//------------------------------// // All Grown Up // Story: It Runs In The Family // by Onomonopia //------------------------------// The train ride up to Canterlot the night of the ball was one of the more terrifying events that Scootaloo had to endure, since her fears of when Rarity found out she lied to her were beginning to get the better of her. She and Rarity had gotten on the train bound for Canterlot just as Celestia began to sink the sun over the horizon, both of the two mares sitting next to each other and observing all of the other ponies on the train. "Seems like there won't be many ponies from Ponyville heading up with us," Rarity said as she looked around at the other ponies, none of whom she recognized. Scootaloo had rested her elbow on the armrest and was staring out the window, wondering how she was going to get out of this one. While Pinkie may have taught her how to escape from being locked up, escaping friends was something that even Pinkie had a hard time doing. "Oh I can't wait to meet this stallion of yours! Can't you tell me a little more about him? What's he look like? He is good looking, right? Oh, what am I saying, of course he is, you picked him!" "Sorry Rarity, but I already told you I'd say nothing more 'til you met him," Scootaloo said with false confidence, hoping that her tone just then hadn't given away what she was thinking. "Besides, this is my first time going to one of these and I'm a little nervous. Please don't ask me anymore about him." Rarity nodded sympathetically as she pulled out a magazine to entertain herself, although Scootaloo saw that she was really using it as a blind, so that she could look at the stallions on the train with them. While she "read," Scootaloo went through the bag she had brought with her to go over her inventory again, just to be on the safe side. She had a number of clothes near the top of the bag, but that was only to cover the batsuit underneath of them. She had brought the suit just to be safe, along with a number of her gadgets as well. She had also brought the list with all the fillies' names on them, planning to hoof it to the princesses when she managed to get away from Rarity. Speaking of Rarity, Scootaloo looked up at Rarity with her eyebrows lowered, wondering how she was going to slip away from her once they got to the ball. Slipping away would be easy to do, she had been practicing for years, but to do so without offending her would be the tricky part. "Oh, we can see the city now!" Rarity exclaimed as she looked out the window towards the shining city on the mountain. "It doesn't matter how many times I see it, it still excites me every time. How about you, Scootaloo?" Scootaloo looked out the window with a bored expression, but something did come to mind when she saw it. "On the surface, a city glows and shines, but wipe that away and you find dirt and grime," she muttered, reciting something that had been told to her. "All the ponies there are supposed to be of high class, but they'll betray anypony to save their own-" "Scootaloo! That is not how a lady talks!" Rarity said before Scootaloo could finish. "Honestly, where did you hear that awful rhyme anyway?" "From a pony who called himself, 'the Poet,' one of the first criminals I caught," Scootaloo said as memories started to run through her mind. "That's what he was saying when he killed three innocent ponies in the streets. I kicked him in the mouth so hard it was months before he could talk again." Rarity frowned at that since she remembered the event, having read about it in the papers. That had been the first of many criminals that Scootaloo had gone on to fight in the short time she had been Batmare. "Well, that may be your opinion of it, by I still stand by the fact that it is a monument to what ponies can achieve," Rarity said with a huff as she went back to staring at the city, Scootaloo simply shrugged and went back to organizing her bag. The train pulled into the station a few minutes later, the ponies onboard getting off as they chatted excitedly with each other about the ball. While the ball wasn't as impressive as the Grand Galloping Gala, it was still considered to be an important event. Rarity pushed her way past the other ponies so that she could be the first to see the majesty of Canterlot at night. "Oh Canterlot, it has been far too long," she said with a sigh as she spun around, drinking in the beauty of the city. "The lights, the buildings, the sheer status of the city. It has been too long." "So, you punch your way through a train of ponies so you can be the first to see it? Maybe you should have been the one to teach me martial arts," Scootaloo joked as she walked out of the train, helping the ponies that Rarity had knocked over back up. "That didn't look very lady like." "Sometimes a lady must fight for what she needs. You remember what happened to the Diamond Dogs, don't you?" Rarity asked with a smile. Rarity was referring to how she single-hoofedly got the entire pack of Diamond Dogs to listen to her just by whining loudly and obnoxiously. It was one of her favorite tales, and she often told it to Scootaloo when she was caught waiting for her suit to be repaired. Rarity walked by the bell pony who took their bags for them (Scootaloo helped the poor pony with her heavier ones) as the two of them walked through the streets towards the majestic castle in the distance. "Now, you did remember the tickets, didn't you?" Rarity asked her, smirking as Scootaloo's face turned white as she started to rummage through her bag. "No worries dear, I brought the extra one that Sweetie Belle rejected. Such a shame, with her natural beauty, all the stallions would want to talk to her." "Like they do in Ponyville?" Scootaloo teased, knowing that Rarity hated the fact that her sister was more popular than she was. Rarity stuck her nose into the air as she did her best to ignore what Scootaloo was saying, and instead focused on all the ponies who walked to the castle around them, each of whom was dressed for the occasion. "Darn, I was hoping to see more of my work being worn for such an event, but I can see that my taste in fashion has not become quite as popular yet," Rarity muttered to herself with a sigh. "And my destiny was supposed to be, how I became the greatest fashion designer in all of Equestria. Oh, why did Batman have to go and prove that our destinies were false?" "So that he could save all of Equestria, as well as all of us," Scootaloo reminded her coldly, not liking it when others forgot about the sacrifice he made for them. "Plus, he only proved that his own destiny was false, he never said anything about you or the others. And if anypony can make it in the fashion industry, it would be you." "You're right dear, I certainly have more than enough talent to make it. It is my cutie mark, after all," Rarity said with a smile as she looked at her cutie mark, not noticing that Scootaloo hung her head a bit when she said this. The two of them reached the front grounds of the castle, Rarity getting herself worked up as if she were about to battle for her life. "Alright, we are at the gate guarding paradise and on the other side is heaven, but in order to get in, you must remember everything that I taught you. Any mistake could turn you from a sophisticated lady into the mockery of the entire crowd. Are you ready?" "Always." Both mares walked up to the front gate, where two pegasi guards stood waiting with keen eyes and weapons at the ready, collecting the tickets from the ponies as they entered the castle. Rarity and Scootaloo walked up to them with smiles on their faces, each of them hoofing their tickets to the guards as they did so. The guards recognized Rarity and let her pass without a problem, but they gave Scootaloo a glare in warning as she passed. She would have loved to show them both the glare that she was capable of, but that would probably blow her cover and cause a scene, which she couldn't afford to do...yet. "Are the guards here always this uptight, or am I just that good looking?" Scootaloo asked Rarity once she had joined back up with her. "A combination of the two, darling. I'm not joking, you truly look divine," Rarity said as she scanned the crowd like a hawk seeking its next meal as she searched for a certain stallion, one that wasn't there. "I cannot see this stallion friend of yours, and I know I would be able to pick him out in a crowd if he's as good looking as you think he is. Can you see him?" "Um, not yet, but I'm sure he'll be here," Scootaloo said as she started to look around the room with a bit of awe at how it looked. Celestia really went all out for these events, and this one was no different. Expensive fabrics were on every table and the curtains were made of material that she had only rarely seen at Rarity's. Not that she really cared about any of it, but she always picked up details whenever she could so that any changes to the environment wouldn't surprise her. Most of the conversations were dull, but one did gain her attention. "Did you hear about Trixie? Seems she was spotted in a far off town." "THE Trixie? I feel bad for any ponies that were around her. Why isn't she locked up yet?" "That's not all. I heard that Sombra was with her. Sombra. When are the princesses going to take action?" The rest of the conversation was cut off as there was a flash in the center of the room that gained a cry from the ponies (Scootaloo took up a fighting stance just to be safe) but it turned into cheering and applause when Princess Celestia appeared in the center of the room, looking at all the ponies with a smile. "Hello everypony and welcome to the forty-fifth Canterlot Ball," she said as she scanned the room to see all the faces that had showed up, recognizing almost every one of them. But when her eyes got to Scootaloo, they widened slightly with shock, not expecting to see her here. Scootaloo nodded slightly and moved her eyes to the bag she was carrying, hopefully telling Celestia that they had matters to discuss. Celestia nodded slightly in return before going back to speaking to the ponies. "It is so nice to see so many familiar faces here, and 'hello' to all the new ponies as well. I hope that you all have a wonderful time and enjoy yourselves." The ponies clapped politely when she had finished speaking and had started to enjoy themselves, while Celestia walked over to Scootaloo and Rarity, all the happiness gone from her eyes as she prepared for the worst. "I did not expect to see you here Scootaloo," Celestia said. "Rarity, always, but not you. I hope that you are not the bearer of bad news this time around?" "Unfortunately, I am this time," Scootaloo said with a sigh as she looked at all the ponies around them, not sure if she could trust any of them, given what she knew. "Can we talk someplace a little more secure? This is some very private information." Celestia nodded and looked over at the balcony with a nod. All three of the ponies walked out onto the balcony, with Rarity looking up at the stars with wonder in her eyes. "I wonder where Luna comes up with her ideas for the night sky?" Rarity asked aloud. "Because every time I look up at it, it's always beautiful. I must ask her for some advice sometime." "Alright, we should be alone out here. So what news do you have for me this time?" Celestia asked as she sat herself down, knowing that with Scootaloo's line of work any answer could be possible. Scootaloo set her bag down and rummaged through it until she had gotten to the list she had taken from the pony's office. "Here is a list of possible ponies that the Demon Spawn might try to take at some point in the future, since they only need one more to complete the ritual," Scootaloo said to the horror of Rarity as she hoofed the paper to Celestia. Celestia took it with a frown, scanning over the list of names while shaking her head. "It will be impossible to protect all of these fillies at the same time. Is there any other information that might be of use?" "Yes. Thanks to a source of mine, I figured out that the final ritual will have to be held in Canterlot, sometime within the next week or so," Scootaloo said. "It will have to be above ground and someplace where the moon can strike the body. That's all I know for now and I hope it's enough." "Any information is better than no information at all," Celestia said with a smile as she slipped the paper away. "I thank you for bringing this to my attention and for what you do in your other outfit. Now if you'll excuse me, I must share my reports with my sister immediately." Rarity bowed as Celestia opened her wings and flew off towards another tower, leaving the two mares to head back inside. "Have things really gotten that bad?" Rarity whispered to Scootaloo. Scootaloo nodded in response as she started to scan the room, eyes peeled for anypony that looked the hint suspicious. With her training, she had learned to block out nearly all forms of distractions that might try to hinder her. Unfortunately, Rarity as not somepony she had learned how to block out. "So do you see him? Is that him? What about him? Oh, I pray that's not him." "Rarity, I'm trying to look for somepony," Scootaloo hissed as the two reached the center of the room, the place where Scootaloo did not want to be. Here, she could be seen from all angles, yet if she tried to look around she would be the suspicious one. So she could only scan the ponies that were within her field on vision for the moment. "I know you're looking for him too, but I want to see who he is," Rarity said impatiently while frowning, until a thought popped into her head. "You weren't...lying to me, were you?" Scootaloo could just hear the traces of rage in what she said and was immediately on guard. She didn't know if Rarity would cause a scene among so many ponies--the higher ups at that--but Batman taught her to put your trust in luck only as a last resort. She had to defuse her friend before everypony here became collateral. "I'm sure he'll be here," Scootaloo said while trying to avoid Rarity's eyes. "We just need to wait a little-" "Scootaloo?" Whether it was divine intervention or not, both Scootaloo and Rarity turned to see a stallion that neither recognized walk over to them. He was tall, well-built under the expensive suit he was wearing and had all the air of a rich pony, yet Scootaloo felt like she had seen him before somewhere. His coat was white, but it had brown spots on it as well. And there was only one pony that Scootaloo remembered that had a coat like that. "Pipsqueak?" she asked in disbelief, the stallion smiling at her when she said his name. "Wow, you do remember me. I'm touched," Pipsqueak said with a chuckle as he looked over at Rarity, who was too stunned by Pipsqueak for words. "Nice to see you again, Miss Rarity. Age has only made you more lovely." Rarity didn't know what to say, but she did look over at Scootaloo and wink at her with a smile. "Yes, Pipsqueak, it is nice to see you again. My goodness how you have grown," Rarity commented as she had to now look up to see into Pipsqueak's face. "And you look like you're doing very well for yourself." "Yes, my business has had the fortune of being a great success," he said humbly. "And yes, most ponies no longer call me Pipsqueak and just refer to me by my last name. But you two may call me 'Pip'." "Well, Pip, it certainly has been nice speaking with you again, but there are other friends of mine here that I wish to talk to. I'll leave you two alone," Rarity said with another wink to Scootaloo before bowing graciously and walking away, leaving Pip alone with Scootaloo. "You have no idea how great your timing was there," Scootaloo said with a sigh of relief as she watched Rarity walk away. "Probably saved my flank right there. Thanks for that." "No need to thank me. What are old friends for," he said with another chuckle. "But I must admit, I never expected to see you here either. The Scootaloo I remember wouldn't be caught dead at one of these parties. So what happened to the filly who couldn't go five minutes without getting into trouble?" "Oh, she's still in here. In all honesty, I'd rather not be here but I'm here on account of a friend," she explained with a sigh. "I haven't really changed all that much. But I can't say that about you. Good Celestia, aren't you different from the tiny foal that always used to play pirate back in the school yard. What happened to you after you moved to Mareiland? You went from small pony who nopony could take seriously to rich and famous. I've heard of the engines your company makes even in Ponyville." "I grew up, got a good job and worked my way up in the world," he said. "That, and I also grew about four times my size in a few years. I suppose all this wealth comes from the fact that my company designs engines for the newest form of airships, and those are always in demand in Mareiland. Ever since Twilight managed to replicate one of the devices that Batman used seven years ago, the technology in Equestria has shot up by leaps and bounds. I was just fortunate enough to grab onto a good idea. Although I still miss Ponyville from time to time, Mareiland's not that bad a place." "I heard it's filled with criminals and scum who prey on those who go out after dark." "Maybe, but the ponies who come out during the day aren't bad at all," he said with a shrug as another pony who entered the room caught his attention. "Oh Celestia, what's he doing here?" Scootaloo turned to see that a pony had entered the center of the ball room and had gained the attention of all the ponies there. He spotted Pip and walked over to both of them, a smile on his face as he approached them. "Hello again, Pipsqueak, how nice to see you again," he said in a suave tone. Pip was doing his best not to glare at the pony, but Scootaloo would never have noticed. The moment she saw this pony, she was instantly on red alert. She had seen him before and instantly knew he was guilty. He was the business pony from the skyscraper incident the other night. "Manestream," Pip said with a hint of disgust.