“Come on, Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash encouraged.
The young filly grunted as she lifted her wings again, which now had three pound weights on each of them. “I’ve already done a hundred of these.”
“So, you can do a hundred and one. Come on, just one more.”
“No,” Scootaloo cried. “I can’t!”
Suddenly Rainbow’s expression turned icy cold. “Get in push-up position.”
Scootaloo blinked. “What?”
“Push-up position. Now.”
Scared, Scootaloo did as she was told, straightening out her back legs and supporting all her weight on her front.
“Ten push-ups. Come on, go! Go! Go!”
Confused and a little scared, Scootaloo obeyed. By the time she finished, her forelegs were feeling heavy, though it was nothing too bad. Rainbow Dash got down to her level and looked her in the eye. “Every time I hear the word ‘can’t’ out of you, it’s ten push-ups. Period. That is the dirtiest word in the Equestrian language, squirt.”
Scootaloo was stunned. She opened her mouth to speak, but wasn’t sure what to say.
The elder mare continued. “It wasn’t that you couldn’t lift your wings again, all that happened was that you hit a limit. Limits only exist to be surpassed. When you hit one, you need to keep going. That’s what separates the champs from the chumps.”
“But… my wings felt like they were going to fall off!”
“So you just do one more. I’ll admit, pushing yourself too far can be just as bad as not pushing yourself enough. Go at it, just don’t kill yourself doing it.”
“How will I know when too far is?”
“You’ll grow to learn it. Until then, promise you won’t do any serious exercise without me or another adult around, okay?”
“I promise,” she mumbled obediently.
“Good. Now, since you had a chance to rest your wings, I think you can do five more now. Come on, let’s see it.”
“But,” the filly started to protest, but her mentor gave her a powerful stare. “Yes, ma’am.”
Luna marched firmly down the halls of Canterlot Castle, not stopping until she came to her sister’s chambers. As she approached the door, however, the two pegasus guards blocked her path.
“Let me through, I must see my sister,” she demanded.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but Princess Celestia requested not to be disturbed, even by you.”
Luna’s horn glowed, and she waited expectantly.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but your sister has made us resistant to that trick.”
“I see,” Luna said plainly.
A few seconds later the doors opened, and Luna trotted in. The door closed after her, and a few seconds later the guards dropped from the ceiling where the Princess of the Night had levitated them to.
“That’s it, I’m putting in that transfer to Manehattan.”
Inside the chambers Celestia looked up from her novel to see her sister marching in angrily. “Luna? How…”
The younger sister just arched an eyebrow, causing Celestia to shake her head in realization. “Honestly, Luna, can’t you respect my alone time? It’s just like when we were fillies…”
“Sister, how can you be reading with what the papers are saying about you?” the purple princess gritted, bring the newspaper she was carrying to attention.
CHANGELING QUEEN STILL AT LARGE. CELESTIA’S LEADERSHIP TO BLAME?
“Honestly, Luna, you pulled me away from Daring Do for this? I've told you, those tabloids aren't real news. You shouldn't worry...”
“Sister, please be serious!” Luna demanded. “Honestly, ponies are trying to stir up trouble, calling for your removal! They are suggesting that ponies should leave the country if you’re still on the throne by the end of the year.”
Celestia scoffed. “Those threats come up every time a noble gets appointed. You always have a dozen or so ponies thinking they know how politics works…”
“Yes, but do you hear what they’re saying about Twilight Sparkle?”
That got Celestia’s attention. “What…”
The Princess of the Sun took the paper and skimmed it over. It wasn’t long until she found the article her sister was referring to.
CELESTIA BRAINWASHING?
Eyewitness reports confirm that, indeed, the Changeling Queen was exposed by Twilight Sparkle, personal protégé to Princess Celestia and sister of Captain Shining Armor. This, of course, raises questions as to why she was not attending her own brother’s wedding during the first ceremony, considering her prominent position as Best Mare in the second.
Now, we have discussed the foalish action of continuing with a high-budget ceremony when there was destruction in the streets, especially when the nobles are proposing a tax increase to cover the damage, but one must wonder the circumstances behind Sparkle’s disappearance, as well as her continued support of Celestia.
It is this reporter’s opinion that Sparkle has undergone a sort of conditioning to make her loyal to…
The paper burst into flames as Celestia’s magic flared up. “What?”
“As I told you sister, ponies have noticed Twilight Sparkle’s absence from the first ceremony. They’ve concluded you forced her to miss it, or didn’t care enough about her absence to postpone the wedding. And her continued loyalty despite this leads the foalish to assume you must have some control over her, or that she is simply a naïve soul you are manipulating.”
Celestia rarely got angry, but these claims were enough to put her in a rage. “How… could they…”
“Twilight Sparkle is being portrayed as your loyal little attack dog. I believe that’s how you put it that night.”
Tears were in Celestia’s eyes. Attacks against herself she could bear. Attacks against her sister she had prepared for… she was a politician, after all. But when her beloved student was dragged into the limelight like this… “And if we tell them the truth… that will make things worse.”
Luna nodded. As bad as things were politically thanks to the changeling invasion, they would undoubtedly get worse if it was discovered that Celestia was warned of it beforehand and ignored it, regardless of how justified the disbelief was.
“It would do little to curb these allegations anyway,” Luna admitted. She shook her head. “Are you sure authorizing the second ceremony was the right thing to do?”
“Positive. By letting things go on as planned, I sent a message that things were back to normal in Canterlot. To cancel it would be acknowledging that the changelings were a true threat. There will be much paranoia spread about the changelings either way; by this method we may curtail a bit of it.”
Luna nodded, sitting in front of her sister. "That still didn't stop these frivolous accusations."
"I've told you before, Luna, those tabloids are nothing but ridiculous claims. They just like to stir up trouble. Yes, there have been ponies calling for me to step down and labeling me a tyrant, but they are always in the minority. The vast majority of my subjects still support me, though they will be antsy for me to do something."
“Still, we best make some progress on finding the Changeling Queen soon. I know you’d be reluctant, but perhaps we should call Captain Armor back in…”
“No,” Celestia said bluntly. “Cadence deserves a honeymoon. That time in those caves is bound to have damaged her, and she cannot return to work like that. Some time away will heal her a bit, then once she’s back some care will be easier.”
Luna huffed. “Well, perhaps we should call in the Bearers…”
“No!” this one was nearly a yell. “I’ve already made Twilight clean up after too many of my mistakes. I will not force this on her beyond a last resort.”
Luna shook her head. “Dear sister, I hope you are not allowing your emotions to judge. This is a delicate situation. Especially considering where the changelings came from.”
Celestia actually groaned at that, massaging her temple with her hoof. “I thought for sure…” she began, the sighed. “I told Twilight that Discord’s not as clever as he likes to think he is, but apparently I’m not so clever either. I thought for sure if he was going to revive them, he would have had them around already. I should have expected he have a plan ready in case he didn’t succeed in breaking the Bearers.”
“Did you tell Twilight Sparkle the truth about them?”
“I did not. I saw no need to make her worry.”
The younger sister gaped. “Surely you jest. The changelings could very well be trying to free their creator.”
“I doubt it,” the elder sister noted. “We had the statue sitting right out in the gardens and it was never touched. No, I believe the Queen acted in her own self-interests, something I’m sure Discord will not appreciate if he is ever freed again.”
“It will not,” Luna said firmly. “We now know how the seal weakens, and can take steps to prevent it.”
Celestia couldn’t help but grin. “There’s that, I suppose. And perhaps the donations to the cleanup effort will help a deal.”
“Contributions?” the dark mare arched an eyebrow.
“Fancypants agreed to cover about a third of the damages, and Jet Set is setting up another charity auction of his own. Hoity Toity pledged ten percent of his commissions for the next month as well. The tax increase may be unnecessary.”
“I suppose that will be progress,” Luna nodded. “Still, is there anything we can do to stop these articles? Such disrespect undermines our crown.”
“I told you before, times have changed. At any rate, blocking such stories will only give them credibility. Now, is there anything else you came in here for?”
Luna kicked a hoof, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I suppose I simply wanted to talk out my frustrations. The things they say about you, about Twilight Sparkle…”
“Best get used to it,” Celestia sighed. “And don’t worry. There’s always some stories in the paper, and they inevitably fade away. We simply most continue on, and hopefully without any further hiccups.”
Scootaloo gulped down her milkshake, eager to cool off after a hard day of training. Unfortunately, she ended up trading heat for brain freeze, and had to rub her forehead a bit.
Rainbow Dash just grinned. “Drink up, squirt, you earned it.”
She grinned as her headache subsided and took another sip. “Can we train again tomorrow?” she asked eagerly.
Rainbow Dash leaned back a bit, looking out at Celestia’s sun setting on the horizon. The outdoor café looked good at dusk. “No can do, squirt. I’ve got to get back to work. We have a big storm we need to set up, and I’m going to be busy all day.”
“Oh,” Scootaloo said sadly.
“Besides, you should probably rest a day anyway. It was your first real workout, I wouldn’t want you straining anything.”
“Yeah, I guess,” the filly grumbled.
Rainbow Dash took a sip of her own milkshake before speaking. “Hey, kid? Listen, is… everything okay with you?”
Scootaloo used all her willpower to keep from tensing up. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, is there anything else bothering you? Anything at all?”
“No, nothing. I’m fine, really.” Scootaloo smiled. It looked a little forced.
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash answered, though she didn’t sound entirely convinced. “But if something does happen, you’d tell me, right?”
“Of course!” Scootaloo nodded.
Rainbow Dash gave a smile, then looked away from her. She stared into the distance for a few moments. “How did you get so good on that scooter anyway?” she asked, making conversation.
Scootaloo gave a shrug. “I figured if I couldn’t go fast in the air, going fast on the ground was the next best thing.”
“What about all those tricks?” the elder mare asked.
“I just started wondering if I could do certain things, and I kept trying them until I did it.”
“Good answer,” Rainbow Dash said, and she meant it. “You need to have that attitude. It’ll get you places.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that you keep going until you get it. As long as you’re not hurting anypony, you can do anything.”
“…That sounds so corny,” Scootaloo giggled.
Rainbow Dash shook her head sadly. “I know, and it’s a shame, because it’s true. The only difference between a loser and a champion is that the loser quits.”
“Does everything you say sound so cliché?”
Rainbow Dash shot her student a glare, but it quickly turned to a playful grin. She wrapped a foreleg around her neck and gave her a playful noogie. “You’re already getting sarcastic, kid. I’m rubbing off on ya.”
Scootaloo giggled at her idol’s playfulness and tried to push her off. No such luck. “Aw, come on…”
“To answer your question, yeah, a lot of what I’m going to teach you sounds cliché,” she released her hold. “But they got cliché because they’re true. Come on, kid, you should know better than to doubt me.”
“Alright,” Scootaloo grinned.
Rainbow Dash gulped down the last of her shake. “Well, kiddo, it’s getting late. Hate to leave ya like this, but I’ve got to get home. You want me to give you a lift?”
“No, thanks,” the filly answered, a little too quickly. “I have my scooter, remember?”
“Well, alright. I’ll see you around, pipsqueak.” Rainbow Dash took one last look at her student, and then took off to the sky, leaving her alone at the table.
Scootaloo took her last gulp. “Anything, huh?”
After thinking for a moment, she rose from the table, It would be night soon, and she still had one final stop to make that night.
Twilight’s quill scribbled furiously to jot down the information she had found. She had finally managed to find the procedures she needed, and could actually have something to show Rainbow Dash tomorrow. She considered going over to her home and hoof delivering it to her that very night, but decided against it. There was still no way of knowing if this was a legitimate emergency or a false alarm, and if the cyan mare had discovered something urgent she would have already dropped by.
She gave a small and tired smile at her find, patting Smartypants on the head. Even with Spike in his current state and potential problems with Scootaloo, this day at least had a silver lining. Her study buddy was back, and as juvenile as it was to think so, she couldn’t help but feel her research skills had improved by it sitting on the desk.
Dipping the quill back into ink, she continued writing. Constantly. The words kept coming. She focused on them. Anything to stop her from thinking of…
…Oh hay.
She sighed. Spike entered her mind again, much to her sadness and frustration. She tried to think logically. There was nothing she could do about that now, she had to push that out of her mind, had to focus on the matter in front of her, had to…
“Twilight?”
The purple unicorn jumped in surprise. She turned quickly, lighting up her horn in panic, only to stop when she saw who it was. “Scootaloo?”
The orange filly winced. “Sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“That’s alright,” the older mare grinned sheepishly, “I’ve just… been on edge since the wedding.”
Scootaloo bit her lip as if she had something she wanted to say, but was hesitant to do so. Twilight decided she was moving into uncomfortable areas and tried changing the subject. “So, what brings you to the library this late at night?”
“Well, I know it’s closing time and everything, but I was wondering… do you have a copy of the first Daring Do book?
A half an hour later Scootaloo was laying on her bed with the library’s copy of Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. Not Twilight’s personal copy, which she was reluctant to lend to a filly, but the copy belonging to the city.
As she turned the page, she heard movement outside her bedroom door. Frightened, she hid the book under her pillow just as Speedy Delivery came through the door.
He looked at her daughter sternly for a moment before speaking. “What did you do today?”
The same question every night. She had a prepared answer. “I mostly just rode my scooter around. Apple Bloom and Sweetie were busy today, so…”
He nodded. “And you still didn’t come back home. Good girl, glad to see you can follow instructions.”
“Yes Daddy,” Scootaloo answered routinely.
“I know it’s hard,” he said in a reassuring manner, walking over to his daughter and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “But our work is important, and we can’t have you goofing around here while we do our special work.”
“I understand.”
“I know you do. Don’t worry, soon it’ll be all over, and things are going to get good for us. I’m going to succeed where so many ponies have failed. You want me to succeed, don’t you?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. Now, what do you say?”
“I love you, Daddy.”
Speedy Delivery grinned. “I know you do.”