//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Descent // Story: Flight, Failure, Faith and Family // by 8686 //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Descent This was the most wonderful beach party ever. Fluttershy felt more relaxed than she had in a long while. She lay splayed in the small cove, happily basking by the water's edge and listening to the faint lapping of the waves. The warmth of the autumn sun was wonderful as it dried her coat and feathers after her peaceful dip in the ocean. From behind closed eyes she let out a contented sigh and gave her legs a satisfying stretch. Something struck her outstretched hindleg, and a moment later there was a muffled "Oof!" Snapping to alertness she gathered herself, stood and spun. What she found was Scootaloo face down in the cloud, limbs poking every which-way as though she had just tripped. Which of course she had. Oddly, she seemed in no hurry to get back to her hooves. She just slumped and feebly tried to organise her legs underneath her, but with no real expectation that her efforts would result in her being able to stand again. It was difficult to tell with her face buried in the cloud, but Fluttershy thought she heard a sniffle from the poor filly. "Are you okay?" She reached out a foreleg and gently pulled the orange pegasus back upright. Scootaloo flopped onto her haunches and looked up, only now seeming to recognise Fluttershy. She looked like she'd been crying. "Oh...uh...sorry Fluttershy. Guess I wasn't looking where I was going." "Oh, goodness. What's wrong? Has something happened? Why aren't you with Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo looked away from Fluttershy's gaze. She mumbled, "I...don't think we're friends anymore." She blinked, a fresh tear streaming down each cheek, then looked back at Fluttershy. "Um...Fluttershy? Could you maybe take me back to Ponyville, please?" Fluttershy gave a small start, but in the end simply nodded. Scootaloo clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, and she didn't want to upset her further. Gently, she hugged the small filly about the belly with her forelegs and took to the air. She made a quick aerial circle before diving headlong into the clouds. White and fluffy quickly turned to grey and soggy, and a moment later Fluttershy and Scootaloo emerged from the underside of the cloud mass above Ponyville, and descended calmly to the ground. The drizzle was still falling and by the time they reached the earth their coats were uncomfortably damp and cold. Fluttershy released Scootaloo, who began to amble off in no particular direction. "Wait. Don't you want to talk about it?" she pleaded. But Scootaloo, without looking back, gave a brief, low shake of her head and carried on walking away. Fluttershy frowned, natural concern taking over. Scootaloo was upset, and as one of her friends she was going to do her best to help. With new resolve and a sense of purpose Fluttershy took wing and climbed vertically, back towards the beach party high above. She needed to find Rainbow Dash. --- Tears in her eyes, head hung low, Scootaloo walked with neither direction nor destination in mind. It was only after several minutes that she realised she had unconsciously begun to wander towards the clubhouse, but when she eventually arrived she found it empty of all her friends. Well, all but one. Her eyes inevitably came to rest on her hoof-made wooden model of Rainbow Dash, resting in its usual place atop a table along one wall, its smile a mockery of her current mood. She sat in the gloom staring at it for far too long until she was finally able to bring herself to pick it up gingerly. She forced herself to turn it over. Carved into the belly of the figure was everything that Rainbow Dash had ever meant to her. Everything Scootaloo had ever wanted summed up in a little wooden model and four small words. My Hero Friend Sister She chastised herself. When she'd added friend, that had been presumptuous enough, but then she'd later gone and included 'sister' too. It was a silly, foalish notion even at the time. But she had done it anyway, back when she was still giddy following their camping trip to Windsome Falls. But Rainbow Dash wasn't her sister. Never would be. It was time to stop pretending. Taking up her small carving blade in her teeth, she diligently carved a single line through all of the words which no longer applied, and probably never had. 'Sister' went first. 'Friend' followed after only a moment's pause. She hesitated at 'Hero.' That was still okay, right? She doesn't want you around Scootaloo. Take the hint. In the end, only the word 'My' escaped unscathed. Desperately, she searched her thoughts for another word she could add to replace the ones taken from her. A word that would approximate her current relationship with Rainbow Dash. A word that would mean she could, in some way, keep her. Any word. Nothing. She was able to salvage nothing. She carefully replaced the figurine and let out a long, shaky breath. For all intents and purposes, Rainbow Dash was gone. She eventually found that she couldn't remain any longer. The clubhouse was supposed to be a happy place. She couldn't be miserable here. Gathering herself as best she could she slowly tramped outside, once again with no goal in mind. She gradually found herself returning to Ponyville. With barely enough energy to pick her legs up, her hooves scuffed the damp earth. Drizzle soaked her coat and vitality drained from her as though the rain were simply washing it away. She walked slower and slower through the town for goodness knew how long, until finally it occurred to her in some corner of her numb mind that she didn't actually have anywhere to go. So she stopped. And sat. And was still. And cried. She didn't register the approach of the two ponies until one of them spoke. "Well, if it isn't one of the blank-flanks!" the voice taunted. Oh, please. Not now. A short glance up was all that Scootaloo could muster before her head drooped again. She caught a brief glimpse of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in coats and umbrella-saddles. Then she saw only the ground in front of her. She wished she could avoid hearing them too. "Why is she, like, sat there in a puddle?" "Yeah? Aren't you supposed to be up there? Or are flightless birds not allowed?" Diamond Tiara jabbed a hoof at the cloud high above. Scootaloo didn't notice. "Or maybe your hero 'Rainbow Dash' just forgot all about you?" "Did you hear about when she was telling everypony that Rainbow Dash was practically her family or something? So. Funny." "Ha! What a joke!" Diamond Tiara leaned in close to Scootaloo and lowered her voice. "You don't have a family..." There was a quiet intake of breath and a nervous glance from Silver Spoon that went unnoticed by all. Scootaloo just sat still, hardly breathing. Against her wishes a mutinous tear escaped. How was it that bullies always knew the worst thing to say, at the worst possible moment? On another day, in another time, she could handle these two. She would give as good as she got and send them packing. Just...not today. Not now. Please. "Hey! Leave her alone!" It wasn't the voice of Rainbow Dash, but Scootaloo found the strength to glance up briefly, only to see a less-than-inspiring sight. A tall stack of five large tubs of ice-cream in various flavours was currently walking towards her, supported as it was by two stubby purple legs. The ice-cream stack set itself down beside her, and from behind it emerged Spike, who stood between her and her two antagonists. "Can't you see she's upset?" "Well, duh. Of course she's upset. She's flightless, clueless, and talentless. I'd be mortified if I didn't have a talent. As it is," Diamond Tiara finished snootily, "I don't think I'll ever be unhappy again." "Because you have a talent?" asked Spike in a low voice. "Mmhmm." Diamond Tiara nodded smugly. "Well, that's swell Diamond Tiara. I'm happy for you, Diamond Tiara. Hey, that's a nice diamond tiara, Diamond Tiara. And, wow, your cutie mark sure looks a lot like a diamond tiara. Just remind me...what is your special talent Diamond Tiara? It's not...wearing a diamond tiara is it?" The affronted look offered by Diamond Tiara was worth its weight in...well, diamonds. She turned her nose up and in a haughty voice ordered her companion to accompany her to her father's estate where they would partake in blah blah blah. Silver Spoon never quite lost the embarrassed look on her face as she walked away, and when she was sure Diamond Tiara wasn't looking, she shot an apologetic glance back at Scootaloo. It too, went unnoticed. Spike let out a snort, a wisp of smoke escaping his nostrils. He muttered something under his breath too low for Scootaloo to hear, then spoke to her. "Are you okay?" Scootaloo couldn't find the strength to respond with more than a vaguely affirmative grunt. It was unconvincing even to her own ears. "Come on," Spike said, picking up the ice-cream. "Let's get you inside. I got most of your class in the library anyhow. There's room for one more." Scootaloo managed to get to her hooves and, for lack of anywhere better to go, followed Spike towards the Ponyville Library. A vaguely confused hum from her was all that Spike needed to launch into self-involved explanation. "See, I'm doing lots of very serious research into how ponies look at dragons. And that just happens to mean I gotta watch every movie ponies have made about dragons. I want to see heroic and noble dragons helping ponies on epic adventures, fighting evil side by side and stuff." He paused a moment, and when he carried on his voice carried a genuinely melancholic tone that even Spike himself seemed caught off guard by. "So far all we do is rampage, kidnap, and lay waste to small villages. We're pretty much the bad guys." There was another thoughtful pause before Spike found his pep again. "Anyway, when I heard today was going to be a wash-out I thought it was the perfect day to start. I invited Snips and Snails to be my research assistants and I guess word must have spread because now most of the school is there. Helping me. With the research." Scootaloo wasn't sure how long it had taken but all of a sudden they were at the door of the library. In fact she almost walked right into it before Spike got there first and allowed her inside, improbably able to balance five huge ice-cream tubs and operate a door simultaneously. Even now, projected onto a large foldaway screen in the main room, a stop-motion dragon was terrorising a movie-set designed to look vaguely reminiscent of Manehatten. Arrayed around the screen, watching with rapt fascination, were most of the foals from Scootaloo's class. She saw Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Twist, Snips, Snails, Peachy Pie and Featherweight among them. Being around so many of her friends should have been enough to cheer her up. It wasn't. Sweetie Belle was the first of the kids to notice Scootaloo's arrival and, addressing her in a stage whisper, efficiently broke down Spike's lofty research project and offered a simpler explanation. "Scootaloo! Over here! Spike's letting us watch monster movies and giving us ice-cream!" --- It didn't take long to find her. Fluttershy had assumed that Rainbow Dash would be scouring the beach looking for Scootaloo, frantic and worried sick. But no. She was at the centre of the largest crowd on the beach, playing a game of volleyball. Laughing, shouting and wearing her trademark grin, she was clearly enjoying herself without a care in the world. Certainly without a care for poor, crying Scootaloo. It made Fluttershy angry. Carefully navigating the crowd – and offering sincere apologies where appropriate – she eventually found herself at the edge of the court with the game in full flow. Rainbow's opponents – a team wearing grey bibs – were putting up a fierce fight. Each point was hotly contested and the intensity of the match was gradually increasing. With anger and fierce determination serving to steel her resolve, Fluttershy prepared to get Rainbow's attention the only way she could. Gathering her courage she boldly stepped right onto the court, drawing a deep breath into her lungs. This was an emergency after all... "Um, excuse me? Do you think I could talk to Rainbow Dash for a second?" She hadn't expected everything to just stop. As one, the eight players on the court turned to face Fluttershy, all with expressions of confusion and mild concern. Fluttershy suddenly felt self conscious about being looked at by so many, and that was exacerbated when she realised that the entire crowd had fallen deathly silent and were also looking at her in the same curious manner. The ball bounced somewhere, completely forgotten. Only the referee seemed unfazed, and with an air of inflated self-importance he bellowed, "Hey, get that pony off the court! Replay the point!" Every pair of eyes on the court and in the crowd turned and glared daggers at him. He shrank back, suitably cowed. Rainbow Dash stepped forward and began in a lighthearted tone, "Hey Fluttershy. It's great that you're here to cheer me on and all, but you probably shouldn't just walk onto the court in the middle of a game." "Rainbow Dash, what happened? Why is Scootaloo so upset?" "Upset? What are you talking about? She's fine. We're getting along great." Fluttershy puffed out her cheeks. "Then why is she wandering around Ponyville right now, crying and thinking you don't like her?" That had come out slightly more angrily than she meant. Yes, she was annoyed at Rainbow for being so inconsiderate, but at the same time she knew she would never have done it on purpose. "Ponyville? What? She's right over..." by the grill? Where I left her. "Time out everypony!" called Dash, which seemed to break the spell. All of the contestants and spectators that had been staring suddenly found themselves animated once more and they began to talk amongst themselves. Rainbow took Fluttershy to one side. Fluttershy explained what had happened, and for a moment Rainbow looked like she was going to be sick. Then, a little too quickly to be natural she put on a smile. "No biggie. I'll fix it." She turned back to her teammates. "Spitfire, sorry about this. I gotta bail. Something's come up." "Family emergency?" said the Wonderbolt leader with a note of genuine concern. "Uh...No. But I gotta take care of something." "But, Rainbow Dash," pleaded Soarin, "if you leave now, we forfeit!" From behind Fleet Foot gave him a harsh look. "Soarin..." began Spitfire in a low warning tone. But the referee chose this moment to stick his arrogant muzzle in again. "I'm afraid he's correct. You need a full team. If Rainbow Dash leaves you will forfeit the tournament." "Oh, I'm not Rainbow Dash anymore. She is!" said Dash without missing a beat, pulling off her green bib and pulling it unceremoniously over Fluttershy's head. "What!?" "Congratulations Fluttershy, you're the new Rainbow Dash and a temporary Wonderbolt. Enjoy the rest of the game!" Dash leaned in a little closer and said in a low voice, "Make me proud." Then Dash was gone in a multi-hued blur. She soared upwards, arched gracefully overhead, and then finally plunged through the clouds at speed, kicking up small wisps of vapour at her entry point. The crowd looked on, stunned, unsure as to what had just happened. "Well then, 'Rainbow Dash'," Spitfire greeted Fluttershy with a warm smile and a wink. "You ready?" "Hey! You can't just change a team member half-way through the final!" the referee blustered. "You...you're all disqualified!" "Oh, put a sock in it, Ref!" called a voice from the other end of the court. The captain of the opposite team was spinning the volleyball on his hoof. "This is a party. We're supposed to be here to have fun, so why don't you butt out and just let us play?" Without waiting for a response, he served the ball. --- From what Fluttershy had said, Rainbow assumed that she would find Scootaloo wandering the streets, but no. After an hour of fruitless searching she was still nowhere to be found. It took her until her third pass over Mane Street to finally remember that clubhouse she was always in. Of course! It was so obvious that's where she would be. Alright, she was gonna fix this once and for all. She made a sharp turn and headed for the farm. A minute later Rainbow Dash stood at the door of the small clubhouse and peered inside. The grey sky cast the interior into faded gloom, and she heard only the sound of the fine rain on the roof. Rainbow stepped in, looking around. "Scoots? Scootaloo? I know you're in here." She searched the clubhouse top to bottom but found no sign of her quarry. She cursed under her breath as she realised she had exhausted her one good idea without reward. She wouldn't give up though. She turned toward the door ready to begin her search over...and caught a glimpse of colour in the half-light. Perched on a low table along one wall was a vaguely pony-shaped collection of bits of wood, painted a very familiar shade of cyan. Along the back of the neck several drinking straws of different colours approximated a mane, two purple circles were the eyes, and a cocky drawn-on smile completed the illusion. It was unmistakably an effigy of Rainbow Dash herself. In other circumstances, at another time, Rainbow Dash would have found this cute or funny. As it was, looking at the model she felt an icy lump in her stomach. She approached the figurine tentatively and picked it up, turning it this way and that. It was inexpertly made, but looking closely there were fine details here and there that showed that it was a labour of love and care. Dash couldn't help but be a little touched. As she turned it upside down to examine the belly, the icy lump grew. Carefully carved into the wooden underside of the model were several words: My Hero Friend Sister Rainbow's jaw hung open, her eyes stuck on the word Sister. Squirt had actually wanted to be a real sister to her. And not only had Dash ruined that illusion, she'd clearly ruined far more. Panic started to creep. What if this was something she couldn't undo? What if Squirt hated her? How was she supposed to fix it? No. She took a breath and forced panic from her mind. She wasn't just going to give up on her little buddy. And luckily for her she had friends who knew exactly how to be big sisters. Taking to the air she made a beeline for Sugarcube Corner. She needed advice, quick.