"Alright girls, listen up," Aunt Wisteria said, "It's time to round them up and head out. Remember not to spook the sheep‒keep them moving, but don't rush them."
Anda leaned over to Arrow as she fluffed her own wings. "Just stick with me, I'll show you how it's done. I've done this a thousand times," she explained.
Arrow leaned against the sheep fence. "Eh, I can do it. I can do EVERYTHING."
Anda raised an eyebrow. "Really? Well then, you stay to my right and mirror me so you don't get lost again."
Arrow glared.
"Although," Anda mused, "I don't think anypony could miss that hat. After all, it is Lilly's show hat. She's not going to like you wearing it to work."
"It's just a hat," Arrow informed Anda.
"Very well. It's your hide, not mine, that's gonna get tanned."
"Girls! Listen up," Wisteria growled. "We need to get going. Anda and Arrow, take off and go to stern. Shina, China, Crystal‒you three take up places around on the sides as they come out. Don't let them scatter 'till we get them where we want them. Ready? Go."
Anda and Arrow lifted off quickly, heading rapidly side by side to the back of the enclosure.
The whole group worked quickly and efficiently. Really, neither Anda nor Arrow had much to do once the doors opened and Mrs. Glass whistled, the sheep all pricking up their heads and obediently leaving the pen without so much as a whimper. Arrow was almost disappointed until she spotted Gertrude. That pesky lamb had managed to get her little head stuck inside and amongst the pen's vine and stone walls. Without any hesitation, Arrow shot down out of the sky.
"Slow down!" Anda cried, following Arrow, "You will spook the sheep going that fast!"
Arrow rolled her eyes, contemplating whether or not to obey the order. However, the damage was done. The sheep, scared from the rear, erupted out of the gate in a blind mob.
"Get her!" Anda cried, "I'll go help mom." With that, Arrow was left alone with the now panicking lamb.
She suddenly felt uneasy. Not only pets, but animals in general weren't something Arrow was all that familiar with. Her dad had worked in Manehattan, and her mother at the center. Neither place was all that conducive to having pets. Lilly somehow made it work with her pet In-stinks, but Arrow was clueless.
"Uh, hi?" she gulped, hoping someone would come rescue her. But nopony did. The others were now struggling to turn the mob back into a herd, then settle them into a flock. Arrow returned her attention to Gertrude. "How did you do that?" she asked, completely bewildered.
"Baaa!" Gertrude whined.
"Are you hurt?"
"Baa!"
Arrow nearly facehoofed. "This is not working brilliantly; I'm talking to an animal! Next thing I know, Lilly will have me talking to a tree! Or a wall!" she yelled towards the wall. "Alright Gertrude, you are stuck."
"Baa," Gertrude said.
"Of course," Arrow sighed, "Still no help. Let's see what I can figure out. Please don't panic. Or freak out, or kick me."
"Baa."
"And there I go talking to an animal again," Arrow groaned. “Now, how am I gonna get you out of here?”
Gertrude flicked her tail as Arrow set to work, trying to set the little lamb free.
---------------------
Questions, questions, and more questions. That was all that hung in the air of the room in Friendship Castle. It hadn't taken long for Catstitch to regain her composure, but she still looked a tad shaken. Rainbow Dash had known Lilly for a long time before she had mysteriously disappeared, but never in that time had she seen her lose her composure as she had only minutes before.
Lilly had been aloof, a bit of an egghead, the principal's granddaughter, and the lead coach's daughter. Privileged wasn't the word for it. Neither Rainbow Dash nor Fluttershy was exactly sure on how Lilly managed to be both an assistant teacher and private tutor all without a cutie mark, but somehow she had. Not that she wasn't good at it. In fact, even the most forward bullies thought twice before attacking anyone when she was around.
Even then, there was speculation on how. On more than one occasion, Dash had tried to prank her in school‒whoopee cushions, buckets of water on an almost shut door, hoof buzzers, tube snakes. Nothing had worked. Lilly had known every prank in the book, and also how to turn it around on the prankster. More than once, Dash had unexpectedly had the pranks turned on her, from having the bucket of water fall on her own head to sitting on the tack that she had previously left on her teacher’s chair.
Lilly also seemed to know everypony. Not just by name and grade level, but family secrets as well. On Dash's first day in her class, and the first time to ever speak to the campus mystery, Lilly Feathers had taken her out flying. Within moments, Lilly had told her more about her foalhood than she felt comfortable with.
"Rainbow, yes, I know these things," Lilly had said, "But I'm not one to just spread the knowledge. That's mean and heartless. I don't ever mean to discover these things. But being a fly on the wall and having parents in high places means you get in on some embarrassing secrets. If I wanted to, I could destroy the reputation of just about every single pony in this school, but I'm not going to unless you or they give me reason."
Dash couldn't help but shudder remembering that flight. The mare was mysterious. She knew study tricks, and had a knack for helping ponies find their special. In fact, no student ever left her class a blank flank, despite herself being one.
Another thing that had always surprised Dash was Lilly’s ability to tell if you were lying. Dash could still remember those stormy, blue-grey eyes boring through her skull on more than one occasion. “Really? Is that what happened?” she’d say. She never asked if you were telling the truth, she just somehow knew.
Dash had gained courage under Lilly's example, not to mention she had finally graduated after nearly flunking out under all the other teachers. How Lilly had managed to get Rainbow Dash to pass those final tests, even she would never be sure.
That following summer after she had graduated, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had turned to the east side of town to where they thought Lilly lived. However, only an elderly pink mare answered the door. When Rainbow Dash had inquired on Lilly's whereabouts, the mare had only shaken her head.
"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash," she had said, "But I'm not sure where my granddaughter has gone off to this time. Her father tells me she's been missing for nearly two weeks now. I will let you know if we find anything. But we all fear‒" Her grandmother's ears and tail drooped and her whole frail form sagged. "I fear we won't."
Fluttershy had been a wreck that night. Dash had gone with her to Ponyville to help her sleep, but neither of them had been able to. A week later, they both returned to see if there was any news. There wasn't.
A young frail filly in the wild, away from home with no cutie mark, taking, so her grandmother had said, nothing but her knife on her adventure. With heavy hearts, Rainbow and Fluttershy both accepted the possibility that she was gone forever.
Six months later, they had gotten a letter from her mother saying she'd been found, but nothing more.
Rainbow Dash looked down at her ex teacher's doppleganger. Cat, besides that accent and the lack of wings, reminded Rainbow Dash a lot of the teacher she had had all those years ago.
"Where did you find Lilly?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Catstitch looked up and blinked. "Pardon?"
"Ya know, after she ran away that summer?" Rainbow pressed.
Cat's ears pinned back, sorrow filling her face. "Someplace ah neigh ever wanna' find me sis."
Fluttershy looked worried. "Where? Was she alright?"
Catstitch shook her head. "No," she sighed, "Neigh, me sis was‒" She groped for a word for a moment. "Neigh almost passed." Catstitch looked pained. "How much do ye know about me sis?" Catstitch asked them, quickly changing the subject.
Fluttershy shrugged. "Well, we knew she had two sisters and a brother‒"
"Three sis and one bro. WJ was born that next autumn," Catstitch said. "Go on."
"She was our teacher, she knew everypony, and the bullies were scared to death of her," Rainbow Dash added, "And she was the sweetest flyer in the school! Fluttershy? Did you ever see her stunt fly?"
Fluttershy flushed in embarrassment, shaking her head. "No, I wasn't watching."
"Well, next time, you should," Soarin interrupted, "Captain Feathers is one of the best. We let her set up new routines and stunts for a reason. She's not strong enough to actually do shows, but she is nothing short of amazing in the air."
"A fan?" Rainbow Dash asked him.
Soarin shook his head. "No, not exactly. It's not every mare who can best Spitfire in a race, then walk away unscathed. I think she is one of the few pegasi who intimidates Spitty."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Soarin nodded. "Yep, we were kinda shocked when she turned down the Wonderbolts for a science and teaching position at 'Wings."
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Shocked, huh? You obviously were never in a class of hers. She was something of an organization freak."
Catstitch chuckled, "Aye, that she be. And a wee bit worse after all these years.'"
"Pfft!" Dash snorted, "I doubt it! I don't see how anypony could become any more picky than she was. Seriously! Morning roll call was done by size! I mean, if anypony grew, we all had to change spots till the growth spurt was taken into consideration!"
Catstitch started laughing. "I dinna' know that! But I can see me sis doin' it."
"Um, I didn't see it as that bad," Fluttershy tried to add in. "It was... orderly."
"My point exactly!" Rainbow stated.
"Sounds like an adventure," Twilight said, cutting in.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "And you don't know the half of it! My first day, she removed my chair and NEVER let me have one back during school! The one time she did, I had left a tack on her chair... and she somehow got me to sit on it."
"You learned though," Fluttershy pointed out as the others tried to stifle laughs.
"But maybe I wanted to sit down!" Rainbow exclaimed, "I get why she did it now, but‒" Rainbow snorted. "Then, if I missed a question, I had to take a lap around the room. Every wrong answer meant another lap. Not that I minded flying, but flying as punishment? That was just wrong."
“That’s somethin’ Ma’ did with meh,” Cat explained. “Except I hadda run. I get it. She was always unorthodox with her methods.”
"Lilly, or your mother?" Twilight asked.
"Both. Lilly learned from the best. Pa wa pretty easy to fool during class. Ya ever had him Dash?" Catstitch asked.
Rainbow Dash nodded. "Best semester ever! I thought Lilly would be exactly like him. Boy I was wrong. Those two couldn't be more opposite, even though she was the spitting image of him."
"Glitter' be the most like Pa. Lill' be the most like Ma," Catstitch said, "But I think we be gettin' off topic."
"Like this?" Pinkie had drawn a chalk circle on the floor, then she fell over and rolled out.
Catstitch facehoofed. "I think I liked you better when ya' were but a wee filly."
Pinkie looked deflated. "But I knocked you over with a load of bricks."
Catstitch sighed. "Och, sorry Pinkie, it's just, Glitter has kinda‒between her and Mistro, I don't like party ponies. Sorry, It's nothin' against ya, but when there be a lot to do, and the party pony can't lift a hoof to help, but then is upset when I neigh have time ta go to-"
With a sigh, Pinkie nodded and held up a hoof to stop Cat's uneasy explanation. "I understand,” she said simply.
Catstitch looked away. “Since Grammy died‒” She sighed, “I’m sorry. Glitter went nuts, Lilly disappeared, and ah‒ah threw myself into my farm duties like it be goin’ out ‘o style.”
“Grief does strange things ta ponies,” Applejack said knowingly. “How long ago did Mrs. Persimmon Pastry die? Ah don’t think I heard about that.”
Catstitch bit her lip. “About six and a half years ago now.”
“About the same time Ma’ and Pa’ passed,” Applejack stated.
Catstitch nodded. “We dinna’ have the time to‒” She paused again. “I’m sorry, I dunna like talkin’ about this.”
“Understood,” Applejack said, “I remember you were pretty close to your grandmother.”
Catstitch nodded. “Still am, I just wish me sis would... finally forgive her.”
“Didn’t part on good terms?” Rarity asked.
Catstitch shook her head. “Grammy neigh liked pegasi. Ne’er did. Her Pa was a phantom, a very cruel phantom. When Lil’ was born, her anger towards her Pa somehow got between them. Grammy tried to beat out Lil’s love for flight, her desire to be the best, everythin’ she had ta be proud of as a phan‒pegasus. Grammy slowly choked. I dunna know what happened the week before. Lil’ was avoiding her like the plague, though. However, when she was told that Grammy was dead, Lilly glared and declared, ‘Good riddance.’”
The room was silent for some time. “That was right after she graduated, right?” Fluttershy asked.
Catstitch nodded.
“Sheesh,” Dash said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “No wonder Lilly always acted so secretive, if that was happening at home.”
"It neigh was all the time. That anna' she was a wee afraid of her relationship with the royals. I neigh can go into it, but with ma' knowin' Princess Celestia, if anypony found out that we knew her personally..."
"Probably a good idea that didn't get out," Twilight said. "I know how ponies can be with that."
"It does explain something," Fluttershy mused
"What's that?" Catstitch asked.
"It was towards the middle of that school year, one of the teachers had made a snide comment about the 'dummy' class."
Rainbow Dash started laughing. "Oh, I remember that! She did it more than once."
"Are you going to tell us Rainbow?" Rarity asked, for the rest of them were left out of the loop.
"Yeah?" Pinkie said.
Fluttershy smiled. "Well, Jinx, one of the other fillies in the class‒"
"Biggest klutz in the school," Dash added.
Fluttershy glared. "Rainbow,” she warned. “Well, she managed to make a mess of sorts in the school cafeteria. The kids started laughing, and one of the teachers said, where Lilly could hear, ’I don't know why she doesn't move all of her klutzy students to their own room so we don't have to deal with them.’" Fluttershy's face burned with shame. "It wasn't nice. But Lilly stood up so fast and got right in that teacher's face. ’First off, my class has every right to be in here. Just because they aren't as fast or smart or socially capable as your class doesn't make them less of ponies.’"
Rainbow was hissing painfully through her teeth. "Yeah, then she basically threatened to kick him off and told him on no terms was he ever to say such a thing about her class or any other class again. She then forced him to repeat after her the rules on how teachers were to treat the students."
With a sigh, the butter-colored pegasus shook her head, "I'll never forget how uneasy he looked when a filly‒a blank flank filly‒ran him through the coals and not even the principal stopped her. In fact, when he protested, Principal Feathers backed Lilly. And not just him, half the teachers in the school sided with her."
"Wasn't the only time it happened," Rainbow added, "I accidently degraded Bumble once, another of the classmates, immediately I got pulled, then got a lecture on the importance of teamsmanship and standing up for the whole, even if they did fall down in an area."
"Seems it stuck," Applejack stated.
"Yeah, but I still grumble when you guys slow me down. It taught me a lot about loyalty."
"And ta think," Catstitch said, "It's probably the element Lil' has had the most trouble understanding and takin' ta heart. Lilly was a special needs student as well. I won't tell ya how, but she struggled a lot in school."
"No way!" Rainbow gaped, "You're kidding, right?"
Catstitch shook her head. "How do you think she knew all those tricks for educating ponies?"
"Obviously it wasn't flight," Soarin said.
Catstitch chuckled, "Neigh, me' sis has always had a knack for flight that I will neigh ever understand."
"Hey guys! Look!" Spike said from the window.
Rainbow and Applejack strained from where they sat on the bed, neither one feeling quite up to it. Everypony else hovered around the window. "Oh my! It's fabulous, darling!" Rarity cooed.
"Impressive," Twilight stated.
"WHERE'S THE POPCORN?!" Pinkie shouted.
"Here," Discord answered, speaking up for the first time in a while. The room practically filled with popcorn.
"I don't think I recognize it," Soarin said, flabbergasted.
"Alright, ah want ta see," Applejack complained.
"Me too!" Rainbow exclaimed.
Discord obliged by turning the entire opposite wall into a view screen. "Sit back and enjoy," he said. The others all sat down between the beds to watch.
Lilly and Steady were slowly circling around one another in an easy flight pattern, doing simple yet very precise tricks. Suddenly they paused, landed on a cloud. They looked each other in the eye and then jumped off.
The act started with Lilly getting just slightly ahead of Steady, then circling around him before coming into a steady beat beside his left wing. Their wing movements were in perfect sync. Then, Lilly rolled up, and as she came out of the ball-like freefall, Steady followed the maneuver. As he came out, Lilly repeated it. Leaving off, they did a bit of a zig-zag against the sky.
"I don't believe it!" Soarin said, "I know what they are doing!"
"Flying?" Applejack asked.
"Yeah, but that's Fly, the routine they started just last week! They are nailing it! I almost didn't recognize it, but that 'raindrop' maneuver is what sold me. I saw the plans on Captain Comet's desk about a month ago when we visited the Windy Wings center."
"Why didn't you recognize it at first?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, there are actually supposed to be three flyers in the routine, not just two. See that gap in that pattern they just did right there?" Soarin asked. "That's where their third flyer, Miss Arrow, would have done her part. And that gap right there in the roll away barrel spin." The ponies suddenly tipped, then went into a two second freefall, forcing themselves away from one another. "Arrow would have flown right through it, doing what's known as the 'Banana Pop.'"
----------------------
At first, it was just mindless warm ups; An Apple Drop, then the Blueberry Shake, followed by the 'Sandwich'.After that Steady led them through Emergency split nine, five, seven, in that order. Lilly was in no mood to lead. The pain of her past was crashing down on her like waves on the sea. She was more allowing her body to just do what it knew how to do rather than put in any significant mental effort.
Suddenly she found herself standing on a high up cloud. She looked over to Steady. Five words was all she needed to know what he was planning. "You can learn to fly."
With that, she dove off the cloud with Steady, the music playing in her head as she stayed where she needed to be during the entirety of the routine. "Running down her dreams in a dirty dress, now her heart's a mess. Keep on trying though the ground might shake, just keep on reaching though the limb might break. You've come this far, don't you be scared now. 'Cuz you can learn to fly on the way down."
Suddenly, she realized Steady was not where he was supposed to be. Here she was in freefall, and he was supposed to catch her, but he was nowhere to be found. Two seconds, three, four. It was almost reaching the point for her where she needed to pull up, but if she took back control, and Steady was pulling into catch her, it could result in them having to perform emergency landing 11. Not an easy one at all. The last time she'd attempted it, she'd landed hard on her left side which resulted in a limp for nearly a week on that shoulder. True, Arrow had been there that time, and she did make a difference.
No, she wouldn't break Steady's trust by trying to take hold of the situation herself. He'd catch her like he always had.
"Got you," he said as she fell cleanly, lengthwise on his back, as he performed an easy climb. She opened her wings, her feathers sitting on top of his, the air currents pushing their wings together. Slowly, he directed himself downward and to the right, and she tipped upwards to the left, slowly rolling back over so she was flying correctly. Not a trick she'd ever try with just anyone, but Steady knew it and was good at it.
Still, the experience left her rather shaken. Steady soon redirected her back to the castle, landing on the miniscule balcony outside Dash's and AJ's room. She landed in front of him. looking fearfully into the room.
Steady tipped her head back so she looked him straight in the eye. "I remember that summer," he told her.
Lilly said nothing. She was so choked up and shaken she couldn't have responded if she wanted to.
"I know, I know it hurt." He waited a moment for her eyes to register. "But I also know it needs to be done. They need your experience. You have not only gone through it, but have put so much more study into mares and their muscular system than anypony I know. I am sure I could always go back and get my aunt, the same mare who helped you through it that summer, but she isn't a therapist. She's a cook. Lilly, your special talent is helping others overcome obstacles, to help them push through even if there is no light. I have seen you do this with Breeze, with Arrow, even with myself. Helping us through the shadows of life. And yet, when it comes to your own shadows, you tend to roll up and hide."
That stung. She looked away, severely pained, but still said nothing. He was right, and she knew it.
"Captain, Lilly, Motivation." He chose to use her title, hoping to remind her of her duty. "You are a phantom, a piece of wind and sky. A pony that nopony else can dictate or tame. A mare who doesn't just live her life, but one who attacks it like if she didn't, it'd kill her."
This brought a faint smile. "Just one thing," he said. Slowly he leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Keep it simple, stupid." Then he whacked her gently on the shoulder. "And do your duty."
She had to nearly be shoved through the window-like door. Painfully, she looked back over her shoulder at Steady. "I have my own work. I'll see you later." And he was gone, she being left alone in the one place in Equestria she had no intention of being at that moment. But Steady was right. She did know more about this that just about anypony else. It was true, there were other mares, mostly older ones who had suffered the same type of injury, but none of them were in the therapy business, most of the therapists having learned their lessons the easy way. Besides, she was here, they were not, and she had a royal duty to the princesses to serve them in their time of need with her talent.