//------------------------------// // 19 To Be Bearers of Bad News // Story: What's Really the Most Important? // by KrishnaKarnak //------------------------------// Rainbow's eyes were assaulted by the sun's rays as the street outside of Twilight Sparkle's tree house flooded back into view. Swearing under her breath, Dash squinted hard to purge the blotches from her eyes. “Is... is anypony as scared as I am...?” Fluttershy said after a moment of silent, shuffling her wings nervously. “Y'all could say that, sugarcube...” Applejack nodded, approaching the fence lining the road and climbing atop it to sit. “So...” Pinkie said, thrusting her head into the sky. “You guys think The Shadow is out there? I think it's out there. I hope it's not out there, but I think it is!” “Hopefully that thing has returned to the East!” Rarity said, tossing her mane. “The farther away we are from that monstrosity, the happier a pony I'll be!” “You DO realize we're going to fight it anyways, right?” Dash asked, rubbing her eyes more aggressively, blinking the last vestiges of blurriness from her vision. “How else are we gonna rescue Soarin's brother?” “Exactly.” Twilight nodded. “I'm going to go inside to do some research on Saddle Arabia. Anyone want to join me?” “That sounds really... fascinating! Yeah, no.” Dash said, folding her arms and leaning against the fence next to Applejack. “That's actually a great idea!” Rarity said, beaming. “We could see what their history on spas are. I hear the sizzling and scorching desert sun can utterly destroy a unicorn's skin!” “I wanna come too!” Pinkie said, bouncing along to follow Twilight into the house. “Maybe the desert has WATERPARKS?! That's a cool way to keep cool in the sun! A desert must be FILLED with cooling cool WATERPARKS!” “The more I hear Pinkie Pie speak, the more I think we're going to absolutely bite it out there...” Dash sighed, not really sure where her rudeness was coming from. Perhaps this was affecting her far more than she realized. “What a total mess this is going to be. Sorry ladies, but not even my swagger is gonna win this...” Fluttershy flew over to sit next to Applejack, who was holding her hat in her hooves, staring at it. “Y'all think this will be more dangerous than King Sombra, or more powerful than Discord?” AJ asked, shaking her head. “Exactly how strong are the Wonderbolts? I mean, what kinda muscles is The Shadow supposed t' be packin' to buck 'em off to the potato farm?!” “The Wonderbolts are like an elite team of mercenaries!” Rainbow Dash explained. “Not everything done at the Wonderbolts Academy is flight training, AJ. They can all whoop themselves a few chumps in a fight. That's why Celestia contracted them, I guess. They've got brains, too. I've been told Fleetfoot is an awesome strategist, and both Blaze and Rapidfire can command their teams in battle to overcome any random jerks... at least as far as training exercises can go, anyway...” “The Shadow and the Saddrabian military almost destroyed them, though...” Fluttershy reminded them, looking worried. The three of them fell into silence. Rainbow held a hoof to her eyes, gazing up into the sky. The enemy was described as a moving shadow or dark cloud, but there was no blemish on the horizon. Spreading her wings, she took off straight into the sky to get a better view. The skies over the countryside and around the mountain supporting Canterlot looked quite clear. “I hope we can pull this off. It would be a terrible tragedy if they lost their teammate...” Applejack said in a strained voice as Rainbow Dash landed back on the ground. “I can't imagine how Soarin must be feelin' right now...” “He's tougher than he looks, but Soarin is incredibly close to his brother.” Dash said simply, flopping back against the fence and putting her face in her hooves. “I don't like seeing him suffer... so, I guess we can't freaking lose!” “This may seem mighty inappropriate to ask... 'specially given the present circumstances, but are you going out with Soarin now? At least he has y'all by his side to give him moral support, Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said, giving her a gentle tap on the arm. “No...” Dash said, shaking her head. “We agreed to slow things down a notch after the night of the airshow... I mean, we don't mind kissing and junk! We ain't kids, we can make out, but we're hardly, y'know, a 'couple'... eh...” Dash trailed off, pushing off of the fence with her wings. “Doesn't matter to me, though! He's in my life right now and you can be daaaamn sure I'll be there in his! Be it here or in that desert!” “I think you two are great for each other!” Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Especially now, you're both very strong and confident. We'll beat the bad guys with you two on our side...” “I hope so, Flutters...” Rainbow spoke in a stronger voice. “Uh... what's the time, girls? We should probably go grab Rarity, AJ. School must be getting out soon. I need... I need to see Scootaloo right now. Preeetty badly.” Applejack slapped her hat back on, gazing up in the direction of the sun. “Yeah, I'd reckon it's about that time...” She looked back down, giving Rainbow Dash a smile. “If y'all are worried about dyin' to this shadow, don't be ridiculous! We got this in the barrel!” “Yeah, I guess!” Rainbow said, feeling a little more animated. “No point in really being worried, huh? We are pretty awesome, and we have been through some WILD things!” Rainbow flexed her wings confidently and strolled off in the direction of Twilight's door. “But I still wanna see my little filly, though!” Applejack laughed. “Well, duh!” Within five minutes, Rainbow Dash found herself walking along with Rarity and Applejack. Despite the warmth of the day and their brashness in believing that this threat could be one they were destined to conquer, Dash still felt a chill running down her spine occasionally. 'Make peace with your loved ones.' These words from Luna had been echoing in Rainbow's brain ever since they had arrived back on the earth. It was one thing to be confident in themselves, but when Princess Luna herself was considering the possibility that not all would go well, the level of the danger looked insurmountable. “Rainbow Dash! SIS!” Came a small and cheerful voice, almost bursting with joy. Dash had barely noticed they were already at the school. It appeared that classes had only just ended, as students were still pouring out of the building. Rainbow's heart rose into her throat as the little orange pegasus ran to greet her, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom just behind her. Dash sat down on her flank and held her arms out, allowing Scootaloo to jump into them. “I missed you today, kiddo!” Dash beamed, giving Scootaloo a rapid series of kisses to the cheek. “Dashie's so happy to see you!” “Uh, yeah... kinda hard not to notice with all these GROSS KISSES!” Scootaloo giggled. She made no attempt to get away, however. “I missed you too, I suppose!” “Rarity, I got my grades back!” Sweetie cheered, jumping up and down and throwing her head up proudly. “Do explain how well you did, little sister! All A's, I am sure! Passed with an array of flying colours!” Rarity said pretentiously. “Wiiith distinction!” Sweetie said, polishing her hoof on her chest. “Just wait until I tell Mummy and Daddy!” Rarity beamed. “Their children are just the most intelligent and beautiful things in creation!” “Get yer heads out of the clouds!”Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, turning to grin at Applejack. “Me n' Applejack don't go paradin' our egos for all of Ponyville to see!” “Only 'cause we don't need to!” Applejack laughed, ruffling Apple Bloom's hair. “Didja do well?” “Yup! Me n' Scoots were in the top three of the year! Sweetie Belle was the top 'cause she's a nerd!” Bloom laughed, reaching over to Scootaloo to hoof bump her. “That's a funny way of saying 'she's the best', Bloom!” Sweetie said, fluffing her curly hair much like her elder sister. “Yeah, yeah!” Rainbow chipped in with an amused voice, aiming to bring the boasting to an end, but failing miserably. “Me and Scoots are the best sister pair here, so no point tooting your OWN horns! Remember racing to Winsome Falls on that camping trip? That's what I thought!” Applejack and Rarity rolled their eyes, but started to laugh anyway. “I'm so proud of how well ya did, Scootaloo!” Dash continued, hugging Scoot tightly. “But I wanna grab a quick word with Cheerilee, alright? Be right back!” Dash released the filly from the hug and jumped into the air, flying quickly over the ponies, students and parents alike, to the steps of the schoolhouse. She found Cheerilee in the main classroom as before. The mare was dusting around the desks, humming pleasantly to herself. “Hey!” Rainbow spoke to announce her presence. “Oh! Good afternoon, Rainbow Dash!” Cheerilee said, looking up at her. “You're on time? I'm surprised!” Dash rolled her eyes. “I hate ya sometimes, Cheerilee! That'll never stop being a thing.” Cheerilee grinned at her. “You know I can't take you seriously, Rainbow Dash.” Dash gave a laugh. “I suppose not! Anyways, I wanted to ask how how Scootaloo has been this week. Since it was the last day and all...” “She's been doing very well. I saw no worrisome behaviour. Scootaloo seemed to be a little on edge as they were studying for the end of year tests, but it seemed to be just common nerves experienced by any student when it comes to examinations.” Cheerilee explained, straightening out a few of the desks. “I'll be teaching the second grade class next semester, so I'll have her again if you'd like me to continue keeping an eye on her mood.” “That's great news! The Crusaders are pretty fond of you, so being their teacher again in the fall should make Scoots very happy! And yes, please keep me informed on how she's doing!” “It's my pleasure, Rainbow Dash! Speaking of the Crusaders, any hair-brained schemes lately?” Cheerilee asked. “The last thing I heard was about the clubhouse incident, but that was nearly three months ago now.” “Just their usual silly stunts! Broken bones, screaming, that sort of thing!” Dash said, smiling. “They're actually pretty overdue to do something that'll probably end with one of them in the hospital or something horrifying like that. Any day now, I suppose...” Dash trailed off. She wanted to move the discussion back to Scootaloo's anxiety. Rainbow trusted Cheerilee enough to mention The Shadow and how she would need to tell Scoot. However, Dash did not want to admit that she herself was scared. The very idea that there was a risk to Rainbow's life was not something she wanted to ponder. It was made a million times worse in her eyes whenever she remembered that it would result in Scootaloo being orphaned once more. “... something on your mind, Dash?” The teacher spoke up, noticing that Dash was just standing in place. “Oh!” Dash said in surprise, snapping back to reality. “I... yes, actually. There is...” Just like when Cheerilee had told her about Scootaloo acting anxious, Dash sat down on top of one of the desks. “I'll be brief, since I don't want to keep them all waiting...” Rainbow Dash quickly explained about the situation in Saddle Arabia and how the wielders of the Elements would be teaming up with the Wonderbolts to fight it. She excluded details such as Princess Luna, however. Cheerilee just sat there listening, a concerned expression on her face growing to a look of great trepidation by the time Rainbow had finished. “So...” Dash concluded. “I'm worried that telling Scootaloo is going to knock her anxiety into overdrive!” “I understand why you're scared, Rainbow Dash, but not telling Scootaloo something this important will do her a disservice...” Cheerilee said after a short pause, looking Dash full in the face. “Besides, how are you going to explain the fact that you are eventually going to have to leave for the Eastern continent?” “You've got a point...” Rainbow sighed, staring at her own hooves. “If you explain all of this to her with your normal... well, forgive me for this little bit of startling truth! If you explain this all to her with your normal arrogance, I believe the blow will be softened. If she believes that you are not afraid, I believe her faith in her mother will be strong enough to allow her to simply cheer you on, rather than fall into anxious concern.” Cheerilee explained, smiling kindly. “It's amazing that you can keep insulting me, but I'll always consider you my friend!” Dash grinned. “Sort of how I treat you when you don't shut the hell up with your lectures! We've known each other too long, I suppose!” Dash stood up, flexing her wings. “Thanks for your advice, Cheerilee. I appreciate everything you've helped me through over the years.” “I'll always be there, Dash! Come over for coffee when you return!” Cheerilee said as Rainbow turned to leave. “I'd like to hear all about it!” “Will do!” Dash said as she left the classroom. Once back outside, Rainbow Dash noticed the three fillies roaring with laughter at a story Applejack was telling them. Rarity heard her approaching and turned to spot her walking down from the school. “Sorry I took so long. I told Cheerilee about our little mission...” Rainbow said in a low voice to Rarity. “That's quite alright, my dear! Applejack has been entertaining the girls with the tale of all the silly and alarmingly stupid things the pair of you had done during that Iron Pony competition you both participated in!” Rarity explained. “Oh goodie, I love having my embarrassing stories told!” Dash rolled her eyes. “And t' cap it all off...” Applejack chortled. “We didn't even win! Twilight placed higher than we did! The look on Rainbow Dash's face...!” Applejack was roaring with laughter, a sharp series of deep 'ayhucks!' coming out of her which she seemed unable to control. “Sheesh! That REALLY sounds painful! Don't die on us, AJ! That would just be awful!” Dash said sarcastically, walking over and giving Applejack a rather heavy punch to the shoulder. “Anyways, let's blow this apple-stand! I'm sure you girls don't wanna see this school again for another two months!” “Huah... haaa! Hoo... phew! So, ah heh,where are y'all headed?” Applejack asked, taking deep breathes and rubbing her shoulder gingerly. “We're gonna go see Tank in his pond!” Scootaloo grinned happily, giving her wings a little buzz. “How come you guys don't keep Tank in your house, Rainbow Dash?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Seems awfully silly to me!” “Are you kiddin'?” Dash asked, bending low for Scootaloo to scramble on to her back. “I'm not gonna let that poor creature wander around a house with stairs! He's way faster in the water! And his flying mechanism is too dangerous indoors, anyway! So he stays at the pond. Tank's a lot happier outdoors... so we just go and visit him all the time!” “Aww, can we go too, Applejack?” Apple Bloom asked. “Sorry, youngin!” Applejack said, picking up her hat, which had fallen on the ground during her laughing fit. “I, uh, need y'all to help me 'round the barn!” Applejack gave both Rainbow Dash and Rarity a meaningful look. Dash knew that Applejack was planning on breaking the news of the mission to Saddle Arabia to her sister. Rarity seemed to be thinking along the same lines as she immediately mentioned that she wanted Sweetie Belle to help her with a new dress design. “I guess we'll see you girls later!” Dash said, returning the same look to her friends. She extended her wings and gave them a little flick. “See you two later!” Scootaloo said to her best friends from astride Rainbow Dash, her wings buzzing excitedly again. The pair of them launched high into the air. Rainbow Dash felt Scootaloo's arms and legs tighten against her mane and neck as she flew off toward the northern woods on the outskirts of Ponyville. During the entire flight, she was trying to make simple small talk with Scootaloo while her mind was distracted with her own worries. Once again, her nerves were crashing over her like waves upon the base of a cliff. Rainbow had made up her mind; she would tell Scootaloo the moment they landed. The journey to the pond did not take long, and soon Rainbow Dash was dropping down to land next to the sparkling water. She breathed in the cool air blowing off of the surface of the pond as the summer sun continued to beam overhead. She glanced around for her pet. “There he is!” Rainbow said brightly, jabbing a hoof at a large and green tortoise sleeping peacefully on the edge of the water. Scootaloo slipped down off Rainbow's back and made to rush off to wake him, but Dash held out an arm. “Actually... wait... just a moment, Scoots...” She had pointed Tank out in a vain attempt to delay the uncomfortable conversation, but she wanted to correct that mistake. Scoot paused, turning to stare up into Dash's face with her purple-grey eyes. “Uh... Why, Sis? He sleeps all day! I can wake him up!” “It's not that, Scoots...” Dash said, sitting down on the grass next to her and pulling the filly into her lap. She wrapped her wings around Scootaloo and kissed her forehead. Scoot was looking a little alarmed at this sudden show of affection. “Sis, is there something wrong?” She asked, frowning with her head slightly tilted to one side. Rainbow Dash placed a hoof gently against the orange filly's cheek, feeling as though everything was closing in around her. What if Scootaloo could tell she was scared? She grit her teeth, her red eyes staring into the purple ones of the filly she so loved. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “Dashie's got something she needs to tell you.”