//------------------------------//
// Invitation to Entry 
// Story: Flying to the Future 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 3: Invitation for Entry

"Are ya sure this is safe?" asked Apple Bloom, watching Spike with her orange eyes as she and the dragon made their way through the woods.
"As houses," replied Spike casually.  "That hidebehind was a onetime thing.  Besides, even if there was another one, it wouldn't be stupid enough to attack you while I'm here."  He grinned and straightened up to his full height, posing dramatically.  Then Bloom elbowed him in the side, causing the breath he'd drawn in to puff out his chest to whoosh out in one burst, bringing his whole body sagging right back down.  Darn it!  Right in the dignity!
The young mare giggled, the sound seeming like music to Spike's ears, even though she was laughing at his failed attempt to impress her with his heroic disposition.  Bloom had grown up quite nicely.  The years she'd spent helping her family in the orchard had added layers of muscle underneath her yellow coat.  Her mane, still tied up with her trademark bow, was much longer now, cascading down her neck in a river of red locks that bounced and swished as she walked.
Giving up and chuckling at his own silliness, Spike spread out a wing and wrapped it around Bloom's back.  The soft, leathery expanse of the appendage was like a blanket over her as he pulled her up against his side so that he could nuzzle her mane, breathing in the scent of wood chips and sawdust that seemed to have become permanently imbedded there after she'd taken on an apprenticeship with the local carpenter.  According to her master, Bloom might not have had much of an eye for aesthetics yet, but her work was some of the most solid and durable the experienced craftstallion had ever seen.
"Yer incorrigible," said Bloom, laughing as Spike's breath tickled her neck.
"And you're not?" asked Spike wryly as she pulled away from him, sticking his tongue out at her.
Bloom giggled before returning to press up against Spike's side.  "Seriously though, thanks fer all yer help with the harvest.  Big Mac and Applejack say the work's gone faster than ever since ya started helpin' out."
"I aim to please," said Spike with a wink.  "Whether in the library or the orchards, this dragon is the greatest assistant that Equestria has ever seen!"  He froze, posed dramatically, one arm lifted upwards with a single finger extending towards the sky.  He was quickly returned to normal with another elbow to the ribs (and his dignity).
The two of them continued to wander about the paths of Whitetail Woods, chatting and snuggling at every opportunity.  The trip to the woods had been Twilight's suggestion to Spike, both as a possible place for him to take his fillyfriend on a date to help her relax and to reassure the Ponyville residents that the woods were safe.  On the off chance they were wrong about the safe part...well...Spike was a dragon.
Their quiet stroll was interrupted by a group of three ponies coming up the path towards them.  A trio of young stallions cantered up with the path, looking to all the world as though they were out for a stroll of their own.  Yet Spike suspected that these particular ponies rarely went for walks in the wood.  They were a trio that preferred to spend their time around town, usually abusing their newly acquired adult status by causing a ruckus (or was it a fracas?) at Berry Punch's bar.  Nature lovers they were not.  Spike knew them better than he would have liked, and he suspected that their being here now was not at all coincidental.
"Oh!  Hey there Sugar Maple," said Bloom, "Ah didn't expect to run into ya out here."
The leader of the trio grinned and waved at Bloom.  "Hi," he said back, laughing.  The movement caused the bangs of his dark-red mane to fall over his eyes, which he then had to brush back with the hoof he'd been using to wave.  The dappled light of the sun filtering through the canopy cast a variety of shadows over his pumpkin-orange coat.  The look in his forest-green eyes was friendly as he met Bloom's gaze.  The two ponies on either side of him grinned and chuckled the two of them elbowing their friend in the sides.  One of the young stallions leaned over to whisper something into Sugar Maple's ear that caused him to smirk before he looked at his companion and nodded.
Sugar Maple was the son of Bloom's master and had been studying carpentry since he'd been old enough to hold the same kind of wood chisel that decorated his flank.  Because of that, he had seniority over Bloom in terms of their respective apprenticeships.  In some ways, he'd served as a supplemental instructor for Bloom whenever his father was short on time or too busy to provide instruction himself.  His two companions were also student artisans, sent from other towns to study under Maple's father.
Spike eyed the trio warily, but also making sure to keep anything from his face.  From what he knew, Bloom enjoyed a good working relationship with all three of them.  Apparently they'd invited her to go carousing on them, but Bloom always had to decline, usually due to her commitments on the farm, but also because of the occasional date with him.  Spike thought it was for the better, as he'd seen one or more of the trio stumbling about in a drunken haze on more than one dark night.  According to Berry Punch, they were rowdy drunks, whose antics often got them thrown out of the bar.
Spike also got the distinct feeling that the three of them, Sugar Maple in particular, didn't like him at all.  That was fine with him, because he felt he didn't like them all that much either.
"What are y'all doin' in the woods?" asked Bloom.  "Last Ah heard, ya weren't the sort to go hikin', Maple."
Grinning a little too widely for Spike's taste, Maple answered.  "Well, Pa wanted us to examine some of the different trees that go into our products.  He wants to make sure we know where our best woods come from."
Bloom tilted her head in confusion.  "Shouldn't ya be goin' to the lumber seller then.  They know all 'bout the trees."
Spike's eyes narrowed a little.  Bloom was right.  If these apprentice carpenters were supposed to learn about the trees their wood came from, wandering through Whitetail Woods was not the way to do it.  They were up to something.
Maple laughed off Bloom's inquiry, grinning sheepishly.  "Actually, we heard you were coming out here today and we thought maybe you could help us.  You know all about those different trees, right?"
That much was true at least.  Unlike Sugar Maple, Bloom had opted to do her homework in the field of carpentry.  She'd gone to talk with the ponies who harvested and sold the lumber used for her projects, learned what the trees looked like, how they matured, where they grew, and a variety of other things she would find useful for her future work.  It helped that, as an Apple, she already had a fairly comprehensive knowledge about trees and wood to begin with, thanks to a lifetime working on the farm and helping with everything from raising barns to making use of old apple trees that needed to be chopped down.
Spike worried that he'd have to come up with some excuse that would allow Bloom to turn these chumps down.  He could tell they were up to something.  It wasn't readily apparent, but he fancied that Sugar Maple's grin hid something unpleasant.  He wouldn't want to fabricate something, which would probably make Bloom angry with him, but he also didn't think she was the type to say no to a request for help.
"Sorry, Maple," said Bloom with an apologetic smile.  "Spike and Ah've got plans fer the day.  But if ya head over there now, Ah think the lumberyard's still open.  Ole Chippy'll be happy to talk yer ear off."
Spike gave Bloom a surprised look, but managed to conceal it quickly again.  She looked up at him and blushed, gently bumping her hindquarters against his.  Spike returned the gesture by swinging his tail around to tap her cutie mark from the opposite side.  Then he turned his attention back to the three stallions.  When he did, Spike felt a chill.  There was an absolutely ugly look in Sugar Maple's eyes, one that promised trouble in the future.  Uh oh.
The look was gone in less than a second and Spike was left to wonder if he'd simply imagined it.  Instead, Sugar Maple had replaced it with a disappointed look.  "Oh well," he said with a shrug, "I guess I'll see you back at work, Apple Bloom."
"Sure thing," said Bloom, her smile back in place.
The three stallions continued walking, heading past Bloom and Spike, moving down the trail the couple had just come up on.  As he walked past, Sugar Maple glared sidelong at Spike.  "Watch yourself, lizard," he hissed, his voice barely audible to Spike, continuing on without breaking stride.
When they were gone, Spike shuddered and felt the tension drain out of his body.  "Ya okay, sugarcube?" asked Bloom, giving Spike a concerned look.
"Yeah," said Spike, not sure how much he should give away.
Bloom sighed.  "Ah'm glad nothin' happened.  Ah gotta tell ya, Ah've got a bad feelin' 'bout Maple."
"Y-you do?" asked Spike in surprise.  He'd thought Bloom genuinely liked Maple (as a friend and coworker, of course).
"He's good at what he does and he's been helpin' me a lot," said Bloom.  "But...He makes me uncomfortable."
Spike tensed again.  This was new.  "Uncomfortable how?"
"Well...whenever he's givin' me instructions, he starts standin' real close, lookin' over mah shoulder.  He's always askin' me to go drinkin' with him and the others.  But Ah hear things 'bout the shenanigans them three get up to and Ah wonder just what they might do if Ah was there."  Bloom shuddered.
"He hasn't harassed you or touched you inappropriately?" asked Spike.
"No!" exclaimed Bloom.  "Ah mean, he gets real close to it sometimes and it makes me uncomfortable.  Sometimes Ah wonder if it's all in mah head."
"Have you tried talking to him about the things he's doing that are making you uncomfortable?" asked Spike.  In his mind, that would be a good litmus test of Sugar Maple's intentions.  His response to it would help determine just how bad the problem was, or if they were just imagining things...though Spike was absolutely certain that he wasn't imagining Maple's words to him a minute ago.
"Ah..."  Bloom averted her eyes, looking down at the path nervously.  "Ah want to, but...his Pa is mah master.  Ah want to finish mah apprenticeship and Ah don't want to cause trouble."
"You're afraid that it'll upset Ebony if you start suggesting that his son is harassing you?" asked Spike.  "That doesn't sound like Ebony to me."  Old Ebony (yes, Old really was part of his name) was a fairly stern master, though not overly strict.  He was firm about apprentices finishing their work on time and learning what they needed to.  He was one of the best carpenters in Ponyville and had had several other apprentices in the past.  All of those who'd completed their apprenticeship under his tutelage had gone on to find plenty of success in other towns.  He was also extremely reasonable and a good listener, as evidenced by the fact that he took Bloom's commitments to the farm in stride and didn't object that it made things a little harder for him.
"Maybe," said Bloom, sounding quite unsure.  "But Ah ain't so sure.  He's got a mighty soft spot fer his son.  Sugar Maple's been late plenty 'o times and even come back from the jail after bein' arrested fer bein' drunk and disorderly and all 'o that, but he ain't done much to try and set Maple straight."
Spike pursed his lips, thinking that Bloom had a point.  Even perfectly reasonable ponies had pretty glaring blindspots when it came to their kin, particularly their foals.  Almost every parent (except the absolute worst ones) wanted to believe that their little colt or filly could do no wrong.  It was a natural aspect of parenthood.  However, there were some who took that desire a little too far and refused to believe that their foal could do wrong, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.  Filthy Rich had been willfully blind to the worst aspects of his daughter's personality for years, which had allowed Diamond Tiara to become one of the worst thorns in the sides of Bloom and her friends until Rarity had finally forced him to face facts.  It was easily possible that Old Ebony was of a similar stripe.
Matters became even more complicated, considering that Ebony was Bloom's master, which meant all kinds of bad things for her apprenticeship if he decided he didn't like her anymore.  Given how much respect he held amongst ponies of his craft, Ebony's word had a lot of sway and, if he decided that Bloom was in the wrong and terminated her apprenticeship because of that, it would be much harder for her to find another master.
Still...  "I think you might still want to talk to him," said Spike.
"Are ya sure?" asked Bloom.
"I think so," said Spike, "Let me ask you something.  Whenever Maple's propositioned you about going out drinking with him and his friends, has he ever tried to use his dad as a form of leverage?"
"No," said Bloom, blinking.  "But what does that say 'bout him?"
"To me, it says that there are limits to how far Old Ebony's willingness to accommodate his son's shenanigans go," said Spike.  "Drunken antics are one thing, but using your dad's name to force a mare to do something she doesn't want to do might be a line that Maple knows he can't get away with crossing.  More importantly, it'll be a lot easier if you bring these problems to Ebony's attention now instead of waiting until after something happens, 'cause I can practically guarantee that Maple will go to his dad and try to make you look like the bad pony and Ebony will be a heck of a lot more likely to believe him.  The bonds of apprenticeship might be temporary, but double standards are eternal."
Bloom snorted.  "That's true, Ah guess.  But...Ah just wonder if maybe Ah'm readin' too much into things."
"Maybe not," said Spike, thinking about Maple's whispered warning.  "But if what Maple's doing is making you uncomfortable, then you need to let Ebony know if you don't think Maple will listen.  Obviously, you shouldn't blow it out of proportion, but you should tell Ebony about behaviors that you think need to stop."
Bloom sighed and leaned against Spike's side, nuzzling into his shoulder as he tightened the hold of his wing around her.  "Ah guess yer right, sugarcube."  She looked up at him, her expression contemplative.  "Ah thought ya were gonna go off and threaten to beat Maple and those other two stallions up.  Ah'm a bit surprised.  Ya sure know how to keep yer cool, Spike."
Chuckling, Spike reached up and scratched the base of his spines, just behind his head.  "Well...keeping my cool is something I kinda have to do," he admitted.  "If that jerk actually does anything to you, I plan on tearing him so many new ones he'll be able to go to the bathroom in just about any position.  But, otherwise, I have to think about things a lot more carefully."
"How so?" asked Bloom, tilting her head.
"Well...I may be a dragon, but I'm also Twilight's personal assistant, that means the things I do reflect back on her.  When she first became a Princess, there were quite a few ponies who were critical of her 'cause she kept me on as her assistant instead of taking on somepony more...worthy...I guess is the word they were using.  Then again, a lot of ponies were pretty sore about Twilight moving back to Ponyville, despite being a Princess."  He shrugged.  "In any case, if I start getting into fights, regardless of the reason, it'll reflect badly on her decision to keep me on as her assistant.
"Besides that, ever since our lives got a bit more public, there's been some uproar over the fact that a dragon like me is living around ponies, especially after I really started getting bigger.  Fighting would reflect pretty badly on me, no matter what my reasons for doing it might be.  I know that Twilight and Princess Celestia will take my side, but I'd rather not cause a ruckus if I can avoid it."
Finally, he looked back down at her.  "And, most importantly, I can't let whatever I do reflect badly on you."
"Me?" gasped Bloom, her eyes going wide.
"Yeah," said Spike.  "If I picked a fight with your coworkers over their treatment of you, I'd be causing you a lot of trouble unless there was a legitimate reason for it, like if he actually did do something to you."
"That's sweet of ya," said Bloom, nuzzling against Spike's shoulder again.
"But enough about that jerk," said Spike with a grin.  "What say we take a flight."
"Really?" exclaimed Bloom, her eyes sparkling.  "Ah'd love to."
Crouching down, Spike extended his wings.  "Hop on," he said.
Bloom wasted no time leaping onto Spike's back, eliciting a slight "oof!" from the dragon in the process.  She wrapped her arms around the base of his neck and settled herself between his wings.  Though his spines were long and looked sharp, they were actually quite soft and bent beneath her weight so that she barely even noticed them.
Spike broke into a run, beating his wings and taking off, aiming for a nearby clearing and the break in the forest canopy it provided.  When he reached it, he swooped upward, carrying a laughing Apple Bloom with him, the two of them soaring upwards into the sky.



Stifling a yawn, Scootaloo edged open the door and made her way into the teahouse.  Another day spent observing the Weather Team and helping them with various tasks was behind her.  According to Cloud Kicker, Raindrops, and Storm Front, she would be fit to take the certification exam in a week.  Storm had already sent in the paperwork with both Raindrops and Cloud Kicker's approval.  The thought of finally working professionally made Scootaloo giddy.  She wasn't sure it was what she really wanted with her life, but it was a step in the direction she was aiming for.
To her surprise, Dawn was already sitting at a table with another mare whilst Arkenstone bustled about in the background.  When he saw her come in, Dawn waved at her, the gesture drawing the attention of the mare sitting across the table from him.  She turned to look over her shoulder, her cyan eyes meeting Scootaloo's and a gentle smile breaking out across her face.
"Hey there, Coco," said Scootaloo as she slid in next to Dawn, noting with appreciation that Dawn had apparently already anticipated her presence and prepared her favorite blend for her.
"Hello Scootaloo," said Coco Pommel, her quiet, polite voice nearly a match for Fluttershy's.
Coco had hardly changed at all over the years.  She was a little older, but still very much the same quiet, polite, gentle mare that Scootaloo had met when Coco had first come to Ponyville.  Her coat was a beautiful off-white color that contrasted nicely with her two-tone cyan mane, cut in a short bob.  She still wore the flower-shaped hairclip and the sailor scarf around her neck, accessories she'd worn most of her life.
Coco had originally come to Ponyville as Rarity's apprentice.  Due to varying circumstances, she had been forced, against her will, to act as an agent of Baron Elderflower, assisting him in his schemes to manipulate Twilight Sparkle.  After a rather tumultuous series of events, she had come to settle back into Ponyville, finishing out her apprenticeship under Rarity.  At that point, Rarity had surprised the younger mare with an offer of a partnership, requesting Coco's assistance in running the Carousel Boutique, which was undergoing an almost explosive expansion, thanks to Rarity's possession of the Royal Warrant.  Rarity had opened branches in Canterlot and Manehattan.  Much of her time was spent going back and forth between Ponyville and those two cities with her accountant/husband, Flaxseed, in tow.   Coco had gleefully accepted her idol's offer and remained as acting manager of the original Ponyville branch, as well as making a name for herself as a designer in her own right.
"Good of you to join us," said Dawn, giving Scootaloo a peck on the cheek, "I was a bit worried your tea might get cold."
"Yeah right," said Scootaloo, rolling her eyes.  She still shifted closer though, snuggling up against Dawn as he wrapped a wing around her side.
Coco giggled at them and sipped from her own cup.  "Is your apprenticeship going well?" she asked.
Scootaloo nodded.  "Yeah.  It's going great.  What about you?  How are things going at the boutique?"
"She got another love letter this morning," said Dawn, his tone teasing as Coco's cheeks flushed.
"Oh!" exclaimed Scootaloo, her ears perking up, "Who was it?"
"I'm not saying," said Coco, her smile fading slightly.  "I already had to hurt his feelings by turning him down.  I'm not going to embarrass him any further."
"Aww...come on!" protested Scootaloo.  "We're mares.  We're supposed to gossip about these sorts of things."
A quiet cough and throat clearing from the stallion next to her made Scootaloo stop.  "So I'm a mare now?" inquired Dawn wryly.  That made Scootaloo snort and elbow her coltfriend in the side.
Coco had become rather popular with the stallions.  Her beauty was of the more modest, cute variety than Rarity's, which, combined with her sweet demeanor, made her infinitely more approachable.  Despite that, Coco had turned down every offer she'd been given, the reason for her actions being something Scootaloo and Dawn knew all too well.
"Speaking of love letters," said Scootaloo, "have you heard from Perlin lately?"
Coco lowered her eyes, her smile fading completely.  "No," she admitted softly.  "I haven't heard from him in almost a month.  The last I heard, he was up in Baltimare."
Dawn reached across the table and gently patted Coco's hoof.  "He'll be fine," said Dawn.  "Twilight told me that his sentence is almost up."
"I know..." said Coco, shifting worriedly, "But I still can't help but worry...what if we...what if we don't have anything anymore?  I haven't seen him in over a year.  All we have are occasional letters.  That isn't really enough."
"If you don't, then you don't," said Dawn simply.  "But...I think you wouldn't be so adamant about turning down all those offers from other stallions if you didn't still have strong feelings for him.  Besides, I think he's matured considerably.  He'll be able to move on if you can't return his feelings anymore."
"Yeah, besides," said Scootaloo with a grin, "I remember what he looked like the last time he visited.  He's probably a total stud right now.  If I wasn't with this chump, I might take him for myself."  She grinned cheekily at Dawn, who merely responded with a snort and a roll of his eyes.  Instead of responding verbally, he curled one of the feathers of the wing he'd wrapped around Scootaloo, slipping it under her own wing so that it tickled along her ribs, eliciting a squealing laugh from her.  Scootaloo ended up wriggling out of his hold and slugging him in the shoulder before the two of them kissed again.
Coco found herself laughing at their antics, her worries clearly lessened by the playfully affectionate pair of ponies in front of her.
The three of them fell into chatting quietly as they enjoyed their tea together.  Scootaloo enjoyed having Coco join them.  When Coco had first come to Ponyville, she'd stayed with Dawn's family at the house Caramel had once owned in town.  During that time, Dawn had become something of a brother to her, though who was the older or the younger sibling between the two of them was debatable.  She was also a good friend of Fluttershy and Caramel as a consequence and had acted as a foalsitter for Larksong on the rare occasion that Scootaloo, Dawn, or one of his parents were unavailable to look after the filly.  She had said that she was available to do the same for Pepita, though the need had not yet come up.
About an hour later, the three of them had finished their tea.  Dawn had cleaned up and returned to work, now moving about the tables with Arkenstone while Scootaloo and Coco continued to gossip.  Coco listened eagerly to the news Scootaloo had to share about Sweetie Belle and Rumble.  In return, Coco shared the news regarding what was happening with the branches of the Carousel Boutiques that Rarity was currently operating.  Scootaloo didn't have much of an interest in the affairs of fashion, but it was interesting to listen to the stories of some of the silly things that had occurred at one branch or another.
Their talk was interrupted by a loud boom that made the shutters rattle.  Cups and teapots danced on the tables, though, thankfully, only a few drops of liquid scattered here and there.  The light of the sky outside seemed to dim, then shift.  Looking out through the window, Scootaloo gaped as she saw a ring of coruscating color spread across the sky.  All around her, ponies had stopped their conversations and were also staring in unabashed awe at the spectacle.  Even everypony going about their business outside the teahouse had frozen where they stood.
Scootaloo's heartbeat sped up.  There was only one pony in all of Equestria who could do something like that.  Forgetting completely about Coco, she bounded outside and took to the air, shooting upward, her eyes seeking eagerly for the rainbow contrail, which punched through the center of the Sonic Rainboom like a ribbon.  She followed its trail, looking for the end and the pony that had produced the explosion.
Her eyes barely found the pony before the object of her search barreled into her like a cannonball.  Strong arms wrapped around Scootaloo in a tight hug and the young mare found herself laughing loudly as the two of them shot through the air, wrapped in an enthusiastic embrace.
"Rainbow Dash!" she shouted excitedly as the cerulean mare finally released her.
"Hey there, squirt," said Rainbow, her cerise eyes twinkling with silent laughter.  "Good to see ya."
"I thought you weren't supposed to be in for another month," said Scootaloo.  "Why are you here now?"
Rainbow smirked and tossed her head, bouncing her mane from one side of her neck to the other.  Rainbow wore her mane longer now and actually combed it back to keep her bangs out of her eyes.  Sometimes she even tied her mane in a simple tail.  Today, though, she wore it loose.
"Spitfire gave me the go ahead to come over," said Rainbow.  "She said that all the indicators are that it's gonna be a disaster-free month.  We don't have any more shows to do and she wants to get a jump on reviewing the next group of candidates for the Wonderbolt Academy.  So she turned me and Soarin' loose."
"Speaking of Soarin', where is he?" asked Scootaloo, looking around for any sign of Rainbow's betrothed.
It took her a few seconds, but she finally spotted the pale-blue stallion swooping down towards them.  Soarin' wore his trademark goofy grin as he approached, his green eyes bright as he saw Scootaloo.  "Well, hello there, young lady.  How are you this fine day?"
"Just fine, thank you," said Scootaloo flying over to meet the stallion and giving him a quick hug.
"So...how's the coltfriend?" asked Soarin' as the three of them made their way over to a convenient cloud.  Already, Rainbow was distracted by several members of the Weather Team, which she had once led, coming over to greet their old manager.
"Dawn's doing fine," said Scootaloo.  Her voice dropped a little.  "He still hasn't found his cutie mark though."
"Hey, give it time," said Soarin' encouragingly.  "He'll get it when he's ready.  After everything he's been through, I don't think anypony will begrudge him for taking his time on that."
"Yeah," admitted Scootalo as they settled onto the cloud.
Soarin' was a well-muscled stallion, though not bulky like a bodybuilder.  His dark-blue mane was combed back into a smooth wave over the top of his head.  He almost always seemed to have a smile on his face and a joke in his throat, ready to leap out at the slightest opportunity.  Scootaloo had always found him to be enjoyable company and honestly didn't mind sharing him her honorary big sister with him.
Soarin' had been second-in-command of the Wonderbolts for many years by the time Rainbow had joined the group and the two of them had started a relationship.  However, during the battle in Canterlot a few years back, Soarin's lung had been pierced by an enemy attack.  Though he'd been successfully healed, it eventually became apparent that there had been complications that the healing hadn't been able to take care of.  Soarin's endurance wasn't what it used to be and he found himself running out of breath much more easily than he used to.  Within a year, he'd retired from his position of second-in-command and given it over to Rapidfire.  A year after that, he retired from the roster of active Wonderbolts, though he was still a member of the reserves.  Nowadays, he primarily worked as an administrator and supervisor, helping Spitfire hammer out the details of their tours of duty, arrange, and plan their air shows.  A year ago, he'd proposed to Rainbow Dash and she had gladly accepted, though the two of them had yet to set a date.
Rainbow finished greeting her old friends from the Weather Team and settled onto the cloud next to Scootaloo, giving the younger mare a quick hug and nuzzle.  "So, how's your mom doing, squirt?"
"She's doing just fine," said Scootaloo with a smirk.
"She still...?"
"Yep."
"Wow...that must be weird as all get out."
"You have no idea."  Scootaloo sighed.  "I guess I'm kinda getting used to it.  He's nice enough, in a weird sort of way, but there's no way I'm ever gonna call him 'Dad.'"
"No kidding," agreed Rainbow with a laugh.  "I bet even he would be weirded out by that."
"Well...it's not like they're super serious about it right now," Soarin' pointed out.
"I'm not sure they'll ever be capable of serious," said Scootaloo.  "But he makes Mom laugh and she's pretty happy with the way things are now.  I don't feel so guilty about moving out if it means they can spend more time together."
Rainbow shook her head.  "I'm gonna have to take Melon out to lunch sometime in the next week or so.  She's probably got a few stories to share."
"She'd like that," said Scootaloo.
Rainbow smiled and draped a wing over Scootaloo's back.  "By the way, squirt, have you and Dawn considered signing up for the Best Young Fliers Competition?"
"Um..."  Scootaloo blinked.  "Oh horseapples!  I'd completely forgotten about that!  That's like in a month, right?"
"Two months, actually, but you only have another couple weeks before the deadline to enter," said Rainbow.  "It's been getting pretty busy, so they aren't going to accept any last-minute entries."
"Okay," said Scootaloo, settling down a little into the cloud, thinking about what kind of routine she'd like to put on.
"You think Dawn would like to enter?" asked Soarin'.
"I'm not sure," said Scootaloo with a shrug.  "Maybe.  He's not really all that into the whole public display thing so he might not be interested."
"Huh..." mused Rainbow.  "That's funny.  I was sorta thinking that, maybe..."
Scootaloo didn't get a chance to hear what Rainbow was about to suggest.  Instead, she sensed the approach of a familiar pegasus.  Looking up, she spotted Dawn just as he landed next to her.  Soarin' and Rainbow yelped at Dawn's unexpected appearance.  Dawn merely smiled, his catlike eyes twinkling with mischief, making Scootaloo giggle.
"It's nice to see you again, Rainbow Dash," said Dawn politely before turning his attention back to Scootaloo.  "Coco said to tell you that she'll see you later."
"Ack!" choked Scootaloo, her eyes bulging as she realized she'd just run out on Coco without a word, "Shoot!  I completely forgot about her."
"It's fine," said Dawn reassuringly, "She understands.  Nopony else would use a Sonic Rainboom just to say hello."
Rainbow laughed and grinned sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head.  "Yeah, I guess that was a pretty loud way to make an entrance."
"At least you remembered to raise the altitude," said Dawn.  The last time Rainbow had done a Rainboom to announce her visit, she'd unleashed it a little too low and had broken several windows around Ponyville.  The damage hadn't been severe or difficult to replace, but she'd annoyed several ponies, even the ones that were happy to have her back.  The memory made Rainbow blush and lower her eyes.
"So where is everypony?" asked Rainbow, looking around.  "I half-expected Twilight to pop up here at least."
"Pinkie Pie and Rarity are out of town," replied Dawn.  "They should both be back in a couple of days, Pinkie Pie probably sooner.  Applejack is up at the farm, obviously."
"Obviously," agreed Rainbow with a smirk.
"Mom is at the house.  She has Larksong and Pepita to mind, so she can't exactly leave on short notice.  As for Twilight Sparkle..."
"Twilight's in the middle of a dissection."  Spike swooped down from above, pulling up sharply and flaring his wings to kill his momentum so that he could settle onto the cloud with the group of pegasi.  Though dragons lacked the innate ability to walk on clouds, Spike had learned a great deal about his natural draconic magic in the past few years.  Working with Twilight, he had been able to ultimately develop a "spell" of sorts that granted him the ability to walk on clouds, eventually learning to use it as naturally as though he were a pegasus himself.
"Dissection?" asked Rainbow, feeling a bit queasy in the stomach at the mention of such a thing.
"She's examining the body of the hidebehind that Dawn killed the other day," said Spike, his words causing Dawn to wince.  "She's been positively giddy.  Nopony's ever gotten the opportunity to actually study a hidebehind's body before.  It's a pretty big breakthrough.  She's practically making history."
"I'm glad somepony is getting some good out of that," muttered Dawn, frowning.  He wasn't all that troubled about having to kill the monster.  But he knew that it hadn't set well with Fluttershy, though she had acknowledged the act's necessity.  Even when it was necessary, Fluttershy still couldn't fully accept the need to kill an animal that she had tried to save and tended to regard it as a failure on her part.  Knowing that she was unahppy about it made Dawn feel unhappy about it...and guilty, no matter how much Fluttershy tried to assure him that he had done the right thing.
As Spike settled onto the cloud, a yellow mare clinging to his back lifted her head up enough to grin at the rest of the group.  "Howdy, y'all," said Apple Bloom cheerfully, though she declined to disembark from her drakefriend's back.
"Hey there," said Scootaloo with a friendly wave.
They spent a few more minutes chatting amiably before Dawn nudged Scootaloo.  She looked at him and nodded.
"Sorry everypony," said Scootaloo, getting up and stretching her legs, "Dawn and I have training now."
"That's cool," said Rainbow, her ears shooting up, "Actually, I kinda wanted to watch and see how you two are doing."
"I wouldn't mind watching too," commented Soarin'.
"Heck, Ah haven't watched ya train fer a while Scoots," said Bloom.  "Ah think we could make a day of it."
"Sounds like fun to me," said Spike.
"Geez," muttered Scootaloo.  "I'm not sure..."
"It'll be fine," said Dawn, brushing her back with his wing, "You can manage.  Once we start, you'll forget they're even there."
Scootaloo looked over at him.  Dawn gently leaned and rubbed the end of his muzzle against hers, ending the gesture with a quick kiss on her lips before pulling away.  With a sigh, she relented.
Dawn turned back to their friends.  "Remember to keep your distance.  Our sessions get rather...turbulent."



Turbulent, huh? thought Rainbow as she stared at the display.  That's one way to put it...if you like understatement.
Watching Dawn and Scootaloo spar was like watching a hurricane square off against a tornado.  The two of them were blurs, sweeping through the sky, pulling the wind in with their wings and directing it against each other.  Lightning flashed, jumping from one to the other, then jumping back again.  Bolts of condensed plasma flashed through the air like meteors, smashing into the ground and scattering chunks of molten rock in their wake.  Razor arcs of vacuum blades, completely inaudible amidst the general cacophony and all but invisible from most angles, sliced effortlessly through the air.  Only Dawn and Scootaloo's complete trust in one another and their years of practicing together kept them from hurting each other.
Even though they were technically practitioners of the same style, Dawn and Scootaloo each had their own distinct forms.  Dawn's movements were sharp, powerful, and precise, each attack focused and honed.  He zipped one way then another, sometimes even appearing in two or three places at once.  Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was another story altogether.  She moved as though her body was liquid, often flowing gracefully around Dawn's attacks and counterattacking in the same graceful motion.  She moved like a dancer in the air, each motion almost artistic, an artistry that actually increased the speed and power of her blows.
Despite the differences in their styles, to Rainbow, it looked as though the two of them were in perfect synch with one another, completely matching their moves so that neither moved too fast nor hit too hard.  Winning was not the object of this sparring session.  Rather, it served as an active form of exercise, the two participants practicing their techniques against an opponent in a dynamic situation, forcing them to adapt on the fly and tailor their moves to the necessity of the situation.  Dawn was taking the lead, using his movements to determine Scootaloo's attacks and his counters to further test her defense.  Rainbow could see it clearly.  Though they moved together, Dawn was still in charge, still the instructor.
But Scootaloo wasn't far behind...
Yeah, thought Rainbow, thinking back to the suggestion she'd been about to give Scootaloo about the Best Young Fliers competition, I think that's the best thing for them.  But will Dawn agree to it?
Up above, Scootaloo and Dawn came together one last time, both of them sweeping their wings forward and slamming opposing columns of air together, compressing them until the light bent in the space between them, giving the impression of a lens.  The the two of them broke away from each other as the blasts of air rebounded explosively, the shockwave pushing them back apart.  The came to a stop, hovering for a few seconds before turning to come in for a landing.
"Holy guacamole!" said Spike, letting out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding.  "I forgot what it's like when you two really go at it.  That was something else."
"Ah'll say," said Bloom, grinning at Scootaloo and offering a towel from the orange mare's saddlebag.  "Ah'm amazed the two of ya don't have ponies watchin' ya all the time."
Scootaloo sighed, her legs shaking as she reached for the towel and used it to wipe away her sweat.  "You think ponies would come all the way out here just to watch the two of us smack each other around?"
"They're a little bit intimidated," said Spike.  When the others looked at him, he merely shrugged.  "Well, can you blame 'em.  Watching the two of you fight is like watching a natural disaster unfolding.  I know you two would never hurt each other or anyone watching, as long as they keep enough of a distance, and my heart was still in my throat.  It's a scary thing to watch."
"Too true," agreed Rainbow Dash.  "Though it's a pretty big thrill.  That's exactly the sort of thing you need to win the Best Young Fliers Competition."
"Competition?" asked Dawn, raising an eyebrow and looking at Scootaloo.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo, blushing a little under his gaze.  "It's coming up and we're eligible this year."
"That's true," Dawn conceded, cupping his chin.
Scootaloo and Dawn would have been old enough the previous year, but their birthdays fell after the cutoff date for the competition, meaning that they would have to wait until this year.  Although Scootaloo was uncertain that Dawn would be interested in participating.
"I guess I could try to wow them with a Gale King demonstration," said Scootaloo.  "It's certainly something nopony has ever done before at the competition."  She looked over at Dawn, wondering if he was interested in participating.  If he did, his display would probably be similar to hers.  Two ponies doing, more or less, the same thing would probably not go over well with the judges, even if said judges were Spitfire and the Wonderbolts.
"I think I'll sit it out," said Dawn, giving Scootaloo an encouraging smile.  "I know you've been excited about this, since you weren't able to compete last year."
"Yeah...I guess..."  Scootaloo looked down, not certain how to identify the feeling rising in her gut.  It made sense.  Dawn wasn't the sort to show off in public, so she wasn't surprised in the slightest.  But she felt discouraged for some reason, like it wasn't really worth it unless Dawn was going to be there too.
"Actually, I think you should both go," said Rainbow, a small smirk finding its way onto her face.  "You two should consider performing together."