The Way To Freedom
Sweetie Belle silently walked through Fluttershy’s quiet clinic. She couldn't sleep, not after what happened. Her mind was racing with questions. “Why did that filly blow up the train...what does this mean for me, my family, everypony in Ponyville...and why did that unicorn take Scootaloo?”
She was broken out of her worried state when she saw an open door with a green glow coming from inside the room. She crept closer and was surprised to see the white-haired filly, Sweetie thought her name was Silver Spoon or something like that, connected to strange machines that had green goo brightly shining inside them. Sweetie stood there until she heard a whisper out of the patient.
“She’s alive. Your Xam’d is alive.”
***
“Let me get this straight, the filly from earlier died and all you could determine was that she was a believer of Harmony...”
Caramel stood nervously. The glare of one of his superiors in Lunar Command made him feel like a colt again. A colt that was going to be punished because he had done everything wrong. “Yes Sir we did everything we could but-”
“The townsponies have a high opinion of you and we are also evaluating the police efforts but the truth is that we have a situation. The ponyform weapons dropped involved six child soldiers and two lifeforms known as Xam’d. They can’t deal with this without the support of the Lunar Guard. Commander Applejack-”
Applejack had been tapping a hoof vigorously against the ground. She never did like meetings; they reminded her of days long gone where her family had not been touched by war and had crumbled into separate ponies with different goals. Applejack looked up and tried her best to look interested. “Yep?”
“We are going to put you in charge of Ponyville. Caramel, you do know of Applejack right?”
“I know her very well, sir, a decorated hero of the Battle of Cloudsdale ten years ago.”
Caramel’s mouth twitched, for he also knew her from before the war as a friendly mare who helped get him his job in Sweet Apple Acres. As the years passed, he saw the Acres become more and more insular after Big Mac’s disappearance. Applejack’s compassion died that day as well as the heart of many an Apple Family member. Her demeanor became cold and she joined the Lunar Guards.
“Y’all are way too kind. I jus’ made it through...the ones who should be celebrated are the ponies who died facing the earliest ponyform weapons. But, however I survived, I’ll give this here life to see my mission through.”
Caramel saluted her warily. Applejack trotted up to him and coldly placed a hoof on his shoulder. Caramel tried his hardest not to flinch from the unexpected contact.
“You must not hate yourself...this is the way of the Lunar Guard.” The orange mare smirked.
***
Soarin’ calmly answered the prying call of the nearby Celestial police ships. This was a common occurrence, but it usually didn’t cause any major problems. “This is the Lunar ship Perigee. We are sending identification now.”
Braeburn groaned. “Are ya serious? Another Celestial patrol?”
“We need to be ready. Wake up Luna.”
Braeburn was stubborn and he didn’t move from his seat. “Nope. I know what she’s gonna say. She’ll say ‘Ta-’
“Take the shortest route.” Luna’s voice came over the magical radio lines.
“Uh. Princess...”
“Braeburn, how would you like to be captain from now on?” Luna’s voice was calm. “And you do all the hard work making sure that all these ponies on this ship are safe, have food to eat, and are payed enough for me to keep a profit without a mutiny on my hands. And that’s just the monthly worries.”
“No thanks, ma’am.” Braeburn was blushing. He had never thought of running the ship being that difficult. He shut his mouth and turned back to his console.
“Luna, the ships are police ships.” Soarin’ was already ready for anything that the Lunar Princess was going to say.
“What’s our next landing spot?”
“Manehattan”
“Right, we don’t have time. Go ahead and pass them.” Luna sighed. It was just another day. How she missed her sister and the Equestria that she wanted.
“You ask too much of me. We need a few more ponies to be able to dodge those ships.. Wake up the kid and make her help.”
***
Twilight poured a glass of tea and handed it to Scootaloo. Scootaloo sniffed the brew and scrunched her face because of the unpleasant smell.
“This is spirit tea. Don’t drink it all at once. It will calm the hiruko.”
“Thanks but no thanks. I’m totally fine. I think you’re making too big of a deal about this.I don’t have any broken bones or anything...” Scootaloo attempted to touch the bandages to show how well she felt and try to get out of drinking that stuff.
“Don’t touch it. That magical needle is keeping you alive. It keeps you unaware of your Xam’d form.”
“Thanks for watching over me. My mom would be impressed.” Scootaloo hopped off the chair and tried to walk out of the door. Scootaloo tried to play off the pain and poked the bandages. Twilight batted away Scootaloo’s prying hoof from the bandaged leg.
“Look here, Twilight. You got the wrong pony. I am not this Xam’d or whatever crazy thing you think I am.” Scootaloo was getting annoyed by this purple mare’s treatment of her. A knock distracted the two from their bickering.
“Come in.”
“Hey the captain wants to see y’all right now.” Braeburn stared uneasily at the scene before him: Twilight was grimacing at that orange filly and the filly was rolling her eyes in anger.
“I understand. Scootaloo, don’t do anything that might blow up the ship. And that includes not touching anything in my room.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go on and meet this captain of yours.”
Braeburn closed the door behind Twilight and quickly asked what was wrong with that filly.“Are ya sure that filly’s okay?”
“She won’t turn to stone anytime soon but she doesn’t remember what happened in Ponyville.”
“Oh can you take breakfast to the Princess?”
“Really, Braeburn? I thought that was your job.” Twilight looked at him with a tired look on her face.
“She’s kinda mad at me.”
“Then you take care of Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo stared up at the gashes on Twilight’s ceiling. “Who or what caused that...I wouldn’t want to meet that thing.” Scootaloo was too busy to dodge some saddlebags which caused her to tumble off the bed and stare confusedly up at the pony who caused it. A grinning stallion wearing a tacky cowboy hat.
“Here’s some saddlebags. So tell me, kid, what makes ya tick?”
***
Sweetie sat in the waiting room of the Ponyville Military Hospital (formerly Ponyville General) waiting for the test results of her examination. Her sister placed a hoof gently around the filly. Rarity had just lost Carousel Boutique because of that ponyform weapon and had nothing much to her name now. She had bags under her eyes because of the late night spent trying to salvage anything from her destroyed business.“Sweetie...dad started crying when you didn’t appear right away after the attack.”
Sweetie put on her her best face for her older sister.“Rarity, I’m back home now and that’s all that matters.”
“Don’t you remember what happened with mother?”
“Yeah.” She remembered the sounds and the feelings of that hospital visit. “Sweetie we have some news about your mother...”
“But he forgets that we both carry the name of Belle and we are both stronger than he thinks. All because of that...” Rarity glanced at her younger sister who hadn’t said much since they had entered the hospital.
“Weird...I feel like we’ve had a conversation like this before.” Rarity was going to ask what she meant, but Magnum entered the room and walked over to them. Rarity noticed that he was still wearing those tacky clothes.
“Rarity, Sweetie Belle, thanks for waiting here.”
“Dad, I’m sorry that I made you worry.” Sweetie Belle hugged her dad.
“Sweetie, the doctors here just want to make sure there weren’t any ill effects from that strange ponyform weapon touching you.”
“Yeah but I’m so bored. Wait! Did anypony know about that white-haired filly?”
“Sorry I forgot to ask.”
“Don’t worry.” Sweetie tried to keep her calm. The filly caused the train explosion and when she asked, nopony knew of her.
“Did you know her?”
“Not really.” Sweetie kicked a hoof and tried to change the subject.
“Idea! I, Rarity will help you on your search for this mysterious mare. It is only fair because of how great a big sister I am.”
“Rarity, its fine. Just worry about rebuilding Carousel Boutique.”
Rarity stopped her idea and noticed a yellow pegasus sitting dejectedly in the far side of the waiting room.“Hey wait isn’t that Fluttershy?” Sweetie trotted over to the pegasus.
“Doctor Fluttershy...”
“Hmm...Sweetie I’m glad you’re alright” Fluttershy looked like she hadn’t slept in days and her man was frazzled to no end. Her wings were bandaged tightly against her sides and she was limping when they approached her.
“What are you doing here. Don’t you have to work in your clinic today?”
“Yeah but I’ve been traveling to all the hospitals I know just trying to find Scootaloo. I can’t seem to find her. Have you seen her anywhere?” Fluttershy began to pace around nervously and stared at Sweetie with a crazy look in her eyes.
***
Here’s your food Scootaloo.” Derpy, Scootaloo, Dinky,and Braeburn sat around the dinner table in the Perigee and everypony was digging into the food that Derpy had prepared.
“Thanks so much, Derpy. I’m starving.” Scootaloo had not eaten anything since she had left Ponyville and was ready to chow down on all the tasty looking food that surrounded her.
“What’s with your arm? Did you get attacked by a zombie?” Dinky tried to ask at sweetly as possible, but Scootaloo flinched at the smaller filly’s assumption.
“Dinky...it isn’t nice to make assumptions on what happened to Scootaloo. You just need to know that Twilight has her condition all under control. Now sit down next to her and don’t talk at the table.”
“We thank y’all fer this food and company. Amen.” Scootaloo was surprised. She hadn’t heard a prayer at her meals since she was a very small foal. They had been outlawed under the Lunar Republic as vestiges of a united Equestria that became a more and more distant memory as the years passed. “What’s with the prayer?”
“Scootaloo, you have to learn the manners of United Harmony. It’s kind of important to know when working here.” Derpy smiled at Scootaloo while explaining the reason.
“I thought that strain of belief got wiped out after the Princesses split the kingdom.”
“Nope. Harmony might have become less important but the beliefs still exist.”
“And once yer done eating I’ll show ya the ropes to your work.” Braeburn glanced up at Scootaloo who was eating her food with reckless abandon.
“Work?” Scootaloo stopped eating and stared right back at the stallion.
“Didn’t the captain tell you? We get most of our income now from the mail service. We’re all postal workers. Ya might get used to it in six moons or so.”
“Six moons!”
***
Scootaloo and Braeburn stood in the cockpit of the Perigee. Braeburn was excitedly speaking to Soarin’ who only listened to the stallion because he had nothing better to do.
“Wanna make a bet? How long will this here kid stay? The whole time or a bit less?” Scootaloo was becoming annoyed by the yellow stallion and tried to talk to the blue one.
“Nice to meet you.”
Soarin’ didn’t acknowledge the filly standing only a few feet away from him and continued speaking to Braeburn.“I don’t know. The bet seems foolish to me. I also had doubts about her beating that ponyform weapon too.”
“Wait. One, I have no idea where I am and two, I never said I wanted to work here.” Scootaloo couldn’t hold in her anger anymore and spoke up to the blue stallion.
Soarin’ lifted an eyebrow and looked down calmly at the orange filly.“So you want a free ride.”
“No, but I have to get back to Ponyville.”
“Sorry, the captain said no.” Braeburn frowned at Scootaloo. He thought that the filly just get the predicament that she was currently in.
“But-”
:The captain has royal authority on this issue.”
“Take the new recruit to her, Braeburn.Our Night Princess with a dark past. Our dear captain.”
“Thank you for your help.” Scootaloo stomped out of the cockpit and tried to think of a time where her life actually made sense.
***
“Excuse me? You want to do what exactly? How many times is this now, and every time you Pinkie Pie promise it is the last time...oh well, I’m still rusty. Say something, Twilight, entertain me and you might be lucky.”
Twilight stood in Luna’s chambers and tried to make the captain see reason. Luna just looked bored. Luna was lazily twirling a book in her magic and waited for the purple mare to say anything of actual importance.
“She’s a Xam’d captain...if we let her go-”
“I know all the science behind it, however; you are asking me to put all our well-being at risk because of one pony. We can only do so much. In the end she’ll turn to stone. One rule that I learned in all my years: mares should be careful with their feelings...because if you let them get away from you, they cause things that you would regret later.” Luna stared out the nearby window and sighed.
***
“Wait a minute. Here take these to the storage warehouse.” Scootaloo was walking through the ship trying to cool down after her outburst when a unicorn started yelling at her to slow down and carry something. Scootaloo turned and was run over by that unicorn who dropped her load and passed it to Scootaloo.
“What warehouse?” Scootaloo yelled back to the disappearing mare who ran back further into the ship. She then noticed a white rabbit running towards the mare. “Angel, what are you doing here?”
“Oh so it was you?” The light purple mare stopped and turned towards Scootaloo. Braeburn trotted down the hallway and stopped when he found the filly he was looking for.
“Her name’s Scootaloo.What are you doing? Set that down and I’ll take care of that.”
“O-ok B-braeburn.” Scootaloo grunted and tried to drop the box of goods as carefully as possible. The mare spoke up and spoke slowly to Scootaloo.
“Angel’s pretty smart. Got him in Ponyville, same as you. But he’s definitely treated better than you.”
“I only hope to be treated the same as a spoiled rabbit.”
“Jerk.” The mare turned away and trotted off towards the sleeping quarters.
“Whatever. I want to go home.”
“Well then you just have to climb up that ladder and introduce yourself to the captain before you start work in the mail room.” Braeburn pointed up to the nearby ladder that led to the higher levels of the ship.
***
Scootaloo looked around at the mess that the engine room was. Empty boxes and spare parts littered the floor and a green mare wiped the grease from her face and glanced over at the new ponies that entered her domain. Braeburn coughed because of the dust that littered the air and tried to speak as loud as he could to be heard over the whirring engines.
“Hey Lyra, I’d like to show you the Xam’d Twilight dragged here from Ponyville. I’ve been showing her the ropes.”
“I’m fine by myself.” Scootaloo bristled at the mention of her name. Scootaloo turned towards Lyra and tried to tell her exactly how she felt.“Look here miss. I’m sorry but I won’t work in this trash heap.”
“Well, well, well, I haven’t seen a pony in a while that is so stubborn in their ways. I have one thing to say to you. Work leads to freedom here on this ship...and don’t you forget it.” Lyra began to whistle happily and turned back to her work.
“Surrounded by crazy ponies...”
“Here’s where we part, partner...hope you get that snake out of your saddlebags.”
***
Scootaloo stared out at the passing landscape. The clouds passed by calmly as they always did in Ponyville and she missed her friends. It had only been a day since she left and she was already feeling homesick. “I wonder how Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are taking my disappearance. And my moms...”
“Hey, Scootaloo...y’all better know how to fly cause if you jump from this height, you’re gonna hit the ground hard enough to produce a sonic boom. Or at least a mark on the landscape.” Scootaloo slowly looked to her side at Braeburn who had crept up on her.
“Sweetie... Hey Braeburn. where’s Ponyville?”
“It’s outta sight now. We’re already over the Celestial area of the former nation of our beautiful Equestria. Y’all can’t tell? Prolly cause there are no dividing lines on the world. They’re only drawn by greedy ponies that don’t get the notion that hard work is better than a lazy day in their little bureaucratic hidey holes waiting for the end of the world...”
“Uh, yeah.” A door opened and Twilight walked out and was surprised to see Scootaloo outside on the deck.
“Scootaloo? What are you doing here? Braeburn...I told you to make sure that she wouldn’t be a bother.” She angrily trotted up to Braeburn and grimaced at him.
“I couldn't help it. She wouldn’t listen to reason.”
“Where’s the captain? Is she inside?” Scootaloo was ready to leave the ship any way possible. Explaining herself to the captain be the quickest way off the ship.
“Go introduce yourself properly. If you are going to live here you need to learn how to swallow your pride.” Scootaloo cantered toward the closed door and reached for the door with a hoof, but before she could react an alicorn the color of the night sky walked out of her chambers.
“Alicorn?” Scootaloo was shocked. She knew of Celestia, who still ruled the nation of the Celestial Empire, but she had never seen the sister. Princess Luna had abdicated the throne of the Lunar Empire and a Republic was put in her place. She had disappeared off the face of Equestria since the end of the war.
“I will have you know that I am the captain of the Lunar postal ship, Princess Luna Nocturna Solis, and who are you?”
“The, uh, raven-haired Princess of the Night...I am going back to Ponyville.” Scootaloo stammered and tried to bow to show that she held the Princess in high esteem.
“What in Tartarus are you doing?” Twilight harshly whispered at her foolish action.
“I am grateful for your help with my condition but I can’t stay. I have a family.I can wait until the next harbor or port, but please let me off there.”
Princess Luna picked up Scootaloo with her blue aura and tossed her towards Braeburn who deftly caught the filly before she flew off the ship. Scootaloo was shocked and stared dumbfounded at the Lunar Princess who was quickly pacing back and forth.
“You would dare to get on my bad side? I don’t even know your name and you are infected by one of my sister’s creations and you think that I would be enthusiastic about you even being on my ship? Do you know how ponyform weapons are attracted to you yet...cause if you haven’t learned that yet, you will. Even that rainbow pegasus learned about the connection and did you even thank Twilight for what she did for you? If she didn’t do what she did...you would be a statue that tells of my sister's new idea of harmony.”
“Apologize ta her majesty.”
“I am not Xam’d. My name is Scootaloo.”
***
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Oh this isn’t good at all...” Soarin’ stared at the console which showed a couple Celestial ships converging on their position.
***
“Thank her? I never asked her to help me in the first place!”
Luna heartily laughed at the silly filly. “Did you ponies hear this? This filly doesn’t care about being a monster again. In that case why don’t you just remove the needle. But I’m warning you one last time...I know what its like to be a monster and it is much worse than you would ever know.” Luna’s eyes flickered between the calm eyes of a pony and the cold, unfeeling eyes of a dragon. Her grin was more feral because of her new teeth that were made for a predator.
“Stop this.” Twilight stood in between the two angry ponies. She knew it was a futile pursuit because on one side she had the Princess of the Night Sky who outclassed her in magical strength by an unknown factor of power.
“I am not a monster and I am going to show it. I don’t even know why my arm is bandaged up like this!”
“You will draw the ponyforms here!”
“I don’t care. I’ve had enough with all these antics that you ponies have and I want to go back to Ponyville!” Scootaloo yanked the bandages off of her leg.
Scootaloo’s hiruko turned from blue to red. The leg, which had looked normal when it was bandaged, reacted violently after it was free. The orange lines reappeared on Scootaloo’s leg and it was quickly covered by the white goo of her transformation. Scootaloo writhed in pain as the transformation began to take hold.
“Hold your upper arm tightly and get back to my room and quickly as possible!”
Bwuh. Bwuh. Bwuh. The alarm for a Celestial attack rang out from the siren on the Perigee.
“Twilight, lock up your idiot.” Luna teleported into the cockpit of her ship, leaving Twilight and Scootaloo by themselves.
“It’s coming...”
***
“One ship has broken off from the patrol and it is closing in on our location quickly. Its coming from our portside aft. Three hundred lengths above.”
“They are trying to scare us into surrender...bunch of cowards, they forget that unless my sister is on that ship I have every right to blast them out of the sky for bringing that ponyform filth near my ship. Braeburn, put engines on full speed.” Luna stared out at the advancing ships.
“Yes, ma’am!” Braeburn and Soarin’ began to take evasive maneuvers.
***
The bells of the Celestial ships told that they were ready to drop their cargo. Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong. Twilight could only watch as ponyforms were dropped towards the ship. Unlike the ponyforms that had attacked Ponyville, they were airborne because of their controllers: pegasi. The flying ponyforms were based on the dragons, their wings sparkled in the light with mana crystals and their lasers were closer to dragon fire than the void magic of the ground troops.
In the ponyform cockpit a pegasus mare was encased by biomechanical wires that connected every sense to her flight suit. “Praise our mistress and I pray that I smite her enemies with the might of the sun.” The pegasus mare flapped her wings in her mind and the ponyform followed her mental orders. She began her rapid descent.
“What are you waiting for, Scootaloo?”
“Stay away! Just leave me alone will ya? I’ve done completely fine until now without your help. I can manage this on my own. Get lost!” Scootaloo tried to hobble away on three hooves and tried to keep her new arm off the ground.
Twilight grimaced but was shaken out of her anger when the ponyform weapon roosted on the top deck of the Perigee with a bang. A snaky tendril flew towards Scootaloo and ensnared her in its grip. A hole opened in its back and Scootaloo was thrown inside it. Once that happened the ponyform weapon flew off to complete its mission.
“Scootaloo!” Twilight ran off towards the hangar.
***
The Way To Freedom
***
Twilight gathered her things and jumped on her beat kayak. She fastened her goggles with a tug of her magic and wound up the release mechanism for her machine with her magic as well. Her kayak tumbled thought the sky before she righted it and blasted off towards the ponyform weapon, a rainbow trail following in her wake.
“It was a scouting ship, huh? Looks like it is returning towards Celestial space.”
“Horseapples. They just want to lure us into a trap. Turn off jets, lower altitude, and get us back towards Manehattan.” Luna tapped a hoof in annoyance.
“Look at that, y’all, the beat kayak is followin’ those ships.”
“Drat. Braeburn. What. Did. She Say?” Luna encased the stallion in her magic nd lifted him to her eye level.
“She said, uh, that Scootaloo was pulled into a ponyform.”
“Steady as she goes, Soarin’. Follow Twilight.”
***
Twilight pulled out some of her hair and focused her magic on the loose strands. The hair began to lengthen and twist itself into a usable rope. She attached the rope to one end of her staff and tossed into with her magic. It hit its mark and the rope became taut. The ponyform began to turn to stone immediately because of the magical properties of Twilight’s weapons. Twilight tied the other end to her beam kayak and set the magipilot. Tentatively stepping on the rope, she cantered across the chasm without looked at the very distant ground below.
After a short while of searching, she found Scootaloo’s hiruko providing a signal of how the filly was doing. Twilight pulled out three magical seals and began to do the ritual to separate Scootaloo from the ponyform weapon. Suddenly the hiruko switched from red to blue.
“Don’t fall asleep.”
Twilight was caught unawares by the tail of the ponyform weapon which slammed across her side and threw her closer towards the edge.
***
“A bet, Braeburn?” Soarin’ glanced over at the worried stallion.
“You gotta be kiddin’ me I’m not gonna bet whether Twilight makes it back or not.” Braeburn chuckled nervously.
“No, bet if Scootaloo would stay for six moons as long as Twilight supports her that much.”
***
Twilight had crawled slowly back towards Scootaloo, dodging the tail of the ponyform weapon. She finished her ritual and began to pry the hiruko stone and the pony that it was attached to out of their prison. As soon as she saw the hoof escape the ponyform, Twilight sent a bolt of magic into the beast, thereby shutting down its defenses and freeing the sleeping filly. Scootaloo was unresponsive and began to slip from Twilight’ grasp further into the ponyform weapon.
“It is not the time for you to be thinking of sleep! You are the one who said you wanted to live...you have to believe in yourself, Scootaloo!”
Scootaloo’s eyes briskly opened and the hiruko woke up again. Twilight enclosed Scootaloo in her magic and helped her to her feet. Scootaloo shakily stood at attention until the humanform began to move violently up and down, trying to shake the newly awakened pony off of its body.
“Get down. The ponyforms target you as long as the hiruko is active.” Twilight dragged Scootaloo to her beam kayak and started up the machine. The ponies shot off towards the Perigee.
***
Luna stood at the topmost level of her ship. Her eyes glowed with arcane fury and the sky began to turn from the nice and happy blue sky of her sister to the blackest void of her own night.
“Soarin’ I have to tell you multiple times that the ‘dear old captain’ mystique I have is just a trick. I am just a pony, no, just a monster that still is haunted by her past. And now this past comes back again.” Luna blinked and her eyes were replaced with dragon-like pupils that were cold and unfeeling. Her armor that she hadn’t used for a decade came back and hugged her body like a shroud of night. Her mouth reshaped into a muzzle that contained a smile that would bring terror to her enemies.
“I call upon the star beasts. Pisces, the star fishes that dance upon the waves of the sky. Their domain in the heavens I provide as their Maiden and I call upon thee now. Lend me your strength”
The stars began to take shape into a fish that was a part of the night sky. A flying fish with scales that glinted in the sun. Its eyes were black and unfeeling and ready to pass judgement on the ponyform weapon. It was massive and it covered the sky in its power and grace. Its teeth were of the stars and they burned with a fury that incinerated anypony in their way. It swooped down quicker than the controller could react and swallowed the ponyform weapons whole. Luna was the only pony who could hear the pegasi’s screams as the soul of Celestia’s follower was sent towards Purgatory.
Luna sighed and called off the Pisces and walked slowly towards her room. “I know Celestia felt that loss and I hope she realizes that I only wish that this bloodshed would stop.”
Scootaloo watched the Lunar Princess carefully. The legendary Zodiac star beasts had only been legend until the return of Luna ten years ago and the beginning of the war. Seeing one of them firsthand was an event in and of itself. “So that’s why Nightmare Moon was so feared as a general in the Legitimacy War.”
***
“That girl said back then; she told me that all this was going to be okay. That white haired filly made me this way. Why’d she do it?” Scootaloo gripped a cup of spirit tea in her hooves and looked toward Twilight.
“I have no idea but you should keep thinking anyway. Your thought will begin to tell you the purpose of the hiruko. Don’t consider this to be just a fluke anymore.”
“Twilight, I have to say thanks for saving my life. You haven’t just done it once, but twice and for that I thank you.”
“That’s enough of that. Training begins tomorrow so get a good night’s sleep.” Twilight hid her smile as she walked away from the orange filly.
“This tea is nasty!” Scootaloo took the words of Twilight to heart. “Purpose, huh, kinda like a cutie mark...”
***
“Isn’t it awful gathering all the items of the dead. Even though she’s not dead.I’m so sorry you have to see me like this, but I can’t always laugh all my problems away. And that hurts my job as Ponyville’s number one party pony...even if nopony wants a party anymore.” Pinkie’s laugh rang hollow through Sugarcube Corner. Sweetie sadly looked at the husk of the pink pony.
“I- I just came here to tell you one important thing, Pinkie, Scootaloo is still alive somewhere. I am completely sure of it. I just know it...”:
“I believe you. I can’t believe she’s dead, Scootaloo is too resilient for her to just die from a giant monster attack. We’ve had so many in the years after Princess Luna returned and disappeared again that I’d think she could do anything. You must think I’m being too silly even for me.”
Sweetie looked at the only thing that was recovered from Scootaloo’s disappearance. The armband that told ponies that she was of the Ponyville school system. “Could I take this armband? If you don’t mind I like to return it to her personally.”
“Thanks, Sweetie.”
“Thanks for having me, but I’ve got to get going to my dad’s. He’s currently living in Ponyville while the Boutique is being rebuilt.”
“Ok...Scootaloo’s a real blockhead sometimes . She makes me worry half to death with her sheer power of her dreams.”
“Fluttershy said the exact same thing when I met her earlier today. when she was looking for your daughter. I’ll come back later to check on you.”
Pinkie laughed. “Oh Fluttershy, you silly butterfly.”
***
Fluttershy dug around her closet for what she was looking for. Slowly she tunneled through her happy memories of flight camp and friendships gained there, Cloudsdale and her family, the birth of Scootaloo, everything that brought sunshine and rainbows to her life was at the front of her closet. The knickknacks and photos were bright and free of dust.
What she was looking for was another type of memory. The dark ones, the ones of war, battle, disease, and coincidentally her first few years as a doctor. The photos back here were dark and dismal affairs of her unit of doctors in medical wards and experiments of inequine treatments. The box that held the memories was covered in cobwebs and hadn’t been opened since she put it back there ten long years ago. Memories came unbidden. Flashes of light and pained whinnies of ponies living their final breaths becoming abominations that should never have existed.
“Brings back memories. Cloudsdale, I thought I’d feel ashamed about it but now the memories of service and patriotism...hmm...” Fluttershy found the bag that she was looking for and shook out its contents: a dried ututu seed. “ponyforms and these ridiculous things again.”
***
“You’ll wear your new uniform in your hometown...why wouldn’t you just wear a new hat? Remember what the Lunar Republic officials told you.” Octavia shook her head warily at the silly pony that was her Commander.
“This here report is very detailed.” Applejack slowly looked up at Octavia.
“You could have just worn a new hat and not this new uniform with your old hat...”
“My little old hat has been lucky since the Battle of Cloudsdale. The truth is that I am worried that the ponies will remember me as an Apple Family member and not as a Commander in the Lunar Command.”
“Is that so, I’ve heard that your family was well-respected...”
“That was a decade ago now my family is just another casualty of war. I think my sister’s still in Ponyville living in the remains of Sweet Apple Acres, I know I left enough money to leave her with a comfortable life for as long as she lives. And now I have to interfere with her life again. I believe that Ponyville might just have to fend for itself in the coming war while my sister and I try to restart our family ways.”
“But the mission objectives...”
“Talk to me later.”
***
Applejack looked up at the construction that was being completed in the military bunker that was underneath the entire town of Ponyville.“I think I finally understand now why my life was spared by that doctor that day ten years ago.”
“You’ll find this interesting...the report on the train explosion. One filly was reported missing on the train. The only daughter of a doctor who served at Cloudsdale. Scootaloo Braveheart.”
Applejack’s eyes widened as she recognized the name. A name that had gone into hiding after the war. “So she’s here in Ponyville...”
The Changeling-type Xam’d was lifted into its new holding and testing facility deep underneath Ponyville. Doctor Whooves watched on in glee. The Xam’d project could go on uninterrupted in a town that needed something to believe in...
***
Luna’s moon shone down upon the Perigee and the constellation of Pisces shone a little brighter tonight. Scootaloo moved her belongings into the bunk that she was going to sleep in.
“Y’all not planning on sleeping here. You are over there.” Braeburn pointed at a lesser used bunk that looked like nopony had slept in it for a couple of years. “That rail over there is the edge of your room. Don’t disturb my sleep cause I am a very light sleeper.”
“No problem. I just wanted a blanket and I’m glad I have one now.” Scootaloo picked up her things and moved them to the older bunk.
“Are ya nervous?”
“Nope. Nervous? Not me.”
Scootaloo stared at yet another set of gashes on the wall connected to her bed.
“I bet ya noticed that those gashes were also in Twilight’s room. The mare that stayed here before was a pony named Rainbow Dash...those saddlebags you’ve been carrying around all day used to belong to her.”
“What! Where did Rainbow Dash go?”
“How should I know, kid? I haven’t seen her in two years...”
“Two years? That was when she said she was going to travel the world...did she get hit by one of those religious ponies and have the same thing happen to her?”
“She was also Xam’d. That mare sure went crazy. The hiruko pushed her over the edge and probably has turned her to stone by now.”
Scootaloo was going to ask more questions but Braeburn fell asleep immediately. She could only hear his snoring sounding like a train with a squeaky wheel.
“Rainbow Dash...” Scootaloo attempted to sleep but sleep eluded her throughout the night. She couldn’t sleep, not with the memories of two years ago and a awesome mare that could do anything. Sonic Rainbooms or not.
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I DEMAND AN UPDATE!!!
10219847
Forgot about this crossover lol. Guess I might think about it. Definitely not my main stuff now, but it'd be fun to maybe finish a crossover. Definitely think about it when I'm stuck on something. I've always wanted to come back to it.