The Seven Tribes

by Scootaloo-009

Arc 6: Fight for Your Home

"The royal court is now in session. The custody decision of the filly Scootaloo, a.k.a. March Ninth, a.k.a. Comette shall now begin," the herald announced. The throne room looked as splendid as it always did. On the throne sat Princess Celestia, gazing at the two groups of ponies before her.

Twilight was wearing her best dress, and had a very large pile of papers with every argument she could think of. She was confident the Princess would see things her way, and the family behind her had nothing to worry about. Scootaloo was held tightly by her father, but she strained at his leg, trying to get to Rainbow Dash.

Just a few feet away were two ponies. Pinkie was still in her suit, and looked serious, no hint of a smile on her face. Next to her, Rainbow Dash looked very nervous. She saw Scootaloo and gave her a little wave.

Far beyond, were observers, all very interested in the ponies involved, but cared little about what the verdict would be. In the front row sat Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity, all with rainbow colored shirts to support their friend.

"Pinkie, this was a horrible idea!" Rainbow Dash hissed. "Of course the Princess is going to go with Twilight! Why couldn't you have gone with some other court?"

"Don't worry, Dashie, I know Equestrian law forwards and back, inside out, and upside down. Auntie Pinkie has it all worked out. Besides, if I had gone with another court, it could have taken weeks or even months to get a court date. Now, you and Scootaloo can be back together by tonight. Plus, Twilight could appeal if it was any other court. This way she can’t."

"Thank you, Big Voice," Princess Celestia said to the herald. "I assume you both understand how this court works?"

"Of course your majesty," Twilight said.

"Sure do!" Pinkie cheered.

"Since you are the plaintiff, you start, Pinkie," Princess Celestia prompted.

“Right,” Pinkie said. She stood and adjusted her tie before continuing. “Three days ago, Scootaloo was taken from the rightful custody of Rainbow Dash Qnak, to the custody of Reflection and Star Dust. This was done illegally because of a personal disagreement between Ms. Qnak and her former lawyer, Twilight Sparkle. Two days ago, I obtained a court order to have Scootaloo returned to Rainbow Dash’s custody. I anticipated her current custodians refusing to cooperate and already had this court date set up to resolve the matter.”

“When you asked for court time, I admit I didn’t even think to ask what it was for. Twilight, is it true you took this filly from Rainbow Dash illegally?” Princess Celestia asked.

“I have her signature on this paper giving me power of attorney,” Twilight said, holding up the appropriate document. “And I did do this because it was in the foal’s best interest. Besides, I have evidence that suggests she never had legal custody in the first place and that the adoption papers are forged.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash shouted before Pinkie Pie could silence her.

“Yes. There is no way she could have adopted her legally. To do so she would have had to bring Scootaloo to the Cloudsdale City Hall, and they would have a background on her. They would have realized who she was then. Since that never happened, she had to have forged the documents, and used her knowledge of adoption services she gained while working there to get them in place.”

Rainbow Dash fidgeted. Sell out Afterburn? I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be right, I practically forced him.

“She did no such thing!” Shouted a pony in the crowd. Rainbow Dash turned and saw the familiar red and blue pegasus standing up. “I filed the paperwork without the filly present, and I knew who she was.”

“You do realize you are admitting to breaking the law, right?” Princess Celestia asked.

“No he wasn’t,” Pinkie exclaimed. “In fact, there is a clause in the Equestrian fugitive laws that protect ponies who do not reveal a fugitives location to authorities if they are not asked. The exception only applies if the pony in question did not harbor the fugitive, just knew where they were and they were never directly asked by authorities. The law was instituted after Mayor Greymane tried to arrest a bunch of bystanders to a crime because they didn’t inform police where they criminal had gone, even though they were never asked anything.”

“I stand corrected. He merely broke protocol and allowed an orphan to be adopted without being present,” Princess Celestia replied.

“I was against it, but Dash invoked her clan name. I knew she wasn’t making it up when she did that. While I ignored that, everything else was done by the books. The adoption was legal,” Afterburn explained.

“Now that that matter is settled, let’s move on. Twilight, your opening statement.”

"Thank you, Princess," Twilight said, then she put her game face on. "This whole thing is a joke. Pinkie Pie is not a lawyer, and Rainbow Dash is unqualified to care for a filly. She's been known to be reckless, rash, and a danger to others. This whole mess came about because she was harboring a fugitive."

"Objection!" Pinkie shouted. "The charges were dropped, by your hoof, I might add, so Rainbow Dash did nothing illegal and her incarceration was unwarranted."

"That may be, but it doesn't change what else she has done to this innocent filly. She has admitted to taking Scootaloo into the Everfree Forest to murder wildlife and eat them."

"Objection!" Pinkie shouted again. "According to Equestrian law, murder is defined as the intentional killing of a sentient being. Wildlife is not sentient, and therefore it is not murder."

"My point remains that Rainbow Dash was making a foal kill and eat innocent creatures. That is sick and depraved behavior. I saw a filly in a poor environment and moved to correct the problem. I had been approached by Scootaloo’s parents, and after hearing what had actually happened, I decided it was in Scootaloo’s best interest to live with them. I used everything in my legal right to make sure that happened."

"I think I should let Pinkie Pie talk before she explodes," Princess Celestia said, noting the terra pony's expression.

"What Rainbow Dash was doing was perfectly natural and healthy. She was not forcing Scootaloo to do anything. Her participation was optional, and such activities were only done so at the filly's own urging."

"Oh come on, like she would say no to doing anything with a pony she looked up to so much," Twilight said.

    "That has no legal standing, so don't interrupt unless you have a objection with some legal merit," Pinkie Pie shot back. "As I was saying, she was not taking a filly into the forest to kill and eat animals, she was sharing in a cultural heritage, and fulfilling a cultural and verbal obligation."

"Twilight, your rebuttal?" Princess Celestia asked.

"That is not a cultural thing. It's sick and wrong. A verbal obligation means nothing."

"Objection! According to Equestrian law, verbal contracts can be just as valid as a written one."

"I’m curious, who was this verbal contract made with?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Surprise Witness!" Pinkie Pie said shrilly.

On cue a figure strode calmly into the throne room, causing the guards to drop their spears in shock. A massive brown griffon, wings folded neatly, at least as tall as the Princess herself, walked calmly through the throne room, ignoring the gasps and thumps as pony’s in the crowd fainted. When he had passed both plaintiffs, he stopped, bowed until his face was parallel to the floor, then sat down.

"I am Clance Qnak," the griffon said. "I am Rainbow Dash's father."

The crowd gasped as one.

"You got my dad? How?" Rainbow Dash whispered.

"Fluttershy figured out where he lived and found him!" Pinkie said back. "We've got this in the bag now."

"Are you the one with whom this verbal contract was made?" Princess Celestia asked.

"If you are referring to the clan oath my daughter took, then no. The oath was with the clan as a whole, not any individual."

"Objection. This is not Rainbow Dash's father," Twilight said.

"Counter objection. While there was no formal adoption, Rainbow Dash is a marked member of the Qnak clan, and as such, is a recognized member of the family. How he personally views himself in relation means little," Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Counter, counter objection. If she was not formally adopted then she is not a member of his family," Twilight snapped.

"Counter, counter, counter objection!" Pikie cried, nearly falling out of her chair in her hubris, "according to Cloudsdale law, griffon blood-siblings are viewed a valid form adoption in the rare event a pony is involved. Equestria in general has no law on the subject either way." Pinkie said, getting flustered.

"Enough. Let me hear what he has to say, and I will decide if it is relevant," Princess Celestia declared. "I am not familiar with griffon ways. Would you care to explain?"

"While it varies from clan to clan, it has common rules. If a griffon wishes to become a member of that clan, they must prove themselves worthy to the clan leader. When they have done so, a ceremony of some sort takes place. This varies from clan to clan greatly, but almost always involves the new member taking an oath. Then they are given the mark of the clan.

"From that point on they are a full member of the clan. If they choose to leave, they must remove the mark. Rainbow Dash took the oath at age five, and since then she has been a member of my family. Before that she was simply a welcome guest in our home,” Clance answered.

"And what was the oath she took?" Princess Celestia asked.

"It's mostly a clan secret, but I suppose I can divulge the part that is relevant. Rainbow Dash vowed to uphold the traditions of the clan. That would include teaching her foals to hunt and cook prey."

"And she is obligated to do this?" Princess Celestia asked.

"In my opinion, she may have started earlier than she should have. We normally don't allow our hatchlings to hunt until after their first flight, but it is my understanding she began before that. I probably would have done the same, seeing as she has not flown yet. But yes, she is obligated to do so to any foal of hers, adopted or of her blood. If she did not, she would be banished from the clan. That is the worst punishment griffons have," Clance replied.

“What about a death penalty?” Princess Celestia asked.

“For some, death is preferable,” Clance said simply.

"Thank you. I have some questions for the two parties. I have never had a clan leader in my throne room before, and I would like to talk with you some more after this is over," Princess Celestia said. Clance nodded and stepped off to the side. "How old is Scootaloo?"

"Five," Twilight said at once.

“Six and a half, actually,” Rainbow Dash corrected.

"She's six and she can't fly?" Princess Celestia exclaimed.

"Another witness!" Pinkie Pie cried. This time a pony merely got up from the audience and stepped forward. A beige earth pony in medical garb.

"And you are?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Dr. Forceps. I am the primary care doctor for both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo," Dr. Forceps answered.

"Objection, this has nothing to do with this debate," Twilight protested.

"The Princess asked a question, so I got the pony who could answer it best," Pinkie Pie replied snidely.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Twilight snarled.

"Big time," Pinkie replied, not smiling at all.

"So, is it true Scootaloo cannot fly?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yes," Dr. Forceps said simply.

"Is there anything you feel I should know before rendering a decision?"

"Yes," he repeated. "When I first examined Scootaloo, about six months ago, I found her to be extremely poor condition. Severely malnourished, and showing signs of chronic and severe starvation. She was more than a year behind her peers in terms of development. I checked her again fairly recently, and she is still far behind where she should be."

"See, Rainbow Dash is a horrible parent," Twilight shouted.

"Let me finish," Dr. Forceps snapped furiously. "The filly had been in her care only one day when I first examined her. Before that time she was living on the streets."

"A situation she put herself in by running away from the orphanage," Twilight stated.

"A situation that probably improved after her condition," Dr. Forceps retorted. "If it had been better there, she should have been flying long before she ran away. That only tells me this has been an ongoing issue that she has suffered from for a long time. Far longer then she has lived on the streets.

"As I was going to say, she is still far behind. BUT her recovery has been many times better then I could have hoped. I feel foolish now for saying she would probably never even fly. As dramatic as it is, it probably will never be enough. She simply lost too much time. Still, she has improved more in that time then I thought possible in a year."

"And what would you attribute to the recovery?"

 "Here's where my words bite me in the plot. I may have, unofficially, stated that a certain diet that Rainbow Dash follows might help. Seeing as she followed it, and this is what happened, I must say I'm rather glad I did."

"Thank you, doctor," Princess Celestia said dismissing him.

"These are still her parents. It is only right that she is with them," Twilight stated.

"They gave up any right to take care of her when they abandoned her," Pinkie Pie replied.

"They didn't abandon her. She was placed in the care of relatives who did so without their consent or knowledge," Twilight countered.

"No they didn't!" Sunspot shouted suddenly.

"What are you doing!?" Reflection hissed.

"We have a picture of Scootaloo on the steps of Cloudsdale City Hall, where she was abandoned!" Starflare added.

"Sun? Star?" Scootaloo murmured.

"We have no such picture," Star Dust blurted out.

"It's right here," Scootaloo declared. She fished the picture out of her mane and held it up.

"Where did you-?" Reflection snarled.

"When you grow up on the streets you learn to hold on to things like this," Scootaloo said snidely. The picture glowed yellow, and was gently pulled from her hoof. It floated through the air to Princess Celestia who examined it.

"I'm sorry, but this doesn't tell me much either way. It looks like just a stone slab to me," Princess Celestia said, levitating it back to Scootaloo.

"Exactly," Scootaloo said. "It's clearly a front step of some kind, and they claim it's the last picture they took before they hoofed me over to my relatives, but then, why is it stone? If it was taken in Cloudsdale, it should be hardcloud. The only stone slabs in the whole city are at City Hall where I was found abandoned."

"Hey, yeah!" Rainbow Dash realized. "Ask any pegasus from there. They're still complaining about how much it cost to get them enchanted."

"We simply gave her over on those steps. Nothing more," Reflection said quickly.

"Hmmm," Princess Celestia said deep in thought. "I'm not sure what to make of this. Do you have any evidence to contradict what they are saying, like statements from these relatives?"

“Unfortunately no,” Star Dust said.

“We disowned them when we learned what they did to Comette, and since then we have lost contact with them. We have no idea where they are,” Reflection added.

“That is... unhelpful for you,” Princess Celestia commented.

"I don't care if they did or did not abandon her! I don't even care if it's a griffon rule! She still took a filly out killing! That's wrong!" Twilight shouted.

"Is that the basis of your whole argument? Hunting?" Princess Celestia roared.

"When Twilight heard Rainbow Dash was hunting, she actually quit as her lawyer," Pinkie Pie said plainly. "She had no legal right to take the filly away."

"I had her power of attorney!" Twilight snapped.

"You relinquished that when you refused to represent her in court!" Pinkie shouted back.

Princess Celestia sat down and rubbed her head with a hoof.

"That is truly distressing. Twilight, I expected better of you," Princess Celestia said, shaking her head.

"But- but-" Twilight stammered.

"Enough, Twilight. Let's just move on to the final words. Reflection and Star Dust, you first."

"She's our daughter and she belongs with us," Reflection said simply.

"I know what we did might have seemed cruel, but we only did what we thought was best. When we learned she had been placed in an orphanage, we did everything in our power to find her and bring her home. We want to be a whole family again," Star Dust begged.

"Rainbow Dash?" Princess Celestia prompted. The pegasus stepped forward nervously.

"I'm not really sure what to say. I really don't know how to raise a filly apart from how I was brought up or saw other parents do. I know I'm not the best mom in the world. I don't think I'm the worst, but I wouldn't take home even an honorable mention medal in the best mom contest if you get what I mean. I really had no business trying to take care of a filly. I know that now, and I knew it then.

"And I adopted her anyway. I did it because a long time ago, I was in the same spot. Clance took me in. He didn't know how to raise a pony. He was worried I wouldn't be able to adapt to the griffon way of life. But he did it anyway. When I realized Scoots was just like me, I knew exactly what I was going to do. Even if it meant putting my dreams on hold to take care of her. Because I remembered how it felt being in that position, and how good it felt to be offered a way out.

"I remember when I took her in, I said 'I'm not doing this to be your mom'. I guess I messed that up," Rainbow Dash said, her eyes watering. "Now I really get how my dad felt the first time I called him dad. If I'm unfit to be a mom then fine, take her away and give her to a better parent, somepony who can raise her right, but don't leave her with the ones who abandoned her. I just want her to be happy... because... because I love her. She's my daughter and I love her."

Across the aisle, Scootaloo was crying and smiling broadly.

"Before I make my final decision on this matter, I want to hear from one more pony: Scootaloo," Princess Celestia said.

"Me?" Scootaloo said surprised. Her father let her go and she stepped forward.

"Yes."

"What am I supposed to say?" Scootaloo asked confused.

"What ever you want. Anything you think is important for me to know," Princess Celestia said gently.

"Okay..." Scootaloo said,  trying to buy some time to think. “I want to say I’m sorry. Because of me, you got in trouble, Rainbow Dash. Because I made the stupid mistake of fighting, instead of just running, all this happened.

"I really hate this whole mess!" she continued "I hate them," she said pointing to her parents, "and I hate just about every pony here," she said finally. "I see how you all judge me because I'm different. I'm weak, tiny, a freak. I don't care what you think of me.

"Because of those two I went through Tartarus and back every single day for six years. I starved, I worked hard, I even went dumpster diving for food. No pony helped me. No pony was there to lend a helping hoof. I've always had to fight for what I have. Then along came Rainbow Dash. She didn't baby me, or do things for me. I didn’t want or need that. She just gave me what I needed: a home.

“I was so ashamed when she found out I was an orphan. I looked up to her so much. I didn’t want her to know. I thought she would hate me, or pick on me like everypony else had. I’d kept it a secret from everypony, even my friends, not just because I was afraid of getting caught, but because I didn’t want to lose them. Then I found out my mom was an orphan to. Then I knew it would be alright.

"Everything was great. I learned so much from her. My life was finally becoming one I could be proud of. And then Twilight showed up with my parents. She made me go back with the ones who put me through all this.

“Don't get me wrong. I'm glad they did. If they hadn't, I might never have met Rainbow Dash. I probably wouldn't have discovered my special talent either. They said they don’t like it and I should forget about it. My own supposed loving parents tell me to ignore my cutie mark. And this hasn't been all bad. My sisters are pretty cool, and I even got some baby pictures, something I didn’t have before, but...

"I... I just want to go home," Scootaloo finished, sobbing a bit.

“We want her to go home too!” Sunspot shouted.

“Yeah! She should be with Rainbow Dash!” Starflare agreed.

"I've decided," Princess Celestia announced after a brief pause. "Twilight Sparkle’s actions were indeed illegal, nor were they in Scootaloo’s best interest. Rainbow Dash shall retain custody.”

“What!” Reflection shouted.

“I’m not finished. The circumstances regarding her placement in state custody are murky at best. Henceforth, I am allowing her birth family a minimum of one monthly visitation. Every month you can take custody of Scootaloo for one full day and together you may do as you wish, but if she is to be taken outside the boundaries of her hometown, Rainbow Dash must be notified prior to the visit taking place. You may request any day you wish, but her custodian has the final say. You may decide how holidays are handled between yourselves, but again, Rainbow Dash has the final say.”

“That’s not fair at all!” Star Dust cried.

"Be thankful I granted you that. If these allegations against you were proven, I would have to forbidden to even be near her, and make you pay child support. If you get proof for your side, feel free to bring it to me and I will amend my decision appropriately.

“Remove that collar from her. Court dismissed," Princess Celestia ordered. "Twilight, I'm very disappointed in you," she said.

The unicorn’s heart sank. It wasn't that she lost. She had disappointed the Princess. She had never done that before- Well ignoring the whole Smarty Pants incident. The words hurt more than any wound.

As soon as the collar came apart, Scootaloo was free. The rush of power felt great. The returning magic energized her every cell. Her wings glowed brightly and a whirlwind of air formed around her as she expended the pent up energy, enjoying the feel of it flowing out of her again. Then she reigned the magic back in, and raced over to Rainbow Dash.

"Mom!" she said embracing and nuzzling the mare.

"Scoots," Rainbow Dash said back, returning the hug. "Come on. Let's go home."

"Bye, Sunspot and Starflare. Thanks for helping me," Scootaloo said, turning to her sisters. "Come by Ponyville some time. It shouldn’t be far by train. I'll show you more of my magic."

"Bye, Scoots!" Starflare replied.

"We’ll miss you!" Sunspot said, smiling. “Now go home.”

"And as for you," Scootaloo said, turning to her parents. She fished around in her mane, and pulled out a second picture: one depicting her as a newborn with her parents on either side. She showed it to them. The picture flashed blue and the sides fell away leaving just the filly. "I hope this clears up how I feel."

"Thanks for coming, dad," Rainbow Dash said to Clance.

"I will always be there for my daughter or any member of my clan," Clance replied. "I wouldn't dare call myself dad otherwise."

Together, the two pegasi walked out of the throne room, and outside into the mass of ponies waiting outside. A noise from behind them caused them both to turn.

"Rainbow Dash, I-" Twilight began, but the pegasus shot her a glare.

"You crossed a line with me. Now you have to live with the consequences," Rainbow Dash said. She grabbed Scootaloo's mane in her jaws, and with a flick of her head she tossed Scootaloo onto her back. “Maybe you should take your own advice and find a new friend.” Rainbow Dash turned and walked off.

"Girls, you know I was only doing what I thought was best, right?" Twilight asked her friends who had followed.

"You abandoned her, Twilight. A true friend wouldn't do that," Pinkie said and turned her back to Twilight.

"Ah may not agree with how Rainbow lives her life or raises Scoots, but yah messed with her kin and that ain't right," Applejack said, also turning her back.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. You overreacted," Fluttershy said. Sheepishly, she too turned.

"I know you think you were doing what you thought was best, but I think you knew you weren't," Rarity said. Her last friend turned around. The four walked off towards the train station, leaving Twilight alone.

"Twilight, I want to have a word with you," Princess Celestia said, striding outside.

There was a flash of light, and the two were now on top of one of the castle towers, looking down at the throng of ponies outside, wanting to get a glimpse of the 'cannibal ponies'. The alicorn looked over the edge and down at the guards holding the crowd away from the pegasi.

"Twilight, I am very disappointed," Princess Celestia said again, not turning.

"I thought it was for the best," Twilight protested.

"Best for whom, Twilight?" Princess Celestia asked, "Which one of them would have benefited?" She waved a wing down. "Tell me, what do you see down there, Twilight?"

"I see my former friend being harassed by paparazzi," Twilight replied.

"Do you want to know what I see?" Princess Celestia asked. "I see a loving family that just got put through two horrible ordeals. One of them was caused by my own student. How do you think I should feel about that?"

"She was killing animals and eating them. How was I supposed to react?" Twilight asked.

"With tolerance. Listen and understand before judging," Princess Celestia replied. "I never told you this, but a long time ago, after we defeated Discord, but before we ruled Equestria, Luna and I roamed the world for a very long time together, just the two of us, never seeing or wanting to see other ponies. During that time, when the land did not provide enough for us, we ate those the land provided for. It is not something I would do unless I had no other choice, but it is something I would do again if I had to."

"But... it just seems so wrong," Twilight said, looking away.

"Twilight, I can understand not wanting to be her friend, but you got her daughter involved, and that wasn't right. Imagine if somepony tried to take Spike away from you because you feed him pony food instead of gems all the time?"

"I'd.. I'd do anything to get him back..."

"Now do you understand how you made Rainbow Dash feel?"

"I think I do, Princess....."

"This is one lesson I wish I hadn't had to teach you.

"So... what do I do?" Twilight asked. "They all hate me now. I just lost all my friends in one week and it's all my fault."

"You haven't lost anyone yet, Twilight. I would suggest you make amends. Your friends will forgive you in time," Princess Celestia said. "Now I have to go. I have a griffon clan leader as a guest."

“How the hay are we going to get out of here?” Rainbow Dash asked. The group had ducked into a small store to escape the crowds for a minute. They surrounded the small building on all sides, trying to get pictures or quotes from anypony they could.

“We already had an idea,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Ready,” Applejack said. She had removed her hat and hair bands. Rarity nodded and pulled a pair of fake wings attached to a harness out of her saddlebags, then put them on Applejack. She then placed Applejack’s things in the bag.

“Me too,” Apple Bloom said, pulling her hair ribbon out. Rarity pulled out a smaller set of fake wings and strapped them to Apple Bloom, taking care to not to tug on her wounds. She then put the ribbon away as well.

        “I’m confused,” Scootaloo said.

“We’re gonna draw them away so you two can fly home,” Applejack replied.

“But you don’t even look like us,” Scootaloo said.

“Hello? Unicorn here,” Rarity said, slightly annoyed. “I’m going to cast an illusion spell.”

“So why the fake wings?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Do you have any idea how hard illusion spells are, let alone one that needs to add limbs? I simply can’t do it,” Rarity stated.

“So I made some fake wings that they could wear,” Fluttershy said.

“Applejack and Apple Bloom have the closest silhouettes to yours, so I can cast a spell to change their colors to match yours,” Rarity said.

“What are we waitin’ fer? Show her,” Applejack said.

Rarity nodded, and summoned up her magic. A glow covered the two farm ponies. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo watched with amazement as the two became near perfect copies of themselves. It wasn’t exact, the manes were a bit off in terms of shape, and the wings looked funny, but they would pass all but a close inspection.

“Come on, kiddo,” the Rainbow Dash look-alike said in Applejack’s voice, leaning over. The Scootaloo look-alike climbed onto her back.

“We’re going to head for the train station, so when we draw them off, you can fly home, unseen,” Pinkie Pie said.

“Thanks,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It ain’t no trouble,” her twin replied. The disguised Applejack and Apple Bloom walked out into the crowd, followed by the other girls. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo waited a few minutes before going outside. The press had left, so Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took to the sky, careful to keep the filly on her back.

Deep underground, far below the ruined city, the draconequus placed five stone spheres and one golden belt on a stone pedestal.

"Even your power wasn't enough. So I return you to where you belong, where we six found you so long ago," he spoke. Something in his words triggered a reaction, and the belt glowed brightly, reverting to a stone ball. He scoffed, then strode over to the wall, and began carving a message. Teary eyed, he carved likenesses of his friends and named them.

"Jollity - could find humor in anything but our destruction
Sincerity - only ever lied once; when he said we'd all make it through this
Duty - stuck by us until the very end
Charity - would give anything to those in need, even her life
Empathy - cared for all beings, even those that wiped us out
Might - did what he could to shield us. In the end, even his power was not enough.

Long ago we six found six stones in this place. They reacted to our touch and became bound to us. We called them the Stones of Unity because of how they brought us all together. Times were good for my kind, we flourished under the power of the Stones, and built a great city on this spot. Then the world stopped turning. The ponies, envious of our glory, blamed us and attacked. As a last effort we combined the might of all our people into the six of us. Together we faced the ponies, and together we lost.

I was the only survivor, and returned here to hide the Stones so the ponies cannot get them. This is not over. Whatever gods exist have deemed me to be the ghost of my kind; our collective power condensed into one vessel. A last hope for justice. The ponies will know pain, they will know suffering, they will know loss and despair far greater than that which they caused us. The ponies will know discord."

He stormed back up the ancient steps. He could have teleported to the surface, but it felt better to walk. As he walked through the temple hall, he gazed up at the hole he had made. No point in fixing that now.

He simply walked outside and flew up, over the city. All at once he let his new power out into the very world.

"You can have your victory, but I deny you a prize!" he shouted into the empty sky. At his will the very ground shook. The city trembled, towers collapsed and buildings caved in. Everything began sinking into the earth. The dirt and rock bubbled over the sinking streets like a rising ocean. Wild animals fled in terror as the ground swallowed the city up and the earth folded over it, leaving nothing but an empty plain.

"And now for my revenge."

“So, what’s this I heard about you getting in a fight?” Rainbow Dash asked as the pair flew home.

“Some jenny at school was talking trash, so I showed her why she shouldn’t,” Scootaloo replied.

“Yeah, well, you’re grounded for a week,” Rainbow Dash said sternly.

“What?!?” Scootaloo cried. “I get into fights all the time and you’ve never cared before!”

“Yes, generally I would have fought too in your position, but you have to know when to pull your kicks. You broke her leg, and that’s going too far.”

“It was an accident,” Scootaloo said. “It must be some earth pony strength I got from when we were mixed together.”

“Then you have to be more careful, and you have a week to learn just that. I expect you home within an hour of school letting out. You can do your deliveries during that time.”

Scootaloo sighed. “Okay....”

        I have to say, this chapters very short flashback is probably the most signifigant.

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.