CMC: Training is Magic

by Cold Spike

Chapter Eight: The Truth

Scootaloo felt very weird standing alone in Bubbles’ living room. She half-expected Dinky to come meandering in, wanting to play or even talk some; but that never happened. In fact. nopony came to get her; giving her the distinct impression that she should simply clear out and leave. It wasn't as if Bubbles had exactly been given a choice in the matter. I guess she had, but who would have said no? Certainly nopony she would ever wish to congregate with; certainly nopony she would ever call mother.

She's not my mom, a voice in the back of her mind reminded her. She was Dinky's mom, and nopony else’s. If that meant a roof to live under, however, and the other adult ponies off her back about her living arrangements, then living with Bubbles was just fine with her. I just hope it’s okay with them…

Of course it is! She stuck up for you! Scootaloo sighed and took a seat on a nearby sofa. A part of her would give almost anything to just go outside and forget the whole thing. She wanted to play with her friends like any other filly. She wanted freedom from the constant stress and self anguish that came from her awkward living arrangements. She wanted to just pretend that things would be okay, even when she knew they might not be. Instinctively, she went to grab for something with her right hoof, but stopped herself and looked down in a shocked and confused state. I forgot my doll. Stupid doll, she thought angrily. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle must never know of it. She would never be caught dead carrying it, but that didn't make it any less real; it didn't make the comfort she got from hugging it any less real either.

"Are you dead?" a voice suddenly rang out in her head. Scootaloo whipped around in shock, finding Dinky looking at her mildly concerned.

"Uh, no. Are you?" Scootaloo quipped back.

Dinky giggled and shrugged. "I'm not the one staring at the floor."

Scootaloo furrowed her brow in annoyance and shrugged as well. "Well, I'm just thinking. I'm usually used to my friends helping me... uh, think. And they're not here."

The filly broke out into a grin and ran off toward the front door, waving Scootaloo along. "Let's go find them, then! So you can get your brain back!"

Instead of asking her to stop, Scootaloo chuckled a bit. "Are you related to Sweetie Belle? Is she your cousin or something?"

Dinky squealed happily. "You think she is?! Then I can get dresses for free!"

Scootaloo slapped her hoof to her forehead. "Uh, no. It was a joke," Dinky sagged in disappointment, but Scootaloo ignored her and continued, "and it's not a good idea to go find my friends. Not until I can fly anyway," she muttered.

Dinky scowled then slammed the door angrily. "What's so good about flying anyway? It's stupid!"

"It is not!"

Fuming, even more, Dinky jumped onto the couch and got head to head with Scootaloo. "You can't even fly, so how would you know?!"

Her words resonated in Scootaloo’s mind. How would you know? How couldn’t she know? It meant everything in the world to Scoots. Her hopes, her dreams, her future, how could Dinky say something so horrible to her? Just like Diamond Tiara. Her. That awful pink brat! Scootaloo seethed at the thought of her saying such mean and horrible things.

“Flying is everything to me!” She shouted at the top of her little filly lungs, snarling and shoving her nose into Dinky’s.

Dinky, for her part, was actually taken aback. It suddenly struck her that maybe what she’d just said was… kind of mean.

Scootaloo, for that matter, suddenly realized that she wasn’t nose to nose with Diamond Tiara, but with Dinky…

The two mutually glanced aside and backed away from each other.

“Dinky,” Scootaloo started with much more patience this time, “Did I do something wrong… to you?”

Dinky sighed. "...No," she said, annoyed, but with a tone that suggested she had just been caught sneaking some sweets.

"Then... what's wrong with flying?"

"Mommy can fly, but I can't," Dinky blurted.

"Oh."

And with six simple words, the situation had become that much more awkward. She’s… she’s jealous? That made some sense, but only in a superficial way. Anypony who couldn’t fly, after all, could be jealous of one’s ability for flight. But it wasn’t as if Scootaloo was jealous of Sweetie Belle’s ability to use magic, or Apple Bloom’s to buck trees and help work on a farm. She had once wished she could cast magic like a unicorn, but those thoughts didn’t linger because she possessed the potential for flight. She would fly someday, but lingering thoughts on what she could be, in another life - a unicorn - wouldn’t get her any closer to that dream.

“But you can use magic,” Scootaloo reasoned. “That’s pretty awesome! So, who cares if you can’t fly?”

Dink’s horn flared up, encasing a nearby pillow in its aura. For a split second Scootaloo thought it would have been raised, maybe smacked into her face, but it just sat there. It didn’t even rise into the air. Dinky struggled with it for a few moments longer, but then the light died out, leaving only a few sparks shooting out of her horn. “Not really,” she growled angrily.

Scootaloo smiled and laid back into the couch. “That’s what used to happen to my friend, Sweetie Belle. Now she can use her horn to do all sorts of things,” she said, attempting to cheer her up. She wasn’t actually sure if Sweetie could do anything more by now, but she was sure it was, at least, a half-truth. “You’ll get there,” she said sagely. Sheesh, I feel like Twilight, she thought.

Dinky slammed her head into the pillow while moaning. “Why does everypony keep saying that? My magic stinks.”

Scootaloo rolled her onto her stomach and then twitched her wings dully. “Yeah, well, join the club. Like you said earlier, mine isn’t much better.”

Dinky sighed with her and mumbled out a, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, uh, you were just angry.” It was hard not to feel sympathetic towards Dinky, even when she wasn’t acting cute. At least, that’s how Scootaloo saw it.

Dinky nodded, then glanced up with a raised brow. “Hey, what club did you mean earlier?”

And back to cute, Scootaloo thought. She then found that the filly had hung her head upside down and was now bobbing her head back and forth, smiling as if nothing had ever been wrong in the first place. Or… weird. Yeah. Let’s go with weird.

Just then, Bubbles came cantering down the stairs, a weary expression on her muzzle. She promptly took a seat between the fillies and sighed at the welcomed comfort. “Mommy needs rest,” she muttered as she closed her eyes.

Dinky rested her head on Bubbles like a giant gray pillow and sighed as well. Scootaloo, however, sat away from them as the awkwardness came back with a vengeance. She wasn’t Bubbles’ daughter, relative or anything else for that matter. In the short time they had known each other, their lessons had gone from passable to just downright getting nowhere; so becoming friends wasn’t exactly high up on Scootaloo’s list. She simply wanted to fly.

“I think I’m gonna go practice some more, in the backyard. Uh, bye,” Scootaloo said awkwardly, then quickly hopped off the couch and walked away.

She had been practicing every day, trying to get her wings to stop buzzing so much, but it was hard. Scootaloo was going against every instinct she had; buzzing just felt so natural and even good! She’s be flapping her wings in a timely manner and, like a switch, something would happen and suddenly they would be buzzing before she could even consciously react to stop them. It’s not fair! She twitched them a few times out of habit and sighed.

“Alright, wings, let’s do this.”

Her feathers had begun to twitch a bit when suddenly something was shoved onto her body without warning. She looked down in confusion and saw she was now wearing a red-coated vest of some kind, with slits for her wings. “Huh?”

“You might want to try that,” Bubbles said from behind her.

“And what is this?” Scootaloo said indignantly, feeling just a bit annoyed by the sudden interruption.

“That is a training suit. It’s designed to offer resistance to your wings so they don’t buzz so much. Uh, I kind of had to shop around for it at a specialty store,” she said with a smile. More like three stories, she thought with an inward sigh. “Usually they’re only used on mares and stallions who want to train mor-”

“Like the Wonderbolts?!” Scootaloo interrupted excitedly.

“Uh, well, yes. Actually, they almost never make these for fillies your age so I, well, I- erm…” Bubbles trailed off and muttered something under her breath. Whatever it had been, Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice that she seemed rather uncomfortable doing so.

“Huh?”

“It was for smaller ponies. Not younger ones,” she clarified very slowly. Scootaloo suddenly looked at the outfit as it were Diamond Tiara or a rotten vegetable. “But it is a real outfit for training. Why not give it a shot?”

Scootaloo snarled but kept her eyes firmly focused on the multicolored outfit. I guess it looks like a Wonderbolt’s outfit. She wiggled her wings experimentally and found that a constant pressure was exerted onto them with each flap. She moved her body around, hearing the rubber-like material squeak quite profoundly. “Loud... “ she muttered. She tried again, this time harder, but her wings still barely were able to move. “What gives?”

“It’s a training tool, Scootaloo. Just keep practicing with it and I’m sure we can strengthen your wings in no time. I-”

Scootaloo’s head shot up and she gave Bubbles a fierce, determined stare. “How long?!”

Bubbles kept her cool and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sure this will help speed things along. Just keep practicing, and trust me. Okay?”

She took you in. She’s trying to help you fly. Don’t get angry, Scootaloo reminded herself. But Scootaloo was having trouble, debating with herself, if this was, in fact, a good idea or not. It’s not like she’s a flight instructor; she told me so, she reminded herself again. She glanced up at Bubbles, who smiled at her patiently. But she is trying hard…

“Okay. I trust you. Another three days? Heh,” Scootaloo said.

“I think that sounds like a good idea. Start with what you know, and keep strengthening your wings.”

“Right, okay. Coo’. Thanks, Bubbles,” Scootaloo said happily.

She smiled back. “Sure thing. Why don't you go show your friends?”

Scootaloo frowned, suddenly remembering their previous conversation. Would her friends be upset if she hadn’t shown any progress? Had they had any themselves? There only one way of finding out, but that also meant she would have to admit her lack of any actual flying. “Uh, y-yeah, sure,” she stammered out.

Bubbles put her hoof on the rubber suit’s side and gave her a reassuring nod. “I’m sure your friends will be happy to see you and are just as nervous about their magic as you are. Now get going,” she said as she scooted the filly forward.

I guess she isn’t so bad. Not my mom, but still, Scootaloo thought. As she was walking away, though, Bubbles called out to her.

“And make sure to be back soon! You need to finish any schoolwork you have!”

That’s more mom like, Scootaloo thought bitterly. For a fleeting moment, Scootaloo wanted to lash out and rage back at her. How dare she direct her as the Breezies had once done to her so long ago. But she stopped and sighed. It’s just what moms do to little fillies, she thought as a reminder.

Not bothering to take the new outfit off, Scootaloo began to explore Ponyville for any sign of her friends. But where could they be at this time of the day? Probably practicing magic, she presumed. Sweetie Belle could easily be anywhere, from the strictly organized environment of her sister's boutique to the calm and inviting house where she and her parents resided. Apple Bloom would be much easier to find, as she only had one real place she hung out or lived in, aside from their clubhouse of course. But where to first?

"I guess Rarity's place since she's closer," she decided.

As luck would have it, however, Sweetie Belle was found just outside, waiting around.

"Hey, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said enthusiastically. "Uh, how you been?"

Scootaloo cantered over to her and took a seat. Awkwardly, she returned her smile. "Not bad, y- you?"

“Good,” Sweetie said.

Looking down at her outfit, Scootaloo smirked. “How's your magic training going?"

Sweetie wanted to jump in the air and proclaim it had been going amazing, that she had synced up with the ebb and she had mastered her magic so they can go crusading again. But instead, she blushed and looked away. "Okay. Magic is... complicated." Even as she said it, the complex instructions of both Twilight and her sister were flowing in her head, begging to be released. So she could forget about all that hard work that made her mind spin and her head hurt.

Knowing she was stepping on eggshells, Scootaloo nodded slowly and considered what to say next. Sweetie’s magic isn’t going well either? She had been petrified that her friends were well above her in their training and she had been left behind! She almost felt happy but remembered that this was her friend and she had been trying just as hard as her, perhaps even more. "Oh. Yeah," she took a seat in the dirt and sighed, "it sure is. Bubbles said I-"

"Who's Bubbles?" Sweetie said suddenly.

Scootaloo blinked in confusion, then realized what Sweetie must not be getting. "It's Ditzy's nickname, I guess. She said I had to learn how to stop my wings from buzzing so much, but no luck. It's why I'm in this thing," she said, indicating to her bright red outfit.

"Ohhhh, what's it do?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "Stops my wings from buzzing? I dunno. It’s really hard to flap my wings with it on. I guess it will help. Uh, how about you? What have you been having trouble doing?"

In that instant, all the tension they had been both feeling simply evaporated. This wasn't crusading; talking and hanging out wasn't even coming close to breaking their Pinkie Promise™.

Sweetie grinned while racking her brain for everything she knew on the subject. "Oh! Well, when unicorns tap into their magic, their mana pool thingy? Well, the magic, or mana, comes from this thing called The Ebb. Rarity said it's like the planet's mana pool thingy. She said if I wanted to try and learn this one spell I had to try and connect with it, but it's really hard. I kept trying earlier and it's like there's something blocking me."

Scootaloo thought about this and then her face lit up with an idea. "Oh! Like with Shining Armor's shield spell?"

"Hey, yeah! I guess. I guess it's like the planet has a shield that's stopping me from connecting to it. But then I still don't get how I get mana from it for my horn if it won't let me do that..." she said, half muttering to herself.

Scootaloo had no answers for her though. "Who knows? Maybe Twilight?"

"Maybe, but Twilight hadn't even told me about The Ebb yet... come to think of it, I doubt she would even want me to try and use it right now. She's always so careful with everything." She then struck a mock, pose of Twilight and began to mimic speaking like her. "Sweetie Belle, make sure you read chapter thirty-nine of that book I sent you, or you won't be able to follow step forty-seven which I laid out for today's lesson!"

Scootaloo snickered along. "That's so her. So, wanna go find Apple Bloom?"

"Sure! Oh, wait!" She suddenly stopped talking and hugged Scootaloo very tightly.. "You know the drill, we haven't hung out for a month, so that's a month’s worth of hugs!"

Scootaloo blushed and tried to pry the filly off, but she wouldn't budge. "Get off, please."

"Nope, not until you get twenty-nine more hugs!"

“Get off me!” Scootaloo managed to squirm out of her grip and took off, but she knew she had only delayed the inevitable. When Sweetie Belle wanted to hug you, it was gonna happen one way or the other.

Sweetie Belle chased her all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo had, somehow, given her the slip, but it didn't matter. Not for long, anyway.

"Okay, that's hug twenty-six. And twenty-seven," Sweetie chanted while hugging her friend very closely again.

Scootaloo blushed, but couldn't help but feel happy after so many hugs. "Let's not not talk to each other again. It was kind of stupid of us..." Scootaloo admitted as she returned the final hug on the edge of the farm.

"Yeah. Heh, you know, it's funny. I wanted to come visit ya, but even when I wasn't busy, I didn't know where you lived. You didn't let me walk you home all the way that one day so..." Sweetie trailed off awkwardly, hoping Scootaloo would pick up the conversation.

"Oh, right. I live, uh, kind of near Bubbles’ house," she said honestly.

"But," Sweetie blinked and shook her head in confusion, "that one night, when I walked you home, you went past Rarity's place and Bubbles is before it," she pointed out with a raised brow.

Scootaloo felt the beginning of sweat beads forming on her forehead. "Did it?! Well, you know how it is in the dark. I must have gotten turned around or something- hey, look, it's Apple Bloom!"

While Sweetie Belle mostly certainly did not buy Scootaloo's hasty reply for a second, she was glad to see her other friend.

“Girls? What are you’ all doin’ here?! We’re not supposed to Crusade until--”

But Apple Bloom’s question was cut off by Scootaloo. “We’re not Crusading, we just wanted to hang out. No breaking promises there,” Scootaloo pointed out with a wink and a friendly nudge.

Apple Bloom blushed in response to this. She never realized how easy it was to get around a Pinkie Promise™. “Oh, well, alright then.” The filly cracked a smile quicker than Sweetie Belle in a hug factory; if hug factories existed. “So, I guess you wanna know my progress with my Earth Pony magic, huh?”

They both nodded enthusiastically causing a smirk to etch its way onto her muzzle. “Right, follow me!” she called after them and cantered off into the farm.

“Where are we going?” they both called out while struggling to keep up.

But Apple Bloom refused to respond until they neared the center of the farm. When she finally did it was with a tired, shaky breath, “Okay, so I’ve been learning,” she paused to pant some more, “how to grow plants and buck trees.”

Sweetie nodded as she surveyed the row of planted seeds. “Uh huh, how far did you get?!”

“Watch,” Apple Bloom commanded and then firmly pressed her front hoof onto the soil. They watched with transfixed eyes, wondering just what she could be doing. Apple Bloom had her eyes closed and her face seemed to be scrunched up in pure concentration.

Focus, was all Apple Bloom could think about. Focusing on a sprout popping out of the ground. Then, for a split second, she finally saw it through her closed eyes. The seed below the earth seemed to glow a dull orange and a tiny sapling sprouted from the earth. Somehow she could just tell that was what was happening even with her eyes shut firmly tight. Of course even if her magic or whatever was going on, didn’t guide her, she still knew about the new sapling judging by the sound of her friend’s collective gasps.

She grinned and looked back at her friends. “I think I’m doing pretty good, huh?”

Scootaloo laughed a bit nervously and nodded. Better than the flightless Breezie turned pony, she thought snidely. “Heh, yeah! That’s pretty cool, Apple Bloom. Right, Sweetie?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes were still bulging out of her sockets. It was as if Apple Bloom had discovered how to do magic! She knew earth ponies were good at farming, but what she did was the equivalent of using her hoof as a horn. What other explanation could there be? “Wow, Apple Bloom. That’s great. You’re a natural!”

The farm filly rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Nah, that took me, like, this whole time to learn how to do it. I’ve just been bucking trees most of the time, but I’m so glad I figured this out… sort of.”

Scootaloo tilted her head in curiosity. “Sort of?”

She hesitated before replying. “I don’t really get it that… well,” she responded slowly. “Earth Pony magic is really hard to understand.”

Sweetie scrunched down to examine the sapling closer. “Then how did you do this?”

“I kind of focus a bunch and I can feel something, like a magic or something and I, uh, pull?” she half guessed.

Like magic? “Like The Ebb,” Sweetie muttered.

Scootaloo heard her, however, and nodded in understanding. “Earth Ponies can go through the planet’s shield thing?”

Apple Bloom gawked at both of them. What shield? “What are you two talkin’ about?”

Sweetie Belle recounted to Apple Bloom everything her sister and told her. Again, it was a struggle to keep it all in, but she managed. Hopefully, it’s so complicated, Sweetie thought.

Apple Bloom examined her hoof all over, wondering, deep down, if it could penetrate this Ebb. Could all Earth Ponies do it? Or was this just something for unicorns, but if that were the case then where did Earth Ponies and Pegasus get their magic? For that matter, where did the Princess’ obtain it? “I… I don’t know about any of that. Granny never mentioned anything like that or Big Mac. And you say you can’t push through it?” she said, indicating to Sweetie who shook her head. “I’m stumped then. You probably should ask Twilight.”

“I bet Rainbow would know,” Scootaloo muttered.

“She’s just your answer for everything, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said impatiently, but the three then glanced at one another and chuckled. “Heh, I missed you girls- oomph!” Apple Bloom was suddenly cut off due to being hugged forcefully by Sweetie Belle.

Thirty or so hugs later, the three were back in the clubhouse, talking amongst each other. “It’s kind of funny how much we all learned by, well, not Crusading for our marks,” Sweetie commented. “Heh.”

Scootaloo, still with her outfit on, twitched her wings rather nervously, though they didn’t move as fast as usual. “Uh, but I didn’t really, uh, learn anything yet, “ she said with uncharacteristic shyness.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “You got that cool outfit and learned how to start flying. And Sweetie’s right, I think we all learned a lot. And… oh.” Apple Bloom trailed off upon noticing the melancholy look of her two friends.

Scootaloo had been frowning and looking away. Crusading is slowing us down; Crusading is the issue and why were- were not getting our cutie marks, Scootaloo thought. She glanced around, noticing that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom seemed just as depressed.

It was as if all three of them had come to a collective realization, one they didn’t wish to believe, but seemed so true. It would seem that Crusading had been slowing down their progress, for collectively they knew as much about magic as a cupcake knew how to speak. If it hadn’t been for their guardians and new teachers, they wouldn’t have learned a thing and would have been stuck toying around with potential cutie marks that never seemed like they would come. It was a disheartening thought.

For a while, nopony seemed to want to talk, and yet again it was like being back in class, still being with one another, but never engaging; for they were too afraid to break their oath. When somepony finally did speak, it was with an air of aloof coldness, “I think I’m gonna go talk to Big Mac or… something. Bye,” Apple Bloom said, and she quickly left the clubhouse.

Scootaloo reached out for her, but she was gone. She wished to scream out for her, too; but it was no use. What the hay?! she thought in a panic.

“I’ll, um, see you later, Scootaloo. Bye-bye,” Sweetie said with one last hug and with that, she was out the door.

“Bye…”

Now alone, Scootaloo looked out the clubhouse window, up towards the sky. A place which, to her, seemed impossible to reach.

“Cloudsdale,” Scootaloo said firmly. “I have to get there. I can find someone to teach me how to fly, then all I have to do is help them learn their magic and we can Crusade again!” We can be friends again, she thought desperately. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but seeing them walk away made her feel like they were walking away from their friendship. Every day since she had traveled to Ponyville since she had changed into a pony, she had struggled to find an identity and a home; to make Ponyville seem like a place in which she belonged. It was a real struggle to fit in with the other ponies and to learn their customs. It was a struggle to enroll in class without drawing suspicion and to trick others into believing that she had a home of her own with a loving family, just like everypony else.

But, most importantly, it was a struggle to find real friends whom she could call her family. It didn’t happen overnight, even when she had first met them, but now she couldn’t imagine her life without them.

She walked out of the clubhouse and began marching with purpose towards the center of town. “I’ll keep my promise, girls. I’ll fly, and then I’ll help you fly,” she stated, truly believing every word she said. “But first, I need to get my things.”

---

It didn’t take Scootaloo long to grab her belongings, as she didn’t actually own that many. A stitched up saddlebag was now tied firmly to her side. Inside she had brought a bit of food, her new outfit, some bits, a scarf, and her doll. She almost hated herself for clinging to such a girly and childish toy, but a big part of her would never leave it behind. Just clutching it at night filled her with a warm sense of security; like she had a loving mother watching over her while she slept.

When she went to leave, both Ditzy and her daughter were, thankfully, napping on the couch together. Scootaloo felt very guilty for ditching Bubbles like this, especially after she had just taken her in. But it wasn’t as if the place truly felt like home; leaving it made no difference to her and only saddened her spirits slightly. It wasn’t until Scootaloo had reached the outskirts of town until she was filled with a strong pang of guilt; not for leaving Bubbles, but for leaving Ponyville, and her friends, behind.

---

She felt as if she were soaring to the stars. While it wasn’t exactly she that caused it to happen, it didn’t feel any less real. The air swirled around her feathers, fur, and every other part on her body. So fast that they were traveling that Scootaloo was forced to keep her eyes shut tightly, even with the borrowed goggles. She felt truly free for the first time in so many months.

---

Sweetie kept flaring her horn, trying to sync up with The Ebb with all of her will and focus. Each time that it bumped her magic only gave her more will to work with. She understood so little about magic and about the planet they lived on. She understood very little of a lot of stuff, now that she thought about it. But as her horn flared to life, only to be pushed back yet again, she understood that she had to keep fighting for her friends. They were counting on her.

---

Apple Bloom continued to grow the occasional plant while bucking the occasional tree. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of something beyond her, beyond her understanding of the world around her. A strange glow that she would see, surrounding the plants and even animals, even when her eyes were shut tightly. In these moments she would smile, for she knew it must be her body was growing more accustomed to her latent, magical abilities which Earth Ponies were supposed to be so proficient at. She had no real clue if what she was doing was helping her grow as an Earth Pony, and asking her family didn’t yield her any real, concrete answers. But, occasionally she would be reminded of her friends and knew that giving up would be breaking their promise.

---

She didn’t want it to end, never in a million years. Even if she wasn’t the one flapping her wings or guiding them through the air, it still felt amazing. The air eventually seemed to slow down and soon she could hear the sound of hundreds of other pegasus ponies all flying through the air, just like them. She dared to open her eyes and gasped from the new sight.

Wide and tall buildings all constructed from clouds littered the cloud landscape. Hardly anypony seemed to be grounded at all, and the ones that were all looked as if they could fly circles around anypony that called them out. Two ponies had been racing each other and, mid-race, collided into one of the buildings. It exploded into clouds of dust, but not two seconds later the other pegasi had flown toward it and rebuilt it in ten seconds flat.

“Wow…”

“Here we are, kid. Cloudsdale. That’ll be, er, six bits,” he said, sounding as if he made up the number on the spot.

Scootaloo looked down at the stallion who had broken her train of thought. She had forgotten just how she had gotten here until he spoke. The pony was a grey coated stallion with a white mane and tail. He didn’t seem like anything special, in Scootaloo’s opinion, but he had said yes to her offer. She grumbled and dug out six of her precious bits and offered them to him.

He smiled and took them while bowing his head. “Thanks, kid. I gotta get back to Ponyville now or I’ll be late for my mail route!” He was about to leave her but hesitated as her hooves touched the cloud surface. “You sure you’ll be okay alone?”

She nodded almost too enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine. My mom is gonna pick me up soon, this was just easier for her than me being in Ponyville!”

He shrugged. “If you say so. See ya!”

She waved as he left, his body sinking through the clouds below her, and she sighed in relief once he was out of sight. She turned to face the other pegasus ponies, took a determined step forward, and smiled. “Now to find her,” she uttered quietly.

Comments

[Cold Spike]

Huh, the story finally got a downvote.

[Pyro The Reader]

Scootaloo's backstory gets more and more mysterious.

[Cold Spike]

6978011 Perhaps Rarity should look into things; she is a detective after all!

[Kenshinryuu]

Scootaloo... you are making a huge mistake. I hope Bubbles comes looking for you and says Dinky is missing her new sister.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie are making great progress and it was nice to see the whole group comparing notes, it seems Sweetie and Apple Bloom sharing info is helping both of them.

[Cold Spike]

6978321 Helping them be depressed too! I'm terrible.

[Inferno demon Dash]

Scoots just left? Kind of messed up, something feels wrong...hmmm...

[Emperor]

I wonder who this mysterious figure that Scootaloo is searching for is. Perhaps a pony who somehow managed to turn Scoots from a Breezie into a Pony?

Nice reunion of the Crusaders. That's not the money shot moment, not quite yet, but at least their brief reunion gives them a bit of respite. Then guilt when they realise their Crusading kept them from learning actual talents. But in ten years they'll remember those moments fondly, just without the tree sap

Derpibooru actually has two Sweetie memes; Sweetiedumb is for when she's too dumb to live and Sweetie Fail is for when she screws up stuff like her bad cooking

7066115 That's distinctly not what I'm saying, rather that it needs to feel a little more organic of a concept. Even having a character or two mention something about a planetary mana field a few chapters prior would help ease it in a little bit better. That's a big problem with a lot of fiction, really, such as "Harry Potter and the Really Important Plot MacGuffin That The Main Characters Haven't Heard Of Before This Book"