//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Feathers on Scales // by LavendarRegards //------------------------------// Hideous, twisted, horrible abomination, the words bounced around in Scootaloo’s mind as she pulled her scooter up to the clubhouse. She shook her head. She was not a freak. Rainbow Dash, and her friends didn’t think so. “Well girls, we are here,” Scootaloo said as she focused her enthusiasm in her chest. “We got smores to make, and scary stories to tell, and pillows to hit each other with,” Scootaloo cheered as she left her scooter and wagon under the shade of a tree. “So, Scootaloo, are you still going to show us that trick?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly. Scootaloo flinched. She hadn’t tried fire breathing since that morning. Maybe she could do it now? However, a new persistent thought came to her mind, like an angry wasp. What if she lost control of it? With that thought, Scootaloo couldn’t shake visions of herself coughing up torrents of flames, leaving the clubhouse, the orchard, and her friends smoldering heaps of ash. Scootaloo didn’t dare shake her head, with her friends staring. But, she would have if she could, at least if it would clear her head of the horrible images. “Well… I don’t feel like it right now,” Scootaloo mumbled. Her admission earning a surprised look from her friends. “I’m kind of hungry… We should have some pizza,” Scootaloo insisted as she made a point to dash into the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse. Her flight ended in an abrupt halt as she came nose to nose with an orange Earth Pony mare. “Applejack!?” Scootaloo yipped in surprise as she fell backwards onto her plot. “There you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere. Do you know how worried you’ve got Twilight,” Applejack chastised her. “I’m sorry, but I wanted to hang out with my friends,” Scootaloo insisted with a slight look of shame on her face. “Besides, why do I have to stay at Twilight’s castle? I haven’t done anything wrong! Is this about the curse?” “Applejack, what’s going on?” asked Apple Bloom as she slowly walked up behind Scootaloo. “Is Scootaloo in trouble?” Sweetie Belle asked as she caught up with Apple Bloom. Both fillies now stood behind Scootaloo. Applejack sighed a long sigh. “Girls: Twilight and us girls agreed not to tell you this, cause we didn’t want you to worry about it -- till it was a problem. But, there’s a bunch of ponies around town recently. They could be tourists. But, even Pinkie Pie is suspicious.” “Changelings?!” all three fillies asked in surprise. It wasn’t that long ago when Twilight and her friends, as well as all 3 other princes of Equestria were replaced by Changelings. “Not that we can tell,” Applejack admitted. “Girls, if you see any strange ponies around, or anypony is acting strange, or if they are asking weird questions, then come directly to Twilight, me, or any of the other girls.” Applejack got a nod of agreement from the three fillies. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t heard before, at least, when it came to strangers. “I’ll make you girls a deal. If you agree to not do anything too big around town -- you know make a scene -- then I’ll let you have this campout tonight. But first: Scootaloo, we got to talk about something. Just you and I,” Applejack bartered with a stern but calm look. “Now Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, I need you to go over there for a bit, while I talk to Scootaloo.” Both fillies nodded and complied with Applejack’s demands. Applejack waited quietly until Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle returned to the ready camping spot. Once she was comfortable with their distance Applejack closed the clubhouse door and opened her mouth to speak again. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” Scootaloo interrupted her. “Probably. But, it’s partially on us for not telling you everything,” Applejack admitted with a sigh and a look of regret. “It’s just, Twilight didn’t want you to worry for nothing. And, she thought you would just follow orders… I told her, you were as good at following orders as Rainbow Dash. But, Twilight insisted you would listen...” Scootaloo stifled a giggle. “Yes, the curse is a part of it. But really: Scootaloo, your dad was not a good pony. And, while I think most ponies have moved on by now. There might still be ponies that would want to harm you because of what he did,” Applejack warned with a rather grim expression on her face. Scootaloo couldn’t help but look back in shock. Who was her father? Was he that bad of a pony? “I don’t know much more about him, to be honest. Twilight promised the princess she wouldn’t share. I think the princess is trying to shield you from whatever the truth is,” Applejack admitted with a frown. “But, I do know this: you breathing fire is going to attract unwanted attention like a moth to a flame.” Scootaloo quickly stifled a snicker at how Applejack had just used flame literally and figuratively. Applejack didn’t seem to notice as she continued her thought. “This is why Twilight wanted you to stay at the castle. She didn’t want you coming out till you had at least as much control as Spike…” Applejack paused, and tapped her chin a couple of times. “Actually, more control. Spike still sneezes and hiccups flames.” Scootaloo looked at Applejack with a sad expression. “Now don’t look at me like that. I agreed to let you have the campout tonight. But, I need you to listen to Twilight more. And, I don’t want you breathing fire around other ponies till we think it’s safe,” Applejack sternly demanded. Scootaloo sighed, but conceded to her instructions. It was reasonable enough. “Besides, I don’t think anypony would have a problem with your friends visiting you. And, it’s not forever,” Applejack assured her. Scootaloo wasn’t so sure. If Spike wasn’t good enough with his fire by now, what chance did she have? “Now, I’m going to go tell Twilight. I cannot promise you that she’ll let you stay. But, I’ll try to convince her. Other than that, try to enjoy your time with your friends,” Applejack proposed as she slowly opened the clubhouse door. “Thanks, Applejack,” Scootaloo whispered with a smile. Much to her surprise, Applejack returned the smile. --- All three girls sat around a small pile of stones that had been carefully laid out outside of the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse. In the middle of the pile was a few odd branches that had been laid out into a smaller pile. The rest of the ground had been hastily cleared. All stray leaves and twigs left behind by a major storm a day or two ago had been pushed into a roughly circular pile around the clearing.  “So how does this here pizza bake without an oven?” Apple Bloom mumbled through her clenched teeth, as she moved the bow back and forth to rub the wood with another stick of wood. “I asked Rainbow Dash about it,” Scootaloo explained as she pulled out a cast iron pan from her saddlebags. She carefully waved it in the air as Apple Bloom managed to get the wood started burning. “It’s really simple. We just get this pan hot. Then, we put the pizza dough on it. Let it cook for a bit. Then flip it, and add the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Simple as one, two, three,” Scootaloo explained casually as she dropped the pan onto the fire to get warm. “Ooh, and each of us could pick some toppings!” Sweetie Belle decided with a growing smile. “Uhh… don’t overdo it. It’s not good if it’s overloaded,” Apple Bloom corrected. “How about we each pick one?” Scootaloo suggested as she began to sift through her saddle bags. However, she couldn’t find her medication bottles anywhere in the bags. They got to be here somewhere, Scootaloo thought frantically as she took off her saddlebags, and began to shake them up and down onto the ground. “What are you looking for Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked as she watched Scootaloo nervously picking through the odds and ends that used to be in her saddlebag. Scootaloo noticeably flinched. The thought occurred to her to tell her friends. But, she quickly shot down the idea. She didn’t want her friends to think she was a freak. “Uhh… nothing…” Scootaloo mumbled with a forced smile. “Just some… stuff…” Scootaloo said through an obviously forced smile. “Stuff?” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom said in unison. “I must have left it at Twilight’s castle,” Scootaloo admitted as she rubbed her mane with a hoof nervously. “Well go get it,” Apple Bloom suggested. “You’re pretty fast, and the pan needs time to get hot anyway,” Sweetie Belle added. “If I go back there, Twilight will have a cow... Besides, It’s not important,” Scootaloo assured her friends. However, even as the words left her lips, she felt the distinctive feeling of heat building up in her chest. It was not a painful feeling, but felt a bit like a lump of hot something had lodged itself in her chest, and needed release. Calm down… it’s probably stress, Scootaloo decided as she took a quick breath in an attempt to cool her nerves and the fire. “Anyway, it’s already been a couple of minutes. It won’t take it long to get warm now. We should pick some toppings now, while we wait,” Scootaloo asserted as she made a point to grab the small jar of sauce, and the bag of cheese she had off of the ground. Thankfully, that distracted the other two fillies for a second as they began to sift through the odds and ends Scootaloo had grabbed from Barnyard bargains on the way to the clubhouse. Scootaloo took another moment to breath. Thankfully, she could feel the growing heat cool. And with the cooling, her mind relaxed a bit. And, as her mind relaxed the fire cooled further till the fire in her chest went out. Finally, the two fillies had picked. Sweetie Belle had picked Blue Cheese, and Apple Bloom had picked some apple slices. Scootaloo had picked out a few odd nuts. “So, what do you girls think about that substitute teacher’s lesson?” Scootaloo asked. Partly out of curiosity… mostly out of curiosity… she wasn’t worried about what her friends would think of her… of course not… “I don’t know what to think,” Apple Bloom admitted in her drawl. “I think he’s wrong. If a dragon loves a pony, how could their relationship be wrong?” Sweetie Belle admitted with a goofy sigh as she imagined one drake finally getting together with his one true love… “I’m more worried about the foal they’d have,” Scootaloo mumbled quietly. She could feel a hint of worry fill her, especially as images from that lesson flew past her mind. “Well.. that was kind of freaky,” Apple Bloom admitted as she rubbed her head nervously with one hoof. “If the foal looked like that, it would be kind of … scary,” Sweetie Belle admitted with a grim look. “But, I mean, love can’t be wrong,” she insisted. “Sure...” Apple Bloom agreed with a nod. “But, he does have a point. Ponies and Dragons are so different. Maybe them having a foal is impossible?” “Maybe… But, you don’t need a foal to have love,” Sweetie Belle finally accepted. “So, do you girls think their foal would be a freak, or not?” Scootaloo asked with a bit more urgency then she meant to show. “If they looked like Mr. Wrangler’s painting… I suppose they would be,” Apple Bloom admitted with a shudder. That would leave her with nightmares for sure. Scootaloo felt her heart drop into her stomach… But, she understood. She’d have nightmares about that too. “Urr.. I bet the pan is hot by now,” Scootaloo sidestepped the conversation as pointed at the cast iron pan on the open fire. “Now, let’s see if it’s hot enough,” Scootaloo said as she reached her hoof out to touch the pan. “No don’t! It’s…” Apple Bloom shouted, only to watch in horror as Scootaloo’s hoof sat down on the hot pan for a moment or two. Her fear turned to amazement when Scootaloo’s hoof did not recoil in pain. “It’s not done yet? It’s barely warm,” Scootaloo grumbled as she pulled her hoof away from the pan. “You’re lucky. That pan is going to be rocket hot in a moment or two,” Apple Bloom groused as she waved a hoof over the pan to feel it’s heat. “Are you messing with me? That pan is plenty hot,” Apple Bloom said in amazement. “Are you burned? Does it hurt?” Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo in concern. “Huh?” Scootaloo gawked. She turned her foreleg so that she could look at her frog. At first inspection, it just looked like the fleshy springing V that sat at the well of her hoof like a finger tip. But, at closer inspection, she could see what happened. There was a protective layer of orange heat proof scales that had formed around her frog, and under her hoof. A layer of scales that were similar to the ones that had formed under patches of her fur. A Layer of freakish fire proof scales. “Uhh… I must have pulled it off too fast,” Scootaloo tried with a forced smile. Sheepishly she looked at her friends. She tried not to fidget as her friends seemed to look at her with a scrutinizing look… Then they just shrugged and moved on. Scootaloo couldn’t help but relax. Now she just had to keep them from thinking too hard. “We should just start the pizza,” Scootaloo assured her friends with a forced smile. “Well… if you’re ok,” Apple Bloom reluctantly conceded. “That was scary,” Sweetie Belle decided with a relieved sigh. --- “Not bad for a first try,” Apple Bloom assured her pouty friends as she loaded some sticks with marshmallows. “But, my slice was all pecans,” Sweetie Belle grumbled as she tried to shake that flavor from her mouth. Carefully the white unicorn used her magic to line up some gram crackers on the small stump outside of the clubhouse. “I’m sorry girls,” Scootaloo apologized as she got the chocolate ready to load on the crackers. She was thankful they were doing the smores now. She needed to get the taste of burned dough, and Blue Cheese out of her mouth. “Well… I got to try the three toppings together. I reckon it will be perfect once we get the toppings on there evenly,” Apple Bloom assured them. Still, at least the fillies couldn’t screw up smores… Or rather, Scootaloo hoped they couldn’t screw that up. She needed the clubhouse sleepover to go right. She just wanted to be normal for a little while. She didn’t want to deal with her growing sub-coat of fireproof scales and how abnormal that was until morning. And, she absolutely didn’t want her friends to know… she didn’t want them to think she was a freak. With that thought, Scootaloo reached out a hoof, and grabbed the long stick with the tantalizing caramelizing marshmallow at the tip. Scootaloo pulled the stick in close so that she could put her muzzle closer to the still lit marshmallow. Quickly she snuffed out the small yellow flames that danced along the surface of her marshmallow. With it no longer burning, she took a hoof and pushed it off onto the cracker. Next she reached out a hoof and grabbed a stick of chocolate. Quickly the chocolate was jammed onto the marshmallow… followed by a piece of cracker. The pegasus then positioned a healthy piece of the treat into her mouth. “Why are you staying with Twilight? It sounds like there’s some kind of secret? What is it?” asked with an odd mix of curiosity, and that sneaky look she got whenever she looked at Rarity’s journal. Scootaloo flinched, and found her hoof shoving the entire smore into her mouth. Panic built in her mind both from the definite choking caused by the treat, but also because of how close that question was to the bit she didn’t want to share. In her panic, Scootaloo tried to swallow the cracker. Unfortunately she could feel it getting wedged into her throat. She could feel her coughing and gagging grow thicker as the angry treat tried to suffocate her. Scootaloo managed a small cough. A little ball of purple fire, about the size of a grape hit the dirt. It continued to glow and burn, despite the lack of wood or grass beneath it. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom barely seemed to notice the small flame as they continued to stare at their choking friend in fear. Scootaloo put up a hoof to tell them to give her a second. Scootaloo allowed herself to cough again, as she tried to dislodge the cracker. Another small tongue of flame hit the dry dirt. Another cough, another flame. Again, and again it exited her muzzle.  Only now did the first flame go out, having burned for a few seconds. However Scootaloo didn’t have time to think about that, as she continued to heave and cough up the rouge food. Thankfully: finally, Scootaloo managed to hack and wheeze a vomit of flames, and the monstrous marshmallow from her throat. “Are you ok?” Scootaloo vaguely heard Apple Bloom ask. Scootaloo couldn’t respond at the moment, as she gasped for the air she’d just lost. However, after a few more coughs and a few wheezes, she was able to look down at the small little campfire of purple flames she’d managed to heave onto the dirt below her. “Scootaloo! What’s that?!” Sweetie Belle asked in a hint of fear. Cautiously the small filly reached a stick out to touch the purple flames. The flame then seemed to ignite the wood with an insatiable hunger. They began to travel up the wood like an angry viper crawled up a tree branch. Scootaloo’s eyes went wide with fear. She raced over, and violently knocked the branch out of Sweetie Belle’s hoof. The small stick then flew a few feet, and landed on the pile of discarded leaves and branches that surrounded the makeshift campsite. The fire hungrily consumed all of the kindling. Now, the girls were fully surrounded by a blazing inferno of purple flames. “No!” Scootaloo whispered as she looked around. Small latent flames licking at her lips in a most hellish sight. Sweetie Belle was the first to see them. She pointed and screamed in horror at the flames dancing around Scootaloo’s lips. Apple Bloom then seemed to notice it as well. Now, both fillies were screaming and dancing in place because of the flaming circle, and their seemingly burning friend. “I… I got to get help!” Scootaloo screamed as she let her pegasus jeans take over. She lept high into the air over the flames, and landed on the other side of the circle. Hastily she grabbed her scooter, and quickly hopped onto it. She then took a direct ride down towards the farmhouse. --- “Well… It’s mighty nice of you to offer to renovate the barn and my sister’s clubhouse. But, I don’t know if I feel good about you doing all that for free,” Applejack said to that new substitute teacher slash sales associate, Mr. Wrangler. Currently the two ponies stood right outside of the apple family barn. She’d been caught off guard to find the stallion standing out there when she’d come back from discussing matters with Twilight Sparkle. “Well, it’s like I explained, Miss Applejack,” Wrangler responded with a big smile. “Helping you will also help me. It’s just simple business -- more or less.” He noticeably winced when Applejack shot him a skeptical look. “That is to say: you have one of the oldest structures in Ponyville. If we do a good renovation to it. Then, it will impress other ponies, and they will in turn seek us out for their renovation needs. You see, my family is always looking for new business. It helps us to get to know ponies, after all,” he explained eagerly. “I suppose I can see that...” Applejack conceded. However, something else caught her intention. It was the thick odder of fire. It smelt of leaves and apple wood, and the pungent smell of burning dirt. “My orchard!” Applejack shouted as she looked around for any indication of what was burning. A small cloud of purple smoke rising up from one of the more secluded areas of the farm answered her question. It was the part of the farm where Apple Bloom and her friends were. “Apple Bloom!” Applejack shouted as she raced ahead, leaving the stallion behind. Her legs moved as fast as they could. And, with the speed of a fine athlete she had already covered the distance between the barn and the clubhouse in less than a couple of minutes. Surprisingly, the larger stallion quickly pulled up behind her. “Applejack!” Apple Bloom added in fear as she and Sweetie Belle continued to stare in horror at the hellish pyre of purple flames dancing in a circle around the cowering fillies. The flames stood about two feet tall, and just loomed over the fillies. While the flames didn’t seem to move, it just seemed like they were waiting for an opportunity to strike. “Don’t worry sis, I’ll get those flames out in a second! I’ll go get some water to put them out,” Applejack assured her sister as she turned to head for the barn. “That won’t work!” Mr. Wrangler told Applejack rather sternly.  “They won’t stop burning till the magic in them exhausts.” Mr. Wrangler chastised her as he reached into his saddle bags, and pulled something out. “Here, my company specializes in this form of fire,” he added as he poured a bit of the vial over each flame. He then began to chant. The flames seemed to noticeably change colors, and began to glow in an almost ominous way. Then, they began to extinguish. Once all the flames were out, Applejack rushed over to hug her sister. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Wrangler. But, I need to get these two home and see if they are ok,” Applejack explained as she pulled Sweetie Belle into a close hug. “Don’t be Miss. Applejack. Tonight has already been a rather successful evening. Far more successful than I could have hoped,” Mr. Wrangler responded through an enigmatic smile. “We can discuss business another time...” --- Scootaloo rode down to the Apple Family barn. She didn’t stop her momentum till she had slammed into the door with her body. Now that her momentum was gone, she began to pound on the door with both hooves. “Applejack! Big Mac! I need help!” Scootaloo shouted in terror. Her pleas were interrupted as she heard the sound of hooves trampling dirt behind her. She looked behind her to see that it was a rather angry looking purple Alicorn. I’m in trouble, Scootaloo realized. Quickly she pushed that thought down. Her friend needed help more. “Help! My friends are trapped at the clubhouse! They’re trapped by flames! The flames won’t go out! Help them!” Scootaloo shouted in panic and horror. “Oh No!” Twilight whispered in horror. “Scootaloo, go inside and have Big Mac take you home. I’ll go out to the clubhouse,” Twilight commanded calmly but firmly. “And yes, you are grounded,” Twilight added rather icily as she focused magic on her horn, and teleported out of view. Scootaloo turned around to ignore that order, and rush back to the clubhouse, however she had no sooner jumped onto the scooter, than a strong pair of teeth grabbed hold of her neck, and hefted her high into the air. It seemed, a big red stallion had heard Twilight’s little lecture, and was currently helping her resolve it. “Nope,” was all the stallion mumbled as he held her firmly between his teeth. It wasn’t painful, but Scootaloo couldn’t seem to struggle or wriggle her neck free from his grip. Finally, she just surrendered and allowed her body to hang loose. It was like that the whole way home. She simply hung defeated from his grip. If her friends weren’t afraid of her freaky dragon breath… they were surely to be afraid of her now. Her flames were dangerous. Worse… She had run out on her friends in their hour of need. She’d left them to burn… Scootaloo hung her head. She really was a freak…. --- Scootaloo flopped onto her new bed in defeat. The sleepover was a disaster. Her friends were probably never going to be able to approach her. Twilight was livid. And, then there was that talk about stalkers and a curse. Scootaloo rolled over to sit on her stomach. She lifted her head to look at the mirror that sat on the nightstand across from her bed. What she saw in the mirror was just a pegasus. A normal looking pegasus. But, she knew it was all a charade. She was a freak. Under her fur was a growing layer of protective scales. In her chest was a deadly flame. She opened her mouth and tried to look at her teeth. It was a ways away, but they looked flat from here, save for her incisors. Everything about her mouth looked normal… But it wasn’t, Her teeth had changed. They could gnaw through diamonds and jewels. It was just another subtle change. Everything would be normal until the magic came undone... Scootaloo winced as the words echoed through her mind. She was changing. How much longer until something else changed? Something more noticeable. Something stranger? Maybe her eyes. Would they be slitted soon? Even if she could hold onto normalcy, what would happen when she hit puberty? What about dragon puberty? Was she going to go through a Molt Down? What would she look like with gem acne? Would it accelerate Mr. Wrangler’s prediction? Maybe she’d just come undone entirely. She’d look like the mangled Mr. Smarty Pants doll? Scootaloo shuddered. What was she going to do? Twilight said I wouldn’t have anything to teach you… “Spike!” Scootaloo exclaimed as the epiphany hit her. He could teach her how to turn off all that weird dragon stuff. Then, she could be normal! It was so simple. How had she not thought of it earlier? Hastily Scootaloo galloped out of the room, her hooves skidding on the crystal floors for just a moment or two. “Spike!” she shouted as she tried to maneuver the still unfamiliar crystal tree. “Spike!” she called again, as she skidded around another corner. It went like that for a few minutes, until finally she found him in the kitchen. The small dragon was slaving over the fireplace, as he stirred a pot full of a white liquid. “Spike,” Scootaloo half shouted as she saw the dragon. “What?” Spike asked as he looked up from the pot to the little pegasus. “Well… I was hoping you could teach me more about being a dragon? Like, how do I turn off my fire breath?” Scootaloo asked with a bit too much gusto. She noticeably winced at how that must have come out. “I did promise… But, why are you asking me this late at night?” Spike mumbled as he went back to stirring the pot. “Why are you up so late?” Scootaloo countered. “Making some warm milk. I’m having trouble sleeping,” Spike admitted as he put a small claw into the pot. “I was having trouble too...” Scootaloo mumbled as she looked down. Quickly she shook her head, and gathered her courage. “But, I really do need your help,” she insisted. “Well… ” Spike mumbled as he tapped his chin with a claw. “Follow me into the dining room, and we can talk about it.” --- Once again, Scootaloo and Spike sat at the dining room table. Spike took a long sip from his mug of warm milk. Meanwhile, Scootaloo just fidgeted with her hooves. “So, What’s going on?” Spike asked carefully. Scootaloo looked down in shame. “I lost control of my flames, and almost burned my friends alive. So, I thought maybe you can teach me how to turn off my fire?” She admitted with a look of shame. “Ouch. That’s happened to me once or twice,” Spike admitted as he gave Scootaloo a sympathetic look. “OK. I think the easiest way to learn how to stop is: to learn how to call it,” Spike explained as he waddled over, and laid a claw on Scootaloo’s withers. “I can’t do that. It just hangs in the air, it cannot be put out!” Scootaloo whimpered. “I bet I could. I’m fireproof after all!” Spike bragged with a small beat of his chest. Scootaloo looked at him with a disbelieving look. “And, if you know how to breath fire, you know what not to do!” Spike proposed. Scootaloo had to think about that. “Then, we can teach you control. With a good technique, you might surprise yourself,” Spike continued. “I suppose,” Scootaloo accepted. Spike’s offer made sense. “OK. First breath in…” Spike started the instruction. Scootaloo followed his instructions dutifully. She took a deep breath “Now, breath out,” Spike instructed. Scootaloo aggressively breathed out till her lungs were empty. She then frowned when she got nothing for her efforts. “Now I can’t do it!” she wheezed.. “I know you can do it. We’re just approaching this wrong,” Spike assured her as he walked over, and gave her a couple of pats on her withers. Spike thought for a moment or two. Finally he spoke again, “What do you feel when you breathe in?” Scootaloo took another breath, and breathed out. “Nothing,” she admitted as she flicked her tail in agitation. “Hmm…” Spike mumbled as he rubbed his chin with a claw. Experimentally he took some breaths, and breathed a little green fire a couple of times. “You should feel a little heat about…” Spike gently poked Scootaloo’s chest. “There.” Scootaloo took a deep breath, and still felt nothing. “It’s not happening,” she grumbled. Spike paced a couple of times. He muttered to himself, and stared at the floor. Finally, his deliberation ended. “What did you feel this evening when you breathed fire?” “I was choking on a marshmallow,” Scootaloo admitted with a blush. “Anything else?” Spike posed. He looked back at her with a little smile, like he thought he was onto something. Scootaloo wasn’t sure what to think about that. Scootaloo paused, and tried to think back. Had she felt something else. A small thought occurred to her. She might have. “Yeah, there was like a warm lump in my chest,” she finally conceded. “That’s what we’re looking for,” Spike offered with a smile. “So, we got to feel that feeling again. Maybe you should try breathing in and out until you feel that again?” Scootaloo followed instructions. It made sense. She could do it! With each breath her excitement built. Finally, she thought she could feel a bit of heat growing in her chest. “I got it!” She shouted in glee. This time when she breathed in and out, she got… Nothing! “I can’t do it! I’m just a freak. Neither pony, nor dragon,” Scootaloo screamed in frustration as she drove a little hoof onto the hard crystal floor. “Hey, you’re not a freak!” Spike said chasitingly. “Besides, I saw smoke. You almost had it.” Scootaloo didn’t seem to hear, or at least register what he had just said. Instead, she continued to look more and more flustered. “But, I need to learn how to control it, right? Otherwise, I’ll just be a monster. I won’t be able to see my friends ever again,” Scootaloo whined with a couple of tears pooling at the corners of her eyes. “You’re not a freak or a monster,” Spike assured her with a comforting voice. “Easy for you to say. You’re a perfectly normal dragon,” Scootaloo hiccuped. “I’m half pony, or did you forget?” Spike sternly pointed out, causing Scootaloo to freeze. The words bounced around in her frustrated mind like an angry bee. “Just because I got more Dragon genes then you, doesn’t make that any less true. It seems to me: either neither of us is a freak, or we both are.” “Sorry,” Scootaloo mumbled as the words slowly sinked in. “Now, you probably don’t see it. But, you are getting close. I guess it’s just going to take you more practice to get it right,” Spike pointed out as he gave Scootaloo a little hug. “Maybe one or two more tries tonight, and then you should go to bed. You need your sleep, little sis.” --- “One more time. I can tell we’re close,” Scootaloo told Spike as she took another deep breath. She then breathed heavily out. Again…. Nothing… It was like her flying. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t fly...  Actually, this was worse. At least her flying she could give up on. This… she had fire breath… she’d seen it, but she couldn’t control when it activated. And, she couldn’t activate it when she wanted to. Scootaloo could feel herself growing light headed from all the holding of her breath. The day was also catching up to her. She hadn’t slept well in over a day and a half. “Maybe we should call it a night. There’s no point in exhausting yourself,” Spike decided with a yawn, and a sigh. “I can do it!” Scootaloo screamed as she took in several raspy breaths. She packed her lungs full of all the air she could, and then breathed it out with great aggression. A small tongue of purple flame slipped out of her mouth, and quickly dissipated into the air. “I got it!” Scootaloo wearily bragged, before she succumbed to an especially strong sense of vertigo, and fell right into Spike’s waiting claws. “Time to go to bed little sister,” Spike whispered as he held the slightly bigger filly against his chest. “Spike!” shouted the voice of Twilight Sparkle as she let herself into the crystal castle. Spike looked at Scootaloo with a look of worry. When the filly continued to breath softly in the throws of sleep, Spike allowed himself to relax. Gently he set her down on the floor, before he let himself out into the hall. Once he had shut the door, he allowed himself to shout. “I’m in the dining room Twilight!” Spike then waited patiently for the clip clop of Twilight’s hooves to reach the dining room. Finally the purple alicorn looked over at him. “What’s up Twilight?” Spike asked. “Is Scootaloo here in the castle?” Twilight asked calmly, but deliberately. Spike nodded. “She’s in the dining room, fast asleep. She said she lost control of her fire tonight, and she wanted me to show her how to control it,” Spike explained. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I think we would be better suppressing it,” Twilight calmly explained, as if such a thing was reasonable or normal. “Twilight, I think this will help her,” Spike stated firmly. “I think you should give her a chance. Like you did for me.” “We can’t. She’s attracting too much attention,” Twilight admitted with an obvious tone of worry in her voice. “Attention?” Spike mumbled in confusion. “Don’t you remember what we discussed earlier today? …nevermind” Twilight sighed. “Let me get Scootaloo to bed.” “Twilight… She’s my sister. I know she can do it,” Spike insisted. Twilight considered that. “After all… if you could teach me, then I know you could teach her,” Spike continued earning a skeptical look from Twilight. “In a way: we’re both your children,” Spike admitted hesitantly. Twilight froze… She hadn’t thought about it that way. Twilight bore a contemplative look as she gently opened the door. Her magic then lifted Scootaloo off the ground, and out the door. She then placed the filly on her back, and trotted back to Scootaloo’s room. Gently she pulled Scootaloo’s sheets aside. She then placed the filly down on the bed, and tucked her in. Once that was done, she gave one final contemplative look. Her mind was abuzz with what Spike had said. Finally, she turned around to head for the door. A small voice interrupted her trot. “Twilight? Are my friends ok?” Scootaloo asked from where she had awakened. “Yes. Applejack said some other pony put out the flames before they even touched your friends. Still, I didn’t want you going out until we’d figure out how to keep something like that from happening,” Twilight gently chastised her as she turned around to look back at Scootaloo. Scootaloo breathed a sigh of relief. She then looked back at Twilight.“Twilight, am I a freak?” she asked with a hint of worry. “No. You’re different. But, you are not a freak,” Twilight insisted as she made a point to look Scootaloo in the eyes. “Then… Why did my mom abandon me and Spike?” Scootaloo asked Twilight pointedly. “She didn’t…” Twilight said with a soft voice as she trotted back to Scootaloo’s bed. “She just couldn’t care for you.” “Why couldn’t she care for us? What happened?” Scootaloo asked as she continued to look pleadingly at Twilight Sparkle. “I’m sorry Scootaloo, I promised princess Celestia I wouldn’t tell you anything about your parents,” Twilight admitted with a hint of regret. “Why? Because of the curse?” Scootaloo surmised. “In a way. I don’t believe that the curses of ponies do anything. But, it does touch on an important point. The more ponies that know about your parents, the more room there is for the information to get out. And the more it gets out, the worse it could make things. If you knew who your parents were, you might say something or acknowledge something that could put you at risk. In this case, it’s best just to let your parents be forgotten,” Twilight admitted with a small frown and a sorrowful look. “Isn’t there anything you can tell me?” Scootaloo asked her with those big pleading eyes that were nearly impossible to ignore. “No, I’m sorry,” Twilight tried to say, but the words died in her mouth. Scootaloo had that begging look on her fact that some fillies gave, that was hard to resist. “Your mother was very sick when you were born,” Twilight explained. “You mean: when she laid my egg,” Scootaloo pointed out, earning a wince from Twilight. “I know about how you hatched Spike’s egg,” Scootaloo added. It had been quite the cutie mark story. “Well, it’s possible…” Twilight started as she tried to salvage the conversation. “But it isn’t, is it?” Scootaloo grumbled. Twilight sighed in defeat. “Listen, your mother cried because she knew she wouldn’t live to see you and Spike hatch or grow up. You see: your mother would have given her life to see you grow up. You are a very special filly, and don’t let anypony else tell you otherwise,” Twilight explained with a look of sadness on her face, but a certain determination in her voice. Twilight sighed a deep breath. “That’s all I can say, sorry. But, maybe you’d like to hear an old lullaby?” she offered with an obviously forced grin. “It’s based on an even older story. Nopony knows who wrote the lullaby. But, I doubt you’ve heard it. Maybe you’d be curious to hear it?” Twilight offered. Scootaloo hung her head. She doubted it would. Still, she was a bit curious. Hesitantly, she gave a little nod. Twilight smiled, and then gave Scootaloo a little pat on the head, and recited the lullaby. Two graves on a hill. Two farmers in their prime. A sad little filly. Clip has no parents upon to rely. The little pegasus cries. Silly Filly. Silly filly. Your parents didn’t want to die. Good art. Bad art. Silly Art. Crayon. Pencil. Paint. Whole or Piecemeal. Clip, why do you steal? You Can’t reach the sky above! Is Nopony on the ground below? Have the villagers no kindness shown? Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You’re parents left you so you wouldn’t be alone. The sky is on fire. The village is a pyre.  A bride to give Sedna foals. To the fire the rest will go. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You can’t beat this foe. Stab. Parry. Thrust. A cry. A Justice Clip cannot fulfill. A flash of bronze. Everything is still. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. Get up! Gather your will! Run! One Month. Two Months. Three. Clip keeps him in her sight. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. Why do you still fight? Eight Months. Nine Months. ten. Platinum  run! For a princess Sedna has come. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. If you go, you can’t change this outcome. A princess without an ally. Nopony left to defy. A Flash. A slash! A Cry! Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You don’t need to die. Clip’s down once more. Sedna has much to answer for.  Rage covers her like a drape. A wall of bronze. A mighty roar. There is no escape. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. Do you now see your true shape? The sky still burns. Magic still churns. Two shapes on the floor lie. Sedna vows, his foals will die.  Clip’s wings will never reach the clouds. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You have made your parents proud. A Whimper. A Sob. A scream. A hiss. A wheeze. Two dim stars. Ten not aglow. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You won’t see them grow. Three graves on a hill. A little filly before her prime. A princess on a hill. Her tears hit the stone. Silly Filly. Silly Filly. You no longer are alone. Scootaloo looked back in confusion. “What was that about?” she asked with a hint of confusion. “The flightless pegasus thief Clip, and how she stopped the villainous unicorn wizard Sedna,” Twilight answered quite calmly and clinically. “No, I mean: that whole thing is kind of vague, and it all happens really fast,” Scootaloo admitted with a small frown. “I didn’t think you’d understand it. It’s a strange old story,” Twilight Sparkle admitted. “Don’t you think it’s kind of depressing?” Scootaloo added. “Yeah, it is,” Twilight Sparkle admitted with a small smile. “But, you have to consider when this was made. It was a darker time. And, the artistic works from the period were darker as well,” Twilight lectured in a soft tone. “The whole story takes place, and was most likely written, only a few years before the Wendigo era, and at the height of the Tribal Feudal era. And, there was a lot of strife and turmoil back then. It was inevitable that that would affect the art of the time,” Twilight continued to lecture. Scootaloo tried to listen, but found it a bit too much to follow, really. “Maybe next time, we could read something I understand. Maybe a Daring Doo book,“ Scootaloo mumbled with a blush. It was embarrassing not understanding stuff. She wasn’t as smart as her friends... Twilight giggled a little, but gave a small nod and a smile. “Still, if you still don’t understand the lullaby by tomorrow and if you’re a good filly and behave yourself, then I can probably get you some books to read about it,” Twilight Sparkle offered. Scootaloo groaned. Still, she got the message: think about it, and go to sleep. She conceded with a nod. “I know you can be a good filly,” Twilight gave her a little smile and a kiss on the forehead, before leaving. Scootaloo looked up in surprise. This was a side of Twilight Sparkle she’d never seen. She couldn’t help but admit it… it was kind of nice.