Chapter 15: The Place Where You Belong
Fluttershy slowly opened the door to Dawn's room and peered in. Sure enough, there he was, languishing on his bed, staring at the ceiling, completely oblivious to his surroundings. The butter-colored pegasus found herself frowning as she realized that this was turning into a repeat of Dawn's depression during that period leading up to his "execution." Back then, she had been completely clueless about his situation until the last minute. This time, she was determined not to sit idly by and let Dawn slip away into his own self-pity.
"Dawn Lightwing," she said firmly, her voice causing the ebony colt to snap out of his daze.
Dawn's slit-pupil eyes turned to meet Fluttershy's. His expression of sadness melted away into one of confusion as he saw his mother sternly staring down at him. "Y-yes?"
"What do you think you're doing here lying around?"
"I..." Dawn struggled for words. He hadn't heard this scolding tone of voice from his mother since his first fight with Applejack.
"It's unhealthy for a colt like you to laze around all day. It's time to get up," she said sharply, looking Dawn straight in the eyes. It wasn't even remotely approaching the level of her Stare, but something about Fluttershy's commanding gaze made the colt snap to obey. He was out of his bed in seconds.
"It's nearly time for breakfast," said Fluttershy calmly, "But there's still a little time. Aren't you forgetting something?"
Dawn frowned. "Well...normally, I work on my forms but..."
Before he could even finish his sentence, he found himself abruptly being shoved out the front door and into the yard. Looking back, he found Fluttershy smiling brightly at him.
"Now then, you can't afford to slack off even if you are feeling down," she said cheerfully, "Don't come back in until you've finished your practice." Looking down, she smiled at her rabbit, who had jumped to the threshold. "Angel, would you be a dear and keep an eye on Dawn while I get breakfast ready. Don't let him back in until he's gone through his forms at least once each."
The rabbit's paw snapped up into a dignified salute and the little creature nodded sharply to his caretaker.
"Thank you Angel," said Fluttershy sweetly before giving Dawn one last encouraging look, "Now then, get started." Shutting the door, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.
Outside, Dawn gave Angel a dubious look, but backed away from the rabbit's glare. With a resigned sigh, Dawn walked a short distance to the open space between the cottage and the forest and spread his wings. As he went through his forms, old habits reasserted themselves and it wasn't long before the process of going through the familiar, comfortable motions washed the anxiety and doubt from his mind...for a time, at least.
Breakfast was a solemn, quiet affair. Dawn ate silently, not saying a word. Fluttershy, having felt that she'd been assertive enough for the morning, decided not to press the matter. She had hoped that ensuring that Dawn didn't abandon his morning routine would help raise his spirits. But Dawn still seemed overtaken by that strange, silent contemplation that had been plaguing him the entire night. With a sigh, she looked down and attended to her own meal, uncertain of what else she could do to help him overcome this depressed phase of his.
As she cleaned and put away the dishes, Fluttershy's ears twitched at the sound of knocking on the door. Pausing in her cleanup, she went out to the living room of the cottage and opened the door to see who was there.
"Caramel!"
"Hey Fluttershy," said Caramel softly. He leaned in and gave his fillyfriend a gentle peck on the cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't get to check up on you sooner. I had to mind the shop while Bon Bon and Lyra were out of town."
"It's alright." Bon Bon and Lyra had gone out of town to attend one of the mint-green unicorn's concerts. It had been an important event for Lyra and Caramel had taken over running the candy store while Bon Bon went along to support her wife. Now that she had returned, Caramel had the free time to check up on his fillyfriend and her son.
"Is everything alright?" asked Caramel, looking past Fluttershy to see that the living room was empty.
Dawn had been lying on the couch until a moment ago, but had apparently moved back into his room when he realized that Caramel was the one at the door. Fluttershy wasn't certain if it was to give her and Caramel some privacy, or if he had just decided that he wanted to continue sulking in solitude.
"Come in," said Fluttershy softly, stepping aside to let Caramel step into the living room. Once the door closed behind the stallion, Fluttershy threw her arms around Carmel's neck and hugged him tightly. Caramel quickly returned the embrace, gently rocking Fluttershy back and forth as she sobbed against his shoulder. In between breaths, Fluttershy did her best to explain what was happening with Dawn and his depression.
"I see," said Caramel pensively. He was a little concerned. By and large, he hadn't heard anything that seemed to indicate that anypony blamed Dawn for what was happening, even if they knew that Willow had come to Ponyville for him. However, he could certainly understand the reasoning behind Dawn's present slump.
Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "Hey! I've got an idea."
"What is it?" asked Fluttershy.
"Why don't you let me take Dawn for the day. We'll have a sort of...guys' day out, I guess." Caramel chuckled. "I'll probably be making it up as I go, but it might help Dawn to give him something else to think about."
Fluttershy nodded. It seemed like a decent idea and she didn't exactly have any better ones. It took them a few minutes to coax Dawn out of his room. But, before long, he and Caramel had set off down the road towards Ponyville.
Scootaloo sagged to the ground, panting from exertion. All around her, clouds of dust slowly settled as the wind from her latest run through the first form died down. Looking up, Scootaloo noted that the sun was a good bit lower in the sky than it had been when she started. She'd be expected back at home before long and she was wondering if she could find the energy to actually fly back.
After returning home last night, Scootaloo had gone to bed and slept like a rock. This morning, she was up with the sun and out to practice in her front yard. Thanks to the fact that her night had been much more restful than the last one, Scootaloo felt a great deal calmer and more composed. So she'd had little trouble going through her repetitions of the first form. As she did so, she recalled Dawn's explanation from a few days ago. She allowed her awareness to spread throughout her body, from her hooves to the tips of her wings. Without thinking, she'd corrected and adjusted whenever she felt something was off, altering her movements as she found some form or some way of moving that better suited her own nature.
Scootaloo had been so lost in her practice that she'd nearly missed her mother calling her in for breakfast. In spite of her intense workout, the orange filly had felt strangely energized as she left for school.
Cheerilee had recovered admirably from her earlier depression and had restarted school. Scootaloo and the other Crusaders attended, but there were still several foals absent from their class, many apparently still shaken by Willow's attack. Scootaloo's stomach lurched when she realized that she was glad that Dawn was one of the foals who had declined to come to school, as she understood that the realization that several of his classmates were still suffering from the traumatic events of two days ago would only serve to drive him deeper into his present state of self-loathing. The realization only served to further cement Scootaloo's conviction that she had to do something to shake the ebony colt out of his funk, once and for all.
To that end, she had declined to join her friends for their usual slew of afternoon activities and flown straight to the quarry to begin practicing with her magic. Continuously going through the first form while using her magic to move the air around her helped shape Scootaloo's perception of how her body was developing. Using her wings to move the air around her subjected her body to a different kind of strain than simply going through the motions as she did in the morning. As she continued to practice, she also worked on refining her wind-sense, focusing on the feeling of extending her awareness beyond the limits of her body until it began to fill the air around her. Because of this, as she practiced, Scootaloo began to get a stronger sense that the way in which she interacted with the air was beginning to change, although she wasn't sure how yet.
Taking a moment to rest, Scootaloo snagged a bottle of water from her saddlebags and took a few moments to sip it down. When her mother had heard about her plans, Melon had insisted that Scootaloo start taking more water with her to ensure that the orange filly didn't get dehydrated from the long hours of intense exercise.
As she drank, Scootaloo mulled over the results of her previous few repetitions, wondering if she really knew what she was doing. She'd felt fairly confident when she'd told Cheerilee about her idea. However, she wasn't certain how well she was doing carrying it out. Scootaloo had gone through the first form several times since she'd begun her practice session. And, in spite of adjusting her movements each time through, it still didn't feel right to her, as though there was something that was missing, some element that lurked on the edge of her awareness that she had to recognize and achieve before she was ready to show the product of her efforts to Dawn.
In spite of that, Scootaloo knew better than to allow herself to get frustrated. She smirked as she realized that, the way she had been before she'd started learning under Dawn, frustrated would have been exactly how she would have acted. However, after spending time with Dawn, learning from him, seeing in him the time and dedication he had put into his own instruction, she had internalized the value of patience. She'd learned discipline...at least to a certain extent. As such, Scootaloo knew better than to try and rush through her practice. What mattered was not the number of repetitions she went through, nor the power of the magic she exercised, but the experience of feeling her way through the motions of the First Form and adapting it to herself until it became something that was hers and hers alone. I have to keep practicing and let my own body show me the way.
Having had enough of a break for the time being, Scootaloo sat her bottle down and stood up. Walking back to her starting position, she took a deep breath before letting it out. With it went her extraneous thoughts, her worries, and her fears. Now, there was nothing but herself and the sky around her.
Spreading her wings halfway, Scootaloo took the beginning stance for the first form and opened her eyes. Just you wait Dawn. I'll prove to you that you're better than you say you are. So don't go anywhere.
As that last thought departed on a light breeze, Scootaloo began again.
Dawn watched in quiet fascination as the pot of molten sugar bubbled. There was very little else to it. Caramel had mixed sugar and water together, added a small dash of corn syrup, and let the entire thing go on the highest setting the stove had to offer. There was no fussing, no stirring. In fact, Caramel made it a point to be careful to not do anything to disturb the substance bubbling away in the pot.
Not having much of a taste for sweet things, the mere sight of so much sugar in one place made Dawn feel a little woozy. However, as he watched, the sugar’s color darkened and the scents rising from it began to get more complex.
“Keep an eye on it,” said Caramel from the other end of the kitchen, “Let me know the second you see smoke.”
Dawn offered no verbal response, but refused to pry his eyes away from the pot all the same, his gaze zeroed in on the liquid’s surface. Looking over, Caramel raised a hoof to stifle a laugh as he saw the almost comic look of seriousness on Dawn’s face as he literally watched a pot boil. It was the look of a pony fascinated by something he’d never seen before.
Figuring it was almost time, Caramel moved into position to get ready for the next step. While he trusted Dawn’s eyes, which were probably better than his own, Caramel knew better than to risk letting his namesake product burn, for which there was a very narrow margin of error.
“It’s smoking!”
Even as he acted, Caramel’s lips quivered when he picked up an actual note of childlike excitement in Dawn’s voice. Quickly, Caramel turned off the heat and added a healthy quantity of heavy cream to the mix, causing the pot to hiss and boil angrily, a sound that actually made Dawn step back a bit, his wings fluttering nervously.
Reintroducing the pot to lower heat, Caramel chuckled as he stirred. “I’m guessing you haven’t done anything like this before.”
Dawn shook his head slowly. “When we traveled together, my Master and I never had much opportunity for treats. I never got the chance to see how they were made. And, of course, in the Everfree…”
Caramel nodded. It was nice to see Dawn acting more like somepony his age should. More importantly, it was nice to see that the process of candy-making was sufficiently engaging that the colt no longer seemed overly burdened with existential questions brought about as a reaction to a recent crisis.
Dawn watched intently as Caramel stirred the mixture, the once-molten sugar having seized up upon initial contact with the cold cream was slowly beginning to dissolve, turning the sauce a rich amber color. “Care to give it a try?” asked Caramel, taking a clean spoon out and giving it to Dawn.
The colt hesitantly took the spoon in his fetlock and lifted out a small sample of the sauce. He was surprised to find the normally cloying sweetness of sugar to have been replaced by a more subtle sweetness and a nutty flavor. It was tasty, though not something he could imagine himself eating on a regular basis.
"How are things going back here?" asked Bon Bon, trotting into the kitchen.
"I think Dawn's a natural," said Caramel cheerfully as he carefully lifted the pot and set it next to a tray loaded with small candies. Dipping a whisk into the substance, he used it to liberally dribble the sauce over the candies. Dawn watched the process intently, the sheer novelty of everything winning over his usual taste in food.
Bon Bon couldn't help but smile at the colt's fascination with the goings on in the candy shop's kitchen. Though Caramel had meant well when he'd suggested taking Dawn out with him, the stallion quickly came to a realization that he had no idea what to do. Dawn hardly seemed like the kind of colt to go for the typical "guy" things that most fathers did with their sons. They had spent some time walking around the park and playing games. However, Dawn seemed mostly disinterested in such activities, though he didn't seem to mind Caramel's presence.
Ultimately, Caramel came up with the idea of taking Dawn to the candy shop where Caramel worked. Once they arrived, it was Bon Bon who suggested that Caramel take the ebony colt behind the counter and into the kitchen to see how the various sweets were made. So far, it was a suggestion that had worked out brilliantly.
"Is that all you can do with this?" asked Dawn as he watched Caramel finish drizzling out the remainder of the sauce.
"Actually, you can do a lot of things with melted sugar," said Caramel. He went on to explain to the fascinated colt how the different temperatures the sugar was heated to could produce different textures and flavors, from soft candies to harder brittles and everything in between.
After that, Bon Bon showed the colt the taffy puller, which was currently working through a batch of the stretchy and sticky candy. She also let Dawn try his hoof at stocking the shelves and sorting the products. Normally, she would have been leery of letting a colt, particularly one who normally spent so much time in the proximity of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, handle anything important in her store. However, seeing the normally careful way in which Dawn approached...well...everything...convinced her that it was worth the risk.
By the time the afternoon had passed, Dawn had seen a great deal of the behind-the-scenes workings of the candy shop. Caramel was particularly pleased to note that the colt's mood had improved. Looking at the time, he noted that they should be on their way back to Fluttershy's.
"Come by and visit sometime," said Bon Bon as they were saying goodbye, "'Mel's like a brother to me. I guess that makes me like your aunt." She nuzzled Dawn fondly, not bothering to worry over the colt's instinctive flinch away from the physical contact.
She continued to watch as the two of them set off down the road towards Fluttershy's cottage, a smile on their face. Caramel had told her what had happened while she'd been gone with Lyra. She found herself wishing the colt the best.
Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched her wings, wondering what to do next. It had been a long couple of days for her. Yesterday, the first thing she had wanted to do was check up on Scootaloo and see how her Number One Fan was handling things after what had happened with Willow. However, Soarin' had stepped in and suggested that they give the filly some space. Apparently Dawn was checking up on Scootaloo and Soarin' thought it best that they leave him to it.
They had spent the remainder of the day just flying. They'd raced back and forth across the sky and through Thunderlane's course in Whitetail Woods. While Rainbow Dash was unquestionably the faster of the pair, Soarin' had actually won the race in the forest thanks to his greater experience in dealing with obstacles and flying in enclosed spaces. Soarin' had even started guiding Rainbow through practicing some of the routines the Wonderbolts used in their shows, though there was only so much they could do with just the two of them.
It had been fun and the day had slipped away. Before Rainbow knew it, it was dinnertime. She and Soarin' ate out at one of Ponyville's casual restaurants and enjoyed a nice evening of talking and joking (Soarin's peeved look when the whole pie that Rainbow Dash had ordered was plopped down in front of him was worth an entire week of pranking with Pinkie Pie).
After dinner, Rainbow decided to make one last effort to check up on Scootaloo. So she had gone to the filly's home and was surprised to find out from Melon Cream that Scootaloo had already gone to bed. Though the mare didn't have all the details, apparently something had happened with Dawn during the course of the day and Scootaloo was determined to do something about it.
More than a little concerned, Rainbow thought of making a quick flight out to Fluttershy's cottage to check up on the colt. However, she figured it was probably best to leave it to Fluttershy. Not being the most tactful of ponies, Rainbow wasn't exactly trusting herself to not blunder and say exactly the wrong thing and make matters worse. So instead, she returned home with Soarin', where her coltfriend snuggled with her on the couch and did his level best to keep Rainbow from getting too worried over those nagging fears that plagued her when she thought about Dawn and Scootaloo.
All of which brought her to today. One of the first things Rainbow had done after getting up was to go to Melon's and check on Scootaloo, only to find that the filly had already gone off to school. Her next step had been to go visit Fluttershy and check on Dawn. There, Rainbow was surprised to learn that Dawn had gone out...with Caramel of all ponies. Rainbow knew that Caramel and Fluttershy were making progress in their relationship, but they had been so quiet about it that she had no idea that Dawn felt comfortable enough with Caramel to spend an entire day alone with him.
With not much else to do, Rainbow returned to her cloud house to spend the rest of the day with Soarin', which had seemed appealing at first, but was starting to wear a little thin. There was nothing wrong with Soarin'. Rainbow enjoyed being around him and everything they did together only seemed to make her more and more sure of her feelings towards the pale-blue stallion. The problem lay with the fact that neither of them were terribly romantic ponies to begin with. Rainbow Dash wasn't one for long strolls in the park, tail entwined with that of her special somepony as he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She was a mare of action and excelled when she had something to do, a job to get done, a goal to work toward. The combination of her month of vacation with Soarin's own two weeks of leave left them with more free time than either knew what to do with.
So Soarin' ended up accompanying Rainbow as she went to check up on her friends. They visited Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie to see how they were handling things in the wake of Willow's attack. Rarity and Applejack related the stories of their respective siblings and how they were handling things, which set Rainbow on edge a little as she found herself worrying about the rest of the Crusaders on top of Scootaloo. However, the fact that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had both felt up to going back to school reassured her somewhat.
With that taken care of, she and Soarin' had returned to flying, this time pushing each other towards more extreme stunts. After a working up a decent sweat, Rainbow and Soarin' collapsed together on a spare cloud for a good afternoon nap.
Now, with the sun beginning to dip towards the horizon, Rainbow yawned and stretched as she got up. Turning, she grinned when she saw that Soarin' was still laying there, snoring away, a goofy grin plastered across his face.
She was about to prod him awake when she heard a flutter of wings off to one side. Looking over, she was surprised to see an unlikely pair of pegasi alighting on a neighboring cloud. "Storm Front? Rumble?"
Storm Front was his normal impassive self, though he seemed quite pleased with himself at the moment, the tiny upward twitches of the corners of his mouth hinting at the barest beginnings of a smile being the only indicator that he was in a fine mood. Rumble, on the other hoof, looked like he'd been through the wringer. The gray colt's mane was disheveled, matted and stringy with sweat, his tail seeming no better. The feathers on his wings were a little ruffled and looked like they could use a good preening before Rumble went to bed. However, what really caught Rainbow's eye were the dark-colored splotches on Rumble's coat, places where the skin beneath his fur was darkened by bruises.
Rainbow's gaze immediately snapped to Storm Front as she gave him her most suspicious glare. "What the hay have you been doing?" she asked.
Storm turned his head and nodded to Rumble. The colt grinned sheepishly and held out the item he had clutched in one hoof. Rainbow was surprised to see that it was a coiled cord, not unlike the one that made up Storm's meteor hammer. However, instead of the metal weight at the end of Storm's weapon, Rumble's ended in a jumbled knot that formed a heavy mass at the end of the cord.
"What is that?" she asked.
"A practice weapon," replied Storm, "When I first started learning the meteor hammer, I practiced with a rope like this one. After all, when a missed move could mean smacking yourself in the flank with your own weapon, it's better to practice with something that is less likely to crack your ribs when you do so."
Rainbow's eye turned once again to the splotchy bruises decorating Rumble's barrel and she realized that the colt had made plenty of "mistakes" over the course of his practice. She hoped the colt got the hang of it soon or she wouldn't be the only pony drawing the wrong conclusion at seeing him hanging around with a stallion while covered with evidence of multiple blunt impacts.
"So you're learning to use that thing," she said to Rumble.
"Yeah," replied the colt, smiling sheepishly, "Flitter took me to watch him practice last night and I thought it was really cool. So I asked if I could try it."
"So he took you out with a knotted rope and let you beat yourself up with it," observed Soarin' wryly, having awakened not too long after Rainbow.
Rumble blushed.
Soarin' turned his eyes to look at Storm. "I hope you have somepony with you when you're doing this. Otherwise ponies are going to start getting suspicious of you."
"Flitter was watching us earlier," said Rumble.
Soarin' let out a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. You have no idea how many coaches have nearly destroyed their careers because their student got beat up in the course of the workout but there was nopony around to confirm that it was just a workout."
"I'm aware of the problem," replied Storm calmly. He turned his eyes to Rainbow. "By the way. We saw Scootaloo practicing in the quarry. You may want to check up on her. She has been pushing herself rather hard today."
Rainbow's ears went up. "What? Really!"
Storm Front nodded. "She wasn't even aware of our presence when we stopped to watch her. She seemed more driven than usual."
As Storm and Rumble said their goodbyes and departed, Rainbow frowned pensively. "I guess I'd better check up on the squirt," she said.
"Let's go then," said Soarin'.
Rainbow looked over at him and nodded. Together, they took to the air and headed for the quarry to see how Scootaloo was doing.
"Did you enjoy that?" asked Caramel as he and Dawn made their way down the road.
"It was...different," said Dawn, "When I was traveling with my Master, we were always on the move, so we never had the opportunity to do anything like that. Our meals were always relatively light and simple.”
Caramel nodded, thinking about Dawn's fascination with the cooking process. The colt presently seemed lost in thought as his mind went over all the things he had learned over the course of the day. However, it was an easy, relaxed silence, a far cry from his pensive depression from earlier.
"You look like you're feeling better," said Caramel with a smile, prompting a start from Dawn.
"I-I suppose I am," admitted Dawn, somewhat reluctantly.
"It's no good to dwell constantly on what might happen," said Caramel, "You aren't by yourself anymore. You have your mom, you have your friends, and you have me...if you don't mind that."
Caramel's slight hesitance prompted a chuckle from Dawn. "You're beginning to sound like mom." At Caramel's blush, he added, "But I don't really mind that."
"Thanks," said Caramel softly as the two of them continued on their way home.
Another hour passed before Scootaloo slumped to the ground, nearly too tired to move. As she looked up, she realized that the sky was beginning to darken. "Ponyfeathers!" I lost track of time. Mom's gonna be freaking out!
Almost instinctively, Scootaloo spread her wings in readiness to take flight. However, she barely lifted off an inch before they gave out on her, dumping the filly back on the ground, where her legs gave way just as quickly as the consequences of the afternoon's exertions set in.
"Horseapples," she groaned. She was too tired to fly and, to make things worse, the quarry was a long walk away from town. Scootaloo simply found herself feeling grateful that the diamond dogs were long gone, ensuring that she wasn't in danger of being captured and dragged underground anytime soon. But that still left the fact that she had a long way to go and she wasn't exactly feeling up to making the journey.
"Looks like you've had a rough day squirt."
Scootaloo looked up. When she saw Rainbow Dash and Soarin' hovering overhead, her face broke out in a radiant grin. "Hey Rainbow Dash!"
Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle as she dropped down to wrap her forelegs around Scootaloo and lift the filly up into the air. "Jeez kid, you look ready to pass out. What were you working on?”
To her surprise, Scootaloo's expression fell and she looked away. "I'm trying to do something for Dawn. He's getting all depressed again."
"Let me guess, he's blaming himself for the whole affair with Willow," said Soarin', his tone heavy.
"Yeah," replied Scootaloo, "He's acting like his being here is bad for everypony. He thinks it would be better if he just left."
"I can understand the feeling," said Soarin' sadly, "Even though there weren't any serious injuries the other day, somepony could have gotten hurt pretty badly. And this probably won't be the last time somepony tries to come after him here."
"But!" exclaimed Scootaloo, "That doesn't mean he should leave. He's done so much for so many ponies here. Ponyville is his home and this is where he belongs!"
"But does he believe you when you tell him that?" asked Soarin' gravely.
"No," said Scootaloo, her voice filling with determination, "That's why I'm gonna show him instead."
"So that's what you were working on huh?" asked Rainbow, smiling at her young fanfilly's dedication.
Scootaloo nodded. "It's not ready yet. But I'm gonna keep working on it."
"Well, right now, the only thing you should be working on is getting home before your mom blows a gasket," said Rainbow as she held Scootaloo close, "So let's take you back." She gave the filly in her arms a concerned look. "Are you going to be doing this again tomorrow?"
Scootaloo nodded again.
Rainbow smiled. "Then why don't Soarin' and I hang around and keep an eye on you. If you're gonna work yourself 'til you drop every afternoon, it's gonna be better if you have a ride home."
The filly's eyes widened and she began to grin with excitement. "Really?"
"Yep."
"Awesome!" she squealed. The idea that Rainbow Dash would be hanging around and watching her while she practiced made her heart beat faster as Scootaloo longed to show her idol what she could do, even if her work wasn't complete yet.
Fluttershy smiled when she saw Caramel and Dawn approaching. She noticed that her son seemed a little happier. Apparently, whatever he and Caramel had been doing had pepped him up a little. However, she still noticed the slight slump in his posture that indicated that the colt's depression had not fully abated. Perhaps it was just too much to hope that his problems could be solved after just one day, she thought forlornly.
She greeted them at the door with her most cheerful smile, hoping that providing the most uplifting atmosphere possible would help Dawn feel better. Caramel ended up joining them for dinner. Over dinner, Caramel and Dawn told her about their day.
"Did you have fun?" asked Fluttershy, looking at Dawn.
Dawn gave her a small smile. "I did," he admitted somewhat reluctantly.
"You know, candy-making might not be your thing," said Caramel, tapping a hoof against his chin, "But you like tea, don't you?"
Dawn nodded.
"Maybe when Arkenstone and Twilight Sparkle get back from Canterlot, you could ask Arkenstone if you could help out in his teashop," suggested Caramel, "I think you'd like that."
"I probably would," agreed Dawn. He had to admit that the thought of learning about tea and making it would be interesting. Also, it would mean spending an extended period of time in close proximity to one of the Knights of the Celestial Order, which meant that he would have a chance to learn other things as well.
After dinner, Caramel helped with the dishes before giving Fluttershy a brief kiss goodbye and heading out the the door to go back home. Alone again, Fluttershy shared a glance with Dawn. "Do you feel better now?" she asked softly.
"Yes, a little," replied Dawn, "But I'm still worried."
"It will be alright," said Fluttershy, gently nuzzling him, "Storm Front and Red River are here too."
"I know," admitted Dawn.
When he went to bed that night, the doubt that had been plaguing him for the past couple of days had faded to a tiny nagging in the back of his mind.
The next day saw Dawn returning to school. Scootaloo heaved a sigh of relief when she saw the colt sitting attentively at his desk. While he seemed in higher spirits that before, there were still some inconsistencies in his behavior that caused her to worry. Dawn hadn't joined her for her morning practice. Scootaloo kept a wary eye on him during the day, trying to split her time between monitoring the colt and keeping track of her own work. If Cheerilee noticed anything, she kept quiet about it, possibly out of a desire to make up for how Dawn's feelings had been hurt by her sister.
As the day ended, Scootaloo started saying goodbye to her friends so she could head back to her practice. As she did, she was approached by Dawn.
"Are you feeling better?" she asked as he came within speaking distance.
Dawn nodded uncertainly. "Somewhat."
Scootaloo sighed and frowned. "Listen, I'm heading out to the quarry. I'm working on something for you, but you have to promise not to try and watch until I'm ready. Okay?"
Dawn's eyes narrowed. "You're not doing something reckless, are you?"
"No," scoffed Scootaloo, "But I still need you to stay away until I'm ready to show you. Am I clear?"
"Yes you are," admitted Dawn softly.
"Good," she said, "Just hang tight and wait. In a few days, I'm going to totally blow your mind."
Scootaloo shot off like a bullet, rushing out towards the quarry as fast as her wings could carry her. Dawn watched her go, feeling a tiny bit of satisfaction at how well she was getting the hang of flying now. There was no trace of that wobbliness that had marked the early days of her flight. She now soared gracefully and effortlessly through they air as though she'd always been there. In spite of his personal reservations about the good that he had done, Dawn couldn't quite keep a smile from his face as he watched her go.
"You wanted to see me?" asked Storm Front as he stepped into the office of Ponyville's Weather Manager. With Rainbow Dash on vacation at the time, the position, and the office that went along with it, now belonged to Raindrops, who gave Storm a carefully neutral look as he stepped through the door.
"Have a seat," she said, gesturing the chair in front of her desk, which Storm quickly took for himself. Raindrops unquestionably spent more time in the office than her predecessor. Unlike the notoriously impatient Rainbow Dash, Raindrops had a much greater affinity for paperwork and showed a great deal of skill in organizing the various talents on the team, which was working out very well, given that they were having to make due without Rainbow's overflowing talent.
Raindrops gave Storm Front a surprisingly penetrating stare as he waited calmly in his seat, much too disciplined to fidget. "I'd like to talk to you about what happened the other day," she said.
"What about it?"
Raindrops' eyes narrowed. "Something's been bugging me since the other day. The way you reacted to that fog bank, the fact that you knew there was an assassin behind it, like you'd been expecting something like this... It just didn't add up to me. And then it got me to thinking about other things that've been going on, like you going to Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash, or keeping those Guards from arresting her... I get the feeling that you aren't just some weather pony that Rainbow happened to hire."
Storm sighed resignedly. "I suppose there's no point in hiding it now, I suppose."
"So, who are you really?" asked Raindrops, "And what exactly are you here for?"
"Well, my name is still the same," replied Storm, "In reality, I am a mercenary. I was hired by Shining Armor to help provide additional security for Ponyville and its neighboring areas."
"A mercenary?" Raindrops nearly knocked all her papers askew as she pushed away from her desk. "What on earth is a mercenary doing in Ponyville?"
"As I said, I was hired by Shining Armor. My friend and I were chosen primarily because the situation called for more discretion than we could expect from actual members of the Guard, as well as to deal with situations that fall outside their usual purview."
"And the reason you joined the weather team?"
"We were asked to keep our presence and our primary reason for being in town discreet. Therefore, we needed to find more standard work to serve as cover while we monitored the town for problems."
"We?" asked Raindrops.
"I am sure you remember my friend, Red River."
The jasmine mare bit the inside of her lip. "So he's a mercenary too?"
Storm Front nodded quietly.
"One last question," said Raindrops, "Does Rainbow Dash know?"
"She does," replied Storm, "Since it was Shining Armor who hired us, Twilight Sparkle was made aware of the situation and, subsequently, her close friends as well.”
“I don’t believe this,” groaned Raindrops, “What in Equestria made anypony think we need enough extra security that hiring a mercenary would be a good idea?”
Before such a derisive remark, Storm Front easily managed to remain impassive. He was not unaware of the popular opinion of mercenaries like him and Red River. He had faced deeper disdain than this without flinching. In truth, Raindrops anger seemed to stem more from her frustration at the extent of things that had been going on without her knowing than she truly was at the revelation of his true profession.
“So,” she said, “You care to answer that?” she said, giving Storm a penetrating glare.
“I have already given you the primary reason for our being here,” said Storm calmly, “However, I could not share any more information than that without an agreement from the ponies overseeing our assignment.”
Raindrops’ eye narrowed. She had a sneaking suspicion as to the main reason behind their presence. However, she doubted that the stallion in front of her would offer either and affirmation or a denial. She knew from experience that Storm’s poker face was nearly impenetrable when he wanted it to be.
“So what now?” asked Storm, “Do you intend to terminate my position here?” he asked.
“Would you let me?” she asked back.
“I wouldn’t have a choice,” replied the stallion, “While I have been assigned to Ponyville by Shining Armor’s authority, my being hired by the Weather Team was purely Rainbow Dash’s decision. If you choose to fire me, then I will have to abide by that and look for work elsewhere.”
Raindrops sighed. “No, I’m not going to fire you. But I am gonna have some choice words with Rainbow Dash soon. I can’t believe she went behind all our backs like this.” She gave Storm a penetrating stare. “One more thing…Does Flitter know?”
To her surprise, Storm Front shrugged, looking surprisingly uncertain. “I cannot say for sure. She knows that I was a mercenary before I came to Ponyville, as well as my personal history. I don’t know if she’s made the connection. She may very well have noticed the same issues that you have and has simply decided not to voice them at this time.”
“Well,” said Raindrops, “I suggest you at least come clean to her. If you’re gonna be in a relationship with her, she deserves a little honesty…don’t you think?”
Storm Front nodded gravely.
Raindrops let out one last sigh. “I guess I won’t fire you,” she said. In all honesty, she didn’t want to. She disliked the idea of mercenaries as much as the next Equestrian, but Storm Front had never caused any trouble for the Weather Team. Indeed, he had been a considerable asset on a number of occasions. It was worth deferring her judgment, at least. “You can go now.”
“Thank you,” said Storm, getting up.
“Thanks for being honest with me,” said Raindrops as he headed out the door.
Once the door closed behind the stallion, Raindrops let out a low groan and pressed her hooves against her forehead, wondering what other issues taking over as Ponyville’s Weather Manager was going to leave her saddled with.
Red River hummed as he listened to the creaking of the wagon behind him. The day had been incredibly productive. He'd managed to sell nearly all the merchandise he'd brought down from the farm. Only two bushels and a single fritter were left over. As he worked, he'd kept an ear out for any signs of trouble. However, there seemed to be no indication that ponies held Dawn responsible for Willow's attack. He'd overheard a few parents worrying about their foals' nightmares, but suspected that those problems would soon be behind them.
All told it would seem that they had dodged a bullet. The townsponies were taking things well, which perhaps wasn't so unexpected, considering the number of strange and destructive incidents that seemed to occur in Ponyville on a regular basis. After all, the town had already contended with ursas, prasprites, a population explosion of Pinkie Pies, and a whole host of other disasters that had done a great deal more damage than Willow's actions.
As distracted as he was, Red River didn't fail to notice the sound of hooves alighting on the ground nearby. Looking over, he smiled when he saw the ebony colt standing next to him.
"What brings you here today?" asked Red River.
"I have a request to make of you," said Dawn.
"And what assistance is it that you require?"
"Could you please help me train?"
The creaking of the wagon ceased as Red came to a sudden stop. He found himself doing a double-take at Dawn as he tried to come to terms with what he'd just been asked. "You want me to train you?"
"In a sense, yes," replied Dawn, "Recent battles have caused me to see the limits of my own skills. However, these problems are not something I can address by training on my own."
"Could your own student help you?" inquired Red.
"Scootaloo is not yet ready for that," replied Dawn, "What I need now, more than anything else, is a sparring partner."
Red thought it over for a moment. "Why do you need somepony to spar with?"
"First, when I fought Perlin, and again, when I fought with Willow, I found myself in situations where I found myself hampered by the fact that I could not gain distance from my opponent," explained Dawn, "The same thing happened when I fought you and Storm Front before. I believe that I need practice in order to polish my skills at a closer range. I seem to do well enough on the defensive, but my offensive skills are limited if I cannot put distance between myself and my opponent."
"In other words," mused Red, "You want to refine your infighting skills against somepony like me." He could understand the reasoning behind Dawn's idea. He'd noticed it during their fight in the quarry. Storm had also noted a similar issue from what he had seen of Dawn's fight with Perlin. Close in, Dawn's defensive skills were still quite substantial. But his ability to strike back was hampered. So far, the colt displayed his greatest strength when fighting from a distance.
Dawn nodded in agreement. "That would be ideal," he admitted.
Red mulled it over for a second before nodding in agreement. "I don't see why not," he admitted, "I'll check with Granny Smith and see if there's a fallow field we can use. Just let me get this wagon put away and we'll see about getting started."
The days began to take on a pattern for Scootaloo. She practiced the motions of her form in the morning before going to school. After sitting through her lessons and trying her absolute hardest to stay focused, she would go out in the afternoon and fly to the quarry, where she would practice refining her form while applying her magic under the eyes of Rainbow Dash and Soarin'. To her unspoken relief, Dawn kept his promise and didn't intrude on her practice or try to see what she was up to. She didn't know what Dawn was doing with his afternoons, but she hoped he wasn't mulling over Berry Punch's accusations anymore.
It was another three days of practice before Scootaloo truly began to grasp what she needed. Fortunately, the weekend had given her the opportunity to get some extra practice in. Rainbow and Soarin' were an appreciative audience, but could offer little in the way of critical input, neither of them having really understanding what Scootaloo was working towards, though, that was a sentiment that the filly herself shared.
It was partway through Saturday, having already gone through her form countless times, both with and without her magic. As she moved through the sequence of techniques, she became conscious of something about her movements and how they helped her grasp the air around her. She was beginning to feel a pattern in her movements, a pacing that aided her in moving from one move to the next. It's rhythm, she realized. The more she thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Feeling the rhythm of her motions made her realize that it affected how the air responded to her motions. She began to feel the air more clearly and was able to move it more easily in line with her will.
As Scootaloo finished her latest repetitions, she found herself grinning. I can use this. Her mind went back to the early days of her learning, to the first time she had seen Dawn going through the form on his own. He'd had his own rhythm. Scootaloo had compared his form to a dance, but now she was struck by the irony that her own form was even more dancelike than Dawn's had ever been.
At an earlier stage in her development, Scootaloo might have been mortified by this revelation. She'd once seen dancing as something too girly, frilly, and "froo froo" for her, something better suited for a mare like Rarity. Now however, the ease she felt it lend her movements, the way she was able to literally dance with the wind, she realized that the things that Dawn had pointed out to her on that one day that now seemed so long ago were truly applicable to her situation.
It's a dance, she thought, her smile growing. There was nothing wrong about this. It felt right.
"Everything okay squirt?" asked Rainbow from her perch on a nearby ridge, "You look pretty excited about something."
"Yeah," said Scootaloo, tossing her head to get her sweat-soaked mane out of her eyes.
"You should probably rest," said Soarin', "You don't want to work yourself too hard."
"Not yet," said Scootaloo, "I've got one last thing that I want to try before I take a break.
"Okay..." said Rainbow dubiously. She and Soarin' exchanged an uncertain glance. Given that she had already been working for the better part of the day on her practice, the two adult ponies were a bit worried that Scootaloo was working herself too hard. However, they both settled in to watch as Scootaloo went through her form one more time.
The orange filly took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Rather than thinking, she felt...or rather, she listened. She listened to the way her body felt. There it is, she realized. She could feel the rhythm building within her, starting with her heartbeat, building out into the way she breathed. The way she breathed in turn governed the way in which her magic power flowed through her body. That governed how she moved her legs and wings, how she put the whole of her body into her motions. Finally, those motions governed how her power moved out into the air around her and bent it to her will. It's all connected. Dawn had explained as much to her before. She'd understood it in an abstract sense. But never before had she experienced the realization on such a visceral level before.
Scootaloo went into motion, moving with the rhythm that seemed to fill her entire being. As she moved, Scootaloo began to feel her sense of self dissolve and spread out, filling the air around her, until the air was a pure extension of her own body and will. She danced...and the sky danced with her. A sense of pure elation began to flow through Scootaloo. This felt right. The First Form no longer felt like something that Dawn had taught her that she merely repeated. Now, it was something truly and completely her own.
Scootaloo finished her form with a final flourish, settling back into her original stance and let out one long breath and opened her eyes. She felt a surprisingly relaxed smile spread across her face. It's ready, she thought. It was strange, she'd thought she'd feel more excited about this. But instead, she felt very relaxed, enjoying how natural her motions had felt.
Looking up, Scootaloo saw that both Rainbow Dash and Soarin' were gaping at her, their eyes wide. She wasn't sure what her practice looked like from an outside perspective, but if Rainbow and Soarin's reactions were anything to go by, it was mind-blowing.
"Whoa!" gasped Rainbow.
"Hey Rainbow," said Scootaloo, grinning up at her idol, "I think I'm ready."