Scootaloo's Wish: Part 7
"What if I told you that you could take it all back?"
Take back... my wish? The thought had crossed Scootaloo's mind many times before, but she had never seriously entertained the idea. Wishes may have come true once, but it was silly to think that it would ever happen again.
"Of course! That would solve all of your problems, wouldn't it? Everything would go back to the way things were, and you would learn a valuable lesson. Everypony wins! The voice answered with and odd edge of excitement in it.
I would definitely take it back if I could... But how?
"Granting a wish is just a magic. Really big magic, but still just magic, and magic can be reversed."
But I'm not a unicorn, how am I supposed to cast a spell to reverse it? Scootaloo wondered.
"Don't you worry about that, I have it all worked out. Now you just need to get to where we can do that."
And where would that be?
"In the Everfree Forest."
"What?" Scootaloo said out loud. How the hay am I supposed to do that? I'm not exactly... mobile at the moment.
"Don't worry about that, either. I have an awesome idea!"
"Scootaloo!" Rainbow Dash called out, desperately searching the room. "Where could she have gone?"
"Maybe she wandered out of her room on her own?" her mother suggested.
"If she did, she couldn't have gotten far. Unless... Oh no." The younger pegasus paused, spotting something in the corner of the room.
"What is it?"
"Don't tell me she..."
"What did she-" her mother began, stopping when she reached her daughter's side. "Oh."
A roughly circular, filly-sized hole had been cut out of the wall, with the clouds that had made up that section missing as well.
"She's riding a cloud! We need to go, now!" Dash shouted as she sprung into action. Not bothering to take the door out, she charged straight through the cloud wall and took flight, leaving a much larger hole beside the smaller one. What could you possibly be thinking, Scootaloo?
"This is a terrible idea!" Scootaloo shouted over the combined noise wind rushing by her and the beating of her wings. The tops of the trees flew by not far beneath her, creating a blurred sea of green and brown beneath the thick thick chunk of the cloud wall she had pushed out of her room. Her legs were jammed tightly into it, anchoring her to the cloud as she propelled herself through the air. It was nigh-impossible to steer the cloud with any degree of fine control from that position, but the condition of her legs didn't allow for any other option. "Are you sure that this cloud will hold together? They're not exactly made for these speeds..."
"I'm pretty sure. Just don't try anything crazy."
As if this wasn't crazy enough to begin with, the filly thought.
"Hey, I heard that!"
"Well, you weren't supposed to! It would be nice if I could have a thought to myself, you know!"
"Oh! I hadn't thought about that, sorry!" the voice apologized, sounding rather surprised. "I'm only able to read your mind so easily because you let me, though. Just focus a little bit, and you can put up a mental block, so to speak, or think, as the case may be. That should give you some privacy."
So... like this? Scootaloo wondered, turning her thoughts toward protecting her mind. The voice did not answer. Okay, it's working... I hope. Finally alone with her thoughts, the filly looked over her situation. One large question came to the front of her mind. Why is this... whatever it is helping me? It hasn't even asked for anything in return... She had been so caught up in the prospect of fixing her mistakes, that she hadn't even thought to question it. Even if it wants something out of me, is it worth it? She thought about all of the ponies she had hurt, and all of the memories that she could never share with them. Yes, she decided. This is something I need to do.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt the internal monologue I'm sure you're having right now, but we've got a problem, the voice said with a hint of urgency.
"What is it?"
"You know how I said that I was pretty sure that the cloud would hold?"
"Yeah?" Oh, no... don't tell me...
"Well... I was wrong. I forgot how unpredictable Everfree air currents can be..."
Of course... Scootaloo turned her head to examine the cloud, immediately seeing the problem. Bits and pieces of the cloud were falling off and dissolving into a fine mist behind her. "Got any more bright ideas?"
"Um... J-just give me a minute. I'll... work it out. the voice stammered.
"We don't have a minute!" Scootaloo shouted at the air. What kind of mysterious magical voice doesn't have a Plan B? How am I even supposed to land this thing? Slowing down, she struggled to try and direct the cloud toward the ground. It began to descend, but Scootaloo had a feeling that it was more due to the cloud falling apart than any effort of her own.
"Okay, I got it!" said the voice, apparently reaching a conclusion. "Just ride it out, and then jump off at the last second. That should just about get us to our destination."
"That's your plan?" Scootaloo asked, exasperated.
"Sometimes the simplest course of action is the right one," the voice stated plainly, having regained its composure.
"That's... a good point," the filly admitted. "Alright, just tell me when to jump, I'll take care of the rest." Scootaloo braced herself as the cloud continued to disintegrate. While there was no way that she would be able to fly, she could probably slow her fall enough to keep from hurting herself again. Soon, the tops of the trees were mere inches from the bottoms of her hooves, which had begun to stick through the bottom of the cloud. "Any time now!" She shouted.
"Just a few more seconds. I need to make sure that you'll clear this gorge."
"What g-" Scootaloo began, only to see the trees clear out from under her, revealing a wide, rocky chasm. "Oh." Her descent began to accelerate, and it quickly became clear that she was headed for the wall on the opposite side of the gorge. "I'm not gonna make it!"
"You don't have to, just jump! Now!"
"But I can't-" Before she could even finish her objection, the last of the could gave way beneath her, forcing the filly to push off as hard as she could and hope for the best. Scootaloo cried out in unexpected pain as her under-developed wings strained to support the combined weight of her body and her casts, the muscles involved putting pressure on her barely-healed ribs. If I can just make it to a ledge of some sort... she thought, focusing as hard as she could on her destination. Darkness crept in on the edges of her vision as the pain became too great, though, and soon enough her wings gave out altogether. The bottom of the chasm came rushing up at her.
"That's close enough. I'll take it from here," the voice said, booming with a new-found strength. A soft white glow enveloped Scootaloo, and the filly's fall came to a sudden halt. The force lifted her out of the chasm, placing her gently down on the far side before flickering and giving out.
"How... did you..." Scootaloo gasped, attempting to stand only to collapse from exhaustion instead. The last thing she saw before the blackness finally took her was set of translucent hooves on the ground in front of her, covered in the same ghostly white glow...
Okay, Rainbow, stay calm. Think rationally. You just need to organize ponies for a search again, same as last time. Rainbow Dash flew into town, heading towards Carrousel Boutique. She would visit each of her friends first, and have them recruit ponies for the search. That would allow them to get started and cover a lot of ground much faster. Her mother had already gone off to the opposite end of town to get Fluttershy, and from there the two of them would go to Sweet Apple Acres to get Applejack and Big Macintosh. AJ was still recovering from her wish-induced affliction, but that only prevented her from applebucking, not from walking about on the search. Rainbow herself would get Rarity first, then Pinkie Pie. The sun was already beginning to set as the reached the town square, which meant that they would be searching in the dark. That fact alone was going to make things far more difficult. Even in the fading light, though, she easily spotted the pony who was both the last one she expected to find, and the one she was most glad that she did. "Twilight!" Rainbow Dash bolted towards the purple unicorn, nearly tackling her as she landed. "Thank Celestia you're here!"
"Rainbow! I was just heading to find you! The others are already on their way to the library," Twilight Sparkle said urgently.
"The library? What for?"
"I made a breakthrough in my research on that comet, and we need to get together and form a new plan. Things aren't quite as simple as I initially thought they would be."
"Sorry Twilight, but you'll have to fill me in later. Scootaloo's gone missing, and I'm not doing anything else until I find her!" Rainbow Dash said before preparing to take to the skies again. Looks like my mother and I will have to organize the search ourselves...
"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight shouted, causing the pegasus to halt just a few feet off the ground. "I know Scootaloo is important you you, but you can get others to help find her. What I've discovered is much bigger than that, and we need to make finding the Keystone our top priority right now! I'm sorry..."
"I don't care, Twilight! I've let her down enough already! If it's any help, though, I think Scootaloo is the Keystone. If you want to find it so badly, then help me!" At those words, the unicorn's eyes went wide with terror.
"Are you sure?"
"I can't say that I'm one-hundred percent sure, but she's the only pony in town that I know of who it could be at this point."
"If she is, and she's missing, then we're in a lot more trouble than I thought. I think I know how we can find her, though! Come on!" Twilight Sparkle galloped off towards the library with Rainbow Dash flying right behind her.
Please be safe, Scoots... I'm coming!
"Why do I have to be the one holdin' ya up?" Apple Bloom whined.
"Because, somepony has to get up there to see what they're doing, I'm lighter than you, and you're stronger than me," Sweetie Belle replied is a hushed voice. The two fillies stood outside a window of the Golden Oaks Library in town, where both of their sisters and their friends had gathered. The sun had already set, and muffled voices could be heard from inside the building. "Now crouch down so I can climb on your back, and keep it quiet. Rarity was in a big hurry when she ditched our slumber party, so this must be important, but we're both supposed to be in bed, remember?" After slipping a few times, Sweetie Belle finally managed to keep her balance on top of Apple Bloom, putting her front hooves on the windowsill and peering inside.
"Y'know," Apple Bloom grunted. "maybe I can get my cutie mark in... ugh... heavy liftin'."
"Shhhh! You'll blow our cover!"
"Oops, sorry..."
"Shhhh!" Turning her attention back to the window, Sweetie Belle squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright light inside. Six familiar ponies sat around a table in the center of the room and appeared to be engaged in a heated discussion. Nudging the window open a crack with her horn, the young unicorn began to eavesdrop.
"Hehe!" Pinkie Pie burst out laughing, nearly falling onto the ground. "Twilight, you can be so silly sometimes!"
"Pinkie, this is serious!" Twilight Sparkle shouted.
"She has a point, dear," Rarity said, speaking up. "Even you have to admit that what you're suggesting sounds rather... well, ridiculous."
"I thought the same thing when I first thought of it," Twilight said, "but the more I researched similar magic in the Princess' archives, the more it began to fit together. It's the only way any of this makes sense."
"So then what're we waitin' for?" Applejack said. "You said we need to find that Keystone pony, right? Well I've had just about enough of these wishes by this point," she paused for a moment, glancing down at the bandages around her midsection. "Let's just round up as many of the townsponies as we can and get all of that wish findin' business over with. That'll do it, right?"
"Yes, but we don't have the time to do all of that, unfortunately," Twilight replied.
"Besides," said Rainbow Dash "we already know who it is, remember? We just need to find Scootaloo!"
Scootaloo? She's this... Keystone thing? Whatever that is... The two Crusaders hadn't seen their third member much since she had returned home from Cloudsdale, mostly because she hadn't left her house at all. Rainbow Dash had told them that she had gotten hurt, and wouldn't be able to play for a while.
"What's goin' on in there?" Apple Bloom asked, beginning to tremble a bit under Sweetie Belle's weight.
"They're talking about Scootaloo," the white filly answered.
"Is she okay?"
"Shhh!"
"You said so yourself that you weren't a hundred percent sure, though." Twilight Sparkle turned her attention to an unassuming brown box sitting on the shelf behind her. "No, we need to know for sure, and we need to be able to track the Keystone down, too. Luckily, Princess Celestia devised a spell that will lead us straight to the Keystone, and gave me these to help us perform it." Bringing the box over to the table with her magic, Twilight focused for a moment, and three hidden latches on the box popped open with small flashes of purple light, allowing the lid to swing open. Inside lay five golden necklaces arranged around a golden tiara, each set with a large gem to match their owner's cutie mark.
"The Elements of Harmony!" Fluttershy gasped. "But why? We don't have to... fight anything again, do we? I hate it when we have to do that..."
"No, no fighting. If my research is correct, the wishes should all have an innate connection to the Elements, especially the Keystone. If we can follow that connection back, it should lead us right to it," Twilight explained. "Everypony put theirs on, and I'll be able to cast the tracing spell." The other five ponies nodded as Twilight levitated their respective Elements to them.
"But why would the Elements be connected to the wishes?" Rarity asked. "We haven't even touched them since we used them to defeat Discord."
"As far as I can tell, the magic of both the wishes and the Elements of Harmony seem to draw from the same type of energy, which would explain how the wishes are so powerful," Twilight told her. "I still have no idea how-."
"Enough talking already!" Rainbow Dash shouted, stopping Twilight mid sentence. "Scootaloo's out there somewhere, and I'm not going to let us sit here any longer and talk details! We need to go!"
"Right," Twilight agreed. "Sorry. Everypony ready?" The other five ponies all nodded again in unison, wearing the Elements of Harmony snugly around their necks. "Okay, here it goes..." The unicorn closed her eyes, lowering the Element of Magic onto her head. Her eyes then snapped open, glowing with a blinding white white light. The sudden flash startled Sweetie Belle, causing her to lose her balance and slip, falling over on top of Apple Bloom.
"Oof!" Apple Bloom grunted. "Whatcha go and do that for?"
"They're doing some sort of crazy spell in there to try and find Scootaloo!"
"Wait, Scootaloo went missing?"
"Apparently. They said that she was-" Suddenly, the window above them flew open, as did every other window in the library, and a great wind blew into the building from all directions. Another flash of light erupted from the tree, followed by a loud crash.
"What was all that about?" Apple Bloom wondered out loud.
"I don't know, but I think I hear them coming outside! Quick, hide!" Sweetie Belle dove behind a nearby bush and motioned for Apple Bloom to do the same. Just as the second filly made it to cover, the library's front door opened, and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony stepped out.
"There's our trail, girls. Let's go!" Twilight shouted, and the group galloped off in the direction of the Everfree Forest. As they moved out of sight, the two hidden ponies stepped out, confused.
"How did they know where to go?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I know! Look!" Apple Bloom pointed to the space in front of the door with a hoof. At first, Sweetie Belle couldn't see anything strange, but upon closer examination, she saw it. A faint glowing trail of white light floated in the air, leading out the library door and towards the edge of town. "Whatever they did must've made that light for them to follow. If we follow it too, then it should lead us straight to Scootaloo!"
"But..." Sweetie Belle gulped loudly, staring off into the distance where the trail led. "It looks like that thing goes straight into the Everfree Forest from here. Remember what happened last time we went in there without permission? We almost got turned into statues by that cockatrice!"
"Nah, I've been in there plenty of times since then to visit Zecora!" Apple Bloom stated proudly. "Besides, Scootaloo's in there! The Cutie Mark Crusaders never abandon one of their own!"
"You're right," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Let's go!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Scootaloo Rescuers!" the pair triumphantly shouted in unison before beginning to gallop off down the trail. A voice from behind them caused the pair to freeze in their tracks, though.
"I'm sorry, but did you just say that you knew where Scootaloo is?" The crusaders turned to see a dark blue pegasus mare with a white mane standing behind them. "I'm afraid I can't let two little fillies like you wander into that forest alone."
"I'm sorry ma'am," Apple Bloom apologized, "but our best friend is in trouble! We're goin', and you can't stop us!" The fillies began to run again, but soon found the mare galloping right beside them.
"Don't worry, that's why I'm coming with you. Scootaloo is my daughter, and I'm not going to lose her again!" the mare said.
"Wait, you're Scooaloo's mom?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yes, though I'm not sure if I deserve to be at this point..."
"What're ya talkin' about?" Apple Bloom said. "You're willing to risk all sorts of danger to help find her! How many moms can say they've done that!"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "I can't imagine my mom ever doing something like this!"
"Thank you..." Scootaloo's mother smiled, taking comfort in the fillies words. "Now you girls lead the way! Let's try not to keep Scootaloo waiting!"
The first thing Scootaloo noticed when she regained consciousness was that everything ached. The second thing she noticed was that the floor was very cold.
"Unhhhh..." Scootaloo groaned, opening her eyes to see a dark, stone ceiling arching high above her. "Where... am I? How did I get here?"
"They call this place 'The Castle of the Ancient Pony Sisters,'" the voice answered, sounding even stronger than before. "As for how you got here, I'm not completely useless, you know. I was able to draw a little bit of power from this place once you got close enough, and I used that to get you here. It's pretty tough work, moving things around without a body. I can't say I'm used to that just yet..."
"I see... thanks." Struggling to her hooves, Scootaloo tried to keep as much weight on her one good leg as possible as she took in the room around her. She stood on a slightly elevated circular platform overlooking a great stone hall, the open window in the wall behind her revealing both a wide expanse of ruined buildings as well as a star-filled night sky. Wow, I was out for a while. The sun already set... "So this is a castle of some sort?" the filly wondered, hobbling over to the window for a better look. "Why is it out here in the middle of the Everfree Forest?"
"The full story of the legends of this place are lost to time, but this place was once the home of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," the voice explained. "All it is now, though, is a symbol of the end of things. The end of the long standing harmony before Nightmare Moon, the end of Nightmare Moon herself, and soon, the end of your wish and all of the pain it has caused."
The end of all the pain... Scootaloo thought of all of the trouble she had caused with her selfishness. I'm sorry for everything, Rainbow Dash. You'll have your happy family back soon... A new look of determination came over the filly face as she gazed out the window. "Yeah," she said, speaking to the emptiness around her. "It's time to end this."
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Dun dun dun.... The plot thickens still. Can't wait to see the next part.
Good work!
[Ackbar]It's a trap![/Ackbar]
Whoo! I saw this update before EQD mentioned it!
Darn!
Cliffhanger! I need torsdag the next chapter!
I like it.
I waited for an eventful and joyful update and you haven't disappointed^^ Good Job
And the story has taken a more sinister turn with this trip out to the castle. I can't wait for the next chapter! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra2.png
Activate theory. The voice has no body.... It's nightmare. Or discord.
AHHHHHHH
106048Of course its discord. The wishes were chaotic! this is all part of his plan to escape!
Why do I get the feeling that the voice is either Discord, or Nightmare Moon?
Hmmmm, I can't see this being Discord anymore, but perhaps some remnant of NMM survived the Elements blast and became connected to them...or it could another goddess...Asteroia, the alicorn of comets...yeah I don't know.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png
I usually just skip Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash ones, but the description sounded interesting.
I'm glad I clicked on it. It's a really good story.
The voice doesn't sound like Discord, and NMM's magic isn't white. I'm guessing OC.
1061908
Hmm. I wouldn't say Nightmare Moon. But maybe the section of Nightmare Moon that wasn't Luna.
1060486>>1062009>>1062577>>1065001
Oh, how I love lots of speculation and guessing from everyone! I've been dropping small hints throughout the story, but I don't think they they'll become obvious until the actual reveal. In any case, here's a hint to spur on further speculation:
You're all wrong.
1067707
It's "the Nothing" from Never Ending Story!...
...I always am...alwaysdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra_cry.png
I suck at guessing games...but...hmmm. We're all wrong...which means that no one is right, which means that nothing guessed is correct...so...
Or maybe the Fausticorn? Oh! Oh! how about the remnant of her parents' love for her from before the wish made manifest by the power of the...well no that wouldn't be evil...unless this presence isn't evil!dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Soarin_dayum.png
...
...
Will make further guesses as additional data is acquired and disseminated...and will likely continue to be wrong.
I'm cool with that thoughdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Rainbow_dealwithit.png because then it's still a total surprise when the reveal hits.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra.png
1067707
Hmm. We're all wrong... Well. I have some rereading and thinking to do.
When's the next chapter coming out?
1085677
I don't really have a schedule. They're done when they're done.
1085784 Meh.
You guys aren't getting it, are you? The voice is the comet.
Do I trust The Voice? No, not really. It could be either Twilight Sparkle or Luna (who has so far been mysteriously and worryingly absent) but it just rings false. I'm worried that it's whoever or whatever is behind this. *coughDiscordcough*
When Rainbow Dash Read This This Is What She Says: SCOOTALOO I MY COUSIN!!!!!!!!!! GOSH
1109948
You have a point with number 2, but I think you're wrong about 1 and 3. Scootaloo's wish impacted a lot of ponies. Her parents, the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Tank, the mane six, and most of Ponyville. Also, Pinkie's wish was probably something that would happen later, such as "I will get a visit from Maud next month." That's why she couldn't tell. It might make it not happen. So Pinkie's not the Keystone.
Just a hunch.
indent.
___________