//------------------------------// // The Decision // Story: No Gift is Free // by libertydude //------------------------------// THE NEXT DAY “Lightning Dust!” a small voice called out. Lightning focused all of her strength on not falling out of her wooden chair, though the erasable marker still fell out of her mouth. She thrust forward, catching herself on the whiteboard drawn with vague markings and doodles for the day’s stunts. Lightning gave a relieved sigh at the marker landing on the ground. The stunt plans would look lousy with a squiggle running right through them, Lightning thought. She turned around and found herself staring at a little orange filly, wiggling in the tent’s open flap. “Oh, hey there. Scootaloo, right?” Lightning said. The filly shook her head up and down as fast as a lightning bolt. “Come by to cheer us on again?” She asked the filly. “Better than that! I’ve come to join up with the Washouts!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her wings buzzing in excitement. Lightning couldn’t help but snigger, and a confused look crossed Scootaloo’s face. “What’s so funny?” the filly asked. “I’m sorry, kid. It’s just that…I’ve never seen a pony so eager to join us, and I’ve seen some really enthusiastic ponies on tour, believe me.” “Well, they’re nowhere near me in fan levels!” Scootaloo claimed, proudly puffing out her chest. “I’ll bet,” Lightning said, smirking. “So can I? Can I? Can I?” Scootaloo hopped up and down, her body flinging every way it could without fully leaving the ground. “Look, Scoots, I’m happy you’re so enthusiastic about us. Nopony likes it more than I do to hear about how awesome we are.” The filly’s eyes lit up in joy. “But you got to remember that we only take those who wash out of the Wonderbolts.” “Oh, I already have!” “Huh?” I know Spitfire takes walk-ons every now and then, Lightning thought. But how the hay did she even get into the Academy under twenty-four hours? “Well, I mean, I didn’t technically wash out.” Scootaloo’s hoof scratched the back of her head. “I didn’t even really join, but with wings like these, I’m never going to even get into the qualifying rounds.” She buzzed her little wings, only getting off the ground for a scant few seconds. “I see what you mean,” Dust said, a frown on her face. “Flappers like those probably wouldn’t even let you get past the initial exams.” “So can I join? Please?” Lightning sighed. “Look, kid, I know this means a lot to you, but what is something that every single Washout has done during the show?” “Stunts!” “Something even simpler than that.” “Um…” Her face dropped. “Flying?” “Bingo. Almost every one of our stunts deal with us flying against different obstacles. We were Wonderbolts tryouts, after all.” A look of sympathy crossed her face. “And if you can’t join the Wonderbolts because you can’t fly, what do you think your chances are out here?” Scootaloo’s eyes began to fill with tears. “B-But I thought…” “I know it’s tough, kid. I wanted to be a Wonderbolt so bad when I was your age. Heck, a part of me still does. Sometimes though, we can’t do what we want because of things beyond our control. It took me a long time to learn that. You’re lucky to be learning that now.” “I…I understand…” Scootaloo said between sniffles. “I’ll just…just go now.” Dust nodded. “You have fun during the show, kid.” Scootaloo started walking out, but stopped halfway through the tent flap. “Don’t tell Rainbow I was here, okay?” Dust’s ears perked up. “Why? She still sore about yesterday?” “More than that. She spent the past few hours trying to convince me to keep trying for the Wonderbolts and exercising my wings.” A dry chuckle escaped Dust’s lips. “That sounds like Dash, all right. I’m shocked she even survived training with all the stars in her eyes seeing the Wonderbolts in the flesh.” “Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “She even tried to get me to stop trying to see you guys.” For a few moments, both of them were silent. Scootaloo wondered if she’d said something wrong, that Lightning would tell her to get out and never come back. This could not be further from the truth. A gift, Lightning thought. A pure, unadulterated gift. Rainbow Dash’s own sister in everything but flesh, standing here and begging me to take her. Why haven’t I hopped on this before? This wouldn’t just be revenge; this was uber-revenge, the kind of vengeance that only happened once in ten lifetimes. The plan would be simple: Let Scootaloo into the Washouts, and watch Dash squirm as her little sister found another big sister to follow. That little voice couldn’t help but speak up. “No, stop,” it ordered. “You got your digs into Rainbow Dash. You got the idolization of her sister. You’ve even got greater loyalty from your teammates than Rainbow will ever get from her friends. Go any further, and there will be things you can’t control. This little filly won’t last a day with these stunts. She’ll get hurt, all because you couldn’t let your vendetta die.” This little filly… Lightning took a deep breath. “Hey kid?” she cooed. “Yeah?” Scootaloo said, trying her best to keep the tears from showing. “How good are you on that scooter?” The filly’s eyes went wide. “Y-You mean…?” Lightning grinned. “Yep. Grab your speeder and get a jumpsuit on. Looks like we’re debuting a brand new Washout this afternoon.” Before she could even blink, Lightning found herself in an iron hug. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” Scootaloo blubbered, her tears streaming now in happiness. “I won’t let you down!” “I know,” Lightning said, patting Scootaloo’s back. “Now get going! We’ve got a show to do!” Scootaloo disengaged her hug and threw a salute. “Yes, ma’am!” She ran out the tent as fast as any Wonderbolt could, the entrance flap snapping in the air. Lightning chuckled and went back to the whiteboard, twirling the black marker in her hoof. She began to draw the hill above the stunt grounds and Scootaloo sitting atop it on her scooter. The flaming wagons burned below her, ready to be jumped. Mmm, Lightning thought. May need a bit more propulsion. A few scribbles later, a crude rocket sat strapped to the scooter, double the size of a pony. Lightning leaned back and gave a complimentary sigh. “Perfect,” she said. She stared at the little stick figure sitting on the hill, small and blank-faced. Her hooves gripped the scooter with an excitement Lightning couldn’t help but appreciate. She’s tough, Lightning thought. She’ll get through the Wagon Jump, the Jaws of Doom, the Smasher, all of them with barely a scratch. Heck, she may even become the second-best Washout. For a few moments, she almost believed it.