The Price of Flight

by Bro-Nii-San

A Guilty Flight

Scootaloo's mind was numb, her thoughts all focused on one thing. She could fly, but now Rainbow Dash could not. All her dreams of flying with the pony she had idolized for so long disappeared, lost in a mist of misery that slowly began to cloud over in Scootaloo's mind. Slowly, and with a blank expression on her face, Scootaloo turned around. On either side of her, the same sterile white walls she had seen in the last room stretched on before her, only broken by the occasional window. Those walls seemed so cold, and unforgiving to her, when before they had always seemed to have a certain lack of character. She slowly began to make her way down the hall, each hoof-step echoing down the lonely hallway. Looking forward, there was only a single turn at the end of the hallway she was walking through.

As she made her way forward, the first of the two windows drew nearer. Even though she had seen it approaching, she was still forced to cover her eyes from the harsh sunlight entering through the portal to the outside world. Scootaloo stopped here, waiting for the pain in her eyes to fade so she could look outside. She was on the second story, near the corner of the hospital. Outside, it was beautiful. In fact, it was so similar to the sky that she had last flown through, with the one she cared so much about... The one she had hurt so badly. Tears began to blur her vision as they welled up in her eyes. Scootaloo hung her head down low as she sat down, a gentle sob starting to rack her body. At first, they were silent, but as the tears began to increase, so did her sobs. Before long, Scootaloo was laying curled up on the floor, cradling her own tail for comfort. Suddenly, she felt a hoof upon her shoulder. Looking about with tears still in her eyes, Scootaloo was barely able to make out the shapes of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

Though Scootaloo's sobs had stopped for a moment, they quickly resumed as both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom moved closer to her. Why where they here, comforting her? She didn't deserve such good friends... She had lied to them, and yet even now she was not able to tell them the truth. What if they come to resent her for what she had done? Both of their sisters were some of Rainbow's closest friends, and she had nearly taken Rainbow Dash away from them. Even if they did not come to hate her, their sisters surely would, and they would no longer be allowed to hang out anymore... It was almost certainly selfish, but Scootaloo needed the two of them, especially now. Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle laid down next to Scootaloo as she continued to cry. Apple Bloom left her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder as Sweetie Belle gently stroked her head and mane until she finally began to calm down.

"Thanks, both of you," Scootaloo croaked. Her eyes were red from crying, her muzzle and cheek fur stained with the tears she had just shed. Her nose was also running uncontrollably as she finally lifted her head.

"Think nothing of it, Scootaloo. Are you better now?" Apple Bloom asked, giving Scootaloo a weak smile when she turned to look at her.

"Better? I don't think so... Rainbow Dash is still laying back there, and it is all my fault..." Scootaloo said, turning her gaze back to the ground, no longer being able to look her friends in the face. The guilt she felt was nearly unbearable. Though, of course neither Apple Bloom nor Sweetie Belle would understand that.

"What happened wasn't your fault, Scootaloo. We both know you would never intentionally do anything to hurt Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle chimed in. She was still softly stroking Scootaloo's mane, to which she swiftly put a stop to as she stood up, pushing her hoof away with a bit more force than intended. Still, Sweetie Belle gave her a soft look, and a small smile.

"No, you don't understand! You couldn't understand..." Scootaloo stated, her voice dropping from a shout to a quiet whisper. Apple Bloom stood up as well now, moving to rest her hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder once more, though stopped when Scootaloo held up a hoof.

"Just, stop. I need to be alone right now. I have a lot to think about," Scootaloo said, turning away from the two of them. Apple Bloom made to take a step towards Scootaloo once more, but Sweetie Belle gently set a hoof upon her shoulder, shaking her head. Apple Bloom seemed unwilling to leave, but another glace between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle forced her to hang her head in defeat.

"We will be in the club house if you need to talk about anything," Sweetie Belle said as Apple Bloom started to make her way down the hall, moving slowly until Sweetie Belle caught up.

Scootaloo could hear their hoof-steps retreat into the distance, though she did not turn around until long after their sound stopped reaching her ears. It began to feel like a heavy weight was pressing down upon Scootaloo. Turning her head to where she felt the heaviest, she was greeted by the same sight she had once been so proud of... Her wings. At first they had made her weightless, proud. Now they were a curse, weighing heavy on both her body and spirit. Had all of this really only started in a dream? Had she been so willing to fly, that she would sacrifice her idol so willingly? As she stood there, staring, her gaze turned from one of guilt, to one of resentment. A scowl overtook her features as she glared at those wings. She refused to even call them hers.

In the end, Scootaloo was forced to simply release a sigh, finally tearing her gaze away from her wings. She had to stop thinking about what had happened and start thinking about something much more important. How was she going to fix this? Luna had mentioned that the same shadow had made her into Nightmare Moon... She was returned to normal thanks to the Elements of Harmony, which had long since been returned to the Tree of Harmony. Scootaloo turned and finally started to walk down the hallway as she thought of other ways to reverse the curse...

"How do I remove this curse?! Curse- Curse? Curse! If anypony besides Twilight is going to know anything about curses or cures it would be Zecora!" Scootaloo muttered in revelation. It was a long shot, but at the very least it would be a first step towards hopefully fixing the situation. Though, how was she supposed to ask Zecora about the curse? It would seem far too coincidental should she show up and ask about it right after the whole ordeal with Rainbow and herself... Not that it was likely Zecora would know about that though! Zecora was most often shut up in the Everfree Forest, far away from the daily bustle of Ponyville life, and so it would be unlikely Zecora had heard anything about it!

Finally having made up her mind, Scootaloo finally rose her head, her eyes now clear, though still slightly red of swollen from the tears she had shed. Sitting around and crying about her situation, and that of Rainbow's, was going to get her nowhere, she had to find some way to take action, some way to fix the mess she had brought about.

---

As was almost always the case, the Everfree Forest was dark and gloomy, seeming to hide unknown horrors just outside of Scootaloo's vision. While she was still understandably weary, however, the trek to Zecora's hut no longer scared her. This was the very first time that she could recall making the trip alone, and as such the Forest did seem to have a whole new air of danger and mystery to it. Realistically, Scootaloo could have just flown to Zecora's, which would have taken much less time, but after what happened with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo felt far to guilty to even attempt a flight so lightly. Scootaloo's thoughts once again started to drift back towards that awful memory. To see Rainbow Dash of all ponies laying in a hospital bed, wrapped in bandages. Weak, helpless. And all because of her...

Scootaloo's thoughts were thankfully redirected when a faint light began to course out from between the trees ahead of her, flickering in an almost rhythmic pattern that could only be the torches Zecora used to light the outside of her house. Stepping out of the thicker forest, Scootaloo entered the small clearing that held Zecora's quaint little cottage. The outside, as always, sent shivers down Scootaloo's spine. The various masks that hung here and there seemed to her like faces, crying out is every emotion imaginable from joy, to sorrow, to horror. Scootaloo could no longer tell what time of day it was, though she had to guess it was later into the evening now. If she wanted Zecora's advice, she was going to have to swallow the unease she felt and knock on the door. She wandered over slowly, not because of how creepy it felt. She was too familiar with the hospitality that would greet her after she was inside. She felt out of place. Zecora always gave sage advice, and went out of her way to share her knowledge to help ponies. And here was Scootaloo, about to knock on her door to tell even more lies... Regardless, the sudden flash of Rainbow Dash laying bandaged was enough to re-spark her enthusiasm, for the moment at least. She rapped three times on the door, striking the rough would with the hard wall of her hoof. A few seconds dragged by, as Scootaloo wondered if she was already asleep before the door swung open, revealing the striped coat of Zecora as she put on a warm smile upon seeing Scootaloo.

"What is this before my eyes? Scootaloo, what a surprise," Zecora said rhythmically, using her usual rhymes to greet the younger filly. Though her eyes did fall upon Scootaloo's newly developed wings, she said nothing, seeming to shift her gaze away as if she had seen something private, or personal.

"Hello Zecora. I was wondering if it would be alright if we could talk inside for a bit?" Scootaloo asked. Zecora's smile did not fade as she nodded, welcoming Scootaloo into her house. Instantly upon entering her dwelling, Scootaloo was assaulted by the sweet aroma of the numerous herbs that Zecora kept or grew, an ever sweeter smell seeming to fight for control of Scootaloo's attention as she walked over to a small wooden stool, barely bothering to take in any of the usual sights. There were still various tonics that hung from the ceiling here and there, as well as the natural wood walls that seemed to have every available inch covered with shelving, each one crammed with even more potions. In the center of the humble abode sat a large iron pot, a small fire working to heat not only the interior of the home, but that of the pot and its contents as well. Zecora pulled another stool from across the room that was her house as Scootaloo settled into place.

"You have traveled far to see me, now of what help may I be?" Zecora asked as she also settled into her own seat. Scootaloo suddenly felt a whole new wave of anxiety take hold of her, her eyes wandering as if she were actually looking for the words to say hidden away in the grains of the wood that surrounded her. There was a flicker of a shadow moving outside of a small window to Scootaloo's right that caught her fleeting attention. Looking over simply to find nothing but the flickering light of a torch outside, Scootaloo let out a sigh.

"I don't know how much, if at all, you can help Zecora, but something has happened to Rainbow Dash. I cannot go into too much detail, but... What do you know about curses?" Scootaloo asked, her ears perking up as Zecora gave a thoughtful hum.

"A curse on Rainbow Dash? Of what kind, if I may ask?" Zecora questioned back. It came as no surprise to Scootaloo that her question had seemed to have gone unanswered. She knew Zecora would answer before long, and so she found it best to simply answer her return question.

"Well, you see, the thing is..." Scootaloo stammered, once again at a loss for the correct wording to use. In the end, she had no option but to simply spit it out.

"Rainbow Dash lost her ability to fly," she said, now unable too look Zecora in the eye, though she did see a small frown form upon her features.

"For the one that you admire, the situation does seem dire," Zecora responded, the frown still upon her face as Scootaloo's heart sank. She had placed nearly all of her faith in the hope that Zecora would know what to do.

"Does that mean..." Scootaloo started to ask, but soon cut off, unwilling to finish her question for fear of what answer may come.

"A cure you desire, but none can I acquire," Zecora let out in a regretful sigh. Scootaloo's ears and wings pressed down tightly against her as she cast her gaze to the ground, a new air of hopelessness having begun to take hold.

"For the remedy you seek, you must not be so meek. A word or two true, can do well to help you," Zecora said, leaning down to get Scootaloo's attention, slowly placing a hoof upon her shoulder. Scootaloo gave a small smile, before realizing what all Zecora had actually said. 'A word or two true.' Did Zecora already know? Or had she merely seen through Scootaloo? Or was it simply for the sake of a rhyme? No, it would be unlike Zecora to accidentally let a phrase like that slip simply for a good rhyme, Zecora knew more about what was going on than Scootaloo had anticipated, but before Scootaloo could say anything, Zecora spoke again, now standing up to move towards the door as she spoke.

"You have nothing to fear, for you are not as alone as you appear," Zecora said, standing to the side as she pulled the door inwards, two familiar faces came crashing inward, having been leaning against the door moments earlier. As they sat up, reality hit Scootaloo leaving her speechless. All that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could do was give a small apologetic smile while Apple Bloom scratched the back of her head, an obvious tell they both knew they had been caught doing something they shouldn't have been.

"What you need, is a friend, indeed," Zecora surmised with a small, knowing smile.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, what are you both doing here?" Scootaloo asked, though her voice came across as more demanding than questioning. Sweetie Belle just attempted to smile wider as Apple Bloom spoke.

"We were more than a little worried about you Scootaloo, so we decided we would follow you for a bit. You know, make sure you were actually alright," She said, still smiling a bit, though she dipped her head. The next moment, the both of them spoke in unison.

"We're sorry."

"And since we are being honest, it was my idea," Sweetie confessed, her smile not wavering.

"But anyway Scootaloo, what all this about a curse? We thought Rainbow Dash was just injured," Apple Bloom asked. She seemed like she wanted to keep smiling for Scootaloo's sake, but her smile was replaced by a look of confusion. Looking over to Sweetie Belle now, Scootaloo noticed that she just wore a concerned look. How could she possibly weasel out of this now? Her now drifting eyes found Zecora's as she gave a smile and a curt nod, her previous words ringing in Scootaloo's mind once more. She could do nothing but sigh.

"The whole thing with Rainbow is... Well- It- Its my fault!" Scootaloo practically shouted, the pressure finally becoming too much. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle just exchanged confused looks, before moving close to Scootaloo, who gave no objections.

"I don't think we understand, Scootaloo. What exactly happened? You know we Crusader stick together, no mater what! We can get this figured out in no time, I am sure of it," Apple Bloom said, attempting to reassure Scootaloo, also stressing the word 'We.'

"I- I stole her ability to fly," Scootaloo said, rustling her wings as she did so, eliciting a glace from both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as Zecora faded into the background, moving quietly away to give the three of them as much privacy as possible. Their looks once again reflected the fact that they didn't quite understand, leading Scootaloo to let out another sigh.

And so she recounted the story of how she ended up getting her wings. The real story, including her visit from Princess Luna, and the conversation they had. The look in both of their eyes told her that they understood everything perfectly now.

"Oh, Scootaloo!" Sweetie all but squeaked as she threw her forelegs around Scootaloo's neck, embracing her as Scootaloo just sat there stunned.

"Scootaloo, you couldn't have know what that monstrous shadow meant back then! The shifty thing tricked you, you didn't ask to take Rainbow's flight yourself," Apple Bloom said soothingly. About this time, they were gently interrupted by a new aroma approaching. Before them, Zecora set down a tray with three cups upon it, simply giving a knowing smile and nod once more before returning to the other end of the hut, though not before being thanked by all three fillies.

"I might as well have! In the end, the only thing that matters is that I can fly, and Rainbow Dash can't," Scootaloo said with a huff, though her irritated mood just as swiftly began to switch as a few new tears began to form in her eyes. Before she could completely break down though, Apple Bloom perked her ears up.

"I have an idea then!" She said, scrambling to stand, now pulling the stool Zecora had used over to use as some sort of stand to rest her front hooves upon. The sight struck Scootaloo as familiar.

"I hereby call the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order in out temporary Headquarters! Sweetie Belle!" She barked out.

"Present!" Sweetie Belle called back enthusiastically, seemingly having caught on to whatever Apple Bloom had planned.

"Scootaloo!" She barked out once more.

"Here," Scootaloo muttered in a daze, unsure of what was going on, though used to the routine as it was the same they used in the Club House.

"With all of our members present, I do hereby begin our newest meeting! I propose that today, instead of how to Crusade for our cutie marks, we will instead focus on returning Rainbow Dash to her former glory, all who support this notion, say 'Aye'!" Apple Bloom said with all the official bravado she could muster.

"Aye!" Sweetie Belle let out, raising her hoof in approval. All Scootaloo could do now, was smile, also raising her hoof, although slowly.

"Aye!" Scootaloo let out. She felt a wave of stupidity crash over her. Had she really been afraid to talk to her friends of all people about what was really going on? She couldn't believe how dense she had been! She knew that she herself would always help her friends in their time of need, and now she knew that the same could be said of the both of them. Sitting there, smiling as she was, her hope and faith was renewed. She knew that with the help of her friends, she would be able to accomplish anything.

Author's Note:

So, as it turns out. Rhyming? Not my thing. Writing dialog for Zecora is a NIGHTMARE, so don't expect too much more speech from her anytime soon. XD

Also, I realize that this chapter is a bit shorter than many of my others, and that there really isn't THAT much here, however, I felt that this was important for setting up the next chapter. Once again, if anyone spots any errors, or critiques, I would be happy to hear of them!

(I'll also admit to bit of Writer Block here, however, I have the next chapter all planned out thanks to this one. Thanks to everyone who has supported the story thus far, and I hope to have a MUCH better chapter out for everyone soon!)

Comments

[F]

It's alive! :O

[Bro-Nii-San]

5913410
Despite appearances, I wouldn't just up and abandon the story and leave everyone hanging. XD Besides, I normally have a lot of fun writing out these chapters. And also despite what people may WANT me to say, I can likely presume that this will not be the last delay you will see from me. :P I'll work to see if I can get another, more quality chapter out before EFNW, but odds are it will be a week or so after. Glad to see people are still interested in this though! Already have a plan being laid out for the next chapter, and quite honestly, from here on we may or may not see a sizable jump in content. Everything else has kind of been more of an intro (spoiler alert. No seriously, might be a bit of a spoiler after this, though nothing major or specific of course.) and the REAL plot starts now, with all the feels I am sure you all expect out of a "Sad" tag! That said, at the very least I estimate I have a good 4-6 chapters with around 5k words in each before I am even considering being finished, but if things go as I plan, we may start to see chapters in the range of 8-10k words before too long. A LOT to tell now, and all the time in the world to tell it. >:)

[Emperor]

And so now the truth comes out, to the other two CMC, and presumably Zecora if she was still listening in.

Leave it to the CMC in any case to stumble upon some thousand-year-old power by accident that can heal Rainbow Dash.