//------------------------------// // Chapter Six; Know The Feeling // Story: True Flight // by Dasponi //------------------------------// Rarity had ran to Twilight's house as quickly as she could after Grey Feather had dropped her back down on the ground. Twilight had contacted Shining Armor as soon as Rarity had explained the situation, and then teleported all three of them to the field where Rainbow Dash lived when Shining Armor had appeared. He'd do anything for his little sister. If it turned out that they weren't on the ground, then Twilight could have fixed that with a handy application of Cloud Walking and more teleportation. Shining Armor could incapacitate and subdue someone from a distance and didn't need to be up close for it, hence the lack of Pegasi guards or help. That was how they had found themselves where they were now; with Grey Feather pounding helplessly against a magical bubble. Rarity saw Scootaloo and ran across to her. Twilight did the same with Rainbow Dash. Star Shine headed towards Scootaloo, trusting Shining Armor to follow his sister and take care of Rainbow Dash. “What's...what's wrong with her wings?” Rarity asked when Star Shine reached her. Star Shine looked Scootaloo over again and gave a deep, sad, sigh. Scootaloo looked relatively uninjured other than her wings but that was the worst injury she could have had on a personal level. “I'm afraid they're broken.” Star Shine said reluctantly. He didn't really want to face the reality himself. Rarity gasped and looked at the little filly in despair. “Broken? She'll be alright though won't she? They can be fixed?” Rarity asked, panicked. Everypony knew that one of Scootaloo's biggest dreams had always been to fly. They'd even seen her do it not too long ago after the whole Diamond Tiara affair. She had looked so happy. To have it all taken away would be one of the cruellest twists fate could have imagined for her. “Definitely. I've got faith in her and know she'll try her best and I'll be there for her.” Star Shine replied with a reassuring smile. Rarity nodded but didn't really smile. She felt she could hardly smile given the situation. “Why can't she just be happy?” Rarity asked, starting to cry. “She will be.” Star Shine replied. “Kinda hard not to be around Rainbow.” he added quietly, more for himself. “Hmm? What was that?” Rarity asked. She hadn't quite heard what he said and caught the word “Rainbow”. Star Shine shook his head. “Nothing, nothing.” Star Shine replied quickly. “Say, think you can pick her up for me? We need to get her to a hospital straight away and picking her up physically might make it worse.” Star Shine asked. Distractions work wonders and he really was worried about making Scootaloo's injuries worse. It was much better for her to be carried by magic. Rarity smiled at last and picked Scootaloo up with her magic. She was glad to do something useful and be helpful. She still blamed herself a little for all of this happening. She had been the one who told Grey Feather where Rainbow Dash lived. She'd been far too afraid to lie or anything. Rarity followed Star Shine over to Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo suspended in the air next to her. “How's it look?” Star Shine asked worriedly when he reached Rainbow Dash. Twilight and Shining Armor were checking her over for injuries. “Not good.” Shining Armor replied bluntly. Star Shine gulped. “Her right foreleg is broken and I think a few of her ribs might be too. It'd explain the internal bleeding. She needs to get to a hospital as soon as we can get her to one.” Shining Armor explained. “Same with Scootaloo. Broken wings.” Star Shine replied, motioning his head towards Rarity and Scootaloo. “You got another teleport in you Twiley?” Shining Armor asked his little sister. “I think so, yes.” Twilight replied. It'd take a lot out of her but she could probably get one more done. She could get them closer to the hospital than their current position at least. “Good, see to it they get help. I'm going to go straight back to Canterlot but I'll come visit them at the hospital when I'm done with everything.” Shining Armor said. He gave Twilight a quick hug goodbye. “I hope the next time you want me to visit it's just a social call.” he teased as he hugged Twilight. She gave a weak laugh and hugged her brother tight. They released the hug and Twilight watched Shining Armor walk over to Grey Feather for a few seconds before closing her eyes and concentrating as hard as she could. She had the magic to get them to the hospital. She smiled as she realised this and that her friends would be okay. There was a pop and then she, Rarity, Star Shine, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were gone. Shining Armor turned around long enough to watch them disappear and then continued to walk towards Grey Feather, still trapped in the bubble and pounding on it noiselessly. It was also completely sound proof. Shining Armor actually opened a small hole in the bubble so that he could talk to Grey Feather. “Let me out of here! Let me out of here right now!” Grey Feather demanded. Shining Armor glared at him which shut him up and put the fear of Celestia in him. He backed away as far as he could, which wasn't very far given his current location. “I'll consider it, if you tell me what happened here.” Shining Armor said stoically. “Rarity says you dragged her up in the air and threatened to drop her in an attempt to get information.” Shining Armor stated. Grey Feather nodded. “Aye, that I did. I needed to know where Chicken lived.” Grey Feather replied to explain his actions. “Never would have hurt her though. Rarity you called her? Nah, never woulda hurt her. Just like her mother.” Grey Feather added in reference to Scootaloo's mother. “Rarity's mother? You know Rarity's mother?” Shining Armor asked. He'd met Rarity's mother. They were pretty similar. Like most parents and their children. If he had a pre-existing relationship with Rarity's mother then it was definitely useful information. Grey Feather shook his head. “I dunno her mother. I meant Chicken's mother. Died young. Ever so young.” Grey Feather explained. “It's all that damn Chicken's fault!” he shouted, pounding on the walls of the bubble again in rage. “So what did you do when you found out where Rainbow Dash lived?” Shining Armor asked, ignoring Grey Feather's rampage. He was safely contained and not a threat to anypony. It was better to just let him work it out of his system and calm down on his own. “Well I'm here right now, so I'd say that means I came here, don't it?” Grey Feather replied sarcastically. Shining Armor was tempted to compact the bubble and squeeze Grey Feather a bit. He just barely resisted the urge. “And what did you do when you got here? How did Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo get injured? I have a hard time believing Star Shine would do something like that.” Shining Armor asked. Grey Feather started laughing in an almost unsettling manner. “I don't know about that, he tore my wing out it's socket.” Grey Feather replied, moving just one of his wings. The other wasn't attached properly and couldn't be moved until it was put back into place. “Can't say I blame him if you're the one that did that to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo.” Shining Armor replied. Grey Feather was starting to get on his nerves a little. He could totally understand why Star Shine would do something to hurt him. All the better if Grey Feather had legitimately earned it. “Can you call her Chicken? Just for me?” Grey Feather asked, grinning wickedly and putting his face right up against the wall of the bubble. Shining Armor spun the bubble around so that Grey Feather was on the other side of it. “Tell me what happened to Rainbow Dash! To Scootaloo!” Shining Armor demanded. This time he did shrink the bubble a little to apply some pressure on to Grey Feather and make him talk. “Alright, alright!” Grey Feather called out as the bubble got smaller and he ran out of room. Shining Armor obliged his willingness by expanding the bubble a little. “Yeah, it was me. No point hiding it is there? You're just gonna ask them if I don't tell you what you wanna hear and you'll believe them too. I didn't hurt the Chicken though. Honest. She jumped after that Rainbow chick.” Grey Feather explained. “See, I flew up and hit her, then she fell, then Chicken jumped after her. Then that other guy jumped after them both. Guess he's the one who saved them. Did a poor job though. Chicken's lost her wings. Not that she ever used them.” Grey Feather continued. “Her name is SCOOTALOO!” Shining Armor cried angrily. Grey Feather cowered in fright again. Shining Armor sighed and calmed down. The questioning wasn't quite over. “So why were you and Star Shine fighting? What happened when you got to the ground?” “That? I tried to fix my mistake. Guess he didn't take too kindly to me trying to take Chicken back.” Grey Feather replied. “What would you have done with her? Rarity told me you're her biological dad. Even after everything you did you might have been able to get some rights to her if you could prove you changed and if she wanted it. Why do things this way?” Shining Armor asked. He doubted Scootaloo would have wanted anything to do with her father but the option was there. “I told ya. I wanted to fix my mistake.” Grey Feather replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. “And what mistake is that?” Shining Armor asked. He had a feeling he knew the answer. “That I missed, and that I let her live in the first place.” Grey Feather replied without a trace of emotion. For all his faults, he sure was honest. At least about his feelings towards Scootaloo. The bubble, and Grey Feather inside it, were suddenly hefted high into the air. The hole that Shining Armor created stayed there so that Grey Feather could hear what Shining Armor had to say. “You've done a lot of damage today. To my friends, and their friends. Your actions almost ended two lives. You may have crippled a filly and robbed her of the one thing she's wanted more than a family. You almost took that away from her too. You're a dangerous and sick individual.” Shining Armor called up Grey Feather. “What Star Shine did counts as self defense but what I'm about to do counts as justice.” he added angrily. His horn lit up and the bubble Grey Feather was in disappeared. Grey Feather screamed as he fell to the ground. He flapped his one wing furiously but it did him no good. All he did was spin around in circles and make himself dizzy. He flailed out wildly but it did him no good. He continued to fall, and continued to fear for his life. Shortly before he hit the ground he felt himself hit something else instead. He was back inside one of Shining Armor's magical bubbles. Shining brought him back to the ground and glared at him with gritted teeth. “Death is too good for you. Twilight would never forgive me anyway. I just wanted you to know what it felt like. What you did to Scootaloo. I hope it hurt.” Shining Armor growled. Grey Feather was absolutely terrified and shivering in fright, curled up against himself. Shining Armor started the journey back to the train station, and then to Canterlot, with Grey Feather in tow.