning widely at them.  "I think Spitfire's eyes were about to pop from her head."
Nearby, Fluttershy was nuzzling Dawn lovingly as he held Larksong in his forelegs.  The filly had tried to give him an energetic congratulations, but was too tired and had fallen asleep shortly after the competition had ended.  Depositing her on his back, Dawn nuzzled his mother back before dipping down to gently nuzzle Pepita, who was asleep in his sling.
"You were incredible," said Caramel, gently rubbing a hoof along Dawn's back, careful to avoid disturbing Larksong.  "I'm glad the two of you managed to work things out."
"Yeah," said Dawn.  "Me too."
"I'm so excited!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, bouncing in place.  "We need to celebrate.  It's time for a party!"
"Hay yeah!" agreed Rainbow, pumping a hoof excitedly.
"Easy there," said Twilight, laying a hoof across Rainbow's shoulders.  "Let's not get carried away."  She gave Fluttershy, Dawn, and Caramel an apologetic grin.  "We should get the little ones settled first."
"Oh..." said Rainbow, grinning sheepishly, "...right."
Scootaloo yawned.  "I'm feeling a bit sleepy," she admitted.  "Maybe we should just get dinner and call it a night.  We've got our day with the Wonderbolts tomorrow so...maybe we should hold off until then."
"Um...that's just for you and Dawn," Twilight pointed out.
"Actually, I think it's fine if we bring a few guests," said Scootaloo.  "I don't think Spitfire will mind.  Besides, there's another friend I want to bring with me."
"Who?" asked Twilight, canting her head.
Grinning, Scootaloo looked over her shoulder in the direction she knew the other mare was.  "Come on out, Sunflower.  What are you doing hiding anyway?"
Cautiously, Sunflower crept out from behind a pillar.  "B-but th-that's Princess Twilight Sparkle," she protested.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo, mimicking Twilight's gesture as her head tilted.  "So...?"
"I-is it okay?" asked Sunflower.
"Sure," said Scootaloo, trying her hardest not to giggle.  Beside her, Dawn was not being nearly as restrained, though he was at least resorting to his trick of pretending to cough. "Twilight's a cool pony.  I've known her since I was a little filly and since before she was a Princess.  Trust me, she's just a fussy librarian underneath it all."
"See if I ever give you another extension on your late fees," muttered Twilight, giving Scootaloo a mild glare and a snort.
Seeing Twilight grumble and her friends gently needled her, as though she were a normal pony, seemed to encourage Sunflower to come closer.  To her surprise, Rainbow Dash trotted past Scootaloo to come right up in front of her.
"So you're the mare who got second-place," observed Rainbow, smiling.  "It's nice to meet you.  I'm Rainbow Dash."
"I know-I mean...Meased to pleet you," said Sunflower, her words failing her as she tried to overcome the fact that one of the Wonderbolts was talking to her as though it were a perfectly normal thing.
Rainbow couldn't help but laugh at Sunflower's awkwardness before holding up a hoof.  "That was a great routine you put on, by the way.  It's way better than anything I could do when I was your age...except for the Sonic Rainboom, of course."
"O-of course," said Sunflower, her expression growing dazed again as she shook Rainbow's hoof.
"If she's like this now, how do you think she'll handle the others when she meets them tomorrow?" asked Dawn, smirking as he shared a glance with Scootaloo.
"I don't know," admitted Scootaloo, returning his smirk.  "But I kinda wanna see it."
"So," said Rainbow with a wry grin, "since you already know who I am..."  She chuckled at Sunflower's embarrassed "eep!"  "...I'm guessing you already know my soon-to-be husband and perennial goofball, Soarin'."
"I'll have you know that I'm only an annual goofball, thank you very much," said Soarin' sardonically as he came up to stand next to Rainbow, only to receive an elbow to his ribs in response.
Sunflower let out a startled giggle.  She quickly covered her mouth, mortified that she'd laughed at two of her idols.  However, both Soarin' and Rainbow gave her warm smiles and stepped up to either side of her, gently draping their wings across her back.
"Take it easy, kiddo," said Rainbow, "We're normal enough as ponies go.  You don't have to worry about appearances with us."
"Relax and have fun," added Soarin'.
Looking from one to the other, Sunflower gave a hesitant nod.
"All right!" said Rainbow.  "Who's hungry?"
"I know just the place," said Soarin'.
Keeping Sunflower between them, they led the way out of the Cloudeseum.



The restaurant was plenty decent.  Even though it was already a little crowded with participants in the competition, their friends and family, and ponies who had come to watch the whole affair, the staff still managed to put together a group of tables large enough to host everyone in their group.  Scootaloo imagined that she and Dawn being the winners of the tournament might have had something to do with it.  She felt like a celebrity, the way ponies gawked at her and Dawn as they walked past.  At least, this time, it was the good kind of gawking, rather than the kind they usually got.
The menu was plenty diverse.  Scootaloo was elated to discover that they had a decent selection of fish, but also foods that would better appeal to the earth ponies and unicorns in their group.  She and Dawn sat next to Sunflower, who, despite Rainbow's assurances, still clearly felt a little out of place amongst these ponies she'd never met before.  Fluttershy settled down over on Sunflower's other side while Coco Pommel and Flitter sat across from her.  The three mares, more commonly the quieter ones of the group, were able to strike up a conversation with Sunflower and get her talking about herself.
Once her barriers fell, Sunflower became more animated, happily chatting with the older mares.  At one point, she even took a sleeping Pepita in her arms and cooed happily as she rocked him back and forth, unable to stop talking about how adorable he looked.
Smiling at the adorable sight, Scootaloo turned her attention to the couple who were sitting across from her and Dawn.  Rumble and Sweetie Belle were speaking in hushed tones so that, despite straining her ears, Scootaloo was unable to make out what they were saying.  She picked up the occasional word or phrase, but wasn't able to figure out what they were talking about.  She figured it had something to do with the secret project they'd been writing about in their letters.
"All right, you two," she said, "I want to hear it."
"Hear what?" asked Sweetie, blinking in confusion for a moment.
"Your big project," replied Scootaloo.  "You've been teasing about it in your letters for months.  What are you two up to?"
"I must admit that I am quite curious," added Dawn with a small smile.
"Me too," agreed Spike, who was sitting next to Rumble.
"Add me to that," said Apple Bloom, who was sitting next to Dawn and across from Spike.
Rumble and Sweetie exchanged uncertain glances.  "We just weren't sure it was going to go through," said Sweetie.  "Rumble and I are still working on presenting the idea to Softhoof.  I need to finish my thesis before we can do that so that we have something definite to give to her.  I mean...we did already run the the basic concept past her, but she said we need to make sure that we have everything in order and that all our work backs us up before we submit a formal proposal."
"What are you proposing?" asked Dawn, leaning forward.
"Well...I've been looking into cases regarding the foals who end up in the Foal Protective Services' care," explained Rumble.  "Some of them come from homes where they've been abused and neglected...sometimes in some pretty terrible ways."  He shook his head vigorously.  "You have no idea some of the backgrounds these colts and fillies come from.  Their parents can make Scootaloo's dad look like a saint."
The remark drew a wince from Scootaloo and an odd look from Sunflower, who was now listening in along with their closest neighbors.
"Sorry," said Rumble, giving Scootaloo a sheepish look.
"It's okay," she said, wrestling down the unpleasant feelings the memory of her father evoked.
Rumble coughed awkwardly.  "Anyway.  Once they get the foals away from their abusers, they either get put into an orphanage or into a foster home, depending on their location and what resources are available."
"The problem," said Sweetie, "is that, in a lot of these places, it's hard to meet the foals' needs because there are more than a few of them and not all of them need treatment for their traumatic experiences, but the foals who go into the system for other reasons have needs too.  It's hard to minister to everypony's needs all at once.  Sometimes the problematic foals, the ones who go through serious trauma get sidelined and don't get the treatment they need."
"Or sometimes there just aren't relevant therapists available," added Rumble.  "The Ministry of Welfare does their best, but it's hard to look after the needs of everypony when there are so many others who need to be seen to."
"That's where our idea comes in," said Rumble, "Sweetie and I proposed opening up a home specifically for foals who have gone through severe abuse or neglect, the ones dealing with serious trauma."
"When the foals arrive, I use my musical therapy techniques to help treat them," said Sweetie.  "We're breaking new ground over at the university in all the ways we can help ease the difficulties of foals who are suffering from abuse in their old homes."
Rumble smiled and nodded.  "We'll have other kinds of therapists available, so that we can provide for more diverse needs and draw from a spectrum of different treatments."
"Sounds big," said Spike.
"Well...it's kinda big," admitted Rumble.  "We aren't looking at anything the size of a full-scale orphanage.  But it's going to be a fair bit bigger than a regular foster home.  There could be anywhere from fifteen to twenty foals living there at a time."
"That few?" asked Dawn, raising an eyebrow.
"Fortunately, cases of abuse aren't exactly rampant," said Rumble, "And this is primarily for the foals who would fall through the cracks otherwise."
"And if it works well, we can start setting up similar places in other towns," said Sweetie, a wide grin on her place.  "This could be the start of something huge!"
"That's pretty neat," said Scootaloo, smiling at her oldest friend.  "I really hope it works out."
"Me too," said Dawn.
The group chatted more, taking the opportunity to catch up.  By the time dinner was over and dessert had been consumed, Scootaloo's eyelids were drooping.  Looking next to her, she could see that Dawn was starting to look sleepy too.  "I think it's time for us to call it a night," she said.
"Yeah, you two could probably use your rest," said Rainbow Dash, smiling fondly at Scootaloo.  "You worked hard today."
"I'll go with you," said Fluttershy, once again taking up Pepita's sling.  "It's time to put the foals to bed anyway."
Dawn nodded and settled Larksong back onto his back.  She had woken up long enough to enjoy dinner and have some dessert, but had quickly been lulled back to sleep by the comfort of a full stomach.  As they headed out of the restaurant, Caramel joined them.  As they walked, they talked in soft tones to avoid waking the foals.  Arriving at the hotel, Caramel took charge of Larksong so that he and Fluttershy could put her and her little brother to bed.  Dawn went to help them while Scootaloo went to the room that she and Dawn would be sharing that night.
Looking around the room, Scootaloo grinned.  It wasn't much larger than the room Dawn had rented for them when they had come to Cloudsdale for her Certification Exam.  There wasn't much in the way of decor.  But that didn't really matter.  After all, they would only be in here for a single night.  As long as she could share it with Dawn, she didn't really care if the bed was the only feature in the room.
On the far side of the room from the entrance was a door leading out to a balcony.  Stepping out onto it, Scootaloo breathed deeply, savoring the night air, thinner and a little bit colder at Cloudsdale's altitude.  The stars twinkled brilliantly above and the vistas of cloud buildings stretched out before her.  She had to admit, a pegasus cloud city was a spectacular place to watch.  However, she much preferred her home in Ponyville all the same.
Her wings twitched and lifted away from her sides as she felt an errant breeze pass over her.  Scootaloo frowned, her good mood fading as she recognized the signs of an approaching pony.  What was worse, as the pony, who had just passed over, banked around to approach the balcony, Scootaloo could tell exactly who she was.
"It's getting way too late for this," she said, turning to face Cyclone as the other mare came in for a landing.
"This won't take long," said Cyclone, her tone just as flat and dark as Scootaloo's.
"What do you want?" asked Scootaloo, her eyes narrowing.  She wasn't in the mood for exchanging barbs with the Little Princess (as Sunflower so aptly called her).  She was tired and she wanted to go to bed.
"I want what's mine," said Cyclone.  "You cheated in the competition today.  I want you to admit it, give up your crown, then disappear back to that dusty hick town of yours and never come back."
"Cheated?"  Scootaloo had to fight to keep the word from coming out in a sputter.  "How?"
"You and your coltfriend collaborated," replied Cyclone in a matter-of-fact tone.  "It's wrong for two ponies to work together in an individual competition."
Scootaloo couldn't stop herself this time, not that she didn't try.  As it was, the laugh forced itself out from between her pursed lips before she nearly collapsed against the balcony railing with the force of her mirth.
"Oh my gosh!" she shouted.  "That was pathetic!  That's your big accusation?  Dawn and I cheated by performing together?  I don't even..."
"The Best Young Fliers Competition was created for young pegasi to display their skills and strength," said Cyclone in a lofty tone.  "Weaklings and clumsy amateurs who have to rely on others to get by have no place in it."
"Wow...Who's been feeding you that manure?" asked Scootaloo.  "'Cause I'm pretty sure my friend, Apple Bloom, would love some fertilizer."  She took a second to get herself back together.  "You didn't have any idea did you?  You didn't realize that the competition rules cover tandem flights."
"Those dusty old rules are relics of a different era," declared Cyclone.  "They have no place in the competition as it stands in this day and age."
"You're gonna have to take that up with Spitfire and Princess Celestia," said Scootaloo.  "Because they certainly had no problems with those 'dusty old rules.'  Just because nopony wants to do a tandem performance anymore doesn't mean that it suddenly became a rule that they couldn't be done.  If that was the case, Dawn and I wouldn't have made it past the registration desk."
Cyclone snorted angrily, her nostrils flaring.  "Your argument has no basis, considering that the judges were clearly biased in your favor."
"Huh?"
Cyclone smirked at Scootaloo's confusion.  "Did you think ponies wouldn't notice?  I know that you're very close friends with Rainbow Dash and that you've met Spitfire before.  Obviously the judges were prepared to come down on your side, no matter how pathetic your performance was."
"Obviously," deadpanned Scootaloo.  "Wow...So that's your trump card, huh?  You're saying we won because I'm friends with Rainbow Dash and she got Spitfire to pick us as the winner."
"Of course," said Cyclone, her nose rising.  "There's absolutely no way a low-class mare like you would have won otherwise."
"Uh huh..."  Scootaloo stared hard at Cyclone.  "I wonder what it's like to live where you are, 'cause you sure don't live in the real world."
"What?"  Cyclone took a step back, apparently confused that Scootaloo hadn't admitted defeat.
"Go ahead and say whatever you like," continued Scootaloo.  "Dawn and I won the competition fair and square.  If you don't like it, go ahead and take it up with Spitfire.  I dare you."  She smiled thinly at her adversary.  "I hope you're wearing something fireproof when you do.  I know Spitfire doesn't like it when ponies lob accusations like that at her."
"Y-you won't get away with this," snapped Cyclone.  "I won't be outdone by failures like you or your father."
That gave Scootaloo pause.  What does Dad have to do with this?
"If you're not going to cooperate, then fine," continued Cyclone.  "I'll take what's mine however I have to.  You'd better watch your back."  She leapt over the balcony railing and spread her wings, swooping away.
"Hey!  Wait!" shouted Scootaloo, reaching out with a hoof.  If she wanted to, she could have given chase.  However, she decided it wasn't worth it.   After all, Cyclone had made it perfectly clear that she would be back.  But Scootaloo wanted to know what had Cyclone referring to her father all of a sudden.
"That was...different."
Turning around, Scootaloo saw Dawn standing at the door to the balcony, watching Cyclone leave with an impassive expression.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo. "She takes being a bad sport to a whole new level."
Dawn tilted his head, his eyes still fixed on Cyclone's retreating figure.  "Did you sense anything odd about her?" he asked.
"Odd...?"  Scootaloo blinked for a second.  "You mean, aside from the obvious?"  After all, Cyclone had just shown up and insisted that they should turn over their crowns to her as though it was her natural right.  Scootaloo wasn't entirely sure that there wasn't anything odd about that.
"She was arrogant, yes," admitted Dawn.  "But there was something different just now, underneath it all."
Scootaloo's ears lowered.  For all that she had learned about the Gale King, Dawn was still a good bit more perceptive than she was.  He attributed it to his practice of feeling the breath of other ponies through the wind, something about how it connected their Inner World with the Outer World.  Scootaloo had yet to understand it perfectly.  However, she had no doubt of his skill.  "What did you sense?" she asked.
"Desperation," replied Dawn.  "She hid it well, but she feels as though our crowns might mean life or death for her...or something close to it, in any case."
That gave Scootaloo paused.  She'd thought Cyclone wanted their crowns, but had never thought that Cyclone wanted them that badly.  "Why?"
"I don't know," said Dawn.  "But, in due course, I am certain we will find out."
"Yeah," said Scootaloo.  She was still wondering where Cyclone's bringing up her father came into all of this.
Then she sighed.  "This is ridiculous.  It's not like she can do anything to us.  I'd feel sorry for her if she tried."
Dawn nodded and smiled.  "That's true.  I don't think we have anything to fear."  He walked over to drape a wing across Scootaloo's back.  "Let's get to bed.  We have a big day tomorrow."
Smiling at the thought of hanging out with the Wonderbolts, Scootaloo nodded.  "Yeah."  Tomorrow was going to be an incredible day and there was no way that Cyclone could ruin it.