//------------------------------//
// Ch.10 Mind, Body, and Spirit 
// Story: The Gaps in F r i e n d s h i p 
// by Arcanum -Phantasy 
//------------------------------//

Scootaloo let out a yawn as sunlight streamed through her open window. Groggy, she pushed off the covers and slid out of bed. As she fell, she braced herself for the small shock of landing on her hooves. Instead, she felt like she was standing in a tub of jello. With an irate sigh, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and took note of her surroundings. Just like the three days since she and her friends were brought to Equestria, she was greeted by a sparsely decorated guest room  with three small beds, a dresser, a vanity with a built in mirror, and a large window opposite the door. Granted, these were all finely crafted and of high quality, but all the absence of color aside from white drove Sweetie Belle up the walls the first day. Of course, Applebloom didn't care all that much. As long as she had a bed to sleep in and the room's restroom had running water, she could live with a boring room. Scootaloo was much the same as far as the room was concerned, but one thing she couldn't get past was one unconscious habit Sweetie's new body tended to do while she was asleep.
"Sweetie!" Scootaloo snapped as she drifted past her floating bed, body wrapped in a green glow. "Wake up!"
Said Unicorn let out an unintelligible grumble in her land-bound bed and turned away from her friend. 
"SWEETIE!" Scootaloo barked, floundering helplessly as she floated aimlessly through the room. 
"What's goin' on?" Applebloom mumbled groggily as she sat up in her floating bed.
"Sweetie's sleep-floating again," Scootaloo groaned as she drifted past.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she took note of the situation. Frowning, she grabbed one of her pillows and threw it at Sweetie. With a yelp, Sweetie pulled herself into a sitting position, her eyes still closed and a dim glow coming from her horn. 
"Hmm?" she mumbled dumbly, "looking" around.
"Yer breakin' the laws of gravity again!" she snapped, clutching her mattress as she started to drift out of it.
Sweetie nodded, then flopped back into her bed.
"SWEETIE!!!" both fillies shouted, pelting pillows at her.
With an irate huff, she threw her covers off and got out of bed.
"Alright, alright sis," she mumbled groggily. "I'll get ready. Just give me a sec."
Eyes slightly opened, she staggered to the bathroom. At the same time, everything still caught in her magic grip was trailing behind her. With a pair of squawks, the two fillies flopped into the walls framing the door as it slammed shut. A loud series of thuds filled the room as Sweetie's magic canceled itself. Applebloom and Scootaloo groaned as they slid down the wall, all sleep effectively kicked out of them with the grace of a wild bronco.
"You think we can get her horn blocked?" Scootaloo groaned, rubbing her bruised snout.
"No Scoots," Applebloom sighed as she staggered away from the wall. "Ya'll remember what Miss Raven said, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she groaned, following her friend with just as much of a daze.
A second later, the very mare they mentioned let herself into the room.
"Fillies, it is time to-"
She paused, a tiny raise of eyebrow the only sign of emotion on the mare's blank face as she took in the state of the room.
"Sweetie Belle?"
The two nodded.
"I see," she sighed. "Well, no matter. Once you all are ready, breakfast will be waiting for you in the staff dinning hall as usual."
With a flash of her horn, all of the furniture in the room teleported back to their original positions.
"You have fifteen minutes. Do not make me wait."
And with that she turned and left, gently closing the door behind her.
Scootaloo let out a frustrated groan and stomped over to the bathroom door.
"Sweetie! Don't take all the hot water this time!" She called, pounding her hoof against the door.
"Yeah, yeah," Sweetie said with an irritated groan, the sound of the shower turning on a second later.
Rolling her eyes at her friend's antics, Applebloom moved back towards the beds to make them. A small hint of pride filled her as she gripped the fabric with her hooves. While her friends could do the same, she was much better at it and was able to figure out how to use her's first. Oddly enough, it was right after they talked with that Pegasus a couple days ago that she was able to figure out how to do so. It was also around that time that Sweetie started using magic in her sleep.
As she set the pillow in place on Scootaloo's bed, a slip of paper fell out of its pillowcase. Curious, she picked it up and investigated. The writing was scratchy and sloppy, but  it was clear enough for her to decipher what was written.
Atonement is not forged by pain, but acceptance of responsibility. 
No matter how bad things look I still have people that love me.
An understanding smile spread across her muzzle as she slipped the paper back into her friend's pillowcase.
"Sweetie!" Scootaloo shouted, slamming a hoof against the door. "If you don't get out in the next two minutes, I'll tell Raven you like ghost peppers in your food!"
The water stopped and after a minute of unintelligible mutterings, the door opened to reveal a very unamused towel wrapped Sweetie Belle.
"No fair," she grumbled as she stepped out of the bathroom.
"Whatever," Scootaloo sighed as she ran in and slammed the bathroom door.
"What crawled up her butt?" Sweetie grumbled as she turned towards Applebloom.
The Earth Pony filly gave her a flat stare, then said, "Probably had somethin' ta' do with her bed bein' ten feet in the air this mornin'."
A sheepish blush colored Sweetie's cheeks.
"I did it again, didn't I?"
"Eeyup," Applebloom nodded.
Sweetie stared at the ground, lips pulled into a frustrated frown.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, then glared up at her horn and added, " I wish I knew how to work this stupid thing."
Applebloom giggled at that and pulled Sweetie into one-armed hug.
"Ah think Scoots can relate."
"Huh?" Sweetie squeaked, blinking at her friend.
"Those wings aren't easy to wrangle in most of the time," she sighed, staring at the bathroom door.
"I guess," Sweetie grumbled. "You're lucky, Applebloom."
"Huh?" she asked, shifting her attention back to her moody friend.
"You don't have to worry about all this magic stuff."
She faced away from Sweetie with a frown and said," Ah wish."
"What do you mean?" Sweetie asked.
Grumbling, Applebloom let go of her friend and walked over to her bed.
"Remember that nightmare Ah had our first night here?"
Sweetie nodded, a brow raised.
With a sigh, she lifted a bit of comforter closest to her bed's headboard. The main boards holding the headboard to the wrest of the frame was covered with large cracks and splinters. Sweetie stared at the shattered piece of wood in shock, then shifted her gaze towards her grimacing friend.
"Miss Raven said Earth Pony Magic is internal," she explained with a grimace, tracing her hoof across the damaged wood. "Makes em' stronger and tougher then the other types. When Ah had that nightmare, Ah must've punched my headboard while my Magic was runnin'."
Sweetie gulped as she remembered how close her friend was just a second ago and how much potential danger she was in. Applebloom saw the fear in her eyes and let out a defeated sigh.
"It scares me Sweetie," she said, voice trembling as she stared at the floor. "Ah scare me. It's like you and Scoot's are made of glass and if Ah'm not careful Ah'll break ya'."
Tears started to slide down her cheeks as images of her friends broken bodies flashed to the front of her mind. She let out a startled gasp as she felt a pare of forelegs wrap around her. Eyes wide, she raised her head and was greeted by a sea of soaked  purple and pink hair as her friend held her close.
"I-It's okay," Sweetie stammered, gently stroking Applebloom's back. "It's just one more thing we need to figure out, right?"
Sniffling, Applebloom nodded, desperately fighting the urge to hug her friend back. Slowly, the two started to center themselves, the dread in their veins fading away. All the while, a faint glow emitted from Sweetie's horn that went unnoticed to the two fillies.  By the time Sweetie let go of Applebloom, the fear in the fillies hearts faded away with the faint shimmer of her horn.
"Are you going to be okay?" Sweetie asked.
"Yeah," Applebloom smiled, wiping the tears from her face. "Ah think so."
At that moment, Scootaloo let herself out of the bathroom, flooding the room with a thin layer of steam with a towel draped over her head.
"Alright Applebloom," she sighed, dropping to her haunches to towel-dry her mane. "It's all y-"
As she turned her head towards her friends, she took note of their state and a look of concern crossed her face.
"Hey, are you guys okay?' she asked, taking a few steps towards them.
"Yeah," Applebloom laughed as she stared at her friend's frazzled mane. "But Ah think Sweetie can help ya' with your hair."
"Ha ha," Scootaloo grimaced before she shook water out of her wings. "Maybe you can help me with these later."
"Deal," she smirked before closing the bathroom door.
Scootaloo stared at the door, blinked, then turned towards Sweetie Belle and said, "She knows I was kidding, right?"
"She's kind of out of it right now," Sweetie sighed as she moved towards the vanity.
"Okay, what the heck did I miss?" she frowned as she followed her friend.
"I'll tell you while I'm brushing you," she said with a strained smile.
"Deal," she grumbled as she sat in front of the vanity.



***


While not as grandiose as the Royal Dinning Room, the servants dinning hall was still a sight that stood as a testament to the staff's hard work rewarded. Instead of being dominated by one massive table, the room was filled with several evenly spaced tables arranged in neat rows of seven. Each one was covered with a white silk tablecloth with complete table settings for six. Like the rest of the castle, the room had walls and floors made of finally polished marble with silver inlay. Silver chandlers ignited by Mage Fire lit the room from top to bottom at all times, giving the staff a taste of life as a noble without the corrupting influence of decadence. The food was fantastic as well, the chefs willing to give their fellow workers their best effort so long as they did the same. As a result, what the staff would call a Cafeteria, others would call a five-star restaurant was at their disposal three times a day. 
At one table towards the back of the room sat three fillies and a stone-faced Unicorn mare, a bowl of oatmeal placed in front of them. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stared at their bowls with a grimace while Applebloom was elated.
"Is there a problem?" Raven asked, slowly eating her food. 
"Well," Sweetie fidgeted as she stared at the spoon sitting next to her bowl.
Raven sighed, then took Sweetie and Scootaloo's spoons in her magic grip and scooped a small portion of food up to their mouths.
"Open," she monotoned.
Blushing in embarrassment, they obeyed. All the while, Applebloom wolfed down her oatmeal with gusto.
"It has come to my attention that the three of you are having difficulty controlling your magic," Raven said, still feeding her charges. "Not too surprising, considering your circumstances. Most foals know how to work their magic once they turn five, but you three are a few years late for that. As such, you will each be taught separately by a pony of your same tribe."
Scootaloo and Sweetie almost choked at that, while Applebloom looked at her with wide-eyed fear.
"Y-Yah'll are gonna separate us?" Applebloom stammered.
"That wasn't part of the deal!" Scootaloo barked, torn between fear and anger as she stared at Raven.
Sweetie whimpered as she stared at the unfazed Unicorn.
"It will only be for two hours each day," she said flatly, ignoring the shock and daggers aimed at her.  "Afterwards, the three of you will be free to spend the day as you see fit. So long as you remain in the castle grounds, at least."
They let out a relieved sigh, then Sweetie asked, "What about our walking exercises?"
"I think you understand the mechanics well enough," Raven said, taking a sip of tea. "Any further development will come naturally at this point. Though you will continue to see me to learn how to control your magic Sweetie Belle."
"Who's gonna train us?" Scootaloo asked, gesturing towards Applebloom and herself.
A faint smile graced Raven's lips that put a chill down Scootaloo's spine.
"Why, my sisters of course."
At that moment, the Dinning Hall's doors flew open and two mares walked into the room. The three fillies watched in shock as they approached, jaws hanging open in terror. One of them was an Earth Pony with a messy mane and tail and a relaxed demeanor that clashed with the irritable and rigid gate of her Pegasus companion. But it wasn't the sloppy disposition of the Earth Pony or the militaristic poise of the Pegasus that had the CMC on edge. It was the fact that they looked exactly like Raven Quill. With the exception of presentation, Cutie Mark, and tribal attribute, all three were exactly the same. Same light-gray coat. Same pitch-black mane and tail. Same blood red eyes.
"Honestly Crow," the Earth Pony huffed as they approached the table full of shocked fillies. "Did you need to be so rough."
"Pah! You're too soft Quail," the Pegasus, Crow, scoffed as they walked. "These walls can take more than a few door slams."
The Earth Pony, Quail, rolled her eyes at her companion's antics. By that  point, they were standing next to the table the quartet occupied.
"Hi sis," Quail said, smiling easily.
"Big sister," Crow said with a slight bow.
"Quail Down, Crow Feathers, thank you for coming."
"Still as formal and stuffy as always," Quail chuckled, pulling her sister into a hug before taking note of the three fillies. "I take it these are the fillies you told us about?"
Raven nodded as the two mares took the unoccupied seats on either side of her. Quail Down gave the Earth Pony filly sitting across from her a soft smile while Crow Feathers scrutinized Scootaloo with the critical intensity of a hawk. 
"Applebloom, this is my sister Quail Down," Raven said, gesturing to the mare to her left. "She will help you learn to control your strength."  Next, she did the same with Crow Feathers. "Scootaloo, this is my other sister, Crow Feathers. She will teach you how to tame and maintain your wings."
"H-Howdy," Applebloom said, bashfully.
"H-Hey," Scootaloo said, gulping under the intensity of her teacher's gaze.
Quail chuckled, while Crow gave a cold smile.
"No need to be so nervous," Quail smiled leaning in close towards Applebloom and added, "Between you and me, you lucked out. Out of the three of us, I'm the nice one."
"O-Oh?" Applebloom said, some of her dread receding.
"Don't think that means you can push me around though," she said, a frown briefly marring her gentle features. "I'm a lot tougher than I look, okay?"
Applebloom nodded, a smile spreading across her muzzle in spite of the warning. 
"So you're Scootaloo, eh?" Crow said, her hunter's smile growing slightly. "Oh I'm gonna have fun dragging you through the wringer, shrimp."
Scootaloo gulped, not liking the looks of this.
"Crow," Raven said, tone stern.
"Relax big sister," Crow sighed, smile shifting into a heavy frown. "I won't go too far with her. I'm not a monster. But I do want to make one thing clear."
As she said that, she narrowed her eyes at Scootaloo, then said, "I don't like you, shrimp. I don't like what I've heard about you and I don't like the defiant way you carry yourself. I won't put you through the same tartaurus I put the recruits through, but you better bet your flank you're gonna be sweating by the time I'm done with you. If you want that to change, you better get me to like you. Got it?"
She nodded, a large bundle of nerves settling in her stomach and a faint flicker of fire in her eyes at the challenge presented to her. Crow noticed this and a faint smile decorated her muzzle.
Let's see that fire grow shrimp.




***



Sweetie Belle sat on her haunches, eyes closed and desperately trying to empty her mind. All the while Raven slowly orbited her, impassive eyes drilling into her a little more with each pass. Her hoofsteps and Sweetie's frustrated breathing were the only breaks in the silence that dominated the very same room the three fillies used when they were learning how to walk. Now it was the two of them alone making use of it.
"Don't try so hard," Raven intoned, voice neutral as she walked. "Relax. Let your mind drift naturally until you feel the flow of your magic."
"I-I'm trying ," Sweetie stammered, eyebrows furrowing.
Raven frowned, stopping in front of the young Unicorn. 
"Too hard," she sighed. "Tell me, do you not know how to stay still?"
"W-What do you mean?" she asked, still trying to "find her magic".
She let out a startled yelp as something touched her horn.
"Don't move," Raven said, a hint of tenderness in her tone.
With a nervous frown, she nodded and stayed as still as she could. Again, she felt something touch her horn, but this time she refused to move. Immediately, a gentle warmth washed over her, like a blanket just pulled out of the dryer. She smiled as she let it envelope her, flowing around her in a constant current.
"Do you feel that?" Raven asked.
"Yeah," Sweetie said. "What is that?"
"My magic," she said, a faint trace of warmth in her tone. "Right now, I am letting my magic field intermingle with your own. It should help you calm down and at the very least help you understand what you are looking for."
"O-Okay," she stammered, feeling a little of her previous anxiety returning.
"Relax," Raven whispered. "Unicorn magic is linked to the mind. If you let yourself get flustered, it will be that much harder to find it. Let your mind wander. Think of nothing in particular. Let your magic flow through you like water through a river."
Slowly, Sweetie took a deep breath, letting her stress ease out of her body as she breathed out. She did as she was told, letting her mind wander. Suddenly, she felt a faint disruption in the warmth that surrounded her. It was for but a moment, but she swore she felt a gap in the warm curtain that was Raven's magic. Curious, she tried to focus on that disruption, only to be greeted by more warmth. Slightly annoyed, she shifted back to her previous mental state. As she did, a faint color started appear in her mind's eye. She took note of it, but refused to focus on it exclusively, gradually identifying it as a deep red. She didn't know why, but a part of her knew that this was Raven's magic and welcomed its presence. It was then that she noticed a small break in the mass of magic. Again, she took note of it but didn't focus on it exclusively. To her surprise, the new color jumped to the front of her mind of its own volition, like a jealous child demanding its mother's attention. Now dwarfing Raven's magic, the magic she was "looking" at was a bright-green and moved like a wild set of rapids as opposed to the steady red stream of her teacher's magic. The magic quickly wrapped itself around Sweetie, covering her with the sensation of a crisp, spring morning breeze. The wild energy ran through her like running water, filling her with both a pleasant and eery feeling that gradually grew as she became aware of it. Soon, it became too much for her, and with a startled yelp, she opened her eyes, sweat dripping down her brow and breath coming out in ragged pants.
"Well done Sweetie Belle," Raven said, a ghost of a smile decorating her muzzle. "It seems you have found your magic."
Sweetie stared up at Raven with a look of shock and pride.
"I-I did" she said between pants.
"Indeed," she nodded. "But you are far from being able to weald it properly. For now, try to remember both the color and feel of your magic. They will be the key to helping you gain control."
"Right," Sweetie smiled. "Thanks."
Raven's face returned to its normal sense of stoicism as she said, "Do not thank me yet, filly. There is still work to be done."
"Right," she chuckled, shakily rising to her hooves.
"But for now," Raven added, her horn glowing with magic. "I feel you have earned a nap."
"And a shower," she yawned as she felt herself being lifted off of the ground.
"Indeed," she nodded.
With that, Raven lowered the drowsy filly onto her back and walked out of the practice room, a faint smile decorating her face for the tiniest of seconds. 



***



A gentle breeze moved through the trees, the warmth of spring rebelling against the wrath of winter within Canterlot Garden's barrier. Quail and Applebloom sat at its heart, an ornate tea set and arrangements placed on a table between them.
"Peaceful, isn't it?" Quail smiled, adding a sugarcube to her tea.
"Uh, yeah," Applebloom said giving her teacher an awkward look. "Uh, Miss Quail Down?"
"Yes Applebloom?"
"Not that this isn't nice or anythin', but when are we gonna get to mah trainin'?"
"An excellent question," she smiled, pushing the cup of sugar cubes towards her. "Sugar cube?"
"Thanks," she nodded, plucking a single cube out of the cup and dropping it into her own.
Quail's smile grew a little at the sight.
"Would you believe me if I said you are training right now?" she asked, taking a sip from her cup.
"Huh?" Applebloom asked, head tilted in confusion. "How's us sitting around drinking tea teaching me how ta' control mah magic?"
Quail giggled, then said, "Earth Pony magic is different from Unicorn and Pegasus magic, but fairly similar at the same time. For us, our magic is mostly stored in our bones. As a result, our bodies are a lot more durable and stronger than Unicorns and Pegesi. It also grants us a wide variety of other advantages, such as having more hoof dexterity and grip. We can also affect the plants and animals around us if taught properly."
To prove her point she casually raised a hoof, only to have no less then six small birds land on it. Applebloom stared in awe at the small spectacle, only to gape as more birds gathered on the mare's head, back, and shoulders. Quail chuckled at the filly's reaction as she lowered her hoof, forcing the birds to flutter to her shoulders.
"Anyway, to answer your question, the whole point of this tea party is to help you learn fine control of your magic. To hold your cup, take a single cube of sugar, or even manipulate silverware requires a very fine level of magical control. Something that can only be perfected through practical application. Do you understand?"
Applebloom nodded, staring down at her hooves with a new found appreciation.
"Ah, think so," she blinked, eyes still trained on her hooves. "So, what you're saying is that Ah can control mah magic if Ah just use it to work with small stuff for a while?"
"Yes and no," she sighed. "But it's good to see you are on the right track. Your training will have three phases. First we'll focus on you using the lowest amount of magic possible, then your medium, and then your absolute maximum. By that point, you should be able to freely use your magic without fear of hurting others."
Applebloom beamed at that, relieved beyond words that her greatest fear could be managed. 
"Thanks Miss Quail Down," she smiled, a slight quiver in her tone. "It really means a lot to me if Ah can keep mah strength under control. Ah don't know if you know this, but Ah'm kinda' a hugger so..."
"Just Quail is fine Applebloom," she said, an understanding smile decorating her lips. "And no problem. As the castle's Head Groundskeeper, I have a lot of free time on my hooves. It's nice to have somepony to spend that time with for a change."
Applebloom smiled and took a sip from her cup.
"By the way," Quail added with an impish smirk. "I'm a bit of a hugger too. And it drives my sisters absolutely batty!"
Both of them laughed at that as they enjoyed their tea, the delightful warmth of the Castle Gardens adding to the pleasant atmosphere.



***


The frigid winter wind twisted and twirled around Scootaloo as she looked down. She was at the top of the castle's highest tower, all the ponies on the ground looking like small colorful dots on a mostly white surface. She gulped, knowing full well the fate that awaited her if she fell, wings be damned at her current level.
"Hey shrimp!" Crow snapped, pulling her away from her morbid fantasies. "Unless you want to learn the sparrow way, get the buck away from there!"
"Y-Yes ma'am!" Scootaloo chirped, scrambling away from the drop.
Crow frowned at the little filly standing before her, eyes narrowed into a sharp glare.
"Listen carefully shrimp, cuz I hate repeating myself. Today we are gonna focus on wing control. Mostly how to get you to figure out how to open and close your wings, something big sister tells me you're having trouble with."
Scootaloo nodded, remembering all the times her wings spontaneously shoved her out of bed in the middle of the night or blasted water everywhere when she took showers. 
"That's because you aren't using them," she sighed. "Shrimp, a Pegasus' wings are where most of their magic is centered. It gives us our flight, sure, but it also lets us command the skies. Unicorn magic lets them mess with the laws of nature. Earth Pony magic lets them work with nature. But Pegesi?  We get to go where they can never hope to stay and work with something completely our own; the sky. That is the kind of freedom unique to our tribe that all Pegesi hold in their very soul. Even if you weren't born one, that same spirit is sitting inside you and is demanding attention."
Scootaloo gawked at her. She never thought about her wings like that. Yeah, a small part of her did like the possibility of flight, but she hadn't thought there was so much to it. 
"So...how do I do that?"
Her frown softened a bit at that, then said, "First, close your eyes."
Nodding, she did as she was told.
"Now, pay close attention to the wind. Focus on how it moves over your wings, how it eases them to open like an old friend. Let the feeling grow and follow it forward."
Nodding again, she felt the wind tickling her feathers, earning a slight shiver down her spine. It wasn't from the cold, that she was able to deal with. It was from what felt like a small current of electricity  coiling around her wings. Slowly, the tingle started to grow by the minute until it eventually felt like she had a pair of lightning bolts on her back. In spite of that, she felt no pain from the power she felt. It felt like she was holding something in, like a spring being fully compressed just waiting to be released. Following her instincts, she let the power loose and her wings burst open. Her eyes popped open and a startled yelp slipped past her lips at the shock of the wind hitting all of her feathers.
Crow let out a poorly smothered chuckle before resuming her aggressive demeanor.
"Good job shrimp, now take a minute and feel the wind around you."
Again, Scootaloo closed her eyes and focused on her wings. It was a surreal experience for her, feeling the wind rushing through limbs she never had before. The rustling of her feathers sent an excited shiver down her spine as images of moving through a cloudless sky entered her mind. It brought a smile to her face, something that felt so alien to her after so long. She felt a yearning, for what, she didn't know, but it drew a frustrated tear from her eyes as it grew. She felt like she was anchored to the floor, that it wasn't were she was meant to be.
"That's it," Crow said, slowly bringing Scootaloo to open her eyes and break the trance. "You felt it, didn't ya'?"
"I-I felt something," she stammered, staring at her still open wings. "What was that?"
"A Pegasus' freedom," Crow said, a wistful smile decorating her muzzle. "It's an instinct that all Pegesi have to take to the sky and the secret to controlling our magic. When we need to open our wings, we tap into that instinct to take flight. Closing them works the same way by focusing on our desire to come home and rest. Its that sense of freedom that gives Pegasus magic its strength. Something that you have at your hooftips."
Scootaloo gawked at her teacher before giving her wings another look over, a newfound appreciation for the appendages growing inside her.
"But," Crow continued, mild disgust covering her face. "Before we get to closing them, I think I should teach you how to preen your wings."
"Huh?" Scootaloo said, giving Crow a confused head tilt. "What's that?"
Crow gave her a flat stare.
"It's when you clean your wings."
"Oh, I already did that in the shower," Scootaloo smiled.
Crow blinked, then facehooved with an irritated groan.
"No wonder your feathers look like crap."
"Huh?"
"Listen shrimp," she groaned, lowering her hoof. "Preening your wings isn't like washing your mane. You need to do it right or you can really damage your feathers.  You've still got baby down so it's not such a big deal, but when you get out of the shower you have to blow dry them immediately, then get them preened to keep them in good shape."
"W-Wow," Scootaloo cringed, worriedly glancing back at her wings. "I didn't know that."
"Of course you didn't," Crow sighed as she moved to Scootaloo's left side. "Big sis may be smart, but she's totally clueless when it comes to Pegasus stuff. By the way, don't let random ponies mess with your wings. I'm only doing this for ya because you don't know how, but you usually only let family or your special somepony preen you."
"How come?"  she asked as Crow manipulated her feathers with her muzzle.
"Let's just say, wings are sensitive and leave it at that," she replied, plucking a broken feather from Scootaloo's wing.
Scootaloo thought about that for a moment, then a rosy-faced look of realization crossed her face.
"Oh."
"Yep," Crow said, spitting out another broken feather. "That's why social preening is seen as a sign of trust for us. Don't let others mess with them. Period. And if anypony does, let me or my sisters know right then and there. Got it?"
Scootaloo nodded, mildly distracted by the odd sensation of her first preening.
After a few minutes of observation, Scootaloo's wings were preened to Crows standards and she was told to close them. Taking her teacher's words to heart, she closed her eyes and focused on the strange tingling she felt in her wings earlier. She noticed how much easier it was to feel it, now that her wings were properly groomed as she focused on her desire to "land". Gradually, the tingle and passing wind started to fade, until she eventually felt the warmth of her closed wings at her sides. She opened her eyes and glanced at her sides to be greeted by a pair of closed wings.
"Alright shrimp," Crow barked. "Don't relax just yet. Now that you know the basics, I want ta see ya do it all on your own. By the end of the day, I want you ta to be able to control those chicken flaps like a real Pegasus. Ya' got me?"
"Yes Miss Crow Feathers."
"I can't hear you shrimp," Crow barked, glaring down at her charge.
"YES MISS CROW FEATHERS!" she cried, instinctively standing in attention.
"That's more like it!" Crow barked, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "And just Crow is fine. That Miss crap makes me sound like an old maid."
"Yes Ma'am," Scootaloo nodded, face blank.
"Was that cheek I heard shrimp?" she frowned, brow raising.
"No Crow. Sorry Crow," Scootaloo said, still standing in attention.
Crow let a genuine smirk grow on her muzzle.
"Good, now get to work."
"Yes Crow," she said with a nod.
While the filly closed her eyes and worked with her magic, Crow watched with a faint chuckle.
Here and I thought this job was gonna be a drag. Looks like things are gonna get interesting around here for a few days.