//------------------------------// // Overstepping // Story: Seasons Turning // by moguera //------------------------------// Chapter 13: Overstepping The doors to the hospital lobby slammed open as Dawn barely slowed down from the moment his hooves touched the ground. He was lucky he didn't knock them off their hinges as his momentum slammed them back against the wall and he barreled into the building. Immediately, the colt's eyes zeroed in on the receptionist, who had looked up from a book she had been reading. She flinched back from the intensity of the colt's gaze. She flinched again when the colt seemed to teleport directly to the desk, his eyes wide with an expression of extreme anxiety. "Scootaloo! Where is she? Is she alright?" The startled receptionist tried her hardest to squeak out a coherent response under Dawn's unsettling gaze. However, she was spared the effort as a quiet voice sounded from the back of the lobby. "Dawn, I'm right here." Dawn's forehooves came down off the desk as he slowly turned, still panting from the exertion of his long sprint to the hospital, to see Scootaloo, stepping out of one of the lobby's seats and starting to walk towards him. On the seat next to hers rested Melon Cream, who gave Dawn an encouraging smile. If only Scootaloo could look half as happy to see him. She was uninjured, but her eyes were red and puffy, indicating that she’d been crying hard recently. She looked tired, not from some physical exertion, but a tiredness that weighed down her heart and soul, a tiredness that Dawn was all too familiar with. But she was there. She was unhurt. And at the moment, that was all that mattered to Dawn as he slowly approached her. As he came up in front of her, Scootaloo averted her eyes, staring forlornly at the floor. Nothing was said. The empty silence stretched between them until, unable to bear it anymore, Scootaloo looked up at Dawn, opening her mouth to say something, an apology most likely, only to suddenly find Dawn’s arms wrapped around her shoulders as the ebony colt hugged her tightly, causing Scootaloo to fall back on her haunches. Almost instinctively, she returned his embrace, holding him tightly and relishing the feeling of Dawn’s panting breaths against her mane. Part of her was conscious of the fact that this was the first time that Dawn had been the one to initiate physical affection. Normally, she was the one tackling him to the ground with an embrace. But now, here he was, holding her tightly, of his own volition, pressing his head and neck tightly against her own. For a long moment, they stayed like that, Dawn’s breath and heartbeat slowing as relief drained the frantic energy fear and anxiety had infused into his body. Finally, pulling back, Dawn stared into Scootaloo’s eyes. “What happened?” Letting go, Scootaloo stepped away from the colt, once again too afraid to meet his gaze. Swallowing hard, she clenched her eyes shut and prepared herself for what was to come. “What the hay do you want?” snapped Scootaloo, stepping out from behind her mother. Quicksilver’s bared teeth clenched tightly as he glared down at her. “I’m here because you crossed a line. I’m here to show you what happens to filthy witches like you who willingly side with a monstrosity like that demon and dare to insult Our Radiant Light.” The angry stallion advanced, his hooves falling on the floor with loud thuds, actually cracking the boards with each step. “You stay away from my daughter!” shouted Melon, leaping back in front of Scootaloo and backing away from the stallion, forcing Scootaloo to back away as well to keep from getting stepped on. “Out of my way,” snarled Quicksilver, “Your daughter isn’t worth protecting, nor is any filthy heretic who dares take the side of that demon.” “Then you had best give up on trying to get me to move,” replied Melon, “Because I’m on that ‘demon’s’ side as well. So is almost everypony else in town.” “Yeah, don’t blame us when you’re the plotheads who’re too caught up in your own sick lies to see the truth,” shouted Scootaloo, trying to get out from behind her mother, though Melon kept shifting to keep the filly behind her. “That does it!” shouted Quicksilver, “Everypony in this town is insane. You’ve all thrown your lot in with that abomination and you don’t even have the good grace to realize your evil.” “Quicksilver! Stop this!” Garnet’s voice sounded out from the door, “This is going too far. You can’t do this!” “Just watch me,” the silvery stallion shouted over his shoulder, “This is our duty and our right.” “Quick, even if that’s true, there’s no way we can follow through with this. Let’s just leave it and take it to our superiors.” “Yeah,” taunted Scootaloo, “Go back to your precious cult and get out of our town.” Quicksilver whirled to refocus his gaze on Scootaloo, his anger redoubling. “You’re gonna pay for that.” Lowering his head, he surged into a charge, which Melon braced herself to meet. However, before the two earth ponies could collide, Scootaloo rushed from behind her mother and jumped in between them. Though she wasn’t as fast as Dawn, her speed was sufficient that it was much too fast for either Quicksilver or Melon to react to. Already, Scootaloo’s right wing was flaring and swinging forward. In the next instant, she sent a blast of compressed air barreling into Quicksilver, slamming it into his chest and driving him back, even as the force of the blow drove the breath from his lungs and made his ribs creak. On such short notice, Scootaloo hadn’t been able to gather her full power. The hurried nature of the blow also caused the blast of air to scatter as it impacted, splintering the floor between her and Quicksilver and causing the windows on either side of the door to shatter. Garnet screamed and dived away from the door, ducking down to avoid the shards of glass as they fell around her. She threw herself down on the ground in the front yard, covering her head and instinctively getting as low as she possibly could. That was what probably saved her. Quicksilver gasped, trying desperately to suck some air into his abused lungs. Once he did, it was almost immediately driven back out by a series of coughs, sending splashes of blood spurting from his mouth and nose. “You…damn…witch…” he wheezed out, “You’ll regret this!” Scootaloo didn’t answer him with words. Instead, she went into motion, leading with her right wing in a wheeling sweep, while her left wing followed suit, both wings moving as though they were joined by a rod across her shoulders. Her left wing gathered the air behind her into her grip and sent it across, where it joined the air in front of her in being compressed by the circular motion of her right wing. With a sharp motion, she swept her right wing upward, spun with a quick skip to bring about her furled left wing and lunged in Quicksilver’s direction extending her wing as she did, the movement creating a powerful spinning blow, a miniature tornado thrusting forward like a spear to slam directly into the stallion’s chest. Over the roar of the wind, Scootaloo’s ears could pick up the crunch of bones as Quicksilver was lifted off his hooves by the force of the blow. She’d been aiming to drive him out the door. But her aim was less than perfect, the stallion’s back instead slamming into the frame. That hardly proved to be an impediment as, under the combined force of his impact and her own blow, the frame shattered into splinters… …taking most of the front of the house along with it. The wall practically exploded outward as the force of Scootaloo’s wind tore through it, sending wooden shrapnel flying in every direction as the fragments were swept up in the whirlwind, spun about, then tossed away. Meanwhile, Quicksilver’s limp form continued to be driven onward, having been set into a spinning motion as well as the attack sent him hurtling across the yard, slamming him through the fence before the stallion finally came to rest on the road. Melon Cream stared at the scene in utter horror, surveying the devastation to their home, scarcely able to believe that her little Scootaloo had been the one behind it. Looking down, she saw her daughter, standing still, seething with anger. Scootaloo glared at the unmoving form of Quicksilver, daring him to get back up so she could hit him again. But he didn’t get up. He didn’t so much as twitch. The stallion remained unmoving where he had landed. As her anger slowly bled away, more details became apparent to Scootaloo’s eyes. She could see that at least one of his legs was bent at an unnatural angle. There were shards of wood sticking out of his back, leftover from the wall and fence he’d been driven through… …And there were splashes of blood across the ground where he’d landed. “Wha-what did you just do?” The horrified tone of Garnet’s voice finally brought Scootaloo all the way back to reality. The dark-red mare was staring at Scootaloo, her eyes wide with fear as she slowly backed away. “You-you’re a monster.” Before she could say or do anything else, Garnet was silenced as a storm cloud-colored pegasus descended on her from above, driving her to the ground. Storm Front drove Garnet to the ground, cord already unwinding out from within his sleeves as he swiftly bound her limbs together before she could muster the will to fight back. In the near distance, the thunder of hooves could be heard as the on-duty members of the Ponyville Guard approached, responding to the incredible racket. Another rush of air signaled the arrival of Rainbow Dash as she nearly slammed into the ground outside of the house. “Scootaloo! Squirt! Are you okay?” After spinning about, Rainbow’s eyes finally located Scootaloo, who was still staring at Quicksilver’s unresponsive form. “Squirt…?” Following Scootaloo’s gaze, Rainbow finally noticed the body in the road. Without a second’s hesitation, she rushed to the stallion’s side and began examining him. Her eyes widened at what she found. “Help! Somepony call an ambulance!” “After all that, the Guards took Garnet away and the ambulance came for Quicksilver. After what I’d done…I…I couldn’t just leave him like that. Mom and I followed them up here and…and now we’re waiting…” Scootaloo shook with a sob as she struggled to keep going. “I-I’m scared out of my mind! Dawn! What if the doctors can’t fix him? What if he…?” She stopped, unable to finish her thought. Dawn had let go of Scootaloo as she told her story, sitting quietly in front of her and listening intently. Scootaloo’s voice died into sobs that shook her entire body. Then, she felt his hoof touch her chin, lifting her head so he could look into her eyes. Scootaloo stared back, unsure of what she expected to find, judgment, anger, regret for teaching her something so dangerous… However, her fears abated when Dawn simply pulled her into another hug, this one tighter than the last. “Dawn?” “It’s alright,” he whispered softly. “No it’s not,” Scootaloo protested, pulling away from him, “When we started…you warned me not to use my magic like that. You said I wouldn’t be able to control it. But that’s exactly what I did! I ignored what you told me and now…now somepony…I might have k-“ Her voice was cut off as Dawn lifted a hoof to her lips. “It’s alright,” he repeated, “You were defending yourself. He was attacking, trying to hurt you and your mother.” “But he wouldn’t have if I could’ve just kept my mouth shut, the way you did,” she protested, “I got so mad and I kept yelling at him and pushing him…” “That may be true,” conceded Dawn, “But, let me ask you one thing. I want you to answer me truthfully." Scootaloo nodded. "Did you try to deliberately provoke Quicksilver so that you could fight him?" Dawn's eyes bored into hers. This wasn't the lead-in to some reassuring speech. This was a genuine inquiry. Dawn wanted to know for certain. Slowly, Scootaloo shook her head. "Then it wasn't intentional," said Dawn, "You let your anger get the better of you. I know that feeling quite well. I think you know how well I know it." Remembering how Dawn had nearly cut her father's wings from his back, Scootaloo couldn't help but nod. "We can look back on what happened and say 'I should have done this' or 'I wish I had acted this way.' I've done that often enough. But we can't change what happened." Scootaloo looked down again, but Dawn simply lifted her chin back up so that he could meet her eyes. “And whatever else, even if you did provoke him, I am still glad that you ended up doing what you did…if only because that means you’re here…” He lifted a hoof to her shoulder. “…instead of back there.” He tilted his head to indicate the doors that led into the hospital proper, doors he’d been through too many times already, given his relatively brief time in Ponyville. “You’re safe and that’s what matters now.” “But what if he’s…dead?” asked Scootaloo, her eyes overflowing with tears, “What if I killed him?” “We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” said Dawn, “But I will be there with you, no matter what.” Leaning forward, he pulled her into another hug. With a sniffle, Scootaloo burrowed her face into Dawn's shoulder, clinging tightly to the colt as he did his best to wrap her in his wings as well. "Awww!" Dawn looked up at the sound of his mother's voice, just in time to see Fluttershy come trotting into the lobby, Rainbow Dash not far behind her. Scootaloo heard her too and blushed furiously. However, as Dawn's hold was still tight and not slackening, she was unable to extricate herself in order to save her dignity. Unable to do much else, she settled for simply pressing back into Dawn's shoulder and doing her best to pretend she didn't exist. Dawn's eyes found Rainbow Dash and narrowed slightly. "You had me utterly terrified for nothing." Grinning sheepishly, Rainbow ran a hoof through her unruly mane. "Yeah, sorry about that. When you asked where she was, I kinda just blurted the answer out of reflex. You were gone before I could tell you that she hadn't been hurt." Dawn let out an irritated huff and relaxed his hold on Scootaloo, who was finally able to pull away. "So now what?" she asked, doing her best to pretend that Rainbow hadn't just seen her hugging Dawn. "We wait," answered Dawn, "We find out how that stallion is faring. We can go from there." "Did anyone think to tell Twilight and the others?" asked Fluttershy, looking over to Rainbow, who nodded. "Yeah," said the cerulean pegasus, "Storm Front's on it. I'm more worried about the fact that we're gonna have to break this to Applejack's uncle and his workers." "What's done is done," said Dawn, as Scootaloo shuddered. The minutes dragged on, with nopony emerging from within the hospital to report on Quicksilver's condition. However, shortly after the first hour passed, Storm Front settled into a landing outside the hospital and stepped into the lobby. Standing in front of Scootaloo and Melon, he bowed deeply. "I apologize," he said, "This is due to my negligence. After accompanying you back, I had thought that those two would continue to pursue Dawn. It hadn't even occurred to me that they might go after you. I was checking the routes leading to the cottage when I heard your fight." "It's alright," said Melon, "Even for somepony as skilled and vigilant as you, you can't be everywhere at once. Besides," she leaned down and nuzzled Scootaloo's mane, “We're fine, so there's nothing to worry about." "I should warn you that Blenheim and the other two are on their way here," said Storm Front, "I honestly can't predict how they will react if they find you here." "Well I'm not leaving until I find out how that stallion's doing," said Scootaloo, folding her arms stubbornly, "And if that jerk doesn't like it, he'll just have to lump it." Storm Front nodded and settled in to wait with the rest of them. A few minutes later, the doors opened to admit Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who were closely followed by Twilight and Spike. All four of them stopped to share what encouragement they could with Scootaloo as Pinkie Pie quickly joined the group, having brought cupcakes for everypony (and a muffin for Dawn). A few minutes later, Rumble showed up, looking sleepy, but otherwise determined. In a sense, it all gave Scootaloo a strange feeling. Quicksilver was the one who was actually injured and undergoing treatment. And yet, all the ponies out here were her friends and loved ones. They were all here for her sake, concerned for her wellbeing, even though she was unhurt. It gave her a strange sense of unfairness. She actually found herself hoping that Blenheim and Quicksilver's coworkers arrived soon, if only so that somepony would actually be there for Quicksilver's sake, even if he was a total jerk. She got her wish a few minutes later when a group of gasping earth ponies finally came staggering into the lobby. Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Red River all immediately zeroed in on the rest of the group and quickly moved to join them. However, Blenheim didn't spare them a single glance, instead trotting up to the receptionist's desk, Mayweather, Rivercrest, and Braeburn following. "Ah understand mah employee is here. Can ya tell me how he's doin'?" he asked. "His name?" asked the receptionist. "Quicksilver," answered Blenheim. The receptionist nodded slowly. "He's still undergoing treatment right now. His condition was quite severe. Hopefully one of the nurses will be out with news soon." "Ah see," said Blenheim, pausing to lift his hat and wipe sweat from his brow, "Thanks." He stepped back and settled into a seat, still taking no notice of his audience. "Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Mayweather anxiously. "Ah'm not the doctor, so Ah've got no real idea," admitted Blenheim easily, "But if they're still workin' on him now, at least that means he ain't givin' up the ghost just yet. Just keep it in mind, so long as they're still back there, that usually means that there's still a chance 'o savin' him, however slim and they're workin' like crazy to do it." His nephew and workers nodded. Blenheim took a few moments to catch his breath before lifting his gaze up and finally letting it rest on Scootaloo and her friends. Scootaloo met his gaze, her anxiety still too great for her to muster the animosity to so much as glare at him. Blenheim let out a sigh. "That darn fool. Ah told him to keep a lid on it and he went actin' out anyway...even got Garnet to go along with him. Now she's all locked up and he's all beat up. Where did Ah go wrong?" Braeburn raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Maybe by throwin' in with them loonies in the first place." "Well, Quicksilver was overzealous," said Rivercrest, "But I wouldn't call him a loony." Braeburn sighed. "What else is there to say. Ah know the buffalo ain't to keen on what yer sellin' either. No matter how ya slice it, all that Order of Celestial Light baloney is shapin' up to be a load 'o horseapples." Blenheim took another look at Scootaloo before shifting his gaze to Dawn, who was also watching him intently. "Ah ain't sure anymore," he admitted, "It's gettin' mighty hard to see the truth in all 'o this." "That's enough," said Mayweather, "Whatever else, Quicksilver comes first. Everything else can wait." The rest nodded and settled in for a long night. It was approaching midnight when the doors leading into the hospital swung open to admit Nurse Redheart. Coming to a stop, she surveyed the scene in the room. Scootaloo, her previous concerns about her reputation forgotten, had curled up against Dawn, who draped a wing over her back. The two of them were, in turn, curled up between Melon and Fluttershy, who had also drifted off as the night wore on. Spike was snoring lightly, his head resting against Twilight's barrel as the lavender unicorn perused one of the spellbooks Arkenstone had gotten her. Apple Bloom had fallen asleep as well, her head draped across Spike's stomach. Sweetie Belle and Rumble were a short distance away, not touching, but resting just within reach of each other while Rarity reclined nearby, her sketchbook out and a pencil working furiously on a design. Rainbow Dash was sprawled on her back across the cushions of one of the couches in the room, snoring loudly. Nearby, Applejack was asleep next to Red River, her chin resting on his forelegs as the azure stallion’s head rested atop hers, Applejack’s hat having been deposited on the arm of a nearby chair. Pinkie Pie also lounged on a couch, emitting a sound that seemed halfway between a snore and a giggle. Storm Front was the only one fully awake, gazing ahead vacantly as he patiently awaited the news of Quicksilver's fate. The hours had taken their toll on Blenheim's group as well. Braeburn was reclined in a chair, his nose pointed up towards the ceiling, barely snoring at all, though his hind leg kicked every once and a while. Mayweather and Rivercrest had both fallen asleep sitting up, leaning against each other as they dozed. Only Blenheim remained stubbornly awake, his gaze fixed patiently on the door that Redheart had just come through. "Is anypony here for Quicksilver?" she asked. Her words had an immediate effect as Blenheim's gaze snapped to her in an instant. Beside him, both Rivercrest and Mayweather roused and blinked blearily at her, while Breaburn's snores broke into startled exclamations. Her question also had an effect on the other group as Twilight and Rarity immediately looked up. Leaning over, Twilight gently nudged Fluttershy with her muzzle, rousing the pink-maned pegasus, who blinked in confusion before realizing what was going on. Fluttershy, in turn, quickly nuzzled Scootaloo and Dawn, prodding them into wakefulness before doing the same to Melon next. As the waiting ponies stirred, Blenheim walked up to Redheart. "Quicksilver's mah employee. How's he doin'?" "It was difficult work," said Redheart, "We were all a little hard-pressed to try and inform anypony, but we managed to stabilize him easily.' Blenheim let out a soft sigh. "So he ain't kicked the bucket yet." "No," replied Redheart with an encouraging smile, "However, his condition is still very serious. He suffered a number of fractures to his ribs, legs, and spine. He also had several pieces of wood embedded in his body, some of which we had to cut out in order to remove. For a while, we weren't sure if he would ever be able to walk again." Scootaloo gasped, going pale. Dawn immediately moved to press his side against hers, wrapping his wing around her once again. "It sounds like that ain't the case anymore," Blenheim pressed on. Redheart nodded. "Yes. Fortunately, Doctor Stable is one of the foremost experts in skeletal reconstruction. As it turns out, he has a great deal of practice, thanks to dealing with certain patients..." she gave Rainbow Dash a wry glance before turning back to Blenheim, "Also, in spite of cracking some of his vertebrae, Quicksilver's spinal column didn't suffer severe damage, so there's no need to worry about paralysis." "So what now?" asked Blenheim. "Right now, Quicksilver is still under from the operation. We are also giving him an intravenous feed in order to prepare him for an intensive healing spell. He won't be going anywhere for a few weeks, but he should make a full recovery, more or less." "Ah see," said Blenheim, letting out a sigh of relief, "Thank ya kindly. That takes a load off 'o mah shoulders." Now it was Storm Front who approached, his expression grim. "Is there any chance that he will be able to be moved soon?" he asked. "Not for at least two weeks," said Redheart. "I see. Then I will speak to the Mayor about having a guard posted at his room." Storm Front turned his head slightly to eye Blenheim. "As it stands, Quicksilver is still to be taken into Guard custody for attempted assault.” Rivercrest and Mayweather exchanged distressed looks while Blenheim’s gaze hardened as he turned to look at Storm Front. For a moment, he simply stared. Finally, the older stallion let out a defeated sigh. “Well, we don’t have any ground to stand on. Ah guess that’s it then.” “But boss…!” protested Rivercrest. “What do ya want me to do?” demanded Blenheim, whirling to look at Rivercrest, who shied away from his stern gaze, “It don’t matter whether or not Quicksilver was tryin’ to do right. It won’t change what he did…and after Ah warned that fool not to jump the gun and now look what’s happened to him.” Turning back to Storm Front, Blenheim said, “Ah’m guessin’ you’ll need us to stick around too.” “That is up to you,” said Storm Front, “We have multiple witnesses who can confirm that Quicksilver and Garnet were acting without your approval and even going so far as to disobey your orders, which does absolve you of some of the guilt. I would like to detain you so that we can learn more about the Cult Solar, but that is not something we can legally do at the moment.” “Ah see…” said Blenheim slowly. He turned to regard Braeburn and his two subordinates. “Let’s get home. Ah’ve got some thinkin’ to do.” Blenheim and his two remaining workers departed quickly, with only Braeburn staying behind. Turning to Applejack, Breaburn took off his hat and closed his eyes. “Ah’m mighty sorry ‘bout all ‘o this cous’. We came down to help ya with the harvest and Ah can’t help but think that we’ve just made more problems for ya.” “It ain’t yer fault Braeburn,” said Applejack with a fond smile, “If anythin’, ya helped us keep things from gettin’ too bad. Ah ain’t gonna hold it against ya.” Scootaloo and her mother made to leave, however, Storm Front gestured them over to him. "I believe that Mayor Mare is going to want to take your statements on what happened tonight." They nodded and once again started towards the door, only to stop when Dawn came up behind them. "Where are you staying?" he asked. Mother and daughter shared an anxious look. In all the excitement, they'd forgotten that Scootaloo had accidentally blown out the side of their house. Under normal circumstances, Melon would have considered asking Ditzy if they could stay with her for a night, but Ditzy was presently out of town working as a courier for Twilight. "You're welcome to stay at the library," said Twilight, joining the group, "I can pull out a guest bed for you two. It's not all that far away from your house, so it wouldn't be a major inconvenience. "I certainly would not be adverse to letting you two stay at the boutique until you can get back on your hooves," said Rarity, jumping into the conversation. They turned to look at Dawn and Fluttershy expectantly. The colt simply shrugged. "It might be more of a burden to ask that they stay in our home, since you've already offered yours, which are much closer to theirs." "True enough," conceded Rarity. "Hmm..." mused Melon, looking between Twilight and Rarity, "I think we should probably stay at Twilight's," she said finally, her decision producing a simultaneous dejected response from Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, "I've hosted enough Crusader sleepovers that I don't think we should give you the chance to have one every night for who knows how long it might take to get our house fixed." Rarity looked rather relieved at the decision. "I think that's an excellent choice. Oh don't mope so much Sweetie Belle, you still see her every day after all." Twilight yawned and looked at the clock. "Well, I think we should be getting home then. It's already very late and little fillies need their sleep." "Hey!" protested Scootaloo, "We're not so little anymore." Her protest drew a giggle from the adults, particularly Twilight, who reached out and ruffled Scootaloo's mane fondly. "You're little enough." Scootaloo tried making more of a fuss, but was stopped by Dawn's hoof on her shoulder, which prompted her to turn and look at him. "You'll be alright?" he asked. Scootaloo nodded before looking down slightly. "I...I need to talk to you about something tomorrow." Her words drew excited glances from the mares in the room, all of whom began grinning gleefully Drawing back, Dawn blinked in confusion before nodding slowly. "Very well then." With that, they took their leave of the hospital, everypony going their separate ways. Blinking her eyes blearily, Scootaloo lifted her head up and noticed that it was still fairly dark in Twilight's bedroom alcove of the library. The curtains had been drawn over the windows, blocking out any hint of sunlight. Sitting upright, she took a moment to rub the sleep from her eyes and take note of the situation. At first, she'd wondered if she'd woken up too early and the sun hadn't risen yet. However, she noticed that nopony else was up there with her. Twilight's bed was empty and neatly made. Spike's basket was unoccupied. On top of that, there was no sign of her mother, who had been sharing the guest bed with her. After a second, Scootaloo was able to pick up the sound of muffled voices from downstairs. Stretching and yawning, Scootaloo extricated herself from the blankets and rolled off the bed, making her way to the bathroom and running through her usual morning routine as best she could with the stuff she and her mother had fetched from their currently compromised house. Once she finished, Scootaloo made her way to the edge of the alcove and looked down. Melon and Twilight Sparkle were seated at the large table that dominated the center of the library, conversing in low tones and nursing mugs of coffee as they spoke. Not far away, Spike was laying back on a cushion, nose buried in a comic book. "Morning everypony," said Scootaloo as she slowly descended the stairs. "Good morning dear," said Melon, looking up from her mug, "Sleep well?" "Yeah, I guess," said Scootaloo, casting her glance around for a clock to see how much time she had before Dawn arrived for their morning training session. When she saw what time it was, her eyes widened and she let out a shriek of dismay. "I'm late!" She hadn't just slept through her morning practice session, she'd also slept through the start of school. "Scootaloo!" Melon's voice was quick to bring the filly out of her panic. "Calm down. It's fine." "What do you mean?" asked Scootaloo. "Dawn was by earlier," said Twilight, "We all agreed that, after such a rough night, you could use some extra sleep. So Dawn decided to cancel your morning session and he agreed to take a note to Cheerilee to let her know you would't be coming to school today." "Oh..." Scootaloo's wings drooped when the last of her anxiety faded and she came the rest of the way down the stairs. "I've asked Spike to schedule an appointment with Mayor Mare this afternoon," added Twilight, "We would have done it earlier, but Dawn insisted that he be here with you when it happened." "Would you like some breakfast?" asked Spike, setting aside his comic book. Nodding, Scootaloo followed him into the kitchen. She watched in awe as Spike worked quickly to whip together a nice breakfast of pancakes and eggs. While not her favorite, Scootaloo happily enjoyed the food when it was placed in front of her. "Thish ish great," she managed through her stuffed mouth as Spike beamed proudly. "Thanks," said Spike, straightening his spine to stand taller, "I was trained in the kitchens at the Royal Palace you know." "Huh? Really?" Chuckling, Spike whisked her plate away to the sink to be washed. "Yeah. I didn't have much else to do when Princess Celestia and Twilight had their lessons together, so I used to wander into the kitchens a lot to bum treats from the cooks. At some point I thought it might be fun to learn. The chefs were happy to teach me." "Wow," said Scootaloo, her eyes narrowing as she grinned teasingly at the young dragon, "Apple Bloom's gonna be a lucky filly someday then." Spike's cheeks went bright red and he quickly turned away. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said quickly, his hurried response prompting a mischievous giggle from the orange filly behind him. Instead, he tried to turn the teasing back on her. "Shouldn't you be taking notes so you can impress Dawn? After all, they say the way to a stallion's heart is through his stomach." Scootaloo blushed a little at the mention of her crush's name. However, the fact that she'd admitted to her friends and to herself helped her keep her composure. "I don't think so," she said, "Actually, Dawn can't stand that fancy cooking. It just gives him a stomachache." "Oh yeah...oops." Spike chuckled, though he seemed a little miffed that his own attempts at teasing hadn't met with much success. The remainder of the morning went by rather quickly for Scootaloo. Having been spared from going to school, she'd found herself with little to do with her time. Even though there were plenty of books to read in the library, the active filly felt the need to do something more physical to help settle her mind. To that end, she went outside and picked a cloud nearby. From there, she began to work on practicing her forms, using the force of air being kicked from her hooves to keep aloft. Unlike Dawn, she wasn't able to pinpoint her precise landing point after she finished going through a form and ended up having to quickly switch to her wings when she was done to keep from falling to the ground. After a few more repetitions, she felt well enough at ease to return to the ground and the library itself. While she'd been out, Twilight had gone into the basement to check on the progress of her latest experiments with the wintersilk appleseeds. From what Melon had heard, it seemed that Twilight was getting results, albeit slowly. Spike was more than willing to lend Scootaloo a few of his comics to help keep her occupied until lunch came around. As the noon bell rang, no one was particularly surprised to see Dawn show up at the door. Having forgone taking lunch in the schoolyard, the colt had decided to come straight to the library, a move that caused Twilight and Melon to break out into conspiratorial titters as Scootaloo blushed furiously. The two of them ate lunch quietly and waited for Mayor Mare to arrive. At one-o-clock on the dot, the door to the library swung open to admit Mayor Mare, who smiled politely as she entered. Behind her was a unicorn member of the Ponyville Guard, who was flanked by Storm Front. The two of them waited at the door while the mayor exchanged pleasantries with Twilight and Melon. "Thank you for coming," said Twilight as she cleared some books away from the table to open up a space for the Mayor. "Thank you for being so kind as to set this up for us," said the gray-maned earth pony as she took her seat. She reached into her saddlebags and produced some documents. She then turned her bespectacled gaze on Scootaloo and Dawn. "And thank you for being so willing to cooperate with this. I can understand that this situation must be difficult for you, but with your help, I doubt we will have to worry for much longer." The two foals nodded as Mayor Mare laid out some forms to be filled out as she carried out the interview. "Now then," she said, "Would you be willing to explain the situation to me?" They nodded and began. Dawn started by explaining how he'd noticed Quicksilver and Garnet following them at around noon the previous day. Scootaloo supplemented his testimony by talking about how she'd noticed that Dawn was wary of something. They then went through how the pair of Blenheim's farmhooves had followed them out to the quarry and approached Scootaloo when she was by herself. Scootaloo talked about the things they'd said about Dawn and how they'd tried to convince her to stay away from him. After a moment's hesitation, she admitted to losing her temper and saying several disparaging remarks about the Cult Solar. After that, Dawn talked about how he'd intervened to keep things from coming to blows. Scootaloo then explained how Quicksilver and Garnet had apparently located her home and how Quicksilver had confronted her and her mother in their house and attempted to attack them. As she finished with her description of how she'd put an end to the problem, Scootaloo was looking down at the table, dejected. "I see then," said Mayor Mare, "I had the opportunity to see the scene for myself. I was amazed at the extent of the damage." She sighed and looked down at the form. "Now then, what comes next is very important. At worst, Scootaloo could be charged with using excessive force in self-defense." "What?" exclaimed Melon, "She's a filly! Don't be ridiculous!" "Even for foals, there are lines that we need to be careful not to cross. Naturally, the consequences would be different than if she were an adult. However, given how delicate the situation is, it would be very problematic to even have that charge on her record." "What do you mean?" asked Melon nervously. "It has more to do with what will be happening in the future," explained Storm Front, speaking for the first time since the meeting had begun, "Once we carry out the plan, a public confrontation with the Cult Solar is highly likely." Mayor Mare nodded. "We have no idea what their level of influence is. If they investigate this incident and found that Scootaloo had been charged with such a crime, they could very easily construe it as evidence that Dawn was a corrupting influence on her, leading the filly to a life of crime. Naturally, there's no direct evidence to suggest anything of the sort. But if they manage to sway public opinion..." Melon, Twilight, and Dawn nodded nervously as Mayor Mare continued. "We also looked into that possibility with regard to the incidents involving Flash Spark and Cirrus Stratus...." Her words caused Dawn to avert his eyes slightly, shame playing across his face as he remembered the occasions where his own temper had gotten the better of him. "Fortunately, Cirrus Stratus suffered no permanent harm and Flash Spark's condition was dismissed as 'accidental.' As such, that's how they have been filed and how they shall remain." Dawn nodded solemnly. He'd briefly forgotten that some of the darker moments of his history in Ponyville could have been potentially turned against him. "With that out of the way, we can get to the point," said Mayor Mare, turning her attention to Scootaloo and Dawn, "Now then, what was the reason that you felt such force was necessary against Quicksilver?" "It wasn't," replied Scootaloo, "But...it was the only thing I knew how to do." "I'm not sure I follow," said Mayor Mare, frowning slightly. "To put it simply," said Dawn, "Scootaloo is still a novice in the study of the Gale King. While she has learned to use the techniques and apply her magic to them, she has only learned to do so at the most basic level. At this point in time, she only knows how to use her techniques at full power. She hasn't yet learned how to measure and moderate the force that she applies so that she doesn't do serious injury to her opponents." "So you're saying that she couldn't do anything less," mused Mayor Mare, "And yet, in your retelling of the incident, you mentioned using a much less powerful blow against Quicksilver." "It's because he was too close," said Scootaloo, "I didn't have room to do anything bigger." "In other words, even that weaker blow was the hardest she could muster given the circumstances," clarified Dawn. "And you're certain that there was no way she could have controlled herself to do less damage?" asked Mayor Mare, her ears perked attentively. Dawn shook his head. "It is the same with all martial arts. A student is first trained in the basic form of the technique and trained in how to apply all their power to that technique in order to maximize its effect. It is difficult, sometimes all but impossible to train a student how to moderate the force of their own blows in order to reduce the impact, because that is something a student must figure out for herself by learning to process the senses of her own body and measure the power that she exerts." "I see," said Mayor Mare, "I believe that will be a satisfactory explanation then." She paused to finish filling out the last form and slipped the papers back into her saddlebag. "Given what I have heard, I see no reason for Scootaloo to be charged with anything at this point." She smiled fondly at the two foals. "While I can't officially condone violence, I'm glad that you're alright. Just try not to cause too much trouble in the future." As she stood up, she heard Dawn sigh. "I'm afraid I can make no such promises," he said, "Particularly since we aim to deliberately kick a hornets' nest." Mayor Mare's smile faded. "Very true," she conceded, "But I shall place my faith in you and your friends that the measures you've taken will be sufficient to keep Ponyville safe." Dawn nodded. "We will do our best." Mayor Mare took her leave, Storm Front and the Guard following her. As the door swung shut, Scootaloo slumped like a puppet with its strings cut. Melon gently reached out and pulled her daughter into a hug. "That was rather nerve-wracking." "No kidding," agreed Twilight, "I hadn't realized that things would be this serious. But at least we don't have to worry about it anymore. So what now?" "Well, we were supposed to have our shift at the teahouse," said Dawn, "But Arkenstone said that me and Scootaloo should take the day off." Twilight giggled. "I think that sounds like a good idea. Why don't the two of you take a walk? It might be good for you to do something together besides school, work, and training." Scootaloo, not failing to miss the hint in Twilight's suggestion, blushed as she nodded. "Sure." She turned to Dawn. "Why don't we go to the park for a while?" "I don't see why not," admitted the colt with a shrug. While his lack of overall enthusiasm wasn't exactly encouraging to Scootaloo, she was relieved that he wasn't showing any signs of reluctance later. "Come on then," she said quickly, heading for the door as Dawn trotted in her wake, "I need to talk to you about something."