//------------------------------// // The World Spins On // Story: Keeping your Promises // by RaylanKrios //------------------------------// Bedtime was a quieter affair than the two pegasi were used to. Rainbow tucked Scootaloo in and read a few chapters of Daring Do and the Temple of Doom. It was a standard Daring Do tale, filled with the titular hero exploring a centuries old temple that still, somehow, had a wide array of functioning booby traps, as all the while she was being chased by villains in search of the same powerful artifact she was after. Yet, despite its predictability, Scootaloo appeared to enjoy the story and the continuation of their usual bedtime ritual. Of course the story Rainbow really wanted to tell her little sister was Daring Do and the Pegasus Who Couldn’t Fly but was Awesome Anyway and Most Importantly she was Alive, but that hadn’t been written. Soon Scootaloo drifted off to sleep, but Rainbow stayed for a few minutes, just watching the covers rise and fall with each small breath. In a way it had become her favorite sight, edging out the spectacle of the sun setting just below the horizon as she soared through the sky.  Eventually she left Scootaloo alone with her dreams and wandered outside only to find herself staring up at the night sky. It was a quiet night, the moon shone brightly and the stars sparkled as if to say that they too were worthy of the beauty of the night. She searched the sky for something, anything that might reassure her that everything was going to work out, but as usual the sky held no answers. A slight breeze rustled her feathers. At first she shrugged it off, assuming it was just the wind, but a moment later she felt a presence looming over her. “Hello again, Rainbow,” Equestria’s Princess of the night said with a small bow of her head. “Luna? Don’t you have better things to be doing?” Rainbow winced as the realization that she had unintentionally insulted one of Equestria’s diarchs dawned upon her.  She had just finished patching things up with one princess; she wasn’t sure how’d she’d go about fixing her relationship with Luna. “I mean um-” Luna raised a hoof slowly and smiled. “Rest easy. I know you meant no offense.” Rainbow breathed out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just a little preoccupied.” “Scootaloo?” “Well, yeah, but how’d you know?” Luna responded by arching an eyebrow, as though the answer should be obvious, even to a pony as dense as Rainbow was known to be. “Aside from the fact that every time I have visited you these past few months that filly has been your biggest concern?” “Yeah, besides that,” Rainbow muttered. “The young filly’s dreams are particularly powerful tonight. I took the liberty of assuming that you might need guidance as well.” Rainbow titled her head slightly. “Huh?” “Not all dreams are the same. Whenever a dream elicits particularly strong emotions from the dreamer, that magic is like a beacon in the dream realm. It is how I know which fillies are having true nightmares and which ones are just scared of failing tomorrow’s math test,” Luna explained calmly. “What’s Scootaloo dreaming about?” Rainbow asked, despite having a pretty good idea of what the answer would be. Luna narrowed her eyes and fixed Rainbow with a firm stare. “I am honor bound never to reveal the dreams of another,” she said slipping into the Royal Canterlot voice. Her point made, she softened her tone again. “I can tell you she is incredibly fearful yet fiercely hopeful.” “Sounds about right.” Suddenly a stray thought hit her and she got angry that she hadn’t thought of it sooner. She remembered hearing Rarity tell her about how Luna visited Sweetie Belle once in her dreams; if that were true Luna might be able to solve her current dilemma. “Hey, you can see the future, right?” Luna shook her head, “No Rainbow Dash, that is a power beyond me.” “But what about that time you visited Sweetie Belle?” Luna paused for a moment while she tried to decipher the meaning of Rainbow’s statement.  Finally the reason for Rainbow’s misconception dawned on her. “I do not know what is going to happen any more than you do. The dream realm grants me access to possible futures, and I shared one of them with Sweetie Belle so that she might see the consequences of her actions.” Her hopes dashed, Rainbow hung her head. “So you don’t know if Scootaloo’s surgery will be successful?” “I do not. I can only see what might happen.” “If it does work, is she going to be happy?” Rainbow asked with wide, pleading eyes. “If Scootaloo can fly, her life will still have pain and heartbreak, rejection and disappointment. Such is life.” Rainbow thought about Scootaloo again. The only reason she had granted her very tentative approval was the idea that flying would make Scootaloo happy. If that wasn’t true, Rainbow was a lot less inclined to pledge her support. “Why would you tell me that! If it’s not going to make her happy then why should I let her go through with it?” Rainbow shook her head, the last of her resolve gone. “I should just put a stop to this whole thing. Do you know how hard it is to watch someone you care about risk their life while you could stop them but don’t?” Luna cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head. Fortunately for Rainbow, she didn’t appear angry as much as she appeared to be amused. “Did you just ask if I was familiar with the burdens of power?” Rainbow again remembered who she was talking to and blushed. “Oh yeah, the whole princess thing.” “Rainbow Dash, consider the inverse of what I just told you. Even if Scootaloo cannot fly, she will still experience her share of joy and love, for that too is part of life.” “All the more reason to stop her,” Rainbow shot back. “And yet I feel as though you know that would be unwise,” Luna countered. Rainbow was forced to concede there was truth in Luna's last statment. “Yeah, I know,” she said sadly.  “What about me?” Unsure of exactly what Rainbow was asking, Luna pushed for further clarification.  “What are you asking?” “If her surgery goes bad and, well… if it goes bad, would I ever be able forgive myself?” Luna considered her response carefully. She was a centuries old alicorn who had dealt with enough pain and loss for several lifetimes; in contrast Rainbow was still a young mare, as such she had far less practice managing grief. “I do not doubt that you would feel her loss sharply. But others have lost those who they love, just as much as you love Scootaloo. The world spins on for them, as it would for you. I invite you to consider the reverse, if you forbid her from doing this, would you ever forgive yourself for depriving her of the chance to fly?” Rainbow couldn't allow herself to imagine a world without Scootaloo, which insulated her from imagining how she would feel every time she saw Scootaloo look up at the sky longingly. “I think I’d find a way to live with it. Aren’t you supposed to fly down here and tell me that I’m doing the right thing and that everything will be okay?” “I can offer no solace from the harsh realities that plague us all; I come here only to offer my support regardless of what the future holds. I believe that is what friends do, is it not?” Rainbow smiled, it appeared that Luna had been reading Twilight’s friendship letters, because even if the words weren’t exactly what Twilight would have used, the sentiment was definitely one the purple alicorn would agree with. “I guess it is. Thanks Luna.” Her support pledged, Luna flew off, presumably to visit the dreams of other troubled children, and with nothing else to be done Rainbow went to bed. She didn't sleep all that well the rest of the night, but she did manage to achieve a sort of uneasy peace that allowed her at least a few hours of rest. “So we get to visit Dr. Feather today?” Scootaloo asked, a bit too cheerful for Rainbow’s liking.  Couldn't she at least pretend like she might not go through with this? But Scootaloo appeared to be excited, so Rainbow tried to at least partially match her attitude. “Yep. She should still be at Wonderbolts HQ.” Scootaloo jumped up and down and fluttered her wings excitedly. “We get to go back to the Cloudiseum? Are the rest of the Wonderbolts gonna be there?’ “They might.” “Awesome!” Scootaloo cheered, with a small hoof pump that Rainbow recognized from practicing it in the mirror. After breakfast and a shower Scootaloo hopped up on Rainbow’s back and the two headed toward the Cloudiseum. At one point Rainbow could feel Scootaloo snuggle closer to her and it took all of her willpower not to stop right there and turn around.  But she made her sister a promise; and the only thing worse than not having Scootaloo in her life anymore would be if Scootaloo chose to remove herself from Rainbow’s life because Rainbow had broken her fragile trust. The pair landed at the entrance and the guard waved them in without delay. As they walked through the halls Scootaloo kept straining her neck in every direction hoping to catch a glimpse of the Wonderbolts, but they were nowhere to be found. Rainbow couldn’t help but appreciate, very begrudgingly, Dr. Feather’s professionalism.  Not that she would have complained had Dr. Feather tried to dissuade Scootaloo from having the surgery, but she also didn’t sugar coat anything.  She patiently explained exactly what she was going to do, albeit in simpler language than she was used to using, and then answered all of Scootaloo’s questions honestly. She didn’t try to minimize the risk, which Rainbow appreciated, but she also didn’t go out of her way to scare the patient either, which Rainbow didn’t appreciate as much. “Any other questions?”  the doctor asked after it appeared that Scootaloo had a solid understanding of both her condition and the risk involved with surgery. “No, I think that’s it,” The filly replied quietly.  It was impossible for Rainbow not to notice the trepidation in her voice. “Have you two thought about when you’d like to schedule the procedure?  Somepony is going to have to take care of you for a few days after you get out of the hospital.” Rainbow looked down at the filly sitting next to her, still hoping that she might change her mind. But if she wasn’t going to then Rainbow really didn’t care when this happened. In some ways maybe it would be better to just get it over with. If nothing else it would ease her stress levels. “It’s up to you, Scoots. I can take time off whenever.” Scootaloo looked at the doctor, then up at Rainbow, and finally she twisted her back so she could see her wings as she fluttered them briefly. “Can we do it soon?” she asked quietly.  Scootaloo bit her lip and then looked directly at Dr. Feather. “My entire life I’ve wanted to fly, and maybe I just can’t. But I… I don’t want to spend any more time wondering, I think I’d just like to know, one way or the other.” Dr. Feather nodded as though the sentiment was one she was used to hearing. “We can do it the day after tomorrow if you’d like.” Rainbow just silently nodded.