//------------------------------//
// It's What's Inside That Counts 
// Story: Those Wings Will Take You Up 
// by Touch the Sky 
//------------------------------//

*Scootaloo POV*

"You bitch!" I screeched, totally flying off the handle. "You'd kill another pony-just so that you can get what you want? And you know what? You'll never be Scootaloo! And I'll never be Rainbow Dash! Because it's not what we look like that matters... it's what's inside that counts! And you must be dark as night and cold as ice inside, because that's the most selfish thing I'll ever hear!"

I flew away in a rage, pursuing the stretcher. If it was the last thing I did, I'd stop Silver Spoon!

Again, I was denied entry to the ward. So I sat outside the hospital and kicked the wall, imagining that every brick was Silver Spoon's face. When my hooves were raw, I flew up and continued venting my rage out- but on the softer clouds. Night was falling when I finally snapped out of my rage. And I looked up at the darkening sky, praying that this night, a shooting star would appear to help me.

When I flew up to Rainbow's cloud home, I found, to my fury, Silver-Scootaloo waiting for me. She was perched quite calmly on the doorstep. I shoved by her and slammed the door behind me, only for her to drift through the wall. Despite my bitter, cold hatred for her very being, something stopped me hoofing her lights out. It was the deep calm and quiet on her face; the glint in her eyes which made me feel immature and stupid, even though this filly was roughly the same age as me.

"Finished?" she asked quietly when I collapsed on the soft floor. As my anger was replaced by grief for my ailing hero, I felt tears come to my eyes. I hurriedly wiped them away, pulling my face into an angry scowl.

"How could you do this?" I hissed. "You-"

"Be quiet, Scootaloo." she said, putting an edge on my voice which it made me flinch to hear. "I'm going to tell you my story- and you are not going to interrupt."

I snarled. "This isn't the time for your life story, Silver Spoon. Rainbow Dash is dying, and I have to keep watch for a shooting star."

"The stars have only just appeared." retorted the filly. "And Rainbow Dash has until morning, at least."

"You don't know that!" I snapped.

"I do."

"And how do you know that?"

"I... I can sense it. I can feel the strength of my body going down, but it's not critical. Not yet."

"You don't even care, do you? As long as you get to keep those stupid wings... If it weren't for me and my cowardice, none of this would have happened!"

The face I had once owned twisted with emotion, but one I didn't recognise. "I care a lot, Scootaloo."

"Then why are you doing this? Why are you letting Rainbow die?"

"I told you, I'll tell you my story, Scootaloo. And then you'll understand."

I was about to argue when I saw a steely look in my purple eyes. I groaned. "Fine, tell me."

Silver-Scootaloo launched straight into the yarn. "I was only two years old when I was diagnosed as a haemophiliac. I've had a lot of scares over the years, and so every single pony who knows of my condition treats me like I might shatter at any moment. That's why I made sure Diamond didn't know. Miss Cheerilee had to be told, so she could call Mom if anything happened, but none of the foals at school knew about it. School was the only place I could be myself. But of course, then I fell in with Diamond because our dads are friends. You know all of that part. 

My talent is rather silly- I'm just good at making things shine and sparkle. And when I thought about it, I decided my talent was pointless."

"But it's not!" I protested. "Everypony needs a bit of beauty in their lives, to brighten up their days." I didn't know where all this soppy mush was coming from, but I just couldn't imagine finding my talent only to wind up believing it to be pointless. 

"Maybe you're right." Silver Spoon sighed. "But after what Mom thought was an attempted suicide on my part -which it wasn't- she rid the house of anything sharp or remotely dangerous. And then, when I was bored and locked in my bedroom, I saw her. Rainbow Dash, just messing around I guess, looping the loop and dive-bombing. That's when I first started wishing I could fly. Flight seemed like it was so free, so happy. And then I saw the shooting star. I never expected this- I just made the wish. And the rest- you know it all."

"So what's the problem?" I asked.

"I don't want to go back, Scootaloo. Not to that sick, earth-bound body. And I know you want your body back. So I've decided the best thing is to-"

"No." I had just worked out Silver Spoon's plan, and shook my head. "Silver Spoon, you can't do this."

"I can. I have to." Her eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry for everything I did to you, Scootaloo. Forgive me- but I can't face a life locked up in my room, afraid of scratches and bruises, being treated like I'm made of glass. This is what I have to do." She turned to the window, and, with all-too-perfect timing, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Silver-Scootaloo's eyes closed and  I heard the words 

"I wish...."

...before the world was enveloped in bright light.

I came to lying on a cloud floor, and I knew instantly that the wish had worked. My limbs and wings were shorter and weaker now, and when I opened my eyes they were orange. I stood shakily to find myself by the window. Not far away lay Rainbow Dash, not moving aside from steady breathing. I walked over to her and prodded her with my hoof. Despite the loss of her strength and wings, it had never felt so good to be in my own body. 

Apparently Rainbow felt the same way, as she woke, stretched and gave a whoop, flaring her wings. Quickly I seized her foreleg to stop her flying away and began to sob out the story. As I explained to her what had happened, what Silver Spoon was doing, her face fell. In a fluid motion she swept me onto her back and we were speeding along through the air.

We touched down outside the hospital. The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon, and I thought, panicked, of Silver Spoon's promise that her body would last until morning. Rainbow led me into the hospital, talking down every nurse or worker who tried to halt us. We arrived on the ward to find Easy Street standing firm, a lone tear forming in his eye as a distraught Sitting Pretty sobbed brokenly into his shoulder. There was no doctor in sight; apparently this was a case of 'last words'.

Silver Spoon was lying in the bed, with a scary number of tubes hooked up to her. She appeared to be unconscious, but her eyes flickered open as we approached and she smiled weakly. 

Easy Street seemed to sense something secret was to be discussed, and giving us a look he led his sobbing wife out of the door. But Rainbow had only just opened her mouth to speak when a wailing pink filly came tearing in and threw herself down next to the bed. It was Diamond Tiara, though she bore no such jewels now. Her mane and tail were unkempt, her eyes red with tears.

"S-Silver!" she cried, totally ignorant of Rainbow and I's presence. "I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to..."

Silver Spoon coughed and smiled. "Diamond, please, don't blame yourself. I know it was an accident."

"W-was it?" choked the pink filly. I was so angry... but I don't think I ever meant for the dart to hit you..."

"You didn't." said Rainbow gently. Diamond snapped to attention, noticing me and Rainbow for the first time.

"How... how do y-you know that?" sniffled Diamond.

"Because I was there. It was me who occupied Silver's body these last few days, not Scootaloo. I'm very sorry I attacked you, but I was angry. But though I was out soon after the accident, I still saw it. Your hoof was shaking for some reason, and you misthrew the dart. It hit me in the leg without much force- not nearly hard enough for it to have had any purpose to injure."

Diamond stared uncomprehending for a few moments, then turned her blue gaze to me. "Th-then you-"

"I've been flying around in Rainbow's body for the whole time." I confessed.

Diamond's eyes were brimming with tears again. "But it was still my-"

"It wasn't your fault, Diamond!" snapped Silver, determinedly. Diamond shrunk back. "I'm sorry for yelling, Diamond, but none of this is your fault. It was all my decision. I don't want any of you to blame yourselves for my death."

My, Rainbow's and Diamond's ears all flattened at the last word. "You're not going to die!" I snapped. "You'll pull through."

Silver shook her head. "No. This is it. I'll be unconscious within the hour, and I won't wake again. So I want you all to shut up and listen to what I have to say."

"I want to thank you, Rainbow Dash, for first showing me that I wanted to fly, and also for being so calm through this whole situation." Silver turned to me. "And you, Scootaloo, for teaching me to fly and helping me realise that my talent isn't useless. And to thank you for that, I made you these." Silver pulled two things out from under the duvet. The first was a fabric effigy of Rainbow's cutie mark, with hundreds of sequins sewn meticulously onto it to make up the colours. The second was a pair of fabric orange wings with small silver words marked out in sequins. Thank you, it said. These wings, too, were covered in sequins, orange ones. Normally I would have grimaced at so many sparkles, but the feeling and work sewn into these were so nice I couldn't do it. 

Silver pushed the first towards Rainbow and the second towards me. I took it solemnly, and Rainbow picked hers up too.

"How did you make these so fast?" Rainbow asked. 

"I made them earlier, in the night. It's my special talent, so it didn't take long."

Silver Spoon turned to Diamond Tiara finally. Silver looked at her friend for a long moment before stretching out her hooves. Diamond hugged her friend, sobbing torrents into the dying filly's shoulder. It was a strain on my ears, but I thought I heard a last whisper of "Goodbye."

After that, we left Silver to say goodbye to her parents. Diamond, upon leaving the ward, threw her hooves around me and sobbed a million 'sorry's into my shoulder. I stood, tense, as Rainbow looked at me. Her gift from Silver was draped over her back, and the red, yellow and blue sequins glittered in harmony with the crystalline tears which began to fall from her magenta eyes.

Two hours later, the whispers around town were those of mourning for Silver Spoon. Over the streets came floating the keening wails of Sitting Pretty. But as I looked into the sky, cloudy as the pegasi showed their grief, I thought I saw, just for a moment, a glowing grey filly with lustrous wings soar across the sky.

I fixed Silver Spoon's last gift above my bed. I placed it just where the rising sun will catch the sequins and reflect a spectrum of colours across the walls. I really can fly now, though I have no cutie mark yet. Rainbow Dash approached Silver's parents at the funeral and asked if she could perform a Sonic Rainboom in the filly's honour. They agreed, and a brighter rainbow I've never seen.

Diamond doesn't tease us any more. We're not exactly friends, but she leaves us alone. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle have put it down to cowardice- because she doesn't have Silver to back her up any more- but Diamond and I know better.

What happened to Rainbow, Silver and I will always be our secret to keep.