//------------------------------// // Arc 2: New Things // Story: The Seven Tribes // by Scootaloo-009 //------------------------------// The Seven Tribes by Scootaloo-009, a.k.a. Mechsrule1 My Little Pony and related names, images, and scenarios are property of Hasbro Inc. Edited by Dr. Bob and Lunafan1k Arc 2: Intermission Chapter 6 "Morning, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said as she happily entered the kitchen. "Hey, kiddo," Rainbow Dash returned. She was finishing up something crunchy. "Where's the cereal?" she asked. It was only her second morning ever in the cloud house, so she had no idea where things were. "Sorry, you can't eat this morning," Rainbow Dash replied. "What?" Scootaloo gaped. "You have a doctors appointment in twenty minutes. They're going to want to draw blood and you can't eat for a while before." "The doctors?" Scootaloo's eyes shrank. "Yeah. Ponies are supposed to go there regularly," Rainbow Dash said. "This is my day off, so it has to be today. I'm in deep enough trouble, calling in sick the past two days." "But what if he finds out I'm an-" she paused, not wanting to say the word, "orphan?" "First, I told you, I made sure everything is cool. Second, it's part of their job to keep secrets and not tell," Rainbow Dash said calmly. "We should actually head out soon, so we don't miss the appointment." "Do I have to?" she protested. "Yes," Rainbow Dash said very finally. Scootaloo followed Rainbow Dash outside. Her little cloud was waiting for her, so she reluctantly stepped on and summoned a small breeze. Beside her, Rainbow Dash took flight. "Hurry up, slow poke," Rainbow Dash urged. Glaring, Scootaloo summoned a wind that knocked Rainbow Dash off balance. "Woah!" she cried as the air buffeted her. Scootaloo smirked as she turned the wind on her cloud and sped forward. "How did you do that?" Rainbow Dash yelled over the wind, as they raced through the town. The filly had completely forgotten she hadn't mentioned her magic to Rainbow Dash yet. "Just a trick I learned," She answered. "So you can control the air now or something?" "Kinda," Scootaloo replied over the rushing air, "I haven't really tested my limits yet." It only took a short time to reach the local medical clinic. Scootaloo parked the cloud out of the way, and the pair entered. Rainbow Dash handled the secretary, and came back to join Scootaloo with a blank piece of paper. Sitting down next to the filly, she carefully folded the paper into an airplane. Smiling when she caught on, Scootaloo focused her power on the paper to lift it into the air. After crashing into a wall a couple times, she got the hang of it, and could maneuver the paper plane around the waiting room without hitting anything. It was rather clumsy, though; she couldn't do more than make a gust of air that went in one direction at a time. The other young foal in the room, an infant unicorn, watched with amazement at the paper airplane that just kept flying and flying, never noticing the pegasus. "You know your wings glow blue when you do that?" Rainbow Dash asked quietly. "Yeah I noticed. Magic tends to involve a lot of glowing," Scootaloo replied. Presently, the door to the offices opened and a beige earth pony stepped into the waiting room. "Scootaloo?" he called. The filly snapped to attention, and the plane fell to the floor. The unicorn foal whimpered, so Scootaloo blew the plane over to him before walking over to the doctor. "I'll be right here until you get back." Rainbow Dash reassured the nervous filly. The doctor led her through the hallway and opened the door to a sterile room with various health related posters on the walls. He gestured toward a long cushioned table.  She climbed on it while he closed the door. "Okay then Scootaloo, I'm Dr. Forceps. Before we begin, do you have any questions?" "Um, what exactly are you going to do?" she asked. "Hmm," he hummed, reading through some papers in a folder. "Ah. It says here this is your first doctor's visit ever. Unusual... No matter, you’re here now. Since this is all new to you, I'm going to explain what I'm doing first before I do it, and if at any point you feel uncomfortable, let me know." "I feel uncomfortable now. Can I leave?" she asked hopefully. "No," he replied smiling. "First, we're going to draw some blood. Testing it takes some time so we might as well get it done first." "Okay." He pulled out a syringe, but Scootaloo just stared blankly. After rubbing her foreleg with some stuff, he brought the needle over. "This may hurt," he said before sticking it into her leg. She didn't even flinch. She was used to pain, and this was nothing. He removed it and rubbed the spot again. "I'm impressed. Usually foals make a big fuss when I do that." She read some of the posters while he prepared the sample and hoofed it to a pony outside the room. The rest of the visit was a very strange experience for Scootaloo. She was poked, prodded, and had to do a series of actions, none of which made much sense to her. She was weighed and measured, asked to fly around, but could only buzz off the floor a bit, her wingpower being measured at barely 0.1. “Now, I heard that you somehow have magic, despite not being a unicorn,” Dr. Forceps said jotting down some notes. “Yeah,” Scootaloo said, letting her wings glow. “Let’s get you tested in that then,” Dr. Forceps said. He led Scootaloo over to a device on the wall. “This is meant for unicorns, but we’ll make it work,” he said. He picked up a small cone shaped part with some wires connecting it to the machine. It was obviously meant to go on a horn she didn’t have. In the end he had her stretch out her wings and simply cupped it over two outstretched feathers. Then, Scootaloo summoned as much magic as she could muster. “2.1, not bad for a pegasus,” Dr. Forceps said, removing the cone. “What does that mean?” Scootaloo asked. “Well this machine measures how much magic your body can store at a given time. It’s based on a 1-10 scale.” “So, I really suck,” Scootaloo said. 2.1 was really low! “For a unicorn it would be considered very poor, but you are not a unicorn, so 2.1 is nothing to feel bad about,” Dr. Forceps said. Next, we’ll test your strength,” he said, pointing to a pull cord on the bottom of the device. “Simply levitate that as hard as you can.” “Uh... I don’t know how to do that,” Scootaloo said. “I’ve only had magic for like a day, and I’ve only figured out one spell.” “Maybe we’ll test that another time, hmm?” Dr. Forceps said. “So, what is the spell you know?” “This,” Scootaloo said, creating a small breeze. “Elemental magic? That’s usually quite difficult,” Dr. Forceps commented. “Must be something to do with you being a pegasus. But that gives me an idea,” he said. He rummaged around the cabinets and took out the wingpower measuring device. “We’ll measure your magic with this!” Scootaloo got the idea, and once he set it down, she conjured the strongest gust of air she could. The miniature windmill spun quite rapidly, much to her satisfaction. “Well, if those were your wings, I’d be impressed. 8.3 wingpower,” he announced. “So, what happens now?” "I just have to go over the results of the blood test," he replied. "Then I'll let you and your guardian know how you did." My guardian? Scootaloo wondered to herself when he left. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Ms. Rainbow Dash?" the doctor called. She jumped at her name, but hurried to meet the doctor. "How is she?" she asked. "Let's discuss this in private," he said, opening the door to an empty room. The expression on his face was unreadable. "If it involves her, we can say it in front of her," Rainbow Dash replied. "If you're sure," the doctor said. He continued down the hall, and opened a different door. Inside Scootaloo stood on the table, watching the door. "Hey, Squirt," Rainbow Dash greeted. "So?" Scootaloo asked the doctor. "Ms. Dash," the doctor said, turning to the mare, "if these adoption papers weren't a day old I would have had you arrested for child abuse." Scootaloo blinked at those words. Had Rainbow Dash really? "How bad is she?" Rainbow Dash said, ignoring the looks of disbelief she was getting. "She shows signs of chronic and severe malnourishment. She has far too many nutrient deficiencies to list, she is severely under weight for both her height and age, and her growth has been stunted so badly she is more than a year behind," the doctor said, glancing at his notes occasionally, "I suspect her poor flying is a direct result of this. On the brighter side, she doesn't appear to have any diseases at this time, and for starving as much as she has, she is in relatively good health. “I’ve never seen or heard of a pegasus who could use magic before, so I have nothing to compare her to, but she is below average for a unicorn of her age, but again, she is not a unicorn. "Normally, I would have given her several vaccines, but due to her condition, she would not fare too well, so I'm holding off on them for at least a year." Scootaloo's face had 'sad' all over it. Rainbow Dash tried to maintain her composure. "Is there- no, what can we do about it?" she asked, trying to sound positive. "I want her on multivitamins. One tablet twice a day for a month, then bring it back to one tablet a day. It may be a bit of an overdose, but it should bring her up to 'normal' for a filly her age. She has a long way to go to catch up. “As for the magic, I would suggest she practice her magic often. That will strengthen her mana gland. She should see some improvement over time in how much she can do.” "Will I be okay?" Scootaloo asked nervously. "I'm not sure at this point. Given the circumstances, I'd say you realistically have a good chance you'll only be on the smaller side. I don't think you'll be pulling any sonic rainbooms, either. In fact, I wouldn't count on being able to fly much better than you do now. There is a slight chance you could make up for lost time and catch up. If you stick to the proper diet you may be able to do so." He turned to Rainbow Dash now, "make sure she gets plenty of healthy foods. As your doctor as well, I know about your 'unusual' high protein diet. That may help as well, but you know officially I can't recommend such a thing." "Thank you, doc," Rainbow Dash said. "Come on, Scoots." "You can find the multivitamins in the pharmacy next door," the doctor said as they left together. As they left, Scootaloo could see the unicorn foal trying to keep the airplane aloft, but was failing, but was loving every minute of it. In silence, they went across the street and picked up the pills. Returning to where they had parked, they remained quiet. “Do you still want me?” Scootaloo asked finally. “Why wouldn't I want you?” “I'm clipped,” Scootaloo said. “I'll never be able to fly right.” “I may kick you out if you keep up with that attitude!” Rainbow Dash growled. “I'm don't want to be associated with a quitter.” “I'm not a quitter!” Scootaloo shouted. “That's not what I'm hearing” Rainbow Dash replied. “But he said-” “No foal of mine, adopted or otherwise, is going to listen to the odds,” Rainbow Dash chastised. “My family is a family of positive thinkers, and what do positive thinkers say?” “I will get better!” “That's more like it!” Scootaloo looked at the mare who had taken her in and embraced her. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The two pegasi returned to the sky house in due time. Both hungry, they went to get some lunch. Having eaten everything in the fridge last night, Scootaloo just made a bowl of cereal, having learned the mechanics of such a task at one of the Cutie Mark Crusader sleepovers. Rainbow Dash went over to one of the metal containers on the counter, and pulled out some odd black strips of something. Putting one end in her mouth, she had to tug it apart. "What is that?" Scootaloo asked. She had never seen anything like it before. "You probably don't want to know," Rainbow Dash replied, taking another bite. "Please?" "Well, Forceps did say this might help," Rainbow Dash said, looking at her food. "Alright I'll tell you. It's venison jerky." "What?" The words were completely foreign to the filly. "It's something that's salted and smoked. That's what jerky is," Rainbow Dash explained, avoiding the real question. Scootaloo glared, not easily misled. "It's meat okay!" "Meat!?" Scootaloo cried, shocked. From the depths of Rainbow Dash's mind, a memory came surging back at the words. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ It was her first day as a guest in Gilda's home. Dinner had come, and she sat awkwardly at the table. Everyone was served a hot, slightly burnt mass she couldn't identify. The griffons immediately grabbed their share, and started eating. The lone pony sniffed it, but still couldn't tell what it was. It smelled good to her, but she didn't want to eat something if she didn't know what it was. "Go on," Gilda motioned with a talon. Of course she did. It was her job to get me to fit in. Reluctantly Rainbow Dash picked up the mass and bit into it. Flavor unlike she had ever experienced flooded her mouth. The juices dribbled down her mouth as she devoured the strange dish. It had to be the best thing she had ever tasted. It was hard to eat for her though. The griffons didn't seem to have the same problem, but they had a sharp beak not flat teeth like her. She was the last one finished, despite her zeal. When she had finished, Gilda was smiling at her. "I didn't think you would eat it all," she said, sounding surprised. "It was sooo-o-oo-o good," Rainbow Dash replied, still tasting it in her mouth. "You don't know what that was do you?" Gilda asked, smirking. "It wasn't any fruit or vegetable I've every seen." "That's because it wasn't. That was pork," Gilda told the young filly, who stared blankly back. "You know, pig meat." "Meat!?" Rainbow Dash cried, her pupils shrinking. Ponies were herbivores by nature, but vegetarian by choice. Eating other creatures didn't even occur to most, and disgusted those who it did. Griffons were not invited over for dinner for good reason, and it wasn't table manners. Most ponies thought eating other living things was a thing only the lowest of the low should resort to, and then only in times of dire crisis. Suitable for the unintelligent wild animals of the world. How could she have forgotten griffons ate meat? There were a dozen at school, and they had an entirely different lunch than the ponies there. It wasn't against any law, but it was a social norm. Why have a law against something nopony would ever do? But Rainbow Dash had just violated that. She had eaten the flesh of another creature. And she had enjoyed it. She looked at her hooves, expecting them to turn into claws or something. Part of her wanted to throw the meal back up. But why? It was natural for the griffons. Why shouldn't it be natural for me too? "Yo, Dash, you in there?" Gilda asked, waving her talon in front of Rainbow Dash's face. She had to say something. She knew what she had done was wrong, but it hadn't felt wrong at all. She had always been told only sick ponies would do such a thing, but she felt perfectly fine. She knew what she was going to say. "So when do we have more?" she asked, smiling. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Back in the present, Rainbow Dash gazed off into space, lost in her fond memories. Realizing the filly in the room was waiting for her to say something, she let the memory go. "Yeah, it's meat. Griffons eat it all the time, so when I was living with them, I got a taste for it," Rainbow Dash said, breaking off another piece, "it was all they had most of the time, and when you're hungry you eat what you can, as I’m sure you know." "I get that, but why are you still eating it?" Scootaloo asked. Having gotten over the initial shock she was genuinely curious. “Well, I really like the taste," Rainbow Dash answered. "We ponies might not be natural carnivores, but we are totally missing out. Plus it's high in protein, which is great for muscles. I bet I wouldn't have been able to even do the sonic rainboom without this stuff. I wasn't just born faster than everypony else. I only did it the first time after a winter with the Qnak's. Gilda's family." "So eating meat gave you an edge over everpony else?" "That's my belief." "Can I try some?" Scootaloo asked. She had finished her meal, and had already cleaned up. "Uh, are you sure you want to eat some?" Rainbow Dash asked seriously. "This used to be a deer. It lived in the woods, maybe had some kids, was killed by a griffon, cut up, salted, and cooked. Once you eat some... you can't take it back. Ever." "If you eat it, then I'll eat it," Scootaloo said, determined to be like her mentor. "If you're sure," Rainbow Dash said. She felt awkward giving such a food to a filly, but at the same time knew the doctor had said it might help her get better. She hoofed over a small strip. Scootaloo bit down on it, but couldn't quite tear it apart. "It's not easy at first. Pony teeth weren't meant for this stuff." Frustrated, Scootaloo kept biting down. On her third try, her teeth went right through it. Her eyes went wide with surprise. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t see what was going on. "Your teeth are glowing," Rainbow Dash informed her. “Magic sharp teeth?” "I didn't know I could do that!" Scootaloo said, amazed at her latest magical feat. She finally started chewing the piece in her mouth. “This IS good!” "I'll have to cook something tonight then," Rainbow Dash said, smiling a bit. Scootaloo swallowed the first piece and ate another. This time, she could feel the magic being consumed as she ate. The spell was perfect for the tough food. "Can I have some more?" she asked. "Go ahead. They're in here," Rainbow Dash pointed to the row of containers on the counter, each with a symbol on them. "I have deer jerky, pork, beef, and turkey," she said, pointing to each container in turn. "This last one is empty, but I put all the weird ones I find in here. Last month it was moose jerky." Scootaloo grabbed a strip of each to try. “Do you make this yourself?” she asked. “Naw, I buy it over in Shattered Beak. That's the closest griffon city to here,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I gave up hunting years ago.” “Why did you stop?” “It's too hard to get away with catching animals around here. Too easy to get noticed. Plus I just never have the time. It's a lot easier to just buy it.” "Do you really think I'll be okay?" Scootaloo asked quietly. "Kid, I'm going to make sure you can do a sonic rainboom within two years," Rainbow Dash replied with a smile. “And what did I say about attitude? "You really think I can do one?" "Of course. Plus, with your wind powers, you might be able to do it easier than I can. That is, if you do what the doctor said. And learn to move the air just right. With the right airflow you could have almost no wind resistance. But you have to do what he said." "I promise!" Scootaloo said, saluting. "I have to go shopping today, so do what you want," Rainbow Dash said, exiting the room. Scootaloo followed. She donned a saddle and opened the door. "Just make sure to be at Sugercube Corner by sunset. Remember, sunset." "Got ya," Scootaloo said, eating another piece of meat. She really did seem to like it. "Oh, and it might be a bad idea to tell your friends what you're eating. I've made a point of not telling anypony. They might react badly. They may be your friends, but this is a big thing." Scootaloo nodded. She knew how to keep a secret. "What if I go anywhere? Should I lock the door?" "Good point. I'll have a spare key made," Rainbow Dash said. "But I'll see you at Sugarcube corner anyway, so when you leave just make sure you lock the door and don't forget anything.” With a jump. her caretaker was gone. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Arriving at Sugarcube Corner just before sunset, Scootaloo anchored her cloud, and went around the building to the door. The first thing she had done was grab her scooter, and bring it back to the clubhouse where the wagon was kept. After completing all her deliveries for the Cakes, she had spent the rest of the afternoon trying to make air go in two directions at once. It was hard enough to figure out in her head, let alone actually see the results of a trial. In the end, she had to give up or be late. Coming around to the front, she saw a steady stream of townsfolk walking inside. "Huh. I wonder what Pinkie's celebrating this time," she wondered out loud, as she joined into the crowd. Inside her question was answered by a big "Successful Rescue Party- After Party" banner. Scootaloo loved Sugarcube Corner parties. The decorations and happy ponies made her feel like she belonged in Ponyville. That she wasn’t some strange pony who just wondered into town one day. Plus a party meant free food, and that fit her budget perfectly. "Hey, Scootaloo! How are ya?" Apple Bloom greeted, walking over. "Hi, Apple Bloom. I'm alright," Scootaloo replied, pulling a small piece of jerky out of hammer space and eating it. "Whatcha got there?" Apple Bloom asked. The pegasus turned bright red. "Uh, just some dried fruit," she lied quickly. "Doctor says I need to eat up if I want to get any bigger." “Ah hate the doctor, always sticking me fulla needles like Ah'm a pincushion." "That's cause you're a wimp," Scootaloo teased. "Hey, here comes Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom said excitedly, pointing to the door. Scootaloo didn’t need to look, she could sense her presence, but she turned anyway, and saw the third filly walking in. She was wearing a simple, plain white cloth dress, for a change, that covered most of her body. "Hi!" Sweetie Belle greeted. "Did you girls find out anything new?" "What's with the get up?" Scootaloo snickered. "Rarity made me wear it. She says my spots are 'eyesores' or something." "That ain't right." Apple Bloom frowned. “Oh great. They came.” “Hello there, blank flank club,” Diamond Tiara said snidely, as she approached the group. “We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom shouted back. “My bad,” Diamond Tiara said sarcastically “What do you want anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Wow, even I didn't think you could look more ridiculous,” her gray companion, Silver Spoon said smirking. “What are you talking about?” Scootaloo asked. “Dying your flanks. That's so lame. I must say it suits you three perfectly,” Diamond Tiara said. “Oh my gosh!” cried a passing green unicorn. “Bon Bon, look!” “What is it Lyra?” her cream colored earth pony companion asked. “Matching colors! We should do something like that!” Lyra said, pointing to the trio. Realizing what was going on, Sweetie Belle tore off her outfit. “That is so adorable! We should!” Bon Bon agreed. The pair walked off again, leaving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon catching flies in their mouths. “You were saying?” Sweetie Belle teased. “I'm saying you're tasteless weirdos,” Diamond Tiara said, sticking her nose in the air. “Hey!” Apple Bloom cried. “Let it go,” Scootaloo said, putting a hoof in front of Apple Bloom. She turned and gave her friend a smirk. “We are kind of weird aren't we?” “Yeah,” Apple Bloom agreed. “I think I have an idea for a new spell,” Scootaloo said mischievously. She focused on Diamond Tiara and built up a lot of magic, then unleashed it as a strong burst of air blowing through the prissy earth pony's mane causing it to frizz up. “My mane!” she shrieked. “Quick, to my house! I have styling supplies!” Silver Spoon declared. The pair quickly fled. “I know we shouldn't be misusing magic like this, but that was so funny,” Sweetie Belle said, laughing until her sides hurt. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - “Hey ya, Rainbow,” Applejack greeted. The rest of the gang was already there. “Hey, girls.” “What do you think of the party? I mean, I know we all needed a party after what happened but, still what do you think?” Pinkie asked excitedly. “It's pretty cool,” Rainbow replied. “Are you okay? You look really tired,” Twilight said concerned. “I just flew out to Shattered Beak and back is all,” Rainbow Dash answered. “I've never heard of that town before,” Fluttershy said quietly. “Why would you go all the way to a griffon city?” Twilight asked, recalling the name from one of the books she had read on the area. “Oh, you know, visiting friends, doing some shopping.” “That reminds me. You said you'd explain what y’all were sayin' to that griffon. What was that all about?” Applejack asked. “I was kinda hoping you forgot,” Rainbow Dash said, awkwardly scratching the back of her head. “Ooo I know!” Pinkie piped up. “It's cause you were friends with Gilda!” “That brute?” Rarity asked. “Actually, she's right. Mostly,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “But I thought you weren't friends with her anymore,” Twilight pointed out. “We made up after the whole party thing. I told her to stay clear of Ponyville, though. She's a bit rough even by griffon standards.” “Why would you make up with a brute like that?” Rarity asked. “Because, Gilda isn't just my friend. She's my sister,” Rainbow Dash said finally. “Your sister?” Fluttershy gasped. “How can yah be related tah her?” Applejack asked. “Griffons and ponies can interbreed, but the result is a hippogriff, not a pony or griffon,” Twilight added. “Wow, Twilight, even you don't know about this?” Rainbow Dash asked surprised. “I'm a blood-sister.” “Ah'm still confused,” Applejack said, scratching her head. Rainbow Dash sighed in annoyance. The downside to living with earth ponies and unicorns. “Griffons join other griffon families all the time. It's usually because they like what that family stands for, or for the griffon equivalent of marriage, but sometimes their family kicked them out for some reason. When they join another clan, they’re called a blood-sibling,” Rainbow Dash explained. “They usually don't allow ponies in but I'm just that awesome.” “I've never heard of that,” Twilight stated, not really sure what to think. “I have,” Fluttershy spoke up. “How did yah hear bout this?” Applejack asked. “I learned it in flight school,” Fluttershy answered. “We went to a school where a lot of griffons attended,” Rainbow Dash explained. “I remember it being very rare for ponies to join a griffon family. I never knew you did, Rainbow Dash.” “It's not something I spread around,” Rainbow Dash answered, looking about nervously. “But it's so cool!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It's so unlike you to not brag about something,” Rarity pointed out. “It was never a big deal for me,”  Rainbow Dash replied simply. “So how do you join a griffon family?” Twilight asked, trying to learn as always. “It can't be as easy as asking.” “Well no, you have to do something to impress the head of the family, to make him or her feel you are worthy of being in the clan,” Rainbow Dash answered. "Then they offer to let you join." “So what did yah do that impressed them so much?” Applejack asked. “Was it the sonic rainboom?” Pinkie asked. “I don't really know what it was,” Rainbow Dash answered with a shrug. "He never actually said. It was probably because I'm so awesome." “So why did you fly all the way to a griffon city in one day?” Rarity asked. “It’s not that far. Only about an hour if I fly quickly.” “But that doesn’t explain why you would go,” Twilight said. “I'll tell you about it some day,” Rainbow Dash said, blowing them off. “Rainbow, honesty is important to maintaining a solid friendship,” Twilight chastised. “That's why Applejack is honesty, not me,” Rainbow Dash countered, but Twilight kept pressing her. “Look, you all have some things you'd rather not share. Don’t deny it, you know it’s true. This is mine.” “Ah can respect that,” Applejack said, “if it was somethin' we needed to know, you'd tell us.” “So, any news from the Princess?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to change the subject quickly. “Nothing so far,” Twilight answered. “Hey, what's she-” Rarity started, “hey, Sweetie Belle!” she called, walking off. “We'd better see what's up,” Rainbow Dash said. Anything to stay away from those kinds of topics. “Sweetie Belle, what are you three doing?” Rarity demanded. The three fillies had climbed up onto a table, and were showing off their new looks to all the passers by. “What does it look like I'm doing?” Sweetie Belle replied smartly. “Someponies took a real likin' to our new look,” Apple Bloom went on. “So we decided to start a new trend,” Scootaloo finished. “Cutie Mark Crusaders, Trend Setters!” they cheered together. “I'm already booked for the next week,” a pink haired pony spoke up. Rarity recognized the local manedresser immediately “I hadn't considered the popularity of such a thing,” she admitted. “I told you, I'm not doing it!” an olive colored earth pony snapped at a pegasus following her. “But I'll look silly if only I do it!” the town mailmare said. “They're called friendship flanks, and we're not friends. You're just my roommate who eats all the muffins!” the earth pony threw back. The two vanished back into the crowd. “IDEE-EEAA” Rarity sang suddenly. Her friends looked at her. “If this really is the next big fashion trend, I need to get in on it. If everypony is dying their flanks, they'll need outfits to show it off,” she said to herself. “Excuse me everypony, but I must get to work on this. Sweetie Belle, I'll see you at home.” “Bye,” her sister called after her. “So girls, how have you been?” Twilight asked. “Okay,” they chorused. “Notice anything strange?” Fluttershy asked. “A couple things,” Scootaloo said innocently. “Like?” Rainbow Dash urged. “Oh you know, this and that,” Sweetie Belle said, trying to sound innocent as well. “Stop foolin' around,” Applejack said sternly. “Fine,” Scootaloo conceded. “Ah got this, girls,” Apple Bloom said, stepping forward. “First, we can all walk on clouds now. Second, Scootaloo and me got magic powers.” “Really?” Pinkie Pie sounded surprised. “So what kind of powers do you have?” Fluttershy asked. “Ah can do this,” Apple Bloom answered, summoning a fresh cupcake to her. She had to move a bit to catch it as it soared at her. “And I can do this,” Scootaloo added, summoning a small gust of air that knocked some confetti into the air. “Oh wow! I knew you could summon magic, but I didn't realize you had worked out a spell,” Twilight said, amazed. “Elemental magic took me awhile to even get the basics. I'm impressed.” "How is this possible?" Fluttershy asked. "It's really simple," Twilight replied, "see, everypony has an organ inside them that can generate and control magic. It's completely dormant in earth ponies, and produces enough to allow pegasi to walk on clouds." "That sounds really specific," Pinkie Pie said out loud. "I'm trying to find a way to easily identify terra ponies since they basically look like earth ponies. They don't have one. If I can learn diagnostic magic, I can easily identify them in a crowd." "Well, good luck with that," Pinkie said happily, bouncing off. "At least we know none of us are," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "How can yah be so sure?" Applejack said trying to sound sneaky, "they look a lot like earth ponies. Who's tah say Ah ain't one and don't know it?" "Didn't you hear? They can't do magic at all. If Apple Bloom can do magic, that rules out your family," Rainbow Dash replied. "I trust all of you anyway," Twilight said with a smile. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Two cloaked figures sat side by side on a bluff, watching the scene before them. A city built on a mountain was burning in the distance. A city that, until five years ago, they had lived in. Black smoke billowed up into the night sky. An evil laugh echoed across the expanse, and the two could hear it as far away as they were. A sudden movement caught their attention. At the same time, both of their manes began moving of their own accord, against the gentle breeze, not with it. "Tia? What does this mean?" the smaller figure asked the larger figure. "It means we're the rulers now. The rulers of a burning city." the larger figure replied. "What do we do now?" "I'm not sure, Luna." "We have to stop him." "Yes. But I don't know how we can. If our entire kingdom couldn't stop him, how can we?" "We won't know until we try." "Yes, I suppose you're right." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The party had ended some time ago, and Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were now at home. "Thanks, uh... mom?" Scootaloo said, unsure how to address the older pegasus. She was about to go upstairs for the night, but she felt she needed to say some things first. "Ugh, don't call me that," Rainbow Dash groaned, making a face. "It makes me sound old." "So what should I call you?" Scootaloo asked.     "How about Rainbow Dash?" "Okay, thanks, Rainbow Dash." "For what?" Rainbow Dash asked. "For, you know, adopting me." "That? I told you I'd take care of it." "For so long I waited for somepony to adopt me. I gave up when I, uh... left the orphanage. Now that it actually happened... it's weird, it feels like such a big deal, but at the same time, it doesn't." "I know how you feel. When I first moved in with the Qnaks, it was so different from what I expected. I did everything I could to fit in. A lot of things I wouldn't have considered otherwise, but looking back, I'm better for it. For your sake, don't act like I'm going to kick you out of you mess up or something. I'm giving you a place to stay, not trying to raise you." "Still, you gave me the best birthday present ever," Scootaloo said. "Wait, today's your birthday?" "I'm not exactly sure when it is exactly, but it was a couple weeks ago." "Well, happy birthday, Scoots." "Now you're making me sound old!" The two laughed a bit. “Night, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said, mounting the stairs. “Nigth, Scoots,” “Night, mom,” Scootaloo said quietly as she headed upstairs. She must not know I’m a wanted pony. I hope I don’t end up getting her in trouble for what I did. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~         End Arc 2         If you like this story, you should check out some of my other works:         My tumblr, an alternate universe mixing MLP and Cyborg 009.         Forever a Changeling, my new story starring Rainbow Dash as a changeling.         Samurai Applejack, a drastically different kind of story. It’s rated mature for violence and some suggestive lines.         Night of the Werepony, what I consider to be my worst story, but it’s my most popular. It’s just one chapter long.