//------------------------------// // Chapter one Redux. // Story: Weak wings and a useless unicorn. // by Sugar Moon //------------------------------// -CRASH- This was a noise Ponyvillians had grown accustomed to; usually preceded by the all-too-loud shout of 'CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS...!' something. Be it hang gliding, surfing, or even bonsai tree trimming, those girls somehow still made noise that a diamond dog would skitter away from. "Really, Sweetie Belle," the carefully composed owner of Carousel Boutique called, "please keep it down in there. A mare can only take so much disruption before her concentration cracks. I need to have this dress ready by tonight for a very important client." Myself; the most important client, she thought wryly. This dress had to be perfect. This was the night she had been waiting for. She had everything planned. Fluttershy was going to take the girls on a sleepover, Dash had cleared the skies, and Twilight and dear Spikey-Wikey had delivered her letter to Princess Luna. Even Pinkie had prepared a sumptuous feast fit for the princesses themselves. Yes, this night was going to be perfect... even if she had lied a little to her date to get her to agree to joining her tonight. Imagine, believing that story of a late night apple bucking training session at sweet apple acres. One would think that, being the element of honesty, she would see through the lie, but apparently not. "Sorry sis; we’re just trying to get our Cutie Marks!" Sweetie replied with yearning lacing her words. "That may be dear, but you do not want to get hurt now, do you? Imagine getting your Cutie Marks, only to be whisked away to hospital before you could tell anypony!" The little filly squeaked in surprise causing Rarity to titter lightly. There, that should make her be more careful, she thought. Unfortunately, it seems Rarity's words were a touch prophetic, albeit aimed at the wrong filly. A ear-splitting crash resounded from the main room of Carousel Boutique, followed by a scream that could curdle milk. "Sweetie?!?" Rarity rushed into the room, fearing what she would see there. There, lying on the floor, was Scootaloo, with a mountain of fabric crushing down on her back. Quiet sniffles emanated from the rest of the cutie mark crusaders. Using her magic, Rarity flung the bolts of fabric in every direction, heedless of any damage she was causing to her studio. "Sweet Celestia, Scootaloo! Can you hear me?" Checking her pulse, Rarity kept trying to get some reaction from her by calling her name, but... nothing. "Sweetie, go get Twilight, and hurry please! Applebloom, you go get your sister and the rest of the girls." "But R-Rarity, what are you going to do?" Sweetie asked shakily, as Applebloom rushed out the door. "I’m going to get her to the hospital, of course. Now don't worry, and do what I told you, okay darling?" Rarity shot her a reassuring smile, and Sweetie belle nodded. Alone with the injured filly, Rarity used her magic to turn the the bolt of fabric that had crushed Scootaloo into a makeshift stretcher. Lifting her onto the stretcher, she used the remnants of the cloth to bandage what she could before galloping as fast as she could, not giving a damn about her hooficure, to the hospital with the stretcher in tow. Several ponies turned their heads in shock as she sped by, but the white mare didn’t care. Only one thought was in her mind. Saving Scootaloo. Bursting into the hospital in a flurry of hooves and magic, she drew all eyes to her. "Nurse!" she shouted "Doctor, anypony, for Celestia's sake, help me!" Waiting. Just waiting. Time crawled past at a snails pace. Every second was a lifetime, every minute an eternity. Rarity hated waiting. Patience may be a virtue, and a lady should be virtuous in all things, but still, she despised waiting. It seemed to her that waiting was all she ever did. Waiting to start her dream, waiting to find her prince, (though it had turned out he wasn't worth the wait. She wasn't sure what he was worth. Perhaps a mug of that dreadful Flim Flam cider?) waiting to tell Applejack about her feelings, waiting to start a family, and now waiting to see if Scootaloo was safe. "How ya holdin' up there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she trotted in, the rest of the girls conspicuously absent. "Oh as fine as you can expect but..." Rarity sighed. Shaking her head, she looked around. "Dear me... Applejack, where is everypony? Twilight? Sweetie Belle? Applebloom?" "Now don't you fret Sugar, they're fine. Ah expect they're doing a mite better than you, truth be told. Bloom and Sweetie Belle are on the farm with Big Mac' an Fluttershy looking after 'em, since they were meant to stay at her place anyway.” Applejack finally took some time to look at Rarity. Her mane, normally pristine, was now a tangled mess of violet tresses; her delicate hooves were chipped, and her eyes had lost the shine that made many a stallion turn to jelly. Applejack knew that Rarity cared more about her friends than her own looks no matter what anypony said, but when she didn't look her best something was definitely wrong. It was time for Applejack to do what she did better than anypony and it wasn't wrangling. Being dependable. Being honest.   “They're safe. They wanted to come down but it's a bit late for little fillies and they ain't gonna do any good down here. Twi' was talking with the doc but she headed back to the library after that. Said she needed to check some records. Don't really know what she meant by that." "Records? I don't...” Rarity's face scrunched in confusion before finally waving her hoof in a gesture of dismissal.  “Oh never mind, but what about Dash and Pinkie?" "Really? Y'all wanted Pinkie in a hospital, again, after last time?" Rarity shivered at the memory of Pinkie’s last visit to the hospital. She was only trying to cheer everypony up, but still. Sometimes pranks are not proper. Especially in the morgue. "And ya know Dash is still in Cloudsdale for that weather seminar." "Sorry. The current situation has left me a little frazzled, I suppose." "Nuthin' to apologise for, Sugarcube." Applejack trotted over to the distraught mare and sat beside her. "You’re wrong, Applejack." AJ raised an eyebrow, confusion plain on her features. "Now what horseapples are you talking Rarity?" "It was my fault. I let them run amok in my house, barely giving them a second’s thought. I was so wrapped up in my plans for my date that I allowed them to get hurt. I might as well been the one who hurt Scootaloo. It was all my fault. My own greed…" The end of the sentence petered off dejectedly. She looked down at her hooves in defeat. A silence pervaded the air of that tiny hospital waiting room. Applejack was the first to break it. "I was right. Pure horseapples" "What? I-" Whatever Rarity intended to say was lost as Applejack cut her off. "Horseapples.” The orange mare said bluntly. Her face became as hard as stone, her voice serious, losing any previous levity. “You being greedy? You're the element of generosity, for Celestia's sake. You say it was your fault. How?” Her voice sped up, becoming more intense as she continued,  a red tint flushing over her cheeks.   “Do you have eyes in the back of your head? Has Twilight give you a spell to watch what they do every second of every day?” Her eyes squinted, and she paused, waiting for an answer. When nothing was said, she continued. “Course not. It could have happened at any time. It could have happened if you were right there next to ‘em. It ain’t your fault you silly pony. T'aint anypony's fault.” A gentle hoof rested on Rarity's shoulder. “That's why they call 'em accidents. If ya need one, ask Twi for a definition." Rarity was stunned by the vigour of Applejack’s voice, the certainty of every word. The truth in every syllable. "Thank you Applejack. I think I lost my head there for a bit." Looking up into her bright green eyes, she simply said, "Thank you darling." Her voice curled possessively over the last word. "Yer welcome." Staring into Rarity's eyes, AJ thought back on some of Rarity's words. "Wait a gosh darn second. What date tonight?" Rarity blushed scarlet, and instantly became very interested in her hooves. "Hmm date? What date? I do not recall any date that was going on tonight, or any other night." Babbling. She was babbling and Applejack knew it. She wasn't the element of honesty for nothing. "You said date tonight. What date? It ain’t that prince again is it? You weren't planning on ditching me and apple bucking to trot off with some fancy schmancy city pony with a sneer on his muzzle and a stick in his rump?" Rarity’s blush deepened, but this time at the indignation. "Of course not! I would not leave you Applejack." "Then what's this date then? You say you were gonna go late night apple bucking with me, so you hardly were gonna go after that; You'd be all sweaty. So wh..." Finally the bit dropped. "Oh." -SLAM- It almost seemed as if the entire building shook as the door to the waiting room thudded open. It shattered the awkward silence that was suddenly growing between them as they turned towards the newcomer. Twilight ran over to them. She was a wreck, her mane disheveled, her eyes frantically searching for her friends, despite their being the only ponies in the room. Her mane stuck out at jaunty angles that any other time might have been comical, but here only reinforced her disarray. Closing the final strides between them, Twilight all but collapsed into Applejack's worried hooves. Gasping for breath, Twilight only uttered one sentence. "Scootaloo's an orphan."