The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Scootadad!

by Adorned ungulate

Chapter 15: Setbacks and Terrible Truths; or Scootaloo's Lament and Retreat

I was on my way to work when I heard my name called out on the wind. Rainbow Dash flew up next to me. "Got a minute?"

"For you, anytime." We settled down on a nearby cloud. "What's up? Got a weather update?"

"No..." She seemed reticent for a moment. "It's about Scootaloo."

"I thought her training was going really well."

"It was, but she's hit some sort of plateau. She has no trouble getting above the treetops but isn't able to soar like a filly her age. I've put her through Junior Speedsters and the full Young Fliers routines but I can't seem to get any more altitude outta her. Have you had her checked out?"

"When she started falling behind we had a pediatrician check her keel to wIngtips. There's nothing medically wrong with her, besides her wings being a tad small."

The young mare worried her lip. "I was worried you'd say that. I've talked to Twi about it and maybe she or another unicorn should check her over magically... I'm sorry, Martin."

"It's not your fault. She has a fine coach and big sister. Thanks for letting me know."

Dash gave me a grave nod and dived down off the cloud. I set off for work with a knot of worry in my belly, only to find it increase once I got home hours later.

Instead of my daughter's smiling face greeting me I found a wary and pacing baby dragon. "Hey, Spike. What's up?"

He wrung his tail and didn't meet my gaze. "Princess Twilight asked me to wait for you. Scootaloo is at Ponyville Hospital."

"What?! Is she okay?"

He held his palms up defensively. "Yeah! Yeah, she's fine. It's Sweetie Belle who's hurt."

I frowned. "Get on my back and tell me what happened." He scrambled on and I took to the air. I noticed how tightly his little hands clung to me mane. "Still not used to flying yet, eh?"

"N-no. Least not how Twilight manages it... "

"What happened, Spike?"

"So the library is gearing up for winter break reading week. The girls were being Cutie Mark Crusaders Sign Painters. Sweetie fell off the ladder while hanging the sign up."

I hissed through my teeth. "She okay?"

"I dunno, Twilight sent me over to wait for you so you wouldn't get back to an empty apartment and worry."

"Thanks, man. I'll buy you a sapphire cake sometime."

"All p-part of being a loyal servant."

I made haste to the hospital. The first pony we encountered besides the staff was Princess Twilight who looked not quite as disheveled as during the Smarty Pants incident. Her eyes were puffy from crying, that was clear. Spike took his familiar place by her side, laying a hand on her shoulder. Despite being an attractive unicorn she was always far too young for me to lust over but tonight I felt an almost fatherly affection and gave her a hug, royal formality be damned. "Are you holding up okay?"

"Sort of. I should have been watching over them more closely. I feel responsible..."

I made sure she was looking into my eyes. "Princess, I don't know what Cookie of Touchdown have told you but if it was Scootaloo who was hurt I'd say this. Fillies reach a certain age where you can't hover over them. They may get hurt but as hard as it is to see them hurt you have to let them misstep sometimes. It's part of growing up. I'm just glad you were close by and could teleport her away for medical help. Don't blame yourself too harshly. You may have to intentionally send ponies into danger one of these days and this, this is nothing like that kind of responsibility."

She gave me a weak smile and nodded her head. "I'll keep that in mind, Martin."

"Where's my daughter?"

She pointed to the correct door and I left them after a little bow.

The room was already very full with the kids, Applejack, Rarity, and Sweetie's parents looking up briefly before everypony but Scootaloo turning their attention from me back to the bandaged white form on the bed. "Hi... Will she be okay?"

"Mild concussion. They gave her something for the pain and she drifted off." Cookie went back to stroking her daughter's hoof.

"Thank Celestia. Scootaloo, we should give her some space. We'll come visit in the morning. And my condolences."

"Bout time we mosey too, Apple Bloom." Her big sister gave her a pat on the head and slowly made her way past me.

"Get well soon, Sweetie." The butter colored filly followed her sister after patting Sweetie's mane.

My daughter gave her oldest friend a forlorn look then went to my side. We were halfway down the hallway when she gave me a tight hug.

"It's okay, honey bunch. She'll be okay."

"It's not okay. I should have flown up to hang the sign but she insisted. One of us should have caught her."

"Just be glad this didn't happen during the CMC Whitewater Rapids adventure or one of the other more dangerous activities you've tried."

"It shouldn't have happened at all. She's the nicest, kindest pony I know..."

"Maybe you three should stick to what your actual talents are likely to be instead of trying so many things one after another, darling." I know I'd given this advice a dozen times. Maybe it would stick.

She shrugged and stubbornly sniffed tears away, always the tough one. Just like Discord told me. "I guess. Would hardly feel like crusading like that."

"You three have had enough adventure for one day. Lets go home."

Sweetie Belle made a quick recovery but it was clear there was a sea-change in their outlook. Crusader meetings became grave and secretive affairs. Conversation stopped when I would check in to see if they needed snacks or the like. They no longer went out on adventures. I worried they felt the impending school graduation with dread.

Sure enough soon after The Great Cutie Mark Crusader Sick-Out began. Sweetie complained to her parents of persistent migraines from her fall. My daughter and Apple Bloom developed a steadily evolving roster of symptoms, begging to stay home from school. At our CMC Guardians meetings instead of cleaning up damages from their antics we instead shared information and developed strategies to get them to the schoolhouse without missing work ourselves. Rarity reported via her purple-scaled informant the girls were in fact frequenting the library to research increasingly exotic pony diseases. We each privately met with Cheerilee to work out methods to motivate and help them cope with the stress. On my now regular morning trips to the schoolhouse escorting my daughter I kept a keen eye out for Diamond Tiara and her cohort Silver Spoon. I suspected they had a hand in this somehow. In light of her surly and belligerent behavior and worse yet the apparent loss of hope I dreaded giving her worse news. I would easily remember this as my most difficult job as a father eclipsing even my Nightmare Night confrontation with Vervain, but I had to tell her sometime.

When Scootaloo came home from dinner at the Apples I made sure her whole Ponyville family was there for support. Even Needles. She took immediate defensive stance upon seeing us.

"What's going on here?"

"Have a seat, honey bunch. We need to talk to you." She paced over like a nervous cat. Vervain gave her a loving yet sad look. Rainbow Dash could barely manage eye contact. Needles just looked down at the carpet.

"Dearest, do you remember when I took you to Canterlot for that doctor's appointment to see that specialist?"

"Yeah..." She frowned and searched our expressions. Seems my cover story of believing she had the feather flu paid off.

"Your sister asked me to make that appointment, to check on your training progress..." She shot a look at Rainbow Dash. The Element Bearer who had stared down changeling brood queens, evil emperors, and lords of chaos fought hard against flinching at those suspicious flinty fuchsia eyes.

"You know, pony science alone still can't explain what makes a pegasus fly. We don't even know how a bumblebee can fly. Both should be too heavy for their wingspan. Unicorns theorize there is a special kind of magic to it. Like the magic earth ponies have connecting them to the soil's fertility. Magic isn't just for unicorns. Do you understand?"

"Uh, I guess so." Was she substituting annoyance for confusion and discomfort?

"That's why I took you to a specialist who could sense and measure your magical core ability."

"What are you saying, dad?" She scrutinized the three of us.

Dash cut in. "Scootaloo... You've made a Lot of progress the last few months. We're all really proud of you. I can teach you tricks and techniques from here on, refine your skills... But I probably can't get you to fly any higher than you can now."

She cracked a manic grimace. "That's not possible."

I swallowed and continued on. "You have a slightly weaker magical ability than most pegasi. It's no reason to be ashamed."

"So that's what you wanted to tell me. That I should give up on my dream. Everything Diamond Tiara said about me is true. You all said I could fly if I tried hard enough!"

This time Dash flinched.

She fired one last accusatory look across us. "Everything you've encouraged for years is wrong now? You are all Liars!" Spilling her saddlebags on the floor she galloped up our narrow staircase.

Needles broke the silence. "Is that about what we were expecting?" Rainbow rolled her eyes.

I stood. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"Maybe you should give her some time to cool off." Funny that Vervain would give me that advice but I stubbornly shrugged it off and went upstairs.

Scootaloo's bedroom door was locked and it sounded like she was tossing furniture every which way. "Honey bunch, talk to me."

She just screeched wordlessly in response.

"Darling, you don't have to give up, we just want you to know your limitations. Could you open the door?"

"It's easy for you! You've got a BIRD on your flank. You can FLY!"

I put my mouth as close to the door frame as I could. "Scootaloo, it's not like that; my swallow doesn't stand for a talent in flight. Swallows are symbolic of homecoming. They're the first birds sailors see even before they see shore. They come home to roost to the same nests every year. They mean loyalty to family. My swallow shows how much I love you."

She opened the door, standing with uncanny calm. Her eyes were wide and furious, glassy like her mother's when she went into manic cycles. When she spoke it was with the forceful even tones of a prophetess.

"Why should I listen to any advice from a sad, lonely, pathetic pony like you?"

And that was it for me. I felt my head spinning as I remembered all the years since her birth, the happy times and hard times. And I knew I had lost control of her childhood forever.

I don't know how much time passed but I must have lost my balance since when I realized Vervain was holding my chin in one of her hooves and talking to me I was sitting on the floor.

"Martin, what did she say to you?"

"I dunno. Where is she?"

"She rushed downstairs, grabbed her scooter, and sped off. Didn't even bother with her helmet."

"I've gotta go look for her."

She gave me a look and nodded. "Rainbow Dash did the same thing. We'll stay in case she comes back."

Somehow I made it down the stairs without tripping over my own hooves and to the door. I began to make a slow, high sweep of Ponyville. I had this deep dread for my daughter, out there angry and alone and trying to make herself as lost as possible.

Author's Note:

Drama! Getting close to the end.

Comments

[wolfstorm56]

Like the build-up here. A few typos though, "Apple Jack" and "a sea change" come to mind.

[Adorned ungulate]

3480795 thanks for letting me know. Sea-change does indeed have a hyphen.

"Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made,
Those pearls that were his eyes,
Nothing of him doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change,
Into something rich and strange,
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell,
Ding-dong.
Hark! Now hear them, ding-dong"