• Published 26th Jan 2012
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Transcendence - Corejo



Scootaloo learns the wonders of flight.

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XIV - The Wish

The Wish

“Unngh...”

Scootaloo rolled over and shielded her eyes from the light. So bright... She began to rub the sleep from them, but the touch of soft linen startled her. Wide-eyed, she looked at her hoof, which was bound in white wrappings. So was most of her body. She glanced about at the room’s fluorescent lights and plaster-white wall tile. It smelled faintly of bleach. A hospital?

“Morning, sleepyhead,” her father’s voice came from behind.

She looked over her shoulder and squinted against the fluorescent lighting. Celestia those are bright. As his figure slowly came into focus, she noticed he sat on the far side of a nightstand. He wore a stern expression.

“I thought I told you to be back by sundown.”

Scootaloo looked away, biting her lip. “Sorry...” She could feel his gaze on the back of her head and his shadow crawl overtop of her as his hoofsteps echoed on the floor. She shivered.

“How many times have I told you to always at least check in with me before sundown?” She tensed at the touch of his hoof on her shoulder, which whirled her around. His eyes burned with a fire she had never before seen. “Not only did you not do that, but I had to fly out to find you almost dead in the middle of nowhere?”

Scootaloo cowered away from him as his voice rose, and buried herself in her hooves. A pause overtook his fuming, followed by a sigh. A hoof wrapped itself around her, softly.

“I’m just glad you’re safe.”

Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever had happened, so was she.

The door at the far end of the room opened, and a unicorn stallion wearing a white lab coat and a smile stepped in. “Ah, I see you’re awake. My name is Doctor Stable. Are you feeling alright, Scootaloo?”

She rubbed her forehead. Her head hurt, her hoof pulsed uncomfortably, and her breathing felt constricted. She looked down at the bedding. “Well, my head and hoof hurt, and it’s kinda hard to breathe.”

The doctor walked to her bedside, saying, “Well, yes. You took quite a tumble last night and fractured a few ribs. You’re lucky that tree broke your fall and that your father got you here right away. Now, keep your eyes open for me, please.” He levitated a penlight from his coat pocket and shined it in her eyes. It hurt like hell, but she did her best to not clench them shut.

Smiling, he returned the penlight to his pocket. “Follow my hoof with your eyes, please.”

Scootaloo followed it up, down, left, and right before he made a big circle and booped her on the nose. She scrunched her face. “Hey!”

The doctor chuckled. “Pupil dilation shows some signs of a concussion and her x-rays show both a linear skull fracture and a broken rib, but they’ll heal in time. You’re all set to go if you don’t have any questions.” A clipboard at the foot of the bed glowed blue and floated to his side. “Make sure you drink plenty of water and take care of yourself, Scootaloo. Let those ribs heal up before flying again. About six weeks should do the trick.”

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “Six weeks!?

“Yes, six weeks. Your bones need to set before you can start flying again, or else you’ll fracture them further.” His expression was sympathetic but unmoved.

Tyco carefully lifted her onto his back. ”Thanks, Doc.”

“Not a problem,” the doctor replied. “If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to ask.”

A bright morning sun greeted the two as they left the hospital. Sounds of a busy Ponyville drifted by on a listless wind, though were overpowered by nearby birdsong.

Scootaloo grumbled. Six weeks! Six freakin’ weeks! Six weeks of healing was six of not flying. What the hay was she supposed to do for that long? Knit a sweater? She gagged, sighed, and then laid down. Unconsciously, she moved to scratch her head, but winced. Bringing her hoof before her eyes, she studied the bandages. How did she get in the hospital? What happened last night?

“How’s your hoof feeling?” her father nearly shouted over the commotion of the marketplace.

Scootaloo looked up. “Okay.”

He laughed. “That’s good. He was right, though. You were pretty lucky...” He finished the sentence, but his voice seemed to trail off.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. Nopony had told her what happened yet. Yesterday was just like all the others this month. That never changed.

“You seem pretty popular,” he said after a minute.

His statement came as a surprise, provoking a glance about her. Ponies in the streets eyed her with curiosity and concern. Being bandaged from head to toe wasn’t a common sight in Ponyville, and not knowing what had happened made it all the more awkward.

What did happen?

She cocked her head, squinching her mouth in concentration. Yesterday couldn’t have been any less than usual, but the cuts and scrapes that were a prize of some mysterious happening begged to differ. The doctor had said she flew into a tree or something. She tapped a hoof to her head. No—it broke her fall. But why she was falling eluded her. Probably had something to do with—

She shot up in realization. The sonic rainboom! Memories bubbled to the surface, clear as day: the moon, the pain, the blinding pink light, and then nothingness. A grin swept across her face.

“What are you smiling at?” Tyco asked as they neared their house. She only half-heard the question, her mind still spinning around the memories.

“Hey, I’m talkin’ to you,” he half-chuckled.

She looked up and noted his curious expression, hers becoming one of uncontainable excitement, then giggled.

“Well?” he pried as they stepped up to the front door.

“I did it!” she said, wiggling her hind legs.

“Oh?” He grinned playfully. “And what did you do?”

“I made a sonic rainboom!” She hopped off his back with a flutter of her wings.

He opened the door and chuckled, motioning her in. “Ah, so that’s what that light was last night.”

Scootaloo beamed as wide as her face would allow, stepping into a dark living room. “You saw it!? Was it awesome!?”

“Oh yeah.” He winked. “We all did.”

Pride turned to confusion. “W-we? What do you mean we?”

The lights flipped on.

“SURPRISE!”

Scootaloo nearly leapt out of her skin at the sound of confetti cannons and party horns. A half-dozen ponies jumped out from hiding spots around the living room and kitchen with excited smiles.

“Wha... what?” Scootaloo asked, her heart beating furiously. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy. What the hay were they all doing here?

“It’s your party, you silly filly!” came the high-pitched, excited voice of Pinkie Pie from behind. She slammed a party hat down over Scootaloo’s head with enthusiasm. A little too much enthusiasm.

Scootaloo stumbled around, then fumbled with the hat, finally prying it off of her head to see Pinkie Pie’s big blue eyes nearly pressed against her own. “Ahh!” She fell over backwards in fright.

Pinkie Pie beamed down at her. “Were you surprised!? Were ya!? Were ya!?”

Scootaloo gave a weak smile, hooves curled beneath her chin. “Heh, yeah...”

Pinkie Pie cheered, sending more confetti into the air before gleefully bounding off to do Celestia knew what, which gave Scootaloo some breathing room. She sat up and scratched the back of her head, unsure what to make of the situation. A hoof rested on her shoulder, and she looked up at her father, who was smiling.

“Happy birthday, Scoot,” he said.

The realization hit her like a slap to the face. Birthday? It was her birthday?

“Well, belated birthday. You kinda ruined the whole ‘on time’ thing last night when you didn’t follow them home.” He looked to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, who were bouncing up and down on the livingroom couch.

Scootaloo smiled bashfully. “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” He ruffled her mane. “Just... please don’t let it happen again, okay?” She nodded, and he smiled.

“That’s a good girl. Go have fun.” He trotted off toward the kitchen to help Pinkie Pie with what looked like milkshakes.

Scootaloo ran to the living room and was greeted by a round of congratulations.

“Hey, Scoot!” Applebloom said, jumping off the couch. “That explosion was amazin’!”

“Yeah!” Sweetie Belle added. “We could hear it and see it all the way from here!”

“It really was fascinating to see,” Twilight said. She sat down beside Rarity, who was sitting on an ottoman beside the bay window.

“Truly it was,” Rarity said, “but what in Equestria happened to you?” She gestured at Scootaloo’s bandages, her lip curled in a wince.

Scootaloo cocked her head. “What?”

Applejack sputtered. “Oh, please, Rarity. Scoot’s a tough filly. If she’s walkin’ n’ talkin’, she’s fine.”

Rarity made a face as if she had been called tacky. “How can you possibly say that! The poor dear’s all wrapped up like a mummy!” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Um... I’m fine, Rarity,” Scootaloo said.

Rarity gave her a maternal smile. “Well... are you sure, dear? Somepony has to ask.” She glared at Applejack.

Pinkie Pie popped out from behind the couch. “Of course she’s alright! It’s her birthday!” She zipped beside Scootaloo and shoved a milkshake in her face. “Happy birthday!”

Scootaloo shied away from the offering. It looked as if it had enough chocolate to induce a coma. She gave a superficial smile. “Heh, uh, no thanks.”

“You sure? Well, okie dokie, then!” Pinkie Pie said before guzzling it herself. Scootaloo cringed. That couldn’t be healthy.

“Oh, oh! What do you wanna do first?” Sweetie Belle asked, poking Scootaloo in the shoulder.

“I know!” Applebloom said. “We should go out to the meadow and you could do another sonic rainboom!”

The three cheered, “Yeah!”

“Or you could tell us a little bit about last night, Scootaloo,” Twilight said. “I would like to hear more about your sonic rainboom. The purple light we saw was quite different from Rainbow Dash’s rainboom in Cloudsdale.”

Fluttershy cowed, and Applejack and Rarity both glared at Twilight for some reason. Rarity was the first to say something.

“I do quite agree—hearing about it would be most delightful.”

While the question was flattering, Scootaloo didn’t know where to begin. She scratched her head. “Well, I remember trying a whole bunch of times. I was going to come home after a bit, but then I decided to try one more time.”

“How come?” Twilight asked.

Scootaloo looked at her hooves. ‘Because she wanted to beat Rainbow Dash’ and ‘It was my last chance with such perfect weather’ sprang to mind as easy and true answers. But they were insufficient. Sure, they were the reasons she had flown back up for a final attempt, but not what had kept her there. “Because all the stars were out.”

Tyco looked up from where he stood on the other side of the bar table. He caught her eye, and both smiled. The others seemed to have taken notice of the unspoken message, and all the questions that may have been on the tips of their tongues died away.

A minute passed before Tyco walked in from the kitchen, a large birthday cake on his back. “Here’s to you, Scoot, for your sonic rainboom!” He slid the cake down an extended wing onto the coffee table sitting in the center of the room. Ten candles flickered in a ring around its edge, encircling purple frosting that read, “Happy Birthday, Scootaloo!”

“Wooow!” Scootaloo stared in awe. She had never seen such an amazing birthday cake before.

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. “What are you waiting for!? Make a wish! Make a wish!

Scootaloo grinned at her enthusiasm. A wish. There were many things she could have wished for: healed ribs, punching Rainbow Dash in the face, winning the Flier’s Competition in the first place. But instead, she wished for the strength and opportunity to see herself through this endeavor, to become what she aspired to be. She closed her eyes, letting the thought wrap around her like the bandages of yesterday’s triumph.

Her smile gave way to a deep breath, but she winced in pain. It felt like somepony had stabbed her in the ribs.

Tyco wrapped a hoof around her, a cringe on his face easing its way into a smile. “Why don’t we help you with that?” He motioned to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, who both lit up in excitement. “Don’t forget your wish,” he added.

Surrounded by her father and friends, Scootaloo beamed. They really knew how to make any day better, no matter how great it already was.

“Three... two... one...” Tyco counted. Together, they breathed, then blew out the candles.

And Scootaloo made her wish.

[Author's Note: And here we are, back at the head of the trail. With me in the lead, and Belligerent Sock as my editor and guide, we will finally trod this path so long forgotten.]

[Onward and upward!]