Scootaloo had been bullied that day at school. And the day before. And the day before. It seemed that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon never ran out of insults to hurl at her. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were always objects of their "blank flank" jokes, but recently they had honed in on Scootaloo. They teased her about that thing that had haunted her ever sense she was a little filly: her inability to fly. They called her things like "Chicken Wing" and "Dodo". When Sweetie Bell and Applebloom were around, they would help fight off the bullies and make her feel better. But, more often than not, it was just Scootaloo against them, two-on-one.
"It isn't really fair, is it?" asked Diamond Tiara the first time this had happened. "Two of us and one of you?"
"No, DT, she's a pegasus, so she has an advantage over us earth ponies," Silver Spoon had sneered. "She could just fly away before anything happened."
"Yeah, Scootaloo, why don't you just fly away?" Diamond Tiara questioned. "Oh, that's right. You can't."
Scootaloo ran home that day and cried for an hour.
She couldn't believe the audacity they had to tease about a pony's disability. Really, how much lower can you get? Then again, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were never known for their moral standards. But even the lowest of blows hurt. And for Scootaloo, this was a particularly painful point. When she was a very little filly, practically a baby, she watched as her friends one by one lost their short, downy wings and grew in their place longer, sturdier flight feathers. Scootaloo had waited in anticipation, but her day to grow new wings had never come.
Scootaloo was currently standing on the CMC Clubhouse's balcony, looking at her wings while she thought about this. They were still those short baby wings, with feathers that were defiantly not for flying. She sighed. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fly. She would flap as fast as she could, but there simply wasn't enough surface area for any lift. This buzzing of her wings did make a nice motor for her scooter, but zooming around at high speeds just wasn't the same. It wasn't flight.
"What is the point of being a pegasus if you can't fly?" Diamond Tiara had taunted at school that day. The question had lingered like a black shadow in her mind all day. Scootaloo didn't know the answer, which burned her up. She had thought and thought, seeking an answer, but she just became more discouraged. Well, pegasi could move clouds, right? You can still do that! she told herself. No, if you can't reach the clouds it doesn't make a difference. Scootaloo was driving herself deeper into despair.
Suddenly, a voice with a country twang interrupted her thoughts. "Heya, Scootaloo! Howya doin'?" Applebloom and Sweetie Bell walked up to the clubhouse. Scootaloo didn't respond. She didn't want to talk, even to her friends. "Scootaloo? Scootaloo! Sweetie Bell and I thought we'd come an' do some cutie mark crusadin'!" Scootaloo remained silent, and she turned away from them.
Sweetie Bell must have guessed how she was feeling, because she said in a squeaky voice, "Aww, Scootaloo! were those mean bullies after you again?" Scootaloo choked back a sob. Sweetie Bell had guessed right away what was wrong. But Scootaloo couldn't let her friends see her become a crying mess, so she held back her tears and turned around to face them.
"Naw, nothing gets to Scootaloo!" she lied. "I just... didn't hear you, that's all."
"Well, if there ain't nothin' wrong, wanna get to earnin' our cutie marks?" Applebloom asked cheerfully.
"No, uh...." Scootaloo frantically searched her mind for an excuse. "Well, uh... Oh! I mean, oh yeah! Rainbow Dash wanted to show me a new trick! It'll take all afternoon, because it' really elaborate." She was pleased with her story but hoped it would hold up under her friends.
"Wow, Scootaloo! Why didn't you tell us earlier!" Sweetie Bell's voice cracked. "We can come see it too! We might earn a cutie mark in... in..."
"Flight critiquein'!" Applebloom finished the sentence. "Yes! Well be professional flight critics!"
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle grinned at each other at the thought of earning their cutie marks.
"Woah! Woah! Slow down!" Scootaloo said. Somehow, she had to get them to leave her alone. "Uh, you can't come! I mean, uh, it's a pegasus-only event."
"How in tarnation can somethin' be a "pegasus-only event"?" asked Applebloom, suspicious.
"Yeah, what do you mean?" asked Sweetie Bell.
No! Scootaloo hadn't thought that far ahead! Fortunately, she was quick on her hooves. "Uh, it's in the sky! High in the sky. I'll sit on a cloud while Rainbow Dash does her trick. As you can see, you wouldn't be able to come because you can't fly."
Sweetie Bell looked at Scootaloo. "But, Scootaloo," she said gently, "you can't fly, either."
Scootaloo's friends knew what a sensitive subject this was, and Sweetie Bell was clearly trying to be nice about it, but they had no idea about Scootaloo's internal turmoil. Sweetie's words hit Scootaloo like a punch in the chest. Scootaloo recoiled, and darted into the clubhouse. On her way in, she mumbled something like "she'll carry me," to satisfy her friends. Scootaloo locked the door behind her so they wouldn't see her break down in tears.
Why? Why? she thought. Why did Sweetie have to bring that up now? Why are all these bad things piling up onto me? Why!? Scootaloo continued sobbing. Then the question came back to her.What's the point of being a pegasus if you can't fly? She tried to shake the thought from her head, but it wouldn't go away. It kept nagging at her. What is it, she asked herself over and over, what's the point?
Outside, Applebloom and Sweetie Bell were looking at the spot where Scootaloo had been a moment ago. "Well, what was that all about?" asked Applebloom.
"I don't know. Maybe she's stressed about the project Miss Chirilee assigned today." said Sweetie Bell.
"Prob'ly," said Applebloom. "D'ya think we should help 'er?"
"Nah, I'm sure she'll be fine. She'll see Rainbow Dash later if she needs help. Besides, we've got some Crusading to do!"
"Yes!" cheered Applebloom. They giggled and ran off, unaware of their friend's troubles.
Meanwhile, Scootaloo had cried herself into a fitful sleep.
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In Canterlot castle, Celestia and Luna were having their morning tea. It was a quiet time, but one that the sisters enjoyed, because it was one of the few moments that neither of them had any royal duties. Today, however, Luna appeared troubled. She couldn't stop fidgeting.
Finally, Celestia asked, "Luna, you don't look as relaxed as you usually do. You look like something's on your mind. Tell me, what's wrong?" Luna sighed.
"Remember how I told you before that she is still inside of me?"
"You mean, Nightmare Moon?" said Celestia.
"Yes," said Luna with a shudder. Celestia wondered where this conversation could be going. Wherever it was, it wasn't good. Luna continued, "She doesn't fight for control, not sense the Thousand Years, but I still feel her deep in my mind. Usually, she slumbers. But last night..."
"Oh, Luna," said Celestia. She put her wing around her sister. Luna smiled.
"Thank you." Luna continued her story. "I was dreamwalking, like I do every night. I would occasionally dispel a nightmare or place a pleasant dream. Nothing unusual. But then I walked into a particularly frightful nightmare. It must have been a pegasus who was dreaming, because she was flying through the sky. Suddenly, all the clouds in the sky turned into monsters that attacked the pegasus' wings. They ripped out the flight feathers and left only the downy feathers of a baby pegasus. I couldn't see clearly who the dreamer was, but I did know she was in pain. I was dispelling the nightmare when things got...interesting. That's when Nightmare Moon decided to awaken. I knew why she had stirred, for we are, after all, one and the same, and I knew I needed to stop her. She had seen a weakness in this pegasus, like she had seen the weakness in me. She wanted to tempt her and exploit her. We had a mental struggle, which I won, so she didn't get to the pony. But during the fight, I think I saw a dark cloud, a part of her mane, get away from me and escape into the dream." Luna paused to let Celestia process this. "Sister, I think this whisp of Nightmare Moon's mane is going to cause trouble. As I said before, I couldn't see who the dreamer was, but I do know that she was in Ponyville."
Celestia, who had been listening intently, said, "I will send a letter to Twilight immediately. She will take care of it. In the meantime, you need to get some rest. You seem pretty shaken up from your struggle with Nightmare Moon. I'll take care of your royal duties for you." She smiled at her sister.
"Thank you, sister."
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Scootaloo sat in the clubhouse, awake. Her sleep had been fitful at best. It had been scattered with nightmares that became worse and worse. She had been standing of a cliff, when she was pushed off. She was falling to her death, unable to fly. Then she would be whisked away to a world where even earth ponies and unicorns were flying. Of course she still could not, and their ridicules were unbearable. Then the dream had changed again. The worst one had been when the cloud monsters pulled out her wings. Scootaloo shuddered remembering it. She would have plummeted had a soothing magic not made the nightmare fade. Her sleep was dreamless after that.
Although, Scootaloo did seem to remember hearing a quiet voice whispering in her ears, "Scootaloo... Scootaloo... I can give you what you want... I can give you wings.... For a price...