//------------------------------//
// Unexpected Encounter 
// Story: Foal of the Forest 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 4: Unexpected Encounter

Scootaloo made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen of her home.  It was the scene she found practically every morning.  Her mother was working at the stove, preparing a cheese and asparagus omelet for her daughter, while Scootaloo's father sat at the table, newspaper open before him.  Stifling another yawn, Scootaloo got into one of the chairs and waited for breakfast to be served.
"Is your homework done?" asked her father, not even bothering to look up.  His was the gruff voice that supplied her with an ungraceful awakening every morning.
"Yeah," replied Scootaloo automatically.
"I heard you have a quiz today.  Are you prepared for it?"
"Yes," answered Scootaloo mechanically.
Her father lowered the paper to stare at her.  "Are you really prepared?"
Hesitantly, Scootaloo turned to look into her father's dark-gray eyes.  His ice-blue mane and tail contrasted harshly with his rust-red coat, which served as the backdrop to his cutie mark, an ordinary compass.  Her father's sense of direction and location were second to none, making him one of the most prized assets of Ponyville's post office.  Of all the delivery-ponies who worked there, his record was only overshadowed by Ditzy Doo, who had the advantage of several years additional experience.  Scootaloo didn't hate him, but she often dreaded talking to him.  Every conversation she had with him seemed to inevitably slip into an interrogation, like this one was now.
"Yes," she replied, fighting her instinctive urge to quail beneath his hard gaze.
"I hope so.  I've been checking with your teacher and I am quite disappointed with your grades so far.  They aren't the sole factor, but your grades will help to determine whether or not you can make it into Cloudsdale Flight School.  It may even mean the difference between a scholarship or me having to pay for the whole thing out of my pocket."
Scootaloo said nothing, knowing that if she tried to protest that she was ready, Cirrus Stratus would simply scold her for back-talking.  She was grateful when her mother, Melon Cream, put a stop to any further probes by arriving with Scootaloo's breakfast.  Eager for an excuse to not have to talk to Cirrus anymore, she dug into her omelet with a gusto.
Melon Cream smiled as she watched her daughter eat.  With her vivid orange coat and fuchsia mane, it was easy to see where Scootaloo's looks came from.  Although, as a pegasus, Scootaloo took after her father, rather than her earth pony mother.  "Don't rush dear," she said lightly, a twinkle in her eye, "I don't want you to choke."
Scootaloo didn't answer, instead polishing off her omelet before chugging down the glass of milk her mother had gotten her.  "Thanks mom," she said quickly, jumping out of her seat and over to the hallway, where she grabbed her saddlebags and rushed out the door.
"Be careful on your way to school and have a nice day," shouted Melon before the door slammed shut.  With a sigh, she turned to her husband.  "Really dear, must you  be so harsh with her?"
Cirrus had picked up his paper again and didn't look up as he answered.  "We can't afford to coddle her.  If Scootaloo doesn't get her act together, she'll end up in some dead-end job somewhere.  It doesn't help that she idolizes that one mare, Rainbow...Splash."
"Rainbow Dash, dear," corrected "You should at least have her name right, given how much Scootaloo talks about her.  It would at least show that you listen to what she has to say as much as you want her to listen to what you have to say."
"I have no interest in hearing about the escapades of a two-bit weather mare with delusions of grandeur."
Melon had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.  "I don't see what you dislike so much.  It's true that Rainbow Dash is a little too reckless for my tastes, but even an earth pony like me can tell she has obvious skill and dedication to her work and ambitions."
"Work?  Ambitions?  Ha!  She's a dropout who somehow thinks she can get into the Wonderbolts.  With her record?  There's no way the Wonderbolts would take a pony who couldn't handle Flight School."
Once again, Melon had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.  It always seemed to come back to that.  Part of her thought that the reason Cirrus was so fixated on getting Scootaloo into Flight School was because he hadn't been able to go himself.  While she believed that he was genuinely concerned about their daughter's future, she couldn't help but feel that his definition of what made a pony successful was a little narrow.
And it also troubled her that, as often as the topic came up, that whenever Cirrus mentioned Flight School, Scootaloo never acknowledged that it was where she wanted to go.


	
"Oh dear Celestia," gasped Rarity as she and the others listened while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy recounted the previous night's events, "What a dreadful experience!  Oh my dear Fluttershy, you must have been simply beside yourself.  Oh this calls for a day at the spa to help you get over this whole horrid affair."
Fluttershy tittered at Rarity's outburst, remembering Rainbow Dash's impersonation from the night before.  "Oh I'm alright.  Flash Spark was stopped before he was able to do anything."
The six friends were seated around the table of a quiet café, enjoying a leisurely brunch as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash caught them up.
"For which we should be thanking this Dawn colt you told us about," commented Twilight Sparkle, who had been listening intently.
"Yeah!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, grinning widely and bouncing at her own seat.  Had Rainbow Dash not had the foresight to extract a Pinkie Promise that she would stay put until she and Fluttershy were done explaining, there was little doubt that Pinkie would have rocketed off to Fluttershy's home at the first opportunity to meet Dawn and start planning his welcoming party after the colt had been suitably traumatized.  "When do we get to meet him?  I've got to go plan his welcoming party!  I just finished my newest party cannon and I can't wait to try it out."
"About that," said Rainbow, being the more assertive of the two pegasi in this discussion, "We kinda want you to hold off on the party, Pinkie.  Dawn's kinda sensitive about meeting other ponies and we don't want to spook him."
"And just where did that there colt come from?" interjected Applejack, having sat quietly through the first part of the story.  There was a degree of confusion in her expression.  "Ah find it a little hard to believe that this Dawn fellow just came outta nowhere."
"Oh, he was living in the Everfree Forest," explained Fluttershy softly.  Her statement elicited a gasp from her audience.  "I don't know how long he's been living there, but it must have been quite some time."
"So this colt just came outta the forest and saved ya from that jerk?" asked Applejack in a skeptical tone.
Fluttershy shook her head.  "No.  I knew he was close by and I saw him watching me from the forest edge a few times."
Rainbow Dash blinked.  She hadn't been told this part of the story.  "Wait, isn't that kind of creepy?"
"It might have been, but I knew Dawn wouldn't hurt me or do anything bad.  He saved my life after all."
"But this was before he saved you," Twilight pointed out.
Blinking, Fluttershy realized she hadn't told anypony about her first meeting with Dawn.  "Actually, we met before that."  She then proceeded to tell everypony about her encounter with the timberwolves in the forest.
When she finished, she saw the rest of her friends staring in stunned awe at her.  It was Applejack who spoke first.  "Dangnabit Fluttershy!  Ah've told ya that ya can't go into the Everfree Forest during Zap Apple Season!  The timberwolves come right up to the edge.  Even goin' to Zecora's house is too dangerous this time of year."
"So this colt actually came barreling out of nowhere to save you from timberwolves," Twilight observed wryly.
Fluttershy didn't have a chance to respond before Rarity swept her up into an embrace that actually made the canary-colored pegasus's ribs creak. "Fluttershy!  Why in Equestria didn't you tell us you had been though such an ordeal?"
"Well," answered Fluttershy bashfully, "I was a little distracted.  After he saved me, I asked Dawn if he wanted to stay with me, but he said no.  But I noticed that he followed me to the edge of the forest, so I started to try and come up with ways to coax him out."
"Hmm, Spike told me he'd seen you in the market more than usual," mused Twilight Sparkle, rubbing her chin.
"Who cares!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie, practically vibrating to the point that she seemed like a two-toned pink blur, "All that matters is that there's a new pony in town and he saved Fluttershy's life too!  He saved her twice even!  You know what that means, I get to throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville and Thank You for Saving Fluttershy Twice Party!'  That's three parties in one!  Oh this is so great, Fluttershy!  Come on, hurry up and finish!  I wanna meet him I wanna meet him IwannameethimIwannameethimIwannameethim...!"
Pinkie's verbal fusillade was cut off by the firm application of Rainbow Dash's hoof.  "No," she declared, staring into Pinkie's eyes, "Like we said, Dawn isn't ready for that yet.  He needs to get more accustomed to being around other ponies before you start shoving sweets down his throat and trying to scare the feathers off of him."
Pinkie sagged down in her seat.  "But why not?  My parties are supposed to make ponies feel happy."
Fluttershy reached over and patted her energetic friend on the head.  "Remember what happened with Cranky?" she pointed out, "Some ponies just aren't used to the ways you like to have fun, Pinkie.  Dawn is one of them.  I promise that after we get him used to being around other ponies, we'll let you have your party for him."
That seemed to reassure Pinkie, who brightened up with a happy, "Okie dokie lokie."  However, she remained somewhat subdued.
"Do you have any idea what he was doing living in the Everfree in the first place?" asked Twilight.
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy shared a nervous glance.  This was the next hurdle in their plans.  "Apparently, he wasn't treated very well by other ponies," Fluttershy explained.
"Oh good heavens!" exclaimed Rarity, "What in Celestia's name could drive a pony to live alone in the Everfree of all places?"
"I don't know," replied Fluttershy in all honesty, "Dawn hasn't said a whole lot about it yet."
"Ah'll bet he hasn't," muttered Applejack inaudibly.  Her eyes now glanced out in the general direction of Fluttershy's home, glaring suspiciously.
Twilight Sparkle was in full on investigation mode, already pondering avenues of inquiry she could pursue to get the answers to her questions.  "Hmm.  Maybe if I did some research on the records of the towns that border the Everfree, I can find out what happened."
"Indeed," agreed Rarity, "And what about the poor boy's parents?"
"Oh um..." squeaked Fluttershy as she grinned sheepishly, "I haven't asked about them yet?"
"You probably should," said Twilight, deliberately forestalling an indignant tirade from Rarity.  "But if he doesn't feel like talking about it, you shouldn't press him too hard.
"And if you give me a description to go by, I can try to dig up some information about other places he's been," she added.
"Um, I'm not sure I should," said Fluttershy, "I think that might be a little too invasive."
"It's not just about satisfying my curiosity," declared Twilight, to a somewhat dubious reception, "Figuring out just what happened to him in the past could be critical to helping him getting over his trauma.  And can also help us avoid any problems in the future."
Twilight opened her saddlebag and pulled out a sheet of paper an parchment.  "So, what does he look like?"
"Um, well...he's black with a silver mane and tail.  He doesn't have a cutie mark yet, I'm afraid.  He looks to be about the same age as Apple Bloom and the others."
"Uh huh," murmured Twilight, nodding sagely, "And his eye-color?"
Again, the two pegasi shared a nervous glance.  "Blue."
"Okay," said Twilight, calmly checking off her list.  "I'm gonna start sending out inquiries.  With Spike, I can get my letters sent to other towns quickly, but the replies will have to come by normal post."
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings until they popped.  "I've got a few more things to sort out with the weather, so I'll see you girls later."  Without further preamble, she shot straight out of her seat and into the sky.
"Oh well," sighed Rarity, "We have an appointment to make.  Come, Fluttershy dear, to the spa."
The white unicorn stood up and began to trot towards the cafė's exit, followed by her pegasus friend.  Pausing, she turned to look back at the orange earth pony, still sitting and frowning at the table.  "Would you like to come with us Applejack."
Applejack shook her had and donned her trademark stetson.  "Ah've got to get back to the farm.  The zap apples are startin' to ripen, so we're gonna have to work darn hard to make sure we can harvest 'em all before they up and vanish."
Rarity nodded sagley.  "Of course dear.  Perhaps you can join us another time once this hectic season is over.  What about you, Pinkie?"
"Actually I have to get back to the Sugarcube Corner," replied Pinkie, smiling tightly, "The Cakes have an event later today and they need me to watch the twins again."
"Alright dear," replied Rarity, "We shall see you later."
Pinkie nodded vigorously, "Okie dokie lokie."  Then she was off.
Applejack shook her head.  "That mare sometimes..."  Then she too set off towards her own destination.


	
Scootaloo sighed and covered her head with her hooves.  "I just know that I blew that quiz today," she groaned.  Her father was going to be furious.
"Aw don't worry too much about it Scootaloo," consoled the yellow earth pony on one side of her, "Ah don't think Ah did much better."
"Yeah, me neither," agreed the white unicorn on her other side, "And Rarity will scold me for not taking my education seriously again."
"That's what dad's going to do," agreed Scootaloo, "He'll get angry and tell me how disappointed he is. Then he'll rant for a while about how I'll never get into Flight School at this rate."
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shared a dubious look with one another.  "But Scootaloo, don't ya want to go to Flight School?"
"Yeah," agreed Sweetie Belle, "I thought that Flight School was a big deal for pegasuses."
"Maybe in Cloudsdale," muttered Scootaloo petulantly, "But I don't want to leave Ponyville just yet and leave my friends behind."  She hoped that would get the other two fillies off her back.  The last thing Scootaloo wanted right now was to go over her real reasons for not wanting to go to Flight School.  She couldn't work up the courage to confront her father over the matter, as insistent as he had been.  But she knew the moment her father paid the tuition, her hopes of getting away would be shot.
At a loss for any way to address the problem, she instead opted to change the subject.  "So, what are we gonna try to get our cutie marks today?" she asked.
Now it was Apple Bloom's turn to look dejected.  "Ah'm sorry Scootaloo, but with the zap apples comin' in, mah family needs me to come right home and help with the harvest.
Scootaloo blinked before turning to look to Sweetie Belle.  "What about you?"
To the surprise of both of her friends, Sweetie Belle looked away and blushed slightly.  "Actually, I can't  come either.  I have...um...an appointment...yeah that's it!"
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shared a suspicious glance, not missing their friend's unusual behavior.  "What sort of appointment, Sweetie Belle?"
"Yeah, what are ya bein' so shifty about?"
Sweetie Belle blushed harder and did her best Fluttershy imitation as she leaned away from the inquisitive stares of her friends.  She tried to come up with some sort of response, but all she could get to come out was an inarticulate squeak.
Scootaloo shared a sidelong look with Apple Bloom.  Their eyes sparkled with mischief.  "This appointment wouldn't happen to be with some colt would it?"
The increased intensity of Sweetie's blush was all the answer they needed.
"And this colt wouldn't happen to be Featherweight would it?" asked Apple Bloom with an amused smirk.
By now, Sweetie Belle's blush had exceeded the limits of her cheeks and was on the verge of turning her entire face a brilliant shade of cherry-red.  Scootaloo was fairly certain that she could hear the whistling of steam coming from the unicorn's ears.
The look of mischief vanished in an instant.  Apple Bloom and Scootaloo bombarded Sweetie Belle with questions regarding her relationship and plans with Featherweight.  After only a few minutes, Sweetie had been reduced to a pile of quivering embarrassment while her friends turned their thoughts to other areas.
Having gotten her fill of mirth at Sweetie Belle's expense, Scootaloo turned her attention back to what she would do now.  Since both of her friends were unable to come with her after school, it was up to the bright-orange filly to find her own entertainment.  I guess I'll just scoot around then.


	
Twilight had only just closed the door behind her when she heard a low pounding resonate from the other side.  Growling in vexation, the unicorn turned around and opened up the door to see her farmer friend standing there, looking rather irritated herself.  "Twilight, Ah gotta talk to ya about this Dawn fellow."
Her frustration leaving her, Twilight blinked in confusion.  "What's the matter Applejack?"
Applejack looked away.  "Ah know we promised Fluttershy not to bother him, but Ah'm worried.  Ah feel we really need to know more about this colt and Ah have to say that Ah don't rightly trust him."
"How can you say that?" asked Twilight, "You've never even met him."
"But that's the whole point!" snapped Applejack, "None of us, exceptin' fer Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash have even seen this here colt.  Ah don't like it, especially hearing about what he's done."
This only confused Twilight more.  "You mean you don't like it that he saved Fluttershy from being eaten and then again from being raped."
"No!  Ah don't like it that he's a colt around Bloom's age who's shown that he can put a full-grown stallion in the hospital without breakin' a sweat and can scare off a whole pack of vicious timberwolves!  No matter how ya look at it, that ain't normal!"  Applejack directed a vicious glare in the general direction of Fluttershy's home.  "Ah don't like the idea of somepony like that hangin' around Fluttershy."
Twilight Sparkle was initially inclined to dismiss her friend's suspicions out of hoof.  But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Applejack had a point.  It made even more sense when she wondered about the kind of skills it took to survive in the Everfree Forest for any period of time.  Zecora managed it, but she also had to make periodic forays into Ponyville to buy needed supplies, something Twilight doubted that this colt was doing.
"You may have a point," she conceded, "But I still think we should trust Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash on this.  Let's wait and see what my research turns up before doing anything."
Applejack sagged.  "Ah don't know if Ah can wait that long Twi.  Until Ah know fer sure that colt ain't gonna do anythin’ to Fluttershy, Ah'm gonna be as anxious as a long-tailed cat in a room full'a rockin' chairs."
"Please just don't do anything rash," plead the lavender unicorn, "We promised to wait until Fluttershy told us he was ready and I really don't want to break her trust."
"Okay, but try to find somethin' out soon."  A dejected Applejack made her exit, leaving Twilight alone as she tried to sort out the storm of confusion that raged through her mind.


	
"Oh that poor stallion," gasped Rarity as she and Fluttershy shared a relaxing bath at the end of their spa treatment, "To be reduced to such a state.  I hope he's feeling alright."
Fluttershy looked down and watched her own wings gently swirl the water around her.  "He wasn't awake when I went to see him last night.  Flash Spark really hurt him badly.  And even after that, he still managed to get up to go get Rainbow."
"My word!"  Rarity settled a demure hoof on her mouth.  "Fluttershy darling, if you do not take that stallion out to dinner immediately after he gets out of the hospital I will have to severely reprimand you."
Fluttershy sank down into the water to hide her reddened cheeks.  Rarity continued on.  "You must be very important to him for him to go through so much effort on your behalf.  I daresay he may have taken more than a small fancy to you."
"Do you really think so?" asked Fluttershy, raising her head slightly out of the water to ask.
"It seems fairly obvious to me.  And what about you dear?  How do you feel about him?"
"Um well..." Fluttershy looked away to ponder for a moment, "...He's always very nice and polite.  And he doesn't scare me like most stallions do.  I really enjoy spending time with him when I think about it."
"That settles it then," said Rarity, "You owe that wonderful stallion of yours a night out.  And I, of course, will have to make sure that you are suitably attired for such an evening."
"Oh you don't really have to," protested Fluttershy.
"Of course I do!  I insist!"
"Alright then," answered Fluttershy, submitting to the inevitable.


	
Scootaloo's wings buzzed, propelling her down the path in a blur of  orange and purple.  The noise they made was usually enough of a warning for ponies to know that she was coming and get out of the way.  Some had expressed irritation that the filly continue to engage in such antics when she should have been able to fly already.  Scootaloo didn't have the confidence to tell them that she couldn't fly yet.
She was a late bloomer.  Apparently some defect or another had slowed the maturation of her wings to the point that, by the time they were large and strong enough to keep her aloft, she would be closer to a young adult.  That was part of the reason that her father was so insistent about sending her to Flight School.  He seemed to think that a sufficiently rigorous curriculum would somehow make up for the years she had lost not being able to fly.
It would also get her away from Rainbow Dash, another pro in his eyes.
She forced the thoughts down to concentrate on her scooting.  The path had gotten rougher, a sign that she was reaching Ponyville's outskirts.  The trade off was that, out here, there was less of a chance of running into somepony, which cut the potential for accidents dramatically.
She accelerated up the side of a hill, lifting off the ground as she hit the crest, going into an impressive jump.  She kicked off the scooter with her back legs, leaving them hanging in the air as she clung to the scooter with a single hoof.  Her wings spread to guide the vehicle's trajectory on the way back down.  Her back hooves came to a rest on the scooter just as the wheels touched the ground.  Scootaloo smirked in satisfaction at the trick.  It wasn't her best, but it was fun all the same.
Her eyes spotted a familiar-looking cottage silhouetted against the backdrop of the Everfree Forest.  I'm at Fluttershy's house already?  I must've gone farther than at thought.  I need to head back soon or dad will be angry with me for being late again.
She was drawn from her musings by the sight of a black-colored pegasus colt she had never seen before.  He was standing out in Fluttershy's front yard, his eyes closed and his body perfectly still.  At the sound of Scootaloo's approach, his eyes opened, revealing them to be a shimmering turquoise color.  More noticeable were the almost reptilian pupils they sported, sending a shiver down the orange filly's spine.  Scootaloo was so transfixed by his gaze, she forgot to steer.  Thus, it was completely unexpected when her scooter kicked out beneath her and she found herself suddenly and unwillingly airborne, on a course for a straight collision with the strange and intimidating colt.
The colt's body blurred into motion, turning sideways while the wing facing Scootaloo extended out, working in an exaggerated circular motion.   Scootaloo thought she heard a muffled boom.  The space in front of her seemed to ripple slightly as though an invisible bubble were heading towards her.
Scootaloo felt as though she had hit something akin to a pillow.  But the sensation was hard to describe.  It was as though the air resistance had abruptly multiplied, making her feel as though she had fallen into and then through the softest pillow she had ever felt.  Her forward momentum disappeared, while just enough of an updraft caught her wings to keep her from slamming straight into the ground.  All four of her hooves touched down as easily and naturally as though she had planned this landing from the very beginning.
The orange filly was stunned.  For a moment, she could only stand there in awe and wonder what happened.  She barely noticed that the colt was still in front of her and watching her warily, waiting for some kind of reaction.  When Scootaloo recovered enough of her wits to notice him, she began to look at the colt very closely, noting his features and his eyes in particular.
For a moment, her expression became unreadable and she began to shake.  The colt slowly stepped back, preparing to flee from the inevitable scream that was sure to erupt from the mouth of what he was certain was a thoroughly terrified filly.  When the explosion came, it was the last thing he had been expecting.
"That was AWESOME!" Scootaloo exclaimed at the top of her lungs.  The colt, clearly shocked by her behavior, was caught off guard as she pushed right up to his face.
"How'd you do that, huh?  Can you tell me?  Is its a secret?  Is it your special talent?"
The colt was speechless and couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he opted to wait as the orange pegasus finally finished her deluge of inquiries.  Once Scootaloo's excitement wound down, she realized that she'd forgotten the most important question of all.  She also noticed the colt staring at her as though she had grown a second head.
Suddenly conscious of how rude she had been, Scootaloo flushed and stepped back a little, grinning sheepishly.  "Sorry," she said, "I got carried away."
"You did?"  It seemed the colt had a very different definition of the concept.
"Uh yeah."  Scootaloo scratched the back of her head as she looked away.  "Can we start over?  My name's Scootaloo.  What's yours?"
The colt blinked, surprised to be receiving such an ordinary greeting.  "I'm Dawn Lightwing.  Nice to...meet you."
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's up with your eyes?"  Realizing it might be a sensitive topic, the bright-orange filly had the grace to look abashed.  "Sorry.  You probably don't want to talk about it."
"It's alright.  It's just that I have no idea of the answer.  My eyes simply are the way they are."
"Huh?  That's cool, I guess."  Shrugging the whole thing off, she instead opted to get to the topic that really interested her.  "What was that thing you did to stop me from crashing into you?  Does it have something to do with your special talent?"
Dawn blinked and turned sideways, giving a Scootaloo a clear view of his utterly blank flank.  "That was no talent.  It was a skill I was taught."
Scootaloo stared at the colt with wide eyes.  "Really?  Does that mean that somepony like me could learn how to do it?"
"Yes."
"Scootaloo leaned in and gave Dawn her most pleading look.  "Can you teach me how to do that, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssseee?"
Dawn found himself flinching away from her sheer enthusiasm.  He was nervous, but the fact that she had utterly disregarded the one thing about him at most ponies fixated on like dogs with a bone had thrown him off balance.  For once, his instinctual aversion to other ponies and his natural expectations of their behavior had been shelved by the filly's interest in what he had to offer to help her.  A confusingly warm feeling emerged in his chest, familiar and foreign at the same time.  He suspected that it was something he had not felt in a long time.
"I...suppose I could."
"YES!!!"


	
Fluttershy had to admit that she felt much better after getting out of the spa.  She was too happy to even be startled as Rainbow Dash swooped down from the sky to walk along with her.  For a while, the two of them talked about how their day had gone.  When Rainbow Dash inquired about Dawn, Fluttershy related what she had seen earlier that morning.
Rainbow listened with wide eyes.  "No offense, Fluttershy, but that colt is crazy."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I learned martial arts when I was a filly," explained Rainbow, "And I'm pretty good at it too.  I learned the Steel-Hoof Style, which is pretty popular among pegasi.  There are a few other kinds of pegasi martial arts around.  And do you know the one thing they all have in common?"
"What is it?"
"When you're fighting, you don't fight with these," answered the blue pegasus, extending her wings for the benefit of her friend, "That's rule number one of pegasus fighting tactics, never use your wings.  If you do, you run the risk of damaging them, either because you hurt them yourself when you're trying to hit something, or because you went and made targets out of 'em.  Either way, if you get your wings damaged, you're pretty much sunk in a fight."
"That's strange," mused Fluttershy, "I can't be sure, because it was so fast, but I think Dawn may have used his wings to beat Flash Spark last night.  Maybe I should ask him for more information."
"If you're gonna do that, I wanna be there too," said Rainbow, "If he does practice a pegasus martial art that uses wings, it would basically take everything I know about fighting and throw it out the window."