//------------------------------//
// Civility 
// Story: The Sleep-Deprived Sisterhooves Social 
// by Wise Cracker 
//------------------------------//

“Okay, let’s settle this,” Spike said as he found a quiet spot. “What did I do to get your tail in a bunch?”

Scootaloo growled. “You know what you did. You’ve been taunting me all day, trying to make me mess up.”

He chuckled. “So? It’s a competition. Everyone does that.”

“No, not everyone; you never do. I mean, obviously you can be kinda rude, because you’re a boy and all-”

Spike glared, but didn’t interrupt her.

“But you’re never a jerk, not on purpose. So what’s the deal?”

The dragon smirked and folded his arms in front of his chest. “You’re upset that you can’t beat me and Twilight, that’s all. You’re just being a sore loser, which is kinda weird, ‘coz you haven’t lost yet, technically.”

Scootaloo squinted. “What’s going on, Spike, really? You don’t sound like yourself today.”

This got a gulp out of him, though he kept up his ‘tough guy’ act. “Like you’d know. You didn’t even notice your aunt nearly throwing up at the pie eating contest.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “She said she was fine. And she promised she’d take me. She wouldn’t do it if she didn’t think she could. And at least Aunt Vinyl isn’t using a spell to shock her every five seconds.”

“Twilight said she was fine,” Spike argued. “She wouldn’t lie about that. And she wouldn’t push herself too far. I wouldn’t let her. I’ve never let her.”

“Yeah, right, she’s practically passing out already.”

“Oh, and Vinyl Scratch isn’t?” Spike retorted.

“My aunt’s an awesome D.J.; she does this all the time, she’s used to it.”

“And Twilight’s a hero, and an egghead,” Spike retorted. “She does this all the time, too. All-nighters and big stunts.”

“Whaddaya mean, you’re takin’ hormones?” came a cry from the shed.

“I told you, it’s not my fault! It’s a glandular problem!” came the reply. “You want me to sound like a squeaky toy for five more years?!”

Scootaloo sighed, and only now noticed the distance between her and the dragon had shrunk to the point they were practically in each other’s faces. She wasn’t sure if she was the one getting in his face or the other way around, but she knew Aunt Vinyl would call that a bad habit. “We really shouldn’t fight like this,” she said, backing up. “I mean, I’m not that mad at you, I just… I don’t get it.”

“Me neither. Why were you so surprised about me being here in the first place? Can’t I have a little fun?”

“Sure, but... why are you here, then? This isn’t the kind of thing you like.”

The dragon scoffed. “How would you know what I like?”

“Well, for one thing, you’re a boy. And even with Rumble and Thunderlane here, this is mostly a girl thing. Which I kinda figured you hated.”

“Don’t you hate girly stuff, too?”

“Okay, usually, sure, but I am still a girl. It still counts. And don’t change the subject. You know why I’m upset: you can hang out with Rainbow Dash whenever you want; you’re friends with her already. I’m not. She doesn’t even know my name. And I really want her to. I thought you knew that.”

Spike looked away. “Yeah, I do, and I think most ponies in Ponyville know about that. I mean, the fan club was kind of a giveaway. I’m pretty sure Rainbow Dash is the only one who doesn’t know how much you admire her.”

“Thank you,” Scootaloo said with an exasperated groan. “So why are you here? Why would you drag Twilight to this thing?”

Spike bit his lip and scratched his arms. “Promise not to tell anyone?”

Scootaloo hesitated for a second, as she realised this was the first time she’d seen a boy look so vulnerable. A dragon boy, to boot. Spike’s whole demeanour had changed from talking to her, his breath slowing and his shoulders gradually slumping until she now noticed he was having trouble keeping himself straightened up. It was so gradual, it hadn’t registered to her before now. Whatever was weighing on him, it was big. “I promise.”

“Pinkie promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye.”

“Okay.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “Umm, you remember when I came back from the dragon migration?”

She thought back for a moment and nodded. “Sure. You wanted to know what dragons were like, right? And you got a little phoenix egg, or something? Or was that just gossip around town?”

He winced and shook his head. “No, that was true. I saved it. I saved it from a bunch of other dragons. That’s kind of the point; they were going to smash it. Turns out dragons aren’t that nice.”

Scootaloo considered that thought. While she wasn’t an expert in these matters, at least Spike wasn’t leaving much room to guess. “You mean other dragons are. You’re still nice, right?”

“I had to give him back,” Spike blurted out.

“What?”

“Peewee. The little phoenix I saved.” Spike sighed and idly kicked the ground. “I was the first thing he saw when he came out of the egg. I took care of him for three weeks. I fed him, kept him warm, cleaned up his ashes. And then I had to give him up. So I gave him back to his parents. That’s why.”

Scootaloo’s heart sank. “Oh.”

“That’s why I asked Twilight to do the Sisterhooves with me. That’s why I’m gonna keep doing this kind of stuff. I don’t get to have nice things, not anymore. If I get too much stuff, I turn into a bigger dragon. If I get a pet to take care of, I have to give it back. So I’ll just have to do this kind of thing instead. I’m sorry if I was too rude, Scootaloo. I just thought that’s what you do when you’re rivals with somepony. It’s how they do it in Canterlot.”

As much as she wanted to stay mad at him, that was a pretty good reason to join the contests. And, thinking about it, he wasn’t that far off. Even if Spike was usually more of a knightly kind of guy who wasn’t much of a taunter, the things he’d actually said and done were pretty close to the stuff Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got away with.

Hay, in retrospect, Diamond Tiara did worse, and she didn’t even have scales or firebreath. At least, none Scootaloo was aware of.

Still, while she understood it, she didn’t agree with it. “Look, Spike, I get that’s a scary thing to think about, but come on, you’re not gonna turn into a huge monster just because you get nice things.”

“You don’t understand, Scootaloo. You weren’t there. The dragons who wanted to smash that egg, the ones that were going to kill Peewee, those were only the size of ponies. Medium-sized.” He looked her right in the eyes then. “That’s how bad medium-sized dragons are. That’s the first thing I’m gonna turn into. If I grow even a little bit, I’ll turn into one of them, and I’ll start smashing eggs. I can’t take that chance.”

“You don’t know that.”

“And you do?”

“No.”

He shrugged. “There you go. I can’t have nice things. I’m okay with that. I’ll just have a nice time instead.”

“Okay, that does explain why you wanted to do the Sisterhooves, kind of. And why you want to win.” She mulled it over. “I guess.”

“Exactly. Today’s a nice time. Fun for me, safe for everypony around me. What about you?”

“Who, me?”

“Yeah. I thought you were used to ponies having a little fun with you. Why are you so touchy today?” Spike asked. “Even if it is Rainbow Dash on the line.”

Busted. “Oh, I’m fine, Spike, it’s nothing. I’m not touchy; I’m just, umm, learning about being a good sport and I, err, I forgot for a second. Yeah, that’s it, nothing special.”

Spike stared at her.

“I mean, it’s not like I’m freaking out about not being able to fly, because my doctors sure aren’t. You know, if they say it’s okay, it must be, right? They’re never wrong, after all.” Scootaloo chuckled, and instantly regretted it, because it made it quite obvious her breath was quickening and her nerves were getting strained.

Here, the dragon had to contain a groan of sympathy, having had less than optimal experiences with the Equestrian healthcare system himself. He still wasn’t sure if he was supposed to see a paediatrician, a herpetologist, or a cryptozoologist if he had the sniffles. The local fire brigade was first on his list of ponies to call when he started sneezing, sure, but beyond that he was still in the dark.

Somehow, he’d never thought that maybe ponies would be in the dark like him, too, certainly not a foal like Scootaloo.

“It’s not like everypony in class who could fly is already flying,” she continued. “It’s not like there might be something wrong with me… that I can’t help… and I can’t fix.” She gulped. “It’s not like I’m the black sheep of my family.”

“Why would you be the black sheep of your family? Are they embarrassed about you?”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t understand. My family is all Canterlot ponies.”

Spike cocked an eyebrow. “Oh, Canterlot ponies, right. Then, err, what do you call my family?”

“Okay, maybe you would understand.”

“So, what, you think you’re too much of an embarrassment because your family’s important and you’re not?”

“Something like that. My mom and dad are really important ponies, with really important jobs. More important than me. I want to be like them, but...” She looked up at the clouds then. “I can’t do that on my own. I’ve tried, but I just can’t.”

Spike’s stomach knotted. He knew that kind of talk all too well. It was never a good sign. “Umm, Scootaloo, if you are from a Canterlot family, and I’m guessing it’s mostly unicorns...”

“What?”

“Not that it’s any of my business or anything, but, umm, they don’t… you know...”

“They don’t what?”

Spike would have asked, but the fact that Scootaloo didn’t know what he meant was answer enough. “Never mind. Which family is it? I might know’em, at least the ones still in Canterlot.”

“That’d be Grandpa Zee. Or Zed, Octavia’s kind of nitpicky about that. You’d know him as Zilean Pieces.”

The dragon stared for a moment, before realising what she meant. “The insurance pony?”

“Yup.”

“The only living Archmage who can cast the Time Eater spell? The sixth-level Restoration Mage, the guy who resurrected all the artwork after that fire in the Canterlot Arts Cathedral eight years ago?”

“That’s him.”

He sat back to let that sink in. “Wow. Talk about big horseshoes to fill. And you don’t even have a horn.”

“Tell me about it. But my parents don’t, either. And they do stuff that’s just as important.”

“Uhuh. But what about you?”

“I can’t, because I can’t fly,” she argued. “Obviously.”

“I don’t mean that; I mean what do you want to do? You don’t seem like an insurance pony to me. If anything, you’re the kinda pony that keeps them in business. No offense.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I want my family to be proud of me. And I really want to fly. So I guess I wanna fly really well to make them proud. Two birds, one stone, makes sense to me.”

“Wonderbolts, huh?”

“Maybe. They do rescue flying sometimes, that counts, doesn’t it?”

“I guess. So you really just want the day with Rainbow Dash to learn how to fly? You can ask for a flight instructor, you know, if it means that much to you. They’re not future Wonderbolts, but you can probably get a Wonderbolts instructor pretty easily if you know who to ask. I’m pretty sure I could get you one, all  you have to do is ask.”

“I know,” she whined. “But what if I try to get lessons, and they tell me my wings are still too small?”

“Umm, are they? They’re the same size as Rumble’s. And that’s... Rumble.”

“They’re too small now. And I can’t wait for them to grow.”

Normally, Spike would have pressed the issue. Clearly this was some classic late-bloomer worries; Spike had seen the same thing in plenty of Twilight’s peers, all across the age range, too. He had heard Scootaloo mention doctors quite clearly, so she already had someone telling her she wasn’t crippled for life… yet.

Obviously Scootaloo was hoping Rainbow Dash could make that doubt go away and somehow magic up some flight abilities for the girl. Either that, or Scootaloo had delusions about Rainbow Dash becoming her sister, as if she didn’t have enough of a family in her parents and her aunt, not to mention her friends, or their families, even if the Canterlot side of things was absent, as Canterlot families sometimes were.

He could have called her out on it. He wanted to call her out on it. If it had been any other pony, he would have. But this was Scootaloo, and while he didn’t know her all that well, one thing he did know: this was not a girl he wanted to push. Scootaloo was a tough child, much like Spike was. He could stand letting his armour down for a moment, she clearly could not.

Twilight never gave him a hard time when his soft side came up, he didn’t have that much of a problem with it now. Perhaps Scootaloo’s family had other ideas. Or perhaps it was a pegasus thing, as all pegasi, without exception, were crazy in one way or another, and nothing Spike had observed had convinced him otherwise.

I wonder how Rainbow Dash deals with that. She can’t be tough all the time, either, can she? 

That thought only further illustrated why Scootaloo might want to hang out with Rainbow Dash, or get sister-dopted, whatever it was Scootaloo was aiming for. Either way, his dragon code had a clear line on how to proceed. “Careful you don’t get anything in your eyes. It’s pollen season.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” She wiped her eyes to get rid of some wetness, entirely due to pollen. Equestrian vegetation had a nasty habit of singling out the tough ponies like that.

Spike thought it over for a moment. “If it makes you feel any better: at least you have wings. I don’t know if I’m supposed to grow any, or if I’m just a dragon with no wings. I don’t even know if dragons without wings are supposed to exist.”

“You feeling worse than me doesn’t make me feel better, Spike. I’m not a monster.”

“Good. You feeling worse wouldn’t make me feel better, either.” He let out a curt snort, careful to hold his flame in. “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna go easy on you.”

“What?”

His tone hardened, as much as it could with that childish voice of his. “You heard me. If you mess up, I’m gonna enjoy beating you, and that’s a promise.”

“Even after all that? Even when you know how much I want to win?”

The dragon made a point to rub his chin in a thoughtful manner, like he’d seen Twilight do when she was dressing up as Star Swirl the Bearded. “Well, for starters: you said your family is from Canterlot. That just makes this whole thing more interesting, so yeah, I wanna see how you measure up against me. Second, technically you’re not trying to win, are you? Not really. You’re trying to make Rainbow Dash notice you, and that’s not the same thing. Me, I’m just trying to have a good time, and right now beating you is looking like a good time.”

Scootaloo growled. “I’m not gonna let you beat me, Spike.”

“You’d better not. You want Rainbow Dash to notice you? Make her notice you. Don’t suck up to her, don’t whine about winning or losing a competition, just compete, and compete hard. You’re not some namby pamby pony who gets upset when somepony calls her names. You’re Scootaloo; the toughest little pony in town. I can’t just let you win: it’s my dragon honour on the line, and you can bet Rainbow Dash would notice it if I held back, too.”

Scootaloo realised she’d been had. Spike had played her like a fiddle: he’d gotten her angry enough to stop being sad. Shame it didn’t last. “I doubt it. She doesn’t even know my name.”

“She will. But in the meantime, I'm not gonna hold back to make it easier on you. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t accept that, not from me or you.”

“You’re right; she wouldn’t.”

“So we agree? Last contest, fair fight? No whining, no cheating?” He extended a hand to her.

She took it and shook it. “It’s a pony race, Spike. It’s not gonna be fair to you.”

“I’ve kept up with ponies so far, haven’t I?”

“Good point.”

A bell sounded in the distance.

“That’s our cue,” Spike said, getting up and making his way to the field.

“Hey, Spike?” the filly asked, trailing behind.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. Even if you don’t know what kind of dragon you are, at least you’re the good kind.”

“Thanks. Speaking of which, while we are on the subject, mind if I ask for a favour? Just a teensy tiny little thing, in case it ever comes up?” He started fidgeting with his fingers, and looking everywhere but at her.

“What?”

He cocked his thumb towards his back. “On the off chance I do ever, you know, grow wings, mind if I learn to fly with you?”

If this was a ploy to confuse her, it worked. “Sure, I guess. But why?”

“I’ve seen Rumble in flight practice. And Thunderlane. And... Rainbow Dash.” His eyes went wide as he thought more and more about it. “And Derpy.” He shuddered. “To tell you the truth, pegasi scare me.”

She grunted. “Oh. And I don’t, is that what you’re saying?”

“No. You don’t scare me; you’re the only pegasus I’ve ever seen wearing a helmet. At least I can trust you not to get me killed on my first flight. If that’s okay with you, I mean.”

“No problem. You know, if it ever gets to that.”

The two walked on, side by side, both silent and peaceful, their differences resolved, for now.

Then they passed the shed.

“Doperhead!”

“Treehugger!”

Spike groaned. “Are they still at it?”

“Sounds like it.”

“Cheater!”

“Juice guzzler!”

The two were past the shed when they heard the strange noise, but they both heard it. Unmistakeably, undeniably, it was the sound of a kiss, followed by a deathly silence.

Spike pointed a finger at the shed. “Did they just-”

“Sounds like it,” Scootaloo interrupted.

“Didn’t you have a crush on Rumble, though?”

“Does everypony in this town know all of my secrets?!” the filly cried out.

“No, but Sweetie Belle mentioned it once. Do you?”

“Honestly, right now I don’t care. You’re right: pegasi are scary.”





Rarity was pacing about the premises, looking for the other half of the potential disaster that might unfold today. Either that, or somepony who could help deal with it. She saw her chance when just such a helpful pony walked her way. “Oh, Thunderlane, just the stallion I was looking for. Did you see Twilight, by any chance?”

Thunderlane turned his head to where he’d come from. “Yeah, she was having a snack, we talked.”

“Ah, and? Is she alright?”

He winced, but nodded. “For now, but she needs to get some sleep, soon. That spell’s really messing with her, and I don’t think she’s going to turn it off.”

“And did she mention why she’s doing it?”

“She said Spike’s had it rough recently, and she feels guilty about it.”

Rarity pondered that for a moment. “Yes, he has had to endure quite a lot, I suppose. Vinyl Scratch isn’t feeling too well, either. She was at a concert the other night, if you can believe it.”

“She went to a concert the day before the Sisterhooves? Yeesh, that’ll take it out of ya.”

“Actually, she was hosting one. Jockeying disks, as it were. All night.”

“Great,” Thunderlane said with a grunt. “So we’ve got two unicorns who really should be in bed by now. At least they’re not turning anything into frogs yet.”

Rarity afforded herself a little chuckle under her breath. “I doubt they’d have the energy for that now, to be honest. Still, do you think we should tell anyone?”

“You tell me. You’re a referee for this thing.”

“On a different event, yes, but you’re a competitor. You have to go against them. Would it be fair to get them both disqualified? For their own safety, if nothing else?”

The stallion shrugged. “I don’t know. They’ve been competing fine so far. Neither of them is really the hotshot kind of unicorn, there’s no magic allowed, so they’re probably not gonna misfire or anything. It’s what’ll happen at the end of the day that worries me.”

“I suppose it is only the Sisterhooves, not a gauntlet. I’m sure it’s just silly pony drama,” Rarity said. “Nothing to be concerned about, as concerning as it may look.”

“No, you’re right. I mean, no pony in their right mind would push themselves beyond their body’s limits just to help someone else win a silly prize,” Thunderlane said. “I’m sure Twilight wouldn’t.”

“And no pony would try to make everything perfect for somepony else to the point that they don’t realise they’re hurting themselves,” Rarity said. “Vinyl certainly wouldn’t.”

Thunderlane looked away, the memories of hurricane duty and the hospitalisation that followed it still fresh in his memory. This was totally different from what Twilight was risking, though.

Rarity looked away, too, the memories of sleepless nights and fretting and worrying over what her friends might think, what her peers might say of her, also fresh in her mind. But that was nothing like Vinyl and the pressure of her family situation, not at all the same.

“Right, so everything is in order, then,” Rarity said. “Good luck on the field.”

“Thanks. Enjoy the show.”





“So how’d it go?” Vinyl asked once the girl came back.

“Umm, good, I think,” Scootaloo replied, hesitantly at first. “We talked it out. Like civil ponies. Spike said he was sorry, and I said I was sorry, too. I overreacted.”

“And?”

Scootaloo thought for a moment, before realising what her aunt wanted to hear. “And we both agreed we’d play fair for the next event. No whining, no taunting, no nothing.”

Vinyl walked over and patted the girl on the back. “Good girl. I know that’s not an easy thing for you to say.”

“Are you kidding? It was perfectly fine. No biggie. It’s not like we got all mushy or anything.” Scootaloo forced out another bright smile for her aunt, in true Canterlot fashion.

Even with the shades on, Vinyl’s expression was pretty clear to read.

“Okay, maybe we did talk a lot. About big stuff.”

“You two do have some things in common,” Vinyl said, stroking along the length of Scootaloo’s wings. No feathers fell, so she wasn’t shedding, that was good. A coarser patch of hairs between the wings, though, that was a sure sign the girl was either feeling anxious or getting over a bout of panic.

“Maybe a couple of little things. Spike asked me if he could fly with me sometime.”

“But he doesn’t have any wings.”

“Yet. And he doesn’t want to ask any other pegasus pony because I’m the only one who wears a helmet.”

“Told you you two had some things in common. You’re both pretty smart kids, for starters.” Vinyl winked.

“Thanks. Anyway, we settled it, oh, and I think Rumble and Apple Bloom kissed.”

Vinyl froze. “Really? Those two?”

“They were arguing in the shed nearby, but… they kissed. I heard. We heard.”

“Huh. Who started it?”

“Didn’t see.”

Vinyl nudged the little filly. “And how are you holding up about it? I mean, Rumble was kinda your… you know...”

Scootaloo scrunched her nose in a mix of confusion and disgust. “Honestly? I have no idea. I don’t really talk to Rumble all that much. I’m not sure if that’d be a good idea in the first place, if I can’t fly. And come to think of it, most ponies don’t talk to Rumble all that much. But, still… he was the only other pony I could ask.”

“I wouldn’t think too much about it; Rumble’s got his family just like you’ve got yours. It wouldn’t have worked in the first place.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Focus on Rainbow Dash for now, forget about Rumble and Apple Bloom. They were probably caught up in the moment or something. Or they knew you were listening and they’re trying to get you off your game.”

The girl rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Rumble wouldn’t-wait, no, Apple Bloom would totally do that, never mind.”

Vinyl snickered.

“Hey, Aunt Vinyl?”

“Yeah?”

“You’d tell me if you were too tired to keep going, right?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just that… I really want to win, but I don’t want you to get hurt over it.”

Vinyl pulled her closer into a hug. “Don’t worry about me, kiddo. I’m the grownup; I’m the one looking out for you. You just make sure you think of something to say to Rainbow Dash when you win.”





Spike looked back as he cantered over to the mare, right where he’d left her. “Hey, Twilight?”

“Yes, Spike?” Twilight replied. Her eyes clenched shut for a moment as another electric shock went through her, but she smiled through it, regardless.

Spike winced. Maybe Scootaloo had a point. “You’re sure you’re okay, right? I mean, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, or if you can’t.”

“I’m fine, Spike, and I made a promise. You and I are going to run this last race, we’re going to do our best, and we might even win.”

“But you’re shaking, and you’re tired.”

Another shock, and Twilight walked over to pat him on the back. “It’s nothing, Spike, really. I promised, and after what happened with Peewee and… everything, you deserve to have a good time.”

Spike shook his head. “Thanks, but if you’re going to hurt yourself doing it, I don’t want it.”

“Good thing I’m not hurting myself, then, right? It’s fine, Spike, I appreciate your concern, but you just focus on competing.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. Besides, this is my Canterlot unicorn code of honour on the line. You know how important a code of honour is, don’t you?”

There, he had to concede. “Well, when you put it like that...”

“Did you talk things out with Scootaloo?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, it’s fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive. It’s nothing, Twilight. Really.”





The contestants stood ready at the starting line. Vinyl looked left, then right, then bit down the headache that was forming. Her body had recovered during the nap, sure, but she was still in a suboptimal mode: that of a pony waking up in the middle of the night. She wasn’t ready for this sort of thing, not really.

But she’d promised, and Scootaloo was eager.

I can do this. Just concentrate. Who’s in the running?

Derpy and Dinky, we can outpace them on the short range. Berry Punch, she’s just here to have fun with her little sister, they’re not a threat. Thunderlane and Rumble, Applejack and Apple Bloom, Twilight Sparkle and Spike, those are the ones to keep your eyes on. Just need to figure out a strategy and we’re good to go.

“Okay, everypony,” the referee called out. “The final event is a standard rodeo endurance run. First you will need to cross the sandy mudpit. Be careful, as the mudpit has been arranged to be in line with Equestrian Dirt Games rules and as such, it does not have an equal depth across its length, you will encounter sinkholes. Pegasus ponies, you are permitted to use your wings to stabilise, jumping is allowed, but any prolonged loss of contact with the mud will result in immediate disqualification.”

Vinyl nudged her niece. “You take point and keep your wings out, let me know where there’s sinkholes.”

“Got it,” Scootaloo said with a confident nod.

“We should get a lead over Spike and Twilight, and the Apples, but Thunderlane and Rumble’ll be ahead of us.”

“Why?”

“Call it a hunch. Don’t try to rush to catch up to them, wait for me. If you go too far from me, I won’t know where to put my hooves. I’m counting on you for this bit.”

Again, Scootaloo nodded, keeping her eyes focused on the trail ahead. “I won’t let you down.”

“You will arrive from the mudpit at the haybale jump. It’s three jumps and one climb, wings are allowed, but no wingbeats beyond launch. Also no spellcraft to blast the things, either from a horn or your breath. This means you, young Mister Dragon.”

“No problem,” Spike said, saluting the ref.

“Beyond that we have the traditional grape squeezing. One pony enters the barrel, the other readies the bottle. You may pass when the juice fills the bottle up to the lower end of the neck. Hoofwork only, again. Or footwork, as is appropriate.”

“We can catch up to the brothers then,” Vinyl said. “I can toss you into the barrel, you just make as big of a splash as you can. By the time I can reach the valve, you’ll have plenty of juice ready. Think you can make that jump if I nudge you?”

“Arms out bellyflop? Too easy,” Scootaloo replied, licking her lips.

“Then we have the egg pass. You are to collect one egg from the standardised hennery and transport it, intact, to the collection point. Two eggs are required to pass.”

Scootaloo went quiet. So did Vinyl.

“I don’t need to say it, do I?” Vinyl said eventually.

“Nope.”

“And lastly, we have the hurdle run. Five second penalty per hurdle knocked over, as per Equestrian Games rules. Open wings are permitted, gliding is allowed, but no flapping. Any questions?”

None came. The referee nodded and took her position to the side, flag in hoof. “Ready?”

“Get set, go!”

The teams all dashed towards the mudpit. Vinyl grinned at the mass rookie mistake. As she’d expected, only Thunderlane and Rumble had thought to go for a smoother, quick trot than a gallop, letting the little boy tap his hooves on the ground to check for traps while his brother carefully put his weight on the safe spots.

Derpy was the first to go under, leaving Dinky to try and pull her out. Berry Punch was more careful, but a misstep sent her backside sinking into the mess.

Scootaloo was on point, quickly catching up to Rumble.

“Here, here, hop over this spot, slide over this one...” She kept on talking so her aunt would know where to put her hooves.

“Good goin’, kiddo. Keep your wings where I can see’em, don’t want to make the refs upset.”

Scootaloo nodded without missing a beat. Before long, Thunderlane and Rumble had cleared the first obstacle, with Scootaloo and her aunt about five paces behind. The boys took full advantage of their lead, though, dashing on solid ground.

“Don’t get distracted, Scoots,” Vinyl said.

Scootaloo patted the ground again and made the final few steps to safety, Vinyl quickly behind. They both bolted once they’d cleared.

“See? Easy peasy,” Vinyl said, going into full gallop. Even as she said it, though, a wave of vertigo hit her. Oh, no. No, no, no, not now. Come on, breathe. Dumb brain, take that oxygen, don’t let me fail now.

“Yeah, Spike wasn’t even-” Scootaloo gasped when she saw.

Vinyl looked behind her, and groaned at the sight.

Spike and Twilight had taken an alternative route through the mud pit, namely straight through the mud. Apparently Vinyl had forgotten about the dragon’s tunneling claws. The refs sure had. Twilight shook off as much of the mud as she could, and she was off.

“Don’t get distracted now. Come on, haybale jumps, go!”

Scootaloo needed no further encouragement. She was fit enough to clear the first single bale, then the two-pile, then the threesome that had forced Rumble to slow down and clamber over it like a set of stairs. Vinyl Scratch stayed behind the girl for good measure, but it made no difference. They passed by the pegasus brothers, and they hit the twelve-stack tower of hay at the same time as the boys.

Then Spike and Twilight showed up. Twilight looked a right mess with all the residual dirt in her hair, but with that trip through the dirt her eyes were the scariest part: they now had the bloodshot quality of a momma bear about to maul some unfortunate documentary maker.

Even in her addled state, Vinyl wondered if that’s what her own eyes looked like now.

“Come on, up!” Vinyl said, nudging the girl up the first bale.

The boys were both climbing at their own pace, neither one picking the other up or pulling along. Thunderlane got to the top in short order, but Rumble didn’t have the size to follow his brother’s pace.

“Come on, Rumble, you can do it!” Thunderlane called out.

Scootaloo looked at Rumble as she passed him by with her aunt pushing her along. “Umm, shouldn’t we...”

“I know what you’re gonna say, but no,” Vinyl said. “Rumble’s trying to do this on his own. You’re trying to stop having to do things on your own, so keep moving!”

Scootaloo finally made it to the top, Vinyl climbed behind.

“Okay, down’s a lot easier,” the mare said, sighing.

The sigh felt like all the air left her body. Her head felt foggy, darkness crept into her vision. Her hearing switched off for a second.

“Aunt Vinyl?”

She heard again. She was fine. “Just catchin’ my breath, Scoots. Gotta make it look like I can’t keep up with you, right?” She winked.

Scootaloo beamed with joy, then hopped down the bales at a merry pace.

“Come on! Go! Go!” Rainbow Dash cried out from the sidelines.

Vinyl steeled herself. Rainbow Dash was watching. Just a little more.

She felt fine. A little out of breath, but after another quick bolt across the court, once she got in range she managed to chuck Scootaloo high enough for her to hit the grape barrel with a firm splash, all according to plan.

Vinyl felt drunk again. That numbness on her face, all the way up to her ears, threw off her timing. The tingling in her extremities didn’t help, either. Not that it mattered, as all she had to do was get to the other end of the barrel and open the tap.

The grape juice flowed easily, the bottle was full in no time.

And Twilight and Spike were almost as far.

“More dragon tricks, I guess. Scootaloo, come on! We got the bottle full!” She looked over to a referee, who nodded in agreement.

Scootaloo, for her part, came dashing out of the barrel and rushed towards the hen house even as Spike and Twilight caught up, with Thunderlane and Rumble managing to close the gap in, frankly, a frighteningly short time.

Vinyl paid it no heed, though. She stumbled, she had to catch her breath, but she got to the hen house and took the spoon to carry the egg with.

When Scootaloo and Vinyl exited, they had a cult following of poultry, of course. Scootaloo had told her aunt about the chicken jokes she’d heard in class a while back, and Vinyl had had to suppress a fit of the giggles then. Part of their lineage included a grandmaster in transformation magic, about five hundred years ago. It was rumoured the unicorn had struck a deal with some infernal turkeys in exchange for his powers, allowing him to turn his opponents into peacocks, swans, but his curse of choice was to turn his foes into chickens.

So many generations later, and both Vinyl and her niece still had an odd sway over the feathered creatures. No one in Ponyville knew, and neither of them wanted to change that. Vinyl shooed the fowl creatures away with a shake of her hind hooves.

The white mare felt a headrush come up as she trotted with the spoon in her mouth, egg balancing precariously on the end. Twilight and Spike were right behind.

Almost there.

She heard a noise behind her. A loud ‘bzzzzzt’ that lasted far longer than usual, then a dull thud, a wet ‘crack,’ and a panicky dragon voice calling Twilight’s name.

Vinyl felt the blood leave her head, her heart skipping beats as she approached the basket. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the stallion and colt galloping carelessly with their eggs. How they managed to keep them intact, she didn’t know.

She bent her head down to put the egg in the basket.

The brothers passed her by, depositing their eggs.

There was more noise, but she couldn’t tell what it was.

“Aunt Vinyl? Come on, we gotta go!”

Vinyl tried to lift her head up, but her body wouldn’t respond. Her breath caught.

Something hit her on her right side, and her mouth went dry. She could practically taste the gravel. Only then did it register that the weight of her head wasn’t supported by her neck anymore. All the pressure of gravity was coming from her right side for some reason, which was weird, because she was still standing.

Wasn’t she? She must’ve been, as she felt none of the pain that would surely accompany a fall. The pressure stayed, though, and she couldn’t summon the strength to fight it.

Her glasses fell off, but weirdly enough, she didn’t feel any bright light hit her eyes.

If anything, all she could see was darkness…