The restaurant was finally back to its normal busy hustle when the scene in the entryway came to a close. The manager was just beginning to ask Scootaloo about her circumstances in Manehatten when Swiftwing and Soaring Sky approached from the kitchen.
“Why Mr. Brue, such a breach in etiquette, for shame.” Sky’s voice rang out across the entryway as her and Swift walked past Dawn. Swift stopped to give her a pat on her head and let her climb on his back.
“Miss Sky would you please refrain from your petty jokes so that I can have one small moment of sanity?” He let out a sigh as they all approached and formed a half-circle. “And what did I tell you about calling me mister?”
“Nah that would be too easy. And what did I tell you about calling me miss?” She teased as she gave Scootaloo a hug.
“But I’m your boss and it would serve you well to heed my words.” He said as he smiled and shook Swift’s hoof.
“Yes but I make your food, and it would serve you well not to bite the hoof that feeds you” She laughed as she finally got around to greeting her with a loose hug.
“Duly noted. But back to the matter at hoof, I was just asking this young filly about her living arrangements here in Manehatten. I assume you know her?”
Dawn poked her head over Swift’s with some anger still present in her tone. “She’s the bestest of best friends ever, of course we know her!” Scootaloo couldn’t help but blush and paw at the floor with an idle hoof.
“Yes we do know her, and she can stay with me until we find a more suitable home.” Sky said as she smiled at the two wide-eyed fillies bouncing with excitement.
“Wow really?” Dawn shouted as she jumped from Swift’s back and ran to stand next to Scootaloo, both staring starry eyed at Sky.
She laughed while walking over to Scootaloo to tousle her mane. “Of course, it would be rude of me not to share what I have with those who don’t have. Anyways Mr. Brue I’m going to talk with you later about your harsh dealings with my daughter, but for now I have two hungry fillies to feed. Come along girls we don’t want our dinner to get cold.”
After a synchronized jump and brohoof, the two followed after the older pegasi. Dawn knew Scootaloo wouldn’t approve, but she couldn’t help sticking her tongue out at the greeter as they walked past.
Soaring Sky led them through the large restaurant, holding her head high as they walked passed all the staring and silent unicorns and earth ponies. Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel nervous: she was used to being neglected, not the center of so much angered attention. Swift just smiled and said hi to everypony they passed, seemingly oblivious to the growing tension in the room.
After what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at their table in one of the small, empty dining rooms branching off from the courtyard. To Scootaloo’s surprise the table was already set and had warm food waiting for them. Sky directed each of them to their seats before sitting across from Scootaloo.
"I wasn't sure what you liked Scootaloo, so I hope you like it." She just nodded and smiled, too hungry to care what it tasted like so long as it was edible. Scootaloo looked around and waited till the others started eating before she looked to her own food. She wasn't sure what kind of fancy pasta was on her plate, but one thing she knew for sure: if it tasted half as good as it smelled, she would have a full stomach before she was done.
They passed the hour eating and sharing laughs. Scootaloo was given the biggest eater medal, having devoured three full servings of the amazing pasta before slowing down. Swift however took the medal of best storyteller, recalling the time when he and Sky buttered the bathroom floor of the post office before a team of pegasi got back from a long trip and embarrassed themselves.
When they finally got a hold on their laughing at Swift’s crazy antics, Sky knew she needed to ask a serious question. While nothing had caused her to distrust Scootaloo, she wasn’t about to let a stranger stay the night in her home with her daughter, and needed to be sure she wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. She didn’t really want to suddenly change the mood from such mirth to serious thought, she knew it was for the best. At some point during all the storytelling, Scootaloo had switched seats with Dawn and was now sitting next to Sky, which she was grateful for.
“Hey Swift, tell Dawn about that time we buttered the starting line of that hoof race!” He glanced at Sky before giving a knowing smile and returning his attention to Dawn. “Hey Scootaloo, can I ask you a serious question?” Her whisper getting Scootaloo’s undivided attention, and with a nod she scooted closer. “What is it you want most in life? What do you want more than anything else?”
Sky was surprised at how quiet the filly got, sitting still in contemplation before finally nonchalantly answering. “Same thing everyone else wants: love.”
Swift’s ear flicked when he heard her answer and immediately turned to look at her, tilting his head to the side out of curiosity. Dawn, who was still sprawled out over the table laughing, also became curious about the silence that overtook the table, and wondered what Scootaloo said to get the adult’s so shocked.
Scootaloo grew shy and lowered her head, worried she said something wrong. “I mean… at least that’s what I want. That’s why I’ve always tried so hard, so I can prove to everyone that they’re wrong. And one day I’m gonna be as awesome as Rainbow Dash!” She let out a sigh as she realized she lost them there. Although Rainbow Dash was well known in Ponyville and was the most awesome pegasus ever, she wasn’t a famous Wonderbolt yet.
“Rainbow Dash, why does that name sound familiar…” They all turned to Swift, his face scrunched up in thought. “Oh that’s right, she’s the mare from Ponyville that wanted to race me. So you know her?” Sky and Dawn suddenly grew even more curious, not just because Scootaloo knew such a pony, but that anyone would even challenge Swift to begin with.
“Well I’ve only actually talked to her twice…” Her smile faded for a second before her excitement came back twofold. “But she’s the fastest pegasus in Equestria, and one day she’s gonna join the Wonderbolts!”
Swift found the fillies ecstatic attitude to be contagious, and ended up standing while holding a proud hoof to his chest and a goofy grin on his muzzle. “Well she’ll have to beat me first!” Swift and Sky both knew that wasn’t true, but Scootaloo had never heard of Swift’s fame. When it came to sheer speed not even the Wonderbolts were his equal, and had yet to lose a wing race throughout his career in competitive flying.
“Yeah right, good luck to em’ they’ll need it.” They all looked up from their conversation to see the owner of the hoarse voice. Sky immediately groaned and let her head drop to the table like a rock when she recognized the approaching stallion. Scootaloo couldn’t help but force herself into Sky’s lap and embrace, never taking her eyes off the giant lumbering pegasus clumsily stumbling towards them.
The massive black stallion was nearly the size of Celestia, with the biggest wings Scootaloo had ever seen. He had a sleek silver mane with an offsetting streak of electric yellow. Before he even got close to the table Scootaloo could smell the familiar tinge of alcohol on his breath, one of the many things Scootaloo knew her dad enjoyed far too much.
Sky looked at Swift with pleading eyes. “Why can’t I just have one day of peace, just one day!” Dawn looked back and forth between them, having no idea what she meant.
“Oh come on you guys know you’re glad to see me.” The bumbling pegasus rested a forehoof on Swift’s shoulder, nearly crushing him because of the size difference. “Besides where are your manners, aren’t you gonna introduce me?”
Swift let out a sigh and turned to the fillies. “Dawn, Scootaloo, this is Stratoflight: the biggest show off in Equestria.”
“And don’t forget lousiest drunk this side of Canterlot.” Sky whispered and rolled her eyes. “What do you want Strat, we were actually trying to enjoy our dinner.”
“What, can’t two friends catch up on old times without being interrupted? Geez Swift, your friends these days. Oh and who is this filly, another one of your fans?” Strat walked over to Sky and looked at Scootaloo, his foul breath almost causing them to gag.
“My name’s Scootaloo, and there’s no way I’d be a fan of anypony except Rainbow Dash!” She crossed her fore hooves over her chest and closed her eyes, looking away indignantly.
Swift met her pose with a chuckle and a poke to her ticklish side. “Now don’t go jumping to conclusions; he may seem like a bum, but Strat is no slacker when it comes to his work ethic. After all we are talking about the highest flying pegasus in the history books here.”
Sky groaned and rested her head on the table. “Please don’t feed his ever-growing ego, he really doesn’t need any help with that.” She was still thinking about the answer Scootaloo gave to her question, and she really didn’t want to hear his boasting.
“Hey it’s not my fault I’m so cool. Oh wait never mind I guess it is. That’s right kid you’re looking at the only pony to breach the Thermosphere. Let me tell ya not much beats dancing in the night sky with the Western Aurora Lights.” Scootaloo stared at the black pegasus with her jaw open, thinking about how he just became 120% cooler. She didn’t remember much about the atmosphere from school, but she remembered the Western Aurora Lights were thought to be an illusion until somepony flew up to them and got a first-hoof account of their existence.
“Of course ya gotta hold your breath when ya get up that high because there isn’t a lot of air up there. See most ponies can’t even get half as high as me cause I got such big wings.” He stepped back and flared his massive wings which made the room seem much smaller than before. “Most pegasi can barely reach the stratosphere, but I could do that when I was about your age. I can fly really far without much effort too, but I wouldn’t even dream of beating Swift in a race.”
“Well that does kinda come with him being Equestria’s flight speed record holder.” Sky deadpanned, still swimming in her own thoughts. Scootaloo couldn’t believe what she was hearing. First she finds out Soaring Sky is one of the best chefs in Equestria, then she meets this Stratoflight guy who is the highest flying pegasus in history, and now she happens to find out Swiftwing just so happens to be the fastest pegasus ever. And they’re all at the same table with her! What’s next, is princess Celestia gonna show up too?
Oh you’ve got to be kidding.
Mr. Brue rushed in, covered in nervous sweat. “Miss Sky! Miss Sky! Pr-Princess Celestia will be arriving soon and she requested to meet you personally! She specifically said she wanted you to cook her dinner!” Sky picked her head up, forced from her thoughts as a massive grin forced brought back to exciting reality.
Swift chuckled and patted her on the back. “Well I guess that’s our cue head chef, it’s getting late anyways. I’ll show these two lovely fillies home while you entertain your latest guest of honor.”
Sky was normally calm and collected, but she couldn’t help squealing like a school filly on her first date as she rushed out of the room. She’d served plenty of celebrities and nobles before, but she was just specially requested by the princess herself!
Dawn looked at Swift with her best puppy dog eyes as her lips quivered. “Aww but I want to meet the princess too…”
He smiled and slipped under her so she was riding his back. “I know but maybe next time, your mom has business she needs to do after all, and you little filly need to get some sleep.” Scootaloo hadn’t really noticed till he said that, but she felt exhausted from the long day. “Besides you’ll get to meet her when you get accepted into her School for Gifted Unicorns right?”
“Yeah maybe if they’d reply to my letters.” Swift meant to cheer her up, but her dejected tone told him she just felt worse. It wasn’t that she wasn’t good enough to get in, her magical abilities even outmatched most adult unicorns. But to them she was just one of the thousands of unicorns who wanted acceptance, so her letters were easily overlooked.
Swift led the way, followed by Scootaloo and an abnormally quickly sobering Strat. They left the small room and walked through the courtyard, bowing to the princess as she approached from the entryway. Sky was predictably already standing next to the table reserved for the royalty alongside a few members of Celestia’s entourage. They began walking again after Celestia was seated, but Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice a lavender unicorn sitting next to the princess that didn’t move an inch when she walked in. She wondered how a pony could be so focused on reading a book that they didn’t even notice the princess walk in the room and sit next to them.
The group exited the restaurant and felt a cool breeze on their faces. The dark streets were mostly empty save a few lovebirds that were at romantic dinners or late night movies. They barely made it a block before Dawn broke the silence with a voice so full of excitement it reminded Scootaloo of a crazy pink mare back in Ponyville.
“Oh my gosh did you see her? She’s so awesome!” She jumped from Swift’s back and started walking between him and Scootaloo.
Swift couldn’t resist teasing her anxious behavior a little. “We bowed to her of course we saw her.” He couldn’t tell if he was more surprised or amused at Dawn’s sudden face hoof, but he laughed regardless.
“Not the princess you ditz, though that was pretty cool too. I was talking about Twilight Sparkle the unicorn sitting next to her!”
This time it was Scootaloo’s turn to poke fun at Dawn. “You mean that egghead that didn’t even notice the princess walk in the room?”
“Yeah she’s… wait no! She’s not an egghead she’s just smart! Besides since she’s the princess’ personal student I’m sure she’s probably just gotten used to being around her.”
Scootaloo gave her friend a pat on the head while she giggled at her frustration. “Relax I was just messing with you. But anyways what makes this Twilight Sparkle so awesome?”
“You mean besides her being the only personal student of the princess? Well she was the youngest unicorn to get accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and she was the youngest to graduate too. Not to mention she’s the first pony since Starswirl the Bearded to have her special talent be magic itself!” Dawn jumped in excitement at that last part, clearly having made this mare her role model.
“Wow yeah I guess that’s pretty amazing.” Scootaloo couldn’t understand half of what Dawn just said, but she could relate to having somepony so awesome to look up to. Ever since the first time she saw Rainbow Dash do her Wonderbolt tryout routine, she became her biggest fan and wanted to spend as much time with her as she could.
Dawn began a long winded rant about how awesome Twilight was and all the feats she had accomplished. Swift smiled at Scootaloo’s misfortune, having been on the receiving end of numerous similar rants. However Strat, or rather the lack of Strat in their conversation, quickly drew Swift’s attention from the fillies. He slowed a little to match the pace of the somber stallion, a look of concern on his muzzle.
“Hey buddy are you okay? You’re a lot quieter than usual.” His voice a low whisper so not to alert the two cheery fillies.
“Heh, is it really that rare for me to think before I speak? Actually don’t answer that I’m sure I already know your answer. I don’t suppose you’re going to leave me alone till I tell you?” Scootaloo and Dawn jumped a little when he spoke, having nearly forgot the silent stallion was even behind them.
“Nope I’m sticking by your side until I fix whatever’s bothering you.” Swift smiled and pushed on Strat’s shoulder, which felt like trying to push a brick wall.
“Well I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think this is something you can just smile and slap a Band-Aid on it and call it better.” His cold voice cut to Swift’s heart as the two stopped walking. He hung his head and closed his eyes, a small tear landing on the thirsty ground.
Swift quickly sat by his side and hung a hoof over his shoulder. He spoke with the softness of a caring mother, catching the attention of both fillies and causing them to stop and turn to see the two in the tight hug. “You’re thinking about Thunder Sky and Night Light aren’t you?” Even in the dim light Swift could see more tears roll down Strat’s charcoal muzzle.
“It’s not fair… It’s just… it’s so hard without them.” He spoke between quiet sobs as Scootaloo and Dawn slowly approached and sat beside the mourning pair.
“I know, that accident was hard on everypony-“
“It wasn’t an accident!” Strat pushed away from the group and yelled, his eyes red from the stream of tears. “That bloodthirsty dragon went to Cloudspire fully intent on causing that massacre! He killed them all, not a single pony made it out of there alive and I wasn’t there to stop him! Do you know what it feels like to lose the love of your life and your daughter in the same day? To have your entire world fall apart knowing there’s nothing you can do to stop it? No, of course not, because you’ve never had a family to lose. So don’t stand there and-“
Shock. The only way to describe the expression of three ponies as they stood in the dark empty street. The sound of Scootaloo’s stomp echoed through the street as she withdrew her hoof from the deep imprint she left in the tree alongside the road. She glared daggers at Strat before she stomped over to him and intimidated him as best as she could considering the drastic size difference.
“Now you listen here, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but you have no right to talk to your friend like that! You’re right none of us know what you’re going through, but we still want to help! I know you’re not a mean pony, so I’m sticking by you till you feel better, no matter how hard you try to push me away.” Her loud commanding voice slowly changing to a comforting whisper as she gave him a tight hug.
Swift and Dawn sweeped to their sides and turned it into a group hug, each uttering their own words of encouragement. Strat melted into the trio, nearly crushing them with his weight. He let out a quiet thanks as he held them in his massive wings. None of them knew or cared how long they sat like that’s, they all just sat in silence until Strat pulled away from the group with a smile. “Thanks for that, I really needed it. Anyways I gotta get going and I’m sure you three have had about enough out of this day that you wanted. Catch ya later Swift!”
With a few flaps of his massive wings he shot into the sky, leaving behind an awestruck audience of two fillies. Swift was staring at where Strat was standing before his sudden takeoff, but the nearby yawns woke him from his reverie. “Come here you two, time to get you to bed.” Dawn hopped on his back while he held Scootaloo in his hooves. He flared his wings and took off slowly, carefully monitoring his wing motions so he wouldn’t wake up the already sleeping Dawn on his back. Even though he didn’t get more than twenty feet off the ground, he could feel Scootaloo come to life with excitement.
They quickly reached Sky’s residence in a quiet, isolated neighborhood on the outskirts of town. Swift gently set Scootaloo down before lifting the “Welcome” mat to get the house key. Swift went in first, still trying to not disturb his sleeping passenger. He motioned Scootaloo to follow him upstairs to the guest bedroom. The first thing she noticed was that the inside of the house was just as simple as the outside, not what most would expect from Equestria’s top chef. There was a large couch with a table and lamp in living room, and a couple pictures adorning the walls. She could see the dining room and kitchen and noticed that while scarcely decorated, they both very well furnished with cooking tools and appliances.
She waited at the top of the stairs while Swift tucked Dawn into bed. He closed the door behind him as he walked back into the hallway. After showing Scootaloo her room next to Dawn’s, he stepped back into the hall with a yawn.
“The bathroom is across the hall, and I’ll be downstairs if you need me. Don’t bother waiting for Sky, no telling when she’ll be back.” He chuckled and waved goodnight as he closed the door.
Scootaloo looked from wall to wall, taking note the nice furnishings in the room. There was a big antique dresser with a mirror, a writing desk with an oil lamp, and a clean bed that looked like it was made of clouds. She decided to take a quick shower before hopping into such a neatly made bed, so she quietly crept back into the hallway. She found the bathroom where Swift pointed, and after fifteen minutes of warm bliss she carefully slid into her bed.
She figured that with as soft her bed was she would fall asleep in minutes. But after an hour of tossing and turning, she was still wide awake. Eventually she came to the conclusion that her bed was just too comfortable for her to sleep on. After years of sleeping on an ancient rock hard mattress, she just couldn’t stop thinking about how nice this bed felt long enough for her to actually fall asleep. With a disgruntled groan she got back out of bed and quietly walked back downstairs. Swift was sleeping on the huge couch, barely taking up half of the behemoth. His light snoring caused her to giggle, but she quickly covered her mouth hoping she didn’t already wake him up.
“Well that couch doesn’t look too comfortable, I hope he won’t mind.” She whispered to herself as she gingerly climbed onto the other end of the couch. The cool air felt relaxing, and she soon found herself curled up sleeping next to the goofy stallion.
*** ***
“What a day.” Sky moaned to herself as she walked in the front door. When she saw Scootaloo her mind reeled to a stop due to a cuteness overload. The orange filly was curled up on Swift’s chest with a big smile on her face, while in his sleep Swift wrapped a wing around her. Sky felt like her heart exploded twice before she finally regained movement in her limbs. She walked over to a closet and a got a blanket for the two.
After tucking them in she whispered goodnight and kissed Scootaloo’s forehead. She walked up the stairs with a renewed smile. “You were right Swift. All the filly has to do is smile and she’ll melt your heart. I only pray to Celestia that we can give her the kindness she deserves.”