//------------------------------// // Chapter 48; One Day Ends, One Begins // Story: Working Towards The Future // by Dasponi //------------------------------// Scootaloo was woken up a while later when Star Shine had finished cooking and the three Pegasi ponies had their dinner together. Scootaloo was still worn out that when she had finished eating Rainbow Dash gave her a quick bath and then put her to bed early. Neither Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, or even Star Shine had expected her training to take so much out of her. With Scootaloo safely in bed, kissed goodnight, and reassured of how loved she was, Rainbow Dash headed back downstairs to find Star Shine sat on the couch and sipping a cup of coffee that was resting on the table. She sat down next to him and started fidgeting as she tried to bring herself to ask something but failed. “What’s up?” Star Shine asked after a few minutes when it became apparent Rainbow Dash wouldn’t tell him unless he asked. It also stopped being amusing to watch for him. “Gliding isn’t really hard is it?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously. Star Shine shook his head. “Shouldn’t be. Most foals get it in a day.” Star Shine replied. Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “Is it...is it because of that magic thing?” Rainbow Dash managed to ask after another half minute of silence. Star Shine shook his head again and put a foreleg around Rainbow Dash to comfort her. Rainbow Dash leaned into Star Shine and smiled as he began gently stroking her mane. “It’s alright, it can’t be that. Gliding is purely physical. I was gliding before I was flying.” Star Shine explained. “So what is it?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking up at Star Shine and ignoring a more obvious question of how Star Shine was gliding before he was flying was relevant. A lot of Pegasi learned to glide before they could fly properly but those same Pegasi were always capable of flying. “I wish I knew Dashie.” Star Shine said with a sigh. “It could be any number of things, and I’ll have to work it out. I’m trying to train her in a totally different way too. I’ve never had a pony ride on a head before.” he added, smiling at the memory of how cute Scootaloo looked on Rainbow Dash’s head. “You really just drop them then?” Rainbow Dash asked. She was beginning to have her eyes opened to the way Pegasi really operated and trained their young. As well as how flawed some of those systems really were. She would never just drop Scootaloo knowing she can’t fly. Rainbow had tried to train her in a different way and, while it hadn’t worked, it had been safe. The fact it was safe wasn’t why it didn’t work either. “Most of them haven’t been through what she has, and don’t think twice about it.” Star Shine replied. “Yeah I still can’t believe what she said.” Rainbow Dash replied, shuddering at the thought that a pony could do something like that to their own kid. “If I had kids I wouldn’t do anything like that.” she added, looking down sadly. “If? You’re still under the delusion you don’t have kids?” Star Shine asked, giggling. Rainbow Dash looked up at him confused. “What are me and Scootaloo to you?” Star Shine asked. Rainbow Dash’s eyes went wide with surprise and then she started smiling again. She had thought about how close she and Scootaloo had gotten and was realising at this point she almost was a surrogate mother, but she still also wanted to think she was just a fun big sister. She wasn’t really sure she was ready to be a mother. “Well I don’t know about Scootaloo but I know what you are.” Rainbow Dash replied, grinning maniacally as she reached up and pushed Star Shine down, pinning him to the couch. She licked her lips as Star Shine grinned nervously and tried to avoid looking directly at her. “Fabulous? Awesome? Not worth hurting? Totally not scared right now?” Star Shine offered in mild fear. He tried fidgeting his way out from underneath Rainbow Dash but the couch was too small and she was pressed too close to him. “Uncomfortably close?” he added, looking down and seeing the lack of space between himself and Rainbow Dash. “Nope I think you’re soft.” Rainbow Dash said quickly, dropping down onto Star Shine and resting her head on his chest. He gave a small grunt of pain as she fell on him. “Sheesh what did you think I was going to do?” she asked as Star Shine sighed in relief. “You’re real confusing sometimes, you know that?” Star Shine asked, frowning. Rainbow Dash laughed at him. “You’re the one that makes it so fun to tease you.” Rainbow Dash replied, resting her head on the hoof of a foreleg and running the other across Star Shine’s chest. “You should be...nicer to me.” Star Shine said slowly, suppressing the urge to laugh. “Why?” Rainbow Dash replied, lifting the wandering hoof off of Star Shine. “You tease me too, so this is fair.” “Because I’m awesome and if you make me laugh or cry I’ll wake Scootaloo up.” Star Shine replied. “Guess you got a point there.” Rainbow Dash said, giving a flap of her wings and hovering slightly above Star Shine. “Except the awesome part. I’ll leave you to think about that. I’m gonna go up to my room and read something.” she added. Star Shine watched as she floated up the stairs and smiled to himself. Being stupid was good for making some adults forget their troubles, as well as some kids. He stared up at the cloud ceiling and thought up ways to improve on the gliding lesson for the next day. His mind was troubled with thoughts of Rainbow Dash and how confusing she was and after a while he sighed in resignation and accepted he would think nothing productive. *** Thursday rolled around and Star Shine was missing once again when Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo came in from Rainbow Dash’s morning practice. There was another note waiting for them on the table too; To Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo I left early again to go to Canterlot to do my new job there. I’ll be back in time to pick Scootaloo up from school with you Dashie and I’ll give Scootaloo another gliding lesson too. It should go better this time. I don’t think I’ll be back to hang out with you at dinner today though Dashie. I flew to Canterlot and back yesterday and it took a lot out of me which is why I was napping on that cloud. I’m taking the train today and it’s a little slower. With love and other confusing feelings; Star Shine. “Wait he has a new job in Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked with surprise when she finished reading the note. Star Shine and Rainbow Dash had neglected to tell her about it. Star Shine assumed Rainbow Dash would tell her because she would be best to tell Scootaloo potentially bad news and the idea of telling Scootaloo had never entered Rainbow Dash’s mind. She didn’t think it was very important. A look at Scootaloo’s upset face told her that she was wrong in this assumption. “He went to Canterlot to book our dinner remember?” Rainbow Dash asked, wrapping a foreleg around Scootaloo and holding her close. Scootaloo nodded. “So, is he a waiter now?” Scootaloo replied, confused. Rainbow Dash smiled but held back a giggle in case she upset Scootaloo further by giving her the impression that she, Rainbow Dash, thought she was a little stupid to make such an assumption. “Nah, he told me he ran into an old friend there and he’s going to be training another kid up in Canterlot.” Rainbow Dash explained. “How many old friends does this guy have?” Scootaloo replied, laughing. Rainbow Dash thought she was taking it better than expected. Especially given how upset she had been at the thought that Star Shine had a new job. “I wish I knew kid. Remember his job has him going all over Equestria. He’s never settled down.” Rainbow Dash explained. “Yeah but he’s settled down now hasn’t he?” Scootaloo asked, smiling. Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at her. “Here. He’s still coming back, right? He said so in his note. He said he’s coming back to pick me up from school.” Scootaloo explained. Her tone was one of nerves and almost fear. She was afraid she would be wrong with her assumptions and was so accepting of Star Shine leaving because she firmly believed he would come back. She was also upset that she hadn’t been told and not overly upset at the thought he was gone because of this. “Yep, he’s definitely going to come back and pick you up from school with me today.” Rainbow Dash replied happily, patting Scootaloo on the head. Scootaloo beamed up at her and ran off to find the things she’d need for school. “And the next day, but not after then cos it’ll be the weekend. But he’ll pick me up on Monday right?” Scootaloo called back to Rainbow Dash as she headed up the stairs. “He sure will Squirt!” Rainbow Dash called up to Scootaloo before heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for herself and Scootaloo. “I’m just not sure about after then.” she added quietly to herself. She was not looking forward to telling Scootaloo that Star Shine would be gone for a whole month. Scootaloo returned shortly afterwards and her and Rainbow Dash had breakfast together. When they were done Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a lunch to put in her saddlebags and the headed out to the school together as they usually did.