Are some dreams truely unreachable? Or can you rise to meet the impossible with the right pony to help you climb there?
Twenty years of peace have passed in Equestria and life goes on as it always has. Scootaloo has long since found her cutie mark and built a life of her own, but lingering doubts remain after all this time. Even now she still can't fly and the childhood dream of taking flight seems even more impossible day by day.
She isn't the only one questioning her destiny though. Another Ponyville resident has similar questions about their choices and the two of them might just be able to answer the same question for each other:
Is it worth holding onto what feel like impossible dreams? Or do you just need the right push to reach them?
--------------------------- Hey everyone, this was my first effort at writing in a good few years so, don't be too surprised if it starts out kind of rough. I started on this during season five but before Crusaders of the lost mark, so after that point I started to go a little further than planned. I hope you enjoy it all the same, everything is appreciated. Cover art by the talented SkyeyPony, used with permission.
Valiance stadium, Crystal empire October 1st - Year 22 under the four princesses
The air felt charged, as strong a melting pot for the magic of the realm as the city below it was for the cultures of Equestria. In recent years the Crystal Faire had gained a reputation for bringing the best aspects of the world together in a grand exchange of lifestyles and tonight was no exception. In the crystal stadium that was a landmark of the skyline, thousands had gathered to watch displays representing what made up the rest of Equestria. As the crowds cheered in anticipation as the show got underway, backstage dozens of stagehands and performers rushed to fill their roles, all except one. An orange haired, purple maned pegasus who sat against the back wall, eyes closed, taking a moment to remember what had brought her here.
"But, Rainbow Dash. What if....What if my wings never grow? What if I never fly?"
"Listen Scootaloo, maybe you'll fly someday, or maybe you wont. You're all kinds of awesome anyway."
She'd been clinging to those words for comfort for for over twenty years now and every time she remembered them, she knew Rainbow Dash's words rang true. She was awesome, in her own way. It wasn't that her wings hadn't grown with her, she had a full pair to match her strong build that any pony would approve of. However, her last worry had come true. Try as she might, as she had been all her life, she could never manage more than a weak, brief hover. Just the thought of it felt like a permanent weight on her, a constant reminder that she'd never be capable of what was second nature to her kind, a lingering question. Was it worth holding onto such a dream when it was beyond her reach?
"You're up in two minutes, miss Scootaloo."
If there was an answer, now wasn't the time to be thinking about it. Scootaloo opened her lavender eyes and nodded at the assistant who had given her the reminder before standing up and stretching. To her left sat her tools of the trade. The first, a leather helmet, coloured deep purple with a pair of blue and violet goggles fitted to it. This held a special place for her not just because it was custom made, but because one just like it was emblazoned on her flanks, a cutie mark she wore with pride.
She picked it up and fitted it into place, taking care to make sure her mane was tucked out of her eyes, before looking to the second. Her scooter, a far cry from the wooden version she used as a filly, now light grey, four wheeled and built in durable metal with red handle grips fitted for her hooves. A quick check over confirmed everything was in working order as she climbed on board and picked up the final item she needed for tonight: A flag of her hometown, Ponyville. She still remembered the first time she had carried such a flag into the arena for the Equestria games, she had done it several times for various events since and each felt as good as the first, tonight would be no different.
With a quiet whoosh, Scootaloo's wings flew open, stretching out in anticipation. Just because she couldn't fly with them didn't mean they were weak though, she'd checked and they were only slightly below the strength of an average pegasus wing. She grinned to herself and pushed off with her front hoof, using quick controlled flaps to maneuverer herself toward her entry gate. Maybe it was something little that kept her on the ground like this, maybe it was something unique to her, maybe she just needed to try a hundred times harder. Right now though, it didn't matter, the lingering thoughts pushed out of her mind as she reached her entrance and waited for the spotlight to appear on her. Right now, she had a job to do...
No, right now, she was going to do what she loved.
The lights came on over her and her wings fired up, rapid, angled flaps to get her up to speed and onto the track running the stadium perimeter, like she'd been doing since she was just a little filly. She could hear the approving roar of the crowd, the backing music she'd picked for the event, the announcers comments on her and her home. Within seconds it was all background noise to Scootaloo, she'd done this routine dozens of times. Plant her flag with the others, do some stunts for the crowd, feel good about it all. Her wings dropped back to her sides and she yanked the handle round, skidding to a stop right where they'd told her to and holding the Ponyville flag aloft. Local pride was an important part of proceedings tonight and silently hoped she was doing everyone at home proud as she planted the flag to the crowd's cheers.
Soaking in the atmosphere would have to wait a little longer though. She could see the layout set up for her in the middle of the stadium. Several bars and a ramp to ramp leap, it seemed simple, even as she started riding again to each the start point she was running the order of the bars in her head. Duck, jump, duck, duck and immediately jump, long jump, the ramp was the interesting part. It climbed to about ten feet up and covered a thirty foot gap to the landing ramp, in between was a raised hoop easily large enough for both her and her ride to fit through. She had a plan though, a new trick for the hoop she'd been practicing for a few weeks and even pulled off a few times. As she came to a halt as she reached her starting marker, she figured now was as good as time as any to make it happen.
"Alright everypony, this is going to be something special!" She called to the audience, waiting for them to quiet down some before she spread her wings and put a hoof to the ground. A few seconds later, she pushed off and let her wings take over, propelling her toward the bars. This was no different to when she was growing up, ducking branches and hopping over rocks like it was in her blood from the day she started. She was through the first section before she knew it, wings flapping in overdrive to build up speed for the ramp. The pegasus could practically hear the crowd hold it's breath as she started the climb, well she'd give them something to cheer about in a few seconds. As she felt the scooter wheels leave the ramp she pulled her body weight over to the left, heading for the hoop sideways and timing her moment as best she could while flying uncontrollably. The moment it felt right, she pushed the handlebar away from her and let go, watching the scooter spin round as they both passed through the hoop, before grabbing it as it came back round and shifting upright in hope she could stick the landing.
Time seemed to be standing still for a few moments before she felt the front wheels connect with the ramp. She leaned back and brought the rear wheels down, fighting to keep in control the whole way down as physics attempted to show her who was boss. It turned out the boss was Scootaloo as she safely skidded to a halt on the grass, punching the air in triumph as the stadium erupted in cheers and applause. A volley of magical fireworks were fired off from just outside the arena and burst into a shower of gold and blue sparkles over her head. Now she could soak in the atmosphere, the elation, the sheer euphoria of her success. Thousands of voices all showing her the answer to her question, that taking a hobby she loved and turning it into a career really had worked.
She didn't need flight to be awesome, she had made it by herself.
An hour since she rode out of the arena to cheers and her blood was still racing. Scootaloo hummed happily to herself as she packed her things into a carrying crate, the show was still going on outside but her role for the night was done. Transport wasn't much of an issue for her even without flying, her scooter was easy enough to disassemble and fit in a smaller crate. For now, she knew a bar had been set up backstage for those who had finished their roles and she'd always wanted to try a little crystal wine.
Finishing up packing and setting the crate down with the others that performers had brought, she set off at a trot, taking a moment to look through one of the entry gates to see who was on at the moment. From the looks of things, the actors from Fillydelphia were centre stage now, the sight of them bringing a quick smile to the pegasi's face. Even from back there she could see the outfits had the tell-tale style of Rarity all over them. She'd have to get a closer look later, for now she kept walking on.
The backstage rest area was already thriving, unicorns, pegasi, earth and crystal ponies alike were taking a breather, getting drinks and just enjoying each others company. As Scootaloo entered the room everyone noticed her and broke out in scattered applause, the crystal ponies present giving her a standing ovation and calling their approval.
"That was incredible out there!"
"You rocked it! Woo Scootaloo!"
"Can I get your autograph?"
"Hey, thanks everypony," Scootaloo said, waving to the group in appreciation. "I'll do some signing once I've had a drink, ok?" She ran a hoof through her mane to rough it up a bit before heading for the bar. As befitting a gathering from across the nation, she saw drinks from every corner of Equestria, Manehatten juices, Las Pegasus waters, even some Ponyville cider. As tempting as it all looked, she stuck to her guns and ordered a glass of crystal wine, taking it over to a viewing area set up for the staff. She sat down and took a sip of her drink, it had an edge but wasn't overall unpleasant. She stayed there for a few minutes, watching the Fillydelphia act finish up before she was joined by a unicorn, light blue all over with a whitish blue mane and cutie mark of a wand and cresent moon. Scootaloo recognised her in an instant.
"Hey there Trixie, you're not doing fireworks for the next act?" Trixie looked over at her and merely smiled. After her...Unpleasant experience with the alicorn amulet, she had reimaged herself and now used her magic to help boost the performances of others, often working closely with Scootaloo.
"Fun as it would be, not even the Great Illusionary Artist Trixie could improve on what the Wonderbolts are currently capable of. I'm just glad I'm able to keep assisting others before retirement looms." It was true the unicorn was starting to show signs of her age but the idea of her hanging up her cape was something she'd never meantioned before. Scootaloo nodded and put a hoof round Trixie's shoulders in support.
"You're more than an assist, you're part of the team out there. I know my shows wouldn't have the same spark without you. Speaking of, sorry I didn't seem to pay much notice to your work when I was performing."
"No apology needed, I saw how you went in and went for a more restrained display to let you focus. What you did was something special out there. Honestly, I was so caught out by your extra stunt I almost forgot to join in the finish. Not that the Great illusionary artist Trixie would forget such a detail. Just like you wouldn't ever stop being so talented even without flying."
Scootaloo nodded, letting her hoof down again and waiting for Trixie to focus on the arena before turning away and downing the rest of her drink in one gulp, just about managing to avoid retching at how sharp it was. It helped as a distraction though, she managed to shake off the aftertaste and focus on the stadium, other ponies joining them as the Wonderbolts took to the field. There were only six of them tonight but everypony knew that was more than enough, especially with the two team leaders in action. Scootaloo cheered eagerly as she saw them fly out, team leader Spitfire, flanked closely by her second in command, Rainbow Dash.
"Think Rainbow's ever going to make it to flight lead?" Scootaloo asked nopony in particular, keeping her eyes glued to the aerial display as it began.
"Only when Spitfire decides she's tired of flying competativly." Trixie answered, keeping similarly close watch on the current stars. Spitfire had to be in her mid-fifties by now and yet the fiery pegasus was still almost as agile as the younger members of the team. Even Trixie gave a whoop of joy as the flight team dropped close to the ground and passed through the same hoop Scootaloo had made her jump through at breakneck speed.
"Ooh ooh, I think they're gonna do it this time!" Scootaloo almost shouted in excitement as the Wonderbolts gained altitude and moved into a five star formation with Rainbow at the centre. Despite the fact the pegasus was practically yelling in her ear, Trixie still managed to smile at her enthusiasm, she was well aware of the sisterly bond Rainbow and Scootaloo shared. A few seconds later, Rainbow accelerated at full speed, smashing the sound barrier and triggering her sonic rainboom. At the same moment the rest of the flight veered away from where she had been, using the shockwave to increase their own velocity. A second later they all hit the sound barrier as well, firing off smaller shockwaves that shined in gleaming rainbows as the rainboom washed over them.
"The Rainboom cluster!!" Trixie cheered in wonder, the rest of the crowd and staff erupting in cheers and applause. The sounds of approval steadily increased as the sight spread beyond the stadium until it sounded like the entire city was joining in. Scootaloo was reduced to wordless jumping in place, so excited by the sight she couldn't even get a sound out. As the Wonderbolts landed and saluted the crow she leaned forward and waved to them, trying to get her euphoria out another way. After a few minutes she finally cooled down enough to lean back, everypony else was starting to disperse again and she figured she could go back to the bar and see who was still around.
Scootaloo stretched as she got off her seat, the train ride home nearly over. The rest of the night had been a few rounds of autograph signing both at the stadium and the hotel, followed by a good nights rest trying not to dream about, sensitive topics. She'd caught a late train home to Ponyville and the sun was starting to set as it finally pulled into the station. She took her time fetching her carry crate, waiting for most of the crowd coming home from the crystal faire to disembark before following them out, able to take a look round at her hometown again. While it retained the country atmosphere of her youth, Ponyville had seen considerable expansion in the peaceful years following Starlight Glimmer's defeat. She didn't mind it though, as Pinkie would put it, that just meant more friends to see.
She set off for home at a slow trot, finding the walk relaxing when she didn't have anypony to talk to. Trixie was staying in the crystal empire for a few more days to have some 'tourist time' and Rainbow Dash was back at the Wonderbolts base in Cloudsdale. There was more than enough going on in town to keep her attention though, especially at this time of day when the marketplace was preparing to shut up shop. Ponies of all kinds were heading their own ways around her, a few greeting her happily, she made sure to give each of them a wave and reply.
"Scootaloo, could I talk to you for a second?" She could barely hear the voice over the crowd but she saw who it was coming from, a bronze coloured pegasus nearby with amber eyes, silver mane and a flying bird for a cutie mark. She recognised him quickly, Silent Breeze, a quiet, somewhat scatter-brained but determined stallion who gained notice around town after he started dating Fluttershy. Well, dating was a bit of an understatement now, the pair had been married for eight years.
'I wonder why only one of the Elements settled down after all this time.' Scootaloo thought to herself as she trotted over to him. "What's up, Breeze? Is Fluttershy okay?"
"Fluttershy's alright, I hope. She's started worrying that Mayor Tiara is thinking about taxing nature related businesses and you know...Well, we don't exactly have a lot of spare bits with her current condition. C-could you visit town hall sometime please? I know the mayor listens to your opinion."
"Of course, the last thing you two need right now is stress like that. I'll talk to her as soon as I can." Scootaloo smiled reassuringly, managing to coax a small smile out of Silent Breeze.
"Thank you so much. I won't keep you any longer, I promised I'd get some apples for my yellow angel. Oh I hope they're still open." He fretted to himself as he trotted away. Scootaloo watched him go before finally giggling to herself, she just couldn't stop herself cracking up every time she heard someone referring to Diamond Tiara by her official title. It had been a few months since the former school bully had scored a shock election victory over Mayor Caramel and now, to be fair things around town didn't actually look any worse with her in charge.
For now she resumed walking, taking the time to think about how the rest of her friends were doing. Sweetie Belle, she couldn't really speak to at the moment, since she hadn't taken the train to Manehatten. Rarity was still running her ever expanding fashion line out of Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle still maintained an open door policy if anyone came to her with a friendship problem. Applejack had taken full responsibilities for the running of Sweet apple acres and finally, Pinkie Pie was...Still the same old Pinkie Pie.
There was one other pony she wanted to see before she went home. Scootaloo turned and headed toward the north end of town, hoping they would still at the shop when she got there.
ABC Woodworking was a one pony business venture that produced and sold furniture to the local area. Right now it was empty save for it's owner, who wasn't in sight when Scootaloo entered the shop. She took a minute to look round the items on display, silently marvelling at how professional it all looked.
"Sorry, but I can't take any new orders today," A voice called from a backroom before it's owner came into view. A light yellow earth pony with a vibrant red mane and saw cutie mark. "Ah'll be happy to hear any...Scootaloo!"
"Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo replied in kind, trotting over and hugging her old friend. The former Cutie Mark Crusaders had all remained close even after getting their cutie marks. Sweetie Belle had been the first to get hers after she realised just how good of a singer she was. Apple Bloom had been next, her attempts at being a 'Cutie Mark Crusader bridge builder' had led to her discovering her affinity for carpentry, even if the bridge was out of commission for weeks afterwards. Scootaloo had taken a little longer but once she realised she could perform stunts like the pros, she had her cutie mark at long last.
"I heard somepony talking about you as they went past the shop, sounds like you were a star yesterday," Apple Bloom said cheerfully, making Scootaloo smile a little more. "And the good news just keeps coming. Ah've managed to find some fillies and colts who want to form a new CMC!"
"Wow, that's awesome of you, Apple Bloom! Who's in?"
"Well me, teaching them what I can. Mah nephew, Akane wanted in, so did the little unicorn girl, Stellar Nova. Rain Runner an Bumblebee said they'd think about it."
"Look at you go, AB. Cutie Mark Crusader carpenter AND Cutie Mark Crusader mentor."
"Heh, thanks. You've no idea how good it feels seeing us all doing so well. Sweetie sent me a postcard the other day, you able to meet up and read through it sometime?"
"Well my tour is just about done for the year. Name the date."
Apple Bloom grinned and went to get a quill and paper to do just that. Scootaloo sat down and watched her, taking the time to acknowledge just how well AB was doing. The earth pony was making use of all her talents and seeing just how far she could go with them. Meanwhile, as a pegasus she was...Scootaloo had told herself to stop thinking about that, yet ever since her talk with Trixie the night before she hadn't been able to shake it from her mind.
"Okay, all done. I'll see you soon, yeah?" Apple Bloom finished writing her note out and handled it over to Scootaloo, derailing the pegasi's train of thought for now.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for anything." Scootaloo gave the date on the note a check and nodded before heading for the door, waving goodbye as she headed for home. Apple Bloom watched her go before sighing softly, finally getting a chance to shut up shop for the day.
Scootaloo's house was in the northeast corner of town, a decent area to live even if having Vinyl and Octavia for neighbours meant there was rarely any quiet. By the time Scootaloo got home, Luna's night had started to fill the sky and she was glad to get inside. A few days worth of mail had gathered on the doormat, she picked them up and sat down in her kitchen to read through them. Privately, she was pleased to see all of them were addressed to her this time, the mail service had really improved lately.
"Lets see...Fan mail, mail order catalogue, fan mail, invoice, request from Cheerilee. Huh," She opened the letter and took her time reading though it, from the looks of things, Cheerilee wanted her to give a talk at the school in a few weeks. "Okay, gonna have to speak to the mayor about that as well." Scootaloo said to herself before getting up and heading for the fridge, it had been a long day and she could get to reading and answering fan mail after some dinner.
The morning air was a refreshing wake up to anypony still getting up. The weather teams had brought in a wind overnight to begin the October chills before winter set in and many Ponyville residents found it strangely invigorating. Scootaloo was always a late riser and by the time she had completed her morning routine the cold air had subsided as the sun rose. She yawned slightly as she stepped out the front door, planning to head down to Sugarcube Corner to meet Apple Bloom, stopping as she saw a grey pegasus flying casually toward her house. Blond mane, bubbles for a cutie mark and what Scootaloo suspected was a lazy eye, there was no mistaking Derpy the mailmare when she was on her rounds.
"Good morning, miss Scootaloo," Derpy said cheerfully, landing with only a little stumble and fishing round inside the mailbag attached to her chest. "I saw your show in the Crystal Empire and you were amazing. I didn't think you could do something like that on four wheels."
"Good morning to you too, Derpy. I'm glad you liked the show, I put a lot of work into that." Scootaloo smiled softly at the compliment, waiting patiently as Derpy fished round in her bag for a minute before pulling out a letter. From the looks of it, it was a fan letter from another little filly.
"You're welcome, enjoy another well delivered letter." Derpy giggled to herself and trotted off to deliver to the other houses around. Scootaloo smiled as she watched her go. Derpy had been through a few rough patches over the years but she was as good as any pony at what she did now, the mail was almost always sent properly on her watch, her daughter Dinky Hooves had grown up to teach classes at the schoolhouse and her flying had vastly improved. Scootaloo tried not to think about that last detail and put the letter inside before setting off at last.
******************
Apple Bloom sat back at her table, watching the coming and going of ponies visiting Sugarcube Corner. The bakery was as lively as ever even after Carrot and Cup Cake had retired together. The twins Pound and Pumpkin Cake were carrying on the family business, though they still had Pinkie Pie on hand if they needed it. Perhaps that's why the two of them had turned out so...Energetic. Pound Cake had dyed his brown mane with white streaks because, in his words, it looked like a double cookie that way, while Pumpkin had a tendency to bounce in place while she worked. Even from her seat in the corner booth, Apple Bloom could see the enthusiasm they worked with.
"Well hey there, Quickie! The usual milkshake mix?" Pound asked his newest customer, Quick Fix, a regular red stallion with a hammer cutie mark. Quick grinned and nodded, knowing it wasn't really possible to stop Pound once he got going. Indeed he barely had got his bits out before Pound stepped back to the wall to the kitchen and knocked on it hard.
"Sis! One milk mix to go," He chuckled to himself and came back over to Quick Fix. "You know it always cheers me up when we get a regular customer in, especially when they have something we can toy with. We're trying some extra strawberry flavouring with this batch, let us know how it works. Pinkie thinks we should try a limited edition with kumquat flavour, maybe a cherry and banana one. I'd think that'd be terrible, I mean cherry is nice but mix it with somthing else and it just becomes bleh, what do you think?"
Apple Bloom stifled a giggle at watching the Cake starting to go off on a tangent about cherries, again. A few moments later she noticed Scootaloo enter the building and waved her over. It may just have been her imagination but she thought Scootaloo looked a little off today.
"Heya AB, you doing alright today?" Scootaloo asked as she sat down opposite Scootaloo.
"I'm good, what about you though? You look like you could'a used a bit more sleep."
"I'm...I'm fine," Scootaloo's hesitance merely confirmed Apple Bloom's suspicions that something was wrong. She decided to wait for now though, trusting her friend would tell her when she was ready. "So, I forgot to ask before. How's everyone doing at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Oh they've done well through cider season this year. Applejack's decision to start hiring in town really paid off, even Big Mac's been enjoying the company. It's really nice seeing him open up around other ponies again, miss Cheerilee's done him a world of good."
Scootaloo nodded, it turned out the CMC's efforts on Hearts and Hooves day all those years ago had sparked something genuine. Big Mac and Cheerilee were now a loving couple with children of their own in Frostleaf and Akane. She smiled softly at the memories as Apple Bloom brought up a postcard she'd had beside her and pushed it over to Scootaloo.
"Here, this is Sweetie's postcard I mentioned, ah get to read them out every time so I thought you might like to this time."
"Oh, okay, thanks," Scootaloo took a look at the postcard, it's photo of the Manehatten skyline, before flipping it over and reading aloud. "Dear Apple Bloom. Sorry it's been so long but things have been hectic. The Manehatten Carousel has had so many customers I've hardly had a moment to myself. Big sis says she's proud of me for both my singing act and helping her business run smoothly in the big city. I'll be coming back to Ponyville for Hearth's Warming and I can't wait! Give my best to the Apples and Scootaloo, see you not soon enough. Sweetie Belle."
"Well that's good t'hear, another crusader living her dreams to the fullest." Apple Bloom smiled and stretched slightly before looking back at Scootaloo, though the sight made her face drop. Scootaloo had tensed up, looking straight down at the table and...Was that a tear running down her muzzle?
"A-Apple Bloom. Can I confess something?" Scootaloo's voice was cracking with restrained emotion and she had started shaking slightly.
"You can tell me anything, you know that." Apple Bloom shifted closer to her friend, concern starting to overwhelm her. Scootaloo finally relaxed slightly and took a deep sigh, because she knew if she didn't she'd probably be shouting within seconds.
"I'm sorry, it's just that...The last few days I've been hearing and thinking a lot about wings, and dreams, and being everything you can. Everypony around me seems to be everything they ever wanted. All I'm doing is s-sitting here, on the ground, telling myself I'm happy with what I've done with my life. I'm not though, I look back at my wings and I just, just see a reminder of how I can't do something even a filly can! I look back at every choice I've made and I think 'Could I be flying now if I'd used that time to make the effort?' or 'What does everypony REALLY think when they see a flightless pegasus?' I...I hate it, I hate knowing my dreams are out of reach. Do you have any idea what it's like to chase a chance to feel normal and having it constantly out of reach, for your entire life?"
Apple Bloom could only stare as Scootaloo put her head in her hooves and started sobbing quietly. Scootaloo was right though, she didn't have a clue what living with such constant regret and resentment of everything you were was like. She wasn't sure she even wanted to. Apple Bloom quietly got off her seat and walked round to Scootaloo, holding her friend in a supportive embrace and watching as the pegasus cried into her chest. Right now she was glad she'd chosen a corner booth so nopony could see this breakdown.
"It's okay, Scootaloo. Let it out. I'll admit, I don't really know what to do, but I know that me, an everypony else we know will be willing to help you find a way through this. We might just get you into the air as well, I mean, we never ruled out Cutie Mark Crusader Miracle worker, right?"
Unbeknownst to either of them, somepony had unwillingly caught every word. Quick Fix had noticed Scootaloo while waiting for his drink and sat down at the nearest table, hoping to ask for an autograph at some point. Things hadn't quite worked that way though and he hadn't been able to move away without them seeing him. It had given him something to think about though. Scootaloo wasn't the only pony here who had questioned the path they'd taken and now, maybe there was a chance to help them both. While Apple Bloom was distracted he got up and left the shop, heading for the outskirts of town.
He needed help for this and he knew just where to find it.
The halls of Twilight's castle were quiet, even if ponies normally didn't come to visit without a friendship problem she usually had two or three visitors a day. She didn't mind too much though, even as the Princess of Friendship and eight time saviour of Equestria, Twilight was still the same study loving bookworm at heart, if not in body anymore. Over the last decade, her alicorn magic had started to accelerate her growth toward the more regal look of the other princesses. Right now she looked every bit a match for Princess Cadance, something she was secretly proud of, a chance to match up to her model's example. All that was a study for another day though, right now she was settled in the library, looking through a scientific paper the Canterlot Institute of Development had sent her.
"Theoretical instabilities in celestial bodies and anomalies in stellar patterns through continuous subjection to alicorn magic...Anomalies is spelled with an I." Twilight commented to herself, bringing over a notepad with her magic and starting to write her observations. She was just getting into her zone when somepony knocked on the castle door, the echo making her look up and sigh. She knew she was answering it though, Spike was somewhat preoccupied right now and she still had another forty five pages to go, enough time to get focused again. Shaking the irritation from her mind she trotted to the castle door and opened it, greeted by the sight of a maroon stallion with blond mane, sky blue eyes and a hammer on his flank.
"Princess Twilight," Quick Fix said, bowing his head at the sight of her. Twilight really wished ponies would stop doing that eventually, though at least that was all they did now. "I'm sorry to intrude on your time, but I was hoping I would be able to do some studying in your library today." Any frustration Twilight still had disappeared at those words, anypony wanting to share in the magic of learning with her was more than welcome.
"Oh of course! Anypony is welcome to learn here," Twilight cheerfully stepped aside to let Quick Fix in, walking with him back through the entry hallway. "Did you have any particular topics in mind? I have just about everything available now." Quick chuckled softly at her enthusiasm, he wasn't quite there but he was still determined.
"This might sound weird coming from an earth pony, but I was hoping to look through what you have on the skeletal and muscular development of pegasi wings."
"Oh I've had stranger requests, like the one time I had a pony who worked in mathematics asking for information about chemical fires. I never found out why." Quick nodded, slowly starting to tune out Twilight as she started going on about the different types of fires. His focus quickly came back at the sight of Twilight's library, bookshelves at least thirty foot high, covering most of the walls and packed to the brim with books. It was almost intimidating, if not for the Daring Do and Wonderbolt posters spread in the free space.
"Find yourself a seat, I'll get you your things," Twilight said, gathering some quills, ink and notepads before putting her head through another doorway. "Spike? I know you're preparing yourself but could I borrow you? It'll only take a minute." She called out as Quick sat down, taking a look at a few of the other books left out near him.
"I was about finished anyway. What's up, Twi?" Spike asked as he came in, making Quick's jaw drop slightly at the sight of him. The dragon had finally started to grow up and now stood tall enough to meet the stallion eye to eye. And that was just when he was on all fours. To his credit, Spike had managed to retain the more noble characteristics he aspired to with the help of his pony friends.
"Just one last thing quickly, could you fetch the books on pegasus wing biology please? I promise I wont call on you again today."
"All right! Coming right up," Spike quickly scaled the edge of the bookcase and looked through the top shelf. "Pegasi biology, mare biology, stallion biology, ah here we are." He pulled several books out and put a marker in their place before sliding back to the floor and placing them next to Quick.
"Well, somepony...Err, dragon, is in a good mood today." Quick commented, prompting a smile and a nod from Spike.
"Why wouldn't I? Me and Rarity are taking a lunch meeting today. Hopefully today I can finally figure things out once and for all. I should make sure I'm there on time though, I'll see you later." Twilight smiled and waved Spike off as he headed out, leaving Quick looking more than a little lost.
"So...Twilight, is he really...?"
"Spike and Rarity are a bit of a curiosity, they've both admitted their feelings about each other and there seems to be something there. It seems like Rarity's the only who understands just where any relationship they have is though, and she's not telling yet."
Quick nodded, deciding to let the matter be for now and let them both focus on their work. Opening up the first book, he took a quill in his mouth and started reading. Twilight watched him for a minute, in which time he managed to get partway through a page before stopping and putting a bookmark in the glossary, before she settled down and resumed reading her own paper.
"It happens." Spike muttered to himself as he returned to the castle that evening. As he stepped inside he immediately saw Twilight, just preparing to send off the paper back to the institute, along with her observations and corrections that added another twelve pages.
"Hi Spike, how'd it go today?"
"It was just as you thought." Spike's words told Twilight all she needed to know. It was highly unlikely that there was going to be anything between him and Rarity. He looked like he was taking it a lot better than she had feared he might though.
"Well, it says a lot about how mature you've become that you could recognise it yourself and make your peace with it." Twilight walked over to Spike and hugged him gently in support, prompting the dragon to do the same to her.
"Thanks Twilight, when I hear you saying things like that, I think it's a wonder how you're not in your own relationship already." Twilight sighed softly at those words and stepped back with a frown.
"I can't make any commitment like that yet. There are a lot of implications and pressures to a relationship with an a princess. On top of that I still need to finish my research on if alicorns truly are immortal, Celestia and Luna haven't taken partners for a reason." She shook her head and headed back toward the library, looking in to see Quick Fix was still studying, half the table covered in notes. Much as she didn't want to, Twilight trotted up to him and coughed gently, making Quick look up in surprise.
"Oh err, sorry, am I in the way?"
"Not exactly, but we do have to start thinking about shutting up for the night."
"Alright, is it ok if I come back tomorrow then?"
"Of course, I'll keep your notes sorted for you."
Quick smiled and got up, stretching out as Twilight put his books away. He'd forgotten how sore his limbs got when he'd been sitting down all day. It had been worth it though, he'd made some headway and was starting to come to conclusions. It wasn't enough quite yet though, not if he wanted to be sure he could help them both.
"Well, thank you for your time today, Princess Twilight. I'll continue my studies tomorrow, with your permission," Quick bowed his head in respect again as Twilight nodded. With that he turned and headed for the exit, a moment later he stopped and looked back at her. "Sorry, something I just remembered. Could you give Pinkie Pie a message for me?"
"Errm, sure, What is it?"
"Tell her Quick thinks the extra strawberry really works. Trust me, she'll get it." He nodded his thanks to her and trotted out, leaving a rather confused Twilight trying to make sense of what context that message could make sense in before shrugging it off.
Quick blinked a little as he stepped into the setting sunlight. He hadn't realised just how much time had passed, it had been around midday when he arrived and he hadn't stopped for more than a water break in that time. Quick shook himself slightly and set off for home at a brisk trot, he needed to be properly revitalized for picking up where he left off.
It had not been a good start to the day for Scootaloo. After her minor meltdown the day before she had spent the rest of the day at home, alternating between questioning if she would be ever be capable of flight and trying to get airborne again. So far all she'd got out of it was a bruise on her shoulder when she hit a wall on landing one time. The ache had been bothering her all night and she couldn't take the time to rest on it, today she'd managed to book an appointment with Mayor Tiara. At the very least, Apple Bloom had agreed to come and walk to town hall with her. Scootaloo knew she needed the company right now, provided they didn't talk about yesterday.
"So, Scoots...You know Bounty right?"
"Bounty, gonna have to remind me."
"Unicorn, white hair and dark green mane, fruit basket cutie mark."
"Oh, yeah him. He works at Sweet Apple Acres, right?"
"Yeah, thing about him is, Applejack talks about him a lot. Not like she talked about those slackers she hired last year. More like she, likes him, as in likes him. You think she finally found somepony for her?"
"I...Apple Bloom, you're talking to the wrong pony about relationships. Pinkie's the one who knows more about bond building like that."
"That I am!"
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both jumped as Pinkie Pie trotted up behind them, grinning as always. Even after all these years, neither of them knew how she managed get around town without anypony seeming to notice her coming.
"Hi Pinkie, we were just discussing mah big sis and Bounty." Apple Bloom commented. Pinkie nodded and walked with her and Scootaloo, bouncing the whole way.
"Oh yeah, that's an interesting one. I mean normally I would think a pony like Bounty wouldn't think a mare like Applejack his type, but then you wouldn't expect a unicorn to be happily working on a farm would you? Add in ponies like Trenderhoof's previous interest in her and well, I wouldn't rule anything about between them yet."
Scootaloo nodded and smiled slightly, even if she could rarely follow Pinkie's thoughts and logic, it still managed to find a way to cheer her up. Which, she suspected, was actually the point. It worked though, by the time the trio reached town hall she was back to her usual cheery self thanks to the volley of random questions they were giving her to take her mind off things.
"I guess if I was honest," Scootaloo mused, thinking over the latest question posed to her. "The kind of stallion I'd like to date would be athletic, easy-going, not too bad looking..."
"Like Soarin in his prime?" Pinkie interrupted, prompting a humoured laugh from Scootaloo.
"Something like that, maybe not quite as goofy though."
"Come on, you stuck around with the Crusaders all these years, you have to like goofy." Apple Bloom teased. Scootaloo merely grinned and waved a hoof in fake dismissal.
"Well, thanks for that you two, I should get going now. I'll see you later." She trotted off to the hall doors, waving at Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie as she headed inside, leaving the other two to continue where they left off.
"So AB, what do you look for in a partner?"
"Well, funny you should ask..."
The mayor's office of Ponyville had always been somewhat sparsely decorated, right now it was practically just the bones of what was needed. Sitting at the prominent desk in the room was a pink earth pony with violet and white mane, a tiara on her flank. Sitting next to her was a unicorn filly, sand coloured with flowing dark blue mane, golden coloured eyes and no cutie mark to speak of. She stretched herself up to look on the desk and see what was going on, catching the end of the mayor filing a report away.
"Is this meeting going to take long, mum?" She asked, prompting Diamond Tiara to put her work aside and look down at the filly.
"Stellar, I promise it wont be too long. Plus I think our next visitor will be willing to help you in the meantime, my dear little blank flank." She answered softly, pulling the filly into a cuddle. Stellar Nova had been an unlucky girl, having lost both her parents to illnesses four years ago. Diamond Tiara had offered to adopt her without hesitation when she'd found out and the two were as close as anything now. Stellar happily cuddled up to Diamond, giving a soft noise of content before looking up as the office door opened for their next piece of business.
"Morning DT, Stellar." Scootaloo said cheerfully as she stepped into the office. Diamond grinned and waved at her, Stellar giving a little squeak of joy at the sight.
"Aunt Scoots! You didn't tell me aunt Scoots would be visiting!" She waited for Diamond to put her down before bounding over to Scootaloo and hugging her, the pegasus giggled at the sight before hugging Stellar in return.
"Well, I was coming on business today. But I can always make time to see my favourite little filly," Scootaloo nuzzled her happily. The fact she was allowed to have such a close friendship with Stellar was a welcome sign of just how good things between Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo were these days. "You done any new pictures lately?"
"Sure, you want to see?"
"Of course, me and DT'll talk about what we need to while you find it." Stellar gave a happy squee and darted off to look for it through the folders on the desk.
"Try not to disturb too many worksheets, dear," Diamond told Stellar with the classic parental tone, before getting up and trotting over to Scootaloo. "So, what needs my input?"
"Fortunately, nothing too serious. First off, Fluttershy somehow has it in her head you're planning an extra tax on nature based businesses. Silent Breeze asked me to check how valid that is with you." Diamond nodded, clearly taking even the little things like this seriously in her role.
"Well, I always saw the sanctuary as more of a charity so even if I was planning something like that she'd be immune. As it is though, Ponyville's budget is stable for the foreseeable future, so there's nothing to worry about."
"Well that's good to know. The other thing is, Cheerilee wants me to do a talk at the school, while they're learning about cutie marks."
"I see..." Diamond already knew where this was going and she was weighing it up.
"Yeah, I know it's been a secret between you and the CMC all these years. But they'll be hoping to hear how I got my mark."
"You're gonna tell us?!" Stellar chimed in, starting to jump around again in excitement. She always got like this when she thought Scootaloo might finally tell about how she got her cutie mark. Diamond looked back at the filly and smiled softly, they'd kept it quiet all this time because it had been a rather embarrassing, and humbling, moment for her. To keep hiding that would ultimately be more of what the old Diamond Tiara would have done though, something she still wanted to prove she was better than now.
"Well, even if we've kept it secret for this long, it would be heard eventually...Alright, you can tell them the whole thing. It was a pretty cool story in hindsight."
"Aww thanks, it was cool of you to finally lighten up after that as well."
Diamond Tiara chuckled and nodded, stepping aside as Stellar came running up with a paper just about being held up with her magic. Scootaloo took it and looked, the picture a slightly crude but still sweet of Stellar riding on Diamond's back in a sunset. The sight reminded her of some evenings she had got to spend with Rainbow Dash while growing up.
"Wow, that's really special, kid. Cutie Mark Crusader artist in no time at this rate." Stellar gave a small cheer and went to put the picture away, Diamond watching her before looking back at Scootaloo.
"This is a little short notice, but I need a favour. Could you watch Stellar for the afternoon while I handle a trade meeting?"
"Come on DT, you know I'm going to say yes to an offer like that. Where'd you fancy going, kid?" Stellar had perked up as she listened and took a moment to put the picture away before thinking her options over.
"Could me and aunt Scoots go visit the sanctuary, mom?"
"Of course, you can enjoy yourself and Scootaloo can give Fluttershy the good news while she's there. You're really good at choosing what benefits the most ponies, my little blank flank." Stellar smiled as Diamond Tiara ruffled her hair gently, hugging her in return before bounding over to the door.
"I'll see you this evening DT. Don't worry, I'll make sure she stays in once piece." Scootaloo promised, waving Diamond Tiara goodbye as she followed Stellar out. Diamond watched them go and smiled softly before heading back to her desk and writing a note to remind her to reimburse Scootaloo for anything later. Out of her own bits of course.
"Sure was, kiddo. The original CMC was made up of Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Babs Seed and me. We got into just about everything in town trying to find our special talents, which you probably shouldn't. AB'll tell you the same at your first meet, but knowing what you're good at goes a long way. Mix your interests and you'd be surprised what you end up having a knack for. I mean, you like Luna's sky right?"
"Yeappers!"
"Well, combine that with your artistic skills, use them to map the heavens and bam! Cutie Mark Crusader astronomer."
Scootaloo couldn't help but smile at the sight as Stellar Nova started bouncing in excitement at the idea. Such a vigor for the future and anticipation to be her own pony...She missed those days sometimes. There was always today to look forward to though and the rest of today was right in front of them as the two passed through Ponyville's outskirts and toward the farmland to the southeast. Separating the areas was Fluttershy's cottage, though most ponies knew it these days as the Angels wildlife sanctuary.
The centre had been founded about twelve years ago after Fluttershy had started to find her home wasn't quite enough to look after all the animals brought to her. Despite a rough start, she had managed to build up a popular tourist attraction with Silent Breeze's help and Discord's...Unique style of publicity. Not that she would ever call it such, Fluttershy was adamant that her only focus was toward the wellbeing of her resident animal, to the point she had made paying to enter optional. Most ponies were more than happy to though, Element of Kindness as she was, she still had animals to look after and a family to care for.
"So Stellar, do you want to go see Fluttershy or have a walk in the sanctuary first?" Scootaloo asked the filly, waiting as she calmed down and gave it some thought.
"Ooh ooh, Fluttershy. I haven't had a chance to see her in months."
"Sounds good to me, lets go," The two ponies turned and headed for the cottage, Scootaloo smiling softly as she started to hear a gentle humming coming from inside. The tune was familiar, like she heard it every week, but she could never place where it came from or what it was called. "Now, Stellar. I should give you a heads up, Fluttershy probably isn't quite the same as you remember her. I'm sure she wont mind but, try not to be too shocked."
"Different? Why? What happened to her?"
"I, err...It's kinda technical for a filly of your age. I'll explain later." In truth, even Scootaloo thought the hows and whys shouldn't be explained just yet. She looked back up and knocked on the door.
"It's open." A soft voice called from inside. Stellar pushed the door open slowly, now a little nervous about what she might see, before stopping as her jaw dropped slightly. Scootaloo followed her in and smiled softly at the sight before them.
Laid out on the sofa was Fluttershy and though Stellar wasn't sure what she was seeing, to Scootaloo it was obvious the pegasus was pregnant. Quite a few months along judging by how large her middle was. Nestled up to her asleep was a silver-grey colt with black hair and a shrouded moon cutie mark, both of them recognised him as Fluttershy's first child, Mist Chaser. Stellar slowly stepped closer, trying to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Wh-what in Equestria?"
"Good morning you two," Fluttershy smiled softly at the sight of the filly blinking in confusion, watching as she slowly brought a hoof up to feel. "Don't worry about me, Stellar. You'd be surprised how nice it feels." Scootaloo couldn't help but smile more at the sight, of course it made sense that the most loving pony around would have as much, if not more love for her own kin and want to let others share it.
"Well, congratulations Fluttershy. Sorry I never had a chance to say it sooner."
"Thank you Scootaloo, it's been a delight every day. You should have seen Mist's face when he realised he was going to be a big brother in March." She giggled softly at the thought, ruffling Mist Chaser's hair gently as he slept. It was clear even at a glance that Fluttershy put as much care into her parenting as she did her natural affinity for the world.
"Well, I've got some more good news for you. I spoke to Mayor Tiara earlier, she's not planning any kind of new taxes, much less anything that'd affect you."
"R-really? Oh thank you. I don't know what I would have done if it was true, we put everything into the sanctuary and the kids, I don't know if I could..." Fluttershy tensed slightly and took several deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm. After a minute she visibly relaxed again and looked down at Stellar, who was still looking her over in amazement.
"So, miss Fluttershy...I, don't understand what this is." Stellar finally asked, prompting a chuckle from Fluttershy.
"It may sound strange, but there's a little pony taking a long nap there. When they wake up, they'll come out and you can meet them. It can be rather confusing for someone at your age, but I promise you'll understand soon enough."
Scootaloo could only watch with a smile on her face. Watching a pony begin to discover the wonders of life like this was always something special, especially when somepony as gentle as Fluttershy was doing the introduction. For now she was happy to sit back by the door and watch, making a mental note to donate as much of her last paycheck as she could to the sanctuary tomorrow.
The sun was hanging low in the sky by the time Scootaloo was able to start back to Ponyville. Stellar Nova and her had spent the rest of the afternoon with Fluttershy as they helped her with afternoon feeding for the animals. As fun as it was, it was also rather tiring and Stellar needed to be carried home by Scootaloo.
"Almost like my picture earlier," Stellar managed to say before yawning loudly. Scootaloo looked back at her and chuckled softly, watching as the filly regained her composure. "Aunt Scoots, can I ask you somthing?"
"Of course, kiddo. What's up?"
"Did you ever want to have a foal?"
"Huh...I guess I never thought about it before. I suppose there'll be a place for that one day, right now I'm more focused on my career, showing everypony a good time with my scooter tricks. I'm still young though, plenty of time."
Scootaloo managed to put the thought aside as she dropped off Stellar at Diamond Tiara's house before heading home herself. As she got finally got there, she got the feeling something was, different. She couldn't place it so she headed inside, stopping as she stepped on a note that had been slid under the door. Any thought of dinner slipped from her mind as she picked it up and read through it.
I may know why you can't fly, and I might be able to help. Meet me at Rarity's Boutique at three o'clock in two days. QF
Scootaloo read through the note three times before she looked up, lost in thought. Was this pony serious? Flight was surely beyond her by now, how could some nopony who didn't even want to put their name know better than the experts? On the other hoof, maybe it wasn't medical, maybe it was something easily overlooked. This was her lifelong dream after all, could she really just refuse even the slightest chance this pony was the real deal?
After several minutes of debating it, Scootaloo had made up her mind. She'd check it out, but she was playing it safe and taking somepony with her.
Trixie had only been back in Ponyville a day and Scootaloo was already asking her for help, though of course she was, the two were always backing each other up. For now, Scootaloo had asked to meet her at the Ponyville bridge, saying only that it was important. Trixie could always accommodate her friend's requests of course, she had a lot of free time in the gaps between major events. She could see her friend waiting now though and with that she trotted over.
"Good afternoon, Trixie. How was the empire?"
"Oh, I wish I had visited sooner. The culture, the entertainment, the sheer vigour for life!" She stopped and composed herself for a moment. "I mean, it was a relaxing vacation spot. Now, I, err, I mean, Trixie is curious what the important issue is." Scootaloo cracked a small smile, knowing better by now than to bring up Trixie's habit of slipping back into third person when nervous.
"Well, I had a note slipped under my door a few days ago. It didn't say who from but they claimed they might have an idea of why I can't fly. It sounds suspicious as sin but at the same time I can't stop thinking about if it's legitimate...Thoughts?"
"Well, I have to agree that it sounds suspicious. Was there any indication of who sent it at all?"
"Well, it had what I guess were initials, but I don't know any QF in Ponyville." Scootaloo turned and put her front hooves over the edge of the bridge, still debating her options. Trixie stepped closer and put a hoof on her shoulder in support.
"How badly are you willing to chase a possibility that you can fly? Is it worth your wellbeing? Because it might be if this is a stunt by some deluded fan."
"Well, that's why I asked you here. I thought it'd be safe to go with somepony I trust watching and your magic is more than capable of dealing with some nutcase who thinks I'll go out with him if he asks enough times."
"Hmm...Though going in the first place seems somewhat foolish, I'm more than capable of restraining a pony with their own skillset in five different ways. I'll make sure you stay safe." Scootaloo looked up and back at Trixie, smiling more genuinely than before.
"Thanks, it means a lot to me. We'll be meeting them at Rarity's shop in half an hour, that should give us time to have a plan ready."
"Maybe we should keep it simple. Speaking from experience, any overdone plan is more likely to go wrong."
"As long as we can have some fun with it, I'm pumped from training this morning and looking forward to kicking some lunatic's flank..."
"We'll make our mark, show the world what we can do." Quick Fix sang to himself as he worked, fitting some guttering into place on Carousel Boutique. Truth be told, being a repairpony wasn't all that bad if you were good with your hooves. Having the time alone to get your thoughts in order helped too, which had been invaluable considering what he was going to do once he was finished.
"How are you doing up there?" A voice called from the ground, Quick looked over the edge and smiled as he saw Rarity waving up at him. The Element of Generosity was now arguably one of the most successful ponies in Equestria with her stores in almost every city, though she made a point of making sure a good chunk of her profits went into charities across the land. It had taken a slight toll on her though, she was starting to show her age before any of the other elements. Not that it stopped her though, it was surprising how much of her older look could be overlooked with a stylish pair of glasses.
"Almost done, miss Rarity. Just have to secure everything up." Quick waved back down at her before picking up a spanner and starting on the screws.
"Alright darling, let me know if you need some refreshment," Rarity relaxed and looked down again as she saw somepony coming. "Oh, well good afternoon, Trixie. How can I help you?"
"Hello again, Rarity. I've been on the road a lot and haven't had much chance to visit lately. I was hoping to see what your latest style entails."
"Oh of course! I recently finished my new cape designs, I'm sure I could find something for your next act."
Quick hardly paid any mind as the two unicorns headed inside, focused on getting the job done. As he secured the last drain in place he glanced up and paused, seeing Scootaloo approaching. Okay, time to see what fate really had in store. He gathered his tools up and slowly made his way back down his stepladder, trying to look as though he hadn't noticed Scootaloo as she trotted up to the boutique.
"Excuse me, sir. This is a long shot but, you wouldn't happen to have seen a pony with the initials QF around here, would you?"
"Well, not sure how many ponies even have those initials, but you're talking to one. Name's Quick Fix." Scootaloo's eyes narrowed slightly, sure he didn't look like a stalker but you could never tell. She could see Trixie keeping an eye on her from inside and decided to go for it.
"You slipped me a note yesterday?"
"Yes, and you're unsure if this is real."
"Unsure? Try thinking it utterly incredulous, do you really think a repairpony would know about pegasi wings? Much less anything on a condition that grounds a pony?"
"You're here though, if you really thought I didn't know anything, you wouldn't have come." Quick's words brought Scootaloo to a halt, he was right after all. It would have been easy to rip the note up and get on with her life, yet here she was. She couldn't afford to show it yet though, not until she knew what was in it for him.
"Okay...Let's assume I'm here for that. My question still stands, why do you think you can help where so many ponies couldn't?"
"Because I can learn. I've been studying under Princess Twilight Sparkle for a few days and got a lot of information. You want to know five ways to fix a wing dislocation on the spot or the effects of muscle tension through improper positioning? I could tell you all that for now and I'll keep going until I know a wing as good as any pegasi." Scootaloo blinked in surprise, sure he probably couldn't locate a pegasa deltoid that quickly but for an earth pony, that was impressive. Then she realised he was still going.
"More importantly, because I want to help you, I can't just look at somepony in need and not do anything. I saw the look in your eyes, Scootaloo. You don't just want help, you're desperate to believe that you can fly and you want to surpass the impossible to do so. Give me a chance to at least show you what I've got so far and we'll make it happen. It's your choice, Scootaloo, you can keep walking with your dreams above your head or you can get a lift to reach them for good."
Quick smiled with inviting determination on the outside, on the inside he was sweating bullets at how badly he thought that had gone. Speeches were never his strong point and here he was trying to put up a convincing argument at the same time. His smile wavered slightly as his nerves built, waiting to see how Scootaloo would react.
He made a lot of good points, he wasn't that weird and honestly, he seemed like a nice pony. Scootaloo hesitated as she weighed up the options. Something about him really rubbed her wrong, but at the same time she couldn't deny how important this was. She still had Trixie to help monitor him as well and if push came to shove, Apple Bloom too. At this point, what did she have to lose by at least trying?
"Well...I'm still not sure about this, but I'll give you a day to see what your theory is. I'll be at Ponyville Athletics Circuit tomorrow morning to practice my tricks, I'll meet you there to see what ya got."
"Really? I-ah-I mean, thank you. You wont regret it!" Quick grinned and waved as Scootaloo glanced into the boutique before heading off, waiting until she was out of sight before sighing in relief. That went better than expected, for now he could breathe easy and finish packing up. Perhaps he really was onto something.
"I mean, do you have any idea how ridiculous it all sounded?" Scootaloo remarked. She'd gone straight to Apple Bloom's shop to fill her friend in on what had happened. Maybe she should have waited until after work though, right now AB seemed to be only half listening, though some of that might have had something to do with the fact she was working inside a closet at the moment.
"Ok I'll admit it sounds off, but maybe he does have an idea. You'd be surprised how some ponies' cutie marks look way different to their talents. I mean, look at miss Cheerilee." AB grunted slightly as she worked, surprisingly good with a wood shaver in a confined space.
"I guess, so you think I should go through with it?"
"I'll tell yah what," Apple Bloom finished on that section and stepped back outside for some air. "Ah can hang around as well if yer like, been meaning to get a good run in recently."
"Thanks AB. With you and Trixie there, this is either going to be a fantastic breakthrough, a day of status quo, or a hilariously one sided scuffle. Whichever way it ends up, I'm almost looking forward to seeing how this goes now."
"Thank Celestia for umbrellas." Quick mumbled to himself, glancing up at the sky as he walked through town. The weather ponies had been generous so far this autumn but today the rain was coming down hard and he was the only pony out at the moment. Having to control an umbrella with his mouth didn't help either, at least he was keeping his saddlebags dry, he needed everything in there more than ever now. In his mind, everything came down to today, make or break on dual destinies. No pressure then.
Eventually he reached the Ponyville Athletics Circuit, it was still relatively small compared to some of the other sporting venues of Equestria but at least that compact size allowed for a covered roof. Quick gave a sigh of relief as he headed inside and looked round. Most ponies present seemed to be here to duck out of the rain, with several groups gathered and talking in the various bleachers. A few were out on the track though, he could see Apple Bloom doing laps from here, though why she had Pinkie Pie handling the timing he had no idea.
More to the point, he could see Scootaloo in the centre of the arena, running herself through one of her basic scooter routines with Trixie nearby providing some fitting ambiance with her magic. Even as he watched, she launched her ride onto a rail, grinding down to a small hoop at the end and launching the scooter through it, using what little wing power she had to push herself over it. Impressive as it was, Quick used the moment to watch her flap, trying to determine anything he could from the moment. All too quickly though, she came back down and brought her hooves onto the scooter, skidding to a stop in front of Trixie.
"Alright! Better, better. I'm using that one the next time I'm in Canterlot." Scootaloo took her helmet off and fluffed her mane back up, letting her adrenaline wear down.
"Agreed, you're starting to hit your stride with combination moves...Oh, look, your friend from yesterday is here." Trixie's voice had got a little colder as Scootaloo looked round to see Quick approaching.
"Come on, just hear him out. I mean he took long enough for you to put an order in for that cape right?"
Trixie huffed slightly and looked away as Quick trotted over to them, trying to look as calm as he did before. Scootaloo could already tell he was nervous though, understandable really, even she was somewhat worried about what might be said here.
"Hello, Scootaloo, Trixie. I-"
"That's Great Illusionary Artist Trixie, to you." Trixie butt in, making Quick hesitate in his greeting. He noticed Trixie was smiling slightly as she said it though. Much as she'd never admit it, she clearly appreciated somepony noticing her as well.
"Aaannyyway, I brought what I had and I have something of an idea." Scootaloo tilted her head as Quick put his saddlebags down and started getting papers out. She took a look at one and while she couldn't make sense of half of it, what she could read about muscular development it was clear he'd done his research. It really was looking like he was starting to be the real deal.
"Okay then, Quick. This looks impressive actually, you could've been a specialist," Quick grinned at the compliment as he finished laying the papers out, leaving Scootaloo slightly dumbfounded at just how he'd made two dozen pages worth of notes in a few days. "Err...Trixie, could you help hold all these up please?"
"Sure. But if he tries anything funny in the meantime, I'll have him wearing these notes for Nightmare Night." Trixie warned, though she was chuckling softly as she started to lift the notes up, just messing with him now. Quick nodded, looking for his starting point.
"I gotta say, I can't thank you enough for being open enough to give me this chance. Scootaloo, could you open your wings please?" Quick said as he looked back at Scootaloo, waiting as she stretched her wings out and posed them for him. He moved in and took a close look at them, constantly looking back at his notes. Scootaloo could just about hear him talking to himself as he checked.
"Okay...No, the bone structure matches everything...Old fracture, probably from a crash....What about on the right? No, that's all the same too...The outer muscle is fine...Some feathers are spread slightly more, that wouldn't be enough though....How she does it normally might....Scootaloo, could you rotate your wings backward about four degrees and flap slowly?"
Scootaloo looked puzzled but did so, wincing slightly as she did so. Holding her wings like that was quickly taxing on her muscles and it felt even worse as she started flapping, only managing to hold it for a few seconds before having to stop. She felt exhausted but managed to keep it contained before giving a few more flaps, Quick motioned for her to stop and checked his notes again.
"Well, that is subtle if it's right...Scootaloo, how long have you been riding your scooter?"
"Oh, about twenty four years now."
"Hmmm..." Quick leaned in to make sure nopony around would overhear. "I'm not a doctor of course, but from everything I've read, it looks like simple muscle conditioning."
"What in the hay is that then?" Scootaloo blinked as Trixie finally put the notes down.
"You've been using your wings to propel your scooter since you were at a crucial development stage, it's very subtle but they've grown to be more comfortable angled for how you'd use them on your scooter than for flight."
"Woah...That's weird, but makes sense in a way. I asked the doctors to look for the serious stuff, no wonder they overlooked something so small. So...Is it going to be....?"
"Good news is, it's reversible, the muscles can adapt to any position if held there enough. Bad news, you basically have to go through the exact same thing to get your wings used to their normal position again. I wont lie, it's probably going to take months."
"And probably going to be very uncomfortable in the process...I understand though. This is the real deal, and you figured it out where nopony else has...Thank you."
Quick smiled softly and started gathering his notes back up, watching as Scootaloo checked her wings. She looked like it had taken it's toll on her stamina after just a few seconds and they were hoping for sustained flight? It wasn't impossible, but getting to the next step was all in her hooves now. Even as he finished packing up, Trixie looked between him and Scootaloo in thought.
"So, what happens now?"
"Now, we start training Scootaloo's wings. I'm not going to say we try holding them in place because real muscle damage is a risk if she tries too fast. Start with just trying for a few seconds at a time spread out over the day, see how we go."
Scootaloo nodded, though outwardly she appeared optimistic, inside she was a mess. Her back felt like it was on fire from just a few weak flaps and she was meant to do that forever, eventually. Just how soon was eventually anyway? What if it never came to be? Through all this one question was lingering in her mind. If it worked, this was everything she'd ever wanted and at the same time she knew she wasn't like the filly her that could have learned.
Was she too old to keep chasing a childhood dream?
Winter had come early to Ponyville. Being first on the list for Cloudsdale meant scheduled snow had started to fall overnight, it was still light but everypony knew things were going to get rougher. For now, life in town was able to go on as normal, much to the relief of Scootaloo. She had her talk to give at the school today and it was a welcome break from the last few weeks, staying committed to her wing exercises with Quick Fix's help. True, Scootaloo's lingering doubts were still there but the improvement was undeniable, she could hold her wings in proper position for several minutes at a time now. Flapping enough to consider take-off was still beyond her at this point but right now, the dream felt a little more real, well worth waking up sore everyday.
At least the weather was an excuse to wrap up, Scootaloo had outfitted herself with a scarf and wing warmers, in addition to her usual helmet. Sure it got a few odd looks in town but she felt good like this. There was some time before she was due, enough to get something warming and quite a few market stalls were starting to offer such treats. There was only one thing on her mind at the moment though; warm cider. Applejack had managed to perfect the recipe a few years back and now it was a popular winter choice.
Applejack herself was running the stall today and cheerfully waved Scootaloo over as soon as she noticed her. The workhorse had really stepped up her game over the last two decades, bringing Sweet Apple Acres up to producing and exporting apple products on a national level. Most of the work in that time had been shared between her and Big Mac, and it showed. Years of constant work and improvements meant Applejack had developed a brawny build that matched most stallions and she was proud of it.
"Howdy there, Scootaloo. You got any new shows lined up?"
"Hey, Applejack. Not at the moment, I might do something local in town, depends how thick the snow gets. I'm in talks to perform at the anniversary of the four though."
"Golly, I'll have to see if I can get to Canterlot for that one."
"I'll see what I can do to get you all there. Except Fluttershy, I wouldn't push her to travel far even as she currently is. Ok, back on topic, is cider still five bits?"
"Yes ma'am, though we're also trying out a low content variation for four bits, gives ya the same warm feeling while keeping you on top of your game," Applejack glanced up and her pupils shrank slightly. "Errm...Step to the right."
Scootloo did so and looked back, gasping as she recognised the pegasus coming in to land. In a whirlwind of colour, Rainbow Dash dropped from the sky and skidded to a stop right in front of the stall. She was looking a little more, formal, than usual, wearing a Wonderbolts bomber jacket, officer cap and aviator shades. Even as she watched, Rainbow took her glasses off and looked round.
"Morning, how's...Oh who am I kidding? Come here, little sis!" Rainbow grinned and pulled Scootaloo into a hug, dropping the professional act in a heartbeat. Scootaloo could only smile and hug her in return.
"I missed you too, big sis. I didn't know you had a day off."
"Me neither, the higher ups are having some meeting and said I didn't have to be there, for some reason. So I figured I could hit two birds with one stone by coming into town, Ponyville cider and more importantly, a little bird told me you're telling your cutie mark story today and I wouldn't miss that."
"Someone told you? But the only one who...Actually, yeah, forgot who lives in this town. Is Pinkie Pie still sending you care packages then?"
"Nah, just letters by now. So...Can I sit in and listen?" Rainbow's enthusiasm was a welcome addition for sure, seeing her retain the confidence and care she had even after all these years in the stuffy atmosphere of the Wonderbolts' top ranks. Scootaloo wouldn't have minded either way, it was still her surrogate big sister after all.
"Well, depends if you can afford enough cider to sit still that long."
"And you thought I had a problem." Rainbow chuckled as she headed for the schoolhouse, carrying a trio of takeaway cups on her back. Scootaloo trotted next to her with a single cup, they'd bought a few for the road and were nice and warmed up by now, a welcome feeling in the cold.
"Okay, okay. I'm still glad to see it though sis. Just try not to go too wild." Scootaloo smiled softly, glancing up as she saw a unicorn watching for her arrival. Even from here she could tell it was Dinky, probably the assistant teacher for today. The little filly Scootaloo had grown up with was now a bubbly, energetic mare with the most positive world outlook she'd ever seen.
"Ah, miss Scootaloo! Miss Dash! Glad you made it, Mrs Cheerilee is just starting the talk. I had no idea you were coming too, miss Dash, but I'm sure nopony will mind you joining us today. Oh my gosh, my mom told me about your routine in the empire, miss Scootaloo, you sounded perfect out there. Can I get an autograph after the talk?"
"How about a warm up right now?" Rainbow offered, grabbing one of her cups and offering it to Dinky. Scootaloo smiled softly at the sight as Dinky gave a small squee and took it with her magic. She took a soft sip and shivered slightly before the warmth took effect, clearing a spot on a nearby bench to sit down and enjoy.
"Mmm, thank you," Dinky smiled warmly before her ears twitched. "Cheerilee's winding down. I think that's your cue, miss Scootaloo." Scootaloo nodded and headed for the door, looking back to see if Rainbow was coming. To her surprise, Rainbow settled down next to Dinky and looked back at her.
"Doesn't seem right letting her stay out here on her own. We'll be rooting for you from here, little sis."
"Alright, thanks Rainbow Dash. Hope you both enjoy the story." Scootaloo took a breath and waited by the door, listening for her cue. As soon as she heard her name, she opened the door and stepped in, waving to the class as they applauded her.
Among the two dozen or so colts and fillies in the class, she could see Stellar Nova waving to her from near the back, sitting next to her was a moss green colt she recognised as Big Mac's son, Akane, along with a yellow pegasus that must have been Bumblebee. Apple Bloom had mentioned those three stuck together after their first meet but seeing it herself brought a warm smile to Scooaloo's face. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were back in action and Scootaloo gave them an extra wave as she sat down, making sure Rainbow and Dinky could hear from here.
"You're all very lucky kids. The story of how I got my cutie mark is such a doozy that only five ponies knew the truth," She looked back at it and smiled. "Until today, though before I start, I want to stress something important to all the fillies and colts here who don't have theirs yet. Don't try and force it, acknowledging your talent is every bit as important as discovering it. Otherwise you're going to have ponies saying..."
Ghastly Gorge March 19th, Year 3 under the Four Princesses
"...This is crazy, even for you."
Scootaloo tensed slightly as she glanced over the cliff edge. The wind was picking up and she had picked a spot with a lot of rocks poking out the wall. Maybe Sweetie Belle was right, there might be less risky ways to be a Cutie Mark Crusader stuntpony than riding down a cliff through a path she'd only visualised. At the same time though, backing out didn't seem like the kind of thing Rainbow Dash would do. Besides, the other two had received their marks months ago and she was good at things like this.
"Ah...Ah'm with Sweetie Belle on this one, even if you reach the bottom safely, you think ya can keep enough speed to make it up the other side?" Apple Bloom chimed in, looking even more nervous about what Scootaloo had proposed.
"Come on, I'm not a little filly anymore. I know enough to know I should make it, plus I've got my wings in case I need a boost...But, you do have the backup plan?"
"Yes, Apple Bloom tries to keep you talking and awake while I run to get Twilight and, no offence, Scootaloo, tell her this was all because of your crazy overconfidence."
"Listen, I can do this. I know I'm good at scooter tricks, just like you two learned about your singing and woodwork, then proved it and got your cutie marks. This is the same for me," Scootaloo fitted her helmet and took another look over the edge. "I hope..."
The other two crusaders exchanged nervous glances as Scootaloo checked her old scooter over one more time. Just as she was finishing up, a rustle made them all stop and look round, finally settling on a nearby bush near the edge of the cliff. Scootaloo sighed in frustration and rested her head on the handlebars, feeling like she had to deal with this every day now.
"I know it's you, Diamond Tiara. Seriously, is watching a pony attempt their special talent your idea of entertainment?"
"You mean watching a less talented pony constantly blow it. Then yes." Diamond Tiara answered, stepping out from her cover and smirking, prompting Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to glare back at her. While she had finally dropped the blank flank taunt, DT seemed even more obnoxious these days and it felt like she wasn't going to relent any time soon.
"Alright, that's it!" Scootaloo snapped, wings unfurling as she grabbed her scooter and stormed over to Diamond Tiara, getting eye to goggle. "I've put up with years of your condescension, even after you laid off my friends because they happened to get their cutie marks before me. You think I'm never going to get my mark? That I'm going to be your chew toy forever?! Fine! Then you can have a front row seat as I make my run from here and I earn it!!"
Diamond Tiara recoiled slightly at the outburst, clearly caught off guard. She slowly glanced over the edge and her eyes widened slightly, the cliff face was even rockier from here. Back at the original start point, Apple Bloom gasped and pointed something out to Sweetie Belle.
"T-that's suicide..." Diamond Tiara said quietly, sounding outright unnerved. In a moment she shook her head and glared back at Scootaloo, the usual fire back in her eyes. "Go ahead then, you're just giving me a front row seat to watch you fail!" She stomped in anger at the last word, bringing her hooves down hard. Any retort either pony had was lost at a cracking sound coming from beneath their hooves, both of them looking round in confusion, followed by dawning horror.
"Oh buck..." Apple Bloom managed to get out as Sweetie Belle got a better look. Some of the cliff under Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara had previously eroded, to the point that they had basically been standing on an overhang. An overhand that clearly wasn't very solid thanks to the bush roots breaking it up. Even as they moved to help, Scootaloo swung back round toward them.
"Stay back!" She shouted, looking down as the ground collapsed beneath her hooves, the last thing visible as she dropped below the edge was Apple Bloom running to try anyway and Sweetie Belle trying to charge her magic for some reason. Scootaloo knew there was only one way out of this and her hoof had managed to keep a grip on her scooter. She pulled it under her and braced, hitting the cliff with her front wheels, gravity and the sheer cliff face meant she wasn't getting her rear wheels down in a hurry. Starting to hurtle backwards down a cliff, it was an understatement for Scootaloo to consider it the most terrifying moment of her life.
She preferred to do things facing forward though, after a moment to brace herself, Scootaloo pushed the scooter into an ollie and span it round, having only the moment to see what was happening. Diamond Tiara was falling a few feet to her right, clear of any obstacles but seemingly catatonic from the shock of what was happening. In front of her were multiple rocks jutting out with no real spacing, trying to navigate that would be like trying to clear a minefield. To her left was a much clearer route, safe for sure, but what about Diamond Tiara? She only had a second to make her choice, go left to safety and leave her tormentor in the hooves of fate, or go straight and put it all on the line to try and save her.
As her wheels hit the ground again, Scootaloo knew it wasn't a choice at all.
She hunkered down on her scooter and rushed toward the rocks, trying a sight a route. Left right right? Too tight. Right left Right? Low jutting rock that would take a wheel off. Left left right? Out of time, it'd have to do. Scootaloo gritted her teeth and drove into the danger zone, having to turn early to counter the effects of driving almost straight down. Tunnel vision was something of a problem in here, she was focused but needed to be able to spot any route she could take. Of course, turning too hard with gravity how it was at the moment was basically a death sentence. Thankfully, none of this was really a problem to an experienced rider like Scootaloo as she ducked and weaved through the course, just about managing to keep holding onto her ride.
Almost too suddenly it was bright again as she cleared the rocks. Scootaloo looked round as best she could to try and spot Diamond Tiara and judge how far they had to go. To her surprise, her rush to get clear meant she had actually pulled ahead, that only made things worse as she had to try and slow down now in order to catch the falling filly. First things first though, she had to get into place before that. Scootaloo pulled herself over to the right and spread her wings out fully to act as airbrakes. It wasn't that effective against gravity instead of wind resistance but it was enough as the cliff began to level out.
Scootaloo tensed slightly, she had seconds left to react. With a glance up, she saw Diamond Tiara starting to come to just above her. There was only one option here and just one shot to make it work, otherwise this would all be for nothing. She gritted her teeth and pushed her scooter into another ollie, waiting to reach the height of her jump before wrapping a leg around Diamond Tiara and bracing herself. The landing was even rougher than before with the increased speed and her weight distribution thrown off, Scootaloo was forced to keep leaning just to stay upright, eyes narrowing as she felt them reach the base of the gorge, now came the hard part.
"Wh...What's....Aaaaggghhh!!!" Diamond Tiara cried as she regained her senses, gripping onto Scootaloo's side tighter than a constrictor. Scootaloo glanced down at her, deciding now wasn't the time for a comment. They were already set to climb up the far side and she was going too fast to make any corrections now.
"Just hang on!" Scootaloo called down to her, knowing things were out of control for either of them now. All she could do was grip the handlebars and glance down at the rest of the scooter, knowing it was going to need some serious maintenance after this. By the time she looked back up they were already making progress back up but starting to loose speed, fast. Scootaloo mentally cursed herself for failing to take the extra weight into account, lucky she had an ace on her back for this. Her wings shot open again and almost immediately became a blur of speed as she flapped as hard as possible.
Right now, one of two things would happen. Either they would make it up and somehow come through this unscathed, or they would lose all their speed and drop back into the gorge where...Best not to think about that. Scootaloo braced herself and kept flapping, waiting for the feeling of upward momentum to end. After what felt like an eternity, she felt the ground vanish under them again and chanced a look down. Her wings had kept speed up so well that they'd actually caught some air as they passed the lip of the cliff. Without thinking, Scootaloo pushed herself off the scooter and aimed for the solid ground, only remembering afterward that she was still about ten feet in the air with a pony hanging onto her.
The landing was, not so much a landing. More an impact to her front, followed by one to her back as Diamond Tiara landed on her before rolling aside. Scootaloo was left sprawled in the dirt, badly winded and almost in tears from trying to cope with so much adrenaline coursing through her. As she forced herself into a sitting position while fighting to get some air back into her, somepony started checking her over to see if she had any other injuries. She looked up and gasped slightly, seeing it was none other than Diamond Tiara.
"Y-you...You saved...Why? I-I mean, how bad is it?" Diamond Tiara asked softly, showing a level of care that was so genuine it was almost scary. Scootaloo watched her for a moment, mostly because she was still trying to get her breath back. As soon as she managed to reduce it to mere panting she stood up and nodded.
"Nopony deserves that, not even you. I saw that hesitation after I made my declaration and I realised, contrary to all the evidence you've given, you're capable of empathy and I've seen how much you influence ponies," She stopped for a moment to take a few more breaths. "If you tried treating ponies more positively, seeing how they think, you could find yourself somewhere where ponies like you for what are, rather than because you're all posh acting."
Diamond Tiara stared at her, seemingly unable to come up with a response. Her face flashed shades of disbelief, confusion, anger, before ultimately becoming blank as she turned and headed back toward Ponyville, looking lost in thought. A minute later, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle ran up to Scootaloo, silently thankful they'd chosen to do this near the end of the gorge.
"Oh holy Luna, a-re you alright, Scootaloo? I tried to teleport to get help but I panicked and couldn't do it. So we tried to get here as fast as we could while watching you and and..." Sweetie Belle trailed off into stressed breaths, Apple Bloom trying her best to calm both her and Scootaloo.
"I'm, I'm fine girls...I don't know how but I made the impossible happen down there. I've never been that good on my scooter before."
"Ah saw it all, you were handling it like a pro stuntpony in the most insane situation I ever saw you in."
"L-Like a pro?" The thought of being a stuntpony had been in Scootaloo's mind before but hearing she was that good...She could do it. Heck, the kind of things a stuntpony went through weren't anywhere near as dangerous as that, it was more than a living, it was more than a calling. It was what she was born to be.
As if in time with that realisation, her whole body tingled, a small flash on her sides. Apple Bloom's jaw dropped and Sweetie Belle gave a small squeal. Scootaloo looked back and could only stare, a purple helmet with light blue straps and lavender goggles settled on her flanks. Everything they'd been through today was immediately forgotten at the sight. All three of them broke into a cheer as one, jumping up and hugging, even if they had to prop Scootaloo up slightly for it.
"You did it! We've all finally done it!" Sweetie Belle cried happily, waiting for the other two to nod to her before raising her hoof. The other two raised theirs and pumped it in triumph before bringing them into a three way high hoof.
"And that's my story, looking back on it, it's not the best. But it's mine and I'm still proud of it." Scootaloo said as she finished the story. Looking up she saw the entire class was silent, she couldn't tell if they had been enthralled or bored by the whole thing and she shifted nervously. Just as the silence started to become awkward, she perked at the sound of a sole pony clapping, steady, genuine clapping. She looked round and realised it was coming from the door...Coming from Rainbow Dash.
"I knew it was going to be good, but wow! You really were born to ride." Rainbow gushed, taking all her discipline to stay in place right now. Dinky stepped up next to her and nodded, looking similarly impressed. As if on cue the class started cheering and clapping, though Scootaloo couldn't really tell if it was meant for her or Rainbow Dash. Rainbow glanced over at her, biting her lip slightly as she noticed the uncertainty building in Scootaloo, it was enough for her to step in and put a hoof round her shoulder.
"Fillies, I know I'm a national figure, but I'm also just like all of you. A pony respecting what a hero of mine went through. I mean, and be honest, hoofs up if you liked Scootaloo's story," They both smiled as just about everypony put a hoof up, Stellar Nova putting up both. "Exactly, I'll be happy to talk to you all at break time but this is Scootaloo's moment, let your focus be on the bravest pony I know."
Scootaloo's jaw dropped slightly as she looked at her surrogate sister. Even with all her Wonderbolts discipline, Rainbow had never really lost her drive for attention. Seeing her redirect the spotlight like that really was unexpected and Scootaloo wasn't afraid to get a little teary eyed as the class starting cheering for her properly. She mouthed a 'thank you' to Rainbow as her big sister stepped back to the door, smiling more as Rainbow smiled and nodded in return before she turned back to the class.
"Alright, I'll take any questions."
As the bell rang for the class to begin their afternoon lessons, Scootaloo shook hooves with Dinky and turned to make her way back toward town, joined by Rainbow Dash. The two had spent the rest of the morning taking questions from the fillies and colts about cutie marks and how it influenced their life choices. Now they had the afternoon free and had decided to just catch up together.
"How's Sugarcube Corner sound, I haven't had a chance to see how the twins work on their own yet."
"If it's open, I remember Apple Bloom saying Pinkie Pie needed to talk to her urgently there. Something about the fate of Equestria's cake supply."
"Heh heh, sounds like Pink alright." Dash grinned as she adjusted Scootaloo's wing warmer, looking on her with pride. Though they had an unspoken agreement to never talk about it, Rainbow always tried to make it clear that the wing issue had never affected anything between them, that she always loved Scootaloo as her little sister. Of course, she didn't know about Quick Fix's work either, Scootaloo planned that to be a surprise in the event it worked. For now, it was just about the two of them having some long overdue time together.
The snow was starting to fall again as they reached town, several snow banks forming alongside the pathways. Scootaloo's step had got lighter as they walked, clearly she was enjoying the weather. Rainbow Dash didn't want to say anything to dampen the mood but she didn't enjoy winter so much, too many bad memories about what she tried to do for Tank. That didn't help either, she still missed him. Scootaloo glanced over as Rainbow took her glasses off and sighed slightly, sensing what was wrong.
"Rainbow, I know you'd rather be back up in Cloudsdale, away from the weather. If it helps, I really appreciate you taking the time to come down for me."
"I....Yeah, I've had some bad times in the winter. But that's no excuse to avoid it, it's beautiful in it's own way and there's no way I'd miss a chance to see you shine if I could help it. You're my little sister and there's nothing in this world that's gonna keep us apart."
"Thank you, and the same for you big sis." Scootaloo put a hoof round Rainbow's shoulder and nuzzled her softly in support. With hardly a moments hesitation, Rainbow did the same, making the moment last.
"You know, there are things I really don't say enough, mostly because I worry what ponies would think if they heard it out of context. But, as my surrogate but totally closer than blood little sister, I love you, Scootaloo."
"Surrogate but totally closer than blood big sister, I love you too, Rainbow Dash. Now come on, I owe you a hot meal." Scootaloo trotted for home, almost bouncing on the snow in her glee at the moment. Rainbow sighed happily before following, silently acknowledging that there was no reason she couldn't have good memories alongside the bad ones. After all, the ones from today ranked up there with the best.
Scootaloo gave a sigh of relief as they got into the warmth of Sugarcube corner, the atmosphere inside a lot better than the winter air. Several groups of ponies had already gathered inside, including Pinkie and Apple Bloom studying a map in the corner booth. She couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of them both so serious before heading for the counter while Rainbow Dash found them a table. Pumpkin Cake was manning the counter today, skipping in place as usual.
"Afternoon, Scoots! What're you up for?"
"Two sets of something warming, surprise me."
"Okey dokey lokey! Fresh grass pancakes with cupcakes and hot cider." Pumpkin brought a pair of plates and glasses over with her magic, loading them up while Scootaloo paid her.
"You're selling cider now?"
"Yeppers! Worked a deal with AJ and that Bounty guy, I tell ya, he's got a proper mind in there. Well he would have to with all that work he does, kinda reminds me of Shining Armour. AJ's a lucky girl to have him around."
"Huh, sounds like it." Scootaloo spread her wings and let Pumpkin place her order on them before trotting over to Rainbow's table. She set their plates down and took a seat, relaxing in her seat. Rainbow grinned and took her glass, Scootaloo took the hint and picked hers up, as one they raised them together and tapped them together.
"To sisterhood."
"To sisterhood"
They both took a drink together, sitting back and relaxing. Rainbow Dash looked down in thought for a minute before perking, remembering something that had slipped her mind.
"So, I don't know how much use it'd be, but I found the contact information for a wing specialist in Baltimare, one that deals in more exotic conditions. Maybe they know something new that could help you."
"Thanks, but I'll have to pass."
"Oh," Scootaloo could see the concern Rainbow was trying to hide now, more for her sibling's sake than anything. "Does that mean you've...?" Scootaloo shook her head and flexed her wings, watching Rainbow relax slightly.
"Let's just say I'm pursuing my own lead, one that I'm beginning to have faith in."
Quick fix shivered slightly as he checked a saw, trying not to think how he couldn't turn up the heating inside a tool shed. He had a routine for tool maintenance though and even the cold wasn't going to deter him from it. On the plus side, Scootaloo and Trixie were coming over soon to discuss their progress soon so he could take a break for that. Picking up a metal file, he sharpened a few of the saw teeth, thinking back to how far things had come over the last month. Scootaloo had come along so far already, she looked like she could try flying any day now. Of course, that would require practice and there weren't many places on the ground that had those kind of facilities at short notice. There was a workaround though.
Finishing up his work after a few minutes, Quick put his tools back and stepped out into the snow covering his garden. It was still only a foot deep but nopony was sure how much more would be coming, the main problem he had with it was the increased workload as everypony seemed to need house repairs in the winter. Except his, a perk of the job was free practice at, or on, home. For now, he stopped at the fence and leaned on it slightly, watching the sky. It was cloudy but with some sun coming through, quiet and reflective, just like him at the moment as he stood there.
What if this was all just a hope spot and they were ultimately fighting nature's indomitable will? How would Scootaloo take it if she really was grounded forever, resigned acceptance at best, the utter destruction of her will at worst. What about his own outcome, putting everything he hoped for on the line and failing. What if she took her frustrations out on him? In truth, the idea of them both coming so near, yet so far was what scared him the most.
"Come on, Quick. It's just the cold getting to you, nothing is going to go wrong...I hope." He told himself, finally heading inside. The warmth was a welcome relief as he got something to drink before checking his living room was ready. All his furniture had been moved to the walls to give Scootaloo space in the centre, space he really hoped they were going to need. There wasn't time to adjust anything now, all he could do right now was check the fire was alright and prepare himself. Yes his thoughts were rather circular right now but when trying to find a way past nerves, he had a tendency to keep thinking about the same thing until he found a way past it.
Scootaloo was just as tense, though that was a side effect of walking in the snow with just her scarf and wing warmers. She almost envied Trixie having a fully body cape right now, even if she was also shivering with the cold. Focus was a bit of an issue in this weather and both of them were silently hoping Quick Fix kept his house warm.
"So, I was just wondering. Is your friend, Apple Bloom at work over the winter?"
"Hmm? Oh right, I don't actually know. She left a notice at the shop saying she'd be out of town the day after I did my talk, I haven't seen her since then."
"Hmmm, hope she's alright."
"You and me both." Scootaloo tried to put the thought out of mind, maybe she was just away on business or a crusader trip while they were off school. There wasn't anything she could do about it now though, even if she knew where Apple Bloom was. She had her own task at hoof anyway and the sooner they got to it, the sooner they could get somewhere warm. After a few minutes of trying to figure out which house was the right one, they found Quick Fix's place and quickly knocked on the door. Quick opened up and stepped aside to let them in, glancing out at the snow as he did.
"Thank you, Trixie is not a fan of the cold." Trixie sighed as she removed her cape and held it up with her magic, brushing the loose snow off. Scootaloo shook her head slightly as she took her things off and hung them up.
"You'll have to excuse her, Quick. We got a little lost on the way."
"Don't worry about it, I put the fire on early so we should we warm enough and you can stay as long as you want to." Trixie still didn't look too convinced but didn't comment as Quick lead them through to the living room. Scootaloo couldn't help but grin at just how much warmer it felt, coupled with the sight of hot drinks. As she went to get one, she noticed a few notes that Quick had moved aside, they looked like more of the notes he'd used before except they were focused more on horn injuries. Wasn't he just trying to focus on her? Whatever the reason, she didn't think it was a good idea to let him know she'd seen it.
"This is, an impressive mix. Did you put some herbs in the drinks?"
"Yeah, tried something new from Flora Flavour's shop. Let me know what you think." Scootaloo took a drink and just about managed to keep a straight face, it wasn't unbearable but Quick clearly didn't have the talent for drinks making as he did repairs.
"Honestly, I think you should ask a bartender for advice next time. It is nice and warming though." Scootaloo stepped aside so Trixie could try one, heading for the centre of the room and spreading her wings, same as every time they met up. Quick checked her posture over, feeling for muscle tension and comparing against notes he made the last time.
"Well, your progress is ahead of the normal. How does flapping feel?"
"Not too bad now, still don't trust them to hold my weight but they can whip up a storm down here."
"Good, I think your body has almost adjusted to proper position. We're going to try something new then, see if you're right about holding your weight. Trixie, if it's alright, we're going to need your help with this one."
"Me?" Trixie almost spat her drink out and stared at Quick in surprise. She was only here to make sure he didn't cause any trouble for Scootaloo, now she was being roped in to help him? "Well, depends what you want me to do."
"It's nothing serious, I'd just like you to hold Scootaloo up with your magic while she tries flying posture. If you're alright with it of course."
"Well, I haven't done any telekinesis on this this level for some time, but I can try." Scootaloo nodded in thanks and tucked her wings back in, waiting for Quick to step back before nodding to Trixie. On cue, her horn lit up with it's pink aura, enveloping Scootaloo a moment later. Trixie gritted her teeth and focused, her magic sparking off her horn slightly as Scootaloo was levitated about a foot off the ground. As taxing as it was, Trixie still managed to look up at her and grin.
"Perfect! Go for it, Scootaloo" Quick stepped back further to maximise space, leaving Scootaloo in control. She could hardly believe this moment was happening, she hadn't been able to pretend to fly like this since Rainbow Dash had joined the Wonderbolts reserve. With a small whoop of glee, she dropped into a flight pose, spread her wings and started flapping. Lack of airflow aside, this was it, this was everything she'd wanted to be. Her wing muscles were already starting to ache from being used in this position but she couldn't care less right now.
All the years she had endured Diamond Tiara's bullying, all the times she had felt trapped under her big sister's shadow, all the nights she had sat and wept at the thought of her dreams slipping away into the dark. None of it mattered anymore, a lifetime of fears and heartache was being blown away in the wake of Scootaloo flying under her own power, or near enough, for the first time in her life. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, any sound she wanted to make choking up in her throat, pushing herself for just a few more seconds of freedom, pretending she was a match for any pegasus, being as awesome as her sister was.
"I'd prepare for landing, Scootaloo. Trixie's wavering over there." Quick warned. As much as she was enjoying herself, Scootaloo knew it wasn't worth exploiting her friend's power to do so and she brought her flaps to a halt, shifting into a hovering pose as Trixie let her magic trail off, dropping back to the floor. She had to keep her emotion in check right now, Trixie was sitting down and panting hard, clearly drained, while Quick rushed to get something to boost her.
"I'm sorry, I got carried away." Scootaloo sat down with Trixie and put a hoof on her shoulder. To her suprise, Trixie looked back up at her and grinned weakly.
"I needed to push myself anyway. I'm not a young pony anymore, I have to take what I can get. Besides, you looked happier than I've ever seen you before. It was all worth it."
"You have no idea." Scootaloo smiled in return, finally letting the joyful tears fall as she hugged Trixie in thanks. She believed now, that she really did have the strength to fly and though having it under her control was still some way off, with Trixie and Quick supporting her, Scootaloo knew it was only a matter of time.
She didn't need flight to be awesome, but from the taste just given to her, it certainly didn't hurt.
After weeks of cold, Equestria finally seemed to have shaken off the harshness of the winter and was settling into the Hearth's Warming spirit. Ponyville was festooned with seasonal lights and decorations, bringing even the coldest of ponies' spirits up. Scootaloo's spirit certainly had been boosted over the past month, even if most of it was a blur. Her training had been stepped up at her own insistence, focusing on ensuring her wings could lift her body weight while still remaining in control. As fun as it was getting, Quick Fix had said they needed to take a breather and she agreed, no use in exhausting herself when the cold made it hard to recover quickly.
Fortunately, Scootaloo had something to do in the meantime. A few days before, she had received a letter from Sweetie Belle, saying she would be coming back from Manehatten today. To make things even better, Apple Bloom was finally back in town and they'd agreed to go meet Sweetie at the station together. As Scootaloo made her way to Sugarcube corner, now wrapped up with socks and a thermal cape on top of everything else, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Apple Bloom's absence from town, no communication, did anypony even know where she'd been?
It'd come up when the time was right, for now she could see Apple Bloom waving her over, equally wrapped up against the weather. Even from here, Scootaloo could see some nerves in her eyes, something hidden behind them. Deciding not to comment just yet, Scootaloo simply trotted up and hugged her friend.
"It's been too long, Apple Bloom. How've you been?"
"You know, not alone at least. I'll tell you what's been happening after we get inside later, Sweetie Belle's train arrives in twenty." Apple Bloom looked away nervously as they started walking, prompting more looks of concern from Scootaloo. Surely it couldn't be that bad, even if she couldn't bring herself to make eye contact.
"Come on AB, can you at least tell me where you've been and with who? I won't breathe a word of it to anypony. Pinkie promise." Scootaloo tried to do the motions and almost fell over with so much clothing on, making Apple Bloom chuckle at the sight and finally look like she was loosening up.
"Well, for you then. I was planning to tell you and Sweetie Belle some of it together and make you Pinkie promise anyway. I was in southern Equestria with mah-I mean, with Pinkie Pie. She wanted me along to investigate a farm down there, I don't really understand the full story yet but we'll be back down there soon...There's something else, something you can't even think about around anypony else right now."
Scootaloo stopped and nodded, waiting as Apple Bloom looked down, seeming to steel herself in preparation. After a full minute, she leaned in and whispered something to Scootaloo before stepping back and looking down in shame. Scootaloo's jaw dropped slightly as she tried to process what she'd just heard. Her friend was...Well, when you thought you knew a pony, they sprung a surprise like that.
"Seriously? I'm...I'm actually really impressed. Really, congratulations!" Apple Bloom looked up in surprise at those words, prompting a grin from Scootaloo. "I mean it, takes a lot of guts to accept something like that, plus it doesn't change anything for the worse. You're still the same Apple Bloom I met at the cute-ceanera all those years ago, only now you're even more awesome. If anything, that's the kind of thing that makes Ponyville so special."
"Awww...Thanks, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom smiled softly and hugged Scootaloo one more time. She still had the air of uncertainty about her but she looked happy at least. Scootaloo gave her a supportive pat on the shoulder and nodded down the street. Apple Bloom nodded in return and the two set off for the station again, letting the conversation head into less secret territory.
Ponyville station was a hive of activity. With many big name stars from the cities heading home for Hearth's Warming, a number of ponies were hanging or hovering around hoping to get a photo or autograph. Rarity was not one of those ponies, she waited at the end of the platform, dressed up in enough fur to make a yak proud, simply hoping for the chance to see her sister. She adjusted her glasses slightly and glanced round, noticing Apple Bloom and Scootaloo enter the station before discreetly waving them over.
"Glad you could make it, I'm sure Sweetie will love seeing us all here." Rarity said as they trotted up, glancing back and smiling as she saw the train approaching. Several of the gathered ponies noticed as well and got themselves ready, the rest of the crowd being drawn in as it pulled up and started to offload passengers. Most of those traveling were just locals who tried not to look too off put, much to the disappointment of the crowds. Last off the train was a dark green stallion with gold mane and a bass clef cutie mark that the fans were instantly drawn to, Apple Bloom's eyes widened slightly at the sight of him.
"Is that...?"
"Deep Note, yes. He often does music at the same shows as Sweetie. I'm not sure why he's here though." Rarity mused, watching as he started dealing with the crowd. At the very back of the train, another pony stepped out, a familiar white-grey mare with a microphone cutie mark. As she saw the trio waiting for her, Sweetie Belle gave a squeak of joy and ran up to them, hugging Rarity closely before pulling Scootaloo and Apple Bloom into it.
"Oohhhh I missed you all! I was going to get gifts but I got a rush at the store so I thought you wouldn't mind me getting something local." Sweetie Belle gushed, clearly having missed her friends and family. Rarity smiled softly and nuzzled her in return, making sure her little sister wasn't in view of the crowd.
"I already have the best present I could ever get."
"We all have." Apple Bloom added, giving Sweetie Belle an extra hug before letting her go. Scootaloo did the same and put her hoof out, prompting a grin from the other two as they put their own hoof in.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders, reunited!"
Scootaloo couldn't help but chuckle slightly as the four of them made their way back through town. Rarity had given Sweetie Belle her outfit for both warmth and disguise, now the two of them seemed to be trying to outdo each other in taking in the sights. Rarity was having a hard time pointing out everything and Sweetie Belle was struggling just as much to take it all in. Apple Bloom was doing her best to fill in the gaps of what had changed in town, leaving Scootaloo to her thoughts.
Sure, family wasn't the biggest focus at this time of year but everypony seemed to come together closer anyway. Except her, sure she had ponies as close as family but it wasn't quite the same, not even with Rainbow Dash. Her train of thought was interrupted as an ice blue filly with a teal mane and white rake cutie mark trotted up to her. She recognised the girl as Frostleaf, Big Mac and Cheerilee's other child, though just what she wanted with Scootaloo was beyond her until she saw the quill and card Frostleaf was carrying.
"Hey kid, can I help you?"
"Hi, Scootaloo! I got a Hearth's Warming card for mom and hoped some of her old students would sign it as well, just so she knows how much everypony appreciates her!"
"Wow, that's really sweet of you. Of course I'll sign," Scootaloo took the quill and carefully signed her name, prompting a happy little squeal from Frostleaf, the filly barely able to get a thank you out as she headed to ask Apple Bloom. Scootaloo watched her go as her previous thoughts came back to her. Everypony had family with them and meanwhile..."Hey, I'll catch up with you all at the boutique. I got something I need to do." Scootaloo waved the others off and headed off. Something she needed to do, actually somepony she needed to see. Somepony who meant more to her than anypony else in town.
The air was a lot quieter outside of the shopping district, which suited Scootaloo just fine as she went through what she was going to say in her head. It had been years since she'd even been to this part of town, avoiding it so she wouldn't have to have this encounter. She still knew the route though, coming up to a house near the east outskirts. To her relief, the sign on the garden wall was still there, listing the occupants as Spring Spirit, Fever Pitch and...The third name had been painted over. That didn't matter, the one she wanted was still here.
Scootaloo sighed and looked up at the house, the same as so many others in town, yet filled with such a bad memory. She slowly started to walk up the path, looking at what was left of the plants, trying not to remember how they'd looked that day. As she reached the door she lifted her cape up with her wings and let it fall across her back so she had space to move them. This was it, the moment of truth, time to either accept her past or destroy the closest bond she had. She knocked slowly, flexing her wings impatiently before the door was answered by an amber earth pony. She looked like age was catching up to her, her indigo mane ruffled, her leaf cutie mark lacking it's shine, her jaw dropping at the sight before her as Scootaloo spread her wings and made eye contact with Spring Spirit for the first time in thirteen years.
"Well, it's been a long time since I've said this so I hope it sounds okay. Hello, mother."
"I...Scootaloo?" Spring blinked slowly, rooted to the spot. This wasn't the same Scootaloo she remembered, the teen she'd last seen running from her in tears. Now here she was again, a national icon with her own life, coming back to her against the odds.
"Yeah, it's me," Scootaloo started, being cut off as Spring Spirit stepped forward and hugged her gently. "Okay, didn't expect that reaction. Is, it ok if I come in?" Spring stepped aside for her, Scootaloo trying not to let her nerves come up. To her surprise, the hallway was lined with a mix of family photos and news clippings covering Scootaloo's rise to fame.
"So, Scootaloo. Wh-what brings you back this way?"
"Well...It's what happened, how we last parted."
"Oh, yes. That..."
June 6th - Year 9 under the Four Princesses
"For the last time, being a stuntpony is no career for a fifteen year old!"
Scootaloo fumed at her mother's words, what did she know about what an agile pony could do with herself? Spring Spirit looked back at her daughter with exasperation, why couldn't she understand that her wellbeing was more important than showing off like that. Hadn't she learned from the broken wing she received from last time?
"For Celestia's sake, I'm old enough to look after myself, make my own decisions. I can choose what I want to do with my damm life!"
"I know you are, I just want what's best for you."
"Best for me? Hah! I understand what I can do, I got my cutie mark from my stunts, I know that following my talent is what's best!"
"There are plenty of things you can do with that talent that are less dangerous. There are stunt teams who would be eager to have somepony like you, the Vulcans, the Firewings, even the Wonderbolts might be interested in your skill if you put it to use with your wings rather than your scooter." Spring stopped as she realised what she just said, glancing down to see Scootaloo glaring pure murder at her.
"...What did you just say?" Spring bit her lip slightly, trying to think of what to say. Nothing was coming out though, the inability to fly was a sore point for Scootaloo and she'd thoughtlessly pushed that button. Even she wasn't prepared for what was coming though.
"It always comes back to the wings with you, doesn't it? Everything comes back to why I can't fly, every time you bring it up I can tell what you're thinking. 'What's wrong with Scootaloo's wings?' 'Why isn't Scootaloo doing anything about it?' 'When will Scootaloo start acting like a normal pegasus and stop showing her family up?!' That's all you care about isn't it? What others think about me being an flightless FREAK!!!"
"I...N-no...." Spring's voice was cracking and she didn't know how to respond anymore, it was taking everything she had just to remain composed at the sight in front of her. The feeling of Scootaloo's self-hatred at her incapacity, the knowledge of her misjudged blame and the idea that she herself seemed responsible for this through her parenting. All of it was overwhelming and tears started to well up in her eyes, a fact lost to Scootaloo as she continued her tirade.
"Well, you can forget worrying about it now. I'm old enough to live my own life, where both of us can have our dreams back without ruining each other's lives! Goodbye!" Scootaloo turned and ran for the door, grabbing her helmet on the way out. Spring was rooted in spot for a second, trying to force herself just to move, before she managed to run for the door. The delay was costly though, by the time she got there, Scootaloo had grabbed her scooter and taken off, nothing but dust trails left in her wake. Spring looked round franticly but she had no idea where to look, her daughter had dozens of isolated hangouts and hiding spots in town, she could bunker down for Luna knows how long.
"Scoots...I'm sorry." Spring Spirit sat down at the door and looked down, letting the tears finally fall silently at her failure.
"I-if you don't mind me asking, what did you do? I never saw you after that." Spring Spirit sat herself down in the living room as Scootaloo took the chair opposite her.
"I'd, been saving bits for some time, thinking something like that would happen. I went to my safety deposit, got it and rented a place in the farms, worked as a delivery pony until I got a start on my stunt work...Speaking of, h-how did you two...Manage?"
"Well...I don't know how long I sat there, trying to accept my bad parenting before I even got up but, I-I searched for hours, checked every spot I know you visited, even asked the other crusaders...Telling your father what had happened, that was the worst day of my life. He tried the same thing next day, still nothing."
Scootaloo looked down in shame, her past self had never even thought to consider how it would affect her family. She'd left them worrying about her for years, even after they'd seen she was alright and making a name for herself. The guilt was almost painful to bear and she sighed as she looked back up at Spring.
"I know it's, thirteen years too late, but...I'm sorry what I did, mother. I didn't tell anyone what had happened, too wrapped up in my own selfish desires to think about the long term consequences. Yes I made my dream happen but it wasn't worth what I did to you and dad. I'd understand if you were furious at me."
"Scootaloo..." Spring got up and walked over to Scootaloo, putting a hoof under her chin to make sure they would see eye to eye here. "I was upset, yes. Maybe disappointed, yes. But I can't stay angry at you, you're my little girl and despite what you might think, I still love you. Heck, I'm proud of how well you've done, you took your dream and made it happen. We...We've actually been to all your shows."
"I...Mom, I...I missed you too." Scootaloo pulled Spring close and hugged her, struggling to get anything else out. Spring showed no hesitation before hugging her in return. Neither of them wanted to let go, making up for so much lost time. Spring nuzzled her softly, feeling the family bond with her daughter for the first time in far too long.
"So, where do we go from here?"
"First things first, just getting back to where we were. I think we should just talk first, catch up." Spring looked down at Scootaloo and smiled softly.
"I'd like that."
It felt like they'd only been talking for a few minutes and it was already getting late in the afternoon. Scootaloo didn't want to leave but she'd promised to meet up with the other crusaders again today. Even so, she felt more relaxed than she had for some time. Spring Spirit had even invited her over for Hearth's Warming.
"You sure that dad will be okay with it?"
"Positive, he's not lost any of his vigour over the years," Spring grinned, helping Scootaloo get her winter clothes back on. "And I can tell he'll be excited to see you again."
"Yeah, I know I can't wait either."
"You've no idea how good it makes me feel to have you back, Scootaloo."
"I've got an idea," Scootaloo smiled and hugged Spring. The two held it for a moment before letting go at last. "I'll see you soon mom, I promise."
"I hope so, you owe me a few mothers day gifts." Spring teased, waving Scootaloo off as she headed back toward town, a fresh spring in her step. The bond wasn't like it used to be but they were talking again and that was a major step. It was just like her riding, now she had to capitalise on her success and make sure they kept heading in the right direction.
Hearth's Warming eve, normally Scootaloo tried to spend it alone, or with one of the other crusaders. For the first time in years though, she was finally able to spend it with her own family. A pair of presents were tucked under her wings as she headed for Spring Spirit's house, a bounce in her step and more than a few cheery giggles escaping her lips. Sweetie Belle was trotting next to her and grinned at the sight of her friend being so cheerful.
"It's so nice to see you enjoying yourself again. I was worried with me at Rarity's and Apple Bloom spending the day at Pinkie's party, you weren't going to have anypony to be with. I was going to invite you to join us before you told me you'd managed to reconnect with your family."
"Yeah, I can hardly believe it either. I gotta say, thank you for your part in this, Sweetie Belle" Scootaloo smiled over at her as they reached Spring's house.
"My part?" Sweetie asked in confusion.
"Well, seeing you and Rarity bonding so strongly, at this time of year and all, it was part of what made me think, made me want to do this."
"Oh, well, you're welcome then," Sweetie smiled as Scootaloo nodded and moved to go. "Happy Hearth's Warming."
"You too!" Sweetie gave a wave before heading off toward Carousel Boutique. Scootaloo waved back and turned to head for the house, stopping as she noticed the new sign on the wall.
"Home to Spring Spirit and Fever Pitch...Fillyhood home of Scootaloo. Awwww." She blushed softly at the addition and headed for the door, knocking with a deal more confidence than last time. This time the door was opened by a brown pegasus stallion with a dark purple mane, green eyes and a megaphone cutie mark.
"Scootaloo!" Fever Pitch pulled her into a hug, ruffling her hair playfully. Scootaloo used to hate it but it had been so long that it was almost welcome.
"Hey dad, I missed you too." Scootaloo hugged him in return, glad to see that even with his age, he hadn't lost that same energetic streak that served him well as an announcer. Fever grinned and showed her inside, stepping aside as she took her winter wear off and placed her presents aside.
"Sorry I missed you when you last visited. Spring told me what happened though and...Well, I'm proud of you as well. It takes a lot to face the past like that. Soon as I heard, I got the paint out and put you back on the sign...And err, sorry for taking you off in the first place."
"It's understandable, I didn't leave the best impression with my goodbye." Scootaloo chuckled softly and followed Fever through to to the kitchen, where Spring Spirit was checking over the cooking for Hearth's Warming dinner. She waved over to Scootaloo and stepped aside to let Fever take over the cooking again.
"Hi mom, sorry I didn't bring twelve years of mother's day gifts. I kinda donated most of my last pay check to Fluttershy."
"That's okay hun, you're putting your bits to better use like that. I already know you care," Spring trotted over and hugged Scootaloo gently. Scootaloo returned it in kind before following her through to the living room. "I've got something special I wanted to show you."
"Really? Wait...You're gonna?"
"Yep, you get to raise the flag again. Not just that, I got this out again." Spring brought out a trio of Hearth's Warming dolls, one of her, one of Fever and one of a filly Scootaloo. Scootaloo took the doll of her and gasped softly, as if the nostalgia of seeing it again wasn't enough, somepony had sown a patch of her cutie mark on.
"Oh...Wow," Scootaloo looked up at Spring and blushed softly. So many things were running through her mind right now that one of them came out before she realised it. "Why? I-I mean you forgave me, sure. But, acting like I was never gone?"
"Okay, maybe it is overcompensating. I just missed you, we lost thirteen years together and I-I just want to try and get some of the time back while I can."
"It's, okay. I can understand that, I didn't realise it before but I missed you badly as well." Scootaloo hugged Spring, the two smiling softly at each other, thankful to have moments like these again.
"Thanks, I love you, Scoots."
"Love you too, mom."
The night sky looked even more beautiful in the winter, with the snow reflecting both the light of the moon and the seasonal lights. Scootaloo sat by the front door, taking a minute to herself after dinner. Sure, there might have been a little tension left over from the past, but on the whole it went rather well. She was just glad they were still talking to each other after so long. Next up was the flag raising and she had a surprise for her parents this time. Activity from behind made her perk up and she looked back at Spring Spirit and Fever Pitch came out carrying the Equestrian flag.
"It's been a long time coming, you ready Scoots?" Fever asked as she stood up and joined them in front of the flagpole set up earlier. Scootaloo nodded eagerly, stepping aside while they fitted everything up.
"You bet, I've been saving something special for this," Scootaloo stepped up to the flagpole and looked back at herself. This wasn't part of the original plan, but she was feeling confident in herself, time to see if Quick Fix's training had paid off. "I'm, not sure what's going to happen." She took a breath and unfurled her wings.
"Scootaloo?" Fever asked before stepping back as she started flapping, Spring gasped as she realised what was happening. Scootaloo gritted her teeth and jumped, bracing herself to come back down again. A landing that never came, she glanced down and realised that she was managing an uneasy hover. With some effort, she managed to gain altitude, more than she'd ever managed in her life.
"Focus..." She managed to bring herself level to the top of the flagpole and started on the rope. Spring and Fever could only watch in surprise as she managed to stay airborne long to raise the flag into place, giving it a salute before lowering herself back to the ground, landing fast and hard.
"Sweet Celestia! That was amazing!" Fever ran up to Scootaloo and hugged her in euphoria, taking a moment to realise she'd tired from the effort. "I mean, seriously, I've never seen you push yourself so much. It paid off too, what changed that let you do that?"
"I...Found somepony who understood the true problem." Scootaloo smiled softly and looked over at Spring Spirit. She hadn't moved at all and was just looking back at Scootaloo with tears in her eyes, smiling the smile of a mother would never be able to find words for how proud she was of her child. Slowly she walked over and hugged Scootaloo as well.
"Happy Hearth's Warming, everypony."
Happy Hearth's Warming." Scootaloo relaxed as she hugged them back. Even in the midst of such success, with trying not to get too worked up, one little detail was lingering in the back of her mind. Something about Quick Fix was still off to her, namely, what he was getting out of this. Even if it was just for friendship, he was after something significant in return. Few ponies would just help a notable name for nothing after all. Scootaloo made a mental note to bring it up at the next training session. This time, she was going to be the one learning something.
"Yeah. Sorry, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle smiled weakly through her winter gear, trying to look as apologetic as she could. "We've had...An emergency come up, me and Rarity need to get to Manehatten post-haste."
"Okay, well it was good to see you again. Cutie Mark Crusaders for life." Scootaloo smiled and put her hoof out, Sweetie Belle grinned and returned the hoofbump, giving her friend a quick hug before heading for the station. Scootaloo sighed to herself as she looked round, Apple Bloom had slipped town again yesterday and she was at a loss for which of her friends were left. That left an opening of another kind though. Quick Fix didn't have any jobs booked for today, now was as good a time as any to ask her questions.
As she headed back into Ponyville, Scootaloo let her mind wander to how she'd spent the last few months. Sure, she'd been focused on her training but it didn't feel right just letting her other focus go unheeded, this town had done so much for her over the years, it only felt right to give as much back. Most ponies assumed that she was one of the richest ponies in town with all her stunt work. In truth, she often negotiated to lower her pay and frequently donated a significant portion to charity.
"Hopefully I can make it up after the anniversary, a good show there would be worth thousands of bits." Scootaloo mused to herself, letting the thought slide as she reached Quick's house. To her surprise, it looked like he was out, a note left on the front door. She read through it quickly and looked back in thought, sure it was an emergency job but it also sounded like he'd been asked for a rush job. Scootaloo was no repairpony, but if nothing else, having somepony to help might let him work better. With that settled, she headed off, having a good idea just what she'd be seeing.
"So, how exactly do you manage blow out a wall section?" Quick Fix asked as he laid out lumber for the task at hand. Watching him and looking over the damage was a grey earth pony with darker grey mane, purple eyes and a treble clef cutie mark.
"You would be surprised just how much power I can place into music, Quick." Octavia replied, prompting a knowing nod from Quick. He'd been to a few concerts in his youth and from all the previous times he'd been called out to deal with what Vinyl Scratch was capable of, this much damage for her being in the zone seemed to be getting off lightly.
"I can only imagine. Luckily, most of this looks like it'll be easy to replace, I'll do my best to have a functional wall up again by nightfall."
"Thank you, sir. I'll leave you to your work," She nodded and headed off toward town. "Good morning, miss Scootaloo."
"Morning, Tavi." Scootaloo nodded to her neighbour in return as she trotted up and took in the sight. Privately, she wasn't sure if she was worried about the kind of damage Octavia could do, or surprised this was only the third time this year. At least she wasn't here when it happened this time, last time she'd had to scramble for cover from the wreckage and not having to do that again was a plus.
"Scootaloo?" Quick looked up at her, fighting back the instinct to ask what she was doing here. She only lived two houses down the street after all.
"Yeah, I didn't have anything to do today. Do you want some help?"
"I...Actually, yeah. Could you help keep these balanced?" Quick asked as he hoisted the new support beams into place. Scootaloo nodded and trotted over, helping him lift the wood up into place.
"So, I got some good news. The training's really working. I was doing the flag raising for Hearth's Warming and, well, I was able to control my altitude while hovering for longer than I ever could before."
"For real? Woah, that's better than I thought you'd be doing. I'm really proud of you, Scootaloo." Quick beamed down at her, waiting until he'd hammered the wood into place before stepping down and giving her a congratulatory hug. Scootaloo smiled and hugged him in return.
"Thanks, I definitely couldn't have managed it without you and your knowledge though," She smiled softly and started on the next beam, figuring now was as good a time as any to lead into her main point. "You learned a lot about pony biology for a repairpony."
"Yeah, I guess I did..."
"I, saw your other papers before. Learning about horn injuries, a piece on common afflictions. Why would you want to know more than what makes you special?" Scootaloo bit her lip as she stopped speaking, realising just how bad that sounded out loud. Quick looked down at her silently for a moment, Scootaloo met his gaze, her eyes silently apologizing for her words. He nodded and resumed working, the two of them getting the basic structure back up before Quick sighed quietly as he went to get more tools.
"I didn't always want to be a repairpony."
"I...Quick?" Scootaloo looked over at him with a touch of concern as he stood back up and resumed working.
"A name like Quick Fix, you'd think it's pretty set in stone, especially when you see me now. The thing is, there are a lot of things you can fix." He looked back at his cutie mark. "Before this showed up, I wanted to be somepony who helped others in a hooves on way. I kept running through all the paths I could take, a policepony, a social worker, a medic, something that could make a difference. Then one day I was helping my dad with the garden fence and I was enjoying myself, of course I was, I was a colt spending time with my family. It was enough for me to earn my mark. That was that as far as my parents were concerned, they put my focus onto household repairs and I was left confused as to if I'd been put on the path I belonged in."
"Oh...Wow, I..." Scootaloo had no words, she'd never considered the idea that a pony's special talent could be useful in more than one path. It made sense though, her own special talent was her stunt skill, which even at it's most basic could apply to either her scooter tricks or aerial displays...Just like her mother had been trying to explain. She nodded slowly, letting Quick continue.
"I've been questioning it for years, I mean, yeah I'm good at this but what if my talent is more than just fixing buildings. Like, fixing ponies...Truth be told, that's part of why I made the offer in the first place. Selfish as it sounds, I wanted to see if I had what it took just as much as I was aiming to help you. All those notes you saw in my house were from further studying I did at Princess Twilight's castle. My success here motivated me to keep going, to see if I could learn a new way to help ponies that stayed within my talent for fixing."
"That's...Well, admittedly, that's a noble idea," Scootaloo managed to comment, passing some tools up to Quick. "Though it's not like you don't help ponies with what you do here. Are you saying you want to turn your back on what you're good at for the chance you'll be good at something else?"
"I...err," Quick paused and looked down in thought, that was actually a good point. He'd never given the plan of what he'd do if he managed to learn new skills any thought. "I, never thought I'd actually stop doing this. Just that I feel like there's a lot more I can do."
"So, are you referring to the repairs, or to my training?" Scootaloo cracked a grin as Quick looked back at her, letting him know she wasn't being so serious this time.
"Hey, Quick Fix does not leave a job half done. This wall isn't going to be that hard to patch up and you, you're in the final leg as it is. You already have the instincts to fly, your body is capable of making it happen again and you're already making headway towards controlling it."
Scootaloo's smile widened and she spread her wings, looking back at them with what seemed to be pride before folding them back in. Together, they were going to make this happen, they were going to lift each other up, take what felt like the impossible just four months ago, reach up for their goals and show the world that even the mundane could feel like the incredible in the right hooves.
Ponyville had an air of difference surrounding it. For the first time in years, most of the elements were off on another adventure or five. Or maybe it was just the bout of winter fog that had been brought in overnight. Scootaloo shivered slightly as she walked through the marketplace, noting that a lot of ponies had elected to stay indoors. At least that meant less time spent getting a snack, she thought to herself as she headed for the apple stall. Bounty was manning the stand today, though he looked a lot more sullen and withdrawn than usual, a far cry from the energetic workhorse she recognised.
"Morning, Bounty."
"My name's Sh-Oh, err, I'm...Still here." Bounty jerked his head up and shook it in confusion, the familiar gleam came back to his eyes as he noticed Scootaloo.
"Okay...Just gonna let that go by." She eyed him slightly warily before picking out an apple and paying for it. The two of them didn't exchange a word after that, both of them feeling so awkward they could almost taste it. It was almost a relief to be able to head off again, the fog was started to lift by now under the watch of the pegasi and more ponies were starting to venture out for the day.
The weather was still murky as Scootaloo headed just outside of town. Odd, normally by ten in the morning the fog was just about clear and it wasn't like the Ponyville weather team to miss a spot like that. Whatever was up, Quick had asked to meet her out here...Wherever here was in this cloud. Then again, maybe she didn't have to be restricted to the cloud. Scootaloo unfurled her wings and looked at them in thought. She'd probably get into trouble if the fog was still meant to be there but...No, it wouldn't be worth a moment's validation.
"Quick? You around?" She called, looking round fruitlessly.
"I'm here, somewhere," Quick's voice called back from somewhere to the right. Scootaloo walked round for a minute before spotting a silhouette and darting over, thankfully it turned out it was Quick Fix, shivering slightly himself. "Geez, I'd forgotton how bad the winter cold was when you mixed in a fog cloud."
"Did you expect this when you asked to meet me here?" Scootaloo glanced back at whatever was meant to be back there, only to see Quick was grinning.
"Actually, yes. I asked the weather ponies to leave this cloud here for training purposes. You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get them to agree...Anyway, this is crucial to seeing where we are. I said training, it's kind of more a test, I've seen you've built up the endurance for hovering now your body is ready. Now we're going to try out your fine control."
"You, think I'm that ready?" Scootaloo glanced away again and bit her lip, unable to hide the nerves. She couldn't deny her improvement was there, the fact she'd practiced a few times at home and hadn't crashed into anything. All the same, tests made her anxious.
"Scootaloo, I have faith in you, you already know what you're doing. Just go up above the fog and try to find me again, they told me it'll be easy to clear so don't worry about pushing yourself. You may take off when ready."
This was it, time to take what others took for granted and finally make it her own. Scootaloo's wings shot open and she relaxed, letting instinct take over. She started flapping slowly, building up momentum before pushing off the ground and climbing above the fog cloud. When she thought about it, this was surprisingly easy, at which point she almost overbalanced and dipped back into the fog. Better not to think about it right now, flying was what pegasi did, what she did, better to leave it to her subconscious for now.
"Okay, Quick, here I come." She called, manoeuvring round to listen for hints of where he was. He hadn't been kidding about the fog either, even her regular wingbeat was blowing it about beneath her. It was almost effortless to start beating it away, relaxing even, to find out what it was like to be a pegasus all over again. Something inside her stirred, a feeling within her very soul that she knew had been lying dormant for this very moment.
A need to fly.
Even the parts of her that were thinking by now didn't mind as her body laid out into a flying position and started to circle the fog cloud. Her flight was slow and uneven but it was enough to make a start on reducing the fog to a fine mist. Scootaloo let out a small whoop of joy, slowly letting her focus return as she looked round. The area was still quiet, to her silent relief, some ponies might get the wrong impression from seeing her suddenly flying like that.
"Scootaloo? You doing ok out there?" Quick's voice brought Scootaloo back to reality. There would be time to play around later. Her weight shifted and she turned sharply into the cloud, almost dropping to the ground again as she misjudged her timing. Not a problem, she thought to herself, she had time to stop before finding Quick...Unless he on her flight path. The thought had barely left her mind before the fog in front of her became a silhouette, which became her crashing into him before either of them realised it. The two of them hit the ground and skidded to a stop, both wincing at the impacts.
"That...That was awesome!" Scootaloo forced herself back to her feet and pumped her hoof in the air, still running off the adrenaline in her system. Quick was a lot slower in getting up, slightly winded but still managing to crack a smile at the sight of Scootaloo skipping round, managing to dissipate the rest of the fog surrounding them.
"I take," He started, stopping to get another breath in. "Take it you did better than we thought?"
"I flew! I actually flew! This is the best day ever!!" Scootaloo cheered, still not winding down as she hugged Quick. "Thankyouthankyou! I gotta tell everypony!" She ran off for town at full pelt, leaving Quick to gather his thoughts. Granted, he hadn't really been able to see anything where he'd been standing but he knew that you couldn't get a reaction like that when you were faking.
"Well, I think we've done it. She's right as well...Best day ever." Quick smiled to himself and started to head back to town as well. He was still willing to keep coaching if Scootaloo so desired but they were surely over the worst now. She was able to handle the basics of flight and he really did seem able to fix other ponies. They just had to keep pushing and make sure it stuck now.
Trixie blinked slowly at the sight in front of her, Scootaloo was hovering just off the ground, darting from side to side, her motor mouth going at a pace to match Pinkie's hyper moments. The unicorn was barely able to understand a word she was hearing, eventually putting a hoof up to get her friend to stop for a moment.
"Take a breath, let me try and catch up," She waited as Scootaloo landed and got some air back into her system, the adrenaline finally running down. "Now, try and say it again slowly."
"Okay, okay...Quick got me practicing hovering and I, I got swept up the moment. Instinct came in and I...I was flying, I finally did it, I was doing what I was meant to."
It took a moment to click together in Trixie's mind, slowly she grinned and put a hoof round Scootaloo's shoulder. Scootaloo grinned in return and hugged Trixie back, waiting until they both had all four hooves back on the ground before stepping back.
"Well, Trixie, we made it happen! Frankly though, I'm just happy enough it happened, with or without help. Alright then, you pick the drinks."
Trixie nodded and headed back into her house. Scootaloo followed, heading into the kitchen as Trixie got a pair of bottles out from the fridge and brought them over to the table.
"I got these on recommendation, been saving them just for today." Trixie sat down and passed a bottle over to Scootaloo, undoing the cap and sniffing at the contents.
"Let me guess, Berry Punch's product? I'm not surprised you'd go for the best," Scootaloo relaxed and opened up her bottle, glad she had something like this to unwind with. "You know something, Trixie? I don't say it enough but, I'm really glad we're friends." Trixie smiled softly and nodded.
"I'm happy to have you as a friend too. You know I was worried I wasn't going to be accepted by anypony even after I switched to the Great illusionary artist, Trixie. The fact you kept giving me work, well it means more than I can say."
"Hey, you're a talented unicorn, not to mention a pleasant one now you've dropped the bravado. I'm sure Ponyville has accepted you as well, considering they let you live here. Come on, you're just like the rest of us these days."
Trixie's smile grew slowly and she relaxed in her seat, bringing her bottle up. Scootaloo did the same, nodding as they clinked their bottles together.
Scootaloo yawned as she opened the front door, shivering slightly at the rush of cold air. Ponyville was rather calm this morning, the snow giving off a beautiful atmosphere now that it wasn't falling anymore. Derpy was out on her rounds, prompting a small smile from Scootaloo at the sight. It was impressive how the mailpony never let anything stop her, not even that one time Rainbow Dash had accidently blown her several miles out of town. But then that seemed to be a trait of the mares of Ponyville, that indomitable spirit.
"Morning, Derpy!" Scootaloo called over to her, prompting her to wave and flap over.
"Morning, miss Scootaloo," Derpy smiled warmly and looked back in her bag, digging for letters. "I wanted to thank you for letting Dinky listen in on your story last month. She said sitting with Rainbow Dash, having a cup of cider, listening to your skills, was one of those moments she won't forget."
"You're welcome, I'm glad she enjoyed it." Scootaloo smiled in return, thinking back to that December day.
"Oh it was more than welcome, seeing her so happy made my month. It's a big ask but if there's anything I can do in thanks..."
"Oh, well it's not a big ask at all. What would you say to just meeting for a catch up this afternoon?" The words were barely out of Scootaloo's mouth before Derpy pulled a scroll from the mailbag and beamed eagerly.
"That sounds good! Hopefully as good as this letter is for you. I finish my round at eleven so, you want to meet up at the park?"
"Sounds good, I'll see you then, Derpy." Scootaloo smiled and took the letter, waving as Derpy took off to continue her rounds. It was nice to just take some time to see her friends again now that flight training wasn't a priority. She looked down at the scroll and noticed it had a royal seal fitted on the back. Her attention piqued, she pulled the bow away with her teeth and unfurled the scroll, reading quickly.
For the attention of Miss Scootaloo,
Following on your discussion when meeting my organizer, Swift Dream, we have decided to accept your inclusion in the celebrations for the Anniversary of the Four. As such, we expect your presence at the Royal Equestrian Arena in Canterlot on the seventeenth of February. In addition, while unorthodox, your request for two thirds of your payment to be transferred to the charity organizations you listed has been approved and will be enacted upon completion of the event. Further details and event plans will be sent to you once they are available.
Yours in anticipation, Princess Luna
P.S. Speaking unofficially, congratulations on your successful flight. Seeing pleasant dreams become a reality warms my heart.
Scootalaloo lowered the letter slowly, a smile slowly breaking out on her face. She'd applied for a spot in the anniversary show for years but to actually get in...She turned and walked back inside, waiting until the door was closed before punching the air.
"Yes! Yesyes!" This was another dream come true, but the time for proper celebrations could come later. She grabbed her helmet and fitted it before running out the door, heading round the side of her house to a small shed she kept her scooter in. With practiced precision, she jumped, span round in the air and landed squarely in place as her wings shot open. It had been a while she'd had a chance to ride and the anticipation was unbearable as her wing flaps built up speed and she set off.
...Or not. Despite her efforts, her scooter was going at walking pace. Scootaloo stopped and looked back in confusion, trying to figure out what was different. The snow shouldn't have been an issue, she'd made sure to fit the appropriate wheels before there had even been any snowfall. Rust damage? Impossible, she checked every inch during weekly maintenance. Maybe it could be, her? Actually, that wasn't as silly as it first sounded. Quick Fix had been onto something with his theory about wing conditioning and that subtle change had been what kept her from flying.
What if fixing it had taken away her ability to propel herself while riding?
Scootaloo tensed in fear at the thought, had she unintentionally traded in her livelihood for a skill she had to start from scratch with? She blinked slowly before gritting her teeth, it would take more than that to stop her from making it to the top again, or holding onto it in this case. She just needed to think up a workaround, something that could make use of anything she remembered. Most of it was technical babble to her but the bit about angling her wings had stuck, mostly due to how sore it made her back afterwards. She didn't understand it still, but it gave her an idea.
Gripping the bars harder, she lowered the front of her body and glanced back. It wasn't perfect but her wings were closer to their old position this way, even if it meant she was trying to drive with her hooves above her head. Feeling kind of ridiculous, she started her wings up again and braced, feeling herself starting to get going again. This time the pace was a lot better, more like she was used to, but still felt off. Maybe it was just nerves from having to try this new method but she stopped after a minute and brought her head back above the handlebars. Much to her frustration, her speed dropped off again as her wings went from horizontal propulsion to vertical lift.
"Oh come on," Scootaloo groaned to herself, looking up and noticing some ponies were giving her looks simply for how slow she was going. She smiled nervously and nodded to them. "Even I've gotta be careful in this weather." She reasoned, resting her chin on the handlebar and sighing as soon as everypony stopped looking. Already she knew that this coming month was going to be an uphill battle, there was just over a month until the celebrations, and by extension, her tour for this year, began. In that time she needed to find a stance that let her remain speedy on her scooter, devise a full routine and adapt it so she could use it in that stance. Even the most athletic ponies would struggle to overcome muscle memory like that, but Apple Bloom had been right several months ago.
She'd never ruled out being a Cutie Mark Crusader miracle worker.
Training had been...Well, Scootaloo knew she'd had better days. Several hours spent trying to find a new riding posision that didn't wreck her back or look ridiculous hadn't resulted in anything workable. At least she finally had something to look forward to, the streets of Ponyville were busy enough to make her slower riding more justified at this time of day. At least that's what she told herself, ponywatching as she rode through town, smiling and waving to everypony who noticed her. That was a plus to being a hometown hero, in any other town in Equestria, even somewhere as small as Rainbow Falls, she'd probably be halfway through getting mobbed by a crowd of fans and autograph hunters.
She needed a distraction right now, anything to take her mind off things. Scootaloo sighed slightly before noticing a newspaper stall on a nearby street, perfect. She rolled up to the stall and took her helmet off, fishing round in a small pouch in the lining for some bits.
"I err, I only brought two bits? Okay, I'll take an Equestria Today, please." She placed the bits down as the pony running the stand passed her a copy. Nodding in thanks, she held it in her mouth as she rode off, heading for the park. Something new was bugging her now, normally ponies running the stalls were more chatty when they had a sale, what was going on today?
It was probably a good thing there weren't so many ponies about today, or she'd be getting even more incidents like that. Scootaloo tried not to dwell on it as she headed for Ponyville park, thinking she could just try to unwind with her paper before Derpy arrived. Finding a relatively dry spot under a tree, she sat down against the trunk and unfurled her paper, glancing round before opening it up. She skipped straight over the front page news, already having heard enough about the Wonderbolts reshuffle from Rainbow Dash's last letter, sticking to reading the smaller pieces for now. Even with casual glances, one article caught her eye as her name came up with it.
An anonymous mare from Ponyville reported the sight of renowned stunypony, Scootaloo, engaged in flight several days ago. While unconfirmed, the implications that she may have been hiding her abilities to draw sympathy attention to her career. Needless to say, we will be attempting to interview Scootaloo to determine the truth of this to our readers.
Scootaloo groaned in frustration and buried her face in the paper. This was all she needed, sure it wasn't the biggest piece but a lot of ponies read the Equestria Today and not all of them were smart enough to understand slander. She glanced down at the bottom of the article to check if there was a writer name...Spoiled Rich. She flicked through to the back page that contained the staff credits for the paper and gritted her teeth, somehow not surprised to see that Spoiled was an editor as well. That stuck-up mare always used her influence to take stabs at the former crusaders, it was enough to make Scootaloo want to march on over to Manehattan and-
"Miss Scootaloo?"
"What?!" Scootaloo snapped, looking up with a growl, only to stop as she realised who was standing in front of her. Derpy, looking hurt at the sudden outburst. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I've, got no excuses." Derpy looked at her with some caution before sitting down next to her.
"We all have bad days, you want to let it out?"
"That nice of you to offer but, it's a lot of bad things today...The scroll you gave me wasn't one of them though," Scootaloo smiled reassuringly, prompting a return smile from Derpy. "I've got some mare in the newspaper lying about me now though, saying I was making up my inability to fly to make ponies like me more."
"...Were you?"
"I...No! I thought I couldn't fly at all until about three months ago. I didn't even fly properly for the first time until last week. Add in that my newfound flight is affecting my scooter riding and...I'm in trouble."
Derpy nodded slowly, she couldn't pretend that she understood what it was like going through such things, she'd always been able to fly after all. She hated seeing somepony so stressed out though, especially a pony as nice as Scootaloo. She looked away, watching a fly for a moment while thinking about it, Scootaloo glancing over at her.
"Derpy? You okay?"
"Hmm? Yes, just trying to think of something to help."
"Thanks, but I'm not sure how anypony can help right now."
"Well...When I'm struggling with multiple jobs at a time, I decide which one is more important and make sure I can put all my attention onto it by any means. Which one is that?"
That was, actually not too bad an idea. Scootaloo sat up and took a few breaths, trying to calm herself enough to give it some thought. Not that there was much to think about here, her riding skills were what made her livelihood and she needed to get it together in time for the anniversary.
"I guess, it'd be getting a routine together for my show next month. So you're suggesting that I try and fix the newspaper problem in two days or so?"
"Well, the sooner you can, the sooner you can focus on your work." Derpy smiled innocently, managing to get the same out of Scootaloo. Sure, it wasn't really practical advice but it was sweet that she was still trying.
"Well, I can't exactly talk to the paper about it. The editor hates me, for reasons I'd rather not talk about."
"Why not talk about it with another one then?" Derpy blinked as she lost track of the fly, looking round as Scootaloo put a hoof on her shoulder. She expected at the least a comment about trying to focus on what was important to her, like most ponies would. To her surprise, Scootaloo was smiling warmly.
"Derpy Hooves, you're a genius. Seriously, giving my side of the story to a different paper, I can't believe I didn't think of that."
"It's okay, you were stressed," Derpy smiled back and sat back against the tree, both of them feeling a bit more relaxed. "I'm guessing it helped then."
"It did, I just need to see a stallion about this and then I can focus on my main issue, just like you said."
"A stallion? You've finally found yourself somepony to settle down with?" Derpy teased, giggling softly. Scootaloo blushed but decided not to go after the easy comeback and looked away.
"Firstly, his name is Quick Fix, secondly, he's just the one who's been training me to fly. We're friends, sure, but to be honest, I'm not quite ready to think about that kind of thing with anypony yet."
Derpy simply nodded, knowing better than to press the issue on somepony not comfortable with it, not after her own experiences. Plus it would ruin the moment and given how much better they were both feeling, nothing was worth that. Scootaloo stretched out and glanced back at Derpy.
"Actually, going onto a different topic for a moment. Can I ask something important?" Derpy looked back at Scootaloo and nodded. "Where about were you on the morning of the ninth?"
"Oh err, I was doing my rounds in the north of town. Once I was finished, I saw a fog cloud just outside town, I checked it out and heard talking inside. I figured it wasn't anything bad since I heard your voice, so I went to clock out at the office."
"I see...Did you notice any other ponies hanging around as you left?"
"Actually," Derpy looked down in thought as she tried to remember that day. "Yes, a yellow filly. I saw her and checked that she was alright. She said that she'd heard that 'AB's friend was gonna be flapping' and that she was going to write to the news about a big star. Something about being a cutie mark crusader reporter?"
"Ah..." Scootaloo put her head in her hooves and sighed. It could only have been Bumblebee, the girl meant well but clearly didn't understand the larger implications of what she had done. They'd have to have a talk about this sometime.
Thank you, Derpy, that was a real help. With those issues planned and sorted for now, I can focus on my show routine. I'm going to be ready for this."
Royal Equestrian Arena, Canterlot February 17th, Year 23 under the four princesses
Canterlot was normally a city of composure, of high class unicorns seeking to make their way in the upper echelon of Equestrian society. Today, it was a melting pot of ponies from every corner of the land, coming together to celebrate the successes and advancements of themselves and the four princesses. As dusk fell over the mountain, the centre of the celebrations had moved to the stadium built at the edge of the city walls. Magically enchanted specially for the event, thousands of ponies were settled as they watched the best entertainers in Equestria re-enacting the stories of the four princesses.
From backstage, Trixie focused silently, her magic contributing to the on-going show. Right now the newly reformed Wonderbolts were performing, acting the showdown between the Elements of Harmony and Nightmare Moon, aided by the illusion magic running through the stadium that made the arena look like the show was taking place in the castle of the two sisters all those years ago. Complete with the ponies out there appearing like those big names, thanks to the unicorns out of the limelight that were focusing the magic, like the Great Illusionary Artist, Trixie.
"I am not ready for this..."
Trixie blinked but otherwise didn't react as Scootaloo trotted up to the entryway, bringing her equipment with her before sitting down against the wall. Trixie knew better than to even acknowledge her right now, Scoots was visualising her routine one last time. The two stayed in silence for several minutes before the Wonderbolts finished their routine, the second they were out of the limelight, Trixie let her magic fade off and Scootaloo stood up to fit her helmet.
"We both know you're going to perform well out there." Trixie looked back at Scootaloo and smiled reassuringly.
"I know, it'll be a nice change...You have no idea how glad I was to learn I'd be under an illusion, nopony'll have to see how ridiculous I look." Trixie nodded as she picked up a drink left nearby for her to recharge with, letting her friend get her worries out while she could.
"Well, I saw your training runs and think that you adjusted perfectly well."
"Sure, but there's no prize for doing it right in training. If something slips up when I'm out there...This is my talent, my career, it could all be on the line if I put a hoof wrong! You know as well as anypony just how easily things can fall apart with one bad show. Add in those damn reporter ponies hounding me on my way in here, barely accepting my choice to answer questions after the show and..."
Trixie glanced aside as she noticed a certain pony waiting nearby. She figured Quick Fix had managed to get in with his connection to Scootaloo but subtly motioned for him to stay in place while Scootaloo continued her vent.
"You know, Trixie, this is going to sound crazy but...I almost wish he hadn't bothered, or at least waited until I had a longer gap to get over this issue! I'm not blaming him but, he's inadvertently a major part of why I've put everything on the line...I've got to get this right!"
"Listen, Scootaloo. There's a place where you can get it all out and still have it be a benefit, and it's waiting for you out there. I think you should let your frustration loose on the arena, come back to this with a clear head and you'll find a way through."
Scootaloo took a few breaths to bring herself back under control and looked up at Trixie, nodding before giving her scooter one last check. Once satisfied, she mounted up and dropped her goggles into place, offering her hoof. Trixie grinned and happily hoofbumped her in return.
"Thanks, you're a great pony, you know. You watching this one?"
"Of course, the Great Illusionary Artist, Trixie, is keeping an eye on the show even for the performances she's resting through."
"Alright, see you on the other side." Scootaloo rested her head on the handlebars, arched her back down and spread her wings. It wasn't exactly comfy but it was as close as she could get to her old position, hopefully close would be enough as she set off for her entry point. Trixie watched her go before nodding as Quick stepped out from his waiting spot.
"Yeah...Scootaloo probably has a point. I kinda rushed into this to satisfy my own desires at the same time as helping her. Trixie, I know you don't really trust me, but do you think I was doing the right thing?"
"Well, firstly, I don't not find you as annoying as I did at first. To answer your question though, Scootaloo has generally been a lot happier whenever I've been able to see her over the last few months. Based on the patterns I noticed, your training would seem to be behind that."
Quick just nodded and stepped over toward the exit out onto the arena, the two of them had a good view of the show from here and settled in for when their friend would take centre stage.
Scootaloo stretched her neck out and grinned. Trixie was right, the way to deal with her frustration right now was to tear it up out there and put on a show to remember. The illusion that would be over her the second she went out there needed to be out of mind as well, she would see the stunt layout, the audience would see her as none other than Twilight Sparkle, overcoming the worst of everything Equestria could throw at her.
Moments to go before showtime now. Scootaloo glanced over at the staff pony keeping time, waiting for his signal. This show ran on a tight schedule and it had been drilled into her for days that precision was everything. Her wings shot open and she gripped the handlebars, primed and ready. The staff pony pointed to her, the signal, her wings engaged and she charged out into the arena. Her whole body tingled slightly as the illusion magic covered her, fortunately not enough to count as a distraction though.
A quick glance over at the crowd brought a small smile to her lips. For a moment, she thought she could make out the sight of Spring Spirit and Fever Pitch, going wild at the sight. Scootaloo relaxed slightly at the sight, she knew her name had been in the programme for this bit and couldn't help but wave slightly, even if they wouldn't see it. The adrenaline was kicking in now and she looked back at the course laid out. First up was the grind and hoop, not too hard even with her new stance.
Scootaloo pushed herself up, bunny hopping onto the railing and grinning as she saw a few sparks kick up. She'd forgotten how good it felt to hit the zone like this, her grin increasing as she primed herself. Another jump, this time letting the scooter go and giving an extra hard flap, watching with satisfaction as she hovered over the hoop before shutting her wings and dropping back into place on the scooter. That one never got old, even without anypony seeing it.
A quick turn and Scootaloo was facing phase two, poles set out in a slalom route. She had a moment to breathe before she reached it, silently marvelling at how quickly the ponies working backstage were able to rearrange the arena between performers. With barely time to blink, she let her speed build up again and turned, weaving through the poles, deliberately cutting it close. Her wing tips were a hair's breadth from the poles, more than once having to fold it in to avoid contact. Scootaloo could only hope that the illusion was making for as good a show as this.
As she cleared the last pole, Scootaloo skidded to a stop, lining herself up for the final phase. Her old classic, the ramp gap with hoop. No hesitation, she knew what he was doing and her position was good enough to handle at least thirty five feet. A quick push off with her hoof and Scootaloo was rocketing toward the jump at full pelt. As she started on the ramp, her thoughts drifted back to Quick. Just a few more seconds and she'd have shown that she couldn't be brought back down to earth. That even if she was pushing it a bit, that losing her riding position wouldn't affect her...
...That she had forgotten to slow down appropriately for the jump.
Her wings stretched to their fullest, desperately trying to act as an airbrake. It wasn't working well but Scootaloo was off guard and panic had started to set in. Her body tensed up and her grip fumbled, sending her scooter out of her hooves. Flight wasn't an option, she still lacked the experience for a high speed turn necessary to pull out now. What if...No time, duck!
Scootaloo pushed her head went down, but not by enough. Her forehead smashed into the upper half of the hoop, barely missing her eye, reducing her world to a blur as her body was sent spinning through the air. A crack filled her ears as the tingling faded, most likely the illusion being broken by her disturbing the setup. A second impact to her side knocked the air clean out of her before being replaced by a rubbing sensation. She'd landed on the far ramp and was skidding to a halt at the bottom, in full view of thousands of ponies and probably several princesses.
She wanted a way to salvage this, at the very least to force herself back to her feet and apologise for what she'd done. It wasn't happening though. Her head was ringing, her vision was blurred and her body didn't seem like it wanted to listen right now. Already she could see what she hoped were medics running toward her, or at least somepony to get her out of the spotlight. Scootaloo blinked slowly, unable to focus anymore, realising that she hadn't opened her eyes again before her consciousness slipped into the same silent darkness.
Scootaloo had always had a slight curiosity about what was beyond life. Everypony seemed to have a different idea of what happened when your mortal body ultimately gave up the fight, even the ones that sounded the same at first. Scootaloo had never really put much thought into it considering her age but always hoped it was something that let her keep seeing her friends and family. All she could think right now was that it was...Quieter than she'd anticipated.
She was in what looked like her own house, except that it wasn't. Every time she turned to look at something, it was as if it wasn't there, had never been. Anything that had been hung up on a wall vanished before she could get a good look, then reappeared as soon as she looked away. It was unnerving, it felt like she wasn't in control of, wherever she was. Scootaloo sat down put her head in her hooves, trying to keep calm. She couldn't think, could hardly breathe, had no idea what to do. Could she give up if she had no idea what she was giving up on?
"Scootaloo..."
Scootaloo yelped and scrambled back to her feet, looking round wildly for the source of the voice. Swinging around like that made her head hurt and she stopped quickly, clutching her forehead in the same place she'd whacked it. Scootaloo tensed up and groaned in frustration, stopping as she felt something touch her shoulder. She turned slowly and let out a sigh of relief, the something in question being a hoof belonging to a familiar blue alicorn.
"Princess Luna, I...It's so good to see a friendly face." Scootaloo didn't seem to be showing much concern for etiquette around a princess right now but Luna simply smiled and nodded.
"I can only imagine, being trapped within the confines of your mind is not a pleasant experience."
"Th-this is my mind?" Scootaloo lowered her hoof and looked round slowly. It made sense that she was somewhere familiar if she was but..."Does, this mean that I'm...I mean, I remember an impact against my head but, nothing else."
"I can assure you, that you are still alive. However, your mind and body are currently sedated. I was able to reach you here as your mind is as calm as regular sleep right now."
"Sedated? Why? Where am I, I mean, my body, or is it...Where am I?" Scootaloo looked back up at Luna, finding her watchful look calming for some reason.
"Right now, we are within your subconscious. Your body was taken to the Canterlot Central Hospital, I cannot say further as I have not seen you since you were removed from the stadium."
The stadium. Scootaloo's eyes widened as she started to remember what had gone down. A regular routine, lingering doubts over Quick Fix's effect on her skills, an unfocused run at a critical time, a moment of panic and then...She slowly looked round again, noticing that the items that had eluded her gaze before were staying in place. Luna nodded at the sight, waiting until Scootaloo looked back at her.
"I'm, sorry that you had to see me ruin the anniversary like that, princess." Scootaloo looked down sadly, scratching at the floor as she waited for a reaction. Luna smiled softly and put a hoof to Scootaloo's chin, gently bringing it up so they could see eye to eye again.
"The anniversary celebrations aren't just for the princesses. We try to make sure that everypony gets something from the occasion. I'll admit that, things didn't quite go to plan but I promise that nopony saw just how bad it really was. I say that and I had as good a view as anypony."
Scootaloo nodded slowly, smiling back at Luna, before looking round again. It may have just been her but the room seemed to be getting brighter. Luna noticed it as well and stepped back.
"Your mind is recovering, I cannot stay any longer. I can only say the following, do not be too harsh on Quick Fix..."
Scootaloo tried to look back to answer, but before she could get a word out, Luna had disappeared in a flash. The rest of the building still seemed to be getting brighter, her eyes unable to adjust to whatever was happening. She covered her face as it kept building up, culminating in the entire area going white as her world vanished again.
"-able, no signs of linger-"
"-tives are completely w-....-her some space."
"-firmed, she's waking up."
Scootaloo didn't recognise the voices. Everything sounded muffled right now. Her limbs felt like they were made of lead. Her eyes were heavy but slowly she mustered the will to push them open. At least, she tried, her left eye didn't seem to want to respond, that was...worrying. Her right eye slowly opened, her view fuzzy but slowly coming back into focus. Wherever she was, it was white, looked very clean, that made sense if she was still in the hospital, as Luna had said. That would also explain the bed she was in. Her eye rolled down slightly toward the end of the bed, noticing several figures likely watching her from here. Scootaloo grunted slightly as she tried to focus, her gaze drawn to what looked like an amber pony watching her, one that looked like...
"M...Mom?"
"It's okay, Scoots. I'm here, we're both here," Spring Spirit's voice was ringing slightly, making Scootaloo wince as she glanced round as best she could. There wasn't much to see right now but she could make out Fever Pitch standing next to Spring, grinning like a madman that had just seen his daughter come out of a coma. Everypony else present looked like doctors, two or three keeping tabs on her.
"N-not so loud please, feel like..." Scootaloo groaned and put her head back down, just thinking about how her head felt just made it worse. Her ears twitched slightly as she caught the sound of, well it sounded like somepony trying, and failing, not to break down in tears. She glanced back up and realised it was coming from Spring, the sound suddenly a lot more heart-wrenching. "Hey...Hey, it's okay. I'm still here."
"Exactly," Fever pitched in, managing to reign his smile in as he comforted his wife. "We've expected the worst and it's not, the last few days are gone and we've got our Scoots back."
"Days? H-how long was I out?" Scootaloo shifted slightly, feeling coming back to her limbs. She still couldn't move properly but at the least she could shift enough to get comfortable. Spring Spirit and Fever Pitch looked at each other with uncertainty before looking over at the nearest doctor. A silver unicorn dressed up in a doctors outfit, looking over a chart before stepping forward.
"Miss Scootaloo, I'm Recovery and it is so good to see you awake again," He smiled softly before sitting down at a chair near the end of the bed, trying to look reassuring. "First off, I'd just like to make sure that you're feeling alright. Do you need anything?"
"Well, all things considered," Scootaloo slowly rubbed her cheek, relieved to find her hooves were moving again. It didn't really help with the ringing though. "I-I'd like some water, and maybe if you could speak a little quieter, please."
"Of course," Recovery replied, his voice quieter than before, waiting as another doctor left before continuing. "Now, how much do you remember before you woke up? Don't try to push yourself to think, just what comes back to you."
"Well...A lot, this might sound crazy but, Princess Luna was able to reach my mind. I-I remembered the stadium, my mistake, an impact...Everything after that is a haze, or blackness." Scootaloo groaned slightly and looked back up at Recovery, not sure how we was going to react to all this. To her surprise, he was merely sitting back in thought, listening intently. A glance sideways let her know that Fever and Spring were also listening, hoping to get a better understanding.
"Subconscious dreaming, that's good. Now, before we catch you up, let's get this off." Recovery got up and walked up to Scootaloo, reaching behind her head and unclipping something. She waited as he finished and removed something from her muzzle, a ventilator mask. Scootaloo stared at it slightly, she'd been so overwhelmed by everything that she couldn't see it in front of her nose, literally. Recovery put it to one side and started on shutting the connected machine off.
"I...I needed breathing help?"
"You have to understand, Scootaloo, when you were brought in, you were in a very serious condition. We, had to induce a coma to try and prevent brain damage. It took several days of monitoring before our scans showed no lasting damage, add in the time it took to bring you off the sedatives and, well. You've been out of it for over a week. That's a lot better than it could have been, you have a very durable skull."
Recovery finished the shutdown and picked up a small mirror from the bedside table, offering it to Scootaloo. She took it carefully, making sure there was enough feeling in her hooves to keep a grip before moving it up. Her reflection stared back at her, mostly the same old Scootaloo, mostly. Bandages had been wrapped round the left side of her head, covering her eye as well, that explained that at least. She slowly moved it round to get a good look at herself, making a few faces to check everything was working.
"So...What happens now?"
"Well, truth be told, we're far from done. At the moment, there's no way to tell if there was any damage to your eye, the impact left a significant laceration very close to it. Right now, we'll just have to keep a close watch and check that your mental state remains stable."
Scootaloo sighed and nodded, sitting back as a nurse came up with her drink. She handed the mirror back to Recovery and took the glass, nodding her thanks to the nurse for bringing it and including a straw. Spring and Fever were looking a lot more relaxed now, though they knew as well as she did that there was a long way to go before this was over. At least the water was cool, she thought to herself as she took a drink, that and the staff were really caring.
She knew where the last third of her show pay check was going now.
Canterlot central hospital, Ophthalmology department March 11th
"Alright, can I take this off now?"
Scootaloo grinned as the doctor nodded, stretching her neck out and reaching up to her forehead. It was such a relief to have the bandages away now, able to let her mane flow freely again. She had Recovery to thank for that, his close watch on her progress and thorough tests had shown that she didn't have any signs of mental impairment. Her eye, that was a different matter altogether, aside from the badass scar she was developing, the doctors were still unsure if it had gone deep enough to cause any damage to her vision.
That was why she still had the eye patch, to keep her from overtaxing it while the tests continued. At the least, they let her take it off for those tests and her eye wasn't bad, nothing she wasn't used to at the least. It wasn't any worse than the rest of her, being comatose for a week or two had knocked some strength out of her body and these exercises doubled to build that back up.
Scootaloo slowly removed the eye patch and looked into a wall mirror. The cut was healing up at least, running for a few inches horizontally just above her left eye. The next visible effect was that she was holding her upper eyelid closed slightly, not enough to seriously affect her vision but the implications were still worrying. She looked back to the doctor and stretched out.
"So, what are we trying today?"
"I'd like to check your depth perception while in the air. Do you think you can still fly?" Scootaloo blinked at the question, trying to figure out if it was just a general question or if the doc knew about her progress. She decided to let it slide for now and spread her wings, pushing herself into a hover. It was a little more draining than normal but nothing she couldn't handle right now.
"That's, that's a yes right now. It's gonna have to be quick though."
"Alright, don't push yourself. Just try a few laps around the room for now."
Scootaloo nodded and slowly set off, the room wasn't exactly large but there was enough space for her to manage a circle at least. Her body felt a lot better this way, that familiar urge to fly building up again. The faint rush of air felt good as she sped up, feeling her mane and tail flowing, her wings pumping to speed her up further, her eye feeling like...Like it was engulfed in cold fire. Scootaloo cried out and screeched to a halt, burying her eye in her leg in a futile effort to make the sensitive pain go away.
"Ow, ow, dangit. Sensitive, pain." She panted, slowly bringing herself to the ground and pulling her leg away as the doctor rushed over and checked her over. Scootaloo silently scolded herself for letting the rush get in the way of common sense, trying not to wince as a light was shone in her eye.
"It's okay, it's not done any damage. From the looks of it, your eye is still adjusting to the proximity trauma."
"I'm guessing that means the eye patch goes back on."
"Yes," The doc waited for Scootaloo's anticipated groan of frustration. "But, we're going to reduce the amount of time you use it. If we make sure your eye is adjusting to natural light at the same time, it should aid in recovery."
"Got it, you can pencil that in," Scootaloo stepped back as the check ended, going and picking up the eye patch, carefully looping it over her head and settling it into place. "Same time tomorrow then?"
"Of course, Recovery will be waiting to see you back to the ward. See you tomorrow, miss Scootaloo."
Scootaloo nodded and waved goodbye to the doctor as she left the department. As usual, Recovery was sitting in the lobby waiting for her, springing up as she saw her coming. The two of them nodded and headed back for the wards together, Scootaloo watching the various ponies coming and going past them, it was a nice break from the hours of bed rest that she normally had to pass the time with.
"So, Scootaloo, how'd it go today?"
"Well, bad news is my eye is still messed up. Good news is, the doc decided I can cut back on how often I wear the eye patch so it starts adjusting to the light again."
"A good step forward," Recovery smiled, casting a profession eye over Scootaloo. "Considering how well the rest of you is recovering, it's a good sign."
"Thanks, Recovery. So is there anything unclassified going on today?" Scootaloo gave a cheeky grin, knowing that it wouldn't work but it served to lighten the mood anyway. Recovery chuckled and shook his head softly.
"Not like that. Though when I was heading over to get you, I saw ponies arriving for visiting hours and saw one of your friends coming in. Or heard her, trying to persuade the receptionist to put her stage name in the book. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still there."
Scootaloo smiled more at the news. So Trixie was here today, somepony to talk to for a bit would be a relief. As they reached the wards, she took a moment to look round for any new patients admitted while she was away. Since she'd woken up, the number of ponies recovering in the same area as her had gone up, probably since the doctors knew she wasn't going to lose it in front of anypony else. Right now, none of the others were present, likely on their way back from their own treatments. Recovery waited until she clambered back into bed before he left to gather the waiting visitors.
A few minutes later, once the four other patients had returned, visitors started to enter. Among them, Scootaloo recognised Trixie, followed by a nervous looking Quick Fix. The sight of him both surprised and left her full of questions. Why hadn't he visited before now? How did he feel about what had happened? Did she still harbour any resentment toward him for compromising her stunt work? Right now, Scootaloo wasn't about any of the answers. It wasn't really her place to push those kinds of questions when she was just glad for the company though.
"Hey Trixie, Quick. I didn't expect to see you two today."
"Yes well, I practically had to drag Quick Fix over from Ponyville. He seemed reluctant to come visit." Trixie nudged Quick forward, letting Scootaloo get a closer look at him. His body language was off from what she'd expected, it wasn't just awkwardness about being around her after the accident, it was...Fear? She realised that she couldn't just go in questioning him gung-ho, much as she'd like to get his perspective quickly.
"Are things that busy back in Ponyville?"
"N-not really, I just try not to think about it...What happened." Quick shifted in place, prompting a softer look from Scootaloo. He was clearly taking his role in things harder than even she had anticipated, even if he was staying composed, the poor pony was a wreck.
"It's okay, Quick. If it helps at all, I'm not angry at you over this." Quick looked down even more at those words. Scootaloo looked over at Trixie for support, the face she was making showing she didn't know how to handle this either. In more ways than one, if Scootaloo thought about it, the layout of the arena meant they both would have had a good view of the accident, of course Trixie would have had to deal with that sight as well. As she looked back to Quick, he raised his head again, his eyes now full of a feeling she remembered all too well from Sugarcube Corner back in October: Self loathing.
"Why? I decided that you being able to fly was what was important, no regard to what it took to get you to that point. You started to manage it and I thought 'Hey, that's all wrapped up.'. You found out that it had affected your riding and where was I? Sitting at home, like there was nothing wrong. I thought maybe we could find a compromise after this show and then...I brought this on you, I failed you..."
Scootaloo slowly brought a hoof to her eye path, thinking hard. Quick always seemed to be a bit of a perfectionist behind his good nature but this was just forcing the blame on himself for an oversight nopony had thought to catch. As he looked away to try and compose himself, Trixie walked up and whispered to Scootaloo.
"He saw you up close after your accident. It, wasn't pleasant." She stepped back as Scootaloo nodded, that made sense. She decided that it probably was a bad idea to let Quick keep his mind on the topic, they could deal with the main issue when he didn't look set to lose it slightly.
"Quick, listen to me," She waited as he recovered and looked back at her. "I'm alive, nothing serious happened, that's what's important right now. Come on, I'd really like to hear what's been going on back home." She settled down as Quick nodded, slowly starting to talk about the various happenings in Ponyville. Her mind remained here though, wondering what to do to help Quick pick himself up from this. Considering what they'd done together, she knew just how to start, building on what they'd done together. He may not think he'd done a good job, but she wasn't going to give up on her flight just for that.
Scootaloo stretched slightly as she got up, being able to sleep in was an admitted plus to hospital routine. Another was having both her eyes back in use, her injured left adjusting to regular use well. Unfortunately, muscle damage from the impact meant it was unlikely her eyelid would sit naturally ever again, though all things considered, she could settle for looking slightly quizzical as the worst effect she suffered from the ordeal. Glancing round, she noticed somepony had left her a newspaper, a further glance at the clock showed she had some time before Recovery showed up. Scootaloo shrugged to herself and picked it up, checking the headline news.
Equestrian security forces have confirmed that Starlight Glimmer, the current number two on the list of Equestria's most wanted, was captured in the San Palomino desert yesterday. Though unconfirmed, reports suggest Starlight was found in a destroyed compound with a number of ponies that match a number of missing pony reports over the last year. The ponies held at the site have been transferred to Las Pegasus for treatment. A security pony, who requested to remain anonymous, refused to give out details but merely commented that each pony rescued 'had received cake...From somewhere.' Story continued on page four.
Scootaloo couldn't help but chuckle at that last part. She remembered seeing enough signs in Ponyville to know which ponies were responsible for the cake, and possibly playing a role in dealing with Starlight.
"Sounds like you two knew what you were doing then, well done AB, Pinkie." She said to herself, grinning before opening the paper up and reading through some other articles that caught her eye. The next time she glanced up, about twenty minutes had passed and she realised she hadn't even heard Recovery come in, considering he was standing at the foot of her bed with a soft smile on his face. Scootaloo scrambled slightly to put the paper aside and sit up again, smiling back.
"Good morning to you, miss Scootaloo."
"Morning, Recovery. If you're here, have the docs decided on something extra today?"
"Even better, all your signs have been good for weeks and with how your eye adjustment is going, we think you're ready to check out."
"Seriously?" Scootaloo almost jumped out of bed at the news, her heart soaring. Finally, she could get a chance to go home again, see all her friends and family, retrain herself to ride and fly. "I, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I know you put a lot of work into helping me."
"I understand, everypony gets homesick," Recovery nodded and motioned toward the door, waiting for Scootaloo to look over the ward one more time before they walked out, heading for the reception. "All the same, I'm glad that I had the chance to help such a nice pony as yourself."
"And I'm glad I had such a kind pony looking after me. Seriously, thank you." Scootaloo noticed the subtle look away Recovery made but didn't comment on it. He probably had to constantly deal with Canterlot nobles and from what Rainbow Dash had told her, he'd be hard pressed to get the time of day, let alone a thank you when healing them. The two of them headed through to the hospital lobby, Recovery handling the paperwork as a thought came to Scootaloo.
"So, hang on, did anyone account for my equipment when I was admitted?"
"I made sure to check, your things were recovered and your parents took them back to your house in Ponyville," Recovery answered, double checking the discharge papers. "Also, to make sure there are no lasting effects on you, I'm going to arrange for a follow up check at Ponyville hospital once you're settled at home."
"That sounds good, thank you." Scootaloo looked round the reception area as she waited, it was mid morning and several other ponies were waiting around to be seen to, a number of them taking notice of her. She smiled and waved at them before glancing outside, where even more ponies seemed to be gathered. A tap on her shoulder brought her attention back to the desk, Recovery indicating a few parts she had to sign. As she looked them over and started signing, he looked over and noticed the crowd outside.
"Oh sweet Celestia, not again," He groaned, facehoofing as Scootaloo looked up at him. "Sorry, even since it became public that you were recovering here, the press have been hounding for a story. We can slip you out the side entrance if you'd prefer."
"Thanks, I'm not good with the media..." Scootaloo gave the forms one last check over and turned round, toward the main door. "But dealing with it with benefit us both. So, one more time, thanks for everything." She smiled at Recovery and headed for the door, trying to keep her composure. As she stepped through the doors, she kept her eyes shut at the expected rush of camera flashes, letting her eyes catch up before looking at the gathered reporters. There must have been at least a dozen all after her take on things and as many looking for their own twist, all she could do was answer honestly in this situation. Scootaloo silently raised a hoof to quiet the crowd before glancing round and pointing to one of the reporters.
"Miss Scootaloo, do you have any comments on what occurred in the arena?" So, they were playing hard from the start. No matter, Scootaloo thought as she looked back at the reporter, she just had to stick to her guns of honesty.
"I take full responsibility for what happened in February, I made an error of judgement and the result put me here. I'd like to take this chance to apologise to everypony who had to witness it. Next question?" She pointed to another reporter.
"Will this accident have any impact on your career?"
"I hope not, thanks to professional medical care, my most serious injuries are limited to these," She pointed to the scar and eyelid. "I'll have to make some adjustments to my setup but it won't impede my work. Next?"
"Is there any truth to the rumors that this may have been pre-planned to regain attention for your stunt work and draw a fresh sympathy crowd?" Scootaloo sighed in frustration, she recognised this mare as another Equestria Today reporter, probably attempting to mix a fresh report to twist with a smear campaign. There was a time where tact would be useful for dealing with this, but Scootaloo couldn't be bothered to find it right now.
"The 'rumors' as you put them, were from an opinion piece posted several months ago. Do you honestly think I'd attempt a maneuverer as suicidal as it came out to be for something as petty as attention? Honestly, your newspaper keeps posting slander to discredit me just because an editor has been holding a grudge against me for decades, I could sue at this rate. I wont, because it wouldn't solve anything, but you're better than all this as well. Do you really think spreading another pony's spite is worth it in the long run?"
"I...No, sorry." The reporter backed out of the crowd and slinked away. Scootaloo watched her go, rubbing her forehead in agitation. She'd been in the same place back in school, that stint as Gabby Gums was not a proud one to remember. It didn't help her mood either, any drive she had to deal with the press was shot now.
"Sorry, everypony else. I'll be happy to arrange further interviews when I've returned home but I'd like to get a train home before it gets dark. So for now, no further questions please."
They didn't listen, naturally, still trying to ask further questions as Scootaloo moved off. They didn't try to get in her way though, backing off as she headed for the station. That was a small relief at least, as well as the fact that her little vent back there might have convinced a few others to keep their distance for now. There were higher priorities to focus on for now. Tricks to relearn, wings to spread, ponies to boost. Scootaloo could feel in her heart that she was close to bringing this whole mess to an end, all she had to do was get home for now.
Then she remembered she didn't have any bits for a train ticket.
How could she have been so foolish? Scootaloo had never thought to come up with a contingency plan if she was stuck in a city without bits. Normally she would have kept some in her helmet but that wasn't an option, she could only imagine how much worse the impact would have been if she had. As it was, she had to work with what she had, which was pretty much her body and mind. So, what was she going to do?
Asking somepony if she could borrow some? Even if she found a local who said yes, she probably wouldn't be able to find where they lived to give it back later. Ask nicely if she could slip on the train? Why did she even think of that one? It was no example for a notable name to be setting. Walking home was sounding more appealing, though it would probably take her days, even if she walked in a straight line...Straight line, straight as the crow flies. She glanced back at herself in thought, all that time in the hospital, her wings had been getting constant exercise to the point that they were probably in better shape than before the accident.
"What if..." Scootaloo mused to herself, heading for the city limits, the crowds proving enough cover that she wasn't receiving much notice. She was asking a lot of herself right now but circumstance was a funny thing, now it was offering everything she'd wanted in exchange for an endurance test. Scootaloo always liked a physical test. After a few minutes of walking she passed through the city gates, the grounds outside the walls were a lot quieter, perfect for what she had in mind.
Her wings spread as she looked right, over the cliff. Ponyville was just visible off in the distance, not a problem for an experienced flier to get there. A rookie though, might have more trouble. This was the real trial by fire but she was ready, time to rise up. One hoof stepped forward, then another, then another. Her pace slowly building up as she went for a running take-off. Just before reaching the edge she pushed off and flapped, feeling the ground leave beneath her, a small dust cloud kicking up. Her left eye slammed shut as a precaution, protected from the wind blowing into her face, her mane rippling in the airflow.
As Scootaloo gained a stable altitude and stretched her legs into position, she felt that desire to fly returning. A raging fire in her heart to push herself to do what her kind was born to do. A glance down let her see she was already clear of Canterlot, flying at least a hundred feet off the ground. A small twinge of fear crept through her at the sight, though it quickly shrivelled in the heat of the passion that was spreading through her whole body. Scootaloo glanced back at her wings and grinned proudly, when the chance came up she'd have to thank everypony who had helped her get to where she was.
For now, there was just the rush that came with touching her dreams. Her front legs dropped back to her sides and her eye slowly opened again. The cold rush of wind was somewhat uncomfortable but it lessened in moments and didn't hurt, that was all she needed right now. Scootaloo let out a whoop of joy and did a roll in the air, that proved a mistake as the view change disoriented her badly. She brought herself to a stop, taking deep breaths as her body readjusted and the adrenaline wore down to more manageable levels. She still thought it was worth it, especially as her brain caught up with her wings.
That stop had been done without thinking about it, Scootaloo realized. Her pegasi instincts were surfacing, wanting to take soar again, to make this sky her own. Much as she wanted to, her body was asking for a minute to take a breather, her body had a lot more common sense. A quick look round showed a few clouds nearby, that should suffice if she was careful, with any luck. She hovered over the nearest cloud and slowly lowered down to it, bracing slightly as her hooves made contact. To her surprise, the cloud held her as well as any solid ground, one of those little wonders of the inherent magic of the world.
The view from up here was, well, Scootaloo had no words. She could see for miles and it was beautiful, sitting only a few miles from Ponyville. Slowly she looked over the edge of the cloud, trying to get a feel of it, it looked like she should have fallen through it but instead it was like sitting on a fluffy cushion. Scootaloo made a mental note to try settling down on one when she had the chance, for now, time to plan her descent into Ponyville. She could probably glide it from here if she was careful, diving down would be cool but control might be more of a problem, just keep flying? Yeah that sounded fun.
Once her breath was back, Scootaloo pushed off again, making sure not to disturb the cloud too much. Rainbow Dash had told her about enough reprimands from when she still worked at the weather factory to know they didn't appreciate ponies messing with clouds. She hovered for a moment before setting off again, bringing her hooves up as she headed for home. The familiar rush of wind felt as good as the first time, her body warmed up and enjoying every moment. As she began to drop altitude, Scootaloo took a moment to just appreciate the moment. Many pegasi took their flight for granted, never understanding just how special such an ability really was, just what they were capable of doing.
She knew who she was going to show first though.
"Do you think we should have visited today?" Spring Spirit asked, half to herself, half to Fever Pitch. The couple had been trying to get themselves back into the run of normal life and with winter over, they were focusing on making their garden look good again on the warm spring days.
"Come on, Scoots is a strong girl and the doctors said she was getting out soon. I'm sure she's focused on getting back to peak condition before leaving."
"Yeah, I hope so." Spring sighed slightly, looking back to the flowers she was planting. Making the most of this time of year was her special talent but even that was a bit of a stretch when all she could think about was that Febuary week. Spending every day sitting by a hospital bed, watching her daughter lying there, lacking the strength to so much as breathe for herself. Anypony would struggle to keep themselves together for long in such a situation, even if they were as lucky as she had been.
"Hi mom. Hi dad."
Spring shook her head slightly as she looked up, wondering if she was going crazy. She half expected to see the little Scootaloo she remembered standing in front of her, a ground bound but happy filly. She may not have had her dreams, but they'd had each other and that was what she wanted to remember.
"...Mom? I'm up here."
Her eyes shot up and her jaw dropped slightly. Scootaloo was indeed, up there. Hovering with calm and confidence, she looked like she'd run a marathon but she was smiling like Spring had never seen before.
"S-scootaloo? How'd you...?"
"The doctors discharged me, I found myself short of bits so ultimately, I flew home. Cool, huh?"
Spring couldn't find words, she couldn't even move as her brain tried to catch up with her ears. Fever Pitch was just letting the first thing he could think of take over, which took the form of him shooting up into the air and hugging Scootaloo. He just held it for a moment before starting to laugh, the laugh of a stallion that finally found himself with a chance to just, savour the moment. Scootaloo looked over at him and couldn't help but join in, a more light hearted laugh of relief.
"Th-thanks dad, I guess you've been waiting for this."
"Have I ever! I always thought you'd have it in you, Scoots, now it's paid off! Your first proper flight and you make it all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville? You keep it up and anypony would be thrilled to have you as a flying partner!"
Scootaloo chuckled softly, waiting for Fever Pitch to wear some of his endless enthusiasm off before landing in front of Spring Spirit. She'd been keeping herself more in check, standing there silently. The look on her face said it all though, a mother accepting that her child had been lifted up to their greatest challenge, faced it head on...And succeeded. The two slowly stepped forward and hugged each other, the tears starting to fall. Joy at getting to share the moment for Scootaloo, liquid pride for Spring.
"I'm so proud of you, my little Scoots." Spring whispered, nuzzling Scootaloo softly and running a hoof through her mane. Scootaloo let her, just enjoying the bonding. Once Fever finally got himself under control enough to land, the three of them turned and headed for the house, they had a lot of catching up to do in what had been going on in the healing and around town.
Also, Scootaloo hoped, she could get some lunch while she was here.
The house was a bit of a mess, he really had to get round to putting all those notes in the bin. Quick Fix sighed to himself as he looked over a job offer in his hooves, it was just a patch job for a house on the south edge of town, just what he expected at the moment. Work was always a little slow in the spring as ponies put more focus on the weather, but the last few weeks it just hadn't been coming in. Quick didn't believe in karma, but part of him couldn't help but feel like he'd brought it on himself, for what he'd done.
Was it wrong to pin the blame for Scootaloo's accident completely on him? Yes. Was it wrong to completely absolve him of blame? Not in his mind, he had pushed her for flight without thinking of the consequences and the result had put her in a coma, brief as it was. Every time his mind lost focus, it went back to that evening, seeing her come crashing down hard on the ramp, spinning slightly on the bounce before sliding down to the ground. He couldn't bring himself to visit her in hospital because, aside from the guilt, the sight of a friend laid out like that was more than he could bear.
Quick placed the papers to one side and put his chin on his hooves, trying to get his focus back together. He hated it when things started to pile up, leaving him like this. Right now he just wanted a way to make it up to Scootaloo, maybe...Any thoughts he had were interrupted as a loud thud came from above, making him jump. This was all he needed, some teen pegasus using his roof as a rest stop, there wasn't really a law against it but most ponies tended to look down on it happening without permission. Quick got up and headed outside, looking back up at the roof with a look of frustration. It quickly vanished as he realised just who was standing up there, wearing the cheekiest grin.
"Afternoon, Quick." Scootaloo waved down at him, making Quick's draw drop. He'd expected her to be out for months, how durable was she to be back in town after six weeks? His jaw started working again and he shook his head in disbelief.
"Scootaloo? How did you...? Are you alright?"
"It's me. They let me out of the hospital earlier today, considering how lucky I got. I found myself short of options when I came out so I took the direct route back home," She took off and flew a lap round his house to demonstrate her point before landing in front of him. "And to answer your last question. Now that I've had something to eat, I feel fantastic."
Quick blinked as he tried to catch up. Scootaloo had flown all the way home, by herself, on her first proper solo flight. She'd taken everything he'd taught and made it work. Part of him didn't have words for just how surprised she was that it had come together, the other part was confused at how it had come together in spite of everything that had happened.
"I...Wow, just, wow. Congratulations, Scootaloo."
"Thanks, though that's part of why I came here. See..." She thought about how she was going to word this before placing a hoof on his shoulder. "As amazing as it is to fly, I couldn't have done it on my own. I have a lot of ponies to thank for this and, Quick Fix, you're defiantly up there."
"I..." Quick looked away nervously, unsure of what to say. All the same, Scootaloo caught that a small shine had returned to his eyes when she'd said it. She'd seen from his hospital visit that his self-confidence had taken a major hit and figured that she could slowly build it back up now, if she was careful.
"I have to thank you for more than that as well. I know you'd rather not remember but, what happened back in the stadium. I remember seeing somepony running out to me before I passed out. I'd bet that if I checked with Trixie, she'd tell me that you were the first one out there."
"It wasn't just me, she was right behind me," Quick started, hesitating slightly as he realised he'd admitted it. Scootaloo waited patiently as he thought for a minute before continuing. "I, just reacted. I didn't know what to do at first, you were out before anypony got there. I-I just, remembered my notes and started checking you over."
"I didn't really get a chance to see for myself for about ten days. How...Bad did I look?" Scootaloo waited, hoping Quick would keep his composure. It took a minute but he nodded and looked back at her."
"Like everypony was saying, better than it should have been. You were still in one piece, not even bleeding that badly. I was more focused on the details, taking in anything I could that might indicate what your mind was going through at the time. I-I don't know how I knew what to look for, but when the medics came up I was able to give them a rundown. And they understood it."
Scootaloo stared slightly as Quick finished talking. She didn't know how he knew either but she understood one thing well enough. All those notes he'd been keeping before, he'd been pouring his all into learning, wanting to see if his talent let him fix ponies as well as well as he fixed buildings. She wasn't sure just how effective he'd been this time, but he clearly had shown skill and he didn't have to know about the negatives right now.
"I owe you big for this, Quick. I mean it, the docs told me that treating that sort of thing rides a lot on how quick they can figure it out and you had it all laid out for them. That's just from remembering your learning, some proper study and you could be a real medic."
"Well, yeah," Quick couldn't help but smile softly at the encouragement. He hadn't realised how much he needed just that little boost, that boost that served as a gentle reminder not to give up, just like she hadn't. One thing was still bugging him though, one last point. "But, should there have been such risks to get there? I mean, we both sort of lost sight of the bigger picture trying to chase our dreams. I got too focused..."
"And I negated to adapt to it. I won't lie, I got very lucky out there. But there's a positive outlook to this as well. We've both taken dreams that we gave up on, at least twenty years ago, and showed that there's no such thing as being too old to make them happen."
The two of them stood there in thought for a moment, letting reality sink in. They really had done it together, Quick had a hoofhold in learning a new skill that matched his talent and Scootaloo had her flight. They'd been indispensable to each other and even if he worried otherwise, the bond between them was forged. Scootaloo was the first to break the silence.
"Well, I really do owe you big. Is there anything I can do as a thank you?"
"Oh, I've got an idea..."
Scootaloo hummed happily to herself as she stepped into the sunset, waving goodbye to Quick as she took off for home. He waved back and smiled softly, feeling much happier now. He'd been waiting for this ever since he first noticed Scootaloo all those months ago and despite it taking all afternoon, he'd finally done it. His eyes went back down to his hoof for what felt like the millionth time, unable to resist looking at the autograph he'd got. It was a simple picture, taken in his living room, of the two posing for the camera with her in mid hover. A unique signature was written at the bottom, a reminder to him of all the good they had done for each other.
Thanks for everything, Quick. Your fan, and friend, Scootaloo.
Ponyville was basking in the light of a beautiful spring morning, the pleasant warmth bringing everypony outside for a day of fun and bonding. Apple Bloom was out among them, making the most of the day before she went to open up her shop for the day. After what she had been through the last few months, it was nice to get back to a normal routine, even if she was limping slightly with her leg bandaged up to get there. That was a long story though, one she'd rather not remember right now though. First things first, she wanted to catch up with Scootaloo.
It was a simple walk, but one that Apple Bloom used to simply look around, taking in the sights of everypony just enjoying themselves. It was funny, there was such a thin line that kept them so safe and happy. She didn't envy the ponies that constantly had to sit on the other side of the line for their sakes but they had her infinite respect, especially those she knew. She shook the thought from her head and continued on, those bad memories were just that now.
As Apple Bloom finally reached her destination, she saw Scootaloo out on the front lawn, putting her gear on and giving her scooter a check over. The closer she got, the more Apple Bloom noticed that the scooter had undergone some modifications. The handlebars were much lower down, the rear end had been widened and all the edges had been rounded off, the overall effect was a little strange but admittedly professional looking. She could ask why later, it had been almost four months since they had last seen each other and she wasn't ready to wait a minute longer.
"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom called, finally running up and hugging her friend from behind. Scootaloo stumbled slightly but stayed upright, looking round and grinning broadly at the sight.
"Hey, Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo managed to turn herself around and returned the hug, grateful to have another friendly face back around. "How's my little buddy been?"
"I'm still only two months younger than you, you know." Apple Bloom retorted, though she was grinning just as much. "As for me, the usual you'd expect for a Ponyville resident. Exploring the wilds, facing rouge unicorns, probably saving Equestria. That's why my leg's like this. You?"
"A bit more subdued but the same usual. Motivating ponies, landing myself in the hospital, realising I actually can fly. That sort of thing. Before you ask, yes, that explains my eye."
"I wasn't going t...wait, something happened to your eye?" Apple Bloom waited as Scootaloo removed her goggles, showing off her injury. She winced slightly at the sight of the scar but otherwise didn't react, both of them had always just assumed that Scootaloo would end up being the one that this sort of thing happened to. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore, I can still see pretty well out of it as well."
"Glad to hear it. Just as important though, you can fly? For real?" Apple Bloom stepped back as Scootaloo spread her wings and took off, doing a lap round the house. The moment she landed, Apple Bloom cheered in approval, bouncing slightly in excitement at the sight of her friend exceling any goal she had set all those years ago. Scootaloo blushed slightly at the approval, almost embarrassed to get such a strong reaction.
"Thanks, it took some getting used to but I'm an okay flyer now. I had to adjust the scooter to keep using it with my wings like this though, trying before lead to my injury," She looked away slightly before perking up as a thought came to her. "Hey, I was setting up for a ride into town. You want to come along?"
"Just like old times, I could use the lift to my shop." Apple Bloom smiled and nodded, waiting as Scootaloo went into her scooter shed and rummaged round, bringing out a spare helmet and ski equipment like they used when they were fillies.
"Feels like forever since we've used these, when was the last time?"
"That Crusader day trip to Appleloosa...Do you think they've forgiven us for that orchard fire?"
"I don't know, I couldn't even figure out how it happened, all I remember is the tree sap." The two of them couldn't help but chuckle at the memory before Scootaloo passed the helmet to Apple Bloom and fitted the ropes to the back of the scooter. With everything attached securely, she climbed on board and gripped the handlebars, rear end raised as she planted her hooves on the wider edges at the back.
"All set! " Apple Bloom called from behind her, hooves fitted into the skis as she picked up the tow rope in her mouth and bit down.
"Alright, time to make the road mine again." Scootaloo fitted her goggles back in place and spread her wings, feeling the familiar rush as she took off at a pace. She'd been working on finding this new position and adjusting the scooter for it since she got home, now it was paying off as she felt at ease while riding for the first time since she'd taken flight.
As they rode into Ponyville, Scootaloo picked up speed a little, feeling her confidence grow again. She recognised the patterns of ponies walking the streets, bobbing and weaving her way through the crowds, leaving enough space for Apple Bloom to follow her through the gaps as they appeared. Her ears twitched in the wind, catching the sounds of ponies noticing their presence, many of them enjoying the sight of a professional...No, an artist, at her craft. Time to step it up for them.
She could see two options for a little showboating, on the left was one of the bridges across the river, a longer route and maybe a tamer one. Closer on the right was an upturned cart, the old classic for a ramp, that would take them across with enough air. The sight filled her with...Dread? Scootaloo tensed up, flashes of that February night rushing through her mind. The instinct to stop flooded her, fear coursing through her veins, her eyes locked up as she fought just to keep moving. Some small part of her mind knew that this could be worked around, even if today wasn't that day, that she had another option today.
Her balance shifted and she went for the bridge, an idea coming together as her mind started to relax again. It wasn't too difficult, which was a plus considering how tense she was now. As she got close, her hoof pushed off the ground, kicking her into the air and bringing the scooter down on the stone edge, grinding along the small arch. Only then did an afterthought come to her; Apple Bloom. She had pretty much no control back there and the stone orbs at each end of the bridge looked...Painfully solid. There wasn't much that could be done about it as things were. The thing was, Scootaloo remembered, things weren't the same as they used to be.
"Hang on!" She called back before wrapping a leg around the bars and shifting her torso back. The next flap pushed her vertically up and over the orb, time seeming to slow down as she tucked her back legs up to make sure she'd clear the gap. Another flap to put some extra height in and real time speed kicked back in, her speed trailing off as she dropped her grip and resumed the riding position. Gravity kicked back in and she came down wheels first, her body absorbing the landing shock before dropping back into place.
A quick glance back showed the rope was still doing it's job, whipping Apple Bloom up and letting her clear the decoration, just. Scootaloo finally took a breath and let herself slow down, figuring both of them had pushed it a little hard back there. Her wings folded back in once Apple Bloom had landed and she settled for cruising, letting the tension wear down along with the adrenaline. A few minutes of riding later, she pulled up to a stop outside the carpentry shop and looked back.
"That...Was a ride." Apple Bloom finally said, pulling her helmet off and wiping the sweat away. She'd forgotten just how intense those rides could get when she wasn't in control, as nice a wake up as it was it had been extra taxing with her bad leg.
"Sorry about that, I was in the zone." Scootaloo stepped off and sat down for a breather, smiling over at Apple Bloom.
"Were you? I would have thought you'd have gone for the ramp."
"Normally, yeah." Scootaloo raised her goggles and pointed at her eye as a reminder. Apple Bloom opened her mouth to comment but decided against it, gathering up her things and passing them back over.
"Just like old times though, right?"
"Of course, I didn't realise just how much I missed it," Scootaloo smiled softly and raised her hoof. Apple Bloom smiled in return and hoofbumped her. "Thanks, for everything between us all."
"Hey, Cutie Mark Crusaders forever." Apple Bloom grinned and waved farewell, heading off to open up her shop for the day. Scootaloo watched her go with a smile before gathering the ski gear onto her scooter, thinking over the run she'd just made. There was still some hesitation and weakness, but everypony had those moments in their talents, nothing that couldn't be overcome again. With things settled down again, she could focus on getting back to her passion, performing daring stunts for the entertainment of ponies everywhere. Some parts would need to be redone from the ground up, but she'd done it all once before, what was another small learning curve?
With that settled, Scootaloo remounted her scooter and set off for home at a casual pace. Once all these things were back in place safely, then it was time for the real business of the day, she'd been waiting on a reply about this since she'd got home and today was the day when it could happen. Just one more pony she had to give her thanks to.
And it was the one she was looking forward to most.
The weather had only got better by the time Scootaloo got home. It felt like the pegasi had shifted things along several months and given Ponyville a full summers day. The air was practically vibrant with positive atmosphere, the warmth of Celestia's light even more pleasant than before. It was like a mirror, a glimpse into the soul of Scootaloo. Things felt better than they had in a long time and if the rest of today went even a tenth of as well as she hoped, it was only going to keep getting better.
Scootaloo hummed happily to herself as she opened the shed up and put all her gear away. She wasn't planning to keep them away for good, but today, today was about her wings. With everything securely tucked away, she locked the shed up up and took off, taking a look round Ponyville from her vantage point. A group of pegasi flew past on their way to somewhere else, a few of them giving her a wave as they passed. She waved in return, letting the realisation sink in a moment later. They had clearly seen who it was they were passing, yet they didn't seem to think anything of it. Being noticed so casually, well it felt good.
It meant she fit in, just what she'd hoped.
Scootaloo grinned to herself and set off, taking in the sights on the ground as she flew. Instinct was a fine thing but there was something special about the feeling of knowing that she was the one in control of what she was doing right now. Each flap gave her a small warm feeling, such a mundane act still meant the world to her.
A minute of flight brought her to the park, dropping down and landing with a bit of a stumble. Scootaloo looked round at the town clock in the distance, taking a moment just to relax with her hooves on the ground again. There was still about an hour before her meeting and everypony around was busy with their own activities, except one. She could see Trixie sitting under a tree, practicing her illusion magic show with a small grin on her face. Scootaloo walked over and watched, seeing it was the ursa minor incident she was reminiscing about.
"Oh Trixie, you were a fool back then," She said quietly, catching sight of Scootaloo in the corner of her eye and letting the magic trail off as she looked over. "Hello, Scootaloo. I was just, reminding myself of how I got here."
"Do you regret it?" Scootaloo sat down with Trixie, waiting as she let a sigh go.
"Maybe a little, I was twenty five when I first came to Ponyville and if I saw it now, well, I'd want to punch the Great and Powerful Trixie too. That isn't me now but, that was me when I could have been making the most of my life. Now, I'm past my prime and I don't know what to do."
"Listen," Scootaloo slowly took Trixie's hat off and placed it down before undoing her cape, placing it down next to her. "You keep hiding yourself from regular ponies, I can understand that. You're scared of them judging you on your past an-"
"Scared? Trixie is not scared!" Trixie glared at Scootaloo, who simply raised an eyebrow and waited as the bluster wore off. "O-okay, maybe I am worried about them judging."
"It's hard, but come on, I've seen the you behind that mask and you're a decent pony. You're clever, quick to adapt and you're defiantly talented with magic. You could do a lot with that kind of talent, ponies have done it before. Ever heard of Moondancer?"
"Err...Should I have?"
"Well, no, but Twilight told me about her. She masked herself behind a bookworm attitude until Twilight convinced her to open up properly. She applied all that knowledge she'd built up over the years and now she's heading up the Canterlot Institute of Development."
Trixie looked down at her things, thinking it over. Scootaloo had a point, she wasn't young anymore and the attitude was as much of a restriction as it was a comfort. She couldn't cling to the 'Great Trixie' ideal forever, there were other things she wanted to do with her life, while she still had time.
"Well, I've always wondered what more I could do with my magic that wasn't an act...Or powered by an evil amulet. I'll give it some thought. I owe you one for putting the idea out there though."
"Good, because I'm going to call that favour in right now."
Things were quieter on the outskirts of Ponville, Trixie wasn't really a fan of it but this was where they were going. She glanced up in the sky, seeing Scootaloo flying overhead just as she ducked into a cloud. Scoots hadn't said exactly what she had in mind, only that Trixie would want to stay and enjoy the show. Trixie stopped and waited, curiosity compelling her to see just what this was about. A few minutes later, she glanced up to see a familiar face coming into town. None other than Rainbow Dash, suddenly she knew what Scootaloo had in mind.
Rainbow Dash landed nearby and trotted over. As she got closer, Trixie saw just how much of a mess she was. Rainbow looked like she hadn't slept properly for a week and her chest fur was matted and slightly torn. All the same, she still had the same air of almost smug confidence about her, something that the years probably would never take from her.
"Trixie, YOU wanted to meet up with me?"
"Nice to see you again too. But no, I didn't send you any messages, meeting up or otherwise."
"Then, who did?" Rainbow Dash looked round in confusion, trying to see if any other ponies were around. Trixie looked up at the cloud and winked while Rainbow's back was turned, looking forward to see just how this would go down. Scootaloo poked her head over the top of the cloud and stretched herself out.
"Morning sis. I can see why you like these clouds so much, very plush." Scootaloo stifled a chuckle as Rainbow tensed up and whipped her head almost completely straight up to find the source of her voice. It was worth it though, seeing her face light up as she shot into the sky and up to the cloud.
"Scootaloo? How did you get up here?! Are you okay? What happened to your eye?!"
"Woah woah, what happened to you?!"
"Long story." They both said at the same time, chuckling when they realised. Rainbow relaxed slightly and sat down on the cloud next to Scootalo.
"Seriously though, how'd you get up here?"
"Well, do you remember when I said I was pursuing my own lead on the flying issue?"
"Ye...No way!" Rainbow shot up into the air, grin widening as Scootaloo followed her up. "My little sis is a flying buddy! Ye-he-eah! Woo!"
"This is the greatest moment of my life." Scootaloo hugged Rainbow Dash affectionately, trying to keep composed as Rainbow hugged her in return. The two of them nodded before taking off again, doing long laps over the area. Rainbow wanted to go at her usual full pace but held back, making sure Scootaloo didn't overexert herself.
"You sure, squirt? What about this one?"
"Ok, there's this, and a number of days that got me here. You were a big part of it though, looking out for me all these years, keeping me on the path toward this. I owe you more than I can properly repay."
"That's, really sweet of you, kid. You can make it up to me by enjoying this." Rainbow wrapped a hoof round Scootaloo's waist and shot up higher into the air. She chuckled slightly at feeling her surrogate sister clinging on so tight, understandable, she probably hadn't been this high before. A minute of climbing later and Rainbow Dash reached another cloud, stopping and setting them both down on it. Scootaloo slowly managed to remove her iron grip on Rainbow's side and look round.
"That, would take some getting used to before I call that enjoyable."
"Yeah, the first time weirds everypony out. That wasn't what I was referring to though," Rainbow chuckled and looked back over the edge of this cloud. It was quite a height, at least the same gap between Cloudsdale and the ground. That was another idea for another day, for now, something she'd been waiting on for years. "Did you ever try for a skydiving cutie mark?"
"Once, before Spike interfered. Why?"
"Ever since I took you under my wing, I'd been hoping for today to happen. We're going to do this pegasus style; Cloud diving." Scootaloo perked up slightly at hearing this, getting up and watching as Rainbow stepped to the edge of the cloud and turned so her back was facing it.
"I'm guessing I know how this works, but we jump? With no gear?"
"Come on, you're with me. I wouldn't let something happen to my little sis. Just stick close, do as I do and open your wings as soon as you feel you need to."
Scootaloo nodded and stepped up next to Rainbow Dash, taking the same position. Glancing over, she saw Rainbow nod and lean backwards, preparing to drop off the cloud. She knew it was a long way down but her wings were up to strength and it wouldn't have been suggested if Rainbow didn't have faith that she could do it. The only thing she had to think about was, did she trust Rainbow Dash enough to follow her down?
Scootaloo practically jumped after her.
A moment of weightlessness, then gravity kicked in and she plummeted headfirst, bringing her hooves to her sides and locking her eyes on Rainbow just ahead. The rushing wind, the coursing adrenaline, the slow realisation that Rainbow Dash had been waiting to share this moment with her for over twenty years. She tightened her pose up a little and dropped into place beside her big sister, glancing over and smiling. Rainbow smiled back, the look in her eyes showing how proud she was in a way that words couldn't describe.
The two of them held the moment for several seconds before Scootaloo looked up, trying to judge how fast they were coming up on the ground. Her bad eye was making it difficult to be precise at this speed with this much wind and she decided to play it safe. Her wings shot out and she threw her body back, all her momentum sheared away within a second. Two seconds later, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and pulled out of the dive, looping back up to where Scootaloo had come to a stop.
"You okay, Scootaloo? That was a pretty hard stop right there." She asked, checking her over. To her surprise, Scootaloo just hugged her, panting hard from the drop but clearly in high spirits.
"Thank you, that was incredible! You wanted such a moment with me and we did it and it was just amazing! I love you, big sister." Rainbow Dash blushed softly at those words, looking round to make sure nopony was looking before hugging Scootaloo in return, nuzzling her gently.
"I love you too, little sis. Now come on, I've got to show my buddy some flying tricks." Rainbow let the hug go and the two set off. Where they'd be doing this, Scootaloo didn't know. What she did know, was that this part of her life journey was done. All she'd wanted was to be like other pegasi and now, now she was just like any other. She had a lot of friends and family who had supported her to this point and each of them would receive more fitting thanks in time. For now, Scootaloo simply smiled to herself and flew after Rainbow Dash.
She didn't need flight to be awesome. But with it, she was going to be something far greater.
