The Forest
Scootaloo flew through the skies above Ponyville. The wind in her face and wings, feeling the warm updrafts and cool eddies, and the burn of her aging wings were all she could do to be close to Rainbow Dash. Part of her wanted to believe her sister was next to her still, memories of being pushed to her limits being dredged up.
It was hard for her to start flying. Between her genetically weak wings and persistent use of them as a propeller when riding a scooter, she needed twice as long as any normal pegasus to learn. Dash, at first, tried the brute force method: strenuous exercise and tough love, like pushing her off a cloud and yelling for her to flap. Though those methods didn’t work, they did prepare her for what came later.
When the diagnosis came back from the doctor, Scootaloo collapsed and sobbed tirelessly. She felt her dreams would never come true, of flying with her hero, but Rainbow was there for her. The mare had promised her she’d fly one day, and neither hell nor high water would stop her from fulfilling it. Then, just as the filly had calmed, she was gone.
Three days passed by before Rainbow returned with determination burning in her eyes. She learned everything she could about flying for weak-winged pegasi from the flight camp in Cloudsdale. On that morning, she intruded Scootaloo’s home and shook her awake, not even explaining before grabbing her from bed and launching out the window from whence she came.
They alighted on a cloud high above town. Scootaloo protested the rude greeting and demanded to be brought back home, but the mare would have none of it. Rainbow had hugged the filly tight and said, “I promised you, didn’t I?”
“There’s no point! I can never fly, no matter what! They said so, so just leave me alone.”
“I won’t let you give up, Scootaloo. You’re my sister and you will fly!”
Scootaloo had perked up at that. After the camping trip, Rainbow had never specifically called her ‘sister’ again, and she had almost thought the mare forgot their promise. She couldn’t describe what she felt then, and even now had trouble understanding it, but it helped her decide to trust Dash one more time.
Rainbow relayed everything: how to feel the air, to glide along air currents and updrafts, to use her legs to gain speed and lift, every little tip the instructors gave her. It was difficult, unbelievably difficult, for Scootaloo to understand subjects in which even final year students needed help. Aerodynamics, thermodynamics, any physics topic relating to air was forced upon her. And sometimes, she needed to ask Twilight or study in the library when Rainbow couldn’t explain.
But she had persevered. In six months, she knew the basics and finally had a chance to try flying again. They started out easy, using Rainbow Dash to get Scootaloo moving through the air fast enough for a glide to hold herself. Words of encouragement flooded her ears again and again, and before she knew it, Rainbow had let go.
She had to hold back her instinct to flap rapidly. Every gust of wind tensed her muscles, but she slowly learned to relax and let it tell her where to go. They guided her to pressure zones where she could use the hot updrafts to bring her back to the clouds, or to cooler areas she could use to land safely.
Focused as she was on listening to the wind, the cheers from the ground below went unheard. She didn’t let a single thought enter her mind until she finally landed, inadvertently tripping over her own hooves at the speed she was going. But she was glad. She had flown, and that was all that mattered.
Over time, her understanding of physics grew, as well as her skill in flying. On the final day of her training, when she made it from the ground to a cloud on her own, Rainbow landed next to her. They had talked for a time, about everything, until the sun fell over the horizon. That was when she finally learned the name of her flying style: featherflight.
A sharp pain erupted in Scootaloo’s left wing, pulling her out of her memories and out of the currents. She let out a quiet yelp as she struggled to right herself and fall into a new air wave, but the pain throbbed at every movement. The ground filled her vision, panic overriding her senses and forcing instinct to take over.
She twisted in the air, aiming her hind legs to hit first. A part of her knew she wouldn’t make it out alive and laughed at the circumstances: cut down at sixty-four, just a day after her world fell apart. When they struck, her forehooves were ready to take the impact. But they never made contact.
The ground exploded, dirt and dust masking her vision as she was held aloft. A purple aura wrapped itself over her and deflected any particles. There was no force on her hind legs, no pressure forcing them to contract into her belly, almost as if they were still dangling in the air. As the air cleared, she was set down next to the crater her savior had caused.
“Scootaloo, are you alright?!” the familiar voice of Twilight called. She jumped into view with worry plastered on her face, and maybe a bit of sadness.
“I…” Shock had overridden everything she was about to say next, the ordeal shaking Scootaloo to the core. Her eyes darted between the hole and the mare in front of her before her legs gave out.
“Scootaloo!” Twilight yelled, catching the pegasus before she could fall. Shudders were communicated through their touch and her worry escalated. “I need to get you to the hospital.”
The word ‘hospital’ pulled Scootaloo from her thoughts. If she could avoid going back to that place, she would make sure of it. “No,” she finally said, pushing away and stabilizing herself. “I’m fine; just a scare.”
“Are you sure? Shock can—”
“I know what shock does!” Twilight pulled back at the outburst. “I’m fine.” Scootaloo took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and relieving some tension in the process. “Thank you.”
“Scootaloo…”
“I mean it, Twilight. Don’t worry about me; I can handle it.”
“But—”
“What?!” she yelled, turning on the alicorn with malice in her eyes. “I’m old? I can’t take care of myself anymore? Is that it, Twilight? Am I too old to handle anything on my own anymore?”
“I didn’t say that…”
“Then don’t. If Rainbow Dash were still alive, she’d tell me to shake it off, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do,” she said with a stomp of her hoof. “So thanks again. You saved me.” With that, she turned and walked away.
She heard Twilight take flight and sighed. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so rough on her. She’s probably dealing with Rainbow’s death as badly as herself, maybe worse, and there was no reason to make each other hate one another over it.
Her steps had carried her to the edge of the Everfree Forest. As many times she and the other crusaders entered the place over the years, she didn’t have the fear most of Ponyville had for it. To her, it was just another forest, one you had to pay attention to more than most. A memory bubbled up about Rainbow saving her from a timberwolf in there, but she shook it off before it could sadden her further.
In the distance, she spotted the strange creature from the funeral approaching. He seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, as he didn’t see her when he passed and entered the forest. Scootaloo called out to him, but received no answer. Again, she called, loud enough to scare a few birds from the trees, and he halted.
“What.” It wasn’t a question, but a demand. The strength of it unnerved her, like she had just called a bear out of its den.
“I… um…” It occurred to her that she didn’t know why she wanted him to stop. There was nothing she could ask him, nor anything she wanted to know about him.
“Yes?” he asked, turning to face her with a neutral expression. “Did you want something?”
“I just… wanted to know why you’re here,” she said, choosing the first thing that came to mind as nervousness set in.
“You’ll have to be more specific.” He set a hand on his hip while twirling the other in the air. “Here as in the edge of the forest, this place, the planet, this time. Which is it?”
“Um… Ponyville?”
He rose an eyebrow at that, and slowly, a smirk formed. “Ponyville. You call yourselves ponies, and you named a town ‘Ponyville’. Please tell me the pun was unintentional, so I don’t have to strangle someone.”
“S-strangle?!” Scootaloo said, taking a step back from the human.
“Yes, strangle. Choke, throttle, garrote. Whichever you prefer, it’s all the same.”
“Are you always so violent?” she asked incredulously. Just like Rarity, she assumed he fought Spike in self-defence and not for any malicious reason.
“Depends on the reason,” he replied, then shrugged his shoulders. “Well, it’s been fun talking to you.” Spinning on his heel, he angled himself to go deeper into the forest and started walking.
“Wait!” Scootaloo called, holding a hoof out to him.
“What.” There was the demand again. It sent shivers down her spine and her eyes fell onto the sword across his back. She drudged up her courage and pressed on.
“What are you doing in the Everfree Forest?”
“I live here.”
“Where did you get that sword?”
“I made it.”
“You made it?”
“I made it.” Without another word, he walked off, soon blending in with the foliage. Something told Scootaloo not to follow.
If she let him go, she could let Rarity know he’s close, maybe too close. Apple Bloom would also be interested to know the human could craft tools as well. She’d be safe if she didn’t go…
But on the other hoof, she could gather more information about him if she followed. The princesses were concerned about his appearance, after all. And besides, the Everfree wasn’t that bad if she watched where she was going.
She could tell the others about him later.
With a burst of energy, she trotted after him, curiosity and fillyhood memories of similar quests pushing her onward with a smile. The trees and shrubs all felt familiar to her. It reminded her of those times she crusaded for her cutie mark with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and that tree there with the knobby branches was the one they climbed for tree climbing cutie marks. As lost as she was in her memories, she didn’t realize how lost she was becoming in reality.
A part of her still followed Chase’s trail, but the forest slowly got more and more foreign. She might have been a rascal with the others when they were young, but they knew not to go too deep into the forest. When she looked back, she couldn’t even recognize a part she had been in before. Hopefully, wherever the human was leading her, she could either gain her bearings or have room for taking flight.
If he took note of her, he didn’t show it. She was well back enough to duck behind a tree if the need arose, but she started to feel like he didn’t care. Pretty soon, she stopped cringing every time a stick snapped and focused on the surroundings for any memorable landmarks.
“There’s no point in hanging back anymore,” Chase called behind him. “I’m not going to bite.”
Scootaloo studied the human’s back, as if she could discern his intentions when she had no idea what his species’ body language could have in common with her own. His facial features seemed to be the same, but that was all she knew about it. Deciding to err on caution, at least this time, she kept her distance.
“Fine, be that way,” he said after a few minutes. “But when that spider catches up to you, you’ll have to defend for yourself.”
Spider? she thought, panic rising in her mind. Her ears swiveled about, but heard nothing other than the human’s footsteps and her own hooves on old fallen leaves. Of course, spiders didn’t tend to make noises, and they normally stayed in their webs… right? And if she couldn’t hear it, how could the human?
She was torn. Should she catch up to the human and risk getting gutted, or hold back and trust his word about an unheard and unseen threat? She could see the human, so at least she had a chance if he tried anything…
“Wait up!” Scootaloo yelled, scrambling as quickly as she could to shorten the distance between them. “Don’t let it get me!” As soon as she fell into pace beside him, he tilted his head back and guffawed.
“Oh…” he started as he calmed down, “that was a good one.”
Scootaloo turned towards him irritably, his joke not playing well with her mind. “That was mean!”
“But it was hilarious,” he responded, setting his hand on her head and rubbing her mane about. “Thanks, I needed that.”
She smacked his hand away and snorted in derision. “It wasn’t funny.”
“Yes it was.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“Yes, it was.”
“No. It wasn’t.”
“I can conclude, without a shadow of a doubt, that the previous jape at thine expense was, indeed, quite humourous.”
“Inevitably, thine escapade induced an emotion of ire within my person towards thee. Thus, I insist upon the uncomical nature of thine act and attitude.”
Scootaloo glanced towards the human, and upon seeing him staring back with a smirk, they burst out laughing. She wasn’t sure why she was laughing with Chase, but it felt good. The last time she really laughed was…
She shook her head. There was no point in thinking about it. Right now, she needed to get answers from the human, and she hoped building a favorable report with him would lead her there.
“There’s no point in following me, you know.”
“Not even the princesses know who or what you are,” Scootaloo said, easing herself over a large root. “The least I can do is figure out if you really are a threat.”
“A threat?” Chase seemed to think about that, quietly walking through the forest for a brief time. “I do what I want, when I want, regardless of what anyone thinks. If that’s a threat, I’m a threat.”
Scootaloo stopped and stared after him, stunned. Before she could formulate a response, a deafening roar echoed through the forest. Stunned silence turned into a fearful squeak when she recognized it, and she ran after the human.
“Chase!” she screamed as she broke through the trees and entered a large clearing. Before her rocked a rope bridge over a crevasse so deep that fog seemed permanently stuck within. The human had taken the first step on the wood planks when he stopped and looked towards the sound of the roar, the dilapidated castle beyond the bridge being his backdrop.
“Chase!” Scootaloo called again, catching up to him and pulling on his hand. “We have to run, now!”
He ignored her, just staring out towards the sound when the roar started again. Scootaloo’s ears pounded and her heart raced. It was coming after them! She tugged harder, even using her wings to get him to budge, but he held his ground. Finally, he spoke.
“What is that?” His voice sounded hollow, like he was remembering something from his past that couldn’t possibly be true.
“We need to go now, Chase!”
“What is that?!” he yelled, his brows furrowed in anger as he turned to glare at her. “Tell me!”
Scootaloo jerked back, fear of the human mixing with that of the creature approaching. When he stepped after her, she balled up and started shaking. “I-it’s a… a…”
“A what?!”
“An Ursa!” she cried, her voice echoing in the chasm beyond. “It’s an ethereal bear bigger than a house!”
As soon as she spoke, a blue bear made of stars broke through the treeline to their right. It let loose another roar that forced its way into her eardrums with deafening levels. She covered her ears, but when she looked at Chase, he stood facing the beast, his hands gripping the sword so tightly his skin turned white. She knew what he was doing before he could get a single word out.
“Run,” he said, a forced calm in his voice. “Run and don’t come back.”
“But—”
“I said GO!” He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her behind him into the pit.
As soon as the air hit her, she automatically stretched her wings. A massive updraft quickly launched her into the air until she sailed above the trees. When she looked down, she could see Chase toss his scabbard to the ground and grip the sword with both hands. Knowing there was nothing she could do, her only thought was to get Twilight as soon as possible.
For the first time in years, Scootaloo flew.
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Did he atleast take kendo or fencing lessons?.....Not saying that they would be suited for this,But having a basic concept of how a sword works is better than nothing,Even if its for a completely different type of sword
And the story falls flat. Asspul + Scootaloo 2 chapters of cringe worthy material in a row.
Good luck writing, I am out of here.
3522905 What? If he can fight the bear THEN it's gone down the tubes. but making a shoddy unsharpened sword can't be that hard if you had some kind of metalworking lessons.
No backstory has yet been revealed. you should leave WHEN it's gone down the tubes, not because of the possibility.
To the author, there is no way he can fight an ursa, please save this fic and him from suedom by making him rather helpless till he's saved by ponies.
It would set up the perfect situation for him to act more unthankful and jerkish, ala: "meh whatever, I was fine".
EDIT: to the person who downvoted me, I don't like jerks. but it takes time to change. and sudden kindness out of the blue for no reason makes no sense. And from what I've seen THAT IS how the character acts. thanks.
EDIT2: if it was about the "rather helpless" comment... Dude, the average guy would have real trouble fighting a normal grizzly. THIS IS AN URSA. A GIGANTIC STAR BEAR. Point proven.
3523530 Better yet make that entire scene a ploy to get Scoots to leave and just have him cross the ravine where the Ursa can't follow.
3523662 thats just trolling the bear
, hilarious antics shall ensue.
And he loses an arm?
3522905
Wait, hold on, fine fellow. Could you point me towards this "ass pull" and explain why Scootaloo makes the story fall flat? The first one I might be able to see, but I really can't see how Scootaloo became a reason for you to quit.
3524086 She is the cheapest compassion character. Using her in a story (especially in this context) means "I want you to be compassionate against X or hate Y for being bad to her".
Just real lack of creativity. It's about as cliche as drinking orphan tears and kicking puppies.
Also I don't like her as a character, but thats besides the point. When I see Scootaloo mentioned in story, I can predict exactly what will it say in the chapter. And it's never a good writing. Only time I failed the prediction was a shock fic, and it had a twist ending.Otherwise is same stuff over and over.
3524330
I certainly didn't plan for her to be a compassion character. Not in the least. If anything, I chose her because she was at the funeral and saw Chase.
What she did in this chapter was entirely her choice, as well as what happened in her past. I wanted her to be a strong flyer, but then I remembered how she acts in the show and used deductive reasoning to see her flaws. I wanted her to brush off Chase when he entered the forest, but then that spark of internal debate happened and she followed anyway.
If she has become a cheap character because of all the times you have read about her in a "feel this!" way, the only thing I can recommend is to do what I do: forget about every story you have ever read. Every time I decide to read a new story, I enter it with a blank slate, knowing nothing the fandom has created and believing in the writer's ability to follow after canon.
I will at least guarantee that she won't get overly attached to Chase like I have seen many other stories do, nor will he her. But, I can understand if you don't feel up to believing my world anymore, and hold no grudge against you. Good luck finding a story that holds your suspension of disbelief. Lord knows I'm not the best writer, after all.
3523540 I also have an axe!
Chase gonna get chased!
Chase is gonna kill it no problem :P
Where are the updates?!
3754912
Sorry about the wait. I'll see what I can do about writing, now that the holidays have passed and physical therapy is completed.
Woah! Ah'm learnin' so much about humans.
Be right back!! Ah've got to go jump off mah roof and while flippin' in the air ah'll go spin mah swords with mah feet.
4907022 https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bCc4SWFETM0/maxresdefault.jpg