Rising Above

by Quick Fix

Chapter 21 - The Show Stopper

Royal Equestrian Arena, Canterlot
February 17th, Year 23 under the four princesses

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Canterlot was normally a city of composure, of high class unicorns seeking to make their way in the upper echelon of Equestrian society. Today, it was a melting pot of ponies from every corner of the land, coming together to celebrate the successes and advancements of themselves and the four princesses. As dusk fell over the mountain, the centre of the celebrations had moved to the stadium built at the edge of the city walls. Magically enchanted specially for the event, thousands of ponies were settled as they watched the best entertainers in Equestria re-enacting the stories of the four princesses.

From backstage, Trixie focused silently, her magic contributing to the on-going show. Right now the newly reformed Wonderbolts were performing, acting the showdown between the Elements of Harmony and Nightmare Moon, aided by the illusion magic running through the stadium that made the arena look like the show was taking place in the castle of the two sisters all those years ago. Complete with the ponies out there appearing like those big names, thanks to the unicorns out of the limelight that were focusing the magic, like the Great Illusionary Artist, Trixie.

"I am not ready for this..."

Trixie blinked but otherwise didn't react as Scootaloo trotted up to the entryway, bringing her equipment with her before sitting down against the wall. Trixie knew better than to even acknowledge her right now, Scoots was visualising her routine one last time. The two stayed in silence for several minutes before the Wonderbolts finished their routine, the second they were out of the limelight, Trixie let her magic fade off and Scootaloo stood up to fit her helmet.

"We both know you're going to perform well out there." Trixie looked back at Scootaloo and smiled reassuringly.

"I know, it'll be a nice change...You have no idea how glad I was to learn I'd be under an illusion, nopony'll have to see how ridiculous I look." Trixie nodded as she picked up a drink left nearby for her to recharge with, letting her friend get her worries out while she could.

"Well, I saw your training runs and think that you adjusted perfectly well."

"Sure, but there's no prize for doing it right in training. If something slips up when I'm out there...This is my talent, my career, it could all be on the line if I put a hoof wrong! You know as well as anypony just how easily things can fall apart with one bad show. Add in those damn reporter ponies hounding me on my way in here, barely accepting my choice to answer questions after the show and..."

Trixie glanced aside as she noticed a certain pony waiting nearby. She figured Quick Fix had managed to get in with his connection to Scootaloo but subtly motioned for him to stay in place while Scootaloo continued her vent.

"You know, Trixie, this is going to sound crazy but...I almost wish he hadn't bothered, or at least waited until I had a longer gap to get over this issue! I'm not blaming him but, he's inadvertently a major part of why I've put everything on the line...I've got to get this right!"

"Listen, Scootaloo. There's a place where you can get it all out and still have it be a benefit, and it's waiting for you out there. I think you should let your frustration loose on the arena, come back to this with a clear head and you'll find a way through."

Scootaloo took a few breaths to bring herself back under control and looked up at Trixie, nodding before giving her scooter one last check. Once satisfied, she mounted up and dropped her goggles into place, offering her hoof. Trixie grinned and happily hoofbumped her in return.

"Thanks, you're a great pony, you know. You watching this one?"

"Of course, the Great Illusionary Artist, Trixie, is keeping an eye on the show even for the performances she's resting through."

"Alright, see you on the other side." Scootaloo rested her head on the handlebars, arched her back down and spread her wings. It wasn't exactly comfy but it was as close as she could get to her old position, hopefully close would be enough as she set off for her entry point. Trixie watched her go before nodding as Quick stepped out from his waiting spot.

"Yeah...Scootaloo probably has a point. I kinda rushed into this to satisfy my own desires at the same time as helping her. Trixie, I know you don't really trust me, but do you think I was doing the right thing?"

"Well, firstly, I don't not find you as annoying as I did at first. To answer your question though, Scootaloo has generally been a lot happier whenever I've been able to see her over the last few months. Based on the patterns I noticed, your training would seem to be behind that."

Quick just nodded and stepped over toward the exit out onto the arena, the two of them had a good view of the show from here and settled in for when their friend would take centre stage.

---

Scootaloo stretched her neck out and grinned. Trixie was right, the way to deal with her frustration right now was to tear it up out there and put on a show to remember. The illusion that would be over her the second she went out there needed to be out of mind as well, she would see the stunt layout, the audience would see her as none other than Twilight Sparkle, overcoming the worst of everything Equestria could throw at her.

Moments to go before showtime now. Scootaloo glanced over at the staff pony keeping time, waiting for his signal. This show ran on a tight schedule and it had been drilled into her for days that precision was everything. Her wings shot open and she gripped the handlebars, primed and ready. The staff pony pointed to her, the signal, her wings engaged and she charged out into the arena. Her whole body tingled slightly as the illusion magic covered her, fortunately not enough to count as a distraction though.

A quick glance over at the crowd brought a small smile to her lips. For a moment, she thought she could make out the sight of Spring Spirit and Fever Pitch, going wild at the sight. Scootaloo relaxed slightly at the sight, she knew her name had been in the programme for this bit and couldn't help but wave slightly, even if they wouldn't see it. The adrenaline was kicking in now and she looked back at the course laid out. First up was the grind and hoop, not too hard even with her new stance.

Scootaloo pushed herself up, bunny hopping onto the railing and grinning as she saw a few sparks kick up. She'd forgotten how good it felt to hit the zone like this, her grin increasing as she primed herself. Another jump, this time letting the scooter go and giving an extra hard flap, watching with satisfaction as she hovered over the hoop before shutting her wings and dropping back into place on the scooter. That one never got old, even without anypony seeing it.

A quick turn and Scootaloo was facing phase two, poles set out in a slalom route. She had a moment to breathe before she reached it, silently marvelling at how quickly the ponies working backstage were able to rearrange the arena between performers. With barely time to blink, she let her speed build up again and turned, weaving through the poles, deliberately cutting it close. Her wing tips were a hair's breadth from the poles, more than once having to fold it in to avoid contact. Scootaloo could only hope that the illusion was making for as good a show as this.

As she cleared the last pole, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, lining herself up for the final phase. Her old classic, the ramp gap with hoop. No hesitation, she knew what he was doing and her position was good enough to handle at least thirty five feet. A quick push off with her hoof and Scootaloo was rocketing toward the jump at full pelt. As she started on the ramp, her thoughts drifted back to Quick. Just a few more seconds and she'd have shown that she couldn't be brought back down to earth. That even if she was pushing it a bit, that losing her riding position wouldn't affect her...

...That she had forgotten to slow down appropriately for the jump.

Her wings stretched to their fullest, desperately trying to act as an airbrake. It wasn't working well but Scootaloo was off guard and panic had started to set in. Her body tensed up and her grip fumbled, sending her scooter out of her hooves. Flight wasn't an option, she still lacked the experience for a high speed turn necessary to pull out now. What if...No time, duck!

Scootaloo pushed her head went down, but not by enough. Her forehead smashed into the upper half of the hoop, barely missing her eye, reducing her world to a blur as her body was sent spinning through the air. A crack filled her ears as the tingling faded, most likely the illusion being broken by her disturbing the setup. A second impact to her side knocked the air clean out of her before being replaced by a rubbing sensation. She'd landed on the far ramp and was skidding to a halt at the bottom, in full view of thousands of ponies and probably several princesses.

She wanted a way to salvage this, at the very least to force herself back to her feet and apologise for what she'd done. It wasn't happening though. Her head was ringing, her vision was blurred and her body didn't seem like it wanted to listen right now. Already she could see what she hoped were medics running toward her, or at least somepony to get her out of the spotlight. Scootaloo blinked slowly, unable to focus anymore, realising that she hadn't opened her eyes again before her consciousness slipped into the same silent darkness.

Author's Note:

There, that's more like what I can do when I go in with a plan. I feel a lot better about how this one came out and hopefully you all enjoyed it too.

To clarify how year changes work in this Equestria, new year is currently marked by the date the land gained it's fourth princess, February 16th.

Comments

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

Some acrobat said "No one wants to see you fall but every one wants to be there if you do" or something to that effect.

[Quick Fix]

7526402 Unfortunately true. That said, I'm sure they'd rather see you fall without hurting yourself in the process.

[Deep Note]

Owwwwww, I could feel that.

[Quick Fix]

8272168 Considering you're the one who proofread it all that time ago, that either says a lot about my emotional writing or how sappy you are.

8272176 Best filly since 2011, still one of the best adults even here.

8272190 Yeah, I've got no witty comment for what I put her through there.