Dashie: Twenty Percent Cooler

by Kieva Lynn

Sixteen

A door slammed open and a voice boomed out: "What's going on out here!?"

The Crusaders looked towards the mansion, over the top of the crying Diamond Tiara's head, to see Filthy Rich, along with Rainbow Dash and two creatures they didn't recognize. Rich trotted to his daughter's side and tried to comfort her, to no avail. After several moments he looked at the girls and, in a surprisingly calm voice asked "Why did you do this?"

"Look... We're sorry that it's upset her this much. We thought she'd be screaming angry, not crying." Sweetie Belle said, "but..."

"But they both had it coming!" Scootaloo shouted. "They've bullied us for almost two years! All because we don't have our Cutie Marks yet. And now we find out that they don't really have theirs yet either!?"

Filthy Rich nodded slowly, a sad expression on his face. "I see... Yes, I think I understand now... Diamond, is this true?"

"Y... Yes daddy." The filly admitted.

"I thought I had taught you better than this child."

"You did daddy, but I just..."

Rich ran a forehoof over Tiara's back, calming her. "You don't have to explain. I'm disappointed, but I understand." He looked to the girls, and Rainbow and the humans who had joined them. "This is more my fault than the girls. You see, there's something I need to show you..."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's eyes went wide as they realized what Rich was about to do. "Daddy don't!!" Tiara exclaimed.

"No child, I should have did this a long time ago..." Rich said, and then with one smooth motion he turned his head, gripped his left flank in his teeth, and pulled... Revealing that his own Cutie Mark was also a fake.

Four ponies and two humans stared in shock until Scootaloo finally said "He's... But... Okay what the buck is going on here anyway!?"

Filthy Rich sighed and began to explain. "Our family, and that means all of us, the Richs and the Spoons are cousins just two generations removed, have a condition. None of us can ever get our Cutie Marks. We use the fakes to fit in."

"I've never heard of a condition like that." Rainbow said.

"Yes, it's very rare. In fact I think only our family carries it."

Apple Bloom said "That's horrible... I can't imagine... But wait! If they don't have Cutie Marks, then why make fun of us for not having them?"

"That is the reason." Filthy Rich replied. "Pain... Anger... A need to strike out."

"Oh I get it!" Miri said. "They wear the fakes, they fit in with the ponies that have their marks. But when they see a pony who doesn't have one, it reminds them of their own situation..."

"...And the blank pony becomes a target for all of the pent-up anger." Rainbow finished.

"That still don't make it right!" Apple Bloom insisted. "Ah mean ah'm sorry we actually made them cry, 'specially knowin' this now, but..."

"That's right!" Sweetie Belle agreed. "Right Scootaloo?"

Everyone looked at the orange filly, who was uncharacteristically quiet. "Scoots?" Rainbow asked after a moment.

Scootaloo looked over at her friends. "Excuse us, we need to talk alone." She said to the adults and pulled the other two Crusaders along with her. They huddled together for several minutes, then returned to where the others were waiting.

Apple Bloom said "Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon... How y'all treated us was wrong. But if we'd known the truth, we wouldn't have did what we did, least ways not in front of anypony else... But now, well, we're willing t' make a deal: So long as we never hear either of you mocking another pony for not having their Cutie Mark, we promise, we'll Pinkie Promise even, to not tell a soul."

"Nopony? Ever?" Silver Spoon asked. She surprised everyone by jumping forward and hugging Apple Bloom tightly. "Thank-you." She whispered.

Embarrassed, Apple Bloom said "That's okay, but... Scootaloo is the one you should thank. She talked Sweetie an me into it."

Not wanting to risk things going south now that they were working out, Rainbow said "Great! So, we'll all just be going now..."

But as they started to walk towards the door, Diamond Tiara suddenly ran in front of the Crusaders and asked "Why?"

"'Why' to what part of it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Why agree to keep this a secret? I mean, it can't just be so we would stop picking on you... If that was all you wanted, all you had to do was tell. Then everypony would know and nopony would listen to us anymore. So... Why?"

Scootaloo didn't answer right away. She was silent for a time, then she extended and fluttered her too-small wings. "You see these?" She asked in reference to the wings.

"Yes...?" Tiara answered, confused.

Scootaloo said "A couple months ago, Miss Tender Care from the orphanage took me to Canterlot. To some big important doctors. They spent all day doing tests... And..." The filly took a deep breath before finishing, "I have brittle-wing disease. I'll probably never fly.”

Everyone was shocked by this revelation. “Oh Squirt...” Rainbow muttered.

Scootaloo continued “So, to answer why, it's because as much as I'm still angry over how you treated us... I know what it's like. What it's like to know that something everypony else gets isn't happening for you. And that's why." Fighting back tears, the pegasus turned and ran. Rainbow Dash followed, shouting for her to stop.

Brian looked down at the remaining Crusaders. "You didn't know?"

"She never said a word." Sweetie Belle answered.

"Well, let's get out of Mister Rich's hair. Come on girls, we'll take you home."

"Oh all right... Say, what are y'all anyway? Some kinda minotaurs?"

XXXXXXX

Rainbow Dash flew low to the ground, following Scootaloo. The filly might not be able to fly, but by the Maker she was fast. "Hey Squirt! Wait up!" Rainbow shouted. The filly just kept running. "Scoots! Scootaloo! Hey, stop already!!" Seeing that her quarry wasn't going to listen, Rainbow poured on even more speed, gradually catching up and landing just in front of Scootaloo, who finally stopped.

"What do you want!?" Scootaloo asked angrily.

"I wanna know why you didn't tell me." Rainbow answered.

"What's it matter? You've got better things to do than hang around a flightless failure."

Rainbow Dash stared. "That's what you're worried about!? Come on Squirt, you can't possibly think that I of all ponies would do that to you. It'd be horribly uncool and non-awesome."

"But... But I can't... And you..."

"First off, we're not giving up on getting you off the ground yet. Brittle Wing means you probably won't fly, not you definitely won't. And even if you don't, you're still my biggest fan and my honorary little sister. And I will never just abandon you kiddo. You got that?"

Scootaloo jumped forward and hugged Rainbow tightly. "I wish we were really sisters." She said.

Wrapping a wing around the filly, Rainbow said "Me too Squirt, me too."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Eventually Scootaloo remembered something. "Rainbow Dash!" She gasped, "What are those alien things I saw in the library!?"

"Settle in kid, I've got a long story to tell you..."

XXXXXXX

After reuniting with the other groups that had been searching for the Crusaders and filling them in on what had happened, Brian and Miri returned to the Ponyville Inn. They ended up sitting together on the balcony of Brian's room, discussing the day's events.

"Can you believe this?" Brian pondered.

Miri shook her head. "You know, it's funny. You watch the cartoon, and you come away with the impression that this is some perfect world. And don't get me wrong, I still think it's probably a much better place than Earth, but..."

"But it has it's share of pain too." Brian said.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry you got mixed up in all of this."

"Don't be." Miri said with a smile. "I wouldn't trade this for the world."

"I don't think I would either... Man though, I just keep thinking about poor Scootaloo."

"Yeah. Being like Dash and flying means so much to her... The poor thing must have been devastated. I wish I could do something for her." Miri leaned over, resting against Brian's shoulder, and they sat that way until she sat up and asked "Do you hear that?"

Brian listened closely. He recognized the sound as the beating of pegasus wings moments before Rainbow rose into view off the side of the balcony. "Hey you two."

"Hiya sweetie. Is Scootaloo okay?"

"Yeah, I just dropped her off at the orphanage. You mind if I join you?"

Brian and Miri both waved Rainbow over, and she landed next to them. "You look thoughtful." Brian said.

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah. Rare for me, huh?"

"Totally." Brian deadpanned. "But what's it about?"

"Just thinking... You've been a really good father, you know that? Makes me wonder what it'd be like to be a big sister..."

"Whoa! Getting ahead of ourselves aren't we!?" Brian exclaimed. "Miri and I haven't really been going out that long..."

Rainbow blushed. "Not what I meant Pops!"

"Well, but... What did you mean?"

"Well duh. I'm saying you've raised one Pegasus orphan right. Why not another?"

Rainbow's suggestion got two wildly different reactions. Miri smiled bigger than she had in her life. Brian was more ambivalent. "Dashie, I don't know..."

"What!?" Rainbow and Miri said together.

"Hey now, I didn't say no... It's just, it's a different situation. I mean think about it: First, Scootaloo isn't a two year old who doesn't remember anything. She's got a life and friends here and she knows it. You didn't mind living with a human, but it was all you knew. Second, I'm sure she'd much rather be adopted by a pony. And third, what are the odds the Princesses would allow it?"

"All good points." Miri admitted, sounding dejected.

Rainbow kept pushing. "Okay, you're right. But isn't it worth finding out the answers?"

"Totally!" Miri agreed.

Brian chuckled. "All right you two, we'll look into it."

"Thanks Pops!" Rainbow said, smiling.