> CMC: Training is Magic
>  by Cold Spike
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One: That Filly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She laid there on her back for close to ten minutes, just smiling away. A pegasus, that’s what she was. What could be more awesome than that?

Rainbow Dash, she thought without a moment's hesitation.

Then she broke her ten-minute silence with a giggle and a snort. I think I’m just as awesome as she is. It was another silly thought, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was true. Even if she lacked a cutie mark (which she confirmed again by glancing down at her flank). Even if she was just a filly. Her stomach then rumbled quite profoundly. Even if I’m starving, she thought bitterly.

She still felt awesome. 

She wiggled a bit and tried to remain comfortable in her position, but it was no use. Hunger was never comfortable. She scrambled onto her side and then quickly hopped onto all four hooves with a tired sigh. Her hooves had landed on some wood floorboards, and she tapped on one at a time. “One, two, three and four,” she announced. With her odd morning ritual finished, she decided it was time to hunt for breakfast. “Or would it be graze?” she pondered out loud, then shrugged. Surveying the contents of her clubhouse, she whistled. “We… really should clean up in here someday,” she confirmed this while standing on a pile of old junk she and her friends had all grown bored with. “How did we even find a tuba?” she said to nopony, then shook her head and sighed again.

“Let’s see… three bits. Lovely.”

The filly had been examining a wooden box where she collected trinkets and, in some cases, bits. Three were all she had left, and that was not awesome. Nervously she glanced outside and found the sun had been rising pretty quickly. The filly looked to her empty lunch bag and then grabbed it with haste. Thinking quickly, she donned her bag then promptly left the safety of the clubhouse. “Gotta make this quick.” She jumped down and let her wings buzz to soften her landing. However, a rather abrupt end to her journey followed by a loud thumping noise was what followed. 

“Ow.”

Tiny wings are still awesome; now quit your complaining and move! Pushing herself into ‘high gear’ and ignoring her temporary pain, she hopped onto her scooter. Her body quickly shifted from her equine stance to one of standing up right. It felt right, as did the cold feeling of the handlebars on her scooter. Quickly her wings began to buzz, only to quickly die down and stop a second later. Angrily she grunted and tried again, then again. Just like a steam engine, on the third try, she felt them flip on full force and she could feel the wind pushing behind her. Her scooter moved slowly at first, but then it picked up speed shortly after. Trees, a few buildings and countless rocks flew behind her. Her world was a daze of motion and blurry colors.

Each pony she passed was instantly assaulted by large gusts of wind. “Sorry!” she announced for probably the hundredth time that week. No matter how much it was said, she never got tired of it. Her town soon came into focus: Ponyville. The dirt pathways that surrounded the farm she had just been on quickly ended and became cobblestone. No more endless apple trees, but instead endless ponies of all shapes, colors and more races. None of that mattered to her, though.

She skidded to a halt with her wings phasing out, not wanting to risk running into the gathering crowd in the market district. “C’mon, C'mon… where are you….” she muttered to herself as her head frantically swiveled around, searching. The area was crowded with various stalls and vendors and dozens upon dozens of ponies all browsing and buying, but she was only looking for one stall in particular.

“Ah, Scootaloo!” A voice announced, causing her to look around. “Back here!” She then squinted her eyes and immediately spotted a gray coated stallion wearing dark, tinted glasses. Scootaloo smiled and slowly strolled her scooter over to his stand. “The usual?” the stallion said.

She hastily dropped three bits onto his counter. “You know,” she began while panting, “if you just kept your stand in one spot…” Scootaloo trailed off, knowing it wasn’t worth her breath.

“I’ll see ya tomorrow, Scoots.” He then hoofed her a freshly bagged sandwich which she grabbed then quickly left with her scooter in tow.

Scootaloo spotted a clock off in the distance which, and if she wasn’t mistaken, it read 7:58. “Wings, don’t fail me now!” 

With every passing second, her eyes were glued to the school bell in the distance. If she was a unicorn she would have used any and all magic to force the bell not to ring. Her heart raced and she could feel as if the entire world would soon be crashing down upon her. For nothing was as scary as a disappointed Miss Cheerilee. She could see the last of the students running in to catch the bell. Her scooter vibrated with intensity. “Just a little longer…”

Just as she got too near, she slowed her wings to almost no movement and forced her scooter to drift at the school wall. The resulting gust of wind gushed over a certain pink coated student who was standing right at the door. The student’s mane and tail suddenly became frazzled and unkempt after the dusty onslaught. Scootaloo ignored her and stepped into the door, a moment later the bell rang out with a loud echo. 

“Safe,” she said while panting for even more air.

The filly, who had been standing at the door, glared at her. “I loathe you so much. So very much.”

Scootaloo glanced back to her with a shrug. “And I’ll never understand why.”

The other filly snorted. “You haven’t even been here for two minutes and you messed up my mane!” she complained in disgust.

While the filly quickly tried to fix it, Scootaloo retorted, “Honestly, Diamond, I couldn’t tell the difference.”

Diamond scowled, but something stopped her from saying anything else. Maybe it was the cheery atmosphere of the class along with the smiles on the other students. Or perhaps it was the amazing breakfast she had devoured that morning, but she felt good about herself. She took a quick glance up at the chalkboard and couldn’t help but feel even better. It read ‘Class Presentations’.

Their teacher walked beside them, doing a quick headcount. “Alright, everypony please quiet down. We have quite a bit to learn today: from each other!” Instead of quieting down, the announcement only caused the colts and fillies to talk with each other nervously. The teacher chuckled. “I’m sure whatever presentation you all brought, they will be wonderful.”

Diamond took her opportunity just as the teacher took her seat. She had a rather large white-backed piece of cardboard folded next to her. She raised her hoof and, to her excitement, was the first to do so. “Miss Cheerilee, Miss Cheerilee, can I go first?!”

Every eye in the room bulged out of their sockets, except for the teacher. The mare almost did a double take, but her training as a professional prevented that. “Well, why not? Diamond Tiara, would you kindly stand up and show us what you brought?”

Pleasantly, she grabbed her presentation in her mouth and walked up to greet the class. “Well, I wanted to do something special for my presentation. I had considered Star Swirl the Bearded. I mean, he has a ton of history, and lots of great stuff has come from him,” she said rather quickly. With every word, three particular fillies in the room felt that Diamond was trying to sell a sweetness that almost never existed… if it had ever existed at all. “But then I thought it would be much more interesting if I were to research some family trees, like my own.”

Cheerilee sighed in relief, wondering just where she was going with it. “Ah, so you researched your own, perhaps the Apples tie to them as well?” she said in a hopeful tone.

Diamond smiled even brighter. “Better! I decided to research one of my classmate’s family trees!” She smiled at each one of them, and with that single statement, there was a tense feeling for all of them. Diamond’s smile momentarily flashed towards that of her best friend, Silver Spoon. The other silver coated filly smirked back. Instead of announcing who she had researched first, her head swiveled around the room. Each pony her head past looked more nervous than the last.

Good luck finding out anything about me, Scootaloo thought bitterly.

Diamond’s head eventually stopped moving as she smiled down on Scootaloo. “For my project, I researched Scootaloo’s family tree, The Firehens!” she announced for all to hear.

Scootaloo felt the pressure of all eyes switching to her direction. ...What?! She had almost let the word slip out loud, but for the sake of keeping calm and cool, she remained quiet.

“Yes, it took a while to track down any of them. I could have easily asked Scootaloo, but I wanted to do the actual work!” While she spoke she quickly grabbed Miss Cheerilee’s ‘teaching stick’ and began to point to various pictures. Each one had been laid carefully on her board and were clearly visible.

“So the first guy I found was her grandfather, Hardwing Firehen.” 

What followed was mostly silence, though, a colt in the back coughed just before letting out a single chuckle. Scootaloo’s left eye twitched, but the odd look her teacher was giving her made it stop.

You…

“So, Hardwing was born in Las Pegasus almost eighty years ago! He was a respectable blacksmith and contributed to the now continued development and prosperity of the gamble crazy town. One interesting thing to note was that he never used any of his skills for flight.” Diamond spoke with full sincerity with every word, even their teacher had begun to nod along quietly.

Evil…

The pink coated filly then pointed to the other side of her board to a mare. “Over here is Petitewing Firehen. She was a great cook in Manehattan! Oh, ponies would come around for miles just to taste her carefully crafted meals. She didn’t have the strength of flight, but what she lacked there she made up with her fantastic culinary skills.”

Cheerilee, at this point, raised an eyebrow at Diamond. However, she allowed the filly to continue as she hadn’t technically done anything wrong. That being said, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was about to.

“I also found an interesting fellow named Cloudfall Firehen. He was born and raised in Canterlot, probably on Scootaloo’s mother’s side. So, Scootaloo has relatives and family history all over Equestria! He used his mighty wings to craft clouds for factories. I don’t think he ever flew, though. Anyway, that’s my presentation.” She did a quick bow and several of the children stomped their hooves. Diamond then promptly stopped walking and slapped her own forehead. “I almost forgot about Scootaloo’s father!”

Witch…

Diamond quickly looked to her teacher for direction and the mare hesitantly nodded. “Right, I asked around and it turns out that her father is employed at an earth pony run company who makes various jams and jellies. I found it a bit odd that he works for and with earth ponies, being a pegasus and all, but I also found it pretty neat.” For a very brief second Diamond’s eyes flashed to Scootaloo, and in that second the pegasus knew madness.

Diamond looked up at Cheerilee who had begun to look more and more uncomfortable as her presentation went on.

“Heh, and that’s my presentation!”

Instead of the stomping of hooves, Diamond was greeted by silence. Meanwhile, Scootaloo was greeted by about a dozen or so eyes staring at her. Her cheeks flushed crimson which confirmed everypony’s assumptions about her family.

“Er, thank you, Diamond Tiara. That was very thorough and enlightening,” Miss Cheerilee said.

No it wasn’t! was what Scootaloo thought, coming very close to screaming it out for everypony to hear.

“Apple Bloom, you’re up next.”

The filly, donning her bow, walked up to the front of the class. She spoke in a rehearsed, monotone way, “My presentation is on apples.”

Miss Cheerilee resisted the urge to slam her head into her desk.





Despite Diamond’s presentation, Scootaloo had to admit she enjoyed class that day. Until it was time to deliver her own presentation, that is. It wasn’t a surprise to her when everypony was paying even more attention when she was up. Nor was it a surprise when it simply felt as if they were all silently judging her and not actually listening.

“Uh, my pres- presentation is on Rainbow Dash and her accomplishments.” While some nodded, others just stared. She half expected most of them to groan or roll their eyes as she often talked of Rainbow; instead, all she got in return was wide-eyed, curious stares. Delivering her speech was one of the hardest things she had to do all semester long. The stares didn’t stop, the smiles never came and nor did any groans of protest. Just the constant staring of curious fillies and colts all judging her on something she knew to be false.

Her teacher knew exactly why the filly’s heart appeared not to be into it. However, she knew stopping her would only make things worse. I’m going to have a talk to Diamond when this is over with, she thought bitterly while doing her best to pay attention.

By the time she had finished, over half of the class nearly forgot to applaud, though Scootaloo’s friends certainly tried to make up the difference. She spotted them in the back row and smiled slightly.

Miss Cheerilee cleared her throat. “Thank you, Scootaloo. That was quite interesting.” She then smiled down to the filly who nodded and smiled herself. Glancing over at a nearby clock, she nodded. “Alrighty, I think it’s time for a quick break. Er-” She watched most of them run out on her, so she hastily spoke up before they could all leave. “Make sure to be ready for our weekly quiz when you all return!”





Scootaloo was the last to leave the building; she would often do this. It made it easier to spot where her friends would be hanging out during their recess. She looked around and frowned at the others. It had also made it easier to see where to avoid that day. Of course, every day was ‘Avoid Diamond Tiara’ day, but it still helped. She quickly joined her two friends near a swing set and sighed in relief when nopony decided to bother them.

“Hey, girls.”

Sweetie Belle was busy brushing her mane around her horn, trying to make it steady. “Hey… hang on.”

“Hey, Scoots. Was any of that true? What Diamond said?” Apple Bloom asked almost sarcastically, adding a little snort at the end.

Scootaloo took a bit longer to reply than they would have liked. She took a seat on one of the swings and sighed. “Well… kinda, uh, yeah.”

Apple Bloom’s smirk vanished and she nodded. “Oh. Well, whatever. That was still rude of her to say it all that way…”

“Or at all,” Scootaloo said quietly. She then shook her head. “Whatever, it’s done and over with. How about we--”

“So, it’s really Firehen?” Sweetie Belle asked suddenly.

Scootaloo did her best to remain calm and stiffly nodded. “Yeah, it’s Firehen.”

Sweetie Belle nodded while smiling brightly. “Cool!”

The pegasus rolled her eyes, though, had the name not been attributed to a chicken she might have agreed. “I guess. Can we talk about cutie marks now? And the gaining thereof… uh, them?”

They both giggled then nodded.

“Sure, Scoots. Ah was thinking maybe--” Apple Bloom watched a ball from the other side of the playground smack into the back of Scootaloo's head. “Oh, you alright?”

Scootaloo nodded and went to pick it up.

“Hey, Firehen! Pass it back here!” a colt requested rather loudly.

I loathe her so, so much. Grudgingly she tossed the ball back, not even bothering to see if it landed near the colt, then turned back to her friends.

“How about you try for a gliding cutie mark?” Apple Bloom suggested to Scootaloo. The pegasus quirked a brow while looking between her friends.

“Uh, what about you two?”

Sweetie Belle shrugged and left the reply open for Apple Bloom to respond.

“We were thinking of trying what Twilight suggested. You know, us still helping each other getting our marks, but only one at a time.” The farm filly saw Scootaloo’s frown and quickly made another response. “You know, just for a little while. See if it works?” she half asked and half suggested.

“Well, okay, but what are you two gonna do when I’m… gliding.” she had said the word sarcastically, but she wasn’t sure if they understood or not.

“We’ll be cheering you on and thinking of what we can do for ours!” Sweetie Belle said excitedly. She then stood up and struck a pose looking up. “Cutie Mark Crusader Cheer Thinkers!”

Apple Bloom was silent for a moment and kept her eyebrow raised while gazing at her. “How long ya’ll been waiting to say that?”

Sweetie’s smile vanished and she quickly looked away. “...Only a couple minutes.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Right, I guess I can- woah!” She had begun to turn around, only to come face to face with Diamond Tiara who was smiling at them.

“So, how’d you like that little stroll through your family history?” she asked sweetly.

The three of them weren’t sure how to respond, least of all Scootaloo. Diamond sensed their hesitation and decided to push the issue.

“Well, I thought it was rather nice of me. I mean since you were so shy about it for so long… now it’s up in the air!” she exclaimed while slowly walking around them, like a predator waiting to pounce.

“Diamond Tiara, would you please leave? We’re kind of…” Sweetie Belle trailed off when she noticed DIamond’s smile had widened, almost to that of a sneer. “Uh, doing something private.”

“Oh, how thoughtless of me. Privacy is very important after all. I would never want to divulge into one’s personal matters.” 

The sickly sweet voice got to Scootaloo and she snapped. “But you just did that! In front of the class!” She pointed out angrily as she butted her face into Diamond’s.

Diamond still played innocent and shrugged. “That was all public knowledge, I found it at a library after all…” Diamond trailed off herself and waited for Scootaloo to connect the dots. The pegasus’s eyes widened in shock and Diamond smiled wickedly at her. “Well, I should be going now, ciao!” she called out and strolled away proudly, her head held high.

Why is she doing this?

“You alright, Scoots?” Sweetie asked her, shaking her shoulder slightly. “Don’t let her get to you, she’s just being a brat.”

Scootaloo took a tad longer to stop staring at Diamond than she should have. She eventually shook her head and nodded. “Yeah, I know.”





After class, the three Crusaders had decided to walk back to their clubhouse. Scootaloo was simply pushing her scooter while they talked. She felt nervous. Not just because of what Diamond Tiara was trying to pull, but it was the notion of gliding.

It used to be so easy.

“So, I was sitting there with Rarity when somepony knocked at the door,” Sweetie said while the three continued to walk.

And so much fun.

“We asked who it was, but all we heard was somepony sputtering or something…”

I had wanted this so much, I screamed for it.

“So, Rarity opened the door and it was Spike!”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Okay, what’d he want?”

She shrugged. “I dunno, but then he blushed a bunch and ran off. I think he had some daisies with him.”

Will it be worth it, child? Will it fulfill you? Scootaloo shook her head and did her best to pay attention to Sweetie’s story. She didn’t need to live in despair when friendship was surrounding her. “Uh, cool story. So, how are we gonna do this exactly?”

“Ah figured off Winona's dog house. If you fall, at least it won't hurt ya any.”

“Does she get angry if you get near the thing?” Scootaloo asked fearfully; remembering a time when they had tried. Cutie Mark Crusading dog groomers seemed like so much fun…

“Not if she’s sleeping. We’ll just hafta make sure is all. Hey, how come we never tried this before?” Apple Bloom asked off-hoofly. “Ah mean, ah could have sworn you tried for a flying cutie mark before…”

“I did, dozens of times. Like Rainbow Dash says, ‘you gotta fly before you can crawl, kid. Where’s my coffee?’”

“Uh, how come you repeated that last part?” Sweetie Belle asked, almost giggling.

“She always asks that, do you think I should bring it one time? I wonder what she would do…” She started to daydream of all the wondrous things she assumed would happen. So much ice cream….

“Okay then. Maybe it’s best if you crawl first? Gliding doesn’t seem so hard. Your wings seem strong, why not try it?”

Sweetie’s suggestion made her heart flutter, but she smiled back at her. “R- right, let’s go try it.” Fat chance it will work. she thought bitterly. However, just being near her friends made her want to try, no matter how nervous she felt.





“What’s the book say to do again?” Scootaloo asked while doing her best to balance on top of a dog house with a slanted roof.

“Tilt your wings up a bit and let the wind carry you. Uh, it says your magic should do the rest.” Apple Bloom said then tilted the book around and flipped a few pages. “Ah think.”

Scootaloo mentally panicked at the ‘Ah think’ part, but she was calmed down by the height of it all. It probably wouldn’t hurt. Too much.

“Go, Scoots! Go, Scoots!” Sweetie started to chant, Apple Bloom set aside her book and joined in as well.

Can’t say no to that. In spite of everything, she took a running start and jumped high into the air. For what felt like a full second she floated along… and then promptly fell flat onto her stomach. 

“Ow…” Scootaloo moaned.

“Get up, Scoots. Get up, Scoots!” Sweetie shifted her cheer, and Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

Apple Bloom checked the book a few times, frantically flipping through some pages. Still looking down, she called out. “Maybe you need to flap your wings a bit.”

“But that’s just flying then!” Scootaloo exclaimed, feeling annoyed already.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Just try it, maybe it will lift some air onto your wings and then your magic will ‘do the rest’.” 

Scootaloo didn’t feel so sure and dubiously looked to the book on pegasi. The image of a pegasus on the book and the earth pony reading it didn’t inspire her with confidence. 

Apple Bloom tried to be supportive. “Just try it once, okay. Ah know I’m not a pegasus, but what will it hurt?”

“My stomach and pride,” she swiftly replied.

“What else?” Apple Bloom pressed with a smirk.

“Ugh… fine.”

She attempted what her friend had suggested at least three times. Each jump would be accompanied by her staying in the air a bit longer, but it would always end with a short drop and a sudden stop. By the tenth time, she was growing tired, as were her friends.

“Go… Scoots… uh… Go-” Sweetie Belle stopped talking and yawned a bit. “Uh, go?”

Scootaloo ignored her for a moment and examined her chest. “Girls, I think I have a bruise. I’m gonna stop.”

Apple Bloom kicked the book in frustration. “Stupid book! Did it say all pegasuses? Pegasi? Yeah, it said they should all easily fly at our age!”

Scootaloo walked past her friends toward their clubhouse. “Books aren’t always right, Apple Bloom.” 

She felt depressed; as she walked her head was hanging low. Her friends quickly joined her, which perked her up a bit. “How about we try something else. What did you girls come up with?”

Apple Bloom looked away blushing. “Uh, not much.”

“I’ve got one!” Sweetie exclaimed excitedly. Both fillies looked at her tiredly. The unicorn sighed. “Nevermind…”

“No, go ahead. Say what you wanted to say,” Apple Bloom replied while her features softened.

Sweetie smiled slightly and widened her eyes as if begging. “Can I really say it?”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes; she had known her friends long enough to know when she really wanted to say something in her own special way. “Sure!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Cupcake Knights!”

The other two fillies blinked, followed by a giggle from Scootaloo. “Have you been hanging out with Pinkie Pie too much?”

They both rolled their eyes and dragged Sweetie Belle along with them. They both had a hunch where Sweetie wanted to go.

“If you haven’t turned pink yet, it should be fine. Just make sure to see Nurse Redheart at least once a week,” Scootaloo quipped.

While they laughed Scootaloo took a look at her surroundings. They felt warmer somehow. Why does it only feel like home sometimes? she asked herself. Twilight’s tree library was always in the middle of town. It was positively enormous and Twilight often got asked if the thing was still alive. Her answer was always ‘it still has leaves, doesn’t it?’. She had to admit, of all the places in town, Twilight’s at least felt homely when inside. The rest of the place with their thatched roofs, ponies running around everywhere and businesses that littered every street corner, it didn’t exactly feel like home.

However, when she looked at both of her friends laughing and having fun, things felt right. It was only when they left for the day that the place turned colder. It wasn’t as if it bothered her too much, but the nagging feeling was always there. 

Where’s home?

She would always scream the answer was Ponyville with her friends, but there was always doubt. She glanced backward, imagining the clubhouse through the endless tree patches back on the Apple’s farm. The picture was always hazy. Her memories never were.

Stop falling behind! Stop dawdling! 

She shook her head for what felt like the millionth time that day. Scootaloo then forced a smile and did her best to keep up with her friends’ conversation. She had cupcakes to bake; hopefully without a knight’s suit of armor.





“And that’s how Equestria was doomed! Doomed forever!”

All three fillies looked up in fear at the hyperactive pink pony who now stood on two hooves. She had screamed out the final portion of a story she was telling so violently the ground shook, and her chest heaved as she gasped for air.

“Uh, Pinkie?” Sweetie Belle quickly said.

Pinkie Pie blinked, but then smiled when she snapped out of her daze. “Yeah?!”

“That story didn’t make any sense…”

Pinkie shrugged, then nonchalantly turned around and started gathering some cooking ingredients. “Well, I thought it was funny. Anyway, what can I do for you three?”

“Uh, we were wondering if we could bake some cupcakes?” Scootaloo asked hopefully. “Like, maybe you could teach us… or…” she trailed off and simply waited for a reply. It didn’t take long.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Pinkie had begun to bounce around them quite literally, screaming in joy. She quickly squashed all three of them closer, by huddling them together, next to her face. “Do you know what this means?!”

“That I can barely breathe!” Scootaloo announced to the world, hoping somepony else would show up and save them. Her eyes darted back and forth, but nopony came.

“Cupcake knights?!” Sweetie asked, masking Pinkie’s excitement, but adding a squeaky voice of her own.

“That’s right, Squeaky Belle!” 

Pinkie then bounced them high into the air, one after the other. When it was all over (and their heads had stopped spinning) they found themselves donning odd costumes. They looked to be suits of armor adorned with cupcakes on each side. Scootaloo noticed they were perfectly positioned where their cutie marks would be. They also fit each of them perfectly which perplexed her to no end.

“Sweetie Belle…”

Sweetie turned to Scootaloo, with a huge smile plastered on her face. “Yeah?!”

“Why?”

“Ah was just about to say.”

Pinkie noticed at least two out of the three fillies didn’t seem to be having any fun. “Quit your frownin’, girls. It’s time to make some cupcakes!”

At least that part will be normal. Scootaloo thought with a sigh of relief. 

Promptly two minutes later the four of them were seated at a round table. Pinkie had a play mat of some kind blocking her face and was hunched over the table. The three fillies were seated on the other side.

“You three cupcake knights enter a mysterious dark… uh, mega dungeon!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, then appeared to move a few things from behind her mat.

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other, then quickly glanced down to find Sweetie Belle thoroughly engaged in play. She had dice in her hoof and was already rolling for Celestia knew what.

“Sweetie, how long you been wanting to play this?” Apple Bloom asked slowly.

Sweetie Belle tossed the dice then looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. “So long… it’s beautiful.”

Scootaloo went to object, but Apple Bloom shot her down with a look. She silently whispered to the pegasus from over Sweetie’s head. ‘Let her have this’. At least, that’s what Scootaloo thought she said. The pegasus huffed but nodded firmly.

“You are attacked by a giant, hideous, pink-coated monster from beyond the unknown!”

Scootaloo sighed. Second time today…





“See ya later, girls!” Scootaloo called out. She watched Sweetie Belle wave and prance away in glee. Apple Bloom soon followed toward the farm which she lived on. The farm... Scootaloo needed to be there before it got too dark.

Scootaloo slowly walked in the opposite direction of Apple Bloom, like she always did. When she got far enough away she listened for her friend’s hoof clops. Eventually, she heard nothing. Awkwardly she waited in the middle of the road and counted to an arbitrary number. She had always feared Apple Bloom would take her time some night and she would be caught. Maybe one of the other Apple’s would be out in the farm doing something. So far it hadn’t happened, but that didn’t mean it never would.

Her heart had begun to flutter rapidly. After all, she was in the middle of the road that connected Ponyville to the Everfree Forest. It also meant that if Fluttershy happened to be out that night, she would easily been spotted. She never actually thought Fluttershy would do anything, but the fear was still very real. She could spot, from a window, a faint shadow of a pony.

Get it together, she’s probably just reading in bed or something. Scootaloo slapped herself slightly, then turned to the foreboding forest entrance. It’s probably just… not as spooky or deadly as everypony says. Her stare lingered for a moment or two. And it’s probably not beckoning me inside so I’ll go in and never return. After hearing the first loud feral sounding howl of the night, she bolted. Risking the noise of her scooter, the filly whizzed forward as fast as her wings would allow. When she reached the sign for ‘Sweet Apple Acres’ she screeched to a halt and sighed in relief.

The sign had always been naturally lit up at night by fireflies and of course the moonlight. It was a much more welcome sight than the creepy dark forest not even a mile away. Her walk back to the clubhouse didn’t last long. She climbed up and then grabbed a jar that sat on the edge of a balcony. “C’mon, you… got it!” The filly exclaimed, opening a jar that had always been hard to fiddle with. Using practiced dexterity and skill, she quickly gathered a few fireflies that were floating around her and quickly shut the jar. “Better.” It wasn’t much light, but it was enough to help her feel more secure at night. She then folded her scooter up and set it aside. She quickly opened the door and shut it. Setting aside her light source, the filly rummaged around their stash of things until she found a blanket and a pillow.

“Ew, I really should wash this tomorrow…” She yawned and quickly got comfortable on the cold, wooden floor. She wrapped the blanket around herself and sighed. “Too tired tonight…” Looking over she stared at the fireflies, there was no smile plastered on her face. Just curiosity. She watched them buzz around the jar and instinctively her wings buzzed as well.

I miss it…

A few moments later she was out for the night.



“You will not live happily, young one. They won’t accept you. Your place is here!”

She didn’t speak. The rage she had for her life, for everything had been at its boiling point. She screamed in rage and pounced onto the creature before her, pleading with her. The creature sighed and nodded.

“Very well, but this will only end badly for you. My magic is powerful, but like all things in this world, it is not perfect. You’ve made your choice.” A bright green flash of light blinded her. Then everything went white.



Scootaloo slowly opened her eyes. It was still dark out. “Stupid dream…” Mentally berating herself for not securing a clock after all of this time, she quickly turned over to her other side and attempted to sleep again.

Where is my place?
> Chapter Two: Fake History
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo woke up feeling extremely groggy like she hadn’t slept for more than an hour. While it looked to be a bit earlier than she was used to, it certainly wasn’t the middle of the night. She flopped onto her back and tried her best to ignore the discomfort of the wood. Stupid dreams…

After several minutes of attempting to sleep in, she finally sighed and gave up. “Whelp, I’m up. Not like I should be sleeping in, anyway; Apple Bloom might be here any minute.” Figuring it was a bad idea to tempt fate, she quickly stretched. then got ready for her day. As she brushed her mane out, her brain caught up with her and she sighed in relief. “The weekend, sweet.” She instantly forgot about any notions of learning, homework, school or class time. It was time to have some fun. And hopefully find or earn some… bits.

She took a few moments to grab her scooter and quickly left the clubhouse as dirty was it was before. Lining up her scooter to a particular dirt road just outside the clubhouse, she sighed. I’m so tired of doing this… she thought bitterly. But she shrugged and pedaled her scooter ahead, away from the orchard and towards a lake. It was this lake where she would have to literally scoot all around to get back to the beginning of the orchard, in order to scoot back through the orchard to greet her friend. Maybe next week I can tell them I’m gonna meet Sweetie Belle first, she thought to herself, though, through sheer determination, she would never do it. Rainbow Dash, after all, was always training hard to be the best! I can’t be lazy, not now!

Instinctively, her wings began to flap, which reminded her that she even had wings. Why do I always forget when I’m on this thing? She shrugged and stretched them then flapped as hard as they would allow, making a constant buzzing noise. It felt very familiar, as it always had for longer than she could remember. While she didn’t exactly have enough raw power to cause gusts of wind like Rainbow Dash, she imagined she did, and that was enough. Scootaloo whizzed by the lake, imagining herself flying over it. Someday…

“Huh?” she murmured, and instantly slowed down upon seeing another pony on the road. It was a grey colored unicorn filly, and she recognized her as a younger student of her teacher. Don’t know her name though.

The filly studied her then looked away, seemingly at nothing.

“Uh, what’s up?” Scootaloo said after an awkward pause.

The filly looked up slowly with an unreadable expression on her face. Even slower, she shrugged. “Uh, not much. Just… thinking.”

Scootaloo nodded and had literally no response for that. Awkwardly, they stared at one another for a little while, neither wanting to move or blink. Eventually, Scootaloo grabbed her handlebars which caused the filly to jump in place. Scootaloo muttered an apology then sped off without warning. Okay… uh, yeah.

Trying to shake the thoughts of the depressed looking filly, she focused on the road ahead and aimed back for the orchard. This looks so familiar… she thought sarcastically.

As she got nearer, she recognized Apple Bloom, waiting impatiently at the entrance. She skidded to a halt in front of her causing a gust of wind to fly up. Scootaloo smirked. “Your bow fell--”

“Yeah, yeah, got it. Never gets old…” Apple Bloom muttered as she quickly re-tied her bow. “So, what’d you want to do today?”

Awkwardly, the two stood there, trying their best to come up with an idea. “I’m having trouble thinking of anything. Want to try the library again? Twilight usually has cookies for us anyway!” Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly.

Reluctantly, Apple Bloom nodded and joined her friend on her scooter. She held onto Scootaloo’s midsection with both hooves and donned a helmet that she had. “Alright… but she better not have homework for us, like that one time…”

“If that happens then I have a plan… probably,” Scootaloo yelled over the blowing wind.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and began clutching even harder as her friend sped up wildly. Quickly trees turned to ponies and ponies turned to blurs. “You should probably slow down!” Apple Bloom warned.

What’d she say? Scootaloo thought. “What did you say?” she tried to yell over the constant breeze. Scootaloo then swerved around several ponies, causing Apple Bloom to nearly topple over and hit the ground.

“Ah said, slow down!”

Scootaloo nodded then screeched to a halt, jamming one of her hooves into the dirt. Apple Bloom’s head then promptly smacked right into her friend’s chest.

“Ow…” they both said in unison.

Apple Bloom grumbled and looked up. “Scootaloo…”

“Heh, we’re here…” she replied and looked at her friend bashfully.

“What have Ah told you about doing that?!”

Doing her best to ignore her friend’s glare, Scootaloo looked away back at the tree. “Only sometimes--”

“Never. Ah told you to never stop like that! And to slow down when we’re on that thing!”

Scootaloo nodded and did her best to put aside her friend’s anger. She was focusing on their future, on cookies! She licked her lips and smiled at the tree in the distance. Then she nearly screamed when she felt two hooves on her head, which swiftly turned it backward. She was now staring directly at her friend, who did not look pleased.

“Scootaloo, were you even listenin’?”

The filly blinked a few times and shook her head. “No.”

Apple Bloom smiled and nodded. “Let me make this clear and simple. Do that thing with your brakes again while Ah’m on it and Ah will break your scooter in two! Got it?” Apple Bloom finished in a manner befitting a certain pink colored filly.

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in fear and she began shaking slightly. “Uh.. g- got it.”

The apple filly smiled and nodded, this time being sincere. “Good.”

Scootaloo hugged her scooter and watched Apple Bloom canter away from her. The farm filly turned around and chuckled. “Ah would never break your scooter, Ah just wanted you to pay attention for once. Now C'mon! We’re burnin’ daylight!”

Note to self, don’t tick off Apple Bloom.





Being a public library the two fillies entered without knocking. Instead of finding the familiar librarian inside, though, all they found was their good friend Sweetie Belle. Who just happened to be munching on all of the cookies, to Scootaloo’s annoyance.

“Hi girls!” Sweetie Belle waved to them and seemed to shove another cookie into her mouth. “What’s up?”

The two fillies joined her on a couch that was set up for guests. Scootaloo tilted the bowl she had set near her and sighed. “I guess not cookies, they aren’t up…”

Sweetie blushed and started chewing slower. “Sorry… Rarity never lets me have any. A mare of refined tastes must never spoil her appetite,” she recited for them in a mocking tone. Then she thought about it and shrugged. “Or something like that.”

The other fillies giggled and ate what was left of the treats. Scootaloo then hopped onto the couch to relax. “So, where’s Twilight?”

Sweetie pointed up and they followed her hoof. Seated near the upper balcony was the mare in question. She appeared to be busy pouring over notes. Her horn was lit with a bright velvet color surrounding it, and several books that were floating around her.

“Ah. Busy, okay. So we wanted to-”

“Scootaloo? Are you down there?”

Both of her friends glanced at her with quirked brows. Scootaloo looked at them, then slowly looked up and nodded. “Uh, yeah, Hi… Twilight.” Why does she want to see me?

“Oh, splendid!” Twilight cheered and quickly set her books aside. “I’ll be down in a minute!” she called out and walked away from the balcony. Then she quickly leaned over again. “Don’t move a muscle!”

This can’t be good. Scootaloo thought in fear. She whispered to her friends while Twilight started walking down. “What if she wants me to do homework or something!”

Apple Bloom snorted. “You said you had a plan for that.”

“I said probably. You two need to back me up, though!”

“On what?” Sweetie said while munching on the final cookie.

“If I run, you two run. Got it?”

Sweetie’s eyes widened in shock at the very idea of running away from Twilight. “But… but… she might make more cookies!”

Scootaloo grabbed Sweetie just before Twilight reached the bottom step. She started shaking her like mad. “This is bigger than cookies!”

Twilight stopped at the bottom step and glanced at the three fillies curiously. “Um, what’s going on?”

Scootaloo quickly placed Sweetie Belle back and whipped around, smiling at the mare. “Nothing! So, what’s up?”

Twilight smiled at her, but only her. “Family history! Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything on yours, Scootaloo. I was hoping you could help me archive stories about the Firehens!”

For a single moment, Scootaloo’s world shattered and her brain simply wouldn’t respond. ...What?! “Uh…”

“Of course, I could also seek out your guardians or parents if you’re not up to it. Or, maybe, don’t know?” Twilight said while walking up to them and frowning at the lack of cookies.

I’m gonna kill Diamond Tiara. Scootaloo cleared her throat. “Uh, I guess I can help. Why the… sudden interest?”

“Well, I’ve actually been working on a huge research project that archives ponies throughout Equestrian history that have helped shape it. Diamond Tiara stopped by the other day and noticed what I was doing and told me about her project. It got me thinking and I realized I didn’t have very many pegasus ponies listed at all!” she exclaimed as if it were the most exciting thing in the world.

Scootaloo nodded and gulped. Both failed to notice the other two fillies had gotten up and were doing their best to sneak away from the potential homework they could sense. 

Twilight continued. “I mean, it makes sense as typically it was the earth ponies and the unicorns who helped build things. Not that pegasus ponies aren’t important, of course; it’s just so few of them actually constructed buildings or bridges or other things. It’s just so rare for them! So, will you help me?” Twilight pleaded.

Breathe, just breathe. “W-well, how much did she tell you? Or show you? Or whatever?”

Twilight levitated out a single parchment that she had on her back and unfolded it for her. “Just a list of names and what they did. See for yourself, I want to make sure this is as accurate as I can get.”

Thank Luna she has names… I didn’t remember even half of the bull that Diamond said. She looked it over and recognized most of the list that was there. I’ll just have to make up some bull of my own and I can be done with this. Well, after having a chat with little miss wannabe princess. “I know about most of these guys… uh, my dad felt it was important I memorized my family history,” she said, lying directly to her face. She’ll buy that, right?

Twilight nodded. “That makes sense, my parents did the same thing! So, should we start now?!”

Scootaloo hesitated and looked around. “Well, we were… going to… where’d they go?”

Twilight looked around and then spotted that the door had been left open. “Oh, they must have gone out for some fresh air. This shouldn’t take too long. All I need is a few paragraphs for each pony on the list. Just to get a general idea of who they were and what they did for Equestria.”

The filly nodded, already starting to form made up ideas for the first few. Shouldn’t be too bad… but I’m still gonna kill her.





By the time Scootaloo had finished ‘recounting’ her family history, she was exhausted; but Twilight still wasn’t. She wasn’t just tired from making up lies, it was trying to remember them all that she was having trouble with. The very thought of not knowing every lie she had just told Twilight scared her to death. If this gets out, or if Twilight asks me again… and I don’t know… she’ll get suspicious! As Twilight copied down the notes, Scootaloo wondered how hard it would be to steal them when she wasn’t looking, copy them down, then put them back. I can’t ask for a copy; that would seem suspicious, too! I’m the one that’s supposed to know!

“Thank you so much for this, Scootaloo. If you’d like, I can drop off my final documents on this, a copy, to your parents’ house.”

Crud! Scootaloo chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, that won't be necessary. My dad has enough things to remind him of the past. Like I said earlier, he’s always telling our family stories. This will just encourage him…” she grumbled out the last part, hoping Twilight caught on.

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “Well, alright. But if your family ever wants a copy, just let me know!”

I’ll have to take her up on that in a few weeks… gonna kill Diamond! “Uh, cool. I will. I have to go work on some homework right now… so…”

Twilight nodded. She knew the value of homework. “Oh, I’m so sorry! Will you have enough time to finish it? I didn’t mean to--”

Scootaloo waved her down and stood up. “Yeah, yeah. It’ll be fine, but I should leave, now. Heh.”

“Right, well, I’ll see you around, Scootaloo Firehen!”

Scootaloo cringed on the inside but smiled and waved. She grabbed her scooter and couldn’t get out of the library quick enough. She began to scoot away into town, but quickly stopped and looked around. “Where’d they go?” All she spotted were various earth ponies heading toward the town’s marketplace. “Better check the clubhouse.”

She turned around and froze. There, seated on a bench, was Diamond Tiara. She was smiling and eating away on some ice cream, along with her partner in crime, Silver Spoon. The two talked and laughed, blissfully unaware of Scootaloo’s presence. There was something about the two, having the time of their lives, completely unworried. It unnerved Scootaloo. For a moment, only a single moment, the brat filly glanced at her. She winked then quickly looked away, not wanting to spoil her time by Scootaloo’s sight. The pegasus wanted to march up to her and give her a piece of her mind. She wanted to scream, to point out what she did, to make her feel bad. She didn’t move, however. She simply stood there, going over everything that had happened on the last day. I can’t… No matter how badly she wanted to, she knew it would only hurt her in the end. She knows I can’t… she has me…

Slowly, but surely, she left the area. Not bothering to even glance at the two ponies, but she could swear she heard a snicker come from the pink colored filly.
What am I going to do?

As she slowly trotted toward the clubhouse, she began to reflect on her friends. Every time she thought of them, it filled her heart and mind with nervous excitement. She wasn’t even sure why she had ended up with them of all ponies; they literally weren’t like her. Sweetie Belle was silly, bubbly and tried to be everything her sister was; she was quite possibly the opposite of Scootaloo. Apple Bloom was closer in personality but usually was different enough to raise an eyebrow or two. All in all, the three mixed together to form a chaotic group of destruction and mayhem. If she was being honest with herself, she was was shocked that she hadn’t been found out sooner.

We’re always getting in trouble, but nopony thinks to ask to see my parents?!

She shook her head to banish the stray thought and decided to focus on the problem at hand. Diamond Tiara, she decided, had forced her hoof. She needed either help or some very good advice. As much as she liked her friends, she knew whatever they came up with would only get them in trouble.

Again.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… I need an adult…” she muttered while rubbing the sides of her temples.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something peculiar. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t give most ponies her undivided attention, unless they had a rainbow-hued tail. What she noticed, however, was uncanny. It was a stallion, a pegasus pony, who was walking through the streets. What made the sight so curious was that she had never seen him before; after all, Ponyville was a close-knit town. Everypony basically knew everypony and they especially knew who the town was built for. Earth ponies. Not that other ponies weren’t welcome, you just didn’t see them as often. Still, it wasn’t any of that, it was how they looked.

Just like me… Holy hay! Scootaloo thought, as her eyes did their best to follow her- him, she wasn’t sure. Her eyes never left, even as the pony gently spread its wings and flew off. Crud, she thought bitterly, watching the one pony that could probably help, fly off in a hurry. Instinctively her wings fluttered, but she remained on the ground. “Stupid wings.”

The pony that had flown off had given her a small idea. Well, it was actually quite a large order, and she doubted it would ever work. Just thinking of Diamond Tiara and the information she probably knew about her, it seemed better than nothing. She considered it more and more, not bothering to think of anything else and then she sighed. Scootaloo propped her body up against a stone wall, just outside town and sighed. “I really do need an adult.”

Her ears began to swivel upon hearing somepony mumble something, followed by a rather loud sniffle. She placed one of her ears onto the wall in an attempt to see where it was coming from. After a few short moments, she was confident, whoever it was, they were crying and appeared to be right behind her. “Hello?” she called out, making the voice stop. It was followed by a loud sniffle, as the pony breathed in to calm themselves.

“H- hey,” the voice replied, a familiar sounding one.

Scootaloo climbed over the fence and spotted the filly from before. She looked like a mess, her mane was frazzled and her eyes appeared bloodshot. “Are you okay?”

The filly slowly nodded, not looking happy to be disturbed. All though, Scootaloo noted, she seemed more embarrassed than angry. “Well, it’s just, you were crying and all…”

The unicorn huffed and nodded. “Yeah…”

Scootaloo looked around, making sure nopony was in sight. Considering they were on the edge of town, she figured nopony would be. She took a seat next to the filly and looked away. Now what? she thought dumbly.

“It’s just… it’s not fair,” the unicorn said, huffing again.

Scootaloo nodded. “What’s not--?”

Suddenly, as if being hidden wasn’t important anymore, the filly loudly responded. “It was my ball, but she had to take it and I’ll never get it back and Mommy gave it to me and she’ll just keep taking my stuff and taking more and--”

Quickly Scootaloo brought out both of her front hooves and clamped the filly’s mouth shut, gently. “Whoa there. Okay, who took your ball?”

The filly dashed her hooves aside and huffed. “Rose Petal, she took it.”

Immediately Scootaloo started laughing, but then quickly covered it up upon noticing the filly’s glare. “Heh, okay. Where is she? I bet I can get it back for ya. Or at least help out some.” When Scootaloo finished speaking, she nearly grimaced. This isn’t my problem. I shouldn’t be ticking off bully fillies… she thought, wondering what she was risking.

The filly’s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly got over it, while nodding. “Yeah, okay, that could work.”

Scootaloo’s mouth dropped in amazement. She got over that fast… she noted, noticing no traces of the tears from before. “I’m Scootaloo, who are you?”

“Everypony just calls me Dinky, except my mom… she calls me Muffin or something. Uh, Dinky’s good,” she quickly exclaimed with a blush.

“Alright, Dinky. Take me to this bully of yours.”

Dinky shrugged, then pointed off in the distance. “She’s over by that tree.”

Sure enough, there were several small ponies all perched under a tree. Scootaloo blinked then slowly nodded. “How’d I miss them? Whatever.” Without waiting for a response, she quickly marched over to the group. It was fairly evident that the four ponies there were rather young, like Dinky. They seemed to enjoy playing with a bright purple ball, not paying any mind to Scootaloo. “Um, excuse me?”

Play quickly ceased, with four pairs of eyes homing on her. One in the group, a red-coated earth pony looked up and scowled. “What?”

“I want you to give that ball back to Dinky.”

“No.”

It was such a simple reply that Scootaloo could have sworn she felt her IQ dropping. “Uh huh, just give it back please.”

“No.”

Scootaloo rubbed the temples on her head for the second time that day. “It’s not your ball, just give it back.”

“No, no!”

“Oh, you’re gonna throw a tantrum now? I’ve seen Pumpkin Cake act more mature and she's a foal.”

The filly before her pounded her hooves in the grass, clutching the ball close to her body. “No!”

“Okay, how about I just pop the ball then! Then none of you get to play with it!”

The other fillies looked at each other in shock, would she do that? However, the tantrum-throwing filly looked up at her and laughed. “Okay!” She exclaimed, seeming ecstatic to see Dinky’s ball broken.

Scootaloo smiled and picked the ball out of her hooves. “Alright then!” She went to pop it, causing Dinky to look on in horror. Then Scootaloo chuckled and began to walk away with the ball in tow.

The brat bully filly looked on in confusion. “Wha...?”

Scootaloo smirked back at her, stopping for a moment. “Oh, don’t look so down; we all get bested sooner or later.” She patted the filly quickly on the head, and then promptly walked off.

Dinky looked on in shock but smiled when the ball was placed back in her possession. 

“There ya go!” Scootaloo said brightly.

“Th-thanks,” was all the filly managed out. They both shared a smile and soon they had departed.

Scootaloo, for the most part, felt extremely happy with herself. She may not have fixed her issues, but there was something noble of fixing somepony else’s. I still need to fix mine, though! After walking away, the weight of her issues starting to push down on her. If she ignored it, she knew things would only get worse from there on out. Diamond Tiara was not the type of pony to just let things from her grasp. In fact, the bully filly often pushed things to their limits, causing things to spiral out of control. The spoiled bully would not only do these things, but she also didn’t care who she took down with her. Getting in trouble with her daddy was nothing for her, but Scootaloo getting in trouble with enough grownups could spell doom for herself.

She had been walking toward Sweet Apple Acres but slowed down when she reached the entrance. I still don’t know what to do. For a long while, she considered walking in and playing with her friends. She remained still on the edge of the orchard, unmoving. The sun had started to set and she was no close to fixing her worries than when she had started. “They’re probably in their homes by now,” she said solemnly. She considered Apple Bloom’s farm home and Sweetie Belle’s… whatever she had. She was never really sure where Sweetie lived, but she always thought she had at least two homes; one with her sister and one with her parents.

However, when Scootaloo thought of home, a literal home, she thought way back. It wasn’t out in some field or even in the clubhouse, where she currently resided. No. It was a far off place, something so alien from Ponyville that it nearly sickened her. I don’t have to go back, she told herself, hoping the memories would stay just that, memories. She looked back at her wings, then flexed them and sighed. Though, sometimes I wish I could…

After sulking for a good ten minutes, she began to shiver. She looked down the path that led into the orchard and nodded. “I better get back…” Her stomach began to rumble a moment later and she sighed. “Great, no food and probably out of bits. Good going, Scoots.” She considered her options and when it came down to it, she had apples. They weren’t the easiest fruit to pluck; their height off the ground being the biggest hurdle to jump through. Ponies often didn’t climb trees, even pegasus ponies tended to stay away from their branches. Scootaloo, however, often climbed trees. “Better than starvin’,” she said while eyeing the first tree of the night.

She set her scooter aside and ran at the tree as fast as she could. She jumped at the last moment and sunk her front hooves into the tree’s bark. They stuck, but only barely. Hesitantly she removed her right hoof and then quickly slapped it back onto the tree, just a few inches above. She repeated the gesture for her other hoof and soon she had clambered toward a branch. This branch held a few apples, but she was only after one. Foolishly, she tried to reach for it with her mouth, but that quickly failed when she found her muzzle nearly stuck into some leaves. She sneered at it, then swatted her right hoof right on the apple. It swiveled about but didn’t drop. She began to sweat while looking down, hoping not to fall. She prayed to Luna, Celestia and a bit of Cadence before removing both her front hooves and swiping at it. She was quick enough to get her hooves back on the trunk just as the apple dropped down below. As quickly as the apple dropped, so did she. Pony hooves were not designed to stick to trees, or indeed for many things. She groaned, feeling the dirt that her side had swiftly smacked into. “Ouch…”

Her apple had a bruise on it, but only on one side. She scarfed most of it down and quickly set off for another one. By the time she was finished, her belly was covered in tree sap with her muzzle frosted with sticky apple residue. “Raw apples bite,” she said. Looking up she shivered, the moon was fully out. She grabbed her scooter and walked off toward the clubhouse.

“C’mon… almost got it…” Scootaloo quickly dashed into some nearby bushes. She heard Sweetie Belle’s voice off in the distance and was not going to take any chances at being caught. 

“Which one was it again? Upside down squiggle, then the moon looking thingy?”

What is she doing here? Scootaloo watched the filly canter by, constantly looking up at her horn and muttering things to herself. Occasionally it would spark to life, only to die down as quickly as the sparks flew off.

“I know what it is! Full moon, then the squiggle, then the half moon!” Sweetie announced to the world as if it were the most natural thing to say. She closed her eyes, stopped walking, then concentrated. Instead of sparks flying from her horn, a dull green glow slowly circled her horn. It looked to be a crude light spell and did a decent job of illuminating everything around her. “I did it! I did it! I did it!” Sweetie hopped around gleefully, unaware of her friend just inches from her, watching.

Woah… Scootaloo sat there dumbstruck. She had only ever seen Sweetie Belle blow sparks, never a full spell.

“I did it! I-- Hey, is that Scootaloo’s scooter?”

Crud…

With the spell still active, Sweetie walked over to it, illuminating the very bush Scootaloo resided in. Scootaloo didn’t dare move a muscle or breathe. Just walk away, it’s just my scooter. It will be fine here! she thought, her mind frantic with anxiety.

“Oh, hi, Scootaloo!” Sweetie quickly looked down and waved, an innocent smile on her face. “What you doing in the bushes?”

Thinking quickly, she stood up and stumbled through the leaves, then touched her scooter. She sighed in relief, mainly from being out of the thorny bushes, but actually for show. “Oh, phew! You found my scooter! I had, uh, lost it, yeah! Heh, don’t you sometimes get lost in the orchard?” She said, nervousness obvious in her voice.

Sweetie tilted her head in confusion and slowly shook it. “Nope! But I’m glad you found it!”

“Yeah, heh… By the way, that spell is awesome! I didn’t know you could do magic now!”

Sweetie blushed, having the attention switched back to her. “Heh, yeah. It’s a long story. Um, but I need to get back to Rarity’s place. It’s pretty late. Do you want me to walk ya home?” she said sweetly.

Stifling a yawn, Scootaloo moaned inwardly. No, I want you to walk away so I can go to sleep! she thought in a huff, but then she watched Sweetie’s innocent smile and sighed. “Uh, sure. My house is past Rarity’s, though,” she replied, thinking up a quick lie. She could never get angry with Sweetie Belle, she doubted if anypony could. Plus she knew her friend was just trying to be friendly.

“Okay, let’s go!”

Great… As they walked with each other, something nagged at the back of the pegasus’s mind. “Hey, Sweetie?” The unicorn hummed in response. “Where’d you two go, anyway?”

“Oh, well, we didn’t want to get caught in one of Twilight’s lectures on… not exciting things. So, we headed back to the clubhouse. But Applejack stopped us on the way and said Apple Bloom had chores to do. I went back to Rarity’s and, well, yeah.” She motioned to her still glowing horn, hinting that Rarity had something to do with it.

Scootaloo nodded. “Cool.”

“What did you and Twilight end up talking about?”

Scootaloo blushed and looked away. “Family stuff. She wanted to do a report on my family line. Something to do with her studies under the princess and something that’s important to her too. I don’t know. I told her what I knew and then I was out of there… like a million hours later.”

Sweetie smiled smugly. “And that’s why we left. Sorry, Scoots.”

She sighed, feeling as if her issues were a million miles away, for now. “Whatever, it’s… fine.”

They giggled together and talked for a while. If there was one thing that Ponyville reminded her of home, it was her close friends. Sweetie Belle was kind, honest, funny and sometimes brave. She would say awesome, but that word was reserved for Rainbow Dash. When they got nearer to the center of town, Sweetie spoke up nervously.

“Uh, are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home? My spell could help and it is pretty dark,” she noted, looking around.

She shook her head frantically. “Pfft, I’m fine! Really!” She waved her hoof lazily, indicating things were fine. I could use a warming spell, though.

Sweetie quirked a brow at her but nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The two quickly split apart, with Scootaloo walking past the boutique, toward Twilight’s library in the general direction of where she claimed her house was. Sweetie waved, but couldn’t help thinking something was off as she knocked on Rarity’s front door. I don’t remember any houses being that way…

When Scootaloo was out of earshot, she kicked her scooter into high gear. She was aiming to scoot all around the half side of town, to get back to the one place where she could safely rest. She felt exhausted, as her wings buzzed slower than usual. “I just had to be nice and walk Sweetie home… ugh.”

She had been leaning on the handlebars for support. Out of nowhere, both front wheels broke off, sending her tumbling face first into the dirt. She didn’t even have a chance to scream before her head hit the ground and-
> Chapter Three: Sweetie's Magical Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle was having a wonderful day. She was seated in Twilight’s library, munching on cookies, and soon enough her friends would be joining her to have some fun. Greedily, she scarfed down as many cookies as her small tummy would allow. I don’t care if I get fat, I’m getting my cookies whether Rarity likes it or not!

Spike soon rejoined her, his stubby, reptilian legs marching as quickly as possible. “You got enough cookies?” he asked cheerfully. Sister of my lover…

“Mhm!” Sweetie said, her mouth too full of the treats to say a proper response.

“Great!” He then tossed a few books into the air, causing them to land on a stack in his other claw. “I’ll just be over there reshelving the magic section if you need me.”

She nodded and watched him leave. In truth, the library was quite big for a tree. While the guest area was small and quaint, the actual library section was nice and tall. It was divided into several sections, but what gave it its charm was the height of the shelves. They reached around three stories tall, certainly enough to contain enough knowledge to satisfy even Twilight Sparkle. Usually.

As she was still chewing she watched the front door open, revealing her friends. They cantered in and immediately spotted her. Yay! she thought, feeling giddy. Then she looked down to the plate of cookies and back to her friends. My cookies! She stuffed a few more in her mouth and waved.

That was how her morning started, but it ended in boredom. Twilight wanted to only talk with Scootaloo, it seemed, and Apple Bloom now had chores to do. This left her sitting alone outside, sulking. She didn’t want to go back and risk getting some kind of work from Twilight, as much as she wanted to save her friend. “Every mare for herself, sorry, Scoots. Hmm, maybe Rarity will play with me!” A part of her doubted it, but every since the Sisterhooves Social, her sister had been trying to be nicer to her. She jumped off her seat. “Worth a shot!”

She walked through town, occasionally waving to other ponies. Everything always felt so nice in town. The dirt paths, grass, and even the signs always seemed to be just as clean as her coat and tail. Ponies often smiled at her as did birds and other animals. There was always something going on in town, from sales at the marketplace to explosions from Twilight’s lab. Unique buildings of every shape, size, and color were all over, often matching the pony that lived inside.

She spotted her second home, Carousel Boutique and grinned. While it was her ‘second’ house, it always felt like home to her. She walked in and immediately announced her arrival. “Rarity, I’m home!”

Rarity, who had been sitting at her kitchen table, scrambled backward in surprise. “S-Sweetie Belle, goodness you scared me. What’s wrong? Shouldn’t you be out with your little friends?”

Sweetie quirked a brow, staring at what her sister appeared to be eating. “Is that chocolate ice cream?” Sweetie asked in a sour tone.

Thinking quickly, Rarity shoved the bowl aside and stood up. “Of course not!” She laughed nervously and looked around for a distracted. “Uh, why don’t we go and teach you some magic. I know you were asking me the other day…”

Sweetie instantly forgot about any hidden sweets and grinned. “Really?!” she asked, her voice squeaking.

Rarity nodded. Thank Celestia for short attention spans. Besides, what’s the worst thing teaching her magic could bring?

The two unicorns eventually ended up in Rarity’s study room. Sweetie had watched her canter back and forth, setting up odd gizmos and a few books that seemed odd. She had never seen the stones that she placed before her. They look so dusty…

“Uh, right. It’s been a while since I’ve had to use these, but these should do,” Rarity commented, glancing over a list she had been carrying. “Right. So, what do you know of magic, dear?”

Sweetie pondered the question for far too long, then shrugged. “It’s really, really hard to do?”

Rarity chuckled and nodded. “Without the proper tools or education, yes. What, uh, can you do with your horn? Surely you must know something by now?” Rarity said it a bit coldly, but she didn’t feel like spending all afternoon just teaching her magic. Still, she should be taught something. I  shall not neglect my sister! I shall also not let her see my ice cream! Rarity thought with both determination and shame.

“I can levitate stuff, sort of.” To demonstrate she closed her eyes and focused on one of the stones. After around thirty seconds, a spark lit up, enveloping the smooth stone in light green magic. It floated for a few seconds, but then Sweetie let it down. “See!”

“That’s wonderful, but levitation is pretty simple to do. What we need to teach you, for now, are runes. Well, symbols that form the basic principle for forming spells.”

Sweetie poked the stones a few times, examining them. “Are these runes?” She asked.

“Yes. As far as magical symbols go, they’re pretty basic. I used these to learn when I was around your age. I don’t mind you keeping this set, it should help you memorize them.”

Sweetie smiled. She liked the look of the stones, they were smooth and had funny symbols etched on the top. “Wow, thanks Rarity!” She hopped up and without warning hugged her sister around the neck. “These look pretty.”

Rarity chuckled and felt her cheeks warm at the touch. “Perhaps so. I’m glad you think so because you will be spending all, well, a week shall we say?” She pondered it and nodded. “Yes, all week memorizing these runes and symbols.”

“And then I can do magic?”

“Not quite. You still must do much of the work for any spell, but the runes are somewhat like a key. Think of a spell as a doorway and each rune as a key for opening them. If you use up enough mana-- uh, yes Sweetie?”

Rarity had been speaking when Sweetie had raised her hoof, like in school. “What’s mana?”

“It’s another word for magical energy. Each unicorn has its own mana font or pool for use. When you used levitation just now, you were tapping into your inner font. Your inner magic.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened, for the first time comprehending just what magic was. At least, she thought she comprehended it. Her head slowly bobbed up and down.

“But, of course, one must know one’s own limitations when dealing with magic. Everypony has them.”

Sweetie giggled. “Not Twilight.”

Rarity smiled smugly, not seeming to agree. “And what If I told you that even Twilight can reach her limits? Even the princesses?”

Sweetie scrunched her muzzle up in concentration. What is she talking about?

Rarity, catching onto her confusion, nodded. “As I said, it’s important to know your limitations,” she emphasized by poking at Sweetie’s belly, making her giggle again. “A few wrong mistakes and you’ll end up like Twilight on a bad day,” she paused while watching her little sister shudder, “or worse. You could pass out if you overexert your own pool.”

“Huh?” Sweetie squeaked.

“I mean if you work too hard, darling. For now, I wouldn’t worry too much. You just worry about these runes.”

Looking down Sweetie noted each and every symbol on the runes. There were a few moons, stars, and suns. There was also odd squiggles and random symbols that she had never seen before. “I don’t get it.”

Rarity tittered. “Neither did I when Mother showed me these. However, it’s not too complicated. And I have the utmost confidence that you can get this,” Rarity stated honestly. Then, out of the blue, she remembered just how many tasks her sister had not gotten. She shuddered to think just what could go wrong with that horn of hers. She’s going to learn with or without me. May as well do it right. It wasn’t as if she didn’t trust Sweetie Belle, but the filly had a knack for causing problems.

“Okay, uh…” Sweetie quickly swiped the full moon rune and held it up. “What’s this one?”

“That one means channeling of magic,” she slowly explained. When Sweetie looked down at it skeptically, she elaborated. “Essentially, these runes don’t actually do anything.” Upon hearing the declaration, Sweetie promptly dropped it and her face seemed to deflate. Rarity sighed. “Sweetie, let me finish explaining. Lift it up again,” she commanded.

“Okay, okay.”

“Each of these symbols is a tool to help you memorize different steps for casting a spell. The moon is usually used, in fact, I’m almost certain it’s always used first. No channeling, no spell.”

“So… runes don’t do anything? I always thought ancient wizards used them in whatever Twilight is always touting about.”

Rarity suppressed a laugh and looked over the runes. “You mean Star Swirl? Well, he certainly used much more than just runes. This is what they can look like; they just don’t function as any. They’re a training tool that’s been used for generations. Oh, when I think of how much I had to memorize these just to stitch my first dress… well, a lady never tells.” I wish I didn’t remember.

“So, there are runes that do things then?” Sweetie asked, wanting to clarify.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, there are. I’m afraid I don’t have any, but I’m sure if you ask Twilight then she’ll happy to share a few. For now, though, let’s go through these runes so I can get my work done.”

Sweetie blushed, mumbling something while looking down. Having picked up on her now sour mood, Rarity used her front hoof to tilt Sweetie’s head up. “It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you, I do. You come first… except when work piles on. Then, I guess you technically come second. I just--”

Sweetie quickly cracked a smile. “It’s okay, big sis. I know. I’m really glad you’re my sister.”

The mare smiled sadly, wishing she had more free time in the day. “I am too. Now then, you understand channeling, I assume? Let’s move onto the half moon.”

Sweetie quickly shuffled runes to the next one, examining it. “And it is?”

“The half moon signifies casting your spell. It usually comes last, I think it’s supposed to actually be a setting moon. Yes.” Rarity nodded, thinking that the explanation made more sense. “So full moon comes first, channeling, then other runes, then the setting moon.”

“Okay, channel, then something, and then cast. Easy!”

Rarity placed her hoof on Sweetie’s chest before she got any ideas. “It sounds easy, but spells can be tricky. To be perfectly honest, a lot of the basic spells are instinct more than anything. That means getting them under control is a learning process. It takes time and practice.”

Sweetie’s smile faltered for a moment. “Oh…”

“Right, we’ve got the two most important runes out of the way. Now comes the rest. To start off with, the squiggles.”

“Squiggles?”

“Yes.” Rarity levitated a single rune that had two squiggle lines each on top of one another. “This rune means raw magic. You know those sparks of yours?”

The filly ran up to Rarity, pressing a hoof to her lips. “Shh!” she squeaked. “You promised you wouldn’t say anything!” 

Rarity gave her a flat look and gently moved the hoof away. “Relax, this is a safe place. Sparks are a common phase. They just mean your font is growing.”

Sweetie stopped blushing and looked up at her horn. She rubbed it a few times and shrugged. “Is there like a pool in there? Like water?”

“No. I’m not fully sure on the specifics, but I know that the more our bodies grow, the more magic we can take in; at least, for our horns. The sparks are undirected magic; for example, if you tried to cast a spell without any direction, without any ‘runes’. After all, these runes merely help you direct your magic in the proper way. And magic is quite difficult to explain, dear.”

Sweetie Belle rubbed her head. “I’m already confused…” she admitted.

Rarity coughed. “Right. Well, you know how to channel magic. Clearly evident from your levitation. Which is different, by the way. That magic, above all else, is far more instinct. It doesn’t require any stray thoughts or complexity, just will. You wish to control something in midair, and you do it.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

“However, runes require some thoughts. Hmm, we’ll start with one of the simpler spells. Light. It can come in quite useful in almost any situation. And it will help teach you another basic principle: will.”

Sweetie shook her head, giving her a bewildered look. “I don’t get it, I thought I knew ‘will’? I can levitate stuff, you said that was like.. uh, using my will?”

“You can, but that’s just a start. Most of what makes magic magic is our ability to bend it to our will. You channel magic, then imagine what you want, will it into existence, and then cast. Really, the last two steps are the same, though.”

“Isn’t that like a wish? That sounds too easy…”

“It would be if magic wasn’t so resistant or even chaotic. Raw magic is what we need to give us some light or to help me find more gems. You must force the magic from your horn to take a new shape. Whether it’s turning the magic into light or making some buried gems glow, all depends on what you want. And more importantly, how skilled you are with your horn. If you and your horn can’t control the raw magic, then you end up with, well, something like your sparks.”

Sweetie nodded, following every word. “Uh, but how do you control it? How do I get light?”

“Well, your horn is like a muscle. Use it enough and it gets stronger, just like your font. Ahem, there are limits, but we shouldn’t worry about that now. For now, I want you to make some light. Go on, then.”

“Just will it?” 

Rarity nodded. 

Sweetie Belle scrunched up her face in concentration. Okay, Sweetie, just think of light. Or something. She wasn’t exactly sure what Rarity meant for her to do, but she felt determined to try. It sounded far more experimental than anything. Her mind wandered while wondering just how Twilight learned so much magic. The basics steps seemed more complicated than any school work she had ever had. Sweetie closed her eyes, then pictured the moon. She felt a familiar feeling of magic channeling into her horn. She was tapping into her inner font. Then she pictured the squiggles, visualizing what it would be like to grasp hold of all the magic in the air. Then, a few sparks flew out and she felt the magic leave her like a breath from her lungs. “Oh, horseapples.”

“Well, don’t give up. I’m afraid I have orders to take care of. But now you know the basics. Channel the raw magic, then will it to be light. If done correctly, your horn should be sparkling just like my next order.” She giggled at her joke but found Sweetie frowning. “Don’t give up.”

“But I don’t get how to will magic!”

“You will. You’ll get it, I promise. Just like you’ll get a cutie mark some day. Just imagine light, picture your horn lighting up like your beautiful emerald green eyes. You’ll get it, I believe in you.”

Sweetie looked up hesitantly and gave a small smile. “Okay, thanks Rarity. I’ll t-try.”

“Splendid. Just… well, only try light, please. You can do much more with raw magic, but I’d prefer that you take this one step a time.”

Sweetie nodded, eager to get outside and show her friends. But before she left, she turned back to ask one final question. “So, this is magic? Just use raw magic? What about the other runes?”

Rarity had already summoned some materials down. She glanced down to the rune set and sighed. “They rely on other schools of magic. They’re called imprints. I wouldn’t worry about them for now. I’ll have these things sent to your room, for now, why don’t you go play with your friends?” she suggested, eager to finally get some work done.

“Alright. I just hope Apple Bloom’s done with her chores. Her sister always gives her so many.”

Rarity smiled smugly. “Perhaps I should consider your chore list. You’ve been--”

“Bye, Rarity!” Sweetie ran out, slamming the front door to the boutique and running for her life.





Sweetie Belle skipped through town, busy trying to remember each and every word that her sister had said. Every once in a while she would stop and began a spell chain. It would make other ponies stop too and stare, but she didn’t pay them any mind. She was trying to use magic, and she was going to get this right. 

I’m always screwing things up. she thought, feeling quite bitter. She stopped to ponder this, then shrugged the thoughts aside. It wasn’t as if she always, always did; but it sure felt that way sometimes to her. Not this time! She tried again, this time a few more sparks flew out. Anger swelled up inside of her, only to be squashed down a second later. 

“Relax, I’ll get this.”

She calmed down and skipped off again, heading toward Sweet Apple Acres. “I wonder if Scoots is still busy?” She considered what she knew about Twilight, which caused her to quickly come to one conclusion. “Yep.”

She stopped after entering the orchard and looked around. “I never realized just how big this place is…” Her voice trailed off as she looked around, almost feeling lost. There were countless paths to take, each littered with countless apple trees and countless more paths. Usually, she only took one, either toward Apple Bloom’s home or her clubhouse. She had never actually had to search for her friend or her siblings. “If I were them, where would I go?” Shrugging, she decided it was best to canter towards their house. It wasn’t a stretch that they’d be there. “Or at least Granny Smith might be,” she thought aloud.

As luck would have it, she did find Granny Smith, who pointed her in the right direction. “Let’s, erm, see, you take a few rights, then a left up to the first hill. At the crossroads take the first right, then it’s just straight on through and they’ll be on your left,” the old mare said without skipping a beat.

Sweetie nodded. “I’m not gonna find them, am I?”

The mare cackled, banging her walking stick on the ground. “There’s a first time for everything. If you do find ‘em, I’d be impressed.”

Sweetie banged her front hoof into her forehead and sighed. Then she perked up a second later. “I’ll just wait here…” It suddenly dawned on her how long that could take.

Granny watched Sweetie’s ears fold over her head as she slumped down, and she laughed. “Ah, don’t fret none. They should be on break soon.”

Again, luck appeared to be on her side; three ponies eventually came walking in from the orchard. Apple Bloom appeared to be laying on her brother’s back, looking more tired than ever. 

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie called out. “You okay?” She tilted her head, trying to get a better look.

Applejack looked back at her sister and couldn’t help but chucklesome. “Oh, she’s fine; just tired herself out from bucking. Er, trying to buck, anyway.”

“So many trees…” the farm filly wheezed out, then promptly fell over onto her side.

Sweetie’s face came rushing into Apple Bloom’s wearing a worried expression. “You okay?”

Apple Bloom tried to shake her head, but Big Mac spoke up for her. “Eeyup. You two can go play now, we’re on a break.”

Sweetie smiled, dragging Apple Bloom off with her quite literally. “Okay, thanks, Big Mac! C’mon Apple Bloom, I got something to show ya!”

Apple Bloom looked back to her siblings, reaching out with her hoof. She felt the grass drag under her hooves. She managed to get one last sentence out. “H-help me…”

Applejack gave her a flat look, telling her that she already was. Playtime was better than work time.





“Apple Bloom, I think you can walk by now,” Sweetie said, trying to drag her even further. “The clubhouse is right there.”

Apple Bloom looked up looking frantic. “You weren’t there!” she exclaimed as she dropped and curled into a ball. She rocked back and forth. “You weren’t there…”

Sweetie examined her, then eventually found the source of her friend’s pain. “Your back hoof looks a little red, that from bucking trees?”

Apple Bloom nodded, looking away shamefully. “Ah didn’t really get to…” she mumbled.

“It didn’t work? That’s okay, my sister tried to teach me some magic today.” Apple Bloom perked up upon hearing this. “Didn’t work either, but I’m still trying!”

Apple Bloom smiled. “Ah, Sweetie, how do you get me to smile so much? It’s not fair.”

Sweetie frowned, not understanding. “Do you want me to get you to frown? That’s gonna be kinda tough…”

The farm filly smiled some more and got onto her hooves. She walked past Sweetie Belle, who was busy pondering how to get her friend to frown, for whatever reason. Apple Bloomed grabbed her by her front hoof and walked on. “C’mon, Silly Belle. Show me what you got.”

Back in the clubhouse, Sweetie tried to conjure up more magic, trying to focus on making light. All she succeeded in making were sparks, sparks, and more sparks. She almost felt like she had it once, but the green glow died quicker than the blink of her eyes. “Drat, why’s this so hard?!”

Bloom shook her head. “Ah wish ah knew. Buckin’ was pretty difficult to get. Ah always thought it was just using your inner strength, but Applejack had all of these rules she wanted me to follow. It was crazy!”

Sweetie nodded in understanding. “Runes seem pretty nuts now that I think about it. But what do we do? What if we never get this?”

Apple Bloom considered that scenario then shook her head. “Nah, Applejack said Ah’d get it. Just need to practice. Ah’m sure it’s the same for unicorn magic. Or even flying with Scoots…” Apple Bloom’s ears drooped. “Uh-oh. We forgot about Scoots!”

Sweetie, feeling sympathy for her friend, nodded solemnly. “She will be missed, let us always remember her sacrifice… so that I could eat some cookies for once without Rarity finding out.”

“Don’t ya think we should go ‘n’ get ‘er? Ah’m sure Twilight’s torturing her enough by now.”

Looking at each other, they decided it wasn’t the best idea. Sure, they could risk it; but they didn’t feel it was worth it. They would see Scootaloo tomorrow. They spent the rest of the evening practicing their crafts. Apple Bloom found some smaller trees to try and buck, and though it took a few tries, her rear hooves hit right on and knocked an apple to the ground. “Ah did it!” Apple Bloom cheered. “Ah got an apple!”

Sweetie watched her friend jump up and down, announcing to the world what she had done. “Ah did it! Ah did it! Ah bucked a tree! Finally!”

“Nice! Now if I can just get this… ugh!” A few more sparks flew off her horn and she sighed. “Magic’s hard.”

The other filly nodded. She then noticed the sun had begun to set and she sighed herself. “Ah think it’s time Ah get home. Sorry, Sweetie.”

“Eh, it’s fine. Oh, I better go grab my saddlebag from the clubhouse.” She waved to Apple Bloom and walked back up the steps. Once inside, she found it lying near the door, but when she went to reach for it, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked back and noticed a sleeping bag rolled up, sitting in the middle of their clubhouse. It ordinarily wouldn’t bother her, but she didn’t know who it belonged to. “When was the last time we had a sleepover here?” she wondered aloud, trying to remember. “Or has it just been there and we just didn’t notice?” She hummed, walking around it, poking and prodding it, trying to see if she could unravel its mysteries. She then nearly jumped out of her skin upon hearing the hooting of a nearby owl. She looked over and saw the moon had fully been set in the sky. “Oh drat, I need to get back to Rarity. Now!”

Forgetting about the mysterious sleeping bag, she cantered out and back into the orchard. On the way, she slowed down and decided to practice more magic. Each time she gathered in magic, it would quickly fade away. Feeling frustrated, she began recounting the runes out loud. “What was it? Full moon, squiggles… then half moon? Yeah, I guess. Something like that, anyway.”

When she reached the halfway point past Apple Bloom’s house, she stopped again. Okay, channel in some magic. She stopped and did just that, feeling the warm tingling sensation of her horn lighting up a tad. Imagine what you want, I want light. Give me light! In a swift motion, she concentrated as hard as she possibly could. But this time, she let loose. Not her magic sparking all over the place, but a fully formed spell. It slowly illuminated the forest around her. Hesitantly she smiled, looking around, watching the green glow envelop everything. “I did it! I did it, I did it, I-- Hey, is that Scootaloo’s scooter?” She walked over, watching her spell illuminate the toy and a nearby bush. Yep, that’s it. Looking over, she spotted her friend hiding in some bushes. “Oh, hi, Scootaloo!” Then, her mind caught up with her. That’s weird… “What you doing in the bushes?” she asked worriedly.

Scootaloo jumped out of the bush, sending leaves fluttering to the ground. Sweetie thought back to the sleeping bag. She had a funny thought go through her mind. Was that hers? She didn’t have much time to ponder this, as Scootaloo spoke up, breaking her thoughts.

“Oh, phew! You found my scooter! I had, uh, lost it, yeah! Heh, don’t you sometimes get lost in the orchard?” she asked, nervousness obvious in her voice.

Sweetie blushed and looked away. Too often! “Nope! But I’m glad you found it!”

“Yeah, heh… by the way, that spell is awesome! I didn’t know you could do magic now!”

“Heh, yeah. It’s a long story. Um, but I need to get back to Rarities. It’s pretty late. Do you want me to walk ya home?” she asked sweetly.

“Uh, sure. My house is past Rarity’s, though,” she replied rather quickly.

Is it? Funny, I’ve never asked before… Sweetie thought.

Eventually, the two decided to walk back to their respective homes alone. Sweetie didn’t bother explaining the magic, as she was too tired and she felt a bit distracted. I know that seems silly, but what if it really was her bag? Maybe she was trying to get us to have a sleepover? Figuring she would have asked, she cast that idea aside. I’m just being silly.

Right before they split off, she noticed just how dark Ponyville seemed. She watched Scootaloo walk off but quickly stopped her with her right hoof. “Uh, are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home? My spell could help and it is pretty dark,” she noted, looking around. Please say yes. I wouldn’t feel right just leaving you to walk by yourself. However, she also knew just how stubborn Scootaloo could get.

And stubborn she was. Scootaloo shook her head frantically. “Pfft, I’m fine! Really!” she said, waving her hoof lazily in her best impression of being fine.

One of these days, Scootaloo… oh boy. Sweetie quirked a brow at her, but nodded, agreeing. “Okay.”

After splitting up, Sweetie watched her friend leave. Walking past the boutique and even Twilight’s library. Sweetie waved, but couldn’t help thinking something as she knocked on Rarity’s front door. I don’t remember many houses being out that way…
> Chapter Four: A Fun Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling extremely groggy for perhaps what was the second time that week, Scootaloo cracked her eyes open. Headaches are getting worse… Her thoughts felt slow and muddled. For the longest time, she simply laid in her comfy bed, not wishing to crack her eyes open again. Why do they keep happening?! she thought. She might have panicked, but the pure comfort of a fluffy mattress shoved her panicked thoughts aside. “This is nice..” she muttered under her breath. “Nice bed…”

Her eyes promptly shot open, her mind now fully alert. Bed?! Her head and body sprang up, causing her wings to snap to attention. She felt even more confused upon the sight that greeted her. She was in what appeared to be a mare’s bedroom. The reason she came to this conclusion was the grey colored pegasus who slept on the other side of the room happened to be a mare. She slept in her own bed, which appeared to be quite a bit larger than the one Scootaloo was currently occupying. Who is she? She shook her head, figuring she wouldn’t get any answers just laying around.

Getting up, she took in her surroundings. It appeared to be a rather standard bedroom. A few dressers off in the distance, a window whose light shone all around and finally, a few beds. I could just leave. Nodding to herself, she hopped out of the bed and walked over to the only door in the room.

“Oh, you’re awake,” the mare said, her voice barely audible.

Or I could get caught and be screwed. Her heart raced and for a single moment, she considered bolting and running out. However, she didn’t move.

The mare stood up and stretched her body. “My daughter found you passed out. I guess your scooter caused you a nasty fall.”

“I--”

The mare continued speaking, apparently not hearing Scootaloo. “I do appreciate what you did for her. Sure, it was just a ball; but it still meant something to Dinky. Having somepony standing up for her, I mean.”

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome. So… I need to get going, my parents are probably pretty worried by now,” she said, laughing nervously and avoiding the mare’s gaze.

“Hmm,” the mare hummed, but didn’t seem to agree or disagree.

“So, bye!” Scootaloo said hastily and went to open the door, but found it locked. Awkwardly, she fumbled with the lock; all the while the mare didn’t move or blink. When the door was finally open, the mare spoke.

“Your scooter’s downstairs. I’ll go and get it,” she announced, then went to her nightstand and fumbled around for something.

The filly waved her hoof, shaking her head. “No, that’s okay I-- woah,” she paused and tilted her head to examine the mare’s glasses, ”heh, big glasses.”

The mare nodded. “They have to be, they help focus my eyes. I don’t know if you noticed, but I have some pretty terrible eyes. Can make it quite difficult to focus on things without ‘em.” Scootaloo had noticed as the eye had appeared to be trying to escape from its socket. However, with the glasses on her pupils quickly corrected themselves.

“Oh,” she replied awkwardly.

Seeing as the filly didn’t wish to talk, the mare stood up and swiftly walked past her. “My name’s Ditzy, by the way; although some ponies call me Bubbles. I believe Dinky said yours was Scootaloo?”

“Yeah…” Buckin’ great! She knows my name! So… screwed!

She followed the mare through a hallway and down some stairs. Quickly spotting her scooter, she sighed. “Well, I’m not taking that to school,” she quipped, examining the damage. “I bet Bloom can fix it, at least.” She looked outside, then, in a panicked state, looked back to Bubbles. “What time is it?!”

“Almost eight. Do you need a ride to the schoolhouse? I’d be happy to offer.” The mare knelt down, motioning for the filly to ride on her back.

Scootaloo hesitated but knew that she couldn’t afford to be late again. She nodded. After grabbing her bag, which thankfully looked intact, she deposited the loose scooter parts inside. Then she grabbed everything, including the rest of her scooter and hopped onto the mare’s back. “Thanks, I need to get there now.”

Bubbles hesitated herself. She didn’t like that the filly appeared alone or that no parents seemed to show up in the middle of the night, looking for their daughter. She wished to question her on it, but she figured she did owe the filly. “Alright, Scootaloo, hop on.” She bucked the door wide open and shot out into the sky. While the mare wasn’t as quick or elegant as Rainbow Dash in her maneuvers, she felt Bubbles was well attuned for flight. “I’m so glad I found these glasses, it used to be a hassle just to walk around! Heh, ponies had started to think I just couldn’t fly straight!” She yelled out.

“You don’t say?” Scootaloo said back nervously. 

The trip was short, with Bubbles landing near a group of other school children. “There ya go, sweetie. Right on time.”

Some of the other children, including Sweetie Belle, glanced over. “Uh, thanks. And, um, thanks for last night…” Scootaloo uttered nervously.

“Sure. Are you sure that you’re okay?” The mare’s voice stopped Scootaloo just as she was trying to walk off to join her friends.

“Y-yeah, I’m great. No bruises or anything. Was just a rough tumble is all.” She glanced back to the mare and nearly buckled from the gaze. “I should get to class, heh. Like, now.”

Bubbles nodded. “Right. Have a nice day then.” Without waiting for a response, the mare flew off, worry etched all over her face.

Scootaloo sighed and walked up to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, both giving her quirked brows. “Long story. Just a friend, she saw I was running late and her mom offered me a ride,” she whispered, just out of Diamond Tiara’s hearing range.

“Oh alright, Ah was wondering. Anyway, we should head inside before we get in trouble… again.”

Agreeing with the farm filly, Scootaloo nodded and walked past Diamond Tiara. The filly didn’t blink but kept her gaze on her. Scootaloo could only imagine what the filly was thinking. However, the bell rang, making her ran back in with her friends to avoid being tardy.

Inside, everypony found their seats, and the tension the filly had been feeling a moment before vanished. She was with her friends and Diamond Tiara could not touch her… for now, at least. She’d be stupid to try something, again, in class.

With their projects out of the way, the classroom that day wasn’t as interesting or exciting. Forced to study in silence, the students soon began growing anxious for a reprieve. Not that it was a punishment, but being away from recess sure felt like it to most. Diamond Tiara kept glancing back at Scootaloo, a nervous expression on her face. Scootaloo noted the nervousness, thinking it had something to do with Bubbles. She smiled inwardly. Maybe she thinks the mailmare is my mom. That would shut her up… wait, no. I played along; so why would I do that if I had a mom? Drat! She’s just even more suspicious now! Wanting to bang her head on her desk, she simply sighed and looked away. She was probably in even more trouble, figuring the bully filly would only use this against her in the future. I bet she would out herself and get in trouble just to get me in worse trouble. Bitter thoughts started to take over, making the pegasus filly feel sick all over.

The bell eventually rang, causing the teacher to jump in her seat. “Oh, recess, students!”





Scootaloo was the last one out. As she walked through the doorway, she caught a glimpse of Silver Spoon speaking quietly with the pink bully. Scootaloo sulked and walked over to her friends, trying to keep the misery out of her features. Diamond Tiara, however, was smiling wickedly.

“This is even better than I imagined! No wonder she played along with my ploy! She isn’t homeless, she lives with that stupid mailmare! She’s embarrassed by her mom, of course!” Diamond exclaimed with glee.

Silver slowly nodded in understanding. “So… how’s the therapy going?”

Diamond scowled, looking away from her friend. She looked around then quietly muttered a response. “...Fine! Can we please focus on that pegasus brat now?!”

Silver backed away from her friend’s snappy reply and slowly nodded again. “I guess, but I don’t really see how this helps us.” 

Diamond tilted her head, feeling genuinely confused by her friend’s confusion. How could she not see what she did? It was perfect!

Silver then snickered a bit. “Although I would like to see her fall flat on her face for once. Those three are always being so… well, obnoxious!” she said as she tossed her mane, practically fuming as much as Diamond.

Diamond, seeing her opportunity to strike, seized it. “I know! What do you think I’ve been trying to do? If we succeed in humiliating her in front of everypony, she won't want to show her face in public ever again. With her out of the way, those three will split up like that!”

Not feeling one hundred percent sure on the plan, Silver Spoon replied back hesitantly, “I guess; but what did you have in mind? It’s not like you have any proof that the mailmare is her mother or whatever’s going on. You were lucky that other scheme of yours worked.”

“Yeah, you still owe me a shake for that,” Diamond pointed out, causing the other filly to growl. “I’ll think of something. We just have to follow her, find out everything about her... What’s her name?”

“I think it’s Ditzy,” Silver said while nodding to agree.

Diamond snorted. “Ditzy, stupid name. She looks stupid too. Shouldn’t be too difficult to tail her.”

Silver Spoon glanced over to Scootaloo who was with her friends. “What about her?”

Diamond shook her head. “We can figure something out. I already got under her skin, but if we push too much then we’ll get detention again,” she said, scowling. “Stupid teacher.”

On the other side of the playground, Scootaloo was seated with her two friends. Sweetie Belle was busy practicing her light spell, though, in the daylight, it looked more like sparks than anything.

“It’s still mighty impressive, Sweetie. Is Rarity gonna teach you anything else?” Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie extinguished the light from her horn, then shrugged. “Maybe. She told me to just keep practicing this. I think she wants me to master it until it’s like instinct or something.”

Apple Bloom nodded while suddenly taking on a sour mood. “Yeah… that’s what my big sis said about buckin’. That I’ll get it in time and to just practice on small trees,” she said. She dropped to her hindquarters on the grass and pouted.

“Why do you want to buck apples so badly anyway?” Scootaloo asked without thinking. “Wouldn’t it be cooler to learn how to make crazy magical potions from Zecora? Or be an adventurer like Daring Do?”

Apple Bloom hesitated before speaking as something Scootaloo said bothered her. “Well, apple buckin’ is cool. I don’t know what my special talent is gonna be, but I do live on a farm, ya know. It couldn’t hurt to learn some buckin’.”

Scootaloo’s wing involuntarily twitched. “If it’s anything like flying, then good luck, sister.” 

Apple Bloom scowled.

Sensing a fight, Sweetie Belle smiled and hugged them both. “C’mon, girls. Don’t be like that. I figured out some of my magic, so I know you both can figure out bucking and flying.”

“You had your sister teach you. Applejack kept getting distracted with her work. She treats me like a little foal. I hate it!”

Sweetie kept on hugging and smiling while nodding in understanding. “Try Big Mac then or maybe Granny Smith!” she suggested.

Apple Bloom hummed, clearly interested. “I could try.”

Sweetie beamed, then turned to face Scootaloo. Her face instantly scrunched up in concentration, and she froze. She knew Scootaloo’s situation was a tad different. Sweetie Belle didn’t know Scootaloo’s parents, only that they were always extremely busy. They were out. Always out. Rainbow Dash had not been easy to talk to, and when she did converse, it wasn’t normally about flying tips. She was out, too. Still, she had to say something. “Uh, maybe you could try finding a pegasus to speak to?” she suggested tentatively. “I know you say your parents are always busy and maybe they’re not the best fliers,” she said even more tentatively. Scootaloo winced at this. “I, uh, I just mean, Diamond Tiara, said--”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re busy anyway. And who would I get to speak to?”

Sweetie thought back to the morning. “Why not Ditzy Doo? She flew you to class. You know her, right?”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Sort of. I don’t think flying is her special talent, I wanted somepony skilled in flight to teach me. Like Rainbow Dash.”

Sweetie shrugged. “Rarity’s special talent isn’t in magic and she taught me. Just give her a chance and see what happens,” she suggested. When she saw Scootaloo’s mood hadn’t improved, she nudged her slightly with her body. “Or you could keep moping, ask nopony and learn nothing.”

The pegasus smiled slightly and bumped her back. “Fine. I guess I can ask Ditzy.”

“Yay!” She cheered and hugged her friends again. “Alright, girls, let’s Pinkie Promise not to go hunting for our marks until we all know how to use our own magic. Agreed?”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked at each other skeptically, then slowly nodded. They were going to question Sweetie on it, but it slowly started to sink in. Cutie Marks could wait if they didn’t know how to use their own race’s magic. It just seemed so sensible.

“Alright, I Pinkie Promise,” Scootaloo said while doing the weird motions they had all grown accustomed to.

“I Pinkie Promise too,” Bloom said slowly.

Off in the distance, they heard a mare’s voice that sounded just barely above a whisper. When they strained their ears together, they heard one word that sounded vaguely like ‘Forever!’.

Apple Bloom looked down to her flank longingly. “That doesn’t mean we have to stop hangin’ out, though, right?”

“Of course not! I just figured since you two are both so keen to learn how to use your magic, it would help out,” Sweetie exclaimed happily.

They all agreed, and together they watched Sweetie practice her magic until recess was over.





The school bell rang and everypony was quickly ushered outside. The three crusaders shared a smile then nodded, each going in their own direction. Apple Bloom ran off toward her home, thinking about what Sweetie had said. “Gotta find Big Mac…”

Her sheer determination pushed her hooves further and faster than she ever thought possible. Soon she had run all over the apple fields, through her house, and past their secret headquarters. Eventually, she slumped down against a tree and sighed. “Where the hay is he?!”

Just then Applejack started walking by. “Where’s who?”

“Big Mac. Have you seen him?”

“What for?” she said.

Apple Bloom resisted the urge to groan, but she growled inwardly. Why do I always need a reason? she thought bitterly. “I just wanted to ask him something.”

“Hmm, well, he’s out gettin’ supplies, sorry. What ya need?”

She considered saying nothing but knew Applejack wouldn’t like that. “I just wanted to ask him some stuff about buckin’.”

Applejack cocked her head and nodded. “I told you to just practice on small trees. You don’t need to know anythin’ fancy yet. Just buck.”

Apple Bloom’s ears folded down in disappointment and she nodded. “Okay.”

Her big sis smiled proudly. “Just keep at it, it’ll come,” she explained coolly then walked off, leaving her sister be.

Apple Bloom bucked the tree behind her, then winced in pain. “Ow.” She eventually stood up and cantered back to her house. Seated on the front porch, as she often was, was her grandmother: Granny Smith.

“Woo, why the long look, little filly?” she asked.

Apple Bloom looked back toward all the trees longingly. “I keep tryin’ to get AJ to tell me how to buck. All she keeps tellin’ me is take it easy or some junk,” she replied with a huff.

“Take it easy?! Ha!” The old mare cackled a bit then calmed down when she saw the filly’s gawking expression. “Why, if I had a bit every time young AJ went out to practice, only to come back disappointed, I’d be one rich ol’ coot. When she was your age, she didn’t know the first thing ‘bout buckin’. However, one-day instinct just kicked in and she got it. She’ll tell you that it’s just her special talent, but I know better,” Granny Smith exclaimed with Apple Bloom listening intently now. “Her talent may be with apples, but us Earth Ponies always have instinct. Trouble is not all of us listen to it, we just let nature take its course.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Granny smiled as it wasn’t often others came to listen to her stories. “Applejack is quite skilled at buckin’, farmin’, cookin’, and probably a dozen other things. She’s a special mare, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her flaws. If you ask me, plenty an’ Earth Ponies fail to listen to themselves, to their inner magic,” she clarified.

“Isn’t she using magic when she works in the trees? Isn’t that how it works?”

The mare nodded. “Well, sure, but that will only get you so far.” She then sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I tried teachin’ them both, Big Mac and AJ, about the finer details of Earth Pony magic. Not that they wouldn’t listen, but with a few folks, er, leavin’ us, they had to pick up the slack. When I saw just how talented they were… suddenly teachin’ them didn’t matter much. They’re happy, I’m happy. Why bother?”

Apple Bloom slowly nodded her head, mostly understanding what she said. “Uh huh, I guess that makes sense, but--”

The mare then suddenly grinned and raised her hoof to get the filly to shush. “‘Course, it’s not too late for you, little missy. Do you wanna learn the finer points in Earth Pony magic?”

“Uh,” Apple Bloom paused to think it over. When she couldn’t think of a reason to say no, she nodded excitedly. I’ll be buckin’ in no time! Why didn’t I think of this before?!

“Excellent! Been waiting to do this for ages.”

Apple Bloom then suddenly frowned. Why wait? “But how come you didn’t tell me this stuff before?”

The mare smiled even wider, then slowly stood up. “Cause you weren’t ready,” she said coolly.

“And I’m ready now?”

“Yep.”

“Oh… okay then. When do we start?”

The mare stretched her bones with a satisfying crack. She then took a seat on her chair and sighed. “As soon as I’ve had my nap.”

The filly groaned over the sound of a snoozing mare.





Scootaloo walked back toward Bubbles’ house. She tried knocking, but there was no answer. She didn’t know her mail route, so she figured she would just wait for her to come back. Sighing, she took a seat on the front porch and waited. She watched various ponies canter by in silence. Her mind began to daydream. What would it be like to finally get her wings working? She had always imagined Rainbow Dash teaching her to fly, but would it matter if it wasn’t her? As long as somepony could teach flight, she could finally fly alongside her big sister!

If these buzzers of mine would finally start lifting me, then I bet Rainbow Dash would notice!

Eventually, she became bored enough to attempt to do a little homework. She spent the time doing on her history reading assignment. For once, it actually made the time fly by; and soon, the sun had slowly started to set.

“Scootaloo?” Bubbles said.

Upon hearing the voice, she shut her book and looked up with a smile. “Hi, uh, I was wondering if you could help me with something?” she said cheerfully, hoping it would help.

The mare nodded then landed. “Sure, what did you need? Uh, you weren’t waiting for me all day, were you?”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Just a little bit, I was doing my homework anyway. I was wondering if you knew anything about flying? My parents are always too busy to help teach me and I’m kind of tired of being stuck on the ground all the time.”

“Oh… I see.” The mare took a deep breath before speaking calmly. “Scootaloo… I’m not the best flyer. I don’t do stunts or speed or even weather. I enjoy being a mailmare because I get to meet lots of interesting ponies and because it’s a breeze to do when you can fly. I…” she trailed off upon seeing the filly’s downtrodden expression. “I suppose I can try to teach you something, though I won't promise instant flying.”

Scootaloo instantly beamed then hopped onto her hooves. “C’mon then, time’s a-wastin'!”

She smiled back with a nervous expression, then invited her into the house. “Right. Dinky should be home soon, so she’ll probably end up watching us. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Uh, I guess not. So, how do I fly?” Scootaloo said bluntly.

The mare chuckled then dropped her saddlebag on a nearby couch. “First, we get rid of our bags because they’ll just weigh us down.”

Scootaloo promptly dropped her bag, then looked up expectantly.

“Right. So, do you ever do any stretches?” the mare said then began to stretch her wings out to demonstrate.

“Stretches?” Scootaloo shook her head but watched her, fascinated. Bubbles would bend down and extend her wings out, then she would shake them a bit. When she was finished with the right wing, she did the other. “Not really…”

“Well, they’re a great way to get the blood flowing. They’re a lifesaver when you’re dead tired in the morning and need to fly somewhere quickly,” she explained.

Upon hearing the word fly, Scootaloo’s eyes lit up. As expected by the mare, Scootaloo began to quickly copy her. It felt weird shaking her wings all about and bending in a weird position, but if it helped her fly when she could not care less. I’d kiss a toad if it helped me fly.

“Good. If nothing else, it will prevent your wings from cramping so much. That’s important.”

Scootaloo bent down again and repeated the motions. “Why?”

“You ever get tired after a few seconds of trying to fly?”

Scootaloo blushed and nodded. She knew that feeling all too well.

“Don’t worry about it, all fillies go through that phase. If you cramp less, then hopefully you can stay aloft for longer. It’s worth a shot anyway.”

It made sense to her, so she kept stretching for a good ten minutes. When it was over with, Bubbles took her out to the backyard so they could practice. The two stood in front of each other.

“So,” the mare began, “let me see what you’ve got.”

Scootaloo didn’t hesitate in jumping into the air while she flapped her wings in a vain attempt to stay afloat. She did manage to stay above ground for a full four seconds, one more than the last time she had tried, but eventually fell flat on her belly. “Ow.”

The mare smiled and helped her to her hooves. “Okay, not too bad, but perhaps you could go about it another way. Instead of just jumping and flapping, try just the last part,” the mare said sagely.

Scootaloo quirked her brow then shook her head. “But that never works!” she protested. “If it did, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Just try,” Bubbles urged quietly.

She sighed and then began to gently flap her wings. Up and down they went, but just as she had suspected, her body did not take off. Feeling stupid, she slowed down to a stop.

“Keep going, do it faster,” the mare commanded.

Scootaloo sighed once more but did what she said. Her wings began to flap harder and harder to the point of a tiny gust of wind beginning to fan Bubbles from the distance.

“Good! Now, just a bit harder. Really push those wings!”

Scootaloo grunted and pushed until a slight buzzing noise could be heard by both. The mare shook her head as she mentally compared the filly to a hummingbird. “That’s too fast and you’re not flapping them hard enough. Try and slow down some, but with each flap, you need to really mean it.”

Instead of listening, the filly stopped in her tracks. She looked up to the mare in disbelief. She was meaning each flap! She almost got angry with Bubbles but remembered that she had asked for her help. Begged was more like it… but what do I do?! she thought desperately.

Bubbles coughed which shook the filly from her thoughts. “What’s wrong, Scootaloo?”

The young pegasus looked down while absentmindedly playing with her hooves. “My wings always do that…” she mumbled, but Bubbles heard quite well.

“I see, that is quite odd,” Bubbles noted out loud. “Do… you perhaps get nervous when you try and fly?”

Scootaloo scoffed and began giggling. “Scared? I’ve done crazier things than just flying,” she said without thinking, “Like, this one time, the other Crusaders and I were at Ghastly Gorge and…” she trailed off, however, when she noticed that the mare was paying close attention to her.

Bubbles nodded. “Go on, uh, what were you doing there?”

The filly gave her a flat look. “...Never mind. The point is, no, I’m not afraid to fly. Why?”

She smiled and shrugged. “Just a hunch of mine is all. I’ve seen ponies mess up their flight patterns when they get afraid, so I figured the same might apply for fillies trying to learn. But getting back on topic, you have to try and cut out the twitchy flapping. Your wings are moving too fast to distribute your magic well enough for flight.”

Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. Did flying work that way? Wings would move magic around and then you would be flying? Was it as simple as that?

Not noticing the confusion, the mare continued. “Of course, that’s just the basics. Like I said before, I’m no expert in flight. Once you get off the ground, you still need to maneuver your body properly. Sure, I learned how to do all of that; but after a while it just becomes instinct. It’s kind of hard to just teach,” she admitted.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple, nothing ever was. It’s my wings, they’re the issue! If I can just learn how to use them and get off the ground then I can figure the other stuff out as I go, Scootaloo concluded inwardly. She had never been surer of anything in her life. Getting off the ground was the issue, not the other stuff. Besides, it worked before. Why should it matter now? she thought further. She had no answer for that and knew that if she had had an answer, then there would be no point in asking for help. It worked before. “Can you teach me how to stop buzzing them?” she tried.

The mare pondered the question for a good while. Eventually, she shook her head. “No. I have ideas, but most of them probably aren’t safe to try. I think, for now, you should try and practice flapping without buzzing. Take things slowly until you’re sure that those wings can move fast and strong.”

She looked at her wings and flapped them a few times while making a conscious effort to not buzz. “Are you sure that will work?”

“I’m certain it will help. Just try practicing on and off for a few days. If after then you can’t stay afloat for more than five seconds… then I’m afraid you’re going to need a tutor. Your parents can probably hire one from Cloudsdale,” she finished with a smile.

Scootaloo’s smile wavered a bit, but she nodded. “Okay, so three days?” she said.

“Yes, I believe that should be enough. Practice until then. Come back in three days and show me what you’ve got.”

Scootaloo looked skeptical, but something about the mare’s instructions seemed to make sense. If buzzing her wings wasn’t helping, then why not try it another way? She nodded and grabbed her bag. After thanking the mare, she was soon on her way back to the clubhouse. She had some practicing to do.
> Chapter Five: Magic is not all Equal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle felt bored. Once her friends had departed, she realized the mistake in her planning. Her friends would thank her when they, too, could fine-tune their magic, sure; but that meant no crusading for a while. She had mastered her light spell (for the most part, anyway), but without her friends by her side, she felt lonely.

“Maybe if I go help them…” she muttered, and debated with herself if this was the right choice. The issue was she didn’t know too much about Pegasus or Earth Pony magic. She considered showing up anyway to cheer them on, but that meant she would have to choose between both of them. As she was lost in thought, Sweetie noticed the library off in the distance. Her thoughts melted away as she scrunched up her muzzle in concentration. “Or, maybe I can learn more magic!”

Discord himself couldn’t stop Sweetie Belle from nearly tearing down Twilight’s door and searching for her. She had never thought that learning magic could be so easy and be this fun, and she wanted more. Sweetie felt like Twilight on a high, eager to learn anything and everything about a subject. Even if she only learned one new spell today, that would make her happy. Not only would she become more powerful and be able to do more, but it would hopefully encourage her friends to keep going with their training. Crusaders stick together, even when apart! Rule thirty four… wait, what are the other thirty three rules?

She shook her head of those thoughts and looked around the public reading area. “Where is everypony?” she wondered aloud. She didn’t have to wait long for an answer when the door to her right nearly exploded off its hinges; but either by luck or magic, it remained in place. Even so, a trail of black smoke wafted from the edges of the door which was shortly followed by the distinct sound of coughing. Panicking, Sweetie dashed over to the door and slammed it open. “Hello?! Are you okay, Twilight?” she called down.

For a few moments, all she could hear was more coughing, and all she could see was more smoke billowing out. Sweetie Belle considered running out to get help, when Twilight finally called back. “...Sweetie Belle? Is that you?”

“Yeah, I--” Her voice trailed off as a violent glow encased all the smoke, which then quickly vanished. Slowly, the image of Twilight Sparkle came into view who looked at her awkwardly. “Uh, I was just checking if you were okay.”

Twilight looked around her lab. Tables were knocked over, beakers were destroyed, and pieces of paper were scattered (with various degrees of fire damage) everywhere; the place was a huge mess. She chuckled nervously, then slowly nodded. “Oh, yes, just a few… miscalculations in some experiments,” she said, subtly moving a rear hoof to extinguish a still-smoldering piece of paper. “Sorry if I scared you,” she hastily replied as she summoned up a bit of magic to clean things up.

“Oh, that’s alright. Do you need any help?” Sweetie Belle replied while watching the mare clean up unknown liquids off the ground.

Twilight looked at all of the mess, then quickly shook her head. “Uh, I think I’ll be alright, but thank you. Was there something you needed? A book, maybe?”

Sweetie Belle looked back at the massive assortment of books. She considered asking for a book on magic, but then realized how dumb that sounded. I can have, like, the queen of magic teach me some! she thought excitedly. That’s way better than a book! She then cleared her throat and gave a shy smile toward Twilight. “Uh, no, thank you; but I was wondering if you could help me learn more magic?”

The mare smiled and nodded without thinking. “I’d be happy to-- wait, since when do you know magic?” she asked, looking at the filly and raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

What’s wrong with knowing magic? she wondered. “Rarity taught me how to make my horn glow, see!” she exclaimed, then quickly followed the motions of the pretend runes in her head. Eventually, her horn sparked then ignited green, which bathed the library floor with a dull glow.

Twilight sighed in relief and admired the glow. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Sweetie Belle. I was worried you might have tried to make up your own magic or do something… with the Crusaders involving magic,” she said hastily as Sweetie glared at her indignantly. “But since you’re learning from a unicorn, then, yes, I would be happy to teach you some. If anything, it will give me a break from all of my experiments. It’s not as if they’re going that well,” she said, muttering the last part.

Sweetie jumped into the air and cheered. “Great! When do we start?”

Twilight set aside the final beaker, then shut the door behind her with a quick burst of magic as she cantered back into the public reading room. “As soon as I find out what you know. So, what did Rarity teach you?”

Sweetie recalled all she knew and explained it to Twilight. The mare nodded, thinking it over. “Okay, you know the basics at least. That’s good, because most spells require them.” She then chuckled a bit. “You know when I was a filly, most unicorns only focused on one talent. Mine was magic, so Princess Celestia taught me all she could; but it wasn’t really until recently that I was able to focus it all so I could readapt old spells to make new ones.”

“Like teleporting?!” Sweetie blurted out.

Twilight blushed. “Well… that was sort of a happy accident. I misunderstood an assignment that Princess Celestia gave me, and I spent the next three weeks researching all of these spells and tomes and runes until I had memorized teleportation perfectly. She was so impressed that she forgot all about our old assignment, as I had reached far beyond what she could even hope for. At least, I think that’s what she thought…”

“Can you teach me that? And can we go on crazy adventures and stuff, just like you did?!” Sweetie started excitedly bouncing around the room, just thinking of the possibilities.

Twilight frowned, not fully understanding what the filly meant. Perhaps she thinks I will teach her all of my magic? Like I’d end up as her teacher? While that would be wonderful, I don’t think I would have time… She shook her head clear of those thoughts and focused back on the bouncing filly. “Well, I can’t teach you magic like that,” she said as Sweetie’s mane deflated. “Not exactly like it, anyway,” she amended. “I can promise you to teach you all I know about the fundamentals. And, hopefully, you can figure out spells of your own! That’s the fun of magic. I just wish more unicorns would experiment.”

Sweetie nodded. “So, if I know stuff like the basics, I could teleport?”

Twilight sighed and nodded her head ever slightly. “Maybe. When I’m finished teaching you what I can, I’m sure you could research and experiment on your own. I’m afraid I can’t be your permanent teacher, but I can guide you in the right direction. How does that sound?” she said gently.

Sweetie weighed her options and figured it was much better than pestering her sister all the time. “Well, alright. Let’s do it!”

“If you’re this enthusiastic about learning, then you’ll be teleporting in no time! But, why did you want to so badly?” Twilight said with her head tilted in confusion.

Sweetie snorted in response. “So then I can be like Sir Squishy the teleporting cupcake knight! Duh!” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

For a few moments nothing was said and then Twilight slowly nodded. “You’ve been hanging around with Pinkie Pie too much.”

“Why does everypony keep saying that?!”





A few moments later Sweetie and Twilight had cleared out the library and were seated across from one another at a table. On the table were some of Sweetie’s runes along with a set from Twilight, though Twilight’s had symbols on them that were unfamiliar to Sweetie Belle.

“Okay, you know about summoning up mana, focusing on your spell, and casting the spell.”

“Yeah, Rarity said it was like willing what you want to make it happen,” Sweetie said while doing her best to memorize it all.

“Yes, but that will only get you so far. For example, you can’t just channel mana then want to teleport and it will happen. If that was true then, well, I wouldn’t need years of magical training. No, when it comes down to it there are many different schools of magic--”

“Oh, you mean imprints?!” Sweetie interrupted excitedly.

“Yes,” Twilight said slowly. “How much do you know about them?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Just that. Rarity got too busy to teach me any more than that.”

“I see. Well, imprints are certainly important. They don’t technically mean anything until you’ve gotten your special talent.” Sweetie’s ears perked up instantly, and Twilight could tell that she now had the filly’s full attention. She continued, “This is because until you get one, you will still be finding your way. Figuring out which magic you are proficient in is very important. In fact it can be dangerous if you experiment too much in one magic but aren’t well versed with it,” Twilight explained and shuddered a bit for Sweetie to see.

“Why? Have bad things happened to you?”

Twilight coughed uncomfortably and then gestured with her head, pointing back towards the lab door. 

It took Sweetie a few moments to understand, but when she did, she gasped. “What were you doing?”

Twilight sighed. “While I am well versed in magic, as it’s my imprint, after all, that doesn’t mean all magic. You see, I was trying to make some very delicate potions, using my horn to enchant them. I’ve seen Zecora do it without a horn, but she seems to have had a lifetime of practicing. Something went wrong and, well, you saw the rest,” she said bitterly.

“And what If I told you that even Twilight can reach her limits?” a voice echoed in Sweetie’s head. “Wow. Well, what was the potion supposed to do?”

“It was meant to refill one’s mana font, when it’s low or you’re straining for more. It could be very useful when a unicorn has grown too tired from over exerting their own magic,” she said and then noticed Sweetie giving her an odd look. “I guess Rarity didn’t explain that you can run out of magic?”

Sweetie shrugged. “She just said everypony has their limits.”

“Quite right. When you reach yours, you’ll know. It will feel like a headache, or worse, and that means you should stop until you’ve rested. That potion would fix it, but no matter. I’ll figure it out, even if potions aren’t my, well, special talent.”

“But you said that could be dangerous…” Sweetie pointed out as she thought it over.

Twilight hesitated before speaking. “Yes, it can be. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, though, if you truly wish to overcome your limitation,” Twilight said, as if reciting something from memory. Then she shook her head. “But for now, let’s get back to these runes. You know of the glowing spell, but let’s try something a bit trickier.”

Sweetie examined the new runes and squinted at them.

“You can channel magic and use it, but have you tried holding that magic in first?”

Sweetie shook her head. What was she talking about? It had never occurred to the filly that she even do that. What would it do? Would it give her more magic?

“I see you're confused. Well, now’s about as good as time of any to reveal one of my runes to you,” she said, and she passed Sweetie Belle another stone.

On the stone, Sweetie could see a tiny circle which was followed by a slightly larger one and many others. “I don’t get it.”

“Right. It’s the echo rune, and it basically means to channel even more magic, to strengthen it. If you can hold in your channeled magic for a while before casting, then you can make it more powerful. This is important as most useful spells require quite a bit more magic than a simple light spell would.”

“Okay… do you think Rarity does this when she’s making dresses?” she wondered.

Twilight hummed a bit, then shook her head. “I’m not sure how she does it exactly. I believe Rarity simply paces herself, since her magic can be active for quite a while. Just making a simple dress can take her hours sometimes,” she explained. Of course, that has more to do with her being a perfectionist than anything else… Twilight added silently. Aloud, she said, “I’m sure the more she keeps it active, the stronger her horn has gotten. She’s built up more endurance, but that’s not what we’re trying to do here. Not yet, anyway. Let’s see if you can hold in your magic for a bit longer before casting the light spell. Try it, and see what happens.”

Sweetie Belle figured it would just make the light brighter, but she gamely tried anyway. Channeling up as much magic as she could, she waited a bit. A slight tingling sensation could be felt through her horn. That must be it! She beamed and concentrated harder on wanting light, on lighting up the whole library! However, instead of light even happening, she felt a whoosh of wind roll over her and her magic died out.

To Twilight all she saw was a slight purple glowing bit of magic explode in Sweetie’s face. When the sparkles had cleared, Sweetie’s fur, at least around her horn and muzzle, wasn't exactly alabaster-colored anymore. Purple was all she saw; and from the confused look on the filly’s face, Twilight could tell she hadn’t noticed just yet. “Uh, heh heh. Perhaps that was too much magic,” she said cautiously.

Sweetie shook her head in confusion. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I think you just experienced a bit of magical backlash. Magic isn’t perfect, you see, and too much channeled for such a simple spell can have drastic changes. I didn’t think this would happen, or I would have cautioned you to only channel a little bit more. Hmm, perhaps your horn channels it much faster than mine can. That can make things tricky…” she muttered, trailing off as her mind wandered.

Sweetie frowned. “Magic can be slow or fast?”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, then quickly nodded. “Oh, yes, not all magic works the same for each pony. It’s not an exact science and, like I said before, a lot of it is experimentation. That’s important. I think, from now on, you should practice in a mirror. That way, you can tell if your horn is glowing too brightly. The brighter the horn, the more magic you’ve channeled in. For what I’m going to be teaching you, we only need a little more magic. Alright?”

Sweetie groaned and grabbed her head, as if nursing a headache. “That hurt too! How long is it gonna take me to get better?” she whined and pouted while looking away.

Twilight smiled then patted Sweetie on the back. “Just takes a little time. The pain from backlash should diminish soon too,” she said cheerfully, but her smile didn’t last. “I… can’t be your teacher, but if it helps, maybe I can tutor you once a week. So, a sort of semi-teacher. How does that sound?”

Sweetie nodded, feeling gratitude toward Twilight. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“Sure thing! And, uh, don’t worry about your face; it should clear up as soon as the magic wears off.”

Sweetie blinked while tilting her head in confusion. What was she talking about? She cantered over to a nearby mirror, then promptly screamed.





Apple Bloom followed Granny Smith to the outskirts of the farm. Here the trees had yet to be bucked at all, as most of them still had fresh apples. Granny motioned for Apple Bloom to follow her to a nearby tree.

“Alright, youngin’, what can you tell me ‘bout buckin’?” Granny said slowly.

Apple Bloom frowned and went to say something without thinking, then promptly stopped. What did she know? She had certainly tried to buck and spent plenty of days with her sister while she worked, but what did she actually know of the finer art of bucking? “Uh, I know you use the magic in your hooves to do… something to the tree,” she replied weakly.

Granny nodded. “Well, I guess you got that part right. But magic doesn’t just spring up all... well, magic-like, I guess. At least, not for everypony. You’ve got to summon forth the strength of your own magic. Will it, control it, dominate it!”

Apple Bloom raised her hoof to interrupt, then spoke. “Do you have any instructions on how to do that?” she asked hesitantly.

Granny snorted. “Focus. If there’s anything that will help you tap into yer inner magic, it’s gonna be focus, youngin’. PIcture what you want that tree to do when you buck it. Feel what you want, and when your hoof strikes the tree, magic should take care of the rest,” she said slowly.

Apple Bloomed looked to the tree then back to the Granny. “That’s it? That’s all there is to Earth Pony magic?”

The mare chuckled with her eyes wide in surprise. “Hay no! You just wanted help with buckin’, missy. You’ve still got growin’, plantin’, plowin’, using yer inner strength to haul your product back to the farm, and not to mention farm maintenance,” the mare counted off while Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as well. “You said you wanted help in buckin’, though, so that’s what we’re gonna focus on today. So, go stand next to this here tree and show me what you got.”

Apple Bloom quickly complied and took a deep breath. She considered just bucking the tree with her back hooves, as she had always tried, but something stopped her. Focus. Picture what you want the tree to do for you. a voice echoed in her head. She pictured the tree dropping apples as she bucked it. She focused on the picture playing out in her head over and over like a movie projector. She wasn’t sure if she felt something change in her hooves, but even imagining it did was a whole lot better than nothing, as far as she was concerned. Focus.

Apple Bloom faced Granny, then promptly raised both of her back hooves high into the air while tilting her body down. In one swift motion, she kicked her hooves back against the tree. She heard a loud thump and quickly cracked her eyes open. Sitting before her was a shiny red apple, albeit one that had been smashed to a pulp.

Granny chuckled. “See? It’s all about focus. I’m afraid this here tree is a might too tall for the apples to survive, but it sure is good for practicing on.”

Apple Bloom stuck her hoof in the apple and studied it. That was awesome! she thought excitedly as she fought to keep her giddiness in check. She had done it, she had bucked a tree! A small victory for sure, but one nonetheless. “Can’t you just tie up some nets below the branches to make use of these apples?” she said while licking the juices from her hoof.

Granny hummed. “I suppose; but it wouldn’t really be worth our time. You see, when harvest comes around, time is our greatest enemy. We have to get as many apples off the trees as we can so we can get them into stores. Markets are counting on us having them in stock and if we miss a harvest or end up too slow, then that spells bad news later down the road. Ponies will start thinkin’ we got lazy or something. Best we just leave this tree for practicing; nice thinkin’ though,” she finished with a wink.

Apple Bloom nodded. That certainly made sense, even if she thought it was a shame that a full tree went unused. “But how come only one dropped?” she suddenly said making the mare pause in thought.

“Hmm, let’s just say you ain’t strong ‘nough yet. That’s all,” she said but noticed Apple Bloom’s ears had fallen low in disappointment, and she quickly continued. “‘Course, to make even one apple drop from this ol’ tree means you’re gettin’ there. I mean, it’s massive and much more grown than the rest,” she said, gesturing at the tree’s thick branches and trunk.

Apple Bloom looked around and found that she was right. Plenty of the trees around the orchard looked newer and much punier than the one she had bucked. She smirked as she flexed her hooves. “So, can I start buckin’ for the upcoming harvest?” she said excitedly.

Granny smirked back at her. “You can try. Won't hurt nothin’ if you don’t succeed. Just keep practicing at it.”

“Okay! Uh, what about the other stuff? Like plowin’ and growin’ and… things?”

“Well, shoot, we can work on that there stuff while we're at it. When I’m through with you, you’ll be farmin’ this whole place in no time! Of course, you’ll have to practice a lot on your own. These ol’ bones can still keep up, but not every day,” she said firmly.

Apple Bloom frowned but nodded in understanding. “Well, okay. What’s next?”

A bit of snoring answered her question. Apple Bloom frowned, but it quickly morphed into a wide grin. That just meant that it was time for bucking.





For the next few weeks, each Crusaders practiced with their teachers as much as possible. Sweetie Belle studied quite a bit, but no book could ever replace practical experience. She always felt as if she learned a lot more by simply doing, rather than reading. This frustrated Twilight as she often warned about over-experimenting without knowledge. Still, all the purple stained coats in the world couldn’t keep Sweetie away from trying.

So close. Twilight says if I can make my light brighter, I can move on! she thought with determination.

Apple Bloom bucked the same tree every day. Granny talked with her through each attempt, but it never got any easier. Every day she told herself this would be the day, the day that all of the apples fell and she could consider herself one of the great apple buckers of the farm. With every buck and kick, she repeated the same message in her head.

So close. I just gotta do what Granny said. I’ll be buckin’ soon! Apple Bloom thought.

Scootaloo, however, wasn’t having as much luck with her teacher. She practiced every day by attempting to stay in the air for as long as possible, but she didn’t seem to be improving any. When Scootaloo did return to Bubbles, the mare didn’t have much advice other than to keep on practicing. Keeping them from buzzing too quickly was a real challenge and almost seemed impossible like it was her instinct to buzz. By the second week, she had run out of patience.

Ignoring homework, ignoring her friends, ignoring her ever-decreasing supply of bits and even her exhaustion, Scootaloo marched up to Bubbles’ home and angrily knocked on the front door. I’ve been doing this stupid exercise for three weeks! And I still can’t fly! she thought indignantly as if learning to fly in under a week was a normal thing.

“Coming!” Bubbles called out and soon the door slammed open, narrowly missing Scootaloo. “Oh, hello, Scootaloo. Is there something the matter?”

Scootaloo gave her a flat look in response. How did she not know? They had been practicing the same technique for close to three weeks. Scootaloo had even stuck around some days to help with a few chores. “Why am I not flying yet?” she demanded in a huff.

The mare looked very taken aback. It was as if Scootaloo thought she alone held the power for getting her to take flight. Even if I did, what makes her think I wouldn’t unleash it on her? she thought as she entertained the silly notion. Sighing, she spoke calmly and clearly, “Scootaloo, I’m doing my best, but I never said I was great at flying. I merely wanted you to get on the right path and then hopefully you would be able to teach yourself the rest.”

The filly scowled in response. “But shouldn’t I be flying even a little bit? I’ve tried every single day and nothing! I haven’t even talked to my friends in forever!” she complained with another huff, her cheeks turning crimson. I haven’t talked to them in three weeks… she thought miserably. True, they had still been going to school, but it was like they had some unspoken agreement to not speak, which would undoubtedly lead to more crusading until they had learned more about their own magic.

Bubbles looked down sympathetically and sighed. “Scootaloo, perhaps you should go see them. You told me they had been practicing their own magic on their own, so perhaps they could use a boost from their friend. If anything, it should cheer you all up, as I’m sure they are having just as much trouble as you have been,” she said with an air of patience.

Scootaloo didn’t hate the idea but an unsettlings thought about it occurred to her. When she spoke it up it was quick and just as impatient as before, “But Sweetie Belle can do magic with her horn! I don’t get how she can and I can’t get these stupid feathers to so much as lift me once!”

“We all learn at different rates. I’m sure Sweetie Belle wasn’t using her horn for much of anything until recently. However, pegasus ponies can usually flap their wings from day one. Think about how she must feel now that she has a bit of independence. She would want to share it with you, to help you along as your friend. Go see her, please,” she urged again.

Instead of scowling again, Scootaloo paused to think. She had never thought of it like that. Scootaloo had been buzzing her wings since she could remember and it had always been useful. Not even a week ago had Sweetie’s horn been merely sparking when she willed it to do something; even when she squeaked in excitement. Even before then Sweetie had used her mouth to write with quills, instead of her magic. Of course, she must now feel much stronger and independent than ever before and feeling jealous of this would do nopony any good.

“Okay, I’m sorry for yelling,” she said quietly.

Bubbles grinned. “It’s quite alright, now go have some fun. And keep practicing!” she called after Scootaloo, who was already dashing off.

Forgetting about her wings for the first time in nearly a month, Scootaloo dashed around all over Ponyville, looking for her friends. She figured by now they must have made some progress in their training, and maybe it would help her as well. They had agreed to no crusading, but there was nothing in said agreement about not talking to one another. What was the point in that?

She sped up as she neared Rarity’s boutique. She didn’t actually know where Sweetie Belle lived, so she figured here was the best place to start looking. Upon reaching the building, the door slammed open, revealing the last pony she wanted to see. 

“Hello, Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara said cooly, an eerie grin slowly stretching across her face.

Scootaloo backed up in fear. “Uh, hey?” she said with her head tilted in confusion. “W-why are you here?”

“Just browsing some dresses, waiting around for one of my best friends to show up,” she said casually as she walked out and toward the street.

Scootaloo called back, ”Yeah? Tell her she’s a sad excuse for a lackey!”

She laughed., “Oh, I meant you. You are my best friend, right?” she called back in a mocking tone.

This made Scootaloo pause. What was she getting at? Every fiber of her being told her to turn back and leave the filly be, that this was a trap for something nefarious; but she kept staring, unable to look away. Sighing, Scootaloo stood up and started following Diamond.

“What do you want?” Scootaloo said irritably.

She stopped and turned to face Scootaloo, a knowing smirk on her face. “So glad you asked. You see it’s about the Firehens. Or, should I say, the lack of them,” she said coolly.

Scootaloo growled and looked away. “What about that?” she spat in disgust.

Diamond kept her smile and spoke as if she had just been crowned princess of the universe, “Oh, nothing, except if that little bit of information were to leak out… well, it could be devastating for a certain stupid pegasus.”

Scootaloo smirked. “Yeah? Or it could get a certain stupid little prissy brat in major trouble for lying on her school assignment,” Scootaloo replied smugly. “Face it, Diamond, you haven’t got a hoof to stand on.” While Scootaloo didn’t show off the fear she felt, it was all too real. There was a reason why she hadn’t protested Diamond’s report publically. She knew Diamond knew her secret. Simple detention for Diamond was nothing compared to what trouble Scootaloo would be in if news got out. Still, she stood tall, not willing to let Diamond intimidate her.

The smirk, however, did not disappear off Diamond’s face. Quite the contrary, it seemed to grow even wider. “Maybe, but maybe the other grownups won’t give a flying flank about me when they find out all about you. I don’t have a hoof to stand on? I hold all the cards and all the hooves! I know your little secret. Oh, it took me a while to figure it out. I thought for a moment that stupid oaf was your mother. Ha! No, I know all about you, Scootaloo,” she said triumphantly.

Scootaloo’s body began trembling, she couldn’t help it! Everything she had kept hidden, from where she lived and why had been found out by the biggest loudmouth brat in Ponyville. A single slip up here could ruin it all. She took a calm yet shuddering breath then spoke, “What do you want?” she said quietly.

“So glad you asked. From now on you can be doing my homework for me and anything else I want you to do and I’ll agree to keep quiet. I--” Diamond stopped when Scootaloo started bolting away from her. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going!” she called out to her in a panic.

“As I would tell you!” she called back then quickly dashed to the center of town. I gotta throw her off my trail, then get rid of the evidence from the clubhouse! If there is none then maybe, with a bit of luck, nopony will believe her! Then I just need to get to Bubbles and convince her to pretend to be my mother, Bubbles Firehen… ponies would buy that, right? she thought to herself, barely noticing that the whole thing sounded crazy. A part of her knew that she was probably not going to get away with such a thing, but the part that was her, that made her Scootaloo, didn’t want to give up. What would be the point in that?

Darting around town, she quickly turned back and started running toward Apple Bloom’s home. Her heart pumped furiously and she could already feel that she was out of breath. Just a little more. Gotta make it there… please, Apple Bloom, don’t be there! Please! she pleaded to Celestia, Luna and even Discord. As she neared the clubhouse, she started to slow down from exhaustion, but she kept on pushing. With each step, her throat ached for air. “So…” she paused to pant for more air, “close…”

Finally, she reached the steps of the place then bolted inside. As expected and hoped for, it was dark inside. “Oh, thank Discord and stars above.”

Without wasting a moment, she pried open a wooden floorboard, then quickly grabbed the items inside. A sleeping bag, a jar full of bits, her school supplies, some cleaning supplies, spare medicine and food and finally one spare saddle bag. She quickly shoved everything inside, then gently placed the floorboard back. Once she was outside with everything, her heart rate calmed. As long as they were not found within the confines of the clubhouse, Diamond Tiara had no evidence. “For now,” she clarified darkly. Without any real parents to speak of, she knew it was only a matter of time before hooves would start to be pointed. She needed Bubbles on her side, and fast. She needed to explain everything to her. She only hoped it would not lead to her doom.
> Chapter Six: Secrets and Lies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running with a sack full of stuff wasn’t the smartest idea Scootaloo had ever had. Indeed, it weighed her down so much that by the time she had reached Bubbles’ house she was breaking so hard that her heart was pounding in her chest. Panting, she knocked on the door with all of her might then silently waited.

When the door swung open, Scootaloo started speaking at a speed that could easily rival Pinkie Pie. “Hi, Bubbles, I need you to please listen and to not interrupt because a bunch of ponies might come here asking if you’re my mother, and Mrs. Firehen and I need you to lie and say you’re my mom and that I live here and I’m your daughter! Okay?” she said, This long-winded explanation without stopping to breathe finally pushed her over the edge, and she collapsed onto the porch.

Dinky came strolling into view, curious to see what the noise was about, but she remained silent. Bubbles coughed then leaned down to Scootaloo. “Care to repeat that?” she said, urging her on.

When Scootaloo caught her breath, she spoke much more clearly, “Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I need you to pretend to be my, uh, my mom. And your last name would be Firehen. Or you can say you adopted me or something, either way works,” Scootaloo added rather quickly.

The mare looked into the filly’s pleading eyes. Scootaloo nearly broke down sobbing; at least, that was the impression she got. Bubbles took a deep breath then spoke quite calmly herself, “Why?”

Scootaloo began shaking, but she tried to keep her cool. “I can’t explain right now, okay? I just need you to do this, please?” she begged.

The mare sighed and looked up as if hoping to see what she should do written in the clouds. In the distance, she spotted Dinky’s teacher of all things, followed by another filly and a stallion. She looked back down. “Scootaloo… I can’t just--”

“Please…” Scootaloo said. A few tears dropped onto the wood below. Scootaloo then looked behind and spotted her teacher marching toward them. She growled then quickly wiped her tears and went to leave. She won’t help me… she thought miserably.

Upon seeing tears, Bubbles couldn’t restrain herself. She reached out and hugged Scootaloo for all she was worth. She knew it was risky, stupid, and perhaps even dangerous. She had no idea what trouble Scootaloo was in, or how much she could get into by hiding her from authority figures. However, just seeing the tear-filled face woke something in her. She just seems so scared. Like I was once… the mare thought. 

“Okay,” Bubbles whispered, “just play along, but you will tell me what this is about when it’s over. Understand?”

Scootaloo had never nodded so profoundly or quickly in all of her life.

When Diamond Tiara strolled up with her teacher, Bubbles spoke, “Ah, Miss Cheerilee, what is this about?”

The teacher’s eyed looked down to Scootaloo, who had thankfully wiped her tears away. “Ditzy?” Cheerilee said in a shocked tone. “You are Scootaloo’s mother?”

“I am,” she said. “Why, what’s the matter?”

Miss Cheerilee composed herself, but couldn’t help blushing. “Well… I had found it a little odd when Scootaloo enrolled herself in school. I had been meaning to look more closely into this matter, so I could have her contact information, but I suppose that’s my fault for letting this issue slip by for so long. But her… well, you never came to speak to me about her… even when you enrolled your other daughter, Dinky,” she said suspiciously.

Most ponies would think Bubbles was ditzy from first glance, perhaps even slow on the uptake; but you didn’t get to be one of the swiftest mailmares in Equestria by being slow. True, she wasn’t the best flier, but she could still outthink others when she needed to. She still made mistakes, loads of them; but that didn’t mean she was as stupid as others assumed. “That’s because I only recently adopted Scootaloo as one of my own. It’s a long story, but I met her on one of my own of town deliveries. Ponyville has no orphanage, of course, but Cloudsdale is another matter,” she replied without skipping a beat.

Again, Miss Cheerilee looked taken aback, as did Diamond Tiara. “Your last name isn’t Firehen? Of course, I understand not using your last name when signing papers, such as Dinky’s enrollment forms, but what is it then?”

Bubbles wasn’t the only pony great at thinking on her hooves. This time, it was Scootaloo’s turn to say something, “Um, Miss Cheerilee?” she said tentatively.

Cheerilee looked down to the filly and smiled. “What is it, dear?”

Please, oh merciful Discord, if this works, I’ll be rotten and chaotic for a lifetime! she thought excitedly. “Um, there are no Firehens. Diamond Tiara was making it all up. I didn’t say anything because I knew I’d have to talk about getting adopted,” she quietly trailed off when the teacher’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she scowled.

“Diamond Tiara!” she called, waiting as the filly slowly walked into her field of view. “Is that true?”

“What? No! She’s Scootaloo Firehen! She’s a liar!” Diamond accused, pointing her hoof angrily back at the pegasus.

Catching on quickly, Bubbles turned to face Diamond and frowned. “I don’t know what she’s talking about, Miss Cheerilee, but Scootaloo was simply Scootaloo when I adopted her. I believe Diamond has some explaining to do,” she said coolly.

Diamond’s father, who had remained silent throughout the ordeal, stepped forward. “I believe she’s right. Come, Diamond, we can talk about this in your teacher’s office,” he commanded, then shepherded Diamond away with the teacher.

Before they were clear out of sight, Diamond called back angrily, “I’ll get you for this! I don’t know how you did it! But I’ll get you!” she shrieked, causing other ponies to stare in shock. Diamond’s father promptly picked her up angrily then stormed off with the teacher in tow.

Scootaloo couldn’t believe her luck. Not only had she gotten away with it scot-free, but Diamond was going to be punished as well! She laughed, she broke down on the porch and started giggling in fits, unable to control herself.

Bubbles coughed. “Ahem,” she said coldly.

Scootaloo’s laughter died down then she looked up at the mare fearfully. “Uh, heh, I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Dinky leaned in from the doorway and slowly nodded. “Eeyup.”

Scootaloo sighed, feeling the fun was now over with. “Eeyup…”





Bubbles had been pacing back and forth in front of Scootaloo for nearly ten minutes. When she spoke, her voice was calm, but also somehow far from it. “I don’t understand at all,” she admitted.

“I used to be a breezie, what’s there to understand?” Scootaloo said irritably.

“‘What’s there to understand’? You used to be six inches long and lived in a magical dimension!” she nearly shrieked in alarm.

Scootaloo shrugged. “I wasn’t that short…”

The mare slapped her hoof to her forehead, then slowly dragged it down her face. “Scootaloo, even if I did understand how you came to be, that still leaves me with a very real problem. I just lied to my daughter’s teacher about something very big,” she emphasized, trying to drive the point across.

Scootaloo scowled. “So what! Grownups lie all the time about big pony stuff, like that one time Rainbow Dash was supposed to take me flying, but forgot about it!” she argued back in a huff.

“You-!” Bubbles nearly shrieked again but stopped herself when she quickly realized that she was being serious. 

To a filly her age, something as simple as somepony not keeping their promise was a big deal. Scootaloo simply didn’t understand and yelling at her wasn’t going to help any of them. She took the biggest deep breath possible then spoke as calmly as ponily possible, “Listen, what I did could get me in a lot of trouble. Trouble I can’t just fix. Even if I did believe that you used to be a breezie-” Scootaloo went to protest this, but Bubbles held up her hoof, “it won’t matter to royal guards. They’ll see a filly who’s very confused and a parent who kidnapped her. I don’t know what they’ll think, but it won’t be good news for either of us,” she finished, then sighed and sank into the couch.

Scootaloo remained quiet for a while after that. She knew that if word got about Bubbles not allowing her newly adopted ‘daughter’ to live in her house, then they would both be in big trouble. She was sure Miss Cheerilee would be questioning Bubbles more often about both Dinky and her own well-being. When Scootaloo spoke, it was quiet, “You could just let me live here.”

The mare sighed and nodded. “I’m going to have to now, thanks to you. Do you really not have an actual home?” she said irritably.

“I told you, I used to be a breezie. I didn’t like it there and wanted to fly like other pegasus ponies. I’m not going back there,” she responded in a huff of her own.

“I’m sure whatever happened in your home you can fix it and go back. It’s okay to make up stories, Scootaloo, but not about this.”

“Really?” Scootaloo said in a disbelieving tone. “This town has invasions and chaos gods and Trixie taking it over and weird Everfree creatures, but you don’t believe that a breezie turned into a pony? Are you flippin’ serious?!”

Dinky, who had been watching from the stairs, quietly walked down.

“That’s not the point, Scootaloo! Those are different, they’re… they’re…” Her voice trailed off.

Scootaloo took the opportunity to keep talking louder. “And then there’s changeling invasions and magic rainbow fixing beams and tons of other crazy stuff! Your world is amazing! Breezies are boring. We’re always being told what to do, how to live, where to live and why! I had to get out of there, okay? And I won’t go back… I’ll run away from this place if I have to if you have to make me leave my friends because you’re just being so stupid!” Scootaloo exclaimed, hot tears leaking down her cheeks. She just felt so angry, but she didn’t want to stop talking; not until Bubbles understood everything. Every single thing she had kept hidden away from everypony. Perhaps if she actually told the truth, for once, then they would understand!

“Scootaloo, I-” Bubbles tried to get out calmly.

But Scootaloo would not be silenced. She rounded on Bubbles, causing her to back up into the couch. “And everypony is just so great and I’m so lame! I can’t even fly yet! I could fly when I was back there, I could fly all I wanted, but not as some big stupid pretend pegasus! And I just… I just… I can’t take it anymore!” She then finished with a final huff and slammed her head into the couch cushion. She attempted to stop the tears from flowing, but she just felt so angry. She was stuck no matter what she did. Bubbles would never agree to let her stay, and eventually, she would be in trouble all over again.

The mare sat rooted to the spot. She forgot about getting in trouble and potentially losing Dinky forever. Right now she just wanted Scootaloo to stop hurting, but what could she say? That she would let her live here? Pretend that she was adopting Scootaloo just for the sake of holding down a big lie? No! she thought firmly. It wouldn’t be unfair to Scootaloo or to herself and Dinky. She wasn’t sure if Scootaloo was telling the truth or not, but either way, it sounded like she really didn’t have any place to be. What could she do? What were her other options?

Dinky suddenly walked into the middle of the room then promptly made a beeline toward the crying filly. She tapped her on the shoulder, making her glance up in confusion. Dinky hugged her then turned around to face her mom.

“Um, can we keep her?” she said, as if asking to keep a lost puppy who had shown up on the front doorstep.

“I…” Bubbles response died in her throat. Looking at Dinky, she couldn’t help but feel something familiar rise up to greet her memories. She felt like a weak mare again, scared of being pregnant and not knowing where she should go. It was obvious Scootaloo was feeling something similar, even if they were different scenarios. She bowed her head and exhaled slowly. “Okay, Scootaloo, you can stay here; but-”

Dinky, not letting of Scootaloo, began to bounce up and down with glee. “Hurray! I get a new little sister!” she exclaimed loudly.

“I think I’m older than you…” Scootaloo said indignantly.

“Hurray! I get a new big sister!”

Bubbles nodded. “Hurray, mommy has to go redo our budget. Excuse me,” she said quickly then went to dash off upstairs in a panic.

Scootaloo wiped the tears from her face, then stopped Bubbles in her tracks. “I can stay? Just like that?”

“...Yes. Just… give me time to think about this. And please stay in the house, for now, it’ll be safer.”

Scootaloo watched her ascend the stairs, more thankful to her than she ever thought possible. Is this where I belong?





Sweetie Belle slammed the door to Rarity’s boutique open while muttering to herself. Rarity had been waiting for her who raised a brow at whatever she had been muttering about. The mare cleared her throat and eventually, Sweetie stopped then blinked and looked around.

“Huh?”

Rarity sighed. “Sweetie Belle, this is the fourth time you’ve come here and haven’t so much as said hello to me. What have you been muttering about?”

Sweetie Belle blushed in response. She hadn’t actually realized that she had been talking to herself. “Sorry, big sis. I’ve been trying to memorize this rune pattern… thing. I still can’t get my light spell to work better, but Twilight still taught me a new spell. I just can’t seem to get it,” she said in a mopey tone.

“Oh! I see. Well, I’m glad to know my little sister isn’t talking to herself,” she replied promptly.

“What?”

“Nothing! Now, make sure to get your homework finished soon before father returns. I’m ecstatic you’re excited about magic practice, but unfortunately, that’s not part of your schooling… yet, anyway,” she added as an afterthought.

“Ugh, alright. It shouldn’t take me long, it’s just math.” Sweetie frowned in response to more homework but didn’t complain. After all, the sooner she finished, the sooner she could practice not making her coat purple.

Sweetie made a beeline into her room. In reality, it was Rarity’s guest room; but she was there so often that she liked to call it her room. Once inside, she made quick work of her homework but didn’t bother to double check if it all was correct. Magic time! she thought gleefully. By now she had memorized the light spell by heart as if using telekinesis. She could flick it on and off like a switch. The issue now was making it brighter. After activating her magic and lighting up her room, she hesitated. For the last few days, she had been pausing, reluctant to add more magic. I don’t think Rarity would appreciate my face going all purple, probably not proper fashion sense.

With the light still on, Sweetie’s mind began to wonder about her friends. A pang of guilt struck her like a lightning bolt. If she didn’t get better at her magic, then they would either have to break their promise or never crusade again! She thought of Scootaloo and Apple Bloom’s smiling faces and couldn’t help but smile herself. Sweetie wanted nothing more than for them to join together and get lost somewhere, trying to find their marks. A warm feeling penetrated her skull suddenly, but it was not unpleasant. Quite the contrary, it felt wonderful. She opened her eyes and gasped as her horn was shining at least three times brighter than before. In her haze she'd forgotten to hold back; instead, thinking of her friends helped for some reason?

She shook her head in bewilderment. “I don’t get it…” Why had thinking of her friends slowed her magic? Twilight had said over and over how she needed to learn to cap her speed, but she didn’t know how. She had certainly felt overly joyed to think of them, so was that it? Happy meant slow?

Maybe, a voice thought out to her, maybe concentrating on somepony else distracted you from speeding up your magic, the rational side of her head guessed. It made some sense, but she had been trying to slow it down for days! Why would thinking of somepony else solve that now? You thought of your friends, your friends who stick by your side through thick and thin, who give you the confidence to try new and exciting things, to be confident in yourself! the voice urged quite sagely.

Sweetie had to nod in agreement there. I really need to go see them… Sweetie thought mournfully. She had been ignoring them for far too long, and all over some dumb promise. Looking back up at her horn, she willed it to slowly die out. She didn’t want to stop it, but Twilight had told her that it was important to keep practicing. Just because she had succeeded didn’t necessarily mean she had perfected it.

She took a deep breath, then turned her spell back on. This time, however, she turned away from the mirror she had been using to practice on. She could already feel the magic flowing into her horn and willed it to grow stronger. Knowing it was fast-acting, Sweetie quickly thought of her friends for a distraction. Confident, she thought. Like before, the distraction worked to siphon off the excess magic. It was as if concentrating on something else was slowing her tasking abilities down, slowing her mind down. When the light increased again, Sweetie squealed with delight. She began bouncing around the room, forgetting about the horn entirely.

“I did it! I did it! I- achoo!” Sweetie Belle sneezed so hard that she fell onto her stomach, which was quickly followed by the all too familiar feeling of a magical backlash. Sighing, she looked over to the mirror, and what stared back at her was a purplish, frowning face. “Rarity’s not gonna like this…”





Apple Bloom collapsed onto the tree branch, the one that she had been practicing on all morning. For the first time in what felt like ages, she let her mind wander free. She had been focusing on apple bucking all morning and it never got any easier. A dazed, pleasant feeling overtook her as she rested in the shade. She yawned, then lazily looked around.

“The last one I did two apples, so hopefully Ah’m getting better at this,” she said to nopony. “Yeah, I must be. But I’ve been practicing for a week at least and I still can’t make a barrel of apples drop!” She sighed and sunk into the dirt. “What gives?” she mumbled to nopony in particular.

Another thought struck her and as it weaved its way into the forefront of her mind, she felt nearly sick with guilt. “Dear Celestia, it’s a been week since I’ve talked to my friends! Even in class!” True, she had spoken with them in passing; but not about Crusading or about anything fun, or even what was going on with their lives. They had made a sort of silent pact to not discuss things until they had fine-tuned their skills in their own magic. But I saw them yesterday! she thought desperately. Only… only, it wasn’t the same.

She remembered that they had all been sitting in class when their teacher had to leave to grab some supplies. Ordinarily, this would mean free time to chill out and talk with one another. This time, there had been no talking or laughing or playing. The Crusaders glanced at one another and, in a silent agreement, could just tell that their training hadn’t been going as smoothly as they would have liked. Their ears folded down, their heads dropped and they all silently nodded at one another. When they left class that day it was with extra determination to get things done as soon as possible, but there was no rushing magic. Magic didn’t have a speed you could just increase by working harder or faster. Magic was simply an oddity that you had to practice it until you could understand its subtle requirements for perfection. When Apple Bloom, after a week's worth of work, finally realized this fact, she had one thing on her mind: I’m boned, she thought bitterly.

She had never pretended to be perfect at anything, Subtle wasn’t her way of doing things, either. Normally, when she wanted something done, she would just tackle it head on; but this was just too different. Alien, even. Magic was just too hard, and yet she had to keep trying or admit defeat and quit.

Apples don’t quit, a voice announced firmly in her head.

“Yeah? I bet you never had to learn Earth Pony magic you stupid… uh, voice!” she yelled out, realizing just how silly she must sound. “Maybe if I just go visit them, I could see how they’re doing. We don’t have to go Crusadin’. It can just be for fun!” Making up her mind, Apple Bloom strolled off from the tree, happily speculating on what her friends had been up to.

“What’s Big Mac up to?” she said to herself. Looking ahead she found her brother busily pushing something up the hill. A new idea occurred to her.  “Hmm, I could see my friends… or I could learn even more about farmin’ from Big Mac! Then I’ll be Crusadin’ with them in no time!” She darted forward. “Oh, Big Mac! Big Mac, stop!”

The stallion promptly stopped his pushing of the strange box then looked around. “What is it? What’s wrong?” he said in a panic.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just thought you could use some help, maybe? On the farm and with your, uh, box.”

Big Mac paused then scrutinized her all over. Something wasn’t quite right here, but he couldn’t quite put his hoof on it. “What about your friends? They won't be, uh, helpin’, right?” he said, wondering in an even deeper panic.

“Not unless they want to learn Earth Pony stuff, so no,” she confirmed for him, making the stallion sigh in relief. “Can I help?”

“Sure. I need to get this here box to the spare barn, then we’ll be plantin’ some new trees. If yer up for it?”

Without even waiting for him to start, Apple Bloom had already begun to push and shove at the box. To his astonishment, she actually seemed to be moving it, albeit with a tad bit of difficulty. Big Mac grunted, impressed, and then started pushing alongside her. “Yer gettin’ mighty strong,” he commented casually.

“Thanks! I’ve been practicin’ buckin’ a whole lot! Granny was teaching me all about it.”

He nodded. “Did she get to plantin’ yet in her teachin’s?”

Apple Bloom frowned and shook her head. “Nope, not yet. Granny gets tuckered out too fast and I just have to practice on my own. It’s frustrating,” she said with a frown. She had been thinking about it so much that she forgot to push, leaving Big Mac to pick up the slack. “Whoops, sorry, Big Mac!” she exclaimed as she went to correct herself.

“It’s alright. We’re almost there, anyway.”

“We are?” she grunted with the effort needed to move the box. Her ears pricked up as she felt the shadow of the barn fall over them. “Huh.”

Once the box was laid inside the barn and out of the way, the two took off for the center field. Apple Bloom was amazed to find she didn’t even need a break. I guess I am getting stronger! Cool! At the very least, it was one step closer to her goal.

When they reached the other field, it became apparent that this was where Big Mac had planned on planting the new trees. It had a great open spot with dozens of freshly dug holes, ready for soil and planting.

“Alright, so what do you know about plantin’?”

She frowned and shrugged. “The basics?”

He chuckled at this. “I figured, I mean in regards to our tribe. Our magic?” he clarified.

She made an odd funny face as she screwed up her muzzle in concentration. “Uh, focus really, really hard?” she said weakly.

Big Mac snorted indignantly. “Well, that’s part of it; but I was thinkin’ more along the lines of the approach to things. For example, plantin’ new trees requires a bit of a delicate approach,” he replied in a southern drawl.
“Okay, so don’t be too rough with the seeds or something?”

“No, I don’t mean that at all. Here, let me show you what I mean,” he said. The stallion cantered over to an already planted tree. This area had its soil completely covered, indicating that a seed that already been planted there. Big Mac placed his right forehoof above the seed. For a few seconds, he kept his hoof perfectly still; while he himself kept his eyes focused on the spot. Apple Bloom squinted, trying to see what (if anything) he was actually doing. 

Then his hoof twitched as he slowly raised it just an inch higher, and what flowed out of the dirt made Apple Bloom’s jaw drop to the floor. A tiny sapling had sprouted from the ground which appeared to raise just slightly with Big Mac’s movement. Even quicker than that, Big Mac removed his hoof, then turned to Apple Bloom with a smile.

“H- how’d you do that?” she said in bewilderment.

“Focus. Magic isn’t just something that happens because it’s magic, it requires focus,” he said sagely. “But if you can’t feel anything, then focusing won't do much but rattle your brains some.”

“But Granny Smith made it seem like learning this stuff was more complicated than that. She, uh, also said you and Applejack follow your instincts more than the, uh, ‘finer points of Earth Pony magic’,” she said with air quotes.

He chuckled at this for a little bit. “Ah, one of these days we need to have a sit down with ol’ Granny,” he replied. Apple Bloom looked confused again, so he clarified. “Back when we started working on the farm, your sister and I, we tended to rush things. We were young and as far as we were concerned, any little trick or shortcut was fine enough for us. We didn’t listen to our magic, we listened to our talent. It guided us but blinded us from what really made Earth Ponies special. Eventually, we learned how to focus, how to, well, I guess… amplify our gifts. What Granny is trying to teach ya is that rushing things may work for some ponies, but not us Apples.”

She went over his words in her head a few times, then quickly shook her head. “I don’t get it, why does Granny think you haven’t learned that stuff when you have?”

He blushed at this and sighed. “As I said, we need to sit down and have a talk. It’s not like the evidence isn’t there, so maybe Granny just needs to hear it from our muzzles. We get real busy during harvest season and after that, we take care of other things. Hrm,” he grunted, looking a bit disappointed.

Apple Bloom nuzzled his legs a bit while smiling. “Family’s important, Big Mac. Just take a moment to talk to her, alright?” Friends are important too! a voice urged her, reminding the filly about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

A smile broke out on his face and he nodded in agreement. “Maybe we should. But for now, we need to get to these seeds. You ready for some practice?”

“You bet!”

For the next hour or so, the two Apples continued to plant more and more seeds. With each seed planted, Apple Bloom would do her best to listen to whatever magic she could hear, and attempted to focus on it. To her dismay, not a single even leaf popped out of the ground. When it was over, the two walked alongside each other in silence. The stallion glanced over to his sibling and sighed at the long look she was giving him.

“It does take time. Granny usually did a lot of the plantin’, growin’, and even the buckin’ when we were younger. Didn’t take us long to pick up on how to do it all, and I’m sure it won't take you long either.”

“I guess I should just learn more from her too,” she replied solemnly. I’ll get this! she thought with determination.

“You should listen to all of us. But you did good today, progress or no progress.”

Apple Bloom beamed, then thanked her big brother before bounding off toward home. I can always talk to my friends tomorrow at school, she thought.
> Chapter Seven: A Broken Promise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle didn’t have to wait long for her sister’s response to the change in her coat color. Rarity had walked in on her, and then promptly let out a bloodcurdling scream. Sweetie had quickly clapped her hooves over her ears before it had started out of habit. Can’t she go one day without screaming? Sweetie thought with an inward sigh.

“What have you done to your coat‽” Rarity wailed at her.

“Magical backlash from a light spell, big sis. It usually goes away in ten minutes or so,” Sweetie replied casually.

Rarity scrunched up her face in confusion. “I don’t ever recall something this hideous occurring with my backlash sessions. And what light spell?”

Sweetie smiled and tried to cast it again, but was quickly stopped when Rarity swiftly moved her right hoof and clamped it over her horn. Any magical feeling that had been tingling before was immediately snuffed out.

“Never mind. I don’t want you messing things up even further,” Rarity said irritably.

Sweetie scowled and shooed her hoof away. “I won’t mess it up! Just watch!”

Rarity hesitated but nodded. Support her, Rarity. It’s not permanent. It’s not permanent, she repeated in her head. She gave a shy smile to Sweetie and nodded. “Very well. Show me, just… please be careful.”

Sweetie nodded, then went into a trance as she began to remember the steps for the spell. It thankfully went off without a hitch, and soon the room was illuminated in a soft, green slow. Sweetie smiled slightly at the glow, then snuffed it out and sighed in relief. “See?”

“Very nice, darling. Just please be more careful in the future,” Rarity said cautiously.

Sweetie sighed again. “That’s what Twilight said; though she also said I should experiment and stuff,” she said with a sly smile.

Rarity shuddered in response. She had seen what kind of mischief she and her Crusader friends get into without using magic; she could only imagine what her sister could do with it. However, she knew there was no fighting progress. She had opened the can of worms when she had introduced her sister to runes. Her fate was sealed.

“Hey, Rarity? What other spells do you know?”

Upon hearing the question, Rarity snapped out of her thoughts. Perhaps I could guide her a bit more. Idle hooves, after all… Rarity cleared her mind of her thoughts and tried to remember everything she knew. Her special talent, her imprint, had largely been based around finding uniqueness. This was why she was able to design so many dresses or unique getups. She could not only use her skill and talent to craft them; she used her talent and her magic to envision the most unique styles she could muster. Finding gems was how she got started; she nurtured her talent and, over time, learned to focus it into much more than simply finding rare rocks, but finding and creating rare things. When she truly thought about it, she had come a long, long way since digging around in the dirt for sparkly gems. She knew plenty of spells in regards to her special talent, perhaps not as many spells as Twilight, but still a good set. “Well, I can’t quite answer that fully or else we’d be here all night. You see, when I was your age I didn’t want to just settle for a talent that could get me income or a job; I wanted to be somepony. I wanted my dresses to be known throughout Equestria!” she announced almost triumphantly. Sweetie blinked in astonishment and Rarity coughed while blushing at her own outburst. “Ahem, so I studied everything I could on dressmaking. Deep down I knew my talent had something to do with it-”

Sweetie interrupted her quite abruptly, “But what does finding gems and stuff have to do with dressmaking? I always thought it was just something you did on the side, but your talent was… uh, finding rocks?”

“That’s what I thought at first, but Mother helped me realize that maybe it had a bit more to do with than just gems. It had to do with following my heart, of finding uniqueness in my creations. But I’m afraid most of the spells that I know are all for tailors; dress-making and what not. So, unless you plan on trying to be one, and your special talent happens to be like mine, then I can’t teach you much without causing more harm than good.”

Sweetie’s ears folded down on her head in disappointment.

Guide her or chaos will ensue! Rarity warned herself. “But I had thought up a few spells back when I was a filly. One was quite useful, though I don’t need it anymore. Of course, I haven’t actually been able to perfect it…” Rarity said, but then her voice trailed off.

“What is it‽” Sweetie asked excitedly.

“Oh, do calm down, it’s nothing overly special; it simply allowed me to find my way home. Instead of trying to find a gem in the ground, it was supposed to locate the user's home,” she said swiftly. “Well, that was its intended use; I never could get it to work quite right…”

Though Sweetie Belle heard her quite clearly. “Rarity, could you use this spell to find something else? Like, locate somepony or something?”

Rarity frowned and then shrugged. “I’ve tried before, but it would seem focusing on something else other than gems gave me quite mixed results. I was never certain why,” she said bitterly.

Sweetie Belle giggled. “Maybe… maybe you just want gems that badly, big sis.”

Rarity frowned indignantly. “Oh, hush. It’s not that at all. To tell you the truth, the spell doesn’t work that well. In the end, I could only get it to point me in the general direction of Ponyville, which is my home, but not this particular building.”

Sweetie nodded. “So, how does it work?”

“You already know how to channel magic and to focus on what you want. For this spell, however, you need to add in another step before you cast it. You must channel magic and then use it to sync with the Equestria’s Planetary Ebb,” Rarity said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Whaaaat?” Sweetie said, gawking a bit. What was she talking about? Twilight had never mentioned anything about that before.

“Judging by your confusion, I’m guessing Twilight hasn’t mentioned this before?” Rarity asked. When Sweetie shook her head, she continued. “Right. I’m sure she would have gotten to it soon, anyway. The Planetary Ebb is more another name for how we get our magic than anything else. The planet provides it and most living creatures tap into it. So, technically, when you channel magic you’re taking from it, but usually, there’s never a need to push back, or to tap back.”

“Uh, so, wait, what about my mana font thingy?”

Rarity hummed then clicked her teeth in thought. “That’s a bit separate. You still have one, and you use it whenever you cast magic, but the magic has to come from somewhere. Your horn is constantly refilling your mana, and it gets it from the planet’s ‘Ebb’.” Rarity used her hooves to make air quotes. “I’ve actually heard other planets can have different effects,” Rarity said, deep in thought.

“Like when Princess Luna was stuck on the moon?”

Rarity shook her head. “I’d imagine there was no Ebb there at all, which would explain why she couldn’t use any magic to come back until a thousand years had passed. But we’re getting off topic, darling. You see, certain spells can work by interacting with the Ebb. Almost like you’re asking it a question, and the answer would be the result of your spell.”

Sweetie scratched her head and moaned in displeasure. “Okay, so my horn uses the Ebb to refill my mana font?”

“Correct.”

“And when I channel mana I take it from my font.”

“Also correct.”

“But for some spells, I can use my magic to use this Ebb thing to… do something?” she guessed with a shrug.

“Yes. I don’t actually know if you’ll be able to get it on your first try or not, but this is actually a lot safer to practice than... other things,” she said mysteriously. “It’s actually how I use my gem-finding ability. The home finding spell works similarly too.”

“Okay, so how do I do it?”

Rarity smiled. “You focus.”

Sweetie Belle frowned and then gave her a flat look. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. Most magic requires it, though I would imagine Discord’s form is more like wish fulfillment or some such nonsense. If you can focus on channeling magic and connecting to the Ebb, then you can focus on something much grander than just creating light; like finding your way home, for instance. Understand?”

“Uh, I think so. So it’s just like creating the light, only I’m trying to focus on doing two things at once?”

“Precisely; but not at the exact same time. Once you feel the Ebb, only then can you cast the second spell.”

“Uh, so am I doing two spells at once? Like going through the steps twice?”

Rarity blushed and nodded rather quickly. “Silly me, I forgot to explain that. I did say magic was more instinct sometimes, and it can be quite complicated to remember the actual steps. Yes, you would be casting the first spell, which is tapping into the Ebb, and then once that is done, you would follow the steps again; only instead of using your mana font, you would be using the Ebb’s mana font.”

Sweetie’s eyes widened in surprise. In that instant, it was like something new had clicked, and suddenly she understood just a bit more about her own world. Why had she not known this stuff before? Maybe I didn’t need to before, she thought with an internal shrug. It didn’t matter, though, because suddenly a whole wealth of potential was open to her. Sweetie had always felt just a little bit jealous of her friends. While they couldn’t do magic with a horn, they could fly and be much stronger than her. They could eventually fly, Sweetie reminded herself. But now that she knew just how much potential her horn had, it filled her with pure glee.

“Do you think this is how Twilight teleports? She uses the Ebb… thingy?”

“I believe so, but you’d have to ask her on the specifics,” Rarity replied instantly, but upon noticing Sweetie’s second sly smile, she scowled. “Don’t you go trying that! I will be teaching you spells I feel are safe to learn,” she said sternly.

Sweetie nodded quickly. She had tested Rarity’s patience before, and it usually didn’t end well. “Okay, but how will I know if the Ebb spell worked?”

“You’ll feel it. That little tingling sensation you feel when you cast magic will be much more pronounced.”

Sweetie nodded, but still felt unsure. “But then what about the finding home spell? How come you can’t get it to work if you can get your gem thing to?”

Rarity shrugged. “Perhaps because my home isn’t all that unique; I’ve seen places like this all over Manehattan,” she said with a giggle. “Or maybe because it doesn’t work the way I think it does. I never had much time to study how the Ebb works, so I always just assumed the spell merely showed me where I belonged, which is right here in Ponyville,” she finished with a smile.

Feeling overwhelmed, Sweetie decided it was best to stop asking and start doing. “Okay. I think I’m gonna go try it, bye Rarity!” Sweetie yelled back as she dashed off out of her room.

“Bye!” Rarity waved and then sighed to herself. Please don’t come home with a black coat, please…





Apple Bloom spent the next few days practicing her bucking and planting. When it came down to things, there wasn’t much to either skill, she decided. Just lots and lots of hard work, in the heat, and a ton of mental focus. She certainly did feel something whenever she whacked at the tree, and she could most certainly feel a tingling in her hooves when she planted a seed. However, while one of her skills was improving, it felt like the other was simply stagnant. The worst part was she didn’t know what she was doing wrong!

All morning she had been up, bucking the same tree that Granny had shown her. With each thrust, she could feel not only the full resistance of the bark but also a swift tingling sensation that only stopped when she pulled away. With each thrust, she could feel herself getting faster and stronger. No longer had it just been a single apple dropping, or worse, nothing. No, now the tree quaked with fear, relinquishing more than just a few apples with each try.

Squish! An apple splashed down in the dirt, smashing open against the ground like the rest. Littered about the tree were dozens of destroyed fruits, all laid out like little pulpy landmines. Apple Bloom even had a few on herself, but she didn't care. If she couldn’t get the hang of growing trees, the least she could do was learn how to buck them!

“Stupid seeds,” she grumbled as she struck the tree one more time. “Stupid soil,” she said again to nopony in particular and then bucked one final time. She panted and then collapsed into the dirt. “Stupid me..”

“I think you may have gotten the hang of buckin’ for now,” Granny said all of a sudden. 

Apple Bloom jumped a bit and looked around. She hadn’t seen her arrive.

“Over here,” Granny called from the shade of another tree.

Apple Bloom’s head panned up while she panted over and over. “Uh, yeah. Well, I can’t grow anything, so I figured I may as well get good at buckin’,” she replied back.

Granny Smith scowled. “Hogwash!” she proclaimed. “Come with me, youngin’. We’ll get you to grow somethin’.” And without waiting for a reply, she stormed off toward the middle of the orchard.

Apple Bloom considered laying low in the shade since she figured any progress she could make in growing could wait for a less hot day. She felt exhausted and wiping away the sweat from her mane only exemplified this fact.

“Are you comin’ or what?” Granny’s angry voice echoed through the trees.

She sighed and got up then limped over the path. “Well, at least growin’ trees is a lot less work than buckin’ them,” she muttered to herself.

It didn’t take the filly long to reach Granny, who was impatiently waiting near some newly planted trees. Next to these were a few freshly dug holes with some seeds waiting nearby.

“What took ya?” the mare said testily.

“I was working all morning long, Granny. I’m really tired, sorry.”

“Well, good! All of that fangled… filly energy of yours would just get in the way of yer growin’ practice. You need to be calm and, most importantly, focused,” she said sagely.

But Apple Bloom shook her head in disagreement. What energy? “But I’m not that-”

“So, did ya practice any with Big Mac?” the mare interrupted.

“I did a little, but I can’t get the hang of it at all! I am focusing, but it’s just not working right. Nothing sprouts,” she whined.

The mare walked over to one of the holes and gestured for Apple Bloom to join her. The filly grudgingly nodded and walked over. “Place yer hoof right here, filly,” Granny commanded as she placed hers on the soil.

When she placed it down, the filly felt nothing different. She felt around for a while, wondering just what touching the soil was supposed to do. It was just dirt! There wasn’t anything unique or engaging about the stuff. It smelled rotten at times and left your coat feeling, well, dirty! She thought back to Big Mac’s instructions on growing new plants and was left feeling very unconfident in her abilities to follow them. What was she supposed to be listening for? It’s not like she had her ear to anything, and it’s not like trees, plants, or dirt ever said anything, or even made much noise in general. When she really focused, sometimes she could almost feel a faint tingling from her magic, like it was crawling around in the dirt, hoping to spring through and be useful. But that didn’t matter, because, in the end, it never worked! For a second, she considered pulling her hoof back, but then it bumped into Granny’s. It felt warm, warmer than any hoof should be. In that second, the weak, tingling sensation intensified tenfold. She could actually feel a warmth rising through her hoof, but also pushing through the soil. Was that a plant? Was she feeling a seed? Guiding it? Connecting with it?

Eyes widening, she looked up to Granny, who gave her a curt nod. Apple Bloom gently and reluctantly raised her hoof from the dirt, but it didn’t come away alone. A tiny, pitiful sapling had risen from the earth. She stared at it, admiring something that she had created; something she had guided with her very magic! “I did it…” Apple Bloom muttered in bewilderment.

“Sure looks like it to me,” Granny replied in agreement.

Without warning the filly began jumping up and down with glee. “I did it! I raised a sapling! I did it, I-” Apple Bloom lurched forward as her back hooves colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree. She had been jumping up and down, kicking her front and back hooves without thinking. Upon colliding, nearly three dozen apples broke off from the tree’s branches, burying the filly in them. “Ow…”

Granny chuckled. “See, that’s why you start with the practice tree first, youngin’. Gives yer muscles a right workout.”





“The Ebb,” Sweetie muttered to herself as she walked along into Ponyville. She wanted to ponder on it, to find it and bend it to her will. But something stopped her, like a nagging feeling that she should be doing other things first and foremost. That this Ebb wasn’t nearly as important as that one thing.

My friends, she thought in sorrow. It was something that would pop up from time to time, but she would quickly shove down in favor of learning something new. She hadn’t spoken to them much in nearly a month’s time, and it was finally starting to get to her. An entire month of not playing, hanging out, crusading, or doing anything else with them as friends. When she was learning some from the practical queen of friendship herself, well, it made Sweetie Belle feel pretty stupid and even guilty at times. Was learning about the Ebb worth forsaking their friendship?

What about breaking your Pinkie Promise? a voice reminded her bitterly.

It was true they had all promised to not crusade until all of them could use their own magic. But I know how to use magic, and I’m sure Apple Bloom has at least figured buckin’ out by now… So, why were they not hanging out? Why did they continue to see each other in passing, but never acknowledge each other like they used to? Was the promise that important to all of them? Sweetie groaned, nursing a soon-coming headache. Thinking about it all made her head spin, but she couldn’t help it! Another thought struck her, and this one made her skin crawl.

What if Scootaloo was having more trouble than either of them? She didn’t want to explore this thought, but for her friend’s sake, she kept thinking. Flying wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world to accomplish. It hadn’t been brought up too often, but sometimes Fluttershy or even Rainbow Dash would mention, in passing, that going from a flightless pegasus to full flight didn’t exactly happen for them in ten seconds flat. It took tons of practice, meaning Scootaloo would likely take longer than both of them combined. What if both Apple Bloom and herself learned their magic before Scootaloo even had a chance to get the hang of her abilities? What if she got too frustrated and gave up?

No! a thought rang out in her head defiantly. That just didn’t sound like Scootaloo. While Sweetie didn’t know a lot about her family - thinking that Diamond’s brief presentation didn’t count - she knew a lot about Scootaloo. She wasn’t a quitter; she was a go-getter!

Sweetie smirked in triumph, forgetting about her bitter thoughts and fearful mood. “I bet Scootaloo’s already flown! Yeah, I bet she wants to perfect it a little, so she can show off. Heh, I better get practicin’ then!” Sweetie exclaimed, feeling a lot like Scootaloo. “Yeah! We need to be the best at our magic as we can be! Okay, Ebb, let’s do this!”

She looked around, finally taking in her surroundings. Several ponies had gathered from her little outburst and were now staring at her. 

She blushed many shades of red. “Uh, bye!” she announced to the curious ponies and dashed off toward the park. It was time for practice.





“Okay, Ebb, time to see what you can do,” Sweetie said confidently. Her smile didn’t waver, even when she realized she knew next to nothing on how to channel it. She was also quite worried that she hadn’t asked her sister enough questions on the thing. She nervously glanced back towards Twilight’s place, wondering if she should ask her. It would be so simple, and she would bet her own horn that Twilight knew almost anything and everything about the Ebb. “But what if she thinks I’m not ready?” she said to herself. She couldn’t help but notice how reserved Twilight was with instructing her on anything. She had barely learned any new spells thus far. Really, the bulk of her practice had to do with honing her magic, strengthening it and keeping control of it. It also didn’t help that they didn’t meet up that often. “Or that I’m always practicing on my own…” Her voice trailed off as it occurred to her that ‘practicing’ was a bit of a generous term for what she had actually been up to. Twilight had been quite strict in what she allowed her to practice when she wasn’t with her. it didn’t come up much in their first real lesson, but she made sure she remembered from then on. “She also said to listen to Rarity, and Rarity says to try this,” she said confidently.

Before she could even channel a bit of magic into her horn, however, she paused and sighed. “But how do I even do it? What if I have to see Twilight and she makes me promise not to practice it on my own and I won’t learn this quick enough and then I won’t see my friends and we’ll stop being friends and-”

No, Sweetie thought defiantly, again. I have to try to connect with this Ebb thing. Stop worrying so much!

She took a deep breath, took a seat in the grass and began to cast. Focusing was very difficult, for one she kept worrying about her friends, and on top of that, she had a new way of casting magic. Channel, then cast to connect? No, no. Channel, then tap into the Ebb. Then cast a new spell while using the Ebb, yeah.

Channeling was simple, almost like breathing, but the next step felt odd. It was almost like thinking about the Ebb made it real, like something physical that she was levitating. The tingling in her horn intensified and suddenly her horn felt something like it was touching some barrier. She was doing it! She concentrated harder, attempting to channel the magic from The Ebb she now believed she was connected to, but something stopped her. As if being blown off her hooves from a passing Scootaloo on her scooter, her head jerked back in alarm while her horn shot an intense pressure back into her skull; in an instant, all of the magic she had just built up was snuffed out. Her head shot back in surprise as she was left panting for air.

“Ow…”

“Oh, my. Are you alright, Sweetie Belle?”

Sweetie was busy rubbing her head in agony, so she hardly noticed when a mare had walked up to see if she was okay. Looking up, she spotted a pegasus mare, looking on with an intense frown. “Oh, hey, Fluttershy,” Sweetie said quietly.

The mare continued to look her over. “Hello. Um, what were you doing?”

Sweetie’s face turned hot when she realized just how silly she must have looked to other ponies. “Oh, uh, I didn’t think anypony had been watching. S- sorry to scare you like that,” she stammered.

Fluttershy smiled back. “I was just making sure you were okay. Were you… practicing magic?” she said slowly.

She nodded. “I was trying to connect to the Ebb… thingy. But I guess I need more practice.”

“I suppose so. Hmm, but where are your friends at? Too busy to Crusade?”

It was a testament to how iconic their club had become when other ponies used words such as ‘Crusade’ so casually. Did they really crusade that often? Sweetie shook her head at the mare and shrugged. “They’re off practicing too. Their own magic, I mean. We sorta Pinkie Promised each other we wouldn’t crusade until we got the hang of our own magic,” she admitted with just a bit of guilt.

Fluttershy tilted her head in confusion. After a few moments of silence, she spoke quite calmly. “Uh, don’t you think that’s a bit extreme? Why I don’t think I would be the mare I was today if not for my friends’ help. You three could learn a lot from each other, and secluding yourselves from that experience probably won’t help you much,” she said.

Sweetie felt even guiltier but nodded in agreement. “I was just trying to think of a way for us to practice easier. It’s not like we haven’t talked to each other in class! It’s… just we haven't hung out or played or crusaded… or done much of anything, really. Just practice,” she finished with a low sigh.

“I’m sure you’re practicing very hard, but I don’t think it would hurt anypony if you went to see your friends. Visiting doesn’t have to lead to crusading you know.”

“I know. I just wanted to have something amazing to show them. I’m sure they did too,” she protested.

Fluttershy shook her head. “Maybe they want to, but I’m sure they miss you just as much as you miss them. Why don’t you go visit them and just talk for a while? You can always practice your magic there, too,” she said with a wink.

“Uh, but isn’t that like crusading? That would break the promise!”

“I think it sounds more like a loophole if you ask me. Besides, you all agreed on the promise. I don’t see anything wrong with breaking it if you all agree as well. You would still stay friends, after all. I don’t see it as doing something wrong if none of you are disappointing each other,” Fluttershy finished sagely. “But whatever you decide to do, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of your magic soon enough. So long for now, though; I have an angry bunny to find.”

Sweetie watched her go, mumbling out a half-hearted goodbye. Would Pinkie get angry if they all called the promise off? It wasn’t as if someone was relying on them keeping their promise, just each other. Their friendship was more important than learning a new skill. Right?

Sweetie looked up at her horn as she tried to connect to the Ebb once more. It pushed back, forcing the magic to die out yet again. 

She glanced back at Sweet Apple Acres, wondering just what Apple Bloom was up to. “Right. Time to see my friends!”
> Chapter Eight: The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scootaloo felt very weird standing alone in Bubbles’ living room. She half-expected Dinky to come meandering in, wanting to play or even talk some; but that never happened. In fact. nopony came to get her; giving her the distinct impression that she should simply clear out and leave. It wasn't as if Bubbles had exactly been given a choice in the matter. I guess she had, but who would have said no? Certainly nopony she would ever wish to congregate with; certainly nopony she would ever call mother.

She's not my mom, a voice in the back of her mind reminded her. She was Dinky's mom, and nopony else’s. If that meant a roof to live under, however, and the other adult ponies off her back about her living arrangements, then living with Bubbles was just fine with her. I just hope it’s okay with them…

Of course it is! She stuck up for you! Scootaloo sighed and took a seat on a nearby sofa. A part of her would give almost anything to just go outside and forget the whole thing. She wanted to play with her friends like any other filly. She wanted freedom from the constant stress and self anguish that came from her awkward living arrangements. She wanted to just pretend that things would be okay, even when she knew they might not be. Instinctively, she went to grab for something with her right hoof, but stopped herself and looked down in a shocked and confused state. I forgot my doll. Stupid doll, she thought angrily. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle must never know of it. She would never be caught dead carrying it, but that didn't make it any less real; it didn't make the comfort she got from hugging it any less real either.

"Are you dead?" a voice suddenly rang out in her head. Scootaloo whipped around in shock, finding Dinky looking at her mildly concerned.

"Uh, no. Are you?" Scootaloo quipped back.

Dinky giggled and shrugged. "I'm not the one staring at the floor."

Scootaloo furrowed her brow in annoyance and shrugged as well. "Well, I'm just thinking. I'm usually used to my friends helping me... uh, think. And they're not here."

The filly broke out into a grin and ran off toward the front door, waving Scootaloo along. "Let's go find them, then! So you can get your brain back!"

Instead of asking her to stop, Scootaloo chuckled a bit. "Are you related to Sweetie Belle? Is she your cousin or something?"

Dinky squealed happily. "You think she is?! Then I can get dresses for free!"

Scootaloo slapped her hoof to her forehead. "Uh, no. It was a joke," Dinky sagged in disappointment, but Scootaloo ignored her and continued, "and it's not a good idea to go find my friends. Not until I can fly anyway," she muttered.

Dinky scowled then slammed the door angrily. "What's so good about flying anyway? It's stupid!"

"It is not!"

Fuming, even more, Dinky jumped onto the couch and got head to head with Scootaloo. "You can't even fly, so how would you know?!"

Her words resonated in Scootaloo’s mind. How would you know? How couldn’t she know? It meant everything in the world to Scoots. Her hopes, her dreams, her future, how could Dinky say something so horrible to her? Just like Diamond Tiara. Her. That awful pink brat! Scootaloo seethed at the thought of her saying such mean and horrible things.

“Flying is everything to me!” She shouted at the top of her little filly lungs, snarling and shoving her nose into Dinky’s.

Dinky, for her part, was actually taken aback. It suddenly struck her that maybe what she’d just said was… kind of mean.

Scootaloo, for that matter, suddenly realized that she wasn’t nose to nose with Diamond Tiara, but with Dinky…

The two mutually glanced aside and backed away from each other.

“Dinky,” Scootaloo started with much more patience this time, “Did I do something wrong… to you?”

Dinky sighed. "...No," she said, annoyed, but with a tone that suggested she had just been caught sneaking some sweets.

"Then... what's wrong with flying?"

"Mommy can fly, but I can't," Dinky blurted.

"Oh."

And with six simple words, the situation had become that much more awkward. She’s… she’s jealous? That made some sense, but only in a superficial way. Anypony who couldn’t fly, after all, could be jealous of one’s ability for flight. But it wasn’t as if Scootaloo was jealous of Sweetie Belle’s ability to use magic, or Apple Bloom’s to buck trees and help work on a farm. She had once wished she could cast magic like a unicorn, but those thoughts didn’t linger because she possessed the potential for flight. She would fly someday, but lingering thoughts on what she could be, in another life - a unicorn - wouldn’t get her any closer to that dream.

“But you can use magic,” Scootaloo reasoned. “That’s pretty awesome! So, who cares if you can’t fly?”

Dink’s horn flared up, encasing a nearby pillow in its aura. For a split second Scootaloo thought it would have been raised, maybe smacked into her face, but it just sat there. It didn’t even rise into the air. Dinky struggled with it for a few moments longer, but then the light died out, leaving only a few sparks shooting out of her horn. “Not really,” she growled angrily.

Scootaloo smiled and laid back into the couch. “That’s what used to happen to my friend, Sweetie Belle. Now she can use her horn to do all sorts of things,” she said, attempting to cheer her up. She wasn’t actually sure if Sweetie could do anything more by now, but she was sure it was, at least, a half-truth. “You’ll get there,” she said sagely. Sheesh, I feel like Twilight, she thought.

Dinky slammed her head into the pillow while moaning. “Why does everypony keep saying that? My magic stinks.”

Scootaloo rolled her onto her stomach and then twitched her wings dully. “Yeah, well, join the club. Like you said earlier, mine isn’t much better.”

Dinky sighed with her and mumbled out a, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, uh, you were just angry.” It was hard not to feel sympathetic towards Dinky, even when she wasn’t acting cute. At least, that’s how Scootaloo saw it.

Dinky nodded, then glanced up with a raised brow. “Hey, what club did you mean earlier?”

And back to cute, Scootaloo thought. She then found that the filly had hung her head upside down and was now bobbing her head back and forth, smiling as if nothing had ever been wrong in the first place. Or… weird. Yeah. Let’s go with weird.

Just then, Bubbles came cantering down the stairs, a weary expression on her muzzle. She promptly took a seat between the fillies and sighed at the welcomed comfort. “Mommy needs rest,” she muttered as she closed her eyes.

Dinky rested her head on Bubbles like a giant gray pillow and sighed as well. Scootaloo, however, sat away from them as the awkwardness came back with a vengeance. She wasn’t Bubbles’ daughter, relative or anything else for that matter. In the short time they had known each other, their lessons had gone from passable to just downright getting nowhere; so becoming friends wasn’t exactly high up on Scootaloo’s list. She simply wanted to fly.

“I think I’m gonna go practice some more, in the backyard. Uh, bye,” Scootaloo said awkwardly, then quickly hopped off the couch and walked away.

She had been practicing every day, trying to get her wings to stop buzzing so much, but it was hard. Scootaloo was going against every instinct she had; buzzing just felt so natural and even good! She’s be flapping her wings in a timely manner and, like a switch, something would happen and suddenly they would be buzzing before she could even consciously react to stop them. It’s not fair! She twitched them a few times out of habit and sighed.

“Alright, wings, let’s do this.”

Her feathers had begun to twitch a bit when suddenly something was shoved onto her body without warning. She looked down in confusion and saw she was now wearing a red-coated vest of some kind, with slits for her wings. “Huh?”

“You might want to try that,” Bubbles said from behind her.

“And what is this?” Scootaloo said indignantly, feeling just a bit annoyed by the sudden interruption.

“That is a training suit. It’s designed to offer resistance to your wings so they don’t buzz so much. Uh, I kind of had to shop around for it at a specialty store,” she said with a smile. More like three stories, she thought with an inward sigh. “Usually they’re only used on mares and stallions who want to train mor-”

“Like the Wonderbolts?!” Scootaloo interrupted excitedly.

“Uh, well, yes. Actually, they almost never make these for fillies your age so I, well, I- erm…” Bubbles trailed off and muttered something under her breath. Whatever it had been, Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice that she seemed rather uncomfortable doing so.

“Huh?”

“It was for smaller ponies. Not younger ones,” she clarified very slowly. Scootaloo suddenly looked at the outfit as it were Diamond Tiara or a rotten vegetable. “But it is a real outfit for training. Why not give it a shot?”

Scootaloo snarled but kept her eyes firmly focused on the multicolored outfit. I guess it looks like a Wonderbolt’s outfit. She wiggled her wings experimentally and found that a constant pressure was exerted onto them with each flap. She moved her body around, hearing the rubber-like material squeak quite profoundly. “Loud... “ she muttered. She tried again, this time harder, but her wings still barely were able to move. “What gives?”

“It’s a training tool, Scootaloo. Just keep practicing with it and I’m sure we can strengthen your wings in no time. I-”

Scootaloo’s head shot up and she gave Bubbles a fierce, determined stare. “How long?!”

Bubbles kept her cool and shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m sure this will help speed things along. Just keep practicing, and trust me. Okay?”

She took you in. She’s trying to help you fly. Don’t get angry, Scootaloo reminded herself. But Scootaloo was having trouble, debating with herself, if this was, in fact, a good idea or not. It’s not like she’s a flight instructor; she told me so, she reminded herself again. She glanced up at Bubbles, who smiled at her patiently. But she is trying hard…

“Okay. I trust you. Another three days? Heh,” Scootaloo said.

“I think that sounds like a good idea. Start with what you know, and keep strengthening your wings.”

“Right, okay. Coo’. Thanks, Bubbles,” Scootaloo said happily.

She smiled back. “Sure thing. Why don't you go show your friends?”

Scootaloo frowned, suddenly remembering their previous conversation. Would her friends be upset if she hadn’t shown any progress? Had they had any themselves? There only one way of finding out, but that also meant she would have to admit her lack of any actual flying. “Uh, y-yeah, sure,” she stammered out.

Bubbles put her hoof on the rubber suit’s side and gave her a reassuring nod. “I’m sure your friends will be happy to see you and are just as nervous about their magic as you are. Now get going,” she said as she scooted the filly forward.

I guess she isn’t so bad. Not my mom, but still, Scootaloo thought. As she was walking away, though, Bubbles called out to her.

“And make sure to be back soon! You need to finish any schoolwork you have!”

That’s more mom like, Scootaloo thought bitterly. For a fleeting moment, Scootaloo wanted to lash out and rage back at her. How dare she direct her as the Breezies had once done to her so long ago. But she stopped and sighed. It’s just what moms do to little fillies, she thought as a reminder.

Not bothering to take the new outfit off, Scootaloo began to explore Ponyville for any sign of her friends. But where could they be at this time of the day? Probably practicing magic, she presumed. Sweetie Belle could easily be anywhere, from the strictly organized environment of her sister's boutique to the calm and inviting house where she and her parents resided. Apple Bloom would be much easier to find, as she only had one real place she hung out or lived in, aside from their clubhouse of course. But where to first?

"I guess Rarity's place since she's closer," she decided.

As luck would have it, however, Sweetie Belle was found just outside, waiting around.

"Hey, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle said enthusiastically. "Uh, how you been?"

Scootaloo cantered over to her and took a seat. Awkwardly, she returned her smile. "Not bad, y- you?"

“Good,” Sweetie said.

Looking down at her outfit, Scootaloo smirked. “How's your magic training going?"

Sweetie wanted to jump in the air and proclaim it had been going amazing, that she had synced up with the ebb and she had mastered her magic so they can go crusading again. But instead, she blushed and looked away. "Okay. Magic is... complicated." Even as she said it, the complex instructions of both Twilight and her sister were flowing in her head, begging to be released. So she could forget about all that hard work that made her mind spin and her head hurt.

Knowing she was stepping on eggshells, Scootaloo nodded slowly and considered what to say next. Sweetie’s magic isn’t going well either? She had been petrified that her friends were well above her in their training and she had been left behind! She almost felt happy but remembered that this was her friend and she had been trying just as hard as her, perhaps even more. "Oh. Yeah," she took a seat in the dirt and sighed, "it sure is. Bubbles said I-"

"Who's Bubbles?" Sweetie said suddenly.

Scootaloo blinked in confusion, then realized what Sweetie must not be getting. "It's Ditzy's nickname, I guess. She said I had to learn how to stop my wings from buzzing so much, but no luck. It's why I'm in this thing," she said, indicating to her bright red outfit.

"Ohhhh, what's it do?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "Stops my wings from buzzing? I dunno. It’s really hard to flap my wings with it on. I guess it will help. Uh, how about you? What have you been having trouble doing?"

In that instant, all the tension they had been both feeling simply evaporated. This wasn't crusading; talking and hanging out wasn't even coming close to breaking their Pinkie Promise™.

Sweetie grinned while racking her brain for everything she knew on the subject. "Oh! Well, when unicorns tap into their magic, their mana pool thingy? Well, the magic, or mana, comes from this thing called The Ebb. Rarity said it's like the planet's mana pool thingy. She said if I wanted to try and learn this one spell I had to try and connect with it, but it's really hard. I kept trying earlier and it's like there's something blocking me."

Scootaloo thought about this and then her face lit up with an idea. "Oh! Like with Shining Armor's shield spell?"

"Hey, yeah! I guess. I guess it's like the planet has a shield that's stopping me from connecting to it. But then I still don't get how I get mana from it for my horn if it won't let me do that..." she said, half muttering to herself.

Scootaloo had no answers for her though. "Who knows? Maybe Twilight?"

"Maybe, but Twilight hadn't even told me about The Ebb yet... come to think of it, I doubt she would even want me to try and use it right now. She's always so careful with everything." She then struck a mock, pose of Twilight and began to mimic speaking like her. "Sweetie Belle, make sure you read chapter thirty-nine of that book I sent you, or you won't be able to follow step forty-seven which I laid out for today's lesson!"

Scootaloo snickered along. "That's so her. So, wanna go find Apple Bloom?"

"Sure! Oh, wait!" She suddenly stopped talking and hugged Scootaloo very tightly.. "You know the drill, we haven't hung out for a month, so that's a month’s worth of hugs!"

Scootaloo blushed and tried to pry the filly off, but she wouldn't budge. "Get off, please."

"Nope, not until you get twenty-nine more hugs!"

“Get off me!” Scootaloo managed to squirm out of her grip and took off, but she knew she had only delayed the inevitable. When Sweetie Belle wanted to hug you, it was gonna happen one way or the other.

Sweetie Belle chased her all the way to Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo had, somehow, given her the slip, but it didn't matter. Not for long, anyway.

"Okay, that's hug twenty-six. And twenty-seven," Sweetie chanted while hugging her friend very closely again.

Scootaloo blushed, but couldn't help but feel happy after so many hugs. "Let's not not talk to each other again. It was kind of stupid of us..." Scootaloo admitted as she returned the final hug on the edge of the farm.

"Yeah. Heh, you know, it's funny. I wanted to come visit ya, but even when I wasn't busy, I didn't know where you lived. You didn't let me walk you home all the way that one day so..." Sweetie trailed off awkwardly, hoping Scootaloo would pick up the conversation.

"Oh, right. I live, uh, kind of near Bubbles’ house," she said honestly.

"But," Sweetie blinked and shook her head in confusion, "that one night, when I walked you home, you went past Rarity's place and Bubbles is before it," she pointed out with a raised brow.

Scootaloo felt the beginning of sweat beads forming on her forehead. "Did it?! Well, you know how it is in the dark. I must have gotten turned around or something- hey, look, it's Apple Bloom!"

While Sweetie Belle mostly certainly did not buy Scootaloo's hasty reply for a second, she was glad to see her other friend.

“Girls? What are you’ all doin’ here?! We’re not supposed to Crusade until--”

But Apple Bloom’s question was cut off by Scootaloo. “We’re not Crusading, we just wanted to hang out. No breaking promises there,” Scootaloo pointed out with a wink and a friendly nudge.

Apple Bloom blushed in response to this. She never realized how easy it was to get around a Pinkie Promise™. “Oh, well, alright then.” The filly cracked a smile quicker than Sweetie Belle in a hug factory; if hug factories existed. “So, I guess you wanna know my progress with my Earth Pony magic, huh?”

They both nodded enthusiastically causing a smirk to etch its way onto her muzzle. “Right, follow me!” she called after them and cantered off into the farm.

“Where are we going?” they both called out while struggling to keep up.

But Apple Bloom refused to respond until they neared the center of the farm. When she finally did it was with a tired, shaky breath, “Okay, so I’ve been learning,” she paused to pant some more, “how to grow plants and buck trees.”

Sweetie nodded as she surveyed the row of planted seeds. “Uh huh, how far did you get?!”

“Watch,” Apple Bloom commanded and then firmly pressed her front hoof onto the soil. They watched with transfixed eyes, wondering just what she could be doing. Apple Bloom had her eyes closed and her face seemed to be scrunched up in pure concentration.

Focus, was all Apple Bloom could think about. Focusing on a sprout popping out of the ground. Then, for a split second, she finally saw it through her closed eyes. The seed below the earth seemed to glow a dull orange and a tiny sapling sprouted from the earth. Somehow she could just tell that was what was happening even with her eyes shut firmly tight. Of course even if her magic or whatever was going on, didn’t guide her, she still knew about the new sapling judging by the sound of her friend’s collective gasps.

She grinned and looked back at her friends. “I think I’m doing pretty good, huh?”

Scootaloo laughed a bit nervously and nodded. Better than the flightless Breezie turned pony, she thought snidely. “Heh, yeah! That’s pretty cool, Apple Bloom. Right, Sweetie?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes were still bulging out of her sockets. It was as if Apple Bloom had discovered how to do magic! She knew earth ponies were good at farming, but what she did was the equivalent of using her hoof as a horn. What other explanation could there be? “Wow, Apple Bloom. That’s great. You’re a natural!”

The farm filly rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Nah, that took me, like, this whole time to learn how to do it. I’ve just been bucking trees most of the time, but I’m so glad I figured this out… sort of.”

Scootaloo tilted her head in curiosity. “Sort of?”

She hesitated before replying. “I don’t really get it that… well,” she responded slowly. “Earth Pony magic is really hard to understand.”

Sweetie scrunched down to examine the sapling closer. “Then how did you do this?”

“I kind of focus a bunch and I can feel something, like a magic or something and I, uh, pull?” she half guessed.

Like magic? “Like The Ebb,” Sweetie muttered.

Scootaloo heard her, however, and nodded in understanding. “Earth Ponies can go through the planet’s shield thing?”

Apple Bloom gawked at both of them. What shield? “What are you two talkin’ about?”

Sweetie Belle recounted to Apple Bloom everything her sister and told her. Again, it was a struggle to keep it all in, but she managed. Hopefully, it’s so complicated, Sweetie thought.

Apple Bloom examined her hoof all over, wondering, deep down, if it could penetrate this Ebb. Could all Earth Ponies do it? Or was this just something for unicorns, but if that were the case then where did Earth Ponies and Pegasus get their magic? For that matter, where did the Princess’ obtain it? “I… I don’t know about any of that. Granny never mentioned anything like that or Big Mac. And you say you can’t push through it?” she said, indicating to Sweetie who shook her head. “I’m stumped then. You probably should ask Twilight.”

“I bet Rainbow would know,” Scootaloo muttered.

“She’s just your answer for everything, isn’t it?” Apple Bloom said impatiently, but the three then glanced at one another and chuckled. “Heh, I missed you girls- oomph!” Apple Bloom was suddenly cut off due to being hugged forcefully by Sweetie Belle. 

Thirty or so hugs later, the three were back in the clubhouse, talking amongst each other. “It’s kind of funny how much we all learned by, well, not Crusading for our marks,” Sweetie commented. “Heh.”

Scootaloo, still with her outfit on, twitched her wings rather nervously, though they didn’t move as fast as usual. “Uh, but I didn’t really, uh, learn anything yet, “ she said with uncharacteristic shyness.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “You got that cool outfit and learned how to start flying. And Sweetie’s right, I think we all learned a lot. And… oh.” Apple Bloom trailed off upon noticing the melancholy look of her two friends.

Scootaloo had been frowning and looking away. Crusading is slowing us down; Crusading is the issue and why were- were not getting our cutie marks, Scootaloo thought. She glanced around, noticing that Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom seemed just as depressed.

It was as if all three of them had come to a collective realization, one they didn’t wish to believe, but seemed so true. It would seem that Crusading had been slowing down their progress, for collectively they knew as much about magic as a cupcake knew how to speak. If it hadn’t been for their guardians and new teachers, they wouldn’t have learned a thing and would have been stuck toying around with potential cutie marks that never seemed like they would come. It was a disheartening thought.

For a while, nopony seemed to want to talk, and yet again it was like being back in class, still being with one another, but never engaging; for they were too afraid to break their oath. When somepony finally did speak, it was with an air of aloof coldness, “I think I’m gonna go talk to Big Mac or… something. Bye,” Apple Bloom said, and she quickly left the clubhouse.

Scootaloo reached out for her, but she was gone. She wished to scream out for her, too; but it was no use. What the hay?! she thought in a panic.

“I’ll, um, see you later, Scootaloo. Bye-bye,” Sweetie said with one last hug and with that, she was out the door.

“Bye…”

Now alone, Scootaloo looked out the clubhouse window, up towards the sky. A place which, to her, seemed impossible to reach.

“Cloudsdale,” Scootaloo said firmly. “I have to get there. I can find someone to teach me how to fly, then all I have to do is help them learn their magic and we can Crusade again!” We can be friends again, she thought desperately. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but seeing them walk away made her feel like they were walking away from their friendship. Every day since she had traveled to Ponyville since she had changed into a pony, she had struggled to find an identity and a home; to make Ponyville seem like a place in which she belonged. It was a real struggle to fit in with the other ponies and to learn their customs. It was a struggle to enroll in class without drawing suspicion and to trick others into believing that she had a home of her own with a loving family, just like everypony else. 

But, most importantly, it was a struggle to find real friends whom she could call her family. It didn’t happen overnight, even when she had first met them, but now she couldn’t imagine her life without them.

She walked out of the clubhouse and began marching with purpose towards the center of town. “I’ll keep my promise, girls. I’ll fly, and then I’ll help you fly,” she stated, truly believing every word she said. “But first, I need to get my things.”





It didn’t take Scootaloo long to grab her belongings, as she didn’t actually own that many. A stitched up saddlebag was now tied firmly to her side. Inside she had brought a bit of food, her new outfit, some bits, a scarf, and her doll. She almost hated herself for clinging to such a girly and childish toy, but a big part of her would never leave it behind. Just clutching it at night filled her with a warm sense of security; like she had a loving mother watching over her while she slept.

When she went to leave, both Ditzy and her daughter were, thankfully, napping on the couch together. Scootaloo felt very guilty for ditching Bubbles like this, especially after she had just taken her in. But it wasn’t as if the place truly felt like home; leaving it made no difference to her and only saddened her spirits slightly. It wasn’t until Scootaloo had reached the outskirts of town until she was filled with a strong pang of guilt; not for leaving Bubbles, but for leaving Ponyville, and her friends, behind.





She felt as if she were soaring to the stars. While it wasn’t exactly she that caused it to happen, it didn’t feel any less real. The air swirled around her feathers, fur, and every other part on her body. So fast that they were traveling that Scootaloo was forced to keep her eyes shut tightly, even with the borrowed goggles. She felt truly free for the first time in so many months.





Sweetie kept flaring her horn, trying to sync up with The Ebb with all of her will and focus. Each time that it bumped her magic only gave her more will to work with. She understood so little about magic and about the planet they lived on. She understood very little of a lot of stuff, now that she thought about it. But as her horn flared to life, only to be pushed back yet again, she understood that she had to keep fighting for her friends. They were counting on her.





Apple Bloom continued to grow the occasional plant while bucking the occasional tree. Occasionally she would catch a glimpse of something beyond her, beyond her understanding of the world around her. A strange glow that she would see, surrounding the plants and even animals, even when her eyes were shut tightly. In these moments she would smile, for she knew it must be her body was growing more accustomed to her latent, magical abilities which Earth Ponies were supposed to be so proficient at. She had no real clue if what she was doing was helping her grow as an Earth Pony, and asking her family didn’t yield her any real, concrete answers. But, occasionally she would be reminded of her friends and knew that giving up would be breaking their promise.





She didn’t want it to end, never in a million years. Even if she wasn’t the one flapping her wings or guiding them through the air, it still felt amazing. The air eventually seemed to slow down and soon she could hear the sound of hundreds of other pegasus ponies all flying through the air, just like them. She dared to open her eyes and gasped from the new sight.

Wide and tall buildings all constructed from clouds littered the cloud landscape. Hardly anypony seemed to be grounded at all, and the ones that were all looked as if they could fly circles around anypony that called them out. Two ponies had been racing each other and, mid-race, collided into one of the buildings. It exploded into clouds of dust, but not two seconds later the other pegasi had flown toward it and rebuilt it in ten seconds flat.

“Wow…”

“Here we are, kid. Cloudsdale. That’ll be, er, six bits,” he said, sounding as if he made up the number on the spot.

Scootaloo looked down at the stallion who had broken her train of thought. She had forgotten just how she had gotten here until he spoke. The pony was a grey coated stallion with a white mane and tail. He didn’t seem like anything special, in Scootaloo’s opinion, but he had said yes to her offer. She grumbled and dug out six of her precious bits and offered them to him.

He smiled and took them while bowing his head. “Thanks, kid. I gotta get back to Ponyville now or I’ll be late for my mail route!” He was about to leave her but hesitated as her hooves touched the cloud surface. “You sure you’ll be okay alone?”

She nodded almost too enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah, I’ll be fine. My mom is gonna pick me up soon, this was just easier for her than me being in Ponyville!”

He shrugged. “If you say so. See ya!”

She waved as he left, his body sinking through the clouds below her, and she sighed in relief once he was out of sight. She turned to face the other pegasus ponies, took a determined step forward, and smiled. “Now to find her,” she uttered quietly.
> Chapter Nine: A Desperate Move
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“But where is she?” Scootaloo said to herself. She had been traveling Cloudsdale for nearly two straight hours, but she had yet to even see a hint of the mare she so desperately sought. She had figured that Cloudsdale was going to be like Ponyville, just a town in the clouds that was a relatively decent size; but this place was huge. “It’s no wonder everypony flies around here,” she muttered. “This is gonna take forever on hoof.”

She had been following signs which pointed her in the right direction for what felt like ages. There were so many things that Scootaloo wanted to stop and examine up closer, like shops, houses, playgrounds, all themed for pegasus ponies. But she had to keep moving. 

One thing nopony seemed to talk about much was how Cloudsdale grew darker much quicker than other towns and cities. Being so high up in the air meant when the sun was just past midday the place seemed like it was nearly night time. She didn’t know if ponies here were so used to it that they still slept at a normal time, but either way, she was panicking inside.

“Get it together, Scoots. I can always look tomorrow; not like I, uh, haven’t spent the night on my own before…” Her voice trailed off as the place grew quieter and her nerves felt on edge. “It’s just dark out. Nothing there that isn’t there in the light…” But her words failed to reassure her.

She slowed down when she neared what appeared to be a courthouse constructed of clouds and sighed. I could be cantering around all night and probably not even see half of this place, she thought, sighing again. Scootaloo took a seat on the cloud surface of the court’s staircase and relaxed some.

Had she gone too far? A big part of her was now starting to question her rash actions. She used to wonder just why she always took safety for granted by charging head onto all of her problems. But looking back at her previous life—the life she had left behind for good—it didn’t take a magic scientist to figure out why. She had gone from a life of essentially a collective dictatorship to full-blown freedom, and she was going to savor every second of it. But too often she would find herself in a situation she could have easily avoided by simply thinking things through beforehand. But what else was she supposed to do?! She had to fly! It was driving her nuts!

She slammed her hoof down angrily onto the cloud surface, causing a burst of it to hit her face. Scootaloo grumbled and quickly wiped it off her fur. “Now what?”

“Hey, just shut up, will ya? I gotta get this load over to the Wonderbolts’ stadium, pronto!”

It was as if Luna and Celestia came from the heavens and bestowed onto Scootaloo the answer she sought. She looked over and saw a stockily-built stallion, floating above the steps. Attached to his side was a large saddle bag that looked filled to the brim with stuff. He hastily slammed the cloud door shut and began to take off without warning.

Scootaloo panicked, and before she even knew what she was doing, she called out to him. “Wait!”

The stallion ceased his flying and turned, on the spot, to face Scootaloo. “What?” he demanded impatiently.

“Could you take me with you, please?” she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. “I’ve been trying to find the place all day, but I, uh, don’t fly well. Heh.”

The stallion could have easily said no and have been on his way, but he caved under her giant, adorable eyes and sighed. “Fine, whatever. Get on, kid. Hurry,” he said impatiently.

She beamed and wasted no time in obeying. Awkwardly she clutched his neck for support. She felt giddy and, without warning herself, screamed out, “Hi-yo Silver! Away!!”

The stallion turned to her and snorted. “The name’s Lucky.” Then he soared into the air and flew away from the court, and onto the stadium.

“Scootaloo!” she called out, trying not to be rude.

“Nice to meet ya, I guess. What you need there, anyway? Last I heard, they only want recruits for their team and more supplies.”

They soared at a steady pace, passing by a multitude of buildings that would have taken her ages to get by on hoof. “I just need to talk to them,” Scootaloo called back.

“What? You want an autograph or something?” he said, chuckling a bit. “You better have the quill ready, ‘cause Spitfire has been in one heap of a bad mood.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “She always gets this way during training sessions. Just how she is, so watch it.”

“Uh, okay. Oh, wow!” Scootaloo exclaimed, watching the scenery change from the dimly-lit cloud houses to the amazing sight that was the Wonderdrome, home of the Wonderbolts. This place looks huge! You could house half of Ponyville in here! Wonderful-looking rainbow fountains were scattered all along the sides of the pristine, compressed-cloud walkways crisscrossed the open grounds, and golden shining statues of famous fliers dotted the campus. Surrounding it were recruits, all flying about, attempting to impress the judges that were, no doubt, some of the Wonderbolts themselves. “Awesome!” Scootaloo screamed, forgetting that her voice would fly right into Lucky’s ears.

“Ow!”

“Oops. Sorry, dude.”

“Mm-hm. Sure, you are,” he said distastefully. “Alright, now hang on,” he suddenly announced, and the next thing Scootaloo knew, they were soaring high above the stadium.

Having a rehearsed path, Lucky dived through the other training ponies and swiftly landed elegantly directly in front of the Wonderbolts. He had done this so routinely that Scootaloo got the suspicion that the stallion did this on a daily basis, perhaps even hourly. Scootaloo, however, now faced a new challenge: working up enough courage to speak to ponies that her idol idolized. She gulped and nervously hopped off of Lucky’s back.

“Alright, I got more supplies, Miss Spitfire. Oh, and you got a fan that wants to speak with ya,” he said in a casual tone.

Spitfire ignored him and marched toward Scootaloo with an air of purpose. Her lavishly decorated outfit, burning yellow color scheme of her fur and feathers, and her dark coated sunglasses made her seem intimidating on the surface. However, she cracked a grin when she noticed the size and age of her new fan. “Right, do you want an autograph or something?” she asked in a level tone.

Scootaloo quickly shook her head, causing Spitfire’s eyes to widen in surprise. She corrected herself and eyed the new filly with new curiosity. 

Crud, did I tick her off? She’s gonna kick me out! Scootaloo thought.

“Oh, yeah? Then, what did you need, kid?”

Shaking a bit, Scootaloo dropped her saddlebag in front of her. She reached in, nervously, and took out the outfit that Bubbles had got her. “Uh, I was wondering if you could teach me how to fly… some?” she said while doing her level best to keep her voice steady. “Please?”

It took Spitfire, the leader of the great fliers of Equestria, the Wonderbolts, a few moments to respond. Her brain simply hadn’t fully registered what had been requested of her. She had been asked many things since reaching full fame. Autographs, pictures, interviews galore and, once or twice, been asked upon to teach somepony a trick or two. But never before had any of her fellow Wonderbolts, herself included, have been asked to actually teach somepony how to fly. Very few fillies and colts had issues obtaining flight and the ones that did usually had the good sense not to go parading that fact around. How desperate was this filly that she would not only flat out ask for flight lessons but from the practical queen of flight herself?

Who just does that? Spitfire thought in a near panic. What do I even say to that?!

She crossed the filly’s eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before speaking, “Kid, where… where did you even get that outfit?”

Considering she had already spoken out loud, there was going to be no denying what age Scootaloo was. She had half considered somehow lying and claiming she was a mute adult who was simply smaller than others but thought better of it. “My mom got it for me,” she said in a half-truth. “It’s supposed to help me strengthen my wings because they keep buzzing when I try to fly. I guess I just flap too fast.”

“Too fast…?” Spitfire uttered in a daze. “I kind of doubt that… you…” Spitfire trailed off, however; upon seeing something peculiar, she couldn’t even work up the courage to respond. Most ponies would never notice what she had, not in a million years. When you trained as rigorously as she did and when your special talent involved flight, you tend not to miss a beat when it came to other pegasus ponies. However, the clue was so subtle that she very much doubted that this little filly knew anything at all.

Thinking she was waiting for her, Scootaloo answered. “Oh, I’m, uh, Scootaloo, Miss Spitfire,” she offered with a blush.

“Scootaloo…” Spitfire uttered, again hopeless to come up with anything else to contribute. Her eyes were simply glued to the filly’s wings. She snapped out of it once Scootaloo flickered them nervously. “Uh, Scootaloo, have you ever seen a doctor about your wi- about your inability to fly?”

“Why would-?” She shook her head. “What do you mean?”

“Your wings, kid. Haven’t you ever noticed that the color of your wings is slightly darker than the rest of your coat?” she said in a very business-like manner. “I don’t believe your wings are receiving enough magic, or perhaps any at all.”

Scootaloo’s mind did a backflip on this. She did not expect to hear this. She didn’t have enough magic? No. Her wings didn’t have enough. It was simply unthinkable, but when she actually thought about it… some things did make more sense. Wait…



“You will not get what you wish, young one. You think you will just live with the ponies and soar to your heart’s content?”

Scootaloo felt more frightened than she ever had in her entire life. Why was the Elder acting this way? What upset her so much? Surely she saw the logic in wanting to be like other ponies? They were amazing creatures! Hesitantly, she stepped forward to speak her argument. “Um, yes?”

The Elder snorted at her. “You will march back in line and work for the greater good of our colony! If even one of us is absent from our toil and work, then it all will fall apart! Everything we’ve worked for, young one!” With every word, she punctuated with a fierce voice, all attempting to come crashing down on Scootaloo.

“So what if I’m not here to work? There’s a million of us! Just let me go!” she roared, snarling at her. “Every one of us should- should be free! Free to do what we want!”

The Elder snarled back. “You want to throw your lot in with them? You want to be one of them? Fine!” The Elder dropped everything that she was doing and began to grab random ingredients for other potions off a nearby shelf. She wasn’t even paying much attention to how reckless she was being, as some of the vials dropped and shattered to pieces against the ground. “You will be a pony,” the Elder stated, much to Scootaloo’s delight, “but you will not find your way. You will not be happy, you will not find your place in this world. You will never find your purpose; the one you seek so desperately. Never!”



Before Scootaloo even knew what she was doing, she had begun to breathe at an incredibly fast pace. It was something she had avoided for so long, but she couldn't help but feel that the Elder had been correct. She knew that by going down this path was doomed to fail. She was warning me… Scootaloo thought with dread.

Spitfire continued. “Of course, it’s probably a s- oomph!”

Scootaloo wasn’t listening, however, and had charged forward, nearly knocking Spitfire off her hooves. She didn’t bother to look back, or even where she was going. The tears that now pooled in her eyes were blinding, but she didn’t care. She had to get out of there; to not be seen by anypony. The sheer embarrassment of openly crying in public, in front of Spitfire no less, felt so great that she started to sniffle, even when she was panting for more breath. She ran and ran for what felt like hours, but what closer to twenty minutes later, she collapsed onto a cloud bench and sighed.

There were no more tears left, only shame and a sore neck from all the running. She felt dizzy and dehydrated. To her astonishment, she had appeared to have lost her bag somewhere. Did I take it off back… there? She shook her head at the thought, not remembering at all. She felt that it didn’t matter, anyway. There was no point in going back for the suit. What help could it bring now? And the doll that she had packed away, along with her worldly possessions, no longer brought her comfort. The thought of them simply disgusted her. She had been so stupid and so reckless to even think she could be a pony or even a pegasus. The Elder had been right.

There was nothing she could do. There was no returning to life as Breezie; she’d rather live her entire life as Diamond Tiara’s servant than, ironically, serve her life to the Breezies. “I’ll have to live my life as just a regular pony… nothing special,” she whispered to herself. Except now, as a pegasus pony who couldn’t ever fly.

If she was lucky, some guard would pick her up and take her back to Ponyville; that was if Bubbles was out looking for her. She didn’t want to think of what could happen if her luck turned even more rotten, but neither result really mattered to her much. She felt completely and totally numb.

It was an odd feeling to not feel anything, but she welcomed it with open hooves. ‘Disappointed’ didn’t even begin to describe how she actually felt; but by ignoring her emotions and feelings, she was able to feel nothing. Giving up on her hopes and dreams felt so liberating that it was like a switch had turned on in her, one that siphoned all of her stress and worries away. For a while she considered simply resting, maybe going to sleep; but her body refused to cooperate.

When it became apparent that she was not going to be doing any sleeping, she sighed and walked away from the bench. “Maybe I can find a nice pegasus to give me a ride down. If I’m lucky,” she said to the cloud floor. Scootaloo walked off in a random direction, not caring where she was going.
> Chapter Ten: Spitfire's Mission
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the shock and awkwardness of the strange filly’s outburst wore off, Spitfire turned back to face her new recruits. “What are you looking at? Back to drills!” she barked out, causing them all to scramble and fly off.

Spitfire hastily stuffed the filly’s bag with her belongings and set it aside. She focused on the flying recruits and found, to her amazement, that nopony was screwing up much anymore. Of course, they could just be having a lucky day, she thought wearily.

"So, that just happened,” a stallion’s voice piped up from behind.

She turned back and saw one of her teammates, Soarin’, grinning sheepishly at her.

Spitfire rolled her eyes and nodded. “Yeah, it did. You didn’t happen to see which way she ran off to, did ya?”

He blinked in confusion, then giggled nervously back at her. “Not unless she was in that pie store…”

She sighed and donned the filly’s bag. “Fine. I’m gonna go stow this in the lockers. Watch them,” she commanded, pointing a hoof at the other recruits. He saluted her and she flew off.

Spitfire wasted no time in practically slamming the bag into her locker. She had no time for crying fillies or lost bags. She glanced back at the locker and sighed. I’ll deal with it later, she thought bitterly. A simple smile and a quick explanation would calm the filly’s fears and Spitfire could move on with her life. If I find her, she reminded herself.

Cloudsdale was a pretty big city. Not being limited by having to build things on land, they could, potentially, make the place as big, or small, as they wanted. Expansion had slowed down over time, but there was no denying that Cloudsdale was a very big city.

She was crying, she thought all of a sudden. She grunted and did her best to ignore her conscious, though, so she could focus on finishing up the rest of her day. Colts and fillies cry all the time. She’ll be fine.

Just then she heard a loud crash and rushed out to see what the commotion was about. “Recruits,” she muttered with another sigh. A dozen or so pegasi all laid sprawled out on the floor, looking as if they had just outrun a flying dragon. Most looked to be in a dazed state. She could waste her time here, picking up the recruits and getting them back into formation, or she could go console a crying filly. Both choices seemed so horrid that she nearly cried out in frustration, but she kept her cool.

She looked back and forth, wondering what to do, then finally decided. A few moments later she was out of the stands, flying high above everypony, with a small saddlebag attached to her side.

“Soarin’ owes me, anyway,” she muttered.

Several moments later were spent asking random ponies if they had seen a grounded, orange-coated filly. Of course, she didn’t use these exact words; stating that she wasn’t flying about was enough to get her a few nods of recognition. After several flybys, a few turnarounds, and a quick right, she had found the filly in question. She was walking lazily away from her but didn’t appear to know where she was going.

“That was easy enough,” Spitfire said under her breath, and she performed a graceful landing in front of the filly. “Uh, hey. Scootaloo, right?” she tried.

The filly nodded slowly. 

Spitfire had seen enough starstruck fans to know when this was not one of those cases. “You dropped your bag back there. Here.” She held it out and was shocked to the point of stepping backward when Scootaloo swiped it from her hooves angrily.

“Thanks,” Scootaloo replied icily and she strolled off again, not expecting any other reply. She knew, of course, that it was the Spitfire that she was snubbing off; but frankly, she didn’t care. Everything felt numb to her.

Why are fillies always such emotional… things? Spitfire thought to herself. “I can fix your wings, kid,” she said in a blunt manner. “You didn’t let me explain that before you, well, ran off.”

Fix my wings? Scootaloo thought while her body stopped dead. Anger boiled up through her. How dare she even insinuate that somepony’s wings were broken! Like she was some… toy!

“Thought that would get your attention, kid. So--”

She whirled around and stormed at Spitfire with a fury she didn’t even know she could possess. Her mind felt as if it had just woken up from a very deep sleep, and she no longer felt the cold numbness from before. She snarled up at the mare, which took Spitfire by surprise; and she was especially surprised when Scootaloo suddenly reared up and headbutter her under the chin hard enough to knock her sunglasses off. They raced through the air and dropped beneath the clouds before the mare could even think of reaching for them.

“I’m not some broken filly! I don’t care how famous you are or how awesome Rainbow Dash thinks you are! My wings are not broken!” Scootaloo screamed out at Spitfire, ignoring the gawking stares of the other ponies. For a split second, she felt as if she had gone too far, but she shook her head and practically shoved Spitfire out of her way. Again, she didn’t care where she was heading now, so long as it was away from the other pegasus.

Spitfire had half a mind to march over to the filly to teach her a lesson. She had seen grown stallions and mares cower under her gaze, so it wasn’t hard to imagine that a stern talking-to would set this filly straight. Instead, however, she snorted and simply decided to fly away. Doesn’t want my help? Fine. Ignoring her conscience and her patience, Spitfire soared back through the air and in a matter of moments was back at the stadium. Her obligation to the strange filly was fulfilled; she had returned the bag and, as far as she was concerned, if the filly didn’t want any further assistance, then she wasn’t going to get it.

“Hey, what happened to your sunglasses?” Soarin’ asked.





“After you’ve re-done the entire yard, you can come inside for lunch and to start on your homework, Missy,” Filthy Rich stated as he hoofed her a trash bag and a few other tools.

Grumbling to herself, Diamond grabbed the bag and started to pick up leaves from the courtyard. She yelped in surprise when something hit her in the back and she whirled around, spotting a very broken pair of sunglasses that had seemingly come from nowhere.

“Somehow, Scootaloo, I know that was you,” she stated confidently. “I’m gonna get you back so bad--”

“What was that?” her father's voice interrupted.

“Nothing!”





“Never you mind! Did you get the recruits back into formation?” Spitfire snapped at him.

“Uh, mostly. A few sort of… quit.”

“Whatever. Wusses, the lot of them!”

Soarin’ blinked at her while shaking his head. “Wait, did you tell that filly how to fix her wings?”

“She didn’t want my help. I brought her bag back and that’s all I had to do,” Spitfire said rather bluntly.

“Interesting. You ever knew a filly to turn you down?”

She sighed. “No, but I don’t care. She’s just another brat. I just want my day to be over with so I can rest some, alright?”

“Alright, alright,” Soarin’ said, holding up a hoof placatingly. “But how did you word how you wanted to help her? I’m just curious.”

She gave him a seething glare, but he held both his hooves up and smiled back.

“Just humor me,” he said in a pleading tone.

Spitfire stared up to the setting sun and muttered some curses. “Fine. I said I could fix her wings.”

Soarin’s muzzle made a hissing noise and he shook his head in an exasperated manner. “You used those exact words? You never were good with children.”

“I was trying to help that brat, and she assaulted me and knocked my sunglasses right off my face, that little--” she paused to curse under her breath again. “All I said was I wanted to fix her freakin’ wings!”

“Okay, I’ll admit that I don’t know much about foals either, but they probably don’t like being told that something about them is broken,” he said sagely. “Just a thought, anyway.”

She threw up her hooves in defeat and stormed off. “Too late for that. She’s probably a million miles away by now. Let’s just forget this and finish our day.”

Looking up, the duo looked at the recruits who had begun to fly off course… again. “I think they’re gonna crash again… yep,” Soarin’ said.

If ever there was a time where Spitfire wished she could be a pretty princess, one that could burst into flames, it was there and now. Instead, she shot back into the air, determined to have at least one thing go right that day.

“Don’t know how to talk to foals, huh? I’ll show him,” she said over the wind. A plan quickly formed in her head on how to deal with the distraught filly. It wasn’t perfect, but if she could keep her cool then she may just stand a chance. Spitfire then suddenly stopped in midair to think. “There’s no way that kid would want to talk to me if she’s anything like… well, me. Think, think, think!”

I don’t care how famous you are or how awesome Rainbow Dash thinks you are!

“That’s it!”





“And that, Fluttershy, is how you stay so awesome, like me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed then struck a pose reminiscent of some heroic warrior. “Any questions?”

A sudden gush of wind and a blurry figure swept past Fluttershy and yanked Rainbow Dash out of the air before the yellow mare could blink. When the dust and wind died down, Fluttershy found that she was no longer staring at her friend, but an empty field.

Fluttershy blinked, supremely impressed. “Yes, um, how do you teleport? Teach me… if that’s alright with you?”





Rainbow Dash wouldn’t say she was a heavy dreamer. Despite how often she could be seen sleeping on the job, she very rarely woke up screaming from a bad nightmare or waking peacefully from a splendid dream. This was, however, one of those splendid dreams. It had to be! How else or why else would The Spitfire of The Wonderbolts be carrying her through Cloudsdale?!

Oh man, what if we’re going to face an attacking dragon and she needs my awesomeness to help stop him?! Or her, I’m not picky!

“Uh, have you been listening, Rainbow?” Spitfire’s voice suddenly echoed in her head.

Rainbow blinked then looked up and saluted her. “Yes, ma’am! I’m ready to face whatever’s attacking Cloudsdale, ma’am!”

“...What?”

“Uh, isn’t there a monster or something that’s rampaging Cloudsdale? A dragon? Something awesome to fight?” Rainbow asked in confusion.

“No, just a filly who I scared off. She mentioned you, so I figured you could help. Do I actually have to start over?” she asked back in a huff.

Rainbow blushed when she suddenly realized that it couldn’t be a dream. For one, the wind felt too real and the way that Spitfire gripped her had started to hurt. 

Spitfire rolled her eyes, then dived once more into the story of how she had upset Scootaloo and where she had run off to. Rainbow remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Oh, right.” She plopped Rainbow down onto a cloud bench and landed near her, “I need you to explain to her how to fix her wings. She won’t listen to me, but maybe if she hears it from somepony she knows…”

“Oh, okay. I don’t really know too much about her though. Just that she kind of worships me and stuff,” she said matter of factly.

Cracking a smile, Spitfire soared back into the air. “That’s perfect. She was somewhere around here, by the way. Spread out and find her; if I see her first then I’ll come get you.”

“Wait! How do I fix her wings? I didn’t even know they were broken,” she said, feeling rather guilty inside.

Noticing this, Spitfire sighed. “Look, most ponies would never notice something like that. I only knew because… because of a friend of mine. She went through the same thing. But, anyway, just tell her that I heard you had some trouble flying and you know a foolproof plan on how to help. Yeah, that should work,” Spitfire said while rubbing her chin in concentration. “Tell her that you know a friend who can help, then come find me. Alright?”

Rainbow Dash saluted and sped off before Spitfire could even breathe. Just gotta find a little filly in Cloudsdale. Easy! Rainbow thought with determination.

The Element of Loyalty was that for a reason; she was not honesty. Rainbow had told more fibs in her life than Pinkie had eaten cupcakes in hers. If there was one pony, however, whom she lied most to, it was herself. Things in life often weren’t as easy as she always had claimed. Being ‘awesome’ required hard work, training, and focus. Fighting off evil villains usually came down to careful planning and lots and lots of dumb luck. And, finally, finding a lost filly in a huge city, meant for flying ponies, was not easy in the least bit.

It had been well over thirty minutes, and Rainbow had not seen even one hint of an orange-colored pony. It was a testament to her patience and respect for the little filly that she didn’t stop for a cider break by now. Stupid cider stand... taunting me, Rainbow thought, while glancing over at the stallion who ran it. He waved and grinned.

She dashed away, leaving a trail of cloud dust in her wake. The stallion coughed and sneered back up at her. “She’ll be back… nopony escapes from Poe!”

Moments later, Rainbow found that her right wing had started to cramp, so, reluctantly, she landed. “How do you even find a flightless filly in Cloudsdale?” she said impatiently. She blinked, then looked back to her cramped, fluttering wings. “Duh, by not flying.” She could have slapped herself for being so thick-headed, but she had no time to waste with self bodily harm. She trotted off on hoof. She had a filly to find!

“What do you mean, you don’t pick up random fillies from off the street?!” a distant voice proclaimed.

“I don’t know how to be more clear than that,” a mare replied.

“Well, I’m, uh, royalty! Yeah! Royalty! So, C'mon! I just want to be flown down there!”

“You are not royalty, and I don’t feel like being arrested. Good day.”

“Arrgg!” the voice screamed, her shout echoing in the streets.

Rainbow’s ears swiveled. That had sounded familiar. “Scoots?”

The filly froze in her tracks, trying to process just who had used her name. Slowly she turned around and nearly smiled until she had remembered her current predicament. “Uh, hey, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey, kid. Heh, I didn’t know you lived up in Cloudsdale. Pretty cool.”

“I don’t.”

“Hmm, then what are you doing up here?” She wasn’t sure how to tell Scootaloo to stay put; that she knew how to help her if she would just listen to Spitfire, but stalling for time seemed like a better idea than anything else she could think of.

“Oh, just visiting and stuff,” she said while circling Rainbow, casually. “Why?”

Rainbow was taken aback by the blunt manner in how she spoke but shrugged it off. “Oh, no real reason, just curious is all. Uh, so how’s your flying been going?”

A million scenarios raced through Scootaloo’s head. Did she already know? Had she always known? Did Spitfire know that Rainbow Dash knew her and rushed off to say something?!

“I’m just wondering because I know I said I’d teach you some things, but you haven’t been by my place in a while,” she said, her hoof scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

“That’s because I… uh, I’ve been busy, trying to be awesome for your lessons!” While it sounded like the most ridiculous statement ever, Scootaloo knew that it wasn’t entirely untrue. She wanted to be ready for Rainbow’s teachings so she didn’t waste anyone’s time.

What a ridiculous thing to say, Rainbow thought while deciding on what to say next. She thought back to how much she had actually interacted with Scootaloo in the past few months. Aside from one incident at a sleepover, there wasn’t a whole lot there. Sure, they had talked, but Rainbow Dash hadn’t actually taken the runt under her wing, and she knew this. Rainbow promised to give her lessons but fell short of actually teaching anything, let alone showing up. She sighed.

“Rainbow?”

“Kid, I know you’ve been having trouble flying,” Scootaloo winced at the comment, but she continued, “and I’ve been so busy lately that I get too distracted to help ya. I--”

“It’s okay,” Scootaloo interrupted. “Really I’m fine.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Don’t you want to fly?”

“Of course! I just… look, something came up, okay? I guess I just--”

“I can help you, kid. Just gotta trust me and come with me. Like, now.”

Scootaloo considered her options. She could say nah and just leave, avoid the embarrassment of having to tell Rainbow about her wings. If the practical queen of flight says something is wrong with my wings, then something is wrong, she thought with an inward sigh. But the smiling form of Rainbow ceased these melancholy thoughts. This is Rainbow Dash… A part of her wanted to really believe that her hero could help, even if she hadn’t exactly been that reliable in recent past. The irony of what Rainbow was, her Element, wasn’t lost on Scootaloo.

“Just trust me and come with me.”

Rainbow held out an outstretched hoof and donned a smile. Scootaloo hesitated, but reached out; and as soon as their hooves touched, she was unceremoniously pulled onto Rainbow’s back. “Hang on, kid!”

Scootaloo hung on for dear life, but she couldn’t deny that she was about to have the most awesome journey of her life.

“But where are we going?” Scootaloo asked, resisting the urge to cheer because she was riding on the Rainbow Dash!

“Cloudsdale Stadium, kid!” Rainbow answered.

“Huh? Woah!” Scootaloo’s body jerked forward and she was forced to hang on, her mind abuzz with what the stadium held for her future.
> Chapter Eleven: To Fly At Last
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Had Scootaloo been able to fly herself, she would have jumped off of Rainbow and soared far, far away from their destination. Of course, if she could have flown, then they wouldn’t be going where they were going in the first place. It made her head hurt to think about. They also made a quick pitstop when Scootaloo finally remembered just where she had lost her bag and suit.

Rainbow kept making nervous glances back at the filly. Rainbow hated not being in control of situations. What if Spitfire doesn’t have a cure? she thought frantically.

Scootaloo had already surmised where they were actually heading; it didn’t take a genius to guess that Spitfire, Rainbow’s mentor and hero, was somehow behind it. She felt her cheeks practically burn when thinking about how she had yelled at the Spitfire. She must think I’m so lame, she thought mournfully.

“Almost there!” Rainbow called back, then curved her flight pattern, aiming toward the stadium. Scootaloo latched on tighter, her thoughts focused primarily on landing safely. Not that she didn’t trust Rainbow, but there was always that chance that she would crash. It had happened before.

Thankfully, they both landed safely and without incident. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the pony that Rainbow had landed on. Scootaloo stared in mild horror.

Rainbow noticed her staring. “Eh, he’s a trainee, he’ll be fine,” she said with a lazy wave of her hoof.

“Did anypony catch the number on that chariot?” the stallion uttered in a dazed state.

“You found her? Good!”

Scootaloo’s body flinched upon hearing the mare’s voice. Rainbow let her down slowly onto the ground and approached Spitfire, but all Scootaloo could do was look away in shame.

Spitfire noticed. She crouched down to get on Scootaloo’s level. “Hey,” she started, almost comfortingly. “Don’t sweat it, kid. I should have told you I had a way to fix what’s ailing ya, instead of starting out with ‘something’s wrong with your wings’. It was, in Rainbow’s words, a totally not awesome thing to say. Can you forgive me?”

 Scootaloo wasn’t sure how to respond, so she latched onto the first thing that came to her mind. “You can fix my wings?”

Spitfire smiled. “I can repair the magic dampening illness, yes. And,” Spitfire took a calm breath to pick her words very deliberately, “I wouldn’t say they’re broken, just that something went wrong, at some point.”

The filly thought back to when she had obtained her new wings and form, to how it had all occurred. If she were a gambling filly (which sounded more awesome in her head than she cared to admit), she’d bet that The Elder of her village had probably messed up her wings on purpose. Yeah, sounds like something she’d do, she thought bitterly.

“What do you say, kid? You up for this?” Rainbow urged with a smile of her own.

“Yeah, yeah, okay. I… forgive you, Spitfire. Uh, so what now?”

The mare grinned, then patted a nearby basin filled with water. 

Scootaloo gulped.

“You ever hear of Poison Joke, kid?” Spitfire started.

“Uh, yeah. Didn’t you have it once, Rainbow?”

Rainbow blushed and mumbled something inaudible.

“Didn’t catch that, recruit. I’ll just have to order you to share those juicy details some other time,” Spitfire said with a laugh. “Anyway, the treatment bath for it is fairly good at normalizing one's magical balance. In your case, Scootaloo, this should help restore balance to your wings.”

She eyed the bath dubiously. Could it really all be that simple? Figuring there was no time like the present, however, she promptly jumped in and sighed with the pleasures from a warm bath.

I missed these, she thought pleasantly, her eyes closed in relaxation. Barely got to do them back with the breezies, and almost never once I turned into a real pony, she thought, thinking of all the times she was forced to bathe in a river or lake.

The warm bath filled her with a sense of calmness she hadn’t felt in ages. It was as if the bath had finally unlocked something she was missing; not just adjusting the magic to make her wings work, but inviting her to finally live among the ponies as a fully functional one. She could now feel the tingling sensation move its way to her wings. It was with a blush that she realized both mares had been gently massaging the bath into her fur.

“Uh, heh heh, did it work?” she asked, attempting to act casual. She didn’t feel comfortable admitting to the two mares just how amazing that bath had felt. She was too awesome for such things. She lifted herself out of the basin and plopped onto the cloud surface. To her astonishment, instead of feeling the water drenched into her fur, it seemed to vanish into it. No, she suddenly thought. They’re sliding off, she noted, figuring it was her natural oils. She felt warm, warmer than she had felt in a long time. 

Spitfire examined her wings and slowly nodded. “They seem fine. The hue seems to have fully returned, yes; but we won’t know for sure until you’re up in the air and actually flying.”

“Pffft,” Scootaloo whinnied with her lips and waved her hoof lazily. “Good luck. Been trying to do that for… kind of a while now,” she said sarcastically.

Rainbow smirked down at her. “Yeah? You haven’t had a world-class flier as your flight instructor, squirt.”

“Yeah, you’re pretty lazy, big sis. When you gonna get on that?” Scootaloo asked cheekily; feeling her spunk and self-confidence return.

Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Heh, heh, we’ll start as soon as we get you back to Ponyville, kid.” She then turned to face Spitfire. “Is that all she needs? She’s cured?”

“Should be, yes. Just keep her close to the ground until you’re sure, but I haven’t had this fail me yet.”

Rainbow nodded then let Scootaloo climb onto her back. “Alright, squirt, hang on tight!”

As they ascended and starting to fly far away from the stadium, Scootaloo called back to Spitfire, “Thank you! I'm sorry I yelled! I think you’re really awesome! Maybe not as awesome as Rainbow Dash, but still pretty awesome. Not that I think you’re lame or anything, it’s just Rainbow’s my big sister, and--”

Rainbow cut her off. “Kid, we’re too far for her to hear anything; and I think we get it.”

The filly blushed but nodded. The wind blew around them, and even as her wings unfurled just slightly, Scootaloo just knew that something had changed. They could finally operate just as they were meant to. She was truly a pegasus.

“We gotta stop at your parents and let them know I’ll be teaching you flying,” Rainbow yelled as Ponyville neared. “And, again, sorry I haven’t been teaching ya, I just get so busy.”

“Uh, it’s okay, but maybe we shouldn’t hold a conversation in the air!” Scootaloo exclaimed while doing her best to keep any air debris from entering her mouth.

“Oh, right!”

The rest of the trip was flown in silence, with the exception of Rainbow’s declaration of her awesome moves. Scootaloo struggled to stay on, but couldn’t help but squeal with delight knowing she was riding on the Rainbow Dash and that she would be flying soon and that Rainbow would be teaching her! It was just too much not to squeal!

Of course, all fun things must come to an end, and this ended with Rainbow landing the two under her cloud mansion or Cloudominium. Rainbow looked down to the filly with sorrowful eyes and sighed. “Kid… uh, look, I can’t believe I paid this little attention to you. I don’t even know where you live!”

Scootaloo made a face that said ‘oh’ but couldn’t reply back quick enough.

“I didn’t even teach you to fly, and now this!”

Scootaloo needed to do some quick damage control. “It’s okay, Rainbow. I-”

“I’m the worst big sister ever. I-”

“Rainbow!” Scootaloo exclaimed, standing in front Rainbow who kept pacing back and forth nervously. “I never told you where I lived.”

The mare stopped, her frown fading. “Oh… that makes sense.”

Scootaloo rubbed the back of her neck nervously. “I haven’t exactly been truthful to everypony, about where I live and why…”

Rainbow, now curious, couldn’t help but raised an eyebrow to the way Scootaloo had phrased her response. “Okay… where do you live?”

“With Dinky and her mom,” Scootaloo replied. Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock, but Scootaloo could only guess as to why. Did Rainbow know Bubbles? “Heh, though I only just sort of starting living there… uh, recently.”

Rainbow nodded. “I should think so since I’ve been in her house plenty of times before. Um, were you adopted?” she asked awkwardly.

Scootaloo nodded, figuring it was mostly the truth. “Yeah, it’s a long story, but, um…” She paused, noticing that she had Rainbow’s undivided attention for once. But all she wanted to do was learn to fly! “Can we discuss it later?” she asked and gave her newly fixed wings a few experimental flaps while gesturing towards them with her head.

Rainbow laughed. “Eager to start? Right, uh, let me think back on this,” she said. She noticed the filly giving her an odd look. “Uh, it’s been a while since flight school, kid.”

“Oh. Was it hard to learn how to fly?”

She chuckled and, to Scootaloo’s surprise, nodded. “Kind of, yes. The funny thing is, once you finally get up there, most of it really is instinct. I--”

“Even the Sonic Rainboom?” Scootaloo interrupted.

Rainbow barked a laugh. “Heh, no, that one’s kind of complicated. But everything else, flying, gliding, doing cool tricks; it’s all based on keeping up with the flow- or, how eggheads would want to put it: The Ebb.”

“The Ebb…” Scootaloo muttered. That sounds familiar, she thought, but shook her head when nothing came to her.

“Yeah, though the tricky thing about The Ebb is just how you use it. Unicorns usually don’t have too much trouble figuring it out, but for us Pegasi it can take a little bit of work.” 

Scootaloo nodded, looking unsure of herself. 

Rainbow clapped her hooves together. “But for now, why don’t we give you a bit of regular practice. Stretch those wings and see what they can really do!”

“Alright!” Scootaloo exclaimed and pumped her hooves in the air. “Um, stretch them in what way? Like this?” she asked while she pushed her wings outwards and used a free hoof to try and tug on them. 

Rainbow slapped it away and shook her head. “Kid, never pull on your wings if you can help it. Those feathers of ours are delicate, and they’re everything. If they get too mangled or banged up, then you’re not gonna be doing much flying.” 

Scootaloo blushed and looked back at them with a worried stare. 

Rainbow nudged her gently on the shoulder. “Here, Scoots, try stretching like this.” Rainbow Dash stretched both of her wings out to her sides and held them at a straight, ninety-degree angle. As she did this, Scootaloo saw that she began to struggle just a bit as she panted like a tired dog, but she was able to keep them steady for a good ten seconds before she let them go. She repeated the gesture again and again until Scootaloo got the picture. After the filly shrugged and tried herself, Rainbow spoke up, “It helps us keep them in balance so we can glide easier when we’re up in the air.”

Scootaloo nodded again but found she could barely keep them straight for more than two seconds at most. “What about flying?” she asked in a sort of whiney tone.

“We’ll get there,” Rainbow promised, “but flying’s no good if you can’t keep yourself afloat through gliding. Trust me, Scoots, this will help you out more than anything.”

“Hmm… okay,” she said, sounding completely unsure. But after around twenty minutes of stretches, she felt she could, at the very least, keep them straight for five seconds without straining to stop. Rainbow smiled down to her and gave the filly a firm nod.

“Good. Now comes the fun part,” she said, and she flew a few inches off the ground. She landed before Scootaloo could even blink, then repeated the maneuver a few times. “Watch my wings closely, kid. Watch and try to visualize your own wings doing the exact same thing.

Scootaloo’s eyes remained transfixed on her feathers. The blue feathers moved, bending downwards then quickly flipped up a few times before the mare’s body was raised high into the air. So transfixed on her wings, she barely noticed when the mare landed and had to force her mind to look away and focus on how her wings would fold in neatly.

Scootaloo frowned after getting a firm nod from Rainbow, letting her know to go ahead and try. She sighed and did her level best to visualize herself, again, doing exactly what Rainbow had done. She tried swiveling her wings several times but had to make the attempt at least ten more before she even vaguely got the exact pattern down.

“Good, now try doing that one more time, and then flap them as hard as you can a few times too,” she added on the end.

“Okay…” she did just that but struggled to keep from gasping as a cool blast of air was suddenly thrust in her direction. In the single moment that it happened, Scootaloo felt her wings tingle, but it all quickly stopped the second she stopped moving them. “That… that felt weird,” she noted out loud.

“That’s good,” Rainbow said with a smile. “Means your wings should be positively flowing with raw magic!”

“It- it does?” Scootaloo stammered, glancing down at her winged appendages with awe.

“Yep, just keep trying that. I noticed you paused from the wind, just get used to it and you should be flying in no time.”

“And that’s how you take off?” Scootaloo said.

“Should be, though when you’ve done it a million times like me you hardly even notice it.”

“R- right.” Scootaloo then tried a few more times to fly into the air, but all that seemed to happen was the tingling grew stronger and felt far more pronounced than before. Grumbling to herself in frustration, she tried again and again until, finally, she felt all four of her hooves leave the ground for all of two seconds. The shock of this new experience made her stop, and she dropped to the ground. She blinked upon landing and started jumping up and down, cheering like a familiar pink mare at a surprise party. “I flew, I flew! Uh… right?”

“You sure did! Not very long, but it’s progress!”

“Progress… The Ebb…” the filly muttered in awe.

“Yep, yatta yatta, Ebb whatever. Honestly, squirt, I never paid much attention to any of that fancy magic talk. Uh, I guess some other Pegasus ponies use it for special tricks and stuff, but for me…” she struck a pose like The Wonderbolts then did a few loops in the air before landing again. “It’s all instinct.”

“Instinct? Uh, but why not teach me about The Ebb? Don’t you know anything about it? Sweetie Belle kept talking about it and its magic and stuff…” Scootaloo trailed off, looking up at Rainbow expectantly.

Rainbow scoffed and did a few more loops while Scootaloo cheered her on. “Instinct, kid. Follow yours and you’ll never go wrong.”

The filly nodded again and scratched her head. She’s hiding something, her brain suddenly warned her. Being so used to hiding in the shadows with her own secrets, she could tell just when a pony was nervously fidgeting around a subject, and Rainbow didn’t seem fully calm about the whole thing. “Um, isn’t there more to flying than instincts?”

Rainbow landed and sighed. “Yes, look, I’m not, um…” Rainbow stopped talking when she noticed Scootaloo staring at her with her utmost attention. I can’t let her think I’m a dropout… stupid flight school, she thought irritably. “There are usually two ways to teach a pegasus to fly,” she said while doing her best to recite what she had learned from flight school. “The old way, how I, erm, mostly learned from, was to toss the pegasus through various situations until they got it and learned to use their wings.”

“Mostly?” Scootaloo asked, hoping for her to clarify. She’s sweating, she noted.

“Yeah, uh, not important. I--”

“Are you keeping something from me?” Scootaloo asked rather bluntly. “It’s just, uh, you’re sweating and stuff and, as Apple Bloom would say, beatin’ around the bush.”

“No! I swear, kid, I… okay, that was a lie. Yeah, I’m keeping something.”

“Isn’t it bad to swear?”

Rainbow felt her hoof hit her face while she slowly slid it down in exasperation. “I dropped out of flight school.”

Scootaloo blinked, then did that a second time, and even a third while her brain slowly tried comprehending those words coming from that mare. Not smiling or chuckling… not a joke, she finally conceded. “What?! That doesn’t make sense! Look at you,” Scootaloo yelled, waving her hooves at Rainbow’s awesome physique and amazing feathers. “You’re awesome at flying! What do you mean you dropped out?”

The mare scratched the back of her neck and sighed again. “It’s complicated, Scootaloo. I can still teach you and everything, but it’s gotta be my way ‘cause that’s all I know,” she said with a shrug.

Scootaloo rubbed the bottom of her chin while she thought about it. “But, how are the Wonderbolts taught? Don’t they all go to flight school?”

“Here and there. I know Soarin’ was a dropout, too; but I think Spitfire went all the way. Flight school’s really more of a guide than a required thing. It’s not like we have a ton of spells to learn or methods of growing stuff to hone in on, you know?”

“But isn’t managing weather hard?”

Rainbow waved her hoof lazily and shook her head. “Well, maybe for some; but I always had a knack for it. Plus, there’s usually only one class you can take for managing weather… stuff. Unless you want to work in the weather factory or something.”

“Oh… um, will I need flight school?” Scootaloo felt Rainbow tussle her mane and laugh.

“I’m sure you will; but for now, you got me as your number one flight teacher!”

“Yeah! Screw flight school! I got Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said with a smile.

“Whoa, kid, wait where did you learn that word, anyway?” Rainbow asked, giving her little sis a stern glare. Scootaloo shrugged with a bashful smile. “Heh, anyway. I never said Flight School isn’t useful; it’s just you probably don’t need it right now. But remember, uh, school is important!” she said with a firm nod. Probably saved a Twi-Lecture by saying that, she thought suddenly.

“School’s boring, Rainbow! You know that!”

Rainbow landed and returned a stern glare yet again. “Kid, if you want lessons from me, you’ll stay in school and focus, ok? I don’t want your… well, I don’t want Derpy to come chasing after me because her kids are behind in class. Got it?”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo mumbled. “Okay, okay!” She suddenly said as Rainbow started to fly away with a shake of her head. The mare suddenly stopped and smiled.

“Good, now let’s get flying!”
> Chapter Twelve: Open and Honest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Uh, are you sure ab- about this?” Scootaloo stuttered, glancing all around her. She gulped and looked down for the seventh time as her hooves teetered on the very edge of oblivion; she and Rainbow stood on a massive cloud that had been placed high above the ground. 

Rainbow merely rolled her eyes and jumped off before swiftly and safely landing on the ground. “Yep, and it’s barely taller than your treehouse, Squirt. Just jump, and I’ll catch ya if you don’t fly, I promise,” she declared with an honest smile.

Reluctantly, the filly gave a shy smile in return; but couldn’t help let out another loud gulp once she looked down again. The ground seemed farther away than she’d care to admit and, despite what Rainbow declared, it seemed way taller than their dinky little treehouse.





“Big sis, have you seen Scoots anywhere? I wanted to… um, well, have you seen her?” Sweetie asked urgently while butting her head between her big sis and a dress she had been altering.

“Um, well no. Have you tried, uh-” Rarity in blinked in confusion. “Where does she live again? I’m sure she’d be at home, right?”

Sweetie nodded and ducked away. “Yeah, I think she lives just past your boutique. I’ll be back in a little bit if that’s okay?” Sweetie asked while looking up with her adoring eyes.

Rarity smiled and went back to her work. “Of course dear, just be safe- oh and tell Scootaloo hello!”

“Got ya!” Sweetie called back but frowned once she reached the door. “If I find her…” she added under her breath.

Just outside, Sweetie Belle was already starting to have her doubts as she shut the front door. “Past the boutique…” she muttered and looked behind her, finding no collection of buildings that could even be defined as a home. She figured that checking each and every one, or at least asking somepony if they knew of a Scootaloo would be her best bet, but then she remembered something. “She said she also lived near Bubbles… oh, Scoots, which one is it?” she asked herself. There was no more hiding the truth from herself; something was up with her friend. She took a seat and pondered what to do and where to look. “I could waste my whole afternoon going door to door…” she muttered thoughtfully with a sigh, but then she glanced back over toward the center of the town. With a wide smile, she stood up and began to canter off toward it. “Or I could ask a certain mare about her,” she announced with a smirk. You wanna keep things secret from us? Fine, but don’t think you can hide from your best friends!

She neared what she presumed to be the mailmare’s abode and stopped to take it in. A two story building with a traditional Ponyville-style thatched roof along with a white picket fence; it didn’t seem any different than any other home.  “Doesn’t look like any pegasus lives here,” she noted, but glanced at the mailbox and gave it a firm nod. As she passed it and cantered over to the front door, she glanced one final time at the emblem of soap bubbles that had been neatly painted on the side of their address space. “Sure seems like the place, though.”

She knocked three times and waited. When the door open, she was forced to back up in fear as the filly who opened it immediately hopped forward at her.

“Oh my Celestia! Are you here to give me my free dresses?!” the filly asked while hopping up and down. She then frowned and looked all over, not paying even one bit of attention to the slowly backing away Sweetie Belle. That was until she turned to glare at her. “Wait, where’s your sister at?!”

“Um… at work?” she said uncertainly. “And what free dresses?”

The filly sighed, turned around and swiftly shut the door without another word. Sweetie Belle resisted the urge to facehoof and proceeded to slam her hooves angrily on the front door. “Hey! Hey, you come back here!”

The door swiftly swung open, revealing the strange filly who stared at her with a dull, almost soulless expression. “What?”

Sweetie Belle sighed and shook her head. “I was wondering if Bubbles was home?”

“Why?”

“Well she’s been teaching Scootaloo and--”

“Oh, you mean my new big sister?!” she asked rather excitedly. For a single, solitary moment, Sweetie’s mind blanked as the words echoed in her head. New sister… Her mind raced with so many conclusions that she had trouble keeping up. She’s kind of a silly filly, maybe she just likes calling her that? Like with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo?

“Um, yes? She’s an orange-coated filly with wings. Have you seen her, lately?”

“Mhm! Mommy said something about her practicing with her other sister. I think she’s near that beautiful cloud mansion!”

“Right, um, thank you!” Sweetie called back and waved.

“Sure, tell big sis to come back for dinner. It’s almost ready!” she exclaimed then shut the door before Sweetie could even process that.

Or she’s keeping a big secret from us, Sweetie Belle thought rather darkly. She made a long beeline for Rainbow’s mansion. She started looking around for either of them and then she swiveled her head up and gasped. There, standing on the very edge of a cloud base that was quite high off the ground, was Scootaloo, who seemed quite ready to jump. 

Without thinking, she shouted out to her, “Wait! Don’t jump!”

Perched on her cloud, Scootaloo gasped upon hearing her friend’s voice and her hoof slipped through the edge of the cloud. She flailed about and tried in vain to flap her newly-healed wings, but all they managed to do was keep her afloat for all of three seconds before she dropped and began falling faster and faster. Sweetie saw her very short life flash before her eyes as Scootaloo’s now limp body began to grow larger and larger, falling directly above her, but the unicorn didn’t possess near enough time to move out of the way. “Scoots!” she screamed over Scootaloo’s constantly squealing voice of terror and then gasped again when she suddenly stopped. Opening her eyes, she found Rainbow Dash had flown in, and now had her friend clutched tightly within her grasp.

“You both okay?” Rainbow asked and they both nodded in an instant. “Good. Don’t worry, kid, we all make mistakes and fall the first time. For the most part, anyway,” Rainbow said rather sagely. She then gently placed Scootaloo back on the ground with Sweetie Belle and waved to the two. “I’ll go set up a safer spot, be right back!” she exclaimed and flew off before Scootaloo could protest.

The two fillies stared at one another in awkward silence. Scootaloo sighed while Sweetie Belle studied her curiously. After a few moments of watching Rainbow move clouds around, the marshmallow coated filly spoke up, “Um, so how’s flying going?”

“Oh, uh, great! Rainbow’s finally teaching me to fly! It’s… a bit scarier than I thought it would be, though,” she said while glancing up at her cloud mansion with a nervous gulp. “How’s your magic going?”

“Pretty okay, I guess. I haven’t actually done anything new since we last… talked,” she said and trailed off awkwardly upon remembering that painful conversation. Scootaloo nodded. “Um, there was a filly living in Bubbles’ place-”

“You mean Dinky?” Scootaloo interrupted.

“Yeah, her. She said to… come home for dinner soon?” Sweetie Belle asked while looking at her with that same curious gaze.

The pegasus filly buttoned her lip as her eyes widened in surprise.

“She also said that you were her big sister now?”

“Um,” Scootaloo uttered, but quickly buttoned her lip again. Of all the things she could have responded with, it was an unintelligible response; something that was both meaningless and gave Sweetie Belle all the information she needed. Scootaloo bit her lip and realized her mistake instantly.

“Scootaloo,” Sweetie asked while glancing up at Rainbow, “what’s been going on with you? What are you hiding?” she asked in the kindest, most gentle tone that she could muster.

Before she could respond, Rainbow landed and smiled at both of them. “Alright, I think I set up something that should give you a bit more confidence in the air,” she stated and had both look up at the assortment of clouds that had been stacked below one another at various levels. “This way if you fall, another cloud should easily catch ya. Ready?” she asked excitedly. Scootaloo turned to face Sweetie Belle with a solemn glance, but Sweetie surprised her by giving her a playful nudge and a smile.

“Go up there! Come on, Scoots! Show me what you’re made of!”

Wordlessly, Scootaloo nodded and climbed onto Rainbow’s back. They waved and Sweetie Belle watched them fly off, though she didn’t leave. “I can be patient, Scoots. But once that lesson is over with, it’s gonna be time to spill the beans,” she said with a wide smirk and took a seat in the grass to watch the show. “You can do it! Go Scoots!” Sweetie squeaked up at her.

“Nice! Got a cheering crowd,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Right, so remember what I said about steering,” she asked.

Scootaloo nodded. “Just flap harder on my left or right wing to turn. I think I got that, at least… “

“Hey, you can do this, kid. I’ll be in the air if you need me, ready to catch ya at a moment’s notice. Though, heh, I doubt I’m gonna be needed,” she noted and Scootaloo nodded since she’d stacked nearly ten different clouds under the top one.

“Right,” she replied and readied herself. She stretched her wings and rolled her neck with a satisfying crack. “Here goes nothing!” she yelled comically and jumped as far out as she could. Her wings kicked into overdrive the second she left the safety of her cloud platform, but she quickly willed them back to a relatively safe speed capable of full flight.

She opted to stay afloat in a straight line, pumping each wing in perfect unison while the wind flowed over her fur. Just as Rainbow had demonstrated, she kept her forehooves evenly placed at her side and did her level best to position her back hooves so they remained straight and never unbalanced her. Just as both pegasi had instructed, everything seemed to be more about logic and less about the actual magic at work, though she could still always feel a gentle breeze of something pulsing through her skin; something that wasn’t just blood and her muscles at work. Each time she would flap, the strange, alien feeling would intensify, giving her a pure feeling of elation. She flapped again and dared to make a right turn away from Rainbow by forcing her left wing to pump harder and faster. She smiled with a successful right swivel around her instructor and made another turn to straighten out.

“Go Scoots! Keep flying!” Sweetie Belle called and starting cantering forward to follow.

“Woot!” Scootaloo yelled and smiled down at her. She hopped onto the first set of clouds for a quick break before quickly jumping off and fluttering her wings harder and faster than she ever had before. Feeling a tad more confident, she dived through another cloud and carefully swiveled her wings at a slight angle to let the wind flow all around her. She began to pant from the exertion and sighed when she quickly realized she wouldn’t be spending much longer in the air. As a last ditch effort to stay afloat, she quickly landed on one of the last clouds and jumped off, feeling truly free for the first time since she could remember, this only lasted mere moments before she swiftly landed right at Sweetie Belle’s hooves. She panted and breathed for several moments and then smiled brightly at her friend.

“Nothing,” she said and took a few more breaths of air, “to it!”

Sweetie Belle leaped forward to tackle her friend and gave her a nice tight squeeze of a hug. “Nice going, Scoots!”

“Heh, thanks.”

As Rainbow Dash started to fly toward them, Sweetie Belle leaned into her ear to whisper, “I expect an answer to my question the next time we’re alone. Got it?” she asked rather sternly for a smiling, hugging filly. Scootaloo gulped and nodded. “Good!”

Rainbow landed then bowed to Scootaloo, giving her a long, proud smile. “Nice job, sis! You flew for a full minute! You’ll be an expert in no time!” She announced and high hoofed her. “Heh, you’re looking pretty tired, though,” she noted to the panting filly.

“Uh, I’ll be fine. Can we go again?!”

“Um, don’t you need to go home for dinner?” Sweetie reminded her, nodding to the setting sun. Scootaloo ignored her and gave Rainbow a pleading look, her eyes opening as wide as possible. 

The teacher merely chuckled and shook her head. “Sorry, kiddo, I don’t want your, uh, mom getting worried about ya. There’ll be plenty of time to practice tomorrow.”

Scootaloo swiveled her head back and forth, giving both Rainbow and Sweetie the biggest puppy dog eyes in all of Equestria, but no dice as each shook their head rather sternly. “Okay…” As they walked on, Scootaloo couldn’t help by shook Sweetie Belle nervous glances while her brain tried desperately to think of a way out of telling her the simple truth.

Bubbles barely believed me… why would she be any different?





Scootaloo lay on her brand new bed and sighed. Dinner had been nice, and it was a bonus when her brain finally realized how easy getting food would actually be from that point on. She was even munching on a few cookies; a luxury to be sure. She smiled after munching on her fifth cookie. “I’m gonna get fat,” she said, but shrugged and shoved in another. Her mind began to linger until reality snapped her back in the form of a cute little filly trying to swipe at her treats.

“Get your own,” Scoots said while sticking her tongue out.

“I already am!” she replied cheekily and tried to swipe at them again, only to have her efforts foiled as Scootaloo effortlessly flew a few feet above her and landed on a shelf, her cookies stashed behind her wings. “No fair!”

Scootaloo smiled then took a huge bite out of another cookie. “Seems pretty fair to me!”

Dinky snorted then smiled up at her. “Alright, you asked for this!” she yelled. Dinky closed her eyes while concentrating for a few solid moments; Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion until finally, she opened them. Dinky’s eyes were so amazingly wide that calling them puppy dog style pupils would have been an understatement.

“Ah! I have to shield my eyes!”

“You can’t! Nopony escapes my cuteness! Nopony!” she yelled.

“What is going on in here?” Bubbles demanded while glaring at both of them. Dinky stopped her cuteness based attack while Scootaloo pointed down at her accusingly.

“She keeps trying to cute me to death!”

“I did not! She won’t share cookies with me!”

Bubbles glanced at both fillies, sighed and then flew a few feet into the air with a smirk. Scootaloo blinked before realizing that she had borrowed a few cookies to give to her daughter before wordlessly leaving the room, still smirking.

“...Did that just happen?” Scootaloo asked. The only reply she got was a rude little filly, wordlessly munching on her new snack. She still had three full cookies left, meaning it wasn’t a total loss, so she shrugged. “...Moms… they’ll be the death of me,” she replied in a melodramatic tone, akin to Rarity’s demeanor. Sighing, she slowly got down from the shelf while carefully balancing her remaining plate of cookies with one of her wings. Not like I’d call her mom or anything… she thought gloomily; the very thought filled her with strange feelings.

She slowly started walking upstairs when she suddenly heard some rustling which ordinarily wouldn’t have bothered her if not for the slight vibration of her balanced plate of cookies. Blinking in confusion, again, she turned back, her eyes widening in shock at the few bits of crumbs left of her once plate of cookies. She grit her teeth, her anger boiling into one solitary thought: “MOM!” she screamed without thinking.





Later that evening, Scootaloo continued to ponder on the last few days. She’d gone from living on her own, minding her own life, to awkwardly bunking up in a little filly’s room with a mare she barely knew all because of one stupid little bully. Her mind wandered in circles before she quite literally shook her head to clear it.

“I just feel so… stupid,” she said suddenly with an exasperated sigh. She glanced outside and her eyes followed the sun’s steady path to the edge of Equestria. The shadows and darkness began to creep up around all of the buildings, projecting ponies scurrying to their homes for the night. Scootaloo blinked upon nothing a strange green light illuminating the pathway to her new home. “Huh?”

It was Sweetie Belle, her pristine horn bright lighting the way through the darkness. Scootaloo watched her unicorn friend canter up to her window, take a seat and wait. She wasn’t sure if she could be seen, but Sweetie clearly wasn’t gonna budge. After several minutes of this, Sweetie began impatiently stomping her hooves into the ground over and over while constantly glancing right in Scootaloo’s direction. With a long sigh, the pegasus stood up and began walking.

“This should be fun…”
> Chapter Thirteen: Out with It!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Scoots, what’s this about? And you’re not leaving until I get the truth, the real truth!” she exclaimed and stomped her hooves defiantly. The ground shook with every stomp; which, for such a light filly, scared Scootaloo to the bone.

“Uh, well--”

“And don’t try weasel out of this! I’ve got you just where I want you!” she practically screamed, then began to laugh maniacally. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed as she laughed. 

Scootaloo shook her head and realized that the last bit had all been in her head; Sweetie Belle was, in fact, sitting quite normally, head cocked slightly, waiting quite patiently for her to reply.

“What’s wrong?” Sweetie Belle tried again.

Scootaloo sighed and thought back to how Bubbles had taken it, which gave her a nasty feeling in the pt of her stomach. “You wouldn’t believe me,” she finally said, sounding almost bitter.

“Try me.”

“I already tried somepony and I ended up yelling at her. I dunno if she even believes me, honestly.”

Sweetie Belle took a seat and studied her friend for several moments. The pegasus kept idly rubbing her hooves in concentration and avoiding eye contact with her. Suddenly Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves and smiled wickedly. “I’ve got it!”

“What?”

“I’ll use a truth spell on you!”

Sweetie continued to smile while Scootaloo could only stare at her in bewilderment while they blinked in unison. The blinking lasted several long minutes before, finally, Scootaloo spoke. “...What?”

“Yeah! That way I’ll have to believe you because you’d need to tell the truth!”

“...What?”

“You just have to give me a few minutes to prepare my--”

“Sweetie Belle! You’re not gonna use some crazy magic to mess with my head! Don’t you remember the last time we did that? With Cheerilee?” she asked, her voice squeaking like Sweetie’s voice often would.

“You’ll be fine! Don’t you trust me?” she asked while giving her a puppy dog eyed look.

“I hate that face! When did you even learn that spell?!”

Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I’ve been practicing privately with Twilight. Now, are you gonna let me use it or not?”

“Oh, so I’m such a big liar that you don’t trust me to tell you the truth without some stupid spell?” Scootaloo asked indignantly while giving her a menacing glare.

Sweetie chuckled. “I thought you said ‘I wouldn't believe you’.”

“You wouldn’t! And how do you know I’m not crazy? I could be not telling the truth and, um, believe I’m telling it because I’m so insane!”

“The spell takes care of that, actually. It weeds out the truth on both ends; so you can’t lie because the, erm, Ebb thingy can find out what’s the truth and what’s not! Or something like that, it’s what Twilight basically told me. So, ready?”

“I…” Scootaloo sighed and nodded, figuring there was no use in lying. “Fine, just do it already!”

“Sure! Here it goes!” she yelled while her horn had already started to glow a dim green. Scootaloo closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves, though it was difficult as she imagined everything horrible going wrong. Sweetie’s magic could burn out, or she could cast it too well, leaving her permanently stuck with the truth!

Oh, Luna! What if I can’t lie for the rest of my life!

“Sweetie, wait!”

“Too late, it’s already done,” Sweetie said and her horn was swiftly snuffed out. “Now tell me, Scoots, tell me the truth!”

The pegasus filly bit her lip while mulling it all over. She wanted to tell her, desperately; but she kept her mouth shut tightly. I don’t feel any different… I wonder if she even cast it right? she thought.

“Well? Let’s go!”

“Uh, I don’t think-”

“Just tell me! You know I could ask you any question right now and you’d have to tell me the truth because that’s how the spell works,” Sweetie explained with her hooves crossed. “But I’m letting you make the decision!”

“How gracious of you,” Scootaloo said with a forced smile.

“Look, the spell’s just to make sure you do tell the truth, okay?”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo said, still mulling it all over. Hmm, you know this could be a nice opportunity to get a few other things off my chest. It would be the spell’s fault, anyway! she thought, smiling slightly.

“I’m waitin-” Sweetie started but didn’t have a chance to finish.

“I think your sister’s often full of herself and talks in a fake accent,” Scootaloo blurted out. 

Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes but chuckled a bit. “Okay, but how about--”

“I think Apple Bloom’s too obsessed with apples and that your singing was way, way better than all of ours. Also, Rainbow Dash smells funny, though not you for some reason,” at that Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but blush like a ripe tomato. “I used to think Luna was the fat one, but I know better now.”

“...What?”

“Applejack’s got crooked teeth but I think she doesn’t care. People keep thinking my parents died in a horrible fire in another town and I secretly let them think that so I can sometimes get free treats and one time a free toy!”

“...What?!” Sweetie Belle squeaked. “That’s horrible! Scootaloo, you--”

“Other ponies think you’re a robot; oh, and I once saw a changeling enter Sugarcube Corner but never leave...”

Sweetie Belle sighed and shook her head. She was tempted to ask about the changeling, but quickly reminded herself to stay on task. “Listen-”

"I think my scooter's haunted because, first off, I dunno where it came from and, second off, the handlebars aren't connected to the front wheel. How does it turn, Sweetie Belle?" she asked and grabbed her before shaking her about. "How?"

“Uh… um?”

“One time I tried visiting Rainbow Dash with Pinkie Pie’s balloon and got stuck up there for a day.”

“...”

“I once tried to dye my hair like Rainbow’s but it turned out all green so I pretended to be sick to wash it out… plus we had a test that week.”

“Scoots! Stop!” Sweetie said and jammed her hoof into Scootaloo’s mouth. “I- Wait, what was that part about me being a robot?” she asked but then shook her head to focus. “Look, I just wanna know the truth about what you’ve been hiding. Tell me, now! Out with it!”

“I can’t stop now! This feels so good! What about the--”

“Now! I command you!” Sweetie exclaimed in a creepily ominous tone.

“Aww, fine. Stupid spell… I used to be a breezie. There? Happy?”

Sweetie Belle took a seat and blinked for a solid minute. The silence actually started to become quite awkward, to the point of Scootaloo wishing to burst, just to have something happen.

“Sweetie?”

“Yes?”

“I said I--”

“I heard you, I did,” she clarified with a nod. “Um… that doesn’t… uh… maybe you should start from the beginning?”

“Do I have to?” she asked. 

Sweetie Belle gestured over to her spell book, its pages open to the truth spell.

Scootaloo sighed and nodded. “Fine. Living like a breezie is horrible! It stinks so bad, Sweetie Belle. You do what they say when they say it for the good of the colony.”

“That’s how ponies work. Adults tell us what to do and we do it because it betters our community,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

Scootaloo glared at her but kept talking. “I would get up every day and it would just be so tedious,” Scootaloo continued while laying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “I could fly, sure, but it was more like floating than anything. Every time I went to do more work, I just…. shut out the world. Get up, collect pollen, work on our homes, repair any damage. Gather food, sleep, repeat. But then one day we went to this world…” she trailed off and smiled slightly. 

Sweetie Belle studied her face, feeling slightly weirded out.

“Well, I guess it’s all our world,” Scootaloo amended, “but they called it another realm. It’s part of a journey we all do, and I didn’t want to leave,” she said, then finally broke her gaze to look back at Sweetie Belle. “Why would anypony wanna leave this place? It’s awesome, and I just hated being a breezie so much!”

“So what’d you do?”

“The elder was pretty much the only one of us that knew how to do any sort of… well, good magic. She was sort of like Zecora in how deep or creepy she could get--”

“She’s not creepy! She’s always been nice to us!”

“You know what I mean! She knew a lot, but nopony knows why. That’s all I meant,” she said defensively, and Sweetie nodded. “I wondered if she knew of a way to turn yourself into a pony. I’d heard of unicorn spells doing that, so why couldn’t breezies do it? Seemed like a stretch, but…”

“Here you are,” Sweetie finished. “So she had a book to help you or something, or...?”

“No, she had squat and she found me breaking into her home. I explained why and she got really angry. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone more angry in my whole life! The next thing I knew, she was lecturing me and telling me how wrong I was, but I kept pushing and yelling back. She sort of stared at me for a while and, before I knew what was happening, she threw some strange powder at me and I woke up near Ponyville like this,” she said while motioning toward her body.

“And you haven’t seen her since?”

She shook her head and shrugged. “I don’t see how. I think I’d have to be a breezie to go back. Nuts to that!”

“Heh, yeah. Nuts,” Sweetie said, but Scootaloo simply narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“You think I’m crazy.”

“No! I never said that! It just… sounds crazy,” she clarified. “I mean, you have to think about all of this and it sounds really, really nuts.”

“Well, you used that truth spell, so…”

“Uh, heh,” Sweetie said and began blushing. “No I didn’t,” she confessed, and let out a nervous chuckle. “I read up on something called ‘The Placebo Effect’ and I knew if I made it seem like I was using that spell on ya, you’d believe it. I can’t do a truth spell! I can barely do magic beyond a light spell, Scoots!”

“...What?!”

“Yeah the spell I opened the book to is something else, I can’t read it yet…” she said while Scootaloo continued to glare at her in a massive burst of anger.

Sweetie ignored the sudden outburst and kept talking. “It’s kind of interesting what you said about the robot and how Rainbow smells. I wonder if she knows…?” she said rather slyly, but gulped once she noticed just how menacing Scoots suddenly looked.

Several minutes later, Sweetie Belle burst from her spot as Scootaloo attempted to pounce on her. “You come back here right now!” she demanded.

“Not until you calm down!” Sweetie yelled.

“Oh, I’ll show you calm!”





Apple Bloom took a slow sniff of her garden and sighed. “Finally, that’s done,” she said and dusted off all of the icky dirt from her coat. It had been an exceptionally long day, and using her newly found magic had easily taken quite a bit of strength from her. But as she surveyed what would hopefully be an entire patch of carrots, she couldn’t help but smile and feel mighty impressed with herself. “Yep, nopony grows ‘em like Apple Bloom!” she declared with a proud smile.

“Except me!” Applejack called out, then swiftly shut the front door to their home before the filly could respond.

Rolling her eyes, she took a seat to relax; but perked her ears upon hearing some shouting off in the distance. Squinting her eyes, she saw Sweetie Belle running as fast as her little legs would carry her, being chased by Scootaloo.

“Hey girls!” she said and waved, but quickly frowned once she realized that their speed wasn’t slowing down at all. “Girls? Girls! Hey! Watch out for my--”

Whatever the farm filly had said was drowned out by the distinct sound of mud flinging around, two fillies crashing into one another, tumbling into a ball, and rolling all the way into a nearby tree. Apple Bloom cringed and, despite being angry over her ruined crops, she ran over to help them. “Yuck, this isn’t mud… it’s- it’s-”

“Tree sap,” they all declared in unison. Both fillies had run straight into the side of a severely damaged tree with its sap practically oozing out of every hole. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo glanced at each other gloomily while trying in vain to wipe off all of the icky mud and sticky sap from their fur. Apple Bloom glanced at them then began wiping her hoof into the dirt. She snorted and began to break out into a complete giggle fit.

“Apple Bloom, what’s so funny?” Scootaloo asked while narrowing her eyes.

“This-” she said between a few more giggles. “This is, ah, ah missed this…” she said as she wiped an imaginary tear from her eye.

Nothing else had to be said. Sweetie Belle smiled over at her friend who began giggling along with Apple Bloom. “Girls, let’s never do this again,” Scootaloo said, her face suddenly turning serious.

“Agreed,” they replied in unison with a rather somber nod.

“All though it’s only been, like, maybe a month? It wasn’t that bad,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “Still, we kept the promise! Uh, ah think so, right?”

“I can sort of fly now!” Scootaloo exclaimed.

“Yeah, and I can finally do more than just sparks! Hopefully, I’ll be learning tons of spells soon…” Sweetie said, smiling at the thought of what she could do to Diamond Tiara.

“Yeah! And I, uh… well, ah had a nice little patch of carrots before you both ruined it…” she said with a slight glare. Both girls chuckled nervously before proceeding to help Apple Bloom clean things up. “That’s better!” the farm filly said, pointing and directing both girls on exactly how to fix up the damaged crops.

Needless to say, the next ten minutes to both fillies felt like nothing short of slavery.

“Well done, girls!” Apple Bloom declared just before both collapsed into an exhausted pile of fillies. “Whelp, we learned magic so… do you wanna hunt for our cutie marks?”

Scootaloo was about to shake her head when Sweetie Belle suddenly blurted out, “Oh! We can become Cutie Mark Cupcake Knights! We can get our marks playing that game!”

Despite the silly idea, both fillies eagerly nodded then high hoofed one another. “Cutie Mark Crusaders--”

Pinkie Pie suddenly popped out of a hole in a nearby tree and screamed out, “Forever!” while pointing her hoof accusingly at the group.

Tilting their heads in confusion, then shrugged. “Pinkie Pie, we kept our promise. We learned how to use our magic and now we’re gonna go crusadin’,” Apple Bloom said, Sweetie Belle also nodded.

“Oh my gosh, you kept a promise! You know what that means?”

“A party?” Sweetie Belle guessed, but to their shock and horror, Pinkie Pie shook her head.

“Nope!” she said and out of seemingly nowhere an entire playing table of figures, dice, chairs, costumes, cards and a massive rule book was pulled from near non-existence only to be placed directly in the middle of the fillies. “You girls will enter a dark, mysterious… mega party dungeon!”

Two fillies smacked their heads in bewilderment while Sweetie Belle grinned up at Pinkie before declaring, “Bring it on!”





“Well, that was fun,” Sweetie Belle said as she gathered up all of the loot she’d acquired through their adventures. She’d won Apple Bloom’s bow, Scootaloo’s helmet and, perhaps most egregious of all, Pinkie Pie’s most prized possession. With a smug smile, the filly began to hastily gather her treasure into a burlap sack before tying it up.

Pinkie Pie’s head was resting on the table as she looked on at the sack longingly. “My party cannon… just gone, in an instant!”

“Eh, Sweetie was on a hot streak. You remember the deal, right? You get my bow for one week, a week!”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Of course. Same with your cannon and this nice helmet.”

“You don’t even own a scooter,” the pegasus pointed out sourly.

“Hmm, good point. I’ll just have to take that next game. But now… let me just check my flank her- and nothing,” she said while pouting. She kicked over her treasures and let her friends get back their possessions with a firm nod.

“You know girls, it’s weird but even after learning how to do magic… we’re still doing the same thing we’ve always done,” Sweetie Belle pointed out.

“Yeah… but it was fun,” Apple Bloom said as they packed away the game.

“Yeah, but, I mean… I just thought our magic would help us become more like our sisters; they’re always going on adventures! It’s not fair, you know? Even Scoots went on one before since she used to be a breezie!”

“Eh, it was sort of like an adventure, but nothing like Daring Do or anything.”

“Huh, wait, what was that last part? ‘Bout Scoots being a breezie?” Apple Bloom asked while scratching her now bow-less mane.

“Long story,” Scootaloo replied quickly with a casual wave of her hoof.

“Uh, kind of sounds like a story worth tellin’,” the farm filly replied with a nervous chuckle, her eye twitching a bit.

“Oh it was, but I already heard it so… hey, how about we go see Twilight! I bet she’ll have an idea for us to go adventuring on!”

Scootaloo thought about it and figured she still had time before Bubbles wanted her home. “Sure, sounds like fun, Sweetie!”

“But you used to be a breezie?!”

“Apple Bloom, we’re way beyond that, come on already!” Sweetie said rather impatiently. “Let’s get a move on, girl!”

Apple Bloom sighed and tried to study the back end of Scootaloo’s body before giving up. “Ah don’t even know what to say.”

As they were walking off, Pinkie Pie stayed behind with her cannon, looking on in utter confusion. “Uh… so can I take my party cannon back?” she called out, but the fillies were too far to hear her. “I’m still gonna,” Pinkie replied with an eerie, stoic expression. Her mane was suddenly straighter than it normally would be.





“Your move, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo said after messing about with her cards and sighing in assumed defeat.

Apple Bloom occasionally would give her a long glance before shrugging and going back to focusing on their game. “How’d we end up playing this again?” she asked and then began messing with her bow which Sweetie Belle had politely returned.

Scootaloo sighed again. “We asked Twilight to take us on an adventure, and this was her idea,” she said, glancing back at the box of strange playing cards. “We weren’t counting on Sweetie Belle getting so into it…”

“I sacrifice more of my life!” Sweetie suddenly announced while pretending to stick a knife in her hoof so she could drip out imaginary blood for her apparent sacrifice. “To summon my Vampire Lord!”

“Uh, aren’t you down to one life now?”

Smiling smugly, she nodded and then glanced back to her new played card. “And I attack you directly!”

“Uh…. uh….” Scootaloo muttered intelligently. “I summon Discord and attack you directly!”

Sweetie Belle narrowed her eyes, glaring at her seriously. “That’s not real… that’s not a move you can make.”

“Okay… uh… hmm…” Scootaloo muttered and began carefully picking up each card in her hand so she could read each line bit by bit. Pretty sure I lost… she thought, but felt like stalling for as long as possible; it may not be a Rainbow Dash-tier game of awesome, but she didn’t want to lose if she could help it!

Sweating bullets, she eyed each of Sweetie’s cards which had been pointed in her direction and narrowed her eyes. Sweetie began doing the same, eyeing Scootaloo’s hand like it was a hidden knife, ready to strike at any moment. After two of the longest minutes of their life, Scootaloo shrugged and revealed her hand. “Game over…” she said with a sigh.

Sweetie Belle started dancing on the table, cheering at her victory, seemingly having the time of her life.

“Okay… that was sort of fun. I guess,” Scootaloo said. “Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah Scoots?”

“Could you stop staring at me, please?” she asked with a nervous smile.

Apple Bloom nodded before speaking, “You used to be a breezie?!”

“Anyway,” Scootaloo said, ignoring her sudden outburst, “now what do we do?”

Sweetie Belle, too enthralled in her victory dance took a few moments to reply. “Uh… another game?” she asked with a cheeky grin and both girls shook their heads. “Aww, c’mon girls! We’ve gotta make the most of our time together!”

Both fillies glanced at one another with a raised brow before turning back to face Sweetie Belle. “Huh?” they said in unison.

Sweetie sighed to herself with a shake of her head. “Don’t you girls get it?”

“Get what?” they both asked in unison.

“Ahem,” all three suddenly heard a young mare say as she cleared her throat. The three fillies jumped in their hooves before turning their heads over to the abandoned party cannon. Pinkie Pie was casually stroking the side of the metal thing, looking at it as though it were a long-lost friend.

“Um, can we help you, Pinkie?” Sweetie asked and that’s when the mare smiled down at them.

“No, but I think you three need help…”

“Huh?”

Pinkie took in a long breath as all three sets of eyes widened in surprise. “It’s simple, feeling overly secluded from your sudden Pinkie Promise ™, Sweetie Belle just came to the sudden realization that spending time with her friends is the most precious thing in the whole world… even more than magic! Oh! Like that one time, I learned that being away from my friends for too long can turn me into a strange kind of mare and my mane gets all straight and not poofy looking! Back to my explanation, Sweetie Belle believes playing games with you two, like Cupcake Knights, might be silly but it’s the one surefire way to stay connected since you three all study different schools of magic. Like me and Twilight, I love baking and helping others and making sure they have fun times at parties, but Twilight loves reading books…” Pinkie then leaned in suddenly. “Um, maybe a little too much, if you know what I’m saying… but she studies unicorn magic which I can’t do and sometimes that makes me really sad, but it’s okay because we’re both really good friends! Does it make you sad that you can’t study flight or crop growing magic like your friends, Sweetie Belle?” Before she could even blink, she kept going. “So I was just wondering if I could please get my Party Cannon back? I need it for a few parties I sort of promised would go on this week and I gotta prepare for the one later this evening- it’s a marriage! Heh, I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when my cannon surprises them, except I can’t if Sweetie Belle is using it and I really need it…”

As she kept talking, the unicorn filly slowly wheeled the cannon out as the mare clutched the base of it, happy to be pushed along. The door was slowly closed but not before the party pony could eek out a few more words.

“Anyway, friendship is kind of like a box of onions, though when I was filly we used to wear them- could only get the yellow kind because of the war and-”

The door to Sweetie Belle’s room was finally slammed shut as an eerie silence overcame them. After a few solid moments, she spoke up, “Um, what she said about friends and studying and stuff…”

Apple Bloom shook her head and shrugged. “Ah thought we all agreed that we can stay friends, what’s the issue?”

“It’s just, uh, well how long before we all get too busy studying magic to even have time to hang out--”

“Not gonna happen,” Scootaloo interrupted with a fierce shake of her head.

Sweetie Belle gave her a dubious stare so she countered, “Friends can get busy, it doesn’t mean we’ll stop being friends. Besides, it’s not like you both can just sprout wings and a horn and uh… big hooves?” Scootaloo jested over toward Apple Bloom, who rolled her eyes but half-heartedly seemed to agree with a nod.

“I… I guess not, just bothers me.”

Both fillies glanced at one another then shrugged. “Well, how about we play one more game of Cupcake Knights, okay?” Scootaloo asked and Apple Bloom slowly agreed with a nod.

“You’re on!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Sweetie Belle mulled it over then finally agreed with a small smile. “Yeah okay, let’s do it!”
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

No, nothing there… nope! Sweetie Belle thought as she tossed aside yet another tome onto a haphazard pile of books, magical trinkets, and countless tomes riddled with magic she currently couldn’t hope to decipher. She sighed heavily and growled yet again as her eyes widened at the sight of something similar to what she needed, only to sigh again when it turned out to be wrong, again.

“Another spell to grow wings… but it says nothing about studying flight as a non-pegasus. Ahhhhh!” Sweetie exclaimed, screaming out before she could stop herself.

“Huh, who’s there?!”

“Great… woke them up,” Sweetie said as she smacked her hoof into her face. “Stupid, stupid…”

“Sweetie Belle, that you?”

“... Um, no…” she said lamely and started to slowly back away. A creeping shadow of a tall, two-legged creature was now slowly cascading down the stairs. Upon hearing her reply, however, it stopped.

“What do you mean no? Is that you or not?” the shadow asked, showing off its long arms while seeming to place them on its hips.

“It’s uh…” Sweetie Belle trailed off and looked around frantically for an out until her eyes suddenly looked upon a miniature basket holding packets of sugar... “Sweet,” she stopped talking again while looking for any other thing to say which wouldn't give her away, and then she found it: a couple of discarded tea bags. “Tea…” trailing off for the third time she scanned the dark room until finally landing upon a rusted old bell. “Bell. Yeah… Sweet Tea Bell!”

Spike finally came down the steps as he lit a candle held in his hand. He walked up to the filly, giving her the most boring, deadpan stare she’d ever seen. “Really?”

“Um…” she trailed off yet again and choose not to speak.

“So, you wanna tell me why you’re making such a mess of my clean library?” he asked, with just a small hint of bitterness in his tone.

“Isn’t this Twilight--” her mouth was forcefully shut as Spike’s claws clamped her muzzle shut.

“Ah, ah, ah! We’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that,” he said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

“Um, right. Uh….” Sweetie trailed off and surveyed the mess that had been a perfectly well-organized shelf of rather large tomes and books. “Sorry, I guess I wasn’t really paying attention,” she said while giving Spike a pleading look. The drake continued to tap his feet impatiently with his arms still crossed. “I’ll clean it up,” she announced and started to do just that.

Spike sighed and started helping, instructing the filly on where each book went. As Spike grabbed the last of them and started stacking each one away, he glanced over to Sweetie who seemed to have a downcast look about her. “Are you okay?”

“What?” she asked, blinking as if in a daze. She shook her head then quickly nodded to his question. “Yeah, I’m fine. I was just hoping Twilight had any books on something kind of specific,” she admitted with a profound blush.

Spike blinked and nodded before leaning in suddenly. “Are you talking about that thing that older ponies discuss away from younger ponies and claim ‘we'll talk about it when you’re older’ sort of book?”

“Spike, we’re going to move on from this topic and pretend what you said never happened. Are we clear?”

Spike nodded and blushed as they both cleared their throats.

“Anyway, I was hoping she had books on, well, the history of magic.”

Spike blinked a few times and slowly pointed over toward the next section over, a spot cleanly labeled Magical History, but the unicorn filly swiftly shook her head.

“No, not like that. Um, how do I put it?” she asked but Spike only shrugged. “Are there any books that talk about what happened before the princesses?”

Spike scratched the back of his head uncomfortably. “Uh, sorta. There’s some mention of it in all those books, and I think Twilight once lectured me about it. But after a while it’s all considered ‘pre-history’, which means most culture hadn’t developed their own, you know,” he said waving his arms about but Sweetie merely shook her head. “Well, language or anything. Or if they had, they hadn’t developed writing systems, which means- No language means-”

“No books,” Sweetie finished and he nodded quietly. She sighed and slumped in her seat. “It’s not fair. I- I just need to know something and I can’t find the answer, Spike.”

“What is it you need to know, my young apprentice?” Twilight asked, seemingly coming out of nowhere, which startled the two.

“Uh, uh, hi Twilight. How long have you been standing there?” Sweetie asked as she pointed.

“A few seconds.”

“Oh.”

Not one for long, awkward silences, Twilight cleared her throat. “Now, what is it you need to know?” she repeated.

Sweetie Belle considered what to say with a long pause. She took a deep breath and glanced over all the books they had yet to re-organize or pick up. Finally, she shook her head and decided to bluntly blurt it out, “Why am I stuck using magic?”

Twilight recoiled slightly as if Sweetie had uttered out a rather rude swear or even insulted her. “I’m sorry? What are you talk-” but Sweetie was too quick for her.

“Why can’t my friends use magic too? Why?” she interrupted, her voice cracking just a bit.

Twilight paused and considered the question for a solid ten seconds before replying. “What is this really about? What are you afraid of, Sweetie Belle?”

She sighed and slumped onto the floor. “I don’t want my friends to drift apart; if they focus too much on their school of magic, and if I keep learning with you, we won’t see each other as much.”

Twilight nodded in understanding. “That’s a valid concern, but I kind of doubt you three will drift; Rarity and Applejack have tough times pulling you apart!” she said and Spike nodded to agree though the young filly didn’t look so sure. “Look, if you’re really afraid, why don’t you three make another pact?”

Sweetie groaned and shook her head. “One’s enough for me, thanks!”

“Maybe a pact that's safer. Just promise each other to help each other with your teaching. Help each other when you’re down or struggling. That way, you can be closer than ever. Maybe you can even set goals for each other.”

Sweetie smiled slightly and nodded just a bit. It didn’t seem as though she was fully on board just yet, though. “Do you really think we’ll stay friends?”

Twilight smiled and could almost seem to giggle, but she kept a subtle smile up and chose not to. “Trust me, I think I know a thing or two about friendship. I don’t think you could get rid of those two friends of yours if you tried.”

“Celestia forbid you decide to take a little break once in a while,” Spike butted in and Twilight playfully whacked him in the back of his head. “Uh, I mean, what she said.”

Sweetie Belle glanced at the magic section thoughtfully before shaking her head. Brightening up significantly, she leaned in to hug both Twilight and Spike. “Thanks, I think I feel a lot better. I’m gonna go set some goals with my friends. Bye, Twilight!” Sweetie said before sprinting off.

“Make sure to come back in an hour for your lessons!” she called, and the filly nodded. As she left, Twilight seemed to sigh in relief before slumping down in one of the library’s many guest sofas. “Glad she’s happy. She’s got a lot of training ahead of her and I’d hate for Sweetie to face it all alone. Her new lessons may be for unicorn magic, but friendship is the real magic, Spike!”

“Twilight, that’s the cheesiest thing you’ve ever said,” Spike pointed out while shaking his head.

“Go to your room.”





The three crusaders now stood parallel to one another on a makeshift stage which had been hastily constructed by Apple Bloom. They had been whispering to one another for close to three full minutes, while an audience of considerably more mature ponies stood on, waiting for their presentation to begin.

Words like ‘princess’, ‘perfect’, and ‘silly’ were tossed around multiple times before, finally, the unicorn in the middle just sighed and began talking, much to the shock of the other two.

“Ahem, thank you all for coming,” Sweetie Belle announced and gave a short bow toward back row, upon which had both Princess Luna and Celestia seated who nodded back. Hesitantly, her friends followed with a smile. “Twilight Sparkle, my new teacher, wanted us to write out a friendship lesson to give, but we uh…”

Scootaloo suddenly piped up and gave her friend a nod. “We feel this is a better way to show what we’ve learned!”

With a prideful smile, Twilight nodded them on to continue while her friends sat idly by to listen.

“Our journey started out when we each wanted to learn real magic,” Sweetie said as her horn lit up, showing off a basic light spell. “I learned how to use my horn for the first time.”

“Yeah, and Ah learned the magic Earth Ponies use to grow their crops and take care of our farm. Ah honestly had no idea how much learning and magic was involved, but Ah kept going for the sake of my friends!”

“You see we’d made a promise to not get distracted and not see each other again until I could fly and they could use their magic,” Scootaloo pointed out. Here, she happily jumped in the air and floated for a few moments before landing in a swift, dignified manner. Rainbow Dash, who happened to be in the room, flew over to give her a high hoof before quickly taking her seat again.

“Nice goin’, kid,” she said, while the others giggled at their excitement.

Sweetie Belle cleared her throat and continued. “We eventually figured it all out even when Scootaloo seemed to be in trouble--”

“Something you two kept to yourselves…” Apple Bloom interrupted in a rather leveled yet bitter tone.

“We said we were sorry, Apple Bloom! Sheesh!” Scootaloo yelled while Sweetie Belle tapped her hooves impatiently as she nodded over to the now disturbed audience.

“Uh, yeah. So I used to be a Breezie, and after being transformed into a pony, I guess the magic stopped me from flying until Rainbow Dash and her idol, Spitfire, pointed out a way to solve it all.

All this while I was dealing with finding a place I could call home, which I finally found,” she said and gave a wink toward her now adopted mother.

“Wait, what? You used to be a… Breezie?” Princess Celestia asked, finally breaking the princess’ silence.

Scootaloo merely casually waved her hoof and shrugged. “We’re already past this, Princess. Apple Bloom’s over it now.”

“Over what, now?” the princess questioned further with a raised brow and a stoic expression of intense focus.

“Anyway, we set goals after completing our promise of learning magic. We haven’t completed them fully just yet, but we’re well on our way. Scootaloo is hoping to be able to fly from Ponyville to the next town over by the beginning of the summer. Apple Bloom wants to help expand her farm so she can have her own brand of apples being sold at Applejack’s stand,” she announced and the mare smiled in kind. “And I really hope I can learn how Twilight teleports everywhere, but since she claims ‘that’s about as likely as Pinkie Pie learning to—’”

“Uh, Sweetie Belle could please not repeat that out loud…?” Twilight squeaked.

“Oh, right, sorry. Um…” Sweetie muttered while the party pony glared at her friend. “So my goal, by the summer, is to learn one new spell by Twilight.”

“We each learned our friendship can be the most powerful tool ever to help motivate us to learn!” Apple Bloom said and Scootaloo nodded.

“We all learned, through each other, that friendship truly can be magical!” they said in unison and everypony began to clap and stomp.

“Truly marvelous,” Princess Luna said and bowed before the trio of fillies.

“Hey, since we’re all here, how about a mega game of Cupcake Knights! Anyone in?!” Pinkie Pie suddenly asked.

“Hey yeah!” they all said, and soon the fillies were helping out the pink pony in setting up the game and explaining the rules.

“But she used to be a Breezie?!” Princess Celestia suddenly blurted out and the fillies merely giggled in response. The princess sighed and decided joining in one game of Cupcake Knights wouldn’t be the end of the world.


The End