Hope's Gift
“So we’ve got painting, singing, dancing, making birdhouses…” Sweetie Belle ticks off items on her list.
“We still need some more activities for the next cutie-mark day camp.” Apple Bloom spreads out their idea sheet, looking for something special. “Could we do a poetry session?”
“We did that last time.” Sweetie counters.
“Yeah, and somepony found their mark at it!”
“OK, I guess we can do that again. If it worked once, it might again, right?” Sweetie and Bloom share a smile.
“We’ve got plenty of art-sy and craft-sy stuff. We need something more action-y!” Scootaloo rapidly beats her little wings, rising an inch or two from the floor before she plops back down. “Like a race, or obstacle course!”
“Hmm… well, we’ve done that before too.”
“I know! We can make courses for each pony type.”
“Oh, I like that idea.”
“Maybe a hoof race for Earth ponies, a relay race for Unicorns, and a fly-through-the-rings for Pegasus.”
“That could work, but only if we get enough different ponies to make it fun. I’m writing it down anyway.” As Apple Bloom scribbles the idea down something booms off in the distance, and all the Cutie-Mark Crusaders glance out the window to see an expanding rainboom on the horizon over the trees.
“There goes Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo rushes to the window in time to see her idol zip overhead, trailing a long multicolored rainbow behind her. “Showing off for the students again!” The little Pegasus hangs there for a moment, leaning out the window as the other two go back to planning the day camp’s activities.
“Apple Bloom, do you think you could give a primer on alchemy?”
“I don’ think that would be safe.” The Earth pony hesitates a moment. “We don’ want any foals blowing off their eyebrows or something. I could ask Zecora to help with that if she’s willing.” Apple Bloom’s ears shoot upright as she has another idea. “If we hold it by the lake again we can go swimming or boating.”
“What do you think, Scootaloo?” The Pegasus doesn’t answer the little unicorn, still staring out the window. “Scootaloo? Are you listening?”
“What? Sorry.” Scootaloo blinks. “I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Oh, you know. The usual.” She glances back at her stunted wings. “You mentioned swimming, and I was reminded of that time we went down to Mount Aris.”
“Why? All I remember was that we got into a fight over being underwater or up in the hills being better.”
“Well, being able to move so freely like that, it was almost like flying.” Scootaloo sighs and looks up at the clouds again, listlessly. She doesn’t need to explain any further, both her close friends have already heard it all. Still, it’s a comfort when both of them give her a tight hug.
“You gonna be alright?”
“All this talk of ring courses for Pegasus just got to me. I’ll be all fine. Now, what were we doing?”
“We wanted-”
KA-BANG
All three yelp and jump, Scootaloo hovering for an instant, as the entire treehouse shakes. Something had slammed into the front door at speed, something big.
“What was that?” Sweetie Belle hides behind Apple Bloom. The thing outside stomps and clomps on the wood. “It’s still out there!”
“Don’t worry, we can take it!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nod to each other and then stand ready. The air is tense and heavy, the walls seem to close in around them as they wait. Somepony knocks gently on the door.
“Mailmare, here. Are you three in there?” The Crusaders all laugh.
“It’s just Derpy.” Apple Bloom then raises her voice. “Yeah, we’re here.” Sweetie opens the door for the grey mailpony, a little disheveled and dazed.
“You gave us a startle.”
“Sorry about that. I’ve got a package for Scoots.” The larger grey Pegasus passes the small box, wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine, to the little orange one.
“Thank you.” The mailmare tips her hat and turns to fly off. “Be careful!” Her shout is heard just an instant too late, and the mailmare crashes into the branches of an apple tree just as she looks back to wave again. She pokes her head up out of the leaves and glances about for an instant before grinning vapidly and shaking her way free and heading back to town. The Crusaders giggle as the mailmare flaps away.
“Who’s it from?” Sweetie closes the door and they turn their attention to the mystery box. Apple Bloom reads the tag as Scootaloo works on the knot.
“It just says ‘To: Scootaloo -S.’ That’s not a name I know.”
“Me either. Scootaloo, do you know it?” Sweetie Belle frowns as the Pegasus continues to struggle with the knot.
“Nope.” With a huff, Scootaloo bites down on the twine, snapping it clear so she can rip the paper open. The box inside, a little smushed, is a plain cardboard one suitable for clothes. Scootaloo’s heart beats rapidly at the mystery of what might be inside, from a stranger. Could it be a secret admirer?
“Well, don’t leave us hanging, open it!”
“OK, OK. Keep your bow on.” It could have been a cake, or a dress, or even a hat. It wasn’t. “What in Equestria?” It’s a vest, one of those ones construction workers wear, the super reflective, really ugly, bright orange-and-yellow kind. She pulls it from the box and holds it up. It does look like it would fit her, but why would she wear it? “It’s… hideous.”
“Who would send you a safety vest?”
“Hey, there’s a note!” Scootaloo glances back into the box, where a neatly folded letter with her name on it waits. She picks it up, throwing the ugly vest aside.
“To my young friend, Scootaloo.” She reads it aloud for the others to hear. “This may seem odd, but I wanted you to have this gift. I’m sorry I threw you in the lake.”
“Wait, what? When did that happen?”
“Don’t interrupt her. Keep going.”
“It was un-kind to reject your request so out-of-hoof. At the time I didn’t have a response for you, I do now. Please use it responsibly, and with parental supervision, at least until you get used to it.” She flips the letter over when she reaches the bottom of the page, hoping to find more to the message with a better explanation. There's a little more, written large enough to nearly fill the whole note. “Hope gives you wings. -Stardust.”
“Stardust? Who’s that?” Sweetie Belle narrows her eyes, suspicious, with a matching grin. “Do you have a secret stallion?”
“What? No!” She rolls her eyes. “But…” Scootaloo tips her head. “I don’t get it. I don’t remember ever getting thrown in the lake.”
“Hang on… I think I overheard Applejack saying something about a Stardust. Maybe she knows them?”
“Isn’t she teaching at the School today?”
“Let’s go ask her!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle storm right out of the clubhouse. Scootaloo holds back only long enough to grab the vest and fling it over her back before following, the note in her mouth.
“Applejack!” They call out as they catch up the Apple Bloom’s big sister just as she reaches the school’s doors. The older pony turns back.
“Hey girls, what can ah do fer ya?”
“Someone named Stardust sent me a package.” Applejack’s ears twitch at the name. “Do you know them?”
“Stardust? Ah, um…” She seems hesitant to answer, glancing around somewhat nervously. “Ah think you better talk to Twilight about that, she can answer any questions you might have about him.”
“So you do know him!”
“Ah’ve gotta get to my students, see you later!” Applejack turns and sprints away down the hall, faster than any of them could catch.
“Hey, wait! Don’t just…” too late, Applejack is already far out of sight. “…run off.” Apple Bloom frowns after he receding sister.
“That was uncharacteristic of her.” Sweetie deadpans.
“Well, she did say to go see Twilight. Let’s go!” They rush down the corridors of Twilight’s School of Friendship towards the headmare’s office. It’s empty at the moment, Twilight must be teaching. They reach the observatory auditorium, where they can see Twilight on the stage, giving a lecture.
“We should wait until her class is done. We don’t want to get thrown off campus again.” The Crusaders halt at the door, visible to the students inside, but do not disturb the lesson. Cozy Glow spots them and waves, then returns her attention to the professor. Twilight, having seen the wave, glances their way out the corner of her eye, and doesn’t even miss a note in her speech.
“All right, that’s enough for today.” Only a few minutes have passed. “Remember your homework, and don’t forget we have a quiz tomorrow!” Some of the students groan at the mention of a quiz, but Ocellus grins and giggles. Twilight hands each student a worksheet as they pass, and the Crusader’s move aside so they don’t block the way. “So, girls, what can I do for you.” She spots the vest hanging over Scootaloo’s back, but doesn’t comment on it.
“Well, I got this package from somepony named Stardust, but I don’t understand it.” Twilight blinks profoundly and backs away a step.
“Is there something wrong?” Concern crosses the Crusader’s faces.
“No, I just didn’t expect it. So what was the package?” Scootaloo holds up the vest for the Alicorn to see. She takes it and flips it around, just as confused as the Crusaders were.
“There was a note too, it doesn’t really help explain it.” Sweetie Belle holds it out, Twilight takes it carefully, passing the vest back to Scootaloo. She reads the note over, leading them back towards the front of the school.
“Ah, so he remembered!” Twilight smiles softly, holding her head a bit higher and wiping away a forming tear.
“Who is he?”
“That’s… a long story. You met him once, in a different timeline.”
“A whatnow?”
“Don’t worry about, it’s kind of complex. But I think I know what to do.” She pushes the front door open and stands out on the stone bridge over the pond. “Come on, Scootaloo, stand here.” The little orange Pegasus does as ordered and stands in the middle of the bridge. Twilight turns her attention to the other two Crusaders for a moment. “You two should stand back.”
“What for?”
“Just in case, he’s made some mistakes before.” She shudders slightly and turns back towards Scootaloo. “Now, put the vest on.”
“Alright.” Scootaloo does as instructed, and after snapping the vest closed, stands stock still, waiting… and feeling a little silly.
“Uh, Twilight? Nothing’s happening.” Twilight smiles knowingly down at Apple Bloom. Then she holds up the letter and points to the words on the back.
“Hope gives you wings?” Nothing happens when Scootaloo speaks.
“Not quite.” Twilight giggles. “It’s you who gets the gift, not us.”
“Wha? I don’t… oh!” Scootaloo facehoofs when she figures it out. “Hope gives me wings!”
Something flashes, light glinting off the vest in a thousand colors. Scootaloo yelps as her hooves leave the stone and she’s held aloft. Wind rushes around her, tossing her mane and tail about. It’s not frightening, it’s gentle. Orange feathers, summoned from seemingly nowhere, surround her, blinding her. Her pulse races and she almost hyperventilates. Don’t be afraid, this is your gift. The voice, an unfamiliar stallion’s, enters her mind and she takes a deep breath to calm herself. The feathers part and she blinks against the bright sunlight.
“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shout, from below her. She looks down, and sees them staring back up, mouths agape. “They’re amazing!” Twilight, hovering nearby, nods happily with a smile. Scootaloo glances back, and her jaw drops.
Glittering in the light are a pair of huge wings on her side, like hers, only much larger. They gleam like gold, nearly the same color as her own fur. They are clearly magical, translucent enough that she can see her real wings inside them.
“I’ve got wings!” Her heart beats quickly in her ears, her pulse racing again. She flaps her newfound giant wings once, rising higher in the air. Twilight rises with her, staying relatively close. Scootaloo, giddy, giggles loudly and shouts wordlessly. She knows what to do, somehow, and she doesn’t care why. “Woo!” She darts up, higher and higher. Wind whips past leaving her joyful tears far behind. Clouds ahead, she plows through them and they burst into a little shower of droplets. “I can fly!”
Her laughter fills the air, she spins and twirls. The ground is far below, so very far away. She’s only flown like this in her dreams. She dives, picking up speed as she dashes past Twilight. The Alicorn said something, but Scootaloo didn’t hear it, and she doesn’t care. Just as she nears the pond she pulls up hard, kicking off the water and splashing both her friends with a laugh.
“This is amazing! It’s everything I’ve always dreamed it would be.” She hovers just long enough to shout it out before darting away again. Twilight’s castle is nearby, she spirals around it, twice, three times, she stops counting as the purple walls flash past her. She nearly collides with Twilight once, but spins aside and rises again. She angles out over the forest, not looking back.
For a moment she glides and just lets the wind and the breeze flow across her magic feathers. Closing her eyes, she can feel the cold, it should be biting, but it isn’t. The sun warms her, the wind whispers the promise of the distant horizon, and her wings carry her on. She blinks again and finds herself far above the clouds.
She’s alone, in the sky. Far away she can see Canterlot, Cloudsdale, mountains to the south, the forest through breaks in the fluffy white clouds. For the sheer joy of it, she rolls, over again and again. She’s been up this high before, but never under her own power. Always carried by something, a balloon, a chariot, even Rainbow Dash. But these magic wings, despite being made by the vest, they feel real. They feel like they belong.
“This must be what Rainbow Dash feels like, all the time!” She smiles and lets the air fill her lungs, shouting joyously for anyone to hear. She dives again, heading down towards the forest. A gap in the trees, she slips in and swerves between the trunks. Birds startle as she passes, chirping a condemnation for frightening them. She shouts an apology, she thinks, and continues to slip through the boughs and leaves.
She knows she should head back, the others might get worried about her. But then she passes over a small lake and sees the reflection of her wings on the water’s surface. She looks older, more grown up, with real wings. The hair on her neck needles her and she can’t suppress another shout of joy.
She looks forward, to the trees on the other side of the lake, and smiles as she eyes the path through them. It’s tight, but she can manage. She pulls her hooves together, stretched out in front of her, and accelerates. The trees get closer, and she begins to doubt, the branches looked farther apart from over the lake. She tips to the side, the leaves being cut away by the leading edge of her outstretched wings. Tiny twigs snap and leaves whip her face. She can’t see and pulls up hard to clear the trees with her eyes closed.
Something slams against her right wing, jerking her to the side. She shouts as she spins out into the open air above the forest. She flaps madly, trying to get back in control, getting a quick glance at the impact site on her wing. Cracks radiate out from a branch stuck in the magic feathers, like a snowflake. She stares at it in disbelief as the wing disintegrates.
“No!” All control is lost, and she tumbles too quickly to make sense of what she’s seeing and feeling. “No, no, no!” The other wing follows it’s twin as the magic fails. She spins, screaming. Sky and grounds and trees, a distant mountain, the clouds, a lake, please let her land in the lake, flowers and leaves and branches and a very large tree---
Scootaloo blinks and shudders. Her heart pounds in her ears, she can’t catch her breath, she aches all over. She gropes about, trying to see if anything is broken. Her legs are stiff, but nothing feels out of place. Her wings are twisted, a little, sprained maybe, but nothing feels broken. She’s alright, alive, and relatively uninjured. She groans as she sits up, and looks around. She’s up in the branches of the big tree she hit, somewhere in the forest.
Light shines overhead, hardly visible through the canopy. It’s not sunlight, it’s neon blue. Everything looks neon blue for some reason. She reaches out to brace herself against the trunk as she stands on a huge limb. Something ripples in the air and she looks again. She’s surrounded by a bubble, a neon blue globe. It holds her prisoner, she can’t move more than a few steps in any direction before she hits the shield.
“What’s going on?” No one answers. “Hello? Can somepony help me?” She shouts, louder. Somewhere out there a hawk cries out. “I’m alone… what am I gonna do?” She curls up at the tree’s trunk and shudders. “I shouldn’t have gone so far… I should have stayed by the school.” Something crinkles against her, and she glances down, she’s still got the vest. Maybe there’s still a chance… she stands and moves to as close to the center of the bubble as she can tell. “Hope give me wings.”
Bated breath holds in her lungs as she braces herself for the spell. Nothing happens. She blinks.
“Hope gives me wings!” louder, with more force. Nothing happens. “Oh, come on! Work!” It’s no use, the vest is broken. She doesn’t fight the tears as she begins to realize how lost she is. She lost her wings, she lost her way, and now she’s stuck behind a bubble.
A voice calls out her name in the distance, a voice she recognizes.
“Rainbow Dash! I’m down here!” She jumps for joy, but the bubble is too low and she bangs her head on the top of the shield.
“Scootaloo! Are you OK?” The voice comes closer, heading right for her. Rainbow Dash slips through the branches not far away, unafraid of them.
“Rainbow! Help!” She chokes past her tears.
“Hold on, I’ll figure out how to get you out.” The blue Pegasus comes closer and puts a hoof on the bubble and looks around it. Something chimes loudly, like a bell. Ripples radiate out from Rainbow Dash’s hoof where it meets the shield, and it melts away like paper in water. Scootaloo doesn’t wait for the bubble to fade entirely and grips onto the larger Pegasus with all her might.
“How did you find me?”
“Well, that wasn’t hard.” Rainbow points up through the trees and lifts them both so she can see. A huge glowing arrow, bright neon blue and flashing orange periodically, points directly towards an image of Scootaloo lying prone on her side, right above where she had hit the tree. “What happened? And what is that thing you’re wearing?”
“A pony named Stardust sent it to me.”
“Stardust?! What trouble is he making this time?” Rainbows tone rises towards anger.
“No, it’s not like that! It was a gift.” Scootaloo tugs on the ugly vest, and then reprimands herself. It’s not ugly anymore, not to her. “It gave me wings!”
“Whoa, really!?” Rainbow turns towards Ponyville, flying slowly with Scootaloo in her arms, as they gain distance from the glowing arrow it fades from view until it pops out of reality.
“They were amazing, huge and gold!” Scootaloo wipes away her earlier tears and smiles. “I got to fly! For real!”
“Huh, I guess even he can get things right once in a while. You wanna show me?” Rainbow smiles down towards her.
“I can’t, I broke them. I hit a tree and broke them.” Scootaloo falls silent, and Rainbow holds her tighter, saying nothing.
On the way back they meet Twilight, heading out in the direction Scootaloo had crashed in. Dash calls out to her and veers in the Alicorn’s direction.
“Rainbow Dash, you found her! Is she alright?”
“She’s fine, a little rattled. Did you know about the vest?”
“Yeah, she came to me for help activating it.” Twilight brings her attention to Scootaloo. “We’ll get you home, don’t worry.” Scootaloo nods, one hoof still holding onto her vest. The two adults bring her back to the Friendship School, where Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are still waiting on the stone bridge for them to return. Rainbow Dash sets her down next to her friends, who immediately rush her into a hug.
“That was amazing! What was it like?”
“Where’d your wings go? What happened?” Twilight and Dash laugh as the two fillies press Scootaloo for questions too fast for her to answer. Scootaloo has to wait for the other two to run out of breath before she can speak.
“It was amazing, I can’t even begin to describe it. But…” She un-clips the vest and takes it off, it doesn’t look torn or ripped anywhere. “I broke the wings, I hit a branch a little too hard.” She sighs and stares at the vest. “It doesn’t work anymore.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” Sweetie and Bloom hug her again. “Are you going to be alright?”
“Yeah, I’ll be alright. She holds herself straight and looks up, a tearful smile blooming on her face. “It doesn’t matter if the vest is broken. For the first time, I got to really fly!”
Several weeks later, the three fillies are once again working on plans for another Cutie-Mark day-camp when suddenly…
KA-BANG
They startle, as they did the last time the clumsy mailmare brought a package. Although this time they don’t ready for a fight.
“Mailmare, here. I’ve got another package for Scoots.”
“Thank you.” A familiar looking brown paper package is passed to Scootaloo, this one has a note slipped under the twine. “Oh, and this time, you should watch where you’re going, you don’t want to hurt yourself on the trees when you leave.” Derpy shakes her head, still dazed, and blinks as she looks around.
“Thanks for the advice.” Then the mailmare gives the three fillies a quick salute and flies off back towards town, high enough to avoid the trees this time.
“Is it from Stardust?” Apple Bloom crowds close. Scootaloo reads the tag.
“No, it’s from Twilight?” Before tearing into the package she opens and reads the note aloud. “Scootaloo, I tried to fix the vest, however, the enchantments were very complex, so I sent them back to Stardust to see if he could repair it. He regrets to inform you that the shield response permanently disrupts the wing spell and that the vest will... no longer… function.” Scootaloo stops reading and sniffles, she had been hoping the vest could be fixed. She can’t bring herself to read the rest of the note and hands it to Sweetie Belle. Sullenly she turns away and looks out the window, watching the clouds pass.
“Then, what’s in the box?” Brown paper tears behind her, Apple Bloom getting into the package. Two fillies gasp, and then one of them taps her shoulder. Scootaloo looks back to see another vest held up for her to see. This one is no ugly safety vest, but a beautifully made cotton vest with white feathers sewn directly onto it. Upon the left breast is a badge, a copy of her own Cutie Mark, and next to it a note pinned to the front. This time, be more careful. Scootaloo breaks out into a smile, holding her new vest close and spinning like a top, grinning and laughing.
“Look, there’s more!” She stops spinning, and once the room does too, she looks over to see Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle holding up two identical vests, with Cutie-mark badges matching theirs. “Oh my gosh, we have to try them!” Sweetie is already slipping it on.
“Hold on! We should do this outside, and preferably with Twilight or Rainbow Dash around, just in case!”
“Learned your lesson last time?” Apple Bloom grins at her.
“You bet yer apples I did!” She grins back. “And we’re staying way out of the forest, open skies for us!” All three Crusaders shout in glee and sprint for the door, but something reflects out of the package just before Scootaloo reaches the door. She glances back, curious, and steps over.
It’s the first vest. Broken, non-functional except as a normal safety vest. She lifts it gently, as if it were silk, already planning to frame it and put it up on her wall. It doesn’t matter if the vest is ugly to look at, to her it will always be a reminder of the first time she really flew. As well as what Stardust told her…
“Hope gives you wings!”