//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: Idols // Story: The Wackiness of Unofficial Life // by edward18 //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Idols Against the black vacuum the symbol gave off a red hue. Its dynamic M-shape bled across the cosmos like a trickle of blood leaking from a violent wound. One that threatened the very fabric of reality itself. The mark of a monster leeching off of that which all else was made of. Silently it drifted. How far it'd traveled was not what mattered, nor was that which it passed. What mattered was that it existed. Its very appearance signified the threat it heralded. That without which a very pivotal balance would become undone. And that which could doom all else if the opposing force were to falter as well. After what could have been an eternity the object finally stopped. It hadn't just hit the surface that it'd collided with. It'd traveled there. It had a purpose to land where it had. Within moments that meteor that the symbol had touched illuminated from glowing red lines that slithered across it from where it'd been impacted. Once the light had died down the symbol lost its own becoming now just a signature on the outer surface of the astral entity. After another low glow, the meteorite began drifting on a new course. Towards the direction where the symbol had come from. --- "Oh my oh my oh my!" Rarity flung the dresses about in every which direction. Though Twilight's words had calmed her down when she and Spike had assisted her, that did nothing to stop the unavoidable panic that continually flowed through her every vein. As she did any time that someone of any importance whatsoever graced her with their presence, Rarity practically fainted from the anxiety she placed on herself to impress others. "It just has to be perfect!" she repeated for about the fiftyith time. "Hey Rarity, I'm gonn-" "Sweetie Belle stay right there! I need your help!" Rarity ordered. Her younger sister blinked and shook her head viciously. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Sweetie Belle asked slowly. "I need your help! Now just hold on!" Rarity said again. Sweetie Belle's jaw nearly hit the floor before snapping back up into a huge grin. Rarity had asked for her help! She NEVER wanted her help with anything! At best she would usually send all manners of sewing materials and mannequins flying about the room in her attempts to get some yarn or something to get on Rarity's good side. "Alright so what do I-yipe!" Sweetie Belle yelped as her sister literally picked her up and put her on a stand. At first the filly was a bit confused as to just what her sister was doing, but it soon became obvious and her expression began to glower a bit. Sweetie Belle agonizingly tried to shift herself into more comfortable positions with the clothing that Rarity drenched her in. Pins and needles poked at her skin once each dress was on her. "Hold still Sweetie Belle!" Rarity pleaded continuing to make her adjustments to the outfits she forced onto her sibling, "These need to be pinned at just the right areas!" Sweetie Belle clenched back the annoyance that built from the mild injuries and tweaks that she was being inflicted with. When she'd agreed to give her sister a hoof she certainly hadn't meant being a model and just standing around. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was doing nothing that involved moving. Her eye bulged with the next needle that hit her and prepared for the worst. It was going to be a long day. --- "Alright troops, this is how you do it!" Rainbow Dash announced. With unparalleled speed, the winged blue pony zoomed across the sky and towards a swarm of clouds. The other pegasi gasped at the velocity at which Rainbow Dash was approaching the clouds. And then she was gone, but only for a split second. In an instant she had blasted out the other side with a trail of lightning following her from the shattering mass of condensed water. While the cloud split off into mere particles of its previous form, Rainbow Dash whizzed around leading the conduit of electricity into various patterns in the sky. After about a minute or so the athlete twirled around in a little tornado and broke off from the path she was heading leaving the bolts of lightning to sail high into the clouds above. The others that had been watching looked on in amazement at the crashing thunder that ensued. Finally a light rain began once the sounds had dissipated and sprinkled down upon the charged particles that the electricity had left spelling out the word "Rainbow Dash" in the sky. "And that is what I'd like to call-" "Showing off?" one of the other pegasi suggested. Rainbow Dash's brows lowered a bit which gave a pretty comical effect with the rain that drenched her hair flat against her face. "Either way," the egotistical pegasus continued, "THAT is how you start up a storm!" The ones that weren't either gossiping about the proud attitude of the demonstrator or taking notes clapped their hooves together. Well, almost everyone. For on the ground below came hoots and hollers praising the idol. "Ah, at least someone respects my eff...orts?..." Rainbow Dash's voice dropped upon spotting her admirer and gave an exasperated huff. "Woo! Yeah you show em how its down Rainbow Dash! You kick ass!" Scootaloo cried amidst the civilians that were trickling into their dwellings to take shelter from the rain that now swept across Ponyville. "Ugh...what are you doing here pipsqueak?" Rainbow Dash groaned, "Don't you have your little Crumbly Marge Crib to hang out with or something?" "My what?" a nearby young colt asked. "N-not you Pip," Rainbow Dash smacked her forehead, "I meant Scootaloo here." "Oh I just heard that you were showing the other pegasi how to make storms and stuff today so I just had to come see! I mean who could miss out on Rainbow Dash, greatest pony of the skies, performing such a feat?" Scootaloo gushed at her hero. Rainbow Dash had to rub her knuckles proudly across her chest in admittance that she wholeheartedly agreed with all the compliments that her number one fangirl gave. Remembering who was giving the shouts of joy though, Rainbow Dash's expression sunk again and she lowered her head to her admirer's level. "Well it's not that I don't enjoy the praise or nothing," she told her before pressing her face up against her's, "But knock it off." Scootaloo blinked and tilted her head. The command swirled about in her head as if trying to find a futile way to get into her brain. The words just simply did not register to her. This was her hero. Surely she would never shun her worship. "Oh Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo giggled, "you'd do good as a comedian as well as an athlete!" "I'm serious squirt," Rainbow Dash poked against the filly's chest causing her to fall over, "Knock it off." The stern demeanor soon dropped from the older pony's face upon seeing a more depressed look cross the smaller one's however. "Look, it's not that I don't like you or nothin..." Rainbow Dash told her, "it's just...you get annoying you know? And it's sorta embarrassing whenever you're the one shouting out my name and drawing all the attention to us..." In her mind infinite spasms were rocking across the filly's world. The words were finally making themselves known to Scootaloo's consciousness. Their meanings were actually penetrating the facade of her fangirling. "Oh..." she said slowly, "o...okay...sorry...but what if I just yell your name ten times an-" Rainbow Dash's sudden flattened face gave her the answer she needed. With a small chuckle Scootaloo backed away and broke into a speedy run to get out of sight of the more menacing figure of her idol leaving Rainbow Dash alone in the rain that poured down. --- "And then I tell her "you get annoying" and she makes this sad face for some reason," Rainbow Dash put a hoof up from the perch she'd slouched into on the balcony of Twilight's library, "I mean what's up with that? You'd think her cat died or something with how she looked." Twilight gave a look of disbelief to Spike who just shook his head. "You should know by now how she talks to others," he rolled his eyes. Rainbow Dash's eyes lifted in confusion. "You guys talk to Scootaloo?" she asked. Spike rubbed the space between his eyes and decided that some sort of chore needed tending to. With Spike gone, Twilight nervously laughed a few times. "Um...no offense Rainbow Dash, but um...you don't really consider others' feelings that well," Twilight told her. Now it was the pegasus' turn to laugh. "Oh Twilight," she chuckled, "I always think about others. Do you think I don't know how much they want to worship me as their new savior and whatnot all the time?" Twilight's eyelids lowered with a sigh. Spike was right to evacuate when he did. Unfortunately one of them had to stay to reason with the sudden waterlogged visitor. "What I mean is that you...don't seem to exactly realize how your words might...hurt others sometimes..." Twilight specified. Rainbow Dash fluttered her eyes a bit trying to wrap her head around just what it was that the unicorn was talking about. "You know...like how when Rarity made those dresses for us...we were all making excuses trying to cheer her up and you just flat-out agreed that she was a laughing stock..." "Well she was!" Rainbow Dash stated. Twilight clenched her eyes shut for a bit. She didn't think she'd ever met a pony as thickheaded as Rainbow Dash was when one tried to explain something to her...other than maybe Pinkie Pie, but she was more just...out of it than anything else. With Rainbow Dash her pride overpowered anything else. "I just don't think you realize how much that could hurt other ponies all the time, especially someone that looks up to you like Scootaloo..." "Well Celestia help Applejack if she ever needs to bend the truth," Rainbow Dash muttered. Twilight knew it wasn't that Rainbow Dash had problems covering things up or twisting the facts. No, she was a natural at that when she needed to be. Her flat-out disregard for others in certain situations was the problem. "I'm just saying that maybe you might wanna say sorry to Scootaloo," Twilight suggested. Immediately Rainbow Dash's eyes shot completely open and she let out a shrill set of laughs and giggles to which Twilight mumbled something incoherent. Eventually the voice died down and Rainbow glanced at Twilight. "...you serious?..." Slowly Twilight approached her friend. "I just think that maybe you might have hurt Scootaloo's feelings..." "Eh, what do you know? That little filly'll take anything for me. And besides, it might do her some good to lay off me. I got dozens of other fans after all. No problem replacing her. And if I'm wrong may I be struck by lightning!" Daring fate, Rainbow Dash floated off the balcony and put her hands on her hips staring up into the raining clouds above. To add even more antagonization she wiggled her butt at them as well. "She?" she declared, "Nothin! Now, if you don't mind I'm gonna go see who all I can impress with my rain techniques!" And with that she was gone. "I thought she'd never leave," Spike thankfully said as he came up behind Twilight and held a cookie jar up to her, "Ya want one?" "Nah," Twilight politely declined provoking the dragon to dig ever further into the mass of sugary delights, "I just hope Rainbow Dash eventually realizes how much a "hero" can hurt a fan..." "Feh," Spike scoffed, "She's lucky to even have one to begin with." In the distance they saw the sky light up from a bolt of lightning. --- "And then she said "You get annoying"..." Scootaloo sighed. After making her way back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' club house she'd sat down on the window frame and hung her leg out of it. Needless to say she was still trying to fully comprehend just how the conversation with Rainbow Dash had gone earlier that day. She could never say such a thing about her...could she? Rainbow Dash had to have been joking. "Well...have you ever thought that maybe you is sorta...too much?..." Apple Bloom suggested wincing in expectation at what the response might be. Scootaloo's brows furrowed. "What do ya mean?" she asked taking a sip of her Rainbow Dash-shaped cup, "How could I be too much? I'm her biggest fan! Her number one supporter! Why without me she probably wouldn't have half the confidence she does!" Scootaloo laughed heartily in reminiscence of how high of a position Rainbow Dash must have held her. "Why one might even think you're jealous of how she views me!" Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Yeah, cause I totally have someone telling me to shut up." Almost immediately the filly regretted what she'd retorted with. In the blink of an eye Scootaloo's boastful and thick-headed happy demeanor shifted to that of a puppy that'd just been kicked for a reason that it didn't quite know. "Aw hey now, don't be like that...you could...oh I know, you could worship my sister!" Apple Bloom's grin stretched from ear to ear with hopefulness. "Right," Scootaloo practically spat, "As if she could ever even consider making the Wonderbolts." Now Apple Bloom's face was the one that lost its shine. "Oh you don't think my sister could pass up those washout of showoffs!" she growled. "The Wonderbolts are the greatest fliers of Equestria!" Scootaloo yelled, "Well other than maybe Rainbow Dash of-" "They get nearly killed every time Rarity comes within a few feet of them!" Apple Bloom reminded. "Who wouldn't welcome that as an alternative around her!" Scootaloo hissed. The two ponies leapt at each other and pressed their faces together, their eyes locked in death glares and their teeth clenched. Suddenly they were broken from their match by the slamming of their clubhouse door. There stood Sweetie Belle with a frown that would put either of the other two to shame. Nervously Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gave each other a worried stare. Had the late member of the group overheard their argument?... "H-hi Sweetie Belle..." Scootaloo was the first to greet. "Y-yeah, hi..." Apple Bloom bit her lower lip, "H-how are you doin'?..." Sweetie Belle eyed the yellow filly without once shifting an ounce of her expression and blinked to switch her view to the orange one. Both of them wore the most innocent smiles they could muster. She could care less what kind of prank they were up to though. "Oh, I'm just swell," Sweetie Belle muttered turning to the side to reveal her body. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gasped. Her normally white form was riddled with all sorts of red spots! Obviously not in the best of spirits, the unicorn passed the earth pony and the pegasus, both of them staring at the dots as she passed. "That...is the worst tattoo job I've ever seen," Scootaloo told her. "Yeah, and besides, it won't count as a real Cutie Mark anyhow," Apple Bloom added. Sweetie Belle's frown only dipped more. "This was my sister's way of "having me help" for once," she muttered. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cringed. Had the pegasus been right about her comment of the Rarity earlier? "I mean I hang around all the time just wanting to do something nice for her, something that Rarity will actually acknowledge that I had a hoof in fixing up and I end up stuck as a simple model getting stuck by pins and needles as she folds her stupid little dresses!" Sweetie Belle spun around with a twitching eye causing both of her friends to jump, "And you know the best part? In the end she didn't even need me anymore! She just started crazily throwing random crap together in a panic!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hadn't realized they'd backed up and begun huddling in a corner from the rage that shot out of their more elegant companion. With the fuming out of her system though, Sweetie Belle sighed and laid her head down on the window frame Scootaloo had been resting on, "I just wanna help out..." Just then an idea lit up in Apple Bloom's head. "Maybe not you...but maybe WE can," she proposed wrapping her forearms around the necks of the others and bringing them together, "Scootaloo, this could show you that you can look up to ponies other than just Rainbow Dash and actually get some recognition out of it. Sweetie, alone you might not be able to get a word in edgewise with fussy ol' Rarity there, but with the three of us we can force our help on her! What do ya say?..." For a spell Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rubbed their chins and gave a grin at each other. "Cutie Mark Crusader Dress Rescuers! YAY!" --- Clangs echoed throughout the Carousel Boutique. If it hadn't been raining so hard the sounds might have perpetrated into other buildings around it. Opal Essence didn't know whether to be afraid or intrigued at the actions of the berserk unicorn that owned the clothing structure. From where the cat had taken shelter it could see the shadow of the pony slamming a hammer viciously against something on a slab beneath it, each impact causing one of the clangs. After what seemed like hours, the shillouette dropped the tool and held the object that it'd been beating up. Seeming satisfied, the shadow wobbled over to a rounded object and dropped the material in. A loud hiss shot forth from the cauldron's cooling process. "This is it..." Rarity cackled slowly, "The ultimate material for the ultimate outfits...with this new element I've invented the costumes will become anything the wearer wants! And if they want it a size larger all they have to do is add a drop of water!...I'm a genius...they'll have to love it now...they must! I'll be the greatest fashion designer in all of Equestria!" Opal Essence shuddered from the loud roll of thunder that clapped applauding her owner's sanity with the bolt of lightning that also struck contrasting her image even more against the wall. The cat would be lying if it didn't admit that it was a bit more frightened than normal. Before the self-praising could continue however the front door suddenly flung open causing Opal to leap high into the air from the slam that shot forth from it impacting the wall. Needless to say it'd quieted Rarity at least. "Alright Rarity we are here to help!" Sweetie Belle declared. Her sister gave a rather nervous laugh. "Oh Sweetie Belle, I'm pleased to announce that that will not be necessary," she told the Cutie Mark Crusaders. To drive the point home she reached into the cauldron that'd been cooling her material from earlier and held it up proudly. "Introducing," Rarity walked over to a stand and draped it over it, "My latest design! It can become whatever the owner wants it to!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders stared at the simple blank outfit for a few seconds and then at the raggly-maned Rarity and then back at the outfit again. "Yeah, we're helping," Scootaloo informed. "But girls I just-" "Aw look at you, you've worked yourself into a mess," Sweetie Belle worried and began pushing her sister towards a nearby door, "Don't worry, you just groom yourself back to your old self. We'll take care of everything here!" "But Sweetie I-" "We got it under control!" Apple Bloom assured shoving the older pony all the way through the door and locking it. Relieved that they had the obviously mentally unstable owner out of the way, the Cutie Mark Crusaders turned their attention back to the subject at hoof. The dress. The plain bland inconceivably unimpressive dress that Rarity had spent her time working on. Scootaloo wondered when Rarity's mind had gotten lost. "Alright girls, what do we have to work with?" Apple Bloom asked. Hastily the fillies ran around the room picking up anything they could find. In no time they'd accumulated a rather healthy pile of glitter, frabic, sewing utensils, jewels, and all odds and ends of art supplies. Even quicker they'd gotten to work on assembling what could only be described as a sin against whatever fashion god existed. At least that's how it seemed to Opal who had decided to take shelter in the nearest dwelling she could find now that her insane owner was gone. Happy to be away from the nightmares that infested the Boutique, the cat slunk into the dress that Rarity had set up. She was surprised at how nice and warm and cozy it was considering that it'd been cooling in the nearby cauldron just moments before. Now the animal just wish it had a strand of yarn to play with. Opal's eyes soon widened at the seemingly living strand that did in fact seem to pop out of the dress's interior. With a grin the feline made a swipe. This was the life. Now it just wished that the entire dress was made of the strands. As if on cue with the cat's mentality, literally thousands of strands erupted drowning the animal in happy swipes and swift slashes. "Alright I think it's just about-" "I told you I didn't need any more help!" Rarity yelled finally throwing open the door she'd been locked behind , "And if you fillies ever dare lock me in-dear lord! What is that!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders also gave their own gasps at the now wriggling mass that had been Rarity's dress. Worm-like clothy structures were swirling all over it! One reached out and threw a basket of spools at the opposing wall. "I should never have played god!" Rarity yelped as she dove for the ground to avoid a flying sewing machine. "Don't worry!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "We got this!" "What do you mean we got this?!" Scootaloo asked, "The thing's throwing fucking mannequins!" "Well, everything has a weakness. And what causes dresses to wrinkle and get heavy and stuff?" Sweetie Belle asked. All eyes drifted to the front door. Rain was still pouring outside. "No..." Rarity said slowly, "Girls stop!" But her shout was in vain. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were already at the dress and wrestling it off the stand. Opal fought furiously inside to counteract all the shifts that the outfit was now undergoing. Before Rarity could grab any of them, the fillies had yanked the living costume off and tossed it out of the Carousel Boutique. With a soaking splat it landed on the ground outside and collapsed in a heap. Victoriously the fillies hopped in the air and hit their hooves together. And then a rumble rippled across the land. The fillies stared at the dress. "Oh no..." Rarity bit her lip. --- "Tank! Hey Tank! Where are ya dude?" Rainbow Dash called. Her flight was jittered a bit by a sudden sneeze. After the little pit-stop to dry off at Twilight's the pegasus had thought that it'd be a smooth ride home where she could just kick back and play video games the rest of the day. To her surprise though her ever-loyal pet was nowhere to be found. In retrospect it was a bit stupid to spend so much time away from her castle in the sky after starting a storm considering how much the little guy loved water due to being a tortoise and all that. Tank was sure to have traveled down to the land to play in his element. "Oh come on dude, I'm not gonna stay out here forever," Rainbow Dash complained more to herself than anypony else. But her search was over. Upon finishing the plea a low gurgle noise sounded from above her. There was Tank staring down at her from his flying contraption. "Least leave a note or something the next time ya head out like that," she gave a weak smile and floated up to his level, "Race ya home!" Tank was already off into the clouds. Rainbow Dash was feeling a bit generous and decided to give him a head start. She herself however wouldn't be following. Even though she was flying, Rainbow Dash could feel the very atmosphere tremble from what was rocking the ground below. "What...the...hell?..." she rubbed her eyes. She had seen the landscape correctly. Something was covering it in all sorts of wriggling tentacles of shirt-sleeves. At least that's what it looked like. Completely confused, the pegasus decided to inspect the material and flew in for a closer look. Before she could react numerous appendages shot out and constricted around her limbs and body. "WHOA!" Rainbow Dash cried. Viciously she tried to fly back but the force was too great. She was being dragged in! "Get off me you clothy pieces of crap!" she cursed against the pulls. No matter how much she flapped her wings she just kept sinking deeper and deeper! In mere seconds she could feel her hooves touch the now fabric landscape...and sink into it! "Come on! Give me...a...break!..." Rainbow Dash struggled. --- "What do we do!" Sweetie Belle squeezed her sister tightly. Rarity looked around hesitantly. Though they'd managed to climb to the roof of the Carousel Boutique, she and the fillies were now trapped! The outfit she'd designed had literally flooded throughout all of Ponyville wrapping around any building it could...and probably was still spreading! "Well, it's just cloth. Can't we go and just walk across it?" Apple Bloom suggested. "With those things?" Scootaloo pointed to the slithering tendrils sprouting forth from the surface. Apple Bloom had to admit, they did send shivers down her spine. "Oh this would have never happened if it'd stayed out of the rain," Rarity pouted, "now my career will plummet!...unless my new invention kills me first of course." "We're gonna die?" Sweetie Belle's grip tightened. "Well duh we're gonna die," Scootaloo's eyelids lowered, "This ain't no disney crap. I mean haven't you seen how Transformers Prime is? This is the Hub!" Rarity gave a sigh at the shameless self-advertisement. "No deary...we're not gonna die..." she tried to assure her sister as well as herself. Meanwhile the other two were looking out across the land. The more time they wasted the more the cloth enveloped Equestria. "Maybe if I can swim against-" Scootaloo answered Apple Bloom's thought by tossing a nearby manequinn head onto the cloth. After a second or two it sunk. But it wasn't a wasted effort. Scootaloo did get an idea from it. "If I can get enough platforms I can hop across to the other roofs..." she muttered. She and Apple Bloom turned and began gathering what materials they could. It took a few minutes but enventually they had a sizable pile together. "Are you sure about this?..." Apple Bloom gulped as she looked over the edge of the Boutique again, "I mean it'll be like those disappearing blocks in Mega Man..." "Relax," Scootaloo told her giving her wings a flap, "I got these remember? Even if I can't fly yet they'll give me some boosting effort. Now then, lemme just take this and this and this...and that should be enough platforms to get to the house over there." "But how'll you get off that roof?" Apple Bloom asked. "Eh, I'll just go into that house and take stuff from there to use," Scootaloo shrugged propping herself up on the ledge, "wish me luck!" "What is she-" "LEEROY JENKINS!" Scootaloo's cry turned Rarity's inquisition into a shriek causing her and Sweetie Belle to join Apple Bloom at the edge. Just before Scootaloo hit she threw out a purse. With just the right twisting she landed with both hind hooves on it. But there was no time to revel in the victory, she needed to keep going. Being sure to stay as calm as possible the filly managed to platform her way across the other roof earning a cheer from her peers. Rarity on the other hand didn't see the point. Now she'd simply put herself in even more danger with no one to help her. Though determined to stick to the plan, something caught Scootaloo's ear. A voice. A familiar voice. "HELP!" Rainbow Dash cried. Without a second thought the fangirl rushed over to the other side of the foreign roof and looked down. There was her hero flailing helplessly amidst the tangling mass of sleeves! "Come on! Somepony! I need a hoof here! Please! I don't wanna-" "Hold on Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo's response immediately earned a surprised look from her idol. Of all the times she got fed up with the filly's constant worship, now really wasn't the time for it. "Here!" the younger pegasus bent down on her belly and reached out, "Grab on!" Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. She wasn't gushing over her heroics. She was trying to help her! Rainbow Dash had already been swept past at least five houses already with ponies in them, each too afraid to give any aide. Yet here was Scootaloo. "I can't hold my arm out forever!" the filly told her as a bolt of lightning struck in the distance. Remembering what all was going on, Rainbow Dash strained against the clothing to reach for her hoof. It was a challenge to say the least. Every last fiber of her being had to exert itself to even lift out of the mass of webbing. "Almost...there!..." Rainbow Dash grunted, her arm vibrating under the strain of the coils. With anticipation building, Scootaloo risked a crawl closer. Their hooves finally touched with another bolt of lightning. The relief of the sensation didn't last as long as they'd have liked. Even as Scootaloo pulled, Rainbow Dash wouldn't budge...in fact...it was pulling her down with the older pony! "Scootaloo you have to let go of me!" Rainbow Dash warned. "No way!" she yelled back, "If I do you'll-" "If you don't you'll go down with me!" Rainbow Dash told her. Scootaloo's clenched eyes tightened even more with each tug she gave. "I...am not...letting...go!" To Rainbow Dash's amazement she actually did feel herself lift a bit...no...not just a bit...a lot! She couldn't believe her eyes. "S...squirt...you're...flying!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Immediately Scootaloo's eyes shot open and looked back. Her wings really were levitating herself into the sky! But with the realization came a more calming attitude allowing Rainbow Dash to snap back down a bit. "Dude! Don't stop!" she ordered. With more concentration than she'd ever given it in her life, Scootaloo made her wings flap. "Atta girl! Just keep doing it long enough for my wings...to...there!" With the strands strained against the length they were now reaching for Rainbow Dash it was simple to move her own wings around enough to loosen the grip and wave the rest off. She was free! Eagerly she wrapped her arms around the rather faint Scootaloo and drifted them both back down to the roof. The filly was out of breath from the whole experience. "I-I was flying..." she panted. Rainbow Dash just smiled and ruffled her hair. "Really am lucky to have a fan like you," she told her receiving a hug in return, "And you'd better be happy no one's around to see this or I'd have to push you off the roof...now, can you tell me what all's going on?" "Rare...Rarity made this clothing that makes whatever the wearer wants to morph it into happen...and water makes it grow..." Scootaloo explained. Rainbow Dash lifted a brow and set her down on the floor of the roof. "Water makes it grow eh?" she repeated, "Wonder how it'd react to a little malfunction in the weather then...stay here squirt. I got clouds to take care of!" Scootaloo simply stared up at the sky as the rainbow streak zoomed into the clouds. In no time they'd been whirled away to give way to the sun...and were brought back again with an even more violent storm! For minutes the weather changed every couple of seconds until finally a hiss was heard. Gathering what little energy she had left, Scootaloo crawled to the edge and looked over. The tentacles were withering up and expanding seeming not to know what to do to counteract the constant shifts in the environment. Finally the clothing gave up and began to shrink back to the normal plain outfit that it had been before the whole ordeal had transpired. Triumphantly Rainbow Dash landed next to her fan and watched with her as Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle ventured out to the costume. With her eyes spinning, Opal Essence staggered out of the remains and collapsed to the ground in front of them causing them to laugh. "Now you know why I am the best," Rainbow Dash complimented herself, "Damn I love Sonic Adventure 2."