Chapter 3 - A Visit from Dad and the Power Over the Press
The group stayed for a bit, Scootaloo listening enraptured as Fullbright shared stories of Rainbow's foalhood. Eventually the matron insisted they needed to go.
Rainbow gave Scootaloo a quick, gentle hug and looked down at her with a smile. "It was nice to meet you, Scoot, even for how it went. You're a cool kid."
"Not as cool as you are," Scootaloo replied, her ears drooping.
"Hey, you're still young. I didn't get this awesome overnight. You just have to remember that while you're there, things may seem hopeless and you feel like you're alone in the world, but all that can change. It won't always be that way. You just have to stay strong. Things will turn around for you, Scoot. Don't give up hope."
Tears began running down Scootaloo's cheeks again, but she wiped them away. "I won't forget, Rainbow Dash. Thanks again. You're my hero.”
Fullbright smiled proudly at his daughter as they watched the matron lead Scootaloo away, but saw now that Rainbow looked sad. He walked over and put a hoof on her hand. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
"Sorry, Dad. Nothing's wrong," Rainbow said. "I’m just seeing myself in her eyes. Poor kid. The other kids probably pick on her."
"Rainbow, that may be the case, but you gave her something special today—a role model. Somepony to look up to. For a filly who has nothing, that's everything."
Rainbow lay back and rested her head on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, I guess that’s pretty important for a kid.”
“Yes, it is," Fullbright said with a smile.
Fullbright stayed by her side, neither saying much, Rainbow taking great comfort from her father holding her hand in his hooves. She wanted to share more about the rescue, but the ordeal had taken its toll and she just needed to rest. When a nurse came in and informed them that visiting hours had ended they both nodded.
"Unfortunately, I need to get going," Fullbright admitted. "We just flew in to Canterlot today and I wanted to check up on you. When you’re discharged maybe we can have dinner together.”
“Sure Dad, sounds great. It’s always good to spend time with you.”
“Likewise, honey. See you tomorrow,” he said and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Rainbow reached up and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight until she had to release him due to the pain. “Bye, Dad,” she groaned as she lay back down.
Rainbow leaned back and closed her eyes as she pondered everything that had happened. Her thoughts went back to the crash, but then something else popped into her mind. Her mother had passed away years ago, so who was the “we” her father had spoken of? Had he finally started dating again? Now that, more than her injuries, filled her mind.
"Way to go, Rainbow Dad," she said with a chuckle.
The following morning, the hospital staff woke Rainbow Dash to inform her that an invitation to breakfast had arrived for her from the princesses. The invitation had said to attend only if she felt up to it, but for such a rare honor she would have crawled there from her hospital bed.
Slowly and with considerable discomfort, plus the assistance of a helpful nurse, she got dressed and grabbed her crutches.
A flying chariot pulled by Princess Celestia's personal guard awaited her outside. Shortly she found herself on a balcony at Canterlot castle, with the three princesses seated around an ornate gold and crystal table piled with food.
"Rainbow!" the youngest princess shouted in excitement, leaping out of her seat and rushing at Rainbow, only to be grasped by magic and lifted up, the little filly's limbs flailing.
"Luna! Rainbow is in no condition for enthusiastic hugs," Princess Nightmare Moon warned as she released her little sister.
"Awww," Princess Luna responded with a cute pout.
Rainbow leaned down and held out her fist to the little pony. Luna smiled and did a hoofbump, then Rainbow bowed as best as she was able to the elder princesses.
"Rainbow Dash, welcome and good morning," Celestia said fondly as her horn began glowing, lifting Rainbow into the air and gently depositing her in a chair.
Nightmare Moon greeted her with an uncharacteristic smile. "Friend Rainbow, you are here so that we may pay thee homage for your bravery!"
Celestia smiled widely and met Rainbow's gaze. "Indeed. Your heroism is an inspiration to us. We wanted to thank you in person for what you have done."
"I'm humbled, princesses. For all of you to give me a private audience is really kind," Rainbow replied.
"You deserve no less, my friend.” Celestia turned to Luna with a kindly smile. "Luna is making something special for you.”
Luna looked up to see everypony looking at her; she quickly hunched forward and covered the plate in front of her with her forelegs."Don't look! It's not ready yet," she warned, her horn glowing with magic as she continued preparing Rainbow's special surprise.
"We have things to discuss with thee, friend Rainbow," Nightmare Moon added as she sipped her tea.
"Sure, what did you want to talk about?" Rainbow asked as she began eating. She knew from experience that, informally, it was not uncommon for the princesses to talk while eating when out of public eye, simply due to how precious their time was—they simply didn't have time for the niceties when not necessary.
Celestia smiled again and rested a wing on Rainbow's shoulder. "We have withheld most of the story from the press for the time being as we'd like to have all the information first before we make a full statement. We wish to hear your account of events. We have seen what the device from your helmet showed us, but we would like to hear it in your own words."
Rainbow told her story, explaining how her safety concerns were ignored and how carelessly things had been put together. Then she described her death defying plunge.
Celestia's pleasant mood left when Rainbow told about waking up the in hospital. "I wish to apologize on behalf of the Wonderbolts. I have spoken to all those involved. The ponies assigned to the task of flying and the unicorn in charge of magic simply thought the task beneath them, so they passed the task off to ponies under them who didn't dare refuse for fear of losing their jobs. Other mistakes were made as well. They were only supposed to go to nine hundred feet, but a mistake on the preflight notes from the pony responsible for this mess made it nine thousand."
"We nearly died because some ponies couldn't be bothered to do their job?" Rainbow shouted in outrage.
"I'm afraid so," Celestia replied with a solemn nod. "Another reason we asked you here is to discuss what to do about this situation. What do you feel should be the outcome of these events?"
"Well, they shouldn't take up any more kids until there's a serious safety overhaul of the whole program."
"Agreed. All such flights will be suspended pending a safety review. If you are interested I could put you in charge of that and they'd not be able to take any more foals up until you sign off on the program."
"Sure. That sounds like a good plan."
Nightmare, who had seemed to be waiting patiently for Celestia to finish, finally spoke with fiendish glee. "Now comes the important part, punishment for the malefactors. We have discussed what is to be done to those responsible. Do you have anything you wish to add?"
"Mal-what?"
Celestia chuckled. "Malefactors. It’s an old blanket term for trouble makers and criminals."
"Oh, cool. Well, the goofballs who should've been doing the job should have community service or something like that."
Nightmare frowned. "You modern ponies have become so permissive. I prefer the way we did it in the old days."
"Sorry, princess. I just don't want to make a big deal over it because of the filly I saved. If you make them an example to everypony, then everypony will know about Scootaloo. It’s got to be rough for her to begin with. She's an orphan, she can't fly and has no cutie mark. That's the trifecta of unfortunate for a kid. She'll be held up as a spectacle to the whole country. It would be so humiliating for her. If it’s possible, try to keep her name out of this mess."
Nightmare smiled this time with an approving nod. "Your element shines through. You would have this incident be forgotten to protect her rather than aggrandize yourself for the fame that would come from it. Most commendable."
Celestia nodded as well. "I agree, you again do Equestria proud, Rainbow Dash. I think the press will be agreeable to downplay the news of this event."
"They'll just bury a story for you?"
Celestia chuckled and shook her head. "'Bury' is such an ugly word, I simply will give them a story that will be more to their liking."
A parchment and quill appeared in the air and Celestia briefly wrote on it, then it turned to magic like Spike's magic breath mail. The letter went off in several directions.
"Consider the matter dropped," Celestia said as she smiled and poured tea for the others and then herself. "This incident will be now relegated to the back pages, just a mishap during a Wonderbolts practice session. A new story will take the headlines."
The rest of breakfast went without incident. Rainbow Dash enjoyed some of the best food she'd ever had in her life and while she was a coffee drinker normally, the tea the princesses served was amazingly good.
"Ta Da!" Luna shouted in triumph and levitated a plate over to Rainbow. Luna had merged several pancakes into one big one and had used other foods to make a breakfasty portrait of Rainbow's face of fried egg eyes, scrambled eggs, blueberry mouth and various condiments to make her rainbow mane.
"A work of art, Princess Luna," Rainbow said with a smile.
"Thank you! At least somepony here appreciates my artistic genius," the little filly said, glaring up at Nightmare Moon, who only rolled her eyes in return.
“I would have used the blueberries for the hair,” Nightmare muttered.
Luna stuck her tongue out at Nightmare, who did the same in return.
Rainbow found the two amusing. Nightmare looked after Luna the way she looked after Equestria: like a grumpy, draconian Mary Poppins, which she supposed was better than the way they had first met and the whole "the night shall last forever" thing.
It was nearly an hour later when a servant arrived with a folded newspaper. Celestia took it in her magic, unfolded it and paged through it.
"Page six, a mishap during a training flight put a prospective Wonderbolt, who was not named, in the hospital for observation. She was released after treatment. The incident was being investigated by authorities."
"Wow, that was fast," Rainbow replied in surprise.
"The power of the press is only superseded by the power of the crown."
"What's the big story you gave them?" Rainbow asked, returning to her breakfast.
Celestia turned the paper around so Rainbow Dash could see the front page headline: Griffins to perform in this year's Equestrian Idol.
Rainbow Dash burst out laughing, despite how much it hurt.