//------------------------------// // The Clink // Story: Catch Me if I Fall // by Shahrazad //------------------------------// The sunlight crept across Twilight’s room. It found Spike peacefully sleeping at the foot of her bed. It found her soft blankets, cozy and warm. It usually found Twilight asleep with a book open on her chest at this hour. Instead, it found her with a frazzled mane, bloodshot eyes, and a dusty history book about pegasus culture open to a dry page. She had to read it four times to get any meaning from the words. She groaned and looked at the clock. “Finally! Time to get some answers from the horse’s mouth!” Twilight sprang out of bed and landed on her hooves. She winced and stretched, causing several joints to crack, then rubbed her eyes and yawned. Spike rolled out of bed, yawning and rubbing his eyes as well. “Good morning. I hope today is better than yesterday.” He yawned again. “So… starfire espresso this morning? You look… uh, not great.” Twilight shook her head and moaned, “I won’t be able to sleep until I get to the bottom of this. They were… are... my friends. How could they do this? To a filly no less! We’re going, right now!” “Where?” “To jail.” ~~~~~ “Visitor for you two.” Iron Law lead Twilight into the rear of the guard station. The holding cells were tucked back here. The lights flickered on occasion, the ground was damp, and there was a faint, unpleasant smell of mildew. An old brown stallion, snoring in one of the cells across from Twilight’s friends, shifted in his sleep. The flecks of salt around his mouth did nothing to cover his smell. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sat on their assigned cots, each wearing pinstripes, although now they were unshackled. “Are you sure you want me to leave you alone with these cons? They’re a shifty bunch, I wouldn’t trust ‘em, Princess.” Iron Law sank into a small bow. I’m going to have to get used to that, Twilight thought. “No, that will be all. You’re dismissed, I will call if I require assistance.” The command caused a smile to flash across Iron Law’s face, and he trotted out with his head held high. The bars slammed shut and all three mares began to talk at once. “How could you?” “What were you thinking?” “Have you gone nuts? Nutsier?” “I was only trying to help.” “I’m doing what’s right.” “Flying isn’t easy.” Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash and clacked a hoof against the stone floor. “You could have killed Scootaloo!” “Excuse me?! I was right there with her! You haven’t had wings for more than a few weeks; what the hay do you know about teaching foals to fly?” Dash shouted back, slamming a hoof against the bars. “I know pushing a pony off of a cloud is dangerous, especially if they don’t know how to fly. It’s unbelievable that pegasi have been doing it for centuries! I guess you really are barbarians. I can’t believe you’re loyal to tradition over your students!” Twilight shouted back at Dash. Righteous fire burned inside of her. “How dare you insult a time-honored tradition! It’s taught pegasi to fly for centuries. And it’s not barbaric, your students have to fully trust you for it to work. You think you sprout a pair of wings and you’re an expert on flying now? Huh, Princess?” Dash’s words dripped with venom. Being accused of disloyalty turned out to be one of her hot buttons. Fluttershy had been quietly sniffling, watching her two friends scream at each other. Now she broke down crying. Big sloppy tears ran down her face and dribbled onto the floor; she made no effort to wipe them away. Rainbow Dash and Twilight turned and looked at her. It didn’t take long for the two of them to avert their eyes downward and bite their lips. Dash was the first to recover. She trotted close and held Fluttershy like a protective parent. “Now look what you’ve done. You’ve insulted Fluttershy, too.” “What? She’s crying because you’re acting unkind—you’re downright cruel. I came here to find out the truth. I was hoping to hear it was all a big misunderstanding, but no! You’ve admitted it. Why? Why would you try a starfall?” Dash’s head snapped up to look directly at Twilight. “How do you know what a starfall is?” Twilight puffed her chest out and said, “I read it in a history book. It told me all about it.” Dash’s eyes narrowed at Twilight. “Really? And what did it say?” Fluttershy continued to sob into Dash’s foreleg. “It’s the worst, most dangerous way to teach a foal to fly. You take them as high up as you can go, then you push them off a cloud. They either fly or fall to their death. It’s murder dressed up as a teaching tool. How many young pegasus foals would be alive today if not for this practice? I’ve never really felt like I needed to be a princess and pass laws, but that changes today!” Twilight stood at her full, regal height, and flared her wings out. Dash scoffed and replied, “Well, Princess, maybe you should get your facts straight before you pass any laws. A starfall is a one-shot teaching tool for foals that are having a really hard time learning to fly. And you’ve ruined yours—you’ll never get a chance to use it now.” Twilight didn’t pull her wings in, but her chest deflated a bit. She flinched at Dash’s words. “What do you mean?” “I thought we had every reference to a starfall taken out of the history books. No pony wants a foal to run across it and ruin their best chance to learn to fly.” Dash took in a deep breath and let it out. Fluttershy stopped crying but didn’t look up. “A starfall is—” “A barbaric practice, just like you said, Twilight. It’s horrible...” Fluttershy’s words were a bit muffled as she was speaking into Dash’s chest, but Twilight could hear her all the same. Dash looked aghast at the top of Fluttershy’s head. “Don’t say that! Look what it brought you.” Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow Dash, her eyes dry. “I… guess you’re right, but it was still really scary.” Twilight’s wings had returned to her sides. She put a hoof to her lip and thought, I think… I’ve made a mistake. “What is she talking about?” Dash sighed and said, “Tell her, Fluttershy.” “I don’t know if I can,” Fluttershy said, her voice cracking. Dash sat on the cot next to her oldest friend. “Don’t worry, I’ll step in if you can’t go on.” Dash rubbed Fluttershy’s back in little circles with a hoof. Fluttershy nodded and turned to Twilight. Twilight shifted her weight away from the bars, but she dared not leave. Fluttershy closed her eyes and drew in a long breath. “It was a long time ago…” ~~~~~ Many years ago... Fluttershy’s father landed on the First Cloud, which was still golden and fluffy. His wings were large and powerful, his mane the color of the sky. His yellow coat almost matched the cloud he landed on. It was dusk, and he hugged the filly close to his chest. “Do you trust me, Butterbean?” “Of course I do, Daddy,” she breathed out. Her voice was a wispy thing; it didn’t carry far on the wind. She looked down and quickly snapped to her father’s chest, hugging him tight. Her pink mane quivered as she buried her face in his barrel. He pried her off and held her out with two forehooves. Her hindquarters and long mane dangled over empty space. “You’re going to be a shooting star today. Trust me, Butterbean.” Her lower lip quivered, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her father smiled. And then the world turned into rushing wind and fear as she fell, alone, into the sky. “AAAAAAAHHHHHhhhh…” She screamed until her lungs gave out. The world rushed up to meet her. A meeting she was unprepared for. She shook with fear as her wings tightened up and snapped to her sides. Her limbs flailed about uselessly. She was crying, her tears falling much slower than her body. They leaked out of her eyes and “fell” upwards past her mane and tail. She saw a cloud a second before she darted past it. She latched onto it with all her strength, but she only managed to grab it on the edge. It stretched like taffy and sheared off, leaving a long wispy trail pointing down. Fluttershy hugged the bit of cloud so tightly to her chest it oozed out between her hooves and floated away. She was left holding a tiny patch of white. She screamed again as her last hope floated away. “aaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHH!” “Yeah, like that—huh?!” Dash looked up and saw a young Fluttershy flail her wings and legs uselessly in free fall! She was going to pass right through the “street,” and from there it was just a nice, long drop to the ground. Without thinking, Dash shot forward. Her eyes went wide and her heart slammed against her ribs. She stretched out her forelegs and caught Fluttershy, although Dash didn’t know who she was at the moment. Dash felt like she had caught an anvil; her forelegs instantly snapped down. Dash grunted and clenched her teeth, pulling with her forelegs and wings with all of her strength. Fluttershy wrapped her legs around Dash’s barrel in a death grip. They fell below street level. “Please don’t let me die!” she squeaked out, tears in her eyes. Dash strained with the extra weight and grunted out, “Don’t worry... I won’t... drop you.” Her wing muscles burned and her forelegs felt like the candy in the taffy stretcher. Beads of sweat rolled down her face. She gritted her teeth and focused on the ice cream parlor. With a heave, the two fillies rose over the lip of the cloudy sidewalk and flopped onto it. Dash couldn't do anything but suck in air for several moments. “Oh, oh thank you. You saved my life.” She hugged Dash around her barrel and quivered, sobbing quietly. “You’re...awesome.” Dash smiled and flared her nose; between breaths she introduced herself. “Yeah, I am awesome, thanks. My name is Rainbow Dash, what’s yours?” “I’m...um...Fluttershy.” Her voice trailed off. She still smiled at Dash anyway. A pink pegasus mare with a yellow mane landed heavily next to the two fillies. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she shouted, “You saved my daughter! WHY?! Why would you ruin her starfall?!” Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Dash. She looked like an angry pink thundercloud. “Star...fall? I thought… I mean… she was falling, so…” Dash stumbled over her words. The mare scoffed and sneered at Dash. She snatched Fluttershy away with one hoof and trotted away. “That’s just like you spoiled fillies. You can fly, so why do you care if you ruin it for others?” She stormed away, dragging Fluttershy along with her. Dash just stood there flabbergasted. Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at Dash and mouthed the words, “You’re awesome!” ~~~~~ “Wow, I know you said you knew Dash from way back, but I didn’t realize it was that long ago. And Rainbow Dash, you must have four lucky horseshoes! Your best friend literally fell out of the sky!” Twilight had sat on the cold floor somewhere in the middle of the story. The cold knot in her flank muscles was slowly traveling upwards; it stopped to rest in her stomach. “I’m sorry. When Scootaloo said… I thought you were…” “No, it’s okay,” Dash said. “It’s a secret; if the student knows what’s going to happen, it doesn’t work so well.” The lights flickered off and the sunlight filtered through the bars of the prison. “So you push the student off the cloud, but another teacher is ready to catch them, right? You don’t just push them off the cloud without some kind of safety net?” Dash stood and walked to face Twilight with the prison bars between them. “Of course not! The speed and the fear can push some foals to fly when other techniques fail. It’s kind of a last resort, and it doesn’t always work. What kind of parent would just push their kid off a cloud without a safety net when you know they have trouble flying? That would be super stupid!” Dash shook her head and sighed. “The trouble is, it only works once. If the foal is saved, they know they’ll be caught, and it won’t be as scary anymore.” She glanced back at Fluttershy who was still sitting on the cot, staring at the ground. Twilight frowned and said, “That’s still not very nice.” Dash shrugged. “Like I said, not every foal needs to learn that way. And the foal has to trust their parents.” Twilight tilted her head. “Why? I thought fear was the motivator. Why is trust important?” Dash opened her mouth, and paused. She put a hoof to her lip. “You know, I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about it, but I didn’t need a starfall to learn how to fly. Fluttershy?” She turned to her oldest friend. Fluttershy looked down, her mane hiding her face. “Um… I think if you don’t trust your parents, it can really damage your relationship. I never completely trusted my mom and dad after that; I still don’t like to visit my parents. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that day...” Her voice was so soft, Twilight had to put her ear in between the bars to hear her. “OW!” Twilight jerked her head back and rubbed her ear. Rainbow Dash wore a self-satisfied smile and put her hoof down. “Did… did you just tweak my ear?! What are you, my mother?” Dash raised an eyebrow, and without skipping a beat said, “Apology accepted. Princess apologies are the best after all.” “You twisted my ear!” “I’m in jail wearing pinstripes, Princess Twilight,” Dash shot back, her expression hard. “I forgive you anyway.” Dash’s expression softened as she looked at Twilight and waited. Fluttershy was smiling a bit, but didn’t look either pony in the eye. Twilight’s face ran through several expressions over the course of a few seconds. Her flat brow and pursed lips relaxed as she kept rubbing her ear. She looked at her hooves for a moment, then to Fluttershy, then back at Rainbow Dash. She shook her head. “You’re impossible. And… I’m sorry…” “Why are you apologizing again?” Dash arched a brow at Twilight. “Again? But, I didn’t—” Dash waved a hoof as she cut her off. “The awesome pegasus and her awesome best friend have already forgiven you. So please, get us out of here.” “Oh! Right, sorry—” Twilight said sheepishly. “And stop apologizing,” Dash said as she clacked a hoof against the hard floor of the jail cell. Fluttershy was looking down, but she was smiling. “Sor—yeah, um, getting you out.” Twilight’s magic enveloped them and they appeared outside the bars in a flash of indigo light. The exit gate squealed as it slid open, and Iron Law strode into the corridor. “I’m terribly sorry Princess, but visiting hours are over and I’ve already let you stay—!” Iron Law just stood there for a second before he recovered. “PRISONERS ESCAPING!” “What?! No no no, they’re innocent. It’s all a big misunderstanding. They deserve medals for what they’re trying to do.” Twilight spoke like she was talking to her friends. Iron Law saw things… differently. His face screwed up for a split-second, like he had bitten down on an apple to find half a worm left inside of it. His expression returned to the placid standard of the royal guards. He bowed low and intoned, “Yes, Princess. I will retrieve a selection of medals for your approval.” He stood, turned, and trotted towards the gate. Vigilance burst into the corridor, his horn flaring. “Where are the prisoners?” Iron Law replied in a clipped, professional tone, “Nevermind, the prisoners are getting medals for their behavior. Princess’ orders.” Vigilance’s eyes narrowed at Iron Law, then at Twilight. He closed his eyes and held a breath. With his eyes still closed, he saluted and said, “Understood. Let’s get a full assortment for the new princess. I hope they don’t get the Equestrian Medal of Honor; I’ve been trying to get one for years…” The two royal guards trotted toward the exit. Twilight’s mouth hung open. Iron Law was a step outside of the cell block gate by the time she recovered. “Wait! Don’t give them medals!” Vigilance and Iron Law whirled around and saluted at attention. In unison they said, “Yes, Princess.” They stared at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy backed away a step and looked down. She shifted another step backwards to put Twilight between herself and the guards. Dash flared her wings and glared back. There was a tense pause before Iron Law broke the silence. “What would you like us to do with the prisoners, Princess?” “They’re not prisoners. They don’t deserve medals. Just let us go.” Dash’s wings deflated. She turned her head to Twilight and said, “We don’t deserve medals? We’re teaching an orphaned filly how to fly! How is that not worthy of a medal?” Dash tilted her head away from Twilight. Twilight shook her head violently to get the cobwebs out. “You don’t—I mean you do—but—I can’t give out medals!” she exclaimed. Iron Law and Vigilance both raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Understood, Princess. You’re stripping yourself of the ability to bestow medals.” Vigilance was writing down the new law. “Stop writing! I’m not a prin—” Twilight gasped in the middle of her sentence and stopped short. Fluttershy stood, but still didn’t meet the gaze of the guards. Dash’s grin was wide as she said, “Not a princess? They seem to think so.” “I just—I mean I am—but—why would you two do anything I say?” Twilight looked askance at the two guards. Dash piped up, “Uh, because wings are awesome. Obviously.” She spoke with a smug grin as she gestured to her own wings. Iron Law and Vigilance blinked and looked at each other, then back at Twilight. Iron Law said, “You’re an alicorn and a princess. I have complete confidence in your judgment. You wouldn’t be an alicorn otherwise.” Twilight's eyes shrank to pinpoints and she gulped. “That’s… a great deal of responsibility.” Fluttershy put her hooves around Twilight, who yelped and almost jumped into the air in surprise. “It’s okay, Twilight; we trust you. We always have, and now they do too.” Twilight’s muscles relaxed under Fluttershy’s hooves. She looked at the guards with a small smile and said, “I’m not stripping myself of any powers. Throw that paper away.” Vigilance nodded and the law was turned into a crumpled ball before Twilight could say anything more. “I want the charges against these two dropped.” Twilight nodded to Dash and Fluttershy in turn. Vigilance’s head drooped a bit as he replied, “Yes, Princess, I understand that. However, there is still the matter of the filly’s testimony. Attempted murder is still a crime in Equestria, unless you want to countermand the laws put in place by Celestia.” He turned to Iron Law. “Isn’t there some old law about trying to countermand a royal decree?” Iron Law nodded and replied, “Yeah, the punishment is banishment to the moon.” Twilight’s ears fell. She glanced nervously at Fluttershy, who was hiding behind her. A light bulb went off; she faced down the guards and said, “Okay, forget that. Instead, I’m ordering you to release these two into my custody. I’ll get the filly to recant her testimony, THEN you can drop the charges without any lunar visits, right?” Iron Law and Vigilance nodded, and for a fleeting moment it seemed as if they were smiling, although it could have just been a trick of the light. Iron Law trotted around the small group of mares like a circling predator. Fluttershy shivered slightly, watching him like a cornered animal. She shot forward when he barked, “Move out!” She stumbled into Twilight, who almost fell into Vigilance. Dash snickered and draped a wing over Fluttershy as the convoy trotted out of the cell block. Twilight didn’t really pay much attention to where they were going. She just allowed Vigilance to lead the way. Her mind was working in overtime. How are we going to get Scootaloo to recant her testimony? Especially when it’s essentially true! ~~~~~ Spike stirred the bowl full of sugar and added in the flour slowly. He liked his cookies to have the consistency of clouds, not beef jerky. He glanced over his shoulder and wiped away the drop of sweat that threatened to roll down his snout and into the mixture. The three fillies were “helping” him bake a batch of cookies. He didn’t need their help. In fact, he hadn’t planned to be baking at all today. But when Pinkie Pie burst out of the medicine cabinet while he was brushing his teeth this morning, she was quite convincing. After he stopped screaming like a little filly, Pinkie explained that Scootaloo was feeling “super-bad” and would he please foal-sit while she prepared a party? When Spike objected and tried to follow his day planner (sleep till noon, eat gems, nap, dinner, help Twilight with whatever hair-brained scheme she’s come up with today, then fall asleep before sunrise), Pinkie had simply delivered the Crusaders to the library’s foyer and left without even listening. In less than five minutes, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom had managed to get a half-dozen shelves worth of books on the floor and wake Owlowiscious from his daytime slumber. It took Spike the better part of an hour to reorder the library and convince them to help bake cookies. That was when he noticed Scootaloo hadn’t moved since being dropped off. Scootaloo was on the floor, her forelegs flat on the ground under her with her flank in the air. Her brow was flat and she looked ahead, her eyes unfocused. Spike was glad she wasn’t destroying the library, but her despondency was even worse. He suggested cookies on a whim, causing all three of the fillies to perk up. It was the first sign of life out of Scootaloo since she arrived. Spike mixed the bowl while Sweetie Belle slowly poured in more flour. Spike glanced over his shoulder and called out across the kitchen, “Hey Scootaloo, are the chocolate chips ready?” She was supposed to be grinding them up into smaller bits, but she was eating roughly the same amount she was crushing in the mortar and pestle. “Yeah, I guess so.” She sighed and pushed the bag of chocolate chips away. The front door creaked open and Twilight’s voice floated into the library. “I don’t know, Dash. It still seems really dangerous. Isn’t there some way to guarantee it’s safe?” “Oh thank Celestia, I’m saved!” Spike exclaimed. “From what?” Applebloom asked as she turned to Spike. Her flank bumped the counter and the ingredients sitting on it trembled for a second from the impact. The butter slid off its small plate and continued over the edge of the counter. It fell onto the open oven door with a small splat. Why the oven door was open during the preheat cycle Spike would never know. The butter sizzled and turned into a puddle before catching fire. “I’ll fix it!” Sweetie Belle shouted, as she dropped the rest of the flour into the mixing bowl all at once, creating a cloud of flour to cover Spike. She darted to the sink and filled a large glass with water. With the sink still running, she ran over to the open oven door and tossed the entire glass of water onto the fire. “Spike, are you in here?” When Twilight opened the door, she found a disaster. Spike was covered in flour. Sweetie Belle was holding an empty glass of water, refiling it at the sink. Applebloom was desperately trying and failing to keep a stick of butter from sliding around the counter. Scootaloo was sitting back with a bulging stomach, chocolate covering her mouth. Also, the oven was on fire. “What in Equestria is going on?!” “Okay, I can guarantee this isn’t safe,” Dash said from behind Twilight. “Eeep!” Fluttershy hid behind Dash and Twilight when she saw the fire. “Honestly Spike, can’t I go to jail for a couple hours without you burning the house down for the insurance money?” Her horn flashed and the water floated out of Sweetie Belle’s glass. Scootaloo hopped down from the stool and galloped to Rainbow Dash. “I-I’m s-so sorry D-Dash. P-Please d-on’t hic hate m-me.” She wasn’t crying, but was so close she might as well have been. Dash scooped up Scootaloo and trotted into the main hall of the library, leaving the disaster in the kitchen behind. Fluttershy followed with her ears pressed to the sides of her head. She ducked behind a bookshelf and peered around the corner at the kitchen door. Dash flopped onto one of the library chairs and held Scootaloo in her hooves. “Why would I be mad? I just went to jail—that makes me a total bad-flank now, and I’ve got the rap sheet to prove it. And no namby-pamby stuff, I got booked for attempted murder! Ain’t no pony gonna mess with the Dash now!” She flared her wings and puffed out her chest. Scootaloo swallowed her tears and hugged Dash. “So, you’re not mad?” “Nahh, you just told the truth, right? Go ask AJ if that’s bad. You weren’t disloyal, were you? Did you make it sound like I was trying to kill you?” Dash tilted her head and looked at Scootaloo. “N-no! No way!” “Well, then it’s the guard’s fault for not getting all the facts straight. Don’t worry about it.” Dash sighed and lounged in the chair. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo sniffed. “No, Sweetie Belle! That’s flour, not baking soda! Don’t pour that on the fire!” Twilight’s shout could be heard from inside the kitchen. Dash snickered and said, “You got a little something here on your face.” She pointed a hoof at her own mouth. Scootaloo blushed and wiped her mouth, leaving cocoa stains all over her forelegs. “AHHHHHhhhhhh!” Twilight hollered as she galloped outside with Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and a bucket of water on fire held in her magic. How water was set on fire, Fluttershy didn’t want to know. She inched her way behind Dash, keeping Dash between herself and the door. Fluttershy stared at the exit with wide eyes. “Hey, um, can we do that falling thing again?” Scootaloo asked Dash. Fluttershy’s attention abruptly changed focus. “Really? You want to try again?” Dash smiled. “Yeah, I really do. I know you’ll catch me if I fall.” Scootaloo smiled at Dash. “Scootaloo, it’s so dangerous. Are you sure?” Fluttershy spoke with a quiet, yet serious tone. “Yeah, I totally trust Dash to catch me. You’d catch Twilight or Gold Feather if they were falling, right?” “Yes, of course,” Fluttershy responded. From Dash’s lap, Scootaloo responded, “Do they know that?” Fluttershy blinked and mumbled, “Um… I don’t know.” Dash barked out a laugh and said to Fluttershy, “See? It’s all good. Let’s ask the others.” Fluttershy’s wings and ears drooped, but she said, “O-okay.” ~~~~~ Scootaloo’s legs quivered. It was daytime, which gave her a great view from the golden cloud—it was so high in the sky. She could see the mountains make a frown-like curve. She could even see the top of Canterlot Castle, but it was little more than a speck on the mountainside. That mountain appeared to be little more than a clod of dirt in a vast line of hills. She gulped, wrapped a hoof around Dash’s leg, and peered over the edge of the cloud. Tweet! Scootaloo jumped and nearly fell off the cloud. Gold Feather chirped happily and loudly on Fluttershy’s back. “Whoa, we’re not quite ready yet,” Dash said as she held Scootaloo back from the edge. “We’ve still got a few things to go over before it’s time for the high dive.” Dash smiled at Scootaloo, who tried to smile back. Even her teeth were chattering, and not from the cold. “Um, this is... really high up.” Twilight sat on her flank on Dash’s other side. Her eyes traced the river that issued from Canterlot, snaked its way around Ponyville, and wound its way through Foggy Bottom before it disappeared into the Everfree. Dash snickered. “Really high up, huh? Is that a scientific measurement?” She said with a smirk and one raised brow. “Rainbow Dash, don’t you dare tease anyone now. This is a matter of life and death, it’s not a time for jokes.” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at Dash and spread her wings. She turned to Twilight and said softly, “Don’t worry, Twilight. I’ll catch you if anything goes wrong.” Twilight swallowed and turned to face Fluttershy, keeping her eyes away from the ground. “Wouldn’t it be better if both of you were there to catch me?” Dash stroked Scootaloo’s mane and her chattering teeth calmed. “No can do, Egghead. One instructor has to stay up here for safety reasons. What if one of you fell?” Scootaloo shrank to Dash’s side. Twilight huffed, “Well, I guess I’ll go first. I’m the Princess after all. I should set an exa—” Twilight clapped her nose with both hooves. “Is everything okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy tilted her head. “My nooze iz pleedin’, da air iz too th-in up her.” Twilight went cross-eyed looking at her own nose. Fluttershy gasped, “Oh dear, keep pressure on it. You should be fine in a minute.” Gold Feather chirped again, and Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Yes, even a princess can get a bloody nose. It’s not a big deal.” Dash blew a raspberry. “I’m not waiting around for that. You ready to go, squirt?” She looked down at Scootaloo. Scootaloo puffed out her little chest and said in a quivering voice, “Y-yeah, I’m ready. I w-was born ready.” “That’s what I like to hear,” Dash said with a toothy smile. Her eyes glittered with an inner fire. “What are you waiting for?” She gestured to the edge of the cloud. Scootaloo huffed a few times, trying to get a lung-full of the weak air. She trotted forward to the edge… …and in her haste, tripped and fell off. “GYAHH!” Scootaloo tumbled end over end. Her mane and tail nearly got tangled with each other. She couldn’t help it: her heart slammed in her chest. Her lungs burned for air as she breathed in and out too fast for her own good. The world was spinning. She could see sky and ground, but they switched positions so fast she had no way to tell which way was up. “Tuck your legs in.” Dash’s voice cut through to her like a ray of light breaking through the clouds. Her trembling legs pulled into her barrel. “Now spread your wings and keep your tail out straight—that’ll give you some stability.” Her wings! How could she forget about her wings? It was ridiculous; here she was trying to fly, and all she could think about was falling and using her dumb legs. Stupid stupid stupid, Scootaloo! she thought to herself. She spread her wings and tried to push her tail out straight. Suddenly, the world snapped into focus. She was heading straight down into the ground. The air became heavy and burned past her wings. It peeled her lips back and forced her to blink so much she could hardly see. “Now just tilt those wings and tail so we can even out. Then we can get some lift!” Scootaloo started to shake even more. Even out, she thought in her mind, but something in her stomach shook her entire frame. Get some lift, she thought, but her body had other plans. Even out, she thought again, but she couldn’t move! Her body was just frozen, all of her muscles tense and shaking. EVEN OUT! she shouted in her head, but nothing happened. A wispy little cloud darted past her as she fell. She started to cry, tears leaking out of her eyes. MOVE! she screamed at herself as the word echoed louder and louder inside of her head like a rising tide. “AHHHHHhhhhhh!” Scootaloo screamed as hot tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. The ground rushed up to her. Time’s up, it’s over, POW! Except she didn’t hit the ground. Powerful legs wrapped around her from behind. Over her wings and under her front limbs, they clasped together over her chest. She instinctively latched on with her forehooves and gasped as the air was squeezed out of her. Like an iron bar, those powerful legs pulled her up and held on. She had so much inertia, she felt like she was going to be cut in half when they pulled up. “You okay, squirt?” Scootaloo was still crying. Her brow furrowed and her lip trembled. Her hooves shook and she stared at the ground. From above her, Dash looked down and said, “You uh, wanna hit something?” Hot tears were still streaming from her eyes. Scootaloo sniffed, and her head shot up to look at Dash. “Y-yeah… It’s so unfair. What do I have to do?” Dash held a feeble smile. “You just gotta trust the air. It’ll hold you if you let it.” Scootaloo snorted. “Fat lot of good it’s done me so far,” she mumbled. Dash set her on the ground on the top of a grassy hill topped with an old oak tree. “Wait here, squirt. I gotta go back up there to help with the next tandem fall.” She spread her wings. “Just relax, okay? Think about how much fun it’s gonna be to fly.” Scootaloo sniffed again and said under her breath, “If I ever fly.” “Trust me, you’ll fly,” Dash said as she leapt into the air. ~~~~~ Scootaloo’s legs quivered. She had a great view from the golden cloud—it was so high in the sky. The mountains in the distance made a frown-like curve. She could even see the top of Canterlot Castle, but it was little more than a speck on the mountainside. That mountain appeared to be little more than a clod of dirt in a vast line of hills. She gulped, wrapped a hoof around Dash’s leg, and peered over the edge of the cloud. Tweet! “Shhh, be quiet, Gold Feather. Don’t pester Scootaloo. I know you’re eager to jump, but it’s Scootaloo’s turn today.” It had been over a week since they had tried to tandem fall with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Twilight was making slow improvements: she was able to stay aloft, but turning was proving difficult. She could turn, just not nearly fast enough to avoid small objects like trees, clouds, housing, and small mountains. Gold Feather had become an excitable ball of energy whenever he was on the First Cloud. Restless and eager, he hopped around Fluttershy’s back and constantly twittered about getting his turn. And then there was Scootaloo. She was glad Sweetie Belle and Applebloom weren’t there to witness her constant failures. Whenever she was in freefall, it was like the commands she normally gave to her limbs became a cascading avalanche of noise in her head. After the third day, she sat on the grassy hill while Dash returned to the cloud and just shook. She wasn’t crying, but her body was shaking like she was freezing; yet, it was a warm spring afternoon. The next morning, she tripped on her own four hooves at school, causing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to call her “stumblebum.” It didn’t end there. By the next day, she had lost her appetite; she went to bed with only an apple for dinner. By the fifth day, her stomach was always cramped, her legs buzzed almost as much as her wings, and she couldn’t sleep. Of all her problems, the worst part was the insomnia. She was sleeping less and less as the week wore on. Last night, she hadn't slept at all, and now here she was—frazzled mane, ruffled wings, and messy tail—trying to fly again. The echos were already a dull roar in her mind, and she hadn’t even jumped yet! Her thoughts formed a running commentary. Even out, stumblebum. Tuck your legs, loser. Use your tail, chicken. I believe in you— TWEET! Scootaloo nearly jumped off the cloud. Gold Feather had chirped so loud that Fluttershy winced, and Twilight stuck a hoof into her ear to stop the ringing. Dash caught Scootaloo and looked down at her. “Are you okay, squirt? You look a little tired.” Scootaloo mumbled, “Um, I haven’t slept so good.” With unfocused eyes, Scootaloo looked down as she responded. She swayed slightly in the breeze and continued to blink slowly. “It’s ‘I haven’t slept well,’ Scootaloo.” Twilight corrected her just like she had been taught years ago. “I’M NOT A DICTIONARY!” Scootaloo snapped angrily at Twilight. She abruptly closed her mouth when her eyes focused on Twilight. “Sorry,” she whispered loud enough for everypony to hear. Twilight’s eyes were wide for a moment, but she composed herself and smiled. “It’s alright, I’m sure we’ve all been under much—err, a lot of stress. How about I jump first today?” “What? But Twilight, it’s Gold Feather’s turn after Scootaloo. You wouldn’t want to steal his spot, would you?” Fluttershy spoke softly, but her mane was a bit frazzled as well. Dash looked down at Scootaloo and said, “Whaddya say, squirt? You wanna go last today?” The two pegasi looked eye to eye with each other. Scootaloo could see Dash’s eyes glitter with hidden energy. She knew Dash wanted her to keep trying, and as far as Scootaloo was concerned, that was all she needed to know about that subject. “No way, I’m jumping now!” Dash smiled, crow’s feet appearing under her eyes. When she looked into Scootaloo’s face, it was there. Her face had worn lines creeping around the edges, new flight goggles were under her chin, bags were under her eyes, and a smudge of food was on the corner of her mouth, probably left over from lunch. But her eyes ignited with an inner fire that told Dash all she needed to know about Scootaloo. “Ready?” Dash tensed and held Scootaloo with her forelegs. “Ready,” Scootaloo said as she held her breath. With Dash here, she knew she wouldn’t end up as a pulpy stain on the ground, but she didn’t feel like she could fly. Scootaloo snapped the goggles over her eyes as Dash uncoiled like a spring. They fell into space and rocketed downward, the wind whistling in their ears. Scootaloo felt her eyes water, but not from the wind. Her stomach tied itself into a knot tighter than the time Silver Spoon had flung a glob of honey into her mane during lunch. She buzzed her wings as she felt the nausea rise to overtake her. She could feel her stomach lurch and threaten to empty itself. The thought of heaving in mid-air with Dash watching made her eyes water even more. “Tuck in your legs.” Tuck in your legs, turd. Her legs quivered and slowly tucked into her barrel. The ground rushed up to meet her as the wind whistled past, along with a chunk of Cloudsdale’s real estate. “Good, now spread those wings out. And let’s see the tail straight; I don’t want it causing any drag.” Wings out, you flightless wonder. Scootaloo’s wings didn’t slow down, but instead kept buzzing like she was panicking. Wings out. They just kept buzzing, the ground kept getting closer, Dash kept flying her up there only to fail again, and she still couldn’t fly. Maybe that was her special talent? Not flying? “Spread your wings out, Scootaloo. Don’t flap your wings so fast—you need to arch them so they push you up. The way you’re doing it, you’re going to push yourself down as much as you lift yourself up…” Wings out. Wings out. WINGS OUT! The ground was getting closer, and Dash was there, but she couldn’t fly—not with her wings buzzing like that. She needed to spread them out and catch some air. She tried to focus, but her thoughts ran together like muddy paint. Ground-getting-closer-Dash-catch-the-not-flyer. Spread your wings out! NOW! Ground-close-Dash-no-fly! SPREAD ‘EM! TIME’S UP: POW! Scootaloo had spread her legs out in every direction, grasping for something—anything. When Dash wrapped her hooves around Scootaloo’s barrel, she was shaking. Her entire frame shook like she was trapped in a snowy place without fire, shelter, clothes, or even a thick coat of fur. Scootaloo wasn’t thinking about being saved from a messy death, she was just thinking about trying to fly. By the end, her thoughts were reduced to simplistic noise, while something far more primal took command of her. When Dash squeezed Scootaloo tight, it felt like she was going to get cut in half; her breath was forcibly squeezed out of her. Dash held Scootaloo to her chest, but didn’t roll over this time. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you,” she said as she flew in a gentle descent. She tried to keep Scootaloo unencumbered so as to give her a feeling of flying. Scootaloo let out a tiny moan, then sniffed several times. Dash tilted her head down at the sound, wondering what Scootaloo was doing. She sniffed again, then broke into pitiful, wailing sobs. Dash set her down on the grassy knoll, as she did every time for the past week after Scootaloo’s tandem fall. “Is everything okay, squirt? You seem kinda scared. You wanna talk about it?” Dash landed a few strides away from Scootaloo and folded her wings. She took a step forward, then Scootaloo darted against the tree on top of the hill. She cowered at the base of the trunk and curled into a tight ball, as if she had been stabbed in the stomach. Dash tilted her head at the filly and took another step. The sound of her hoof-fall sounded like a funeral dirge to Scootaloo. “G-go away. I-I’m j-j-just a b-baby ch-ch-chicken,” she said, still sobbing and clutching at herself as if it would shield her from the entire world. Dash was only a single stride away when her nose flared. NO… no, it’s over. Dash knows how big of a loser I am. I’m a wimp, a coward, a weakling, and a filthy, disgusting foal, Scootaloo thought as her cheeks flushed and she felt tears burning tracks in her face. Dash snorted, taking in a lung full of air. Was that… ammonia? Dashed tilted her head low, trying to catch a glimpse of Scootaloo’s underbelly. At first she thought Scootaloo was hurt, but now she wasn’t so sure. Or perhaps the wound was of a different nature? She could see a trail of pale yellow liquid staining the grass leading up to Scootaloo; it must have happened when she grabbed hold of her, just before they landed. Now Dash felt her own cheeks flush as she said, “Hey, uh, are you okay, squirt?” Don’t call her squirt! Dash thought, admonishing herself. Scootaloo sobbed even harder, her rapid breathing preventing her from saying anything intelligible. Dash opened her mouth, but thought about what was going on. Dang it, what would Fluttershy do? This isn’t my thing, she thought, wracking her brain. Dash blinked and thought about Scootaloo for a moment, trying to think like her. I hope this works. “Scootaloo, you’re not weak.” Scootaloo stopped and looked at Dash with wide, wet eyes. Tears still leaked from them, but she didn’t blink. “D-do you have l-like, P-Pinkie sense or s-something?” Scootaloo relaxed a bit, but her tail was still tucked between her legs. She looked up at Dash with her lip and heart quivering in Dash’s hooves. Dash breathed a sigh of relief, she had guessed right. Now all she had to do was be the element of loyalty. That was something she was good at. “Are you gonna quit? If you don’t quit, then all that junk you’re thinking about yourself isn’t true. If you quit now…” Dash let the rest remain unsaid. She figured Scootaloo had been pushing herself hard enough. Dash sat on her haunches, careful to avoid any wet grass, and held Scootaloo’s chin in one hoof while stroking her mane with the other. Scootaloo never blinked. She just stared at her heroine, sniffling. It gave Dash easy access to her eyes; she could look right into Scootaloo. Dash smiled warmly, careful not to appear as if she were taking joy in Scootaloo’s anguish. Dash knew Scootaloo’s answer before she said anything: the fire was still there, underneath the tears. “I want to quit, but I want to fly even more. But… I’m…” Scootaloo swallowed another round of tears. “Will you catch me if I fall?” Dash nodded and said, “Yeah, I’ll always catch you. Trust me.” Scootaloo choked up again. “T-then, who will c-catch you?” Dash really had to try hard not to bark out a laugh. Catch me? But now wasn’t the time to laugh, so Dash thought about it for a moment; she was willing to give Scootaloo a real answer. The words came unbidden to her. “My dad—he always caught me when I fell.” Dash blinked and thought, where did that come from? And yet, she knew it was true. Scootaloo’s entire body relaxed to the point where it seemed as if she had deflated into Dash’s chest. “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up.” “W-What are you g-gonna tell the others?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at Dash with wide eyes. “Don’t worry, I’ll just say I was giving you some pointers, if they even ask anything at all. Don’t worry about it, squir—kid. As long as you don’t give up, I won’t either.” Dash shielded Scootaloo under a wing as they trotted to the pond to clean her. ~~~~~ “I’m telling you Flutters, we gotta try a starfall.” Dash hunched her shoulders, preparing for the tackle and ‘the stare.’ She didn’t know what else to do with Scootaloo, but she wasn’t going to give up. She’d endure a thousand of Fluttershy’s stares if it meant Scootaloo could fly, but it would be nice if Fluttershy didn’t flatten her this time. She winced… And nothing happened. She cracked one eye open and looked across the library table. Fluttershy was staring at her tea cup, the tea inside having long since grown cold. Twilight was seated next to her, going over the lesson plan for tomorrow. They had reached the point where they had scheduled another tandem fall, when Dash spoke up. Twilight froze, like a deer caught in headlights. She furtively glanced between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy flattened her ears and hid her face behind her mane, as if her cold tea would provide answers. Dash peered over her glass of juice with one wary eye. Twilight broke the standoff. “Well, that’s… something. Isn’t it, Fluttershy? What do you think?” Fluttershy sighed and said, “O-okay.” Dash set her juice down on the table and rested a hoof near it. The darkness of the late-night library seemed to guard their privacy, shutting out the outside world. Within the cone of light cast by the lantern above the table, only these three ponies, the chairs, the table, and the ring of bookshelves seemed to exist. Twilight liked it that way; it allowed her to concentrate. But she never expected to hear Fluttershy agree to a starfall. Dash blinked several times before she responded, “Really? That’s great—” “Does Scootaloo trust you? I mean really, really trust you?” Fluttershy looked at Dash, her eyes holding an edge. Dash knew she was on thin ice, and she gulped. She took a drink of carrot juice before she answered, “Yeah, I’m sure. You want me to be the one to drop her?” Fluttershy shook her head and replied, “No, I’ll do it. I think… I think that’s the way it works. Gold Feather trusts me, so… will you drop him?” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Wait a minute, are you asking Dash to drop Gold Feather so you can catch him? What about me?” Fluttershy shook her head again and said, “No, I don’t think a starfall will work for you. You know what’s going on. We could try it, but I don’t think it would be any better than a tandem fall.” She turned to Dash and asked, “Well, will you drop him or not?” “Oh, uh, sure. I’ll drop Glad Feather for you.” Dash wore an overwide smile and mumbled under her breath, “Drop an annoying snot? No problem.” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed at Dash as she said, “His name is Gold Feather.” Twilight refilled her cup, the teapot hovering far higher than it needed to. The tea made a noisy splash as it hit the inside of the empty cup. Twilight spoke up before her friends started to argue about Gold Feather’s name. “Ahem—you’re sure you can catch her, Dash? This scares me, and I’m not the one in danger.” “I’ll catch her, or die trying.”