//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Deal with the Devil // by RaylanKrios //------------------------------// Early the next morning the four ponies met on the outskirts of town to begin their journey. When they arrived at their meeting point they were surprised to find Pinkie waiting for them with balloons and streamers. Also with her were Applejack, Spike, Fluttershy, the other two members of the CMC and Scootaloo’s parents. “We decided to throw you a good luck party,” said Pinkie happily bouncing up and down. “Here ah packed ya’ll a couple of saddle bags, There’s some rope and a first aid kit and some other camping type stuff I thought y’all might need, there’s even a jug of cider in there for ya Dash, from that batch we made a few years ago” Applejack said presenting each of the three ponies with a set of saddlebags, and a smaller set for Scootaloo. “You mean the special reserve?” Rainbow asked excitedly. “That’s the one, just promise you won’t drink it all in one night,” Applejack replied with a grin. “Sorry no can do AJ, but thanks, and thanks for seeing us off everypony.” Scootaloo went down the line and hugged her parents and her friends. “Ah wish we were going with ya. Ah’ll bet ya get to do all sorts of exciting stuff,” Applebloom said. “Keep an eye on Rarity for me,she doesn’t do camping well.” Sweetie Belle asked when it was her turn for a goodbye hug. Scootaloo’s parents made her promise to be careful before giving her a bone crushing hug of their own. “Why can’t I come with you guys? You might need my dragon powers.” Spike asked Twilight. Twilight smiled at her assistant slash friend. That he wanted to go to protect Rarity as much as Twilight was not lost on the princess. “Having a dragon with us would make any monsters out there think twice about messing with us, but I need you holding down the fort at the library. Can you do that for me?” “You can count on me Twlight,” the diminutive dragon replied puffing his chest out. After another brief round of goodbyes and good lucks the four ponies found themselves alone in the field, unsure of exactly how to start their journey they all looked at each other expectantly. “How are we going to doing this?” Rarity asked, being the least experienced outdoors pony of the group. Rainbow Dash took the lead, despite the presence of one of four princess of Equestria. “Okay the easiest way into the Wild Lands is straight through ghastly gorge. I figure we can make it to the edge tonight, camp out, and head in tomorrow. If we get lucky maybe we can find a sapphire and get out before we attract the attention of anything too nasty." “Well I certainly don’t have any better ideas so let’s get started, the faster we get this finished the sooner I can soak in a nice luxurious spa bath,” Rarity replied. “Wait, before we go I want everypony to have one of these; I made them last night,” Twilight said as she levitated three small compasses over to Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Scootaloo. Rainbow turned the compass over in her hoof a few times, studying it to see if it was anything more than the ordinary compass it appeared to be. “Um Twilight this is just a compass you can buy these for like a bit, and I already have one,” “Yes, but I enchanted these so that instead of pointing north it always points toward Ponyville. That way we can always find our way home in case we get split up." “We’re splitting up?” asked Scootaloo. “I hope not, but you never know what will happen.” Twilight responded. “Neat,” replied Scootaloo, spinning in a circle so she could witness the arrow reorient itself. With compasses in hoof and Applejacks provisions added to their own the four ponies began their journey. The trip through ghastly gorge was uneventful; because Rainbow Dash had been using the canyon as a training ground for years she knew the hotspots to avoid and was able steer the group past the really dangerous areas. Aside from a few snakes, the occasional thorn vine and the remnants of a recent rock slide the three ponies made it through the gorge without incident. Rainbow Dash was oddly quiet throughout the trip which caused Scootaloo to suppress her normally hyperactive tendencies. Rarity, not wanting to break the uneasy tension that clouded the group, deemed it best to stay quiet as well, while Twilight spent most of the trip taking detailed notes about her surroundings. After a full day of hiking mostly silently the quartet reached the end of ghastly gorge and decided to set up camp near a small rock overhang. They each pitched their tents, Rarity had foregone her usual two story mcmansion tent and instead went with a more traditional and modest variety. Rainbow Dash assembled a small fire pit near the overhang away from anything flammable so that the rock formation would reflect the ambient heat from the fire. Satisfied that the overhang protected them from the elements and that all approaches to the campsite were easily visible and currently tranquil the quartet relaxed their guard for the first time since that morning. Twilight looked at their surroundings and frowned. Even with the overhang they were still a little too exposed for Twilight’s liking. “I’m going to set up a small compulsion spell. I should be able to anchor it to that rock and that tree” she said pointing out landmarks on opposite sides of the campsite. I won’t stop anything from coming it that really wants to eat us, but it will dissuade anything passing by from getting too close. Twilight trotted off, happy with the chance to practice some magic, leaving Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo alone at the campsite. “Scootaloo we’re going to need some firewood, why don’t you gather some?” Rarity said. The orange filly scurried off, eager to be helpful; as soon as the filly was out of earshot Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash “Are you okay dear? You’ve barely said three words since we’ve left.” “I’m fine. I guess I’m still a little worried. I mean for all we know Scootaloo might still be working with Discord. I want to trust her, really I do, but how can I be sure that she won’t betray us again? I’m not letting any of my friends get hurt .” Rarity considered Rainbow’s worries.“Let me tell you something about being a sister Rainbow Dash,” she said gently. “It means you don’t get to hold a grudge. Being a sister means that when your sister makes a mistake, no matter how big, you give her a hug and tell her it’s going to be ok even if it’s not, and when the whole world comes knocking on her door demanding you get out of the way you stand there and tell the whole world no.” “Scootaloo isn’t my sister,” Rainbow Dash shot back. “Yes she is Rainbow Dash! Anypony that worships you that much qualifies as your sister. So you are going to forgive her and we are going to get this sapphire and then I am taking the longest bath in the history of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but grin, “You’re a special kind of crazy aren’t you Rares?” Rarity took a deep breath as she calmed down, “I have been told that I can be a bit…passionate. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you called us friends just now” “Well yeah, I mean we may not always get along, and I’ll probably never like all that frou-frou stuff you’re into, but we are friends and I’d never leave my friends hanging.” “Thank you dear, I treasure your friendship as well.” “Ok, that’s enough mushy stuff, in case you haven’t noticed we are surrounded by things that want to eat us and tomorrow we have to venture into a place that even Zecora prefers to avoid, and she lives in the Everfree Forest!” “Indeed, which is all the more reason you should to go talk to Scootaloo. We can’t very well worry about all the things out here if we’re also worried about each other.” Rainbow Dash let out an audible sigh. “I want to forgive her Rarity really I do, but every time I try I keep thinking about what would have happened if Fluttershy didn’t pull a miracle out of her flank. How am I supposed to just forgive that?” “It’s really quite simple, you just say ‘I forgive you’ and then act like that’s true. Eventually it will be.” “So you are still mad at her?” “If we’re being honest I’m still processing my feelings, but look at her Rainbow Dash, she’s a filly who got in over her head. She could use a friend and a sister.” The two ponies turned their heads and saw Scootaloo carrying a pile of sticks over to the makeshift campsite. Rainbow Dash had to suppress a smile as the tiny filly struggled with the bundle that was almost as big as she was. “I’ll try talking to her after dinner. Okay Rares?” “Thank you dear.” Thanks to Applejacks packing skills the group ate fairly well for a camping trip. Rarity was able to throw together some daisy sandwiches and hot chocolate as the four ponies sat around the fire. Rainbow Dash was still pretty quiet throughout dinner and the conversation was generally limited to what sort of dangers they were going to face when they actually arrived in the Wild Lands. Scootaloo proposed that maybe they should fly in but that idea was quickly dismissed as Rainbow Dash pointed out that flying would make them highly visible to any number of aerial predators in the region. Also she didn’t particularly want to carry Rarity over long distances as it would make them vulnerable if they were attacked. When it was decided that they would walk in the group realized that that decision limited any further planning as they wouldn’t know where to go until Rarity could get close enough to cast her gem finding spell. The ponies again sat in relative silence until Rainbow Dash looked at Rarity and then subtlety gestured toward Scootaloo who was pre-occupied with her hot chocolate. Immediately understanding Rainbow’s meaning Rarity stood up, “Oh Twilight, could you come with me for a few minutes, I wanted to ask your opinion on what hat I should wear tomorrow.” Twilight seemed confused by the request by agreed anyway, and the two ponies left the campfire, leaving Rainbow Dash alone with Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash started to clear her throat but found herself interrupted. “Look Rainbow I-I just wanted to say thank you for coming and I understand if you don’t want to hang out with me when this is all over. I’ll leave you alone once we get back to Ponyville if-if that’s what you want,” the orange filly said as she looked at the ground; the pain of her concession plainly written on her face. Rainbow Dash sighed. “Kid, I don’t want you to leave me alone”. Hearing those words Scootaloo looked up at her idol with impossibly wide eyes and the faintest trace of a smile, all in all it was the sort of look that was simply too adorable to for Rainbow Dash to handle. Rainbow Dash shook her head vigorously trying to clear the cuteness overload from her system. “You shouldn’t have stolen Fluttershy’s element and you darn well should have told us about it, but maybe I kinda sorta shouldn’t have yelled at you the other day.” Scootaloo bit her lip and nodded. Before Rainbow Dash could think of anything else to say she found the small pegasus hugging her around the waist as though her life depended on it. “Okay kid,” Rainbow Dash whispered softly. Rainbow Dash reached down with her foreleg and gently lifted the tiny filly up so that she was more or less at eye level. As she looked down at Scootaloo Rarity’s words echoed in her head; when your sister makes a mistake…, Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around the pegasus and pulled her in close so that Scootaloo’s head was resting on her shoulder. Scootaloo wrapped her forelegs around Rainbows neck and buried her face just below Rainbow’s collarbone. Rainbow looked down at the little pegasus who had her face buried in her chest and thought back on some of her own mistakes. True she hadn’t destroyed one of the Elements, but she did remember the time that Discord convinced her to abandon her friends, and how she had pre-judged Zecora before she ever met her and that time she had snuck into Ponyville’s hospital because she was too embarrassed to admit she liked reading. After all those incidents her friends had forgiven her without question, maybe she should extend the same courtesy to Scootaloo. She looked down again and realized that for all of her bravado Scootaloo was really just a pegasus who was terrified of what a future without flying would be like. Just like me. “Okay there, kid, enough with the mushy stuff,” Rainbow said as she gently pried the filly off of her. Scootaloo nodded. “Sorry I-I just thought that you wouldn’t ever want to hang out with me again and then when you said you did…” Scootaloo’s voice trailed off “It’s okay I get it, you don’t need to apologize. I mean I am pretty awesome” Rainbow said, her usual bluster returning. Scootaloo giggled and Rainbow noticed that this was the first time since this whole thing started that she had seen Scoots smile and it made her smile back. “Okay squirt, if we’re going to make it out of here in one peace we need to start being honest with each other. Is there anything else you’re not telling us?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Good, there’s one other thing from now on you need to do exactly what we say, things could get dangerous so when I, or Twilight, or Rarity, tell you to do something you do it, no arguing.” “Okay Rainbow Dash, I promise I won’t argue. Umm but if we’re being honest with each other can I ask you something?” Rainbow’s ears flattened against her head as she considered the filly’s request. She wasn’t used to being open with anypony, life was easier if you kept ponies at a distance and she had a sense that the tiny orange filly was about to ask her a question she wouldn’t want to answer. But she had also just promised that they would be honest with each other. She masked her insecurity with her usual audacity. “Sure squirt, fire away.” “If somepony told you you couldn’t fly ever again, what would you have done?” Rainbow Dash considered her answer. “I don’t know,” she finally said. “Ever since I was a foal all I’ve ever wanted was to fly, and I got lucky because flying came easy to me. So yeah if Discord or Sombra or even Nightmare Moon offered me a pair of wings when I didn’t have them, I might have taken them up on it. But I still would have been wrong, just because your reasons are good doesn’t mean that your actions are. I get why you did it, I really do, but I think maybe you understand why I was upset.” Scootaloo nodded. One thing she had done almost constantly was review her actions. Everytime she had come to the conclusion that as much as she wished it were otherwise she couldn't blame ponies for being upset with her. “I do. I didn’t mean for everything to get so out of hoof, it just kinda happened.” “Yeah that’s how it usually works. You do one thing that you know is wrong and the next thing you know you’re in over your head. The key is to avoid that first thing.” “I know that now. Thanks for giving me a second chance Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow playfully slugged Scootaloo on the shoulder, finally the kind of expression of emotion she was comfortable with. “No problem kid. Now we better get some rest, we’ve got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”