Joining the Team
Chapter 10: Joining the Team
"So...what do you think?" asked Soarin' as he and Rainbow made their way down the hallways of the Wonderbolt Headquarters, "You like your new room?"
"It's nice," said Rainbow, feeling a bit underwhelmed, "But it's not home...yet."
"Give it time," said Soarin' with a laugh.
Rainbow frowned. Granted, while she hadn't been expecting luxury accommodations, she had figured that she'd end up with something more substantial than the room she had now.
And a room it was; not a suite, not a set of rooms...a room...singular. Rainbow supposed she could consider it two if she counted the small closet as a second room. The whole affair was smaller than her own bedroom back in Ponyville. Besides her bed (also smaller than her old one), there was barely enough room for a small desk and a single empty set of shelves that took up half of one wall, the other half of said wall being occupied by the small closet that currently held the dresses Rarity had made for her and her flight suit, which Soarin' told her she didn't need just yet. There was a bathroom down the hall, shared by everypony on her floor.
At least it's better than the Academy, Rainbow admitted to herself. At the Academy, all she'd had was a bunk in the recruit barracks, along with a single hooflocker. She supposed that having a room to herself was a step up. On the plus side, she was still living in the Wonderbolt Headquarters...as an actual Wonderbolt! That awesomeness had to count for something.
"So..." she mused, "Is it just because I'm a newbie that I have a room like that?"
"Sorta," said Soarin', "You could call it a "beginner's set." Because our rooms are made out of cloud, we can add to them pretty easily. It's just a matter of getting materials and then getting it built. You should see some of the others' rooms. Though, while you're in training, I doubt you'll have the energy to do anything to your room yet."
"Makes sense," admitted Rainbow, already looking forward to seeing what the other Wonderbolts had done to their rooms, "What about when we travel?"
Soarin' shrugged. "It depends a bit. Spitfire doesn't like to put us up anywhere too ritzy. But, a lot of times, having the Wonderbolts coming to town is such a big deal that the mayor or somepony in the local government insists in putting you up in the best place they have."
"Nice perks," noted Rainbow.
"Eh," said Soarin' "Seen one fancy hotel room, seen 'em all. Since we hardly spend any time in them and a lot of their features are geared towards ponies who are a lot fancier we are, it's not like we get a whole lot out of them."
"I guess so," said Rainbow, though she wouldn't mind a fancy room if it came with its own hot tub...Especially if I can share that hot tub with Soarin', she thought, trying to keep her tail from lashing too eagerly at the image that popped up in her head.
Shaking her head to clear out the potentially naughty imagery her brain was conjuring up, Rainbow turned her attention back to Soarin'. "So where are we heading now?"
"Spitfire's office," said Soarin', "She's going to be letting you know about how your training is going to work and go over the rules with you." He grinned. "Don't worry, the Wonderbolts aren't big on ceremony and protocol the way the Guard is."
"Okay," said Rainbow, feeling a bit anxious about it nonetheless. Part of her was worried about what this would do to her relationship with Soarin'. Though they were officially together, the fact that they were now both Wonderbolts was probably bound to make their relationship a little...tricky. Part of her worried that there'd be some sort of rule against fraternizing between members. But that was ridiculous, considering Spitfire herself had encouraged the relationship between Soarin' and Rainbow.
I guess I'm about to find out, she thought as Soarin' stopped at one of the doors and knocked sharply against the hardened cloud construct.
"Come in," said Spitfire from within.
Soarin' opened the door so that he and Rainbow could step inside before closing it behind them. Spitfire was seated at her desk, looking over a stack of papers. Once she heard the door close, she set the stack aside. "Well now," she said, giving Rainbow a sly smile, "If it isn't my newest recruit and her coltfriend."
"I resent that," said Soarin', puffing up and adopting a pompous tone, "Just because I'm a stallion doesn't mean I'll just stand by being labeled as some mare's accessory."
Unable to conceal her giggle, Rainbow elbowed Soarin' in the side, prompting him to expel the air he'd taken in with a loud whoosh.
"I don't know," said Spitfire, "Seems like she's got your number. Besides, you make a nice accessory."
"Ha! That's true!" said Rainbow with a guffaw as Soarin' grumbled and turned sharply away from her.
Spitfire coughed down her own laughter. "Anyway," she said, "Setting that aside for the moment, let's talk business." She looked a bit more serious now. "For starters, let's go over what's going to happen to you over the next few months, Rainbow Dash."
"Right," said Rainbow, focusing her attention on Spitfire.
"For the first three months, you're going to be going through our standard training regimen for new recruits," explained Spitfire, "You'll get physical training, flight training, maneuvering training, formation training, advanced weather manipulation training, advanced magical training, and advanced combat training."
"Okay..." said Rainbow, feeling a bit nervous. Granted, she was no stranger to intense training regimens. Celestia knew, she'd put herself through more than a few of them for most of her life. However, Spitfire's list had seemed more than a little daunting.
"The physical stuff should be pretty easy for you," said Spitfire, "It's mostly checking off boxes to make sure that your physical attributes are up to snuff. You've already got a good grasp of formation flying and you know most of our standard formations, so that should go pretty quick too. Some of the others are a bit outside of your regular weather courses or even anything you'd find in the Academy.
"You'll learn how to fly during extreme weather conditions, such as severe blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes, and even under the conditions of volcanic eruptions."
"You do that stuff?" asked Rainbow.
"The Wonderbolts are an emergency response team for natural disasters," said Spitfire, "We're often first on the scene after the local authorities for any large-scale disaster. Our job is usually to keep the weather clear for the other workers or aid in rescue work. You have to be able to fly in severe conditions and be able to perform a variety of tasks that are already difficult enough on their own at the same time. It's no walk in the park, I'll tell you that."
Rainbow gulped nervously. It certainly didn't sound like a walk in the park.
"You'll also receive rescue worker training," continued Spitfire, "That includes medical training equivalent to that of standard medical first-responder teams. We're expected to go places that normal EMT teams can't, but we still have to provide the same level of treatment that they can."
"Right," said Rainbow, sweating a little bit now. Her first aid courses back in Flight School and during her training period in the Ponyville Weather Team were a long ways behind her and said courses had been far from her favorites.
"What about the weather training?" asked Rainbow, a bit curious. She'd always been at the top of her class, in the practicum at least. She wondered what Wonderbolt-level weather manipulation consisted of.
"That's related to the advanced flight training," replied Spitfire, "You're gonna be training to help handle severe conditions. Trust me, clearing away an ash cloud or deflecting a Category-3 hurricane is a bit different than your typical cloudbusting."
"...Oh..." Rainbow's legs began to shake. It was a lot to take in.
"Naturally, magical training should be right up your alley," said Spitfire, "It's tied in to building a deeper understanding of how your pegasus magic works and how to make that work for you. Since you've been spending a lot of time around Dawn Lightwing, I think you'll probably be able to pick it up fairly quickly."
"I hope so," said Rainbow.
"Finally, there's the combat training," said Spitfire, "I know that you've already got a fair bit of training in some basic martial arts. What you'll get here is more intensive training, but a lot of it will be building off of stuff that you already know."
"Okay," said Rainbow. That didn't sound so bad.
"Now that's your first three months," said Spitfire, "For the three months following that, you get the special training."
"Let me guess," said Rainbow, "That's when Firefly takes over, right?"
Spitfire nodded. "Once she takes the reins, you'll be training separately from the rest of us. I don't know exactly what plans Firefly has, but she'll probably take you a ways away to carry out your training."
"Then, once it's over, I come back, right?" asked Rainbow, canting her head slightly.
Spitfire nodded. "Granted, I don't know if three months is gonna be long enough for Firefly to teach you what she wants to. At this point, it's just a supremely optimistic estimate. It might even be a couple years or longer."
"And...uh...you girls are okay with that?"
Spitfire shrugged. "I figure it'll be worth it in the end. Besides, I owe it to Firefly. She was the one who mentored me when I first joined the Knights."
"Mentored?"
"Not in the direct sense, mind you," said Spitfire, "but sort of what me and Arkenstone are doing with Dawn. She kept tabs on me, helped me figure out some rough spots and generally acted as a guide. I certainly wasn't her student."
"Oh..." said Rainbow, mulling Spitfire's words over. Part of her was beginning to feel extremely anxious. Just how long was this all going to take? Rainbow had been fairly confident that it wouldn't be more than a year before she'd finish her training and get to see her friends again, much less start doing actual Wonderbolt stuff. But now...it was seeming as though her dream was starting to drift away again.
She felt Soarin's hoof rest on her shoulder. "Hey," he said, "Don't worry too much about it. I know you'll get the hang of things really fast."
"You think so?" she asked.
Soarin' grinned and nodded. "I know so...Besides, I've got fifty bits on you taking no longer than six months total, so I kinda need you to do your best."
Rainbow gave the stallion a deadpan stare.
"Wait!" snapped Spitfire, "You bet on six months!?"
"That's right," said Soarin', giving his captain a sly grin, "That means if Rainbow beats that deadline by any margin, I get the pot...Unless you think she can do it even faster."
Spitfire rubbed her chin thoughtfully, but was interrupted by the sight of Rainbow's hoof clonking against Soarin's skull.
"Ow!" cried Soarin', rubbing his bruised noggin as Rainbow turned sharply away from him muttering under her breath.
Spitfire couldn't help but laugh at her second-in-command's consternation. "I see the two of you are still getting along swimmingly."
"As well as can be expected," said Soarin' with a groan, while Rainbow glared at him over her shoulder.
The smile fell from Spitfire's face. "Actually, I need to talk to you two about that too."
"Whoo boy," said Soarin' as he faced Spitfire with a nervous expression. Rainbow, feeling a bit worried herself, sat down and waited to hear what her captain had to say.
"Now, here's the deal," said Spitfire, "The idea of Wonderbolts being in a relationship isn't exactly new. Since we don't operate with as strict a hierarchy as the Guard, the fact that Soarin' is technically dating a subordinate isn't much of an issue either. Under normal circumstances, that kind of relationship might create friction or difficulties in a situation where you have to defer to Soarin's authority, Rainbow. But I trust the two of you and I hope that you'll overcome any problems in that area and emerge as better Wonderbolts because of it."
Both Rainbow and Soarin' nodded gravely.
"Part of that is because the Wonderbolts train to work seamlessly as a team without automatically defaulting hierarchy. A lot of the time, you'll be expected to do a lot of your own thinking and seeing where the team needs you and what you can do to support your teammates. That's not an easy skill to acquire and it takes a lot of experience to master, but you'll need it and I expect...No!...I demand that you acquire it. Wonderbolts think for themselves and act together. That may seem oxymoronic, but that doesn't make it any less true."
"Um..." Rainbow swallowed. This sounded way harder than what had been expected of her as a Weather Manager. But she was determined to rise to the challenge. I got in, that means that Spitfire believes I can do this.
Spitfire sighed. "That said, I'm sorry to say this, but Soarin' won't be involved in your training."
Soarin' blinked. "Huh! But I'm her close-combat instructor, aren't I?"
"Nope," said Spitfire flatly, "Misty Fly has Rainbow's close-combat training."
"But I always do close-combat training," Soarin' whined, "I've got the highest rating, don't I?"
"You do," said Spitfire, "But there is no way in Tartarus I'm letting you handle Rainbow's close combat training."
"Aww! Why not?" groaned Soarin'.
Rainbow felt a bit let down as well. After having already spent most of her relationship with Soarin' at quite a distance, she was a little disappointed to find out that he wouldn't be one of the ponies training her.
Spitfire raised an eyebrow and gave Soarin' her best "you're an idiot" look. "I want you to think very hard about my reasoning when I say that I don't want the two of you spending an extended period of time in close quarters, getting extremely sweaty as you grapple forcefully with one another, putting your hooves on each other's bodies..." Her eyebrow lifted incrementally higher as she saw the bright blushes spreading across Soarin' and Rainbow's faces as the two of them envisioned exactly just such a situation. "Needless to say, since I don't want to have to change out the cumulus padding in the practice room after each of your...sessions, and I want to be sure that what you're doing is actual training, I'm going to have the next best pony on the team handle Rainbow's training."
Um...When she puts it that way...I guess it makes sense, thought Rainbow, Though I certainly wouldn't mind a few intensive sessions with Soarin'.
"You see my point?" asked Spitfire, prompting a nod from her audience, "Good! This brings us to our last topic...Sex."
"What?" gasped Rainbow.
"Have you done it?" asked Spitfire, not even bothering to beat around the bush.
"No!" cried out Rainbow, "We haven't even shared a room or a bed yet!"
"That's what I thought," said Spitfire in a relieved tone, "Which makes it a lot easier for me to tell you two won’t be doing it from now until however long your training lasts."
Soarin' nodded, as though he were completely unsurprised by the idea.
"But why not?" asked Rainbow, not that she was desperate to have sex with Soarin'...But after Spitfire had been so accepting and even encouraging of their relationship, Rainbow was surprised to hear Spitfire categorically deny a part of it like that.
"Sex is distracting," said Spitfire simply, "For a while, at least. It's a big step in a relationship and one that can occupy a lot of your time and attention, both before and after the act. That kind of distraction is the last thing you need when you're in the middle of intensive training. Once you've finished your training and are actually part of the team, then you'll be free to work those things out with Soarin'. That includes all of the baggage that comes with a sexual relationship, including any...eventualities...that might pop up."
Rainbow gulped yet again. "Eventualities...?"
Spitfire shrugged. "You know, pregnancy, a little bundle of joy on the way, a bun in the oven-"
"I get the idea."
"In any case," said Spitfire, "I obviously wouldn't have allowed or encouraged a relationship between the two of you if I hadn't thought about things like that, including maternity leave. There are no real requirements in terms of eligibility and the like, but I imagine that becoming parents might make being active Wonderbolts difficult."
Rainbow frowned. She didn't like the idea of trying to balance being a mom and being a Wonderbolt at all. She couldn't imagine how difficult it would be for their foal if either she or Soarin, or worse, both of them, were constantly away on deployment. What kind of life was that to subject a foal to? On the other hoof, spending the time to properly see to a foal's needs would generally rule out being a Wonderbolt, which would probably mean that either Rainbow or Soarin', possibly both of them, would have to give up their place on the team to properly care for said foal. Neither option was particularly pleasant.
Spitfire smiled, apparently noticing Rainbow's chain of thought. "Yeah, that's not gonna be an easy issue. It's not as though you're obligated to become a mother at some point. Hay! Some couples are perfectly happy going throughout their lives without foals of their own. But you need to remember, however reliable modern contraception and birth-control techniques have become, there's still always a margin of error...which is the other reason sex is off the table during your training. You can't get pregnant from all the sex you don't have."
"I figured that," deadpanned Rainbow.
"Any particulars in that area will be for you and Soarin' to work out," said Spitfire, "That's assuming your relationship ever gets that far." She broke out into a grin. "But hey, we're breaking new ground after all. It's bound to be rocky."
"New ground?" asked Rainbow.
"You two are the first Wonderbolts members to be in a relationship with each other since I took over the team," said Spitfire, "Rapidfire is married, but his wife isn't on the team. She has a regular job at the Weather Factory. A couple of the others are in some pretty serious relationships too. But again, none of them are in a relationship with a fellow Wonderbolt."
"You mean this has never happened before?" asked Rainbow.
"It happened a few times before I took over," said Spitfire, "But back then, since the Wonderbolts was a cushy job for 'elite flyers' who only needed to strut their stuff at the occasional show, it was nowhere near as much of an issue."
"Makes sense, I guess," said Rainbow. It was a lot to take in at once. It was also a lot to think about. There would be plenty of tough decisions to make...even after her training was complete.
"That's about all I had to say," said Spitfire, "You're dismissed. You have the rest of today and tomorrow to yourself."
"Thanks," said Rainbow. She turned to go, but hesitated when she noticed that Soarin' wasn't following her.
"I have to talk to Spitfire for a bit," said Soarin', giving his fillyfriend a grin, "I'll join up with you in a bit."
"Okay," said Rainbow, letting herself out the room.
For a long moment, Soarin' and Spitfire were silent. Finally, the pale-blue stallion broke that silence. "So...I noticed you didn't tell her about the training."
Spitfire smirked. "Nope. And if you have any sense in your head, you won't tell her either."
"Tell her that she's expected to do in three months what's expected of normal initiates during their first six," said Soarin', "I wouldn't want to put her under that kind of pressure. She's got enough of that as it is."
"Physically, she's more than up to snuff," said Spitfire, "For most new recruits, that's the longest part of the process." Conditioning the body took both time and care. Wonderbolts were expected to have substantial strength, stamina, agility, and reflexes. Cultivating those things was not a fast process, since rushing could easily do more harm than good. However, all of both Spitfire and Soarin's experience with Rainbow Dash told them that Rainbow was in top shape, even by Wonderbolt standards...
...Which was the only reason Spitfire would even consider accelerating Rainbow's training in the first place. Spitfire fully expected Rainbow to complete in three months what was expected of most new recruits in six. It was a gamble, an incredibly risky one at that. It would mean riding Rainbow hard for the next three months and not letting up. There was a fair chance that Rainbow would snap and break under the strain.
But Spitfire had faith that she wouldn't. When push came to shove, Rainbow Dash was a pony who rose to the challenge and met it head on...even when she didn't actually know said challenge was coming. "Nothing more to do but get to it."
Scootaloo was awake even before the sun was cresting the horizon. It was Monday, meaning that the first day of the new school term was about to begin. In spite of being out late the night before, Scootaloo didn't feel all that drowsy as she rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She'd gotten used to getting up early. Besides, as the year progressed, the sun would start rising earlier and, pretty soon, it wouldn't be dark at all outside when she got up for her morning routine.
As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Scootaloo was already looking around expectantly. On the days where they met at her house, Dawn was usually there already, waiting for her so that they could run through their forms.
Oh... thought Scootaloo, her enthusiasm fading away as the memory of what happened last night rushed through her, He's not gonna be here anymore.
Coming down to an empty living room with no sign of her coltfriend made Scootaloo feel as empty as the room itself. Her stomach churned as she remembered their fight, her storming off to her room and Dawn to his and Fluttershy's cottage. Is that it? Is it really over between us?
Her pain faded and was replaced by anger as she remembered what Dawn had said last night. I don't need that jerk. He scolds me for being reckless after going off and nearly getting himself killed how many times now. I don't need a coltfriend or a teacher who isn't gonna respect me.
With an angry snarl, Scootaloo went out into the front yard to go through her forms without Dawn. It took less than ten minutes for her to realize that something was wrong. Her movements, usually smooth and flowing, were sharp and jerky. Her steps were halting and her wings seemed to jab out carelessly. Nothing about her forms felt right. What was more, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't clear her head. Instead, her mind would once again go over the events of the previous evening and conjure up that strange melange of sadness, guilt, and anger in her gut. No matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't go away.
With an angry groan, Scootaloo gave up trying to go through her forms again and instead stalked inside to wait for breakfast. She settled onto the couch until Melon Cream came down. Melon froze when she caught sight of her daughter sulking in the living room.
"Scootaloo? What are you doing sitting there? Aren't you usually out practicing right now?" Melon stared at the filly, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.
"Yeah," Scootaloo groaned, "But I just can't seem to do it." She rested her head in her hooves. "I can't think straight. I can't focus. I just...I just can't..." She let out an angry sob.
Melon wrapped Scootaloo in a tight hug. "I understand. It's hard, having your first big fight with your coltfriend."
"He's not my coltfriend anymore," said Scootaloo, though her heart wasn't in it.
"Of course he is," said Melon, "Your bond is too strong to be broken by a silly fight like this."
"A silly fight!?" gasped Scootaloo, "How can you call that silly? He doesn't respect me at all. He wants to treat me like some helpless filly who can't do anything for herself, no matter how much progress I make. He just wants to keep me safe and out of the way."
Melon sighed. "Yes, you're definitely being silly about it. You said those things, not him."
"But he was still getting on my case about what I did."
"Because he was scared, you silly filly," said Melon in a teasing tone, "How many times have you scolded and shouted at Dawn when he'd gone off to do something similar?"
"Um..." Scootaloo frowned. "But..."
"I'm not saying that Dawn was wholly right," said Melon, "He could certainly trust you more. After all, in spite of everything, you came back unhurt, which shows that you can fight your own battles...to a certain extent. And Dawn certainly is one to talk when it comes to scolding ponies about doing reckless things. But..."
"But what?" asked Scootaloo, looking up at her mother.
"Think about all the times Dawn did do something reckless that got him hurt or put him at risk," suggested Melon, a faint hint of a smile playing across her lips.
Scootaloo frowned, thinking back. Her first thought was of Dawn's fight with Storm Front and Red River after the stallions had declared their intent to "execute" him. That had been undeniably stupid and reckless and a fight that Dawn should have simply walked away from. But he hadn't been in the proper frame of mind to do that at the time. So that one probably didn't count. As for the others...
Dawn had gone to Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash, which had been the first time he'd met Perlin Bluestreak in battle. He'd ended up getting several lacerations that had required stitches and a healing spell. However, he'd only done that because Rainbow had asked for his help, feeling that the situation was too much and too dangerous to handle on her own. Thus, in spite knowing it could be dangerous, Dawn had gone with her, seeking to do what he could to help a friend.
After that had been Dawn's fight with Willow, the assassin who had come specifically to kill him. She'd plunged Ponyville into an impenetrable fog in order to isolate and incapacitate him. Even though it had been extremely dangerous and ill-advised, Dawn had left the safety of the schoolhouse to go out and confront her. However, he'd only done that because he was worried about what would happen if Willow had taken the fight inside, which would have put all the other foals in the schoolhouse, along with Miss Cheerilee in danger. Dawn had gone out because staying in would have put others at risk.
Then there had been his trip to Diamond Mountain. He'd come back uninjured that time, but he'd also been through a hard-fought battle. It was a dangerous battle in a far-away place. However, Dawn had gone because it was a way to defuse a situation where Foal Protective Services were trying to find a way to declare Fluttershy ineligible to be his mother as part of some noble's convoluted scheme and because said noble had taken an innocent mare hostage to set those events into motion.
Finally, there had been his fight with Shade Steel. Dawn had gone to face the former Guardsmare because she had taken Dinky Doo hostage in order to lure him out. That fight had ended with Dawn nearly bleeding out. Only quick thinking and quicker acting by Scootaloo and Storm Front had saved him. Scootaloo had never been more terrified than she had been on that day, fearing that it might be the last day she saw Dawn alive.
But all of those occasions had something in common. Dawn had gone out and put his life at risk because there was something else, someone else's wellbeing, at stake. He'd put his life on the line to help and protect others, not because he'd seen an opportunity for a fight and jumped on it.
"Do you see?" said Melon as she watched the realization dawn on her daughter's face.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo.
"Now, you told me about what you did last night," said Melon, "Why exactly did you attack Perlin?"
"I..." Scootaloo replayed the events of the night before over her head. She'd been in her bedroom when she'd heard the sound of breaking glass and a scream in the distance. She'd immediately leapt out her open window to try and find out the source of the sound. However, her eyes had caught the glimmer of moonlight off of metal wings and zeroed in on the form of Perlin Bluestreak as he winged his way through the sky.
At that moment, Scootaloo's concerns about what she'd heard had immediately faded into the background. The moment she recognized Perlin, she saw him as an enemy and she attacked. Her confidence had risen when she realized that she'd actually gotten the drop on the young stallion and had entertained the notion that she could win if she didn't let up and allow the opportunity slip through her hooves. Her conversation with Storm after the fight had quickly disabused her of that notion.
However, when she thought back to her reasons for attacking Perlin, her heart sank. Perlin had been flying away from Ponyville, not even heading in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. He had clearly been leaving and wasn't attacking or threatening anypony at the moment. Granted, he was still a criminal, but Scootaloo realized that she knew better than to think she could try to take down or apprehend him. So what had been at stake?
She knew the answer. Nothing... There was nothing wrong with putting your life at risk when it was to protect somepony else. But attacking a superior enemy who wasn't posing an immediate threat, rather than leaving it to ponies who were more experienced and better able to handle him was simply more likely to add her name to the list of his victims. Scootaloo had been lucky that Storm had arrived in time to deflect Perlin's last attack or she would have been dead. She could have rationalized it by saying that she couldn't afford to let Perlin get away to threaten ponies in the future. However, she knew better, considering the thought hadn't entered her mind when she'd attacked him.
Granted, when Perlin had come to Ponyville during the Diamond Mountain affair, Dawn had attacked him for no real reason either. But that had been because Dawn had believed that Perlin was there to continue the fight they'd started in Cloudsdale. It wasn't unreasonable and Perlin had been all too eager to oblige him. Once Dawn had learned Perlin's real reason for being in Ponyville, he'd immediately given up on fighting the older colt and their uneasy partnership had apparently persisted throughout the journey to Diamond Mountain and back.
"I guess I didn't really have a good reason," said Scootaloo, "I mean, other than the fact that I knew he was Dawn's enemy."
Melon nodded. "It seems to me that Dawn knew just how strong Perlin was. No wonder he was angry and afraid for you. He would have a better idea than just about anypony else how much danger you were in."
Scootaloo nodded.
"So..." said Melon, resting her forehooves on her daughter's shoulders, "What are you going to do when you see Dawn again?"
"I owe him an apology," said Scootaloo.
Fluttershy frowned as she set the bowl of porridge in front of Dawn. The ebony colt had been silent ever since he had returned home the previous night. His silence had persisted through the morning, when he'd gotten up to practice his forms, which had surprised Fluttershy, seeing as he hadn't flown off to join Scootaloo. Furthermore, having watched Dawn go through his forms countless times, Fluttershy could tell that he was troubled by something. His movements weren't as smooth and graceful as they usually were.
"Dawn," she said, inflecting her voice with an uncharacteristically stern tone, "What happened last night?"
Dawn looked up at her. Seeing her gaze was not flinching, he sighed and explained the events of the previous night to his mother. Fluttershy mostly listened silently, but couldn't stifle a gasp of shock when she heard that Scootaloo had traded blows with Perlin Bluestreak. Dawn then explained the circumstances of their fight and how he'd left Scootaloo's home in a fit of anger and come straight back.
Letting out a sigh, Fluttershy lowered her head. "Oh Dawn..."
"It was her decision," said Dawn in a low tone, "She obviously has no intention of listening any longer."
"That's enough," said Fluttershy sternly. The rebuke in her voice caused Dawn's head to snap back up to see that she was looking at him from across the table, unsmiling. Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. "Dawn. You can be so foolish sometimes."
"Foolish...?"
"I understand that you were worried about Scootaloo and that what she did was reckless," explained Fluttershy, "It's even more frightening because she's your fillyfriend too."
Dawn nodded slowly.
"But you need to also show her some trust and respect. She's getting stronger and you know it. You've even told me that she's probably more talented than you when it comes to the martial arts."
Again, Dawn nodded.
Fluttershy smiled at him. "You can't change what happened last night anymore than Scootaloo or I could wish away all the times you were hurt and we had to just stand by and watch. But if you simply stand by and try to ignore her from now on, Scootaloo will only get hurt worse in the future. You can't help her by walking away and leaving her to herself."
"But..." Dawn looked down, "What if she doesn't listen?”
"I think she will," said Fluttershy warmly, "Scootaloo made a mistake last night. It's only a matter of time before she realizes it. But the most important thing you can do is help her learn from it, don't you think?"
"Yes," admitted Dawn.
"Good," said Fluttershy, "So...what are you going to do when you see her again?"
"I'm going to apologize," said Dawn.
"That's what I thought."
Smiling to herself, Fluttershy tucked into her own breakfast, watching as Dawn did the same. She was glad that she was able to handle the situation on her own. She would have felt much better if Caramel had been there as well. It had been bad enough to be alone in her bed for the first time in months. Getting used to it being just her and Dawn again was going to take a little while. But, hopefully, it wouldn't be too long before Caramel joined them.
Hopefully, she thought, Dawn and Scootaloo can work their problems out before school starts. I would hate for them to go back to school while they're still fighting.
Scootaloo paused, swallowing hard as the schoolhouse came into sight. It was still a few minutes until the bell, signaling the beginning of classes, would ring. Until then, she and the other students would be mingling in the yard. Dawn will be there. She wasn't certain that she could face him after everything that had happened the previous night. But her mother was right, an apology was needed. What she and Dawn had was far too important to be thrown away over a single disagreement, even such a serious one as this.
With a sigh, she continued walking towards the schoolhouse, a part of her desperately wanting to postpone the inevitably uncomfortable situation for as long as possible. Eventually, the yard came into view and Scootaloo could see that her friends were already there. Apple Bloom had already spotted her and was waving excitedly.
"Heya Scootaloo," said Bloom as the orange filly trotted up to join the group, "Ya ready to start school again?"
"I guess..." said Scootaloo, looking away.
"Are you okay?" asked Sweetie, noting her friend's uncharacteristic behavior, "You look worried about something."
"Um...well..." Scootaloo frowned, looking down at the ground, "I...I..."
"Wow," said Bloom, looking Scootaloo over, "It looks like Sweetie wasn't the only pony who had a rough night."
"Yeah," agreed Scootaloo before freezing and blinking in surprise at Bloom and Sweetie, "Wait! What?"
"Somepony broke into the Boutique last night," said Sweetie, "He stole a sample of Rarity's new fabric!"
"What?" Even as she spoke, Scootaloo's mind traced her memories of the event. She remembered the scream, the sound of breaking glass. Also, she remembered the strip of fabric she'd recovered from the fight with Perlin, which was sitting inside her saddlebag even now.
"Yeah," said Sweetie, "It was really freaky. That thief scared poor Coco Pommel out of her mind and Flaxseed had a panic attack when she screamed and all that. He shoved the bed up against his door and we had to get Twilight Sparkle's help to move it back out of the way."
Scootaloo shifted nervously. Now she understood what Perlin had been doing. He had been the thief and had been making his getaway with a sample of Rarity's fabric.
Before she could fish for more details, Scootaloo's wind-sense picked up the approach of another pegasus through the air. Turning, she faced Dawn as he came in for a landing. As she laid eyes on him, her surroundings seemed to fade. The energetic voices of the other foals, the sound of the morning breeze winding its way through the newly sprouted leaves of the trees seemed to drift into the background. Even the presence of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom retreated from the fore as all of her attention focused on Dawn.
It was clear that he was in a similar state. His eyes had not left her since he'd landed. His expression was neutral, giving nothing away. Slowly, almost painfully so, he began to walk towards her. Just as he got within arm's reach of her, Dawn paused and looked down. Scootaloo found herself averting her gaze as well.
"D-Dawn..." Scootaloo found herself barely able to force his name out of her mouth, as though something was choking her and trying to stop her from talking.
Dawn looked up to her, his mouth working as though he was fighting through the same difficulties she was. In the next instant, they spoke in unison.
"I'm sorry."
Both Scootaloo and Dawn froze, caught off-guard by their mutual apology. However, that hesitation lasted for only a second before they threw their arms around each other and hugged tightly.
"You were right," whispered Scootaloo, "I was being stupid and reckless."
"You were right too," said Dawn, "I was being a little too protective and controlling."
Scootaloo couldn't help but smile. "So...does this mean we're okay?"
Dawn smiled back. "I should think so. We might need to talk more about it later. But I'm just glad that's over. I was miserable."
"Yeah," agreed Scootaloo, "Me too." Before she could stop herself, a light giggle forced its way up and out of her throat. "But geez...apologizing at the same time as me...you have got to be the lamest coltfriend ever."
"But still yours," said Dawn amusedly.
"Yeah," said Scootaloo, leaning into his embrace, "Still mine."
As the two of them finally pulled away from each other, they noticed that Sweetie and Bloom had been watching, their eyes wide in confusion.
"Okay..." said Sweetie, "What the hay was that all about?"
"Um..." said Scootaloo, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head, "We sorta had a fight last night."
"A fight?" gasped Sweetie, her hooves going to her mouth, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"Not that kind of fight!" exclaimed Scootaloo, "Geez Sweetie! Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Sorry!" squeaked Sweetie.
"So ya two had one 'o them couple-like shoutin'-type fights?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Uh...more or less," said Dawn, blushing slightly, "We had a serious disagreement over how Scootaloo handled the situation last night. In a sense, I got a taste of my own medicine when I learned that she'd nearly been killed."
"What?" exclaimed Sweetie and Bloom in unison, gaping at Scootaloo, who was blushing even more brightly than her coltfriend.
"It wasn't that bad!" snapped Scootaloo at her friends, "Perlin didn't even touch me anyway!"
"Wait! Perlin...?" Sweetie tilted her head. "Isn't he that guy with the metal wings who keeps picking fights with Dawn?"
"That's right," said Scootaloo, "He was the thief in your Boutique last night."
Sweetie's hooves flew to her mouth again as she gasped. "No wonder Coco was scared so badly."
"Is that what it was all about?" asked Dawn, leaning in, "Perlin stole something from the Carousel Boutique?"
"Uh huh," said Sweetie, nodding, "He stole a sample of Rarity's new shimmersilk."
"Is that what this stuff is?" asked Scootaloo, withdrawing the strip of fabric from her saddlebag.
"That's it!" shouted Sweetie, nearly bowling over the other foals with the force of her voice, "Where did you get that?"
"Perlin had it wrapped around his leg," said Scootaloo, "I guess it came loose during our fight, 'cause I found it drifting around in the air after he booked it."
"Oh wow," gasped Sweetie, taking the fabric in her hooves, "Rarity is going to be so happy! Not only did nopony get hurt, but you managed to get her fabric back. That's great!"
"Good goin' sugarcube," added Bloom with an approving smile.
Scootaloo found herself blushing again as she looked back at Dawn, who merely raised an eyebrow at her. "I suppose you have a trophy of sorts for surviving a round with Perlin."
There was a rush of air and the thud of hooves smacking into the ground as Rumble came to a stumbling, halting stop a short distance away from the group before galloping the rest of the way towards them. "I'm not late am I?"
"Ya just made it," said Bloom, turning to look at the schoolhouse. The first bell of the day was only a minute or so away from ringing.
"I overslept," said Rumble, "I'm so sorry!"
Bloom couldn't help but chuckle. "If ya'd missed the bell, ya sure would've been."
"So..." said Rumble, “What'd I miss?"
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Phew. Glad that fight didn't snowball into something worse. But, the time of the year for what....?
... Yup! Still a better love story than Twilight!
So Rainbow is going to be mentored directly by a Knight in a period of over 3 months (the same mentor who indirectly mentored Spitfire)...
This kind of reminds me Jirayia mentoring Naruto (and he was also the teacher of Naruto's father, Minato)\
So now we have:
Arkenstone mentoring Dawn
Spitfire and Firefly mentoring Rainbow
Arcana and Sunset mentoring Trixie
You know... I wonder what plans you have for Sparrowhawk... cause she seems like a dark horse in this story
And Swift Stride... what plans you have for the False?
Damn good resolution on the fight mate.
5807398 hearts and hooves day. Just after winter. Y'know?
Im curious to see how it goes with Rainbow Dash and Firefly. I have a suspicion that once the nobles find out shes in the Wonderbolt's if they haven't already, are going to start tying to manipulate her to get to Twilight. On another note, The lessons to Scoots and Dawn were wonderfully done, and Im glad they have learned them. Is it tomorrow yet? I need the next chapter now!
That time of the year? Well it's gonna be spring and-
Oh.
Oooooohhh.
I'm assuming that's what happens anyway.
Cliché cliché is cliché.
5807448 But...what's wrong with her relationship with Arkenstone?
5807605 The sparkly vampires.
There's been a lot of dialogue recently...
5807509 .......oh.
I still can't fault Dawn. She picked a fight with an incredibly skilled killer while still being a complete novice herself.
5807491 you also have to remember the knights also displayed interest for scootaloo when they all met, cant remember the specific ones though.
5809847
Scootaloo and Dawn appear to be Future Knights...
I wonder if Trixie would ever be a knight given her training and how far she is willing to go...
There's also Granny Smith, something tells me she will tell and teach Apple Bloom the Mountain Root IF the latter wants to learn it to help her friends and loved ones...
i am really enjoying this
in spite of knowing it could be
5807398 Spring time, mare's gonna be coming into estrus.
5810638 ...............I like the other possibility of Hearts & Hooves day.
I was being a little too protective and controlling NO HE WASN'T
i kinda wish they broke up
5808688 i read this part of your comment
as "She picked a fight with an incredibly skilled killer whale"
Scoots is lucky that Storm was there, and that both her mom and Flutttershy are filled with as much common sense as they are.
Still Scoots while a bit rough around the edges, and needing more hoof to hoof experience. Did pretty well in her first round against Perlin. Heck any fight that you can walk away from with the same amount of appendages, and blood inside you as you started with while facing Perlin is as good as a win. Or at least can be considered a personal victory (even if not an actual one).
Thank god that only lasted one chapter.
Fictional relationships need fights because that's what happens in real life. Two people disagree on something, it breaks them apart and they get back together stronger. But that doesn't change how hard it is to write a fight without it feeling forced and cliché.
At the very least this one was short.
It would also bring the wrath of a certain pink alicorn down on her head
As your brother would say eeyup
Yes, because Storm interfered when he was about to
10010327
To be fair, Perlin was planning on only giving her a little scratch if Storm didn't interfere, rather than giving her a new breathing whole. So technically counts XD.