> The New World (Cancelled)
>  by Yin or Yang
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The New School Year
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked at the clock next to her bed. It was seven in the morning, and she only had an hour before the first day of the school year began. Scootaloo groaned loudly and climbed out of bed. Her mane was messy and sticking out all over the place, as though she stuck a metal object into an electrical socket. She slowly trotted to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, barely caring that she looked like a zombie. Scootaloo cleaned up and once she was out of the bathroom, she was given her breakfast by the orphanage she lived in. Ponyville's orphanage is much larger than one would expect, as the fillies and colts all had their own rooms and the dining area where the children ate had rows upon rows of wooden tables. Scootaloo inhaled her breakfast, a rather mundane piece of toast and fruit, and rushed upstairs to her room to gather her belongings. She catapulted out of the orphanage and outside her two closest friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, eagerly anticipated her arrival.

"Took ya long enough Scootaloo," said Apple Bloom. "I thought you forgot what day it was for a bit."

"It's the first day of school," said a tired Scootaloo. "It'll take me some time to get adjusted to the schedule again."

"I heard that the school underwent some changes," squeaked Sweetie Belle. "I wonder how different it is."

"Well let's hurry and find out," said Apple Bloom.

The three galloped down the dirt road as dust clouds formed behind them as they approached Ponyville Elementary. The three saw a huge building in sight and screeched to a halt, awestruck at the towering brick establishment that was within sight. The three of them rubbed their eyes in synchronization, wondering if Ponyville Elementary had underwent a structural metamorphosis while they weren't looking.

"Did we go the right way?" said Sweetie Belle, concerned at the possibility of being late.

"I think this is Ponyville Elementary," replied Scootaloo. "Look at all the other kids here." Trotting by the three were multiple fillies and colts and even a few griffons, all entering the same building that the three friends saw. The building was two stories tall and had impressively large dimensions. A white staircase led up to the front doors, which the three approached cautiously and proceeded to climb up. Inside there was a long hallway with doors separated at regular intervals, with a tall, muscular earth pony standing next to the front door. The earth pony halted the three with a long, bulky arm whose muscles looked like they could burst open at any minute.

"Name," said the earth pony forcefully. His bumpy face intimidated the children that approached him, but not enough to where they cried out in sheer terror.

"I'm Apple Bloom," she replied. The earth pony opened a rolling locker next to him and pulled out a card with Apple Bloom's name on one side. On the other side was a three digit number, carefully printed out so that it could be read without confusion.

"Go to the classroom that has your number on it." Apple Bloom's card had the number 134, so she trotted down the hallway, looking for the door with her number on it. The guard proceeded to do the same for Sweetie Belle, who managed to get the same number as Apple Bloom, much to her delight. Scootaloo was next, hoping that she would be with her friends, but when she was given her card, her hopes were dashed, as the card had the number 128. Scootaloo sighed and frowned, disappointed that she wouldn't be in the same class as her best friends.

Scootaloo trotted down the hallway and opened the door with her number on it. Inside, there was a chalkboard with a long wooden desk for the teacher and thirty smaller desks for the students. Each desk had a name card on it, which Scootaloo immediately recognized as the assigned seating. She paid no attention to the other students already in the class and sat down at her assigned desk. Scootaloo didn't look at the other name cards long enough for her to know who would be sitting next to her. She stretched out her arms and when the next pony entered the door, she was horrified to see who it was. It was Silver Spoon. Luckily she wasn't with Diamond Tiara, so Scootaloo hypothesized that Diamond must have received a different number than her partner in crime. Silver Spoon looked around at the name tags and stopped upon seeing her's. She was trotting towards Scootaloo, who was praying that she wasn't one of her seat partners, but when Silver Spoon sat in the desk directly to the left of Scootaloo, a wave of anxiety and dread consumed her. Scootaloo waited for Silver Spoon to make some snide remark, but to her surprise she was perfectly quiet, the only thing she was doing was getting out her school supplies and waiting for the class to begin. Soon enough, ponies and griffons filled up the rest of the desks and last, but certainly not least, the teacher, a dark green unicorn mare, entered the classroom and knocked on the desk with her hoof.

"Good morning class," the teacher said. "My name is Spring Leaves." She wrote her name on the chalkboard in neat cursive using her magic. "I have all of your names on my attendance sheet, so when I call your name, I want you to respond." Spring Leaves cleared out her throat. "Let's begin. Armor Plate?"

"Here," a unicorn colt replied.

"Big Hoof?"

"Here," a tall earth pony yelled with enthusiasm, causing the rest of the class to giggle.

This continued one by one, each student responding with "here" or, for those who wanted to be fancy, "present". After a few minutes, attendance of all thirty students had been taken and class could finally begin. Spring Leaves levitated her chalk and wrote on the chalkboard.

"Our first lesson today will be on the history of the three early Equestrian Provinces," said Spring Leaves as she wrote on the board. "Now then, I want you to take notes on this, because I do give quizzes every Wednesday on what we've covered."

The class let out a collective groan, frustrated at the pain of knowing there would be frequent quizzes. Spring Leaves continued her lecture, explaining the three provinces and how they relate to the tale of Hearth's Warming. Scootaloo wrote down what the teacher said in her notebook, as she was worried about what kind of questions would be on the quizzes. As Scootaloo was writing, her pen accidentally slipped out of her hoof and next to Silver Spoon. Silver reached down and gave the pen back to Scootaloo, acting as though the two had just met. Scootaloo continued writing upon getting her pen back until after three hours of history and science lectures, the first bell rang to indicate that their lunch break could begin. The students all rushed out of the classroom and towards the cafeteria at the end of the hallway, a humongous, tiled room with tons of tables and a kitchen off to the far end of the room. The room felt chilly, as cafeterias tend to do. Scootaloo held onto her sack lunch waiting for Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who finally approached her. With them was a light red pegasus filly and a young griffon.

"Howdy Scootaloo," said Apple Bloom. "Red Arrow and Tina agreed to eat lunch with us. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Okay," replied Scootaloo. "Let's find a table and go eat."

The five youngsters sat at the nearest table and ate from their sack lunches, pausing after individual bites to chat about their experiences of the first day.

"Sorry that you can't be in our class," said Sweetie Belle. "We've made some new friends as you can see, have you met any new friends yourself?"

"No, not really," said Scootaloo, who sighed in disappointment. "I haven't really gotten the chance to meet with anyone in my class."

"You'll get some new friends. You're too cool for it not to happen."

"I guess. By the way, is Diamond Tiara in your class?"

The other four youngsters groaned in synchronization. "She is," said Apple Bloom. "She's an even bigger brat than before, and I didn't know that was even possible. I'm guessing Silver Spoon is in your class."

"She is, but she hasn't done anything bad yet. In fact, when I dropped my pen, she immediately picked it up and gave it back to me."

"Huh?" yelled Sweetie Belle, her eyes opened up wide in surprise. "Silver Spoon has a heart?"

"Apparently. I don't know if it'll last once she's with Diamond Tiara again."

"Well then who is that over at the other end of the table?"

Scootaloo looked down at the end of the long table and was shocked to see Silver Spoon sitting there, eating lunch all by herself. She didn't look particularly sad or anything, but considering that Diamond Tiara was in Scootaloo's line of sight, it seemed very out of place.

"Y'all don't think she had a break up with Diamond, do you?" whispered a confused Apple Bloom.

"I could go ask her, but I'd rather not," said Scootaloo, thinking of the repercussions of approaching Silver Spoon. "What's your teacher like?"

"He's this really old dude," said Tina. "Thankfully he seems very nice, if absent minded at times. How's yours Scootaloo?"

"Mine gives out quizzes every Wednesday. I actually have to pay extra attention this time, yawn." Scootaloo ironically yawned at the end of her sentence, which made the other four youngsters chuckle. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired, first day and everything. One thing I'd like to ask is why the school is much bigger than before, so does anyone know why?"

"I can answer that one," said Red Arrow. "See, ever since Tirek caused countless destruction to Equestria six months ago, countless ponies from Cloudsdale and Appleoosa were displaced. Cloudsdale because the city in the sky was deemed too dangerous to live, since over a thousand pegasi and griffons died when they lost their flight and over half a million were injured in some way. As for Appleoosa, it was because the harsh desert made rebuilding the huge number of destroyed homes unfeasible. All of the residents of those two places were moved to Ponyville, which is where we are now."

"Thanks for telling me. It must be rough for the two of you to adapt to this new life."

"It's not a problem. Tina and I both recognize that we can't hide from the past, no matter how horrifying it may be."

The five shifted their focus to less serious discussions, such as pop culture phenomena and other things kids tended to talk about. Once their lunch break was over, Scootaloo went her separate ways from her four friends and returned to the classroom. Scootaloo took her seat and once Silver Spoon took her's, Scootaloo couldn't help but stare at the grey filly, curious as to why she didn't eat lunch with Diamond Tiara. She kept her thoughts to herself and the teacher returned to class once everyone was seated and continued her lecture for the day.



The bell loudly rang throughout the classroom and all of the students squeezed out the door in large packs. Scootaloo was glad to be behind the rest of the students for once, but she couldn't help but notice Silver Spoon taking her time, waiting for everyone to be out the door. As much as Scootaloo hated to admit it, Silver Spoon was smart to let the craziest students out first. The pushing and shoving to get out of the metaphorical prison of the classroom finally subsided and Scootaloo was outside. She noticed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle resting by the flagpole, which waved the flag of Ponyville high in the sky, waiting for her.

"Hey girls. Sorry I'm late. I never knew you could squeeze that many through a door," said Scootaloo. "I bet some of them are going to have bruises the next morning."

"Say Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle in a chipper tone. "How about we head on over to the arcade down the road. It'll be fun."

"I'm with Sweetie Belle on this one," responded Apple Bloom, who adjusted her large pink bow. "Come on Scootaloo."

"I've got nothing else to do," remarked Scootaloo. "Let's get going."

The three were just about to depart until a familiar voice halted the trio. The voice's owner was none other than Diamond Tiara, and this time she had a new partner with her, a white unicorn filly with a striped yellow and white mane. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo turned around and saw Diamond glaring at them intensely, her face scrunched up like an accordion.

"Listen up losers," said a cocky Diamond. "Just because the school is bigger now doesn't mean I still won't find joy in tormenting you." Diamond pointed at her new ally, smugly grinning at the trio. "This here is my new partner in crime, Golden Jewel. She loves tormenting losers like you lot just as much as I do. We couldn't be a more perfect fit."

"I don't care about you," yelled Scootaloo, who could feel an intense fire build up in her small body. "All you are to me is a pest, and what clever name are you gonna call the three of us now that we have our cutie marks?"

"Well for starters," said Golden Jewel in a voice grating to the ears. "Why don't we call you a pegasissy?"

Scootaloo grit her teeth and glared at the two bullies angrier than ever. "I never would have thought that you'd go so low as to make friends with a racist Diamond Tiara."

"It's a fitting name for you," said Diamond. "Now we just need to decide what to call the rest of your ragtag bunch of misfits." Diamond cackled and a sinister smile adorned her face. "Apple Bloom can be mud pony, and Sweetie Belle can be cacophony."

"Diamond Tiara you villain," yelled a voice off in the distance. The voice belonged to Silver Spoon, who dashed in between Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara, scowling at the latter. "Just because you have lots of money doesn't give you the right to call anybody cruel names."

"What are you gonna do about it, traitor?"

"Huh?" gasped Scootaloo and her friends. Apple Bloom did hypothesize that Silver Spoon had abandoned Diamond Tiara, but none of them had expected her to be right on the money. They felt as if they had walked into a parallel universe where Silver Spoon wasn't a jerk, but Diamond Tiara still was.

"You really don't know?" said Diamond, expressing her surprise. "Well you three were always pretty stupid, but here goes nothing. Silver Spoon left me during the summer break because of a plan I had devised to tease you losers. The plan was that we'd find out your deepest, darkest secrets and personal stories and mercilessly taunt you till you cried like the little babies you are, and I'm talking about finding stuff much worse than what the Foal Free Press could do. Silver Spoon approached me and said that I had gone too far, and that we shouldn't make fun of someone for something like that. I did what I had to do and severed any ties with her. Now she's alone and thanks to her bleeding heart, she'll never get any new friends, the fitting punishment."

"Diamond you're the evilest pony I've ever met," yelled Sweetie Belle, tears forming in her eyes from pure rage. "If Silver Spoon proved she was redeemed, I'd be her friend. You all agree with me, huh?" Sweetie Belle waited for an answer and didn't get any. "Oh come on."

"No matter, we'll leave the three losers and the outcast for now, but remember, I'll be watching you, and so will my friend Golden Jewel. Ta-ta."

Diamond Tiara and Golden Jewel trotted away, their laughs a cacophony to the ears. Silver Spoon turned around and looked at the trio, her face one of anxiety and fear. Sweetie Belle approached the grey filly and looked straight into her eyes.

"Silver Spoon, I'll trust you if you can trust me," said Sweetie Belle. "My friends will learn to accept you eventually, but I promise to be nice to you if you can do the same for me."

"I'll be nice to you," muttered Silver Spoon. "Bullying isn't fun anymore. It's a cruel act and I wish I could go back and erase it all."

"I'd invite you with me to the arcade, but my best friends would probably object, so how about we do something tomorrow?"

Silver Spoon smiled ever so slightly, a warm feeling of acceptance entered her heart. "Sounds good to me."

"Perfect. Goodbye, Silver Spoon. See you tomorrow." Sweetie Belle waved enthusiastically at Silver Spoon as she trotted away with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Silver Spoon waved back at Sweetie Belle, tears dropping down from her cheeks onto the pavement below.



Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had arrived at the arcade. Inside, arcade cabinets with a variety of different games were set up in isles along the room. Glowing neon lights lined the perimeter of the arcade's interior, and a carpet decorated with star patterns ran over the entirety of the floor, which felt fuzzy to the trio's hooves. The three rushed over to the isles that had pinball machines and activated them. All of them focused on their pinball game, but found time to discuss what they had just gone through as they played.

"I still can't believe you were right about Silver Spoon," remarked Scootaloo, her eyes following the motion of the pinball. "Come to think of it, her quiet attitude should have tipped me off, but I'm still mad at how she treated me in the past."

"I know what ya mean," said Apple Bloom. "It's crazy how much everything can change in six months. Were we paying attention during our summer break?"

"Apparently not. I mean, what's next, do we get sent on an epic adventure and we make lots of new friends, some of them famous?"

"Scootaloo, I think that's what they call tempting fate."

"Fate, schmate. I make my own destiny, like winning this pinball, wait, darn it." Scootaloo frustratingly saw the machine flash Game Over at her. "Well, whatever. Say Sweetie Belle, what do you have to say about all of this?"

"Personally, I don't know," she replied. "I've never been a quick thinker, so I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else. Time will tell, or something like that. Is that how it goes?"

"Why don't we all get some smoothies before heading back home?" Apple Bloom suggested. "I could use one right about now."

"That sounds excellent," both of her friends replied. The three finished up at the arcade and trotted down the dirt road towards Sugarcube Corner, where they would get their delicious fruit smoothie. Things seemed to be returning to normal for the trio, but fate had other plans in store.
> The New Friends
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo trotted into Sugarcube Corner with empty stomachs. Inside there was a row of small circular tables where ponies sat eating treats or reading the newspaper and nearby was a glass display case of the wide variety of sweets the shop makes. Next to the display case was a small desk with a cash register and hanging from the back wall was the menu, which listed so many kinds of candies, smoothies, and so on to where the place would be more appropriately titled "The Sugar Rush Capital of the World". A sweet aroma covered the entirety of Sugarcube Corner, which was pleasant to the nostrils. The three approached the register, where a friendly stallion known as Mr. Cake was working at the moment.

"Hello there," said Mr. Cake politely, "Can I get you anything?"

"We'd like an extra large fruit smoothie with three straws, please, and make sure the straws are those twirly ones," said Apple Bloom, who emphasized the last request.

"Is that everything?"

"Yep."

"That will be ten bits, please."

Apple Bloom reached into her saddle bag and dug out a measly four bits, Scootaloo searched every corner of her saddlebag as though her belongings were stuck in a void and managed to find a paltry three bits, and Sweetie Belle, who had her bits in her hoof, only had two bits with her. The three collectively sighed, visibly distressed at being just one short.

"Sorry," muttered Sweetie Belle. "We're one short."

"I can provide a bit for you," said a mysterious voice. The voice belonged to a mare who was wearing a leather jacket, but whose face was conveniently covered by the newspaper she was reading. She reached into her pockets and pulled out one bit. Apple Bloom's face brightened up and she reached over and grabbed the bit as pure joy rushed through her veins.

"Thank you ma'am," said Apple Bloom, who could barely contain her excitement. "That was very kind of you."

"It's not a problem," the mare calmly said.

"Who are you anyways? I can't see ya under that big newspaper you've got."

"I'm a pony from Cloudsdale. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Close enough, but what about your-"

Apple Bloom noticed that the mare had left Sugarcube Corner, as though she had never been there. A tip on the table was left on top of the newspaper that was neatly folded. Apple Bloom was shocked to see someone disappear that quickly. She thought that it must have been a teleportation spell used by the mare, but she can't be a unicorn if she's from Cloudsdale, so therefore the mare would much more likely be a pegasus. Apple Bloom thought about who this mare could be and what she looked like, thinking she might look incredibly ugly if she's hiding herself. She was more curious as to why the mare was in a hurry. Perhaps she left the tea kettle on for too long, or she had some important business meeting to attend, but those were probably not the answers. Apple Bloom looked at the table more closely and discovered a solitary white feather by the tip, but she unfortunately didn't know any pegasus with white wings.

"Hey Apple Bloom," yelled Scootaloo. "Are you in there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, just thinking about that mare is all."

"That kind of curiosity is what lands you in trouble. Remember that story about the chimaera you told me about?"

Apple Bloom groaned. "I do, and I tell ya I'm a big pony." Apple Bloom stood as tall as she could with a determined expression. Scootaloo smirked slightly and Apple Bloom replied with a smirk of her own. Sweetie Belle stood in the middle of the two, her eyebrows raised, confused at what was going on. "Oh forget about it, let's get our smoothie."

Apple Bloom paid the ten bits and after three minutes or so of waiting and smoothie making noise, a towering glass filled with a smoothie was brought over and placed on one of the tables. As requested, three twirly straws were inserted into the smoothie. The three friends approached their treat and drank the smoothie, the chilly, fruity taste touching their taste buds as they drank. Once the smoothie was all gone, the three left the table and headed out the door into the outside world once again.

"It was fun being with y'all," said Apple Bloom. "I've gotta go, so I'll see y'all tomorrow morning."

The three waved and went their separate ways, anticipating what tomorrow had in store for them. They knew Sweetie Belle would be with Silver Spoon tomorrow afternoon, so they formulated plans as to what they should do after school. The night passed, and before any of them knew it, the next morning had already begun.



Scootaloo trotted to her classroom, wondering what she should do after class. Apple Bloom had told her that she was going to do something important with Featherweight, leaving the young filly alone for the afternoon. Her mind raced as to what she should do. She thought about going to the arcade, but she did that yesterday, so that plan was scrapped. As she was thinking, Scootaloo bumped into something and fell over, unsure of what she ran into. In front of her was her answer, a light blue colt who politely held out his hoof and got Scootaloo back on her hooves. Scootaloo found him pretty cute, thinking that he might be in her class.

"Sorry about that," said an embarrassed Scootaloo. "I should have looked where I was going."

"It's okay," replied the colt. "Do you have a lot on your mind?"

"Yeah, my friends are all busy for the afternoon and I've got nothing to do."

"You know, I could hang out with you, if you're okay with that."

Scootaloo rubbed the top of her mane and grinned innocently, not expecting the response the colt gave her. "Fine with me. What's your name?"

"My name is Rumble. What's yours?"

"I'm Scootaloo. It's nice to meet you."

"I wish we could keep talking, but class is going to start soon, and I don't want to be late. Let's meet up during our lunch break and we can talk about what we'll do after school. Sound reasonable to you?"

"Sounds like a plan."

Scootaloo and Rumble entered their classroom and took their seats. They watched as the other desks filled up one by one and Spring Leaves entered last as she had done the day before. Today's class was focused on mathematics, much to the majority of the students' despair, and when the bell rang to indicate lunch, it felt as if they were released by the constriction of the snake of algebra. Scootaloo and Rumble trotted together and took their seats. Apple Bloom was with Featherweight and Sweetie Belle joined them after talking to Silver Spoon for a little bit. The five ponies all stared at each other awkwardly, and Featherweight cleared his throat to begin the conversation.

"So who's your new pal, Scootaloo?" asked Featherweight.

"I'm Rumble," he responded. "You must be Featherweight. I've heard about you before, though I can't remember why."

"It's because I'm an extraordinary photographer. Nobody has got my skills." Rumble tried his best to not roll his eyes at the blatant display of egotism. "Apple Bloom and I are gonna do something that only the bravest do."

"You mean only the dumbest." Rumble muttered just quietly enough so that nobody else could hear him.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Simple," replied Featherweight, who was flexing despite his frail stature. "Apple Bloom and I are gonna tag a wall in the wealthy unicorn district of Ponyville with the Symbol of Hope."

"The Symbol of Hope?"

"It's, well, hard to explain, but ever since that incident six months ago, ponies have been so frightened to the point where some gamblers have been doing pools to determine who will be Equestria's next biggest threat. Most are predicting a Smooze flood, but who really knows? Anyways, this feeling of dread has resulted in what I've been told is a movement towards a safer Equestria, which is where the Symbol of Hope comes in. It's supposed to borrow from something else because of some major news story a while back, but I can't remember it."

"Fair enough, but why the unicorn district?" said Scootaloo, who was still confused as to what Featherweight was blathering on about.

"Because the majority of the unicorn district thinks that Equestria is already safe, just so long as they place their faith in Princess Twilight Sparkle. They do have a point in that she always seems to save the day, but the movement says that successfully saving the world is only a part of their goal, they want to minimize the number of incidents. Personally, I think I'd side with those who already think Equestria is safe, but I can't help myself from doing something daring."

"Oh goodness, even Daring Do would tell you to calm down." Scootaloo wanted to tell Featherweight and Apple Bloom that there are better things to do than go on some silly dare, but she could easily tell that Featherweight would reflect her words.

"Then I must be really daring." Featherweight got up and left the table, looking back at the four he was leaving behind. "I'll see you after class Apple Bloom."

When Featherweight was finally away from them, Scootaloo grabbed Apple Bloom's head and stared intensely at her, looking like she was going to literally slap some sense into her.

"Why are you hanging out with this idiot?" said Scootaloo. "He's gonna do something ridiculously stupid one day, I can tell you that for sure."

"He might be a little crazy," said Apple Bloom, "but he seems nice enough. Besides, what he's doing isn't that stupid. It's not like my life will be in danger or anything."

"Slippery slope Apple Bloom, slippery slope."



The lunch period ended and the students all returned to their classes, continuing on the mathematics they were working on from before. The students in both classes watched the clock tick towards the end of class when the time was soon. Their counting ran in tune to the ticks and when the bell rang to signal the end of class, all of the students bolted out of the door. Apple Bloom went to meet up with Featherweight, Sweetie Belle went to Silver Spoon, and Scootaloo went to Rumble. All six were highly anticipating what their time together had in store for them, and soon the three groups departed the school grounds and went their separate ways.

Scootaloo and Rumble trotted over to Ponyville's central plaza. A large crowd of ponies were gathered in front of a stage with an opened red curtain. On the stage was an enthusiastic blue unicorn with a wizard's hat and cape. Dazzling spells and flashing lights shot out from her horn, impressing the crowd. She formed a ring of fire around her and leaped across the stage like a ballerina, the dancing of the red flames around her miraculously not catching anything on fire. Her horn glowed again and the fire disappeared from thin air, not leaving behind a trace. The unicorn bowed and the crowd cheered wildly.

"Thank you for watching the Great and Powerful Trixie," she yelled. The crowd chanted her name as she trotted off backstage, loving every chant of praise that her ears heard.

"That was really impressive," said Scootaloo, whose eyes were sparkling like Trixie's spells. "Let's try and talk to her if we get the chance."

"Fine with me," replied Rumble. "Why are you interested in her anyways? Does she owe you money?"

"No silly, I just want to ask her about this Symbol of Hope thing. I have this strange feeling that she has some answers as to what its about."

"Featherweight, as stupid as he is, explained it pretty well, so I don't know what else you want answered."

"Its the origins of the symbol I'm interested in."

The crowd dispersed and Scootaloo and Rumble approached the tall wooden stage. They trotted around the perimeter of the stage and saw Trixie drinking a glass of lemonade, smiling after another successful show. Scootaloo waved at Trixie, hoping to get her attention, and Trixie teleported in an impressive flash with her lemonade and reappeared in front of the two youngsters.

"Hello there," said Trixie. "What do you want to ask Trixie? I don't have a lot of time, so I hope it isn't anything too complicated."

"I wanted to ask if you knew anything about the origins of the Symbol of Hope," said Scootaloo.

"You're in luck, because Trixie can tell you just a little about it, but not much. I do know that the symbol comes from a group that is no longer together, but I don't remember who they are. Trixie's magic is more important than the name of a group. As for the movement for safety, Trixie fully supports it. Trixie must depart, but could you tell Trixie your names?"

"I'm Scootaloo, and this is Rumble. We're students at Ponyville Elementary. It's nice to meet you."

"Well Scootaloo and Rumble, may the stars guide you to a bright future. Goodbye."

Trixie trotted away from Scootaloo and Rumble with pizazz and was smiling cutely. She entered a small wagon with a modest red roof and closed the door. Scootaloo looked at Rumble and patted him on the back.

"She seems nicer than I was expecting," said Scootaloo. "Do you have an idea as to who this group might be?"

"I know, why don't you take a stab at it," replied Rumble, smirking at Scootaloo.

"Hmm, the Ponytones?"

Rumble tried his best to hold back his laughter, unsure if Scootaloo was even serious with her answer. "Not even close, it's the Wonderbolts."

"You mean the group that the awesome Rainbow Dash so thoroughly dominates that they split up?"

Rumble sighed loudly and placed his hoof on his face, surprised that someone this uncultured, in his opinion at least, could still be breathing. "Don't listen to Ponyville for your news kid, they've done a lot for Equestria. My big brother Thunderlane can attest to that. The countless achievements immortalized in international papers for the last squadron doesn't sound like a pathetic team to me, not to mention their shows always went without incident."

"Well Rainbow Dash covered those three failures perfectly. Oh, and she's undefeated in missions. Try and top that, fancolt."

"There's your problem, Scoots. You just can't handle the truth that the Wonderbolts are great."

Scootaloo's eyes flared up, her cheeks blushing brightly like suns. "Did you just call me Scoots?"

"Yep, and since it seems to irritate you a bit, I'll call you Scoots from now on." Rumble heartily laughed while Scootaloo stood next to him, filling up with the embarrassment of getting a cute and pathetic nickname.

"Well how about a bet. I'll take you to one of Rainbow Dash's shows and I'll prove to you she runs rings around the Wonderbolts. If I see you admit she's superior in every way, you'll owe me twenty bits. Deal?"

"You're on Scoots. I don't back down from a bet I can't lose. Shake on it, friend."

The two pegasi shook hooves, each one confident that they would leave the show victorious. Smug grins adorned their faces as they peered into the eyes of the pony in front of them. Scootaloo and Rumble waved goodbye to each other and trotted away with an air of confidence, eager to prove the other one wrong.



Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon sat down next to a fountain in a courtyard. The fountain had a large diameter and the roaring sounds of the water rising from it made talking next to it difficult. Around the fountain was a larger circle of smooth stone tiles that was decorated with a mosaic pattern. Surrounding the fountain was a large grassland with trees sprouting from the earth in no particular pattern. The sights were stunning to those who appreciate nature and is a popular place for ponies to discuss their emotions.

"Say Silver Spoon, why did you rush into our argument with Diamond Tiara?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"I, um, I guess I just wanted to show the world how I feel about Diamond," muttered Silver Spoon. "Not many knew of our split, and because my past would be an obstacle for me to make friends, I did what I could because I was there. Not the most honorable action, but I don't have any regrets."

"I understand why you did what you did. It was brave of you to stand up to Diamond Tiara like that. I wish I was that brave."

"Thanks, Sweetie Belle." Silver Spoon's heart warmed upon receiving the compliment. "Oh, and don't worry Sweetie Belle, I know you can be brave. I don't know why, but I look at you and see a brave pony."

"Thanks for supporting me like that." Sweetie Belle received the same warmth of her heart that Silver Spoon did. "Do you have anything you like doing?"

"I like to hone my special talent of pastries. I feel as though I can become an esteemed pastry chef. Yeah, my cutie mark is a bit vague, but what are you going to do?" Silver Spoon looked down at Sweetie Belle's cutie mark. Despite being one of her nemeses for the longest time, knowing that she had reached a milestone in her life felt good for reasons she couldn't quite explain. "I assume your cutie mark of the musical notes signifies your singing talent, correct?"

"Yep. I'm really proud that I found my cutie mark. Looking back at the days of the CMC, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and I caused a lot of chaos, huh?"

"I guess so. I'm a bit guilty of causing chaos myself, usually in relation to what you did." The two cutely giggled, not having any feelings of conflict for the other over the eventful past. Sweetie Belle could hear her stomach grumble and Silver Spoon heard her stomach desiring for food as well.

"Want to go get an ice cream?"

"Sure, but first, why are you being nice to me?" Silver Spoon gave Sweetie Belle a confused look, as though she was a changeling who didn't read her script.

"It's because I believe in second chances. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo may take some more convincing, but I can tell when a pony changes for the better. Let's go, I could use a treat right about now."



Apple Bloom and Featherweight reached the unicorn district of Ponyville, named as such because of its high proportion of unicorns in a small area. The houses in this district were of a higher quality than those in other parts of Ponyville, as many of the residents came from Canterlot for the economic opportunities the town provided. Apple Bloom and Featherweight crept through the district and went down an alleyway and upon reaching a secluded site, Featherweight pulled out yellow and white graffiti spray and sprayed all over the light blue wall in front of him. He first formed a yellow thunderbolt that was sprayed with precision, much to Apple Bloom's surprise. Once the thunderbolt was done, Featherweight sprayed two wings on both sides of the top of the thunderbolt. The two looked at the work they had done, smiling at accomplishing the daring feat without a hitch.

"Well thanks for getting my adrenaline pumping over nothing," said Apple Bloom sarcastically.

"We still did it," said Featherweight, his face expressing bliss. "Now we need to scram."

Apple Bloom and Featherweight left their work and were back on the streets, surprised to see the roads were more crowded than before. The two trotted across the street, but didn't look both directions, causing them to miss a speeding cart that was headed for them. Apple Bloom looked to her left and saw the cart narrowly closing in on her, gulping at the thought of a huge bruise that might soon cover her body. She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. She felt a jolt, but for some reason it didn't hurt. Apple Bloom thought she was dead, but once she opened her eyes, she was surprised to discover she was off the ground with Featherweight next to her, carried by a yellow pegasus mare. The mare gently placed the two kids on the ground and the stunned onlookers cheered at the mare for her courageous rescue.

"Are you okay?" asked the mare, the expression on her face clearly concerned for the two ponies' well being.

"Yeah," replied a dazed Apple Bloom, still trying to calculate in her head what just happened. "Who are you anyways?"

Apple Bloom then realized that the yellow pegasus was gone, now just a speck of yellow and orange flying into the sky. Apple Bloom shifted her attention to Featherweight, who was trying to catch his breath.

"Say Featherweight, who was that?" asked Apple Bloom.

"That was Spitfire," replied Featherweight. "She was-"

"Who?"

"She was known for being very intelligent, a bit brash, and has an inferiority complex, an odd combination for-"

"So she's a member of Linkin Pony, right?"

Featherweight groaned loudly in frustration, wishing he could slap Apple Bloom across the face for interrupting him so much. "You never go out that much, do you?"

"My family expects me home by four o'clock, so not really."

"Never mind."

Apple Bloom shrugged, remembering what Scootaloo told her about getting into trouble. She knew she should have listened to her friend, but getting out there and doing something dangerous made her feel alive. To Apple Bloom, it was a nice contrast to the regulated life her sister Applejack provided her. She and Featherweight watched Spitfire fly off into the sky, seemingly trying to avoid the press that would want to hound her for interviews and the like. Apple Bloom was disappointed that she couldn't ask Spitfire more questions about who she is, but she didn't let it consume her mind, and the two youngsters went their separate ways and headed home.
> Dream Walker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Apple Bloom opened her eyes and climbed out of bed. The events of yesterday were still fresh in her mind, but as she approached the door that led her out of her bedroom, something felt odd. Everything was where it should be, but Apple Bloom couldn't shake this strange feeling tingling inside of her. Apple Bloom opened the door and trotted downstairs to the living room, which was a large couch, two comfy chairs, a fireplace, and a carpet with the symbol of the Apple Clan plastered on it. Sitting on the middle of the couch was someone Apple Bloom never expected.

"Princess Luna?" shrieked Apple Bloom. "What the heck is going on?"

Luna slowly arose from the couch and approached Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom looked up at Luna's smiling face and was distracted by her flowing mane, which looked more akin to a miniature galaxy than a mane.

"Hello, Apple Bloom," said Luna. "You are actually dreaming, and I have entered your dreams to talk with you in private."

"What? How?" Apple Bloom's mouth was agape, her pupils fully dilated.

"That's not important. Besides, I've entered the dreams of your friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. I figured it was only a matter of time before I showed up in yours."

"What do you want to tell me?"

"Just a few things. First, you should know that there is a fine line between bravery and stupidity. I heard about the trouble you nearly got in. If you weren't saved your belly would have a huge black and blue mark on it, and we'd all rather not see you with that."

"Sorry, it's just I want to live a life of excitement, and my family life doesn't exactly give me many opportunities to do that."

"Have you thought about why your family is concerned for your safety?"

Apple Bloom closed her eyes shut and tried to formulate an answer to Luna's question. Idea after idea rushed through Apple Bloom's mind, but when she opened her eyes, all she could say were three words, "I've got nothing."

Luna patted Apple Bloom's head gently, who felt surprised at how smooth Luna's hoof decoration was. "It's because your family cares very much for you and wants you to be okay. You are still very young, and when you grow up, you'll be able to go on as many adventures as you want. You just need to grow a little bit more before tackling the bigger challenges."

Apple Bloom sighed in disappointment. "But I want to go on a cool adventure now."

"No need to whine, as you can do many interesting things that do not put your body at risk. I know we'll meet again someday, but for now, I must depart."

"Wait, Luna, I have more questions. Like-"

"Apple Bloom," a familiar voice yelled.

Apple Bloom shot out of her bed fully awake. Next to her was her dear sister, Applejack, who had a stern expression on her face.

"Apple Bloom, school is starting soon, and I don't want ya to be late," said Applejack in an intimidating manner. "If you would kindly get ready so you can make it to class on time, that would be much appreciated."

"Sorry sis, I'll get ready in a jiffy."

Apple Bloom dashed out of her bedroom as quickly as she could and into the bathroom located nearby, cleaning up and getting ready for another day of school.



Apple Bloom, through sheer luck, made it to school in the nick of time. She took her seat and Sweetie Belle, who sat behind her, waved. Apple Bloom waved back to her friend with the same amount of enthusiasm. The classroom was already filled and a geriatric earth pony named Grinding Gears entered the classroom with a wooden cane on one hoof and started teaching.

"Good morning class," said Grinding Gears, his voice sounding like one that would belong to an ancient wizard. "We have some more history lessons to do today, so let's take attendance and begin." Once the teacher took attendance, reading their names just as Spring Leaves would do in the other class, he began his lecture.

"Today's lesson covers the history of King Sombra." The students picked up their pens, ready for another day of note taking. "Many believe Sombra to be this embodiment of evil, but did you know that he actually didn't start out that way?" A light blue pegasus colt raised his hoof high in the air. "Yes, Thunderstorm?"

"If Sombra wasn't evil once, how did he behave? Because let me tell you, I don't buy this Discord is reformed crud."

"We will get to Discord eventually, but as for your first question, Sombra was a paladin that served for the military shortly after Celestia and Luna rose to power."

Apple Bloom paused for a brief moment upon hearing Luna's name. She thought a little about what Luna had told her in her dreams, but kept writing once the thought had passed.

"Anyways, Sombra led a charge against what is called the Crystal Empire. The emperor of this land was a very powerful dragon, not to mention a very cunning one as well. The charge was working, but when the emperor took the upper hand for a brief moment, he gave Sombra a choice. He promised to let Sombra slay him and restore peace to the land, at the cost of being cursed the following year, or he could flee, but be promised that his friends would live. Sombra wanted to end the war, no matter how much it may hurt him in the process, so he took the first option, and he managed to enjoy the benefit of his friends living as well. Unfortunately, he did not know what the curse had in store for him."

Apple Bloom suddenly remembered what Applejack told her concerning the whole Tirek mess six months ago, and how Princess Twilight was given an important choice somewhat like what Sombra went through. The similarities were eerie, but she passed it off as a coincidence and kept taking notes.

"The following year, Sombra began to feel hungry for power and as time went on, he descended into madness. He managed to take control of the very same land he once freed, and the last bit of consciousness his old self still had could only watch as he himself became a dictator. It was there he wrote one final letter to Celestia and Luna before the curse completely consumed him, pleading that the royal sisters defeat him so that he did not plunge the world into chaos. The sisters agreed and arrived to defeat him just after he had become fully consumed. Any questions?"

The bell rang to indicate that the lunch break had began, and just as in Spring Leaves' class, all of the students stormed out the door, relieved that they could let their brains rest for a while before having to head back to work. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were both curious as to how yesterday went for the other as well as for Scootaloo.



The lunch table included Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as usual, but also included Featherweight, Rumble, and Silver Spoon. Not everybody was happy in regards to who was at the table. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo still distrusted Silver Spoon, and everybody sans Apple Bloom was not a big fan of Featherweight, though the degree to which their dislike defined their opinion of him varied. Featherweight grinned smugly, everybody at the table staring intently at him.

"You should've believed me," said Featherweight, who felt like he was a king. "I managed to-"

"Don't forget about me," interrupted Apple Bloom.

"Ahem, Apple Bloom and I tagged a wall with the Symbol of Hope in the unicorn district, and nothing went wrong."

"Well we did almost get crunched by a speeding cart until a pony saved us."

"Who was that pony?" asked Scootaloo, who started to pay attention to Featherweight's story when she heard Apple Bloom mentioned being saved. "I bet it was Rainbow Dash, she's so awesome."

"Actually it was some mare named Spitfire."

"Ha," yelled Rumble as he jumped out of his seat on the verge of dancing. "What did I tell you, Scootaloo? The Wonderbolts are awesome as well."

"I don't mean to change the subject, but what is this about?"

"Rumble and I have a bet," said Scootaloo confidently. "I'd take her to one of Rainbow Dash's shows and if I convinced her that Rainbow Dash is better than the Wonderbolts in every conceivable way, he'd owe me twenty bits."

"Don't forget you'll owe me twenty bits if I'm right," said Rumble.

"Let's change the subject for a bit," said Featherweight. "I've got a cool quest we can do on the weekend, and I'll need all the help I can get."

"Oh boy, here we go again," muttered Rumble.

"I've heard rumors about a hidden temple, and I'm gonna go explore it."

"Where is it?" asked Apple Bloom.

"The Everfree Forest, but that's no longer a problem. Thanks, Twilight Sparkle. Anyways, there is supposedly a mysterious secret about this temple, and I'll need a group of ponies to help me along the way. Are you in?"

The five other ponies shook their heads in unison, all knowing that Featherweight may be trotting down the path of no return and into the realm of sheer stupidity. Featherweight raised his eyebrows up and down in a hypnotizing pattern, acting in complete denial of the evidence in front of him.

"You'll be joining me eventually. You may not think it now, but you most definitely will."

"Whatever." Apple Bloom cleared her throat and turned her attention towards Rumble. "So Rumble, who is this Spitfire? Before you say anything, yes, I don't know."

"I'll keep it short and simple," said Rumble, who cleared his throat. "Spitfire was the last Captain of the Wonderbolts. She is an extremely intelligent mare, but she can become tough as nails if the situation calls for her to be strict. Despite this, she apparently thought she didn't deserve the position of captain, and shortly before the last Equestria Games, the rumor was that she moved the ever popular Soarin to the position of captain, only for his first decision to be putting Spitfire back as captain, which he received unanimous support for from the other Wonderbolts."

"Do you know why?"

"I'm not a psychic, so no."

"Well, Rumble," said Scootaloo, "I know for certain that when I take you to Rainbow Dash's show, you'll know why this Spitfire is an emotional train wreck. Wait, I think I might have been a bit rude there. Sorry about that." Scootaloo blushed at her social blunder, trying to remind herself in her head that she should think before speaking.

"Well, the show is after class, so I guess we'll find out soon."

"Um, can I add something?" asked Silver Spoon nervously.

"Sure," said Sweetie Belle, rubbing Silver Spoon's back to encourage her new friend.

"I'm sorry to have kept this news to myself, as I probably should have told you from the start, but I've been told that the princesses are considering pressing major charges against Discord for his role in the incident six months ago. The charges are supposedly for what is called in Equestrian law "unforgivable crimes", which are the only crimes that can be punished with execution if the defendant is found to be clearly guilty. It's only a rumor at the moment, but if anything comes up, I think it would be wise to follow the story if anything major happens."

The other five ponies gasped, shocked at hearing the news. After all, they do recall being told that Discord looked like he was going to get out of this without any consequences. They were curious as to how Discord would respond, but since he was always being watched by someone, he probably wouldn't do anything too drastic. The bell inside the cafeteria rang and the students all trotted back to their classrooms to continue the school day.



School finally ended and Scootaloo and Rumble met by the flagpole, both of them with huge grins on their faces. Once they shook hooves to confirm that they were not backing out of the bet, the two traveled to the town square, where Rainbow Dash would be performing. At the town square, a conglomeration of ponies had already formed, many of them excited to see Rainbow Dash perform her daring feats. Scootaloo and Rumble squeezed their way to the front of the crowd and saw a light blue pegasus with a rainbow mane flaunting her skills. She took off from the ground and did a series of extremely fast maneuvers. Barrel rolls, loops, weather manipulation, and her signature move, the Sonic Rainboom, were all a part of her act. She landed on her hind legs and the crowd went ballistic. Scootaloo's eyes were glowing like stars, but Rumble stood there, and while she couldn't deny the fact that Rainbow Dash was an extremely agile flier, she had seen more impressive tricks from the Wonderbolts. Scootaloo looked over at her friend and was shocked to see him smiling, but it was clearly not because of Rainbow's tricks. It was because he knew he would be twenty bits richer in the future.

"Rumble, how can you honestly believe that Rainbow Dash isn't the best flier by a mile?" asked Scootaloo in a confused tone of voice.

"Because while her speed is impressive, there is much more to stunt flying," replied Rumble. "Working with other pegasi perfectly is one of the greatest skills of stunt flying, and having a legendary ability, as cool as it is, does not make you the best flier."

"Come on Rumble, just admit that I won."

"Well then, I'll just add a bit for every day you wait to pay up, how about that?"

Scootaloo sighed and reached into her saddlebag, pulling out a small sack of twenty bits. She tossed the sack to Rumble, who gleefully accepted. Rumble trotted up to Scootaloo and patted her on the head in a friendly manner.

"Don't let it get you down, Scoots. Besides, at least I know that Rainbow Dash is a great flier, just not the greatest."

"I'm fine with it. I guess I'll-"

"Wait up," a voice yelled. The voice belonged to Featherweight, who was holding a golden medallion in his hoof. Featherweight grinned at seeing Scootaloo and Rumble focus on his medallion like a cat focusing on a ball of yarn. "Wanna know where I got this nifty medallion? Then you're gonna have to join me on my expedition, because where we're going is where I found it."

"On one condition," said Scootaloo, staring intensely at Featherweight. "If you can assure me there is no danger and I get to keep some of the treasure, I'll come along."

"No danger whatsoever." Featherweight nodded, looking more like a salespony for every second that went by.

"Okay then. Why don't I believe you?"

"I guess you'll have to remain disappointed. No memorable experiences for you. Goodbye, pal."

Featherweight trotted off into the distance as Scootaloo and Rumble looked on, neither of them particularly fond of the surprisingly persistent pegasus. Rumble turned his head towards Scootaloo and smirked.

"What's up with him?" asked Rumble. "He seems to really want some company."

"He's a daredevil," answered Scootaloo. "As insane as he is, I'm not stopping him."

"Say Scoots, I have a request." Rumble's voice shifted to a serious tone. "How about we go out to the Sky High Restaurant and I'll introduce the owner to you? His name is Soarin, which should sound familiar. You should be able to connect the dots as to why I'm requesting this."

"I don't see why not, but the food had better be good."

"Goodbye, Scoots."

"Goodbye, Rumble."



The sun set in the sky and night came, and during the middle of the night, Apple Bloom was tossing and turning in her bed, whimpering something inaudible. She was having a nightmare, and in this nightmare, she was at a scorched wasteland, and a red cloud with the disgusting face of Tirek was chasing her, getting closer and closer for every step Apple Bloom took. The cloud laughed as Apple Bloom desperately tried to run away, her hooves crushing the dead leaves she galloped over.

"Foolish child," it said sinisterly. "I shall destroy all of Equestria, and you shall be its latest victim. Your blood will join all of the other ponies that I have drained. Say goodbye, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom turned around and looked at the red cloud, but appearing from nowhere, Princess Luna slashed through the red cloud with an impressive black sword, her cutie mark inscribed on the blade's crossguard. The red cloud vanished and replacing the horrifying landscape was a much more peaceful garden with pink flowers, butterflies, and a smoothly flowing river. The beautiful scene calmed Apple Bloom, her soul soothed by the melodic chirping of the birds and the warm, gentle breeze. As Apple Bloom regained her composure, she remembered that she wanted to ask Luna some questions, and now seemed like an appropriate time to do so.

"I hope that nightmare didn't frighten you," said Luna. "While I may have power over dreams, I cannot be in multiple places at the same time and I can only enter the dreams of ponies I have met in the real world."

"Luna," said Apple Bloom. "I want to ask you, why do you enter the dreams of other ponies?"

"It's because this ability is a leftover from my brief stint as Nightmare Moon." Luna could feel a melancholy rush through her as she recalled the dark events of her past. "I had this amazing ability of entering dreams that would go to waste, so I decided to use it to help troubled fillies and colts that I had met. I know that I can't help everyone, but knowing that some ponies will not follow the same depressing path I took a thousand years ago is comforting."

"I can see where you are coming from. Anyways, I was told that the princesses were considering charging Discord with committing one of the "unforgivable crimes". Is that true?"

"It is, and all we are waiting for is approval from Twilight and my sister. Once that is set, we send out someone who is stronger than Discord to go capture him, and he will be placed on trial."

"How does the trial work?"

"Discord will be rendered immobile by the strongest anti-magic spell, a spell only possible by combining the powers of the Grand Council. The Grand Council consists of all of the leaders that make up our world. They currently consist of myself, Celestia, Twilight, Cadence, King Gryphus XII of the Griffon Kingdom, Chief Thunderhooves of the Buffalo Tribe, and Queen Pupa III of the Changeling Tribe."

"The changelings? They invaded Canterlot."

"True, but Chrysalis is currently in an unknown location at the moment. Nobody knows where she landed after being blasted away. Some say she reappeared, but there are no confirmations. After the changelings' defeat, Pupa III agreed to pay for any damages caused, and she is currently dabbling in methods of gathering food that don't depend on feeding on love. She isn't a friend of Equestria at the moment, but she's behaved long enough to not be an enemy. Anyways, if charged and captured, Discord will face the Grand Council at Mount Alicorn. The Grand Council will work with a group of law experts and if found clearly guilty, Discord will be executed. If found guilty, but there isn't enough proof to know if he is definitely guilty, Discord will serve a sentence in Tartarus. If innocent, Discord will be let go."

"Sounds a bit complicated. How will this affect us?"

"I wish I knew the answer. Only time will tell."

"Well then, thanks for being the exposition pony."

"You're welcome. I may be a princess, but I swore to serve the populace. Goodbye, Apple Bloom."

"Goodbye, Luna."



In the unicorn district, a group of ponies were washing away the Symbol of Hope that Featherweight sprayed on the wall a day ago. With them was Golden Jewel, seething with rage, and next to her were three unicorns, each with a tattoo of Discord's face and a tattoo of crossed unicorn horns on their front legs. These three unicorns were unicorn supremacists, and one of them was the father of Golden Jewel, trying to formulate who would tag their house.

"Please tell me that you can get rid of this barf before Prince Blueblood's wedding," whined Golden Jewel.

"We totally will," said her father, who had a gruff voice. "Besides, if anyone tries this trick again, I'll give them a scar they'll never forget."

"Sir, what about the rumor that Discord will be put on trial?" a unicorn asked.

"Doesn't matter, but I'll be furious if he's guilty."
> Nowhere to Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day of school seemed to go by without anything interesting happening for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo at first, which is unusual since there is usually at least something noteworthy that goes on in their eventful lives. Their discussion with their fellow friends at lunch was mostly about what kids in Equestria usually talk about, though Featherweight still persisted on trying to get ponies to join him on his expedition, but once again he came out with nobody to go with him. Class ended, the students all rushed outside, and when the three young ponies were ready to say goodbye, they heard a growling cacophony.

"Why do I have this feeling that you three pests were the ones who put graffiti on my wall," yelled Golden Jewel. Her face looked like a bulldog's and the grinding of her teeth was clearly audible.

"What are you talking about?" said Apple Bloom nervously. "We didn't do anything to your fancy wall."

"Diamond Tiara has told me all about you three losers. Now come over here so my hoof can kiss your face."

Golden Jewel dashed towards the three as fast as she could. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo ran away from her in sheer terror. While the three ponies were able to consistently stay ahead of their pursuer, Golden Jewel was always close behind. The three unknowingly leaped into the Everfree Forest, dodging tree stumps, vines, rocks, and other obstacles. All they could hear was their heavy breathing and the breaking of twigs as they galloped across the forest. They kept on galloping and galloping and then they heard a sound that indicated they could rest.

"I'll get you losers," yelled Golden Jewel off in the distance. "You may have escaped today, but tomorrow won't be so lucky."

The trio felt exhausted after having ran such a long distance and rested against a thick tree nearby. The bark of the tree was rough and uncomfortable against their backs, but it was the best thing to rest on in their vicinity. They looked around and saw the cover of the Everfree Forest seemingly block out the afternoon sky with a green blanket of leaves.

"Let's wait for a bit before heading back," said Scootaloo, catching her breath. "That way we will know that Golden Jewel will be long gone."

"I kind of wish we could leave now," whimpered Sweetie Belle, shivering nervously. "This place is really scary."

"Or you three could join me on my expedition, because I'm going there right now," a voice said.

The three knew it belonged to Featherweight, but when they turned around to look behind them, they still jumped in shock to see him directly behind them. Featherweight laughed at surprising the three and rubbed his mane.

"You guys are such cowards," said Featherweight. "It's just a forest, and besides, the temple is nearby."

"You win today," said Scootaloo, glaring intensely into Featherweight's eyes. "Take us to the temple, but promise us to shut up about any dares you do. Understand?"

"I do, and I'm a colt of my word. Follow me closely, but try not to stray too far behind."

Featherweight trotted off and the trio followed him. They brushed off twigs and vines that got in their faces as they traveled, taking each step carefully as to not trip over and scrape themselves. After about three minutes of hiking, the forest opened up and in front of the four was the temple Featherweight was talking about, only it wasn't a temple at all. Instead, it looked a lot more like a colosseum. The colosseum was built in a smooth, white material and looked surprisingly undisturbed. There were sticks pointing out of the top of the colosseum, each one equidistant to the next one, and appeared to have once carried a flag at some point in time.

"You told us this was a temple," yelled Scootaloo. "Does this look like a temple to you?"

"Follow me closely," said Featherweight. "This is a temple, and you just gotta trust me on this."

Featherweight passed through the entrance of the colosseum and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo followed him inside. The interior of the colosseum, surprisingly, also looked modern. There was a reception counter as well as a glass display case, with objects still inside behind the glass barriers. Posters lined up the interior of the colosseum, and when Scootaloo looked at them, she noticed something peculiar about them.


Best Young Fliers Competition
Taking Applicants


Scootaloo rubbed her eyes and sure enough, the poster had Rainbow Dash adorned on its center. It was then Scootaloo realized what this place was. It wasn't an ancient temple of any kind, it was Cloudsdale Arena, and it had gently fallen from the sky and landed on a secluded part of the Everfree Forest.

"Hey guys, come over here," said Scootaloo. Her two friends and one annoyance trotted towards her. "Take a look at this. Notice anything?"

"That's Rainbow Dash," shouted Sweetie Belle. "This is a newer building. Talk about amazing detective work."

"Thanks, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo noticed Featherweight swipe away the poster and saw her roll it up. "What was that all about, Featherweight?"

"I just think it'll be worth something," said Featherweight defensively.

"Say, how about we go upstairs to the second floor, sound good?" suggested Apple Bloom.

The other three ponies nodded and the group trotted upstairs and were now on the second floor. There was nothing that decorated this floor, making it a simple, white, elliptical hallway, but it did have passageways that led to seating. Apple Bloom peered outside, hiding behind one of the pillars, and saw a yellow pony with a fiery mane in the middle of the stage. She had a bouquet of flowers with her and she gently set them down in the exact center. Apple Bloom had this feeling that she had encountered this pony before, but she couldn't remember why or what her name was.

"Guys, someone is here," whispered Apple Bloom.

Featherweight, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle gulped loudly, expressions of anxiety defining their faces.

"We need to get out of here," whispered a panicked Sweetie Belle.

The four bonked into each other as they tried to escape. When they regained their sense of direction, they bolted upstairs to the third floor in the hopes of finding a place to hide. The third floor was where the luxury suites were, decorated with velvet carpets, plush seats, and fancy refrigerators that no longer worked and were empty, and as Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Featherweight were frantically looking for a place to hide, Apple Bloom peered into the window and saw the mare just standing there and not doing anything. Apple Bloom climbed up to the edge of the window to get a better look, but she lost her balance and fell off, plummeting towards the second floor below. The mare reacted in a flash, flew over, and caught Apple Bloom before she made contact with the ground. Apple Bloom looked up at the face of her rescuer, who recognized her, and the mare couldn't help herself and giggled before changing her expression to a serious one in the blink of an eye.

"Now tell me," said the mare. "What hijinks are you up to this time?"

"My friends and I are exploring this place and looking for treasure," replied an embarrassed Apple Bloom.

"Hey Apple Bloom," said Featherweight, who was above her. "I hope you're not dead or anything, because that would be-" Featherweight stopped upon seeing who was carrying Apple Bloom. "Oh, you again?"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had rushed down to the second floor and saw Apple Bloom with the mare. Scootaloo did a double take when she saw who had rescued Apple Bloom, knowing that if Rumble found out what happened, he wouldn't let her hear the end of it.

"Spitfire?" yelled Scootaloo. "What?"

"Yeah," muttered Spitfire in a melancholic tone. "I'm here to pay my respects to those who lost their lives six months ago. I didn't know any of them personally, but the whole disaster is still so vivid in my mind."

"Why did Cloudsdale Arena end up here anyways?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Surely someone should have noticed a huge colosseum fall out of the sky."

"A vandal dropped it from the sky and it gently landed in this isolated place like a feather. As a result, the only ponies living in Cloudsdale are approximately three hundred royal guards keeping watch. Don't worry, if anything does go wrong, Princess Twilight can handle it."

Sweetie Belle sighed in relief that it wasn't anything caused by nature. "Thanks for telling me that." She then noticed that Spitfire looked a little depressed, causing Sweetie Belle to look her in the eyes. "By the way, is there anything I can do to cheer you up?"

"I wish. I also wish I was as compassionate as you. What's your name?"

"I'm Sweetie Belle, it's nice to meet you." Sweetie Belle and Spitfire shook hooves, the former smiling cutely. Spitfire couldn't help but smile ever so slightly at seeing how whimsical Sweetie Belle was to her.

"It's nice to meet you too."

"Why do you say that you're not compassionate? You seem really nice from what I've seen so far."

"It's because I treated someone with disrespect once." 

"We all make mistakes from time to time. I know that very well." Sweetie Belle kept smiling at Spitfire to try and make her feel better, but while she managed to warm her heart, she still looked a little down.

"I recognize that, but that doesn't make it any less painful." Spitfire looked up in the sky and noticed a recognizable rainbow streak flying towards her. She gulped and looked back down to the four youngsters. "Sorry, but I must leave for now. Please promise me that all of you won't tell anyone I was here. It was nice meeting you." Spitfire took off and flew away stealthily, hoping that Rainbow Dash didn't see her, but she knew she needed to scram just in case she hadn't.

"Why is she running away?" asked Scootaloo, looking in the direction Spitfire flew, but as she looked up, she saw her idol, Rainbow Dash, land in front of them. Rainbow rushed over towards Scootaloo and tightly hugged her, overjoyed at seeing her biggest fan.

"Hey squirt," said Rainbow excitedly. "Why are you all the way out here?"

"We are exploring this place," responded Scootaloo, grinning as widely as she could. "We were just about to leave. I wasn't expecting you here."

"I could have sworn I saw a fifth pony with you. Who was she anyways?"

"Um, it was just some hiker. Nothing more." Scootaloo felt a little guilty fibbing to Rainbow Dash, but she didn't want to risk facing the consequences of upsetting Spitfire.

"Fair enough." Rainbow stretched her wings proudly. "How about I give you four a lift. I can easily carry you all, so no need to worry."

"I'd love that. Come on everyone, let's go"



Rainbow Dash landed gently on the earth in front of Sweet Apple Acres and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Featherweight all climbed off of Rainbow. Scootaloo couldn't contain her excitement, her eyes shining brightly, while Sweetie Belle looked nauseous.

"Thanks for helping us Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo enthusiastically. "That was so awesome."

"No problem," replied Rainbow. "I just can't leave my friends hanging. It was nice to see you again, but I have to get going. I need to help Fluttershy with something. Goodbye, and stay safe."

"Goodbye, Rainbow Dash," the four yelled as they waved. Rainbow Dash rocketed out of the sky, a rainbow trail forming behind her as she flew off into the distance. It added to the visual beauty of the sky with its array of colors. Scootaloo looked back at her friends and tag along.

"What was with Golden Jewel anyways?" asked Scootaloo. "She was completely psycho."

"I don't know," said Sweetie Belle. "I think we should let an adult know so that we can be safe."

"I'm not much of a tattle tale," replied Apple Bloom. "I hate to admit it, but Sweetie is right about this. Featherweight, since you're known for your street smarts, what is Golden Jewel like? Outside of being a complete sociopath, of course."

"Golden Jewel is the pony you'd least want to get on your bad side," said a nervous Featherweight. Scootaloo was shocked to see Featherweight this anxious, as she thought that he was fearless. "Her parents are unicorn supremacists, and they adore Discord."

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo cringed upon hearing Discord's name. They wondered how anybody could like him after what he nearly did to Equestria.

"Anyways, because there is no evidence that Apple Bloom and I were the ones who tagged her wall, we can let the school know that she's falsely accusing us, and then she'll not try and kill us. Let's be sure to tell the principal tomorrow morning before class. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Featherweight," said the other three youngsters as Featherweight trotted along the dirt road and off into the distance.

"I guess we'd better get going ourselves," said Apple Bloom. "Let's make tomorrow a less crazy day than today. Goodbye, friends."

The three fillies went their separate ways. Apple Bloom trotted back into her house and upon entering, Applejack gave her a letter. It was sent by Princess Luna, and inside the letter was some sort of request. Apple Bloom read the contents of the letter, her eyes moving along each word so that she understood what it entailed.


Apple Bloom,
How is everything going on your end? I'm still waiting to hear whether charges will be pressed against Discord, but these are not the main reasons as to why I am writing to you. I am aware that your older sister has a close relationship to Princess Twilight Sparkle, so I would like you to talk with the princess when you get the chance. I would do this myself, but I am very busy for the coming week. Tell her about the nightmare you had and if you have time, try to see what the populace thinks of Discord and the catastrophe six months ago. If you can get her perspective as to why she is hesitating on pressing charges against Discord, we can get a better idea as to why some like him. I don't understand why anyone is hesitating on this. I'll see you in your dreams Sunday night to discuss what you have learned. I am also informing Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo of the situation at hand. I know you'll be free to do this, being kids and all, but since I've been told that Applejack and Rarity will be busy this weekend, I chose you. I hope everything goes well.
Sincerely, Princess Luna


"It's an honor to get a personal letter from a princess," said Applejack. "Do you plan on seeing Twilight?"

"I sure do," replied Apple Bloom. "I can't wait to see her again."

"She's been different since the mess six months ago, but she's still a great friend and a kind pony. Just let me know if there is anything you need."



As Sweetie Belle was trotting home, she couldn't stop thinking of Spitfire. Why was she so self-depreciating? Why did she seem to fear Rainbow Dash? Did the two get in a tussle in the past? Many questions were in Sweetie Belle's mind, but she was unable to find any answers to them. Sweetie Belle returned home and received a warm hug from her older sister, Rarity.

"Oh, Sweetie. A friend of yours dropped by," said Rarity elegantly. "Her name was Silver Spoon, and she wanted to hang out with you on the weekend, but with your close friends Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure, but I'll need to find a time when everyone is open," said Sweetie Belle. "By the way, do you know of a pony named Spitfire?"

Rarity shifted her eyes around nervously. She never expected to hear Spitfire's name again, much less from her own sister. "Yeah, we don't get along at all."

"How come? She seemed pretty nice."

"It's nothing to do with our personalities." Rarity sighed. She knew that Sweetie Belle would keep pestering her about the whole situation until she confessed. "It has to do with the fact that I've been part of the living embodiment of the Wonderbolts disbanding, and she was their captain."

"Oh, that's tragic. Have you tried apologizing to her?"

"If I could find her, but I think she's frightened of me, as I recall seeing her off in the distance, and when she looked towards where I was standing, she rushed off. I do wish I could apologize and make it up to her somehow."

"How about giving her a gift basket? Ponies love gift baskets, and I'm sure they have an apology type somewhere."

Rarity smiled and rubbed Sweetie Belle's mane. Sweetie Belle loved the smooth back and forth motion of Rarity's hoof on her head as it filled her soul with happiness. "That sounds like a plan. I'll do it, but I hope it works. I'll buy the basket tomorrow and find out where to mail it. Come on Sweetie Belle, let's get some dinner. You must be starving."



Scootaloo was resting on the bench within Ponyville's public garden. She was looking up into the sky, her eyes clearly yearning for something, but she didn't know what. She knows that she can hover in place, and while it isn't as impressive as flying, it's a start. She wondered if it had to do with Cloudsdale. She had always wanted to visit the city in the sky ever since Rainbow Dash told her about it, but because of the catastrophe spurred on by Tirek, that visit was never going to happen. She looked back down and noticed Rumble was trotting towards her. Rumble sat next to Scootaloo and looked at her in the eyes.

"Hey, Scoots," said Rumble. "Do you have a lot on your mind?"

"Sort of," replied Scootaloo. "I wish I could have visited Cloudsdale. It sounds like such a cool place."

"I know what you mean, I loved going there. It was so beautiful and the weather was always sunny. Nowadays it's just a floating object in the sky, a symbol of a bygone era. I wish I could go back in time and tell everyone how to stop Tirek before he left a path of destruction in his wake."

"I wish I could do that myself." Scootaloo and Rumble leaned on each other, taking in the sights of the garden in front of them.

"Remember what Silver Spoon told us about Discord?"

"I do, what about it?"

"I want that slimy cockroach out of the picture. My big brother, Thunderlane, was one of the many whose magic was drained on that fateful day, and he still has horrifying nightmares about the experience from time to time. I believe it's what they call PTSD. I know he's coming with us to Sky High Restaurant, so I hope that him meeting Soarin again doesn't trigger any nightmares when he goes back to bed the night after, because the two were right next to each other, both in seething pain."

"I still don't know how I was able to avoid my magic being drained that day. My condolences to you and your brother."

"Scoots, I have a present for you." Rumble tossed a small brown sack to Scootaloo. She peered inside the sack and noticed that there were twenty bits inside.

"Rumble, you won fair and square, you don't have to do this. Besides, I actually saw Spitfire rescue Apple Bloom again."

"I'll still pester you about it, but you were such a good sport that I couldn't help myself from giving it back to you." Rumble arose from the bench and looked back at Scootaloo. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye, Scoots."

"Goodbye, Rumble."

As Rumble trotted off, Scootaloo couldn't shake the feeling that Rumble was more than a friend to her. She didn't see it as a crush or anything like that, but there was something about Rumble that made her feel an indescribable pleasure inside. Scootaloo got off of the bench and trotted back home, highly anticipating the time she would spend with Rumble, Thunderlane, and Soarin.
> Important Announcement: I'm allowing someone to adopt this story, read for details.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weekend had finally arrived, much to the delight of all the students of Ponyville Elementary, and Scootaloo was eager to go out with Rumble to Sky High Restaurant to where she woke up earlier than she usually did on the weekends. Scootaloo cleaned up and waited outside the orphanage, counting the seconds that went by in her head until after about three minutes, she noticed Rumble and his big brother, Thunderlane, trotting towards her. Scootaloo rose up and approached the two with an excited smile.

"Hey," said Scootaloo. "Are you two all ready?"

"We sure are," replied Rumble. "By the way, Scoots, this is my older brother Thunderlane. He's a huge sports lover."

"Nice to meet you," he said. "I've brought enough bits in my saddlebag to easily cover all three of us, so let's make this an exciting experience."

The three trotted down the road for what felt like ages to Scootaloo, who saw this as more of an exercise than hanging out. Ponyville was especially busy on the weekends, with ponies of all ages trotting about, doing activities that ranged from errands to playtime and everything in between. Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane finally arrived at Sky High Restaurant, a humble structure designed in a style very similar to the buildings of Cloudsdale, a bold marble structure with columns erected purely for decoration. A brightly lit sign displaying the restaurant's name in blue letters rested atop the ceiling and stained glass windows, which all had psychedelic patterns, added flair to the building. Scootaloo was highly impressed as she trotted by the building and the three casually entered the establishment. Once inside, they were greeted by one of the workers in the restaurant, who looked happy, but naturally so.

"Good afternoon," said the worker. "Are there only three with you?"

"There are," replied Thunderlane. "By the way, is it possible if the three of us could chat with the owner of this place?"

"He's volunteering at the bar stand, I'll let him know you're here. Follow me, please."

Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane closely followed the worker and inside, the three immediately noticed the relaxing mood of the establishment. Most of the tables were filled with customers who were all enjoying themselves with friendly laughs and conversations. Classical music played on a jukebox stashed away in the corner, soothing the ears. Candles were lit in the middle of the dining tables to add to the restaurant's mood and the humbleness of the bar stand gave the whole place a homely feel to it. Scootaloo wondered why she had never heard of this restaurant until now, as it seemed like the perfect place to go out and have a meal with friends. The three were seated on cozy bar stools and approaching them was a light blue pegasus stallion with a flowing dark blue mane. He noticed that Thunderlane was there and immediately halted in surprise.

"Thunderlane," the owner yelled enthusiastically. "It's great to see you again. Is everything going well?"

"A bit," replied Thunderlane. "I've been scouted by some football clubs and am just waiting to get a response from one of them. It's nice to meet you in a nice place like this, Soarin."

Soarin turned his attention towards the two youngsters with Thunderlane and smiled. "Who are the cute kids you have with you today?"

"I'm Rumble," he replied. "I'm Thunderlane's younger brother."

"I'm Scootaloo," she answered. "I'm Rumble's friend. It's nice to meet you, Soarin."

"So then, what do you want to ask me?" said Soarin.

"We wanted to ask you about your experience as a member of the Wonderbolts," replied Rumble. Rumble rubbed his mane gently as though he was a bit nervous as to how Soarin would respond. "That is, if you're okay with that."

"I can tell you a little bit." Soarin dragged over a chair and sat by Rumble and company. He cleared his throat and stretched his wings, memories both good and back returning to his mind. "As a Wonderbolt, I felt like I was on top of the world. It was a challenge getting there, as anyone who has tried to join them can attest to, but it was worth it. However, despite the countless number of successful missions and every show going perfect, there were some speed bumps along the way, some of which I'm sure you are aware of."

"If the Wonderbolts were so successful," asked Scootaloo, her eyes looking confused, "then why did they disband?"

"I'd hate to admit it, but Ponyville's campaign of lashing out against us emotionally hurt the team, especially the captain. We were almost universally beloved by the other towns and cities, so our disbanding came as quite a shock."

"That reminds me, what happened to Spitfire. Why is she so, well, emo?"

Soarin sighed heavily and stroked the back of his head. "It's because I was in the middle of a big misunderstanding. See, during the tryouts for the Equestria Games, I embarrassingly hurt one of my wings. Spitfire didn't know how long I'd be out, so she recruited Rainbow Dash out of the blue and it escalated into Dash and I thinking she was throwing me under the bus. She said that it was her fault, but the day after, when I thought about it, I knew the truth behind it. That's the origins of her depression."

"Can you tell us a bit more?"

"She was really hard on herself, placing the blame on herself when things didn't go right, and the majority of the time she wasn't the one at fault. She reached a breaking point when she was nearly killed by that giant red thing six months ago. She hated herself and when Ponyville did their whole spiel about Rainbow Dash being a billion times better than us and starting her own flight team, the rest of the Wonderbolts got a fraction of Spitfire's despair, and then we split up. As for cheering her up, I have a theory as to why she is the way she is."

"What would that be?"

"Spitfire thinks she doesn't have any friends."

Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane dropped their jaws upon hearing Soarin's theory. While it seemed incredibly unusual for the Captain of the Wonderbolts to feel this way, based on what Soarin told them, they knew it was plausible, but why was a whole different mystery to the three.

"But isn't friendship magic?" asked Rumble, still visibly shocked. "Someone must have cared for her, right?"

"You're right. I see her as a friend. In fact, all of the Wonderbolts saw her as a great friend. I wish there was some way we could convince her that she wasn't alone, but she's so distraught that it would prove difficult."

"One more thing. Why did you build this restaurant?"

"With the Wonderbolts a relic of the past, the team members had to find a way to pay the bills, so we each adopted something we are good at. I'm good at running a restaurant, Fleetfoot is talented with a guitar, Spitfire writes poetry under a pseudonym, and so on. All of us keep in touch with letters from time to time, and while we are still very successful, we still have this feeling that something is missing in our lives. Maybe it's our old jobs, maybe it's something else."

"Thanks for taking your time to tell us this."

"No problem. Can I get you guys anything while you are here?"

"Yeah," said Thunderlane, rubbing his stomach as it growled for food. "I'm starving. How about you guys?"

Scootaloo and Rumble cutely nodded their heads in synchronization, something that Thunderlane chuckled upon seeing.

"Alright then," said Soarin, "what can I get you guys?"



Rarity and Sweetie Belle agreed on getting Spitfire a gift basket from Sugarcube Corner as a method to apologize to the latter. While Rarity was unsure of whether it would be effective at all, Sweetie Belle egged her on to carry out the plan. They trotted together into Sugarcube Corner, which smelled just as sweet as the last time either of them were in the shop, and Rarity approached Mrs. Cake, who was working at the register for the day.

"Good afternoon," said Rarity, who was twirling her curly, purple mane as she spoke. "Do you sell any gift baskets here?"

"We sure do," replied Mrs. Cake. "What do you need it for?"

"It's for an apology towards somebody who is afraid of me for something I shamefully did in the past. I'd rather not go into details, but that's the reason."

"Fair enough." Mrs Cake went into the kitchen, which was walled off from the customer area of Sugarcube Corner, and returned with a large, carefully woven basket filled to the brim with an assortment of delicious chocolates and sweets. A yellow bow was tied on the basket and a card was attached to the basket's handle. "Who do you want to address this to?"

"Her name is Spitfire, and be sure to mention that it's from me, Rarity. By the way, here is the price of the gift basket." Rarity gave Mrs. Cake a large sack of bits, which Mrs. Cake counted with precision and proceeded to place them in the cash register.

"Thanks for stopping by. I hope your apology goes well."

Rarity exited Sugarcube Corner, carefully levitating the gift basket with her magic. Sweetie Belle adorably smiled and followed closely behind her big sister. Once the two were outside, Rarity closed her eyes and contemplated about what she should do next. She was aware that she didn't know where Spitfire lived and that she doesn't know anybody who would. Rarity wondered if the post office would assist her, since they were always good with deliveries. She thought that Celestia should be able to keep tabs on the addresses of ponies, being the ruler of one of the largest kingdoms. It was there she decided that the post office would be her next stop. Rarity trotted to her left and Sweetie Belle closely followed, knowing what Rarity was doing as though she could read her mind.

Ponyville's post office was a plain, rectangular wooden building with a semi-cylindrical roof. Celestia's cutie mark adorned the front of the post office and was flanked by two logos that looked like envelopes. Rarity entered through the glass doors and approached one of the postmares, a grey pegasus with a blonde mane and crossed eyes. The postmare was resting on her desk, as all of the employees at the post office were, but all of them were awake and alert despite their posture.

"Hello, Rarity," the mare jubilantly said. "How can I help you today?"

"Hello, Derpy," replied Rarity. "I have a package that I need delivered to a Miss Spitfire. Do you know where she lives?"

"I sure do. I know where everybody lives. What's the package? Is it something fun?"

Rarity smiled looking at Derpy. Her whimsical attitude made her one of the most beloved ponies in all of Ponyville and as such, was a living symbol of happiness. Rarity gently handed Derpy the gift basket and upon receiving it, Derpy's eyes glittered.

"All of that looks delicious. I promise that I'll deliver it as soon as I can, which happens to be now. Bye, Rarity."

Derpy rushed out of the post office with the gift basket around her front leg, flying quickly towards Spitfire's house. Sweetie Belle looked up at Rarity, whose facial expressions seemed to hint at a rush of anxiety. Sweetie Belle tilted her head and grinned at her sister, patting her to try and cheer her up.

"Don't worry about Spitfire. What's important is that you tried to make amends," said Sweetie Belle.

"Thanks for trying to make me feel better," replied Rarity. "I'm just hoping that she isn't too down in the dumps. From what you've told me, she sounds like such a kind mare. It feels tragic knowing that I hurt her feelings so much. I wish that my gift basket, as small as it is, can cheer her up just the tiniest amount. Let's head on home, Sweetie Belle. Thank you for accompanying me."

"No problem Rarity. It's so much fun being with the best pony in all of Equestria."

Rarity gently hugged Sweetie Belle and Sweetie Belle hugged back, both filled to the brim with bliss knowing the affection they have for each other. The two released each other from their warm embrace and trotted back to Carousel Boutique.



Scootaloo, Rumble, and Thunderlane exited Sky High Restaurant with filled stomachs and slowly trotted towards the public park. The three sat down on the same bench where Scootaloo and Rumble had mingled the day before, but instead of thinking about Cloudsdale, all three of them couldn't stop thinking about everything that Soarin told them. They wondered why Ponyville would be the only town in all of Equestria to go on a smear campaign against the Wonderbolts. It wasn't like the Wonderbolts were an unknown group that only made local papers, which made the whole thing even stranger. Scootaloo and Rumble were curious as to what the last squadron was doing and if they could meet up with them. As Scootaloo looked up into the sky, she saw Derpy flying with a basket of some sort quickly. Derpy's high velocity made Scootaloo think that she was carrying a basket of chocolates, but to whom it was being delivered to was none of her concern. She lowered her head and turned to Rumble, taking in the sights of the park.

"Rumble, do you think it'd be possible to get Soarin and Spitfire to meet up with each other?" asked Scootaloo. "I mean, if anyone can prove that she has a friend, it's somebody who sees her as a friend."

"Good luck with that," said Rumble in a sarcastic tone. "The odds of them meeting up with each other again is astronomically low. Spitfire seems to be more of an introvert from what I've heard. They would literally have to bump into each other when they are buying groceries."

"By the way, I got a letter from Princess Luna to go talk with Princess Twilight. She-"

"What?" interrupted Rumble and Thunderlane. Neither of them were expecting Scootaloo, as great of a friend as she is, to get a letter from Princess Luna, let alone one to meet with Princess Twilight.

"You know two princesses personally?" shouted Rumble. "That's amazing. I've never seen any of them in the flesh, and here you are knowing them on a first name basis."

"Yeah, it's a little bit bigger than I thought, judging by your faces. Anyways, I was going to ask if you had any questions for Princess Twilight."

"Hmm, maybe if you asked her about Cloudsdale, she could give you an answer to its mysteries."

"Sounds like a plan. Anything else?"

"Not really. Anyways, Thunderlane and I are heading back home. Do you want to join us?"

"Sure. Let's get going then."

The three arose from the bench and trotted back to Rumble's house. They all kept thinking about the Wonderbolts as they went along the smooth dirt roads, but all of them had a strange feeling inside that the Wonderbolts would be back in some form. After all, their logo is the Symbol of Hope. Scootaloo then realized one last thing to ask Princess Twilight, which is the origins behind the movement for safety and why the Wonderbolts logo is the Symbol of Hope. It was a lot to consider for a small filly.



Derpy glided through the air and once her eyes picked up on a beautiful mansion down below, she gracefully landed and stared at the structure in front of her. The mansion was colored a light blue and had an impressive front porch decorated with smooth colonnades, flower pots, and statues. Derpy trotted towards the mansion and knocked on the front door. She placed the gift basket down and immediately took off into the air, ready for another delivery. Spitfire opened the front door and looked down at the gift basket in front of her, carefully examining its contents before bringing it inside. Spitfire noticed an envelope wedged between the boxes of chocolates and neatly opened it. She unfolded the letter inside and read its contents.


Spitfire,
I am deeply sorry for everything that I did to you and the Wonderbolts as a whole. I don't know why I behaved the way I did those instances and I should have considered the safety of everyone around me. I recognize that I not only hurt you, but Soarin, Misty Fly, Blaze, High Winds, and Surprise as well. I never see you in the open, and you disappear if I think I see you, so that is why I am writing this letter to you. The basket of assorted treats is all yours to do with what you want, and while it may not be able to make up the emotional damage I may have done to you, I hope you do enjoy it. I hope that the future is bright for you and all of the other Wonderbolts.
Sincerely, Rarity


Spitfire dropped the letter from her hoof and watched it fall to the cold, smooth floor below. She closed her eyes, feeling as though a dagger pierced her chest as memories of the last Best Young Fliers Competition rapidly returned to her. Spitfire let out a deep sigh before picking up the basket and placing it on the living room table. She looked at the basket one more time before collapsing onto her couch, sinking into the extremely comfortable cushions, and cried herself to sleep.