//------------------------------// // Counsel in the Clouds // Story: Sisterly Love // by Lux //------------------------------// Chapter 4 – Counsel in the Clouds The orange filly proceeded down the streets of Ponyville as slow as a funeral march. Around her, ponies were moving like a colorful choreographed dance. Some ponies were wandering from one place to another. Others were relatively still and conversing in small groups. No matter what they were doing, the one thing these ponies had in common was that all appeared happy. Their happiness made Scootaloo even sadder, making her heart yearn to share their joy. Part of her wanted some pony, any pony to recognize her and ask her if she was ok. She knew that they couldn’t help fix her problem, but at least in was a gesture that they cared. Yet another side of her wanted nothing more than to be left alone, as perhaps peace and quiet was what she needed to take her mind off the problem. She didn’t know what or who would help her with the weight of sadness. “Scootalloo,” a familiar voice suddenly broke through her thoughts. At first she thought she was imagining it. “Hey Sctootaloo,” the voice said again. This time the filly knew she wasn’t dreaming. She knew a pony was calling to her but she didn’t know from where. The filly stopped and looked about the street to see if a pony was trying to get her attention. Finding none, she stood perplexed. “Hi,” the voice said that now sounded very close to her. Scootaloo turned and there standing next to her was Rainbow Dash. The filly let out a little shriek of fright at the sudden appearance of her friend. “Oops, sorry for scaring you,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly, “so what’s up?” “Nothing,” Scootaloo said. “Nothing? From the looks of things, something big happened to you, and it doesn’t look like it was fun.” The filly looked like she wanted to tell Rainbow Dash something, yet whatever it was the orange Pegasus was somehow unwilling to tell. Then the rainbow manned pony got an idea. “How about we take this conversation somewhere private,” she said, hoping it was the answer. “Sure,” Scootaloo replied thankful that her friend had taken the hint. “Ok, hang on,” Rainbow Dash said as she wrapped her legs around the filly and lifted her into the air. Scootaloo liked when Rainbow Dash gave her an air lift. It was the closest thing the filly could get to actually flying. The filly watched as the scene of the town became smaller by the second as the two ponies ascended through the sky. Finally the rainbow manned pony floated over to a nearby cloud big enough for the two ponies to stand safely and gently set the filly down. Scootaloo lay down on the cloud, enjoying how soft it felt on her body. It was like she was lying on an extra soft pillow. “Wow, Rainbow Dash. I guess I can understand why you like resting on clouds.” “Yep, there’s nothing like it. So what’s going on with you?” Scootaloo told Rainbow Dash what happened: what Diamond Tiara said and how she reacted to it. When she was finished, the rainbow manned mare could only stare at the filly, trying to comprehend what she had just heard. “Wow, she really called you that?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo replied. Rainbow Dash had heard this story before about how Scootaloo and her Crusader friends were being pestered by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, but it appeared to the mare that it was getting worse each time Scootaloo told her what happened. “What’s this Diamond Tiara’s problem anyway?” “I don’t know. She likes picking on me and my friends because we haven’t found our cutie marks yet.” “Doesn’t this bully know that it’s not just about getting a mark but it’s what you do with your talent?” “I guess not,” the filly said. “Well, she shouldn’t have bullied you like but on the same hoof you shouldn’t be so quick to fight since it makes you like her. And I’m sure you don’t want to be like her.” “Yeah, I know. It’s just she gets me so mad you know, especially talking about my wings. I mean, it’s bad enough that I know that my wings are tiny and I can’t fly with them, but to have a pony tease me about them? I don’t care if she bullies me about not having my cutie mark, because I know that if… when my wings grow I’ll get my mark soon after since it’ll probably be about flying. But it hurts to be made fun of when you can’t fix something about you.” Rainbow Dash could see the look of frustration and sadness on the filly’s face. It wasn’t just due to diamond’s relentless bullying that caused such a depression. It was also Scootaloo dreaming to do more with her life but being held back by her own body’s limits. “Have you told your parents about this,” the mare asked. Scootaloo didn’t like telling her mentor and friend a lie, but she couldn’t tell the grim truth about her life, not to her friends or Rainbow Dash. “They… told me not to worry. They said that they’ll get tired and move on to other ponies.” On instinct, the rainbow Pegasus wrapped her wing around the filly. “Hey, don’t worry about those two. They’re just upset about not being as cool as you. As for your wings, well, look at me. I could barely fly when I was your age! Bullies used to tease me all the time until I did that awesome Sonic Rainboom!” Rainbow Dash noticed that her heroic tales was doing nothing to help soften Scootaloo’s mood. Quickly she decided to change her approach. “Hey, I know you’re hurting,” the mare said softly, “but you know something? You got some great qualities: protecting and comforting you friends, being kind to everypony, and always willing to help a pony out when needed. Those qualities are really going to come in handy in the future. Don’t worry about your wings. You’ll be growing into them any day now. Who knows, you might wake up and your wings will be full grown! You know something else? I’ve met many ponies in my life, but you’re one of the coolest, and I know that you’re going to be doing some amazing things in your life. Most importantly, know that your friends love you. And I love you too kid. You’re great to hang out with and you remind me of when I was a filly.” “Thanks Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said giving her friend a hug, “You’re the best! And I love you too as a friend.” “Sure thing, kid! Now how about I get you back to Ponyville and we’ll grab a bite to eat. I’m starving!” “Ok,” Scootaloo said as Rainbow Dash picked her up and floated her down to the town. She was beaming with the fact that no matter what happened in life, she had her friends and she had Rainbow Dash to support her.