Chapter 36
“Short quick breaths, okay?”
The pile of rags didn’t answer and the only movement that came from her was the gentle rise and fall of her chest as the scorpion mare sucked deep uncomfortable breaths, each one accompanied by a low hiss as the air was dragged through a set of clenched teeth. As they had climbed higher and higher, Scootaloo’s companion had begun to slow down; if the shape of her head covering was anything to go by it was quite clear the shambling thing beneath those rags was a unicorn which meant the thin air of the mountains would be harder on her than a pegasus, and that heavy mess of random clothing she kept draped over herself didn’t help either. The more Scootaloo paid attention to her movement it also became clear the thing had been dragging her hind leg with each step, a clear sign of an old injury that hadn’t healed properly. Finally they had stopped to rest and spent the last hour sitting and staring into each other in silence.
“Rainbow Dash brought me up here a few times,” said Scootaloo as she flexed her bad wing, “back when I still could have learned to fly. We’d just relax and practice breathing the thin air; it was good practice for flying she used to say.” She paused and waited for a response that never came, and laughed as she reminisced about the happier times, “Not that it did me a lot of good, but the idea was it would give us more energy when we went lower.”
“Interesting,” said the scorpion mare in a bored tone that made it very clear she couldn’t care less, although she at least did take the advice and start taking in quicker breaths. “Now be quiet. I have a headache.”
“Let’s go back down then and—”
“No!” snapped the thing in rags. “No. We have wasted too much time as it is. I…” she said as her voice faltered and became rich with exhaustion, “just need to catch my breath.”
Scootaloo studied the scorpion mare as closely as the disguise would allow; it was slowly beginning to show just how weak and crippled whoever was beneath actually was. Her broken stride, her labored breathing after becoming exhausted from the climb, her lurching movement and hunched posture, all were clear signs of a pony that had been pushed to the absolute brink of death and yet managed to pull herself back.
Like me… no, she’s worse. Much worse. How did this thing manage to sneak up on me?
“Are you sure you want to do this?” said Scootaloo. “I think I have a pretty good idea what you’re planning and—”
“I don’t need your pity or concern,” interrupted the scorpion mare amid her weakened breaths.
“I get you, okay?” said Scootaloo persistently, “Believe me, I know better than most just how messed up the world is now. It’s just… you know what you’re up against, right? The Wonderbolts tried to fight back and got slaughtered. The entire Crystal Empire tried; they put up a good fight, yeah, but they had an entire military led by the Cadance and Shining Armor.”
“You ‘get’ nothing,” said the scorpion mare as her head rose. Although Scootaloo couldn’t see so much as a hair of her face, she could feel the vengeful glare seeping through the disguise. “The Wonderbolts were weak; circus performing clowns that danced to the tune of an air force. And the Crystal Empire was…” she trailed off with a sorrowful exhausted sigh, “It does not matter now.”
“But—”
“Do yourself a favor, little one,” said the scorpion mare in a cold business-like hiss. “Stop caring about others and care only about yourself. You are a survivor like me so don’t pretend you don’t know how the world works. We are not allies; I am merely using you as you are using me. What I intend to do with the element and what may become of me is my problem, not yours.”
“But what do you get out of this?” said Scootaloo, “Revenge?”
“This is nothing as petty as simple revenge,” growled the scorpion mare, “A pony such as you would not understand.”
“Oh yeah?” said Scootaloo in a snotty tone. Although it really was none of her business she was curious and hoped to goad some manner of explanation out of her ‘companion’. “Try me.”
The scorpion mare sighed angrily and patted at her forehead as if to soak up sweat with her coverings. “If I indulge you will you leave me in peace?” she said in a tired tone. Scootaloo nodded and the scorpion mare stared up at the sky. “I was young. Young and overconfident and inexperienced in the ways of running a kingdom. I misjudged that purple mare; we all did. It cost me dearly,” she said as a low growl joined her voice, “my kingdom, my subjects, and my love, all ripped right from my hooves while I was left for dead in an uninhabitable wasteland.” She lowered her head, staring right into Scootaloo with her soulless shaded glasses and finished with a defeated sigh, “The carelessness of youth…”
Scootaloo stared in dumbfounded silence as this thing that hid itself beneath a pile of discarded rags spoke of a lost kingdom. Her imagination had created numerous possible appearances for whatever lurked beneath that cloak, but never in her life would Scootaloo have assumed it was royalty. “Who are you…?” she said stupidly.
“‘Who are you’ says the pony to the one in the disguise,” said the royal scorpion mare, her voice once again feminine and seductive, “Who am I, or rather who I used to be, is of little importance.” She stood up and stared up the summit of Winsome Falls, not moving at all other than her cloak that billowed gently in the wind. “Let us just get moving. Lead the way, little one.”
“It’s Scootaloo.”
“Arpeggio.”
Scootaloo nodded and stood beside the so-called ‘Arpeggio’, staring up the mountain and hoping she could remember exactly where Rainbow Dash had hidden her element of loyalty. She hadn’t decided if she believed Arpeggio’s tale of being royalty; there was absolutely nothing about this rag-wearing stranger that seemed even remotely royal, and the musty scent of mold and wet fabric that blew from the cloak and past Scootaloo seemed to scream ‘LIAR’. She reached up and adjusted her bandana, deciding that one thing Arpeggio said was true: it really wasn’t her problem one way or the other.
I’ll be reunited with Fluttershy… and with any luck maybe Arpeggio can deal that purple psychopath a bit of damage.
“Rainbow Dash had a fake rock with a hiding place underneath it,” said Scootaloo as she looked around the nostalgic yet unfamiliar landscape, “I can’t remember where exactly it is.”
“We split up,” said Arpeggio.
“Right. You take down here, I’ll take the summit.”
Arpeggio gave no response and lurched away, diligently kicking each rock she passed, as Scootaloo jogged up the path to reach the peak. Admittedly she actually did have a good idea where it was but she wanted to make sure she found it first; as things stood right now she trusted this Arpeggio character about as far as she could fly and wouldn’t put it past the thing to simply scuttle off with the element while she was left searching. A short distance’s jog and she was at the highest peak, and a wave of familiar memories hit her. The thin air and the vertigo that had made her feel more alive than anything else followed by fond memories of her idol. Rainbow Dash always acted differently here; it was like she always wore a mask on the ground, even when she was with her circle of friends. Up here, when the two of them were alone, they were like different ponies.
“Like sisters…” said Scootaloo softly as a happy tear rolled down her cheek.
“HEY DOWN THERE!!!”
The sound of the friendly voice bit into her like fangs and Scootaloo dropped low ready to fight; it was the unfamiliar voice of a stranger and yet it made the hair on her neck rise and her blood boil. She couldn’t remember where or when, but she had heard this voice a long time ago and it was setting off every alarm in her body. “Show yourself!!!” she spat angrily as she wrenched her head around trying to find the source.
“Up here, squirt!” said the voice and Scootaloo looked up. The blue face of an aged mare was peering down from a cloud above and smirked devilishly. “A little slow, huh? It’s okay.” She tumbled from the cloud and did a lazy flip as she fell, only flapping twice to slow her descent as she landed a few feet away. Scootaloo took a step back at the sight of her gray R.E.A.F. flight suit and her leg band that bore the rank of major. “So… where’s the one in the cloak?” she said as she removed her red goggles to scrutinize Scootaloo with her golden eyes. “No matter. I like it better one-on-one anyways. So tell me, squirt. Tell me all about Rainbow Dash.”
Scootaloo gasped quietly. It wasn’t the mention of the name but rather how the mare said it; it was so horrifyingly familiar that it almost made her collapse. “What do you know about Rainbow Dash?!”
The mare laughed humorlessly. “Don’t even. I came here all fired up to beat the answers out of you and your little cloaked clown as well, but I’m giving you a chance to walk away. Look at that ragged wing of yours; it just wouldn’t feel right beating a cripple to death. Now tell me.” She glared at the silent Scootaloo and her hoof shook with anger. “Tell me. About. RAINBOW DASH!!!”
Those last two words echoed in Scootaloo’s head over and over and it felt as if her heart had been tied into a knot. She couldn’t breathe as her mind replayed it over and over again. She had heard that voice a long time ago, on that night. Bit by bit the night returned to her: the warmth of Fluttershy’s leg as the little filly clamped to it in fear, the sounds of blasts in the distance, and the silhouette of a murderer illuminated atop a hill. Time slowed to a crawl as panic and fear roared through her and paralyzed her; she tried to scream but no sound came out. She had to get away and yet she couldn’t do it; something was keeping her from fleeing.
“Scootaloo, I need you to do something very important for me.”
Rainbow Dash had counted on her that night and she had failed her friend; her fear and her inability to fly had made her nothing but a liability to everypony.
“You two be my eyes and ears while I stay out of sight.”
Silver Spoon and Apple Bloom had counted on her in Broncton and she failed again; she fell apart at the sight of the one who had almost killed her.
Before she knew it she was running. Like a jungle cat charging it’s prey she was running straight at the murderer in front of her. The blue mare was too slow to react and Scootaloo pounced, locking her hooves around the mare’s wings and tackling her over the side of the mountain. Everything was silent as they fell, as the mare frantically pawed at Scootaloo’s head desperately trying to get away and save herself while they plummeted to the ledge below.
The two ponies hit the dirt hard and Scootaloo’s grip loosened; the blue mare struggled free and hooked her hoof beneath the strap of Scootaloo’s goggles to land a savage punch to her face that broke the strap and sent Scootaloo stumbling backward. “Slippery little jerk,” she said angrily as she stomped the goggles and ground them into pieces in the dirt. Her face lit up when she looked Scootaloo in the eye, “Hah! No wonder you didn’t spot me before!”
Scootaloo threw a hoof to her forehead feeling for her bandana; it must have slipped off during their scuffle and was lost forever to the wind. She glared at what was left of Rainbow Dash’s goggles and then right back into the eyes of the murderer. “You killed my friend,” she said coldly, “and I almost died that night because of you.”
“You almost died that night?! Almost?! Boo-friggin’-hoo, squirt. You know how many ponies did die that night? Any one of them’d take a gibbled wing and a bad eye over, y’know, death any day, you self-entitled little brat. As for Rainbow Dash, well, I didn’t mean to.”
“Liar!”
“I mean that,” she said as she pulled a pair of dog tags from her flight suit and dangled them long enough for Scootaloo to clearly see Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark engraved on them. “I never liked Rainbow Dash, she was a complete putz with her head so far up her butt I don’t know how she didn’t suffocate, but I always respected her as the one heck of a flier she was.” The blue mare draped the dog tags around her neck and spoke nostalgically like she was reminiscing about an old friend, “Looking back, I honestly wish I hadn’t killed Dash. If not for her I would have never been tossed from the Wonderbolts and I’d have never met the Queen. I should have shaken her hoof and said thanks, but I was angry and I had orders and, well, one thing led to another. Wanna know how she died?”
“You killed her,” spat Scootaloo.
The blue mare stared in disbelief. “Uh, yeah. But that’s the cliff-note version. Truth is, it was sad. She didn’t want to fight. She tried to give me one last chance to ‘do the right thing’ and help evacuate Ponyville. She gave me this cheesy speech about how she ‘knew I was a good pony’ and ‘this was bigger than our grudge’. That kind of crap. She was so busy preaching that I got in a good blow that busted up her wing. She went down swinging but she didn’t stand a chance after that, and I guess I got a little bit carried away. Punched her just hard enough in just the right place and she went down. Stopped moving.”
“Rainbow Dash was a hero,” said Scootaloo, “She was looking out for everypony. You took advantage of that.
“Yeah, I’ll give her that,” said the mare with a nod, “but she was a moron. A… professional, like me, would have prioritized. To heck with the townsponies for now, take the opponent down quick, run to help the yellow one and… you, I guess, and then gone to help the others. It’s not brain surgery.” The blue pegasus circled slowly, studying the raw anger on Scootaloo’s face, and smiled. “Besides, I don’t know why you’re pinning all the blame on me.”
“Why shouldn’t I?!”
“Look, squirt. I leapt at the chance to take on Dash, I really did, but in the end I was just following orders. If it hadn’t been me, it would’ve been Sky or Twitch or one of the other outcasts she had slipped under her wing behind Celestia’s back. I mean, do you kick the mailpony when he delivers a bill?”
The words cut deep into Scootaloo. Hearing how Rainbow Dash, the element of loyalty, had been so utterly and intentionally betrayed by one of her closest friends was hard to hear. She remembered the last time they were together on this mountain, how Rainbow Dash had been worried about Twilight Sparkle acting funny. “What happened between those two?”
The R.E.A.F. major shrugged. “Heck if I know, squirt. I started doing jobs for her after I was bounced from the Wonderbolts. She never talked about her friends; she was too busy spouting off about how something bad was going to happen and how her friends wouldn’t have listened to her and she had to stop it and blah blah blah. Honestly, I didn’t care. She had ties to the royal family and I was going to use that to get ahead in life.” She reached over and patted the black band on her leg that identified her as a major, “Life’s funny sometimes, you know? But whatever, it’s not like it matters after all these years, right? Now come on, last chance. Just tell me what I want to know and I’ll go beat the cloaked one down instead. Don’t make me be the mare that had to beat the little crippled orphan to death.”
“Just try it!” hollered Scootaloo as she charged the mare, who was ready for it this time. Scootaloo swung and missed, and deftly dodged the counter attack. The two of them threw blow after blow, missing each and every single one; Scootaloo was no doubt the stronger of the two and only needed one solid hit to win, but the mare was faster and was slowly beginning to take control of the fight. The mare finally managed to strike Scootaloo in the stomach and hurled her over her shoulder, slamming her into the ground with a loud thud.
“You’re tough,” huffed the older mare as she planted her hoof on the back of Scootaloo’s head to hold her down, “I’ll give you that. A lot tougher than Rainbow Dash was. Y’know, without her wing she didn’t stand a chance but you did pretty good, and with a missing eye too. If Dash had been more like you she’d have beaten me.” The mare shifted to keep Scootaloo face-down in the dirt as she got ready to deliver the final blow, “You made me do this, squirt. We could’ve just chatted like pals but no, you had to be so stubborn. But hey, you’ll be able to tell ol’ Dash how you grew up to die just like her.”
Scootaloo writhed under her grip, struggling to reach for Rainbow Dash’s broken goggles. She pressed down on a piece of broken glass, cringing as it pierced her sole and became embedded in her hoof, “You really need to stop comparing me to Rainbow Dash!!!” She twisted and punched the mare’s wing, struggling free as the mare screamed in pain. Scootaloo was on her hooves and ran toward the mare that was too busy clutching the piece of glass that was stabbed through her wing to react, and punched her over and over again. She wasn’t even thinking about the fight anymore; all her years of loneliness and guilt shot through her veins like fire, moving her body like a marionette and making her hit Rainbow Dash’s murderer over and over until there was nothing more to hit. The murderer was on her back on the ground, unconscious, and with a badly broken bleeding muzzle. Finally Scootaloo began to calm down, gasping huge gulps of air with each breath and just staring at what she had done. It was like nothing she had ever felt before; a surge of feelings she couldn’t identify had overtaken her and she felt like she could hardly stand.
“Be smart. Finish her off,” said Arpeggio with an uncharacteristic level of interest as she stared down at Scootaloo’s handiwork.
It occurred to Scootaloo what she could do. She had the murderer’s life in her hooves. She could avenge Rainbow Dash, and herself, once and for all; the murderer was unconscious and at her mercy, and absolutely nothing could stop her. She wanted to do it so badly, and yet, “I…” she said weakly, “I can’t…”
“Suit yourself.”
Scootaloo reached down and took Rainbow Dash’s dog tags, feeling the weak breath from the blue mare as her hoof passed the mare’s mouth. She put them on in silence as the image of Rainbow Dash and her mother came to mind, staring at her with contempt knowing she had killed a helpless pony. Even that pony. The thought of it was enough to bring a tear to her eye and she simply could not bring herself to do it. “You found it, then?” she said softly.
“Along with a bonus. For you,” said Arpeggio as she placed a small weather-worn note at Scootaloo’s hooves. Scootaloo scooped it up and unfolded it, instantly recognizing Rainbow Dash’s messy and hasty printing:
Squirt,
I more wrote this for myself then for you, but if anything ever happened to me you’re the only pony who knew about my hiding place (Unless you blabbed ha ha). I know it might seem dumb to write a letter like this just in case, but lately I just can’t help but feel like something bad is coming. Even Pinkie Pie is spooked and that never happens. Look, I’m bad at this kind of thing Nevermind you know I’m awesome. I always thought You and I We were What I’m trying to say, is you were like the little sister I always wanted and I always had a lot of fun when you were around. And if my element is still there, consider it you’res. Actually, you can have all my stuff except the autographed flight suit: Pinkie Pie called dibs on that one already. And the simbil cimbil cymbil METAL CIRCLE CLACKY THING playing monkey. Stay co Twilight wanted my cloud sculpting kit for some reason. Stay cool, Squirt.
I’ll always love you as a friend and a sister.
The coolest pony alive, Rainbow Dash.
P.S. Don’t forget: I told you the toilet story in confidance. You swore not to tell ANYPONY!!!
Scootaloo smiled and held the letter to her chest; for the first time in a long time she felt at peace. She glanced up at Arpeggio knowing the scorpion mare had the element of loyalty buried somewhere beneath the mountain of rags she shuffled around in. “Alright,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to give the element up like that, “A deals a deal. Pay up.”
Arpeggio giggled softly and placed her hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Let’s get you home to your dear friend Fluttershy then,” she said in a mockery of a mother’s warm voice.
Scootaloo took one final look at Rainbow Dash’s unconscious murderer, and began descending the mountain with Arpeggio.
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so we are just to assume that applebloom got killed then?
Wow. That is... Just huh.
5275360
Of course not! That comes later.
5275461 Of course she should have, but she didn't. And that's why Scootaloo is who she is, and I have more hope at the end of the chapter than at the beginning. That letter from Rainbow Dash should come with a Kleenex warning, though. As the eternal optimist (and you know I have a vested interest in redemption), it hurts me to see Tyrant Sparkle and our broken, embittered "scorpion".
Another outstanding chapter! Thank you!
I think this chapters confirms the mystery pony is chrysalis
Actually, on second thought, it could still be Cadence. In fact, how she worded it...
I'm locking it in. It's Cadence.
Great update as this chapter shows that Scootaloo is finally at a sense of peace with her past actions and became a better pony for not stooping so low as to murder another pony when they're at mercy.
Grand showing of how Scootaloo delemia and how she overcame it. Please do keep up the good work upon such a great tale like this one.
Lightning Blitz is now going to be an even greater threat from now on. When the very system is at fault and refuses to judge itself, who deliver's justice onto the system? Simple answer: the people who is governed BY the system. The occupying royalty, not even considering it to be legit because of Twilight's coup d'etat, cant be entrusted to punish the crimes they committed so it's up to the people to deliver justice. If nothing else, Lightning Blitz is most likely to take more lives now, lives that likely would be spared if Scootaloo had finished her off.
Also, mystery pony is Cadence. Was plausibly Chryssy until she mentioned losing her love. Since she never actually had a lover that defaults to Cadence. Also, Cadence is a reference to a musical procession much akin to an Arpeggio whom the mystery pony is using as an alias.
5276219
Up until this chapter, I would've said Luna, but given Scoot & her conversation, I'm inclined to agree with Cadence.
The real twist is that she's actually Twilight and Chrysalis is the one ruling as fake Twilight.
I'm going to hold on to Chrysalis, Arpeggio fits her personality too closely, even a bitter Cadance wouldn't be this bleak. Also, I'm surprised Arpeggio didn't kill Lightning Dust herself, she seems pretty pragmatic. I do hope that shard of glass means Lightning Dust never flies again though.
Fully believe its Cadance under the rags. Her army defeated, Shining dead, and left beaten and for dead in the wasteland. Bet the rags are there both to hide her identity and the mess left behind by the cold of the north. Dead black frozen flesh isn't a pretty sight especially for a mare known for her attractiveness. Here is hoping for a jailbreak for Applebloom next chapter!
I know that this is gonna come back to bite Scoots in the ass later, but she did the right thing.
The moment you become the thing you are fighting is the moment that your enemies win.
But nevertheless, that ass-kicking was a long time coming. Overall, good on ya Scoots.
5286059 should of taken a wing and a eye at least but ya I agree
5286059
Yeah, probably, but one can hope it won't. Lightning Dust is a petty fool. She fails to see that she is but a tool, and had she let go of her grudges long ago she might have been happier and in a better world. Instead she has become a scumbag of less worth any pony, to compare her to a mailpony is to insult the mailpony. A more vengeful pony would have snapped her wings and left her to walk back, which would have been fitting.
5287956
She wasn't the only one, though. They are ALL tools to that...thing...that is currently sitting on the throne.
I don't know who or what it is, but I do know this: It is NOT Twilight Sparkle.
I have a pretty good idea of who it might be, but I will save the opinion for later. But whoever it is was cunning beyond belief. Their coup was perfectly staged, between gathering up allies beforehand and then putting the blame on Luna after it was finished. I can't believe the nation was able to buy that "return of Nightmare Moon" propaganda crap. And Celestia...
I don't know how Celestia died, but the timing was a little too "convenient", so you can damn well bet the usurper had something to do with that as well. The Wonderbolts, Ponyville, the Crystal Empire...
What I want to know is how an entire army was convinced to attack the Crystal Empire, AKA: Equestria's closest and most trusted ally? I can understand the concept of "just following orders", but where do you get off slaughtering civilians?
So many things just don't add up...
5288560
I'm not so sure it isn't Twilight Sparkle, but even if is, she's definitely changed drastically. I suspect severe misuse of magic was involved somewhere, something that has to do with the elements of harmony and, among other things, mind magic. It easy to get people to do thing if they believe what they are doing is the right thing to do.
No, Scootaloo should have made Lightning Dust an earth pony. Either cripple her wings or just out right removed them. That's what I would have done, anyway.
5290541 Very true.
Nice story so far. Took me some time to get through is, but that was definitely worth it. To your question if Scootaloo should have killed Lightning Dust: I would say sparing her life will turn out bad at first, but in the end, it will have been the right decision.
Cadance confirmed. I love it when my guesses turn out correct.
The lack of Empress Twilight actually showing up still has me growing increasingly suspicious there's some shenanigans at work.
I'm sticking by my earlier theory that Mystery Mare is Chrysalis
I feel it was the right thing to do sure Lightning killed Dashie but if Scootaloo killed her she would be no better
I'm presently of the opinion that Twilight Sparkle is dead. I haven't read the chapters after this point so I don't know how that will play out, but I think Princess Dinky and assorted others are ruling and keeping Twilight's name alive as a terror tactic.
Na scoots aint a muderer but kill the bitch at some point
Hah so it is Cadence.