> A Game of Homes.
>  by Lethrael
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A new Name a new Town.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A day like every other, above the clouds, in Cloudsdale, in a school. 
She sat on her favourite spot right next to the large Wonderbolts poster like she did every day, dreaming to be one of them.
“Wingdaloo, are you there?”
The gentle voice of Autumnbreze, her teacher echoed towards the empty room and wake the pegasus filly from her dreams. Wingdaloo yawned and stretched her body, her little wings cracked and the bright orange coat bristled. A shiver wandered over her head and the filly cringed. She stroke over her red mane to fight down the strange feeling, but it stayed and she rolled her eyes.

“There you are. We have to talk.”
A spotted deep red body with mossy green spots and a long mane of the same colour became visible for the filly as her teacher entered the room. He looked to the little filly behind the cloud-desk, the wings firmly pressed against his body.
His green eyes shimmered for a moment and a grin glided over his face.
“I think you should be here. As you already know the class is going to the junior flight camp
tomorrow.”
The teacher stopped, as the filly raised her head and her eyes filled with joy were shimmering in excitement. The stallion sighed and cocked his head.
He didn't want to say these words, but this was the only solution for the problem at hoof.
“You have to understand, Wingdaloo! We won't accept a pony with your wingsize there. You should.”
The upset voice of the trembling filly interrupted the low sounding explanation. The stallion ducked down and sighed.
“But I thought, I could be there for a while. Maybe they will grow if I train hard enough.
Please, let me try.”
Autumnbreeze simply raised his right hoof and stopped the yell of the filly. He tried to lay it down on her side, but Wingdaloo just scooted away.
He could spot tears in the eyes of the stammering Pegasus but she looked away quickly. He tried to touch her, but she didn't let him. So his calming didn't go like he wanted to.

“You will be relegate for just one year, Wingdaloo. If you will learn and train hard enough,
you can go next year.”
“But I want go now. All my friends are going. Why I've to stay back? What should I tell them?”
Her voice faded away and she wiped over her face to brush away the tears, but new ones gathered quickly.
“I know, this doesn't sound good. But you will find friends in your new class. I promise.”
The filly stared a long time at her teacher, then turned her head away. She even started to sob and buried her face in her hooves.
Her voice sounded so painful, that Autumnbreeze shivered and walked two steps closer.
“I want go. Please, let me go. Please!”
The teacher shook his head and tried to say something, that would help her. But the filly didn't want to hear it any more. 

Wingdaloo jumped through the cloud wall and ran away from his unwelcome  try to calm her down..
As she ran, her wings flapped faster and faster, even buzzed, but she didn't take off. She galloped over soft clouds and looked around
Everywhere she looked, she saw pegasi flying, smiling and goofing around with friends.
This darkened her sour mood even more.
She just wanted to be like all the others, just being able to fly.
They should stop following her with pitying looks.
They should stop glancing at her, like she was wrong, or ill. She wasn't.
She ran faster and faster, but she couldn't outrun her feelings so simply.
The hooves led her home finally.
She didn't want to see the place or be there right now, but where else should she go? 
Where else could she hide from the pain of being different?

She sneaked through the corridor and fought back her tears, before Mum would see them and tried to comfort her, or worse looked at her so pitying as the others did. She arrived at the door to her room without any problems and raised a hoof to push it open.
“Wingdaloo is that you? Come here please. We must talk.”
She brushed over her eyes and forced a smile back on her face. Mum shouldn't see her tears.
Then she entered the living room, skulked to her mother, who was sitting on a cloud. Well on a cloud-sofa, but it was a cloud. Wingdaloo sighed and drew circles on the floor. The mare laid two plates on the table recently, they were full of her famous hot carrot cookies. Curryfeather, her name matched perfectly with her flaming mane and the bright yellow coat, smiled  first. Her cutie mark, a white pounder in a mortar, showed what a great cook she really was.
The name Wingdaloo was her own idea, but so far didn't match for the filly.
She shook her head, as the filly approached her and fluttered a cloud nearer to her to sit down.
Her magenta eyes looked to her child and she saw, that she had wept again.
Curryfeather sighed and smiled.
“Had Autumnbreeze spoken with you, Wingdi? Did he told you what his plan is?"
She fell silence and cleared her throat. The filly leaned forward, grabbed a cookie, nibbled at it's corners. As usual the hotness drove tears back in her eyes and she coughed a little bit first. But still she nibbled further. She nodded and chewed slowly on the rest, very concerned to say nothing at all.
“You have one other choice. I could move with you to Ponyville and aunt Sunny would take care of you when I flew back to Cloudsdale.
You go to school there, and maybe you find some friends in your new classmates.”
Wingdaloo opened her mouth, but couldn't answer. She bit her lip and closed her eyes. She should  vanish from Cloudsdale. Simply as that?
How could Mum suggest such a gutless action?
Her thoughts were boiling, but she wasn’t just sad, but also angry. Her hooves found the plate and smashed it into pieces.
“I'm not a failure. I'm not sick, I am just not able to...”
She snapped and sobbed.
Curryfeather stood up and walked around the table. She pulled the filly in a tight hug with a wing and nuzzled her. She tried to calm her down, with soft words.
“I'm sorry, Wingdi. This isn't what I want to say. You are something special. Please, let me help you.”
Wingdaloo sobbed even louder and pushed herself harder in the gentle mane of her mother. She yelled her frustration into it and cried.
Curryfeather nuzzled her gently over the head and her little red mane.
She would give everything, to let her wing grow, but even the unicorns couldn't help her. Mum had already try it out, but there she was, flightless and useless.
What else should she do? Maybe she should train harder?

The decision couldn't be make in one day. Wingdaloo took two weeks. Whatever she thought, it felt wrong. She roamed around after school to clear her thoughts.
Wherever she went, everypony looked at her pitiful, or so she thought. How could she feel better then?
Even in school, everypony looked at her in the same matter. Younger fillies whispered and giggled some even laughed, surely about her small wings.
Wingdaloo felt lonely, and even the cheering words from her teacher were nothing as pitying words for her.
Or she took them so at least. Finally her pondering came to an end and she was able to decide next. She sat on a cloud some place else and looked down to the ground.
“I should leave. I have to go to Ponyville. The ponies there wouldn’t dare to look at me like they do here.”
Her voice was calm and she felt a heavy burden fall from her.
On the same day, she talked to her mother, and said that she has made a decision.
“You have to stay here, please. You shouldn’t leave home just because I’m different.”
Curryfeather tried to say something, but a look in Wingdaloo's eyes stopped her.
She understood: Wingdaloo didn’t like the glances from anypony here or any reminder of her state down there. Even she, her mother, was a reminder of those looks.
She had to go alone. Her youth was no excuse.
“I will write you every day, Wingdi. I hope you will be happy down there.”

The transition to Ponyville was easier than Wingdaloo had thought. Aunt Sunny Rays was familiar with Earth ponies, and looked at Wingdaloo like she was one of them. But at the same time she was a little bit distracted. She looked at her without any kind of compassion. She even made her a welcome gift, something the filly had never seen before in her life. It was a scooter.

Dear Mummy,

I've arrived in Ponyville safely and I look forward to school.
Miss Cheerilee is a very nice pony and I'm trying to make many new friends.
Houses here are made of wood and didn't float freely around.
At first it was odd, being unable to go through the walls, and I even took two bump, but I’m getting use to it. 
Aunt Sunny isn't home very often. It seems she has a lot of work to do,
but she gave me a wonderful present and showed me how to use it.
It’s a blue scooter with red wheels. I drew a picture of it for you.
I have to ask you something that I've been thinking about, now.
I know you love the name Wingdaloo, but as long as my wings don't grow, I should change it.
How do you like Scootaloo?
I think it sounds perfect and I hope that you like it too.

Please write soon. I miss you, Mummy.
Love,
Scootaloo.
> A letter by a beloved one
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A letter by a beloved one.

Curryfeather took a huge wooden spoon with her right wing and mixed the oats into the boiling water. Today she was preparing a soup for lunch and she was late. The break in the weather factory was in only two hours and she just began now. She gripped a bunch of spice with her mouth, while her wing stirred the soup. She shoved  the mortar with her front hoof nearer. 
Her left wing lifted now pieces of vegetable from a chopping board and threw them in the pot.	She pulverized the spices with the pestle in her hooves and added more vegetables to the soup. She was so focused into her work, that she failed to hear the doorbell and looked surprised up, as a grey Pegasus mare stood directly before the counter.
“I'm not ready with the soup yet. But if you wish you can order something else.”
She sounded so pleasant as she was able too, but harried in the same way. She looked repeatedly into the pot and then to her guest again. First she spotted the cap and the yellow mane under it.
“I uhm...I'm just here to submit a letter.”
The mare whispered and smiled gently. Curryfeather smiled back and paused for a moment. The bright eyes of the guest starred both past her and were rolling involuntary to the ceiling and to the ground.	But she hadn't time for additional observations. The boiling soup was catching her full attention and she stirred further.
“I've got a sandwich and a little cup of tea. Please take a cloud. I will be there for you in a moment.”
She didn't listen and followed the task of preparing the soup. She adjusted down the heat on the stove with her left wing, laid a cap on the pot with her mouth and fluttered a comfortable cloud to her guest. She flew aloft with a few flaps, took a plate with her teeth and landed again. Then she gripped the sandwich with her right wing. She pushed a cup in position with her hooves and placed the plate besides on the counter. Together with the sandwich she poured the Tea in with her left wing and smiled as she was finally ready to talk again.
“Excuse my lack of attention. I've never seen you here. I'm Curryfeather owner of the Curryparadise Cloudsdale.”
Pride and strain sounded both in the speech, she was able to resonate even a little kindness in her voice. Her guest lowered herself to the cloud and took the sandwich with her mouth. She took a bite, held the rest with her forehoof and chewed slowly. Her eyes were wandering independently around in the diner while she ate. Gray Cloudwalls were forming the diner, only interrupted from red curtains. The center of the diner was the pantry, a wooden plate on white clouds. Behind the pantry stood a dozens piles of plates, dirty cups and a few pots on a metallic sink. In opposite of this mess stood a Cloudstove, a very special furniture. It was filled with the magic of the Pegasi, lightnings were sparkling within it and were heating the iron pots with their power. The gray pegasus swallowed her first bite and licked her lips. She closely beheld the sandwich and snuffled very interested on the spread. She smiled again.
“That's very tasty. What's that?”
Curryfeather glanced fast to the sandwich and smiled too.
“Oh, that's just my own jelly. Lemon with ginger and a wisp of cinnamon.”
Again she was distracted from the pot, his cap began to clatter. She adjusted down the heat again and looked afresh to her guest.
“Curios. It's taste like apples.”
The gray mare licked a little jelly from the sandwich and starred dizzied to Curryfeather. She paused again and examined the sandwich. She fondled her mane with the right wing and took a few sweat drops with it. She exhaled and recovered herself.
“Yes, it's right. This is the apple jelly. Sorry about that.”
Her guest smiled and shrugged her shoulders. Her eyes caught the dirty vessels for a moment, then drifted to her own dirty plate. She hesitantly put the sandwich back and gripped the cup.
“I'm arriving on a poorly moment.”
Her voice got hardly through the pantry, but Curryfeather shook her head. She took a cup for herself and poured tea in. She drank and smiled.
“It's okay. Really. I'm simply not minding. That's all. How may I could help you to feel welcome, finally?”
The gray mare smiled too and gripped the sandwich again. She ate up and emptied the cup. Then she turned the cup in her hooves for a while and seemed to ponder, if she have to speak.
“I'm feeling very well. Usually I am rarely in Cloudsdale. I wasn't good enough for the weather factory. 
But I've found a labour and have make good friends.”
Curryfeather listened now very carefully, blocked out her chore and looked encouraging to the pegasus. She loved this part, once her guests were opening and speaking from themselves.	She was good enough as cook, to lower other ponies defence and make them feeling comfortable.
“I am understanding. I was feeling the same. I was unsure for a long time, whether I really had to work as weatherpony. 
But I've found an other labor.”
She drifted her glance through the diner and smiled.
“Here I am ready to try out many recipes and be able to help my guests with their problems, but I've nopony for myself.”
She stopped and looked briefly to the pot. She lifted the cap and stirred the soup. Than she returned to the pantry and nipped on the cup without any reaction for her interrupted sentence.
“Which actual work do you have?”
Her voice sounded harassed and took her inner turbulence with it.	The gray pegasus looked like she was far away and her eyes drifted independently again to the ceiling and to the ground. She returned quickly and shook her head.She hit her eyes back to the normally position with a hoof and smiled hesitantly.
“I'm a mailpony in Ponyville.”
She pushed her cap with a certain proud in her voice in position and lifted the cup with one hoof. But now she realized, that she was empty. Curryfeather emptied the last pot in her cup and shook it disappointed.
“Do you like more tea? I could make some new and.”
The gray mare shook her head and  laid her head askant. Her eyes shined gently and her voice sounded even so gentle over the pantry.
“For what don't you have somepony?”
Curryfeather paused and turned with an open mouth to the gray pony. Despite her obvious strange eyes she was attentive for other ponies feelings.
“Me. Nothing which I'll tell you.”
Her voice sounded so offended and she felt in her words the harassment, which she should control. She only wanted for her guests, that they felt comfortable and the guest were talking about their feelings. She helped everypony.
“What's with you, you have said you aren't often in Cloudsdale. Why?”
Again the gray pegasus interrupted her and understood more, than Curryfeather wanted.
“I believe you have problems. May I could help you?”
The great yellow eyes pierced both into her forehead and her chest, but the voice sounded so gentle, that Curryfeather had to avoid herself.
“Why should I talk to you, a stranger?”
Her own voice sounded so high and fast, she laid her hooves onto her mouth and stroked  herself.
“I believe, that somepony strange could be the best help. Like a cook, who listens. Or the mailpony, who comes for a letter.”
Again the voice was calm and without urging undertone, so Curryfeather turned over and lost herself in the eyes of her opponent.
“I've send my child to Ponyville. She wanted to be there, because we here are glancing at her pitying.”
She sounded louder, than she wanted, but the gray pegasus smiled and nodded. She stood silent and lifted the cup, almost as she would may elicit more words out of Curryfeather. It worked.
“I've told her, I would accompany her. But she didn't want. I am looking at her pitiful too. 
That she has been said to me. I've only wanted to help her.”
She broke up and turned over. Her wrought up would broke free, but she had them under control.
The gray mailpony stood up and drooped her head. Her trait made a slip for a moment and her mouth became very small.
“I'm sorry. I don't want to force you into a corner.”
She drew back and her voice sounded so quietly, it got hardly over the pantry. Curryfeather was able to understand her. She shook her head voiceless and tried to open her mouth, but only a sigh escaped he.
“I don't like to be so dopey. I'm just trying to help. But I believe I've been making it worse for you.”
The gray pegasus closed her eyes and turned over. Her cutie mark seven bubbles appeared under the mail uniform and she went to the door.
“Wait, please. I am sorry. A good host shouldn't bother her guest with her problems.
But maybe I could make you more than a guest. What's your name?”
Curryfeather retook control over her voice just in time. She made that the gray pegasus didn't leave the diner.
“I'm Derpy. Derpy Hooves and actually I have to deliver a letter, which has been entrusted to me.
Scootaloo has told me, that I should be hurry to bring it here.”
The gray pony lifted a hoof and pulled a letter out of her saddlebag.
She stepped hesitantly to the pantry and laid it down. Curryfeather looked to the sender and read
“Wingdaloo, Ponyville, Sunny Rays cottage.”
She looked over and a guarded smile appeared on her face. Her voice sounded a little bit faster, but not so harried at all.
“Thanks Derpy.”
She couldn't say more and took the letter into her shaky hooves. Derpy looked  once again into her face, she retired fast to the door, as she saw the tears in her eyes.	She gripped quickly into her saddlebag, laid a bit onto a nearby desk and opened the door.
“One is happy to be of service. Now I'm letting you alone with your letter. Good bye, Curryfeather.”

“Dear mummy,
I've arrived Ponyville safely and...”

Curryfeather read the letter twice and looked pondering to the picture from her daughter. Than she looked out of the window and thought.
“Dear Scootaloo,”
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
	
> Summer Sun Celebration: A very special welcome.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summer Sun Celebration A very special welcome.

The day began like the both before.
“Scootaloo wake up. I've to go. The breakfast stays on the table.
Please put it all into the sink, if you're eaten up.”
Sunny Rays voice reached through the closed door and sounded a little scampered. Before the pegsus filly was more than half awoken, the front door closed 
and fast hoofbeats receded from the house.
“Good Morning and Goodbye, aunt Sunny.”
The little filly called so loud as she could, but she wasn't sure, that Sunny have heard her.	She opened her sleeping back, yawned and rose slowly. 
She stretched herself and the shaky legs tölted carefully forward.  Scootaloo pouted and suppressed another yawn. Goosebumps went through her coat and she felt that it protruded in her mane. She shivered and wiped over her mane.
“Why I couldn't have a cloudbed?”
She spoke in a low voice into the silence around her and sighed. Scootaloo missed the tender fluffyness, but Sunny didn't want clouds in her house.
“They affect the wood and are cooling down everything. 
In the summer it's fine, but in my first winter I'd even snow in my bedroom.”

Scootaloo remembered her voice, as she left the bathroom. The breakfast, a daisy sandwich and a glass of milk, stood at her place and she climbed into the high chair. Sunny has promised, that she got a bed 	and suitable furniture soon, but the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration has taken her full attention and so Scootaloo had to sleep on the floor for a few days. She has taken a bed on her own, but aunt Sunny would do it on herself. Scootaloo ate up and took pensive the glass of milk into her hooves. Today was the day. 
Today was the celebration and she was able to see princess Celestia. At home in Cloudsdale the celebration was always overcrowded, 	because many families would celebrate it together. She closed her eyes and bit her lips. The glass trembled in her hooves and she spilled a drop of milk on the table. It was the first time, that she celebrated it without mum and she felt a little gloomy about it. She looked through the window and in the sky. It was two days without any answer. She has written immediately after her arrival, even has pleased the mailpony to deliver the letter faster as usual. But she hasn't gotten an answer besides mum has promised to write her every day. Her thoughts were interrupted by a stroke of the clock. Scootaloo leapt up, drank the milk and held the glass with the mouth. She put it into the sink and cleared the table. Then she whipped her saddlebacks on her flank and galloped out of the house.
Ponyville were crowded this morning, dozens of ponies, familiar or not, have hastened around, have cleaned up or have moved things around.	Murmur and laughter were overlay the tohubohu of ponies and the bustle pushed even Scootaloo. She wasn't noticed now, quite different to her first exploration of Ponyville. Neither the ponies greeted her or stepped beside. She felt herself peculiar, like a stranger amidst strangers. It was right, the ponies here weren't like the pegasi. Even the pegasi weren't like those in Cloudsdale. Scootaloo couldn't explain, what the difference was, but it was something. She was uncertain, what she has thought about it. Even her first day was so strange.

Aunt Sunny had fetched her from the Cloudsdale Balloon landing field, placed her little bags in her home and shown her around in Ponyville. Sugarcube Corner and the school was her prime locations. Miss Cheerilee, the new teacher, welcomed her and was very kind. However Scootaloo had barely settled down, then aunt Sunny was go to work and let Scootaloo alone found a way back. She stumbled reluctant through the town and tried to orient herself. Snippet of conversation and laughter shrouded her and as she finally retrieved Sugarcube Corner, she was welcomed by a pink whirlwind.
“Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie and you should be new here, right. 
Cause I know everypony around and I don't know you, so you must be new. 
I hope you like cupcakes, I'm loving them, or do you like muffins?
What's your name, where are you from and what's your favourite drink? 
What's your favourite colour and...”
She spoke so fast and without any interruption, that Wingdaloo had much struggles to understand her questions as a question. She waited until the elder pony had to breathe and finally she could answer.
“I'm Wingdaloo from Cloudsdale.”
She couldn't went much further with her answers, since Pinkie shook her hoof with her own, left a muffin in it and pushed her with the other one into the bakery. Two huge earthponies smiled and nodded to her. Wingdaloo noticed only their main colour, brilliant amber and  light cerulean, before Pinkie Pie again focussed all attention onto her.
“Mister and Misses Cakes, this is Wingdaloo and she's new here. 
I'm inviting her to her first welcome party here. I'm hoping we celebrate here and.”
Wingdaloo interrupted the gabbling pony with a loud exclamation.
“But I don't know everypony here.”
The pink pony hadn't allowed anything to interrupt her line of speaking and smiled.
“That's just perfect. Leave it to me and you will find a bunch of friends.”
Before Wingdaloo could answer, a male gentle voice interposed. Slowly and calm he contrasted the jittery gibberish from Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie, that's a great idea really, but with so scant time to the summer sun celebration, 
which we have to prepare. So a party so shortly before it isn't good, right?
Besides the filly has to gain time to come across and settle in. If she then has found friends, a party will be great. Isn't it?”	
Wingdaloo turned around to the source of this speech and viewed closely the brilliant amber stallion. The pistachio eyes laid only for one second on her and looked then to Pinkie Pie.	Besides his eyes his toque and a white pinny was unique for him Wingdaloo nodded and smiled hesitant. Pinkie sighed and loosed a little volume from her puffy mane.
“But I'm thinking it will be best, if we.”

“Hello Wingdaloo, did you find some friends for your later welcome party?”
The pegasusfilly was sudden ripped out of her memory, as the pink ball of energy obstructed her way and blazoned out this question. Scootaloo recoiled, bumped against another pony and stumbled an excuse. The incipient voice sounded vague familiar to her.
“N...n...no worry. I've alarming you in a second. I've a letter for you.”
The mailpony with the droll eyes! Scootaloo turned  around smiled to her and forget Pinkies question totally. Her extended hoof trembled with barely repressed excitement, as Derpy laid the letter in it and the other stroked nervously over the ground. She was unable to thank her, or even to speak, and drifted just away. She let a shortly disappointed Pinkie Pie and a smiling mailpony left behind.

Dear Scootaloo,

I'm very pleased to hear from you and I'm relief, that you're arrive safely.
I'm pleased to get your picture, too. I'm missing you and thinking always of you.
Your room is as you have leaved and will await you, if you got homesick.
Just write me, if you don't tolerate it much longer and I will meet you.
If you will be happy there, I 'll send you some of your posters.
I'm a little upset with your idea to change your name so fast.
I'm always find Wingdaloo very pleasant and fitting for you, no matter the circumstances.
If you like to change it, I'll not get in the way for your decision,
but you're always be my little Wingdaloo in my heart.
Excuse me, I've not sending you a letter yesterday. I'm just feeling bad, 
because you have telling me, that I've to stay in Cloudsdale and should not to accompany you.
Do you know, that I do anything for you? I'll move with you to Ponyville, if you let me.
I hope you will change your mind and wish my company.
I'm always loving you, Wingdaloo and await your answer.

Lots of love
Mum.

Scootaloo sat an her place in the school and had hastily opened the letter. Her hooves trembled more and more, as longer she read the lines. Finally she let sink the letter on her school table. She bit her lips and constrained her eyes.	Mum wanted her back in Cloudsdale. So often she had written it in the letter, Scootaloo was sure about that. She had made the wrong decision. Mum wasn't happy with it. What should she do now?
Again she looked to the lines and tried to conceive a clear thought, 	but how longer she saw this letter, then more she became tangled thoughts. After all she wiped the letter into her sattlebag half angry, half sadly. Why didn't she tell her so in Cloudsdale? Why hadn't Mum tell her, that she could move with her? Why?
The clearance and the school hours flight past her. The other foals didn't bother with her, as she didn't answer any questions, but seemed to be happy about the celebration. Scoot, no Wingdaloo wasn't sure anymore, if she wanted to be happy about this. Miss Cheerilee dismissed the class and she trotted alone, after all foals left, through Ponyville and headed  home. No she walked to Sunny Rays house, unsure whether to write a letter or to pack everything directly.
“Scootaloo, please wait.”
A classmate ran nearby to her and tried to get her attention. Wingdaloo darted her a look and tried to remember her name. The two coloured mane and the green eyes together with the white coat were quite unique in her class and as a unicorn it was a simple task.
“Sweetie Belle, right?”
The pegasusfilly whispered and tried to sound calm, but the unicorn hold in and viewed her a little suspicious, than she smiled. She tried to run as fast as Wingdaloo and trotted with her in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.
“I've just thinking, if you like to accompany me 
and go to the Summer Sun Celebration with me.
You look quite so, as you need somepony to accompany you.”
Wingdaloo lowered her head and sighed. She stopped and considered.	She could hole up home and has been thinking around Mums letter, or she could just make a nice evening with a friend.
“I believe, I've to ask my aunt, if I want to. Are you making a slumber party?”
Her voice still sounded higher and faster as usual, but Sweetie Belle should misconstrue this as excitement.
“No I'm not allowed to do such thing. But you've nopony to celebrate anyway.”
Wingdaloo interrupted the little white unicorn and her voice fluttered louder.
“How do you know this?”
Sweetie Belle recoiled and smiled fast.
“I knew, Sunny Rays can't be your mother. And she is always committed, so I just thought, you know?.”
Wingdaloo shook her head free from her thoughts and tripped her left hoof multiple on the ground.
“Yes Mum lives in Cloudsdale and works there. I...
You know what, I'm coming with you. When do you want to meet?”
Before her voice again said goodbye and went higher, or worst tears were able to gather in her eyes, she pledged.
Only that she could free herself form her thoughts. A grin appeared at the face of Sweetie Belle and she raised her left front hoof to lay it at Wingdaloos shoulders.
“I'll meet you. I have to sleep a little, thereby I'm able to witness the celebration awake. 
How about four in the morning? Here?” 
Wingdaloo nodded silently, wiped off the hoof and ran away.
“See you tonight, Scootaloo.”
She didn't answered and ran even faster. Now she had to convince aunt Sunny, that she went with a friend to the celebration.
Afterwards was it really easy, because she found just a letter in the house.

“Dear Scootaloo,
I've to work an additional shift.
Somepony will supervise our work and Pinkie want to please her with a party.
Please take your supper from the fridge and go to bed early.
I'll send somepony to wake you up.
Raritys little sister, Sweetie Belle will come and meet you here.
See you at the Summer Sun Celebration.
Aunt Sunny.”

Wingdaloo deposited the saddlebags and ignored the letter from her mother. She hoped, if she let it in the saddlebags, she had never to thing of it again. But her thoughts circuited around it the whole evening. First her supper, bred with bramblejelly and an apple, distracted her from it and gave her a little anticipation for the celebration. Certainly as she snuggled in her sleeping back, her thoughts drifted back to the letter and kept her away from sleeping.
“That's not fair. I won't return. I won't be looked so pitiful.
How can I explain all other ponies, that I'm just want to be like every other?”
This question circuited again all feelings, however she hadn't find any answer. Wingdaloo turned around and tried to all blank out, by staring against the wooden wall, but it wasn't successful, she couldn't rid her thoughts.
“I've to return, then Mum is going to be happy again.
That's my only choice, I'm going to do. 
But I won't go back, all other pegasi are looking so different up there.
Here down they look different, not like them. They're just not interested in my wings.”
She mumbled quieter and quieter and then she drifted away into sleep.

A loud rap and calling ripped her from her sleep and she struggled herself out of the sleeping back. Whereof she has been dreaming she didn't remember, 
but she felt tears gliding over her face and sensed her heart beating really fast.
“Scootaloo wake up. We're late”
Sweetie Belle knocked against her bedroom door. As she heard Wingdaloos hooves, she called:
“I'll be waiting outside. Hurry up, please.”
Wingdaloo hurried and laved her sleepy eyes with cold water. She drove with her hooves through her mane and went yawning outside. Sweetie Belle tripped nervously around and  pulled Wingdaloo with her,	as she saw her. Together they galloped to the town hall, only there light shined brighter in the dim part of the night.
“Hurry, we will miss the princess.”
Sweetie Belle shouted over her shoulder and bounced into the bright ballroom. Wingdaloo followed her harried and tried to shove through the expected crowd, but.

Everypony stood still, pointed one spot and seem being puzzled.
“Where is she? Where is princess Celestia?”
Somepony beside her mumbled this words and as Wingdaloo looked to the source, she recognized the mailpony with wide eyed look.	She tried to look forward, collided with a freezing Sweetie Belle staring up to the balcony. Wingdaloo followed her glimpse and saw the gathering shadows too.	An obscure figure appeared and all of her shape reminded the filly to a recent suppressed nightmare.	An image rose out of her subconsciousness and was so familiar. The long marvellous horn, the dark blowing mane and the even darker coat, all were alike her last dream. How could she forget?
The aura of these creature was so graspable, that the fillys thoughts circuited again, but now around her fears and she wanted to go only to one place, home. But Sweetie Belle, pulled her under the balcony, as if it was easier for her, as long as she didn't see this terrible creature. But the gloomy voice sounded even there and Wingdaloo nuggled firmer with her companion, but she was blindfolded for the surroundings.
“Oh, my beloved subjects.
It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces...”
Wingdaloo tried her best, but the fear let her no other choice, she just trembled	and pressed herself tighter against Sweetie Belle after this words. As well she saw a pony, that wasn't overwhelmed by fear. Wingdaloo didn't know who this blue pegasus mare was, but she starred at her. The rainbow mane played with her almost scornfully face and the filly opened her mouth in a gasp, as she tried to swoop down the creature, but a yellow earthpony with a hat hindered her. Why was she not afraid? Who was she?
Wingdaloo saw, that she was fighting against her restriction and the hindering earthpony, she wanted something to do, fight back. A unicorn with purple coat and three coloured mane walked between her line of sight and named the creature.
“...I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!”
Wingdaloo gasped and congealed again. This old maretale was true? Thunder and lightning let her tremble once more and all huddled in fear. She searched in her fear the only heroine she knew, the blue pegasus mare. She was unimpressed and tried to break away one more time. Finally the major sent the royal guards against Nightmare Moon, but everyone was defeated by the lightnings. With a guffaw Nightmare Moon disappeared and her dark shadow burst through the door. Now the fighting pegasus mare came loose and chased her. Wingdaloo broke away from Sweetie Belle and galloped after her, admittedly to the door. She wanted to see, what was happening next. 	The pegasus stopped and stared into the darkness. Somepony jumped through the door, the purple unicorn leaved the town hall, and Wingdaloo tried one step out, to follow her.
“Scootaloo wait, stay here.”
Aunt Sunny caught herself and laid a hoof on her shoulder.
“Where, by all clouds, do you want to go? You shouldn't even think about it.”
Sunny pushed her forward, as they leaved town hall.	Everypony were simply in blind panic and also Wingdaloo sensed this fear, but the remembered courage from the blue pegasus mare with the rainbow mane calmed her feelings and she could keep her bouncing heart in check.
“I want just chase after the blue pegasus. I think she knows, what she is actually doing.”
Aunt Sunny led her fast along the way and into the house.
“That would surprise me. Rainbow Dash does never ever know, what she is doing.”
Wingdaloo mumbled the name a few times to remember it. Aunt Sunny led her to her room and closed the door.
“We're packing, Scootaloo. Take everything you want. We're flying to...”
She interrupted herself, looked through the window and sighed.
“tonight back to Cloudsdale. Your mum will be very worried about you...”
> A home without glances
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A home without glance.

Wingdaloo didn't gladly remember the flight back. She left Ponyville in this dark hour without any goodbye for Sweetie Belle and she felt horrible about it. It didn't help, that she clung around Sunnys neck with half filled saddle backs and without her scooter. The wind and the flapping wings made this flight the worst experience since, well since the Summer Sun Celebration.	Her aunt remained silent awhile and tried to leave the airspace over Ponyville as fast as she can. Other pegasi had the same idea and were much better prepared. Like falling stars little points of light moved around in the dim heaven, but they were to close to be real falling stars. 
The pegasi had brought lantern to see their surroundings and were so able to fly much faster. From Cloudsdale a few pegasi headed to Ponyville, the last known location where princess Celestia had been. Honorable old Wonderbolts and actually royal guard pegasi rushed past them. The lights of Cloudsdale finally went bigger and the confusion of flying pegasi became a wild mayhem. Wingdaloo felt as the strain and flurry of the rushed pegasi attached to her and her bouncing heart pressed her tighter in Sunny Rays neck. She felt her tremble and muffled heart bumps.
“Everything would be fine, Scootaloo.”
Her voice blended with a little panic and she didn't sound really assured. She attached her wings closely to her body and jostled through another landing pegasi to the solid ground, well solid ground for pegasi at least, the clouds. Wingdaloo couldn't dismount, everywhere were pegasi, shouted names, ran around and searched their beloved ones. Worries and fears have crushed down everypony.
“Nightmare Moon has return.”
This shout echoed over the crowd and all ponies froze. Everypony turned their heads slowly to the flying ambassador of the news. A mailpony. Wingdaloo turned her head too and starred at her. Aunt Sunny on the other hoof wasn't surprised from the message at all and was able to push herself through the other pegasi.
“Where is Curryfeather at this time, usually?”
Her voice sounded clear and controlled for Wingdaloo, as she moved on to a faster trot. The filly closed her eyes and thought. Typically she walked around the city center with a cauldron cart, sold soup, if it was like every year. But today.
“I believe she is home and waits for us.”
Wingdaloo wasn't sure, if the answer was correct and she sounded more than a little concern, but aunt Sunny nodded. She pushed herself through the once celebrating crowd and soared up to the residential districts of Cloudsdale. Here were only a few ponies left and the filly could dismount at last . Her wings flapped nervously, as she finally bent into the home street and she sped up involuntary her pace.
“Scootaloo wait.”
Aunt Sunny was exhausted and couldn't keep pace with her, but she didn't care.	She flounced through the dark alley and lifted her hoof to push the door. Somepony flung her hooves around her neck, she was lifted and firmly hugged to a trembling body.
“I'm so glad, you're okay, Wingdaloo.”

Her mum was going home, as everypony noticed, that the sun wasn't been right. She had thinking to fly to Ponyville and had decided against it. Now they were sitting around the table and aunt Sunny explained with fast words, what have happened down there.
“And then I've thinking, that I have to bring Scootaloo to you.”
Curryfeather looked at her filly and took an eased breath. She stroke her over the head  very gentle with her left wing and took a teacup into a hoof.
“I'm so happy, that we're all here. Now we can.”
She dropped her cup, as she looked out of the window. Luckily it landed on a cloud and didn't break. Wingdaloo followed her stare and she opened her mouth without any help. The sun, was rising again!	The long fearsome night was displaced by an undoubted happy feeling for everyone, as the messages from Ponyville arrived. The returning Wonderbolts and Royal Guards captured and told them from ear to ear. Princess Luna has returned and Princess Celestia was freed.	Six ponies had done this heroic deed and two were pegasi. Wingdaloo had never heard the first name and so she forgot the name, Fluttershy quickly after hearing. But the second name, Rainbow Dash burned herself even further into the memory with this story. She wanted to return to Ponyville soon, but Mum wasn't happy about this. Wingdaloo knew her mother, she didn't speak it out, but the filly knew it had to be right.
Her letter, her relief as she realized, that her filly was here above again and the kind of look changed even so. Her foal believed, that she had changed it. She didn't see much pitiful in her eyes, something different glanced in their, but what exactly t was. She couldn't say. So she staid here. Aunt Sunny asked, if she want to flight back with her and she promised to send her scooter. Than she leaved and returned to Ponyville. For the next hours mum spoke about the Summer Sun Celebration and how many bits she has earned with her curry soup. She didn't ask what Wingdaloo had experienced and who she had met. Like she didn't want to remind her on the few days down there. The filly listened simply, she didn't want to say something, she only wanted to be there for her. They were cooking, her favorite meal a hot vindaloo curry with celery and ate it.
After that, Wingdaloo went to bed, as she has never leaved and this evening was like every other. The filly nestled into the missed softness of her cloudbed and starred through her favorite poster. The flying Wonderbolts with the stripes of clouds behind them let remind her to the last night. The sadness was totally wipe away from her fear and she just wished to feel something different than  timidity. Wingdaloo turned away from the poster, pressed her eyes into the pillow and thought about the brave pegasusmare. Rainbow Dash laid a smile on her face, before the fatigue slid her into the sleep. The observant eyes in the door crack kept in sight the sleeping filly for a while.

She was back. Curryfeather felt a tremendous relief and couldn't unstick the stare from her sleeping sweetheart. She would never travel alone once more. Wingdaloo should stay at her and...Curryfeather stopped her thoughts and closed the door. Her thoughts turned around and flight through the time, as Wingdaloo was crying in her mane, as she was sad about her reject. Curryfeather trembled and sidled into her own bedroom. What could she do to prevent such things.
“Maybe I might talk with Autumn Breeze about this.”
She had trying it, of course, but perhaps she had now the better arguments. Her whispered mumble stopped at the bed and she noticed an old photo. She sighed against it.
“Today I could used your help very well. Wind Dancer.”
Her whisper addressed the pegasus stallion with small wings and two silver aulos as a cutiemark on the bright blue coat. His mane stand away in every direction and reminded her in the art of style to Wingdaloos own mane. But his eye color matched her perfectly and aroused the memories. His vows of love sounded again in her feelings, but she shake it up like nasty flies.
“You flew away. You didn't want a foal like her. But today she could used your help, your support. You dammed chicken.”
Her voice sounded gutted and angry at the same time. As she has ended the sentence she breathed deeply and detached her view from the picture. She snuggled into the cloud bed and turned away from the bedside table.
“And I could use your help today, too.”
These last words leaked out her mouth, before she felt asleep.

“Scootaloo, Scootaloo? Where are you?”
Wingdaloo wandered through an empty Ponyville and searched something. Her voice echoed through the abandoned Sugarcube Corner and she tried to reflect herself in a window. But she looked through it, she could only saw the loneliness outside and this raised her fears. Her hooves guided her towards the School, but this house was abandoned too.
“Scootaloo, this is no joke. Who are you?”
She started to gallop and her calls sounded more panic fuelled. Houses were floating past her and her harried glances tried to find somepony, but nopony were here. Faster, faster she ran, louder and louder she screamed the name.
“Scootaloo!”
She ended lastly before a giant mirror and looked to herself. The look on the other side were changing very quickly. The Wingdaloo at this side frowned and she could saw tears in her eyes.
“Why are you returned? There above you weren't happy. Why are you believing, that's your job, to make Mum happy again, if it makes you sad? You were happier down here!”
She felt tears flown over her own face and pressed the eyes tight together.

"Wingdaloo, Wingdaloo. Who are you?”
Curryfeather flew through Cloudsdale, heavy loaded with a cauldron cart and felt her heart bouncing again her ribs, as it would break them. Her calls slid through the clouds, over hundreds of pegasi and curiously other ponies, which were running on the clouds. Dozens of foals flew through her, with wings, or without and she tried to find her own. Than she remembered. Wingdaloo couldn't fly! She landed and rushed through the other ponies. Her calls sounded haunted and she left behind the cauldron cart in the crowd, so she could easier slipped through them. Her voice became louder and her wings clapped wildly on her side, as she ran home.
“Wingdaloo, Wingdaloo. Please where are you?”
She pushed the door open and entered the empty room of her filly, her abandoned bed frightened her. What if Wingdaloo would never return from Ponyville. When she really changed her name and forgot her mum. She snuggled down gently into the empty bed and tried to calm down her feelings. But as she heard the name she jumped up.
“Scootaloo.”

The next morning wasn't easy for Wingdaloo, she tried to suppress her dream again, but unlike the bad dream about Nightmare Moon, she failed. She didn't know, whether she could talk about it with her mum. Her mum herself didn't sleep very well, because she woke up her early and cradled her firmly. Her shaky wings blew away her anxiety, but her voice sounded calmer, than Wingdaloos own.
“Today I'm talking with Autumn Breeze. Eventually, we could find an other solution for you.”
The filly nodded only and was biting her lips. She opened  her mouth, but nothing came out. She just couldn't  tell her. Curryfeather left the house, after she prepared the breakfast and went probably to work. Wingdaloo was left alone and tiptoed into the bathroom. The raincloud, which served s a water source there, hovering over a little hole in the clouds and as the filly looked in the hole, she could saw green grass below. Involuntary tears were gathering in her eye. She moved her hooves through the cloud, took water with it and sloshed it into her face, flushed away every tear.
“I shouldn't thing about it.”
Her voice sounded so thin, she had to look into the giant mirror on the side to consider, that she was herself. The wet mane, the sad face and the tiny shaky wings let her doubt for a moment, but she bit again on her lips and stroke the mane with her hooves.
“I have to be brave. Mum was so happy!”
Her left front hoof toddled two times to the white cloud above her and finally she tightened herself. What could she do now? All of her friend had moved on to the flycamp and Mum was at work. Should she go to school and...No! Wingdaloo opened the door and left home. The warm sun tickled in her nose and she sneezed gently. Her hooves guided her through the streets, and first she felt something like happiness, even joy to walk on clouds again. But now the first glance hit her. A dark blue pegasus stallion with four snowflakes as a cutie mark was the first, who looked at her this way. She belittled herself, ducked her head, but it didn't help. She was salient everywhere she went. Glances stroke her, pitiful, surprised, even confused. Wingdaloo sped up her steps, but this led to even more attention. She sensed more glances than formerly, because of her time in Ponyville. So she felt even wronger. She galloped now over the not succumb clouds and her hooves led her to the only place, the only fair heaven above here, besides her home, the Curryparadise Cloudsdale. She threw the door open and landed gasping in a crowd of weather pegasi, which glances at her, too. Pity mirrored in all of their faces. At least Wingdaloo could saw nothing else.

Curryfeather had prepared the sandwiches for the early shift, as a clop distracted her from her work. Wingdaloo was plunged into the diner, and gasped at the ground.	Rainbowshine and Parasol bent over the filly and tried to figure out, what was happening. But the little pony couldn't answer.
“Wingdaloo, how nice of you. You're visiting me. Get over here, and take a seat.”
Curryfeather flew fast to her, smiled to the two pegsi and dragged her filly over the counter and to a little cloud below. There she put her on and faced her guests again. But she looked frequently worried to her filly.

Wingdaloo didn't move and looked down. She didn't want to see anybody and tried to fight every feeling. But she couldn't stop it. Her thought, her feelings both were knot together around these glances and she felt homesick. Home sick for a home without glances.
> Dark clouds in your mind.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark clouds in your mind.

The next week passed out not very well for Wingdaloo. She dreamed herself searching for Scootaloo again and again and if she was woke up, she was looking pitiful from everypony. Mum had talked to Autumn Breeze, but the solution was the same like before. She was downgraded and taught with the younger foals. No other solution stayed for her. Wingdaloo played the content pegasus filly at home just only for her mum, but more and more often she has found herself alone in the classroom and was waiting, if it was almost dark, before she went home. There she excused herself with new friends and that she has forgotten the time. But new friends didn't grow on clouds.

Curryfeather an the other hoof noticed of course Wingdaloos tension and attempted to see, what was wrong with her. First she has spoken with her, but she did answered only with.
“It's okay, Mum. All is fine.”
This answer in much different executions she has heard since from her filly. Finally she talked with Autumn Breeze. The meeting in the school followed her expectations.
“Wingdaloo. Yes, this is very difficult. She didn't find any new friends in the class right now and appeared distracted.”
The deep red pegasus stallion looked shortly to the last row with a lonely cloud and sighed. His wings took a booklet and leafed through it.
“She is hardly working in the class. But every time, I'm talking to her, she just smiled and alleged that nothing is wrong with her.”
He let sink the booklet and looked to the lonely cloud, again.
“If she didn't talk to me, Curryfether, I may not help her.”
The last statement took the pegasus mare out of her thoughts and she let sink her head.
“I didn't know, how I should handle this, Autumn Breeze. She didn't talk to me either.”
Both pegasi starred at each other and shook themself finally. They considered together, what they could do, but nothing useful came in their minds.

“Wingdaloo stood up, you have to go to school.”
The filly was awoken long ago and has trying to gulp back her sob with the pillow cloud. Again she has dreamed from her search for Scootaloo. Mum shouldn't hear her.
“I...I'm ready.”
Her answer sounded studied and calmer as she felt. She dug herself out of the now grey pillow cloud  and carried it dripping into the bathroom. Her tears has paired themselves with the water in it and overfilled it to be capable to be white. She hit out the tears careful over the drain hole and as the pillow was finally white again, she carried it back. Than she returned to the bathroom and beheld herself long in the mirror. Reddened eyes stared pitiful vice the mirror to her.
“I am starting to look like every other at me.”
Her voice sounded thin and disappointed. The mane was in a horrible mess and remembered her on a hay bale.
“Wingdaloo, I have to go. Breakfast stays on the table for you and...”
The voice of her mother paused and became quieter.
“...you receive a few letters.”
Wingdaloo waited without any answers in the bathroom, until her mum has leaved and tiptoed than into the living room. There stood a few slices of bread, a glass of milk and a few jams at the table. She ignored all of this and starred through the letters beside the plate. She sighed disappointed, she has hoped, it were a parcel with her scooter, but aunt Sunny hasn't sent it yet.
“But, I want it neither now...”
She gulped back a sob and pressed the eyes together again. She fought the tears and throw the letter, or precisely the three letters into her saddleback. She sat  down on a cloud, looked at the breakfast and fought the urge to smash it all into the ground. Her trembling hooves took a slice of bred instead and put it on the plate. She wasn't hungry and so the bred stayed untouched at the plate and Wingdaloo put the knife into the apple jam, to make her mother believe, that she has eaten something. She spouted even the milk half out in the bathroom and put the glass on the table. Mum would believe, that she was late and...She heard a stroke of a clock and startled. She was late. Again glances starred at her, as she moved through the streets of Cloudsdale. She just couldn't accustom this stares, even total stranger pegasi looked at her pitiful and traced her. The glances urged her to run faster and faster. She arrived at school worn out and was suppressing more tears.
“Wingdaloo you're late. Sit down. As I mentioned today we will...”
The glances from her schoolmates followed her to the cloud in the last row and she sat down. One look to the blackboard showed the theme for today.
“Winter Wrap up.”
She dropped her head and put it onto the table. She has heard this the last year and she could well remembered through this day.

She has to collect the icicles together with Sky Dancer, Ice Prism and Snow Shine and the three flying pegaesi decided, that she would be better a cart horse for them. 
But even that didn't work, because she couldn't fly back to the weatherfactory to swapped the full cart for an empty one. So the three other decided to let her do nothing at all.

She shook away the memory and turned the head at the table. Why was she here anyway? She startled and stood up.
“Yes, Wingdaloo?”
Autumn Breeze discontinued the deliberations about the Winter Wrap up day, but as the filly didn't answer, he neared her. His eyes searched her own and recognised an unknown shine in them.
“I don't have to be here. I've learned this last year!”
She exclaimed through her teacher and jumped, before he could even answer, towards the wall. Autumn Breeze was prepare for this and followed her with a jump.
“Wingdaloo, wait!”
His shout impeded not the filly, but than he flew into her way and blocked her.
“I said...”
Wingdaloo galloped around him, ignored his word and flounced forward. Autumn Breeze sighed, flew again towards her and held her with one wing. She tried to break free, but his wings were to strong.
“I believe, you misunderstand something. You have to be in school...”
The filly felt tears rise in her eyes and closed them.
“Why? I'm not able to fly, anyway! And I'm just a failure, anyway!
Why are you bother to teach me? I want just go to...”
Her suppressed anger burst out and she yelled at her teacher all  this things, that she has buried deep in herself. Her voice sounded  so harsh and worn out at the same time, that Autumn Breeze released her appalled. 	Freed from the restrained grip, she thrown towards the empty streets and let her teacher beyond, who gazed after her thoughtful. Her hooves led her first an usual way, almost her feelings guided her to mum. But what would change this? She slowed down and braked out in a new direction. At home. There she could be alone for a few hours and, no.
“I didn't want to make Mum miserable. I had to...”
Her stammering was interrupted from a strange snarling, as she turned into the street, who led her home.
“I don't want to be here. I want to be down there. I am Scootaloo.”
She yelled into the empty alleyway and turned around.

Curryfeather has just finished her work now. Today many pegasi become her guests and she could help them with their problems. She set out for home very elated.
Her good feeling didn't hold very long, as she saw the havoc  in the entrance and worse in the living room. Grey clouds, condensed moisture on every thing and the jam jars, the milk glass and the plate laid broken on the ground. Hardly able to see through the flying shreds of clouds, who laid like never dissolving mist over all.
“Wingdaloo?”
She looked through her open door and boggled as she saw the tattered cloud of the bed drifted in a soft wind and rained into the room. The poster were rip off from the walls and laid nasty slick and wet on the flour. Negligent thrown in a puddle lay the saddlebacks of her filly.
“Wingdaloo where are you?”
Curryfeathers voice sounded like in her dreams and she shook it up. A quiet sobering led her into her own bedroom. There it was raining, too and the clouds in the bed were almost dark. But a little bright orange body snuggled into the bed and trembled under the dark clouds. Even thunder boomed in the rest of the clouds under her and brush discharge enlightened the picture on her night desk in an eerie green blaze. Curryfeather moved hesitant further, sat down beside her filly and staid silent a little while.	Indeed she felt certain, that Wingdaloo wouldn't hurt her, but accidents weren't unusually in this kind of mood. She tried to stroke her gently with her wings, but her carapace of dark clouds held her away. She tried to flutter a few clouds away, but they stayed firm around Wingdaloo, as they stood under her control. Past a few silent moments a voice sounded under the clouds.
“I don't mean to break anything, Mum. I don't mean to let it rain inside. I don't mean to...”
Curryfeather sighed softly and tried to move through the clouds, but even that didn't work. She would be there for her, if she only could reach her. The clouds were her carapace and whilst she didn't say anything, that calmed her filly down, they wouldn't become penetrable.
“I understand, Wingda...”
Her filly glanced at her, her eyes swam in tears. A lightning fulminated through the room, seared on his way a part of the wardrobe, traversed through the cloudwall and discharged in the kitchen. Curryfeather recoiled and closed her mouth. She bit her lips and remembered herself to the filly.
“I'm not Wingdaloo any more, Mum. I am Scootaloo.”
Her voice sounded angry and sadly all at once and she let sink the head into the clouds. Curryfeather closed her eyes and denied her own insecurities. In her the feelings raved and she tried to resolve the knot in her. Her daughter slipped away from her, and she couldn't do anything. She wouldn't bear her name any more. She pressed her eyes firmer and stifled more accusations and memories. She couldn't. She wouldn't. She hadn't. Her filly wouldn't leave her, like him. Wingdaloo has settled herself. But she was wretched about her choice. Her Mum bethought, what she could say, but nothing passed her lips.
“I didn't want to make you miserable, Mum...”
Now only whisper sounded out of the bed and the rain fell denser.	Cold thin drops moved out of the ceiling and quenched the green fire at the picture. The forever smiling Wind Dance seemed taunting both, but Curryfeather ignored his banned smile and upset the picture. The lightnings dissipated and only sadness were dominate in her daughter. The cold rain was the  proof for her long fought feelings.
“I just want, to make you happy.
For this I am here.”
Her voice was distracted from a deep sub and her filly pressed deeper into the clouds, as she would try to hide from herself. Curryfeather tried to push herself through the cloud-knot, but the will of Wing, no Scootaloo, held them together.
“But, how could I be it, when I myself am sad?”
Her voice sounded frail and tear stained out of the deep of the clouds and was interrupted from an other sob. More and more sobs shoved through the clouds and the rain let all sink in grey wisps. Curryfeather pushed herself again into the clouds. Finally she passed through and cuddled besides her filly. She shielded her from the rain with her wings and prodded her face with her own. A creeps wandered through her mane and she trembled. The filly was so soggy and cold.
“Scootaloo.”
No answer. Not even a movement followed her whisper.
“Scootaloo.”
The filly held on, as her mother whispered the name again, and looked with great tear dimmed eyes to her .

“Oh dear, my little Scootaloo. You are not responsible for my happiness.”
	
	
	
	
> The little dreamer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The little dreamer.

Curryfeather sighed as she saw the chaos in the living room and the kitchen. Of course, her foal didn't do anything wrong, but it was a really mess here. 	She picked up the broken jam jars and swept together the remaining shards with a cloud. 	Then she waved the cloud into the kitchen and closed her eyes. Everything in the kitchen were wet.	She sighed again and wiped over the lockers and the table.

Scootaloo had left mums bed and ran in a tölt into her own room. There she lifted the saddlebacks with her mouth and clung it over a cloud to let it dry.	Her hooves pushed the soppy ruins from her posters together and littered them in the hole under the rain cloud in the bathroom. After that she tried to bring her bed back to shape, but it was difficult. Anywhere floated the rag and it lasted awhile to catch every piece and carried it back to the bed. 	Her blanket was missing, probably felt into an air hole and her pillow was just a small cloud, too much rain.	She grabbed the cloud with her mouth and went into the kitchen. There she threw the cloud on the table and started to speak.
“Mum, I need a new pillow. It has lost many and...”
Her view wandered over the wet surface of the kitchen, over the ruined jars and over the scorched places. She felt silent and drooped. She was biting her lip again and whispered right now.
“I don't mean to.”
Curryfeather turned and cuddled gentle over her head with a wing. She smiled and spoke soft.
“I surely know, Wing. Scootaloo.”
She corrected herself hastily and went nearer.
“This happens sometimes. Don't be worry.”
She nuzzled her with her head and cocked her head then.
“We're cleaning up together and all will be fine soon.”
Her voice tried to encourage the filly. But in the same time, Scootaloo heard a bit concern in her voice. Anyway she nodded slowly and yawned cautious. She shook herself and stroke over her eyes with the hooves.
“I don't mean to.”
She repeated again and breathed out very deeply.
“Please forgive me.”
She mumbled this words, closed her eyes and leaned outspend against her mother. Curryfeather had been expecting this, after the burst out of so many magic, her foal would be tired and had to sleep. She cuddled over her head again, carried her in her wings to the bed. She sighed as she saw the bitty shape and shook her head. Of course, Wing, uhm Scootaloo wasn't so experienced in cloud forming like herself, but she had tried it at least. She laid the foal onto her back and raised both for hooves.	First she stroked the frayed clouds straight, took many humidity with her and shook it up. Her right wing grabbed a part of the nearest wall and took it to the bed. Curryfeather formed a soft warm pillow from it. She blew a little piece of her own magic in and packed it in the middle of the pillow. Slowly she laid down the finished pillow and both wings carried new clouds from the walls to the bed. She thinned them out, filled them with motherly love and warmth, too. Then she laid them down as the new blanket. Her right wing raised her foal from her back and she kissed softly her brow. She laid her gently into the bed, waved the cloud blanket right and looked in her murmuring face for a moment.
“Everything will be alright, Wing. Uhm Scootaloo.”
She left the room and took the saddlebacks with her.

“Scootaloo? Scootaloo where are you?”
This voice entered her dream and chased her again, this time through an empty Cloudsdale.
“Here. I am here.”
She shouted out towards her own searching voice and tried to catch up with herself.	But this wasn't fair. Her other self was able to fly and escaped her.
“Wingdaloo, please wait for me!”
But she didn't want and vanished behind the full moon. Scootaloo looked up to him and spotted a movement on him. A small figure lifted up from the surface and she froze.
“Who are you?”
The dark shadow on the moon flew hesitantly nearer. Scootaloo recognised in the pale silver moonlight her dark coat and the light blue mane. 	And her Cutiemark, a crescent moon showed who she was.
“Nightmare Moon!”
Scootaloo turned over and ran away. The pony was taller last time, but the filly felt the fear arise in her and she ran faster. She heard a loud voice and awoke.
“Wait, child.”

Scootaloo turned over and jumped out of the bed. She sweated and closed her eyes.	She sucked in hesitantly some air and coughed sharply. Her hooves stroke over the nostril and took a slime twine with them.
“Mum.”
Appalled how raspy her voice sounded she paused and stumbled out of her room. She listened and snuffled her nostril.

Curryfeather stood in the kitchen and wagged the smother over the pot to herself and sniffed. Today she wouldn't go to work. She would rather plan with her foal their relocation. Scootaloo entered the kitchen and sneezed. Curryfeather turned and smiled initially. As she saw her sick pale filly, she frowned and stepped slowly nearer.
“Scootaloo are you alright?”
She laid down her hoof on her forehead and sighed.
“Have you catch a cold? Poor dear. You should go back to bed right now.”
She guided the foal gently back to her room. Scootaloo opened her mouth and tried to say something, but Curryfeather laid a wing on her face.
“Don't worry, you will feel better, soon.
I will be here for you.”
The filly shook her head and cawed.
“No Mum. I am just...”
The older mare shook her head, too and laid her down in the bed. She waved the cloud over her again and smiled.
“Don't worry, I won't disturb you often. I promise.”
Scootaloo coughed and tried to sit up, but her mother hold her back with a hoof.
“Scootaloo please. I want to be here, if you need something.”
The foal sighed and nodded finally. She laid down the head on the warm pillow and closed her eyes. The sleep overtook her fast and she dreamed

She joined in a dream like she never dreamed before. She appeared in front of a giant mirror and saw herself in it. At her side stood a pony, she just knew from a picture and from the stories from her mum. Wind Dancer laid her reflection a hoof onto the flank and both spread their wings.
“Come on Wingdaloo. We have to go.”
His voice sounded so gentle and friendly out of the mirror, but his eyes. They were just full of rejection.
“You won't be like this failure! Ever!”
Scootaloo drooped as she heard the last word and closed her eyes firmly.
“Child. Why are you weeping?”
She startled and saw the giant image of Nightmare Moon in the mirror. She jumped beside and bowled over a small black filly and fell through a dark curtain into eternal darkness. Scootaloo clutched herself on the dark filly as they fell and pressed her eyes in her mane. Even there she felt the darkness and freed her eyes quickly. But nothing changed, the darkness was impenetrable. Only the Cutie Mark of the filly spread a little bit of silver light. The small body trembled and the wings flapped.
“Hold on, Child!”
Scootaloo nodded, as the voice sounded so gently in her ears. The little filly was stronger than she looked like and carried both through the darkness and to the moon. 	Its warm, silver light shone over them and Scootaloo could feel the soft wind under her little wings. It was like the trip on Sunny Rays back, but much calmer and Scootaloo laughed excited.
“Child, this isn't funny. I don't know, why I am here with you.
Who are you actually?”
The voice sounded quite familiar for Scootaloo and she turned the face through the little black filly.
“Nightmare...”
She yelled out the first part of her name, but the filly laid down a hoof on her mouth. The pegasusfilly struggled and tried to break free from her. The black filly let her go and oversaw her fall.
“I am Luna!”
She exclaimed.

Scootaloo woke up and wished at the same moment, that she was back to sleep. Her head hurt so badly and she coughed stressed.
“Mum.”
She floundered and she squeezed her eyes shut.	A cold hoof laid onto her forehead and a wing caressed over her flank.
“Don't worry, Scootaloo. I'm here for you.”
A cold bowl was hold against her lips and she realised just now, how thirsty she was. She swigged and coughed again.
“You will be okay, poor dear.”
She heard, before she slept away. She didn't understand, but she was so tired.

“Child, you're back again?”
She sat besides the black filly in the school from Ponyville. The other forms were empty and on the board was a limn picture of Nightmare Moon.
“I don't want to be here, Child. I'm scared.”
The black filly lowered her shoulders and ducked her head. Her horn glowed shortly and the environment of the dream changed.	The town hall from Ponyville appeared and both fillies clustered together under the balcony, as the voice of Nightmare Moon sounded over them.
“Oh, my beloved subjects...”
Scootaloo pressed both hooves over her ears, but the voice sounded clearly in them.
“It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces...”
The little filly snuggled herself closer to Scootaloo and tried to suppress a shiver. The pegasusfilly felt tears on the point, who the head of her little companion laid.
“I...I didn't mean to.”
Her voice quivered in Scootaloo's ears and the dream darkened. The silence was burdensome, just a gentle sobbing urged onto her ears. The black filly disappeared from her flank and she was alone in the darkness. She stood on something, whereupon she couldn't clearly identify, she spotted nothing on her hooves and even as she leaned forwards she didn't see anything. Slowly she walked on.
“Where am I? Who are you, Luna?”
Silver light gloomed shortly, as she mentioned the name and Scootaloo saw the filly for moment on a dark throne. She was coiling up and trembled. Scootaloo stepped nearer hesitantly and reached out with one hoof.
“Luna. Are you alright?”
Again the Cutie Mark glistened as the name was mentioned, but this time further away. Scootaloo tried to walk nearer again and to touch her, but there was nothing to touch.
“Luna?”
The glint faded away. Again and again Scootaloo called her name, but the Cutie Mark veered away from her. Darkness and loneliness overwhelmed the little filly and as she opened her eyes again, she founded herself in front of the giant mirror.
“I won't see you ever again, Scootaloo!”
Her father's voice knocked her down finally and she sank on her back hooves. She pressed her for hooves against her head.

She woke up and hold her hooves like in the dream. She bit her lips, suppressed a sob and tried to control her pulsating head. A gentle wing stroke over her, but she noticed it just hardly. She felt back asleep and in her dream.

Warm sunshine tickled in her nostrils and she smelled the sweet odour of chamomile and elderflower, which were cowering everything.
“Being loved was all I wanted. I hadn't understood.”
Scootaloo heard an echo of a voice, who copied her own. She was looking around until she spotted herself hovering some distance in the air. The strong wings flapped and the gaze starred at her proud full.
“You're weak, Scootaloo. So weak. And a failure.”
This was her own voice, she sounded harsh out of her reflection and the sky darkened. Rain was starting to fall and a strong wind was ejecting every fragrance. 
The cold fresh air, who was  replacing it, let Scootaloo shiver.
“I'm not a failure, Wingdaloo. I am just not able to fly.”
An older voice interrupted her and she identified it easily. Her father.
“You can't fly. What kind of pegasus are you then?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth, but she hadn't an answer. The only one action, who came her in mind was running away. Flapping wings lashed rain and wind into her face and the harsh voices from her father and her old name Wingdaloo crackled after her.
“Run away you little failure. You Dodo.”
The rain was getting stronger and all around her fell in darkness once more. Squeezing her eyes shut she was running as fast as she could. On and on she ran and was soaked with sweat when suddenly she bumped into somepony. Silver light sparkled and lightened a half moon cutie mark. A voice sounded surprised in her ears.
“Child, what are you doing? Why are you following me?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth, but nothing else as a sob found a way out of her.
“Wait, you're really soggy.”
A wing brushed gently over her body, taking away the cold and wetness along. The little pegasusfilly closed her eyes and was mumbling a thanks.
“No child! Do not thank me! Rather, do tell me why you are following me!”
Lunas voice sounded almost peeved, but she was trying to smile.
“I...I don't know. I am sick and dreaming.”
She was looking to Luna and tried to control her voice, but with little success.
“I have dreamed about myself able to flight and from my father. 
I don't know why, but both were telling me, that I am just a failure and then I bumped in you.”
Her voice sounded exhilarated and she was wiping away the tears with one hoof. The black filly circled Scootaloo and was beholding her interested. Finally the blue eyes were searching Scootaloos own.
“I believe this is the problem. You're no longer sure, who you really are, Child.
I wish I could help you, but I don't know how. Did you try to talk to your parents?”
Scootaloo drooped and inhaled with a sob.
“Father had leaved us, shortly after my birth and Mum.
She can not help. I am afraid , that she will become distressed, if I tell her.”
She didn't know why she has said this, but it was feeling right.
"Child, I believe your mother will be distressed if she doesn't know, what makes you miserable.”
Luna touched Scootaloo's cheek and took away a tear. She wiped further over her face and smiled hesitantly. The filly looked in her eyes and was seeing insecurity and even a little embarrassment. She bit her lips and was forcing the tears back. A trembling hoof warded Lunas own off and the filly inhaled deeply.
“Thanks Luna. I will tell her about my dreams and...”
The black filly lifted one hoof and interrupted her.
“Do not tell her about me. I don't believe, that I have been so much help for your Child.
Keep it as a secret and forget it.”
Scootaloo lifted her own hoof and tried to lay it on Luna's trembling one. But the black filly turned and ran away.
"I won't tell anypony, Luna! 
But neither will I forget it. 
I promise."

The dream faded away and darkness welcomed her in the waking world.
	
> Ash and smoulder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ash and smoulder.

Scootaloo looked into the darkness and tried to spot something. But she was unable to see even the shape of her own bed.
“Mum?”
Her voice sounded now only a little bit raspy, though she was on the mend. The filly yawned and stretched herself. Nopony answered and she rose finally. Her hooves stood uncertain on the clouds and she couldn't see pass the darkness, so she was unsure is he was dreaming any more.
“Mum?”
Scootaloo tried to be louder, but her throat was dry, she just coughed. Hesitantly she groped forwards and ran against and through an relenting wall. She passed through clouds and saw nothing else then other darkness. She spotted around and rubbed her running nostrils. The sootiness was quite different to her dream, grey twilight was shining ahead and she could spot coarse contours. The filly saw floating pieces in the darkness and as she breathed in she felt the bitter taste on her tongue. She coughed again and spat out a black slime lump. She panted and stumbled blind forwards. Then she bumped into an other Pony.
“What are you doing here, little one?”
The voice sounded muffled, blocked from a scarf and even upset. A mare without any doubt. Scootaloo was seize with two hooves and multiple blasts cleared the surroundings. A pegasusmare with an indigo coat appeared, held her firm and hovered on place. Her two coloured mane, fuchsia in the base and darkened like cerise in the tip, was a total mess and dusted with grey powder. She examined the filly, her eyes was covered with an old protection goggles and shared the same colour of her mane, a little bit darker, but looked similar at all. Her wings held the wind straight and tried to blow away the finely ashes out of her sight.
“You're Curryfeather's foal, right? Who are your mother?”
The mare held Scootaloo only with one hoof now and pulled the scarf down. The muffling voice changed and sounded more gentle. So the voice remembered Scootaloo to a question:

“Are you alright, little one?”
She had been in the Curryparadise, as she was running away from all the glances.

She shook away the memory and spotted around.
“I don't know. She wasn't home and...”
Her voice picked up some pace and she sensed the fear, who had sneaked upon unseen. The coat of the pegasi bristled shortly and she shook it away.
“Stay calm, little one.
She will be okay, right?”
This sort of encouragement didn't help Scootaloos at all. It sounded to stressed to be positive and not convincing at all. The drop of sweet gliding down her neck didn't help, too. Finally the nervous expression in her eyes was the coffin nail in Scootaloos fears.
“I. Have to find her.”
She tried to wrest herself free, but the older mare took her into both hooves and held her.
“You'll fly with me now.”
Scootaloo interrupted her with a desperate cry,
“I am not able to.”
She had reached her voice range with this cry and coughed. She forced air into her hurting throat with many gasps and bridled at the holding hooves.
“Scootaloo? Are you out there?”
This voice was, what she wanted to hear. Mum! Through the thick black walls whirled a wind blast and her mum flew together with a loud cry at her. Her hooves put her and snuggled her relieved against her coat.
“I'm glad you're alright. Thanks Rainbowshine.”
Curryfeather smiled to the weatherpony and held Scootaloo tight. What just happened here? She had left for ten minutes. Since the mare in moon vanished, strange things happened in Equestria.
“What happens here, Rainbowshine? What kind of clouds are this?”
The weatherpony shook her head and put the scarf back around her mouth.
“I don't know, Curryfeather. But this I know certainly: 
You and your foal have to flee and seek shelter below."
She sought for Scootaloo, smiled hesitantly with concern in this smile and left of. She fought against the dark clouds and vanished shortly in them. Curryfeather pulled Scootaloo back to their home, sat her at the table and packed her saddleback as fast as she can.
“We will fly to aunt Sunny and wait there.”
Scootaloo nodded weakly and coughed again. Her mum stopped and put the saddlebacks on. Then she gathered Scootaloos pillow from her room.
“Keep the cloud on your mouth, Scootaloo. It will keep the ashes out of your breath.”

The following flight wasn't much pleasanter then the escape from Nightmare Moon. Pegasi filled the air, foals barely fledged, elderlies rarely certain in the sky and between them grown ups, holding everything together. The black smoke were breaking in from one direction to Cloudsdale and were fighting back from a few weatherponies, but more and more broke in. The sun disappeared over the darkness. Ashes gushed under the dark sky and dusted the pegasi greyish. The cloud protected Scootaloo from breathing in the dust, yet her mum hadn't have this sort of protection. She had tied her pinafore on her nostrils and was trying to clear her path with wind strokes, but the turbulences from the other pegasi made it impossible. The fear in their glances and the fearfully questions remembered her back through the eternal night and Curryfeather looked back to her filly on her back. Scootaloo clutched at her warm pillow, inhaled deeply and pressed herself into mums mane. What just happened? Was this a strange dream? Why didn't she just awake?	She felt, that her mum turned over and raised her head. The pack of flying pegasi didn't decrease but frayed a little out in different directions. Scootaloo looked down and saw nopony there. Apple trees and fields flew under them.
“Mum, we should...”
Her voice sounded so silently, that she simply disappeared under the louder stammering of the other pegasi. She laid her fore hoof on mums head and looked down. Curryfeather followed her view and nodded. She tightened her wings and rushed to the ground. Freed from the mass, all fell silent and the winds around them died away.	Curryfeather looked back to the sky and shook her head very surprised. She landed softly on a path besides a crop field and helped her filly down of her back.
“Thanks, Scootaloo. I've thought, we have to..”
She interrupted herself and smiled. Yes this smile was real and sparkled in her eyes, too. It merged further into laughter.
“Fly the whole way?”
This Scootaloo was able to caw, before the laughter passed onto her and she produced a mix between laughs and coughs. Not for long sure and she began to pant again and took deep breaths. Her mum put down the pinafore, sniffled and nodded to her daughter.
“I'm not sure, where we are. But this path leads to Ponyville, I hope. Maybe it is behind this hills.”
She trotted on and led the filly slowly into the direction the path was rising. Actually the path didn't lead directly into Ponyville. On the right hoof raised a dark forest and the thicket was so tight, that Curryfeather stayed away and went with a curve to a bridge over a river. Out off the apple orchard led a widened road to Ponyville, who was overcrowded. Pegasi swarmed the streets and tried to step in into some houses. Sugercube Corner was totally overflowed and the pegasi quacked incomprehensible among each other. Of course, the residents of Ponyville tried everything to calm their guests down a little, but even the pegasi weren't much successful with it. Scootaloo craned her neck, finally climbed on her mothers back, to find her heroine. But the cyan pegasi was nowhere to spot. Curryfeather looked meanwhile out for herself and jostled away from the big building in the centre of Ponyville. She didn't know where Sunny Rays lived, but she would find her here surely. She wasn't here at all? She flapped her wings and lifted off. She tried to overview the situation from above, but the houses were all look like the same from there. She flew higher in great circles.

“Scootaloo, where does Aunt Sunny live?”
Finally she realised, that her foal had lived here. The filly took a look and tried to remember. From above it wasn't very easy to find the house and the crowd of ponies didn't make it easier. She founded it at last. She leaned forwards over mums shoulder and pointed out a house on the periphery of Ponyville. Curryfeather flew directly to it and landed on the stairs. Her foal jumped off her back and tried to repress an excited smile, but it wasn't very successful. The mare knocked on the door, but nopony answered. She opened the door and entered an empty home. 	Where did Sunny Rays go?
Curryfeather looked in every room and her foal followed her. Scootaloo trotted into her old bedroom and stopped shortly after she saw something different. A bed stood in the edge, where her sleeping back had lain. Why would aunt Sunny buy a bed for her? Her mum spotted the bed too and smiled. Sunny was quick. Slowly she trotted backwards and went to the kitchen. Scootaloo walked past the room and spotted something at the end of the bed. Her scooter leaned there and the filly seized out hesitantly. Her hooves stumbled and she felt her heart bouncing against her chest. Before she could give in into the impulse, she coughed and mum called her.
“We will wait here, Scootaloo.”
As she had burned herself on it, she let go the handle bar as fast as she can.
“Are you hungry?”
The chattering sound and the mention of hunger reminded her to be hungry and she left the room. As she averted from the bed, she spotted the posters on the wall and smiled. Wonderbolts. They were cooking together a sweet apple soup, because Sunny Rays hadn't stored anything else to eat. The cooking relaxed Curryfeather and distracted both from the darkness outside. Soon the mare put Scootaloo into her new bed, she wasn't recovered from the cold now and the bed rest would help her to feel better. Curryfeather viewed through the room surprised and satisfied on the same time. Sunny had gathered everything in only one day. She seemed to house Scootaloo gladly and even liked her a lot. Where was she? Scootaloo was laying in the bed, but wasn't able to fell asleep easily. It creaked, if she even moved just a little bit and felt odd warmth. So different to clouds, hardly so uncomfortable like a sleeping back, but unaccustomed for the filly. She turned over and gazed to her mum. If she could wish for something more exciting than sleeping, she would choose to stand up and drove around with her scooter instead of lying in a bed after all. But mum wouldn't allow it, she was sick at all and had to lay down.
“Mum, I have to tell you something.”
She whispered through the silence and bit her lip. She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't like to remember back to her dreams again and all of the glances above.
“I had dreamed from Daddy and he told me...”
Her foal was fighting against tears and sobs, as she summoned her dreams. Curryfeather opened her mouth here and then, but closed it, as she realised, that Scootaloo was speaking up and should not be interrupted. She spluttered faster and faster to relief the burden and an interruption from her mother wouldn't be good for her.
“I don't want, that you believe: 
I do not love you, mum.
But I won't go back to Cloudsdale. Daddy are right with. 
I...all of them are looking anytime like and...”
Finally Scootaloos voice broke apart and a sob stopped her story. Curryfeather laid  a wing on her head and nuzzled her gentle. She was waiting, if her daughter had more to say, but only sobering and weeping escaped her.
“If you want to, we both stay here, instead.”
Curryfeather snuggled on her foal and nuzzled appeasing over her head. Finally they fell asleep.

Aunt Sunny was finding both in her home, as she returned from the fight with the dragon clouds. Her face, crusted with ashes, smiled  and she tiptoed into her bathroom. Under the shower she would transform back into a nice and clean pony.
> Dated letters and new friendships.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dated letters and new friendships.

Scootaloo was confined to bed for a few days. Yes this bed was really almost so comfortable like a cloud, but not half so fluffy at all. Only the blanket was sometimes to warmth or to heavy and she had freed herself from it in the middle of every night. She had woken up sweating and had pulled it away to fall asleep again. First she loved the warmth, but as she get better, it disturbed her more and more and she pulled it away night for night. Curryfeather slept in her room and looked after her, as long as she wasn't better. But as Scootaloo finally felt better, 	she let her her free space and had slept in the living room. Today she flew back to Cloudsdale to pack some thinks and to check on the Curryparadise. But before she left off, she looked in on her foal, that had struggled off her blanket once again and slept still. Curryfeather pulled slowly the blanket over her and smiled at Scootaloo. She nuzzled her brow gently with one hoof, kissed her softly and listened to her deep breaths. She would leave the bed today and for the first time since her return she will roam around in Ponyville. Curryfeather sighed silently and took off her saddleback from the floor. She opened the fastening and shook three letters out of the depths of it.
“I have almost forgotten them, Scootaloo. You have get some letters.”
Fortunately they weren't get so wet, that they weren't readable at all. Curryfeather put them aside her foal and floated silently out off the room.

Scootaloo awoke soon and stretched herself yawning. She snuffled one time through her nostrils and smiled. Finally she lost the cold. She jumped out of the bed and dragged the letters with her. They were landing on the floor, but the filly didn't spot them first. She pulled her scooter with her and smiled in anticipation. As she reached and opened the door, she looked back and spotted the letters. She left off the scooter and walked slowly back to them. Scootaloo took the three letters with her mouth and laid them back on the bed. She opened the first one.

Dear Scootaloo,
I hope you returned safely to Cloudsdale.
Your aunt told me, that you want to live with your mother again.
I am feeling a little disappointed that you didn't say goodbye to me.
But I guess with all the chaos of Nightmare Moon's return I guess I would be eager to return to my mum too.
I have get your scooter from your aunt.
So, if you want to visit me, we could scoot through Ponyville 
and I'll show you my favourite places here.
Please visit us soon!
Love
Sweetie Belle

Scootaloo read the letter and put it back on the bed. She wiped her mane and smiled.
“I will visit you, Sweetie.”
She jumped off her bed and trotted to the scooter, but stopped on the half way through. The shook her head and walked back to the bed instead.
“First I read all of them.”
She took the next letter and opened it.

My dear child,

I thought I knew your name, but this could be a mistake of mine. I will explain later why I am writing to you like I do.
I believe you have left of a few loose ends here.
First one of your classmates has pestered me with questions and has taken your scooter.
So I couldn't send it back to you.
But what could you do with it in Cloudsdale anyway?
Your classmate asked, where you are living in Cloudsdale, so she could write you.
If she has written to you:
I think Sweetie Belle really misses you and you should answer her letter as soon as you can.

Honestly the question from your classmate not surprised me,
but the second pony, who asked for you surprised me.
Pinkie Pie enquired me about you and talked of a shifted welcome-party for you.
I told her, where you are now. She will write to you.
Please answer her, too, otherwise she will certainly come to visit you as soon as she can..

What else should I tell you?
I knocked on your door three times to wake you up, still set your breakfast table and was about to buy a bed for you.
I don't know, that I've admit to somepony this.
I miss you.
I will enjoy, if you visit me soon and sleep in your room again.
I will take a day off for you. I promise.

Please answer soon.
Love and hug
Aunt Sunny.

P.S.: Right, I wanted to answer, why I didn't use your name.
I'm simply not sure, which one you prefer lately.
Pinkie named you Wingdaloo and Sweetie Belle Scootaloo.
What do you choose to use?

Scootaloo stared at the letter and was biting her lips. She took with shaky hooves the last letter and opened it. The letter was most afflicted from the rain and stuck together. As she opened it, it ripped in on the sides and a little bit clingy confetti trickled down from the pages or stay down the letter.

Dear Wingdaloo,

alas you left to early.
You have missed out the bestest Welcome back princess Luna party in the whole world.
Oh and princess Celestia, too.
You are in such a hurry, that you even forget to eat a cupcake. Oh well whatever.
I wanted to send you a packet full of them, but your aunt tell, that this isn't a good idea. All of them were damaged and overall.
I may put a few balloons into the packet, but then the frosting would stick on them and this doesn't look well as you know, of course.
Frosting on balloons isn't fine, it is way to delicious and...
Oh.
Muffins are a better idea, so I make some with lemon and want to pack it now. But my friend Twilight...
She lives in library now and loves lemon muffins a lot.
So she tells me, that she wants the lemon muffins for a tea party with her friends, thus us, and I couldn't deny it.
I make next cookies for you and am filling them into your packet already.
Now Muriella comes in with a milk-emergency...
Muriellais a cow, you should know. Oh it rhymes, sweet. She loves cookies.
I simply can't say her, that the cookies aren't for her. She will be feeling sad and...
As well, I decide to send you a party-letter and hope you are enjoying it a lot.
Party, right.
Do you make some friends? So we can throw in your welcome-and-goodbye- party?
If you haven't make friends now, it isn't matter right now. The summer-sun-celebration is over 
and we could throw in the greatest make-friends-welcome-and-bummer-that-you-leave-again-goodbye-party, which ever existed.
Whenever do you visit Ponyville, then we will do this,okay.

Lots of fun and smiles,
Pinkie.

This letter had alternating make Scootaloo laugh and look clouded in the lines. Now she couldn't say, what she wanted to replay and smiled. She laid it down to the both others and pushed them side by side with her hooves.
“First the school, then Sugarcube Corner.”
She mumbled the words into the silence around her and nodded her through her own words. She dispatched her breakfast really fast, a carrot-jelly Sandwich and a glass of milk. She giggled a lot about the milk .What was a milk-emergency after all? She put the dirty dishes into the sink and returned to her room. Here laid the purple helmet with the two white stripes and was ready to put on. Scootaloo put it on and looked in the mirror in the bathroom. The purple colour matched her eyes perfectly. She took her Scooter out of the house, pushed the helmet back on track and closed the door behind her. She would now start the fun.
Her first attempt to jet around in Ponyville was more difficult, then she has thought. She just couldn't kick herself forwards like other ponies, for this she wasn't trained enough and as she tried to, she tilted over. Scootaloo tried to remember, how aunt Sunny has rushed the scooter forwards, as she showed  it first and she sighed. Her aunt has simply flapped her wings twice and was faster then ever earth pony. But her wings wouldn't be so strong. Scootaloo squeezed her eyes shut and shook up the thought.
If she wasn't try it, she would never know. She set herself onto the scooter, she taunted herself and opened the wings. First she tried to drive forward with two flaps, but her small wings weren't strong enough to jet through Ponyville with only this little effort. Scootaloo sighed and pondered. She searched the neighbourhood and she couldn't find anypony around her. Even the pegasi weren't show themselves. Scootaloo gulped and tapped two times on the handlebar with a front hoof. Where was anypony? Have she missed out a holiday? She flapped her wings again and drove slowly through the abandoned streets. Her wings warmed up and flapped faster and faster. The training lessons from Cloudsdale has strengthen her wings at least, even when she couldn't fly yet. Her wings fastened more up, so they started to hum and she rode faster through Ponyville. The slipstream blew against her and made her smile. She jetted actually through Ponyville, so she was happy, that nopony be out on the streets. She could fastened more up and nopony would disturbed her. The houses rode past her, she laughed cheerfully and drove to Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie had to see her and. She stopped and stared aside. There was a pony, who wandered over the streets. The purple coat and the three coloured mane looked familiar for Scootaloo. She has named Nightmare Moon and has followed her. 	Before she was able to catch up with her and introduce herself to her, Pinkie Pie pulled her into Sugarcube Corner. Scootaloo couldn't hear, what she said, but t seemed to be important, that the unicorn hid in there. She wanted to drive closer to Sugarcube Corner, but then she heard it.
A low scratching, rabble and digging sounded around the next edge. She dismounted her scooter, tiptoed further and searched the source of the sound. She tried to be silent, as she stood on the edge and leaned forwards. First she spotted the golden hoofrings the brown cape and the grey stripes an the bright coat. What kind of pony was she? She appeared to notice something and turned over to Sugarcube Corner. Scottaloo took a step and opened her mouth.	But a hoof on her shoulder pushed her back. Scootaloo cried out loudly instead to greet her.
“What are you doing, Scootaloo? Zecora is eldritch and dangerous. My sister said so.”
Sweetie Belle grappled her and put her back into the street. Her words sounded so scared, that Scootaloo decided to take her on the scooter. They jetted through the abandoned Ponyville with buzzing wing-flaps back to aunt Sunnys home. Sweetie Belle squeaked out of fear and clung close to Scootaloo, until she stopped. Then the little unicorn dismounted with trembled hooves from the scooter. Both filly stumbled to the door and entered together the empty house.
> Family matters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Family matters.

Curryfeather flew as fast as she could back to Cloudsdale. She didn't want to be here longer as she would need. First she returned home and landed directly by the door.	Her letterbox was overfilled with letters it lasted one week to be missed out so badly. Curryfeather hasn't said anything and stayed one week down there and hasn't even written one line to anypony. Every friend of her would be worried and worst would try to visit her in the Curryparadise, but it was closed. She sighed silently, seized the letter and plucked them out of the letterbox with her left wing. Then she pushed the door open. She sniffled slowly and caught the usual smell of the clouds and the soft odour of the sleeping lightnings in the cloudstove. She stepped in the living room, spotted a comfortable cloud and sat down on it. She opened every letter and read them very carefully. Finally she sighed. 
Two of her friends has invited her to their birthday parties. Three of them wanted to drink some tea with her and spoke about their problems. And five of them were asking, when the Currparadies would be reopen again. Curryfeather wasn't sure, that she simply could vanish again. Open Skies invitation for her birthday was very important for her and the party was in the day after tomorrow.

“Do you know, what would you like to become when you grow up, Firefeather?”
The gentle voice flew in her mind for a short time and Curryfeather smiled. Back then she was sure to work together with Open Skies in the weather factory.	Then everything changed and...

It knocked on the door and threw her back into reality. She put the letter back on the table and hovered to the door. She opened it with her right wing,
“I'm glad you're back. Finally we could talk, Curryfeather.
The indigo body nestled softly up against her and the gentle hug surprised her.
“Rainbowshine. I'm glad to see you too. 
I have read your letter already and am pleased about your invitation. 
But I think it would be better for me, if we could make this meeting today. I could make tea and we talk your problems out.”

The next hours weren't easy for Curryfeather. Ranbowshine has talked out her worries and fears. The ash clouds and the appearing of Nightmare Moon were the main topic of her. As Curryfeather was finally able to calm her down and assured her, 	that Nightmare Moon has vanished already, the next friend of hers knocked on the door. Ranboshine thanked for the chat and laid automatic a bit on the table. Before Curryfeather could say anything about it, her friend left and Sunshower took her place in front of the table.

Her yellow coat was a little bit brighter then Curryfeathers and showed their kinship. 	She was her older sister after all. She nodded and pressed even a smile on her face.
“I've heard, that you are planing to live down there. Sunny said so.
Are you sure, that you could be the same pony down there?
That you could play the same important role for so many ponies?”
Like always she get to the point, without any solutions. Curryfeather cocked her head, as her sister sat down on a cloud and brushed out the tea cup. Curryfeather stood up, took the pot with her wing and walked in the kitchen with a sigh.

“Hello Sunshower. Nice from you, that you finally visit me and even be worried about me.”
Her voice sounded gentle out of the kitchen, but her sister understood it nonetheless and rolled her eyes about it. She even squinched up her face with boredom.	Finally Curryfeather get a new pot and put it on the table together with a few hot carrot cookies. Sunshower starred at the plate and sighed bugged.
“I haven't ask for this, Fire. You don't have to serve me this and...”
Her little sister gazed so piercing at her, that she cleared her throat and poured tea into her pot with one wing. Her hooves put one cookie and nibbled on it.
“You know, Sunshower. My name is Curryfeather. 
Nopony besides you calls me Fire. Will you please finally accept me decision.”
Tears were gathering in the eyes of her older sister, she coughed and fumbled quickly for the tea pot. Hot food was already painful for her and quite different to Firefeather she hated the cross between hot and sweetness even more.
“Like your decision for Wind Dancer? Excuse my worries about you. You have always the craziest ideas of all of us!”
Now Curryfeather took her cub and sipped a hasty gulp. Sunshower knew always the right words to uncover her insecurities. No wonder, that Sunny Rays left Cloudsdale and disappeared from her sharp tongue as fast as she could. She was the pet of the family and so defenceless against her harsh tone.	Curryfeather held the pot in the hooves for a while and looked alert to her sister over edge of it.

“And what says Blaze to this?”
This question sounded fast and harsh over her lips, as she has pulled herself together. Her eyes were filling with tears, but she blinked them away. Her wings trembled slightly, but Sunshower would misinterpreted this for anger hopefully.
“He didn't care. He said always, that you should life your own path in life. 
He didn't show any will to hold the family together. Not like me!”
Sunshower sighed gentle and raised the pot to her lips again. Her voice sounded so much frustrated and angrily, that Curryfeather felt a bit sick for her.	Two conflicting emotions knotted in her mind and laid both sympathy and anger on her voice and face.
“I'm sorry to hear. But you don't have to put it on your shoulder alone, sis.”
Curryfeather stood up and moved closer, but Sunshower kept the distance with a few flaps of her wings.
“If not me, who else would do it? Mum has assign the responsibility for you and I'm the oldest of us...”

Curryfeather took off too and slowly a chase around  and over the table broke out. Sunshower was a much better flyer than her and was able to dodge her again and again. First she was serious to hold the distance, but then it evoked the memory of her easygoing foalhood 	and as they had played tag back then. Both smiled and let the memory took over their actions for a while. Their chase for each other lasted for a few moments, both panted and flew faster and faster inside the living room. Sunshower even laughed and let herself finally caught by Curryfeather and both returned to the ground. The chase was really exhausting for the younger sister and she had to recover from it with a sip of tea. She even gasped a lot. Sunshower on the other hoof wasn't short in breath and didn't even sweat. Her smile took quickly a different approach, as her eyes glanced sad and her shoulder began to droop.
“I just wanted, that you think twice, what you want.
I wanted to guide you to choose right and be proud of you two.”
Curryfeather moved closer again and this time Sunshower allowed it, that Curryfeather touched her and stayed on the ground.
“You're not Mum, you know. Had you spoken with her about this?
I mean before she died?”
Curryfeather sought out for her view and tried to sound soft and peacefully. But her sister turned over and grimaced nearly angry.
“No!
She had only said, that I have to look out for all of you and.
I just believe, I have disappointed her.
I couldn't protect you from this stupid Wind Dancer!
I have hounded Sunny Rays out of her home and Blaze.
He didn't even answer, when I send him a letter.
You're the only one, which spoke with me in regular bases.
And now you want to disappear, to flee from me down there.
Then nopony will help me here!”
She yelled this monologue at her. But she silenced, as Curryfeather nuzzled her over the head with a wing. She even swirled her mane with a gentle breeze like mum did.
“I do not vanish from Equestria, you know. Not like Mum. 
And Sunny don't too. Visit us down three, if you want to.
I have to take care for Scootaloo.”
Sunshower raised her head and her right wing wiped the tears out of her eyes.
“You have to take care of her?
Did you see your letter box and this is only the tip of the thundercloud. 
You should look for the Curryparadise. Your friends are missing you.
They're needing you!
And I'm needing you too!”
Curryfeather hugged her sister gently and nuzzled her with a wing.	Why was it so difficult for her to let go? Mum was dead for four moons. 	Why could she didn't let go then? Why didn't she live her life like the other siblings? Curryfeather thought back to her last conversations with her mother. Different as both Blaze, who purported many work and Sunshower, 	which wrote in her letters, that her not to be delayed work in the weather factory excused her absence, she and Sunny were alongside theirs mum, as the end was not far off. Her conversations around the future, her plans and Mums own insufficiency and wrong doings in the past were sometimes difficult and teary, but also liberating in the same time.

“I didn't mean to, that she think bad about me, Fire.
I really wanted to visit her, when winter was finally set in Ponyville.
I really do..”
Curryfeather nodded and sensed tears in her coat, where the face of Sunshower laid.
“But then she died and I was not able to say her..”
The older pony interrupted herself with a sob and pressed herself closer in Curryfeather mane. The younger sister looked first confused, but then she smiled gentle. Why happened this all so fast in a row? Who decided this? Who wrote her destiny? Who took the responsibility for all of this?
“Mum knew, that you loved her, Sunshower. 
She was proud of you and wasn't surely intent 
to let you saddled yourself with all of this.”
Curryfeather sighed into the light blue mane of her sister and closed her eyes. She laid her head onto her sisters and was fighting her own tears.
> A unicorn affinity.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A unicorn affinity.

Scootaloo led her trembling guest into the empty house. Mum wasn't back and Aunt Sunny was out to work. She led her friend in the living room and asked, if she wanted something to drink. Sweetie Belle nodded and examined curios the room. After Scootaloo returned from the kitchen and balanced two bottle of juice on her back, she led the little unicorn into her own room. There she threw the bottles on the bed and turned over to her guest, who looked around much curios in her room. She squinched her face to a questioning grimace and traversed the room for one time.
“But here is nothing. Where are your cloths, your school staff and your toys?”
The little unicorn sounded confused, or even indignant. Scootaloo tipped with her left fore hoof onto the ground and ran with the other nervously over the bed twice.
“Mum hadn't have a chance to bring it here. But I was ill and...”
Sweetie Belles view glanced over the letters and she read the one on the top. Her lips were moving silently and a smile wandered over her face, as she read Pinkies lines.	Scootaloo laid a hoof on her shoulder, pushed the letters together and tried to get her attention again.
“Tell me, why did you call this strange pony, Zeccora and dangerous. 
hat kind of odd name is this? And why is she dangerous?”
The smile frowned and her hooves wiped over each one. She pranced around on the spot and take finally the bottle from the bed with one hoof.  She opened the sealing with a fast move and drank a sip. She answered at last.
“She has been coming to town to town once per month, knocking against doors, lurking around the shops and digging holes. 
Rarity always says, that she is different from us, because she has stripes and a garish mane.”
Scootaloo interrupted her story and approached to her. She looked astonished to her and cocked her head.
“And what is dangerous about her? Can she use magic? Can she curse us?”
She was really snoopy and her words reflected it. Her four hooves scurried around on the ground. Sweetie Belle on the other hoof was afraid and nervous. Again she sipped from the juice and answered hesitantly.
“I don't know. Rarity has forbidden me to follow her, or go outside, when she arrives in Ponyville.”
“But why? Did somepony try to cast her out, or fight against her?”
Scootaloo interrupted her friend again and looked to the Wonderbolt poster. Her voice speeded up and she tautened herself.
“Did Rainbow Dash tried it?”
The little unicorn turned away her head and stroked the ground two times with her right hoof.
“Not, that I know about it. Nopony are willing to risk a fight against her so far.”
Scootaloo smiled and grabbed her saddleback with the teeth.
“Then we do it, Sweetie Belle. We could be the heroes. The heroes were protecting the village from  menace and...”
Scootaloo sounded so hyper, as she put on the saddlebacks and she fell back into a tölt through the room. She bounced to the door, but the little unicorn sat scared down on the ground.
“I couldn't believe, you think, we can do this. It's a bad idea. Mum and Dad have always telling me. And Rarity too..”
Scootaloo peeked to her and her eyes glimmered full of joy. She ran to her friend, nudged her and revived her so on her hooves again.
“But just  think, how proud they all will be, if we do this. We could be the heroes of the village and..”

The pegasusfilly led her little companion out off her room and to the door, as a hoof pushed it open from the outside. Aunt Sunny stand in the entrance and looked down to the two little ponies.
“I have heard, Zeccora appears in the village.
And I was worrying about you, Scootaloo.
I'm relieved, that you have played inside with your friend. 
Are you hungry?”
Scootaloo tried to sally out, but as she saw that the village returned to it usually busting outside, she stayed at the door. The filly squinched up her face and sighed.	Sweetie Belle on the other side smiled and nodded quickly. Aunt sunny had decided to make Pizza and was just putting the tray with the celery into the wood stove. In the meantime Scootaloo and Sweetie were setting the table together. Salad bowls, carrot slices and daisies stood in bowls on the table and the fillies have only put the dishes and the glasses on the table to finish their chore.
“Shall we look for Zecora tomorrow? Do you think we could find her?”
The little pegasus sounded still excited and tried everything to persuade Sweetie Belle to join in. But the little unicorn shook her head and pushed a dish into position.
“I'm not allowed to go into the Everfree Forest. It is dangerous and the animals are very savage and Mum had said...”
She interrupted herself and looked to the clock. It was half past twelve and she appeared relived.
“I may show you tomorrow the village instead. And we shall go to Sugarcube Corner and drink a milkshake together,”
Scootaloo jumped on her chair, was stretching her neg and grappled a leaf of salad with her teeth. She put it on the dish and was trying to reach the bowl with the carrot slices. But it stood far away for her. 	Sweetie sat down too and dragged the salad bowl closer to herself. She picked up a spoon with her lips and was laying a few salad leaves on her dish with it. Sunny Rays entered the living room and sat down too. She pushed the bowl of carrots with wing nearer to Scootaloo and smiled. Her hooves was reaching out for the salad bowl.
“You shall go to school next week, Scootaloo. I have talked with Cheerilee and she is glad to see you again.”
The filly nodded and smiled back, while she started to roll the carrot pieces into the salad leaf and finally took it into her hooves. She bit into the roll and chewed.	The lunch passed by nice and easy. Sunny wasn't quite as great as Curryfeather as a cook, but after all good enough, that it tasted good. Sweetie Belle thanked and said goodbye to her after the lunch. 

Scootaloo came along with her to her home and realised, that they were almost neighbours. Therefore Sweetie Belle had seen her at this morning. As Sweetie Belle entered the house with Scootaloo, her father sat on a table and was reading the newspaper. He pushed a straw hat back on his head with a blue shine of his magic. He smiled friendly at both fillys.
“Sweetie, I'm glad you're back again. We'd 'eard, Zeccora 'ad made waves again and your muvah was kind of worrying about you.”
Scootaloo stopped and a fast smirk wandered over her face. She bit her lip and looked to Sweetie Belle. She didn't notice it and nodded simply.
“Yes, I had visited Scootaloo here and saved her from Zecora.”
The great unicorn stood up, put the newspaper aside, stepped closer and fondle over her face with his huge hoof.
“You'd done dis fine, Sweetie. I'm pleased to mee' you Scoot-a-lot.”
This voice sounded nothing she had expected from Sweeties father. Scootaloo still suppressed a smirk and swept two times over the ground a hoof, to put herself together to say something.
“I'm...”
She had to suppress a giggle and started again.
“I'm pleased to mee', uhm meet you too.”
Her voice sounded first like the strange pronunciation from Sweeties Belles father, but after she cleared her throat, it sounded rather normally. The older unicorn didn't seem even noticing it and patted on her back. He turned over to his newspaper again and Sweetie led Scootaloo into her room. Upstairs and the second door on the right, they were going and arriving her own room.	On the right side from the door stood a huge bed and a few drawings hung in the room. The walls were painted with light lines of colour, who were creating a nice general view with the ceiling and the ornaments on the bed. Scootaloo was astonished and followed Sweetie Belle into her room. The unicorn showed once around  with hoof and looked into a giant mirror once.
“This is my room. It is nothing particular and...”
Scootaloo interrupted her.
“It is so cool, Sweetie.”
A small grin wandered over the face of her small companion and she blushed. Her voice pitched higher and even squeaked a little bit.
“Thank you.”
She walked with reddish cheeks to a chest and opened it with a hoof.
“Shall we play something?”
Scootaloo smiled and nodded.

The time was running really fast, in a trice it was dark outside and Scootaloo had to go home.
“I pick you up tomorrow, Sweetie. Then we drink our milkshake and you can show me Ponyville, okay?”
The unicorn smiled and waved for her goodbye. Scootaloo galloped home and pushed the door open.
“Mum, I'm home.”
Her call was answered by Aunt Sunny's lower voice.
“Curryfeather hasn't returned yet, Scootaloo. I believe, the packing has needed more time, as we think.”
The little filly followed the voice and found Sunny in the living room. Sh sat for a cup of tea and smiled to Scootaloo as she entered. She folded a letter together, who she had read already.
“Blaze sends you his regards and this.”
Scootaloo couldn't believe it, a new poster from the Wonderbolts. She laughed out loud and grappled it with her mouth. Aunt Sunny laid a hoof on her head and petted her mane gently.
“Come on, I will hang it up for you, Scootaloo.”

This night the little pegasus filly slept very well. Nothing remembered her at her nightmares from the last nights, or at problems before. She wasn't even concerned, that her mother stayed in Cloudsdale. Certainly she would be here tomorrow, right?
Scootaloo stood up really early and started to set silently the table for three ponies. As she was putting the tea on the table, Aunt Sunny appeared yawning in the living room.
“You have woken me, Scootaloo. Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning?
Uh are these waffles?”
Scootaloo look at the bulky things, who were laying baked on a dish. Her tries with the fish slice were poor, but at least the oddments were recognisable as waffles.
“Yeah, I thought I would please Mum with them, when she returned.”
Sunny Rays beamed and fondled her mane. She sat down, took the first fragment and spread it with raspberry jam. She put it completely in her mouth and sighed. She smacked and was starting to speak.
“This will please her surely, Scootaloo. They are delicious.”
Scootaloo blushed under the compliment and took a slice of waffle with her hoof. Her mum didn't show up at the breakfast and she put a few waffles into the oven, so that they stay warm for her. Then she got her helmet, said goodbye to Aunt Sunny and scooted through an awaking Ponyville to Sweetie Belles home.
	
> A letter for a beloved one
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A letter for a beloved one.

Curryfeather held Sunshower in the embrace, until the older pegasus freed herself. She turned over and wiped over her face with the wings a few times. It rained slightly from the celling, but as she stopped crying it died out. The rain wasn't so cold as by Scootaloo and lightnings wasn't present. The older pegsus had more control over her magic as the filly, but this wasn't a surprise. Curryfeather sighed, wiped away the moistness of the table with her wings and closed the eyes. She shook her head and began to speak with a calm voice.
“You could move with us to Ponyville, you know. And work there a a Weatherpony.”
As reasonable as it sounds, the denial from Sunshowers answer was stronger.
“But all of my friends are living here. And I won't loose them.”
Curryfeather opened her eyes again and gazed at her sister for a long time. She tramped around in the house, wiped away the glossy moisture from the furniture and pushed away the drippy clouds with a few flaps. The rain didn't stopped now and the furniture should not be in the centre of the rain again. Curryfeather cleared away the soaking carrot cookie and put new cups on the table.	She brewed a new pot of tea and sat down thoughtful on a cloud, who Sunshower blew to her.
“I know, how you are feeling, Fire...Curryfeather. But Scootaloo is better off down there and you're needed here.”
The glance from her older sister pierced directly into Curryfeathers soul and she tried to gain time for a good answer with a sip of tea.
“My friends could visit me down there, if they need too. They could tell me their problems there and you could too.”
Her voice sounded unimpressive and Sunshower shook her head simply. She approached to the table and knocked on it one times with her hoof.
“I think you don't understand, Curryfeather.
We are needing often immediately somepony, who are able to help us.
Problems don't know patience.”
Now Curryfeather knocked on the table. Her voice sounded almost angry.
“I know, Sunshower. They are sneaking onto you and capturing you with a cold grip.
In the inappropriate times ever!”
This last sentence she almost spit out and the cloud under her changed the colour into grey. Her sister raised the hooves quickly and tried to smiled reconciliatory.
“Excuse me, I didn't men to upset you.
But  please remember: The well being of a few weren't important in the history of us pegasi.
We are the keepers of the weather and as them we are responsible for all Equestria.”
Curryfeather rolled her eyes the same old story again. Her voice sounded angrier then before.
“Not this again, Sunshower.
I'm not a weatherpony and haven't any kind of responsibility for the weather.”
Now her sister stamped her left hoof on the ground and answered in a loud voice.
“Not for the weather alright. But for other pegasi of course. 
They are stopping for a bit to eat and telling your their problems.
How many guests do you have per day? Fifty, hundred?
And how many are telling you their problems? Ten, twenty?”
Curryfeather flapped with her wing and flew aside her sister.
“Too many, Sunshower. I listen to them, advise them and they're leaving then.
And who pays attention for me? Who help me? Here above it is nopony left off, ever since Sunny had left.
Blaze is always on tour with the Wonderbolts and you hadn't got over mums death. 
And finally Wind Dancer had left me alone with a filly full of problems!”
A thundering sound and prickling sparkles laid down on her and Curryfeather stopped her moping. She didn't want to trigger a lightning and took a deep breath.
“Excuse me, Curryfeather. I just don't think about your problems...”
She interrupted the older sister with a snap.
“What do you think?
That Scootaloo helped me to be happy and calm?”
Curryfeather silenced.
She realised only now, that she had used the name Scootaloo naturally and took a second deep breath.

She asked Sunshower to let her alone and the older sister leaved relieved. Curryfeather cleaned up, wandered through the house and went into the empty room of her foal. The few toys and mainly the teddy, which she had laid into her cradle and now smiled down from a cloud beside bed, reminded her, that she missed Scootaloo already now. She packed the stuff of her foal hesitantly and laid down on the recent formed cloud-bed. Her view felt down on the desk, on the empty walls, which was covered with posters a short time ago and then finally on the bed itself. She sighed.
“I won't let her alone down there!” 
More she couldn't say, she closed her eyes wild shut as she was fighting against the tears and snuggling into the empty bed of her foal.

A few moments full of doubt and sadness passed by, before she was settled herself and stood up.	She entered the bathroom , washed her face, just by stuck it into the rain cloud for once and was leaving the house with a wet mane. She took a wing, avoided every pegasus on the way and soared up to the weatherfactory. She had to check out the Curryparadise. She entered the diner from the rear exit and was pleased to see that all was, as she had left. The most food were edible and the cloud stove was off. The dishes were clean, aside the ones who she wanted to clean after her last shift. She sighed as she saw how old the leftovers were dried down on the dishes. She shook her head and pushed the flushing cloud into the sink. So that they were soaking in, as long as she could stay. Before she was able to put the first dish into the sink, it knocked on the front door and a voice asked, if she was opening soon. First Curryfeather would simply say: “No”, but the voice sounded so desperate and even sad, that she couldn't bring it over her.
“I will open up, but I have to wash up the dishes and I haven't prepare anything to eat.”
She tripped onto the front door and raised a wing to open the door. She spotted a dozen letters on the flour direct behind the door, which were partly moved through the cloud walls and partly through the door. She sighed and pushed the letters hesitantly together. She laid the pile on a nearby table and opened the door.
“I'm glad, that I found you out, Curryfeather. I have a huge problem...”
It started with a visit by Clear Skies and her report of a Cloudparty perch problem, but t ended not there. In the next hours Curryfeather was visited by ten ponies with all kind of problems. She advised, settled them down and tried to cleaned up the kitchen in the same way. But as one guest simply begged her with his hungry face to feed him, she began to serve quick dishes out off her stocks. A dozen heyballs, sandwiches with jam and many pots of tea later, she barred exausted the door, as it was already dark outside. 	The dish pile wasn't become smaller, but taller instead, a pan, knifes and tea cups joined in the pile. Curryfeather sighed and began to wash the dishes. It needed an amount of time, which she could used much better. Finally she collected the letters, held them in her hooves and flew tired and the head full of other ponies problems back home. There in her empty home, she sat down at the table, was eating carrot cookies and reads all off her guests letters. She felt asleep over it.

In the next morning she awoke very badly, before the sun even come up and with a letter from Parasol stuck on her face. She wiped it away with one wing and look with tired eyes to the clock and startled up. She would open the diner way too late...
She was already rushed to the door, before she realised, that she just let the diner closed today and could return to Ponyville. But what would her guests thought of her, if she did it? Curryfeather took a deep breath, glanced at the letters and finally searched for her saddle backs. In it she pushed the most important toys of her foal, every letter from her friends and a bag full of bits. The fast shopping break in the giant Cloudmarket hall beside the weatherfactory wasn't usually for Curryfeather. But she had to buy bread and jam, so that she could make something for her guests. The tea was running low, too. She purchased also a parcel, ribbons and wrapping papers. She was galloping finally to the Curryparadise and were expecting by a huge hungry troop of ponies from the morning shift. 
Today it worked out much better and she was able to create a notice for a jetting aid between two problem solving sessions. Even the dishes were in manageable dimensions, so she could even write letters to her friends.	Tomorrow was the birthday party from Open Skies and she joined in. At the same time she hanged the one day break shield out, so their guests weren't make any worries for her.	Only as she look at her backs she kept the toys of her foal in mind and closed her eyes. What shall she written to her, or said to her. She packed the things into the parcel, wrapped it up with the paper and red ribbons. Finally she adhered a mailer on it. Then she sat down on a cloud, took a feather into her mouth and started to write.

Dear Scootaloo...
	
> A milk-shaky breakfast.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A milk-shaky breakfast.

Scootaloo got to Sweetie Belle's home, knocked and was acclaimed by a smiling unicorn mare. She wore a high indigo mane, which lied perfect on her head. It framed her face with the friendly blue eyes, which were wandering over Scootaloo.
“Good Morning, Sweetie. Let me guess, you want to call for Sweetie Belle, right?”
Her voice sounded calm and Scootaloo simply replied her smile with her own.
“Yeah, I'm...”
“Scootaloo, I'm ready!”
Sweetie Belle galloped past her mother, swarmed further and flashed a glance back at her.
“I'm back for lunch, mummy.”
Scootaloo drove beside Sweetie Belle and waved with a hoof a goodbye for the smiling unicorn. As both were turning around the next corner and were out off sight, Sweetie Belle slowed down her pacing and breathed a sight of relief.
“Mummy had peppered me with questions about you, you know. 
But I couldn't tell her much about you.
So she was intend to ask, if you stay for lunch today. Do you like to stay for lunch with us?”
Her voice sounded very high pitched and reached as the question started an even painful pitch. She stopped and scrabbled with her hooves on the ground. Scootaloo was revolving her and thought a while.
“I would like that. But I have to ask mum and aunt Sunny for advice.”
Her answer let the little white unicorn scurrying on the place she stood and her voice even squeaked.
“That's great.”
She jumped forward with great cracks, as she led Scootaloo on her scooter to Sugarcube Corner. Meanwhile she chuntered down on her new friend.
“Mum is a great cook, you know. She worked  at least as one. Her cookies were sell out in Sugarcube Corner. 
Hence I can get something sweet without selling and. Uh eventually you could too...”
Scootaloo opened her mouth and shook a little bit, to let her bits clink in her saddlebacks, but the unicorn spoke anyway.
“Pinkie didn't charge us foal anyway, as long as we don't push it too far. She is really nice and...”

They were walking past a few ponies, which were assembling the market stalls and greeted Sweetie friendly. A few were trying to have a conversation with her, but as they mentioned, that she already was in one, they stopped and smiled simply. They were examining Scootaloo with interested views, nodded at her friendly, but didn't speak up to her.
“You know...hello Carrot Top...
I like Pinkie...Good Morning Miss Harvest...
very much...Roma how do you do...
and her parties are so much....
Good Morning Mrs. Rich.”
The last addressed pony glanced down to Sweetie Belle, frowned and ignored her then. She entered Sugarcube Corner and closed the door in front of the noses of both younger ponies. Sweetie looked past her, was shaking her head confused and panting the ground two times with her hoof. At the same time she was biting her lips and tried to consider what to do next. Scootaloo dismounted her scooter, leaned it against a well on the left side of the building. She nudged the little unicorn with a hoof, but she didn't respond.
“Sweetie Belle, are you alright?”

Not till she addressed her and even shook her a little bit, the unicorn aroused from her confusion and smiled.
“She is the president of the school board, you know. 
She talks very nicely, when she was talking with Mummy, so I presume...”
Scootaloo nodded and pushed the door open with her hoof. A pushy voice thrilled past the door and was holding off both fillies to enter.
“I was saying: I would like to hire Sugarcube Corner for a Cute-cenera.”
The pink pony with the purple mane thumped down on the ground for once with one hoof and pierced Pinkie Pie with her glance.
“Ey havsh undverstand you. Ey wilth ppreppare it ppropperly.”
The voice shoved itself away from a big swollen blue pointed tongue and took many spittle with it. The spatted mare, flinched away in disgust and bumped into both fillies at the door.
“Miss Pie, you should betook yourself into medical attendance as soon as possible and ah...”
She tripped over the smaller ponies, pushed Scootaloo down the stair steps and was landing on Sweetie Belle by herself. Scootaloo felt down the two two stair steps, took the first with her head and the second with her side and landed finally on her flank.
“Look out! You two almost made me trip and fall down the stairs!”
The mare stood up very fast and drew Sweetie Belle back on her hooves with a harsh grip. After this she gazed peevishly back to Pinkie Pie. She galloped past Scootaloo, as she was picking herself up slowly. Scootaloo was glad, that she didn't took off the helmet now, but her ears jingled like a small bell, as she came back on her hooves. She bit her lips to overcame it and jogged back into the bakery. Sweetie Belle stood where she was pulled on and looked back at the strutting mare. Her mouth was gaping wide open and she wasn't sure, if she simply understand, what happened.

“I think, she is just a birdbrain! Come on, we wanted to drink a milkshake, right?”
Scootaloo led her friend to table and pushed her on a chair. Then she turned to the counter and opened her mouth.
“Ey ppelive, shie ar alright. Ey visvisit Twlifs. Excuse me.”
Pinkie Pie was spitting around again and Scootaloo shied one step away from her. The pink pony circled the counter, pranced around the pegasusfoal and disappeared through the open door. The fillies weren't leave alone for a long time. Mister Cakes brought them milkshakes and welcomed them.
“Hello Sweetie Belle and uhm Wingdaloo, right?”
Scootaloo shook her head really fast and corrected him.
“Uhm I thought Pinkie Pie had said, that your name is in fact Wingdaloo and...”
The little pegasusfoal sighed and took the chocolate milkshake into both hooves, took a sip and replied then.
“Yes, she was right. But I have thought through it and think that Scootaloo matches me better and have changed it recently.”
The stallion nodded and was distracted from another pony, which called for a cake.
“I didn't know, that you have changed your name! I like the sound of your other name, Wingdaloo.”
Sweetie Belle had finally found her voice again and goggled on Scootaloo across her vanilla milkshake. The next hour went slowly. Sweetie Belle pestered Scootaloo with questions and the little pegasus answered evasive and hesitantly. She told her friend, why she moved to Ponyville.
“...I didn't want that everpony glanced at me this way...”
Why she simply disappeared after the summer sun celebration.
“...I wanted to make Mum happy again and thought, that I have to stay there...”
And why she returned again.
“Mum had told me, that we both could life here. So we moved into aunt Sunny's house, as long as we don't have one of our own.”
Meanwhile they had cleared the milkshakes ad Scootaloo pushed the empty cup away.
“But, Sweetie Belle, could you tell me something? I would like to ask you, if you know Rainbow Dash a little bit? 
Do you know, what she likes? What she does in her spared time? Does she have a favourite dish?”
The voice of the pesgasusfoal picked up the pace and she even put a gleam into her droopy eyes, as she mentioned Rainbow Dash. As Sweetie Belle shook her head after a moment of mediation and answered the question, the gleaming eyes were loosing the light again.
“I don't know much about her, you know. She moved to Ponyville not long before you and she worked here as a weatherpony. 
The only thing I really know about her, is, that she is living in a cloudhouse nearby...Come on, I'll show you.”
The smaller unicorn jumped off the chair and pushed her low spirited friend with her. 

Ponyville was full of life and everywhere the ponies attended their businesses. Sweetie Belle galloped ahead the scooter and led her friend out off Ponyville, 	over the flow and up on a hill. There she stopped and panted heavily for a while.	Scootaloo on the other hoof saw the biggest cloudhouse she ever had seen. High above a rainbow enthroned at the top of the building and its colours fell down gently aside the columns. Under the multicoloured light she spotted a balcony and a huge grey gate.
“This is awesome, Sweetie. I never...”
Hoofstamping,yelling and a ”Look out!” tore Scootaloo's attention from the impressive buildings and to the causers of the turmoil. A cyan shape was heading towards her at rapid speed, leaving a rainbow coloured trail in the air. Scootaloo tried to jump out of the way, but it was too late. Once again she landed hard on her flank all four hooves kicking air.
“Whoops, sorry kiddo. Wait I will wah...”

Before the mare was able to speak further, her wings were flapping again and pushing her forwards into a tree. Scootaloo picked herself painful up, as four other ponies gathered up. 	The little pegasus  recognised Pinkie Pie immediately and the purple unicorn mare aside her was familiar too. But the other two weren't. A pegasus mare with yellow fur and a long pink mane was helping her on the hooves, with not more than a little bit effort and she nudged her with a wing. Then she looked at her encouraging and let out a small smile. She opened her mouth, but before any word slipped out off her, she bit her lips and blushed. The other unknown pony looked stranger. Her mane was a mess of matted shags, who were hanging on her face and the bright purple of the mane looked surreal to her white fur. Sweetie Belle moved closer hesitantly and lifted a  trembling hoof.
“Friends, we don't have time for this! Rainbow Dash is far ahead already. Come on!”
The unicorn mare galloped further and the rest followed quickly. Scootaloo looked after the four ponies and the names were just now sinking in her. 

Without any more notice of the cloudhouse she scurried excited on the ground and a big smile grew on her face. She mounted her scooter again and started to follow the ponies, as she glanced back to her frozen friend.
“Sweetie Belle, are you alright?”
She get no answer so far and dismounted aside her. First she waved over her eyes, but she didn't respond. So she touched her shoulder finally.
“This was Rarity.”
This came out off Sweetie Belle's lips and she jumped quickly forward. She thrust Scootaloo aside with it an galloped past the four ponies. The pegasusfilly looked after her at first, shook her head confused and roared after her with the scooter.	What's got into Sweetie Belle?
	
> A dark wood with dark will.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A dark wood with dark will.

“Sweetie Belle, wait for me!”
Scootaloo scooted past the galloping filly, got ahead and tried to stand simply in her way to stop her, but the small unicorn ran around her. She followed the faster group of elder ponies, wasn't quite as fast as them and lost more and more touch. Scootaloo looked after them and one after another disappeared in the dark wood ahead. She sighed and speeded up again. She roared back into touch with Sweetie Belle. Again she tried to stopped her  and called out for her.
“Sweetie Belle, what's the matter?”

Again the smaller unicorn didn't bother to answer and evaded her. She ran into thick covers and followed the other ponies. Scootaloo sighed, jumped off the scooter and followed her. In the wood and more especially in the covers she wouldn't dare to use it. She hadn't time to be annoyed about it, Sweetie Belle was still storming forwards, without any worries where she was. That she was galloping through brambly brushwood. Scootaloo noticed the scratching thorns on her legs and tried to press her wing short against her body, so she didn't cling into the brushwood. Finally they were past through the thorns and gained into a brighter part of the wood. 
Ancient red barked trees were standing like pillars, their impenetrable leaf top kept the sunlight out off the wood and were spreading an unworldly green light with the pale doshwire on their lower branches. The smaller unicorn was blind for this creepy expression and galloped further into the forest. Scootaloo otherwise was impressed at least and pranced nervously after her. Sweetie Belle tried to jump over a little stream, but failed and slipped on the muddy bank. She reared up, trying to find some safe foothold and waved around her forehooves, struggling to keep her balance. Just then Scootaloo managed to catch up with her. With a far better jump, she landed beside her and saved her from falling into the stinky, viscous green soup of a brook with a fast hoofgrip. The smaller unicorn leaned panting against a pale tree, whose thin tendrils putted itself around her neck like greedy small fingers. 

Scootaloo took a look around and shivered. The dark red trees were changing with much darker ones, black high trees full of dark green leaves stood there, like dismal guardians in cordon, they were only getting cut off by crouching whispering, pale companions hung with long tendrils. These were flowing around, like they had their own will and were trying to flee away from their owners. Atop of all stood a milky fainting sun and tried destitute to send her streams through the dust. 	Scootaloo snuffled slowly, stumbled back and frowned.
“Where...where are we, Scootaloo?”
The vice of the small unicorn sounded thin out off her mouth.	She flinched from the cold willow tree and cuddled up to the older pegasus. Scootaloo took a deep breath and brushed her away from her side with one hoof. She glanced at her and sighed finally. She answered in a much louder voice as she wanted too.
“You had led us here!
I don't know where we are.”

A clicking noise interrupted Scootaloos yelling and Sweetie Belle neared herself closer again. Breaking branches and stamping sounded from the thicket in front of the stream and attracted the attention of both fillies to it. Slowly the elder filly stepped forward. She spotted into the thicket and scurried on the ground nervously.
“Do you know a thing or two about the dark forest close to the cloud-house?”
Scootaloo whispered over her shoulder to Sweetie Belle, but just a squeaking noise came out off her mouth. The pegasus breathed out with annoyance, turned over to the unicorn, but a loud breath sounded over them, and drew the attention back too the bushes. The crackling in front of her became louder and something sniffled aloud through the thicket. Sweetie Belle opened her mouth, but before she was able to squeak again, Scootaloo was raising her hoof and inserting it into her mouth.
“Be quiet, please...”
Her own voice died away and pressed itself fizzy out off her mouth. The elder filly looked around, spotted their surroundings and discovered a overgrown stonetrail. She pushed the trembling foal slowly ahead of it. They passed through the stream, the green mass wasn't too deep, but it reeked hideous after modder and decay. Scootaloo resolved to wash her fetlocks especially carefully today. But first they had to get away and found the way home. The humming sound behind them was getting louder and the unicorn nuzzled herself firmer against her friend.
“Uhm...”
More didn't sound past the hoof, but it was loud enough, that Scootaloo winced and put the hoof out off her mouth. The thicket was destroyed from something big and splinter rained down on the stream. Both foals sensed the branches and leaves, which were landing on her backs an both were rearing up in fear. Scootaloo grabbed her little friend and was bolting to the trail. A scream accompanied her, as she followed the path with the shattering flags and hindering tendrils. She tagged the unicorn with one hoof and was galloping blind folded further with the other three.

She hit trees, jumped around them. She tripped over cracks and picked up herself. She stormed over a swinging plank bridge and galloped faster over the stonetrail, 	which were raising more and more. But the panting creature breathed down on their necks. Even as she crossed the plank bridge, the hot breathe never lost touch with her neck. Scootaloo didn't know where she was running and followed  the stonetrail anyway. 	She looked back in order to identify, what creature was chasing them, but this wasn't a bright idea to do now. A huge amount of brown fur was too close, so she didn't spot anything else. As she galloped over stairs, she turned around and saw a closed portal ahead. Right and left were stonewalls and she realised: it was a dead end!
Scootaloo braked hard, crashed into the wood and a cannonade exploded in her head. Sweetie Belle bumped into her and both landed on the ground. Scootaloo fidgeted herself back on the hooves very quickly and tried to pull the unicorn back on her hooves too, but she was totally out off breath and not be able to stand up right now. The elder pegasus was feeling the fatigue in her legs and the jabbing pain in her lungs too, but she wasn't ready to give up right now. The brown meatball had stopped before the stairs and panted down heavily. Scootaloo looked out for an escape and took the first step. The bannisters! They were wide and a filly could easily escape the creature on them. If only Sweetie Belle wasn't out off breath.

“Can you run?”
Scootaloo whispered behind her after she took a deep breath to calm down a little. Only gasping sounded as an answer to her. She could try to carry her and..but the creature didn't let her think further. It harrumphed and put his front paw on the first stair. Scootaloo laid down in front of her friend and yelled at her.
“Get on, Sweetie...”
Faster as both were able to respond, the furball jumped forwards and captured both with his giant pawns. Scootaloo cried out loud and squinted her eyes. A cold wet nose sniffled interested over her and slobber dropped down on her face.
“Please, don't eat us!”
This was the only thing she was able to speak out. A deep hum answered. The creature lumbered slowly forwards and dandled both ponies in his furred arms at the way. 	Sweetie Belle was gasping completely out off breath awhile beside Scootaloo and her sweat drove cold over Scootaloos flank. She on the other hoof was barely heat up and starred concentrated to the little unicorn, as she opened her eyes hesitantly. She just didn't want to look in the face of this monster, that surely carried them...

Out off the forest? Really it carried them away from the dark trees and followed on old path, at whose end lied a beautiful summer day. Scootaloo rose her head inert, as the first warm sunbeams were hitting her fur. Her view glanced over the brighter wood, over grassland under the warm sun and a slowly growing cottage behind a blue stream. Where did the monster carry them and what was his plan there? Scootaloo turned the shivering head slightly and closed her eyes again. Slowly she opened them again and saw, a mouth full of fangs! She closed her eyes again, afraid of what she had seen. But as a wet thing sniffled over her, she opened her eyes again. A big wet nose and small reddish eyes? A bear?

Yes a bear, who carried both fillies in his forpawns and lumbered clumsy on his backpawns to do so. Sweetie Belles breath was calmed down a long while ago, but her wide eyes and open mouth weren't helpful for Scootaloo in the slightest.
“Where do you take us?”
Her voice sounded thinner as a whisper, as Scootaloo speak up to the bear. 	He hummed shortly and carried them further to the cottage. She struggled a little with all four hooves, hit the brown fur ahead, but the bear didn't let her go. In contrary he dandled her more. Sweetie Belle squeaked, as the nose sniffled close to her. Scootaloo tried to turn over and to kick with her back legs, but his prawns were too strong. He always turned her back, when she was able to hit his face. Finally they arrived the building and the bear hummed louder to alarm, which ever lived there. Scootaloo starred to the half open door, strengthened herself and felt for Sweetie Belles hoof. She was ready to jump, as she heard galloping hooves from the building and looked with an inquiring expression to the door.
“What's the matter, Harry? I thought you wanted too...”
A calm voice sounded over both fillies and Scootaloo froze. She glanced to the bear, as he set both down on the ground and hummed to the door silently.
“You have found what, where?
> Squeak! Squeak?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Squeak! Squeak?

There was a sound of quick hoofstamping and a yellow body rushed out off the building. Scootaloo faced the mare fearless, after all it was a pony and no other bear.	Sweetie Belle on the other hoof drooped discouraged and drew circles on the ground with her left hoof. She bit her lips and blushed, as the mare stopped in front of them and looked very worried down on them. Before Scootaloo was able to flinch away, the mare raised her hoof and fondled over her head. Sweetie Belle get an encouraging touch too, then the mare shared a look on both fillies.

“Oh you poor poor sweeties, what were you thinking?
How could you get lost in the Everfree Forest?
It is dangerous out there, don't you know?”

Scootaloo faced the pony confused at best and opened her mouth. She didn't sound, that she was mad about her, or was blaming them. She was worried, that's all.	Scootaloo had expected something different and looked astonished to the mare. The yellow pony smiled back and ran the hoof over her own pink mane. Even Sweetie Belle wasn't able to answer and looked ashamed to the ground.
“Oh you poor sweeties, you were still afraid, right? 
So you couldn't answer properly.
Do you want a warm cocoa and cookies, to feel better then?”
The mare turned over to the door and flattered with her now revealed wings, but she didn't lift up. As she mentioned the food, Scootaloo's stomach growled and she nodded automatically.
Sweetie Belle looked appalled up for the sun and let a small squeak out off her mouth. The small unicorn pranced on the spot and looked to the ground again. The pegasus turned over quickly and beheld the small unicorn again. A gentle wing lifted her head a little bit and the green eyes of the mare searched the one's from the unicorn.	But they weren't standing there, instead gliding over the head and stopped on the horn finally.
“I know you, right? You are Raritys little sister?”
Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded quickly. She drooped  again and sighed soundly. The mare lookee to Scootaloo and she seemed to realise just now , that she was really there.
“You...I have seen you before, too.
Today?”
The voice thinned down and the mare blushed. Scootaloo nodded and opened her mouth to answer. Behind her the bear hummed and she jumped scared away. A wing was catching her and the warmth in it surprised her. It held her gentle on position and the voice calmed her down.
“Thanks Harry. See you tomorrow.”
The bear growled again and lumbered away. Scootaloo looked after him, slightly trembling in the wing. Not until he was out off sight, she was able to look away and saw, that the mare smiled down on her. 	Scootaloo jumped out off her embrace and breathed in deeply. The yellow wing laid down on it's own body and the mare caressed gently over her own mane, to get some time.
She thought for a long time, mumbled to find the right words, but wasn't audible in the slightest. Her eyes were wandering over the ground, over the foals and over the skies. Since the bear had left, she wasn't self confident any more, and simply unable to speak. Her wings supported this conclusion very easily, they joined in the prancing. 	They were opening, caressing her mane, pressing close against her body. Scootaloo watched the rising panickiness with more and more confusion.	What happened here?
She was suppose to be nervous, not the elder mare. The long lasting silence and infecting uptightness were too much pressure for Sweetie Belle and she couldn't stay silent longer.
“I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I'm so sorry.”
Her voice pitched higher and higher, as she spoke more and more up and continued with a yell.
“I just wanted to..”

Scootaloo interrupted her with an even louder yell.
“It was my idea, okay!
I thought we could simply follow you and help you against Zecora.
I didn't believe, that we could get lost in the forest as we did.
I even don't know, that this was the Everfree Forest!”
The yellow mare looked appalled to both fillies and flinched a little bit back from the loud confessions. 
She raised her shivering hoof, to calm Scootaloo down, but the foal yelled even louder.

“Sweetie Belle said always, that we shouldn't be there, but she came with me either way.
She always said, that this was a stupid idea and 
that we should go back, but I was too stubborn to listen.
It was my fault all alone.”
The smaller unicorn glanced at her in confusion and a trembling little hoof laid down on Scootaloos shoulder. Before the pegasus was able to speak up again, Sweetie founded her voice and squeaked.
“You mustn't say this, Scootaloo.”
The elder foal opened her mouth, shut it again and nodded finally. She pranced on the spot and smiled to the pegasus mare. Even her wings trembled,and supported in this way the discomposure of her. The mare smiled and blushed a little bit more, copied Scootaloos reddened cheeks.
“I better walk you home, girls.”
She founded her voice at least. But it was so sound, that the fillies didn't understood her and had to guess, what exactly she was talking about. Not before she turned over, and jogged on route to Ponyville, they were understanding, what she had said and skulked after her.

Sweetie Belle started to whisper and stepped a few steps closer to Scootaloo.
“Why did you lie to her?”
Scootaloo blushed and looked forward to the along strding pegasus. She was totally lost in her own thoughts and didn't show any attention to the fillies, so she didn't even know if they were following her. But for all that, the little pegasus whispered on her own.
“I didn't want, that she becomes mad at you, or that she tells your parents, what you have done. 
That it was your fault all alone.”
Sweetie Belle shook her head and looked down on the ground again. 
Her voice pitched a little bit and she pointed at the pony before them.
“This is Fluttershy. She never get mad at anypony. She is Rarity's best friend and...”
Sweetie Belle sighed and felt silent again. Her eyes glanced high to the sun and she bit her lips. Scootaloo looked to the sun too, was that a coloured streak, which rushed further, or was she wrong with it. No, the streak went bigger and Scootaloo paused for a few steps. A pegasus flew jubilating through the sky, cleared away any little bit of clouds and finally looped a loop. A fast swoop later, she headed down to them and whirled around the manes of the murmuring pegasus and the foal behind her. She was floating in the sky, flapping her wings sideways and laughed down on the group. Scootaloo starred astonished to the cyan mare and her wings trembled really in excitement now.
“Hi Fluttershy. Isn't it awesome, that we get loose of this dumb thing.
I'm so happy to fly normally again...”
Those words came out off her mouth very fast and just now she saw the foals behind her friend. Fluttershy nodded and opened her mouth, but Rainbow Dash was much faster then she. First she spoke up, but quickly she get closer to both foals.
“So you two.
Haven't I flew you over today? Sorry, we're in hurry, you know.
Where's your scooter, kid?”
Scootaloo felt a hoof stroke gently through her mane and stroked itself into position again, but didn't loose her hero out off sight. Sweetie Belle nodded and opened her mouth. 
She closed it again as Scootaloo started to mumble around. Rainbow squinched her face shortly and looked back to the yellow mare.
“How did they get to you, Fluttershy?
And why did this one only mumble around?”
Scootaloo blushed and swallowed more mumbling down her throat. Her trembling small wings attracted Rainbow's attention easily and she grimaced slightly. What was the matter with this filly? Fluttershy stepped closer and smiled hesitantly.
“Harry had found them in the Everfree Forest. 
I think they just follow us and...”
Rainbow piped impressed and smiled bright.
“Really brave of you two kiddos.
Did you loose your scooter there, kid?”
Again Scootaloo couldn't answer and simply nodded.	Rainbow flew nearer and wiped her mane. She laid even a hoof down on her shoulder. 

Oh my gosh, her wings trembled more and it went over her whole body. It showed the excitement clearly to anypony.
“Then I know a thing to do. To make up for knocking you over I'm gonna get your Scooter back, deal?”
Scootaloo grinned widely and a strange sound came out off her mouth.
“Squeak.”
She nodded and blushed more, as she copied the sound. Why wasn't she able to simple speak up?
“Alright, Squeaks. I will find it. Where do you stay?”
An unidentifiable sound, like a hiccup escaped Scootaloo's mouth and she flinched a step away. What was the matter with her? Luckily Sweetie Belle supported her finally and said:
“She stayed at Sunny Rays house recently. Her name is Scootaloo and...”
Rainbow Dash nodded, smiled to the unicorn and squinted to Scootaloo for an Goodbye.
“You know, short stuff, it would be helping to speak up a bit in a talk. 
Would be nice to actually hear your voice for real. 
See you, Squeaks.”
And she left. She glided higher on the wind and Scootaloo looked after her with a dreaming expression. She let sink down her head, more red than usual and stroke the ground heavily two times. It hadn't gone as she would have had it.

What happened to her voice? Why could she only make such strange squeaks? A yellow wing laid down on her chin and lifted her head.
“You were afraid to talk to her? To fudge it, right?”
The gentle voice sounded familiar for her and she nodded simply. Scootaloo closed her eyes shut and a tremble went over her body.
“Don' worry, I got the same problem...sometimes...often....any times...”
The mare blushed and her voice thinned down. She looked away, searched for new confidence and spoke up again.
“Scootaloo.
I'm sure it wouldn't bother Rainbow... I think.
Maybe you want to write a letter to her if you don't be able to talk to her.”
Scootaloo lifted her head and looked the yellow mare in the friendly shimmering eyes. This was a great idea. A letter. For Rainbow Dash. This would she do.
> The lonely cold inside of her.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lonely cold inside of her.

Curryfeather woke up, something was terrible wrong. Why did she feel so weird? She tried to stand up, but her legs, didn't respond in the any way.
"Oh, Curryfeather. You are awaken, at last."
Was this her own voice? How could it be?

It had started as she had left the birthday party from Open Skies. She had talked with her friends the whole day, had played with them many fun games and had eaten a wonderful birthday cake. It was a perfect day. But she had to go, as the sun started to sink. She would reopen the Curryparadise tomorrow and post up the new opening hours for everpony.
"I will be in Cloudsdale only every other day. So I can be more there for you, Scootaloo."
She mumbled to herself, as she took off and started to fly. She rushed through the empty darkened sky and headed home. She yawned cautious and glided past the weather fabric in the warm breeze.
"Curryfeather? Wait for me please."
This voice sounded very familiar for her. It was Rainbowshine. Right the mare was flying in a hasty pace and closed the gap quickly.
"Sorry, but I want to talk with you. I have a huge problem."
Curryfeather sighed about the loud voice and shook her head, as the pegasus flew closer and hovered in front of her.
"I'd like to go to bed just now, Rainbowshine. Please let us talk tomorrow. Meet me before breakfast in the Curryparadise."
The other mare sighed gentle and drooped. In her eyes a few tears gathered , but she suppressed them firmly.
"Please. It wouldn't take you long. I promise."
Was that a lurking undertone in her voice? Or was she just sad about something? Curryfeather pondered for a few seconds and smiled finally. It couldn't be anything else than sadness, right. She had to cheer her up, right? It was important for her, so she nodded and headed home, as it appeared down there. She shook away her own feelings and took a deep breath.
"But just one cup of tea, Rainbowshine. I have to go to sleep early. I have many chores to do tomorrow. Please understand that."
Curryfeather landed on the cloud-walk to her home. The mare smiled back and nodded relieved. She was following her in a gliding pace, and was avoiding every chance to land in a well considered and almost worried way. So it looked like she was different. Curryfeather didn't notice it in a slightest, she was focused on the door and trotted slowly closer. Rainbowshine spoke up again in a gentle manner.
"It wouldn't take much time."
Curryfeather stopped in front of the door, her hoof raised to push it open. How did this work together? It was urgent, but wouldn't take much time?	What kind of problem was so simple to solve? She looked back over her shoulder and starred at the pony behind her. It smiled friendly and she looked like every day before. Well she was just a little bit tired, so it wouldn't make much sense now. But for Rainbowshine it was kind of urgent. Curryfeather wiped gently over her eyes and suppressed another yawn.
"Alright, I prepare the tea and you can make yourself comfort..."
As she stepped into the house, she squinched up her face in disgust. What stank here so badly? It smelled earthy and mouldy like a swamp. The house was clean as she had left in the morning. So what happened. She didn't enter the kitchen, but followed the trail of stench deeper into the house. The pony behind her followed her fluttering and closed the door. Why wouldn't she walk on clouds, as a normal pegasus would? Now Curryfeather saw it too.
"Please walk. You will make a mess out off my home, if you flutter on."
She asked politely, but simply disregarded the reaction from Rainbowshine.	She didn't land on her appeal. Curryfeather was too distracted from the stench, who were clearly drifting out off Scootaloo's room. But she had checked it yesterday and nothing was there, besides her bed.
"Excuse me for a moment. Did you smell this too? Something isn't right there."
Curryfeather pointed out a door on her right side.
"Please go to the living room and take a cloud. I'm there for you in a moment."
Rainbowshine smiled back and turned over to the door. She was still hovering. Curryfeather frowned a little bit.	What was the problem? Didn't she hear her request? Well first she had to look out for the source of the stench, then she could ask the weatherpony again to settle in. She looked over to Scootaloo's room door, it was closed. Hadn't she leave the door open, yesterday? Had somepony else entered her house, as she had left in the morning? She shook away this thought quite easily, it wasn't possible. 	Nopony would ever go into another ones house uninvited. Rainbowshine hovered behind her, went slowly into the living room. She looked over her shoulder and slowed down even more. Her cerise eyes were shut small and for a short amount of time she looked kind of angry. Why was the mare so slow?
Curryfeather raised a hoof and pushed the door open. Something shimmered green out off Scootaloo's room and the stench off mud and swamp intensified. Behind her back a green light flashed out and pushed her into the room. She hit a flexible, slimy cold thing and went right through it, as it was like a cloud. But it wasn't, it was feeling false for it. A cloud didn't have so solid things behind itself. She hit something really hard with her head and all darkened quickly.

“I love you, Curryfeather. I will always love you.
Let me be the stallion of your dreams.”
Whose voice was that?
His gentle words were gathering in Curryfeather's mind and a picture off a stallion with a wedding tiara in the front hooves was even more eager to show up. She didn't remember, where it had happened, only the stallion was keep in mind for her. She felt a sudden burst of joy and jumped to the blue stallion. She kissed him and nuzzled her younger body close in his soft embrace.
“Yes, Wind Dancer. I will marry you.”
All was just perfect. The wedding made everpony happy. It was just sad, that Mum didn't live to see  it. 
A tear went down her thought and her face and a cold hoof wiped it gentle away.

“Wind Dancer, why are you leaving? I thought you loved me.”
She didn't know how much time had past, but the stallion didn't smile for a long time. He bagged his stuff into his saddle bags and looked shortly into a cloud-cradle.
“I just don't want it, Curryfeather. I won't have a foal like this.
Look at it. It had no wings, just stubs!
You should bring it down to the ground and handle it over to the earthponies there.”
His cold voice was hurting her feelings and she strengthened her stand against him.
“She is your daughter for goddess sake. I don't care, if she isn't able to fly. Look at her, look at her small face. She smiled so gentle and...”
Wind Dancer flinched away with a fast flap of his wings and shook his head.
“I don't  want to break up, but if you don't give it away, she...”
He spoke out the word with great objection.
“She will be miserable here, if she stays and I won't witness it. I just can't.
It's all for your own sake, like it always does.”
His voice awakened thunder under his hooves and the foal too. She felt the anger nearby and started to cry. Curryfeather turned over to the cradle and took the orange coated filly and the tiny magenta mane with a gentle wing out off it. She held her daughter against her chest and nuzzled her with her nose.
“Sch...sch...sch, it's alright Wingdaloo. Mum and Dad would never abandon you. We won't upset you, right?”
Wind Dancer squinched his face in disappointment and rolled his eyes.
“You know, where you can find me, Curryfeather. If you realise your mistake one day, I will return to you and we can be a happy family again....”
The stallion was fading out off her memory slowly and the words he had spoken dissolving into silence. 

The cold...the cold was piercing into her soul, taking away something and leaving an empty spot behind instead. Tears flowed down her face, as she opened her eyes again. The cold inside of her sent shivers over her coat and even her mane felt like a goose skin. Her wings trembled irrepressible and she was staring blind folded into the surroundings. Slowly the cold moved away, but the hole deep inside of her stayed. She closed her eyes and tried to remember, who had filled it in the past. Either it was too small, or the pony wasn't important any more. Again she looked around and now she was able to see. The green light around her, made it difficult to see clearly, but as she accustomed herself to it she realised, where she was. In a cage. Why was she in a cage?

“I'm glad, that we can speak at last, Curryfeather.”
Again, it was her ow voice. She heard herself, but how was it possible. She tried to pick herself up and  flapped her wings once to help herself stand up. But nothing happened, she didn't take off or even found the strength to stand up straight.
“Don't try it. The magic of flight won't work, as long as you are in that cage.”
Her vice sounded so different, spiteful and cold. Almost as a complete stranger, but she knew, it was her own voice.
“Who...are...you?”
Her teeth clattered along and Curryfeather was only able to whisper. Were these white clouds coming out off her mouth? She breathed out more of them, until her lungs were filled with warm air. Even this warmth wasn't enough to warm her up. She herself was cold, not the surrounding. How could she be so cold?
"I'm you. Or am to be. Just call me. Who is Wind Dancer?”
This name touched something in her. But as a strainless string it just hummed and Curryfeather shook her head. The empty spot in her took over her eyes and any shine trailed away.
“I don't know.”
She whispered. Her own face leaned nearer to her, looked at her very firmly and simply pierced into her soul.
“So this is the love, I took away from you?”
The eyes of her double gleamed in a strange green light and filled her whole field of vision. Her voice sounded so greedy and grim in her ears, that she simply had to flatten them. But her mouth were still shut, she couldn't say anything.
“But it is much more love left in you, Curryfeather.”
A cold hoof wiped roughly over her cheek and the trail of it set up the goose flesh again. The cold travelled through her and deadened on the travel every other feeling.

“I'd call it a lovely day, Curryfeather. Sleep tight.”
Her voice filled her ears once more, as she finally passed out.
> What are friends for?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

What are friends for?

Scootaloo followed the yellow pegasus back to Ponyville and was preparing herself for a furious brushdown from Sweetie Belle's parents. She had claimed, that it was only her idea, after all. Sweetie Belle trudged tiredly on her flank and even leaned against her from time to time. Slowly the pegasus filly was feeling the pain in her legs, too. She stumbled along, stared at the ground and remained silent. She didn't raise her eyes not until a pink leg appeared in her line of sight and she almost ran into it. She looked into a nearly friendly smile and examining eyes.
"Where have you been? 
We were surprised when you didn't show up for lunch and after we had been waiting and waiting we were worrying sick! 
Your father is turning the whole town upside down, looking for you!"
Scootaloo drooped her head in a provident matter, but the brushdown didn't move on. Her chin was raised with a gentle hoof and the unicorn mare, which she had seen in the morning, smiled again down at her. Scootaloo tried to answer, but Sweetie Belle didn't give her a chance to speak up and explained everything. Her voice pitched onto new heights as she took the blame and blushed more and more.
"...I just wanted to help Rarity and Scootaloo had simply ran after me and then...I'm sorry."
The unicorn guided the fillies into the house, smiled gently and caressed Sweetie Belle's head very calming.
“All right, Sweetie. Rarity is fine. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear you were worrying about her
But didn't you know you weren't to go into the Everfree Forest, Missy?”
The voice of the mare sounded a little bit louder, not only in anger, but also in concern. Sweetie Belle nodded and drooped her head. Scootaloo stepped  beside her and opened her mouth to ensure, that she get a little bit of the anger too. But the mare was faster. Her eyes wandered over the tousled manes, over the scratches on the flanks and stayed finally on the dirty hooves and fetlocks of the fillies.

“You really need a bath. Sweetie, show our guest the bathroom and take a bath too. 
Meanwhile I'm going to look for your father and tell him you are back.
When we return, we can make a nice supper together.
By the way, Scootaloo your aunt asked if you could stay for a night. 
She has a late shift and won't be home till tomorrow. So you can be our guest tonight.”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle starred at each other, this means.
“A slumber party.”
This exclaimed both simultaneously and dashed to bathroom.

They were taking both a wonderful warm bath and as Scootaloo had promised to herself she washed her fetlocks very carefully. Sweetie Belle took the bath after her and both were helping each other with their manes then. Sweetie was very gentle and brushed her even longer than she had brushed herself in the morning. Scootaloo returned the favour, tried to be very patient and brushed her as long as Sweetie wanted her too. When her parents returned, the fillies were waiting up for them in the living room, they were clean and curried as expected from good foals. Both stammered an apology and were tracing the floor with the tips of their hooves.Sweetie Belles father accepted it easily, he was relieved, that nothing bad happened.All four spent a nice evening together.
Scootaloo told her story, as far as she wanted and enjoyed the tasty food. Or more exactly the cake and other desserts buffet on the table. Sweetie Belles mother wasn't a cook, rather then a confectioner. The night closed in shortly after they finished and the fillies were send to bed quickly. The school started tomorrow very soon. Again, Scootaloo had to take a sleeping back, but today she was okay with it.

“Are you sleeping?”
The low voice sounded in her ears, just as she nuzzled down in the lavender pillow, with a suppressed yawn. She snuffled and caught a sweet flavour. Sweetie Belle was already crawled under her own blanket and craned her neck down to her friend.
“Uh hn. What's the matter, Sweetie?”
Scootaloo turned her head and looked up to the unicorn. She smiled barely visible.
“Thanks. You hadn't left me alone all the time.”
Of all the things, Scootaloo had expected to hear, this wasn't one of it.
“You know, we are friends. And a friend never leaves a friend down in the dumps.
But I have learned one thing today, Sweetie.”
The pegasus giggled and pointed one hoof at the unicorn. She calmed herself down a little bit and sounded even serious.
“You will never again lead us into the Everfree Forest. Next time...”
Sweetie Belle squeaked out a little bit scared and interrupted Scootaloo.
“Next time, but we shouldn't go into...”
Just now she heard Scootaloos laughter and started to snicker by herself. As Scootaloo calmed a little bit down, she heard the high pitched snickering from her younger friend and joined in again. The laughter filled both of the fillies and crackling sparkles from Sweetie Belle's horn enlightened now and then the room with it's warm yellow light. Uncontrolled light flamelet were gliding higher and higher, as Sweetie Belle lost control over her laughter and both fillies were finally rolling around and laughing their flanks out. They finished, as the fillies could only puff and blow and panted heavily. Sweetie Belle yawned and whispered.
“Tomorrow will be school again, you know. But when it's over, we can meet and roam through the fields. 
There is a field full of beautiful smelling flowers and, yaw.”
Again a yawn broke through her defence and she snuggled into the pillow, breathed silently against it and closed her eyes finally.
“I believe it would be nice to...”
Sweetie Belle paused and started to breath calm. Scootaloo straightened up and looked at her. She had fall asleep in the middle of her sentence. A smile wandered over her face, slightly visible in the dim light, which were sinking down in the room. Scootaloo laid down again and cuddled into her own pillow. She snuffled and nuzzled her nose gently over it. Finally she felt asleep too.

"Scootaloo....Scootaloo..."
Somepony called out for her soft like batting, as she reached a dream. Everywhere shone dim green light and she felt, that she was lying on the freezing stone floor. Her sleeping back was gone and a cold hoof petted over her flank. 	She felt every little bruise and even holes in it. Every touch snatched away some warmth in her and left behind only a cold deep inside of her. It felt like she was sleeping in a snow-cloud. The voice sounded a little bit louder in her ears. She knew the voice in some way, but in other way it sounded cold.
"My little Scootaloo, are you awake?"
She closed her eyes shut, she didn't want to see, as something stroke through her mane and were pulling out wisps off her mane painfully. A sharp edge scratched over her coat and something jolted her. She piped up her mouth in fear, as a hollow sound echoed through her slumber.
"Get along with you. Leave her alone."
Didn't she know this pony, too? This calm voice sounded familiar, the gentle hooves caressed her and the silver light shined into her eyes, even through her lids. 	Scootaloo opened her eyes slowly and awakened.

In whole opposite to her dream, she felt really warm. The warmth even numbed down her body and the fatigue pressed a yawn out off her mouth. But the last picture of the dream kept her spirit awake and forced her to stand up. Silver light was shining threw the curtains and she struggled herself out off the sleeping back. She tried to sneak silently, but her hooves clattered along on the wood floor. She headed to the window and drew the curtain slightly. She looked into the darkness. Sweetie Belle mumbled in her slumber and turned away from the light. 
"Just five minutes more..."
Scootaloo couldn't understand more and started to close the curtain. She glanced to the moon, as it covered his light and searched for the spot, where the mare in the moon had been. But she didn't spot it easily, the half waning moon prevented it surely. What kind of strange dream was that? She shivered and sighed gently. Was it Mum, who glanced at her with green eyes? The same green as the rotten stream in the wood. Scootaloo caressed over her mane, simpered and tried to forget the uncanny picture.	She sneaked back to the sleeping back, nuzzled herself into it and felt asleep soon.

The next morning raised quickly, as a small hoof shook an her shoulder and wakened her from a dreamless slumber.
"Scootaloo, come on, get up. We have almost overslept."
After a fast breakfast the fillies walked to school together. The way to school was very cheerful for the fillies. They were talking about games they would play together like jump rope and the letters, 	who Scootaloo wanted to write. Laughter and happy words were filling the warm air around them. The school house was already in sight, as more company joined their way and two ponies followed them. 	Both were earthponies, the one behind Sweetie Belle was wearing glasses and her mane was plat into a long plait. 	The other one behind Scootaloo was wearing a little crown on her two coloured mane. The first thing, that Scootaloo actually mentioned about them, wasn't their appearance, no it was their voices.
"Look, Silver Spoon. It looks like Squeakie Belle has found a new friend. Who are you?"
This voice sounded really annoying in Scootaloos ears and managed even to scratch inside of her. She looked back to both of them and appraised them. She spotted their Cutie Marks a crown and and a silver spoon, as the one name had already mentioned. She glanced back into the sneering faces and smiled back. These ponies were surely classmates and a little bit comity was certainly right.

"Hello, I'm Scootaloo and attend the class with you."
She pranced as a greeting, ran her hoof gently over the ground twice, shook her tail and gave the fillies a friendly smile. Both looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion, but the older pink filly put herself easily together and smirked. Her body stood still and even her hooves knocked only shortly two times on the ground. 	Scootaloo froze, this wasn't suppose to happen, she had imagine another outcome. Had aunt Sunny taught her something wrong? Or did she remember it wrong? No she had shown it exactly like she did it.
“We know you, Blank Flank. You were here four weeks ago, you know!”
Sweetie Belle gasped for breath, this snippy words weren't very nice. Scootaloo just wanted to be friendly.
“This isn't very nice of you, Diamond Tiara, she...”
As she squeaked for the first time, the grey filly stepped one step further and grunted. Sweetie pressed her hoof against her mouth and silenced herself. Scootaloo frowned to the other unfriendly filly and stamped her hoof distinctly on the ground. Her wings spread as far as they could and her tail slashed firmly.
“We are getting late, Sweetie Belle, come on.”
She turned over and under the laughter of both earthponies she pulled Sweetie Belle with her with one hoof. They ran to the school and caught the stairs with the first stroke of the bell.	They didn't await the next strokes, rushed into the class room and collided with two other ponies.
“Look out, where you're goin'”
The gentle voice sounded out off the mess of ponies and two strong hooves pulled Scootaloo back off a yellow body. Orange eyes glanced at her very closely and a hoof pushed her back.	The yellow earthpony got up and helped another earthpony back on her hooves. She starred just to her friend and didn't take any notice of the other two ponies, as she opened her mouth.
“Are you O.K, Twist?”
The bespectacled pony with the crème coloured coat nodded and lisped an answer.
“Yeth, thank you Apple Bloom.”
First Scootaloo helped Sweetie Belle to get back on her hooves, than she muttered a hasty apology to the other two ponies without rising her eyes.
"I didn't mean to run into you. I'm sorry about that."
Before she could say anything else the bell struck again and Miss Cheerilee entered the classroom. Her voice sounded strong when she called the pupils to order. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo rushed quickly to their seats in the front line and hanged their saddle back's on the hooks. Scootaloo stepped closer to her seat and opened her saddle back with a hoof, but as she glanced back to the door, she spotted two ponies, which are strutting into the classroom just now. The two earthponies went directly to Cheerilee's desk and started to mumble around in front of her. They pointed directly to Scootaloo and she stared confused to them .
> Love does warm you from inside.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Love does warm you from inside.

Curryfeather woke up some time later. She didn't know, how long she had been unconscious because the only light she saw as she wake up was the green light of the cage. The cold stuck in her body and dumbed down all feelings of her. Warmth was eradiating from some spot nearby and she stretched out a hoof, trying to reach the source of the warmth.
"At last you are awake, Curryfeather."
Her own voice sounded clear and strong through the bars. The green material held her in place, only a few hooves away from the wonderful warmth. The mare shivered involuntary. She flapped the wings desperately, but the wind didn't appear and even the clouds were unimpressed by her tears, her wrath and even her despair.
"I told you, as long as you are stuck in this cage no magic will come for your rescue."
Her voice sounded almost bored now and raised her volume just for the next sentence.
"Your foal sends her best love."
Curryfeather's body responded with all off it's might, she pushed herself against the cage, but she wasn't able to break through. She went down the bars, as her hooves couldn't hold on  her body.
"Please, let me go. I have to be there for her and she needs..."
Sobs came out of her mouth instead of more words. She glanced deep desperate and begging to her counterpart, but she saw just an untouched reflection.

Was this a nightmare of her? But if so shouldn't she wake up now? She breathed out deeply and tried to calm herself.
"You're a nightmare. Just a dream."
A cold hoof stroke gently over her face and took away a tear. Her own body was slightly warmer than the hoof. Deep inside of her answered the empty spot with another wave of iciness. It burned through her veins.
"I'm afraid I'm not, Curryfeather. You are sitting in my cage and you'll answer my question now.
What were your plans for today?"
Again the pegasus mare felt the warmth nearby and stretched out her hoof. The opposing hoof flinched and the warmth faded away.
"You want your filly's letter, right?
Answer me and you will get her kind words."
Her voice sounded almost gentle, but she heard the lurking undertone. Curryfeather closed her eyes, fought back the tears and breathed in deeply. She stood up, tried to cover herself with her wings to keep a little bit of the warmth. But even the feathers bristled up in the cold, she was bleeding out of her cracked inside. She opened her eyes again and glanced at her reflection.
"Only when you will tell me, who you are."
She spoke up sounding braver than she felt and the cold burned on her lips. She heard laughter, cold laughter and it brushed away her confidence and replaced it with vague feelings. Sorrow, fear and even anger. She opened her wings half way and trembled. But she held up herself straight and the reflection of hers stopped the laughter. 	She came closer and circled the cage. Curryfeather tried to follow her movement but she couldn't turn around. She turned her head and looked after the strutting hooves, the steady body and her own flapping wings. As the reflection had passed the starting point again, she stopped and stood face to face with her. She shook her head.
"No, Curryfeather. I'm not here to answer your questions.
You're only awake because I need your answers.
So tell me.
What were your plans for today?"
The pegasus mare in the cage snapped with her tail and stretched out her wings. For a moment there was a look of defiance in her eyes, but the waving cold inside of her forced herself down on her knees. Her own voice sounded gentle in her ears and again a cold hoof stroked over her face.
"Well, if you want to wait longer.
I have plenty of time.
You will be more talkative, when your filly is back here."
Curryfeather jumped back on her hooves and tried to punch her reflection in the face with her right  hoof.
"Keep your icy hooves off her. I..."
Before more words came out off her mouth, a cold smile disarrayed her and the gentle voice continued.

"Then tell me what I want to know.
What were your plans for today?"
The mare closed her eyes, sighed and told her the plans for today.
"...and then I wanted to write down new opening hours for the Curryparadise."
After she had gasped, stammered and aspirated herself through the words, she felt down on her knees again. She forced the warm air into herself, but the cold inside of her was stronger and prevailed itself.
"Well, I understand. Now do me a favour."
An empty piece of paper and a quill landed in hoofreach and her voice ordered what she had to do now.
"Write, that you have to close the Curryparadise, because you have caught the featherflu!"
Curryfeather tried to reach out for the quill but her hoof was trembling so much that she broke the ink pot	and the ink spread all over the floor.
"Alright, alright, first your reward."
A warm breeze was flying to Curryfeather, as her reflection tossed the letter to her with one wing. The warmth in the small folded piece of paper was mild and gentle.	Curryfeather grabbed it quickly, pressed the warming wrinkled paper firmly to her chest and embraced herself with the wings to keep the warmth close. Even her inner cold faded. The emptiness remained, but her flight of thought went away from it. Dozens of ponies flew through her memory, she didn't hold on to notice them longer for a moment, but their names sounded shortly in her and were warming her a little bit. But as she heard the last name in her mind, the warmth stayed strongly inside of her. Scootaloo. She saw a sleeping little filly in a bed with her inner eyes and was holding on to this picture with all her might.	The warmth in the letter drew the attention back to it and forced her to open it.

Dear Mummy,
I'm looking forward to see you tomorrow when you are back.
Yesterday I made waffles for you but aunt Sunny ate all of them. 
But there will be plenty more when you come here. I promise. 
I have a good time with my new friend Sweetie Belle.
We were...
oh no, I'll rather tell you about it when you are here. 
I'm sooo happy to see you tomorrow at last.
There is so much to talk about, 
I just can't wait to tell you about everything.
I love you, Mummy.

PS: I must tell you about my greatest hero down here. I'm sure you'll like her too.

Curryfeather closed her eyes, sighed deeply in relief and pressed the letter firmly against her chest. The eradiating warmth out off it didn't fade away, though the cold fought against it and tried to eradicate it.
Her reflection starred at her rather emotionless. Of course it was strange, that her victim had to be awake and that she was only allowed to devour little pieces of her love. But an order was an order.

Curryfeather raised the head finally, starred in the eyes of her confused portrait of herself and leaned over. Her head went through the bars and she spoke up really calm.
“Let me answer her.”
Her reflection shook the head, the hard impression in her eyes were gleaming with a glance of green light.
“Then you would call out for help, wouldn't you?
No, tell me, what you want to write and I will write the letter.”
Surprised by her own suggestion, the bleak Curryfeather snapped and turned away.
“Okay. We have a deal.”
The cold glance back over the shoulder seemed to say, that her dark reflection would never agree with it, but surprisingly she raised her hoof and both Curryfeathers traded a hoofbump.
“Alright, now write the lines for the Curryparadies and no tricks. 
Otherwise I will take away the letter from you and we will hang up your foal in a cage next to you”
The cold gripped shortly after her heart, but Curryfeather felt that the warmth in the letter fought it down and she thanked Scootaloo for it. Her bleak self left the room, glanced back at her with an almost confused glaze and closed finally the door.

The mare had more love left, as she had started with? How was this possible? 24601 shook the unfamiliar mare head and thought to change himself back into his true self.	What  would happen, if a pegasus would open the door and saw him. No he should stay as the yellow mare with the fiery red mane. He glided into the bathroom, examined himself in the mirror for a long time and tried finally to smile. As he was smiling his focus got lost for a moment and his eyes flashed up in a green light. The stolen love would nourish him for a while, but he felt the little hunger burning inside of him and he had soon devour more. Hopefully it would last for longer this time. His face changed back to his true self, back to the dark chitin and the great green eyes. Something in him flinched away from his sharp teeth and horn. He changed himself back to the mare. He felt something he had never felt before. Over his coat wandered a goose skin and even his mane seemed to bristle. He looked into his mirror image, the red maned mare face starred back confused.

Curryfeather, the real one, sat in the green light of the cage stretched out her hoof with the quill. She tried to get the ink on the head of it, but the spotted ink was too far away. Finally she dipped the head in and put some ink on it. She pulled it back carefully and put it on the other side of Scootaloo's letter. She started to write.

Dear Scootaloo,

I really hope you get this letter.
Mummy needs your help.
Tell aunt Sunny that she must fly to Cloudsdale.
She has to bring the royal guards with her.
Don't worry, I'm okay. 
But please send her home and into your old room. 
No matter what I tell her!
She has to get into your room.
Please I know, you think I'm crazy, but show her the letter.
Sunny believe me, I'm not who you think I am 
there is an imposter pretending to be me.
Go to Wingdaloo's old room in Cloudsdale.
Please. Scootaloo don't be worry. 
I'm safe, when you show this to your aunt!
I love you so much,
Your Mummy.
	
	
> Lies on a school-day.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lies on a schoolday.

Scootaloo starred at both earthponys and tried to listen to the conversation. Because of the noises around her, she only heard the last words.
“...and that's why we are late, Miss Cheerilee.”
The teacher glanced at Scootaloo and cocked her head.
“My little ponies, please sit down.”
Scootaloo took the order as fast as she can and sat down on her seat. She looked to the other fillies in her line and smiled friendly to Sweetie Belle, who sat two seats on the left. Between them sat the crème coloured earthpony and pushed back her glasses with one hoof. 	Cheerilee nocked with a hoof on the desk and the remaining schoolponies silenced and sat down. Scootaloo was distracted by a low giggle behind her. She turned over and looked to the line behind her and saw the source of the giggle, the grey earthpony. It grinned at the pegasusfilly and shook her head with a slight glance of  rejection in her eyes.
“Scootaloo, are you listening?”
She turned surprised back and put a pen and a piece of paper out off her saddlebacks. She laid it down on her desk with one hoof and looked to the teacher. Again somepony snickered behind her in a low voice.

For the rest of the entire school day, she took attention and wrote everything down, even the homework she noticed on her papers. Just as the bell finished the school day with a nice sound, Cheerilee headed to her desk. 	She looked stern and spoke up with such a firm voice, that Scootaloos ears twitched once.
“Please wait and stay here, Scootaloo. You too, Sweetie Belle.”
The fillies looked at each other and sat down on her seats. Laughter passed by Scootaloo, as the pink filly with the crown and the grey with the tail went slowly out off the room. They grinned to the fillies on the front line with a wide smile, as they went over the doorstep finally. Cheerilee shut the door behind them and headed back to the nervous fillies. She beckoned Sweetie Belle to step closer and the unicorn sat down on Twist's seat. Finally Cheerilee glanced stern to the fillies. They gave each other a short look and Sweetie Belle was just as confused about what was to come as Scootaloo was. But Cheerilee didn't let the confusion grow much longer. She sounded fairly disappointed, but a questioning under tone was audible too.
“I heard, you two have been mean too Diamond  Tiara and Silver Spoon. 
They were afraid of your actions and didn't dare to enter the classroom, as long as I haven't arrived. 
What are saying about this?”
Both fillies starred at each other very surprised  and Sweetie Belle opened her mouth first.
“What...when somepony had act badly, then these two. This isn't fair, they...”
Cheerilee raised a hoof and stopped the burst out words from Sweetie Belle. She turned over and  looked directly at Scootaloo.
“Just a moment, Sweetie Belle. I know you wouldn't do such a thing on yourself. 
But I don't know you quite as well as her right now, Scootaloo.”
The elder pony searched her eyes and looked firmly at her. Scootaloo lost the eye contact for a moment and thought about her past mistake. Her wings trembled and she bit her lips, to calm herself down a little bit. As she was calm enough to speak, she looked back into Cheerilee's eyes.
“Maybe, I have done something wrong, when I introduce myself...”
She spoke with a lower voice then usual and stood slowly up. The teacher cocked her head and tried to say something, but felt silent, as she saw, that the filly wasn't finished with her explanation. Scootaloo continued and told her about the first meeting with the earth ponies.
“I just wanted to say hello and have done what my aunt had taught me. 
She thought earthponys wouldn't understand the wing language quite easily. 
So I should work more with the hooves. It is a little bit difficult for me to do it right. 
Eventually I had done something wrong with my hooves and...”
Cheerilee interrupted her stammered explanation and a confused expression wandered over her face. She spoke up a little bit gentler and guided the filly back to her seat, to let her sit down again.
“They told me that you were really mean to them and even badmouthed them. 
They told me you tried to trip them with your hoof. 
What are you saying to this?”
Scootaloo opened staggered the mouth and her wings opened widely, too. She stood up and rumbled around on the wooden floor, then she gave Sweetie Belle a short look. The other filly was quite as surprised, as she was and gnawed at her lips. Scootaloo shut her eyes closed and took a deep breath. Anyway she spoke up faster and more nervous, as she wanted too and became faster and faster in her pace.
“This...this isn't true, Miss Cheerilee. I didn't do such rude things, I promise. I wanted just to say hello in a friendly manner. I have done this. Just this.”
She demonstrated the prancing, the gently running with a hoof, the shaking tail and smiled nervously finally. Her wings started to tremble more, possibly it was wrong what she had learned and she has...A drop of sweat ran down her face. What if she insulted Miss Cheerilee with that.
“I don't mean to do anything wrong...I should go to them and apologize for my wrongdoing...”

Just now, Sweetie Belle couldn't held herself more, she jumped off her seat and pushed her hoof hard on the wooden floor. Her voice trembled and reached for new heights.
“You haven't done...anything wrong.”
She squeaked after the first words and softened into a whisper. She paced up and down in the classroom and babbled for a while incomprehensible words. Squeaking noises made it impossible for Scootaloo to understand one of them. Finally Cheerilee caught her and led her back to the seat. Scootaloo stood there, where she had finished her demonstration and overthought, if she had done something different at this morning. Her wings trembled even more and her eyes looked down on the ground. 	Cheerilee placed Sweetie Belle beside the bigger pegasusfilly and looked at both of them.

“I trust you, Scootaloo. And no your greeting is right and very friendly.
But I don't believe, that Diamond Tiara would simply lie to my.
So, please write her a letter as an apology. 
And you Sweetie Belle write one for Silver Spoon as well.
In minimum thirty words, alright?
I want, that you'll read t in front off the class tomorrow.
Now you can leave.”
They were trying to speak up, but Cheerilee didn't let any protest slip through her firmly glance. Scootaloo sighed finally and put her saddleback on. She smiled to Sweetie Belle, as she finished too and pushed the door open. Snickers were welcoming her again. The unfriendly earth ponies stood in front of her and had a fake smile on their faces.	They pointed directly to the fillies in the door and opened their mouths.
“Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, I have to talk with you.”
Cheerilee appeared after the friends in the warm sunlight and the earth ponies lost their smile. This didn't sound good. The four students traded places and the door closed behind the two earth ponies. Sweetie Belle starred to the schoolhouse for a while, she searched for words, but didn't find anyone. Scootaloo on the other hoof turned over quickly and jogged slowly down the road.

“Sweetie Belle, would you like to show me the way to the flower field now...”
Her friend turned over too, galloped beside her and ejected a bunch of angry words.
“It's not fair Scoot! 
We didn't do anything wrong but she punishes us anyway! 
Just because they are lying! 
It's so unfair!”
She squeaked the last sentence, laid a hoof on her mouth and blushed. Scootaloo smiled gently and put down one of her hooves on Sweetie's hoof. 
She tried to answer calmly, but sounded agitated too.
“I know, Sweetie. But what should we do?
We can't say more then the truth! Right?”
Just now she stroke the ground angrily with one hoof.
“These birdbrained dodos just don't have enough wind under their wings and instead more in their heads.”

First Sweetie Belle starred confused at her friend, then a smile raised on her face. As it grow more to a real laughter she tried to pushed it back with her holding hoof, but she couldn't held it back for long. She cracked up and even tumbled down on the ground. She put her hooves around her body and was rolling on the floor laughing.
“What gives?”
Scootaloo didn't understand, what she had done wrong and looked confused to her friend. She was so out off her mind, that she only first could snort.
“You have...you have...you have...”
Every time a hard laughter interrupted her, as she tried to explain. The other filly shook her head and smiled, because she didn't know what else to do. Finally Sweetie Belle calmed down and panted heavily. Even tears of joy were gliding down her face. 	She looked up to her friend and smiled widely. She giggled once more, took another deep breath and picked herself up. At the same time she wiped away the tears with a hoof.
“Wind in the head....is this a pegasus insult? I have never heard of it.”
Again she could just barely suppress a laughter. Scootaloo nodded and chocked her head. She smiled too.
“Yeah, we said this in Cloudsdale sometimes.
If someone didn't learn...to fly fast enough.
Or if somepony said something stupid.”
Her face let got her smile and she even drooped her head. She remembered Ice Prism and her clique. This memory let her frown.

“It seems, that even wind under your wings doesn't help you, Stubby.”
Three flying silhouettes were passing by her and she heard their laughter.

Sweetie Belle saw the trembling wings and the eyes, which were seeing direct through her. She nudged Scootaloo gently.
“Scootaloo, are you alright?”
The pegasus shook her memory back and pretended a smile. She pressed her wings firmly at her body and tölted on the spot.
“You wanted to show me the flower field today, didn't you?”
Sweetie Belle smiled again, nodded and rushed forward.

Dear Mummy...

Scootaloo put away the quill and looked at her desk on the other side of her room. There laid the letter from mum and she smiled as she remembered.	Aunt Sunny had picked her up from Sweetie Belles house after supper and saw her home. Scootaloo was indeed a little bit disappointed, that she couldn't sleep a second night by her friend. 	But the greeting in her room had compensated it. Mum had sent a parcel with toys, clothes and school stuff. She had also sent a letter with it. Scootaloo had opened it very excited.

Dear Scootaloo,
I am so, so sorry, but I haven't been able to come by today. 
I'm sure you must be disappointed and I'm really sorry about that. 
I just can't leave Cloudsdale at the moment. My friends need me.
I can't leave them so easily. 
Somepony has to help them with their problems and you know, 
I can't let my friends hanging. So this pony is me.
I will try to find another pony, to help them, but it will take time to find somepony else.
So for the next few weeks, we will set this up, okay?
I'm going to stay two days in a row up here in Cloudsdale to help my friends.
Then I will return to you and spent the whole day with you.
I'm going to write to Miss Cheerilee to excuse you from school that days.
I promise we will do this every other day, from now on. I'm very much looking forward to it
we can cook together and I'm so looking forward to hear all about 
how you have been doing and about your new friends.
I'm really very sorry that I couldn't come as originally planned, 
but now there is a whole day to look forward to and I can't wait for it to come
Love and kiss
Mum.

First her wings trembled, but the further she read, the calmer she get. It would surely help Mum to be happier and she had to go to school just every other day, right? 	That should be cool. But first she had to tell Mum about Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle. She was afraid, that her letter would get to long and put it off till Mums return.

Rainbow Dash,

I think you are...
you're my hero...
I thank you for...

Scootaloo scrunched the note with a sigh, as she had started over three times. She yawned and put away the pen. She could write a letter for Rainbow Dash tomorrow. 	Luckily she had finished the one for Diamond Tiara first.

Dear Diamond Tiara,

I 'm so sorry to scare you.
I didn't want to badmouthed you and hope you forgive me.
Couldn't we be just friends?
I hope you show me once, how somepony introduce herself friendly to another.
I'm just moving in a while ago, do you know.

Your classmate Scootaloo.
> Celestias visit and an obnoxious lecture.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestias visit and an obnoxious lecture.

The reading of the letter in front of the whole class wasn't so bad after all. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had to read one of their own and Diamond invited in hers both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to her Cute-cenera. The snooty fillies even had to show the right answer for Scootaloos friendly greeting. The few minutes in front of everypoy were nothing in compare for it and easily forgotten. Sweetie Belle wasn't as nervous a she had been and squeaked only at the end of her letter, as she spoke out the word Silver a little bit too long.

Miss Cheerilee announced after this punishment that Princess Celestia would come to a visit at the end of the week and all ponies had to clean up and decorate the village together. Today the pony, who had made this possible, came to lecture and asked for everyponies help.
“So without further delay, please welcome the personal student from Princess Celestia. Twilight Sparkle.”
The class turned their heads in unison and looked to the now opening door. Violet light show the magic of a unicorn and the first look of the mare was a little bit disappointed for the class. Diamond Tiara grumbled clearly in the background at least, but this was drown down by the table knocks from Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The violet unicorn with the three striped mane smiled gently and looked over the class. Her view stood for one moment on the familiar faces. She headed to Cheerilee's desk and set herself beside of her. She started to address the fillies, after she gave a short side glance at the mare and received a nod as an answer. She spoke up very calmly and all fillies stopped their silent mumbling.
“Dear little schoolponies...”
A giggle sounded out off the second row and interrupted  the unicorn for a moment. Scootaloo turned her head to the source of it. It was of course the pink pony with a crown. Diamond Tiara squinched her in face in response and bit her lips with a snicker. Twilight cleared her throat and levitated a bunch of flash cards out off her saddlebacks with a slight glowing of her horn. She looked at the fine described lines on its and read her introduction silently. As she reconsidered, that she had used the right address, 	she smiled at the school ponies and started over again.
“Dear little schoolponies,
I'm here today, to...”
A raised hoof interrupted her again and she starred past Scootaloo to the second row. She was surprised at best and breathed in a little bit bugged.
“Yes, uhm little one, what do want to know?”
The question interrupted her speech unwelcomely and Silver Spoon throw her own question in.
“Is it true, that Princess Celestia is really come to visit us?”
Twilight nodded weakly, raised her hoof, but Diamond Tiara interrupted her instantly.
“Did this mean, we can meet her in person?
That we should make a performance for her?
That she will visit the school on her own?
That we can talk with a real princess?”
Cheerilee looked shortly to Twilight, who was desperately trying to settle down the class, but their jubilation and loud questions were to much to handle for her. She didn't get any chance to return to her speech in any way. Even the quiet ponies, like Scootaloo, Twist, Featherweight and Sweetie Belle were now carried away from the excitement 	and joining in the babbling sound with great elation. 

Not till Cheerilee stamped her hoof firmly on the ground and cleared her throat with a certain undertone, everpony silenced again. This silence used Twilight to start over.
“Dear little...”
She spoke up not quite as enthusiastic as she was in the first time. She clattered a few sentence down in a hasty way, caught herself up as she came to the point of the voluntary duties for the students.
“You can either help Mister and Misses Cakes with the backing, or clean up the animals with Fluttershy. 
Uhm, but no more than two fillies alright?
Besides, we need for the flower festoons and of course for the clean up as many helpful hooves as we can get.
One of you can finally help me out, if you like.”
As Twlight spoke out this sentence, she began to beam with joy and her tail wagged in excitement. Scootaloo thought, where she wanted to help. Uhm Rainbow Dash wasn't mentioned so far. She raised her hoof, but wasn't the only filly, who wanted to speak up. Sweetie Belle raised a hoof too and she was more effective to get the attention with her waving and the:
“Uh....uh....uhuhuh.”
Twilight looked at her and picked her first.
“Yes, uhm, Sweetie Belle, right?”
The little white unicorn blushed, as it sunk in, that her elder sister had talked about her.
“What are we doing with you?”
Twilight smiled excited as she spoke up again. Her fore hooves were clapping together a  
few times and she speeded up.
“Good question. We are going to rearrange all the books in the library and...”
Grumbling and whispered mumbling interrupted the excited answer from Twilight and many foals sank their hooves disappointed. But Scootaloo didn't want to give up so easily and kept hers high.
“Uh, do you want to volunteer to help? How nice of you.”
Scootaloo wanted to shake her head, but the pleasing glance from Twilight, so thankful and strangely hounded, let her rething the action. This unicorn was a friend of Rainbow Dash at least and eventually she had an opportunity to improve her first bad impression.
“Uhm, yes. I would like to help you, if you want my help.”
Scootaloo managed this to speak out, as Twilight answered with a friendly smile and asked the class, if anypony else wanted to help her.

Silence, only interrupted with low whispering was the answer.
“Alright, then I look forward for your help, Sugarcube.”
Scootaloo blushed and her wings opened itself again.
“I'm Scootaloo.”
She whispered already and wiped nervously over her mane with one hoof .
“Alright, I won't stay much longer and disturb your education.
It is very important to get properly schooled, don't you think.
Miss Cheerilee may I take Scootaloo with me already?”
The elder mare looked confused, but put herself together very quickly.
“I thought you would like to tell my probably well educated students 
a little bit more about the reasons, why Princess Celestia is willing to fly such a distance to...”
Twilight blushed a little bit on her own and cleared her throat once more. She took a deep breath and started over with a wide hoof gesture.
“Well right. Princess Celestia comes to town, because...”
After a long speech about the importance of friendship lessons and a few desperate attempts to interrupt from the schoolponies, pardon, students, the bell ringed and the little ponies left the room really in a need for a break.
“Scootaloo, please, would you stay for a second.”
Miss Cheerilee and Twilight Sparkle stood together behind the desk and the teacher spoke up to her, before she was able to leave the room. Sweetie Belle was begging with her look to stay too and Cheerilee sighed.
“Alright you can stay too, Sweetie Belle.”
Scootaloo sat down on her place and smiled to the unicorn mare, who cocked her head and spoke up on herself.
“The rearranging  of the books is a really heavy task for a filly. 
I should warn you, it may be even a little bit exhausting and take a lot amount of time.
Do you think you are eager to help me either way?”
Scootaloo nodded assiduously, even if she didn't quite understand what the unicorn had said. The longer she thought about it, the better the idea suited for her. Rainbow Dash would easily come to visit Twilight in the process, if it last longer. The library was a perfect spot to meet Rainbow Dash again.
“I'm sure I can handle it, Miss Sparkle.”
The pegasusfilly tried to sound more grown up, as she obviously was, but the unicorn smiled and shook her head.
“Just Twilight, please. Alright now...”
The mare headed further, knocked two times with her right fore hoof on the ground, smiled friendly and drew a straight line on the ground with the other hoof.
“I'm thankful, that you are volunteer to help me, Scootaloo.”
She turned over and looked imploring to Cheerilee. The other mare rolled her eyes and a weird smile covered her face.
“Alright, alright Twilight. But you should check it out with her parent. I mean her aunt, of course.”
The unicorn smiled thankfully and looked back over her shoulder to the pegasus. She brightened her smile and raised a hoof.
“We can start  right now, if you like.”
Scootaloo replied the smile and nodded. She grabbed the saddlebacks and put it on. Though she saw the disappointed friend, who begged her with her saddest possible face.
“Uhm, I know you have said, only one of us can help you. 
But Sweetie Belle is my friend and maybe...”
Twilight shook her head apologetic. One hoof circled around on the ground and her tail scared imaginary flies away.
“I'm sorry, but more fillies I'm not able to...”
The sad impression on Sweetie Belles face worsened even more and Twilight struggled with herself.
“Sweetie Belle, you heard it. Eventually you can help Fluttershy instead.”
Cheerilee spoke up and the little unicorn pulled a face. Scootaloo laid a hoof on her flank and smiled hesitantly. 	She opened her wings halfway and flap them once. Then she remembered, that her friend wasn't a pegasus. So she tried to remember what her aunt had said about the right hoof movement for an apology. She smiled, as she remembered it and stroke the ground two times. As Sweetie Belle didn't respond she rethought again and cocked her head.
“I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle. I should have ask you before I have volunteer.”
Her friend shook her head and squeaked out a fast:
“It's alright, you know.”
She interrupted herself and puffed her cheeks. She stroke the ground with a hoof and her tail snapped a little bit.
“Just go, alright. We see each other, when Princess Celestia comes to town.”
Scootaloo wasn't sure, whether she was miffed, or jealous. Sweetie Belles voice didn't sound like one of it. But she turned her back on her, grabbed the saddleback and ran out off the classroom without any sort of further goodbye.

Scootaloo couldn't think of it for long. Twilight wanted to move and the other students glanced at her partly full of envy and partly in disapproval. She followed Twilight and thought about her friend.
“Well, I'm glad, that a pegasus filly like you is eager to help me. 
I'm sure, your flight skills are quite very useful.”
Scootaloo drooped her head and sighed. Twilight looked at her encouraging and even smiled a little bit.
“I can't fly right now.”
This was the only thing, Scootaloo was able to talk and she blushed. She looked away and ambled next to Twilight. The elder unicorn squinched her face and bit her bottom lip shortly.
“Wrong, Twilight.”
She mumbled and thought for a few moments.
“Well, this means we have just take a little bit more time as I thought, right?”
This statement didn't cheer Scootaloo up and she stopped walking. Her wing tips shook a little bit and on the left side they even buckled.
“I'm sorry, Twilight. I think somepony else is a much better help for you than me.”
Twilight stopped too and smiled hesitantly. She moved closer to the filly and pranced on the spot. She stroke three times the ground with her left hoof, her tail wagged nervously from left to right.
“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on a spot.
But I'm really thankful, that you volunteer to help. 
And I think, you will be a great help for me.”
The filly looked at her face, her eyes shined bright, but her voice sounded a little bit enquiring for Twilight.
“Really?”
Twilight smiled and answered with a firm hoof stump.
“Really!”
	
	
> Warmth and cold
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warmth and cold

The unicorn led the pegasus filly back to Ponyville and slowly further. First they headed to Sunny Rays house, but nopony was there. Scootaloo put the saddleback with her homework into her room. She jumped out of the door and felt the darting eyes of Twilight. The smile on Twilight's face faded a little bit, as she looked at the spread wings. They were so tiny and somehow abnormal for the unicorn.
"I had put a notice for your aunt in the letterbox.
She will meet us in the library, as soon as she returns home and reads it."
She sounded excited and Scootaloo cocked her head with an enquiring mien. She opened her mouth for a question, but Twilight turned around and led her back on track. Her tail waved in excitement from one side to the other and she mumbled words to herself with a lover voice. Scootaloo hurried to step beside the unicorn and tried to speak up, as they walked onto the market. Twilight was faster and asked a question.
“I have seen you here in town several times, right?”
Scootaloo nodded and tried to speak up again, but Twilight was to eager to talk.
“But you're not from Ponyville, right?”
The filly shook her head and opened her mouth for the third time. Again Twilight didn't wait to let her speak up n asked more questions. But this time it were some she had to answer with sentences.
“I'm not from here, either.
Where are you from?
And why would your parents let you stay with your aunt, instead of taking care of you?”
Scootaloo closed her mouth and thought for a moment. Her eyes glanced over the unicorn in front of her and stayed on the unique coloured mane. Twilight waited for her answer and trotted in a light pace. She even didn't noticed her appraising glances. Scootaloo pressed her wings against the chest and gave a stroke with her tail.
“I lived with my Mum in Cloudsdale.
She is a really good cook and...”
Her wings took over, opened themselves up and trembled on their own. Also her tail flapped around in a nervous manner and her left fore hoof drew circles on the ground. She looked at her body and didn't understand, why it was acting this way.
“Are you alright?”
Twilight looked back to Scootaloo and chocked her head with a smile. The filly interrupted her attempts to calm her down.
“Where did you come from?”
This quick question flow hounded out of her mouth and she bit her lips, to calm herself down. Scootaloo listened to the answers only half-hearted because her heart beat against her chest so heavily it boomed in her ears and she felt an insurmountable feeling. She tried to understand, what it was, but she could only say, that it was nothing positive. 	She felt the  discomposure inside of her growing and growing.	She remembered her last dream and especially one image from it. She tried to shake it away, but it stayed in her inner eye. The green eyes of her Mum and the cold hoof of hers. Why did she remember it right now?

“...and then I moved to Ponyville and...
Do you listen to me, Scootaloo?”
The filly startled out off her thoughts, as Twilight jerked to a halt and looked her over. Since she had left the house of her aunt, but no, since she had told her about her mother the filly was a nervous wreck. The unicorn thought back to her answers and broke them down, but she simply didn't get it. She shook her head, there was nothing wrong with them. So why was the filly so discomposed? Twilight smiled, as far as she was able to with her confused mindset. 	She trailed nervously over the ground with one hoof and moved closer. She looked into the eyes of the filly. Her eyes were widened, the filly didn't pay attention to anything. Twilight saw even a tear dripping down out of the left eye.
“Hey, Sugarcube. Are you alright?”
Twilight raised her hoof, but something held her back to touch the filly. Scootaloo jumped a few steps away. Her wings opened wider and trembled so much, that they send down shivers over the rest of the body. The filly bit her lips, as she had rocks in it and panted flat and quick. She breathed faster and faster, like a stranded fish. A few glances hit the elder unicorn and the dealer-ponies whispered worried. Golden Harvest flashed a confused glance at her and shook her head.

Enough already. Twilight grappled the filly with one hoof, tagged her along and galloped as fast as she was able to through the glancing ponies on the market. She didn't slow down for one second, even as she come closer to her new home, the giant tree-house of the Golden Oak Library. Her magic opened the door as fast as lightning, closed it right behind them and shut out the whole bunch of glancing ponies. Only, as she was secure in the close and friendly halls of knowledge and surrounded by the well known and beloved smell of books, she released the trembling filly and breathed heavily. She walked around nearby the even harder panting Scootaloo and mumbled phrases of encouragement to herself.
“It will be...Take it...no this doesn't sound good at all...Spike...Spike. Oh come on.”
She gave a shout with a really nervous undertone and the last loud claim snapped Scootaloo out of her thoughts. The green eyes, the cold hooves and for the last image, Luna.
“Jeez, Twilight. What just happened?”
This voice, it didn't sound like a pony...Right Scootaloo saw a little dragon rushed down the stairs and shied trembling away. She bounced with her back against the benches in the middle. She wasn't afraid of him of course, but the fear of something else was burning inside of her and overpowered her easily. She closed her eyes shut, why was this feeling befall her? Almost as it wasn't her own. She banged into something, or fell down on the ground. She didn't know what it was, but it hurts. She shivered more and more.

A warm claw caressed her mane and touched her cheek. The scales tickled on her coat and the inner warmth of them was liberating and soothing.
“She is really cold, Twilight.”
The higher voice of Twilight answered gentle after an irritated sigh.
“For you, we're all a little bit cold, Spike. Hurry up. Bring me a blanket and warm cocoa. Please.”
A hesitant hoof replaced the warm claw of scales and petted Scootaloo over the face. Flittering paper and the distinctive sound of magic pushed Scootaloo to open her eyes. Tears, why were there tears? She opened her mouth and sobbed. She wiped away a few tears and saw clearer at least. Twilight petted her out off place, while she was searching an answer in the books. She read through so many and built huge piles of opened and closed books in the whole room. Her one eye followed the words in the books, the other one glanced at Scootaloo from time to time.
“So it isn't Poison Joke. You aren't sick, right? I don't think it's another kind of poisoning...”
Just now she saw, that Scootaloo glanced at her with tear stained eyes. She recalled her hoof, set down the last book and smiled reserved.	Scootaloo breathed out and in with sobs. Feet lumbered over wooden floor and drew the attention of both ponies to the stairs. The little dragon ran down to them, with an arm full of blanket and a steaming mug. His facial expression changed from hounded to an encouraging smile, as he saw the widened eyes of the filly. Twilight cast a spell, took the blanket, spread it in the air and laid it down on the filly. 	She cleared her throat  and her smile faded a little bit. But her voice faded away even more.
“Are you homesick?”
The dragon stepped closer, caught her eye and calmed her down with a gentle smile. He raised his claws again and caressed her face to warm her up a little bit. He put down the mug carefully besides her. Her wings didn't stop to tremble and transferred the shivers on her body.
“Twilight, does this look like she is homesick?”
The answer sounded warm in Scootaloos ears and she shook her head silently. She put down one hoof, tried to get up but was shaking too much to do so.
“You better remain and calm down a little?”
The female voice sounded warm too, but was at the same time really worried about her. A hoof laid down on her own and a bigger body cuddled up to her in a restrained way.
“Spike, write a letter for Sunny Rays. Please.”
Twilight whispered and took slowly a hoof around the filly. Spike let loose, ran to a nearby desk and stopped halfway there.
“Who is Sunny Rays?”
This question echoed over Scootaloo and she opened her mouth automatically.
“My aunt.”

Was she breathing clouds? Twilight touched her face again and she was indeed colder. Scootaloo glanced at her with widened eyes and Twilight put down her hoof again.
“I...I just don't know what happened. I'm sorry.”
No more clouds and the sobbing had fade away too, but her wings and hooves were still trembling. Twilight took a deep breath and smiled.
“Do you want to tell me, what bothers you?
Or is there sompony else you want to talk to?”
Twilight sounded gentle for Scootaloo and the filly looked to her. Inside of her two ideas were fighting each other and knotted themselves together.	Scootaloo sighed and closed her eyes.
“I...don't know how to start.”
This came out of her mouth by itself. The filly drooped her head, but Spike laid his claw under her chin.
“Just start. It will be alright, kid.” 
The last word brought back a mare into her head, Rainbow Dash and she held it close. She should be like her, brave and fearless.
“I had a scary dream last night and...”
Scootaloo told everything she dreamed of. She told about her fear of, or for her Mum. Her disappointment took itself words and spoke up. She wanted her Mum back, but she wouldn't be happy here. But Scootaloo wanted too. After she had speak out this, she silenced and bit her lips again. Twilight listened silently and thoughtful, as the filly told her story. As she mentioned dreams, the unicorn sighed and shook her head. She lightened up her horn and began to reorder the books again. Of course it wouldn't occur any delay. The filly could, uhm, yes check off the checklist, while she arranged the books with her magic. Tomorrow she would be in school again, if everything worked out the way Twilight planned. Not till Scootaloo reached out for the cocoa and took a deep slurping sip, Twilight paid more than a slight attention to her. But as she heard the slurp, she glanced at her.
“You know, dreams help us handling the things we experience during the day 
and they show us the fears we are not even aware we have. 
But these things aren't really that bad. 
Now that you have told about them you will be able to sleep better.”
A shared glance from Twilight to Scootaloo and Spike let her forget the monologue. Scootaloo looked at her with low shoulders and disappointed eyes. Spike on the other hoof looked rather dismissive.
“You believe they aren't bad?
But why do I feel so bad?”
The voice of the filly trembled and she drooped her head again. Before Twilight was able to answer, Spike joined in the conversation.
“You know, I had really bad nightmares, too.
But do you know, what helped me every time I had one?
I imagined my friends and their smiling faces were helping me a lot.”
The dragon raised the chin of the filly and smiled gently into her eyes. They switched a thankful glance and Twilight cleared her throat.
“I won't say, that dreams doesn't feel scary sometimes, or even bad, but...”
Scootaloo crawled out of the blanket and stood up hesitantly. She trembled and  pranced a little bit  on the spot to put herself together. She took a deep breath and spoke up.
“I...thanks Twilight and thanks, uhm...”
The first thanks sounded disappointed, but the second one was clearer and more honest. The dragon smiled again and nodded to the filly.
“I'm Spike.”
Before more words were swap between the two, Twilight raised her voice.
“We should clean this mess up, right now Spike.
Scootaloo take a closer look of the library. You weren't here before, or were you? 
So look, if you find any book you would enjoy and calm...I mean arrange.
Yeah we can start to arrange the books then...”
Twilight lifted up the blanket, the empty mug and Spike with her magic and galloped upstairs. The dragon waved friendly, but Twilight hissed at him and he turned his head. A whispered talk started. Meanwhile Scootaloo pranced further into the library, wandered through piles of books and looked at the titles. Her heart still thumped against her chest and she felt the trembling wings on her back, but the going helped.
“Daring Do and the dance with Changelings.
Emotion and Magic.
Hooviler Twists.
The Cuisine of the Earthponies.”
Before she was able to flip a book open, Twilight returned. 
She smiled and levitated all books out of the shelves. Scootaloo opened her mouth.
“I don't mean to.”
Twilights smile softened and she interrupted her with a raising hoof. She trotted aside her, looked around and laid one hoof on her lips.
“When I have a nightmare, a slice of chocolate often calmed down. 
Therefore I have always one bar of chocolate in my nightstand. 
Please, don't tell Spike. It's a secret between us, okay.
But when it is such a bad dream, then only one thing can help me any times...”
She whispered the last words into the flapping ear of the filly.
“Really? This helps?”
Twilight nodded and petted the filly gently over her mane. Neither the hoof trembled this time, nor she remained back from the pegasus in an unnatural way. Rather she found the right measure of investment and care for the filly.
“Yes a picture of my Mum always helps.”
> Even friends can quarrel.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even friends can quarrel.

For the next hours, Scootaloo and Twilight worked in the library. And yes the rearranging was protracted. First they've been trying to arrange them in alphabetical order, but as they were halfway through and the books didn't look decent in any kind of matter, Twilight swabbed them down with a bugged sigh. She looked to the empty shelves and shook her head.
"We should seek out a better order, Scootaloo."
The filly stood beside the unicorn, with a pen in her mouth and checked all already arranged books off from a huge checklist. She wasn't sure, why Twilight needed such help a all, but she tried her best to do it right. With both fore hooves she restrained the long list and lay on the role itself with her back hooves. 	As Twilight had thrown all books back into an unsorted mess, she gave up and let loose of the edges. She jumped quick from the checklist and with a loud crack it rolled back. Twilight took a glance to the list and the smaller pegasesfilly. She sighed again and stroke her mane gently with one hoof.
"What do you think, 
do you need a rest?"
Scootaloo nodded and smiled.	Twilight replied her smile and pointed at the stairs. She glanced over the mess of books and sighed for the third times. She created a path for herself and the filly with her glowing horn and led her little assistant upstairs.
"I had imagine this a little bit easier, you know.
Well we have the whole week for this, right?
Are you hungry?"
Just now Scootaloo felt it, she was indeed hungry. She nodded and looked around on the next floor of the library. 

Before she had the opportunity to let all sink in, a knock downstairs caught her attention. Twilight sighed again.
"Who ever could it be?
Just wait here, Scootaloo."
The filly nodded  and Twilight teleported in a flash back upstairs. In the meantime, the filly took a look around and saw even more books, another stairs, a little fireplace and a sideboard with a little bit of kitchen supply, which was in use by a little dragon just now. He hummed in a low tone, as he cut an apple into pieces and put it on a slice of bread. He finished his preparations with a huge bunch of honey, which he drizzled over the apple pieces, He took the bread and gorged it with a huge bit. He turned around to Scootaloo and smiled with his gooey honey-mouth. Scootaloo looked at him with very hungry eyes and licked her lips.
"Oh, uhm, are you finished already?"
Scootaloo nodded, opened her mouth, but her stomach was faster. A growling sounded through the room and the filly blushed a little. Spike smiled and chocked his head. He tried to say something, but a loud voice and walking hooves downstairs stopped him and his expression changed into an almost lyric one.

"I just couldn't believe Darling, 
that you had busted my little sisters day.
I have already told you, she was thrilled to help you with your enormous duties."
The high pitch voice paused and Twilights own sounded lower:
"I think you should ask her out again, Rarity..."
The voice snapped back to the unicorn and sounded up.
"Don't you think, I didn't already attempt that?
She didn't give me any kind of answer.
I just know, that a friend of hers had ousted her.
Where is this so called friend of her actually?
She had made the worst mess ever here!"
Finally Twilight returned and a snow white unicorn with a very beautiful and dapper dark violet mane flounced after her.	Twilight rolled her eyes, but so that the other marr wasn't able to see it and shook her head.
"She didn't make any kind of mess.
We are taking a short rest and..."
The unicorn took the filly into a stern look, she examined her quickly and squinched up her face in disbelief. She concentrated her attention on every little displaced thing, the filly showed. The tousled mane, the puzzled eyes and finally the tail drew her attention to them. Even her undersize wings came under her scrutiny. Finally she released a curious sound and strutted to the filly.
"Very well then, Twilight.
She looks somewhat wispy for a really helpful pony.
Why did you want a school filly in the first place?
Isn't Spike enough to help you out?"
The mentioned dragon rose a little bit and stroke even a pose. Scootaloo however tried to understand, whether the unicorn had talked with, or about her and stared nervous from one elder mare to the other.
"This isn't important here. Princess Celestia was explicit, that..."
Rarity rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, to interrupt Twilight, but this time the other unicorn let it not happen and set herself besides Scootaloo.
"No Rarity, let me finish.
Princess Celestia wanted, that I deal with the school ponies,
and pick one as an assistant for these tasks. 
She was very explicit about that."
Scootaloo opened her mouth and squeaked in surprise. Twilight fell silent and Rarity appeared to be distinguished about the sound. She looked away from the filly, focussed solely on Twilight and smiled.
"But Darling, why didn't you just ask my sister?
I'm sure, she would be be really excited."
Now Twilight interrupted the mare. She stamped her hoof on the ground, looked at Scootaloo and pointed out to her.
"Very well then.
Did you believe, I was unfair to her?
I had decided, after Scootaloo here volunteered to help..."
The filly glanced at Twilight, opened her mouth, but the white unicorn was much quicker and her voice sounded almost upset.
"Well if you say so, Darling.
I was just trying to help.
But if you don't want my help, fair enough!"
The kinship with Sweetie Belle was very clear for Scootaloo at this moment, as the mare pitched her voice so high, that it even hurt in her ears.	The unicorn turned away, snapped with her tail once and pranced a few steps away.	Twilight, of course ran after her immediately, raised a hoof to stop her and apologized with a low voice.
"I'm really thankful for your offer to help me, Rarity, but..."
Scootaloo went hesitant forward and tried to get the attention of both unicorns. She raised one hoof and stroked sharp with her tail, but none of them stopped their argument.
"No Darling.
You shouldn't exert yourself any further.
How shall I explain the poor little Sweetie Belle,
that my best friend ever didn't see, when she has made a terrible mistake 
and simply denies my small appeal?"
Twilight rolled her eyes enervated again and confronted the white unicorn with one scrabbling hoof and blocked her way downstairs.
"Rarity please.
I didn't make a mistake.
Scootaloo here..."
Rarity was eager to speak up, but the loud voice from Scootaloo drowned her answer out.
"I didn't mean to hurt Sweetie Belle and..."
Both unicorn looked at her in shock and Scootaloo silenced quickly, even whispered the last word. Her wings started to tremble again.
"Please stop fighting."
She drooped her head, sure, that she had made a mistake and closed her eyes. So both elder mares had the opportunity to scold her, if she liked to do so. She drew circles on the wooden floor with one hoof, her tail waved nervously and her wings opened halfway.

A hoof raised her chin and a high voice found calm words to build her up again.
"I'm sorry, Darling.
This kind of behaviour didn't behoves a lady."
Scootaloo wasn't sure, if the unicorn meant her behaviour and opened her eyes. Rarity smiled friendly and a little bit of regret shone in her wide blue eyes. 
She nodded down to the filly and put the hoof down.
"Before I decide whether to condemn you or not 
I should make sure that you actually wronged my dear little sister. 
Don't you think so, darling?”
She addressed with the question not the filly, but Twilight, who darted with a very angry look back. She rolled her eyes again, turned over to Spike, who hadn't mention the tension in the room and looked enamoured to the white mare. Twilight sighed and poked the dragon.
“Focus, Casanova. Please prepare a snack and a little bit tea, alright?
And we shall sit down there and talk it out, okay?”
Scootaloo chewed on her lips, tried to calm herself down in this way, but her nerviness grew more and more. The glance from Rarity didn't help much either. She scurried over the floor ad followed Twilight, who was leading both guests closer to the open fire and levitated a few blankets to them. 	Scootaloo pranced past the blanket on the ground, still biting her lips in an attempt to calm down. Twilight had to lead her back to the blanket and forced her gentle to lay down. Even then her hooves were wandering over the comfortable blanket under her. Rarity on the other hoof, strutted to her blanket, shook it with a quick use of her magic and laid down on them, as it was a throne. 	Twilight laid down with a much more relaxed expression and cleared her throat.

“So, finally we are settle down a little bit.
Rarity, may I introduce to you Scootaloo?”
The white unicorn darted with concern to her friend, she wasn't pleased to listen to this obvious bad introduction.
“Please, Darling.
I don't believe, that we have to reach out for this standard here.
She is just one false friend of...”
Scootaloo raised her head as she heard this unfriendly speech and starred to the unicorn. She jumped back to her hooves and knocked hard on the ground. Well it sounded rather dull at the blanket, what eased her burst a little bit. But her tail snapped ad even her wings fluttered strong willed.
“I'm a friend of Sweetie Belle.
I don't mean to cause any kind of trouble.
So if it is so important for her, I would...”
Twilight raised her hoof, pushed Scootaloo gently back on the blanket and smiled to her.
“I'm quite sure, that it is simple a huge misunderstanding, Rarity!”
Her gaze sharpened and the last word sounded even angry out of her mouth. Scootaloo stood slowly up again and sighed.
“I will tell Sweetie,
that I won't be your assistant any more
and that she could help you instead.
I don't mean to cause any kind of problem between you and.
I'm sorry.”
Her voice faded away more and more and as she finished she felt tears  her eyes. She shut them closed and placed slowly a hoof for the other. Just out of here, before she led to even more quarrel. Warm claws laid down at her chest and she scented the tea.
“You should eat something, Scootaloo.”
Spikes warm voice sounded in her ears and the little dragon led her back in the kitchen. Behind her two whispering voices started a chat, but she didn't listen.

Spike guided the filly to a cushion and put a cup of tea and a sandwich in front of her. His eyes were wandering back to the discussing mares and he took a deep breath. 	After this he smiled at the filly, but this didn't cheer Scootaloo up in the slightest. She took the sandwich listless into her hooves and took a bit.
“Oh, apple?”
She murmured this uninflected to the bread. Spike sat down next to her with a sigh and smiled more.
“Do you know, sometimes...”
Scootaloo were easily able to guessing his words. Her voice sounded mumbled away from the bread.
“...even the best friends are fighting. Right?
But how do you apologise after the quarrel?”
Spike chocked his head, thought for a while in silence with a serious look on his face. After he found a solution the smile returned easily on his face. His answer sounded through the room.
“This is the most difficult part of the fighting.
You have just to know, what do you have done wrong.
And for this you should apologise.”
Scootaloo drew circles on the ground and chewed on her lips again. She thought back to her fight and nodded. Finally she took the cup, drank a sip and closed her eyes, as the warm tea glided down her throat. The sound of two pair of hooves neared and she opened her eyes again. The white unicorn stood in front of her and her hoof drew circles on the floor too. Her tail waved softly and she opened her mouth.
“I'm really sorry, Darling.
I believe, I was really rude to you.
Shall we start over again
and simply forget this excruciating episode, do we?”
Scootaloo stood up, considered what she wanted to do, shook finally her head and opened the mouth. Before she was able to answer, Spike whispered something to her.
“Do you know, what is more difficult as to ask for forgiveness, Scootaloo?
To accept a genuine apology and to forgive somepony.”
Spike laid down one claw on her flank and the little filly bit her lips again.
“Thanks, uhm, Rarity, right?”
The unicorn nodded with a friendly smile.
“I accept your apology.
I'm Scootaloo. Nice to meet you”

Dear Princess Celestia,

today I've learned a really important lesson about friendship.
Sometimes even the best friends are fighting and have different opinions.
But when somepony has made a mistake and another pony suffered, though she had done nothing wrong, 
you should forget your pride and ask for forgiveness.
True friends would always do and when they mean it, the other pony will accept their apology easily.
Having different opinion isn't bad, but to quarrel about it and being rude to somepony else isn't  right, 
no matter how hard you think, that you are right.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle.
> Like a feather in the wind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Like a feather in the wind.

Scootaloo woke up after yet another night of weird dreams. Green eyes glanced at her and chased her through a confusing changed Ponyville.	But today it didn't bother her any more, today Mum would return. They would eat together and Scootaloo could tell her everything. About her friend, who she wanted to reconcile with. About her greatest hero and her many new friends down here. About her adventures and her nightmares. The filly rushed out of the room and galloped into the kitchen.
"Mum, I have to tell you..."
Nopony was here! Well if she wasn't in the kitchen, she would certainly be in the living room. Scootaloo ran in the room and shouted even lauder.
“Mum I want to...”
Sunny Rays looked up from her newspaper and put it beside quickly. She looked into the eyes of the filly with a hint of sorrow in her face. She put on a small smile and her wings flapped a few times.
“I'm afraid, Curryfeather isn't here.
She..” 
Scootaloo squinched up her face in fear and stopped moving. She drooped her head and closed her eyes shut. Her wings trembled a little bit, but she put herself quickly together.
“Perhaps she is just late and we can later do something together, right?”
She sounded hopefully, but Sunny looked hardly convinced to her. The elder mare began to flap her wings harder, started to waft and jumped gently over the table. 	Sunny landed beside Scootaloo and smiled wider. She wiped over her head with a very gentle wing and tried to cheer her up.
“I'm sure she will be here soon, Scootaloo. Do you want to cook for her with me?”
Somepony knocked at the door and the filly galloped to it. It was Mum, she knew it and...

No it was just another pony. The mailmare with the strange eyes stand a little bit lost before her and held a letter in her wings.
“Scoot...Scoot...Scootaloo I have a letter for you.”
The pony was more confused, then she was usually. Scootaloo raised a hoof and pulled her quickly in the house. She closed the door.
“Have you seen Mum?”
The mailpony shook her head hesitantly and glanced to Scootaloo with one eye. The other one wandered over the wall and stayed then on Sunny Rays, who walked in the corridor.
“The letter had arrived today, with a mark of urgent delivery. 
So I kind of rush to bring to you.”
Derpy spoke up more to the elder mare and wagged with the letter in her wings. Scootaloo raised a hoof and the grey pegasus laid the letter gently in it. The filly glanced over the sender and slouched a little in disappointment. She turned the letter back and forth in the hooves and considered what she wanted to do. Her wings trembled more and a few tears gathered in her eyes. Aunt Sunny sighed and tried to take the letter from her, but this wake her up from her cloudy feelings and she shook her head.
“I go in my room and read it, okay Aunt Sunny?”
The elder mare nodded and looked after her niece, as she walked slowly away. Derpy looked after her too and sighed in a low tone. The mares shook it of and put their heads together. Scootaloo closed the door and her eyes shut and tried to fight back her disappointment. She put the letter under her pillow in an attempt to forget it already. She pranced around in the room and started to gather her school staff. When Mum didn't show up today, she could simply go...She galloped through the room, jumped on the bed and felt around under the pillow. Where was the letter? She threw away the pillow, grabbed the letter with both hooves and opened it as fast as she could.

Scootaloo,
I'm sorry, but I'm not able to come down today.
I have caught the Featherflu from a guest and have to stay in bed.
If you take comfort with it, I feel really bad about not seeing you 
and really hope that we meet soon.
I hope the flu will be cured soon.
I miss you very badly and look forward to see you again.
Your Mum
Curryfeather.

Scootaloo read the letter again and again. As she read it for the fourth time, she looked away from it's hastily written lines. She searched for courage in the room and found the Wonderbolt poster on the wall and the helmet on the bedpost, but she only stayed calm, because she bit her lips very harshly. Mum was sick and...
Scootaloo stroke her mane with one hoof roughly and pressed the letter firmly against her face. It smelled not like her, but this could be the Featherflu. She couldn't assign the slight mouldy smell on it to everything familiar. And her Mum was never so short cut, as she was here. She wanted to write an answer as soon as possible and thought to ask her, if she could come with Aunt Sunny...Somepony knocked at her door and she snapped back to reality, as a high pitched voice sounded through it.
“Scootaloo, your aunt has let me in. 
I want to...apologise and...”
The filly ran to the door, pulled it open and flung her hooves around Sweetie Belles neck. The unicorn squeaked surprised.
“I'm so sorry, Sweetie.
I just wanted to meet Rainbow in the library.”
The smaller unicorn tried to push her a little bit back, but she wasn't able to. She patted gently over the trembling pegasusfilly and raised her hooves. The friends shared a long hug.
“I never wanted to do something without you, but Twilight wanted only...”
The filly stammered around and Sweetie sensed tears in her coat.
She tried to say something with a strangely uncertain feeling, but only a sigh left her mouth. She was supposed to be sad and try to explain to her friend what had driven her to be so angry and jealous of her. But Scootaloo babbled simply along and burst out another apology.
“I'm sorry Sweetie. I wanted to go and see you again and want to go to school with you and...”
A sob interrupted her. Sweetie Belle tried to push her back once more, but as she raised the hooves and touched her, the filly started to cry even further,
“Mum couldn't come today.
Though I wanted, that you meet her and...”
This was it. Sweetie stumbled into Scootaloos room and closed the door behind her.	She sat down on the floor and waited, till her weeping friend was ready to smile into the world again. She caressed her mane in an attempt to comfort her a little bit.
“I wanted to tell and show her so much.
I wanted to show her Sugarcube Corner and present Pinkie Pie.”
The low voice was interrupted by another sob.
“I wanted to show her the library and thank Twilight and..”

Sweetie felt, that Scootaloo finally calmed down and let loose of her. Sweetie looked up. She encountered scared starring eyes and Scootaloo lost her poise again.
“I don't want to be sad anymore. 
I am getting on your nerves with it, don't I?
I'm being such a sniveller and...”
The unicorn raised her hoof and laid it gently on Scootaloos shoulder.
“You know, it doesn't bother me. 
I understand you, Scootaloo. 
We are all sad once in a while and then we need the help of our friends.”
Sweetie ran her other hoof over the ground for a few times, she didn't look in Scootaloos eyes and tried to calm down her own weird feelings. She wasn't able to quiet down the mixture of shame, fear and confusion easily. Quite different as Scootaloo she didn't bit her lip to calm down.
“And I believe I understand, 
why are you feeling like you do.
You are homesick.”
Sweetie Belle tried to distract Scootaloo from her own insecurity. The pegasusfilly shook her head at first, but as she reconsidered it she stopped. Down here everypony was friendly, beside the two exceptions, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Down here nopony glanced at her. Down here she had found more friends, as she had in two years in Cloudsdale. But Mum wasn't here. Was this all what she wanted? Didn't she want to stay here and wasn't she happier here? Finally nopony glanced at her and she hadn't to feel sad out there. But one thing was really bad down here. There was no Mum at home.
No gentle wings were tuck her in bed, no spicy carrot cakes to eat any more and nopony waited for her after school. She missed her gentle hugs, her calm voice, her gentle eyes, she was always so, so...	She missed her warmth and her smell. She looked around in her room torn between her sentiments. She was really happy down here.	Scootaloo looked back to her friend and saw a gentle smile on her face. Sweetie Belle raised a hoof to touch her face. The white hoof fondled her gently over her cheek and wiped away a tear. Scootaloo glanced back to her bed and as she saw the letter she cringed shortly. She didn't want to go back. She felt like a feather in the wind, one time down here, the other time up there. Sometimes she was happy, sometimes she was sad down here in Ponyville.
“Do you want to visit Twilight with me?
I'm going to help her today to finish the arranging of the library and...”
Scootaloo sounded much calmer and Sweetie Belle raised her eyes again. Her excitement took over her and she squeaked a:
“I'd love to.”

The fillies stood in front of the library and Scootaloo knocked at the door with one hoof. Twilight opened the door with an use of her magic and smiled down to her assistant and her friend.
“Oh, no. Scootaloo please...”
The filly looked to her friend, raised a hoof and laid it down on the shoulder of the little unicorn. She spoke up in a very suppliant tone, her face took the same expression and begged for her friends presence.
"Please Twilight. She is my friend and."
Twilight interrupted the little pegasus, rolled her eyes and smiled finally.
"Very well then, she can help.
Just today, alright?"
Scootaloo nodded and the fillies bolted jubilating into the library. Twilights smile widened and she closed the door with a sigh. With the additional help from Sweetie Belle it was very easy and they finished the rearranging of all the books in a topical order at noon. Twilight smiled pleased, as she looked down on the huge checklist, on which Scootaloo had just checked off the last book now. She nodded to both fillies and they answered with a grin.
"You have done it quite well. 
Now we should take a rest and our reward, don't you think?
Just follow me, my little ponies and..."
It knocked several times at the door and before Twilight was even able to answer, somepony pushed it open.
"Twilight I really need your help. Rarity want to put me in a fancy dress.
She is saying, it is for the princess and I should be proud of.
Oh you've got company."
Scootaloo knew this voice, this was Rainbow Dashs, right. Her eyes went wider and she gazed at the blue mare. The elder mares looked to the little fillies and Twilight smiled.
“Yes, these two have helped me rearranging the books and tomorrow Scootaloo will...”
Rainbow Dash winked at the little pegasus and glided nearer. She eyed her up and stopped finally at the tiny wings.
“Well short stuff, are you able to speak up a little bit more now?”
She sounded a little bit amused and Scootaloos ears flapped once. She blushed and her wings started to tremble. Scootaloo bit her lips shortly and ran a hoof over the ground.
“I... think so.”
Rainbows smile widened more and she nudged her with a hoof.
“Hey more words than the last time after all.”
Twilight looked at the more and more becoming flustered filly to estimate how she was able to interfere. As Scootaloo drooped her head, she stepped forward and spoke up.
“You two should go upstairs. Spike already waits for you with a nice chocolate cake. 
I will talk with Rainbow and will be there soon.”
Sweetie nodded and tried to draw Scootaloo with her, but the other filly walked closer to Rainbow Dash and opened her mouth.
“Did you...didyoufindmyscooter?”
She was able to address a question to Rainbow Dash, even if she had speed up her words a little bit. The mare stroke her mane with one hoof and thought for a while.
“Your Scooter, wait a sec. Red wheels and a blue running board, right?
I've  found it of course. It's up in my house now. You can pick it up any time you want.
Just tell me, when you fly by and pick...”
The filly drooped her head further and closed her eyes shut. Her voice faded away and she started to bit her lips even more.
“I...can't fly.”
Rainbow chocked her head and looked so well known for Scootaloo right now. 
Twilight dragged her with her, before she was able to ask more questions.

Sweetie led the friend upstairs and tried to cheer her up.
“You know, she couldn't know that and...”
Scootaloo stretched her trembling wings and sighed. The short glance of Rainbow had reminded her most unpleasantly of all those glances of the other pegasi up in Cloudsdale and she had never expected to receive that kind of glance down here. Least of all had she expected to get it from her idol, her heroine. She bit her lips intensely and noticed only as Spike laid a warm claw on her chest, that he had asked a question.
“Are you alright, Scoots?”
Scootaloo shook silently her head and tears gathered in her eyes. She fought them back. She wanted to stay happy here in Ponyville and...
“Do you want to talk about it??”
Scootaloo shook her head again and sat down low spirited on the blankets at the fire place. Spike looked to the other filly, who starred at him and gave her a hesitant smile. He glanced back to the fighting filly and pointed beside her. 
“I will cut the cake now and you tell me what happened.”
His voice sounded strongly and even a little bit demanding, but it softened for his next sentence.
“Do you want a cub of cocoa?”
Sweetie Belle nodded and cuddled beside her friend. She put a hoof around her and cheered her calmly up.
“Come on, Scootaloo. This was a really fun day, after all.
Twilight is really nice and so is Spike here.”
Scootaloo raised her head again and forced a smile back on her face. Her wings were still trembling and revealed her bad feelings easily. She opened her mouth and started with a sigh. The filly told Spike what bothered her most.
“Mum...”
> Feed when you hungers.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feed, when you hungers.

Curryfeather's days were far from varied or with so much friends, as her foals days were.	Nopony who talked to her, nopony who comforted her, and no friend who visited her. Only her own malicious reflection, who had just see after her as Scootaloos letter had arrived a few days ago. Thankfully Curryfeather had the clock, which her other self had brought in the room. But was the awareness of the slowly going of time really a thing to be thankful about? The mare turned away from the clock, looked around in the empty room and to the cloudwalls. At first she had cried out for help, or had hit the bars with her hooves, or had created other sounds, but it seemed, that nothing sounded out of the room. Even her reflection didn't mention the quarrels she had made. The cold inside of her deafened everything, though the small warmth out of Scootaloo's letter reminded her to be hungry and she shouted out for her other self. But she didn't respond. She returned late at night, or early in the morning, Curryfeather couldn't say when exactly.	But she didn't come back, because of her worries about her prisoner, only to appease her own  hunger.
“Hello there, Curryfeather.
Your foal hadn't send a letter today.
But I'm hungry and have to feed on your love.”
The mare in the cage looked at her mournfully and her stomach growled. She was hungry too. Her reflection nodded and raised a hoof.
“I will feed you, you shouldn't simply starve out, right?”
The cold hoof touched her face and over her coat ran a goose flesh. The cold inside of her answered with a wave and even the warmth in the letter wasn't able to protect her this time.

Everything darkened as something inside of her faded away. Curryfeather saw an image for her inner eyes. A grey pegasus mare with a yellow mane and a mailmare uniform came in her mind.
“One is happy to be of service...”
This words sounded shortly in her, but the image and the voice shattered and the fragments were leaving her. The cold came back and flew through her veins. Tears were streaming warm over her cold face.	Curryfeather forced  gaping the warm air in herself, but it didn't help. She pressed Scootaloos letter against her chest, but the warmth in it was just like a candle in a dark night. Like a shadow of warmth in the darkness of her emptiness.

“Ah, Derpy.
I know her from a few others...”
The hoof lost her hold and she found herself back sitting in the cage. Her wings trembled out of her will and the cold bled out into the warmth around her. She pressed Scootaloos letter tighter against herself with both hooves. But it warmth faded away it couldn't stand up against the stronger cold much longer.

Her other self fluttered out of the room and returned with a slice of bread and a shrivelled apple. She threw it on the ground in hoof reach and smiled gently down to her.
“Today you have got a few letters, who are wishing you a quick recovering. 
And I guess your sister has brought you soup.
It tastes a little bit strange, but...”
The Curryfeather on the outside interrupted herself, as her caged counterpart tried to get the bread. She picked it up and passed the feed into the cage. Her smiled looked even real, as the famished prisoner started to devour the small amount of food.
“Thanks...reflection.”
This hushed thank came out of her mouth and 24601 froze for a moment. His look was a little bit gentler for a few seconds and he shook his head resolute.
“I believe you misunderstand me, Curryfeather.
I'm not interested to see you starving out.
I know quite well, what it means to be really hungry.”
The scared look from her eyes reflected his real face and he lifted a black hoof. He inspected it interested and stretched himself.
“Yes, this is my real me.”
He changed back to her reflection and moved closer.
“But you will see this, whenever I will accompany you, Curryfeather.”

The pegasus mare raised her head and licked her dry lips. 
“Would you please bring me a bottle of water and more to eat?”
Her reflection sighed and rolled her eyes. However she fetched it. This time she had even put jelly on the bread and brought a bottle of juice in addition to the water. She sat down in front of her and watched her pensive, as she ate up. As Curryfeather had finished she glanced at her reflection and saw it, she didn't hover, but was able to walk on clouds instead.
“This time your love has faded away. 
Is it really just because of your foal's letters, Curryfeather?”
The mare floored the bottle of water and glanced again to her other self. She breathed out clouds, as she started to speak up and her hole body trembled.
“I don't know.
But what's your plan?”
Her counterpart smiled and shook her head. She strutted around in the room, eyed up her foal's cloud bed, grabbed the blanket and waved it to Curryfeather. As soon as the cloud hovered through the bars, they frayed out and flew through the mare, without any sort of hindering from her. They took away much of the cold inside of her, as would they carry a reminder of warmth inside. Curryfeather looked sadly past the cloud, as it drifted out of the cage. As it had leave behind the bars, it started to rain hard and disappeared quickly. Her counterpart looked interested  and as nothing else happened, he laid down in front of Curryfeather again.
“I'm not here to answer your questions.
Tell me about your duty in Cloudsdale!
You are a chef, but much more than just this,
many ponies are visiting your diner and arouse the love inside of you,
or strengthen their own love.
What kind of magic is that?”
Curryfeather looked at her tantaliser for a long time, she wasn't sure how she had to answer. The cold decayed for a moment, as she reminded herself to the Curryparadise and her many guests. She stood up and smiled.
“These are my friends and they want to hear from me,
how they're able to be better ponies for their friends...”
She interrupted herself and extended her wings, as the warmth returned. Her reflection raised too and gazed at her. The love was grown inside of her simply because of this statement. This mare was.
“Unique, 24601.
Take her, or her foal. But don't kill her. Keep both of them nearby.”
He remembered the hoggish expression from the queen and gulped. Now he could see it easily. This mare was able to get love in this terrible circumstances, just because she thought about her friend. This was...
“And I try to solve their problems, too.”
He had to ask just one question.
“I see.
But who helps you out with your problems?”
This question stroke something inside of her, but like a few days ago, the string was droopy and the emptiness sent out a wave of cold through her body. It exhausted all warmth, who was inside of her, replaced it with ice and her reflection sighed. She wasn't so unique at all. This love was just a flash in the pan and collapsed right now.
“You're so weak, Curryfeather.
I hope your foal would write a letter soon.
Till then I'm just leaving behind a question.
Why were you helping so many ponies in the first place?”
The cold hoof stroked almost gently over her face, awoke a new wave of cold and backed down. Curryfeather stayed back in the room and buried her face in her hooves.

Her thoughts rushed in her head, and one question sounded in her ears.
“Why do I like to help ponies?”
A warm voice well known like her own raised in her memory.
“You know, Fire, sorry, Curryfeather.
I have always liked seeing you,when you help your friends out.
You know all the times how you should help them.
I'm proud of you.
But you have to listen to yourself more often and let others help you too.
Her own wings wiped away a tear from her eye and she saw a mare in a bed. 
She smiled to her very gently.
“I...will try.”
Her mum raised a trembling hoof, the orange coat, reminded her to her foals coat. Her eyes, pink, like her little sisters, starred at her.
“No, please find somepony, who loves you and helps you, when I'm gone, child.”
Again her eyes were filled with tears, but a weak wing fondled gently over her mane, as Mum always did.

This memory didn't answer her question, but she wasn't eager to dig deeper now. The cold snapped her back into reality and she covered her trembling body with her horrent wings.  The warmth in the letter died and she let it go. It glided slowly out of the cage and landed on the floor with the lines from her daughter on the top. From there it started to get warm again and sent the little bit of warmth slowly to Curryfeather. It caressed over her cold body like gentle hooves.
“So I have to release her and the warmth returns.”
She murmured and shivered heavily. But the warmth helped her to slowly drift off.
> I want to change!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I want to change!

Scootaloo finished her story with a relieved sigh and had finally calmed down her trembling wings. Her friends care had helped her a lot with this task at hoof. Spikes claw laid warm on her check and a hoof from Sweetie Belle hugged her gently.
"...I just wanted to see Mum again and now she simply didn't show up.."
Spike caressed her check for the last time and let loose. He sounded calm, as he turned around in a search for a quill and some ink.
"She is definitely really sad about this, Scootaloo.
I would say you shouldn't be sad too. 
In the meantime, you should rather write her a letter on your own.
When you're writing her a get well soon letter, 
she'll surely recover much faster, don't you think?"
Finally Spike found a sheet of paper and a quill. He posed a little and awaited her letter.
"But Mum is surely too sick to go to the mailbox and..."
The wings trembled again and her voice faded more and more away.
Spike smiled very friendly and replied.
"Let me handle this, okay?"
Before he was able to explain further, the moving hooves sounded downstairs and Twilight trotted into the room.
"Spike, good timing. I just wanted to send a letter to.."
She spotted the untouched cake and the mugs full of cocoa on the sideboard and smiled delighted.
"Oh you have been waiting for me. How kind of you."
Scootaloo drooped her head again and searched the ground for any kind of secure. She sighed soundly, as she didn't find it anywhere. Sweetie Belle otherwise jumped back on her hooves and copied the bright smile from Twilight.
"We're just cheering Scootaloo up a little bit and..."
She squeaked more and more and Twilight raised a hoof to cut her explanation short. She cocked her head and looked at Scootaloo more or less curious. Her words were neither questioning nor pushing in any matter.

"Rainbow is sorry about... Well I just don't know for what precisely. What's your matter anyway?"
Spike opened his mouth, but a fast look from Scootaloo let him stay silent. The small pegasusfilly shook her head and stood up too.
"You have heard it. I can't fly."
Twilight bit her lips, the filly sounded angry and hurt at the same time and her wings supported these feelings with more trembling. Twilight tried an apologetic prancing, but the filly seemed not even mention her efforts.
"And Rainbow had looked so...so..."
Scootaloo stammered her disappointment out and tears were gathering in her eyes again.
"so...pitying..."
This was the last word, Twilight could understand, before Scootaloo pressed her eyes shut and gnawed on her lips again. The elder mare looked at the other filly in the room, who ran her hoof over the ground and squinched her face in an enquiring matter. Before she was able to ask anything, Sweetie Belle stepped up to her and whispered.
"This is the reason why she has come down here for the first time.
Every pegasus in Cloudsdale had looked at her in this way and she didn't liked it."
Twilight shook her head and her tail was moving fast from left to right. She blinked in confusion and whispered another question.
“But this isn't a bad thing or is it?”
Her voice hit Scootaloo loud enough, that she opened her eyes again and eyed up the elder unicorn for a long time.

“Not a bad thing?
Not a bad thing. Imagine for one sec that you can't do what everypony can do and everypony knows it.
Everypony looked at you as they would say: you're none of us. You are wrong...
I won't be looked at, like they do. I won't...”
First she yelled at Twilight, but the appalled looks from her and Sweetie Belle, let her voice fading and the last words she just whispered. Twilight looked stranded to Spike, who's quill sent slowly an ink drop down to the ground. But her assistant didn't know what to say either. Sweetie Belle stepped closer to her friend and smiled cautious in her face.
“You know, it's like...”
She started, but a glance from Scootaloo silenced her again. So the unicorn drew circles on the ground, not sure what to say. The other filly trembled and starred at Twilight, who retrieved apparent unwell to the cake and lifted a knife with her magic.
“Do you want same cake?”
This felt out of her mouth as an obvious try to distract everpony. Spike shook his head in disbelief and looked at her with his usual, are you kidding me look, 	but thankfully Sweetie Belle understand her policy here. She knocked once on the ground with a hoof and lifted Scootaloos face with it.  She starred concern into the tear stained eyes of the elder pegasus and spoke up without any squeak.
“And when you are like you are.
Everypony was looking at you the way they did because...”
Scootaloo opened her eyes wide and the tears flowed down. Sweetie wiped them gently out of her face and lifted her hoof back to her watering eyes. She spoke quieter but sharper at the same time.
“You are a little whiner,
who everpony has to be pity with.”
Sweetie turned over to Twilight, her tail lashed in the direction of Scootaloos face, but didn't hit her actually. Scootaloo shied away anyway. The unicorn stepped closer to the sideboard and her voice softened.
“Yes please, Twilight.
I love cherrycake and I would like to have a mug of cacao too, Spike.”
The little dragon took Scootaloo in an estimated look, who followed then Sweetie Belle. The unicorn turned her back to Scootaloo with ostentation. She get a piece of cake, turned over to her friend and took a bite. The other filly looked puzzled at first, then pensive and finally she bit her lips. 	Her hooves wiped over her eyes a few times, then arranged her mane properly and stroked away the tears in it.	She shook away her shivers and put a forced smile back on her face.
“May I...”
She spoke quietly and her voice even cracked. Scootaloo swallowed a sob and cleared her throat. She stepped beside Sweetie Belle.
“Please may I have a slice of cake too, Twilight?”
Yes the filly sounded faster as usual and Twilight saw still some tears gathering in her eyes. However she smiled back and lifted up a piece of cake to Scootaloo with her magic.
“Of course.”
Twilight looked at Spike, who shook his head again and turned finally away.	He sat down on the first stair to her bed and tipped with the quill on the paper. The fillies and Twilight enjoyed the cake, the cacao and were talking about this and that, without any bad feelings. At least mentioned feelings. In which Scootaloo had to push herself really hard to suppress her bad feelings and Sweetie Belle tried to push it away with excessively joy. Twilight played along a little bit embarrassed, but Spike didn't have it. He planned to wait till the fillies have say goodbye and then wanted to follow Scootaloo. 

Scootaloo went upstairs into the basement and said goodbye to Twilight.
“Would you please come back tomorrow, Scootaloo?
We have something else to do together.”
The filly nodded and opened the door. Sweetie Belle followed her and Spike tried too, but the door closed before him with the light of Twilights magic. 	Scootaloo heard an argument behind the closed door, but she wasn't interested in the subject of it and started to gallop. Sweetie rushed after her. It was very exhausting for the little unicorn to keep up with her pegasus friend but she was determined to stay with her no matter what. After the first corner however Scootaloo slowed down and even halted.
“I'm sorry, Sweetie. I would like to be alone.
Thanks. It was...fun.”
Her voice sounded affected and Sweetie could spot a few tears in her eyes. 	She nodded silently and turned around.

Scootaloo ran home, tried to control herself, until she was sure to be alone in her room. As she was she jumped on her bed, pressed her face into the pillow and stayed like this for many minutes. Sunny Rays had heard, that her niece come home and scudded into her room without any greetings. She trotted silently after her and looked into her room. There she saw her laying in her bed. She simply couldn't miss the sobs and the crying. So she let her hoof wandering over the ground very nervously and considered what she had to do. Finally she shook herself and passed the threshold. She stepped beside the bed, lifted one of her wings slowly, before she let it drop again. 
Finally she sighed and covered the filly with her wing. She gently caressed her uncertain whether or not the filly even noticed her efforts inexperienced as she was, 
but she continued anyway.
“I'm sorry Scootaloo, that Curryfeather isn't able to be here for you.”
She spotted the letter from her sister and stopped her calming words. She read it and shook her head.
“But she is sick and...”
The affected voice sounded out from under her wing and reached her ears. A shiver ran over her, as the words went deeper.
“This isn't what bothers me now, Aunt Sunny.
Rainbow Dash has me...today...”
The mare lifted her wing and put a hoof around her niece.
“What did she do, Scoot?
Was she mean to you?”
Sunny sounded angry and disappointed and she fondled gently over the tiny wings with one hoof.
“She has...she has... looked at me so pitying...”
Sunny Rays let out a low sigh and shook her head. Curryfeather had of course told her and the last talk about it started to whirl around in her head.
“I will talk with her about that, okay?”
Scootaloo startled, starred at her aunt even scared and grabbed her hoof.
“Please don't, aunt Sunny.
I won't...
I want to get better and...”
Her voice was trembling, but her eyes were clear and focussing themselves into the eyes of the elder mare. Sunny Rays had a clouded expression at first, but the firm look from the filly convinced her finally.
“Alright, but if you need help don't be afraid to ask me or Cheerilee, okay?”
Scootaloo nodded.
“You know, I have a few friends, who I can ask for help too.”
Sunny Rays nodded and smiled.
“I know, Scoot. Oh right, you got a letter.”
Scootaloo cocked her head and looked at the small letter from her mum. But aunt Sunny shook her head.
“No Scootaloo. Your friend Fluttershy had written to you.”
Scootaloo looked at her very puzzled and Sunny Rays laid down a letter in her hooves.

Dear Scootaloo,

it must be very confusing, to hear from me, while we just meet once, isn't it?
If it bothers you, you simply needn't answer. 
I surely understand this probably concerns of you.
But if you like to, you could come to visit me once.
If you don't want to, I understand and don't want to make you uncomfortable.
If you want to, we can talk with a nice cup of tea 
and maybe I can help you out if you like to.
I know what it means to be new down here.
I even know how it is like to be to shy to speak up on your behalf.
I'm looking forward to hear  from you or even see you again.
Yours
Fluttershy.
	
> An advice from an elder friend.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

An advice from an elder friend.

The night was shorter, than Scootaloo wanted to. She awakened in sweat out of her last dream. The nightmares had gone worse this time and Luna didn't show up to help her. The filly snuggled closer into her pillow, laid her right, than her left side of the head onto it, but even as she fluffed it up again the images from her last dream kept her awake. Sweetie Belle with dark green glooming eyes said again and again:
“You're a little whiner.”
And this was the most inoffensive image she remembered. The fleeing from unknown frightening things, from cold glances, from pitying glances, all images together hit her like a very dark cloud, as she struggled away the blanket with all four hooves. She stood up hesitantly, crawled up from her bed and sneaked into the bathroom. She looked over the taps, the shower and stayed finally on the great mirror in the right corner. The filly lagged in her own dark spirits and watched for a long time into her own reflection. She could barely see her colours in the twilight, but the greyish coat and the darker mane mirrored her frame of mind just perfectly. 	She tried to put on a smile on her face to face her fears and bouncing heart, but a frown returned very fast.
“I just don't want it any more...
I want change.”
Her voice whispered first and faded away. She turned on the cold water with a shivering hoof, put this hoof under the running water and tried to wash away her feelings with many hooffuls of chilling water. The prickling cold of it dispersed the least bit of tiredness and her mane stuck wet on her coat in a short notice. She shook the water away and tried to smile again, but this time it faded much faster away from her face and she bit her lips.
“Cripes, I must...”
The sound of moving hooves got her attention and woke her up from her ongoing self accusation.	She galloped out of the bathroom, before her aunt spotted her.
“Good morning, Aunt Sunny.
I just want to go outside...”
She ran to the front door and opened it, before Sunny was able to reply. The answer sounded unclear from behind her, but Scootaloo didn't stop and rushed forward quickly. The air still smelled like a taste of night and the filly galloped through a quiet and even empty Ponyville. 	Greyish houses appeared in her way, the sky above wasn't just black but very dark blue and far away a small always gone crescent was shining pale on the fields.	She easily dodged every obstacle in her path, but didn't slow down.	Where she was running, she didn't even bother. She just wanted to run away. But what was she running away from anyway? Aunt Sunny was very nice and...	No, she wasn't running away from her. Was she running away from her room, her bed, her new home? She slowed down and shook her thoughts of. Her head drooped a little bit and she breathed out to suppress a sob. Finally she stopped. 
The filly rubbed over her face and with one hoof and then over her other front hoof. A goose bump ran over her body and her tail flapped around in the cold air. She closed her eyes shut, chewed on her lips for while and snuffled her nose to calm herself down again. Finally her hooves were moving on their own, guiding her through Ponyville, leading her not back to Sunny Rays house, but to the Golden Oaks library instead. Like she had gone the two days before. Wouldn't it be way to early...

As she arrived at the library she lifted her head and looked up. Illuminated windows, quiet sounds of moving pots and the obvious sound and presence of magic were fighting the silence of the early morning, like the light was fighting the darkness of the night. Right now the front door of the library opened with a glimmer of purple light and Twilight went out  with a shimmering horn. A really big book levitated fore her nose and she put it only down to look at the sky. Then she lifted it and delved into the lines again. Scootaloo considered what to do and drew lines on the ground meanwhile .
“Uh...uhm. Good morning, Twilight.”
She said it under her breath and took a deep breath afterwards. She sneezed in the fresh air. The elder unicorn snapped out of the book with a surprised squeak.
“Oh, for Celestias sake. Good morning Scootaloo. 
Is it really that late? I must have forgotten the time...”
The mare looked confused down to the filly and let sink the book slowly. She spotted the trembling wings and the frowning face quite easily and sighed silently. She smiled and beckoned the filly over to her side. Her tail stroke once in a determined matter and her smile widened.
“Come on in.
Do you like some cocoa?”
The filly followed the invitation and stepped in the library hesitantly. She spotted Spike with a strange skirt around his body and a bucket full of water in his left claw. He roughed down the benches he laid on. His eyes looked to her and he leapt up quickly.
“Good morning Scootaloo.
I wanted to tell you...”
The closing door interrupted his explanation and a strange look from the little dragon glanced over the filly to the pony behind her. The mare cleared her throat and Spike started to clean up the benches with a annoying sigh.
“What Spike wanted to say: 
I'm sorry, that I was yesterday...”
The filly turned over with a confused look and Twilight drew apologetic circles on the ground. 	She even smiled disarming. Scootaloo opened her mouth, but as a sob found its way out of it, she closed it again.
“I mean...I won't that you..
Shoot. Well, would you be so good and help me out Spike?”
Twilight tried to step closer to the shaking filly, but Scootaloo shied away a few steps, to make sure, that the distance stayed the same. Spike rolled his eyes over Twilights attempts and shook his head. He threw the sponge into the bucket and wiped away the soapy water from his claws with the skirt. He stepped slowly closer onto the filly, laid both warm claws on her face and smiled friendly.
“What Twilight is trying to say: She is sorry, that she wasn't helpful yesterday.
We want to do it better today, okay Scoots?”
Scootaloo closed her eyes under the gentle caressing claws from Spike and took a deep breath. She whispered so fast, that Twilight couldn't understand everything, but quite enough.
“But I want to be better...
I want to be different...”
Twilight took a step closer, as she saw, that the filly almost lost her poise, but tried to fight it. She wiped over her eyes with one hoof, wiped away the tears and dried them in her mane. She chewed on her lips and fought back the sobs. The unicorn laid a hoof around her shoulder and she and Spike led her upstairs.
“But I just don't want to be sad any more.
I want to...want to...”
The sobs finally overtook her and were pressing themselves over her stammering, as she tried to speak up. She wiped away more tears. Twilight levitated a mug of cocoa to her and poured in a cup of tea for herself in at the same time. She led the trembling filly to a few blankets, which she had prepared already. Her look glided upstairs to her night stand. First she levitated a book on it with her magic, but  Spike glanced at her and shook his head quickly. She put the book back on the stand, sighed and kneeled beside the filly.
“You know.
I understand this. But...
it isn't so easy to change yourself.”
She lifted the head of the filly gently and looked in her eyes. Scootaloo stayed on the blankets and searched in the smiling face of the unicorn any kind of secureness.
“But I don't want to feel bad.
Do you know a spell, which could make me happy again?”
Twilight shook her head and Scootaloo saw a kind of regret in her eyes.
“I'm sorry, Scootaloo.
But magic won't help in this case.”
Twilight closed her mouth, like she wanted to seal in more explanations and a really insecure expression returned on her face. Scootaloo pranced on the spot and shut her eyes closed. A sob fought through her resistance and came out of her mouth again.
“But what should I do instead?
How can I become happier again?”
Scootaloo brought this questions out of her mouth, before she had to chew on her lips to fight back her sobs again.	She drooped her head and her wings trembled.	Twilight pulled her hoof away from Scootaloo and looked to Spike, who lifted his claws and smiled encouraging. His lips were forming a silent word and the unicorn bit her lips once.
“This needs time, Scootaloo.
But the solution you chose yesterday wasn't a good one.
It won't make it easier for you, when you're acting tough or when you're suppressing your feelings.
The emotions will come back back much stronger than before.”
Scootaloo nodded and snuffled once. A few tears were streaming out of her eyes and over her cheeks.	Twilight cleared her throat and continued gently. Her own hooves were drawing circles on the blankets and her tail flapped nervously.
“Look out for a pony you can talk with about your feelings.
Somepony who listens and who you trust.”
The filly raised her head, her eyes were searching out for Twilights, moving around to Spike and starring finally to the ceiling.
“My mum had always...”
Tears were filling her eyes again and Twilight sighed. She had expected this answer of course, but it wasn't easy to repeat anyway.
“I think a friend is actually better to...”
Scootaloo shook her head fast and bit her lips strongly. Her wings opened halfway and a cloud came out of her mouth. Twilight nodded and heated up the fire in the fireplace with her magic. The cold flowed out of the pegasus and gripped her body like a strong claw.
“I don't want, that Sweetie Belle...”
Her whispering voice strengthened the cold and Twilight pulled another blanket closer to the filly. But she didn't wrapped it around the filly for once, instead she laid down a hoof around the trembling filly, even when the difference in temperature sent a goose bump down on her body.
“I understand that.
Eventually your aunt can help...”
Before she was able to finish her sentence, Scootaloo sobbed again.
“She can't help me.”
Spike stepped closer and laid his claws on the trembling filly. If she would go down the road of sadness much further, the fire couldn't protect the library from the mist or even worst the frost. He put an arm around her and hugged her really gently. Thankfully dragons couldn't get a goose bump, but the cold body of filly let him tremble. His own warmth on the other claw took Scootaloo like a gentle wing and led her step by step to a memory of her mum, her warmth, her hugs. Twilight thought out for while, what she should suggest and glanced over to the book at the night stand again. Here was something it couldn't explain.
“Maybe one of my pegasus friends could help you.
Rainbow Dash is...”
Scootaloos look silenced Twilight very quickly. She looked scared and shook her head.
“Fluttershy is the only one left than.
Maybe she is able to help...”
The next look from Scootaloo was uncommon for Twilight at best. There was no sadness for a moment, but a hint of relief. Even her trembling wings stopped for a moment.
“Do you really think...
Do you really think she can help me?
She can make me feel better?”
Twilight wanted to nod, but she remembered then how sensitive the yellow pegasus mare usually was and sighed.
“She would probably cry with...”
Spike raised his head and shook it. He let go the filly and lifted her head with a claw.
“I think she can help you, Scoots.
Do you want to make a try?
Shall we write a letter to her?
And shall we go to visit her later?”
Scootaloo shut her eyes closed  bit her lips and nodded finally.

Dear Fluttershy,

I'm sorry about the hurry in with I ask you out for a visit,
but a little friend of mine really needs your help.
Scootaloo, a pegasusfilly had a rough time,
and needs somepony to listen to her.
Could we please come over for a tea this afternoon?
I know it must be rather unusual for you, 
but I hope you will agree, that our visit is important.
If it bothers you, please don't be hesitant to send a letter, 
or tell us, if you don't want to meet the filly today.

Yours truly
Twilight Sparkle.
> The second task.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second task.

Spike had sent the letter in a flash of green fire and smiled to Scootaloo. The filly looked back with a real puzzled expression.
“I'm able to send letters very quickly to everypony I know.
I don't know, if I knew your Mummy, but I can try to send a letter to her.”
Before the filly could respond, Twilight cleared her throat and the little ones turned over to her.
“I think, we should try that later, Spike.
You have to clean up the whole library today and we two, we have something else to do.”
She lifted the cooled down bucket with a glow of her horn and Spike sighed. The elder unicorn glanced over to the filly and circled around her one time. 	Scootaloo turned her head, tried to turn herself, but Twilight shook her head quickly and she stopped. The mare pondered for a while, stepped beside the little pegasus and smiled hesitantly.	She drew lines on the ground with one hoof, but she finally thumped once on it very energetic.
“We should start with the second task, don't you think?”
Scootaloo looked at her very confused and answered quietly.
“The second task? I thought you were just needing help in the library.”
Twilight shook her head with a smile and levitated a huge checklist out of the depths of the library. The eyes of the filly went wider and wider, first like bottom plates, then even like soup plates and she goggled with a wide open mouth to the list. A quill spun around slowly in the light of the magic of Twilight and the filly took it finally in her mouth with a deep sigh.

Scootaloo didn't know exactly, how many tasks she had started with Twilight, or how many ponies she had met in the process. It was just too many. Many coat and mane colours mixed up with names and cutie marks were turning in her head and were mixing up into very strange combinations. She recognised Mr. and Ms. Cake, Pinkie Pie and Rarity of course. Every one of them remembered her and were acting more or less friendly. A few new friends, like Carrot Yellow, she thought that was her name, were friendly too.	But many other ponies were rather reserved, or they were even ignoring her and focusing her whole  attention to Twilight. Then there were the strange ponies. The mailmare with the strange eyes were put in charge of cleaning up and smiled very reluctant.
“Th...th...thanks Twilight. When I clean up, I can't broke anything...”
She looked at Scootaloo and her smile widened. Twilight nodded, turned over and breathed out very relieved. The filly ticked up the box on the checklist beside Derpys name, smiled too and turned halfway over. But she stopped and didn't move, as Twilight walked away. Her voice sounded very thin out of her mouth.
“Could you please deliver a letter to my Mummy today, Derpy?
She is very sick and I would like to write her,
so she is feeling better soon.”
The mailmare nodded, bent over and raised a hoof. She ruffled Scootaloos mane and tried to focus her both eyes on her. But like usual, one of them was wandering over the sky instead.
“I w...w...will drop over to you this afternoon.
It w...w...will be delivered tonight. I promise.”
She sounded very encouraging and the filly nodded eased. Derpy smiled very friendly, flapped her wings and lifted off. Twilight had taken a few steps meanwhile and hadn't noticed the missing filly until she stand on the next doorstep. She looked back and cried out for her.	Scootaloo hurried up and galloped beside the mare. The last two strange ponies, a unicorn with headphones and purple sunglasses and her pale grey friend, were appearing to be friendly. But just one of them spoke and the other one listened to loud music instead. 	So Scootaloo had to assume by means of small expressions from the unicorn and well speak out words with a really lofty accent from the grey earthpony, if they were friendly.
“We will do our contribution, too, Twilight.
I will compose a sonata for Princess Celestia, if you want to. 
I already have imagine the very best title for it.”
Twilight waited for a pause in the elaborated speech of the mare and opened her mouth.	But the mare turned to a cello and didn't react to Twilight attempts to speak up. 
She reached out for the instrument and asked.
“How are you feeling about the Sundance Sonata?
Do you think it is adequate for Princess Celestia?”
The mare stopped finally and Twilight shook her head.
“It would be way to much. You should compose only the welcome song for her, Octavia. 
I think a whole sonata overdoes it.
Eventually you could play one or two lines.”
The mare looked at her very concerned, but she addressed Scootaloo instead.
“What do you think, isn't a sonata much better for a princes, then two lines of music?”
Scootaloo looked at her very confused, but before she could answer, Twilight interrupted her with her own opinion.
“Alright, alright, Octavia. I will change the arrangements, so you can play the sonata instead.”
Scootaloo looked down and drew circles on the ground with one hoof, but the mare didn't lifted her head. She stayed focus on her.
“So, my little one, what do you say?”
Twilight turned over to the door with an enervated cry and opened it with her magic. She jogged slowly out of the house and Scootaloo tried to follow her, 
but the mares eyes were following her and went smaller.
“I don't know what a sonata is in the first place.”
The filly was finally able to stammer something and turned over. She galloped outside.
“We can change this, very easily my dear. 
I will come to the school after the festival and teach all of you, what a sonata is.”
The mare sounded friendlier, as Scootaloo had expected and she turned over a little bit confused.	She bumped into Twilight shortly after that. The unicorn stopped and turned over to her. The filly jumped back with a squeak, took the hovering quill and ticked up another box.
“Who else is left, Scootaloo?”
She sounded tired and sighed. Scootaloo looked down to the end of the checklist and saw, that only three ponies stayed blank.
“Uhm, Bonbon, Fluttershy, and Applejack aren't checked up.”
She whispered and Twilight rolled her eye very enervated.
“Well we...oh no.”
The mare looked up to the clock and rushed forwards. She took Scootaloo with her magic at the same time and both were rushing, or better levitating through Ponyville and closer to the dark forest nearby. Twilight stammered a few words, without any pause.
“I'm late...I'm way to late...”
She slowed down finally, but didn't let go Scootaloo out of her magic. She breathed in heavily and tried to calm her breath, as she walked closer to a cottage. A cottage, that Scootaloo had seen for once.
“Twilight, I...”
The mare didn't respond and built herself up. She knocked hesitantly at the door and a whispered voice answered.
“Yes, please?”
The door opened a jar and two blue eyes were peeping through it. First they were staring to Twilight, but were going down quickly to the levitating filly aside her.
“Uh, I'm glad, Twilight.
You've finally arrived. I was in worry, that...”
The mare opened the door and allowed finally a full look of her. The yellow mare looked back at Twilight and flinched one step away from her. Twilight stammered an apology and stepped into the cottage.She took Scootaloo with her and closed the door with another use of her telekinesis.
“I'm really sorry, Fluttershy.
We have forgotten the time, as we assigned the tasks for the visit from Princess Celestia, you know?”
The yellow mare looked to the table, where a tea pot and a plate with cookies stood and wiped over her mane with one hoof. She looked away and whispered.
“N...Never mind.”
Scootaloo looked over the inside of the house, the few green furniture, 	the few books in the shelves and the carpets on the floor.	This didn't look like a pegasuss house. Her last look wandered over a white bunny, who sat on a chair and eyed her up too. He chocked his head, grinned and jumped closer.	Fluttershy pointed at the table and mumbled quieter as before.
“I think the tea went cold. I'm really sorry about that.
I'll make some new right now.
Please sit down and feel like home.
If you want too.”
Twilight stared past her friend, as she left the room. These were more word, as she had expected. She had brought a strange pony with her and...Just now she turned over and faced Scootaloo again. The levitating filly spun slowly around and the mare looked shocked at her.
“Uh, I'm sorry.
I will put you down instantly.”
She did it and examined the filly for a long time. Scootaloo pranced on the spot, drew a line on the floor with one hoof and walked slowly to the table. The bunny hobbled closer to her, jumped around her and landed finally on her back. He squeaked something and a fluffy touch tickled over Scootaloos wings. She turned her head and saw that the bunny fondled them gently. The gentle think made more strange noises. He cocked his head, jumped down of her back and hobbled back to Fluttershy, as she returned with a tray in her mouth. She put it very carefully on the table, as the bunny bounced aside her and repeated the last noises he had made.
“Really, oh. Hm, alright.”
Fluttershy answered and smiled back at Scootaloo.Her hooves shivered and her tail waved very nervously, as she started to talk to her.
“I'm glad to see you again, Scootaloo.
Do you want take a seat?”
The filly stepped slowly closer, sat down with her back hooves on the couch, but didn't allow her front hooves to rest. Instead they stayed on the floor. Twilight smiled and sat down aside her. Her own front hooves were laying under her body and the unicorn mare tried to retain a yawn. The following minutes were the quietest, Scootaloo ever had experienced with three ponies. She had picked up a cookie with her mouth and chewed on it very absent minded. Scootaloo had prepared herself for many questions, but the yellow mare didn't ask any one. The mare looked to Twilight instead, but the unicorn focused herself onto her own cup of tea and was casting looks to Scootaloo time and again. Finally she looked back to Fluttershy and smiled encouraging. The mare poured herself a cup of tea in, she spun the full cup in her hooves then and seemed to reconsider how to start. Scootaloo had finished her cookie already and pushed her own cup closer to the pot silently. Twilight smiled to her and opened her mouth. Before she was able to speak one word, Fluttershy had already poured some tea in and hindered in that way any easy introduction for the talk. All three were raising their cups in the same time and drank a sip of tea. 
In the following silence, just interrupted from the sound of magic, the bunny squeaked up with some loud noises. As it was a waking call, all three ponies started to talk at the same moment.
“I'm alone...The little one feels lonely... How can I help you?”
All three ponies silenced quickly, as they were hearing the others.
“I'm alone...”
Scootaloo whispered that and her wings trembled. She almost jumped up, but stayed and her fore hooves pranced on the ground.
“The little one feels lonely...”
Twilights voice sounded almost almost as raspy as Rainbow Dash's and and she cut a grimace. Her tail waved around and scared imaginary flies away. She laid a hoof on Scootaloos side also.
“How can I help you...”
This question sounded normal, but how Fluttershy had said it was anything but normal. She held her shoulders close to her body, her tail couldn't stand still and her eyes were firmly focused on the table. Really nothing suggested which pony she aimed with the question, nor did it sound like she wanted any kind of answer. The silence stroke back for a moment and new sips of tea were gliding down three throats. Throats, who stayed dry nevertheless, throats, who's owners didn't know how to start.

“I'm alone...”
A trembling voice sounded burdensome through the room and tears were gathering in Scootaloos eyes.
> A tangled web of feelings.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A tangled web of feelings.

Scootaloo squeezed her eyes shut and fought back every single tear. She was getting more and more in the mood of talking.
“I...I mean, Mum had said, that she took just one day to check around shortly.
But now she wrote me...”
She spoke louder and louder and stood up.
“That she just could come to Ponyville now and then.
And she has cancelled her first visit, because...”
The filly trudged through the room, trampled headless over the carpets, rumbled over the wooden floor aside them 	and raised her tone in an angry way. The little wings on her back buzzed and wind blew through an open window behind her. The wind brought in a smell of clouds and a sparkling sound.
“But I can't be angry with her because of that, or can I?
She didn't become ill on purpose I think and...”
Scootaloo lowered her voice, sneaked to the window and took a short glance outside. Her wings flattered for the last time and started to tremble again.
“But I am disappointed and...”
A whisper interrupted Scootaloo's very fast avowal. A gentle fluttering sound filled the air and a warm hoof placed itself around the filly.
“Hurt?
I truly understand that.”
The little pegasus squirmed herself out of the touching hoof and flinched a few steps away. Fluttershy sighed, but nodded. Scootaloo couldn't face either one of the mare, she searched for a spot in one corner of the room and looked down on it, as it would be the most interesting point in the whole village.
“But...that isn't what I really feel.
I'm...am...am... I just don't know.”
She couldn't let her face stayed on the boring corner much longer and faced Twilight instead. The mare tried to calm herself with her waving tail. She looked up to the ceiling and searched something there, words, or a safety spot. She didn't get anything. The fluttering sound returned behind Scootaloo, but this time nopony touched or hugged her. Fluttershy stepped in the line of sight between Twilight and Scootaloo instead, shielded both from the other one and kneeled down in front of the filly. The yellow mare pressed her wings gently against her body and tried to calm down her own trembling. She avoided to look into Scootaloo's face, but as she spoke again her line of sight changed. She looked over the filly's nostril and stayed on her wings finally .
“You're hurt. When you're mad or sad about it, it will be okay.
You should simply know...”
Scootaloo stomped her hoof on the ground and flapped her wings once.
“I'm not mad.
I just don't know what I suppose to be.”
Twilight sighed and sneaked aside Fluttershy. She kneeled down too and smiled hesitantly to the little filly. Her tail didn't stop to wave and her front hoof drew two lines on the ground.
“You're feeling lonely, lost and...”
Scootaloo drooped her head slowly and started to breathe in and out heavily. A blast flew over her and the mare and she raised  encouraged her head again.
“I'm not feeling lonely.
I'm definitely not homesick.
I want...I just want...”
A sob burst out of her, but she still fought back the tears. Fluttershy raised slowly and tried to touch her with one hoof. Scootaloo flinched away much faster and glared at her.
“I mean...Sweetie Belle is right, but...how can I be homesick?”
Twilight looked at her very confused and shook her head a little bit.
“But I thought, you aren't homesick.
Spike had said...”
The filly stared shortly to the unicorn and nodded weakly, as she answered with another thump of her hoof.
“Spike is right, too.
I'm sad.
But this isn't...”
Fluttershy breathed in deeply and came closer to Scootaloo. She lifted her head with one hoof and smiled gently in her face.
“I...I...I'm so sorry.
I have seen myself in you and thought, what I would feel in yours stead, 
would be obviously the problem you struggled with.”
Flutterrshy's look trailed to the ceiling and her hoof trembled shortly. But it changed quickly. She smiled very gently and tried to catch the filly with one wing.
“C'mon...c'mon please sit down and I will listen to you, if you like...
Please tell me from the start on...”
Scootaloo flinched away, the last smile was just like one of her mum and an undesired memory found it's way in her head.

“Mummy, uhm...the other fillies in the foggarden are calling me Wingloo and didn't want to play with me.”
She had hemmed and hawed around and thought for a long time, if she should tell her mum that. But she felt safe and loved, as she snuggled aside her Mum's flank and her wing warmed her like a fluffy blanket. So she couldn't help but to whisper. The answer sounded silently in her ears, as she began to fall asleep.
“I'm sure they will stop this soon. I'll speak with...”

Scootaloo shook away the following memories and looked down to the ground. Her tail scared a few other feelings away and her wings trembled in a failed attempt to calm herself.
“I just don't know how often I must tell this and it changes nothing...
I just don't want to.”
The last words fled her mouth, but another sub followed and her eyes were filling up with tears again. Fluttershy turned over to her chair, sat down and looked back to Scootaloo.
“You don't have to, if you don't want to.
I will wait and when you're ready you can tell me.”
Scootaloo looked up and faced the yellow pegasi in confusion. She chewed on her lips shortly and turned over to the door. The bunny stand there, folded his arms around his small chest and shook his head. Before the filly was able to take one step further, he jumped at the key and locked the door. Before he could pull the key out of the lock a purple light levitated him and the key.
“No, no no, Angel, when she wanted to go, we won't stop her.”
Scootaloo skulked slowly to the door, raised one hoof to push it open, but she trembled more and more by every step. She bit her lips again and closed her eyes shut to fight back more tears. Her wings stopped mid air,  as she spoke and was forming new clouds with every sentence.
“I want to change.
I want to be like Rainbow Dash.
As brave and as fearless as she is.
I just don't want to be...me.”
She mumbled, before she...turned over again, went slowly back to the couch and snuggled into one corner. Twilight stood up and looked out for another seating. She sat down on a chair and levitated the cup of tea to herself. Fluttershy took a sip on her own, pushed a plate with cookies closer to Scootaloo and wiped over her mane with the same hoof. The filly needed time to fight back her feelings and both mares looked at her trembling body in silence, as Scootaloo managed to fight her feelings down again and started to tell everything so far in a silent tone.
“..then Twilight had brought me here, because she thought, that you were able to help me.”
Fluttershy blushed slightly and bit her lips. She stopped quickly and whispered something.
“Do you think, Sweetie Belle was right and you are actually homesick?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth, closed it, pondered and repeated it again and again.  Finally she knew what to answer.
“No, yes, I think...Oh I don''t know. 
It doesn't feel like homesickness. 
There is much more.”
Twilight interrupted her with a single question.
“Are you feeling lone...”
Fluttershy's faced the other mare and stared at her. She stopped quickly and looked down at her cup again. No matter how soft Fluttershy usually was, her glance was surprisingly firm. This couldn't stop Scootaloo from thinking about the question for a long time and finally answering with a similar sentence.
“Yes, no, it...it is here.”
She laid a hoof against her head and clinched her teeth. Fluttershy answered with an understanding smile, flew on the couch and opened her wing. She cocked her head though and searched for the filly's eyes.
“You're feeling all of this, don't you?
You can't tell what you're solely feeling, 
because every feeling is tangled with so many others, right?
Everyone of us had seen one side and tried to calm it down.
Spike had tried to appease your sadness and wanted to help you with friendship.
Sweetie Belle had seen your homesickness, but she couldn't help you, or could she?
Twilight thought, that you're feeling lonely and tried to help.”
The unicorn nodded and sighed silently. She whispered.
“I thought, that a book could help me, but I've underestimated those feelings.”
Fluttershy nodded too and smiled down at Scootaloo.
“And your aunt wanted to support you and tried to ease your guilt.
But there is more, right?
It's a mess of feelings like anger, fear and lost, isn't it?
The feelings are turning and wanted in way too many directions at once, am I right?”
Scootaloo raised her head, stared at the smiling pegasus with an open mouth and half open wings. Finally she nodded with tears in her eyes. She sobbed and with a gentle grip of her wings, the yellow mare pulled Scootaloo at her chest and covered the filly with one wing. The warmth and the silence, but in particular the yellow light, that felt through the feathers reminded Scootaloo of her mum and no matter how good she had tamed her feelings till this point, her strength faded. A voice sounded dump on her ears.
“I'm sorry Twilight.
I think you've to set aside your assistant for a while.”
The wing wiped softly over her head and this was the last blow to take away her resistance and Scootaloo snuggled closer into the coat of the hardly known, 	but also strangely familiar and friendly pegasus mare. She cried into her coat and sobbed loudly.
“Sh, it is okay, Scootaloo. It will be alright.”
> I will help you.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will help you.

Scootaloo didn't held anything back. She yelled, cried, sobbed, called out and hit the couch under her with all four hooves. All of this under the warm protecting wing of the yellow mare.
“I...I mad at you.
I'm loving you.
I don't want to see you ever again.
I don't want to be alone.”
She babbled into Fluttershy's mane and sobbed again. The mare stayed silence and opened her wing hesitantly. She looked inquiring to the filly in her embrace and listened to her blabbering.
“Please come back.
Don't let me alone.
Get well soon.
I'm missing you so much.”
The filly raised her head finally, stroke away the last tears in her eyes, snivelled once and sighed relieved.
“Are you feeling better right now?”
The filly blushed, flinched away from Fluttershy's side, fondled gently over her forelegs and nodded finally.
“I think so.”
The yellow mare smiled and eyed up the little filly with a very interesting glare. Her wings trembled a little bit, but she calmed herself down more and more. Fluttershy's eyes were wandering over the ceiling and she seemed to consider what she could say. Scootaloo in the opposite knew exactly what she want to ask.
“What shall I do?
I can't send Mum such a letter.
I can't tell her, that I'm disappointed,
because she has become ill and couldn't come.”
The filly drooped her head quickly and stroke the couch with a hoof. She refrained a yawn and stretched herself. Fluttershy sighed and pondered along. Her eyes stopped shortly at Angel, who laid aside her other wing and cocked his head to eye up both pegasi.
“I mean, she isn't responsible for that, or is she?
I want to see her and tell her about my nightmares.”
Fluttershy focused the little bunny and still pondered about her answer. Not until Scootaloo stood up, she looked back at her. The filly yawned and wiped over the eyes with one hoof.
“I think you could do this, Scootaloo.
Write her a letter and tell her about your dreams.
She is able to help you, I'm sure of that.”
Scootaloo roamed around in the cottage, tried to disagree with the mare, closed her mouth without any audible sounds. She drew lines on the ground with her left hoof and chewed on her lips again.
“You know a  letter could be much more helpful, as a talk. 
It is often difficult to speak up and start to talk about your feelings.
I'm often stammering around and in a letter you can describe much better, what bothers you.”
Fluttershy looked to the pacing filly and tried to get her back to the table. Scootaloo paused her trotting and thought. She looked back to Fluttershy and smiled hesitantly.	Slowly and unwilling to look up in her eyes, she returned to the table and sighed down on him. As the circled it, she spotted the plate with the cookies and she laid down on the couch in front of it.
“But how can I be sure, that she doesn't get sad or mad about me?”
She took a cookie with her mouth and nibbled it. 	As she swallowed the sweet mush, her stomach grumbled and she felt how hungry she actually was. She devoured all the cookies on the plate and drank a cup of tea, which Fluttershy gave her. The warmth inside her stomach laid down on her body like a blanket.
“Do you want to talk about it with somepony else?
You don't want to distress your Mum with your nightmares?
Who do you trust enough and who pony else did know you well enough to replace your Mum?”
Scootaloo sighed and opened her mouth, but a sudden yawn escaped her before she was able to answer and she blushed. She stretched herself gain and wiped over her eyes. Fluttershy smiled gently and looked around. She searched for the clock and stared at it with a surprised yelp. She stood up very fast and pushed Scootaloo to her hooves with one wing.
“We have overdone it, I think.
I should bring you home, before your aunt is worried about you.”

The way back to Sunny Rays home blurred for Scootaloo into a stumbling and be carrying around by the friendly mare. The night had fallen and a thin moon stood deep over the houses. Nopony answered the knocking at the door and so Fluttershy had to carry the sleep fighting filly right into her bed. She smiled gently for a goodbye and closed the door quietly. Scootaloo turned over and yawned for a long time. How could so many time went by and how could she be so tired? She snuggled into her pillow, closed her eyes and felt asleep shortly after that.

Sunny Rays entered her home, closed the door as silently as she could and sneaked into the living room. I was way too late for the filly, so she presumed, that Scootaloo would be in bed right now. She had tried to find something, what could make Scootaloo happy again. She found it in a home much more lonely than hers, Blaze's place. She put down her saddlebags, listened and set up everything on Scootaloo's place. Then she sneaked into Scootaloo's room and looked at her in the twilight. The pale moonlight shined in the face of the filly, which bucked off and struggled with her blanket in a failed attempt to flee her dreams. Sunny sighed, stepped closer to the bed and touched the filly with her wing. She caressed over her face, the gentle touching calmed her instantly down and Scootaloo turned over to her. She fumbled for her blanket and pulled it back over herself. She mumbled something between two dreams.
“Thanks, aunt Sunny.”
Her aunt smiled and turned over. She stopped at the door and turned her head to the bed again. How could Scootaloo know, that she was here?

The night rushed past Scootaloo and she toiled herself with many nightmares. This time she fled from green staring eyes, from cold hooves and from the loneliness  in a dark forest. Even the odour and a gently pet from aunt Sunny was just a short term help. For this time Luna didn't show up and she galloped through an abandon Cloudsdale, in search for the Curryparadise. But it wasn't where it had to be! There was only an empty cloud.

“Scootaloo, come on, wake up.”
A gentle wing tore away her dream and the last failed attempt to flee and rescued her into a warm summer morning. Sunny fondled away the last nightmare and the filly opened her eyes.	Her aunt stood beside her bed and had a hesitant smile on her face. She pulled the filly back on her hooves and pushed her to the bathroom.
“Go wash your face, Scootaloo.
The breakfast is already ready and we have to pick up Sweetie Belle soon.”
Scootaloo yawned, wiped over her eyes and stretched herself.
“Pick up, for what?”
This fled her mouth, but Sunny Rays had turned over and left the room already. The filly sighed and went into the bathroom to make herself ready.	The cold water in her face woke her finally up and after she had smoothed her mane with one hoof and gave herself a short living smile in the mirror she entered the living room.	The room was empty and greeted her with silence, so she sneaked to her place. There was something different though, two letter were laying on the left side of her plate and on the right side stood a small present, wrapped in dark red paper. She looked at both of it, until aunt Sunny stepped in the room with a platter in her front hooves. First her eyes were sticking on her present, but as Sunny put a pancake on her plate, she raised her look and put a small grin on her face.
“I thought, you need some encouragement from me, Scootaloo.”
The filly opened her mouth, raised a hoof and pondered for a good answer.	She started to shake her head, tried to smile, but it faded away quickly. Sunny stepped closer and looked directly into the filly's eyes. She laid a hoof on her shoulder and sounded really serious.
“No excuses.
I have got a letter from Twilight and I'm really worrying about you.
So, we're spending the whole day together.
I won't watch you, sink down into much more sadness, you understand.
Your Mum would be worried if she know this and so am I.”
Scootaloo tried to shied away from her aunt's strong eyes, as she saw the first tears in them. Sunny put a wing around her head and held her in place. She stepped closer.
“And not just me are worried about you.
These two letters are from Twilight and Sweetie Belle!
And Fluttershy has even visited me in the morning!
You can talk with her, but not with me?
I'm not your...Mum, but I...”
Sunny Rays shut her eyes closed and turned away, as her voice went faster and higher. She bit away a sob and breathed out heavily. Her wings were flapping multiple times and blew away the clouds, who had come out of her mouth.
“I'm sorry aunt...”
Before the filly was able to fulfil her low apology, Sunny Rays answered with a louder cry.
“No Scootaloo, I'm sorry.
I should pay more attention to you and should help you.
But I had put my work in the first place.
Please forgive me.”
Scootaloo nodded and glided of her chair. She sneaked slowly beside her aunt and huddled hesitantly against her side. Two hooves picked her up, a gentle long hug followed. Scootaloo could hear the sobs of her aunt, who was burying her face in the mane of the filly and cried.
“I'm...I'm so sorry, Sunny.”
She whispered, before she returned the hug and put both hooves around the neck of her aunt.
> The key for happiness.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The key for happiness.

Sunny Rays finished the hug after she had calm down and caressed Scootaloo meditative with one wing. She turned over to her seat and put a pancake on her own plate. Finally she sat down and look down to the round sweet cake on it. Scootaloo pulled a jar of dark red jelly closer and put a knife into her mouth. She put it into the jelly and stopped. She drooped her shoulders and stared into the red jelly. Her sigh helped Sunny to get out of her thoughts and she smiled to Scootaloo.
“You know, your granny had done pancakes for me every time when I was sad.
I thought it would help you too.”
The filly raised her head and sighed again. She looked over the small amount of pancakes on the platter and her eyes finally stayed on Sunny Rays. Her voice sounded low, as she turned over and looked down on her plate again.
“Mum had made them every time, we have something to celebrate.
Every birthday she had made a bunch of them.”
Her aunt nodded and her smile shrank a little bit. But her voice sounded encouraging for the filly.
“We should eat, as long as they're warm, shouldn't we?”
Her answer avoided every mention of Curryfeather and Scootaloo nodded relieved. Sunny smiled and took a jar of honey with her wing. She gathered some of the viscous golden honey around a knife in her mouth and dripped it on the baked delightfulness in front of her. Scootaloo put the jelly on her own pancake and coiled it up. The mare and the filly picked the pancakes with both front hooves and were taking a bite shortly after one other. A little bit of the filling dropped from both of the rolled pancakes onto the plate while some smeared around their faces.

The sweet taste on her tongue was just perfect, like it had to be. Sunny had made the pancakes like Mum. She had found something she could do quite as good as her Mum. Her expression changed into her first real smile today, as she took another bite and chewed very pleased.

Sunny Rays watched the filly over her own pancake roll and saw the smile on her face. She herself hid her emotions behind her roll full of honey and both holding hooves. She shut her eyes closed, sighed silently at the pancake and took her next bite. Only now were all the joy and happy memories released while she enjoyed the warm pancake and golden sweet inside.

“Aunt, Sunny, you know. Thanks.”
Scootaloo wasn't able to say more, her lips smeared and glued with the sweet jelly. She licked away the jelly from her mouth and wiped the rest out of her face with one hoof. She reached out for a new pancake and started to put more jelly on it.	This time she smiled and her tail waved excited. Sunny watched the filly and nodded. The breakfast lifted Scootaloo's spirits, in which she didn't know exactly how. It could be the pancakes had helped her, or aunt Sunny's apology, or the fact, that she wanted to spend time with her, or he present. The filly shook the head and cleared her thoughts for a moment. She wiped away the rest of jelly out of her face and pushed away the plate.
“I really loved it, Sunny.”
The smile widened and she grabbed the first letter. First Sunny Rays wanted to say something about her gluey hooves, but she stopped and shrugged it off. She couldn't say anything, the filly was in a way too good mood. Scootaloo noticed the sticking jelly on her own, as she leaved red sticky spots on the cover, so she tried to put it down again. But it stuck and she had to use her nose to put it away from her sticky hooves. She stood up, tölted, a kind of move Sunny hadn't seen from her for a long time and went into the bathroom. She washed her hooves very neatly and cleaned away every spot of red jelly on her coat. Then she took a look in the mirror though and quite different form tomorrow her smile stayed on the face. She left her reflection and bounced back to the living room. There she watched over her present and the two letters and grinned excited. What should she open first?” She thought for a few moments and decided to keep up the suspense as long as possible. Scootaloo took the first letter and opened it.

Dear Scootaloo,

I really want to apologise.
It's true, I've thought about the things I've done in the library.
I'd thought, that a good day would help you with your home sickness 
and maybe you'd even able to forget it.
But as I woke up this morning, I...
I have to admit, I'd a nightmare tonight.
I was alone, tried to run cross Ponyville and was searching for Mum and Dad.
But they weren't around and I felt so lonely and scared and...
I'm sorry, this isn't helping, right?
I am really sorry for what happened and want to ask,
if you have any idea what I can do to help you?
I would do anything to make you happy again.
Please, would you like to go with me and see Princess Celestia together 
and maybe we could have a sleepover 
Mum would allow it.
I hope you can forgive me and still be my friend.

Love Sweetie Belle.

Her smile faded away of her face and Scootaloo started to chew on her lips again. She drooped the letter very slowly and pulled it away, like it was stinky. She closed her eyes shut and breathed deeply out. Her wings trembled slightly, but she took the second letter into her hooves, before her thoughts became much bluer.

Dear Scootaloo,

I haven't heard  from Fluttershy right now, so I really hope you're feeling better. 
If you need to talk, stop by the library at any time and I'll do what I can to help. 
Princess Celestia is visiting later today as you already know, 
so I hope I will see you there. 
By the way, I'd like to thank you for helping in the last few days. 
It was a blast to have you around.
After the celebration, please stop by the library.
I've prepared a little thank you present, and I'm sure you'll love it. 
Rainbow Dash wanted to give you back your scooter, and asked how we can do this. 
If you want to, we could say her, that she can meet you in the library and I oversee your meeting.

Yours faithful friend Twilight Sparkle.
P.S. 
Spike also invites you over for a cup of cocoa, if you want too. 
I'm really happy he's making new friends here, and I think he'd make a great friend in you. 

This letter lifted Scootaloos mood a little bit and a smile returned to her face. She put back the letter over Sweetie Belles and hide it totally under it. She pulled the gift from Sunny closer to herself. First she loosened the ribbon slowly ,but the excitement overtook her easily and she ripped the present open in a matter of seconds. Finally she held a colourful box in her hooves and saw a letter on the top.	First she just wanted to open it, to calm down her curiosity, but Sunny would surely be disappointed, if she did so. So she opened the letter first.

Dear Scootaloo,

I'm really glad, you're here. I'm sorry, that I didn't express it clearly:
I love you truly.
Though I know, that I can't replace your mother.
I want to help you, but can't be there for you when you need me most.
I'm so sorry for that.
I should do it better, you know?
This present is my first step for an apology and a change. 
It's something that everpony needed sometimes.
It's somepony who could protect you in your dreams.
I know you had get something similar from your Mum,
but I believe he is much stronger then yours.
You have to look out for him very carefully.
It's your Mumys own after all, and I'm sure she would be very sad, if you loose him.
I hope you like your Mum's teddy bear.

Love 
Sunny.

Scootaloo opened the box and faced a pale blue stuffed animal, a bear with white paws and dark eyes and nose, who smiled at her gently. 	She lifted the bear out of the box and put it carefully on the table. Under him laid a folded painting besides a small photo. The monochrome photo was yellowed and she saw four pegasi on it. Despite the lack of colour, Scootaloo was able to spot her Mum in an instant. She assumed, that her Cutie Mark had appeared shortly before the photo was shot, because she stood in the centre, stretched her neck and showed the mortar and the pestle right into the camera. On her right side stood another filly with an almost bugged expression on her face, barely kept in line by an tempered smile. Scootaloo remembered her Cutie Mark vaguely, but she couldn't say her name from it. Three raindrops on a very bright coat and a dark mane with one lighter streak in both tail and mane just showed how little shared a similar shape like her siblings. She stood out so much, that it would be easy to say, that she hadn't anything in common with her siblings. And her expression on the photo showed this perfectly. 
On the left side stood a colt with a scrubby dark mane and a Wonderbolt cadet cap. The colt smiled widely and had laid a hoof around the neg of Mum. He even nuzzled her face and didn't tried to stay in the spotlight on his own. Aside him stood a way younger filly, just barely able to fly, her little wings froze in a flutter, as she had hopped into the air to be on the same high like the other three. The smile on the small light face was the widest and her hooves were lifted, as like as she wanted to jump into a hug with her Mum.
“Uh, those're we. Her four little pegasi, as Mum always said.
You've spot your own Mum right from the start, don't you?”
Scootaloo looked up and nodded to Sunny Rays. The mare had come closer and smiled at her. The filly took the picture out of the box very carefully. Sunny came a little bit closer again and pointed on the elder filly on the picture.
“This is your aunt Sunshower. Have you seen her in Cloudsdale once?”
Scootaloo shook her head. Sunny stopped, took a deep breath and shook her head almost pejorative. She stomped her hoof on the ground once and her tail even snapped. Scootaloo tried to understand why she was so angry and drew a circle on the ground. But Sunny ignored her and pointed on the colt.
“Alright I think you will see her some day.
This one is your uncle Blaze and I'm sure he wouldn't mind, when you ask him for the cadet cap. 
If we were able to find it in his mess of an attic.”
Scootaloos eyes started to beam and she smiled as wide as the smallest filly on the picture. Sunnys smile widened too and she pointed on her younger self on the picture.
“And of course, this is me. Your grandmare had taken this picture, as your Mum had earned her Cutie Mark.”
Scootaloo nodded and put down the picture on the table slowly. Finally she opened the last piece of her present. A painting of five hearts on a pink ground, a big one centred and two  hearts above and two beneath it. She turned it in her hooves, tried to understand what she just saw and gave up with a puzzled expression on her face.	Sunny smiled gently and nudged her nose with one hoof gently.
“This is truly special, Scootaloo.
Your Mum had painted it shortly after you was born.
Every heart symbolised somepony.
The small one on the upper right is your aunt Sunshower.”
Sunny pointed at it and smiled. Her voice sounded a little bit embittered and her tail snapped again.
“The slightly bigger one left beneath is your uncle Blaze.”
As she pointed at this, her voice become just a little bit warmer, still she managed to drew shyly an apologetic circle on the ground. Then she turned to the bigger hearts.
“And this are you and me?”
Scootaloo pointed at the hearts on both sides, but Sunny shook her head and smiled gently. She took the last step and placed herself beside Scootaloos chair. She leaned reserved against the smaller body, but Scootaloo cuddled up against her.
“No Scootaloo, these are your Mum...”
She pointed on the heart above and than on the one underneath the big one.
“And I. 
You're the big heart in the middle, you know.”
The filly stared at the big heart, opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she just couldn't. A smile stayed on her face.
> Your Nightmares
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your Nightmares.

Scootaloo stared at the blank sheets and tried to find a good start. She chewed on her pen, frowned and sighed silently. This day was way too perfect to end it with the reliving of her nightmares. But she wanted to tell Mum about the nightmares, so they would stop. Scootaloo put the tip of the pen back on the sheet and started again.
	

Dear Mummy,

I have to tell you something.


She stopped and shook her head. She turned around and stared at the painting, who was hanging in front of her bed. First she had thought to write names on every heart, but this would mean, that it wouldn't be Mum's painting any more and so she didn't do it. Her eyes went to her bed, where Mum's teddy stood beside her pillow and to the sleeping bag right in front of her bed. Sweetie Belle had rolled it out already and went to the bathroom a while ago. Scootaloo smiled and looked back to the lines and put the tip of the pen back and started to write.


Since you had left, I have nightmares and I'm feeling...


Scootaloo spat the pen out and it landed on the sheet. She made a bugged noise and scrunched the letter up. She chucked it into the trash can and looked to the ceiling. She started to speak in a normal tone.
“I won't sound like a little filly, who just wants her mummy back.”
She shut her eyes closed and  mumbled another sentence in a lower tone.
“Even, when I just want that.”
There, she chewed on her lips again. Scootaloo put the pen back in her mouth and leaned over the next blank sheet.


Dear Mummy,

I hope you will be okay soon and you can visit me soon.
I miss you so much.
Since you had left, I have many terrible dreams.
I know it's dumb, but I'm afraid, that you would leave me alone here.
And I'm mad at...


Another half written letter was throw in the trash and Scootaloo breathed out very bugged. Lumbering hooves from the door caused her to stop and Sweetie Belle stepped slowly in. The unicorn had definitely heard her and looked to her with an assessing expression on her face. Her left hoof drew lines on the ground and she wagged her tail nervously.
“Say Scootaloo, what are you doing there?”
The pegasusfilly stroke her mane and sighed at the next sheet. She hemmed and hawed and watched her lips very carefully, so she didn't start to chew on them again.
“I just tried to write a letter for Mum.
But it sounded always like I would blame her and it is dumb in some way or another.” 
Sweetie craned her neck and stared at the white sheets in front of Scootaloo. She thought for a while and mumbled a few words.
“Maybe you could, so.
Just write, what you're feeling and don't overthink it.”
The last sentence was so hushed, that Scootaloo had to turn her head and to look at her lips to understand what she had said. She leaned over to put the pen back in her mouth, but stopped and leaned back. She ran her hoof over her lips, continued with her mane and wiped the sheet and the pen off. She mumbled irritated and almost snarled at her friend.
“That's not so easy, Sweetie. Fluttershy had said, that a letter could be easier.
But I think that's not the case here.”
She shook her head, noticed, that she chewed on her lips again and licked her chops. She stood up quickly, closed the gab between her and the unicorn and snuggled hesitantly against Sweetie Belle.
“I'm tired of thinking about it, Sweetie. Let's go to bed, okay?”
Sweetie Belle nodded and yawned.

This night was as worse as the other ones. Scootaloo tossed and turned in her nightmares and Sweetie Belle had to hear all of that with wide open eyes. The stammering alone, interjected by the struggling hooves, kept the white filly from sleeping.
“Please, go away. No...”
Was she sobbing right now? Sweetie stood up, shook away the goose bumps and stared to her friend, who turned around and hit the air with all four hooves. She seemed to run for her life, but struggled to get away from somepony. Sweetie raised her hoof hesitantly and fondled gently over her face.

It doesn't help! The nightmares doesn't disappear with mum's teddy. She ran away from green glowing eyes, hid in a dark, dark forest and crawled deeper and deeper into the prickly thicket, to get away. A hoof with holes touched her and pulled out a streak of her mane. She sensed the aching on her head and screamed.
“Buck off.”
She jumped out off the thicket, galloped through darkness and tried to find another place, she would be safe. Somepony touched her forehead, fondled over her cheek and a soft warm thing snuggled against her face. Scootaloo opened her eyes and looked directly into the wide open ones of her friend. Sweetie Belle put the hoof down and drew lines on the ground with it. She flinched away and whispered through the greyish darkness.
“You're having a nightmare, Scootaloo.”
The little unicorn felt silence and rubbed over her mouth. She eyed the pegasusfilly and stammered.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Her voice faded more and more away. First Scootaloo just shook her head and sighed. The filly squinted her eyes, the image of the perforated hoof touching her mane returned and she snuggled closer to her pillow. She trembled shortly and opened her eyes quickly. Scootaloo glanced at the painting with the five hearts and ignored Sweetie Belle as she did. She scooted away on the bed to make place for her friend and started.
“I've dreamed...”
She finished her breathy narration with a deep sigh and looked to Sweetie Belle just now. The unicorn had seated herself on the edge of the bed and had hugged herself with her own front hooves. She looked to the floor pensively and licked her chops. The unicorn noticed, that Scootaloo looked at her and didn't say anything. Sweetie sighed and shook her head. Her voice sounded worried through the night.
“And how often did you have this nightmare?”
Scootaloo shut her eyes close and sat up. She cuddled against Sweetie Belle's side and looked to the floor beside her sleeping bag.
“I don't know. Since Mum had left, I think.”
She trembled again and a cloud came out of her mouth. Sweetie Belle shivered and hugged her. She leaned her face against Scootaloo's and both fillies sensed a goose bump drifting over their bodies.
“Maybe. We should go visit your mummy tomorrow? Maybe Sunny Rays could...”
This suggestion sounded low on Scootaloo's ears and she flinched away shortly. She sounded louder as her friend and almost angry.
“But Princess Celestia comes to town tomorrow and we wanted to see her.
Besides...”
Sweetie Belle looked at her with wide eyes and sighed. She snuggled her friend and whispered.
“When you've dreamed this every night!
You should really speak with your mum and uah.”
A yawn stopped the unicorn and she laid surprised her other hoof on her mouth. Scootaloo smiled and tried to suppress her own yawn. For nothing, she yawned too and snuggled back at her pillow. Sweetie Belle looked to her and sighed gentle. She stood up from the edge of the bed, looked down to her sleeping bag and shook her head finally.
“Scoot, Scootaloo.”
The white unicorn cuddled against her friend, hugged her with one hoof and closed her eyes. Scootaloo felt her warm body, before she was overwhelmed by her own tiredness and fell asleep.

First the darkness was just amorphous and nothing pierced it. But in a sudden it formed well known buildings and clouds. Cloudsdale in grey mist. Cloudsdale in green lights. Cloudsdale with pitiful glances. Cloudsdale in cold. Scootaloo ducked herself into a cloud under the cold blast and looked around. It was different from all the other dreams.
It was more real.
The filly looked up as a hoof stroke her mane, stuck in it with a sharp edge and pulled a streak out. The green glowing eyes were filling her whole visual field and the glance. She knew this kind of glance from here, full of pity. The black unshaped thing spoke with a well known voice, who she hadn't heard in days.
“Poor filly, where's your mummy?”
It changed quickly into a well known shape. Her mummy stood there and cocked her head. The hoof lost the touch and Scootaloo sensed her wings buzzing on her back.
“She...is here.”
Scootaloo just accomplished to say this and pushed her trembling hooves under herself. She pushed up herself slowly and stumbled to her mum. But she flapped her wings and hovered slowly away. The harder she struggled to get to her, the far away she glided. She ran her lungs out, but she couldn't reach her.
“Scootaloo. Scootaloo hold on.”
This voice was familiar too, but she didn't know who it was. She ran further, crossed a dark cloudwall and found herself in a total different location. The light was bright, the glances softer and everything was warmer. Ponyville and especially Sugarcube Corner raised in front of her. She was still running and crossed the wall, as it was made out of clouds. She saw a Cutecenera in full display and crossed the room quickly. Three fillies stood around a table, giggled and Scootaloo gazed at them, as she galloped closer.
She saw herself with Sweetie Belle and an earthponyfilly. Right now the other Scootaloo balanced a cupcake on her nose and put it on the table. She stopped, tried it at least, though she stopped her hooves, but drifted quickly further through herself, through the back wall and found herself in darkness again. It felt, as she would fall. But the darkness didn't appear, that she fell down something. It made no difference, if Scootaloo shut her eyes close, or stayed it open. It didn't change anything. She squinted her eyes and sighed gentle. Had she sobbed right now?

A gentle hoof touched he face and fondled gently over her cheek.
“Why are you here, Scootaloo?”
It was Sweetie Belle's voice. The little filly opened her eyes and saw her friend in front of her. Th eunicorn cocked her head, smiled hesitantly and petted her face gently.
“I don't want to be gazed at with pitiful eyes.
I don't want to be seen as wrong.
And I want to talk with Mummy.”
She babbled and Sweetie nodded. Her smile faded away and she turned away from her.
“You should tell your mum, that you missed her then. And show, that you love her.”
Sweetie Belle saw to a golden light, turned around again and pushed Scootaloo away from it. Her voice speeded up, but became lower in the same time.
“Just write her a letter. Show, what you're dealing with.
But stop dreaming about it.”
The voice became much faster and higher, she even squeaked once. This in addition to the golden light, that shined into Scootaloo's eyes, were enough to wake her up.
“Stop dreaming!”

The sun tickled in Scootaloo's nose and shined into her eyes. The warmth of a summer day woke her up and she tried to correct the jumble, that Sweetie Belle had made with her. The little unicorn nestled to her so closely, it looked like Scootaloo was her giant stuffed animal. She even drooled on her coat. A squeaking sound escaped her, as Scootaloo pushed her away and tried to move her hooves.
“Sweetie Belle, wake up.”
> Sunny Rays and a call for help.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunny Rays and a call for help.

Sweetie Belle yawned and snuggled closer to Scootaloo.
“Just five more minutes, please Mummy.”
The other filly struggled and freed herself from her friends crushing hug. She jumped off the bed, fluttered quickly and landed secure on all four hooves. Scootaloo turned to the door and called her friend loudly.
“No, right now.
I have to talk with aunt Sunny!”
Scootaloo left the room, before the unicorn could answer.

Sunny Rays yawned covertly, hovered closer to the bowl full of dough and started to knead it again. She lifted her right hoof to her lips as quiet as possible and tasted it.
“A little bit of sugar and then it's perfect.”
Rumbling hooves and a call drew her attention away from the dough and to the door. Quickly galloping hooves sounded louder and louder and Sunny put on an inquiring expression.
Scootaloo was already up.
The filly rushed into the kitchen, looked around and sneaked closer to the mare. She hemmed and hawed, opened her wings a little bit and closed them again.
“Say; Sunny...”
Her tail waved nervously and  she sighed gently. The mare smiled and landed beside her. She raised a hoof, but before she could touch the filly, she spotted the dough on it and stopped.
“Could we pleaseflytoCloudsdale and visit Mum there!
Pretty please.”

Aunt Sunny opened her mouth and looked firmly into the pleading eyes of the filly. She put her dough covered hooves gently on her cheek and wiped gently over it.
“I don't think, that's a good idea.
Featherflu is very contagious and we don't want,
that you are taken sicken too.”
Scootaloo wiped away her aunts hoof with her own and turned away. She sneaked to the door and mumbled to herself.
“But I have to tell her, that I'm missing her.
And I don't know, how I can write that.”
She opened the door, while she talked and slouched her shoulders. Sunny caught her with her wing and snuggled her closely to her chest, before she was able to leave the room.

“You know, I would help you with that.
I could write the letter with you and when you want to, we can bring it to the post office together.”
Scootaloo fled her hugging hooves, started to draw lines on the ground and looked down to her hooves. She sighed and raised her head.
“Please, Sunny. I must... I must go to her and talk with her, please.”
Her pleading was so pitiful that Sunny started to tremble and kneeled down to have her eyes on the same level as Scootaloos. She wiped gently over her mane and peered in her eyes. The insecurity in them let her think about her actions, but she shook the head finally and led Scootaloo back to her seat.
“What's the matter, Scootaloo?
Do you have a nightmare again?”

The last question sounded almost like mums. The filly raised her head frightened, stared to her aunt and nodded finally. The mare sighed again and caressed over the fillys mane with one wing.
“Do you want to talk about it with me, or with somepony else?”
Sunny turned around and her voice sounded lower. The filly raised a hoof and tapped at Sunnys side. But the mare didn't respond. So the filly sat down on her chair, put her head behind her front hooves and tried to hide behind the orange walls.
“Oh you know, I don't know.
Every time I do actually sleep I have nightmares.
Every time I wake up and get up after having them, I'm getting ever more unhappy.
It doesn't change anything, when I'm talking about it. No matter who I'm talking to.
I think that Mummy may know what to do to make me feel better again.”
This barrage came out of hooves, first slow, than faster and faster. Sunny laid a hoof on her shoulder and smeared dough on it. The mare sounded calm and gentle, but her hoof trembled. Scootaloo could feel it.
“And you think, I couldn't help you with that?”

Scootaloo looked up and shook her head. She shut her eyes closed and wiped over them with one hoof.
“I don't mean to. I think, that Mummy is the one pony who can fix it easily.
And you...”
Scootaloo laid her hoof an the one on her shoulder and looked to her aunt. Her voice became lower and she sighed finally.
“I will get used to it, Sunny. Surely I will.
I don't want to sound bad, or that I'm mad at you.
Or, that I want to go home.
But I miss Mummy so much. Her voice, her hugs.
Everything.
But I can't write her that.
Not when she is so ill.”
Scootaloo started to rattle on and sobbed finally. She wiped over her face quickly and forced a smile back on it.
“I mean, I can't make her unhappy too and write about my problems only.
She is ill and alone.
I'm just alone.
I have to be brave, help her and see to it that she's getting better soon.”

Sunny searched a spot, where she could intervene, but Scootaloo was way to fast for that. She brought up too many issues too fast. So the mare listened and tried to calm down the filly with her presence.
She knew she had to say something, as the last word came out of the filly's mouth finally. She caressed gently over the fillys mane with one wing and raised her chin gently.
“Don't you think, it is our task to help her, Scootaloo?
I think all what matters for her is that you are honest with her.
When you are unhappy she should know it.”
Sunny let loose of the filly and smiled gently.
“If I'm able to help you, I will.
Come on, tell me your dreams and maybe I can take you by surprise.”
Scootaloo giggled shortly, she didn't know exactly why. It didn't matter, so she nodded and started to tell Sunny.

The more she told, the more confused Sunny appeared to be and as Scootaloo got to the last dream, the mare's wings started to flap and she pranced over the floor.
The filly on the other hoof was getting calmer and calmer and sighed relived finally.
“And you have dreamed all of this, Scootaloo?”
Her voice sounded harried and Sunny cleared her throat.
The filly nodded and looked to the trembling wings of her aunt.
“Do you know, what the dreams could mean?”
Sunnys tail waved away an imaginary swarm of flies and she took a deep breath. She laid a hoof back on Scootaloos side and forced a smile back on her face.
“Honestly, I don't know. Exactly.
They are very, well, depressing and quite strange.”
Scootaloo drooped her head and sighed silently. Her aunt wasn't able to help too. She didn't have any idea.

Sunny raised both hooves and left off with a few wing flaps. She hovered in front of Scootaloos face and laid both hooves on Scootaloos shoulders. She tried to smile encouraging.
“But I will find a solution. I promise.
First I think you can learn one thing from your dreams.
You need more friends!
They will be able to help you and, well, could give advices I don't have.”
The filly just shook her head and bit her lips.
“But this didn't work neither. Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy, or any other pony were able to help me.”
She tried to push down the hooves and stand up, but Sunny didn't let her go and caressed over her head with one wing.
“You're not looking for a grown up friend!
They will be similar to Curryfeather in one way or another and so you will see her in them. This won't change your unhappiness, you know?
Look out for more fillies or colts, besides Sweetie Belle and show them, that you're more, than just the sad little filly.”

Scootaloo sighed quietly and shook her head.
“I'm invited to a Cuteenera, but the pony is mean and I don't like her. I don't want to go.”
Her voice sounded much more affected  and she wiped over her face once more. Sunny Rays smiled and raised her face with one hoof.
“You should go, really that's your only course of action.
You can find more friends there.
It has worked out for me, so it will work for you too.”
Scootaloo looked into her eyes and put on an inquiring expression, but she wasn't able to ask something. Sweetie Belle ran in the kitchen instead and frowned at her friend.
“You woke me up, Scootaloo!”
She yawned and pricked Scootaloo in the side. Just now she spotted the reddened eyes of her friend and sighed again.
“Did you have a nightmare again?”
The filly nodded and a smile raised on her face.
“Sunny has helped me, Sweetie.
Thanks aunt Sunny.”

The mare looked after her niece and the smaller unicorn, as both of them ran out of the kitchen. Scootaloo giggled and whispered something to Sweetie Belle.
Sunny could indeed spot a few tears in Scootaloos eyes, but her voice didn't sound so harried, as it did before. She cleaned her hooves and looked out for a pen and paper in a drawer. She wrote a letter quickly and folded it together, as she finished it.
“I have to ask Twilight. The cake!”
Her voice sounded over the dough and she frowned.
The rest of the day went smoothly till one fateful event.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo imagined, how Celestia would be and the unicorn told her friend from her meeting with the princess during the Summer Sun Celebration. Unexpressed dreams of actually conversations with the princess were floating their minds and their faces were beaming in joy. The fillies bounced around in the house and babbled faster and faster.
Sunny Rays had a hard time to contain them and tried a game first, then the packing of their saddle bags to distract them, but that was just a waste of time.
“How long, till Princess Celestia arrives, aunt Sunny?”
This question repeated itself every five minutes, or less and Scootaloo galloped to the door every time she asked. Sunny caught her every time too and led her back to the kitchen, before she could open the door.
“Be patient a little bit longer, please. We'll go out in a few minutes.“
The filly grinned widely and her tail waved excited.
The minutes had past finally and the three ponies started.

They were opening the doors into, a chaos much worse than Nightmare Moons return.
> A school ruled by chaos.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A school ruled by chaos.

Sunny Rays tried to get a general idea and looked to the ruin of her home. The pillar was pitted and creaked, the thatch laid heavy on the attic. She flapped her wings to fly higher and circuited the house with a loud sigh. The supporting roof truss has been eaten and the straw has been collapsed on the attic below. Hopefully the unicorns might have time to help her.
But their homes would look the same, too unfortunately. 
A few pegasi passed her and the unmistakable voice of Rainbow Dash sounded in her ears.
“No Cloudchser, I'm not kidding.
We have to keep the rain away from these houses and must protect them from the slightest breeze, till we're able to fix them.”
Sunny Rays searched for her friend, but the blue mare glanced just shortly to her, before she glided away. 

The stallion at her side just sighed and tried to demur.
“But according to schedule, it has to rain this afternoon and the Apple family had asked for an explicit shower on their fields.
Shall we just throw the whole plan out of the window after all? The weather has to be...”
Rainbow snorted and both pegasi argued, while the were flying further. Sunny sighed, hovered for a moment over the ruin of her home and tried to keep cool. But she was worried, if everything in the house would be fine. Were Scootaloos stuff secure in her room, or had the dammed swarm eaten something?
She thought back to her niece and looked to the school, the place she had taken the fillies.


Cheerilee tried to keep the nervous blabbering school foals in check somehow. But they were way to nervous or even scared to stay calm.
“As long as we don't know, if your homes are safe, all of you will stay here. 
Nopony will go home unsupervised, I will wait with you for your parents, or siblings.”
She repeated it over and over again for every filly and colt who asked her. This time it was Rumble, who had asked her with a very quick bunch of words and was supported by his friend Featherweight.
“Could...I want...everything is broken...Miss Cheerilee.
The chaos in the school rose more and more and the volume overstepped one critical point, for Cheerilee at least. She thumped a hoof on the ground and shouted over the heads of her students.
“Settle down!”
It helped for a moment, everyone fell silent and stared to her.

Scootaloo was sitting on her desk and looked down to it. She kept silent and concentrated every little thought on the grain to lock out all of her fears and worries. But she couldn't push her memory aside so simply too.
First this cute little things were just eating food, but something changed them and they began to devour any object in sight. She felt the rising panic from everypony else and Sunny Rays took both fillies on her back. She flew to the only place, she thought was safe for the fillies, the school of course. There she put both fillies on their seats in the classroom and looked to them.

“Do you think, you can handle this situation on your own, Scootaloo?
Or should I stay with you two?”
The filly shook her head quickly, but regretted it immediately, as Sunny nodded and galloped to the door.
“Just wait for me.
I have to go and see, if I could help anypony, okay?”
Sunny sounded almost relieved, but really fast, as she opened the door. She rushed through it and left the fillies in the care of the empty class room.

Sweetie wasn't helpful neither, first she stayed completely silent and breathed quickly at the table, than she murmured a few hasty words.
“Do you think, Mum and Dad are okay? Or Rarity?
Do you think somepony will expel these creatures?
Do you...do you think...”
Scootaloo shook her head and looked to her friend. She expressed her fears quite easily with her wide open eyes and the trembling wings on her back.
“I..I just don't know.
I'm worried too and...”


The door opened quickly and a grown up mare shoved two more fillies in the school. Miss Rich glared shortly to the other fillies and turned back to her own fillies.
“Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, don't stay near those blank flanks. Just wait here, until I've found Miss Cheerilee. She will look out for you.”
Both earthponies nodded nervously and the mare disappeared quickly.
They glared shortly to the other two fillies, sat down in the last row and whispered excited.
“Do you think she'll come anyway?”
“Princess Celestia will be surly her for a visit.”
The voices trembled a little bit and Scootaloo was sure, that they only tried to tame their fears with that talk. More and more fillies and colts has been brought to school and talked vividly in shambles.


“My mummy...she has been brought into the hospital.
Do you think, she is bad...badly...hurt?”
A trembling voice beside her got Scootaloos attention and she looked to the small unicorn on the next seat. Her violet coat bristled as she trembled and her yellow mane flew over her terrified eyes.
She had spoken with one friend to her left and drew quick circles on the desk with one hoof. The older pegasus colt on the last seat in the row opened his mouth, bit his lips and his wings started to tremble. His grey coat even bristled too. He flapped his wings involuntary, so he lifted off a little bit.
“I just don't  know, Dinky.
But have you seen my brother? He had tried to blow this pest away from our home lastly, but had sent me away.”
The colt babbled along, without even trying to answer the questions of her friend. The little filly shut her eyes close, fought back a few more tears and trembled. Scootaloo stood up, approached slowly and opened her mouth.
“Who is your mummy?”


The little filly opened her eyes scared and stared to the other pegasus. Same tears were gathering in her eyes again and Scootaloo tried to smile, but she just made it worse.
The filly stammered around, but nothing understandable came out of her mouth. She rather sobbed  incomprehensible and covered her mouth quickly with both hooves.
She put both hooves on her desk and hid her face behind this barrier. Sobbing and crying sounded obscure from the trembling filly. Scootaloo wanted to lay a hoof on her mane first, but just stopped, as she sensed, that every foal stared to her. She murmured an apology for the little filly and slunk back to her seat.
“So now the blank flank reduces a little filly to tears!”
This voice cut easily through her defences like ice and Scootaloo slouched her shoulders in response.
She only stared down to her own desk top, instead of answering the now starting whispering around her and tried not to listen or to say anything. Even as Cheerilee stepped in the classroom shortly after that, with a wild gasping mouth and very weary condition, she didn't bother to raise her head.
Why couldn't she do anything right?


The fillies and colts kept Cheerilee on the go, that she didn't notice until now, that three of her students were in need for more encouragement. And she did take notice of it, just because now she sat down on her own desk finally and look to the three fillies on the first row.
Dinky had laid her head behind her hooves and shut out everpony else.
Scootaloo just stared to her desk and seemed to be lost in her mind.
And Sweetie Belle just stared out of the window and to the cloud of dust who was Ponyville once.
But they kept silent the whole time, so they were totally overlooked from Cheerilee in the shuffle of the other scared students.


But now the mare went first to Dinky the youngest  filly of the three and laid a hoof on her head. She caressed over her, waited for an answer and whispered, as she was getting none, a question.
“Are you alright, Dinky?”
The filly looked up quickly, her red eyes showed, that she had cried and the coat at her hooves were even wet from tears.
“I...mummy is in the hospital. I just don't know, if she is alright, or not. Or if she is able to come for me, or not.”
The voice was so loud, that Scootaloo has been dragged out of her lethargy. Dinky eyed her up and stroke her mane gently.
“And Rumble didn't want to help me and he has been gone home already.
And she had...”
The little unicorn pointed with a trembling hoof to Scootaloo and the filly drooped her head.
Cheerilee gazed at her shortly and the shame and guilt of her knotted itself in her head. She blushed and sensed a rising heat in her cheeks. She chewed on her lips and sighed low.


“What has Scootaloo to do with that?”
The following question sounded without any accusation on her ears, but the filly jumped on her hooves regardless. She pranced nervously on the spot, galloped to the door, raised a hoof to push it open, but a loud shout from Cheerilee stopped her.
“Stay Scootaloo!”
Nopony laughed, nopony whispered. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had been picked up many hours before, or so it seemed. Scootaloo looked back to the class and found out, that just the lisping Twist, a small pegasus and Sweetie Belle were actually staying in the class.
“She had asked me, who my Mum is.
She wanted to help me, though she was afraid herself, Miss Cheerilee.
But I wanted to brace myself and answer,
but I couldn't and have started to cry.”
The younger filly blushed and wiped over her eyes. Her voice lured Scootaloo back to her desk and a quick smile wandered over Cheerilees face.
“Well, it was nice from her, that she tries to help you.”
Scootaloo didn't expect this kind of praise and the encouraging thump on her shoulder surprised her even more.
“But I...I have made it worse.
I couldn't help her and have even driven her to tears!”
This came out of her mouth and she chewed on her lips again, to calm herself down.
“But you know, Scootaloo, you've tried it at least.
Nopony else have tried to help you, or have they, Dinky?”
The little unicorn shook her head quickly. She faced Scootaloo and her yellow eyes were beaming in gratitude.
“Thanks, Scootaloo.
My mummy is Derpy.”
Scootaloo froze and the upcoming smile faded quickly away. She opened her eyes wide and started to speak quickly.


“D...Derpy, really? I'm hoping, that she is alright.”
Before she was able to speak more, the little unicorn jumped closer to her and pressed herself in a crushing hug. She nestled closer into her chest and buried her face there. The smaller filly trembled and Scootaloo looked a little bit scared to Miss Cheerilee, as a sob came out of her. The mare smiled and nodded. Scootaloo hugged her back hesitantly and petted her mane very gently.
“Everything is going to be fine, Dinky.”
> What I have learned.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a strange feeling.
The sobbing filly nestled against her chest and trembled in the embrace. Scootaloo looked over her mane, the little horn and her back. She petted  her mane, insecure, if she was too soft, or too firm. If the filly would be able to feel it in the first place, or if it was too hard for her.
She looked to Cheerilee and put on an inquiring expression. She opened her mouth, but a smile on Cheerilee's kept her silent. The mare whispered encouraging:
“You're doing great, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo focused onto the younger unicorn and petted along. She just stood still and felt, that tears soaked warm into her coat. 
But quite different than before, she wasn't affected by the sobbing or the tears, so she didn't start to cry on her own
Something deep inside of her blocked out every little tear and a strange warmth floated through her whole body. She didn't tremble and was so calm, that she asked herself if she should be afraid or sad.
She thought, that she should do more, that she had to do more, but she didn't know what she should actually do. She looked to Cheerilee again after a few moments, where she just petted her mane and didn't say anything else. The mare had turned her back on her and talked with Sweetie Belle in a gentle tone.
Scootaloo had to get louder, than she wanted too. So she had to relied on, what she experienced herself. Who could she model herself on? How had she been comforted in the last days?



“Twilight? No, I don't believe, that I can do it so good. She is way much smarter than me.
Fluttershy? I'm not like her. I can't do this!
Spike? I don't even know, why I do feel better around him.
Aunt Sunny? She's family and I'm not for her.
Mum? She is just mum and knows what to do and I don't know how, I just can't do it.
Luna? She had said, that I should ask mum and...”



“Do...you...think...I...can...”
The filly spoke every word in a snatchy matter, after she gasped quickly into the hug and ended her sentence with a staggered gasp. Scootaloo felt another sob, who drew her out of the sceptical thoughts. She opened her mouth, without any more thinking and lowered her voice into a whisper.
“I think everything is getting better soon, Dinky.”
The filly looked up and her great, tear filled eyes looked so insecure, that Scootaloo wasn't sure, that her expression would be convincing enough. She tried to put on a smile, but didn't feel if it was appearing actually.
“Really?”
The word fled the filly's mouth and reminded Scootaloo on her own talk with Twilight, where she sounded equally distraught and insecure.
First she wanted to say, what Twilight had said to her, but would it be enough?
“I hope so.”
That was wrong. Scootaloo knew it the moment the words had left her tongue and the filly tore up more. 
She frowned and cursed herself in her thoughts. The filly nestled closer to her and that confused Scootaloo.
The answer was wrong? So why did she stay? She should run away!
Scootaloo had prepared herself to gallop after her, but the filly didn't run away. She just got closer and nestled closer to her.
Why would she do that?
Scootaloo started to look back to Cheerilee, but stopped, as she remembered something, that Fluttershy had told her.
“I have seen myself in you, sorry.”
That was it, the error of her.
The filly wasn't like herself. She would run away.
The filly was seeking for help and was so clingy, because she wanted it from her.



They skulked backwards, away from the desks and closer to the wall. As she felt the wall behind her tail, she laid slowly down and pulled the filly with her.
A blanket would be great, so they would be screened from everypony. Her wings weren't as big as Fluttershy's and wouldn't work that way.
Scootaloo looked around, but she didn't find any blanket beside her, or nearby. Somepony sneaked closer very quietly and laid a blanket over the little filly.
“I think, you're looking for this, right?”
Scootaloo heard lisping words and than the cream coloured filly laid the blanket over her too. So everything went into a yellow soft light.
“Thanks Twist.”
Scootaloo was able to mumble this, before she looked down to the little filly again.
She waited, till the filly was ready and had calmed down a little bit. It was uncomfortably warm under the blanket and her hooves laid trapped under her body, as the filly continued to hug her firmly and she couldn't move them.
Did her left back leg go numb? Yeah right, there was the feeling of pins and needles there. 
She tried to move herself slowly, but Dinky stopped her with one sentence.
“Do you think mummy is badly hurt?”
How could the filly think, that she was able to answer that?
It was impossible for her, she hadn't seen her mummy and didn't know anything.
How should she answer that question? There wasn't the point!



Scootaloo pushed her hooves to the right, slid a little bit to the side and lower to the ground. 
She pushed Dinky gently away from her, so that her face would rested directly in front of her face.
First she didn't want to allow it, but as she noticed, that Scootaloo went closer in that way and was easier to hug, she let her go and stared directly into Scootaloo's eyes.
The elder filly could see many tears in her yellow eyes and as Dinky blinked they were drifting down her cheeks. 
Scootaloo made an effort to put on a smile back on her face and laid a hoof under the little filly's chin.
“Certainly not!
You see, she will get better really soon.
If you want to, we can paint together, so you can give it to her,
when she would come and pick you up.”
Scootaloo tried to sound strong, certain like Spike and warmly like him. It worked quite well. Dinky raised her hoof, it banged against Scootaloo's and brushed away her tears with a sigh. Her voice sounded a little bit raspy, but was more calmed down.
“Do you think she would like that?
That she would come surely?”
Just more questions, right, but this time Scootaloo knew, how she had to answer.
“I think she would be very happy about that.
And yes she will certainly come soon.”
A snuffle, not a sob escaped the little unicorn and she hid her face in Scootaloo's coat again.
“Thanks Scootaloo.”
She looked up again and now could bring herself to smile. Was it so easy to do the right thing, to console somepony?



It took her a little bit time, before Dinky was able to left the blanket and started her picture.
She drew the outlines of three ponies with the pen in her mouth, one in bright purple, like her own coat, one in grey and one in bright orange. 
Scootaloo saw that she would be on the picture herself, not until the filly put a dark red pen into her mouth and lined out the mane with it.
“Shouldn't you really paint your Daddy, instead of me?”
Why couldn't she just shut up?
The filly dropped the pen, it rolled over the desk and felt unnoticed from her on the ground. She bit her lips and a quick sob escaped her.
“I've none.”
The little unicorn whispered it already inaudible, looked to her mum on the picture and focussed onto her. Her mood went down and Scootaloo had to do something. Dinky would start to worry or  to weep again otherwise.
“I'm sorry, that was wrong from me.”
Scootaloo picked the pen up, turned it around in her mouth and sat down beside the little filly. She hugged her with one hoof and started to outline her own mane. 
She tried to say something at the same time, but it didn't work and she even dropped the pen again. It rolled again over the ground.
“Fizzled feathers, why do I drop it again?”
A snicker sounded beside her, as she whispered the curse.
“Mummy said this every time, when she dropped something.
And she dropped many things.”
Dinky took a bright yellow pen into her mouth and painted along on her and her mum's mane. 
Scootaloo just looked at her for a while and thought. 
The smile on her small face widened and the filly nestled closer to her.

“You know, I didn't have one either.
Daddy I mean.
But I've my Mummy.
And I do love her a lot.
You do too, right?”
Dinky nodded eagerly and painted happily along. Her eyes started to lighten up and as she finished to draw her mum's mane she even smiled happy. 
Scootaloo let her loose and stood up. She walked around the table to pick up the pen again.
She looked around in the classroom and saw, that Sweetie Belle, Dinky and herself were the last fillies and Miss Cheerilee looked worried from her desk to all three of them.
It was almost night and the grass before the window got more and more colourless. 
Scootaloo raised her head a little bit and looked to Ponyville, where she saw multiple lights.
Magical lights indeed were floating everywhere, purple, yellow, green and any other colours lighten up the emerging night. 
The light was only disturbed by small shadows, small flying shadows to be exactly. They were cleaning up, everyone cleaned up. 
But where was Sunny? Didn't she want to...?
Scootaloo sighed and picked up the pen finally. 
She laid it direct for Dinky's nose, who picked it up excited and started to paint Scootaloo's mane. The picture looked already very nice.
The three ponies were standing around a huge picnic-blanket. It laid on a greenfield with a few colourful spots, presumably flowers. 
A wonderful yellow sun, a few birds and trees in the background completed the imagery.



Somepony knocked on the door. Dinky dropped the pen immediately and galloped to the door.
She laughed nervously and shouted.
“Mummy you're finally back!”
The door opened slowly and revealed. Not her mummy, but Sweetie Belles mum.
She stepped into the room with a sigh and smiled gently to Dinky. The filly frowned and trudged back to the picture. 
A sob escaped her again and she tried to fight back the tears, but wasn't successful with it and had to brush away tears from her eyes.
Sweetie jumped up, galloped into her hooves and hugged her tightly. She stayed nestling close to her and babbled very relieved. 
Her mum smiled to Scootaloo, who answered with a mixed expression, both confused and happy for her friend.
“Miss Cheerilee, I'm here to take Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo with me.
Sunny Rays had asked me about that. Their home is in very bad shape and heavily affected by the Parasprites.
It has to be secured properly to be honest.
So I will take Scootaloo to my home instead.”
A sleepover with Sweetie Belle.
That was perfect. Sweetie Belle laughed and Scootaloo joined quickly in. 
She jumped to her hooves, picked up her saddlebags and looked finally to Dinky. The filly was.
Well she sat on her desk again, sobbing, sniffing and brushing her tears away with a trembling hoof. 
One tear dropped down to the picture, ran down over her mummy and over the wonderful greenfield. 
Scootaloo stopped, her smile faded away quickly and she took a deep breath.
“Cou...could we please take Dinky with us?”
The question sounded so clearly and Scootaloo turned around to face Miss Cheerilee. 
Her tail moved from one side to the other and she looked directly into her teachers eyes.
Sweetie Belle's mum looked to the smaller unicorn, who did fight back more tears. 
The mare approached slowly and looked down to the picture. Sweetie Belle followed her closely on her side and looked to Scootaloo with a very strange expression. 
Halfway puzzled and happy.

Cheerilee raised her hoof and shook her head slowly.
“I'm afraid this is a bad idea.”
Scootaloo interrupted her quickly, pushed herself past the unicorn mare and hugged Dinky with one hoof. 
The filly nestled closer to her, raised both hooves and hugged her. She sobbed into her coat and Scootaloo felt tears in it again.
“Please!
We can write a letter for Derpy, that we will look out for her.
Pretty please!”
Scootaloo sounded very raspy and she stared so imploring into Cheerilee's eyes. She evaded her look, tried to think about it and nodded finally.
“Well alright.
If you're okay with it, we will write Derpy a letter and you're going together.”
Miss Cheerilee looked to Sweetie Belle's mum and she smiled. 
She laid a hoof on Scootaloo's back and her magic pulled slowly the picture from Dinky's desk.
“How could I say: “No” to that? I wouldn't leave a friend in need either.”
Scootaloo looked to the mare and her expression changed into a very thankful one. Sweetie's mum answer was a so gentle and encouraging smile, that she just could say a silent thank you.

“We will have a sleepover with you, Dinky.”
Sweetie Belle cheered with a squeak at the end and grinned widely.
Scootaloo sighed relieved and smiled gently down to the sobbing filly on her chest.
Dinky didn't noticed the whole discussion and cried along into her fur.