Chapter 1: Over the Edge

Chapter 1
Over the Edge

It was a dreary, rainy dusk in Ponyville and the weather ponies were making every attempt to keep it that way. Just one more scheduled storm and completely expected, but remained nevertheless dreary for those involved. In fact, It was all the more boring because of the constant organization of it all; a free and wild rain would at least be somewhat interesting to deal with. The pegasus ponies continued to watch from above, keeping their work in check. Everything planned and perfected for the good of all ponies, especially over the Sweet Apple Acres farmland.

Rainbow Dash had taken up the Team Captain position, as usual. There was a certain charm about her that would leave a pony listening when she gave an order. They never could put their hoof on just what it was that encouraged other ponies to step in line at her command. Maybe it was her constant push towards teamwork, or her steadfast pursuit of her goals. Perhaps it could be her headstrong and unshakable confidence that success was possible against all odds, and there was nothing out of reach. It may have simply been her natural talents and honed skills that left her as one of the fastest stunt ponies in all Equestria. Whichever mix of these admirable traits it could have been, they left others following in her wake with respect and admiration. But there was something different about her attitude this early summer eve.

While her team worked away all through the morning, trotting amidst the gathered storm clouds beneath their hooves, they hadn’t really noticed the lack of enthusiasm in their lead pegasus. It was likely that only her closest friends would know what to look for. Normally Rainbow Dash wore her heart on her flank but that was just her natural demeanor. She could hide her intentions as well as any pony, and today her heart just wasn’t in her work. It took a lot of drive to force herself awake that morning, far more than usual. A dream had set her on edge, a dream of chasing after Wonderbolts that always seemed blind to every stunt she had tried. It was only when she went to check on Tank that she finally managed a smile.

Just under her home that hovered about forty feet off the ground, built of the fluffy white clouds that held the mainstay of her work, was a small pool where her pet tortoise took up residence. Tank couldn’t join her in her home, as walking on clouds tended to be a ‘pegasus only’ kind of deal, but he always had a smile for her, even when she couldn’t manage to find one herself. Whenever she felt down, the tortoise would notice, and worked all that much harder to change her mood. His antics would soon have her wearing a begrudging grin in spite of herself. Not that he did anything particularly creative in his attempts, but Rainbow Dash was a pony that admired the effort you put into a task over the end result. Tank always put his all into everything for her. It was seeing all that heart that left that a smile planted on her muzzle, and helped her face the rest of what she knew would be the start of a very long day.

Normally she relished any chance at leadership, but rainy days had taken all the challenge out of it. It was too mundane and commonplace. The team pretty much did everything on their own. She may have been giving the orders, but it was just part of the background noise for these well practiced ponies. It was more or less just going through the motions for everypony involved. She decided to escape the banal activity under the guise of her role. ‘Supervising from above’ she called it. Go so high up, plant yourself on a cloud, and keep the big picture of the storm in view. It wasn’t a bad idea really, she used it often when she was just starting out, so it wasn’t at all out of place. Now there was no point in it though, she had become so well seasoned, she could tell right away even from the lowest point and slightest glance if something was going wrong.

Even so it was there now she sat, on a fluffy dark cloud far above it all, staring out into that great wide, blue expanse. She could hear the sky calling her. She closed her eyes, and felt the heavens all around her. The cold wind, tangling her many coloured mane and tail that held her namesake, naturally shaded to mimic the most vibrant colours of a rainbow. She felt the cold rush ruffling through her cyan fur, sending a chill to each and every inch of her body. The flavour of fresh, rain-scented air flooded her lungs, the taste of mist invading her mouth and dancing across her tongue. All at once she got that hopeless longing to be out there, the wind flowing past her wings, soaring in that great blue yonder, deep into the horizon, and all the way back to Cloudsdale.

“Cloudsdale...”

Her eyes snapped open, surprising herself with the sound of her own voice. The pegasus shook herself from the dampness that had been pervading her fur, as if it would also shake loose that hint of something missing that had sunk her spirit.

“Come on Dash, this isn’t like you! No way a Wonderbolt would let this get to them!” The pegasus looked down at her team with renewed vigor, noticing for the first time that morning, that they too were stuck in the melancholy of their workplace. It wasn’t an adventurous job, or even a job that could get her mind off stupid details of old choices, but it was still a job. The pegasi down there were still her team. A well practiced, finely tuned team whose captain was down in the dumps. Close friends or not, a good team could subconsciously feel when their teammates didn’t have high spirits, and that kind of thing can spread like a plague. She decided if that attitude didn’t suit Rainbow Dash it didn’t suit her team either. She glared at the dark rain clouds beneath, as if they suddenly turned into an opposing force.

“Lets kick this storm up a notch!”

The sudden shout from above was followed by a rainbow coloured streak and a thunderous roar from the storm cloud it slammed into. As the resulting dark mist floated away from the center of impact, it left the silhouette of the coolest pony in town with a glorious grin on her face.

“Come on team! They gave us permission to make a storm, so lets make it storm!” She let loose with a double hind hoof kick to another nearby cloud for emphasis, sending a crack of lightning to the horizon below. “Lets give these clouds some soul!”

Most of the other pegasi looked from one to another still caught in silent shock and confused at the sudden outburst.

“YeeaaaAAAGGGHHH!!”

It was a bellowed response from the most enormous, muscle bound, and ugly pegasus that ever lived. His cheer caught on, and soon the clouds rang with thunder and lightning, as a herd of ponies stampeded through them.

“I love that guy.” Rainbow Dash laughed to herself before joining in with the ensuing storm cloud trampling that sent waves of thunder and lighting below.

******

Somewhere beneath the rolling thunder a pale yellow pegasus cowered under the pillows and blankets of her bed, while a tiny bird of flame flew circles just above her with a very irate dragon glaring at her impatiently. Five years ago Fluttershy probably would have gone into horrified fits at the idea of being present in this nightmarish situation. Currently, however, the only thing that frightened her was the thunder and lightning outside her window. She let out squeal of terror as another wave of the crashing discharge was unleashed over her house, shaking the walls, leaving her dishes and pictures rattling in their own semblance of fear. She pulled her heavy blanket down over her eyes, which just comically left her rump bare and in the air as she hid, a trio of butterflies adorned the shy pegasus’ flank, and her usually neat, pink, long-flowing mane and tail were splayed out around her bundle of blankets and pillows. She managed to hide in the bed with all the prowess of an ostrich with its head in the dirt.

“Come on Fluttershy...” It was a strange childish whine that seemed out of place for the fairly lengthy, fire breathing, winged creature before her, “You promised!”

“I know but...” The frightened pegasus pony choked out quietly, “I couldn’t possibly today...I’m so sorry Spike, I had no idea the storm would be this bad!”

“Fine...” The dragon replied with a dejected tone and waving his clawed hand, dismissing the subject. He realized he was getting nowhere with this. “Come on Pee Wee, let’s head home.”

The young fire bird flew past the dragon, only to pop up unexpectedly on the shoulder Spike was least suspecting he’d use as his perch. With a slight chirp the phoenix signalled it was ready to go, causing him to chuckle a bit at the bird’s antics. Spike made his way towards the door, when with a sudden flash of lightning exploded from the sky! The shy pony that had wrapped herself in covers to hide from the storm was now somehow in front of him blocking the door, with a horrified, wide eyed expression.

“No!”

It was probably the loudest he’d ever heard the quiet pony get, but she quickly lowered her voice to her normal standards, which barely rose above a regular pony’s whisper.

“I-I’m sorry Spike, but you can’t take a phoenix that young out in a downpour this bad... its flame is simply not hot enough to protect it yet.”

“So let me get this straight, I have to stay here and not train with Pee Wee?” His shoulders slumped at the thought. Spike, uncertain whether it was by nature or upbringing, was an active dragon and almost always on the move whenever not completely overcome with exhaustion from the day’s activities. If there was one thing in life he despised, it was boredom, and it was that very problem which was looming over him now. The whole point of coming to Fluttershy’s house on the outskirts of town was because of her knack with animals. She was the foremost expert with all animals small or large in all of Ponyville, and likely for much further away than that. Pee Wee was four years old now and finally ready for pet training. At least that’s what Fluttershy had advised him last time she was visiting the library.

Now that the firebird was older, it had taken on a much sleeker look, and was half the height of its father that Spike had angered the day he adopted the young chick. There was no small amount of playful intelligence in its sparkling eyes and it always had time for a joke to play. It was these constant jokes that were driving his big sister to her wits end back home, and the moment Fluttershy mentioned the idea of ‘training’, dragon and bird were thrown out the door behind the shy pegasus as she was parting.

Fluttershy was happy to help teach him what she knew of the mythical creature, and was very excited to be able to learn more about it herself. Especially after her complications taking care of Princess Celestia’s pet of the same species.

Spike himself had grown much like his pet. Longer, sleeker, he no longer held the chubby waddle of his youth. His tail and torso had lengthened out considerably, and now this bipedal form of his had reached a more comparable in size to the teenage dragons he’d met on the migration. Even so, he was still small for one of them. This didn’t bother him so much, as he was plenty big as far as ponies were concerned.

He owed his growth to Twilight’s crazy math skills. She managed to come up with some mumbo jumbo equation that let her know how big he would get according to how much he hoarded, and then for his birthdays began making sure he’d received an exact quota of gifts that would allow him a new size. He’d spend the year getting used to the new height, size, and abilities while they both would study the new instincts that came with it. Twilight was hoping this would help curb the uncontrollable instincts that took him last time when he grew up all at once. However when he woke up after the night from his latest birthday a few months ago there had been a very new and exciting change!

Wings!

Not that he knew anything about how to use them yet. Spike, being the only dragon anypony had ever had any regular dealings with, had the disadvantage of simply not knowing what he was in for on his way to adulthood. Puberty was an utter mystery and had kept both him and Twilight Sparkle on edge, waiting for any possible changes that could lead to another rampage through their small town. This meant no pony had any idea of which abilities needed to be taught and which were natural to him. Flight included. He looked at Pee Wee with a bit of envy. Knowing when the bird could be trained, what it should learn, different techniques and abilities it could learn, all things he had cripplingly little knowledge about himself.

Right up to a few minutes ago Fluttershy and Spike had been training Pee Wee to respond to several of Spike’s commands, and Spike was learning how to respond to Pee Wee’s gestures. They were all making a lot of progress until the rain outside suddenly picked up, and the thunder sent the surprised pegasus fleeing for her bed. Spike was fairly laid back as far as anypony goes, but being stuck inside a house far from anything close to entertainment in Ponyville, with a cowering Fluttershy, and not even a chore to occupy his time was pushing his patience.

“I’m sorry Spike. I won’t be able to concentrate on you and Pee Wee in all this.” Fluttershy nudged him back the way he came towards the bed. She took this chance to shut the curtains, hoping to block out the storm visibly, if not audibly, before curling back up in her bed covers once more.

“Aww, its not your fault Fluttershy.” Spike scratched his neck sheepishly, feeling a little guilty now. He knew she was giving it her best, and this was all out of her control. He was just getting antsy about the whole situation. The storm was pretty violent, and though he hated to admit it, he’d probably be getting startled by it too if he started sitting around doing nothing. This resulted in him beginning to pace back and forth, as Pee Wee opted to choose a perch on Fluttershy’s bedpost. “I just can’t stand sitting around doing nothing.”

Fluttershy nodded in understanding, watching him begin to trace a path in her floor. Her fault or not, Spike was still feeling trapped, and she didn’t want to see him like that at all.

“How about...” She began looking around in hope of coming up with some ideas to occupy him, but there was little around the house that he could help with. He was very good at keeping things neat and tidy she knew, but she always kept her place very clean already. She also knew he wasn’t all that great with animals from the last time he tried to look after them for her, and the many small animals she kept around the house were probably already spooked with the storm. She didn’t even see her loyal rabbit around.

“...we talk?” She finished lamely.

“Talk? Talk about what?” He did stop his pacing, but it was only to give her a funny look.

“Why don’t we talk about you Spike?”

“Me? What’s there to talk about when it comes to me? Everypony already knows everything about me. Especially you, I mean, I told you my WHOLE life story on the first day we met.”

“Umm... well... yes, I mean I don’t know. Its been a long time since that day. Could you tell maybe tell me some of it again? Like when you and Twilight lived in Canterlot? ” She tried a little hopefully. “Twilight told us a bit when she hatched you, but It must have been strange to be raised by a young filly.”

“What? Twilight didn’t raise me.”

“She didn’t?” Fluttershy was honestly curious now.

“No no no, of course not. I could have sworn I told you, she was barely old enough to get her cutie mark when I got hatched.” The purple dragon took a seat on the floor, leaning back on one arm and folding his legs as he explained. “Twilight can't take care of herself now let alone back then. You’ve seen the panic attacks she gets when things aren’t laid out perfectly organized, right? Or if she’s the tiniest bit past a deadline? Well, she was ten times worse back then without a number one assistant to help out. Now imagine that combined with trying to raise any kid, let alone one that belches uncontrolled flames.”

“Oh. Then I suppose she really couldn’t take care of you... so who did?”

“The Princess. Are you sure I never mentioned anything about this?” He asked suspiciously, “This is a pretty big chunk of my life here.”

“Yes... but ummm.. you were so young, and Twilight was being so quiet , and.. well I thought you were maybe, just a tinsy bit... exaggerating?”

“Well I guess. Twilight was pretty out of it and all. She had a book on her brain the whole day, and mostly wanted to get back to studying it the whole day..I’m still surprised you thought I was fibbing though. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I just enjoyed listening to you talk.” The quiet pegasus smiled in recollection of that afternoon. Spike was obviously enjoying the attention at the time, and she was still getting over the idea that dragons could actually talk! Normally she was the only pony around that had any understanding of magical creatures, but then suddenly out of nowhere a unicorn with a cute, lovable baby dragon riding on her back showed up.

“Alright, well it was ALL true! Its pretty obvious if you think about it. Even now hardly anypony knows anything about dragons, right? We’re a rare sight, a flying mystery, a mythic beast, a fire-breathing powerhouse, an impressive display of-”

Fluttershy interrupted his little reverie of his species with a polite cough.

“Wha-? Oh, heh, right.” Spike blushed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile, “Well, only Princess Celestia has been around long enough to learn anything about us, and right after I was hatched she opted to be Twilight’s personal tutor. When she was teaching Twilight, she was raising me, when she wasn’t busy with royal duties. When she was, I was mostly taken care of by Princess Cadence. That isn’t to say Twilight and I weren’t close. We were even taught together in the same classes, although we didn’t have the same studies. Actually the Princess had Twilight’s first written projects about documenting me as I grew up.”

“Oh I see. So you grew up together. I guess that makes you more like childhood friends?”

“I guess so.” Spike agreed with a nod, “I was as close as you could be to Twilight Sparkle when she was a filly. We became closer after her brother joined the guards and couldn’t be around as much anymore. When Princess Celestia assigned me as her assistant back in Canterlot, not a whole lot changed. There’s a mutual respect there, even if it is kinda offset by her authority. She’s my boss after all and I’m her number one assistant. And believe me that isn’t easy.” The pride of his work shone through his features, a little puff of smoke escaped his nose as he held his chin up. Fluttershy laughed lightly as he continued to explain.

“After that whole fiasco with the dragon migration though, things are a lot more clear. We’re family as far as I’m concerned. We all are, right Pee Wee?”

The phoenix looked up from preening itself, before chirping a reply that could very well have been an affirmative. Fluttershy felt her eyes starting to water, closing them with an almost inaudible happy squeal of her own at the thought. She, of course, had heard of Spike’s big adventure following the dragons, and she fully appreciated the touching conclusion it had come to, even if she was quite glad she wasn't there for it.

“That’s very sweet of you Spike, and thank you for sharing. I had no idea that’s how Canterlot was for you and Twilight.”

“I just assumed it was obvious. It never really occurred to me that all that mothering she does, actually made it look like she was mine. If you knew her as long as I have, you’d know she pretty much acts that way with everypony and everything. I don’t even think about it anymore. I guess it is partially my own fault though” He scratched his chin in thought, "I was more than a hoof full and she got stuck looking after me a lot. I got up to some pretty wild things when I was younger and she had to bail me out a lot."

"Oh, but Spike, you were always such a good baby dragon, I'm sure you couldn't possibly have been too much trouble."

"Well, I wasn't mean or anything like that, I just.... found my way into a fair amount of well... situations." He bit his cheek as his embarrassment grew, and used his fingers to represent quotation marks as he said the last. "I had a pretty active imagination and I used to pretend to be heroes and adventurers and stuff from books. Only problem was I kept biting off more than I could chew, and in would come Twilight to save the day. As long as I've known her, she's been my hero. Nowadays she's a hero to everypony, but really I think she only got so good because I gave her so much practice."

Fluttershy giggled quietly thinking back to all the times Twilight Sparkle came running to their rescue, or went around solving Ponyville’s many difficulties. “She really is a very caring pony.”

“The best. So what about you Fluttershy?” Spike pulled a wide brimmed hat out of nowhere, followed by a notepad and a quill, and in his best impression of a newspaper reporter, continued his question, “Life before Ponyville! What was it like? The readers wanna know!”

“Oh... umm... it... it wasn’t anything special.” The pegasus answered shyly, hiding her face beneath her blankets a bit once more, reminded too much of her time in the spotlight, an experience she sorely never wished to repeat.

“Aww, Come on lady, give me something, will ya?!” Spike pestered, tapping the empty notepad with the quill, “I got foals ta fe- Hey!”

Spike was interrupted when Fluttershy surprised him by suddenly reaching over and pulling him by the spines of his neck until he lay against her side. The hat, quill, and notepad were left bouncing on the floor behind him.

“That’s better.” Fluttershy smiled. Spike didn’t know how real to life he’d sounded, and she’d gotten uncomfortable with it quickly.

“You’ve never been to Cloudsdale, have you Spike?”

He shook his head in answer

“Cloudsdale is a city on the clouds, races are held almost every day of the week. The cloud making factory is constantly flowing, expanding the city further and further. The weather ponies buzz around it like little worker bees, making rainbows, rain clouds, and wind storms. There’s never a rainy day in Cloudsdale, and pegasi fly together everywhere you look, with no earth or unicorn ponies anywhere to be seen. There’s no fuzzy friends, or birds, or any of the cute animals that run throughout our landscape up there. Many pegasi don’t even understand the concept of ‘pets’ like Pee Wee. Like Rainbow Dash, they could never picture themselves paying any attention to a something like a cute little tortoise. Its a very different place from Ponyville, or even Canterlot.”

“Huh. That makes sense, but I can’t even picture you without animals on all sides.” Spike looked down and scratched his chin thinking about it, trying to visualize the place in his mind. As if to push the point, by the time he looked back up a few birds had gathered behind Fluttershy, perching with Pee Wee on her bed frame, while some squirrels, a couple mice, a porcupine, and a lizard decided to adorn her mane and head. Spike laughed, while Fluttershy gave one of her rare wide smiles.

“How did you manage? I mean it sounds like the whole place was focused on nothing but flying fast and weather making.”

“Oh, it was horrible. I was very shy back then, nothing like now. Plus I was a weak flier, I couldn’t even fly back by myself if I fell. I had such a hard time making friends, that the only time anyone would notice me was when I would fall down, or crash. They even called me Klutzershy!”

Spike was holding his hands over his mouth trying to hold in his giggling and avoid the glare that sullied his friend’s expression. Spike couldn’t figure out which part was the more comical, ‘Klutzershy’ (he was always a sucker for puns) or trying to picture the pegasus more shy than she was now. Somehow he managed to swallow it all back down. After confirming he had managed control his fit of giggles her features softened and Fluttershy continued.

“I was so bad at flight camp, they were on the verge of failing me permanently. I really couldn’t find anywhere that I could fit in or belong. It was all very humiliating, then out of nowhere-”

“Rainbow Dash!” Spike interrupted, knowing what was coming and well aware of how they got their cutie marks. “Is that when you two first met?”

“Mm Hmm!” Fluttershy nodded, smiling a bit at the mention of her stalwart defender with such excitement. “Rainbow Dash, the flying prodigy of Cloudsdale, was standing between me and my classmates at flight camp. I never met her before, but she landed with a flourish and told those foals off so fiercely! I never had anyone stick up for me like that before. You already know the story about the race, and how it went, but Cloudsdale wasn’t finished with me. Even if I wanted to be finished with it. I knew where I wanted to be after that, where I belonged. It was down here on the ground, with all these adorable creatures, but getting down here, and staying down here wasn’t easy. Its a long way to Cloudsdale from the ground, an hour’s flight for most ponies.”

“An hour? But you said it only took a few minutes to fall to the ground when you got your cutie mark!”

“Falling and flying are two very different things Spike. Rainbow Dash makes it look easy, but most pegasi would have nightmares of ever entering free fall from the sky to the ground. I know I have. “ She frowned, trying not to recall those particular dreams of her youth. “Freefall is very much faster than a pegasus flying as hard as they can. Pulling out of straight downward dives is something only stunt ponies normally do. A pegasus that can fly straight down faster than they can fall is very rare, and it is very dangerous even for them.”

“Wow... I’ll never watch her stunt fly the same way again.” Spike thought about the many times she was crashed through the library’s doors and windows by accident before adding, “It also explains a few things.”

“A nice and safe controlled descent takes much longer, and it is a very long way to go for as weak a flier as I was, and even harder to get back home.” Fluttershy continued, “My parents loved Cloudsdale, and wouldn’t dream of moving to ground level, We were all in a quandary of just what to do. I couldn’t ask them to move from their home for me, and they couldn’t ignore my special talent, now that we all knew where I belonged. They decided to make special trips just for me on weekends and holidays to zoos and nature trails, but that still left me being hopelessly teased by the other foals.”

“It sounds like everything kinda lined up against you. How did you deal with it all?”

“It was only Rainbow Dash that made school life bearable at all! She would stick up for all the kids that were being bullied though, not just me. She ended up being outcast by the more snooty ponies, but never seemed to mind. She would laugh and say it made her a rebel. Surprisingly though, the teachers didn’t like her no matter how often she stopped the bullying. Loud, brash, distracting, she heard it all from one to the other, and from the coach especially.”

“What?! You’d think that would be the one teacher that would love her!”

“He probably would have except on a few occasions she publicly called him out for being mean to the less talented students. Eventually it got so bad she even dropped out of flight school. She was breaking all the records, but she was doing it without much in the way of teaching. You know how competitive she can get? Well, once she even challenged the coach to do better than her at teaching the other students how to fly. She even rallied most of the students to follow her lead!”

“Let me guess, she flew them all into loads of trouble?”

“Oh no, not at all! If anything she won that contest hoofs down! The students under her guidance were doing very well, even the less talented ones like me. She had been sneaking me down to the ground during the weekdays to play with the woodland creatures, and noticed how the trips had been helping me alot with practicing. She began inviting other students down with us. It wasn’t long before she was holding her own classes just above the treetops for a lot of the fillies and colts while I spent time with my furry friends. She was actually so successful with us that many of the students that were already doing well began out performing the ones that took extra time with the coach. That was way worse than failing, because then the coach was humiliated when the parents found out. She dropped out willingly to save what was left of their reputation, and it was a pretty prestigious flight school at the time.”

“Cloudsdale doesn’t sound like that great of a place. honestly.” He scowled as he tried to paint a mental picture of the city schools. Full of arrogant coaches, intolerant teachers, and petty students. Then again he knew that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had problems with bullies too, so maybe schools themselves were the problem? He was suddenly enjoying the fact that he was privately tutored so he wouldn’t have to put up with it.

“Well it wasn’t that great for me, but I may have seen a different side of it than most fillies. You should have Rainbow Dash tell you about it, she loved it there.”

“Even after flight school?” Spike began absently petting the squirrel that decided to curl up on his lap.

“That’s just one school in a large city Spike. Remember among most of the students, Rainbow Dash was a defender of the downtrodden, an inspirational leader, and a fantastic flier like few Equestria has ever seen.”

“Woah, when you put it like that I wonder why she ever left!”

“I’m sorry, I really don’t know. I moved to Ponyville with some distant relatives I had in the area when I was still a teenager. Rainbow Dash showed up a few months later with only a duffle bag, saying she came down to check on me and she never left.”

“So just two teens with barely a bit between you, in a town full of ponies you didn’t know? Heh, sounds vaguely familiar, but at least Twilight and I had jobs waiting for us at the library.”

“We had to stay together here for awhile, before we could move out on our own.” Fluttershy confirmed. “Bits weren’t as difficult to come by as I thought they would be though, all because of Pinkie Pie.”

“Pinkie Pie? How did Pinkie of all ponies get you a steady supply of bits?”

“Pinkie Pie welcomed us both with separate parties. Rainbow Dash had a lot of fun, and almost instantly got in friendly contests with the other pegasi Pinkie Pie gathered. She orchestrated races, and obstacle courses, and all sorts of competitions. That’s how Rainbow Dash and Applejack met. They won everything between each other. Rivals instantly and friends even faster. It didn’t take much convincing for Rainbow Dash to take on a job as a weather pony.”

“I take it you didn’t participate much?”

“Well... I cheered from the sidelines.” Fluttershy smiled remembering how fierce the two ponies took to every competition Pinkie put in front of them. She had no desire to get in the way of that rivalry.

“Well that’s what Pinke did for Rainbow Dash’s party, but yours couldn’t have been anything like that.”

“Not at all. I was really nervous about it too, but Pinkie Pie wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m so glad she didn’t. I normally feel awkward in social gatherings, but after only about five minutes of talking with her on the street, Pinkie Pie already had a pretty good understanding of my personality. She only gathered the more subdued ponies around Ponyville to throw it with. It was really just talking with some quiet music in the background, with the instructions that all comers would have to bring their pets.”

“A pet party?”

“Yes!” Fluttershy squealed, “I couldn’t believe it! I was able to meet oh so many loving pets! For the first time at a party, I had something to talk about with everypony there! That really helped take away any anxieties I normally had when talking to others. I couldn’t help but get excited! One of those pets weren’t behaving so loving though. A pretty white cat who had her fur tied up in a bow, was spooked by one of the dogs.”

“Opalescence can be temperamental in the best of times let alone with dogs barking at her.” Spike smiled, recognizing the description of the cat immediately.

“Its true. Opalescence was not used to being around so many other animals, but there really is no excuse for bad manners. It was such a nice idea for a party, and I didn’t want to see it ruined because of such a small thing.”

“You used the stare!” Spike’s eyes went wide, “In the middle of a party too?”

“Umm... well... yes, I did.” Fluttershy blushed a little as she continued, “I told both the puppy and her that they were misbehaving and it was rude to everypony else there. They apologized and got along well for the rest of the night. That’s when she walked over to collect her cat, and apologize for the disturbance. Rarity was so beautiful, and brimming with confidence and class.”

“Yeah...” Spike agreed with a dreamy note to his voice, picturing the scene. He knew they had arrived at what would be his favourite part of the story.

“I knew at once she was everything I once wanted to be. She wasn’t strong, but she spoke and held herself as if she was. Somehow knowing that there wasn’t a thing the world could throw at her that could keep her from her goals. The only pony I ever met like that was Rainbow Dash, but Rainbow Dash was everything I couldn’t possibly be. However this was a unicorn who wasn’t that athletic, or strong, or threatening, but no one would ever dismiss her easily. Unlike me, she captured other pony’s attention, and reveled in every minute of it. There were plenty of pegasi into fashion in Cloudsdale, but they were nothing like Rarity. It would be a pale comparison, and Rarity had another thing far above any of them. She was friendly and welcoming.”

“No wonder you caught her attention with that scene with Opalescence,. I know seeing any pony able to talk that grumpy cat down would turn my head. I don’t know how Rarity can put up with her sometimes.”

“Yes, I felt all my nervousness come back to me in Rarity’s presence. She asked my name, and I could barely squeak it out. Then she gave me one of the most lovely smiles I had ever seen. She gently coaxed me back into talking to her, asking about my way with animals, her cat especially . We also began talking about careers, and business, and just so many things I never even considered before. We actually had a lot in common for two ponies that were so different. She insisted that I start coming to the spa weekly with her, even though I never had the bits for it. She dismissed the idea of missing a spa day over something as silly as a few bits, and generously offered to pay for me. I couldn’t take something like that for free though, so I offered to help her with her Boutique, since I was pretty good at sewing.”

“You worked for Rarity?”

“We worked together for quite awhile,” Fluttershy nodded her confirmation, “She taught me how to run a business and everything I’d need to know to manage my own, since we both knew what I wanted is what I have now. Eventually it all came together. I grew to know Applejack through Rainbow Dash, and they both grew to know Rarity through me, and of course Pinkie Pie was there helping to string everything together.”

“You know, for as random as Pinkie Pie is, when you look at the big picture like that it seems almost like clockwork.” Spike spoke his thoughts out loud, before fully realizing what he was saying. The thought hung in the air as he turned to stare at Fluttershy who had joined his stare with a surprised look. One drawn out moment of silent thought later and they both came to the same conclusion.

“Naw!” The two finished the thought together with a laugh.

Twas at that moment the door to Fluttershy’s bedroom flew open with a crack, and there stood a drenched bright pink pony covered with rain gear, a multitude of potently coloured umbrellas, wearing flippers, and a duck shaped pool floater wrapped around her from end to end. One particular smaller umbrella hovered over a tray of pink frosted cupcakes. Beside her in a yellow more practical raincoat that draped over her, stood a familiar purple unicorn with concern written over her features.

“Hi Guys! I finished baking back home and got bored while eating some yummy cupcakes I just made, then I noticed that it was really really really really storming outside! I thought to myself, you know who this kind of storm would scare? It would scare Fluttershy! And I think being scared without friends is no fun, and what’s less fun than being scared with no friends around, is being scared with no friends OR cupcakes! So I rushed over here, but now I see Spike’s here, and that’s super DUPER cool because the only thing better than having friends around with cupcakes, is having MORE friends around while having cupcakes!”

Spike and Fluttershy stared blankly at the smiling pink pony gesturing the cupcake tray towards them both. It was Fluttershy that managed to put spoken word to their simultaneous thought.

“What?”

Pinkie Pie took a deep breath as if to repeat everything again, before Twilight put her hoof over her friend’s muzzle and gave a brief summary much to the appreciation of everypony else in the room. “Would you like a cupcake?"

“Yes.” Fluttershy smiled, getting up past Spike to greet the new arrivals.

“Absolutely.” The young dragon followed suit, picking one of the treats out and holding it up before shooting his tongue out at the morsel, instinctively coiling around it before snapping the treat back into his maw. between cleaning his fingers, he added, “I thought you still had some studying to do Twilight.”

“I couldn’t concentrate with all this thunder! The mayor specifically told us this was to be a RAINstorm not a thunderstorm. Now my whole month’s schedule is thrown off! Not only will I have to study extra to make up for it, but now I also have to make time to book an appointment with the mayor, and put aside more time after that to plainly discuss the differences between a thunderstorm and a rainstorm. I’ll also have to spend time rearranging this month’s schedule again. This surprise thunder is going to make for one hectic month!”

“Sounds like another case of claw cramp to me.” Spike deadpanned.

“Well I certainly hope not, Owlicious is horrible at dication, that would put us behind even more!”

“You really have to relax Twilight, thunderstorms are crazy fun! You never know when something unexpected will happen, and they’re like the greatest times for scary pranks ever!” An excited Pinkie Pie tapped her hooves together ominously.

“Sc-sc-scary pranks?”

“Don’t worry Fluttershy, I didn’t have time to cook any up today.”

“Oh uh... I wasn’t worried.” The quiet pony let out a shaky breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding. “I agree with Twilight though. I would have really liked to know if we were having thunder today. That way I would have been able to properly prepare like I normally do and not have had Spike come all the way out here for nothing.”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I didn’t mind. It was actually pretty cool talking about the old days. We cleared up a couple misunderstandings, and I learned a bunch about you and Rainbow Dash, and that’s always pretty awesome.”

“Well of course its awesome! She’s only the coolest flying stunt pony that’s ever existed!” Pinkie pie snatched Spike and twirled around in her excitement. Then the realization of his extra weight dawned on her. It also conquered her, leaving her crushed in a tangled pile beneath him. She pushed one of his wings out of her face, managing to peek out from under it. “Phew, That never used to happen. Wowsers Spike! You grew up a lot!”

“Yup! You’re looking at bonafide dragon material.” He grinned as he sat up, rolled off the winded pony, and flapped his latest limbs for emphasis. “I even have all my appendages now!”

“Not that he has any use for them yet.” Twilight smirked, happily trotting all over his pride.

Spike glared and folded his arms. “Hey, it’ll come in time, right? Everything else draconic about me has.”

“I don’t know Spike, I really do think you should try to practice flying more. It is true we don’t know anything about dragons, but we know that pegasi have to train to fly to get better at it. Fluttershy can attest to that, and they get their wings from birth.”

"Who cares anyway?" Spike huffed, "flying is for ponies that have somewhere to go. Everything I want is right here."

"Aww, that's sweet Spike." Twilight smiled and her hoof on his arm "But you should still learn how. You never know, it could come be helpful and you'll probably enjoy it."

"Well I don't mind," Spike shrugged, "but you do realize you'll have to give me time off to learn right?"

"I give you plenty of time off already!"

"Somehow I don't think a couple hours a day is gonna cut it, Boss." You could feel the sarcasm dripping off every word. "Plus it’s the only guaranteed 'me' time I get. I'm not gonna waste it trying to get off the ground."

"Fine, I guess we can work something out." Part of her still wanted to protest. Giving Spike time off meant less studying for her, and more reorganizing the library. Something about this seemed important though. Spike wasn't just her assistant, he was her charge. It would be a failure on her part if she ended up responsible for the one dragon in the world that couldn't fly. It might even be something he'd regret for the rest of his life!

"Books on dragons are rare, but there's bound to be some about large flying creatures. We'll dig through the library tomorrow evening to give you an idea of how to start."

"Great." Spike rolled his eyes, not terribly enthused about the idea of more books being pushed into his life.

******

The thunder rumbled ominously over the Sweet Apple Acres orchard and homestead. It was a large house, and an old house. Full of familiar loose and creaking floorboards, stains on hardwood finish, and strong walls. It had long sheltered the Apple Family from storms even when their eldest was in her filly years. Big Macintosh and Applejack were sitting in the office pouring over the annual record books. Applejack sighed, shutting another book, and placing it back on an old sturdy shelf that had once been her father’s.

“That about does it.” The orange furred mare turned to face her older brother, brushing the blonde mane from her endearing freckled face, before shoving her trusty hat back on. Her voice was filled with that drawl familiar to all the Apple Family and their rough and tumble nature. “Ah think we’ve been through ‘em all.”

“EeYup.” Her brother answered simply. The large, strikingly red workhorse had the same light colours in his mane and the same freckles adorning his cheeks. He tended towards keeping everything as simple as he could, but his tone could make a single word mean a thousand of some other pony’s. When he did have to speak more than single word answers, he didn’t have as much drawl as his sister, but tended to speak slower and hold onto his words for longer. Now was not one of those times for longer replies. The disappointed tone in his answer said enough for Applejack.

“Another loss this year?”

“EeeYup.”

“Ah don’t git it!” Applejack stomped a hoof in frustration, “We even went an’ managed tah get Spring on the go when it oughta thanks to Twilight.”

“EeeYup. But there’s alot you ain’t taken into account AJ.” Her brother closed his own book and went over to the wall calendar with a quill, marking a heavy black line through the harvest season of five years ago.

“What’s that line fer?” Applejack came over to watch her brother’s explanation of the farm’s loss.

“That’s how long I was injured, and you went and tried to do everythin’ on yer own. The apple buckin’ was done by the end of harvest season, but it was late harvest season. Any later, an’ there probably wouldn’t been much ripe left to buck. And that herd o’ rabbits yah scared up ate a decent number of our crop.”

Applejack suddenly destested that particular dark line, and she recognized instantly the negative numbers he began recording during the cider selling cycle. That one she grit her teeth over. Their pride as the Apple Family was on the line against that Flim Flam contraption. They gave over a good portion of the harvest to that competition, and in spite of their victory, it turned out to be a big loss where the books were concerned.

“Those brothers didn’t just take up their share of apples, they uprooted a fair portion of our trees. That one has been hurtin’ us awhile now, and its gonna keep on for a few years yet. An’ then there’s that little dragon’s rampage through the orchard...” Big Macintosh continued.

Applejack paled at that. Its one thing to talk about taking a loss this year, it’s another to be talking about losses for the next few years down the road too. She watched him keep marking black lines through a lot of the last ten years. All the late springs before Twilight Sparkle showed up got large black lines, and then more through dates she recognized coincided with many of the disasters that threatened Equestria and Ponyville. Why did everything that happened always seem to kick their farm in the teeth?

“What’ll we do Big Mac? Ah ain’t been gittin’ much in the ways o’ prize money from any o’ the rodeos either, and Granny Smith’s hip is only gonna git worse...”

“T’ain’t as bad as it looks. If we just hang on for another couple years, an’ Apple Bloom decides to stick around, we’ll have another set of hooves to put the farm back into shape. Things’ll pick up from there.”

“Save your sugar coatin’ for Apple Bloom. Ah don’t know mah numbers well as yah, but even Ah can see plain that ain’t gonna add up. There’s gotta be somethin’ we can do.”

“We could ask for advice or help. Yer friend Rarity turned a clothes shop into somethin’ in a town where nopony wears hardly a thing, and that Twilight Sparkle could put in word for us with the Princess ‘erself.”

“Rarity finds rubies like most ponies’d find rocks in the street. Who couldn’t make a business out of that? An’ it just don’t feel right to be gittin’ Twilight to ask special favours for us over any other farm in Equestria.”

“I think yer under sellin’ yer friends AJ. If’n ya don’t want me sugar coatin’ things for yah, then yah oughta know. We’re in a tough spot, and even a small idea would go a looong way. If this farm goes under, all of Ponyville will be payin’ the price. That means it ain’t jus’ an Apple Family problem.” The large pony let out an equally large sigh as he put up his books and made his way off to bed.

She watched her brother leave the office, his parting words were left dangling in the air. Her heart sunk. The last thing this country pony wanted to do was to go bothering her friends about farm work. Big Macintosh wasn’t wrong though, if they didn’t find some way to help out the farm soon, it might all just spell the end for Sweet Apple Acres. Any more losses and they weren’t going to be able to plant enough the following year to use all their land, and it would be a steady decline from there. Ponyville counted on their farm, and it wasn’t too likely the little town could foot the bill for importing supplies.

“There’s no way ‘round it.” Applejack admitted to herself as she turned to stare out the office window down the outside path that wound its way into Ponyville’s rain slickened streets. “Ah ain’t gonna make the same mistake twice. If the farm needs more’n we know how tah give, then Ah’m jus’ gonna have tah ask somepony’s help. The question now is, who do Ah ask?”

Figuring she’d hammer the details out on the way, Applejack threw on some rain gear and made her way out into the thunderstorm. No sense leaving to tomorrow what could be done today, and there was no one in the Apple Family a bit of rain could slow down. If anything the storm would keep other ponies indoors, and the less ponies that had a chance to know the situation, the better as far as she was concerned. She began running down her list of friends in her mind as she travelled the muddy farm roads and into the town proper.

“That means Ah need it tah be some pony that can keep a secret.” She frowned at that thought. Her first idea was going to the smartest pony she knew, but great a friend as Twilight Sparkle was, she had a habit of getting as many ponies involved into a situation as she could if she thought it’d help. There was also no telling what Twilight Sparkle would think would help. Pinkie Pie was outright no help in this case, even if she was the best secret keeper in the world. What did Rainbow Dash know about farming? So that route was out as well. Fluttershy maybe, she ran her own business too, but she learned how from the most spoiled pony Applejack had ever met.

“Rarity.” As if the very utterance of that name from Applejack’s mouth broke something in the universe, a great bolt of lightning flashed, and split the dark sky. It outlined the silhouette of the distant Carousel Boutique in a frightening way. The shadows of the fake ponies that dotted the rooftop seemed somehow more alive, and angry in the storm. She doubted two more contrasting ponies ever existed at the same time. For the sake of Twilight Sparkle, they had learned to deal with their differences. For the sake of any of their friends, both would go to the ends of the world and that was deserved respect in Applejack's book. Going directly to her though, with no pony else around, and asking for help of all things... well that idea chilled Applejack to the bone so bad she barely felt the rain. Thunder crashed through the clouds as Applejack gritted her teeth and pushed on towards the foreboding structure. She couldn’t help but feel she was about to seal a deal with a devil.

“Applejack?! Whatever are you doing out in a storm like this?!” The marshmallow coloured unicorn gasped, trotting around the counter, deep violet curls of mane bobbed with each step. She met her unexpected guest just past the doorway as the drenched orange work pony wandered into her shop, a trail of mud and water behind her. The foul mess earned a quick, distasteful glance, but could be dealt with after her friend was warm. “Hurry and come in darling, before you catch your death of cold!”

“Now Ah don’t need yer fussin’ Rarity, Ah’m jus’ fine. Jus’ a bit wet is all.” Applejack unconsciously followed Rarity’s gaze and looked at the trail left behind her and frowned, remembering Rarity’s feelings when it came to dirt and added, “Ah’m sorry fer the mess, though.”

“Think nothing of it until you’re out of those wet clothes.” Rarity insisted, “Not another word out of you until you’re well on the way to being dry. Meanwhile, I’ll put on a hot cup of tea for us.” Rarity had moved off into the kitchen, already playing the part of gracious host.

Trapped.

Applejack sighed inwardly. All the rain and dirt in the world wasn’t gonna get under her skin, but Rarity’s doting would do so in minutes, still she was a guest in her home. More than that she came asking favours. The least she could do is be a bit mannerly, and the idea of being cozy and out of a storm wasn’t completely without merit. The earth pony shed her rain gear, and placed it as neatly as she could manage on the coat rack, before wiping her hooves and heading into the living room to stand by the fire, relishing the feelings of warmth.

“There now, that must feel at least somewhat better darling.” Rarity walked in with a teapot and a pair of dainty cups on a tray being carried by a blue aura, the same that currently enveloped her horn. She continued over to a couple small extravagantly styled couches, magically pulling over a coffee table between them, and setting the tea tray down. A blanket was hovered over and offered to Applejack, as Rarity got comfortable on one of the couches. Applejack rolled her eyes at the blanket but took the hint. Grabbing it and laying on the couch opposite Rarity before tossing the blanket over herself.

“Yeah thanks, but Ah still say its over doin’ it.”

“Nonsense, a work pony deserves to be spoiled every now and then. Quite frankly I only wish you allowed me to do so more often. Though I suppose I should ask why you’re allowing it at all, you certainly wouldn’t do so normally.” Rarity answered while pouring them both some tea, and hovering a cup over to Applejack who pulled it to herself with both hooves. She glanced at the cup, and took a long sip of its contents, as she tried to think of how to put it in words that wouldn’t embarrass herself completely. In the end she figured she’d just go with her old faithful method. Straight and to the point.

“Sweet Apple Acres is goin’ under.”

She watched Rarity choke on her tea, sputtering and scrounging for a nearby napkin to dab at the mess. Perhaps that was a bit too straight and to the point.

“Applejack, that is simply terrible, horrible news! However did such a thing ever come to pass?!”

“Big Mac’s injury, out o’ control herds of rabbits, several prior years o’ late springs means late harvests, failed rodeo competitions, a couple of brothers with a cider-making contraption, a rampagin’ five story high dragon destroying a good portion of profits and orchards... and that’s just the start! It all adds up come the end of a year. We’re gonna have enough tah plant for next Spring, but the year after? We can’t say. If it keeps goin’ with all these complications again, or even just one or two, there’s good chance we ain’t gonna have enough to plant n’ plow our own lands.”

“In short you’re going to need a couple exemplary years to cover the losses and get back on track.” Rarity nodded sympathetically, “You know of course, you are more than welcome to dab into my gem supplies to cover the costs?”

“Ah didn’t come for no charity!” Applejack glared, she probably said it with more anger than she meant. She continued a bit more quietly staring into her tea, “Ah... Ah came fer yer help. Big Macintosh said probably ain’t none in town that know the business side of things better’n you. Outside o’ Filthy Rich an’ his crowd and they’d have us up to our ears in debt if we asked anyway.”

“I completely agree. Loans are totally out of the question in your situation. I can’t advise anything until I’ve looked over your books personally, of course, though I don’t doubt you both checked them more times than once before you came to see me.”

“A lot more.” Applejack agreed with a sigh.

“Well, it seems to me that if the world is coming up with so many random ways to complicate your business practices, it might be time to come up with a few creative ways to answer them. I’m sure Twilight Sparkle could research-”

“No!” Her voice came out so fast Applejack surprised herself, “Ah mean... please no. It was enough havin’ tah tell ya’ll about it without tellin’ the whole town. Ah mean, if we have tah and we got no other choices Ah don’t mind, but til we try a few things ourselves, can we keep this between us?”

“...I understand.” Rarity nodded once again sympathetically. And she did. Pride was a big part of both of their careers, and it was hard to swallow it. The Carousel Boutique had fallen on hard times more than once when she was first getting started, and it hurt quite a bit each time she had to dip into her gem stocks for anything other than decorative purposes. However Rarity had the advantage of no one else knowing when she did, and the Boutique hadn’t needed a gem contribution of that manner in many years. Especially after all these recent trips to Canterlot and the contacts she garnered there. Applejack had no such hidden resources to turn to, and was one of the most stubborn and prideful ponies she’d ever met. Having this information float around town would be simply devastating to her.

“That doesn’t leave that many options for us, does it? Well, if you were willing to take a side job working with me it might be able to help.

“A side job doing what?”

“Why gem digging of course! Spike is such a dear, and he’s practically made for gem collecting, but Twilight does keep him busy. As an early rising farm pony I believe you’d be of utmost assistance in my never ending search for precious stones, and you could even tow so much more back into town. Honestly I’ve been somewhat worried about my gem stocks. You see, all these trips to Canterlot and Manehatten leave me little time to go for a trot among the mountains. I’m afraid its been taking its toll, especially with my materials becoming in such high demand. I think this would help us both.”

“Not to break your stride Rarity, but that don’t make a lick o’ sense. I wouldn’t be able to find gems without yah there tah point ‘em out, and with yah gone half the time, we’d both still be stuck.”

“Well that’s where I’m afraid we have to let somepony else in on our little secret as it were.” Rarity waved a hoof dismissively as Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Just one mind. Certainly you didn’t believe that I could be such a huge help that I could solve the conundrum all on my own? I’m not even in Ponyville all that much anymore Applejack. Why, even tomorrow I’ll be off on another trip to Canterlot. No, we need somepony else to help in spite of your misgivings. “

“Who exactly?”

“Why, Twilight Sparkle! Simply no other pony would do, would they?”

“I don’t mean nuthin' harsh by it Rarity, but she ain’t exactly great at keepin’ secrets.”

“Oh, are you referring to that old debacle with Fluttershy's modeling? She learned her lesson then, I assure you. Besides she is the perfect pony for the job. With Spike there, she can mail letters directly to me and keep me informed of your farm’s progress while I’m away. Even more than that, have you ever seen anypony so obsessed with checklists? I’m certain she could list out every farming expense and sale in the exact kind of detail I’d need to put a fully operational business plan together. She can also offer a perspective of magical assistance that you and I simply would never have. On top of that, no other pony in all of Ponyville knows how to find gems, and I really would be ever so grateful for the extra supplies."

“If you really think she can keep it quiet, Ah guess I’m fine for it, but nopony else, right?”

“I will be sure to take the utmost discretion. I’ll take it up with Twilight tonight in fact. Before she can go to any other pony, she’ll have to go through me, and I’ll be sure to go through you.”

“Alright, but what about Twilight’s work in all this? Every pony is owed their fair due, and we’d be askin’ a lot of her for nuthin’. That don’t sit right with me.”

“You'll just have to share some of the profit with Twilight then, an enterprising pony like herself would would certainly have an idea of what she could do with a few extra bits on the side. Should I stop by in the morning before I leave for your annual records?”

"Ah'll have 'em ready tah go." Applejack nodded before adding “Rarity...Ah can’t thank yah enough for this.”

“Think nothing of it. We’re not even certain this will work out. I don’t know if the gems you find will be enough on their own to pull Sweet Apple Acres out of its losses, but a farm enhancement here and there would certainly go a long way in doing so. Besides, you’ll have nothing to thank me for even if it all goes well. You’re still putting in a good day’s work just at a different job for a time. And 'a pony is owed their fair due' as a wise pony once told me.”

They both laughed at that. Applejack even accepted a second cup of tea before going back out into the storm. She felt better about things when she finally left. Rarity was a lot more understanding than she figured she’d be. She only offered the charity Applejack had been fretting about the once, and instead came up with a more work pony way of dealing with the problem for her. Things were looking up compared to an hour ago. They weren’t outta the woods yet, not by a long shot, but there was some form of path at her hooves. Even if she didn’t know where it would lead, for now that seemed more than enough.

Chapter 2: The Freefall

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Chapter 2
The Free Fall

The grass was wet with dew and rain from the previous night. It glistened in the caress of the sunlight, reflecting all the colours around it. Close by, a small, constant spray of water fell into a brook beneath it, forming a near permanent rainbow plummeting from a house made of clouds. In the brook a small tortoise stood on a rock, its head moving side to side, watching his pegasus pace angrily back and forth. The weather broke the night before, but here a storm was still clashing, just a very different type of storm.

“I can’t believe this!” The affronted cyan pegasus gaped at the very official-looking roll of parchment, before crushing it into a ball and furiously hurling the paper ball to the ground at her hooves with an satisfyingly light bounce. “How could you do this to me, Twilight?!”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen! I’m sorry, I really am! I thought the Mayor made a mistake; I had no idea you were just, um...” The purple unicorn hesitated as she searched for the words to describe her friend’s actions, “...spicing up the work day.” Twilight Sparkle finished with what she hoped looked like an innocent smile, but the flat look from her friend told her Rainbow Dash wasn’t buying it.

“Look, you’ve got to believe that I never wanted this!” The familiar glow of magic unwrapped the offensive paper ball with the official seal of Ponyville. In large print and very formal writing, the letter stated the following;

Rainbow Dash,

You have been hereby suspended from your duties as Weather Team Captain for three months time due to negligence and direct violation of orders.

Under your duty, in Celestia’s light of the fifth month on the fifth day, a scheduled rainstorm had been replaced by a thunderstorm, disrupting the peace for all residents of Ponyville, as born witnessed to by Twilight Sparkle, concerned citizen. This neglect of proper duty cannot continue and further violations of scheduled weather will result in an immediate termination of your position.”

By Official Order of her Honour,

The Mayor of Ponyville

The note ended with another very official-looking seal.

“Horse apples! Twilight, I’ve had like, a bunch of rainstorms that turned into thunderstorms before and never received any backlash from it.” Rainbow rolled her eyes at the letter and turned away from Twilight as they argued in front of the clouds and rainbows that made up her house. She loved Twilight Sparkle, but her friend could be so dense about the stupidest things, and right now Rainbow couldn’t much stand to look at her. “You decide you don’t like it, and suddenly I’m suspended! The captain of the weather ponies, suspended! It’s insulting! It’s humiliating! And it’s because you felt the need to whine to the mayor about the trivial differences between a rainstorm with or without thunder!”

“Well, they’re not completely trivial, I mean Derpy could have destroyed the town hall again.” Twilight couldn’t stop herself. She knew, the moment it left her mouth, it was the wrong thing to say, but something inside her just tended to seize up if someone got the details wrong.

“Everyone watches Derpy when she’s on the team! It’s when she’s flying solo that she’s dangerous. That isn’t even the point. You are my friend Twilight, not my boss!” She wheeled around and pointed a hoof at Twilight’s chest for emphasis. “And I’m getting really sick of you trying to be. You got a problem with the weather, you should have talked to me! You don’t go around my back and talk to the mayor! I get the checklist thing. I do! But I don’t follow checklists, Twilight! I don’t want to see a checklist, and I’d honestly like to see Spike sneeze fire on every one of yours so you could try living without one for a single day!”

“I... I was just trying to help...”

“You want to help? Fine! Go tell Fluttershy she needs to watch Tank for three months.” She gestured roughly towards the tortoise.

“Well... okay. Why does she need to do that though? I mean with the suspension and all, I thought you would probably have plenty of time to look after him.”

“Because I’m going on vacation! If the mayor wants to give me time off, then I’m gonna use it! I’ve been meaning to visit Cloudsdale again for awhile, and now seems like a pretty good time.”

“You’re... going away for three whole months?”

“Yeah, Twilight, I am, and if you’re lucky, I may finally be cooled down enough by the time I get back to look at you without wanting to force feed you this letter!” Rainbow snatched the letter from Twilight’s magic aura, crushed it up once more and threw it towards Tank’s pond. The tortoise, following Rainbow Dash’s mood, deftly caught the notice before it landed in the pond. He quickly dug around the inside of his shell for a match; lighting the match by striking it off his shell, he fed the notice to the flame, and let the resulting ash fall to the pond. Rainbow Dash wandered over to pat the tortoise on the head.

“Okay, now you and the mayor are blowing this whole thing out of proportion. A three month long suspension is ridiculous, and you leaving your home for three months is even worse!”

“Okay. Point number one: just who is it, you think, that blew the situation out of proportion to begin with, Twilight? Point number two: Ponyville is not my home. Ponyville is your home. Ponyville is Fluttershy’s home. Ponyville is Applejack’s and Rarity’s home. My home is Cloudsdale.”

“What? How can you say that? I know you’re angry, Rainbow Dash, but you can’t convince me that you don’t consider Ponyville your home! You have fantastic friends here, you’re the captain of the weather team, the master of the dojo, and you love the ponies here! Every pegasus for miles idolizes you!”

“Yeah... you’re probably right, Twilight. That was going too far.” Rainbow let the anger fall away from her now, and something new began taking it’s place. A strange tone of voice took over the Rainbow Dash Twilight was unfamiliar with. The pegasus flew up and opened her door, and gestured for Twilight to follow her in. “Why don’t you come in for something to drink? We’re not getting anywhere out here. I promise I won’t fly away as long as we can sit in my home like a couple of regular ponies. “

“Finally, you’re seeing some sense. Just one minute I need to concentrate on that spell-”

“No magic.”

“Wait, what?”

“I said, ‘if we can go into my home and sit like a couple of regular ponies.’ Regular ponies don’t normally have magic spells to walk on clouds.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight began, exasperated, just when she thought her friend was seeing sense, and now this? “Your home is on the clouds, how can I go in there without using magic?”

“Could you repeat the first part of that question? I didn’t quite catch it.” A smug smile seemed to play across the pegasus pony’s face.

“I said ‘Your home is on the clou-’ Oh...” Realization suddenly hit Twilight like a kick in the head.

“Twilight, don’t get me wrong. You guys are great! I’ve never had any friends as close as any of you, and I have five of you! But not a single one has ever darkened my doorstep. Not you, even after you learned your spell to walk on clouds; not even Fluttershy and she’s a pegasus! Not because she avoids me, but because all of you avoid this place. My home is an inconvenience for all of my friends. Tank can’t even come inside! Would you really call some place your home, if no friend you’ve ever had has ever paid a visit? I can’t stand this place! I have to sleep on random clouds in town just to catch my friends half the time. You want me to spend three whole months locked in this place? It might as well be a jail sentence!”

“Well, if you built it on the ground-”

“Hold it right there, Twilight. I’m a pegasus; actually no, I’m not just a pegasus. I’m THE pegasus. I’m the pegasus everypony thinks about when they think about a pegasus. When I was a filly, I walked, ran, and played on the clouds. I ate with my parents on a cloud. I went to sleep on a cloud. I met my first friend on a cloud. I shared my first kiss on a cloud. My father went to work on a cloud. My mother raised me on a cloud. I want you to take all that into account when you finish that sentence.”

“If you built it on the ground... then it wouldn’t be your home.” Twilight’s ears fell as she looked into the grass at her hooves. She had so much fun when she moved to Ponyville, and in no time it had become the greatest place in the world to her. She felt like she belonged there. It rang so true in her heart that she couldn’t fathom the idea that any of her friends didn’t feel the same way, let alone the one representing the element of loyalty.

“Don’t let it get you down, Twilight.” Rainbow jumped easily from the 40 ft height to land in front of her friend, before putting a hoof on her shoulders and giving her a smile. “I do love this town, and the ponies here. You guys are the greatest bunch of pals anypony could ask for. It’s just that home isn’t your friends or just some place to sleep. It's a place you belong, where you really feel like you’re contributing. A weather pony here is the only real use I have and its outright boring.”

“Boring?”

“Twilight, I can clear skies in under 10 seconds flat. I can deliver a rainstorm in less than 10 minutes. Do either of those things and you’re done for the rest of the day. There’s no challenge to it! It normally doesn’t bother me because it gives me plenty of time to work on my signature moves, but watching rain fall is about as fun as watching paint dry. If sprucing things up bothers you and the mayor so much, then well...” Rainbow moved past Twilight before taking a seat on the grass and staring up into the sky as the wind seemed to pick up around her. She closed her eyes and let the wind rush over her, ruffling her mane. Once more she felt the sky call, its booming voice pounding in her head. She felt the edge fall off her voice, as if she were talking more to herself than than Twilight. “Then maybe you’re both right. Maybe I shouldn’t be a weather pony at all...”

Twilight Sparkle felt her jaw go slack.

Thousands of arguments defied that logic. Within her head, each fought tooth and hoof for dominance, leaving the unicorn attempting to wrap her mouth around words that wouldn’t come. Rainbow Dash took this gaping speechlessness as consent and approval.

“Maybe you’re both doing me a favour.” Dash stood, staring up at that calling sky, the intent obvious. She was ready to go right now.

“Wait a minute! Just hold on a second here... Aren’t you deciding this kind of fast?”

“A pony’s gotta follow her instincts!” The reply held some form of renewed confidence that only worried Twilight Sparkle that much more.

“Uh...” Twilight began to reach for something, anything to delay this. “How about packing? You’re going to be gone for three months after all! You’re probably going to need some things.”

“I don’t need that much; I’m not a material mare.” Rainbow Dash grinned wryly and began stretching out her wings.

“How about where you’re gonna stay?!”

“I got tons of friends that’d put me up for a while, and my parents’ place can be a last resort.” She crouched down, wings raised, that familiar thrill ran through her fur as she readied for takeoff. The sky beckoned, its voice deafening; she could barely hear her friend over it just a few feet away.

“What about them?! You should at least send a message to let them know you’re coming, they’ll probably want to set up a welcome home party, right?!” Twilight was shouting now, she didn’t know why. Things hadn’t gotten any louder, but desperation was leaking into her pleas as she seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

“Huh...” Rainbow Dash hesitated that time. “You think so?”

“Yes!” Twilight shouted, one part confirmation, three parts cheer she’d gotten through, “I would definitely want some notice if a friend I hadn’t seen in years dropped in. I’d want to welcome her back right! Wouldn’t you?”

“I guess I would...” The sky’s call that had flooded her senses just a moment ago, seemed to have softened to a whisper as she began to doubt her actions. “But it will take a whole couple days to get a message to Cloudsdale.”

“Good, because Pinkie Pie would never forgive you if you just took off for months without letting her throw a farewell party.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” Dash chuckled picturing the pink pony somehow following her all the way to Cloudsdale just to tell her off.

“Alright, I’ll head off in a week. that should be plenty of time to get things set up on their end.”

“Great! I’ll go let the other girls know.”

“Alright, I better get those letters sent. Seeya, Twilight.”

Five friends were gathered around a table at the Carousel Boutique where a bewildering amount of arguing and impenetrable chatter took place. An uncommon closed sign hung in the entrance window. Twilight was massaging her temples with her hooves in the middle of the noise, utterly frustrated. Even if there was a valid option somewhere in this pandemonium of blame and hoof pointing, she wouldn’t be able to hear it.

“Enough!” It was Applejack that saved her the trouble, and silenced the table. All eyes went to the farm pony as she glared down at the table. “We don’t got no time for all this hoo-hah. We need tah figure this out and pronto. Ferget any parties or going away gifts, the point o’dis git together is to stop the goin’ away from happening at all. Now does anypony here got any ideas?”

Continued silence was all that answered her call as each pony held their thoughtful expressions.

“Well... maybe it’d help if we went over the issues Rainbow Dash has been having, and try to come up with solutions to each one separately?” Twilight suggested.

“Yes... perhaps organizing our thoughts would do us some good, Darling.” Rarity agreed. “I’m not even certain where all this stems from. Its only a few months vacation, is that so rare?”

“Not if that’s all she was going for, Rarity, but she’s going for all the wrong reasons!” Twilight stood up and concentrated. After a second a chalkboard appeared behind her, and a piece of chalk began scribbling a number of points. “Rainbow Dash is having several problems finding her place here in Ponyville. This has been complicated further by her recent suspension from her work with the weather ponies. Her first issue is finding a way to help out Ponyville while using her talents and skills in a way that challenges her enough to stay interested in the task; lack of meaningful work has made her feel unnecessary.”

“That’s just silly. Who wouldn’t want a pony around as cool as Rainbow Dash around?” an utterly perplexed Pinkie Pie exclaimed rather loudly. “She’s only the most unbelievably awesomest, most super duper pony EVER!”

“Bein’ wanted an’ bein’ needed are two different things altogether, Sugarcube. Lots a ponies like havin’ me around, but Ah’d be lost without the farm tah go back tah. It’d be Twilight without her library, Fluttershy with no critters tah look after, Rarity without dis here Boutique, or you without a Sugarcube Corner.”

“Except the dear does her job so well it barely has enough time to hold her attention at all.” Rarity sighed dramatically. “Our Rainbow Dash was born for the sky, but outside of the weather, Earth pony villages have little use for a pegasus. It really is rather sad.”

“But Ponyville does need her! She helps ponies all the time! She’s always looking out for others, she’s practically Ponyville’s very own superhero! I can’t think of a single pony in town that doesn’t admire or look up to her in some way. What could be cooler than that?!”

“That does sound like something she’d be very interested in, Pinkie,” Fluttershy answered quietly, “but... I mean... I think... maybe our Mare-Do-Well lesson might have worked tiny bit too well? I mean ...we stopped her from being conceited, but ... we may have also taught her that it was something anypony could do?”

Twilight frowned at that thought. That whole superhero plan was a scheme she cooked up to take Rainbow Dash down a notch from the arrogance she began to exhibit. Now Twilight felt she was the source of two of the complications for one of her friends. Similar thoughts were running through the minds of those around the table. That was a plan they’d all taken part in. There was a long drawn-out moment of silence as everyone attempted to think about some form of event that could help keep the local speedster busy for any real length of time. After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, Rarity sighed in some amount of frustration.

“We don’t seem to be getting anywhere on that particular front right now. Perhaps we could look to one of the other problems we have a better chance at resolving, hmm?”

“Good idea Rarity.” Twilight considered the next issue a moment before the chalk went to work writing it out. “The second point of issue is the limitation of her house and the amount of visitors she receives. Since no one has ever stopped by, it doesn’t feel much like a home.”

“Oh my... If I had known I would have visited her before now, I’m so sorry... I was there when she finished it, but I don’t know why I never went back... This is all my fault...”

“No Fluttershy, it isn’t.” Twilight protested quickly, “None of us have ever made the extra effort to come find her there. In fact, outside of Pinkie Pie, she has always had to find us. The problem is that Earth Pony and Pegasi cultures really clash with each other, making it difficult for everypony involved. Rainbow Dash gets homesick, and her house is really about the only thing that reminds her of Cloudsdale, and who she is. She doesn’t want to give it up, and I don’t think I’d want to if I were her, either.”

“So we have to look for some way of making it feel like a real home for her? Then I’ll throw her a welcome home party she’ll never forget! All we need to do is get Twilight to magic us all up on clouds for the day, gather all the pegasus ponies and have a real bash!”

“You want to welcome her home after she gets back, Pinkie? I was kind of hoping to solve this issue before she leaves. Three months is a long time, and she might end up deciding to stay. After all, she has a lot more chance to get into the Wonderbolts if she trains in the same skies they use.”

“Yah really think she won’t come back, Twilight? Ah mean, Ah know she’s biting at the bit over this whole suspension thing, but if she didn’t even like bein’ a weather pony that much, why’s she been doin’ it all these years? She’s gotta have a reason tah be here in Ponyville.”

“Hmm... You know? You’re absolutely right, Applejack. She must have had some kind of motive to move here. No offense, Fluttershy, but I sincerely doubt she came purely to keep up with an old friend, I mean you said she has a lot of friends in Cloudsdale. Why doesn’t she ever go check up on them?”

“Oh no, no offense taken, Twilight. I mean, I don’t think she’d have stayed this long just for that either. I can take care of myself after all, anypony can see that.”

“Well, I think its quite clear that she has an underlying reason she hasn’t told anypony. Oh! Maybe it’s a stallion! No wait! I know, it has to be some scandal she’s hiding from? That would be just like her!”

“Rarity please.” Twilight rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with her hoof. “No adding scenarios with no evidence to support them.”

“But Twiliiiight,” Rarity replied with a small whine, “with nothing else to go on, any idea we have won’t have any real ground to stand on. If we’re just going to guess, than we might as well make it thrillingly tragic!”

“She actually has a point, Twilight.” Applejack chuckled. “Everythin’ else would jus’ be hearsay til we figure out what brought that pegasus down this way tah begin with.”

“I suppose that’s true. We have one week before she takes off. We need everypony to figure out something she could do to contribute to the town in that time, and figure out why she came here in the first place. We MUST succeed!”

“I hope you don’t need every pony Twilight. I’m afraid I simply won’t be here. Oh maybe I should just cancel, this is important after all...”

“Oh right, your trip is today isn’t it? Your business is important, too, Rarity, you have to go. It wouldn’t be right to keep you from it.”

“Well... if you’re sure you can handle this without me, I can cancel. I can’t say it won’t cause trouble, but it’s more than worth it.”

“Ain’t no chance Rarity, you’ve worked somethin’ fierce to get these trips tah Canterlot goin’. There’s no point helpin’ out one friend only tah put another out. We’ll handle this.”

“Very well.” She sighed standing up, “but you will keep me posted? I’ll want to know everything!”

“Absolutely.”

“Alright then, I better get going, Spike has probably already worked himself to the bone with all that luggage the poor dear, I wouldn’t want to be late to see him at the station. Thank you so much for lending him to me before every trip Twilight.”

“Somehow,” Twilight giggled, “I don’t think he minds.”

******

She loved this feeling, this familiar scrape of wheels against road with gravel spitting up at her back. The vibration grinding against her hooves as the exhilarating acceleration left the passing ponies, trees, and houses a blur at the side of her vision. She tore along Ponyville’s roads and alleys, her wings an indistinct haze of motion, pushing her ground velocity to levels no other pony could touch. Her pinkish-purple mane whipped back and forth behind her from the blasting force of air, nervous sweat soaked into her orange fur and she narrowed her purple eyes in concentration. Determination plastered all over her face as she focused on the rickety piece of wood they had leaned over a cinder block.

This time it was gonna work. Even without Applebloom and Sweetie Belle there to cheer her on and overcome Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara and their jeering and insult-slinging psych outs. They were all just distractions drowned out by the thunder of her scooter’s wheels. They would not dissuade her. Today was the day her life was gonna change.

Today, she was going to leave the scooter behind.

Today, she was gonna fly!

The scooter hit the makeshift ramp with practiced ease and lifted high into the air. She fought the terror, the frantic need to hang on to her precious instrument of speed, her mental crutch that had held her back for all these years. She felt herself let it go. She clenched her teeth hard and squeezed her eyes tight as she strained to push her wings in an even pattern as fast as she could, concentrating completely on leaving everything behind and finally taking that first flight she’d been longing for.

Her wings continued to buzz behind her, the rush of wind rang impossibly loud in her ears, its voice deafening, dizzying! She fought to ignore it, to push it all to the back of her mind, fought to keep her wings even, pushing against the wind beneath them.

This was it, she realized, this really was it! She was flying! She opened her eyes to gloat over the two fillies who were both smirking widely at her still.

But why would they-

A sudden resounding CRASH rang out and her world fell to darkness.

“Hey silly filly, are you alright?” It was a bright cheery voice that Scootaloo woke up to, at least she thought so. It was difficult to tell past the ringing in her ears. She shook herself fully awake and made an attempt to assess her injuries, finding a couple lumps on the side of her head, and swelling in one of her eyes making it unable to open completely. She worked her jaw and was pretty sure a tooth or two were loose, but none were completely knocked out. She shook her head again to clear the fuzziness still left in her vision and looked up to see a brilliant pink coloured blotch standing over her head. She squinted hard attempting to bring the fuzz into focus.

“Ow…Wow… Pinkie Pie is that you?”

“I sure hope so, if I’m not me I don’t know who else to be!” The pink fuzz giggled. “I probably wouldn’t be very good at being anypony else. Need a hoof?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Scootaloo accepted the outstretched leg, and let it pull her back onto unsteady feet. “What happened?”

“I think you got a really, really, REALLY big urge to come visit me! I guess using the door would have took too long. When I really, really, really need to come visit me I normally use the window, but you went right through the wall! That’s way more urgent than I get!”

“When you visit you? What? The wall?!” The Pinkie Pie language barrier was hard to deal with in the best of mind frames, so saying comprehending her immediately after a head injury was more difficult would be a severe understatement. In answer, Pinkie only smiled and gestured towards the Scootaloo-shaped hole in the wall, the debris surrounding it, and the remnants of a scooter broken in two. The sight left a very clear idea of the situation.

“Oh.” Scootaloo stared at the scene, not certain if she should be more upset by the loss of the precious scooter, or by the huge mess she just caused.

“Pinkie Pie? What was that crash? What are you doing up there?” Mr. Cake’s voice floated from the downstairs shop. Scootaloo’s eyes went wide. She’d be in so much trouble if-

She didn’t have time to finish the thought as Pinkie answered.

“The usual!” Pinkie called back.

“Uuh… Oh… just be sure to clean up afterwards.” Mr. Cake wasn’t exactly sure what ‘the usual’ entailed; only that it often involved crashes and other loud noises. The only thing he was truly certain about, is that he’d regret the answer if he asked ever asked what it was.

“Okie dokey lokey!”

“Thanks for covering for me.” The filly looked up gratefully.

“Covering for you? I wasn’t covering for you. I really am doing my usual. You just came to visit before I could finish.” She giggled. “So what brought you up to see me in such a hurry?”

Scootaloo grinned back. This pony was crazy, in an awesome way, but still utterly crazy. Sane or not, Scoot figured she owed her an explanation.

“I uh… wasn’t actually looking to visit you in particular. I was trying to fly, but your wall got in the way.”

“Yeah, it does that.” Pinkie glared at the offending wall for a moment, remembering several incidents when practicing with her flying bicycle. “It works better once you learn how to turn.”

“Yeah, well I guess I’ll figure out how to turn once I figure out how to stay up in the first place,” Scootaloo grumbled, nonplussed at the reminder of her ineptitude.

“Oh! You don’t know how to fly? Than how’d you get all the way up here?”

“Well, I kinda thought that if I hit the ramp with my scooter at full speed, I’d be able to get high enough to fly on my own. I guess it didn’t work out.” She kicked a piece of debris, frowning at the results of her best idea yet to get her into the sky.

“Well… you got halfway up, so it halfway worked, right? You just need to get the other half.” Pinkie Pie smiled in attempt to bolster the disheartened pegasus.

“You don’t understand, just flying isn’t enough! I’m not only the only pony to not have their cutie mark in my grade, but I’m the only Pegasus that can’t fly yet! Its humiliating! I have to do more than just fly, I have to prove to myself that I’m not this pathetic! I even made a Pinkie Promise to myself that I’d be able to win the Fledgling Flier Competition next Fall, and I can’t even get into the air yet! I’m the laughing stock of the entire school.”

Scootaloo glared at the floor and waited for some form of response; she looked up when she never received one. Pinkie Pie seemed to have stopped listening before Scoot finished, the pink pony seemed stalled in front of her.

“Y..you… p…p..p.Pinkie p..promi…” Pinkie Pie stuttered with each word, her pupils shrank to the size of a pin pricks, her fur stood on end, and she stared off into a world only she could see. She went still for a full minute; a terrified expression took over her demeanor as her vibrant pink fur began to go pale.

“Uh… Pinkie Pie… are you okay?” Scootaloo asked with no small amount of trepidation, trying to wake the older pony from this disquieting trance.

“AAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!!” The startling scream left Scootaloo too stunned for action as a second hole in the wall appeared beside the first, this time Pinkie Pie-shaped. The filly peeked outside through the shattered wall to see a pink blur screaming through the small town and towards the horizon.

“Was it something I said?”

“Pinkie Pie? What was THAT crash?” Mr. Cake’s voice once again floated from down the stairs.

“Eep!” Scootaloo panicked, snagged the pieces of her scooter and followed the pink pony’s escape plan through one of the holes before fleeing the disaster scene.

******

"Here it is now." The pristine white unicorn stood from her spot on the boarding platform, her perfectly styled purple curls tossed in the wind as the large machine whistled loudly, clouds billowing out from its smokestack as a hundred wheels squeaked to a slow stop. Everypony at the station winced at the loud clamour, this strange hint towards progress that contrasted greatly against the rustic little town of Ponyville.

There was always a crowd at the station as ponies moved quickly to unload and load belongings and crates of produce on their way to bustling cities with bigger sales, deeper pockets, and greater opportunities.

Rarity was just such a pony. Mounds of luggage sat beside her on carts

and trolleys, the last of them came along, being pushed by a young dragon. The traveling ponies on the train had only recently started to get used to of the idea of a dragon in the small village; he still turned the heads of any ponies new off the locomotive. The sight of the savage fire breathing beast left him plenty of room, no matter how thick the crowd, to push Rarity's carts along. Most were more than willing to give the mythic rare sight however much space it needed to get through. He was always polite about it, minding his pleases and his thank you's. She paid them no heed as she turned to greet her old friend with a smile.

"Whew." He wiped the sweat off his brow, smiling down at Rarity. "It seems like you have more stock every time."

"That's because I do darling, and I simply must thank you again. You really needn't do all of that on your own, I could always employ some ponies to deliver it."

"Nah, I don't mind. I'm used to carrying stockpiles of books and they're way heavier than a bunch of dresses, anyway. Besides, somepony should be here to see you off."

The first couple of times Rarity had left for Canterlot and Manehatten their entire group of friends had shown up to bid her well wishes and a good journey. Pinkie Pie had thrown a farewell party right there at the station for her; it was more than a little embarrassing for Rarity, but she adored her friends for it all the same. Spike had to attend to the library that day, but he came around the middle of the party only to volunteer to get her bags for her. It was only one mound of luggage back then, compared to the many piles of it now, but he was still fairly small, he spent the entire party loading the train.

As the trips grew more common, fewer friends could show up to say goodbye, but the luggage piles would grow and Spike continued to volunteer his help. Every single time without fail she could count on him to see her off and to await her arrival.

"Oh Spikey-wikey, you're such a dear." She laid a hoof on his arm, a sign of genuine gratitude, "but I make so many of these trips, it's a weekly routine now. You really needn't bother, but I do appreciate it."

The light touch on his scales sent shivers up his arm, and a blush took over his face as he suddenly found the piles of suitcases very interesting, or the train, the loading platform, or the crowds. Anywhere but Rarity's azure eyes.

"It's a good thing I won't have to burden you with it much longer." Rarity allowed herself a silent giggle as he averted his eyes. The rosy tint that spread along his cheeks clashed horribly with his purple scales making it impossible to hide. It was still utterly adorable, even after all these years.

"Its no burden, really!" Spike protested quickly, as he always did when she spoke out against his coming to see her off, but something about what she said wasn't the same as always. "Wait... what do you mean ‘much longer’?"

"Oh dear, I've went and said too much, haven't I?" Rarity shook her head, maybe he was too adorable, she let slip something she really wished she hadn't. "Promise you won't tell the others yet? I wanted so much to announce the news properly."

"I promise! I promise! What news? Are you going to be around more often?"

"Oh Spike, just the opposite I'm afraid." Rarity sighed with a frown. Sharing the news early was only part of the problem. Sharing it alone with Spike at the train station, specifically while he was just about to see her off, was far from her ideal moment. It certainly had the dramatic flare she tended to look for, but it had the potential to be very painful news, particularly so in his case. He stared at her expectantly now. It was too late to back out. She gathered herself and smiled gently before continuing.

"I've purchased another boutique in Canterlot. That's why the last few trips have been so laden with luggage, Spike. It’s all stock for filling up the shelves and racks with material and dresses for the grand opening."

She felt her stomach flutter when she spoke about it aloud. It was so exciting, it was finally happening. After years of sales, savings, meetings and working her hooves to the bone, she had finally acquired a shop in the capital city of Equestria. She was excited, she was scared, everything could go so well, and everything could go so wrong! There was still more at stake than just her career, all her family and closest friends resided here in Ponyville. Leaving them behind would be no small hardship, and she had been putting off the announcement for just that reason. There was still so much to do from a business side of things, trying to handle that and personal issues with the business venture would be utterly overwhelming. She had hidden her anxieties from her friends easily with her many absences and work orders, but they began to gnaw at her insides now that one of them knew. She looked up to read his face only to be startled as she was pulled into hug and twirled around.

"That's amazing Rarity! You really did it! I mean, we all knew you could, but that isn't the same as going out and actually doing it! Your dream is really coming true!" The dragon continued to hug her tightly after the brief spin.

"Spike!" She gasped, hardly the reaction she was expecting! One she was overjoyed to receive, though. She had to hang onto him a few moments after having her world spun around so suddenly, just until she regained her balance of course. Nothing to do with that strong, stable back that held her up so easily. Hugging tightly back was only proper appreciation as well.

"Please dear, there's no need to be so enthusiastic, it's still a very risky business venture, one that could fall through."

"Yeah right, you're going to do great! Canterlot will love having you. And I would know, I'm from Canterlot after all!" He gave her one of those boyish grins he was just so good at. The bright cheerful laughter in his words left her smiling widely, and she felt her anxieties fade a little at his encouragement. She hadn't been sure he understood that she was actually talking about leaving for good at first, but he did. He did know and he was still so excited for her. Maybe breaking the news wouldn't be as difficult as she thought it would be after all.

"All aboard!" Behind her the train whistle blew, and the familiar call of the conductor flooded the station.

It was time to go. She pushed off Spike's chest to look at the train, before looking back at him.

"Remember, its just between you and me, I'll give the announcement when I come back. Oh thank you my dear little Spikey-Wikey!" She hugged him again quickly before turning to bound towards the train. She quickly opened a window and waved a handkerchief. "Goodbye! Take good care of Twilight! Oh and remember to send me any news about Rainbow Dash!"

"I will! And I want all the details when you get back!"

She watched him wave, an excited smile plastered all over his face.

"Rarity, you were fretting over nothing, you silly mare.” She sat back, taking out a sketchbook and a pencil, and floating up her reading glasses to place on her muzzle.

He watched the train leave until the last car was gone, standing there with a well practiced smile and wave as that heart crushing steam engine stole her away once more like so many times before. For years now he had watched her leave. Smiling and waving as was appropriate, he'd suspected all along it was leading to this as the trips became more frequent all the time.

He missed her.

She was gone so often nowadays, and even when she was in town she was often so busy she had little time to give. He missed her when she was gone, and he missed her when she was still here. Each send-off was devastating, every welcome home was an elation. He felt his emotions go up and down and twist around inside him, but he'd grown accustomed to the constant extremes.

He watched the worry creasing her eyes as she sought the right words to tell him, he could see the anxiety there, the doubts, concerns, and distress that plagued her. When he heard the news, what was happening in her life that she had been so secretive about, his heart jumped up and did a spin! Everything she had worked so hard for was right there, on the horizon.

The weight of its meaning for him would undoubtedly leave him fighting tears by the time he was alone in his room. For now, the stunningly happy tidings were just overwhelming. Almost as overwhelming as the feeling of her weight in his arms. He blushed vividly as he recalled her fur pressed against him. Somewhere in the hidden torrent of feelings below, a young hatchling was squealing in cheer. He actually managed to bring himself to hug her. It was stupid to be so happy in the face of something so inevitably sad, but emotions were rarely so easy to understand. He coughed a bit, with a smile wider than the sky, before turning towards home.

******

The littlest of fillies and colts laughed and played around the green grass, pushing each other on the swings, putting together intricate sand castles in the sandbox, and running through a sprinkler set up on the rolling lawns on the hot summer day. The laughter and noise of foals floated all around as they pretended to be super heroes or villains, their sticks and balls were imagined to be fantastical fabled weaponry and spells of old.

In stark contrast to her surroundings one of the oldest of the fillies in the park waited by a trio of trees, a sullen mood had taken over as she held a bag of ice over her injured eye. Though she couldn’t really be considered a filly anymore, now that she thought about it. They had graduated the elementary school in the spring, but here she stood, in the park, still without a cutie mark, still unable to fly. In one of the trees beside her were carved the initials SB, AB, and SL with CMC in big emboldened letters above it and underlined even. This had long been the ‘in-town’ meeting spot for the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

A flush of embarrassment marked Scootaloo’s features as she remembered their many antics. It had only ended a year ago, and it was hard remembering just how immature it all was. No regrets though, no matter the humiliating predicaments they had placed themselves in time and again, there never would be a regret.

They had enjoyed every single one.

In the past years, two of the three friends had found their calling somewhere in their crusades. It seemed so obvious now when she looked back. Sweetie Belle had always had a tune and love for music, and showed it so many times. They just never connected it with being her special talent for whatever reason. They were looking for all the wrong signs, thinking if they managed to do their special talent even once, its mark would appear magically at their flanks. It wasn’t true however. It took something special, something that showed them how much they enjoyed their special gift. Now several music notes along side of a trio of magical looking stars adorned Sweetie Belle’s flank.

With the new information at hoof, Apple Bloom’s flank was displaying a hammer, screwdriver, and saw crossed one over another, placed upon a large red apple not long after. All it took was another huge renovation of the Crusader Clubhouse, something that was special to all three friends. The place was now fit to hold a bedroom large enough for their slumber parties, a small kitchen area where they stored treats, tire swings built from old parts from abandoned farm vehicles, and even a second story built into the surrounding trees, with ladders and rope bridges.

It did not just increase in height but also expanded to the surrounding area as its own little park. At Apple Bloom’s talented hooves and supervision of their efforts it developed a small skate stunt park, several slides, an oversized jungle gym, and its own child-sized sport’s field. Even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had to begrudgingly admit the Crusader Clubhouse was utterly awesome, though it was falling to disrepair for the last year for lack of use. The Crusaders simply didn’t have enough time anymore to make full use of it, and that was kind of a shame considering all the work the three put into it.

Her own Cutie Mark Crusader story hadn’t worked out so well. The trio were all pretty sure of her talent with the scooter, and arranged impressive scooter stunt shows that went off perfectly. Still no mark had ever appeared. They couldn’t figure out why, though Scootaloo had begun to suspect and feel guilty over taking up all their time. They spent the better part of the last five years searching for a way to gain the esteemed mark and they were running out of ideas.

She couldn’t bare to tell them, but Scootaloo was losing interest in the idea altogether, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted a scooter Cutie Mark anymore. For a long while now her interests had turned towards flight, but she just couldn’t touch the sky no matter how hard she tried. The earth pony school held little in the way of flight classes, and what attempts were made usually ended in disaster. Pegasi learned quickly it was better to be home schooled in that particular study. The trouble was Scootaloo’s parents were both earth ponies, she inherited her wings from her grandfather who currently lived in Cloudsdale. Even so, most pegasi her age had learned how to fly naturally, and she could barely manage to hover a meter off the ground on her best day. She was beginning to wonder if her talent for the scooter was to make up for an inability to fly, and this suspicion turned to a secret grudge towards the broken instrument at her side. Between full out flight, and being good at some scooter stunts, could the two gifts even be compared?

“Howdy Scootaloo! Sorry Ah’m late!” The familiar twang of accent associated with the Apple family farmers signaled the arrival of one of her steadfast friends. Apple Bloom’s red mane bounced happily along with her, still tied back neatly in the same bow she always had, though it no longer seemed exaggeratedly large for her, as the yellow furred earth pony trotted casually along.

“Ah got caught up in the plans fer the new town hall. Looks like she’ll be right nice once its all done up. Sweetie Belle not here yet?”

“I’m here!” Called out the weary, out of breath unicorn, she fell down dramatically upon reaching the clearing. “Whew! Fluttershy lives ridiculously far away from the park. Why would a pony that’s scared of the Everfree woods live that close to it?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom laughed as they walked over to help their friend back to her hooves. Sweetie Belle casually dusted off the dirt and grass from her white fur, and the curls of her light purple and pink mane. Once finished she looked up at her friends with a smile, before gasping at the ice pack on her friend’s face.

“Scootaloo! What happened to your eye?”

“My scooter and I met a wall earlier.” Scootaloo gestured back to her broken mode of transportation. Apple Bloom gave a low whistle as she walked over to inspect it.

“Yah musta been goin’ at some speed Scoots, it snapped right in two. That’s sayin’ something considerin’ the oak this was made outta. Ah made it tah take a beatin’.”

“Here let me see that eye. Wow, its swollen completely shut, put the ice back on. Have you been to the hospital yet?”

Sweetie Belle didn’t concern herself with the scooter, instead choosing to inspect the injury. Scootaloo sighed as she let her friend fuss over her, as always. Injuries were a common occurrence to the Crusaders and Sweetie Belle had taken to nursing the team back to health, usually putting to use some of what she gleaned from Fluttershy’s work with her animals. But large bruises, black eyes, and swelling were the usual for a stunt pony like Scootaloo, and the idea of going to the hospital over something this small was not an option as far as she was concerned.

“Its fine Sweetie Belle, its not that serious.” Scootaloo shrugged away her friend’s efforts after putting the ice pack back on, and changed the topic towards the scooter and Apple Bloom. “Do you think you can fix it?”

“Ah don’t think so.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ah mean, Ah might be able tah, but Ah don’t think yah’d want it. It’d be easier tah break than ever if Ah just patched it up. It will probably be better if we put together a new one for yah.”

Scootaloo frowned at this. She had that scooter a lot of years, and there was an unexpected pang of hurt over its loss. While scooting around was becoming old compared to her desire to fly, it was always something that was there for her. That little scooter held a lot of memories for her and the Crusaders. Sweetie Belle took in her friend’s expression and took a moment to think of how to cheer her up

“Well, it was kind of getting a bit small for you lately, so maybe it was time to retire it. We should put a new one together, and customize it perfectly for you!”

A new scooter? Customized specifically for her? Scootaloo walked over beside Apple Bloom and put a hoof on the broken remains. It sounded pretty cool actually, a scooter specifically put together by the crusaders.

“How long would it take, Apple Bloom?”

“Tah make one from scratch? Well if we wanna do it right, it’d take time to research what we need for materials, get yer measurements, and test yer preferences, that’s before we even begin makin’ the parts. Tah make it proper it might take a good month a work.”

“Are you sure you want to do that, guys? Sounds like it might take up all of our time, and you two have been real busy lately. It might be easier to just to put together some bits to buy a new one. I don’t want it to be months before I can drive one again, and I don’t want to have to sink what time we can manage to hang out into this.”

“Um… yeah, it might be better to do that then.” Sweetie Belle supplied a bit quieter about the topic than she was before, “I might not actually be in Ponyville in a month’s time to help, so…”

“Where else would you be?” Scootaloo asked as she paused and looked at Sweetie Belle, puzzled.

“Well… my sister kinda, sorta has me… goingontourwithSapphireShores.” Sweetie Belle rushed the end of her sentence quietly, embarrassed. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other hesitantly.

“What now? Say that last part again, would yah?” Apple Bloom pressed trying for something with a bit more clarity.

“… going on tour with Sapphire Shores?” Sweetie Belle gave her two friends an apologetic look.

“THE Sapphire Shores?!” The jaws of her friends dropped to the ground. When Scootaloo finally managed to find her voice, she could only repeat what she heard, trying to confirm the idea to herself. “You’re going on tour with Sapphire Shores?!”

“Well yes, but only as a background singer! She heard me singing upstairs when she was talking to Rarity and said she had to have me. Rarity told her she could have all the outfits she needed for free if she took me under her study, but since she’s always on tour she said she could only do that between concerts. And nothing is for certain yet! Miss. Shores said she had to confirm it with her manager first, we’re waiting for word back.”

“That’s darned amazing, Sweetie Belle! Congratulations! When were you planning on lettin’ us all know?” Apple Bloom’s smile grew as she wrapped her friend up in a hug.

“Well, Rarity wanted to make a large show out of it and turn it into and announce it during Pinkie Pie’s next party.”

“Guess we should have known that.” Scootaloo laughed and took Sweetie Belle up in another hug as soon as Apple Bloom let her go. “How long will you be gone for if everything goes well?”

“Well...” She nervously started, trying to pick her words carefully, they came out as a quiet whisper as she looked away, “Its a yearlong tour...”

Sweetie Belle found the hug she was in suddenly get a LOT tighter, so tight she was starting to have trouble breathing. Scootaloo hadn’t seemed to realize the strength of her grip for a long moment as the trio became dead silent. Apple Bloom shook herself out of the daze only once she noticed Sweetie Belle’s predicament, before prying her friends apart.

“A year?” Scootaloo questioned, more to herself than to her friends, as the world seemed to spin around her. She had to be without one of the crusaders for a full year?!

“I’m sorry I kept it from you guys, but I didn’t want to say without knowing for sure, and I’m honestly kinda worried about it, and I’m not sure about singing in front of a crowd still; I’m still not even sure I want to go! It just happened so fast I...”

“No way! You don’t got nothing to be worried about! Sapphire Shores better watch out, cause our Sweetie Belle will steal the show right out from under her!” Scootaloo shook away sluggish thoughts and declared loudly. Maybe a bit too loud, there was a tremble trying to break out somewhere in that proclamation and none of the close friends missed it

“I guess…” She bit her lip, and looked at her two best friends in the world. “I’m not sure I’ll do it even if the answer comes back yes...I mean a year-”

“Well o’ course yer gonna! Why would yah even need tah think about somethin’ like that?” Apple Bloom interrupted, ignoring the wetness burning at the edge of her eyes. “This is a great chance for yah, Sweetie Belle! Yah can’t miss it over a few nerves. Besides, Sapphire Shores wouldn’t just ask anypony outta the blue. She’s a darned professional. If she thinks yah can do it, then yah can do it. More’n that, we know yah can!”

“But we’ve been together so long, I just don’t really know if I could without you two by my side. Singing in front of a crowd and everything? What if I mess up and I ruin Miss Shore’s concert?”

“You’ll do great, Sweetie Belle, I just know it.” Scootaloo stated with enough confidence to squash any attempt at argument. “Besides, just because we’re not together doesn’t mean we won’t be cheering for you. When you’re up on that stage, you just remember we’re up there with you. You can even shout it out right before you go on stage, Cutie Mark Crusaders Singing Sensations!”

The three friends couldn’t help but laugh at the embarrassing nostalgic call back to their youth. It was a strange laugh that took them, mixed with hidden tears, and wiped eyes, filled with feelings of great loss and pride, best wishes and strained farewells to come. The three fillies shared another hug, but then, they didn’t feel much like fillies anymore.

Chapter 3: Fighting the Panic

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Chapter 3

Fighting the Panic

“…And worst yet, she Pinkie promised! To herself! THAT’S THE WORST POSSIBLE KIND TO BREAK!”

Rainbow Dash stared stupefied as her friend’s tone of voice took on a harsh dark tone before she flopped to the ground, her legs splayed out, completely out of breath from her sprint from town and lengthy exposition. It was the day after Rainbow Dash received the letter of suspension from the mayor, and she managed to calm down a fair amount. She still had a week to kill before she’d be off to Cloudsdale. Something she had been putting off for a long time now, and she was starting to get nervous about the whole idea of going back. There would be a lot to confront waiting for her back there.

She was working out, training hard to blow off steam and settle her nerves, when Pinkie Pie had suddenly run screaming out of nowhere and barrelled into her. While they both struggled to their hooves, the pink sugar rush had managed to buzz through her entire encounter with Scootaloo, in extraneous detail. She was somewhat impressed with herself for actually managing to understand everything she said. Most would had given up without trying.

“Its okay Pinkie, breathe. Come on now, air is important to your existence. You gotta remember to keep breathing when you’re talking, no matter how important it is.”

Her only reply was long choking gasps as Pinkie Pie attempted to follow Rainbow Dash’s advice. The pegasus didn’t even try to keep the smile from her face. She needed a smile after everything that happened yesterday. The thought occurred to her that she probably should have gone to see Pinkie a lot sooner after all that. There was nothing that wasn’t funny about this situation, same as it always was when dealing with this particular pony, except maybe the results of a broken Pinkie promise. She felt a chill go down her spine. She didn’t wish that fate on any pony, least of all one of her biggest fans. That poor filly had no idea what she got herself into.

“You alright now Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash tried after a minute or so.

“Yep!” Pinkie Pie was up in a flash, smiling wide and perky as ever. Rainbow Dash shook her head, not certain if her friend was just being over dramatic a minute ago, or if instant recovery was just the consistent response whenever you asked Pinkie Pie if she was alright.

“Okay then, so Scootaloo still can’t fly. That really sucks, but I’m not sure why you’re telling me.”

“Well Spike said that Fluttershy said that you once taught a whole class of foals to fly! And you’re the only one that could teach her the skills she’d need to win the Fledgling Flier Contest!”

“What? Oh no. No way, no how Pinkie Pie! Not this Pegasus. End of discussion. Apparently they didn’t tell you the whole story. I got in a huge load of trouble for that. Besides I’m sure Cheerilee has a perfectly good tutor for flight studies at the school.”

******

Meanwhile at the Schoolyard

******

“Now go in circles and circles and circles and circles and-” An adorable Cross-eyed, gray furred pegasus was chasing her blonde tail. The class of pegasus foals around her were stumbling around and dizzily falling over. Many lay around the ground, feet up, with their eyes spinning round and round.

An on-looking Cheerilee was holding her hooves over her eyes, weeping for her fallen students, and unable to watch the horror unfolding before her.

******

Back Outside Rainbow Dash’s Cloud House

******

“Look Pinkie Pie, I wasn’t just banned from flight camp after that stunt, there wasn’t a single flight school that’d let me join up!” Dash shook her head as she spoke again after a pause, “I ended up a drop out. I was never even ‘allowed’ to finish after that.”

“Pfft, what do flight schools know anyway? You’re the fastest, bestest, most awesomest flier in all of Equestria! You didn’t need a school to tell you that.”

“All very true.” Rainbow Dash chuckled and nodded with pride with each note of encouragement. “But I’m sorry, I really can’t do it, alright? Please don’t ask why, it just puts me in a bad mood, and I’ve got enough reason to be gloomy with this whole suspension thing as it is.”

“But she ‘Pinkie’ promised Dashie!”

“Look, I’m sorry but I can’t help ya out this time!” The rainbow maned pony put her hoof down before zipping into the sky angrily.

Pinkie just sat on her rump staring off at the retreating figure. She had never before seen Rainbow Dash say no to anything flying related or to a friend that really needed her help. Pinkie Pie knew a lot about friendship, she was friends with every single pony in town after all! And all her instincts gained from those many friendships told her that she just crossed a line Rainbow Dash had been carefully hiding for a long time.

Maybe the very line her friends were looking for to get her to stick around. Every pony knew Rainbow Dash had a difficult time admitting when she needed help. And there was one friend Pinkie Pie knew had issues with the exact same problem. She stood to go, deciding she’d need Applejack on this right away. There was no choice. Rainbow Dash really was the only pony able to get Scootaloo the skills she’d need to keep her promise.

Above all, the promise had to be kept.

******

Two friends talked and walked through the cool shade of several hundred apple trees, ahead of one floated a book, embraced by magic as it flipped back and forth through its own pages constantly. They stood on a hill overlooking the whole of the Sweet Apple Acres farmland. Apples shimmered in the sunlight while the birds seemed to sing a practiced chorus that spoke of nature and all it had to offer. An old farmhouse stood off in the distance, leaving it a sight that would take the breath away of any country born homesick pony. It was a most miraculous scene set for them by some grand design, but familiarity breeds disregard, and the scenery went ignored as the two focused their conversation on material gains.

“Well from what I can tell your fields are worked perfectly by the ‘Earth Pony’s Guide to Apple Orchards.”

“’Course it is Twilight, it was mah Grand Pappy that went and wrote that there book o’ yours.” Applejack rolled her eyes unimpressed. So far this whole field management idea of Twilight’s had gotten them nowhere. This was the Apple Family after all. There weren’t no better apple buckers this side of Canterlot.

“The only thing that this guide doesn’t take into account is magical assistance.”

“Hold it right there Sugar cube. We can’t be dependin’ on no magic. There ain’t no way tah know if we’re gonna have a friend with all the talent yah got for the generations tah come after us, so magic ain’t gonna be much good in the long run anyway.”

“You have a point, except that in the long run your farm is already doing well, what you need is a short term fix. We can see if we can look into some enchanted farm tools to help speed things up for the harvesting season. Oh! Better yet, Fluttershy doesn’t use magic, but she still might be able to talk the insects out of your farm for the next couple years, and that would help your harvest to reach its full potential!”

“Hey now! That’s some bright thinkin’ Twilight. We can ask her ‘bout it soon as we’re done lookin’ around.”

“It should really maximize your productivity, yet I can’t help but notice there’s one side of farming the guide doesn’t make any mention of.”

“Are ya sure?” Applejack frowned at the open pages of the book as Twilight flipped through it rapidly. She wasn’t able to catch even a glimpse of a word though, Twilight had skimming through books down to an art form and the farm pony had no chance to keep up. “Grand Pappy was awful proud o’ that book o’ his. It wouldn’ta been like him tah leave anything out.”

“That’s because this book is completely about growing apples, Applejack. It doesn’t mention anything about selling them.”

“Oh right,” The farm pony chuckled. “That’s cause there ain’t nuthin’ to it! There ain’t a pony in all Equestria that don’t like apples. Selling ‘em is easy as pie.”

“I imagine ‘literally’ so.” Twilight smiled and went on to explain the missing side to the guide. “But what I’m talking about isn’t as easy as just bartering the apples away Applejack. You need to get the right prices per bushel, and sell enough bushels per day. It has to cover all the expenses of the farm, the labour, the tools and tool maintenance, the seeding for the next year, and dozens of other things that I have no idea about.”

“That sounds more like mah brother’s area. He does most o’ the fancy numbers on the farm, s’why he’s the one that found out the farm was goin’ under. Granny Smith used tah help but her eyes ain’t so great no more.”

“He does it all himself? I wonder if he missed a few things… I could come up with a checklist of every expense on the farm and hand it over to Rarity for you, I think that would be the best way to help.”

“Ah’d appreciate it alot, thanks.”

“Hi!” The startling and random cheerful greeting from behind a tree had the two friends leaping several feet in the air in a fright.

“Pinkie Pie?! Jus’ how long ‘ave ya been there?!”

“Just now silly filly, That’s why I said ‘Hi’ right now. If I was here a few minutes ago I would have said ‘Hi’ then, but that would mean I wouldn’t have talked to Rainbow Dash, and I wouldn’t have needed to find Applejack and say ‘Hi’ at all.”

“Oh, that’s good then.” Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t bother to try to understand the logic behind the words. That kinda thing is best left alone, it was enough to know she just arrived and didn’t hear about the farm trouble, the less ponies that knew about it, the better after all.

“Wait, yer lookin’ fer me?”

“Yup yup yup! I need you to talk to Rainbow Dash. Could you pleeeeease Applejack? A Pinkie Promise hangs in the balance!”

“Hold on Sugar Cube, talk to Rainbow Dash ‘bout what and what promise?”

“Scootaloo made a Pinkie promise she’d win the Fledgling Flier Competition, but she hasn’t learned to fly even a little bit! So I asked Rainbow Dash to teach her, but she said no and flew off, and that’s cause I think I said something that she feels bad about when it comes to teaching fillies. I think you’re the best one that can help her!”

“Teachin li’l Scoot tah fly? Well shoot, that might be just what that dreary pegasus needs tah occupy her time durin’ this whole nasty weather business. Why sure Ah’ll have a word with her about it.”

“Hey that’s actually a really good idea Pinkie, I wonder if she could give a few tips to Spike while she’s at it.”

“Now don’t count yer chicks before they hatch Twilight. Ah’ll ask her about it, but from the sounds of it, she’s got a problem with the idea, else Pinkie Pie wouldn't be here.”

“Yup! She mentioned something about being a Flight School drop out and took right off, but she HAS to do it Applejack, she just has to!”

******

“Hey Rainbow Dash! You up there Sugar cube?” A freckled orange farm pony called up to a random cloud in the sky. It wasn’t a cloud that stood out any at all to most ponies, but Applejack learned long ago that Dash kept a few clouds hanging around in certain spots for a private snooze in the sky. It was otherwise a clear day, and this little white ball of fluff was obvious to any friend that knew what to look for.

“No.” The reply was about what she was expecting. This particular pegasus was cranky waking up in the best of days, and considering the events that transpired the day before, today was far from the best of days.

“Come on now, don’t make me lasso you down here. We’re all a bit worried for yah and Ah went and volunteered to talk to yah about these troubles that gotcha down.”

“You couldn’t catch me anyway.” The voice from the cloud replied with the addition of a crudely blown raspberry in Applejack’s general direction. Applejack made a disgusted face and backed off from the small shower of ‘rain’ that this vehement little cloud spouted.

“I hope the Wonderbolts don’t fly by and see ‘this’ scene.” The farm pony smiled slyly, knowing all too well what buttons to push. It had the effect she was hoping for and the grumpy cyan pegasus looked over the edge of the cloud, still looking fairly cranky, but at least she was talking face to face.

“What do you want?”

“Jus’ come on down ‘ere, so we can chat a bit, that’s all. Somethin’s eatin’ yah up about all this and Ah think its more than yer lettin’ on.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, it’ll just get me angry, alright?!”

“Sugar cube, Ah hate tah break this to yah, but yer already all riled up, Ah figure clearin’ the air will do yah a lot better than bottlin’ it all up in there.”

“… I guess you have a point. I don’t think this could get much worst than it is.” She hopped down from the cloud. “There, I’m down. Happy?”

“Bit more’n Ah was havin’ to shout the whole time. Come on lets walk a bit and you can get all this out intah the open.”

“I still don’t see what’s so hard to understand. I started a thunderstorm, it annoyed a bunch of ponies, and I got canned.”

“Yer not fired, yer just in a bit o’ trouble. It happens to everypony now an’ again. Ponyville’s weather team ain’t ever gonna give yah up. They love yah up there.”

“That’s half what I’m afraid of…” Rainbow Dash muttered. “I don’t want to BE a weather pony all my life Applejack! I’m trying out for the Wonderbolts, remember?”

“Well yeah, but what’s that gotta do with this?”

“The Wonderbolts don’t let just any pony join up, a pony has gotta have the goods, the guts, and the glory! I’m a great flier. The sonic rainboom proved that to everypony but it ain’t enough! You gotta weigh the good and the bad, and my stats aren’t looking that great.”

“Now that there’s just nonsense and nuthin’ but yer nerves gettin’ the best o’ yah, Ah’m sure. Yer the best darned flier in Equestria and everypony that knows flyin’ knows it, and yer the bearer of the Element of Loyalty. What more could possibly matter to the Wonderbolts?.”

“I only wish it was that easy. Look Applejack it takes more than being good with a pair of wings to get recruited by the Wonderbolts. You gotta be able to show your stuff constantly, pegasi everywhere race on a weekly basis for that honour, and I manage to get into maybe one or two contests a year at best.”

“Well then, why not just race more? Ah’m sure yah’d leave them eatin’ yer dust.”

“That’s where the hard part comes in! I enter all the competitions I can, but there’s only one or two a year that are open to all challengers. All the official races need the official papers to enter them. Because I never got affiliated with a school, I don’t have those papers. Those prestigious schools hold a ton of sway with the racing committees and they sponsor all the racers! I miffed a lot of important ponies when I humiliated that arrogant old mule of a coach when I was a filly.

I only started to gain a decent rep back after revealing my trademark move. If I’m ever gonna have a chance at joining the Wonderbolts, I gotta keep that rep clean, and this strike on my record as the weather team captain just tore up all the time I’ve spent being one! I can’t mention it on any official form now without those nitpicking committee members pointing at it and shouting how it proves I don’t got what it takes. I really messed up this time Applejack… I lost years of work towards their good graces…”

“Ah see…”

The two friends walked in silence as Applejack chewed this news over in her mind. She’d never really paid attention to pegasus races, few in Ponyville did, it being mostly an earth pony village. The inner workings of how the races were put together had always been a mystery to her. As they continued to walk on quietly they moved on towards some old farm roads, long abandoned due to the drying up of an old well they once used for water supply back during Ponyville’s first founding. It was also in this area that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had their old clubhouse, and had practiced much of their crusades out of public eye. An idea began to grow in her mind of the destination this walk should take them to. Applejack started to subtly steer them towards her old clubhouse, half expecting what they would find.

“So when Pinkie Pie asked yah to look after Scootaloo this afternoon, why did yah say no?”

Rainbow Dash was startled at the sudden break in their comfortable silence, and looked up as Applejack continued her question.

“It seems tah me that’d improve your standings with those Committee types, wouldn't it?”

“It would for most pegasi, but teaching foals to fly better than the school coaches is what got me into this trouble to begin with. I think it would be a huge glaring reminder to the Racing Committee about something I've been working to make them forget about for years.”

“That’s a real shame. Twilight was lookin’ to get yer advice with teachin’ Spike some moves too.”

“Spike? That probably wouldn't be too hard. Did you see the way the dragons flew during the migration? Lummox with wings came to mind. Go straight, and weave a turn or two. It was kind of boring really.”

Applejack just raised an eyebrow at this, remembering the event rather vividly, as the last time this same gloat was made they were all nearly roasted alive. Rainbow Dash coughed a bit as it dawned on her what scene played back in her friend’s mind.

“Okay, the fire breath thing was pretty fearsome, I admit. That doesn't change the fact that they didn't show a single decent trick.”

“Well then you’d be perfect tah teach the fella then, wouldn't ya? Yah could spice things up for him, teach ‘im some moves so he can put the whole lot of ‘em to shame if’n he ever has to deal with ‘em again.”

“Well, I suppose I could. I don’t think the Committee will care two wits if I show a dragon the ropes.”

“So its just gonna be Scoot left out again?” Applejack shook her head with a sigh “I really wish better for that filly. She seems tah get the short end o’ the stick wherever she turns, don’t she?”

“I’m not following.”

“Its just that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are her best friends but they both got their cutie marks a good bit ago. They still get together when they can but they’re often off doin’ other things tah hone their talents. We can hardly shoe mah li’l sis away from any plans for new barns and fences we think tah put up, and she’s even been goin’ over tah the mayor’s tah talk all ‘bout them new ideas for a more stable town hall. Sweetie Belle is practicing with Fluttershy an’ that bird choir of hers from what I hear. Whenever her two friends are off at their callin’ Ah tend tah wonder what it is Scoots gets up tah all on ‘er lonesome.”

“Okay, that really blows. Big time. But it’s not that I want it this way, you know? I think it’d be pretty cool to teach Ponyville’s foals to fly as awesome as I do. It sounds great, but I might be giving up my best shot at my dream to do it. I guess that seems pretty selfish when I say it out loud, but its my dream Applejack, and I’ve been chasing after it my whole life!”

“Yah know…Ah had a dream once. It was about goin’ tah the big city and bein’ a right ‘n proper mare like Rarity’s sort. Ah never went through with it all the way though, and Ah think Ah’m a good bit happier than that pony woulda turned out. Way Ah see it, you just might be happier followin’ yer heart over yer dream. too.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, “Last time that happened I landed my coach in miffed, got kicked outta school, got all my friends in trouble, had to leave home just to continue flight training, and lost my best chance at the Wonderbolts. It didn’t do me or anypony a whole lot of good Applejack.”

“Well… Ah like to think it did. If yah didn’t stand up to that nasty ol’ coach, there’s a whole class of foals that wouldn’t be as good flyin’ as they are today, yah’d probably never have left Cloudsdale, and Ah’d be sorely missin’ ever meetin’ up with a very good friend of mine. Ah’m proud of what yah did for those foals, jus’ like we all are. Ah think standin’ tall fer what yah think is right, no matter who puts yah down for it, is what Ah always most admired ‘bout yah. Even when it’s me yer standin’ up tah like back in Appleloosa.”

“I guess I never thought about it like that before...”

“Ah ain’t surprised none. That decision cost yah the biggest dream yah ever had fer yerself. Its hard tah step back and see the big picture when yah got that dark ol’ cloud hangin’ over the issue.”

“So… you really see me like that? A pony standing against the system?” She had to admit, the thought was appealing.

“You bet Ah do.” Applejack nodded, and pointed a hoof insistently at her friend’s chest, “Ah think its something ‘you’ respect ‘bout yerself too. If’n bein’ a Wonderbolt means changin’ something yah love ‘bout you, yer gonna have to decide what’s more important... bein’ a Wonderbolt or bein’ yerself?”

“But I-”

Rainbow Dash’s response was cut short as a sudden terrified shout sounded out over the next hill. Her reaction was instantaneous. The speedster was in the sky. Applejack raced after her but without wings she was left in her friend’s dust cloud.

Over the hill an orange filly was headed for a fall towards several bushes and trees that were looking particularly over-loaded with tree sap, when in a flash, a streak of colours clouded her vision and her course changed as she found herself being pulled away from her sticky fate. Trees were whipping by faster than anything she’d ever seen before, even her fastest on her scooter couldn't compare to the speeds she traveled at now! Dodging trees, bushes, and animals with less than a second’s notice! And then the world spun and gravity shifted as they broke through an empty space among the branches and high into the sky. She was finally set down on a cloud not too far up, and Scootaloo got her first good look at her saviour, though she had known immediately who it was.

“That was totally amazing!” She cheered, dancing excitedly on the cloud. “One second I’m plummeting towards another dose of tree sap and next we’re doing a triple axle barrel roll past trees in a split-second, side stepping branches, and then launching straight up into the sky! Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

“Yeah, I am pretty awesome.” Her idol took a moment to acknowledge her own worth before continuing. “But you want to tell me what possessed you to jump off a makeshift diving board from the roof of your clubhouse? You do know head trauma isn't going to help you into the sky, right?”

“Yeah I know.” The filly scratched her foreleg nervously, not meeting her idol’s eyes, “I was just thinking with a high enough starting point I could try to stay in the air longer. A wall got in my way last time I tried, so I wanted to give it a try like this."

“Trees work much the same way walls do when it comes to flying.” Rainbow Dash put hoof to face. “Besides that eye doesn’t look like it's helping you much. Depth perception is pretty important to any flier, and that’s one heck of a shiner you’re carrying around. You can’t learn to fly while injured, and these little stunts of yours are going to leave you more broken than Ponyville after Spike’s birthday.”

“Well I can’t learn to fly by doing nothing either.” Scootaloo muttered. “I gotta keep trying to have any chance at all. The textbooks said you learn to glide off a high point first.”

“That’s textbook alright, for Cloudsdale. You’re not a Cloudsdale pony, so you shouldn’t try learning the same way as one. You don’t get to crash safely on a ball of fluff like they do, which means before you learn to fly you have to learn how to land. That way you’ll still have enough left of you to learn how to fly the next day. ”

“Learn to land?” Scootaloo gave her a confused look. “How can a pony learn to land before they learn how to fly?”

“Tell you what, I’ll show you how once you have two good eyes that can see straight, but only if you still got all your parts in working order. Deal?”

“What? Really?! You’re really gonna teach me how to fly?!”

“I am?” Rainbow Dash blinked, and suddenly realized what her mouth just got herself into. She paused and looked quickly down to a hilltop where a certain farm pony gave a her a wide smile and a short nod, before turning back to walk the forest path to her home.

Be a Wonderbolt or be herself? That was a question she never had to ask before, maybe it was one she hoped she never would have to ask. She had always thought the two were one and the same. But then, maybe they still were? Scootaloo really did need help into the sky, and she wanted to be there to help. Maybe a Racing Committee member might not want her to, but her dream wasn't to be a Racing Committee member.

Her dream was to be a Wonderbolt.

Helping a filly to fly was just the sort of thing Wonderbolts did! It’s what inspired her to go against that coach in the first place. What was the point of everything she went through back then if she was just going to let them get to her now?

”

“Yeah,” She gave Scootaloo a determined grin and ruffled her mane, leaving the filly with a smile so bright that she swore it out shined the sun, a smile that left Rainbow Dash questioning how she could have given any other answer. She would be a Wonderbolt, but she was going to get there ‘her’ way.

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

******

Twilight sat in the middle of the library, a pinkish hue surrounded her horn as she slowly molded her will over the hundreds of books that were hovered this way and that, all enveloped by the same luminescent tint of her horn. They moved hauntingly from one shelf to another, each finding their appropriate place according to the checklist that floated at the mystical mare's hooves. Ever so slowly her magical influence began to pick up the broom, the mop and bucket, as well as several feather dusters. Each piece began to rhythmically sway back and forth, performing its most natural chore on its own. The dishes in the sink began to clean themselves with a sponge within the sudsy water. Each item danced to the tune that played inside her head.

There was so much to do today it was going to be difficult to keep up. Assisting Applejack with going over details of the farm was going to be a huge job requiring days, maybe even weeks, of research. Assisting Rarity's gem supply was no small feat either. Now on top of that she had to open her big mouth and give her number one assistant time to practice flying, so it was all on top of extra work with the library! That's not even mentioning the obvious rigid study routine she couldn't back off on!

Her only choice was to try to combine one with another. Right now was her attempt to study the effect of object manipulation by testing her skill at library reorganization before Applejack arrived. The book said it worked best with duties the magic user was familiar with, so this was the best choice. To her surprise everything had been flowing splendidly.

"Twilight! Is Spike home?!"

The sudden loud interruption sent her thoughts reeling from her task, and the cleaning tools dropped to the floor. Twilight barely caught the books in time before they joined them, her eyes whipping from side to side to make sure each and every book was caught precariously in place. They were still in order, but no longer moving, instead they simply hung in the air by her tenuous magical grip.

"Woah..." The interrupting intruder said in a hushed tone as she stared up in awe at the hundreds of books hovering just over her head. "That is so awesome."

"Hold on! Hold on!" Twilight said between clenched teeth before the books all righted themselves up and began sorting themselves back into place. She relaxed with a long sigh. "Whew! That was a close one. Rainbow Dash, how can I help you? If its about the mayor, I'm afraid I haven't gotten around to talking to her yet today."

"Yeah, about that, I wanted to tell you not to worry about it. I kinda lost it earlier. The whole situation hit me pretty hard, and I'd appreciate it if you could forgive and forget?"

"Are you sure? I mean, maybe you did over react a little bit, but you had plenty of reason to. I really don't mind talking to her about it, I still think three months is way too steep."

Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow and waited in silent response.

"Okay, I admit, I probably overreacted a bit myself about the storm." Twilight laughed a bit, soon feeling happier about it after her friend's laughter joined hers.

"Yeah, maybe we all did, but I mean it. I did the deed, so I'll serve the time. The storm was my responsibility, and I should have done it right. Besides I'm going to need the extra time."

"Are you still going to Cloudsdale?"

"Not yet, I wanted to ask you to hold off on sending those letters home I have something I need to finish here first I think.”

“Oh? Here I was trying to wrap my brain around anything that would change your mind and you found something for me?”

“Going home isn't completely out of the picture yet, but I got a couple of students to teach the way of the wing. One of them lives here from what I hear."

"You mean you're really going to do it? Oh Dash, that's great news! I'm sure Spike will be thrilled. He's studying a couple books on flight right now."

"Really Twilight? You can't bookworm your way through learning to fly, a pegasus needs to hear the rush in her ears and feel it in her soul!"

"Yeah, well that's just the thing. Spike isn't a pegasus, remember? He's probably not going to fly like one. If you're really sure about trying to teach him, you may just find some book work beneficial to your lesson plans. We already gathered some reading material for him, if you'd like I can get you some copies."

"Yeeeeah, no. That's alright. I'm still not the checklist kind of pony. I just wanted to talk to him about it. I'm going to get some materials together this week, and have things ready to go for the beginning of next. I just came over cause I need to get his height and weight for what I had in mind."

"Well, you are the expert. I'll leave it in your capable hooves. He's just upstairs, and will probably be glad of the interruption."

"Thanks. Hey Spike!" Rainbow Dash called up the stairs before trotting up them.

Upstairs, Spike was lying on his back when he heard the call, a small pile of books lay half open and scattered around at his side, one book was in claw as he was skimming through the pages, not really reading any part of it in depth. He couldn't say it wasn't interesting, something about all of it rubbed him the right way after you got around the math. It was at least way more interesting than Twilight's magic studies, if only because this somewhat pertained to him.

While he was sure it would grab his attention at some point, right now his mind was several hundred miles away rolling towards Canterlot. The interruption from his wandering thoughts between studies that refused to sink in was a welcome one. He looked up with interest at his visitor. It was fairly rare anypony came looking for him.

"Hey Dash," He rolled over onto his stomach to face her. "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, I thought I'd come by and just give you this one time offer of flight tutoring by the most awesome flier around!"

This caused the young dragon to bolt upright.

"Seriously? A-a-and Twilight knows about this? I don't have to study How-to-Fly books first?"

"If you want to, I won't stop you..." She trotted over to put her hoof on the book he was currently thumbing through, and next he knew it was sailing through the window. "But that is probably the most flight experience that book is ever going to get! If you're serious about putting those wings of yours to use, I'll show you how."

"Maybe I should go get that... Twilight's going to be miffed." Spike quickly moved to the window sill, and looked over at the book below.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash grabbed his chin and stared him right in the eye, "Forget Twilight right now, I'm saying you need to be serious about this, and I want an answer!"

"I guess?"

"Really? I'm going for some kind enthusiasm from you here Spike, and not the kind that comes from 'I don't have to do homework', though I suppose I can appreciate that particular kind."

"Sorry Dash." He frowned continuing to eye the book on the street from the corner of his vision, before pushing her gently out of his personal space, and making his way back to the pile of books and beginning to sullenly clean and organize them by their proper codex. "This whole thing was Twilight's idea. I'm just an assistant librarian, so flying isn't exactly a priority for me. What would I even do with it?"

"I can't believe I just heard a creature with wings utter that sentence. Even at her worst Fluttershy still wanted to learn to fly!"

"Well I couldn’t care less!" The words snapped out with a growl as his body whipped around reflexively, it happened in an instant, his movements as fast as a snake strike. He glared the pegasus down, his ire rising, as his breathing grew fast, his hearing dulled by the blood pumping through his ears. The immense amount of anger he felt sent fear cascading off his body and flooding Rainbow Dash's every instinct. The scent of smoke and a small sensation of burning enveloped the area around them.

The sudden change in her old friend left her stuttering for words, her blood running cold, and her body paralyzed in dread. They stared at each other in silent uncertainty. Like a predator watching its prey for any sign of movement. The two were held still in this awful atmosphere for only a few moments before Spike's eyes went wide as he suddenly came back to himself. She could hear a catch in his breath, and then he looked at his claws almost as spooked as she was. He quickly put his claws over his eyes and his chin on the floor before her.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it to come out like that its just... I don't even know!"

As soon as Spike had broken eye contact Rainbow Dash had already collected herself. She scrunched up her eyes taking Spike in from a whole new perspective.

"What just happened?" She questioned uncertainty.

"I just said, I don't know! That's never happened before, I'm not even angry. I didn't mean to snap at you, I just... I guess, it affected me more than I thought it would."

"Well, you better tell me whatever 'it' was, so I can remind myself not to do it again!" She smiled while she said it somewhat jokingly, it actually seemed kind of funny now that the moment had passed. She had no idea what just happened, but Rainbow Dash stared death defying stunts in the face everyday and 'never' backed down, if you could get a scare out of her, you could do it to any pony alive!"

"It was just something I found out from Rarity this morning, and it really has nothing to do with you. I don't know why this even happened, I'm really sorry!" Spike didn't move from his position, and she frowned noticing that while she had stopped, he was still shivering. She realized he must now be a lot more scared about what just happened than she was.

"Hey big guy, its alright." She put a hoof on one of his claws and pried it off his eye, before leaning down to peek at him so he couldn't look away. "I'm not mad, I'm kinda impressed really. I don't scare easily but you gave me goosebumps!"

"But I don't want to scare ponies!"

"Come on Spike, it isn't that big a deal. You're just having a rough stretch right now. Everypony has problems they need to vent once in awhile. Believe me, I know. I also learned it helps to stop hiding them. So what is it those pretty eyes told you that sent you off like that?"

"I can't really say, she asked me not to. She's saving it as some big announcement." He let out a disappointed sigh at the thought that he might have to try to 'celebrate' her leaving. There were tears fighting to flood the banks of his eyes, and the wetness in them did not go unnoticed by a concerned friend.

"She wouldn't have told you to if she knew this would happen, so spill it! I promise I won't tell any other pony. Purely your ears and mine, Pinkie promised even." Rainbow Dash quickly made the motions of the most sacred promise.

"Well..." he sniffed, closing his eyes to better fight off the oncoming tears. "It’s just that....she's moving... She’s going to open a new store in Canterlot soon. It’s her dream come true, and that's the worst par!. I should be happy right? I was this afternoon, but she's leaving... She's leaving... us."

Rainbow Dash smirked. That 'us' was totally tacked on in the last second. Was he still trying to keep his crush a secret? Was their any point? She felt her eyes soften all the same, understanding flowed right through her. The love of his entire life as he knew it was leaving him behind. She had crushes before, but none that lasted half as long as Spike's continued loyalty to Rarity. And she knew too well the sting 'goodbye's' could leave on a pony's heart. The day she left Cloudsdale still rang clear in her mind. So many good friends she left behind there, so many wanting her to stay, so many knowing she had to go to follow her dream. Those were some of the toughest weeks of her life. But then, Spike wasn't in the same predicament she was in, was he?

She looked up at the ceiling in thought. The answer was easy. It was her favourite answer for everything after all. The question was tougher, how to put it in words that wouldn't give away the obviousness of his crush and still let him know what he could do? Well, she'd do what she did best and wing it.

"Leaving us all behind, eh? That's really going to suck for us, alright." She nodded her head in agreement, "But you know she is following her dream and that sure isn't easy to pull off. I know that one better than most. How about you Spike, what's your dream?"

"My dream?"

"Yeah, everypony has one. You can't be an assistant librarian all your life after all. You're a dragon, you won't even fit in most libraries someday!"

"I... I never thought about it. I just always wanted to be Twilight's assistant."

"That’s just too lame. You need your own dream, not Twilight’s, and not Rarity’s, yours. That's definitely something you might want to put some thought into. I'm sure it'll be absolutely awesome once you figure it out. Rarity would probably love hearing about it too."

"You think she would? I mean, it'd be something to at least write each other about. I don't have much to keep in touch with her with."

"Or you can just let me tell her for you since I’ll be in Canterlot every other week or so." She turned to face the window, staring up at the sky, a cunning smirk cut across her face as her eyes turned towards the movement behind her. He was interested.

"You're going to be in Canterlot that much?"

"Well Duu~uh. One of my best friends is going to be 'living' there. Why wouldn't I just fly over every now and again? It takes maybe two hours by air, I could do that in my sleep." She turned with her eyes closed and waved a hoof dismissively.

Spike blinked.

Of course!

"Flying! I could just go fly and visit her!" Rainbow Dash was suddenly swept off her hooves and wrapped in a hug all with the same reaction speed he used to scare the heck out of her not a few minutes earlier. She began laughing as it sunk in through the dragon's thick skull. Bait taken, dragon was hooked.

"You could really teach me, right?" Spike set her down and stared at her with eyes full of hope.

"Well, only if you're serious about it." She looked up smiling slyly.

"I'll be serious! I'll be serious! I'll be the most serious dragon you ever seen!"

"I don’t kno~ooow,” Rainbow Dash smiled teasingly, as she raised a hoof to her chin and looked away pretending to think about it, “I’ve seen some pretty serious dragons.”

“Please! Please! Please! Please! Pleeeeeeeeease! I’ll study, and train hard, and I’ll bring snacks, and water, and - and Gah!” Spike was on his knees pleading desperately as he tried to offer whatever else came to mind, “Anything else you want! Just teach me to fly! Please!”

"Now that's more like it. It won't be easy though. Not just anypony is allowed to fly solo between cities. Flight Control prefers we fly in groups in case something happens during the trip. If you really want to go visit her whenever you want, you'll need one of these babies." Rainbow Dash drew out a small, gleaming gold coloured card.

‘Professional Flight Specialist’, stood out in bold lettering along the top. Below the title, the card labelled the owner as a fully trained stunt pegasus, that was fully licensed for all manner of dangerous flight conditions and terrain. Beside the fine print was a picture of a much younger looking pegasus with a rainbow coloured mohawk.

"You look absolutely ridiculous!" Spike began laughing so hard he nearly fell over, and had to hang on to the bedpost to steady himself.

"Hey, shut up! I was just trying something a little wild! Like you're one to talk, baldy!" She quickly put her licence away, trying to hide a chuckle herself. The picture never failed to get a laugh.

"The point is you have to at least qualify as a participant for an official competition to get a professional level licence. Now, it just so happens that one such event is coming up this fall. The thing is you'll need to know better than just how to fly to qualify. You'll need to know how to fly with style! Think you got what it takes to pull it off?"

"You bet I can!"

"Great! First lesson is next week at Old Lake. Be there bright and early by sunrise. And don't you dare show up late! You and Scootaloo are about to have the hardest couple of months you'll ever have. But if you two can pull it off, there won't be a thing life can throw at you that you won't be able to handle. I can give you my personal guarantee on that one!"

"What? We're going to be there 'all' day? I can't do that! Twilight needs me!"

"Most ponies train their whole lives for these events Spike, you've got three months to catch up and surpass them. I'll deal with Twilight Sparkle. You just show up when I tell you to."

Downstairs a purple unicorn held a slightly dirty How-to-Fly Training Manual in her hooves as she leaned against the stairwell listening in. She was biting her bottom lip to stop from squealing in delight at the happenings above her. There were secrets being shared there though, so she held herself back. Some things were meant to stay between two friends, and as a caretaker, there were times she had to take a step back and just let it happen. The dragon migration was one of those times, this just happened to be another. She looked at the library around her with renewed vigor. So what if it was a lot to do? Her friends were worth the effort, and Spike was her oldest and closest. She had to at least try.

At least long enough to get these support spells down. Rainbow Dash was right, Spike couldn't be her assistant forever. That meant it was time she learned how to do this on her own.

Chapter 4: Spreading Wings

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Chapter 4

Spreading Wings

Rays of light flowed over the waves of Old Lake, distorting and dispersing in the rippling water. The little sunbeams played upon its surface, skating and scattering with the crest of each wave. Every small breeze on the water sent a twinkling of sunshine into a careening caper of disorder and dance to the fish below. Frogs and crickets chirped at the water's edges, hiding amidst the reeds. A sandy beach skirted the lakeshore and a wide field of grass met the sand at its edge. A few wild rabbits and field mice dotted the area here and there, going undisturbed in their daily morning routines. Birds called from overhanging branches in the tall trees overlooking it all. An abundance of peace and serenity emanated from the scenic setting.

"Fledglings! Front and Center!" And thus all signs of tranquility was broken utterly by the sudden shout of a vibrant coloured pegasus who landed hard on the ground after a rocketing flight. The dust from the landing cleared, revealing Rainbow Dash standing tall and proud loudly calling for her students.

Orange and purple blurs appeared in a flash in answer to the call. Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow and nodded approvingly at their quick response. Fast and attentive, just the way she liked them. She wasn't one for tradition but razzing recruits was always fair game in her book. More than that, the first day was the most important for setting rookies up for what to expect. Start strong and work hard, and that's what they'll expect to do the next day and the day after.

"Report!"

"Scootaloo present!" The young orange pegasus said with a quick salute, looking like the perfect flight school student. Rainbow Dash held back a chuckle trying not to be impressed. Scootaloo must have been looking into Flight School general procedure, because the way she held herself was all too familiar.

"I'm here too!" Spike panted out. He'd barely made it to the field on time, even after running the whole way.

"Spike, what the heck were you doing last night? I told you to rest up before we started today!"

"Yeah sorry, I had... something that 'really' needed doing. Don't worry," He yawned and blinked heavily, "Keep going, I'll keep up Dash, I promise."

"Captain." She corrected with a frown. "While we're at flight camp, I am your Team Captain. I will be responsible for your every injury, your every weakness, your every strength, and your every ounce of exhaustion and pain. By the day's end I can assure you there will be a lot of those last two. There will be no coming in tired, if you do it again, stay home. You'll be tired enough by the end of our training days without having full time jobs on the side. Twilight is just going to have to find another assistant to take over for awhile. Scootaloo, how's that eye?"

"Seeing straight Captain!" She stood rigidly still, but Rainbow Dash could tell she was almost bursting at the seams with energy. She paused to inspect the mare's eye for herself all the same.

"Alright you two, I have three months to whip you both into shape! After that I'm back on the weather team, and I want you two fledglings to be able take your self-training from there."

Rainbow Dash began pacing back and forth in front of the two recruits, eyeing them up and down with every turn.

"You both have two completely different focuses in your training. Spike wants to be able to do solo long distance flight. He can't do that without a licence to fly, and he can't get that unless he can qualify for the Fledgling Flier Competition. Scootaloo wants to outright WIN the Fledgling Flier Competition. I'm here to somehow turn these two contrasting motives into a Flight Team worthy of competing. No Flight Team has ever tried taking in a flightless teen pony and train them to victory. No Flight Team had the guts to put a dragon into the sky, or will have to overcome the obstacles you two will have to overcome! No Flight Team has ever had to push themselves as hard as you 'will' have to, gain as much experience as you 'will' have to, or be trained as hard as I 'will' train you! No Flight Team has ever only just started training three months before a competition and carried home the prize! Now I'm asking are you willing to be THAT team?!"

"Yeah!" Two eager voices erupted in a simultaneous cheer.

"Well, you got the enthusiasm so lets give you the know-how. First lesson! Landing! Learning to fly is full of falls. The purpose of landing is to make sure those bones stay in place down here no matter what happens up there. We don't have time for injuries, so we're going to make sure we get this right. Its going to take effort, its going to take bruises, and going to take time."

"Uh... Captain," Scootaloo raised a hoof, she knew she asked this before but her mentor never did give her a straight answer. "How can we practice landing before we learn to fly?"

"With this!" Rainbow Dash excitedly flew off to the middle of a tree not far away, unbound some branches she had tied together, and there, lying hidden beneath them was a strong looking black chord, a harness, and a sliding handlebar. Both students recognized the device immediately.

"Zip lining?!"

"That's right! I'm a genius aren't I? With this you can practice controlled landings without any flight experience or the use of clouds. Clouds won't be available to land on for Spike anyway. We'll start off at low angles, and the better you get the more I'll step it up. First up I'll show you how you want to look during a landing, then you get to try it out for yourselves."

"This is going to be so cool!" Scootaloo's eyes opened wide with delight.

"Am I supposed to land on my hands too? I'm bipedal you know." Spike was still not convinced.

"Spike, I have to tell you this now. Everything's going to be a bit different for you. When we were doing that whole migration thing I got to see a bunch of the dragons your age fly, and I gotta say, not impressed. Here you're going to have to land with some flair and style. They all seemed to come to a slow stop and hover straight down. I'm going to require you to keep on the move. For ponies that normally means pressing forwards and coming in at a bit of a trot. You should try a few different ways and see what works best for you, but I'm not letting you go out to that competition with any of that tap down rookie stuff.”

"Well, I'll give it a shot, I guess..." hesitance crept its way into his reply.

"I'll show him! I'll show him!" Scootaloo was already jumping at the bit, up the tree and holding the handle, ready to make the leap.

"Alright, give it a try, Squirt!" Dash called up to her, and waved her down. "Don't worry about a thing, if you lose your grip, I'll catch you looong before you hit turf."

Scootaloo didn't wait even a second before jumping off the low tree limb and beginning her slide. She was going so slowly at the low angle though, she couldn't help but want to push it along a bit. Where was a whisper in her ear, of what could be, of a rush of wind, and a ruffle through her feathers.

Her wings started buzzing behind her instinctively, forcing her to pick up speed along the rope. Rainbow Dash was shouting something, but she couldn't hear her over the sudden rush of wind in her ears and the sound of the handle against the cable. She began to bounce along the rope as she slid and then the sand was right there! Already at her hooves! She let go, but her torso moved much faster than her legs, leaving her with a face full of the local terrain, and her back hooves hanging over her head. It was in that position that she struggled to look up at the two that stood over her. One was holding in his laughter the other was looking nonplussed.

"Too fast?"

"Ya think?" Rainbow Dash remarked sarcastically, "Stand up and try it again. This time, I want to see your wings open the whole time. No flapping! You want to feel the wind pushing them back, practice edging your wings back and forth little by little until you get a good feel of how to position them to speed up and slow down along the line. Don't sit there like a slug on a log Spike, follow her!"

Days passed and the two cadets rode the line time and time again, adjusting their wings for their descent, soon able to slow down and speed up their decline on command by their ever observant Captain. Scootaloo didn't take long before she had her landings down pat. Spike on the other hand was still trying to deal with the excess forward momentum, needing to slow down far more than any pegasus to land upright. Still, the two were landing easily at 45 degree angles, and strangely enough the higher the incline climbed the better the dragon was able to control his landing. Or at least until a certain point, anything higher than 65 degrees sent either two of them sprawling to the ground, and spitting out sand, much to their Captain’s amusement.

The end of each training day saw Rainbow Dash flying off into the clouds as fast as she had arrived that morning, and two very bruised and exhausted new friends trudging their way home through the overgrown path through Whitetail Woods. Scootaloo and Spike had always gotten along well in passing on the street, but one could never consider them more than acquaintances in a small town where every pony knew every pony.

In truth Scootaloo always looked up to Spike somewhat. His work as an assistant librarian was well known to every pony in town, and in spite of the usual stigma that comes along with bookworm types, Spike had managed to keep a fair amount of 'cool' factor to him. If she wanted some good ideas of new crusader missions, Spike always had something after a quick moment of thought. He was that guy that was too cool for school, never having to go, but he still probably knew more about every subject they learned than any of her classmates. His wisecracks could always keep a pony laughing, he was a dragon and that's awesome all on its own, and on top of that he was good friends with the coolest pony in Equestria!

If anything his maturity, full-time job, and hard working nature left her feeling pretty intimidated by him when she was younger. Hanging out with Spike would have been like hanging out with your older brother and his friends. You would feel cool doing it, but also feel awkward and out of place at his side.

At some point though, somewhere throughout several hard days of lessons, she grew more comfortable around him. She didn't have time to be tense around Spike with Rainbow Dash constantly on her about tilting her wings, and his easy-going nature made him more welcoming than the un-relatable mental image she conjured up of him earlier in her youth. It might have something to do with his constant mistakes and teasing he'd throw back at her idol. In all honesty she was really nervous about the training as a whole when it first started.

Rainbow Dash originally came from some prestigious flight school in Cloudsdale, they had a whole different sort of protocol up there. They were full of tradition and discipline, flight squads and formations, all forms of certain etiquette that were foreign to some small earth pony village. It left her rigid trying to copy from what she read.

Spike was having none of it though, he kept things casual between Captain and team and threw back what teasing he took from their Captain, dishing out as good as he got. The traditions were still there, but it was more personal, like respect between friends instead of the usual inferior to superior.

Riding the line in that context became closer to a competition Rainbow Dash was refereeing rather than some strict flight class at school. Turns out the young dragon was just as competitive as herself, and just as cocky after a win. It only spurred her on to try harder and entertained their coach that much more.

Their Captain said they made a lot of progress today, and the truth is, weariness and aching limbs aside, Scootaloo felt exhilarated! It was gratifying! Something she hadn't felt since... well she couldn't even remember the last time. She really felt like she was flying down that rope, and for once it didn't involve some form of crash or tree sap at the end. Just a whole lot of sand.

"So what was your favourite part so far?" Scootaloo interrupted her own reverie as she wondered out loud to her new teammate.

"It'd have to be the parts where I wasn't coughing up sand afterwards." He scrunched up his face as he continued to taste a few grains of it left in his mouth.

"I thought dragons ate rocks anyway."

"We eat gems, and jewels, and precious metals, not rocks!"

"So what? They have to be 'shiny' rocks before you eat them?"

"They have to be igneous rock, crystallized from magma, aged and grown with tender love and care! I mean, comparing a gem to regular old rocks is like... you confusing a zap apple with a pine cone."

"Okay yeah, that sounds... not as good." Scootaloo copied Spike's earlier look of distaste as she pictured eating a pine cone. "Well, my favourite part was when the wind caught my wings like that, I swear if I let go of the line I would have been flying, 'right' there!"

"You probably would have been gliding, if you could keep adjusting your wings with the lift. At least that's what I read. I think that's what she's building us up to, but I don't think she's done with the landing quite yet."

"Gliding? Really? We're already gliding?!"

"Well, theoretically anyway. I'm kind of worried what she has planned over the next week though, I mean we covered a lot on landing today, 65 degree angles are pretty steep! How much more do you think she'll want us to land at?"

"Well, she almost always lands straight down. What angle is that?"

"90 degree." Spike shuddered, "I hope we're not doing that! That's landing from complete freefall! Fluttershy said that's even faster than most pegasi fly!"

"Well... we are trying to win a competition here Spike."

"You're trying to win, I'm just trying to fly solo from city to city, to do that I need to be able to 'survive'. She doesn't even know if I even 'can' land like that!"

"What's a matter Spike, getting scaaaared?" Scootaloo taunted.

"What? No I'm not scared, I'm just... using cautious foresight." He sniffed.

"You'll be fine." Scootaloo laughingly pointed out, "Remember, Rainbow Dash, THE best flier in all Equestria, will be right on hand. She won't let anything happen to us."

"I guess..."

"Besides, I can't enter the competition alone, I gotta do this, and I'm depending on you to keep up on your end!"

"..." Spike felt himself go silent as he took a moment to think about that. Several days ago he didn't even want to fly, let alone be one of the best this year's new fliers had to offer.

"Hey Spike!" Scootaloo stopped him, sensing his hesitation. She put her hooves on his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye. "You said you had the guts to go all the way with this, right? You're not backing out on me now are you?"

"Of course not! I just..." He struggled trying to put his thought into word, "I never really considered stunt flying before, you know? I've never thought about any of this up until now. The whole idea is new to me, I have to get used to it."

"Well, you better get used to it soon." She let out a short 'hmph' and turned away to start down the path again at a quickened trot. "I gotta do this. It's my one big chance to prove I'm not some failure!"

"Did I miss something here? Hey hold on." Spike had to suddenly hurry to catch her with the change of pace. "Proving you're the best isn't the same as proving you're not a failure. You know that right?"

She paused mid-step and looked up past the tree cover and into the slowly darkening sky, her thoughts turned towards the escapades of the Cutie Mark Crusaders along with all the mayhem and celebrations that came with each crusade. All the lessons learned and friendships earned over the years played out in her mind. All those trials they contended with, all the courage it took to try every new thing that came to mind in pursuit of discovering their natural talents. After every time they had to stand up to put their next hoof forward to try again, doing the very best they could.

Every single time, without fail.

"If you're gonna do something... Aim for the top! Don't leave any regrets by not giving it everything you got."

Spike stopped with her and squinted as he followed her gaze, trying to see whatever it was that caught her attention. The last rays of a sinking sun streamed through tree leaves as a deep red sky began to darken into a dark blue backdrop as night fell, casting a cool shade over the two as they stood beneath the canopy of green vibrant plant life. Spike never did catch what it was she was looking at before she began moving again, even though he chose to stay behind and continue to look. Letting her go on ahead, he quietly stood staring up while mulling over what she said. He wasn't sure how it all pertained to him. He still wasn't sure how far he was willing to go with all of this. There was only one thing he was sure about, and he said it aloud to himself when she was long out of earshot.

"Scootaloo, that isn't something a failure would say."

******

Scootaloo continued to walk into town, only noticing Spike was missing from her side when she turned to say good bye where they’d normally part ways. She pondered the idea of going back to make sure he was alright, but decided against it. She was already late for meeting the others in the park and pretty confident Spike could handle the nature trail on his own. It was times like these she missed her recently broken scooter the most, she’d be there and back again if it was still intact. As it was everything felt like it was moving about as fast as cold molasses. This whole ‘walking’ thing didn’t suit her, but Rainbow Dash hadn’t been lying about the sore muscles and hooves they’d be walking away with. Galloping all the way to the town center was out of the question to her protesting limbs.

Her whole body ached, every step felt strained and stiff, and while she wasn’t ‘fall into bed’ tired, she was most certainly ‘sit down and do nothing’ tired. She was a half hour late by the time she caught up to Sweetie Belle and Applebloom who sat in the park giggling over something. She waved half-heartedly as she trudged her way past the triangle of trees to meet them.

“Scootaloo! Y’all never guess what Sweetie Belle got t’day!” Applebloom jumped up and raced to meet her, apparently too excited to wait for Scootaloo to come to them.

“I dunno, what?” She offered a smile in greeting, too tired to offer much more than that.

“Horse feathers, Scoot, yah look like yah went and got in a tussle with some Everfree Forest critter.” Applebloom said, forgetting instantly what she was talking about after observing the current state of her fellow crusader. Scootaloo looked at herself for the first time since the training day ended. She was never one to be concerned with appearance much, so she never paid much heed until some pony mentioned it. Dirt, scratches, and the certain discolouration of forming bruises dotted her sides and legs. She imagined her mane looked as dishevelled as the rest of her felt. The feathers in her wings were ruffled and many out of place. She sighed, opened her wings and preened them as well as she could for a few moments.

“Yeah, Rainbow Dash hasn’t been going easy on us, and it doesn’t look like she’s going to calm it down any. It felt great though, we’re doing really well! If you guys ever want to try zip lining again, I think I’m pretty much an expert now.” Scoot replied around a mouthful of feathers before spitting the offending objects out with a sour look.

“Wow… well I guess we can’t do any cutie mark crusading tonight with you looking like that.” Sweetie Belle frowned as she took in her friend, bending over to lift up one of Scootaloo’s legs to inspect a particularly purple looking bruise.

“Yeah, I probably overdid it today.” Scootaloo agreed with a sigh, forgetting the mess of her wings, and instead slumping down on her stomach on the grassy park field.

“Well that just ain’t gonna do. We ain’t got many chances left for crusadin’ together for a whole ‘nother year!”

“What?!” That caught Scootaloo’s attention real fast.

“Its alright Applebloom. I mean look at her, she’s dead tired. I don’t want her to hurt herself. We can try to put something together for tomorrow, maybe we can just have a picnic today?”

“Hang on, what’s all this about Sweetie Belle?”

“Sweetie Belle had a letter o’ confirmation arrive t’day! Show her Sweetie!” Sweetie Belle quickly retrieved the envelope and held it up for Scootaloo to see. It had a broken seal, signed by some sort of studio Scootaloo never heard of. Of course, she was never really that big into music to know what studio had what singer. She assumed this had something to do with Sapphire Shores.

“It’s certainly important looking, what’s the letter say?”

“Just lots o’ legal stuff mostly.” Applebloom answered for Sweetie as she put the letter back into her saddlebag, “The important part is what it says at the end of it all.”

“And that is?”

“It says Gemstone Studios is assigning me as Sapphire Shore’s apprentice!” The young unicorn hopped with glee, finally answering for herself before Applebloom could.

“Wait, so its official now? You’re the real deal?! That is so awesome! We gotta celebrate!”

“We sure do! We were just waitin’ on yah tah show up. We were fixin’ tah put together a crusade. Guess that’s gonna have to wait til tomorrow with yah all messed up like that.”

“Uh… how about Thursday?” Scootaloo proposed sheepishly. “Rainbow Dash said she can’t train us every day, cause we need some time to let our bodies heal up. Thursday will be our first day off. Any other day I’m probably gonna end up just as messed up.”

“Alright, Thursday works for me. Sweetie Belle?”

“Oh umm… yeah, Thursday is fine, but what should we do this evening then?”

“Yah said picnic earlier right? That sounds like a great idea tah me.”

“Well Picnics mean treats, and treats mean…” Scootaloo grinned widely. “Sugarcube Corner!”

Her friends cheered in agreement before the trio made their way to small town’s favourite hangout for delectable sweets.

Anypony that lived in Ponyville knew Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s business had become far more than any simple pastry shop. You could see the married couple catering almost any event that found its way to the small town. Even during Princess Celestia’s visits you would catch the two scurrying about in the back kitchen setting everything up just right or serving the throng of ponies. However, while their small town enterprise hosted most major events it was for their day to day services they were most widely known by the town’s ponies.

The services had little to do with the treats they served and everything to do with the atmosphere they had developed for their little store. Somehow Sugarcube Corner had risen to become everypony’s favourite rendezvous point, often becoming the axis the town seemed to revolve around. Friends would meet in its parlour at the beginning of the day, and later be found on their way back to the pastry shop before parting ways.

This happy little shop seemed to magically transform almost every stranger that came to town into a friend, managed to introduce them to more, and eventually turned friends in to family. It took a great deal of self-control, tolerance, and perseverance in order to build this bewitching feeling of friendship, and to do so Mr. and Mrs. Cake first had to learn how to harness the very power of chaos. Do not mistakenly think it was some demented god able to change the fabric of the material plane to their whim, or some curse that brought about strange effects on the unwary. Nothing so spectacular was hidden beneath their floorboards. This force of chaos took the humble form of a pink cheerful pony who often handled the sales and joined the Cake’s family as their tenant.

Pinkie Pie held the very essence of random in her hooves, and was utterly oblivious to any such thing. Around this pony common sense twisted and turned into a convolution of strangeness that only the pink pony herself could interpret, which she did. Daily presenting the insanity to her friends, often served on a tray with streamers, confetti, and cupcakes. The greed of this embodiment of pandemonium was all-consuming. Never having enough lives to effect, it craved more and more friendship. It would seek out every pony the town could muster, every stranger that walked its streets, coveting each and every one of their affections before wrapping them up in invitations to its bizarre gatherings where each pony would take part in dementedness with joy and laughter. The very joy and laughter the pink pony would thrive on.

This was no easy power for the Cake family to manipulate, for as with any force of chaos it came bearing destruction. Supplies, kitchen utensils, integral structural supports, and difficult to make delectable goods of all shapes and sizes found themselves ruined, vanished, or outright destroyed in the proximity of the well intentioned Pinkie Pie. However it was her that the Sugarcube Corner customers would often drop in to see. It was also her parties that allowed the Cake family to visit every pony in town, in turn becoming friends with every friend Pinkie Pie would make. Mr. and Mrs. Cake could never decide whether the costs of keeping their tenant outweighed the sales she brought in. They did know for certain that there was no dollar value they could ever place on the joy she brought into their lives.

It was into this parlour Applebloom, Sweetie belle, and Scootaloo were cheerfully welcomed into, so it was not altogether unexpected to find the pink pony doing a swaying one hoofed balancing act on a step ladder while holding several balloons in one hoof and attaching streamers to the ceiling with her other.

“Hi Pinkie Pie!” The trio of friends said in unison, surprising the unbalanced pony.

“Eep!” The wobbly ladder slipped from beneath her, leaving her flailing wildly attempting to steady herself, resulting with the streamers flying across the room while Pinkie Pie found herself entangled in balloon strings. The three young ponies found themselves laughing underneath many vibrantly coloured lines of paper with the sales clerk being held up by the balloons, strings attached to every limb, making her look like a marionette hovering in the air.

“Hi girls!” Pinkie Pie giggled out while waving at the three, completely unperturbed by her current defiance of physics. The balloons bounced above her as she began making swimming movements through the air towards her place behind the counter.

“Whatcha celebratin’ this time Pinkie Pie?” Applebloom smiled while trying to make her way out of the pile of streamers. “Ah can’t think o’ any pony with a birthday tomorrow.”

“That’s cause its not a birthday! I’m not sure what its for.” She paused, tapping her chin in thought, “I’ve been getting twinges in my knees and a tingle in on my cutie mark, that means somepony close has something to celebrate coming up! I’m not sure who it is, but I’ve been getting it for weeks now. It must be a duesy! And then I thought ‘Wow! I should get started preparing now to be ready when the moment it comes!’”

The three friends gave each other knowing looks. They weren’t able to tell about Sweetie Belle’s confirmation letter yet at her big sister’s request, so few ponies in Ponyville knew. The strangely keen pinkie sense could well spoil any surprise Rarity was going for, leaving the Crusaders looking for something to change topics to. The problem was unthankfully resolved by the entrance of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon into the parlour.

“Oh look Silver Spoon, Scootaloo’s here and it looks like she’s celebrating how good she is at falling down.” The light pink pony smiled at the mess of streamers Scootaloo was trying to untie herself from. Further scrutiny changed the smile into a frown. “You’re even more beaten up than usual, I thought you were going to invite me every time you wanted to show off your flight show.”

“That’s like, so rude! Watching her crashes is like the best source of entertainment we have!” Silver Spoon added, her face almost instinctively copying the sarcastic expression that found its way to Diamond Tiara’s.

“For your information I’ve been out training with Rainbow Dash all week!” Scootaloo stuck out her chest with no small amount of pride. She had been dying to see the look on her face after that little reveal!

“As if!” Diamond Tiara smirked, “What could she teach a flightless pegasus? How to run faster? I suppose she’s pretty well known for that too.”

“We’re training for the Fledgling Fliers Competition!” Scootaloo managed out while grinding her teeth. That wasn’t the expression she was going for.

“Did you hear that?” Diamond Tiara grinned to Silver Spoon, “It sounds like she’s taking her comedy act for all of Cloudsdale to see. Rainbow Dash is probably getting as much a kick out of it as we do! Well I just won’t allow it. You were my source of entertainment first. Don’t you have any sense of loyalty to your audience?”

“It is NOT a comedy act! Just you watch, I’m not just going to qualify, I’m going to take first place!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah!”

“Fine then, why don’t you prove it?”

“Name the time and place!”

“Oh, but you already did.” That smirking look took over her features once more, “No, what I mean is, if you really believe that, you’ll be glad to make a wager with me.”

“Another bet?” Scootaloo groaned out loud. She had been making bets with Diamond Tiara since she first began going all out trying to fly. She hoped the confidence and pressure of the debt would push her past her limitations, but it had been less than successful. She was in debt to her for a whole ton of bits but Daddy’s little princess never bothered coming to collect. It had gotten to a point Scootaloo would bet huge amounts in exaggeration, and Diamond Tiara would readily accept whatever stupid thing she quoted. Most of which weren’t even real numbers anymore. She was sure Diamond Tiara was just saving for some huge favour to throw back at her one day. It tended to be the pony’s way with any bets she’d make.

“Yes, exactly. Or do you just want to admit you’re a lost cause?”

“I am no lost cause! Fine! I’m game. If I take first place you have to wipe me and my pals a clean slate. That means no more debt, no more insults towards me and my friends, and no more talking behind our backs!”

“Very well, and if you don’t take first place at the Fledgling Flier’s Competition You have to work for me. I plan to take that little comedy routine you like to call flying on the road! You’ll be the laughing stock of every town in Equestria before I’m done. Aaaannnd you get to keep it up until you’ve paid me back for ‘all’ of our previous arrangements.”

“Woah! Hold on jus’ a second now Scootaloo! Are you sure about this? What’s all this ‘bout previous arrangements?”

“Its just some stupid bets I made with her about flying, Applbloom.”

“What bets?” Sweetie Belle paused in thought. She never recalled hearing about anything about this.

“While you two were off following your cutie marks, I may have been betting bits that I could learn to fly a couple times, that’s all.”

“If by couple she means every day for the past year and most of last.” Diamond Tiara cut in with a grin. “She’s worked herself into quite a debt. I feel kind of bad about it though.”

“You have feelings?” Scootaloo snorted.

“Well of course I do! I felt like it was so unfair! There you were, providing me with soooo many hours of entertainment that I really should have been paying you for! That’s how I know you’ll make such a good road show. I know personally it never gets old watching you run yourself into a tree, or wall, or however else you’ll end up a pile of pegasus on the ground. Its always a surprise ending!”

“Gah! You’re gonna eat your own bet this time, once and for all! When I take home that trophy the only thing that will be left lying on the ground is your jaw!”

“Hah! Your endings aren’t that much of a surprise. Either way I wish you the best of luck in our little wager.” She stuck out a hoof waiting to seal their deal. Scootaloo smirked, spit on her hoof and jammed it against the prissy pony’s own before she had a chance to jerk it away.

“Ewww!” Diamond Tiara quickly let it go and began scraping her wet hoof against the floorboards, much to the giggling of the crusaders.

“Annnnnd done.” Pinkie Pie announced while still floating above the sales counter. She had been scratching away with her quill the entire time the two young ponies had been going back and forth at each other, taking the dictation the moment the bet was announced. At the end she held a very official looking scroll which she immediately nailed onto the shop’s wall for the entire world to see.

“Wait… what’s that?” Scootaloo read the paper then looked mortified as she stared at the bottom corner. There sat a seal in wax with the official signature of Ponyville’s mayor. The fillies all quickly turned their heads to said mayor who sat waving to them from her table. Pinkie had somehow already gotten it signed!

“An absolutely brilliant idea from you both! I love it! One way it leaves the Best Fledgling Flier Champion in Ponyville to join our already number one Best Young Flier Champion! And if the bet falls the other way we have a travelling show spreading word of Ponyville all over Equestria! I am so thrilled by the dedication to Ponyville by our children. It is truly inspiring how much we ponies can give back to our communities.”

Mayor Mare wiped away a genuine tear.

Scootaloo glared at the official paper as Applebloom gathered the treats for their impromptu picnic from Pinkie Pie. She felt Sweetie Belle put a hoof on her shoulder. “Is everything alright Scootaloo? You don’t have to do this, you know...”

“Yeah, I do.” She turned and left the shop to wait outside with Sweetie Belle not far behind.

“So these bets,” her unicorn friend continued in a worried tone, “They’ve been going on for two years now? How come you never told us anything about them?”

“I didn’t want to distract you guys from your work. You’ve both been super busy with your apprenticeships. It was just a way to kill time anyway.”

“Sounds like it was a good deal more ‘n that!” Applebloom answered with a small amount of heat to her words as she hefted a bag of goods out of the shop. “Sounds tah me like you were out gettin’ yerself in a big heap o’ trouble, and yah didn’t even come tah us fer help.

“I didn’t need anypony’s help, besides its not like she ever held me to any of them.”

“Well she’ll have to hold it to you this time with it on public display like that.” Sweetie Belle sighed, “Just how much did you lose in those bets?”

“Umm… lets just say a lot. Look, it doesn’t matter anyway. With THE Rainbow Dash training me, I’ll take first easy. You should see the landings I can pull off already!”

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom gave each other knowing looks before turning back to Scootaloo.

“Alright, even if it don’t matter none if yah win or lose, we’re supposed tah be friends Scoot. You’d tell me off somethin’ fierce if Ah ever hid somethin’ like this from y’all.”

“Applebloom’s right. Do you really think we were so busy that we wouldn’t have come to cheer you on, or help you out? You two are the most important things in the whole world to me! It kinda hurts that you never came to talk to me about it. I tell you guys everything, even when I’m not supposed to.”

“Darn tootin’! Ah already know yah can do it on yer own. But yah can git ‘er done a whole lot easier when yah have help, and yah shoulda asked us fer ours. Wasn’t the whole point of being Crusaders to help each other out?”

“But you guys have been working towards everything you want to be and you’re both doing it without any help from me!”

“What?! Are yah not thinkin’ straight? Yah been scootin’ around every construction site Ah’ve worked at! Yah run fer supplies, water, and pretty much anything we need, helpin’ every worker there! Why yer the best help we have sometimes.”

“And I wouldn’t have anything to sing about if I didn’t have you and Applebloom to talk to. I get all my song ideas from hanging out with you both.”

“I guess I never thought about it like that…”

“Well yah better start! This ain’t no small thing, its somethin’ yah went and done fer years! It wasn’t very crusadin’ of yah.”

“I know that now, and you’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Forgiven but don’t you forget it! Next time you have troubles with somethin’ Ah wanna be one o’ the first tah know. We’ll see it through together, like we always oughta whenever we can.”

“That goes for all three of us, no matter where we end up, or what we do, right?” Sweetie Belle added before holding an outstretched hoof. Her friends grinned and joined her hoof with theirs before answering together.

“Right!”

******

Dear Rarity,

So much happened this week, its hard just figuring out where to begin! Rainbow Dash stuck around after all, I’m not sure why but I’m really glad she did! She decided to give Scootaloo and me flight lessons during her three month suspension. The first week just ended and I’m sore just about everywhere but it really has been a blast! She just has us practicing landings using a zip line for now, and has us touching down at different angles. Apparently dragons have a difficult time landing at low angles that’s because I don’t have as many feet to land on. I find it’s a lot easier if I can lean back and let my tail help level me out.

Scootaloo looks like a real professional at landings already! She’s practicing skids as she lands now while I’m still trying to make sure I stay upright. Rainbow Dash is really impressed with it actually. We think it has a lot to do with the practice she’s had at landing her scooter. She’s got a great sense of balance and can match any landing pose Rainbow Dash has been able to come up with. I’m going to have to work extra hard just to keep up! I don’t mind though, I’m more worried about Twilight.

Twilight has been super busy lately. I have to be really thankful for everything she’s going through so I can attend these lessons but I’m getting a little worried about her. She’s keeping up with her magic studies for Princess Celestia, and taken over all my duties at the library. That’s not easy just on its own, but every day I come back she’s showing a lot of magic fatigue! Twilight never used to suffer from that for very long. I don’t know what she does all day while I’m not there, I think there’s more to it all. I know she’s been talking with Applejack a whole lot, and I see paperwork for Sweet Apple Acres floating around the place every now and then. I come back after training in the evening and I finish anything she was too tired to see to. I think she’s trying to take on too much. Again. Yesterday I found her asleep on the stairs. I didn’t even think it was possible to sleep on stairs.

I’ve started taking Pee Wee with me to all my flight training sessions just to make sure he stays out of her fur for the day. Pee Wee’s doing great too. He’s really smart, and he loves chasing us as we slide down the rope. I think its going to be pretty cool when we can both fly. Fluttershy taught me all kinds about training him, and he responds to just about everything. Unfortunately he also likes to get into trouble and play tricks on ponies when I’m not watching him closely. Rainbow Dash likes watching him go, but there’s no way I can leave him in Twilight’s hooves like this.

I haven’t seen much of Pinkie Pie or Applejack lately. We do all our training at Old Lake for most of the daylight hours, so Sugarcube Corner is too far to go for lunch. I kind of miss seeing them around. Fluttershy brings out lunch for us because it is such a short flight from her place, and she likes to spend the time talking to the animals out that way. She also manages to keep Pee Wee back when we’re doing the more dangerous landings, and she’s full of advice on gliding. Its her favourite form of flying and Dash told us we should listen up when she has anything to say about it. Especially since she said we’ll be learning how to glide next week.

I hope everything is going well for you in Canterlot. Rainbow Dash said if I qualify for the Fledgling Flier’s Competition this fall, I’ll get a flight specialist licence and I’ll be able to come visit you on trips all the time! Well, not all the time, I mean whenever it’s appropriate for you of course. Its not going to be easy though. It means I have to be good enough to be a professional stunt pegasus, and I’ve only just begun to learn how to land! Scootaloo wants to win the entire competition, but you need a team to enter. The minimum is a Captain and two fledglings. We barely reach that, and Scootaloo hasn’t flown yet either. It is her dream though, so she’s chasing it with everything she has. She reminds me a lot of you actually. I don’t want to disappoint her, so I’m giving it my all too.

Scootaloo says your sister is going to be on tour with Sapphire Shores! I know you wanted it to be announced with more flair, so don’t worry we’re not telling anypony else. It was just really surprising! So Rainbow Dash says training us will help her get into the Wonderbolts, Scootaloo is going for the MVP award for the Fledgling Flier’s Contest, Sweetie Belle is going to be leaving for a year to learn singing with a superstar, and you’re opening new outlet stores in bigger cities. Twilight is still studying everyday to be some kind of master of the arcane arts under Celestia. Everypony seems to be chasing their dreams, and I don’t even have one yet. I thought everything I’d ever want was right here in Ponyville, but sometimes it feels like Ponyville is growing up and leaving me behind. I have decided to look into finding something that suits me, some larger goal I can aspire to like everypony else. I don’t know what it is yet, but when I do, I’ll write you about it. Rainbow Dash said you’d like that. I think for now, what I want to do is just help everypony reach their goals, at least until I find my own.

How is everything with your store? When I do learn how to fly, would you mind if I paid you a visit? Have you seen Princess Celestia while you’re there? I’m sure she’d appreciate a visit. If you do see her please let her know I said hello.

Wishing you the best,

Your friend forever,

Spike

Rarity set her glasses and the letter down on the night table next to her bed, and stared at the scroll. It was the third time she’d read it, and she was tempted towards a fourth. On the matching night table that had its place on the other side of the bed, sat a small pile of letters signed and sealed by Twilight Sparkle. They contained list upon list of highly detailed equipment costs, maintenance costs, repair costs, along with a complete comparison to the original assessment Big Macintosh had put together. Many letters, lists, bills, and official documents had arrived through her curtains in a surprisingly large gout of green flame. She had been comparing the figures all evening, tiredly browsing through each. It was fairly interesting, and she’d already found a few contradictions, especially in the sales area. She had just finished deciding that there was no more she could do that night without leaving it full of revisions and necessary to redo tomorrow.

She enjoyed it, actually, in spite of the work involved. It felt like she was able to still hang on to something of the little town of her birth. Fancy Pants had looked after her very well here in Canterlot, and with his interest in her work came the interest of his friends. Though she appreciated the business immensely, it was all very exhausting dealing with life in Canterlot. She felt she fit in more here than she ever did back home but at the same time, it left her missing the simple life the small town offered. The quaint items on the lists Twilight made would spark memories of the farm and village. The sales prices reminded her of the farmer’s market in the town square, and the familiar sights and sounds echoed in her mind as she lost herself in recollection.

She had just wiped away some water from the edge of her eyes when she spotted a scroll different from the others. A roll of paper with the seal of a certain young dragon. She left the work aside, took the scroll to her bed, and gazed at the flowing script. She’d never really seen Spike’s writing before, they would dictate to him and he’d immediately set it ablaze and away it would go in a gust of flame. She was more than impressed. It was professional, flowing and very stylized, and looked very distinguished. Like…

“Like a Royal Letter.” She said out loud to herself in surprise.

It was true, you could tell the differences between it and the invitations from the princesses, but you would have to be paying very close attention. He was truly quite the talented scribe! The whole letter was a crafted piece of art, but at the very top of it, her eyes kept being drawn back to her name. The thin to thick flowing lines wound their way around to form the loops of letters so artistically, expertly, and exquisitely.

It was far better quality than the rest of the letter, a masterpiece sitting there alone, noble and proud, separated from the masses, leaving the rest of the well crafted script looking poor and amateurish compared. She simply couldn’t understand why. She scrutinized her own name, thinking of the differences. Why was the whole letter not of the same quality? If it had been, she may have framed it then and there with a permanent place on her wall. She pondered it for several moments before finally smiling softly as comprehension came.

He practiced writing it just to get her name perfect. She contemplated on how many crumpled pieces of paper lay at the dragon’s feet, her name written hundreds of times on each.

“What have I ever done to have you push yourself so much on my account? You always treat even the smallest things between us with such importance and care that they might as well hold bearing over all the heavens.”

The answer hung in the air. It was something that never bothered with nuances like logic or reason. It was far more powerful, and far more than any amount of words could explain. It spoke only through actions and emotions. She gave a happy sigh, skimming the letter a fourth time. If Twilight Sparkle’s lists had left her with a sense of homesickness then Spike’s heartfelt letter had left her with some form of chronic illness born of nostalgia. Twilight brought her a sense of the town, while Spike brought her an update of all the ponies most important to her within.

All except three. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle weren’t mentioned except in passing. She almost cursed the fortunes for not bringing them into his path. If only everypony were fully intertwined she’d be able to hear about them all through the deft claw of her dearest dragon. She knew of course what it was that kept Twilight so busy. Evidence of her work with gem collecting and Sweet Apple Acres finances were sitting on her night table. She blamed herself. She had put these tasks on Twilight even though she knew she tended to go overboard with such things. Now she was responsible for working her friend into continuing exhaustion. There had to be some other way to help, but it was so hard with that stipulation of needing the farm’s destined financial difficulties kept secret from the town.

Rarity rolled over on her bed, thinking of all that was going on back home, wishing she was back there personally to help them. The six friends working everything out together again, facing down any challenge the chaotic little village could toss their way. If only it were that way now.

“Seven friends.” Rarity corrected herself, staring at Spike’s letter. Always left to take care of things, they trusted him with the library, their homes, and everything else even when he was so small he couldn’t reach their backs without a tremendous leap on his part. Still he had always managed, volunteering to stay behind on any trip he might have really wanted to go on if it meant allowing the six of them to go instead. He always gave so much of himself, but she rarely saw him in any of their past pictures she kept in photo albums here and there. Seemed he was always the one taking the picture, and never the one in them.

“Oh everypony, what am I supposed to do?” she said it aloud, laying with her back on the bed she pressed the back of a hoof to her forehead, closing her eyes. She was working towards everything she ever dreamed she wanted but had left so much behind. She had only been away a week this time. She’d been away many times before and for much longer at that. Somehow it was different now, knowing she would be living here soon. She hadn’t even fully moved out of the Carousel Boutique yet and already she missed every pony so much. Is this how it would be like living here? Was it to be a blissful paradise by daylight amidst colleagues and peers, only to fall before a gripping pang for home when left alone as night fell? It was all so… well it was just so dramatic!

She secretly loved it.

“Dear Opalescence, what is wrong with me?” She rolled over to the side of the bed and began petting her grumpy feline companion. The feline in question opened a single lazy eye to acknowledge Rarity’s existence, before settling back to ignore the hoof tracing through her fur. Rarity equally ignored the cat’s lack of affection, and continued as if her companion had responded with deep interest.

“Its like something out of one of those silly novels. A relationship of which two will not speak out loud, secrets between friends, tragic bittersweet goodbyes, dreamers chasing impossible dreams, and growing up to find one’s place in the world! What fate will befall us by the end I wonder? Something happy I hope. I’ve enjoyed a tragedy from time to time, but I don’t think I could bare it if such an occurrence found its way into our lives!”

The cat ignored the unicorn’s dramatic performance taking more interest in cleaning her paws.

“Well I guess I’ll have to make certain there is no such ending to our tale, won’t I? We’ll have to do something about Twilight to start. I simply will not have her work herself into an early grave. If we cannot tell ponies about the farm, we can most certainly tell them about needing assistance at the library. But who to tell? I’d love it to be Pinkie Pie or Applejack, if only to give Spike reason to write about them, but of course neither will do. Applejack is just as overworked, and Pinkie Pie, darling that she is, would be more work than help I fear. It needs to be some pony organized, able to handle children, able to stand up for herself if need be, and since it’s a library of course they’d have to be…?”

Rarity’s eyes opened wide with delight, hopping up from her bed, a quill and paper floated into the air as the unicorn grinned.

“Ideeee~aaaa! Rarity, you are a genius! She’d have to be quiet! Well Fluttershy, of course, has been bringing out lunches to Rainbow Dash and the others, but that could easily be something Pinkie Pie could do! Why the dear pony would love it, since it would also give her a chance to cheer for the others as they train. That would leave the library out of Twilight’s hooves, and put her mind towards helping the farm where it belongs! Oh, but Twilight would still overwork herself with studying in the spare time wouldn’t she? Of course she would Rarity, you silly thing, there must be something else you can do.”

The quill continued to scribble behind her as she paced back and forth thinking. She headed towards the window, taking in the wonderful view of the palace. The stars were fully out as Luna put another brilliant piece of sparkling night on display for her subjects, one that left the palace towers dazzling in moonlight. The palace was always so beautiful. When she first arrived, she’d spent several nights just staring out at the mystical fortress as golden armoured guards passed through ivory white towers with perfect symmetry and perfect step, chariots flying this way and that, and tonight, out on the balcony stood the ever watchful Princess Celestia herself. Whatever was she doing out there at this hour? And then Rarity watched a wisp of green glowing flame appear in front of the princess before the ruler of Equestria turned to go back inside.

“Twilight’s studies arriving by Spike’s flame.” Rarity explained needlessly out loud to herself, before pausing after that thought. Her eyes closed and such a wide smile played upon her lips that it threatened to split her face in two. If you couldn’t stop a pony from overworking herself, than what else could you do but talk to her boss? Spike’s letter floated over and she quickly searched it from top to bottom. It was there, she knew it was there! Yes, there it was at the very end. Considering the relations between Spike and the Princess, not to mention the royal script, well this was a royal invitation for a word with Princess Celestia herself wasn’t it?

“Spike you’re simply marvelous!” Rarity suddenly jumped and kicked in joy as everything seamlessly came together, “You darling dragon! You’ve given me everything I could possibly need and you don’t even know it! Can you visit me upon learning to fly, indeed! If you didn’t, why I’d hunt you down myself.”

Chapter 5: Feeling the Strain

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Chapter 5

Feeling the Strain

"Whew, looks like we're takin' home quite the haul today!" Applejack grinned widely as she wiped the sweat from her brow. It was a bright and early morning, the sun hadn't gotten too high, but in the craggy rock lands where Rarity usually picked her favoured gems amidst the many, it had already gotten fiercely hot. Things had been working out so far for their efforts, selling the gems to Rarity's contacts in the quarries and gem cutters were beginning to make a tidy profit, but nowhere what Applejack thought it would.

Low quality.

She began to despise that word when she first began all this treasure hunting because it was the first word out of every buyer’s mouth. She thought she'd be rich enough to buy a new farm with the cart loads they had been bringing back, but apparently Rarity's years of picking through the land had already grabbed almost all of the high quality gemstones around. The diamond dogs in the area prevented deeper digging besides. The ponies may have put them in their place that once, but neither Twilight nor Applejack had any intention of stirring up that trouble again.

"Yer actually gettin' pretty darn good at this Twilight, you'll be better than Rarity soon." Applejack commented to the tired looking unicorn as she pointed out another bunch with her horn.

"Oh, I don't think so. I still can't figure out the difference between their values like she can. It’s only working out because we're doing things in bulk. I really wish I could help more on the physical side of things. I was bushed before we even had the cart half full!"

"Now don't you worry none about that, Sugarcube. Yer doin' plenty enough as it is. You just sit back an' take a break for as long as yah need tah, and let me do the heavy liftin'. That's what Ah'm here for after all."

"Maybe, but I still feel bad about only pointing the gems out and then letting you do all the work. Digging is a lot tougher than I thought, Spike always makes it look so easy."

"Well yer sure right about that. Diggin' through this here rock ain't nuthin like diggin’ at the farm. Ah think Big Macintosh's plow woulda broke the first day out tryin' tah get even a foot down. A couple dragon claws would be right useful out here just tah break the surface a bit."

"I know, but I promised him the time to work with Rainbow Dash, and I think they're really counting on him with this whole Fledgling Fliers thing. I didn't think it would be a full time job when he signed up, but you know Dash when it comes to flying."

"She does have a tendency tah go overboard Ah admit, but ain't none better tah learn flyin' from. If she says full time work is what it’s gonna take, she'd be the one tah know. I just kinda miss the li’l fella. I ain't seen him round town or the farm for weeks now."

"I hardly see him myself, Applejack. After looking for gems, going over the details of the farm, making the checklists, running the library, and my magic studies I'm usually so tired that I'm asleep before he gets back from his flight lessons, and we barely see each other when we get up. We have just enough time to have some breakfast before we're both out the door."

"Sounds like yer really overworking yerself just tah help me out Twilight, I wish I knew how Ah could pay yah back. It seems like Ah'm holding yah back from everything most important tah yah." A frown creased her features as Applejack realized just how much out of her way Twilight had to go for all this extra work on top of her number one assistant off messing around with Rainbow Dash.

"Please don't think about it like that! The truth is that Sweet Apple Acres going into debt would be devastating for all of us. The way I see it, by helping the out Apple Family with its finances I'm helping all of Ponyville! The reason I study so much is because I want to help out other ponies like this when they need me. This is probably the most important work I'll do all day! Anyway, this is my disaster prevention allotted time slot on my schedule. I’ve always kept my duties open for just this kind of occasion. The thing is, when I’m normally out helping out the town I have Spike to keep things in order back home. Now... well now I don't."

"Yah really miss him don'tcha?"

"Of course I do, but it's more than that. I'm kind of surprised how much I've really come to depend upon him. He keeps the library tidy and organized when I'm deep into my studies, he knows the hidden areas and shelves of the library better than I do, and he normally finds the books I need before I can. Without him the checklists take twice as long to make, letters to Princess Celestia have to wait to be delivered until he comes back at night, and that's not even counting the cooking and librarian duties."

"Or when he's out helping us fend off whatever trouble comes lumberin’ Ponyville's way." Applejack added in agreement. "We always said yah were lucky tah have an assistant like Spike. Not sayn' nuthin bad about yer owl friend, mind yah."

"Yeah, Owlicious tries really hard to help out, but I normally have to supervise him. It doesn't help that he sleeps mostly during the day, and without Spike to help out I'm too tired to stay up to let him know what needs to be done. Spike really is irreplaceable not just as a friend, but as an assistant too. I told him something like that before but I'm not sure even I understood just how much."

"Ah'm sure he misses working with yah too Twilight. Ah know Ah sure miss gittin' up with the family and helping ‘em all out with the mornin’ chores. Comin’ out here is more important, no doubt about that, but mah family ain't none too pleased about me bein' gone right after breakfast. They count on me to get a whole bunch done round the farm, just like yah do Spike. Ah guess Ah'm right lucky that cousin Braeburn is in town gittin’ Apple Bloom's advice on putting up barns. He's been picking up where Ah've had tah let go. Seems like its only cause o' friends and family like ya’ll that we're gonna be able to figure this whole situation out. Ah don't like admittin' we needed help, but Ah‘m sure glad we have ponies like you we can depend on when we’re in a tough spot."

Twilight closed her eyes and gave Applejack a genuine smile in thanks. There really was nothing better than the feeling after helping out a friend. Spirit renewed the purple unicorn pointed to another patch of ground ahead of them. "There's another patch of gems! I think this one will be enough to fill the cart the rest of the way."

"Right then, lets get to it! Ah wanna get you back to that library quick as Ah can so you can get back tah the rest o' yer day."

"Then I better help dig with this one." Twilight Sparkle grinned as she determinedly reared up and stomped hard on the patch of ground. The sight of her dirty hooves gave her pause and set her giggling.

"What?" Applejack smiled looking around for what set off her friend, her giggles contagious effect already beginning to catch on.

Twilight raised a dirt covered hoof, chipped and worn from the constant pounding they received during these morning excursions.

"I was just picturing Rarity trying to get gems before Spike was around to volunteer."

Applejack paused, staring at her own hooves as well for a moment before she began a growing chuckle too. The two friends ended up erupting in laughter over the simple mental image of the indignant expression Rarity would be wearing at the attempt. It was just so unexpected and abrupt that they had to stop digging and let the giggle fit pass. It was just a simple joke between best friends. It probably didn't warrant as much amusement as the two ponies seemed to take in it, but friendship has a way of making the simplest things mean so much more. The joke left the two attempting to 'daintily' dig at the dirt patch for another half hour in spite of themselves.

Twilight was in a good mood when she arrived back at the library, wiping her hooves on the doormat. She was still laughing quietly to herself as she entered into her empty abode.

“I’m home!” She called out habitually; her usual greeting to her faithful assistant who she knew wouldn’t be back yet.

“Welcome home!”

A very startled Twilight Sparkle jumped a good couple feet in the air at the unexpected reply! The voice was so quiet she almost thought some pony spirit of a previous librarian had decided to begin haunting the tree!

“Oh dear... I’m so sorry Twilight, I didn’t mean to startle you.” The familiar shy pony hesitantly stepped out into the open past the kitchen door.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight sighed in relief as her friend came into view. “What are you doing here?”

“Well... you see.... this morning I found this on my doorstep. I think Spike must have dropped it off on his way out to Old Lake.” Fluttershy picked up an envelope in her mouth before trotting over to pass it to Twilight.

“A letter? Who is it from?” An aura of magic took it, and flipped it over for Twilight’s inspection. The unmistakable flowing script of Rarity’s signature was written in the middle. Rather than answering outright, Fluttershy instead gestured to the letter. Twilight frowned before she magically emptied its contents to read for herself and hovered the letter over. She quickly skimmed it in a few seconds her eyes widening as she read. She had to repeat it out loud just to confirm it to herself.

Dear Fluttershy

It may seem a little strange to receive a letter from me after only being away for a bit more than a week, but I have the most urgent request that simply cannot wait until I’m back again. News has reached me of a certain secret project in which our dear Twilight Sparkle has become irrevocably involved. Furthermore Spike has sent me a letter expressing worry over the furthering state of exhaustion he has found her in night after night, often falling asleep before she can find her way to her own bed. I fear her studies and librarian duties combined with her secret project has left the poor dear utterly exhausted.

I understand you’ve been out cheering on Spike and Scootaloo at the lake, however I was hoping you could exchange this current arrangement with Pinkie Pie and instead assist Twilight with the library. I remember her saying you did such a good job before with the help of your little friends when we were competing for the Gala tickets. Could you perhaps be persuaded to do so again until Spike has completed his flight training? Or until this vague project is finished? I would ever so appreciate it, and I’m sure Twilight would gladly accept your help given her current circumstances.

Your Loving Friend,

Rarity

Twilight looked up from the letter frowning. She didn’t know Spike had sent Rarity any letters. She wasn’t at all sure about how she felt about Rarity asking for help on her behalf either. She was about to crossly tell Fluttershy that all this was completely unnecessary, when she caught the pegasus’ sad expression.

“Please let me help you when I can Twilight.” She pleaded, “I couldn’t stand to think that you could be getting sick or hurt. I can look after the cleaning and cooking. And I’ll be very quiet, I won’t interrupt your studies at all! Oh! And I promise to be extra naive too! It will be really easy to keep any secrets from me, so you can work on your morning project thingy and I won’t ever know what it is.”

“Oh Fluttershy...” Twilight hugged the caring pony tightly, “Of course you can help me, but only when you can spare the time. I don’t want this to affect your business at the cottage or Sweetie Belle’s lessons, alright?”

“It’s a promise. We already cleaned the library while you were out this morning... I hope you don’t mind.”

“No not at all. Everything looks great!”

“Oh good. I wanted to wait until you got home to ask, but Angel Bunny was being very insistent.” The rabbit in question had helped itself to a carrot out of Twilight’s fridge. It handed the shy pegasus a note as it walked past her to sit in the largest chair of the room, grabbing the nearby newspaper off the end table to read as it finished its treat.

Twilight shook her head at the strange bunny before looking at the note Fluttershy was skimming through.

“What is it?”

“Um... well... it’s a grocery list...? I think my friends may have taken a lunch break...”

Twilight winced. The stock of food in her home had always been carefully budgeted down to the very last detail. It was a habit her and Spike arranged since they were living together in Canterlot, a necessity for his regular diet of gems. Even with Rarity close by they had always stuck to their routine, and now with Rarity gone most days she was glad they had. An empty would throw everything off, and she was already mentally adjusting her checklist. Checklists that were already taking a large toll on her time schedule in their making.

Still... Fluttershy might make an excellent resource for her time management! Rarity was right. She did need help. The princess didn’t send Spike along as her assistant without reason. Certainly it irked her a little to know she couldn’t do everything on her own, even after she told herself she could and would, but the proof was right there in front of her. There was no denying that she was getting tired out faster and faster each day. It was a little confusing at times, she could remember being on the way upstairs to retrieve books that she never remembered reading. She assumed that somewhere along the way she’d absentmindedly found her bed instead. Instead, it seemed Spike would find her asleep somewhere in the library and would tuck her in.

She sighed out loud, half in exasperation, half in wistful thought. She should have known Spike would be worried for her. He always was. It warmed her heart a little to be reminded that even if she couldn’t see him, or talk to him throughout most of the day, he was still there watching out for her like her silent, steadfast guardian in the night. It had gone unnoticed in her weariness that her study material were put away, and the place was a little bit tidier every morning then she left things the night before. He was probably up hours after her attending to his own duties. Never good at waking up right away, she assumed his fatigue in the morning was just his usual nature. It occurred to her now that he might be as burnt out as she was. She silently thanked him and reprimanded herself. She was interfering in his lessons in spite of trying to prevent exactly that. Well it wouldn’t continue any further! She’d just have to accept Fluttershy’s offer.

"Actually Fluttershy, now that I think about it, you'll be perfect for my temporary assistant! Thank you for offering.”

"I'll do my best!" Fluttershy cheered in a near whisper. "How can I help?"

“Well, the first thing I need to do today is make up a checklist of all the things I need to do.” Twilight smiled thoughtfully to herself.

“Oh, okay. Well what should we do first?”

“Well, groceries for one.” She giggled a bit at the bunny in her chair leaving Fluttershy blushing sheepishly for him, as she moved over to one of the scrolls in a bin labeled ‘checklists’ and began to write.

“Nuuumber ooone: groceries!” She looked back to Twilight waiting for the next item. It was an expression that reminded her very much of what Spike would do each time when he was just beginning. The memory tugged on her heartstrings enough that she made a spur of the moment decision, that she hoped Applejack and Rarity would forgive her for later.

“Number two, tell Fluttershy everything about secret morning project.”

“Everrryyythiiiing abooouuut.... seeecret mornin-wait what?”

“I was going to eventually ask your help for it anyway, I guess this just moved it up on my planned schedule.."

“Are you sure Twilight? I mean... if its really something super secret... maybe, I think... I might prefer not knowing.”

“No way Fluttershy. If you’re going to be my assistant, even a temporary one, I’ll need you fully informed or else you won’t be able to help.”

“Well... if I have to... I guess it’s okay. W-what is it ?”

“Well it was supposed to be number two on the list, but you’re right it should take priority over groceries. We’ll need to talk to all of the animals and insects around Sweet Apple Acres. We have to somehow convince them to forage for food somewhere else for the next couple of years."

"Umm... I see. I'm not sure how well that will work out Twilight... Applejack grows such lovely vegetables, sometimes they can't help but have a little taste, and I simply could never talk to every insect on the farm all by myself."

"We have to try." Twilight responded quickly while looking out her window towards the local farm, "Sweet Apple Acres may go out of business if we don't give it our all."

"Oh no! But then they'll never be able to eat at Applejack’s again!" As Fluttershy gasped, Angel Bunny moved the newspaper aside and watched the two, their conversation suddenly very pertinent to his interests.

"Neither will we. Ponyville makes almost everything it has through the export of agriculture. Our town won't be here for very long if we have to import food like we import almost everything else!"

"Well... maybe... if it's only for a couple harvest seasons I could convince them.” The usually angry bunny nodded quickly in agreement. “But all of the little crawlies... I simply don't know them well enough."

"Alright..." Twilight grimaced. "I guess that will have to do, but if that's the case we're going to have to cut a lot of corners elsewhere. I was really counting on the crops not being eaten, but insects make up for a larger share of ruined crops than animals."

"Well, I don't know them well enough... I'm not even certain I’d know where to look, but I may know a pony who does!"

******

“Fledglings, assemble!” The dust didn’t even clear from Rainbow Dash’s landing before the call went out, nor had it finished wafting away before the two members of the flightless flight team had lined up saluting her.

“Present!” Scootaloo called out with ever growing confidence.

“Yeah, here!” Spike followed up while fighting off a yawn. Rainbow Dash eyed her tired pupil with annoyance.

“Seriously Spike? Again? I can’t afford to send you home, we don’t have time for this every stinking day!”

“Hey, you know I’m good for it! Besides, I can’t just leave Twilight hanging. Yesterday she fell asleep on a ladder! A ladder! I’ve fallen asleep in some pretty weird places, but a ladder? Come on, what was I supposed to do?”

“Well there’s something to be said for team loyalty, I just wish you had half as much for the actual team.” Dash shook her head, there really was no helping it. Twilight was going to overwork herself as long as her assistant remained here, and her number one assistant wasn’t going to just lay down and let it happen. He wasn’t kidding about being good for it at least, this dragon was tough! She’d seen him take tired spills several times that would leave a pegasus broken and hospitalized for months. The young dragon would barely notice the hard landing, stand up, dust himself off, and was headed for another try with hardly sparing a moment’s thought. He also succeeded at some of the most amazing landings she’d seen in her life!

It was all due to his physiology of course. Landing upright had a lot of advantages when it came to the higher angles it turned out, even when caught in tailspins. She decided Spike would be a holy terror when he finally showed up completely awake. Her mind turned back to the first time she took them into a tailspin. The terrified look of the two teammates as she grabbed the top end of the zip line during the middle of their descent and began spinning! She knew they could handle it, and felt the surprise was good for them, it kept them on their game. Every now and then through the rest of the week, she surprised them again and again with the sudden spiraling plummet towards the ground. At first they would scream in terror, and only a few days later the dragon and pegasus were screaming in surprised delight. The same couldn’t be said for Fluttershy, who would continue to scream in terror the sidelines.

Thank goodness for the switch up. The exchange from Fluttershy to Pinkie Pie was a stroke of genius on Rarity’s part as far as Dash was concerned. Pinkie was easily the best cheerleader in the world, as long as whatever she was cheering for could keep her attention. Usually the fledglings managed to do that just fine.

For Scootaloo’s part she might as well already be a stunt pony. It was almost too impressive how she seemed to adapt to every twist and turn so quickly. Rainbow asked her to bring along her scooter so she could watch the stunts Scootaloo was capable of on the board. Her interest was piqued to see how flight and scooter stunts might work with each other. Ground sports were never really her thing but after watching Scootaloo’s natural balance control she was beginning to change her mind. There might be something to this. She was disappointed when she found out her scooter had been trashed.

It would not do. She not only wanted that thing back in Scootaloo’s possession, she wanted Spike on one. If he could learn the maneuvers Scoot could pull off, they’d be a real contender for that grand prize. If Scoot actually managed to get her hooves around that trophy, it would be one awesome looking feather in both their caps! Scoot gets the MVP, and Rainbow Dash takes her first team to the cup! The Racing Committee would have no choice but to acknowledge her then!

“Alright team,” She fixed them both with a measuring look, “you’ve landed low, you’ve landed high, you’ve landed wet, and you’ve landed tired! You’ve landed slow, and you’ve landed fast! You’ve landed backwards, forwards, sideways, and upside down! Why you’ve even landed in a straight downward spiral. There is no crash landing you have not been prepped for, no weather condition you cannot save yourself from, no piece of air or terrain you cannot walk away from!”

Spike was grinning. This was it, so what if a week ago he never cared about flight? This was happening now, and a thrill ran up and down his spine. But his was mild compared to Scootaloo. As Rainbow Dash paced back and forth while calling out each of their achievements, Scootaloo was bouncing on her hooves, looking for all the world like she was literally vibrating with the excitement as Rainbow Dash built up towards what they all knew was coming. The whole time Spike could hear Scoot beside him whisper to herself as quietly as she could.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!”

“Beatings, bruises, cuts, scrapes, exhaustion, and terror, I have attempted to break you with every tool at my disposal!” Dash continued revving them up, “Each and every one of those tools lay broken to pieces at your hooves. You’ve conquered them all! Pain will not distract you! Exhaustion will not dissuade you! Fear will not control you! You have earned your wings and it’s high time we put them to use! Now…”

Rainbow Dash turned to face the fledgling fliers and leaned in, as if telling a secret that only they three would know. Her voice got low and quiet, yet remained full of passion, “Who wants to taste that sky?”

“YES!” Scootaloo jumped up with a gigantic unassailable cheer, leaving Spike and Rainbow Dash laughing, as the young pegasus landed on her back, eyes rolled back to her skull and swiftly fainting from pure fervour. Spike waved a hand in front of her.

“Out cold.” He announced.

“Guess I overdid it?”

“Ya think?”

“You want us to run off a cliff?!” Spike exclaimed an hour later thoroughly unimpressed by the idea.

“Just a tiny one.” Their Captain smiled, enjoying the worried expression that crossed the young dragon’s face.

“I thought we were practicing gliding today, not more crash landing!”

“Oh stop being such a scaredy cat Spike, there’s a lake at the bottom and everything.” Rainbow Dash gestured to the picturesque landscape below. It was still Old Lake but now they stood at the highest point where the small waterfall gushed off the higher plateau before splashing into the lake below, something Spike was pretty sure he’d be imitating soon.

“You can do it!” Cheered Pinkie Pie who was down in the lake swimming, snorkel and goggles obscured her face as she waved cheerfully up at the trio on top of the cliff. Scootaloo and Spike waved nervously back.

“You two Fledglings just need to spread your wings as wide as you can, and follow my directions as I call them out. Do that and we should be able to slip right past this side of the training within the week!”

“About this gliding thing Rain- er… Captain, I’m not sure dragons can, our wings are more like a bats and from what I read i-“

“Enough Fledgling! We’re doing this by trial and error! You already know how to turn any fall into a decent landing, so stop with the stalling! Now we’ll take turns just like before. Once you get the hang of hanging in the air and following the rope, we’ll advance to putting everyone on the same rope in a small game of follow the leader. Remember to keep your flapping to a minimum. I only want to see a wing beat when absolutely necessary. Try to keep them at the same timing as mine until you understand how to hold your own weight better. Scootaloo, you’re up first.”

“Yes Captain!” Scootaloo nabbed the nearby rope by the end and waited excitedly. This was it, finally some real flight training that actually involved staying in the air!

“Okay, hang on tight, run with it while giving all you got, and make as big a leap you can off the cliff. There are lots of air currents coming off that lake so we’ll try to keep right above it. All set?”

“Yep!” her voice came out muffled behind the rope.

“Alright Fledglings, game on!” With that Rainbow dashed off the cliff, the lengthy piece of rope dangling from the harness on her back suddenly grew taut, tugging the filly along. As soon as she felt the rope go tight Scootaloo sprinted towards the end of the cliff before rocketing off its edge in a gigantic leap of faith. She felt the rope give way between her teeth as a sudden heave caught her off guard. She snapped her jaw closed, gripping the flying lifeline so hard her jaw strained with the effort. Tumbling quickly towards the ground, her eyes went wide as she swung downwards. Her training kicked in, and her wings quickly opened to slow the descent, trying to turn the swing into a controlled fall. That was when she felt her wings suddenly hoist her upwards high into the air above the lake. The strain on her wings was extraordinary, like nothing she ever felt while on the zip line, outside of the tail spins that is.

She fought to keep her eyes open and watch ahead of her as Rainbow Dash towed the line. How did she do this all so casually?! It looked so easy, but the strain Scootaloo felt on her wings, just holding them out like that was immense! This was Fluttershy’s favoured form of flying?! Then a rush of wind came flooding through her ears, as if she was going hundreds of miles an hour instead of only gliding along. The world seemed to spin around her, gravity seemed to shift, and she no longer knew which way was up and which was down! Trying to keep up with her spinning sense of vision, her wings reflexively began to attempt to straighten out, but only flapped up and down in an awkwardly uneven and jarring fashion. She found herself quickly degrading into a flailing mess before she splashed down, breaking the surface of the lake with an unceremonious flop. Scootaloo swam herself to the surface easily and came up face to face with an unimpressed flight teacher who hovered above the water.

“You got it backwards.”

“Ummm… What?”

“Most foals panic on the first try during the downward swing and hit the water because they can’t get a hold of the air properly. You panicked after you caught the wind. You want to explain that to me?”

“I’m not sure, it hurt my wings when I got pushed back into the air, but then everything just messed up!”

“What does ‘everything’ mean exactly?”

“Well… it means everything, I got right dizzy, and I couldn’t tell which way was up and down, and then there was that blaring wind in my ears that felt like it went right through my head. I wasn’t scared or anything, but it felt like it was pounding inside my skull!

“Really? A deafening wind, that’s what you said right?” Rainbow took on a thoughtful expression.

Scootaloo nodded while she began to swim towards the shore, her captain hovering above.

“Well Squirt, it sounds like you just had your first case of vertigo. Its not uncommon, but its dangerous for flying, completely throws off your wing rhythm and sense of balance.”

“Wing rhythm? What’s that?”

“It’s the balance you have to find between yourself and those wings of yours. You’re not gonna be able to keep yourself in the sky without it, and no pony can tell you what yours will be like. We can offer hints, like a heavier pegasus will most likely have to throw a flap in more often, and a lighter pegasus tends to be able to glide a lot longer. But there’s an exception to every rule, and you need to find what’s right for you. That’s what this training is all about. You have to slow yourself down, and learn how to ride the wind instead of struggling with it. It’s not your enemy, and it’ll stop hurting you the moment you stop fighting. Got it?”

Scootaloo nodded as she took her Captain’s outstretched hoof to be hauled out of the water and flown to shore. She may have nodded but understanding was still far out of reach. Wing rhythm, she was sure it was just a matter of wing coordination, right? She always had a difficult time getting the timing of her wings. That rush of wind always seemed to throw her completely off when she was trying on her own, and the next thing she knew she’d be eating gravel off the sidewalk with the laughter of Diamond Tiara ringing in her ears. She began to trudge her way back up the cliff. Why could no pegasus just tell her how to flap? That’d be so much easier! Every time some pony would say the words you have to ‘figure it out yourself’, it seemed like a certain sign of failure coming on. Honestly it sounded too close to what ponies told them when getting their cutie marks, and look how that turned out!

She looked up to watch as Spike leapt from the cliff, spreading his wings as wide as he could, only to immediately plummet into the lake, he didn’t manage to stay in the air even as long as she could. The difference being his weight pulled his captain down with him!

The two came back up for air, coughing and sputtering out water. Rainbow Dash made for the shoreline before shaking off, but Spike was having a harder time of it.

“Spike, I knew you couldn’t fly, but you said you could swim!”

“I can swim, I just can’t swim fast! Give me a break, there’s a lot more of me than there is of you and I have to drag it all back to shore!” He complained loudly as he continued to push himself through the water.

Rainbow Dash sighed. This was going to be a very long day.

******

It was a small humble doorstep Twilight next found herself standing on hesitantly. There was a small garden to either side, and the home she found herself in front of was little more than a hovel. Very simple, very plain, in need of repair in a few areas where maintenance efforts were obviously still in progress, mostly unfinished patch jobs with the tools used to perform them still scattered about lazily. The lawn was fresh and green but very tall and overgrown, almost as if it was never cut or paid any attention to. The stone pathway to the front doorstep was the only way you could get to the door without trying to plow your way through it. Everything about the house and the yard left Twilight even more uncertain than she was when Fluttershy first mentioned his name.

“I can’t believe you convinced me this is a good idea.” She whispered harshly to her friend who was trailing behind her.

“Oh it is Twilight, I mean... if you want to convince the little crawlies, he’s the one you want to talk to.”

“But i-it’s Snails!”

“Nopony knows more about garden variety insects then he does.” Fluttershy nodded encouragingly as she spoke around the checklist scroll in her mouth, its paper dragging along several feet behind her. “You will be very surprised!”

“Well if you’re vouching for him I’ll trust you, but I don’t have to like it. After that whole mess with Trixie, and dragging that Ursa Minor into Ponyville...”

“Five years is a long time Twilight. Look at Snips, Rarity even has him run her boutique when she’s gone.”

“Admittedly Snips hasn’t burnt the place down or anything yet, I suppose that’s a vote in his favour. But he’s been working as her apprentice for years! Snails isn’t anyone’s apprentice, he’s not even interested in anything.”

“I think he’ll be interested in this.”

“I just hope you’re right.” She sighed and knocked on the door, feeling like she was signing her name on a disaster waiting to happen.

There was no answer.

Twilight knocked again.

Again there was no answer.

“Snails? Are you here? Its Twilight Sparkle, I need to talk to you!” She knocked a third time, pounding on the door.

“Oh yah. I’m here.” A disembodied voice answered in a slow but cheery tone that hadn’t come from inside.

Twilight turned around to survey the yard, peering hard into the jungle of a lawn where the voice seemed to drift from. She jumped back abruptly as the answering pony’s head suddenly jutted out from between several of the thick blades of grass as he poked through a newly made gap in the overgrowth.

“Dah, Hi!”

“Snails? Why didn’t you answer when I knocked?”

“Uuuh....” He paused staring upwards as he thought very hard about the question before coming to an answer, “Cause I wasn’t home, eh?”

“But you were right here! You knew we were looking for you, why did you just stay quiet after I knocked?”

“But uh, I couldn’t figure out how to answer da door while I’s outside.”

Fluttershy laughed quietly as Twilight slapped her hoof against her forehead. This had to be a mistake. It was better to just hurry up and get the whole thing finished.

“Never mind Snails. Listen, could you talk to every bug out in Sweet Apple Acres? Would you be able to convince them to leave her crops alone for a few years?”

"Dah yeah! I could do dat." The young brownish orange unicorn nodded his head back and forth agreeing to Twilight's request easily without any semblance of thought. His ocean green hair rocked back and forth with his happy nod, partially covering a pair of half lidded, dull-looking, beady eyes that made her question if he even heard her right. She gave him a pained smile she hoped wouldn’t offend as she glanced back to Fluttershy looking for further confirmation. As if she hadn’t made certain of this idea no less than 10 times already, Fluttershy responded with the same wide, distracted smile and nod as every time before. She was showing more concern in attempting to sort out the ridiculously lengthy checklist that she managed to tangle herself up with somehow since the last time Twilight looked. Twilight sighed and turned back to the young unicorn.

“You’re sure? Fluttershy said there were probably millions of bugs all over the farm.”

“Well yah. I jus’ said I could.” Snails gave her a questioning look. She clenched her eyes shut trying not to think about how he just now questioned her intelligence. It couldn’t hurt to let him try could it? “Have you ever talked to that many bugs before?”

“Uuh...”

She swore she could hear the gears grinding together as he sought to remember if he ever had.

“Nope. Never needed to.” He finally managed an answer.

“Then how do you know you can?”

“Uuh...” Snails started again.

“Never mind Snails. ” Twilight interrupted him, a hint of exasperation showing cracking through her facade, “When can you be ready?”

“Dah, ready for what?”

“The bugs! Talking to the BUGS!” She could feel pieces of her mind imploding somewhere in the back of her head.

“You want me to talk to the bugs?”

“Yes! About everything we just discussed!”

“Oh okay, I thought you just wanted to know if I could, eh?”

“Alright, will you do it for us?” Twilight strained to keep her smile and prevent another face hoof that beckoned to her.

“Yah, I’ll do dat in a few weeks.”

“What? Why not this week?”

“Cause dat’s when dey’ll be ready?”

“Ugh! Fine, two weeks will be fine.” She found herself at her wit’s end, “You’ll have to let me know when you go to do it.”

“Dah, okay. Den you’ll see, it’ll be AWESOME!”

******

One week and a few thousand splashes later found Rainbow Dash at the end of her rope as two very waterlogged fledgling fliers stood before her at an end to another hard day’s training.

“I think we’re about done here for a bit guys.” A soaking wet Rainbow Dash began as she confronted her students. “Obviously our current lesson plan isn’t cutting it. I need to look into where we can take it from here. The rope work fly-by is pretty basic stuff, and until we can get us all on one tow line we might as well call off any chance we had at entering the Fledgling Flier Contest. Frankly, I’ve given you both every tip I can think of for the standard master flier, and its going nowhere. Considering that, I need options.”

“I’m giving you guys next week off actual flight practice, and instead we can just train our flight muscles with some core exercises until we can get you into the air. That sort of training will only last half a morning though, the rest of the day you’ll have free. I want you to use that time to search for anything to help you guys out, and if you find something, bring it to me. I’ll see if I can work something out.”

“You want us to find our own way to fly? I’ve been trying to do that since I was a tiny filly! I don’t even know where to start!”

“It’s not the same as before Squirt. You know some basics now; you know how to land without killing yourself, so practice isn’t going to hurt anymore. You also already flew for the most part every time you slid down that zip line. If you can just get that same feeling back as you did on the line you’ll be free for the sky. Scootaloo, you especially need to find a work around. Hang back for a few minutes after you're dismissed, we got something we need to discuss.”

“Uh, okay I guess.”

“Wait a minute, you’re just sending me home?” Spike muttered leaning his head to one side in attempt to drain the water from his ear. “I’ve got nothing to go off of here.”

“Sure you do! Look at these things.” Rainbow Dash unfolded one of his wings and began running her hoof along its outstretched ridges, folding it easily on top of itself. The hoof along his wings felt strange, and he wasn’t too sure he liked it, though he refrained from pulling away.

“You actually have a fair knack for flying Spike. I know it looks like you’re doing worse than Scootaloo, but it’s actually the opposite. You have a good measure of how to catch the wind. If you were a pegasus, you would probably already be flying. What you don’t have is any way to deal with that tail of yours. It’s supposed to be helping push you along, but instead it’s just dragging you down. Check out these wings Spike, you got a whole whack of joints in them! When you do get up there you’re gonna have more control over the wind then I ever will. You’ll never have my speed, but flight is going to be a lot easier for you.”

“So it’s just a matter of my tail?”

“Well your whole body weight in general, but mostly your tail. Like 75% tail issues. Keep it in mind as you look around for ideas. Just manage to keep that body of yours straight, and find something to do with your tail, and I bet you’ll be golden and flying in no time.”

“Okay, I guess I’ll see what I can find in the library books.”

“Alright fledglings. Class dismissed, and good luck out there, I’ll be looking forward to seeing what you find.”

Rainbow Dash watched the water logged dragon begin to trudge his way home. She felt upset by the whole situation. This was not how she planned to teach them. They were supposed to persevere pass the obstacles of landing, and then take off into the sky while she gave lessons on how to follow the wind currents, and maybe even begin towards full fledged flight towards the end of the week. None of the fillies in her old class had any trouble like this. Her respect for her old grumpy coach had begun to grow after the last week of watching her team fail again and again and again. He brought all of her classmates up to the level of training that some arrogant filly could come along and push them all even further easily. Admittedly these were two very unique students compared to any of her old class, but that wouldn’t be any kind of excuse a Wonderbolt would use.

“Umm… Captain?”

Scootaloo’s voice interrupted her thoughts away from the departing dragon, and redirected them towards the young pegasus at her side.

“Yeah, Squirt. I need to talk to you about your umm… difficulties.”

“Don’t kick me out! Please Captain, I’ll do better, I promise!”

“Kick you out? I only have two students, and I’m here to help both of them along. I don’t plan on giving up on either of you. You got that?”

“Phew!” Scootaloo let our a relieved sigh, “I thought I was in trouble.”

“What in the world for?”

“Well… this is kinda like staying after school right?”

“School? Hey, I’m your Captain or Coach, don’t talk like you’re supposed to bring me an apple in the morning or something.” Dash shuddered at the thought that she was coming off to the filly as boring as an old school teacher. She felt her coolness factor plummet rapidly. “No way. I just wanted to talk to you about what it is that’s giving you all this grief when flying. The loud wind thing.”

“Okay…. Well what do you want to know about it?”

“I already know plenty about it Squirt.” Dash chuckled a little affectionately, “I get it all the time.”

“Really, you get it too? I thought I had some kind of defect.”

“Well, it might hamper you, but believe me you’re going to be the envy of other pegasi some day. You’ll mostly get it right when you’re about to take off, or when you get any sudden urge to fly. When I perform a Sonic Rainboom I don’t have any chance of hearing anypony else, and when it comes on strong its all I can do to not take wing right then and there. All the best fliers have to go through it. It’s called the Sky’s Call.”

“Wow! I have something like that?”

“You sure do, but getting past it isn’t easy. You have to find a way to focus past that wind roaring in your ears. Don’t and it’ll overtake you every time. You’re going to need a whole whack of concentration to pull it off, but once you do, once you can find the center of that windstorm, you’ll hear it.”

“Hear what? What will I hear? What does it sound like?”

Rainbow Dash frowned thoughtfully as she stared up at the clouds, taking a moment to think of how to describe it.

“I-Its like a tug at your heart, or a pull at your soul. One shiver through your fur then your ears lean back, and when you close your eyes, you can feel the wind all around you, carrying you. Your wings begin to move on their own, and you just feel like you can do anything! That there’s no force that can hold you down and no storm that can push you back from touching that sky… its just…amazing. And when it goes away it’s everything you can do to not try to pull it back and keep it inside without ever letting it go. If you can capture it, it feels like… well… it feels like its welcoming you home after years of being away.”

“That sounds incredible!” Scootaloo’s eyes widened and sparkled as she tried to imagine the feeling.

“Totally.”

“But how do you block out the storming wind part?”

“Like I said, it isn’t easy. You have to find a way to fly with it and through it. All of the best fliers have their own signature styles because they each have their own way to find their center of the storm. Some used ancient meditation techniques until the raging storm could no longer distract them, others found a way to flow with it somehow, and then there are ponies like yours truly. I fight with it, wrestle it down, and push myself right past it with pure brute force! I’ve tried to teach you how I do it, but it hasn’t been working. Maybe the noise is stronger for you, or maybe punching through it just isn’t going to be your way of dealing with it. Either way, you got to find your way and it is not something I can just show you how to do.”

“Wait, so you’re saying I have to figure it out on my own, just like my wing rhythm?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Try looking into things that will help you concentrate with loud noises going on around you. After you can manage that, we’ll give flight another try. Until then, you and Spike need to get yourselves in as good as conditioning as possible. That way when you do get past these obstacles, you’ll be able to take off a lot easier.”

“Isn’t this going to put us behind? What about the competition?! I have to win Captain! I just gotta!”

“Settle down fledgling, we’re not gonna be behind, not yet anyway. I was planning to build on your flight muscles with actual flight experience. We’re just changing the schedule so we work on them before we grab air. Just give this all you got and we’ll be in the preliminaries easy.”

“Oh… Alright.”

“Well if you get it, get moving! I want to see you both in the sky pronto!”

“Yes Captain!” A quick salute and Scootaloo was on the path following Spike, leaving Rainbow Dash standing on the edge of the cliff her poor students had dubbed ‘the high dive’ over the week of constant failure.

None of her classmates had this much trouble flying, not even Fluttershy! And these two weren’t even trying to fly yet, she was just trying to get them to glide! How could she be a better coach when she was a little filly than she was now? The training was exactly the same, so what was the problem? At least Spike was a dragon, she didn’t completely understand why he couldn’t hold himself in the air yet, but it’s a whole new area of flying no pony had ever even attempted to learn. But what about Scootaloo?

Hearing the Sky call was rare alright, but she should have been the perfect teacher for dealing with that sort of thing. She had to go through it herself after all.

“Gah! This is impossible! A whole week! We’ve spent an entire week just trying to stay more than a minute in the air! And Scootaloo still can’t keep a wing beat to save her life!” She cried out to the vibrant pink bystander who
continued to smile cheerfully beside her.

“I’m sure she’ll get it eventually, after all she’s got the Best Young Flier Champion as her Captain!”

“The Best Young Flier isn’t the same as being the best young coach Pinkie Pie. I’m supposed to have all the answers for them, and now I got nothing for either? What am I gonna do?”

“Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! I have an idea, you can bake a cake!”

“Would you stop thinking with your stomach for two seconds? I’m being serious here. A cake is not going to help teach them to fly!”

“Of course not, but it will be extra super duper delicious after they learn how for themselves!”

“No Pinkie, you don’t understand. I should be helping them somehow.”

“You can help them? Then just do that! Phew, when you told Scootaloo she’d have to figure it out on her own, I thought you meant she’d have to figure it out on her own. But your coaching is on such an amazingly super top notch level that I must not have even been close! What you actually meant is that she has to figure it out on her own with your help!”

“No I meant it, I can’t help her. I should be able to though, I had some trouble with my sky call too when I was a filly. I should be the best at showing her how to focus past it, but I can’t!”

“Great!”

“What do you mean great?! How can me being a crummy coach be great?”

“That’s not great silly, that’s not even true. The great part is where you were right!”

“Where I was right?”

“You said you couldn’t help them, and you couldn’t. That makes you right!”

“So which part of that is not the crummy coach part?” Dash deadpanned at her overly cheerful friend.

“Well duh. It’s the part where you believe that they can learn it for themselves, and we all get to party when they do!”

“You really think this is a good idea? Just leaving it to them like this?”

“Of course! Think of how proud they’ll be when they figure it out. They’ll be all like ‘Yay! We’re so awesome and super great fliers now, and we can do anything! The coolest team Captain ever knew we’d be able to, and even helped bake a cake for us!’

“It might be a stale cake by the time they get into the sky.”

“That’s no way to think about it silly. I’m sure they’ll be super quick at it!” She suddenly gasped loudly, and grabbed Rainbow Dash by the shoulders, “They might even be done already! We’ll have to be super duper fast if we want to make a super duper spectacular cake in time! Let’s go!”

A moment later found Rainbow Dash quickly being pulled towards the pink pony’s abode via sugar rush express. She felt a small smile grow in spite of herself. Maybe Pinkie was right? She tried and taught them everything she could think of, so maybe right now it was her job as team Captain just to believe in her team.

******

Two weeks passed without any sign of progress, though not for lack of trying. All of the Cutie Mark Crusaders attention had been focused towards this one thing, and while the deadline to the preliminaries was less than two months away, it was a different deadline on their minds. This was the last week they had left together. Five years didn't seem like much to most ponies but it might as well have been their whole lives for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, and it was all coming to its end. Rarity would soon be on her way back home to make the news about her grand opening and Sweetie Belle`s apprenticeship public. They had booked time off from their lessons and held what would be their final slumber party for years to come all so they could get up early and spend their last days together on their last crusade. Tales like this were supposed to end in one final victory, that last leap to success to prove that the magic of friendship could overcome any obstacle that came its way.

Unfortunately it didn't seem to work out that way. In spite of all their efforts more bruises added to the hundreds they’d incurred over the years, and Scootaloo was still left grounded. She was so excited to tell them about the Sky Call, and how the best fliers in Equestria had it too, but no matter how they tried, Scootaloo was unable to block out the thundering winds rumbling around in her head every time she lifted off the ground by her own power. Their small cart left outside Sugarcube Corner told the story of their failures. Within it a pair of earmuffs lay discarded, a broken stereo sat in pieces beside the albums of the loudest rock songs that ever graced pony ears, and even a hundred or so popped balloons dotted the bed of the cart. Now the sun was setting, and the crusaders watched their discouraged friend drown herself in the sweet nectar of the establishments’ sugary drink.

"... and I don’t know which was worst, the howling wind or constantly crashing into the lake!” Scootaloo punctuated the end of her tale with a large swig of soda, before slamming the empty bottle down on the counter.

“Well... at least you’re a lot cleaner now?”

Scootaloo glared at Sweetie Belle’s attempt at comfort while Apple Bloom hid a laugh on her other side.

“Get me another Mr. Cake!”

“Uh, maybe you had enough?” The yellow earth pony had been trying to break the steady flow of sodas away from the young pegasus to no avail.

“I told you to keep them coming!”

“Yah sure about that Scoot? Ah don’t think Rainbow Dash is gonna appreciate yah takin’ all her effort trainin’ yah up only to lose it all to a bottle.”

“Training? Training?! You call this training? I’m supposed to figure it out on my own! How is that training?! That’s like the opposite of training!”

“Actually the opposite of training would be-” Sweetie Belle paused mid-sentence at the withering glare she received from her friend.

“What am I gonna do guys? It’s been weeks since we stopped zip lining and neither of us can hang in the air for more than half a minute! I’ll be a laughing stock, and thanks to that bet I made, I’ll be a laughing stock all over Equestria!” She threw her forelegs up in dramatic despair before collapsing them on the counter, and hiding her head against them.

“Can’t say Ah rightly know. Just hearin’ yah talk ‘bout all this flying stuff is givin’ me a headache. Ah’m pretty sure all that weight yer gonna put on if this keeps up isn’t gonna help any though.” Apple Bloom gestured to the corner of the room where a large pile of empty soda bottles towered to twice the height of a full grown pony. “I ain’t even sure where yah put it all as it is.”

Scootaloo shrugged and added her latest casualty to the top of the pile with a practiced toss.

“Aw who cares? I might as well face it, I’m doomed. Sky Call my horse feathers! Greatest fliers of Equestria? Yeah right! I’ll never touch the sky with that howling going on in my head. I wonder if Diamond Tiara is gonna make me wear clown clothes or if I’ll be funny looking enough as I am...”

“Is there anythin’ we ain’t tried yet?”

“Earmuffs, rock ballads going on full tilt in the background, ear plugs, ear plugs AND earmuffs.” Scootaloo listed off each without looking up from her arms. “We even strapped the stereo to my head once. Nothing works because the howling comes from inside my head, how can you block that out?”

“Well, what does it sound like?” Sweetie Belle asked as a thought played out on her mind.

“I already said! It sounds like a howling wind.”

“Yeah but what does the howling wind sound like?”

“You’ve never heard a howling wind?”

“Of course I have, but I’ve never really listened to one.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I won’t know until you tell me, will I?”

“Well, I guess it sounds like this, uuh. Woosh woosh woowoowoosh, woooooooosh woosh wooowooowooooooosh!” Scootaloo blew as hard as she could doing her best to mimic the blasting wind and the pitch each blast took while they whistled through her head. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and began listening closely. Every time Scootaloo stopped Sweetie would quickly gesture for her to keep going, but Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were starting to feel embarrassed as they started attracting the attention of the other patrons of of the pastry shop. Sweetie Belle seemed almost lost in the wooshing sounds though; she began swaying and even humming, utterly oblivious to the stares and giggling of the others around them.

“So that’s what it sounds like, can we go now?” Scootaloo covered her face in her hands in order to hide her blush. “I know I’ll be doing comedy routines for the rest of my life but I don’t need to start right now!”

“That was... that was beautiful! Is that really what it sounds like? You are so lucky!”

“I think you’re confused.”

“Tomorrow! You have to come with me tomorrow, alright? Meet me at Fluttershy’s. This is going to be fantastic! I gotta go prepare, just make sure to show up tomorrow! This crusade is not over yet!” Sweetie Belle excitedly bounced out the door without so much as a good bye, still humming as she left.

“Uh, alright. Not like I have any training or anything... what was that all about?”

“Yah got me.” Apple Bloom shrugged, “But if Ah were you, Ah’d be there. That pony’s got somethin’ in mind, and if Ah weren’t helpin’ cousin Braeburn with designin’ up that new barn o’ his Ah’d be there too. We gotta bunch o’ supplies in towards the construction efforts today, an’ they’re startin’ tah miss me back at the farm.”

“You’re designing barns again? I thought you’d be bored of that after helping with the town hall.”

“No way! There’s always something new tah put in, or some new obstacle tah work around. Really works the ol’ noggin gettin’ around ‘em all. For instance, Appleoosa is havin’ a hard time with the buffalo herds stampedin’ right through the orchards. The barns keep keelin’ over with all that ruckus about. Ah ain’t sure if it’s the land they’re built on or the barns themselves that ain’t holdin’ their own, but Ah’ll figure it out.”

“That’s great Apple Bloom. It’s gotta be awesome to have a cutie mark you can be totally proud of.”

“Thanks Scoot. Ah reckon yers is gonna be one ya’ll be right proud o’ too.”

“Oh come on, mine is gonna be about a scooter. Everypony knows it and it’s just a matter of time. I’ll admit doing a few cool stunts with a board beneath my hooves feels great, but it isn’t exactly the most useful talent of all time. Yours is going to be all about helping ponies out, and Sweetie Belle’s will be all about pulling the heartstrings of everypony around. Compared to that, a sweet move or two on a board is pretty lame.”

“Aww Scootaloo, have yah been draggin’ these thoughts with yah this whole time?”

The young pegasus took a long swig of soda in silent reply.

“Well no wonder yah ain’t got yer cutie mark yet, yer scared tah get it ain’t yah? Tah be tied down to a talent yah ain’t even sure yah want.”

“I guess...” she admitted to herself with a sour note left in her mouth.

“Ah wish yah had o’ mentioned it before Scoot, that’s a right easy conundrum tah figure around.”

“Easy? There’s nothing easy about not liking your cutie mark!”

“Darn tootin’ there ain’t, so it’s a good thing you like yers, yah just don’t think it’ll be useful. That’s a lot easier tah figure out. All yah gotta do is turn it into whatcha want it tah do. Ah like tah help ponies, but Ah could be jus' focusin’ on makin’ our own farm better. Ah don’t cause Ah wanna help out more’n that. Sweetie Belle could stick tah not singing in public like she’d rather, and she has tah struggle with that side of her talent. Heck, look at her sister! Her cutie mark helps her find pretty rocks, but she didn’t become a miner or anythin’ obvious like that, she decided to sew ‘em to dresses! We just need tah figure how to use scootin’ around in a way that’s more suitin’ to what yah want outta it.”

“I’m not even sure what I want anymore.”

“Who you kiddin’? Ah can tell yah what yah want right now easy as pie.”

“Oh yeah? Just what is it I want then ‘Mrs. I-know-everything’?”

“Yah wanna fly. Why any pony with eyes can see that.”

“And just what can a scooter have to do with flight?”

“Ah may jus’ have an idea on that actually. How much do yah weigh?”

“I’ll lay off the pop, I got it, alright? Sheesh.”

“No Ah mean it, how much do yah weigh?”

“What for?” she arched her eyebrow suspiciously.

“Wouldja jus’ humour a pony?”

“Around two bushels.”

“Two apple bushels, got it, thanks. Seeya later!” Apple Bloom smiled a mysterious smile before running out of the shop. Scootaloo knew what her friend looked like when inspiration struck, but what could possibly have found its way into her mind Scootaloo had no clue. She’d find out soon enough, she was sure. For now she was more concerned with whatever it was Sweetie Belle had planned for her tomorrow.

“My two best friends are crazy.” Her contract with Diamond Tiara still hanging on the wall of the pastry shop caught her attention, leaving her shaking her head as she paid her tab and made to leave the shop. “But then again, so are theirs...”

******

Every time she entered the palace it always left her in such a state of awe. The tall white walls trimmed with gold, the elegant patterns on tapestries hanging down in long gleaming sheets of carefully woven fabric. The source of their glimmer took their shape from the historical designs on stained glass windows which rained a delightful array of colours dancing along the interior. Rarity was always left at a loss of words as new fashion designs flittered through her mind with each step she took. She felt rather small between the two large and handsome guards who escorted her down the hallway. They were very polite and well mannered, but their stoic, silent devotion to their duty left them seeming very distant to her, and not at all comforting. This wasn’t exactly the greeting one would hope to receive when you’re already as nervous as she was. She had always wanted a royal entrance, but now that she was in the middle of one everything about it seemed not so much glamorous as it was so very cold...

The guards had let her pass without any objection whatsoever, but it still seemed like a bit of a stretch for her to actually consider Spike’s letter a true invitation. She passed it over to the guards and they never bothered to open it, instead sending it along inside. It wasn’t long after she’d been summoned. Now she felt very alone walking these great halls, as her escorts hoof steps echoed in the large, empty corridor. Only once had she visited the palace without her friends at her side, or at least close by. It felt wrong somehow to be treading this sacred place without them. The large doors to the throne room opened and a horn sounded from the side somewhere as a crier announced her entrance.

“Presenting Miss Rarity! Element of Generosity, twice saviour of Equestria and loyal friend to Princess Celestia!”

Rarity looked up at the Princess who stood before the throne, her multi-coloured mane flowed in the non-existent wind as it always did, her stature tall and graceful, slender and beautiful, eyes full of mirth but with a strength shining behind them. Rarity bowed, lowering her eyes respectfully.

“Thank you.” The Princess nodded to the guards, who all seemed to take this as a sign to leave. Princess Celestia then turned to the still bowed form of the unicorn in front of her and smiled widely, “Please, stand. It won’t do to have such formalities between friends. It is good to see you again Rarity. Are you enjoying your stay here in Canterlot? I had not heard you were coming or else I would have had a room prepared for you.”

“Oh! Well that would have been marvelous Princess, but I simply must refuse.” Rarity stood up, a little more comfortable now without the guards around, but humbled in the presence of divine royalty. Probably for the best she decided. Humility was great for keeping one to their manners, and the request she had come bearing would have a very real chance of offense as it was. “You see, I will be joining the Canterlot society on a more permanent basis soon, and I’m in the middle of setting up a little shop here in town. I really could not accept accommodations in the middle of my transition, no matter how beautiful it was during my last stay.”

Rarity’s eyes drifted wistfully towards the tower where she had once been a royal guest. She was working night and day to unpack her boxes and put together the clothes racks, making every little detail perfect in her shop and residence that she almost wished she could accept the vacation living here in the castle towers would be. Servants at beck and call, and the reputation just staying at the palace would garner was a very enticing offer. Still there was so much more to do, and far be it for her to rest while so close to her dream’s completion. Such wants could wait for another time. Well that was what she hoped for as she turned back to the princess. “I must thank you for seeing me Princess; I know Spike’s letter isn’t exactly worth the same as a royal invitation.”

“You’re right, it’s not.” The princess said seriously making Rarity stiffen slightly before hiding a laugh as Celestia leaned down to whisper conspiringly, “It’s worth far more. I’m glad to hear your business is doing so well. I always found your designs quite inspired.”

“Thank you Princess, I do try my best.”

”And such a wonderful job you do. Cadence can barely be talked down from wearing her wedding dress again and again. She tells me she can’t wait to see your next line.”

“It was such an honour to work on it Princess, I felt bad taking bits for it. Most mares can be very …” Rarity held the last note for a moment as she thought of the right way to phrase the next word, “micromanaging about their custom made dresses. Princess Cadence was more than amiable to try every design I came up with. It was a pleasure and one I’d gladly have again if she ever wishes to come by for more casual wear.”

“She’ll be thrilled, though judging by Spike’s letter I do not believe dress design is what you came by to discuss.”

“Oh yes, of course. Look at me, mention one word about fashion and I lose all train of thought. Well as you have read, I believe you may have noticed something somewhat amiss between its lines.”

“Yes my most faithful student seems to be quite exhausted, though I did not believe the loss of her assistant for such a short while would have her quite at the state he describes.”

“Yes, about that...” Rarity let out a nervous laugh, “It may be somewhat my doing. I’ve made a promise to one of our other friends that I wouldn’t tell anypony about her troubles, but Twilight is currently assisting her with them on my behest. She really is the most perfect pony to help, so perfect I don’t believe any other pony would work, but I’m afraid it’s my fault that she has stretched herself so thin.”

“I see.” The princess nodded with a slight smile of comprehension dawning. “That does explain things a little more. And you believe there is a way I could be of assistance?”

“Why yes Princess, in fact I believe you’re the only one who can! Twilight Sparkle is such a wonderful mare, as you know, and she’s very organized, but she simply cannot stop until she’s finished everything on those checklists of hers. In her current state of affairs there’s simply no capability to accomplish everything she’s trying to. I was wondering if it was at all possible to maybe strike off the one object on all of her lists that takes the largest allotment of her time. Even if for a short while?”

Rarity winced at the quiet squeak her voice had turned to by the end of her question. Come now Rarity, when did you become such a scaredy cat? She cleared her throat as the thought passed through her head before turning to the princess to await reply, trying for all the world to look more confident about the idea then her tone would have lead a pony believe.

Celestia simply smiled in return once more.

“She always has had the problem of over tasking herself, hasn’t she? Yes, I believe her magical studies are due for a vacation anyway.”

“Oh thank you so much Princess! I’m sure you’re the only one she would listen to on such matters.”

“Often not even me. If I expressly forbid it however, even she will put down her study guides for a time I think. There was something more about the letter that piqued my curiosity though.”

“Oh? Well I can’t imagine what about it would...”

“All of it, actually. From every dotted ‘i’ to every crossed ‘t’. You must understand my little pony; Spike had been taking my dictation for a decade before he left with Twilight.” Celestia closed her eyes picturing the young purple dragon first scrawling playfully with her quills on parchment she had put out for him. She pulled out Spike’s letter to Rarity and smiled softly as she took a moment to appraise its craftsmanship. “I know his writing backwards and forwards, and while I know this is indeed his, it’s only because of my familiarity with his style. Otherwise I wouldn’t have believed it. Could you follow me?”

“I-I certainly could...” Rarity wasn’t expecting this turn of conversation at all, “May I ask where to?”

“Spike’s old room. There’s something there I think you’ll find quite interesting. Maybe something he will as well.”

“He could not have been anymore than twelve, when he left?” She had to wonder what in Equestria a child’s room could hold that would hold her interest.

“Fourteen in pony years, actually.” Celestia corrected, Rarity thought she heard a bit of a sigh, a small hidden thing. “They certainly grow fast.”

“Yes, I hear that about foals. I don’t think I really believed it until I watched Sweetie Belle in the past few years. She has really grown into her own, especially now during her apprenticeship years.”

“I was referring to dragons.”

“Oh... uh, right... Sometimes I forget he is one, to tell you the truth.”

“Good.” Celestia nodded to herself, and Rarity suddenly wondered if any other response might have turned this conversation sideways. She was detecting something odd about the tone the Princess was taking, something odd and more than a little unnerving.

“I practically raised him you know? And not once has he ever written to me in such a masterful way.”

“Oh he’s just a darling, isn’t he? You did such a marvelous job with him. A true gentle colt, through and through.” If only she had babysat for Prince Blueblood more often. Rarity silenced that thought, her smile never dipping.

”Gentle drake.” Celestia corrected again, her own smile matching Rarity’s.

“Ahem, yes. I can’t help but feel you wish to impress that point upon me.” Rarity frowned slightly.

“I might be. Please understand when I say Spike is very dear to me.” Celestia’s tone seemed to emphasize the last six words of that sentence. “Although he seems to have sent his deepest affections towards you. Tell me, will you be able to go cheer him on, if he makes it to the qualifications as he plans?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss it! They would never forgive me if I did. Rainbow Dash is far more sensitive about her confidence then she lets on. I’m certain Spike and Scootaloo will be a bundle of nerves themselves. I only wish I could do more for them!”

“Yes, such competitions take a lot of support from our dearest friends, but I was asking about you supporting Spike in specific.”

“I erm... yes, you were, weren’t you?” Rarity tripped over her words slightly. Steering the conversation towards the others had abruptly met with a brick wall, and she was beginning to believe she knew why. It seemed like she found herself talking more to a protective mother than the Princess of Equestria and Goddess of the sun. Considering the invitation she came here with, it probably wasn’t out of line either. She also began to suspect the Princess was not fully interested in Rarity’s presence at the competition. She took a breath to steady herself as she attempted to choose her next words very carefully.

“Spike is one of my most treasured friends, and I have come to see what it is Twilight Sparkle adores so much about him. Time and again over the years he’s been there to laugh with us, help us, and comfort us. Why, add with it that he’s both courageous and absolutely adorable, and I’m sure that every pony who has ever been close to him is proud to hold that honour. I really don’t know what future he looks for himself, but I’m happy he’s finally started looking. I would be glad to support him in whatever endeavor he chooses to work towards at least as much as he has supported my own. It was always a joy to have him fuss over me as he has, but right now what’s best for Spike I think, is for him to figure out what he wants to do with himself and see where things go from there.”

“It seems my dear Spike has very good taste in friends. Your words show much wisdom behind them.” Princess Celestia nodded approvingly.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think after I decided to move to Canterlot.” Rarity explained, “All of my friends, each and every one, they’re all very precious to me. I thought of what I could do for them while still pursuing my own dreams. It isn’t easy to help them from afar, but I have no regrets. I can’t be beside them forever, but that doesn’t mean I have to refrain from giving them as much assistance as I can whenever I am able. They each have their own dreams, except little Spike. Fourteen... I’d always wondered why you sent him out so young. I didn’t know he was already in his apprentice years at the time. He never seemed much like any of the other foals when they began theirs.”

“Dragon, not pony.” Celestia repeated with a sing song tone to her voice. “They don’t have cutie marks to let them know where their natural talents lie. He has to find them on his own, and will never really be certain if they truly are what he thinks they are. There will never be any confirmation for him outside of the encouragement of his family and friends.”

“I suppose that’s true isn’t it? Perhaps I hadn’t thought about everything as much as I should have.”

“Do not think badly of it Rarity, sometimes it takes somepony else to see things from a different perspective for the truth to present itself. It says much that you have trouble seeing him as what he is over who he is. This is normally something very admirable, but I fear it is something that you more than any other pony must overcome.”

“I’m sorry Princess, is not the Who more important than the What?”

“It is, but it doesn’t mean we can simply disregard the What. Who he is will tell you much of how he will deal with his problems. Remembering What he is will tell you of the many problems he will have to face. Problems that may be very different from what any pony will ever know. Problems that he will have to be very creative to overcome, and some of them he will not be able to overcome on his own.”

Rarity walked on in silent thought as they continued towards the royal chamber area. The beauty of the palace that had her so transfixed before barely registered now. She kept walking after the princess, rolling the new information over in her mind.

“Princess, I’m not certain I understand. Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because you have a very important decision to make Rarity. One that will affect your life considerably and his just as much or even more. I do not believe I need to tell the pony with her name as the heading of this letter what that decision might be.” Said letter floated in front of Rarity, leaving her to admire the script one more time. She reached out with her own magic instinctively taking it and holding it carefully out ahead of her.

“I-I see. You’ve given me much to think about.”

“I am certain whatever choice you make will be for the best. Perhaps you can in turn lend me some of your own perspective to a problem I’ve been having. You see, while not so finely crafted as yours, my young scribe has sent me some hastily scribbled letters of his latest challenges in Rainbow Dash’s lessons. Ones I don’t believe he wishes to tell you about.”

“Problems he wouldn’t tell me? Hmph. Some decisions might be a bit easier to make than a pony would first think.” Rarity pouted.

“Don’t think harshly of him.” Celestia smiled warmly, “He wants you to see his best side, where he shows all of his strengths. I envy your letter a little as it gives me a chance to see what he is capable of. Mine shows how much he trusts me with all his fears and vulnerabilities.”

“As impressive as mine may be, I think I prefer the content of yours.” Rarity frowned, still somewhat displeased at the missing details from her own letter.

“Trust is something earned very carefully. Perhaps if you helped him with the solutions to his problems he would be more agreeable to sharing them with you.”

“I was willing to face down three dragons with nothing but my hooves for him! I’m not quite certain how much more I could do to earn his trust!” She answered somewhat cross now.

“And he undoubtedly is forever grateful. But to ask someone to share their vulnerabilities is something very personal, and I doubt you have shared any such things about yourself with him in turn.”

Rarity’s quiet frown was the only reply the Princess needed before continuing.

“As it happens, the problem I could use your perspective on has to do with putting into place a solution to one of his. He’s having trouble keeping his tail up while flying. I think learning to swim better will help him practice moving it as he needs. He was never very good at swimming however, and I simply don’t know any way of teaching him.”

“I could!” Rarity’s eyes went wide after only a few moments pondering as realization hit her with a sudden strike of inspiration.

“You can?”

“Well no, not me directly, but I know just the one that could! He somewhat owes me a favour. I’m not sure if he’ll assist me, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”

“Then I came to the right pony for help. When is your next visit home?”

“Tomorrow I’ll be taking a week’s vacation to say my farewells.”

“A bittersweet moment for everypony involved I’m sure.”

“One that can be broken up with some time at a beach, I think. I’d rather not spend the whole time in tears. It always leaves my eyes in such a state afterwards.”

“I’ll trust it to you then.” Celestia smiled as she opened a door. Within it was a colourful room, something put together for a young colt. A crib was in the corner and a small bed on the other side, with a picture of a knight from a fairy tale of old sewn into the comforter on the bed. It looked very realistic, right down to every last detail. Probably historically accurate as well, Twilight Sparkle had a hoof in this Rarity would wager. On the far wall sat a worn classroom desk, scratches and colours covered the desktop. Carvings were torn deep in the wood in many places, mostly the name Spike over and over again. These are things you could find in any foal’s room. What was so startling were the hundreds of pictures done up in crayon lining the walls almost as if they were wallpaper. It was almost dizzying taking them all in. They were each very different but one thing they each had in common became very evident when put side by side like this.

“What in Equestria is all this...?”

“I answered a question for you, and you answered one for me. I think its time we answered one for Spike. He’s always had a dream to chase. I fear he may have forgotten it under Twilight Sparkle’s tutelage. His dream seems far fetched, perhaps too much so for somepony as pragmatic as Twilight. It may only seem like a childhood fantasy, but this is what he always wished for himself.”

“It’s amazing... my stars; no it’s more than that. It’s perfect, it’s him completely. Oh and it’s her as well.” Rarity picked one of the pictures off the wall, wiping away a tear. “Even if she does refuse to see it that way.”

“It’s all of you.” Rarity felt the Princess lay a hoof on her shoulder. “Each and every one of you and your friends. Could you take them back with you? Please, help him remember everything he once wanted to be.”

“Of course! Oh absolutely, I’d be delighted to.” She looked up at the princess with a grateful smile, holding the picture close to her chest.

Chapter 6: Finding your Balance

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Chapter 6

Finding your Balance

It was early morning, the moon was pale and falling fast into the western horizon while the sun slowly gained strength in the east. Its golden rays had yet to pierce the cool night air that had been a comforting break from the heat of midsummer days. The birds were singing on every tree while most of the wildlife on the outskirts of town had yet to wake up. Knowing this made Scootaloo feel envious of the hundreds of sleeping animals she knew to be hidden somewhere in the underbrush of the surrounding the area. She yawned, utterly thankless that her one day off of flight training would still be spent getting up with the sun. At the same time, no amount of rest would be enough to tempt her away from what lay down the path to the small cottage on the edge of Ponyville.

A sweet melody was wafting over the sounds of a babbling brook not far from the cottage. Sweetie Belle stood on her hind legs looking over the railing of the quaint, wooden bridge that crossed the small channel of churning water that wound its way through Ponyville. She was humming some new melody as was often the case for the talented pony, but something about it sounded sweeter than normal. It was a slow and soft tune that wasn't really Scootaloo’s style, but she couldn't deny its calming nature or the peaceful vibe that flowed through her while listening.

Scootaloo took a moment to treasure the scene presented to her, the sound of the birds, one of her best friends waiting patiently for her arrival while admiring the water shimmering in the sunrise beneath her. The aging, creaking bridge and the continuing path that wound its way up through a colourful array of gardens and finally to the small cottage door. She felt her heart sink a little as some voice in the back of her head reminded her that this would be the last time she’d see Sweetie Belle like this for a very long time, if ever again. Her imagination had her friend fade away from this scene, and everything else around her seemed somehow very dull and empty. She shook the image from her head, it wasn’t worth it to waste any more of what little time they had left, she made her way down to greet her friend at a quick t at a quickened trot.

“Hey Sweetie Belle!”

“Scootaloo! You’re early, I wasn’t expecting you so soon.”

“Well it was hard to sleep anymore, guess Captain has me used to getting up before the sun.” She managed to say around a yawn.

“Maybe not completely used to it judging by the size of that yawn.” Sweetie giggled cheerfully. Scootaloo rolled her eyes in response but couldn’t hide a smile.

“Okay, maybe it’s less waking up and more being on time that she has me used to. So can you tell me what this is all about already?”

“We’re about to make our last crusade the biggest success we’ve ever had!”

“Okay, but how?”

“Music!” Sweetie cheered excitedly.

“I think you have our cutie marks confused...”

“I knew you probably wouldn't get it but just come on, I can’t explain it like Fluttershy can. Just come in and talk to her about that Sky Call thing and show her what you showed me yesterday!” Sweetie Belle trotted around to Scootaloo’s rear and began pushing her with all her might in attempt to hurry up her friend. Scootaloo didn't budge an inch and just raised an eyebrow in question as the young unicorn leaned on her flank out of breath after a minute or two.

“You’re uh.... training sure.... sure has... been working..... been working out... whew!”

Scootaloo smirked and pulled her rump away unexpectedly, leaving Sweetie Belle with a face full of bridge for her trouble. The unicorn took a moment to glare up at the pegasus before the glare and smirk melded into further bouts of smiles and the gleeful laughter of two friends.

“Fine, then.” Scootaloo grinned “Lets see what Fluttershy has got to say.”

“Yes!” Sweetie Belle shook herself off happily before bounding towards the cottage on the small hill. She was knocking on the door before Scootaloo even had a chance to walk past the front gate.

“Good morning Sweetie Belle.” A shy yellow pegasus answered the door with one of her usual smiles.

“Good morning Fluttershy! Can I ask you a biiiiig favour for today’s lesson?”

“Of course, is it a request for a favourite song?”

“Well actually I’d like to try one of Scootaloo’s and have her sit in on it with us if that’s okay?”

“Scootaloo?” It was only then Fluttershy noticed the rough and tumble pegasus beyond the unicorn at her door. “Oh umm... I suppose... uh, I mean its okay, but...well... I don’t know if the birds will play a rock ballad. Not that there’s anything wrong with rock ballads, I’m sure they’re perfectly good for most ponies, and very fun, but they might be just the tinsiest winciest bit loud?” Fluttershy winced as her voice had gotten quieter and quieter in response to Scootaloo’s surprising presence.

Memories of their talent show left Scootaloo blushing. She had hoped to bury that debacle way in the back of her mind where she could dig it out for nostalgic purposes when she was fifty and never a minute sooner. What in the world was Sweetie Belle planning? She was supposed to be out learning how to fly, not reenacting the most humiliating day of her life.

“Oh it won’t be anything like that! It’s really just a slow tempo song, I think they’ll really like it!”

“Well... I guess that’s alright then. Please come in, I’ll put out the music sheets.” Fluttershy stepped out of the doorway, and Sweetie Belle followed excitedly.

Scootaloo smiled politely, attempting to play along with whatever her friend had planned for her. She caught up quickly to Sweetie Belle while Fluttershy gathered some supplies from the other room.

“Okay, we’re in. Now what are we really doing here?”

“Umm... we’re going to write a song, duh. Did you space out or something?”

“I’m not the pony spacing out if you think some sappy, slow song is going to get these wings in the air! We’ve tried the loudest songs known to ponykind, and got nothing! What is some quiet bird song going to do to block out the storm in my head?”

“It's not supposed to block it, it’s supposed to teach you how to ride it.”

“What?”

“Do you remember the wooshing sounds you made yesterday?”

“Do I remember humiliating myself in the middle of Sugarcube Corner? Yeah, I might just remember that.”

“Well there was a pattern!”

“Oh... umm... what was a pattern? ...If you don’t mind me asking, that is.” Fluttershy interjected quietly as she finished setting up the song sheets. The birds began to gather at a polite gesture of the kindly pegasus.

“To Scootaloo’s Sky Call!” Sweetie Belle answered excitedly, leaving the pale yellow pegasus wide eyed and slack-jawed, the empty sheet music falling to the floor.

“Sk...sk.... Sky Call? Oh my gosh! That’s really exciting Scootaloo! The only pegasus I’ve ever heard of getting the Sky Call in the last decade is Rainbow Dash! I bet you’ll be a really amazing flier just like her!”

“Yeah so I heard, I’ve yet to actually see the whole good part about it. Mostly it just gives me a headache and leaves me dizzy, not exactly the best flight talent out there.”

“She hasn’t learned how to control it yet.” Sweetie Belle explained her friend’s sour opinion. “Rainbow Dash tried to teach her how to push through it like she does, but that didn’t work, so we’re looking for other ways. Remember when you told me nature has songs hidden in it? I think Scootaloo’s wind has one too! Will you help me put it together?”

“I’d be happy to!”

“Great! I’ll go write what I got so far!” With that the excitable young pony zipped into the other room, leaving Scootaloo and Fluttershy alone.

“How is a song going to help a pegasus learn how to use her wings?” Scootaloo muttered as she began to trudge slowly after her friend.

“Actually music has a lot in common with flying.” Came a quiet response from behind her.

“How? The one she’s talking about is slow and lame, flying is speed, stunts, and… and-”

“-The rhythm of the wind flowing around you? A feeling deep in your heart that guides your movements? All to the beat of your wings behind you? It's actually very much like dancing.” Scootaloo felt her jaw go slack as she was reminded she wasn’t the only pegasus in the room, and the other one was far more familiar with flying than herself. Fluttershy gave her another one of her kind smiles and continued to explain as the younger pegasus was still trying to sort out a reply.

“Rainbow Dash’s stunts are so impressive that most don’t notice her when she’s not flying fast and dangerous. If you watch her closely, when she’s simply relaxing, you can pick up the same rhythm repeated again and again, a constant slow beat she always follows.”

“Her wing rhythm... She told me about that!”

“Yes, exactly.” Fluttershy nodded, “Pegasi aren’t the only ones with it. Birds, bunnies, squirrels, trees, the seasons, water, fire, wind. Each have their own ways, patterns they follow. All of nature moves to rhythms as old as the world. And where there’s a rhythm a song isn’t far behind.”

“And Sweetie Belle’s trying to turn my Sky Call into a song? Do you think the Sky Call can teach me my wing rhythm?”

“It might. Sweetie Belle is very good with music, if she says she found a pattern...”

“Sweetie Belle! How’s it coming along in there?!” Scootaloo interrupted without waiting for a full answer, sprinting into the next room. Fluttershy giggled lightly and followed after.

Looking up from a small stack of papers, the young unicorn gave a large toothy grin. The pages were plastered with black dots scattered throughout straight lines, often with large black lines adjoining them. They weren’t very neatly done or well spaced, some dots looked scratched out, and the smudge of eraser marks could be found everywhere. She seemed proud of this mess for whatever reason.

“Great! I’ve already got this far with what you gave me yesterday, but I don’t have the full thing. I think I have the regular tempo but It feels like it isn’t fully repeating, like its still trying to hit the crescendo. Are you sure that’s all there was to it Scoot?”

“Yeah, you made me go through everything I know. What the hay is a crescendo?”

“A crescendo is a part some songs have that are louder or more intense than the rest of it. You could call it the peak or the climax of a song, what the rest was building up to. Songs normally end not long after it.” Fluttershy’s explanation didn’t help Scootaloo out much, probably because all her attention was caught by the ‘loud’ and ‘intense’ part. Her Sky Call was sounding better all the time!

“Well it certainly gets loud alright. Knocks me for a loop every time it does too!”

“Then it's probably the crescendo that throws you off! But it also means you haven’t heard the whole thing... “ Sweetie Belle tapped her chin in thought. “Can you run and get Rainbow Dash? We need to trigger it and keep it going long enough to hear how it ends! Fluttershy? Can we start training the birds to sing what I have while we wait?”

“O-okay!” Fluttershy nodded while trying to dodge Scootaloo’s mad dash for the door. After weeks of nothing, finally there was a sign of progress!

******

“Spike! Where did you put- Oh, there it is.” An old tome levitated off the nearby shelf in front of the purple unicorn. Tired eyes stared at the pages as she flipped through them. Dark rings had long formed beneath them and she was going noticeably slower through her studies. She assumed it was just because the lack of her number one assistant, but it didn’t appear to be the case. She felt sluggish and he seemed so fast, though it was more likely the case that she was simply having a hard time keeping up with him.

“Why is your instinctive reaction to blame me the moment you can’t find something?” Spike pretended to be slighted a moment before going over to check what it was she was looking at.

“Sorry Spike, I’m just flustered. I’m trying to catch up while I still have you here. Fluttershy has been a huge help, but she has a long way to go before she hits number one assistant capability. I haven’t been able to finish even one of my checklists since you started flight training. Its like every third day is the only time I can get a full day in!”

“How is that even answering my question?” The cross purple dragon put his hands on his hips momentarily before shaking his head and leaning on the pile of books beside him. “You know training days aren’t holidays from library duties. I’d like to have some time off at some point.”

“Oh come on Spike, we might finally complete the workload, it’s the first time in a month we’ve been this close!”

“Okay, fine, but I’m supposed to be using this time to look for ways to fly, you know.”

“Yes! Finally! A full productive day of work!”

The door to the library slammed open and left Twilight burying her head in her book in frustration over another interruption. An interruption that sent Spike rushing to the door with unabashed joy.

“Good morning~!” came the unmistakable, sing-song, classy and cheerful greeting of the object of his affections. This perked Twilight’s ears up as well, and she looked up to smile at the unexpected visitor.

“Rarity! I thought you weren’t coming home until the evening train!” Spike opened his arms wide looking for a hug only to suddenly find himself buried under a large pile of luggage.

“That was the original idea, yes. Be a dear and get that for me would you Spikey Wikey? I’m afraid I had to hasten my plans somewhat after an impromptu discussion with our beloved Princess. She insisted that I not wait a second more than necessary.”

“Princess Celestia?” Thoughts began whirling through her head at dizzying speeds interrupting the friendly greeting which was laying on the tip of Twilight’s tongue. “What did she say?”

“Quite a lot actually and much of it relating to you, could you and I have a word alone Twilight?” The blue eyed unicorn glanced towards the newly burdened dragon as he attempted to gather her things in a single pile that swayed precariously over his head. Still in spite of the load, he held it with some manner of talent, a veteran of such comical situations, he even managed to catch Rarity’s request, and Twilight’s apologetic look in his direction.

“Hey, no problem, I’ll just start making my way over to the Boutique with this. You two have all the time you need.” His tail reached out to snag the last of the luggage and he made his way outside while performing his balancing act with a great deal of well-practiced maneuvers that had him easily pull the items through the small library door.

“It always amazes me how well a job you did with him Twilight, he really is the perfect little gentle drake.”

“Not so little anymore.” Twilight laughed lightly. “Now if only I could get him to behave half as well when you’re not around.”

“Yes, I suppose so...”

Twilight held back a secretive smile as she caught Rarity staring silently at the door after her assistant had already left. She patiently allowed whatever train of thought had entranced her friend to continue its track until she could no longer stand it.

“About the princess?” She prodded. Messages from the Princess could only wait so long after all, especially messages to her from the princess. She was still trying to sort out the reason why it wasn’t sent through dragon flame as it usually was.

“Yes, of course.” Rarity seemed to collect herself quickly turning back to Twilight. “Forgive me, I have had much on my mind as of late. Here, Princess Celestia wished for me to deliver this personally, and asked if I would answer any questions you have.”

An envelope sealed with the royal crest floated its way over to the anxious student of magic. It was quickly ripped open and discarded, its secret contents procured and scrutinized. She skimmed through the familiar flowing script quickly, but couldn’t quite grasp its meaning. She read it once again, slowly and carefully picking through each word with some amount of uncertainty, thinking of any possible synonyms for the words littered throughout the letter. She finally looked up at Rarity quizzically, not at all sure of what she just read, wondering if she had indeed gotten it right.

“Forbidden from further studies?”

The tone held so much doubt, such hope that there was a mistake somewhere she'd missed that Rarity felt heartbroken for her as her pleading eyes asked her to say the letter meant anything else but what she had garnered for herself. She fought off a sigh. It was going to be difficult but it had to be done for Twilight’s own good. She steeled herself inwardly and outwardly never let her friendly smile dip for a moment.

“That seems to be the case, yes.”

“B-but... why?!” The question was asked out of shock of course, the explanation was already given in the letter. Rarity answered anyway, sometimes it was better to hear it directly from a friend.

“Because... because I asked her to.”

“You did?!”

“Why... yes.” Rarity tried to stand a bit more firm. “Yes I did, I was forced to out of concern for your health, and Princess Celestia was concerned as well. Most of all you have Spike beside himself. Did you know he wrote to me about how worried he was for you?”

“He... what?”

“He wrote to me, and I showed the letter to Princess Celestia. Spike knows you better than anypony else and I trust him when it concerns you. Now that I see you darling, I know I did the right thing. Look at you, you’re exhausted! Oh darling, what have you done to yourself?”

“Is that what all this is about? I’m fine! Really! Better than I have been in weeks in fact. Fluttershy has been a tremendous help and today it’s even better because I have Spike with me too! This is outrageous! My one day a week I have a chance to catch up with everything and now I can’t? Well I’ll just have to write her back and say this whole thing has been overly exaggerated.”

“Twilight, you are not fine. When was the last day off you took?”

“That’s not a fair question and you know it! I hardly ever take time off. For that matter when was the last day you took off?”

“Alright,” Rarity coughed, noting she had a point, “When was the last time you actually remember putting yourself to bed then?”

Twilight made to answer quickly that she had done so last night, but then had to pause. Normally when she quoted from memory an image of what she was quoting would come up, but the last thing she could recall about the previous night was staring at ‘Enchanting the Wheel’. A book about implementing magic on common tools and items. She was reading the fifth chapter, but she didn't remember finishing it. When she woke up this morning she was in bed and her books were put away neatly as only she would do. Well her and possibly-

“Spike?” She asked hesitantly staring up at Rarity who nodded.

“That’s right. He told me he’s found you asleep in your books most nights, and even on the stairwell now and again. He tucks you in, cleans up after you, gets what he can done of your checklists, and settles in himself for the next day. Poor Spikey Wikey looks half as tired as you do, perhaps if you weren't so overworked you could see it too.”

“Spike isn't tired, that’s just how he looks this early in the morning. He’s just a heavy sleeper. I’m actually having a hard time keeping up to his pace.”

“I’m sure you must in that state. Twilight, I’m sorry, but I can’t consider myself your good friend and still allow you to work with Applejack while continuing your magic studies. If you insist on keeping up with the studies, I’ll just have to find somepony else to help her.”

“Rarity, your gem idea is economically the best course of action I've come across, and only you and I can locate the gems efficiently enough to make it of any use. With you in Canterlot, I’m the best pony for the job and you know it!”

“But you’re hurting yourself Twilight! I know you’re probably very upset with me, I would be too. I've gone around your back and spoke with your employer without your consent, but I only have the best interests of everypony in mind.”

“You went around my back...” Twilight repeated the words to herself as a memory played back, a memory from not so long ago. It danced just out of reach.

“And spoke with your employer. Yes, I know, and I feel just awful about it. Maybe I shouldn't have interfered after all, but you just mean so much to me I cannot let things stand the way they are.”

“Without my consent!” Twilight reared up in cheer as she finished the sentence, the memory finally taking hold. She really was tired, this should have been instantly obvious. It was actually so obvious she couldn't stop herself from laughing, and the books that surrounded her study table closed on their own before they all began to criss cross the room, taking their place neatly on the library shelves.

Rarity, for her part, just stared at her friend as if she just snapped. This was some of the worst news she could ever think of delivering to Twilight Sparkle, and here she was laughing about it! She had the entire conversation planned out to this point but just how do you continue from here?

“Have... have I missed something?”

“No Rarity, you haven’t missed a thing, thank you. I was missing something, and now I remember, that’s all. You did to me exactly what I did to Rainbow Dash when all of this first started! I got her suspended by going to her boss around her back, and now, well I’m suspended too. I still don’t believe I was wrong, thunderstorms are a lot more dangerous than rainstorms. And really, an exhausted magic expert is even more dangerous than thunderstorms. I was even getting in Spike’s way after I promised I wouldn't.”

“Yes well...” She couldn't believe her ears, she would have been livid if somepony had done the same to her. It seemed so much easier than she thought it would be, but then Twilight was a pony of logic. Maybe she should have expected as much from her.

“Oh yes, speaking of Spike, the Princess had some ideas on how to help his stunted progress in flight training, I’ll need to borrow him during my week here if it’s possible.”

“I don’t see why not, he works out with Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo in the mornings most days though, after that he should be free. What did she have in mind? Did she teach you a spell to help?! Because I've looked into every book I have and I couldn't find anything.”

“No, nothing magical in nature dear. She suggested he try practicing his swimming.”

Twilight blinked for a few moments as she considered this before a knowing smile crept its way over her face.

“Of course! That’s brilliant! If he can get used to keeping his tail up and use it to push him along in water, then he should, theoretically, be able to use the same technique while flying! Oh but... who could possibly teach him how to use his tail in water? There isn't anypony that could anywhere in Ponyville.”

“Why, isn't it obvious darling? Large serpent, has sharp, purple scales, fantastic sense of style, fretful over a moustache, and a very apt swimmer I should say. You met him on the same day you met all of us Twilight.”

“You don’t mean...”

Rarity smiled and nodded.

“But Rarity!”

“Oh come now, he wouldn't harm me, and I dare say he’ll be quite amiable to my request.”

“Okay sure, maybe. Except he lives in a river in the EVERFREE FOREST! You can’t bring Spike into the Everfree! It's too dangerous!”

“Nonsense Twilight! I’m sure we’ll be perfectly fine. You go quite often to visit Zecora after all, we’ll just be careful about it.”

“Yeah, and I got petrified solid by a cockatrice. That’s not even mentioning the dangerous terrain, the timberwolves, and the Manticores along the way! If you’re going in there, then I’m coming too.”

“Absolutely not! I didn't go through all the trouble of delivering you that letter so you could trade one workload for another. It simply won’t do, Spike and I will be fine.”

“ I don’t mean to insult you Rarity, but you can’t fend off the creatures in there and look after Spike too, at least take Fluttershy.”

“Look after Spike? I was expecting him to look after me.”

“What? Rarity, Spike does a fantastic job as my assistant, but that isn’t the same as being able to traverse the Everfree Forest! He’s never done anything so dangerous!”

“Aside from facing down Discord and taking on King Sombra’s fortress you mean? And he’s grown more capable than you give him credit for. Princess Celestia was very insistent about reminding me of that very thing. Spike isn’t just your friend that you've known since he was a tiny hatchling, he’s a growing dragon! A strong, fire breathing creature with nearly impenetrable scales.”

Images flashed through Twilight’s mind, a broken bathtub with not a scale scratched to show for it, split second reactions that caught falling books before they hit the floor, and a fearless stunt pony left pale as she came down the stairs after conversing with him one night. She remembered a brave, baby dragon charging to a friend’s rescue, and a wise, baby dragon fleeing from the danger three teenage dragons could pose to his friends. She also pictured him as he was now, grown and strong, knowledgeable, and loyal. Maybe he really was no longer the reckless, little troublemaker she once knew.

“I suppose you’re right, the creatures in the Everfree Forest probably have more to fear from him then he has from them, but I don’t think he knows that. That still makes it dangerous Rarity.”

“We will be careful Twilight, you have my word. It does need to be done however. I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to learn how to fly, we should be doing everything we can to encourage him. I wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I let him down when I could have helped, especially after all he's done to help us when we needed him.” She gazed into a nearby mirror, flipping her hair over her shoulders and taking a moment to admire her curls.

“I suppose that’s true.” Twilight sighed before looking up with a small smile, chuckling lightly. “When did you get so much smarter than me? I thought I was supposed to be the egghead of Ponyville.”

“I’m sure I still don’t compare, Darling, but I believe conversations with the Princess might have the side effect of an increase of common sense for a time. I know you certainly seemed to have more than a fair share of it when you first came here. One discussion later and I feel years wiser myself.”

Twilight smiled in agreement. if anypony had that effect, it would be her mentor.

“Well with you taking Spike on me, being suspended from my studies, the library already cleaned up, and the gems won’t be collected until this evening... I don’t have anything to do.”

“Might I suggest, sleep?” Rarity gave her a flat look.

“Oh, right... Yeah I guess I could probably do that.” Twilight gave her a weak, sheepish smile. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

“Yes, you probably could. I’ll go let Spike know of my intentions for the week. I do hope he’ll be agreeable to this whole thing, I do hate to assume.”

“You’ll be there?”

“Of course! It is my idea after all. I could hardly send him to meet a sea serpent by himself.”

“Then he’ll be agreeable.” Twilight hid another smile trying not to notice her friend’s blush and headed towards the stairs, “Alright I’m going to head to bed then. Take some parchment along at least? So he can send me a message if there's an emergency?”

“Certainly. Sleep well, Twilight.” Rarity waved as her friend departed, and she turned to leave the library. She couldn't help but feel like she was being teased far too often as of late when it came to Spike. Pausing for a few minutes was a must in order to let the burning die down in her cheeks before she before she could leave. Really now, the entirety of her talk with Celestia had her behaving like a shy, little school filly, and she did not like it. She was supposed to leave others blushing, not the other way around.

The young dragon’s little crush would all come to a front one day, she was well aware. After her talk with his guardian, that day felt nearer now somehow, but he didn't know that. Twilight didn't either so she was making the attempt to keep it hidden for the time being. Everypony had enough on their minds without having that particular cloud hanging over them right now, including herself. Especially herself.

Finally heading out into the street towards her old home, she stopped as she spotted the unmistakable bipedal, purple monster already heading back to his abode. It was surprising that he hadn't stayed at her place to wait for her, but then he thought he’d be working with Twilight for the rest of the day too. The dear was heading back all set to continue his assistance in her studies. Hidden in the crowd on the street, she watched him pause momentarily, stretching and yawning loudly, his tail twitching behind him.

The ponies around him gave a wide girth to this swishing appendage, but smiled in greeting, and a fit of giggles erupted behind him. He wore a surprised look for a moment then arched an eyebrow as as he raised his tail. It was being clutched by several foals who smiled mischievously at him. She didn't recognize any of them. Now that her sister was getting older she didn't pay as much attention to the foals around the town anymore. She began to wonder if she had already started losing touch with her old home.

He appeared to know them however, he smiled back, letting out a playful growl as he dropped down to all fours and moved chase after them. They screeched and bolted, and he snorted a fume of smoke behind them but gave no pursuit. After a chuckle, he picked himself up and dusted himself off, quickly stepping away out of view of the foals.

“Spikey Wike~y!” Rarity called him over with a small wave. “Over here!”

His cheek frills perked up at the sound of her voice, and he glanced quickly around scanning the crowd for its source. She was treated her to a wide, toothy grin when he managed to pick her out, and he quickly slipped through the crowd to meet her
.

“Hey Rarity, done with Twilight already?”

“Yes, she’s decided to get some rest. Something it looks like you could use as well.”

“Tell me about it, I thought working with Twilight was rough. Rainbow Dash puts her to shame!”

“Oh dear, that might be trouble. Well, if you’re so tired, I suppose what I had planned wouldn't interest you then.”

“No! I’m interested!” Protesting far too quickly before catching himself, he turned away in attempt to seem more aloof and composed, but it did nothing to hide the gleam of excitement in his eyes at the prospect of spending time with her. “I mean... well I’m only a little tired, I’m sure it wouldn't be a problem. Why? What’s up?”

“It's just that Princess Celestia came up with an idea to help your flight training, Darling, but it involves the Everfree Forest, and I’m afraid it will be much too dangerous for us to just go in there alone if you’re too tired.” His reaction was not lost on her, and she instantly felt better. Sending him into his usual excited and blushing self that she was used to was far more familiar territory. A welcome semblance of normality after her weeks away from it.

“The Everfree Forest?! Really? You actually want to take me?”

“It certainly wouldn't do me very well to go all that way for flight training by myself Spike. Lack of wings, you understand.” Rarity smiled, the dragon seemed very awake suddenly. She had a feeling presenting an adventure might have that effect on him. A stallion was still a stallion no matter the species.

“That sounds awesome! And you won’t have to worry about a thing, any of those Everfree monsters come anywhere near us, and I’ll scare them all off! You can count on me!”

“My hero.” She smiled and pecked him on the cheek briefly before walking past towards the outskirts of town. “I know you will. Now, come along we've only half the day left, that might only leave us with barely enough time introduce you to him before heading back if we dawdle. Heroic escort or not I would rather be well away from the forest before the sun goes down. Spike Are you listening to me? Oh Spike, stop standing there staring into space, we have to go!”

******

“Seriously? You think this’ll work?”

“Pleeeeeeeaase Captain? It’s hard to explain, but it also feels like it makes sense!” Scootaloo pleaded with her idol in the middle of Sugarcube Corner, uncaring of the crowd around her. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat snickering at the scene from a booth to the side, Scootaloo could hear their quiet jeers, and could feel the gaze as every pony in the pastry shop turned to watch. She ignored them all, this was way more important than any of them or what they thought of her. The brief explanation of the morning events to her Team Captain seemed to catch their attention, but more importantly it seemed to catch Rainbow Dash’s. Her Captain scratched her head in thought.

“I suppose it could work, but if you can figure it out through music why are you here?”

“I need to be in the air on my own long enough to hear it all, and you’re the only pony I know that can keep me flying long enough!”

“I don’t know Squirt, I already taught you everything I know about staying sky bound. I think you’re going to need some extra oomph to get you to stay up there as long as you need.”

“But you’re the best flier in all of Equestria! If you can’t help me fly, nopony can...” Scootaloo stared down at her hooves, thinking back on everything they’d done so far to overcome this wall in her way. She was so close to the answer she could feel it! There had to be a way!

“Exactly. You’re talking to a pony that lives in the sky, and that’s the problem. You think you’re looking for another flight lesson, but you aren't. You’re actually just looking for anything that can keep you up there on your own. You should be asking an earthbound pony that can achieve flight.”

“Earth ponies can’t fly. Its way too dangerous, they’d have to be crazy to even try!”

“Not crazy.” Rainbow Dash corrected smugly, “Just completely random. Hey Pinkie! can I get your hoof with something?”

An hour later saw a small group of friends gathered around an incredibly large fan mounted firmly into the ground not far away from Fluttershy’s cottage. A small stepping platform stood beside it, allowing easy access to the top of the strange machine. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash now stood over it on the platform, as their friends stood below giving Pinkie’s intimidating contraption plenty of room. They all looked on as the pink party pony finished setting it all up.

“Are you sure about this?” Sweetie Belle moved over and poked the fan cautiously.

“Of course I am! Compared to what I've been through already, this is nothing!” The determined young pegasus answered as she lined up a plank of wood above the strange machine. “All set up here Pinkie Pie!”

“Oki Doki Loki!” Pinkie Pie answered before flicking a small switch. The fan started with a hum and then slowly the three metal blades inside the metal cage began to turn. Scootaloo’s mouth became drier and drier as the blades spun faster and faster until a pony had to shout to be heard over the racket of the fan and the blast of wind it created. She gulped a little as she looked down into the whirling device of death. Maybe standing over a rotary of sharp, metal objects whipping by at an insane velocity wasn't as nothing as she just claimed...

“Why do you even have that thing?!” Rainbow Dash shouted to Pinkie over the noise, while covering her nose and mouth with her foreleg, squinting at the machine through the dust it kicked up.

“Skydiving practice!” Pinkie shouted back in reply, leaving her friend with more questions than answers, as often was the case when it came to the enigmatic pony. She decided to stick to one that pertained to the situation at hoof.

“What happens now?”

“She has to jump on top of it!” Pinkie flapped her arms as hard as she could to display what she meant. Scootaloo watched the flailing gesture and even though she wasn't sure what she said, the puzzle clicked. She grimaced and took a step back at the sight. Standing above her grisly death was one thing, jumping over it was something else entirely! Suicide wasn't what she had in mind when this plan took form! She was about to turn around and go back when she felt a hoof on her shoulder.

There stood her Team Captain, tall and proud. A pair of flight goggles atop her forehead, which she pulled down as she stared into the intimidating force of wind over the fan. She didn't say anything to Scootaloo, but she did hold out a hoof to her which held a smaller pair of the same type of flight goggles. Scootaloo stared at the protective eye wear, then at the fan, and then back at Rainbow Dash. Their manes flapping, tangling back in the blasting wind, her Captain smiled as Scootaloo took them hesitantly from her hoof, put them on, tying them tight against her forehead.

“Follow me.” Scootaloo couldn't hear it over the fan, but the words on the lips of her mentor were unmistakable as she turned to face the fan. Dash spread her wings and WOOOSH! She was high in the air! Pinkie Pie and Sweetie Belle were cheering her mentor on, staring at her as she continued to float upon the wind. Fluttershy had her head in the grass and her hooves over her eyes, if she said anything nopony ever heard.

The young pegasus glared at the fan now, her Captain proved it was able to be done and it was time to step up to the plate.

“Put up or shut up Scootaloo. Are you chicken or are you pony?” She asked herself before pulling the safety goggles down. She already knew the answer. Backing up before taking a running sprint, She strained her wings to keep them open as wide as she could. Before she was even able to jump she was pushed off into the air! She shot past Rainbow Dash and began her usual flailing, but this time she wasn't falling, the wind alone was enough to hold her up!

Rainbow Dash gained the height easily to catch up to her protege. She wheeled around so that they were facing each other, and grabbed the gasping pegasus by the chin.

“Look at me! Keep your eyes on mine! Whatever you do, just keep watching me!”

Scootaloo’s eyes had closed on their own, but having your face yanked down tends to focus them on whatever did it. She stared into the pink hue of her Captain’s eyes, hidden slightly by the glint on her goggles, unable to look anywhere else. She couldn't make out her words over the wind, but the simple act of holding her head steady seemed to straighten out the rest of the young pegasus naturally. She stopped flailing, with her wings leveled and spread, the wind lifted her further into the sky and Rainbow Dash climbed with her, easily keeping pace.

“That’s perfect! Keep your wings even just like that!” Her Captain’s voice was beginning to rise above the clamour.

“I’m doing it!” Scootaloo shouted back, her eyes watering as she floated on the wind, “I’m really doing it!”

“You sure are Squirt! I knew you could! Now lets do what we came up here to do! Listen up!”

Scootaloo stared at Rainbow Dash, waiting for her to continue.

“Can you hear it?”

“Can I hear what? You didn't say anything!”

“Not to me, to yourself! You came up here to hear the rest of that song of yours, so finish it!”

“Oh! Right! Hang on!” She tried to hear the storm in her head past the wind outside. It was surprisingly easy to block out the blasting wind of the fan, because this... This was so much closer to her. But there was no song there, no discernible sound in the storm that reigned supreme in her ears. She clenched her eyes shut as she tried to listen harder, to concentrate on what went on within her, to shut out the outside distractions. Just the same slow wind gusts as before, and then the loud thunderous roar and all sense of balance flew away. Her head jerked unexpectedly away from Rainbow Dash’s hooves and the flailing redoubled, pushing Scootaloo towards the edge of the wind blast.

“Aaaah! Aaaaagh! Aaaaaaaagh!” The vertigo, noise, and fear took over and any semblance of control slipped from her. She felt herself leaning towards the edge of the wind blast keeping her afloat, and her limbs just reacted by themselves as she tried to get herself away from it. With no chance at keeping herself steady, she felt the panic crashing against the edge of her mind! That’s when she felt her front hooves strain against the feeling of encroaching doom, before being pulled back into the center of the blast of wind. A tiny whisper managed to pierce the storm in her head.

“Oepn yuor eeys!”

That didn't sound right, she strained her ears to try to pick it out again.

“Scootaloo, open your eyes!” That time she heard clearly, her eyes snapped open to meet that familiar pink hue again, still obscured by goggles.

“Your eyes on mine! Own this wind Scoot, you already did it once, do it again! Those wings are yours, you control them not the other way around! Eyes on me fledgling! Eyes on me!”

Scootaloo did as told, her eyes on Dash’s. She swallowed back the bile she felt at the back of her throat, trying to push its way out. The dizzy spell threatening her control slowly pushed back as her eyes steadied, trained on a singular point. Flailing turned back into controlled movements moment after long moment.

“That’s it, that’s it. Stay calm, keep your wings even. Listen up, that storm is going to come around again. This time keep your eyes open and on mine. Look at me, remember, I won’t let you down!”

“Y-yes! Yes Captain!”

“Good, keep your ears and eyes open! Listen to that wind right to the end! You got this! I want to hear you say it, you hear me? Say it!”

“I got this! I got this! I got this!” Scootaloo repeated the words to herself and held on as she felt the storm begin to come back around, staring her Captain straight in the eye as Sweetie Belle’s voice strayed by as a passing thought.

“...I think I have the tempo but It feels like it isn't fully repeating, like its still trying to hit the crescendo.”

If Scootaloo’s eyes could have widened any more they would have.

“Captain! The tempo! I can’t tell the song from the storm without it, I need to know the tempo!”

“What in the hay are you talking about?!”

“The tempo! Sweetie Belle knows the tempo! I need to know it too! Its the key to figuring this out!”

“How do we get it from here?!”

“You have to let me go! You have to get it from them and bring it back up Captain!”

“I’m not leaving you up here alone!”

“Just be fast! I've got a few minutes until the crescendo!”

“The what?”

“The crescendo! Captain, you gotta trust me!” Scootaloo pulled her hooves away from Rainbow Dash’s and began balancing herself on the wind. “Like you said! I got this! Just not for long...”

Rainbow Dash watched her trembling student take her own reigns, still a bit wobbly in her balance, but managing to hold steady and stay level. She turned towards the others, they weren't far below and she didn't have time to think about it. With a single glance back at the struggling young pegasus, Rainbow dashed to the others. Scootaloo watched her go, growing only more determined to stay steady after she left. She strained to keep her eyes open, and her eyes trained on a single spot. She tried to ignore her peripheral vision where Rainbow Dash touched down with their friends below, tried to ignore that she was alone up here with the wind rushing in her ears, and a deafening thunder on its way. She tried to ignore the steel blades spinning directly beneath her. Instead she continued to chant.

“I got this. I got this. I got this.”

She swallowed, a cold sweat soaked her fur. There was a lot she had to ignore, and she wasn't sure reminding herself what she had to ignore was helping any. So she concentrated on staring at the bird houses attached to Fluttershy’s chimney. It was an odd place for bird houses.

“I got this. I got this. I got this.” The phrase continued to flow from her lips.

What happens if Fluttershy wants a fire? Maybe she invites them inside first-EYES!

Those pink pair of eyes suddenly invaded her vision once more sending her reeling off in fright towards the side again, and again she was pulled back by her mentor’s hooves.

“Hang on Squirt, its just me!”

“Captain!” Scootaloo cheered, “You’re back! Quick, what’s the beat?”

“I don’t know the beat, I thought you wanted the tempo!” Rainbow Dash shouted back over the wind sounding exasperated.

“The tempo is the beat.” Another voice on the wind caught Scootaloo by surprise. Fluttershy was hovering with her them, and Scootaloo half wondered how it was even possible to hear the shy pegasus over the wind.

“Oh! Why didn't you say so?”

“I did.” Fluttershy frowned before turning to Scootaloo. “Sweetie Belle says its mostly just three quarter notes repeated. Its very simple, like a dance class. Just count out to yourself, one-two-three, one-two-three, one-two-three. Just like that, over and over.”

“Okay! I’ll try!” Scootaloo took a deep breath, and began counting quietly to herself, as Fluttershy counted with her.

“Lame!”

Fluttershy and Scootaloo stopped and looked at Rainbow Dash who was doing a back float on the wind blast, her arms behind her head, looking bored.

“I mean, its fine, If you want to be lame. Don’t let me stop you. Hey whatever works for you, right?”

“Well what wouldn't be lame?!” Now? Her idol was going to taunt her right now of all times?!

“Already said didn't I? You were saying it before, it kept you hovering solo too. Same number of beats, one-two-three, I-got-this. Same thing, only cooler.”

Scootaloo blinked at her hero. She was right, instinctively Rainbow Dash had given her the same beat and it helped her keep upright the whole time! If there was ever a shadow of doubt in her teacher/Captain/idol/mentor it vanished completely then and there.

“You got this, you got this, you got this.” Rainbow Dash flipped back over and offered her hooves to the young pegasus once more, repeating the words without permission. Fluttershy smiled, and joined in the chat, keeping to the same beat. Scootaloo smiled widely, took Rainbow Dash’s offered hooves and once more tried to listen to the windstorm within.

As they repeated the words over and over to her, she began to see the pattern Sweetie belle had been talking about. It really was there! Knowing what to look for made it as obvious as a black dot on a white page. And then came the thunder! This was it! The crescendo, the rumble got louder, the gusts of wind seemed stronger, the rush felt like it would overwhelm her, but underneath it all... there the beat continued. Three simple quarter notes.

“I got this, I got this, I got this.” It flowed beneath the storm, no in the middle of it. A calm constant in the center of the hurricane that echoed in her skull. The eye of this strange and malevolent storm. She opened her eyes, just now realizing she had closed them again. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were smiling. Her Captain had let go again. Scootaloo had stayed steady on her own during the whole crescendo! During the roughest part of her storm! She wasn't wobbling in the air like before, there was no fear, though, certainly a lot of surprise. The panic was retreating, and she looked around in the sky for her first time, that’s when Scootaloo noticed.

She was flapping her wings. Rhythmically, perfectly, to each quarter beat. She gasped and leaped forwards, gathering Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in a tight hug. Below she could hear cheering, and she waved to a Sweetie Belle and Pinkie Pie who looked about ready to flip out.

“Well done Squirt. Fluttershy, could you ask Pinkie how we get down from here?”

“Okay.” The yellow pegasus nodded before turning and heading down to the others. She felt Scootaloo put a hoof on her shoulder, stopping her.

“I have a better idea, why don’t I go down and ask her myself?” She tilted her body, keeping it steady, subconsciously using the many lessons on the zip line and her landing practice. Fluttershy made to rush after her but found herself once again held back, this time Rainbow Dash was biting her lip, holding her foreleg, and watching the scene gleefully. Scootaloo’s body turned, and her wings pushed off the strong current that had been holding the trio up, and she began circling slowly down, landing softly on the grass.

A quarter beat later she was tackled into a rolling hug by a wild Sweetie Belle.

“You did it! You did it! You did it! You flew Scoot! You flew! Your wings were flapping, and you were up there, and you circled down, and then you landed!”

Scootaloo laughed and hugged her friend back.

“Thanks for the play by play.”

“You really did it Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle sniffed, repeating it to herself. Scootaloo looked down to see her friend so happy she was in tears. “You finished a crusader quest, all on your own!”

“I wasn't on my own. Not even once.” She felt wetness on her own cheeks as she held her friend close, this young unicorn weeping happily into her shoulder. “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

******

Pathetic. The word circled around in Spike’s head. It was a continuous cycle, analytically listing in every single way the word described his current situation. His arms clutched the tail of the lengthy sea serpent with everything he had just to keep his head above the waves. His wings were spread as far as they could go, up and down they struggled, pushing the water below him to keep him afloat, he swung his tail behind him, side to side, up and down, this way and that, just as he was told to do. Was he doing it right? Maybe, but if he was the serpent certainly wasn't telling him so, or offering much in the way of advice whatsoever. The large creature probably barely remembered Spike even existed, as it was completely entranced with its conversation about the latest Canterlot fashions with Rarity back on the beach.

This whole trip was a bust. Never one to specifically search out fights or anything, he admitted to being keen on the idea of entering the Everfree Forest, but absolutely nothing exciting had happened at all. Everything went absolutely perfect! The trip wasn't just dull either, it was boring and tiresome. With all the stories of every pony that dared to embark upon the forest paths, with his memories of his time running away and dodging dragons and hydras, he expected something dangerous to rear its ugly head in their direction. He hoped he would have the chance to show Rarity his tough and mature side, even if only a little. He could take on some evil creature bent on their destruction, earn the heart of the fair lady at his side, brave the dangers of the terrain, and all of that heroic stuff he read about in his favoured fictional tales.

Nothing unusual happened at all, though. The tense awareness he was entranced with along the whole walk here had only stress and a sore neck as its reward. Worst yet he had barely said a word to Rarity who had attempted many times to converse as they traversed. He would respond with quiet monosyllabic answers, worried every word had a chance to bring down the monsters that inhabited these wild woodlands. And then they arrived at the river without any sort of issue whatsoever.

You would think that meeting a great beast of the sea would leave you with an awe-inspiring sense of adventure at least, but that didn't play out the way his mind thought it would either. No booming deep voice with dangerous intent dripping off every word, no display of violent power and dominance, no tidal wave of fury at a stranger treading into his domain. Instead Rarity was instantly recognized, swept off her feet, and hugged like the meeting of old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. He didn't even notice Spike standing there watching the two nuzzle each other before the thing set her back down on the river shore.

Even introductions were as they ever were with anypony else. The large beast bowed low as he shook Spike’s hand and presented himself as Aqua Shallows. Rarity mentioned Spike’s problem and the thought Princess Celestia had in fixing it. Three hours later had Spike hanging on to Mr. Shallow’s tail, swaying in the river water like a foal being held up by their parents as they learned to kick their feet in the shallow end of a pool. Spike had went from bodyguard and guardian through a wild and dangerous forest to feeling like a little colt in front of Rarity of all ponies.

He wasn't sure if it was a mercy or not that she hadn't looked his way anymore than Mr. Shallows had. She had set herself up on her beach chair, drinking some refreshment he couldn't make out as she relaxed beneath the shade of her colourful umbrella. Large dark sunglasses rested on her muzzle as she talked and laughed with the purple serpent.

Suddenly he felt water unexpectedly slide down his throat, coughing and sputtering in surprise, he began frantically swinging his tail through the water faster than before, realizing only then he’d been staring and forgetting his purpose out there.

“Heavens! Are you alright?” The large tail Spike was gripping heaved slowly out of the river, taking the young dragon with it as the great serpent turned to inspect him. He cupped his hands and laid the dragon in them before setting him back on the shoreline. “I’m dreadfully sorry, you were doing so well I’d forgotten you were there! There now, take a break, you've certainly earned it.”

Spike lay flat on his stomach, still coughing a little, and glad for the rest. He looked back at his tail, watching it twitch and spasm in short uncontrollable fits. The muscle strain flowed all the way up and into his back. His wings were mostly fine, so all his flight training with Rainbow Dash must have been doing something right. The point was to get the tail and wings to move in conjunction, but he wasn't used to using his tail for anything other than heavy lifting. In the water he was using it to steer himself horizontally while his wings controlled the vertical, and it was anything but easy. He wasn't used to using it for such long periods at a time, and his tail muscles were protesting how much work they were being given lately in their own agonizing way.

“Oh Spike, you poor thing, you’re just exhausted!” Rarity lifted her sunglasses up for the first time since they arrived. “You should have said something sooner!”

“Its alright, really! Dash pushed us a lot harder than this, I’ll be fine in an hour.”

“Spike, it will be dark in an hour!”

“What?”

“Oh dear, did you have a dinner party planned tonight? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I made you late for a previous engagement! How selfish of me, I was just enjoying your company so much I lost track of time.” A dramatic sense of distraught overtook Aquas at very the idea of accidentally contributing to the social faux pas.

“Nonsense Darling, don’t upset yourself, it was my fault for not keeping an eye on the sun. You were just so engaging that I couldn't help but overstay, but now I fear we’ll be caught in such a dangerous forest at night!”

“Dangerous? This place? Whatever do you mean?”

“For a big, handsome, and powerful sea serpent the Everfree Forest isn't a trifle I’m sure, but for a pony, I doubt I would be more than a passing snack!”

Aqua Shallows took a moment to look to Rarity, and to Spike, and then back to Rarity.

“I’m not sure I understand. Last time you passed by, ever fortunate it was for me, I was certain it was past all hours of daylight. With nothing but ponies, this time you have a dragon by your side, a young one certainly, but no less a dragon.”

“A very tired dragon.” Rarity corrected.

“And still a dragon...” He suddenly brought both hands to his cheeks and gasped, “Don’t tell me you don’t know!”

Rarity arched an eyebrow and gave a questioning glance to Spike who shrugged in reply and shook his head. Neither knew what he was getting at.

The exchange wasn’t lost on Aqua Shallows.

“I can understand you not being able to teach him how to use his tail, but how little do ponies know about dragonkind?”

“Couldn’t fill a postcard.” Spike snorted ruefully, still a bit out of breath, and reminded all too well of the late night research session throughout their library. Twilight, one of the most knowledgeable ponies in Equestria, had to consult the zebra in these woods just to understand how 'growing' worked.

“I see... Well I can assure you that you’ll probably have nothing to fear from the creatures here. However if you’re still worried I know the most lovely little grotto you could use overnight.”

“Overnight? In the Everfree?” Rarity repeated aghast.

“Perhaps less dangerous than attempting to navigate it in the dark. Please, I have to insist! It really is the least I can do, and I haven’t had company in so long!”

Rarity frowned, not at all convinced that either idea was more safe than the other, but then Spike was tired before they even came out. He probably had been slipping in and out of different states of exhaustion for weeks now. Perhaps a dragon with some sleep behind him would be better for them both than one without.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to take you up on your offer.”

“Are you sure Rarity?” Spike tilted his head up at Rarity after hearing her decision, “We have the parchment, we can just ask Twilight to send for help.”

“We’ll let her know where we are, Spike. However, Aqua is right, alone in the dark we may just wind up lost if we try to get back, and Twilight wouldn't even know where we went off to. We’re better off right where we are.”

“Wonderful! I’ll show you where you both can stay the night and you can make yourselves comfortable while I gather dinner for us all.”

“There’s really no need for all the trouble.”

“Not at all, it would be my pleasure!” The serpent bowed low before slipping back into the river, “Please, follow me.”

“Such a gracious host.” A genuine smile played upon Rarity’s lips as she followed. It was such a surprise to meet him during their desperate trip through these woods so long ago, and so encouraging besides. How many years had she served the public of the small town of Ponyville, worried that there would be no pony that truly appreciated the beauty of her designs and aesthetics? Meeting the self styled serpent that long night years ago renewed her faith in her craft. If a kindred spirit could be found even in the depths of the most wild and dangerous forest known to ponykind, there would always be somepony somewhere that could find the beauty in her craft. It was an inspiration, really.

The best part about it is that he truly does have such wonderful taste. She thought to herself absently as she happily trotted after him. She was actually somewhat excited to see what he would consider a ‘lovely grotto’ and she would not be disappointed.

“Wow...” The word dropped from Spike’s tongue as he fell to speechlessness, and she could think of no more suitable description for the sight her eyes fell upon.

They had been lead to the most picturesque waterfall she’d ever seen, quite a feat considering the many lakes and rivers that surrounded the little town where she’d grown up. It wasn't a large, majestic thing that would leave a pony in awe by shear natural size, instead it was a multitude of thin sheets of water babbling lightly into the river trailing away below, forming a semicircle of cool sky blue and white water that flowed hastily into a bouncing fall, scattering amidst the natural rock formations, covered by well kept and pruned vines that weaved up the rock wall that supported the falls. Green filled branches hung over the pool of water, leaving trails of lightly dropped leaves floating and sailing away on the the river surface.

“Oh my! It’s so beautiful!”

“Oh, I knooow!” Aqua squealed in delight as he splashed his way into the deceivingly deep pool in the middle of the intersecting falls. “Welcome to my humble abode. I am so glad you like it!”

“Like it? I love it! its absolutely magnificent!”

“Its nothing really, let me show you to where you’ll be staying.” The pleased serpent bowed again as he dragged his arm across the middle waterfall, somehow managing to pull back the streaming water like it was a curtain, his tail formed a convenient humps to allow Rarity and Spike a bridge across his domain. It was with careful hops across the looping tail the unicorn, followed by dragon, made her way to the natural cave that had long ago formed behind the cascading water. Inside their breath was taken away once more. Along the walls danced thousands of mild lights, reflecting and distorting off the waterfall in a dazzling display of colour that twinkled and reflected along streams of quartz embedded into the stone. Mounds of soft moss spread over the mostly dirt and flat stone that made up the floor of the cavern, while strings of ivy wrapped their way around the rock face in similar patterns to the vines outside, proving at least part of the scene on display for them had been very carefully sculpted.

“This place is amazing.” Spike was the first to find his voice as he leapt from Aqua’s tail onto the moss. “It must have taken forever!”

“This old thing?” Aqua folded his hands and laid his head over top of them. His smile widened as he measured their reactions, looking very pleased with himself. “It’s nothing really, landscaping is just a little hobby of mine.”

“Well it all looks simply divine, Darling. I can’t thank you enough for letting us impose upon you like this.”

“Please, think nothing of it. I’ll never forget the way you gave so much of yourself for me. I’ll never be able to repay you for your generosity, but this allows me the chance to try. Now, I should give you both a moment to make yourselves at home while I collect a few things before supper.” At that Aqua slipped back out, letting the curtain of water cascade down once more leaving Spike and Rarity alone, standing on the moss.

Rarity moved over to the wall, placing a hoof lightly to one of the gleaming streams of quartz.

“How do you think he did it?”

“Time, I guess. A whole lot of it.” Spike’s eyes followed Rarity as he picked his way through the slippery moss. The cave was beautiful, there was no contesting that, but as far as shelters went there was still a lot to be desired. A cave behind a waterfall was bound to be constantly damp, and the moss, while soft, he knew it wouldn't suffice as a bed for the currently distracted unicorn. He began to survey the area restlessly. It was this anxiousness that finally drew Rarity’s attention from the artful design of the cave and towards the fidgety dragon.

“Is there something wrong Spike?”

“I’m just looking around that’s all. It’s really well hidden and I think we’ll be safe here, but it will be pretty damp and cold tonight. The moss is fine for me, but I don’t think you’ll like sleeping on it.”

“Well...” She was about to say it would have to do, but looking around at the decor she realized its fashion really wasn't much suited for function. “We’ll just have to think of something. Here, lets send Twilight that letter now to let her know where we are. No sense having her worry.”

Spike snorted a bit, holding back an admiring chuckle as he laid down, his head resting on his claws. Camping was as far away from Rarity’s comfort zone as plowing fields was for Twilight. Rather than fret about it or whine, a complaint or two later and she would be looking for a way to deal with whatever situation came across her path. He felt a deep respect for her swell up inside him. He smiled wistfully and carefully took her dictation, listening to her voice. She gave a brief summary of events which Spike jotted down quickly and sent on its way by fire breath express.

Afterwards Rarity began searching around the cave for a few minutes before pausing in front of Spike. She took a moment to look him up and down. Being scrutinized was something Spike was used to with Twilight’s constant analytical mind at work. Recognizing the look, he immediately straightened himself, spread out his wings, and tried to keep his eyes trained on the ceiling above. He was used to not asking questions first, as it tended to interrupt whatever was running through Twilight’s mind, but he was always uncomfortable when she did this. Rarity doing the same multiplied any sense of discomfort exponentially. There was no hiding his blush from her as she tilted her head to stare at him. He gave a silent thanks to Celestia she didn't mention anything about it.

“Spike, You said you’ll be fine on the moss, does it really not bother you?”

“Yeah, my scales mostly keep the damp out. I don’t feel it as much, and with a belly full of fire I don’t get cold very easily, sure does make me sleepy though.”

“Does that mean you’re cold blooded?” She allowed some idle curiosity to take over as she considered their positions.

“Nah.” Spike yawned, the inspection seemed like it was over and she was now into the interrogation part of whatever test she was conducting, “Real reptiles have no way of keeping a common temperature, so their blood is controlled by stuff around them. Dragonfire keeps me warm all the time.”

“But you do tend to be more tired in the winter.”

“Yeah, Twilight thinks it has to do with dragonfire burning up more energy than normal to keep me warm, but its just a guess. We don’t actually know any reason behind it.” He folded his wings, curled up his tail beside him and released another long and loud yawn. Then he felt a prod against his side, he jerked upwards staring at the offending hoof that reached over his tail to poke at him. “Rarity?”

“Sorry Spike, I was just wondering, if dragonfire could help keep more than just you warm.”

‘Well yeah, but not without making a fire, and I don’t think Mr. Shallows would like us lighting fires in here and filling the place up with smoke.”

“Of course you’re right, but I was thinking more of a direct approach. Your scales are so warm...” She trailed her hoof further down his side which once again left his cheeks turning that lovely shade of red she so enjoyed.

“Well... uh, you could try and see?” He stretched out his wing welcomingly looking away in embarrassment, hoping that this didn’t seem like some lame come on, and secretly wishing that it was exactly that. Rarity wore that small unreadable smile she would sometimes use around him. A smile that seemed to speak volumes of things he’d never understand, secrets and thoughts that he was somehow supposed to know but had no clue about.

She stepped over his tail, apparently accepting the offered side, and leaned against him, laying down against the crease where his curled tail met his body, and off of the moss altogether. He was able to support her weight comfortably even if they were about the same body size. His thick arms and legs were twice what hers were. She felt so light, and he couldn't help but start paying close attention to the soft fluff weighing against him. He nervously slipped his wing over her back, and she let out a soft sigh and nuzzled against him.

“Yes, I think this will do quite nicely... you don’t mind Spike?”

“Nope!” His voice was so high pitched it cracked as he tried to answer, much to Rarity’s well hidden delight.

She decided she was enjoying this, perhaps a little sinfully so. But it was a guilty pleasure she just might be able to get used to. The strong leathery texture beneath her had little in the way of give so it was somewhat uncomfortable at first, and she found that she could push as hard as she wanted against him and he wasn't going to noticeably budge. But the warmth that flowed through him and surrounded her felt like being wrapped in a thick blanket, especially as the wing seemed to pull her ever so slightly against him. Did this count as an embrace then? Perhaps it was similar to a pony slipping their foreleg around her shoulders? She wasn’t sure herself, but she was certain he thought so judging by how nervous he was.

Finally growing enough courage to turn and face her, his head moved back to lay against the tip of his tail, his eyes looking up at her in their curious fashion.

“A-are you comfortable like this?”

“Yes, yes I think I am.” She purposefully replied with an answer that could have a myriad of meanings. “And you?”

“Oh, yeah! I’m great! Never better! I could lay here like this for the rest of my life!” The words spilled out too quickly for him to stop and think about. She understood, seen it a thousand times before in nervous would-be suitors. It hadn't gotten any less adorable over time. She listened to his backpedaling as he realized how many intentions he could be giving away with it, “I mean, you know, I don’t mind or anything.”

“I’m glad.” Rarity allowed herself a small giggle and reached out, beginning to stroke the large, green spine on his head now that it was in easy reach. Spike’s breath caught in his throat at first contact, unsure of what she had in mind. She simply kept it up absently for minutes that seemed like forever until eventually his expression turned to one of peaceful contentedness under her gentle touch, his breathing turning steady and easy.

“Spikey?” She asked once she was certain he was more relaxed, “Have you ever thought about what you want to do with your life?”

“Not really.” Came the unthinking reply she expected. “I guess I just want to keep helping Twilight.”

“I thought you’d say that, but do you know why?”

“I like helping her. She needs me and I’m good at it. Its the only thing I know of that I am really good at, really. ”

“Why Spikey-wikey, that simply isn't true! You’re good at all sorts of things!”

“Like?”

“Well...” She tapped her chin in thought, “that letter you sent me took a lot of talent, maybe a scribe?”

“That is what I’m doing with Twilight.” He rolled his eyes.

“Oh, that’s true I suppose. How about baking? You often make such delicious treats.”

“I’m alright at a few of the things I know how to cook, but really I don’t have the same taste as ponies. That makes it really hard to make things we’d both like. I've never gotten anything right on the first try before.”

Rarity thought back to the pie he once attempted and was forced to agree that baking might not have been his strong point. He was good at cleaning the library as well, but the attempt at pie also brought to mind the mess he created in her kitchen afterwards. It wasn't that he was good at being an assistant, it’s that he just had a lot of practice at it under Twilight. He wasn't a good cook, he was just good at making things Twilight ate regularly. He was mostly just good at things he had a lot of practice with and everything he’d ever practiced was under Twilight’s tutelage. This flight practice may have been his first time doing something out from under his watchful sister’s gaze.

“ You've always been such a big help to me with my dresses at least, and with collecting gems. Maybe one of those types of things?”

“You just get me to hold needles for you, outside of being a natural pincushion I’m not any more help than any other pony would be. Though I do like to dig, I guess I could be a miner.” His eyes remained closed as Rarity continued running her hoof against his spines. His imagination swirled and distorted into a picture of him tunneling out a cave not that different from this one, but larger, and without water, each of the large tunnels filled with piles of gems and treasures. He winced and jolted upwards as a surprising roar resounded throughout his brain and a very large, angry version of himself stepped out onto the hoard, a gout of rushing green flame dissipating the vision.

“Uh, maybe not.” He felt his heart beating a mile a minute, and it took a few moments to steady his breathing. His fear of that side of him always shook him to the core. Rarity frowned, but thankfully didn't ask any further about it. The subject was a sore one he’d prefer never to broach.

Laying on top of Spike’s tail as she was, and leaning against him while talking gave some distinct advantages of understanding a bit of what he was feeling she found out. When he was content, she could feel the light breathing, and he had a tendency to nuzzle her lightly with his wing. When filled with wonder, she could feel his tail fight to wag a little beneath her. She didn’t need to watch his eyes or see his head jerk to know he was startled, though she had no idea what it was that startled him. She felt it with him, the shiver that ran right through him, his heartbeat pumping fast against her ear that she held against his side. She thought she could hear a roar of flame, and his scales became much warmer.

It had an alarming effect on herself as well, she too had become scared. More than any sense of a simple moment of surprise at his sudden movement though. She found herself scared stiff! Her limbs paralyzed and unable to move, her eyes quickly began looking this way and that for whatever might have caught his attention. When she saw nothing that wasn’t there before she turned back to him with a frightened frown. He settled back in and the flame within seemed to go backdie back down, his scales becoming comfortably warm once more. Whatever it was that scared him had passed, but scared didn’t seem the right word, she decided. It wasn't strong enough. Terror was more appropriate, whatever it was had terrified the poor dragon. He rejected the mining idea as she knew he probably would, she was surprised he’d even considered it really. The sudden rejection afterwards however left her deciding to never pursue the topic again. Or at least not for some time.

She went back to petting him, hoping to at least provide some comfort from whatever it was she had brought to his mind. She decided to keep her thoughts to herself for a few minutes, and they flowed back to all the things she knew he had done over the years. From swearing his life to Applejack, to his jealousy over Twilight’s pet owl. He pushed himself to learn more about dragons no matter what danger could have awaited for him there. He was usually very perceptive, always easily able to find books right away even when Twilight couldn't. He was so very loyal, but also had a penchant for lying if it got him out of trouble or helped his cause. He also wanted to help everypony around him as much as he could.

The thing she admired about him most, though, was easily his persistence. His perseverance exceeded any pony she knew, even more now that she thought about it. He wasn't good at cooking, but kept trying until he could. He wasn't a good assistant naturally, but kept at it until Twilight had trouble without him around to help out. No matter how hard the task he was assigned, or impossible it seemed, he would keep trying at it until he’d gotten it right. From stacking rocks, to counting blades of grass in a field, he would conquer even the toughest obstacles in front of him. In a way that meant he could become truly great at anything he set his mind to. Not by honed skill at natural talents like ponies, but through pure hard work. Her mind turned back to the box of pictures Princess Celestia sent her back with, and she nuzzled against him.

Scales that withstood damp caves, lava and fire, sharp objects and hard falls. Strength that could leave even the Apple family envious at times. Magical fire that could store objects, send messages, and be very dangerous if he needed it to. Soon he’d be able to fly and be able to travel quickly over long distances quickly as well. Loyalty mixed with vanity, a generous heart, and a wish to do the best he can for every pony he could. And finally a pride in servitude that very few could ever appreciate. It was all packed into the tiny unassuming role of a devoted librarian's assistant.

“You were meant to be something more than you are Spike. You know that right?”

There was no reply, just steady breathing. A slight snore betrayed him. Her eyes softened and she lay watching him with a small smile. She traced his spines with her hoof one final time before leaning in and giving him a light kiss on his forehead.

Some time later Aquas came by, a large tray of food in his hand as he pulled back the curtain of water. He was greeted to the sight of the young dragon, curled up around the pristine white unicorn, who had at some point shifted in her sleep, hugging the end of his tail close to her chest. He laid the tray of food down and let the curtain fall back. He was really looking forward to dining with them, but they looked so adorable together sleeping peacefully amidst the soft moss, twinkling quartz against stone, and ivy backdrop. He simply hadn't the heart to break the scene. If anything he was inspired! An idea for the perfect centerpiece he could use for his sparkling rock garden.

Spike stretched out his wings with a loud yawn that nearly unhinged his jaw it went so wide. He stretched out his arms, back, and tail like a cat, several cricks snapped and crackled as he did so. Bright sunlight danced past the down rush of water, like spots of pleasant heat trailing across his scales. He looked around the cave, as he was reminded where he was and noticed a unicorn missing from this scene. His eyes fell halfway closed and a wide closed mouth grin lined its way around his snout. She had felt so good laying next to him he idly wondered if there was some way possible to trap them out here another night! He tried to remember what they were talking about before sleep cruelly stole him from her presence only to spend the night in dreams about her. He could still smell her scent on him, and it sent splendid quivers along his neck and arms that left him giddy with butterflies fluttering in his stomach.

He stood up on two legs and after a final stretch, moved to the entrance of the cave. He was able to peek around the side of the waterfall and spotted Rarity and Aqua chatting away at the far shore across the deep pool. They were glancing over at the entrance to the cave, but they couldn't see him through the water. His yawn must have hinted to them that he was awake. He thought about calling out to them to see if Mr. Shallows would create a path over to join them, but then thought better of it.

“What the hay, I’m supposed to be learning to swim anyway, right?” A thought from a long time ago strayed into his mind. The dragon initiation and the big splashes they’d try to make. He didn't much succeed back then, but he was a lot bigger now, and with a mischievous smirk he wondered what would happen if he tried now. He backed up to the edge of the cave and then took a running start, sprinting as fast as he could and with as large a leap he could muster he sent himself hurtling towards the entrance with a shout.

“CANNON BALL!”

The warning was startling, and the trio thought they misheard it at first when the first splash came and a large purple figure sprang to high into the air before plummeting downwards, curled up in a ball. The resulting splash barely reached Aqua’s hands, but blanketed a good portion of the shoreline, leaving the unicorn of his dreams utterly drenched along with a certain cyan pegasus who had been hidden behind the huge serpent when Spike peeked from behind the waterfall.

“Spike!” Rarity shouted her irritation at the dragon, still underwater at this point. She quickly assessed the damage, it was easily repairable but really? She glared at him as he resurfaced, spouting a bit of water with a gleeful grin. “Just look what you've done to my mane!”

“Aw come on Rarity, it was just a bit of fun!”

“I see there are some traits that are common to all dragons.” Aqua rolled his eyes with a sigh as he reached down with the tip of his tail, letting Spike grab on as he had yesterday and pulled him up out of the water to inspect him. “Even the most well behaved ones.”

Spike shrugged but couldn't wipe the smile from his face that failed to hold even a shred of remorse. That was when he noticed where the sun was on the horizon.

“Oh no! It’s already afternoon! Rainbow Dash is gonna strangle me! How come no pony woke me up?!”

“Because I wanted to see what you could do if you finally showed up fully awake.” There hovered the pegasus he was fearing most in the world, completely soaked but smiling widely at him.

“Don’t mind them Spike, refined ponies don’t know how to have fun.” Rainbow Dash smirked as she hoof bumped her serpentine student, while Aqua moved him over to dry land. “That was an awesome launch, you caught some pretty good hang time there!”

“Thanks! But why are you here?”

“Because Twilight was worried about you both and asked if I could check out what was going on. She wasn’t expecting you to be late for training.”

“We do too know how to have fun!” Rarity sniffed, still drying herself daintily with the large towel she brought for just this type of emergency. “We just don’t see why it should come at the expense of elegance.”

Rainbow Dash landed beside her and shook the mess out of her mane soaking Rarity and her towel.

“Yeah right!” The prankster laughed, gesturing to her hind quarters, “You wouldn't know what fun was if it came up and bit you on the tail!”

Rarity scowled at her, an aura surrounding her horn as the pegasus smiled challengingly. Soon a hovering pool of water drawn from the lake splashed down over pegasus and dragon,. Spike grinned, He was already wet, and he knew what Rarity just started, even if she didn't know it yet. He slipped out of the way.

“How’s that for a pony that doesn't know how to have fun?”

“Lady,” Rainbow Dash wiped the water out of her eyes with a menacing look of her own. She immediately zipped out over the water and charged towards her friend at full speed. “its on!”

Rarity ducked the flying pony and stood up to watch her go with a pleased smile.

“Hah! you missed-” She was interrupted by a large gout of water that was left in Dash’s wake, leaving a temporary mocking spray of rainbow above the freshly soaked unicorn, “-me.”

Rainbow Dash smiled and stuck out her tongue, blowing a raspberry in Rarity’s direction. She hovered far out over the water, completely out of reach of any retaliation the unicorn’s magic could bring. That’s when she she heard a splash of water beneath her and felt a claw on her hind leg.

“Uh oh.” She stared down at the sly smile of a sneaky winged serpent who slipped back into the lake unnoticed. “Hey! I was sticking up for you!”

“You challenge Rarity, you deal with the dragon.”

“Betra~aayal!” She shouted while her wings began to buzz behind her as she attempted escape, but it was too late, and she knew it. He leapt easily from the water and dragged the pegasus down into the murky depths.

“His loyalty was mine first.” Rarity hmphed, before she busily set up her beach chair and umbrella again.

“Maybe ponies and dragons aren't so very different after all.” Aqua looked out over the water and watched the two friends degrade down into a torrent of splashes and outright water fight. “I was a little worried with how little you knew about them.”

“What’s to know?” Rarity smiled as she laid back down on her chair and put on her large sunglasses, “Even if they are different than us, the elements of friendship are the same to all of us.”

“So true!” The sea serpent laid his head in the palms of his hands and watched them play together. “but you’re moving away from it all, were you not telling me yesterday?”

“I suppose I am.” Rarity sighed. “My dreams lay on a different path than that of my friends. I like to think I’m taking their friendship with me though, not leaving it behind. I can bring everything we've learned to Canterlot and add more to our circle rather than decrease it.”

“Oh I see. Do you believe it will be so easy?”

“Of course not, but little ever is. I will do my very best to make it happen though. It would be a disservice to my friends to do less.”

“You take your friends very seriously. Perhaps one more than the others?”

“Perhaps.” Her large sunglasses made her expression unreadable.

“Love is not so easily taken with you when given by one you leave behind.” Aqua Shallows sighed happily, as he turned back to watch the splashing duo.

“Sometimes it must go unrequited. Few know that better than he does.”

“And you?”

“If few know better than him than none know better than I. He’s not ready for that sort of thing, he doesn't even know what he wants to do in life yet. He won’t be ready before I leave either, and until he is, I simply can’t let him follow.”

“Is not following one’s heart a decision for the one who owns the heart?”

“You have a point but it's a moot one. I misspoke, it’s not that I’m stopping him, its that he cannot follow. Its too far to visit regularly, and too expensive by train. In a week I fear I won’t see much of him or any of my friends anymore. He wanted to learn to fly so this is my farewell favour for him. To help reach the sky through the water as it seems.”

“I see,” He chuckled with a knowing look. “Oh, to be so young again...”

“Are you very old then Aqua?”

“Not by serpent tides or by dragon age, but by pony years you can consider me very old.” He twirled his moustache with some joy. “Would you allow me to impart some wisdom of one who had to make such a choice as yours before?”

“Choice?”

“Of which to chase, a dream or a heart.”

“I believe I've already made that one, and I have no mind to stop.”

“Both, young unicorn,” He continued as if not hearing her, “Chase both. Leave either one to the wayside, and you may end with regrets that can haunt you forever.” He began to sink deeper into the water, “I think it’s time to teach him the full use of his tail. I’ll leave you to your thoughts.”

“Wait!” Rarity took off her sunglasses slightly to look up to him. He paused but didn't turn around. “Which did you choose?”

“I saw a dream. A beautiful home away from the sea, surrounded by a forest of green, shimmering water falling and glinting in the sun, running rivers and tributaries.” His voice grew very distant. “My family called me ‘Minnow’ when I was young. It was because of my love for the shore, a sea serpent obsessed with the land. I spent every waking moment in shallow waters. There I earned my namesake. Now I have found the home of my dreams and work on it daily. This place is very beautiful, but it can also get quite lonely.”

The message wasn't lost on her, and she couldn't find words enough to respond. His road was not so different from her own.

“Thank you for visiting me again.” This time when Aqua moved back into the water, she did not stop him. “He’ll have learned all that’s necessary for flight by nightfall. With this Canterlot so very far from your Ponyville, and your Ponyville so very far from here, I don’t think I should expect a third chance to meet you. It has been an honour and a privilege to share my home with someone that can fully appreciate its value. Thank you again.”

By the end of the day Rarity and Rainbow Dash had spent most of it on the shore watching the large sea serpent teaching the relatively tiny dragon to dive deeper and deeper into the water. Most of the lessons required Spike spend his time in the darkest depths, swirling around, and pushing through the murky water with only his wings and his tail, his arms and legs usually tucked in against his sides. It was fun actually. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so good after training. By the time evening came around and it was time to leave, he wasn't sure he wanted to go. For more reason than simply having Rarity at his side two nights in a row. Something about Mr. Shallows’ mood had changed, and he was more attentive and far more stern than he was the day before.

As the three said their goodbyes to Aqua Shallows, Spike promised he’d drop by once he got flying down. The large purple serpent shook his hand firmly and invited him back anytime he wanted. Rainbow Dash was talking up a storm on the way home, mostly about her work with Scootaloo and how she earned her flight goggles yesterday. Rarity didn't seem as interested as she normally would be. A smile and a nod at the appropriate times, and one word answers of praise and encouragement. Dash was too excited about the prospects of getting back to her flight lessons to notice, but this wasn't the Rarity he knew. Rarity would normally have a lot to add to almost any conversation, instead whenever Dash would look back to the trail in front of her, she’d go silent or lose the smile would look very worn. It was an expression Spike had only witnessed temporarily between inspiration or action. A look that was foreign and mostly unfamiliar to the confident unicorn, it was one of quiet uncertainty.

It was very distracting too. He was trying to think about what could have happened to her, and at the same time keep up his conversation with his coach. Scootaloo learning to fly was a pretty big deal after all! And he was also trying to keep an eye out for darkened shadows in the woods. He was supposed to be playing hero. But the walk was as boring as their way here, Rarity was being passive, and Dash was talking about some song that was caught in Scootaloo’s head.

That had caught his interest quickly. He liked all sorts of music, but all Rainbow Dash could say about it was that it had a 3-count beat.

“Do you think Pinkie’s fan would work for me?”

“We can give it a shot when we’re home, it would be good practice at least. Actually, why don’t you try it right now? Put some of those swimming lessons to good use on the trip home. Who knows, you might not need the fan!”

“ Wouldn't that be lovely Spike?” Rarity added. “Then the three of you could be flying together as early as tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Spike paused, picturing the flight team passing through the skies, waving down at Twilight and the others, dropping in on Rarity in Canterlot after she left again. He felt excitement bubble up inside him. “Yeah, alright. Couldn’t hurt right?”

“Okay, now remember, just like you did this morning. Take a bit of a running start, jump as high as you can, then tuck in your legs and... well... swim upwards I guess?” That phrase sat awkwardly on her tongue as Dash tried to pass on her flight experience. Why did everything about training her fledglings have to be awkward?

It didn't seem to phase Spike though. He leaned forward and got start at a sprint before pushing off with all his strength and launching himself into the air! Rainbow Dash was right there with him, coaching him along.

“Tuck them in! Tuck them in!” She shouted, and he followed orders, pulling all his limbs under him as well as he could, letting his wings try to carry the weight. He was hanging in the air for a few moments of excited elation before he felt his weight starting to drag him down. Slowly at first than the pressure on his wings built up fast and they began to lose the pocket of air they’d caught on.

“Straighten your tail Spike! Flap your wings! No not just once, keep flapping!”

The advice came too late and he found himself crashing through some branches and sliding belly first on the dirt with Rarity rushing over.

“Spikey~Wikey! Are you hurt?”

“Only my pride.” He spat out a couple maple leafs, and brushed some of the twigs and pine needles away only to find them glued on by some brown sticky substance. He frowned curiously, taking a bit of a sniff at it before giving Rarity a flat look. “Huh. Tree sap.”

She snorted very unladylike, bringing up her hoof quickly to hide her laughter. He understood why, of course. He had been at the boutique numerous times as Sweetie Belle came back from her adventures with her friends loaded with the stuff. Rainbow Dash touched down and glared at him.

“Spike, you’re thinking too much. You caught air up there, but I could practically see the gears turning in your head as you tried to follow instruction. You have to try to feel it out for yourself, not wait for me to tell you! Use your instincts!”

“My instincts? I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Twilight can come up with a checklist for near anything though, if I work on one tonight with her I’ll probably have something to-”

“Stop right there.” Dash stuck her hoof against his mouth to cut him off, “No checklists! Instinct only, am I making myself clear? Flying is all about knowing yourself, something completely custom fit for you!”

“Yeah but-”

“No buts Spike! You’re not going to rampage every time you listen to your gut. Would you just trust yourself already?”

“Easy for you to say.” He grumbled, getting ready to try again.

“You know...” Rainbow Dash paused, thinking to herself. “This place looks familiar.”

“Well it should.” Rarity commented as the path had become dark enough that she decided it was worth it to risk conjuring a light spell. Her soft blue light was a deep contrast to the growing shadows over the misshapen trees, and the way the orange in the dusk sky dimly lit the ground past the tree cover. There were high cliffs on either side of the foliage, making it easy to tell where the path was. It was also unsettling, as the only place to flee would be back or forwards if something crossed their path. “It is the same path we used to get to the ancient castle of the pony sisters.”

“The what now?”

“Where we faced Nightmare Moon?” She tried.

“Oh, right. I knew that. Nightmare Moon’s spooky castle, the bridge, the river, those creepy trees...”

“Why are you remembering everything backwards?”

“Because it’s just how my mind works okay? I know this place had something important about it. Now where was I?”

“Creepy trees, Darling. You were talking about the trees Pinkie Pie sang to.”

“Right creepy trees. What came before that again?”

A horrible roar echoed off the cliffs for miles around, hastily sending Spike and Rarity into a shivering hug, watching around them.

“Oh right, the manticore.” Dash nodded, then she blinked as she thought about it. “Manticore?!”

She turned to look behind her and sure enough the great beast stood there between them and their destination, it was an all too familiar scene. She’d gotten a lot faster over the years so maybe it wouldn't be able to pick her out of the air as easily, only one way to find out.

“Run!” She cried out, as she rocketed towards the beast, swirling around it at a dizzying pace.

“Come on Spike, hurry!” Rarity was already galloping past it while Rainbow Dash had it distracted, but Spike was slow to follow. She could tell he wanted to help, but her call prompted him to take to his feet after her.

The manticore’s scorpion tail flashed out quickly time and again towards the blue blur around it until it noticed the dragon running past. It ignored the speeding pegasus altogether, leaping out towards him at full sprint, unintentionally knocking Dash out of the air.

She landed upside down hard against a tree. She took a moment to shake her head free of fuzzy vision before watching the predator bare down on her friend, she called out in desperate warning.

“Spike! Watch out!”

The warning came too late. He felt large lion claws grip hard against his hips, and tore him from his feet before sending them both sprawling into the dirt. The manticore quickly took the advantage, pinning Spike and raising its tail, stinger dripping with venom, ready to finish him. It wasn't expecting the fierce double hoof kick from the fashionista that sent him flying off the downed dragon.

“Spike! Get up!” She grabbed one of his wings in her mouth and helped pull him to his feet. For his part Spike felt like he had just been hit by runaway apple cart! he looked up at the strange mess of creatures blended into one as it slowly rose to its own feet. It had wings, it had speed, it had venom, it had strength, there was no point just rushing it without thought. He had to think, why would it attack? There was sure to be easier prey around. It ignored Rarity for Rainbow Dash, and it ignored Rainbow Dash for him.

“Me...?”

“What?” Rarity paused mid-step took look at him as she was about to run.

“It's after me! Its just defending its territory from another predator! Get out of here, I can distract it!”

“Spike! No!”

He either didn't hear or paid no heed as he rushed towards the manticore, leaping at it, wings and arms spread out as he tackled it back to the ground.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time once she managed to clear her head. She dashed forwards helping Spike tackle the raging monstrosity to the ground, giving the dragon enough chance to pin it with his claws and tail, as the two wrestled against each other.

“Get Rarity out of here while I have it pinned down! I have an idea!” It let out a gigantic roar in his face, turning him a frightened pale white until some part deep inside him told him to return the favour. He lifted his head, took in a deep breath and roared back. Not anywhere near as frightening a bellow as the manticore’s. Right up until the large gout of green flame followed after anyway! The manticore’s head was charred black and it blinked at the dragon in surprise.

Rainbow Dash gave a short nod, and raced past Rarity, picking her up as she flew upwards into the branches, and out over the treetops.

“Stop! Put me down this instant! You can’t just leave him!”

Rarity’s shouting protests faded away quickly to somewhere above and behind him. He could feel the sharp claws digging at his shoulders, the bulbous stinger dripping by his head as his own tail had coiled around it, straining to keep the lethal appendage away. The air was filled with the scent of burnt fur, its mane blackened from dragonflame. His ears were filled with the viscous growls and snarls as the beast’s fangs tried to maul and tear at his neck, his own claws dug into its shoulders and kept its slobbering jaws at bay.

They were locked into a stalemate, neither able to gain advantage over the other save one major difference. The dragon could feel his flame welling up inside him again even now, the manticore still pinned to the ground, had nothing that could guard against it. He reared his head back once more, ready to release the blistering blast that lodged in the back of his throat. The manticore winced, turning its head away in vain attempt to protect its face, recognizing the movement from before. The expression the creature wore left a quiet yet stern voice in the back of his head, something telling him not to follow through with this. A celestial vote of confidence in its tone. It said only one thing, but it was said with emphasis and an undeniable sense of pride.

You’re better than this.

The manticore noticed the hesitation and managed to slam a strong claw against his face, the voice fell away and the young monster unleashed a torrent of green blaze.

From deep inside the mighty forest, a black cloud and sparks erupted high into a red evening sky, while a determined pegasus tore through the heavens, a distraught unicorn with smoke reflecting in her eyes panicking in her grasp.

Chapter 7: Catch the Wind

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Chapter 7

Catch the Wind

He stumbled through the murky, inky charcoal cloud. The smoky darkness was flooding his vision completely, and the pungent smell assaulted his nostrils, tearing at his taste buds. It was sickening but not debilitating or suffocating like it would be for most others. His shoulders stung, but his flanks were what cried out against his attempts at movement. Their scorning protests didn’t stop him from taking another step or his next. Each came with a hope of finding some way to escape ahead. He felt dizzy, confused, and sluggish with no idea what direction he was headed or why he was headed there. His mind was a blur of successive images, memories trying to fight their way to the surface, but he just couldn’t focus enough on any one of them to understand his situation.

Then there, deep in the dark cloud a sensation of warmth flowed over him, and a yellow light had found a way to break through the dark depths of smoke somehow, clashing against the darkness, reflecting off the rolling billows of black and grey. It was a distorted shape, but not an unfamiliar one. Familiar it may have been, but he couldn’t figure out what it was, try as he may to shake the cobwebs that clung to his mind. In the end, what it was didn’t seem important. The only thing that mattered is this guiding light had found him, but now it was already disappearing! The flickering light held all his hopes at escape, and even though it was strange, it felt friendly and spoke of something close to him.

“Wait!” He whispered to himself, as he watched it begin to fade, “Don’t go!”

Strength brought on by a rush of adrenaline seeped back into his limbs and he began to push forwards. Pain forgotten, he redoubled his efforts.

“Please! Wait!” He was chasing after the light as it weaved in, out, and around the shadows of the smoke and branches. Suddenly it cut upwards leaving him running head first into a tree. He shook the blow off quickly, rising back to his feet rubbing his head. He glared upwards at the retreating light that was now headed for the sky. A low growl rumbled through his chest and out the corners of his mouth. He would not lose it, this might be his one and only chance! He reached up and slammed a pair of claws into the old tree and began to pull himself up. The light started moving faster though, faster and faster! His claws tore deep gashes into the wood, his fore claws gripping against it as his hind claws pushed him up in an instinctive movement as he gave chase. The instinct leading him on as it did his father, and his father before him, and his before him, an instinct as old as his winged race.

He was racing up the tree, its wood splintering around him as it began to quake and break under his weight. He was catching up! The light was just out of reach, and he leapt towards it! Missing it completely, he still managed to catch himself upon another tree top. He leapt again and again, The light seemed so close, and so bright, but remained just out of reach! It was a brightness he recognized from somewhere, something he had seen only once some long years ago. He wouldn’t let it leave him, it was his best hope, he knew that now, though he couldn’t quite piece together why. His mind was still reeling and still nothing made any sense. Something in him was denying any attempt at logical thought.

That’s probably why he did what he did next, rocking his tree back and forth, drawing himself back, before making one more tremendous leap, slingshotting himself towards the familiar light that stood out amidst the black pillars of smoke rising against the dark of night. This time his leathery appendages splayed out as far as they could reach on either side. His arms and legs tucked in, and he felt the cushion of hot air beneath his wings, he pressed them down against it, sending himself further up.

It wasn’t high enough. That guiding light was still beyond his reach.

He raised his wings once more and pushed down again, this time his tail whipped backwards, pushing him slowly up. Still he needed more! He was almost there, he could feel that wondrous warmth! Again and again and again, his wing beats grew steady, his tail swished up and down with each one. He felt himself push higher and higher into the sky, the tree tops were left far behind! His wings catching the warm air and pushing off it repeatedly, until finally he felt the light envelop him and then-

Then there was a small sting in his eyes, one that comes with every morning when waking up directly under Celestia’s light, his claws that had raised themselves in fright were now mercifully blocking out the offending sunbeams.

“Spike?” The light blue blotch in his vision leaned over him, he could feel it poke him curiously several times in the side. “Are you alright?”

“I think so,” He tried sitting up, his claw moving to rub one of his shoulders. He took a glance around. This was not his bedroom, nor anything remotely like a bedroom. Millions of leaves danced and shook in the sunshine as a breeze flew past. It was like a sea of green that glistened in the sun and stretched on for miles into the horizon. The cool breeze tickled his scales, crawling its way around him until it met resistance around a small warm area on his stomach. There a familiar colourful phoenix had curled up and made itself comfortable, snoring in small steady chirps as it slept soundly.

“Pee Wee? What are you doing here? Actually, where is here?”

“Check it out Spike,” Rainbow Dash grinned and gave a wide gesture, “The Everfree Forest from above, in all its glory. You really gave us a wild ride last night! What do you remember?”

“I was fighting off the manticore, then stumbling through the smoke, and uh... a bright warm light, lead me out?” He scratched his head, unsure of his words. Rainbow Dash smiled and pointed a hoof towards the sleeping fiery bird on his stomach.

“Pee Wee?”

“You got it! Fluttershy had this idea that we could use him to find you. We tried to follow him, but he got away from us in the smoke. He did end up finding you though, then FWOOSH! The little guy shone so bright he practically lit the sky on fire! And get this!” The excited pegasus gripped Spike around the neck and made another wide gesture to the horizon, “In the middle of the smoke and flame, the shadowy silhouette of a dragon ascends high into the sky! With a deafening roar, it grasps for the light, taking it in claw, and then-!”

Rainbow Dash released him and flew twenty feet away, beginning to mimic a ragged, tired looking flight. Her flapping was lazily slow, letting her body drop a few feet or so before pushing her wings down to push her back up in a tired, bobbing motion. “Wrapped in the orange flame flowing from his clasped claws where he held the captive glow, the beast begins flying towards us, his shadow seemingly larger than life, dancing on the smoke behind him! It was like, one of the most awesomest things I’ve ever seen!”

Spike grinned cockily, and was about to reply with something witty in response, something suitable to how great being a dragon was, and how being awesome was just something to be expected, but something gave him pause, a thought began to gnaw at the back of his mind. The worried expression of a lion-like face as green flame blasted towards it. The mental image jolted him fully awake, and he quickly passed Pee Wee to his surprised friend, who was also awaiting the usual cocky remark in reply.

“Where were we when we ran into it?”

“When we ran into what?” she questioned, taking the sleeping phoenix carefully.

“The manticore! Where was it?”

“On the path to the Sister’s Castle, duh. Why?” She watched Spike scan the horizon, looking this way and that for something.

“Right, but where is that compared to where we are?”

“Just fly up and look for the burnt patch of trees.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes sarcastically before finishing with a smirk.

“Right, I’ll just fly- wait… what?”

Rainbow Dash continued to silently smirk in reply, as she sat on her tree branch, petting the sleeping bird in her hooves.

Spike frowned as her dramatic retelling of last night’s events finally sunk in. “I… flew? To reach Pee Wee, I flew?”

“Hear that Pee Wee? It’s almost like he was paying attention.” The bird looked around somewhat annoyed at being awoken prematurely. It gave a quick chirp in greeting to Spike before curling back up to return to its well earned slumber.

“Do you think I can do it again?”

“Couldn’t hurt to give it a shot. Just try going straight up.”

“A-Alright.” The young dragon perched on his oak branch, raised his wings, drew himself back, hoisted his tail up high, his whole body tensed in concentration and in hesitation.

“Go already!”

The sudden shout from behind spurred him on and without thinking he leapt, high into the air, his tail whipping back, pushing him even further, his wings catching the warm air under him. He practiced the controlled breathing Aqua Shallows was so insistent upon during his swimming lessons. Again he tucked his legs and arms close his stomach, his tail began to swish up and down, aiding his control and driving him on and up and up!

“Keep pushing!”

And he did! Strength bolstered by the urging of his coach constantly ringing from behind, he pushed and pushed and pushed climbing high into the air! His wing beat was steady, his tail swishing methodically, his breathing deep and even. His body swam over the wind, riding it as if swimming through water. He could feel the fire inside him, roaring, flaring, scorching him deep beneath his skin to the rhythm of each long draw of breath. It felt indescribably good! No, this wasn’t anything like swimming, it was far easier! Dragons weren’t built for water, they were made for flight, they were made for this!

The heat filled him up with... something. He could almost feel his body swelling up! He wasn’t sure what it was that was flowing throughout him, but he felt lighter, lighter than air! At last he slowed down, breathing deeply in long purposeful breaths, he finally turned his eyes from that white and blue expanse above him and looked instead to the trees below.

“Woah!” The height he managed to gain threw him for a moment. He had no idea just how high he had climbed, and now that he looked down at the small green patch of land that made up the muchly feared Everfree Forest, he could see everything! He was so high up he could easily compare the tiny village of Ponyville and its out laying farmlands to the large forest at its edges. The mountains sat not far in the distance, and then the rivers twisting their way to the sea! The sea! He had never even seen it before! It was breathtaking, and stunning! It was also very dizzying. He felt his body droop a bit before catching himself.

“Careful there.” Rainbow Dash’s voice floated over to him filled with mirth, and it was only then he noticed she had followed him up and was now hovering at his side. “That’s one drop you don’t want to take.”

“Its amazing, you see this all the time?”

“Yeah, it is pretty cool.” She agreed not altogether impressed, and began quick little manoeuvres to flit through the air in speedy little jaunts from side to side, making it all look way easier than he knew it would be if he were to try the same. She did it with little to no effort all even with the phoenix still nodding off in her hooves.

“But the view is nothing compared to when its all passing in a blur, the wind is in your mane, the clouds are buzzing by as you speed past everything in sight. Streaking through the sky free to do anything, go anywhere, and push every limit! So now that you’re up here, what is it you wanted to see?”

“The manticore! I gotta find it!” His train of thought back on course, pointed himself down towards the forest and began to slowly make his way down.

“What’s so important about that ugly beast?”

“I need to make sure it’s alright!”

“Okay, we’ll have a look, but when I put out the fire you started there wasn’t any sign of it.”

“Please Dash! I don’t remember what happened! I had it pinned down, but it clawed me, and I- I think I… the fire was so big and-”

“Hang on big guy! Don’t panic. You know what? Lets get you back to town first. You haven’t been home yet, you know? I couldn’t lift you all the way back by myself, so Fluttershy and I have been keeping watches over you in shifts all night. Twilight and Rarity are worried sick. It’s everything Pinkie and Applejack can do to keep them from charging in here and teleporting you all the way home! First we calm them down, then we check on ol’ monster mash, alright?”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess.” He frowned at the news and looked towards the tiny village now. He was unsure of what to do. He needed to check on the manticore, he needed to know what happened! At the same time Rainbow Dash was right, if he’d been out here all night, Twilight would almost certainly come running into the dangerous forest after him, putting her and their friends in danger. With a heavy sigh he began swerving his way towards the village. He moved slow, the aching soreness in his hips guiding his pace. His Captain kept up with him easily, correcting his drooping form whenever it began to slump.

******

Twilight was pacing back and forth on her lawn. A thousand thoughts constantly reprimanded her, each condemning her for decisions made over the past two days. She should have gone with them! Why did she stay home? Why did she think just because he was a dragon he’d be alright? Spike has never had to directly face the horrors that the Everfree could toss his way, and now he was facing a manticore with nopony else there to help?! How could she be so stupid? Why did Rainbow Dash even leave him alone like that? With Rarity and her there they could have outmatched or outwitted the monster easily!

Fluttershy had come in halfway through the night, and she confirmed what Rainbow Dash told them earlier. Spike had found his way to the top of an oak tree to rest, but she also added more details that Dash had decided to leave out. There were long gashes along his scales that left the shy pegasus very worried, but at the same time it didn’t look like he was bleeding at all. It did nothing to lessen Twilight’s worries. There were more than just manticores in that forest, and he was still stuck sleeping in it overnight, now partially wounded. What if something else happened? If they had gone in there right after Rainbow Dash had dropped off Rarity, Spike would be home by now, probably asleep safely in his bed. Why did she listen?

She stayed home, of course, because each of these arguments found themselves easily countered by calmer minds. If they all went in after him, they would likely attract more trouble. If Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy seen anything strange going on around Spike, they’d just wake him up and get him to make his bed in another tree nearby. There weren’t many animals in the forest that wouldn’t listen to Fluttershy anyway. Applejack was Twilight Sparkle’s one solace at this point, a stable foundation of consolation against the fears that ran rampant through her mind.

Fluttershy was recovering from her turn at watch, sleeping soundly in a way that only exhaustion can bring out. Twilight couldn’t understand how anypony could sleep so effortlessly during all this. She hadn’t caught a wink of it herself. Now that she thought about it neither had anypony else other than the pegasi. Pinkie Pie was still talking to Rarity about the whole Flight Party nonsense she’d been setting up in the town center. The cheery pink party pony hadn’t barely given thought to the idea that Spike could still be in danger. Or maybe she was trying in her own way to take the edge off the worrisome situation. While Twilight would certainly appreciate that about now, she wasn’t going about it the right way. At least not for her. Rarity may have been finding it more helpful to focus on anything else though.

Her fellow unicorn was probably as much of a wreck as she was, if not more so. She had cleaned herself up overnight, but the evidence of her panicked state could still be seen in the dark rings around worried eyes that continued to glance every so often to the sky or towards the forest. When she spoke in reply to Pinkie’s conversation it was with a quiver that the unicorn was trying desperately to conceal. Her words were sparse and few when the topic returned to Spike’s predicament, always in agreement with Applejack, or with a quick question of how Spike was when Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash returned from their shift.

The biggest surprise for her was the young orange pegasus just barely out of her filly years who volunteered to be lookout after a long argument with Rainbow Dash on whether she could come out to the forest to help on a shift. Now, Scootaloo sat perched on a branch in the higher reaches of the Golden Oaks Library tree staring out into the early dawn. She was always the first to see Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash return and would fly over to meet them. For a filly that couldn’t fly a day ago, now she hardly ever kept her hooves on the ground. Twilight would have smiled at the thought if she wasn’t currently plagued by an infinite number of doubts and distress concerning her oldest friend. She paused a moment to consider the young pegasus when Scootaloo squinted her eyes and a smile grew wide on her face.

Twilight quickly twirled around to stare where she was looking, she didn’t need to wait for Scootaloo’s call that came just a moment after. There were two shapes and a spark of yellow flame on the horizon. One shape flew quickly and easily, the other was larger and lumbering, with a small flame that seemed to flit around it.

“Spike…” The name came quietly and unbidden at first as recognition came. She began to move towards them at a small trot, and then at a gallop. “Spike!”

Her voice was lost amidst the cheer and commotion that began at the moment Scootaloo's call went out. She already flew out to meet returning pair while still in the air. Her friends were shouting cheerful greetings and began to run at Twilight’s side to meet the comrades as they began to land. Even Fluttershy woke up with at all the noise that rang out and managed to eventually catch up to the others to welcome home their friends.

“Are you alright?” Twilight tried in a vain attempt to catch his attention before a white and purple blur tackled the young dragon off his feet before he could even fully land.

“How could you send me away like that? You could have been really hurt or even killed, or some other awful thing! Then where would we all be?! We’d all be left to think it was our fault because we didn’t do more to help, that’s where! I can’t believe you’d ever be so selfish! You are never to do any such thing again, you hear me?! If I want to help you are not to object! You are not to ever send me away again!”

It was a little strange to watch the most refined and elegant unicorn she’d ever met berate her little brother while at the same time hugging him tight enough to cause his eyes to bulge. Rarity tried unsuccessfully to keep the sobs from her voice. The dam had finally broken it appeared, and after restraining herself from breaking down all night, actually seeing him in front of her must have released it all at once. Twilight didn’t blame her for being upset. The idea of being forcefully dragged away from a situation where she thought she could be of use while a loved one was left behind would have made this waiting a thousand times worse.

At the same time she also felt it was completely unfair that Rarity be the only one to have relief from that tightness she felt in her chest. One pink flash of light later found a very surprised unicorn hugging Pinkie Pie, and Twilight was helping her little brother back to his feet.

“Aww!” Pinkie smiled widely at the new guest clinging to her neck. “Don’t worry Rarity, I won’t never ever send you away!”

“Uh... Thank you, Pinkie.” Rarity rolled her eyes after recovering from the startling change of position. With a small smile she wiped away her tears. “I appreciate that.”

“Here, hold out your arms.” Without waiting for a response, a pink glow surrounded Spike’s arms and lifted them both up as Twilight took measure of the deep scratches in dark purple scales. The trail of claw marks ran down around his thighs and shoulders, and even across his face.

“Knock it off Twilight, I’m okay, and we gotta hurry! I still got-”

He was interrupted quickly as a pink glow yanked his chin down to her height, capturing his head and forcing him to stare her in the eye.

“You aren’t doing a thing until I make sure you’re okay. Understand?” He instinctually attempted to back pedal in fear, but his scrambling amounted to nothing against the strength of magic wielded by the great Twilight Sparkle, apprentice mage to the throne of Equestria. He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat. Spike was always good at reading her, she knew, but with the tumult of emotions running through her right now, he probably had no idea what to think.

I’m not even sure what I’m was thinking. She thought to herself. Her tone may have come out darker than she meant, but at the moment she didn’t care. The one thing she wanted from him now was no arguments.

“Yes Ma’am.” He agreed quickly out of fear, and for expediency’s sake Twilight made no effort to apologize or correct any misguided assumptions as she continued her inspection.

“Fluttershy, take note. Twenty light gashes on each leg, torn scales from outer thigh stretching down to knee. Each incision is estimated at one half inch in diameter.”

It had raked its hind claws against him when it was in a panic. The image was vivid in her mind. She had to pause and shake it away before she could continue.

“Eight more with a 2-inch diameter along thickest scales on flanks, deeper piercing. Still not threatening, but will take longer to reform. Further lacerations on shoulders go much deeper but length of gashes is limited to the single area.” She ran a hoof across the scales along his shoulders and Spike didn’t flinch. Her voice finally softened.

“It was using its front claws to grip you, wasn’t it?”

“Uh…yeah.”

“Deeper than lacerations on legs it still didn’t break actual skin.” She continued, releasing his head from her magical grip, but he obediently stayed put as she inspected his face. She trailed her hoof across the small lines of pink scales there.

“Oh Spike, your poor snout…”

“I’m okay Twilight, really. It probably looks worse than it is.”

She fixed him with a glare. She knew his body, probably better than he did. She’d been studying it closely all his life and most of hers. While it was true that tearing through dragon scales to the point it would have an effect would be an arduous task to even the sharpest of claws, blunt force trauma had full effect on dragons. Something as strong as a manticore would be plenty powerful enough to leave bruises, broken bones, or worse hidden beneath the purple protective coat.

“Well my flank hurts where it pounced on me.” He admitted as he withered under the glare.

“Turn around.”

“Come on Twilight!”

The plea was ignored and the universal gesture for ‘turn around’ was her only reply. She knew her friends were peering on in curiosity. Spike was never seriously injured before that they knew of. They hadn’t seen him back in Canterlot when he was going through that whole phase of his. She was hoping he was finally past it, it had been a long time since his last attempt at something like that. Even so, this whole event left familiar worries in her heart that it was all going to start again. This isn’t the worst shape she’d seen him in, not by a long shot. It was probably going to be hard for the others to fully understand that the gashes across his body that would probably leave a pony on their deathbed were closer to feeble blemishes to dragon anatomy.

The scales would grow back, if discoloured, in about a week’s time. She also understood it was embarrassing to be inspected under the big-eyed stares of his friends, but if a blush was the worst that he would come away with after all this he should consider himself very fortunate.

He sighed and obediently turned around so she could fully inspect the deeper gashes torn up and down his flank. She ran her hoof along them and could feel the difference instantly. Major swelling warped his entire hind quarters. This time his whole body flinched at the light pressure, and she instantly jerked her hoof back.

“You. Bed. Now!”

“But Twilight!” He whined.

“I mean it Spike! Move!” She pointed a hoof towards the library for emphasis.

“I can’t! You don’t understand!”

“What I understand is you nearly got yourself killed last night, most of your hindquarters are swollen, you’ll be lucky if your tailbone is still intact, and I can’t even be sure it is! Until I can find out for certain you’re going to be taking extra care of yourself!”

“I don’t care!” He turned around quickly, his eyes glaring back defiantly. “I have to make sure its okay!”

She was about to retort that whatever it was could wait until he was properly diagnosed, but she paused as felt Applejack’s hoof on her shoulder.

“Make sure what’s okay, Sugarcube?”

“The manticore.” Rainbow Dash answered before Spike could. “He thinks he might have done a real number on it.”

“Hmph!” Rarity scoffed, “It’d serve the awful brute right.”

“Oh no! Not at all, the poor kitty was probably just confused.” Fluttershy looked down sadly, “How badly do you think it’s injured Spike?”

“I-I ‘m not sure… I can’t really remember right… I had it pinned to the ground. I was trying to think of how to get away, but then it got a claw loose and swatted at me and I just lost it… Then there was fire everywhere… and smoke… I don’t… I’m not sure if I…”

“Melted its face off?” Rainbow Dash tried helpfully, incurring glares from almost every other pony there, outside of a chuckle from Scootaloo, and a horrified gasp from Fluttershy. “What? Like Rarity said, it got what was coming to it.”

“No! Spike’s right Twilight, we have to go find it!” The usually shy pegasus pleaded.

“Alright, we do.” Twilight nodded in agreement. She began to understand Spike’s insistence on the matter now. “But Spike doesn’t. He goes to bed. Scootaloo, can you go fetch the vet and watch over him for awhile?”

“Can do!” The young pegasus didn’t wait for another word before taking off on the errand.

“But I can still help!” Spike protested quickly.

“Ah don’t think so Sugarcube. Twilight’s got the right of it. Yer gonna stay right here in Ponyville if Ah have tah hog tie yah to yer bed. Leave the rest to us, we’ll figure out what happened tah that ol’ beasty for yah.” Applejack stood beside Twilight with a wry grin. A grin that was just begging him to try to call her bluff. Spike paled a little. Applejack never bluffs.

“Besides, you have to get better quick as can be Spike! No one would want to be all banged up for the blow out I’m going to throw!” Pinkie jumped around them all eagerly, her mood changing talents already well into effect. “You and Scootaloo learning to fly in the same week! It’ll be the best party ever!”

“Ain’t every party yer best party ever?” Applejack rolled her eyes before smiling at Pinkie.

“You’re right!” Pinkie Pie gasped, “And since Rainbow Dash helped bake the cake and put things together this time! That makes it the coolest party ever combined with the best party ever! Do you even know what that means? It’ll be the most awesomest party I’ve ever thrown! Wow! I’m so glad I already invited everypony in town!”

“That’s a splendid idea Pinkie Pie,” Rarity agreed before adding, “If you’re going to invite the whole town, perhaps Sugarcube corner won’t be nearly large enough. I’d be glad to help you decorate the town square.”

“But when Rarity helps it’s always the most fantastic party I’ve ever thrown... so if both Rainbow Dash and Rarity help out... then... then it’ll be-” Pinkie Pie paused, her mind imploded in on itself as she tried to think of the possibilities. She stood up on hind legs placing her hooves to her cheeks as the realization began to sink in, “It’ll be the most awesomest, mind blowingest, spectuclarest party ever thrown!”

Laughter rang through the crowd of gathered friends, and Twilight grinned over at Spike only to find he wasn’t paying it much attention. This wasn’t much like the easily excited dragon that spent so many years at the end of her bed. Her grin turned into deep concern as she watched her number one assistant continue to stare back at the forest he just escaped from. Something about this had genuinely bothered him.

“Well before we put together any flight parties, first we need to organize a search party.” She announced, putting a hoof on his shoulder so he’d turn to listen. “I promise, we’ll find it, and everything will be okay.”

Her brother turned to treat her to an appreciative smile.

******

Scootaloo sat outside the door. It was probably the longest time her hooves had stayed on solid ground for the last two days. Now she was left fidgeting in the hallway. She was nervous. She was concerned about Spike of course, but also she selfishly had to admit as much concern about the Fledgling Flier Contest. If any real harm was done to the dragon, she wouldn’t be able to compete! Even after everything they both went through to learn to fly, she’d still lose the bet and be Diamond Tiara’s clown show for who knows how long! If he’d gotten any broken bones it’d take months to heal, and they only had about a month left!

Finally the door opened and a yellow furred mare, with a blue highlighted mane walked out. Her trademark thermometer still in the pocket, she was probably one of the few ponies in town that actually needed a shirt, and she wore her lab coat proudly. She had her hair pulled up into a very professional-looking ponytail, however it did a poor job of keeping her hair out of her eyes, there was always some loose strands hanging there. She gave a warm smile to Scootaloo as she shut the door.

“It looks like he’ll be just fine as long as we can keep the ice from melting long enough to do his swelling some good. He’ll be stiff and sore for a few days, but outside that he’ll be good to go. Just make sure he takes it easy for the party tonight and stays off his feet as much as he can. ”

“No prob!” Scootaloo saluted her before zipping in to see the injured mythic beast lying on his bed. The vet had improvised a comically large ice pack on his rump that was kept in place by a wrap that was tied around the dragon’s waist and forced him to lay belly down, the large ice pack sticking up in the air. Scootaloo had to hold her breath to try not to laugh at his predicament, but her eyes were tearing up at the strain.

“Go ahead, get it all out now.” He sighed pathetically. Seeing her attempts to hold it back only made it that much worst.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!”

The snorting laughter really did come out all at once. She laughed so hard she lost her breath and ended up hiccupping the last half of it. It took a full five minutes before the laughter died off and she had calmed down enough for conversation. Spike attempted to take it in stride, looking off to the side, tapping his finger impatiently, biting his lip in attempt to not look as cross or humiliated as he felt. He didn’t know it, but his attempt to keep his pride intact only made Scootaloo laugh that much harder.

“I am… I am… so… sorry.” She gasped out at last, wiping a tear from her eye, “You just look so…”

“I know.” Spike interjected grumpily. “I’m glad Rarity isn’t here to see this.”

“Sweet on her, are you?” Scootaloo teased, her interest perked. Her friends and her had always been somewhat fascinated by the whole love aspect to life, even when they were small fillies, but none of the trio had ever fallen for anypony themselves. They were always way too busy with their crusades to spend much time thinking about it.

“Only since like forever. Why?”

“She just, you know, seems a little fancy for you. Not to mention old.”

“You’re not the first to think so.” Spike answered with some small amount of annoyance as he rested his head on the back of his claws, “It’s not like you can tell your heart who or what to like, it’s going to do what it wants. Twilight has a checklist somepony has to meet to perk her interest. Everything about it makes perfect sense, and she mostly ignores anypony that doesn’t fit. It’s probably why she hasn’t had a date her whole life. Love doesn’t pay attention to things like logic.”

“Yeah, because you’re the love guru, right? Just admit it, you only like Rarity because she’s pretty.”

“Beautiful.” He corrected with a knowing smile and a faraway look.

“Yeah but she can be mean, she’s always haughty and dramatic about everything. She heaps all the heavy lifting on Sweetie Belle if any work has to be done, and she’s scared of dirt of all things!”

“I know, right?”

“And you’re willing to ignore all that just because she’s pretty?”

“Beautiful.” He corrected again with the same knowing smile. It felt like he had this conversation a million times before, and she was just missing the obvious.

“Ugh. Stallions.” The young pegasus slapped her hoof against her forehead, “It can’t just be that she’s beautiful. You can’t possibly be that shallow.”

“If that’s what it takes to love Rarity, then I’m as shallow as they come.” Spike insisted with a smile that wouldn’t fade, enjoying the frustration of the pegasus. A bit of vengeance for laughing at him earlier was due.

“Alright! I give up! What do you see in her?!”

“I wonder…” He teased, sarcastically pretending to think. “Tell you what, you tell me why you want to win this silly contest so bad, and I’ll tell you why I’ll chase Rarity to the ends of the universe.”

“What’s that gotta do with anything?”

“Not much. I’m just curious about it. Just like you are.”

“Well I already told you didn’t I? If you do something you go at it with everything you got.”

“Yeah, you told me that part, it’s everything else I don’t know anything about. Why are you so focused on this Fledgling Flier contest? You can become a fantastic flier without winning this thing a month after you first grab sky. And I don’t just mean that whole stupid bet thing with that snooty school filly.”

“You know about the bet?” Scootaloo groaned.

“Everypony knows about the bet, its hung up on a plaque at Sugarcube Corner. It’s not exactly inconspicuous. I mean jeez, it was the talk of the whole town when it first happened. But what started all this?”

“Well, I’m not sure, really.” She frowned, moving over to sit by the dragon’s bed. She sat on the floor and leaned back against the bed frame. “I guess it’s just being a Crusader wasn’t doing it for me anymore. Not with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gone most of the day working on their talents. You gotta understand, being a Cutie Mark Crusader was awesome when we were in school. It was more than just searching for your cutie mark. When we were together all the time, trying our hoof at every skill known to pony kind, I felt like I was really out there. It was like… being apart of something bigger than yourself, ya know? Now they’re both apart of something else, and I’m getting left behind.”

Spike frowned. The conversation had took a turn towards something more serious than he intended. He expected her to shy away from the topic so he could continue to needle her. Instead, for whatever reason she actually decided to give him a real answer. He listened on as she continued.

“Sweetie Belle’s really taking off at singing, and being part of that whole music scene. Apple Bloom’s construction work makes her a part of the whole town. But me? I’m was just stuck here flapping my wings uselessly, pushing my scooter around all day while they were out still being something more than themselves. We’ll always be the best of friends, but that just ain’t enough sometimes, ya know?”

“So all this flight training is really just you looking for more out of life?”

“Yeah, kinda. I mean maybe if I can fly the best, do some real amazing stunts or something, somepony out there is bound to notice me, right? They’ll want to, I don’t know, use me for something great! Does that make any sense?”

“Too much sense if you ask me. It sounds like you’re looking for the same thing I am.”

“What’s that?”

“A calling in life. It’s the same for me. Rarity’s got her fashionista thing, Twilight is doing her apprenticeship for Princess Celestia, and Rainbow Dash is always trying to be recruited into the Wonderbolts. Everypony has a dream to follow. Me? I’m just Twilight’s assistant. and I honestly always thought that would be enough. But now that everything is moving on, I think I need to as well. I want to be more than just a tagalong. I don’t know, it sounds kinda selfish when I say it out loud like that.”

“Not to me it doesn’t. Pony or dragon, we oughta be able to be out there finding that place we belong.”

“Yeah,” Spike admitted. “I’m glad it’s all working out so far.”

“How exactly? I’m still stuck dancing to Diamond Tiara’s tune. I still don’t have a cutie mark. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life when we’re finished here. It seems like it isn’t making any difference at all!”

“Except you’re being trained by Rainbow Dash, and now that you’ve already reached the sky you have a lot more places to search for whatever it is you’re looking for. You’ve already got a lot more options Scootaloo, and you even got a new friend helping you find what you’re looking for.” He closed his eyes and pointed a thumb at himself. “And I’m a pretty awesome friend even if I do say so myself.”

“Not just a friend,” Scootaloo smiled as she gave Spike a sideways glance before holding out her hoof, “I got a teammate.”

“A team.” He agreed bumping the proffered hoof with his knuckles.

“So….?” She prodded him along.

“So what?”

“So what is it that made you fall for that pompous pony?”

“Are we still talking about that? I thought we we’re done.”

“Oh no you don’t! I told you what you wanted to know about me, now it’s your turn. Spill the beans already!”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting you to actually answer! Why do you even want to know? You’re not exactly the romantic type.” He questioned, looking for a way out of this direction their discussion was turning.

“Hey! I can be as romantic as anypony!”

“Right up until there’s mushy stuff right?” He grinned, watching Scootaloo's competitive streak kick in. It was always entertaining, especially when it was totally out of place and foreign to the subject matter, then again as far as he was concerned it really could have picked a better time to take hold.

“I can take whatever mushy stuff you can dish out pal! You’re just trying to avoid saying!”

“It wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience for me, okay? I don’t like talking about it.” He huffed out an annoyed sigh. This is one topic he would have preferred her to not be so stuck on.

“Wait, let me get this straight. The moment ya fell in love was a bad time? Ain’t your heart supposed to soar and you be all smiles or something?”

“It sure wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, it made me feel great and all that, but it was right after the worst moment of my entire life!”

“Well that’s stupid.”

He simply shrugged in response.

“Well now I’m even more interested so start talking dragon!”

Spike let out another sigh as he took a moment to think of how to put that frozen moment in time into words. The instant he fell for her completely was embedded into him forever. It was a memory that plastered itself to the back of his mind and would never fade. The problem was it also dredged up other memories and emotions that he would prefer suppressed and locked away for the rest of his days. Now all of it came back to him, an unbidden and unwelcome reminder of the best and worst day of his life.

His friends were off to the side of the bridge, cheering in relief that the disaster had passed and every pony was safe. The little purple dragon sat on the bridge railing, away from everypony else, looking at the devastation in town. He was the disaster...

“It was after I… I lost control... everypony else was just happy it was over.”

Scootaloo heard his voice crack a bit, and he felt far away for somepony that was bound to his bed next to her. She suddenly understood that this was something very personal to him, and felt a little uncomfortable. Like she was eavesdropping on something she shouldn’t be hearing.

In Spike’s mind the gigantic footprint of a monster lay imprinted on the muddy river bank below him. He compared it to the small claw at the end of his arm. His heart sunk to dark places as his eyes took in their similar shape. He was that monster...

“When anypony else would have avoided me… She didn’t.”

He felt the weight of a hoof on his shoulder, turning to see the blue eyed beauty standing beside him. Rarity was smiling, even after all he’d put her through, even after everything he’d done, she stood there smiling at him.

“When she should have been scared of me, she wasn’t.”

“You’re my hero, Spikey Wikey!” And then she kissed him, showing beyond any doubt she meant what she said.

“Because when I thought the worst of myself, she thought the best of me. I want… I want to live up to those words, to live up to what she thinks I can be.” Spike closed his eyes, laying his head down, looking suddenly very tired.

The topic was obviously about the legendary rampage he had through town, but Scootaloo was still very young at the time and was huddled with her parents in her basement. She never even caught a glimpse of what happened, only of the results afterwards. She actually thought it was kind of awesome when she heard the stories about him. Imagine having an inner beast that could crush a whole town, pin down the best of the Wonderbolts, and take on the elements of harmony! That’s hardcore!

Now that she was hanging with the dragon responsible, she could see it wasn’t all that awesome at all. It was more like nightmare fuel. It probably shook him to his core.

She took a moment to survey his bedroom as she processed it all. Sparse was the only word that seemed to fit… some curtains, a mirror, there were a few pictures of his friends on a small locked cupboard being used as a night table, one where he stuck his own picture next to them off to the side. His closet door was left open with a few costumes inside, an old basket where he used to sleep was tucked in the corner, a stand for Pee Wee’s bird cage where the phoenix now lay sleeping lazily, and a small book shelf with large tomes about dragons and old fairy tales. Each book had a birthday card attached to it’s front, and that was it. Not a single other possession. Not even a lamp to read by or an old toy he might have kept from his youth. No posters, comics, or any signs of a hobby he might have. Nothing frivolous, impractical, or superficial could be seen anywhere. The room felt empty like the one sleeping here was transient and ready to leave at a moment’s notice. She wondered how much he had to deny himself, how often he had to hold himself back in fear of what could set loose a dragon on their town. She began to understand his whole resolve was now completely dedicated to never triggering his hoarding instincts again, that his rampage had shaped and would continue to shape his entire life.

“That’s why I have to know the manticore’s alright, I need to know I didn’t just snap and let it loose again.” Spike mistook the silent response as her wanting him to continue. “Rarity, Twilight, the Princess… They all think I’m better than that and I don’t want to disappoint them. I need to know that even when I’m desperate, I can still control myself.”

“You shouldn’t worry about it. That stupid cat attacked you guys right? You were just defending yourself and everypony else.”

“Maybe but Rainbow Dash and Rarity were already out of harm’s way. I was only going to create a smoke screen and make a run for it. He swatted me in the face though,” Spike pointed to the light pink scales on his snout, “and I don’t remember what happened after that at all… What if I didn’t? What if I melted his face off like Rainbow Dash said, or hurt him real bad or something?”

“You’d be totally fearsome!” She exclaimed excitedly.

“Scootaloo!”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I know. It probably wouldn’t be right, but it would be cool!”

“Maybe to you,” Spike grumbled, “but I’d have to live with knowing I can’t even try to protect my friends without going dangerously berserk.”

The thought gave the young pegasus pause. What if it were her? What if protecting the other crusaders made her rampage around, possibly putting everypony in danger?

“Ick. Okay, that wouldn’t be great.”

“I just hope the search goes well. They’re all dealing with that dangerous forest because of me, and we wouldn’t have been out there at all if Rarity hadn’t been trying to help me. I should be out there dealing with it myself, not putting my friends at risk.”

“That depends on how much you consider them your friends.”

“What?”

“Look, if there’s one thing I learned about while being a crusader it’s that friends have to let other friends take risks when it means enough to them.” Scootaloo pointed to the gashes in his scales, “You’re all banged up, bedridden, and really concerned about this whole manticore thing. Ain’t no friends of the Rainbow Dash that are going to sit still while you suffer. Not when there’s something they can do about it!”

“I should at least be out there helping.” He continued to complain.

“Hey, a pony’s gotta do what a pony’s gotta do. Sometimes you can’t do anything so what you gotta do is nothing. Ya gotta sit a game out every now and again. Show how much you appreciate everypony for it when they’re back and try not to worry about it. Or you can mope around a bunch. One or the other.”

“That’s a stupid set of choices.”

“Tell that to Rarity and Twilight, they’d know better than you.”

“Wait, what?”

“Well, what do you think they did all night? You were off wrestling manticores and everypony else had to sit here on edge the whole night through. Now fair’s fair and it’s your turn. Stop being stupid about it already.”

“I guess that’s true... I never thought about it like that.” The thought gave him pause.

“You’ve been working on these friendship reports with Twilight Sparkle for how long, and you never thought about how your friends would worry about you if you were in trouble? Not exactly the smartest dragon out there, are ya?”

“Guess I’m just not used to thinking about them worrying about me. Normally I’m the one stuck home worrying about them.”

“You’d think you’d be better at it by now. I’m hardly ever the one left out, I should be the bundle of nerves.”

“So what’s stopping you?”

“It’s called faith. They got Rainbow Dash with them! How could they not be safe?”

“Yeah.” Spike admitted, his own mind turned not to their esteemed Team Captain, but to his best friend and teacher. All the dangerous quests she’d solved, adventures she’d seen, and trouble she’d thwarted began playing out in his mind. He remembered how she came home from each daring situation with a comforting smile and new letter to write Princess Celestia about. She was often the craziest pony he knew, but his sister was also the most stable part of his life. The manticore had barely been a sidestep in her long path, barely a pebble on a gravel road. Scootaloo was right, it probably wouldn’t even be a challenge to the elements of harmony.

******

Hidden crickets among the grass chirped in harmony with the flocks of birds hidden in the trees of the Everfree Forest. It was daylight, and while there were still timberwolves about to watch for, the four ponies laying about the forest floor seemed fearless. Now this could have been due to their numerous experiences in dealing with the dangerous woodland, or perhaps the layers of confidence they each had in each other’s talents as they managed to overcome all of the most dangerous catastrophes that plagued Equestria. Each one was each a hero in their own right, and together they formed an unbreakable fellowship of friends. Under their watch the rage of one of the Celestial Sisters, Nightmare Moon, was tamed! With their help, the Chrysalis Invasion was thwarted! The all powerful Discord was sealed, released, and befriended! Even King Sombra, emperor and enslaver of The Crystal Kingdom from a thousand years past was no match for their abilities!

For any one of these reasons each could walk with their head held high in the belief they could take whatever this haunted thicket could throw their way! But the only true reason they sat in the grove without a care was because the great manticore that had once presented itself as a challenge, was currently held in the throes of a belly rub at the hooves of the meekest of ponies gathered there, perhaps the meekest of the ponies gathered anywhere.

“Lame.” Muttered Rainbow Dash, annoyed by the scene before her. “This could have been an epic battle or something, you guys know this right? You’re settling for giving it first aid and petting it.”

“I think I prefer it like this.” Twilight smiled. “Spike will be glad to know it’s alright.”

“Spike’s a stand up guy as far as dragons go Twilight, but that thing has tried to kill us twice now. A good beating might make it think again before attacking another pony.”

“While Ah’d normally say yah got yerself a point Dash, how yah gonna lay a beatin’ on the thing now? We just got it bandaged up and Spike already gave it a bit of a thrashin’ and singed its mane pretty good anyhow. Besides, with Fluttershy about it’s just a big kitten anyway. It’s even little cute…” Applejack watched it take a playful swipe at Fluttershy’s hoof. She moved it just in time to avoid having it cleaved off, and never even flinched before moving her hoof back to play, only making more cooing sounds at it. “Well…in a ferocious, pony eatin’ kinda way.”

“Oh we couldn’t hurt this cute wittle kitty.” Fluttershy dangled a lengthy piece of grass over the monster which it took to biting and swiping at. “You were just being a big ol’ scaredy cat, weren’t you? You didn’t mean to hurt nopony. Did the big, mean dragon scare you? Yes he did!”

“Oh yeah, Spike scared it. The thing only attacked him on sight. This is stupid.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and shouted at the beast, shaking her hoof at it. “You’re lucky cat! If it were just me I’d beat the living tar outta ya for messing with one of my fledglings!”

The manticore paid no heed to the noisy morsel, the piece of grass that would every so often tickle its nose was of far more essential concern.

“That reminds me, how is the whole fledgling flier thing goin’ anyway? Ah ain’t seen much o’ anypony outside the farm recently, and Ah’ve been keen on askin’ how it’s been workin’ out.”

“We’ve hit a few bumps on the way, we’re a bit behind schedule ‘cause of it. Depending on how bad Spike’s hurt, we might fall even further behind too. All in all its been pretty good though. They got their landings down pat, and while they haven’t really figured out gliding both just advanced straight to flying within two days of each other! Scootaloo’s sense of balance is top notch! She’s got style, heart, and the talent to go far! She’ll be a speedy little stunt pony just like her teacher.” She gestured to herself confidently.

“And I can’t wait to see how Spike is doing when he’s healed up. He’s going to be slower and not as capable when it comes to manoeuvres everypony is used to but he has a whole range of movement all his own. His wings are nothing like ours so we’re going to see some completely new and sweet moves from him! And with that massive strength and fire breath of his, it’s going to make an impressive show. If they keep giving it all they got, and we get the basic formations down, we might just surprise everypony. We’ve got a contending team put together here, and I think we have a real chance of taking that trophy home!”

“Sounds like yer right excited ‘bout all this, Sugarcube, but yah might have a hard time visiting yer folks in Cloudsdale like yah were meanin’. Yer hooves seem a mite full.”

“No worries, I got this all sorted out! Since the competition is in Cloudsdale, I’m gonna check in on everypony afterwards. The Fledgling Flier Contest takes two weeks to get through the qualifiers and another two for the actual contest. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up.”

“Wait a minute…” Twilight interjected, “The Fedgling Flier Contest takes place at the start of Fall. Your Weather Captain suspension will be over by then. Rainbow Dash, you won’t be able to do both!”

“Heh, yeah. I came across that little issue too.” She scratched the back of her head and looked away nervously. “I suppose I should have told you guys sooner, but I kinda….resigned from the weather ponies a week ago.”

Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, and Fluttershy all went suddenly still, their jaws dropping, as the piece of grass Fluttershy held was cut to ribbons, the manticore taking advantage of the momentary lapse.

“You did what?!” The three friends asked in simultaneous surprise.

“I quit. I just think I’m past that stage of my life now and it’s time to move on. I got a good thing going on here with Scoots and Spike, and I think it’s got potential to really go somewhere.”

“I had no idea how much you were getting into this! I- I don’t know what to even say!” Twilight’s mind was sent reeling through all the possibilities as it processed the new information.

“I know, it’s kind of a lot to take in.” The multi-coloured maned pegasus grinned, “I just think I’m going in the right direction for the first time in a long time. I want to ride it out and see where it goes. I might even take up being a coach at the school. After all, I am training the two newest rising stars of Equestria!”

“Kinda puttin’ all yer apples into one bushel ain’tcha?”

“Why do things halfway? This way I’ll always do my best because I can’t afford to fail.”

“Sounds like a recipe for disaster tah me.” Applejack whispered to Twilight who nodded in agreement before adding, “To each their own, I guess. But I’m glad you have so much faith in them! I hope everything works out soon though. I’ve been at my wit’s end without Spike around, I can’t wait until he’s done with this whole flight business.”

“Done with it? Are you kidding? You don’t just finish flight training Twilight. It’s practically a whole new way of life! Everything changes when you get that first taste of sky! Once you know you can go anywhere whenever you want the whole world opens up. He’s already planning frequent trips to Canterlot, who knows where that will lead or who he’ll meet along the way? He might even want to keep with the stunt shows once he sinks his teeth into one or two.”

“If that’s what he wants to do I guess.” Twilight held back a sigh and looked down at the grass without really seeing it. “But I hope he isn’t ready to quit his job yet. I’m not sure I can handle everything on my own.”

“Have yah tried anypony else?”

“Not really.” Twilight admitted, “But that’s because I don’t know who I could ask! Even though Fluttershy has been working out great, she has so much to do with taking care of animals at home that it hasn’t been enough, I still ended up suspended from my studies due to overworking. A part time assistant just won’t fill Spike’s place in the library. What I need a pony that will be able to dedicate themselves completely to my study habits. That means cooking, cleaning, organizational skills, taking dictation, keeping track of supplies, being available 24/7, complete familiarity with the Dewey Decimal System, and magical fire breath to keep in emergency contact with Princess Celestia if needed.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack frowned at each other and shared an unspoken thought. Applejack turned back, chewing on her words trying to put the truth in the most polite way she could think of.

“Yah don’t think yer settin’ yer standards just a mite high there, Twilight?”

“Yeah, I mean, do you even listen to yourself?” Dash was somewhat less tactful, “Nopony’s gonna know anything about a ‘decimal system’ around Ponyville. Who wants to spend more time than they need to learning math, anyway?”

“What? The Dewey Decimal System isn’t math, it’s-”

“Really Dash?” Applejack arched an eyebrow at her pegasus friend, unintentionally cutting Twilight off, “Ah think a pony with magical fire breath is gonna be a good bit harder tah find than a pony that knows their way around some numbers.”

“But it’s NOT math, it’s just a way to-”

“Hey, weirder things have happened, especially in Ponyville. I bet I could find somepony with dragon breath before you could find a pony that wants to do anything with decimals!”

“Are you two even going to listen to me?” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Probably not.” Fluttershy answered quietly, well used to being ignored in the heat of the bickering friends. The argument was already degrading into the silliest challenge anypony ever heard of. “But I am surprised. Did Spike really know how to do all that before he became your assistant?”

“Oh no, not at all. He had to learn a lot of it on the job. He put so much effort and time into figuring everything out, and that’s my conundrum. I think he really is going to be irreplaceable.”

“Oh yes. You’ll never be able to replace Spike. I don’t think I would even try.”

“But I need to get another assistant Fluttershy, I can’t just give up.”

“Yes, that’s a much better idea. You should do that instead.” Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

“What?”

“Oh, ummm… you know… getting another assistant instead of replacing Spike?”

“Fluttershy,” Twilight began, trying her best not to sound condescending, “Spike is my assistant. How can I get a new assistant without replacing him?”

“Twilight, he’s your closest friend and you’re his closest friend too.” Fluttershy smiled and put a hoof on the panicky unicorn’s shoulder. “He’ll always be willing to help you if you call on him, he doesn’t need to be your assistant for that. You’ll never be able to replace him, and you’ll never have to. They might not be able to help you in the same way Spike is able to, but I’m sure if you teach them, somepony can help you in their own way, isn’t that all you need?”

Twilight frowned inwardly. Maybe she really was thinking about this the wrong way. She couldn’t look for everything Spike already learned how to do in a pony. All she needed was a pony with the potential to be an assistant. Her eyes widened as the realization dawned.

“I see what you’re getting at! What I should be looking for isn’t an assistant, it’s an assistant-in-training! Somepony I can teach to be my assistant. And if I can coordinate with Spike to help out when he can, and have another fully capable assistant working full-time, I should be able to get even more done than I could before!”

“Now that sounds easier tah find. So what is it yah’d be lookin’ for in an assistant-in-training?” Applejack ears perked up at the change of direction of the conversation. “It ain’t more math and dragon fire, is it?”

“No, I think what I’d need most is a pony with a completely free schedule actually. I can teach them how to organize the library and books, and they can get used to my study habits with time. What they really need is just the time and ability to learn.”

“While looking for a pony with dragonfire would be way more cool,” Dash replied with a grin, “I guess if that’s all you need we can keep an eye out for a pony with some time on their hooves, there’s bound to be a couple around town.”

“Oh, I know a pony like that.” Fluttershy smiled up at her trio of friends as the manticore gave her a nuzzle in farewell before leaving.

“You do?” Twilight blinked in surprise. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly known for well… knowing ponies.

“Oh yes.” She waved good bye to the manticore before turning to face her. “Snails would be-”

“No.” Twilight cut her off with a flat look. Dash snorted through her hooves as she placed them over her mouth in attempt to cover her laughter. “I said I need a pony with time to spare, not a pony that would take up all of my time trying to teach them.”

“Ah think we’d be better off includin’ ‘a pony that doesn’t drive Twilight Sparkle up the wall’ on that list o’ things she needs.” Applejack allowed herself a smirk.

“I-I guess I don’t know anypony like that after all…” Fluttershy looked down with a frown.

“Don’t worry about it Fluttershy, I’m sure we’ll find somepony.” Twilight gave her back a pat.

“In the meantime let’s get back to town to give Spike the good news. He’ll be happy to hear everything’s alright. Besides if we don’t hurry we won’t have time to get ready for that party!”

Chapter 8: Ride the Current

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Chapter 8:

Ride the Current

Pinkie Pie hopped along streets of Ponyville happily chattering away as Rarity followed after deep in her thoughts. She was tired, but she had no hope or wish for sleep. She still felt anxious, if relieved, after hearing the news of Spike’s condition from the vet on her way out. She wanted to go in and visit him, but it seemed Scootaloo had already laid claim and Pinkie Pie was being annoyingly persistent about this party idea of hers. After promising herself she’d make certain to drop in later, and give Spike the scolding he properly deserved for his unnecessary self sacrificial display the night before, she followed her overly exuberant friend. Honestly she had to admit to some curiousity about Pinkie’s unusual amount of excitement over this.

Of course nopony would be surprised by Pinkie Pie going overboard about something. Being easily excitable was as deeply embedded into her personality as the spirit of laughter she embodied. This, however, this was beyond extremes even for her. She wouldn’t stop talking about it all the night before, and even when Spike had shown up with those awful tears all over his scales Pinkie had only waited a few minutes before getting right back to this party of hers. That wasn’t like her. That wasn’t like any of her friends. Normally they’d have all daunted on the friend in question for hours, and so Rarity couldn’t help but wonder what had Pinkie Pie so focused on this.

“Moreover, I wonder if I could make the announcement tonight. With everyone in such a festive mood, I’m sure my news will be the perfect cherry on top for this celebration.” She thought quietly to herself. She had been putting off the announcement for so long now, looking for the most opportune moment. Unfortunately, there just didn’t seem to be an opportune moment to tell your friends you were moving. It had all come down to the wire, and now she had to tell them sometime this week, it might as well be in the spirit of celebration.

“Sorry Rarity, did you say something?” Pinkie asked with a small look of concern. She obviously noticed Rarity had been untalkative during their stroll, and made up enough conversation for them both to drive off any form of awkwardness. Rarity was thankful for her thoughtfulness, but not for her skills of observation. She would have preferred to let Pinkie continue her conversation for one.

“Oh it’s nothing dear, just a passing thought, that’s all. Now about this party, you said you invited everypony in town already?”

“Yep! At least... kinda.”

“Kind of?”

“Yeah, I didn’t actually send out invitations this time, most ponies just asked if they could come, and of course I said yes. The more the merrier, right? Eventually I got asked by everypony in Ponyville!”

“Come now Pinkie, not everypony stops by Sugarcube Corner, there must be some that haven’t been invited yet.”

“Well duh,” She rolled her eyes. “Most of them asked me when I was putting up decorations on the street corners.”

“Decorations? On street corners?” This caught Rarity’s attention immediately as the pair of friends turned the corner to the town center. She felt her jaw go slack as she took in the sight before her.

It was amazing how much effort and work had gone into its making. Pinkie Pie was a professional party thrower with a penchant for party paraphernalia, and the provincial premiere promoter and planner of party projects and pastimes. Give her a half hour and you’d have a fun get together, give her half a day and you’d have everypony in town hidden in wait for the ultimate surprise party, give her a week and you’d have a ‘Best Party Ever’ quality party.

It had been several weeks since Rainbow Dash let her students loose to try to find their own way around their flight blocks, and Pinkie Pie had been planning this event since that very moment, constantly giving more and more to its ever reaching, ever-lengthening tendrils. Her decorating had long since moved past the confines of Sugarcube Corner and spilled out into the streets. Streamers galore criss crossed overhead, baskets of confetti lay ready to be thrown, hats with tiny wings glued to their edges sat in piles, sheltered by a single tent by the fountain. This wasn’t all, there were balloons by the hundreds, maybe thousands! It was a chaos of colours thrown everywhere, on every tree, roof, and street lamp, as if Pinkie Pie had set up a barrage of party cannons that besieged the area for every single day she was preparing.

Knowing her friend as well as she did, she knew that this could very well be the case, but Pinkie Pie had made a most dreadful mistake.

“Pinkie... what have you done?”

“Y-you don’t like it...?” Her lip quivered as she asked, she couldn’t remember the last time somepony didn’t like one of her set ups, maybe that gala years ago? The changeling queen? But she hardly counted, this was one of her best friends though! How could-

“Like it? I love it darling!” Rarity interrupted the pink pony’s thoughts, “but this isn’t a party you’re throwing, why it’s a full on town festival! Oh Pinkie, it just a perfect idea!”

“A festival?! Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh! I love festivals!” She jumped in the air in glee before pausing with a thought, “Wait, I’ve never thrown a festival before, what do I do?”

“Don’t worry about anything, I’m here to help!” Rarity smiled, rubbing her hooves together as she plotted. “Get Mayor Mare, tell her we’ll need the stage, an encampment of coloured tents, and all the lights and lanterns you can find. Oh, and the Cake family, we’ll need catering of course. Don’t spare the expense! I’ll help donate the means. With some good use of design principles, I’m sure we can probably extend these streamers along all the nearby roads leading to the town center. We can get a theme of colours going too, Pinkie Pie, lets make these streets shine!”

“Yes! This is going to be so great!” Pinkie took off towards the Mayor’s house leaving only a friend-shaped dust cloud in her wake.

“No Pinkie, not great.” Rarity smiled, as her inspiration went into overdrive, streamers floating off their previous perches and beginning to move themselves around to the fashionista’s whim. “This will be Magnificent!”

******

Flickering lines of multi-coloured paper lanterns hung down, lighting the roadways of the small country town. They were strung from building to building as evening slowly gave way to the approaching nightfall, the darkening sky only highlighted their soft glow, leaving their presence more prominent than before.

The crowds found themselves gathered around the center of town, as the Cake family had put together an outdoor buffet and were happily catering to the towns ponies. They walked along the streets taking in the thousands of assorted decorations and enjoying the atmosphere.

The festival had been going on for an hour now, starting late in the evening, as it was only then Rarity was satisfied enough with her adjustments to Pinkie Pie’s work to let anypony that wasn’t involved with the preparation anywhere close. It was more than worth it. Every fixture in the surrounding area had been done up in vibrant colour patterns that left their audience captivated by the coloured lights reflecting and refracting off them through intelligent use of a series of gemstones that were sewn along them. Never one to settle for less, the scene was made perfect when she managed to convince a couple pegasi new to their wings as well, to every once in awhile, do a fly by that left a small shower of glitter and confetti on the festival below. Rows of striped coloured tents were put up in circles, each storing tables with games and activities for the younger ponies in attendance, and tables piled with confectioneries for those with a sweet tooth.

Among the many tasty treats and punch bowls provided by Sugarcube Corner, was several many layered cakes that looked like they belonged elsewhere when placed among the professionally made coloured pastries. They sat almost untouched as the treats around them disappeared and were replaced. It was beside them that Rainbow Dash stood, grinning proudly. Beside her stood Spike and Scootaloo, who were messily enjoying the only pieces missing from the large amateurishly made desserts. Had you asked the duo at her side, both would have declared it the best dessert available along the many tables, and so they did to any pony that would come by offering their congratulations. The same congratulations that was written in Rainbow Dash’s sloppy hoofwriting written in frosting on top of the cakes at their side.

“I still can’t believe you made all this!” Scootaloo complimented the cook one more time as she scarfed down another piece in a single gulp. “It’s fantastic!”

“Well, I did have help.” Dash laughed as she thought back to the kitchen as Pinkie Pie flashed back and forth between bowls of cake mix, to oven, to a mess of ingredients all over the counter, and back to the bowls. Rainbow Dash continued to sluggishly stir one of the mixes as the pink pony bounced around, her thoughts on the troubles facing her fledglings rather than any amount of baking. “A whole lot of help.”

“Mmm!” it was the only response either of the two had gotten from the injured dragon since the cakes were first brought out. Maybe it wasn’t as well made as the other desserts spread across the banquet tables, but the cake’s representation of their success made it taste so much better. It was the sweet taste of victory over failure, and it was a taste the fledglings would remember forever.

The cakes were brought out when the announcement of their official entry into the Fledgling Flier Competition had been made just a bit ago. Turns out Rainbow Dash already had the applications set up and ready for their signatures. She offered one to each of her team members for signing, presenting her own application with theirs on stage to a cheering crowd. Shouts of congratulations and whistles could be heard among the large amount of applause that followed. The three member flight party had been shaking hooves ever since the cutting of the cake.

Rarity soon stole their thunder however, as she followed the news of the fledglings first flight with the dramatic reveal of Sweetie Belle’s acceptance tour with Sapphire Shores as her new apprentice a few moments after, including all the dates and places she’d be singing. While riding on the coattails of the excitement drawn by that incredible surprise, she had also finally announced her own great surprise with the Grand Opening of Canterlot’s Carousel Boutique and her ensuing relocation to the capital of Equestria. This new information took the festival by storm, and lessened the crowds around the new flight party significantly. After all a couple new fliers weren’t really anything new, but their local fashionista’s move to Canterlot and her little sister’s claim to fame at Sapphire Shore’s side left the town eager to shake their hooves and wish them their best.

“Leave it to Rarity to steal the show.” Dash smirked while shaking her head, “That mare never changes. If it isn’t sprouting wings during my competition, it’s announcing her grand opening and her sister’s beginning as a rock star on the same night my fledglings grab air.”

“Yeah really! We’ve been working towards this for weeks, what gives?”

“Oh come on, Rarity’s been working towards this for years Scoot! I think she wins on that front.”

“This was supposed to be our party though, the cake even has our names on it!”

“Don’t even try Squirt, you’re not gonna make a dent in that.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof in front of the lovestruck dragon’s face as he watched the unicorn dreamily from afar. The hoof went unnoticed.

Scootaloo face hoofed.

“Hey there Scoot! Come on!” Apple Bloom squeezed through the crowd, “How yah gonna jus’ stand here like that? Everypony else is gonna congratulate Sweetie Belle before we do!”

Scootaloo looked up at Dash and gave her a big pleading smile.

“Go ahead.” Dash laughed, “I think we’re pretty much done here. Everypony’s forgotten about us anyway, and I’d like to go say my goodbyes to Rarity too. Party harty Squirt! We’ll skip training tomorrow and pick up the day after.”

“Yes Captain!” Scootaloo saluted quickly before scrambling off with Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle had quickly become the star of the night, which left her feeling horribly nervous with the crowds gathering around, demanding to know how it all happened. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were in the middle of rushing to her side, but were caught up in the surprise pleasure of watching Diamond Tiara’s stunned expression. It was probably one of the very rare times the rich little filly was ever left speechless and Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were enjoying every second of it.

Rarity would have been glad to help her sister deal with the cluster of ponies surrounding the young unicorn, but alas she was also surrounded. Her closest friends had each run over to hug her in turn and offer their congratulations while bearing tear streaked cheeks mixed with happy smiles. Each understood this had become a farewell party for them. Everypony knew it was coming of course, the frequent trips out of town on business, and the ever growing stockpile of clothing designs she’d take with her were signs nopony could miss. Even so, it all just seemed too sudden and too fast for the close knit group of friends.

“I’m going to miss you all so much!” Rarity attempted to hide the sniffle that went along with the wetness that stung her eyes. “I suppose I should have said something sooner, but I wanted to be sure before saying anything.”

“I’m going to miss you too.” Fluttershy sobbed gently into her shoulder as Rarity wrapped her into a hug in attempt to comfort her.

“We all will.” Twilight Sparkle’s voice cracked a little, as she wiped away a tear of her own and placed a hoof on Rarity’s free shoulder.

“Sure will.” Applejack smiled widely, but pulled her trusty hat down over her eyes, hiding them from view, “but ain’t gonna be nopony more proud of yah than us. Yah really did it, it’s hard tah believe.”

“You promise not to forget me?” Pinkie Pie cried uncontrollably into a polka dotted hanky, before blowing her nose loudly.

“Of course not Pinkie Pie. What pony could ever forget you?” Rarity felt her heart tug at her chest at the question, half insulted at the mere thought, the other half of it twisted with emotion that Pinkie would think so. “How could I ever forget any of you?”

“Then... then you promise not to be mad at me either?”

“Darling! Why in Equestria would I be angry with you?”

“Cause you’re leaving us behind cause we’re not upper class and elite like Canterlot ponies, so now you’re moving away so you can be with them, and its following your dream so we shouldn’t be sad, we should be happy! But I’m still sad cause all I can think about is how I won’t be able to see you again for such a long time, and now I know whenever I walk past the Carousel Boutique I’ll know you won’t be there anymore, and it’ll feel empty, and I’ll feel empty, and I’ll be all sad, but since it’s your dream you might think I’m sad cause you’re following it, but that’s not it, it’s just that I can’t figure out how to be happy that you’re leaving!” The Pink pony barely stopped to breath, her voice rising in pitch further and further until the last sentence was all but a squeal. Next thing she knew, Rarity’s second shoulder was suddenly occupied by a mess of pink curls, while her normally happiest of friends broke down and bawled, gripping her neck in a hug of her own.

“Please don’t be mad cause I can’t be happy that you’re leaving!”

“Oh Pinkie Pie...” She never finished the sentence. There was nothing she could think of to say, maybe there was nothing that could be said. Sometimes words were not what was right. She hugged Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie fiercely. Breaking the news to Spike before she left some weeks ago was nowhere near this hard. He was so delighted to hear the news. She remembered how excited he was, how hard he had hugged her, and how that boyish grin had spread across his face afterwards.

“Give her some space Pinkie. You always over dramatize these things.” Dash finally caught up with the others. “She’s not going forever, and Canterlot’s not so far we can’t visit her.”

“Easy for you to say Dash. Ain’t none of us can jus’ take off whenever we want tah up and go to the capital. Trains take time tah schedule, and there’s too much work tah get done round the farm for me to make common trips there and back. Not tah mention the bits involved…”

Pinkie Pie sobbed harder at that and Dash fell silent.

“Not helping.” Twilight whispered to the farm pony who had the decency to blush a bit.

Arguing with Rainbow Dash was just easier than saying goodbye. It was a comfort zone she would prefer right about now. Applejack had grown so close to the girls over their years together they felt almost as inseparable as any other part of her family. Turns out inseparable wasn’t the right word to use though, because here was one of them parting ways, and Rainbow Dash had almost done the same just two months previous.

“It just got me thinkin’…Twilight’s gonna head back tah Canterlot someday under Princess Celestia, Rainbow Dash is gonna fly off tah Cloudsdale to be a Wonderbolt, eventually jus’ ain’t gonna be many of us left here in Ponyville. Even little Spike might go lookin’ fer somethin’ else, and who knows where he’d get to? Li’l fella might end up goin’ back to the dragons at some point. Ah know it’s selfish, but Ah can’t help thinkin’ how many of yah Ah’m gonna lose?”

Even Rainbow Dash looked somber at the truth painted all out in front of them like that.

“None.” Rarity suddenly declared. The others all looked over to her for an explanation, and she felt the need to clear her throat a little before continuing.

“You are not losing me. You will not ever lose me. It might take more time for us to see each other then it used to, but I am, and will always be your friend. You cannot choose between following your heart and following your dream, you need both to be happy! And if you’re not going to be happy there would be no reason to follow. Canterlot is my dream and my friends… you are my heart. I will find a way to help you when you’re in trouble. I will find a way to celebrate with you when you’re happy. I will find a way to still be apart of your lives while I’m away. I don’t care if I have to drag Canterlot back here with me brick by brick on my back! I. Will. Find. A. Way.”

Rarity emphasized each word as she squeezed Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie one more time before releasing them and moving to look Applejack in the eye.

“And if you all feel as strongly as I do, I know you will too! We will find a way together.” She looked around to the others gathered around her. “Just as we’ve always done whenever things became difficult or looked impossible.”

“She’s right!” Twilight Sparkle smiled confidently, her mind suddenly ablaze with ideas of places to research magic that could help. “It’s just like any other problem we’ve faced. And with all of us working together…”

“-it doesn’t stand a chance!” Dash finished for her, a winning grin replacing any gloom that began to set in.

“Yeah, guess we’ll jus’ deal with it all as it comes. We’ll lick this problem yet!” Applejack pushed her hat firmly back in place.

“I-I’ll still miss you, but I know I’ll see you soon. And I’ll make sure to write as much as I can!” Fluttershy added in with a small smile.

“And in the meantime we’ll make the most of every tiny teeny tinsy insy little second!” Pinkie Pie sobbed one last time as she wiped her cheeks.

“Yes, lets make certain it is a party we will all remember.” Rarity agreed, “I am sorry to have dampened the mood. I was under the impression it would have simply made everypony more excited, instead it just soured what was supposed to be a very happy time.”

“Ah’d call it more bittersweet than sour.” Applejack interjected.

“Of course we’re excited for you Rarity.” Twilight agreed, “We’re just a little put out at what it all means for us.”

“Yeah! I mean come on, who’s not gonna be heartbroken about a friend saying goodbye?” Pinkie sniffed a little as she finally began to calm down a smile beginning to edge its way back into her expression.

“Who Indeed?” Rarity frowned, remembering all too well how she got this impression. A memory played back in her mind. One of a certain dragon smiling and hugging her tightly at a train station after she shared the news with him. A certain dragon that she noted was not within the immediate vicinity. A certain dragon, she also remembered, who had always found ways to be busy during her multitude of farewell parties Pinkie Pie had thrown for her when she first began her commutes to the big cities.

She turned to gaze back towards the congratulatory cake table and noticed it was suspiciously empty. Rainbow Dash was here of course, and Scootaloo would be off somewhere with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom as always, so just where was Spike?

“Excuse me girls, if we are to make every last moment count, we should do it with all of my closest friends. Don’t you think?”

“Well duh!” Pinkie rolled her eyes rudely as her full smile had found its way back to her face. “That’s why I invited everypony in town after all! I didn’t want to leave anypony out.”

“But I didn’t tell you about this announcement before hand Pinkie. Don’t you remember what this was all for?”

Pinkie stared at Rarity like she had two heads. “Well yeah, I threw it for Scootaloo’s and Spike’s first flight!”

“Well it won’t be much of a First Flight Party without one of the guests of honour, will it?”

“Yeah, where is the li’l fella, anyway?” Applejack looked this way and that trying to catch a glimpse of something long, tall, and purple.

“Don’t know, I thought he’d be right behind me.” Dash began to hover above the ground and look around.

“Ugh. Did he do it again?”

“Did he do what?” Fluttershy asked so quietly Twilight probably wouldn’t have heard her if she hadn’t been learning to constantly keep an ear out for her new part time assistant.

“He does this every time Rarity has a farewell party.” Twilight explained with a sigh. “He’s probably by the bridge close to your house.”

“What? Why would he go all the way over there?” Fluttershy was taken aback, that was clear on the outskirts of town! He couldn’t be further away from the party and still be in Ponyville’s borders.

Twilight considered answering but decided against it. It was something fairly personal to him after all. At the same time she wasn’t about to let him run off from his own party either. He had worked so hard for tonight, she figured he deserved a reward, and she couldn’t think of anything he’d likely enjoy more than what she had in mind.

“Rarity, maybe it’d be better if you go and get him.”

“Yes. I believe I will. Take care of things while I’m gone girls, I’ll be quick as I can.” With that Rarity disappeared quickly into the crowd.

“Well, what’s everpony waiting for?” Pinkie Pie pulled out her cannon from seemingly nowhere and pulled its string sending a loud bang and another cloud of sparkles, confetti, and streamers into the air. “Lets keep this party going!”

******

“Ah can’t believe this is it.” Apple Bloom leaned heavily on the railing. The trio of close friends had found their way to a balcony in the town hall, overlooking the events below. They mostly came in to hide Sweetie Belle from her crowds of new admirers, but soon found they were enjoying having the night to themselves for a little while. Up above the lantern’s glow and beneath the twinkling stars, they had stared out over their little home town, just pointing and laughing at each different locale and recalling the variety of mayhem they caused within.

“Yeah, I know.” Scootaloo agreed, hovering above the railing, “How can Ponyville look the same as it always has when it feels like everything’s changing so much? It just seems weird.”

“That’s because it isn’t the town that’s changing, it’s us.” Sweetie Belle sighed joining Apple Bloom at her side. She gave a nervous smile and waved to a couple of the ponies below that called out to her as she came into view. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

“They’re jus’ startin’ tah see what we all figured out a good while ago is all.” Apple Bloom announced with her nose stuck up in the air, exaggerating an amount of haughtiness that would never suit her. It had its intended purpose, drawing a fit of giggles from of her friends. Unfortunately they ended with an unwelcome sniff from Sweetie as she covered her face with her hooves.

“I’m s-sorry,” her attempt to stifle the sobs left her trembling. “I d-didn’t want to *sniff* end it like this. It’s just, this is it, this…this is our last night! I w-wanted it to be happy…but I can’t… I just can’t…”

The weeping unicorn found herself gathered into a hug by both of her friends.

“S’okay Sweetie Belle. Everything’s gonna be alright, you’ll see.” Apple Bloom beamed, fighting back against the contagious emotion that left a sting in her eyes.

“B-but I don’t even know when I’ll get to see you again!” The sobs came in uncontrollable bouts now as she cried into Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “I won’t be back for a whole year! It only took a few months to change this much, who knows where we’ll all be in a year?”

“I know where we’ll be.” She Scootaloo's grip tighten from behind. “We’ll be right here, with the biggest banner you ever seen, ‘Welcome Home Sweetie Belle!’ written right across it. We’ll be cheering with the whole town at our backs.

“Oh Scoot, I’m s-sorry.” Sweetie let Apple Bloom go, wiping her eyes as she look at her. “W-we never did manage to find your Cutie Mark… and now… Now I won’t be here for when you do.”

“Yeah, that is pretty rotten luck. I would love it if you were both here and we earned it together, but hey we got two out of three, that ain’t bad, right?” The frown that was beginning to take shape across her muzzle was chased away suddenly as she flew up above the balcony, attempting a neat-looking loop in the air, if stumbling a little unstably at the end of it, causing her to slip out of her wing beat, and force her to catch herself on the outside of the railing.

“Not quite there yet I guess.” She gave her friends a sheepish smile before accepting their help to pull her back in. “But I will be, and that’s all thanks to you Sweetie Belle! Maybe you couldn’t help me find my special talent, but without you I’d still be stuck on the ground for who knows how long? The only reason I even have a chance at the Fledgling Flier Contest is because of you! No pony can take that away from us, and honestly it’s more important than any other talent to me.”

“Eeyup!” Apple bloom grinned widely as she copied her older brother. “Besides, I went an’ missed that, Ah guess it’s only fair of yah tah miss out on this. It’s mah turn, and Ah plan on gettin’ Scoot’s Cutie Mark soon as can be. Ah even came up with an idea ‘bout how tah go about it! I was workin’ on it while you two were out reachin’ for the sky.”

“You did?” Sweetie Bell finally managed to get her tears under control, assisted by her curiosity towards this new revelation.

“Eeyup!” She giggled again as she trotted over to a pillar, “Or at least Ah think so. Way Ah see it, we went an’ tried pretty much every skill known tah ponykind. Scoots is practically a pro on her scooter at this point, but it ain’t actually got ‘er anywhere. Ah’m figurin’ the reason we couldn’t find her talent is cause it might be a skill ain’t nopony’s ever tried before.”

She took out the hidden object from behind the pillar, it was a long oval board the length of her, with flaps on either side controllable by two pedals where hind hooves would fit. The strange thingamajig was adorned with a large bow.

“What the hay is that?” Scootaloo asked, uncertain what to think of it.

“Yah remember the time we tried surfin’?”

"Ugh. How could I forget? We all ended up rocketing off the beach and landing in bristle bushes. I was picking those things outta my fur for weeks!"

"Yeah, but yah were actually doin' pretty good 'til me and Sweetie Belle crashed into yah. Well I was thinkin', since yer flyin' now, yah could try cloud surfin' or some other way of includin’ it in yer stunts! I call it a sky board!"

"Cloud surfing? How would that even work?"

"Well, yah build up speed at first, jump on the board, and yah know, try usin' it like yah would yer scooter."

"Don't you think it's a bit too heavy to fly with?" Scootaloo ran her hoof along the smooth, polished surface, "I mean it's wooden right? Surfing works because wood floats on water. That doesn’t work so well on air."

"Don’t knock it til yah try it. ‘Sides it ain’t as heavy as it looks. It's made of two different types of wood. The parts yah can see is Redwood, tough as nails so yah can be pretty rough with it, but that's just a casing. Inside it's all hollowed out Balsa wood, very light, and I filled it with a ton of holes too.”

“I never heard of Balsa wood.” Scootaloo began testing the board’s weight. “Wow, that is pretty light.”

“Yah wouldn’t have. It don’t grow ‘round these parts. We were workin’ with a buncha foreign materials tah look at the barn designs for Appleoosa. Balsa wood is one of ‘em. It weren’t much good for the barns though, so we got plenty left behind to work with.” Apple Bloom explained as Scootaloo laid the board down and began messing with the pedals. “Now, this is still pretty much a work in progress, especially the wings an’ flaps. After yah give it a go, we’ll work out adjustments so it’ll work better for yah.”

“If this works, it’s going to be the most awesomest thing in the world! Way to go Apple Bloom!”

Sweetie Belle moved back as her friends began to talk about the gift, using this chance to collect herself. She quietly watched on as they chatted back and forth, discussing the details of Apple Bloom’s latest crazy idea on how to get their cutie marks, no wait... just Scootaloo’s. Even after a year’s time she still had to catch herself on that, reminding herself that she was no longer on that search for her talent and was just assisting Scootaloo’s on hers. She was trying so hard not to break down tonight because she wanted the memories they would make to be exactly like it was right now. Her friends smiling and laughing, a new crusade in the making, everything they were, and everything they had become, captured in these last moments together.

If she could freeze a moment in time, this would be it. At the same time she wanted to join in, but it seemed like it was all a little too surreal. It felt like a dream stolen from her most treasured years that would break if she disturbed it. Like interacting with it would somehow leave the scene fading away and she’d awake on the chariot, on her way to the a whole new life on the road, surrounded by strangers and crowds. If it was an illusion she never wanted it to see it end, but the interruption came on it’s own.

“Woah!” A thump sounded in the darkened hallways at her back, and would have been startling if it didn’t coincide with a familiar scratchy voice she’d hear greeting her every time she entered her sister’s boutique in recent years. It didn’t appear to grab the attention of her friends away from the curious contraption, so she turned to meet the invading interloper as he got back to his hooves, rubbing his horn from where he’d fallen on it.

“Ouch...” The greenish blue unicorn brushed the dirt out of his freshly short-trimmed orange mane. His black beady eyes reflected strangely in the dark as he scanned the shadows of the hall for something he must have dropped.

“Snips?” Sweetie Belle took a tentative step towards him, “Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m fine.” He closed his eyes and stuck out his chest as if he thought tripping and falling on his face was somehow an impressive feat as long as he was okay afterwards.

Snips had grown huge since his school days, in spite of being one of the shortest ponies in her class. Now he was closing in on Big Macintosh in height, but where Apple Bloom’s elder brother was pure muscle Snips had gone another route. His girth had increased almost as much as his height, leaving him with the same portly frame as ever, he was just tall now to go along with it.

Even so he cleaned up well. When she first discovered his talent for cutting out patterns and hired him on the spot, Rarity also gave him a makeover that he was forced to maintain for employment’s sake to this day and likely ever onward. His orange mane was now trimmed short to more of a crew cut, and his tail combed out and hung straight down. It was strange to see him without the suit Rarity had tailor-made for him as well, she guessed he didn’t wear it outside of work which was too bad in her opinion. He looked really good in it. It was doubly strange to see him alone though.

Friendly, welcoming, and as excitable as ever, Snips’ attitude didn’t change much either, except in that he had grown more reserved about displaying his tendency towards being a fan foal publicly. Everypony had Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to thank for that she guessed. Without much in the way of blank flanks in their age group, the two bullies had to look for new reasons to justify putting themselves above others. The pudgy and slow Snips and Snails grew as high priority on the victim list as the Cutie Mark Crusaders ever were. Right now Snips was missing his second half, and it was almost unnerving to see him alone outside the shop without his best friend at his side. That’s what prodded Sweetie to ask her next question.

“Where’s Snails?”

“I uh... don’t actually know?” Snips frowned rubbing his chin in thought. “He’s never home lately. I don’t know what he’s been doing, but whatever it is, he’s been busy at it for the last couple weeks day and night. I was hoping to meet him at the festival tonight, but I haven’t seen him yet if he is here.”

“So you came up here looking for him?”

“Well, yes and no. I came to see if I could spot him in the crowd from up here, but I also came up because I saw you guys waving from the balcony. You guys were all busy though, so I figured I could give you your going away present later, that’s when I fell.”

“A farewell gift?” She smiled at the unexpected thought. “Snips! You didn’t need to do that!”

“Yeah I did.” He answered a bit nervously as he smiled back, then his eyes went back to the dark floor searching quickly as he clumsily felt around. “But I just dropped it around here!”

“Then just light up your horn, silly.” Sweetie Belle did just that and found a well polished wood stained box right beside her hooves, a chip freshly taken off a corner of it, and its shine now somewhat scoffed. “Is this it?”

“Sure is.” He stood back up brushing the dirt off his stomach.

“Whatcha got there Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom trotted around the corner with Scootaloo after noticing the absence of their third member and the voices from the corridor.

“Snips got me a parting gift!”

“Re-he-he-heeeally?” Scootaloo snickered with a wry smirk as she eyed him suspiciously.

“Oh stop, it’s not like that.” Sweetie Belle looked down at the wooden box, and opened it. Her eyes went wide as she looked in, stunned into silence.

“I, uh... hope you guys like them.” Snips pointedly looked away as Scootaloo continued to eye him up and down, not believing for one second this was anything but like that as Sweetie put it. She was still thinking of some teasingly witty commentary she could use when Apple Bloom called over to her.

“Scoots, check ‘em out!”

“What the-?” The pegasus glanced over, and her jaw dropped as Apple Bloom held up something familiar that none of them had seen in a very long time. A golden silhouette of a pony rearing back over the crest of a blue shield, all set against the backdrop of vibrant red cloth . It was their Cutie Mark Crusader cape! Or at least it could have been at some point. All the material was the same, even the rare specially made golden thread on the inside. Well, all the same except for the stitching being more professionally done now and it was no longer a cape. Just lengthy rectangular woven fabric, with two others rolled up inside the wooden box just like it.

“Snips! Oh my stars! I can’t believe it! This must have took so much time!”

“Nah.” He shook his head, once again taking on that boasting demeanor before finishing with a quiet mutter, remembering how much the woven gold had taken out of his savings, “Took more bits than it did time.”

“There’s three of them, did you make one for each of us?” Scootaloo looked at the other two left in the box.

“They’re not all the same.” He corrected waving his hoof dismissively. “I made them each different styles and lengths so they could be worn differently. Other than that, I gave them to Sweetie Belle. If she wants to give a couple away, you’ll have ask her.”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom whipped their heads around to Sweetie Belle, gigantic pleading smiles plastered across their faces. They didn’t need to speak a word, Sweetie Belle answered with a smile twice as big.

It took a few minutes to decide who would get what, and a bit of advice from Snips on how to fold and tie them to make it work. When they were all finished, Apple Bloom had replaced her trademark hair bow, Sweetie Belle wore hers as a new neckerchief that hung down over the front of her chest, and Scootaloo had folded hers up and wrapped it around her left foreleg just above her knee.

“Alright! Cutie Mark Crusaders, ride again!” Scootaloo shouted sticking her hoof high up in the air.

“Yeah!” Unicorn and earth pony shouted in unison as they met the risen hoof with their own.

“I’ll warn the town disaster’s coming.” Snips grinned.

“Us the disaster?” Apple Bloom arched an eyebrow at him. “Ah’ll freely admit we got intah some spots more often than not, but Ah don’t think all our capers combined amount tah one romp in the woods by you two.”

“Yeah, really.” Scootaloo agreed quickly, “The biggest thing we ever did was ruin a parade, you guys dragged an Ursa Minor into the middle of town square. I don’t think they really compare.”

“Well Snails and I do have a motto of quality over quantity mayhem.” His words were laced with a small amount of bravado as he pretended to adjust an imaginary tie that sent the three crusaders into a fit of giggles.

“Where is Snails anyway?” Scootaloo looked around, wondering much the same as Sweetie Belle earlier. She was about to receive the same response from Snips when Apple Bloom answered.

“He’s probably still out the farm. Ah’ve hardly seen ‘im leave the fields fer the last two weeks. Ah wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t even know ‘bout all this tonight.”

“The farm? What’s he doing out there?” Eager at the new information, Snips looked excitedly to the farm pony for answers.

“Ah don’t rightly know. Ah asked , but Applejack jus’ told me tah nevermind ‘bout it, an’ tah let him do his thing. From what Ah can tell though, he’s jus’ doin’ what he’s always done, playin’ with bugs.”

“Well I’m going to go see what he’s up to. Have a goodnight girls.”

“Snips, wait!” Sweetie Belle rushed over and hugged him as tight as she could. “Thank you so much. You made tonight perfect.”

“Shucks Sweetie... It isn’t that big a deal.” He felt the heat in his cheeks as his face flushed red.

“It is to me.” She hastily whispered into his ear before placing a quick peck on his cheek. After releasing him, he stumbled off, barely able to stutter out parting words as he clumsily made his way out. Sweetie Belle felt her own cheeks tint pink as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom came up on either side of her.

“Now what d’ya think that was all ‘bout, Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom purposefully talked right over Sweetie Belle’s head, making the poor unicorn clench her eyes shut in embarrassment.

“I don’t know Apple Bloom. I mean it isn’t like it was like that after all.” Scootaloo chided mercilessly until Sweetie Belle’s face was as red as Snips. “We wouldn’t want to take it the wrong way.”

“Well ‘course not! Where would we go an’ get any idea of that sort Scoot?”

“I know, right? It isn’t like he’s spent so much time working with her sister, they’d have plenty of chance to get to know each other.”

“An’ it ain’t like he seems sweet on her or nuthin’.”

“Oh just stop!” Sweetie Belle finally shouted much to the laughter of her friends. She put her hoof up to her neck, tracing it along the cloth. “This was just incredibly thoughtful!”

“Well Ah’ll give yah that.” Apple Bloom nodded “He went and gave all of us momentos.”

“Yeah, honestly that’s great Sweetie Belle!” The pegasus gave her a light punch on the shoulder. “You should have told us he had a crush on you sooner.”

“I didn’t know... I still don’t know if he does. ”

“Why would he go through all this if he didn’t like yah like yah?”

“Because he might understand about tonight? It was a farewell gift after all. He knows I’m leaving tomorrow. He’s known for awhile, we couldn’t really hide it from him, he was helping in the Boutique at the same time Sapphire Shores showed up. Besides, it’s not like anything would work out for me and him with me leaving. But he’s known Snails even longer than I’ve known both of you, and they spent as much time as they could together. Rarity has been talking about eventually moving him to Canterlot within a year or two depending on how business goes, and Snails still hasn’t made any progress towards his apprenticeship at all. Maybe he understands what it might be like to leave a best friend behind, even just a little.”

“S’pose that’d make sense why he went an’ waited til last minute like this.” Apple Bloom said uncertainly.

“No way Sweetie Belle. Trust me, he’s totally crushing on you! A filly’s gotta have an instinct about these things.”

“Yeah, ‘cause any of us wrote the book of love.” Apple Bloom snorted sarcastically at Scootaloo with a roll of her eyes. “Face it, Sweetie’s right. We don’t got no good way of knowin’ whether he’s gotta crush on ‘er or not.”

“Maybe not.” The unicorn felt her blush come back in full force and looked up to smile at her friends. “But now, I might just have one on him.”

******

True to her word, Rarity moved down the streets of the village at a trot with only a quick stop to pick some boxes up from her boutique and drop them off at the library, but it was more than the wish to meet up with Spike that hastened her pace. If she was honest with herself, it was the quiet and the dark putting the extra push into her step. As friendly and welcoming the small town might be, everything seemed very unfamiliar and strange with the streets so empty and the lights in all the doors and windows out. So many ponies had come out to enjoy the events in the town center that the houses around here almost seemed abandoned. The further from middle of town she got, the more sparse the houses, and the bleaker her home town seemed. It was an unnerving feeling to say the least.

As she came up to the bridge where she was hoping to find Spike, her heart sunk to find it as empty as everything else. Her pace slowed as she trotted across, looking around. Had he gone back? Did she miss him? Was Twilight wrong, did he just go home? She should have thought to check his room at the library while she was there!

“Spike?” She called out hesitantly; no longer sure there would be a reply. “Spike, are you here?”

“Rarity?” His answer came floating from below, all at once she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She hadn’t missed him. Twilight’s exact words came back to her. He was by the bridge, not on it. She squinted, trying to look for the location of the voice, but she didn’t spot him in the shadows along the small river banks.

“Where are you Spike? I can’t see you.”

Rarity managed to catch a small shadow of movement before a flash of green flame pinpointed him briefly. She’d never really been aware how well the purple shade helped him hide in the shadows or how the green spines blended in so easily with the grass. She moved off the bridge slowly, cautiously picking her way around the muddy areas.

“Whatever are you doing all the way out here? Your party is going on without you!”

“It’s not exactly my party anymore.” The dragon rolled his eyes, but smiled to show he wasn’t angry. “Our flight team was kinda lost in the background after your announcement. It’s Sweetie Belle’s party, and yours now, and you know it. The better question is why the hay you’re all the way out here. Ponies are actually gonna notice you missing.”

Rarity coughed slightly as her mind raced for a topic change. It had indeed become obvious the news she brought had completely upstaged theirs. Really, there seemed no point to denying it, and she did feel bad about doing so. Still, she felt she had no choice. Sweetie Belle would be leaving in a day, and her family wished to spend their last day together. It was not only her last chance to announce it, but also the only stage she’d come across that truly fit such a grand announcement.

“I’ve ruined your big night and I’ve really no good excuse.” She sighed, “I really am sorr-EEP!”

Her hoof slipped out from under her as she missed her next step along an unexpectedly unlevel area of ground. She just barely managed to catch herself, steadied by a quickly darting dragon tail that shot out for support. Spike stood, reaching a claw over to help her past the depression in the riverbank.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you.” She treated him to a smile that quickly brought a blush to his face, visible even in the dark.

“N-no, it was my fault anyway.”

“Your fault? Oh Spike don’t be silly, how could my slipping be your fault?”

“I should have warned you, I knew there was a rough patch there.” He frowned, before sitting back down. “I was the one who made it rough.”

He stretched out his tail. Rarity blushed herself, though hers was not near so noticeable. She wasn’t sure what he meant by his made it rough comment nor could she really think of any reason anypony would want to make an area rough. She did however recognize how his tail wound itself into the same position it was back in Aqua’s cave; an open invitation to sit beside him and still remain out of the grass and dirt. She decided to take him up on it, gingerly stepping around the tail before laying down on it and leaning against him.

“You do know I am deeply sorry to have stolen your show?”

“Yeah, you never would have walked away from all that if you weren’t.” He shrugged it off, “Besides, learning to fly really isn’t that big of a deal, you and Sweetie Belle leaving is! It changes everything for so many. It deserves to be celebrated with a huge party like that!”

“Still, it seems like it lessens your accomplishments and I am so proud of you my Spikey Wikey~! You worked so hard, went through so much, and you learned so fast! It really is astonishing.” Rarity stared up at the sky, for the first time noticing just how bright the stars were without the village lights diminishing them. “A couple days swimming practice then the next thing I know, you’re flying!”

“And who knew the only possible creature anywhere around that could teach me? Who risked her life to take me to meet him?” Spike chuckled and she felt his mirth rumble through him. “How exactly could I be angry at you for anything? The only reason I can fly is because of how far you went out of your way for me.”

“Then why aren’t you celebrating with me? We should be with everypony else, celebrating our accomplishments together!”

“Yeah, sorry about that, we can go back now.” Spike began to stir, only to notice Rarity had no intention of moving from her spot on his tail. He also noticed she was glaring at him and he began to understand that just because he wasn’t angry about anything didn’t mean she wasn’t.

“Spikey Wikey?” She began sweetly and finished with a tone of seriousness. “You are not going anywhere until you answer my question.”

“Uh, why?” He swallowed a lump forming in his throat, quickly looked around for any kind of excuse, putting his hands up in a gesture normally reserved for asking someone to wait. Rarity had no intention of paying the gesture any heed.

“Yes. If you’re not upset that my sister and I have stolen the party from you, then why are you not celebrating with us?”

“I uh… don’t like crowds?” He tried. Her flat look told him she wasn’t buying it.

“You? Don’t like crowds? You announce at every Running of the Leaves Festival, and volunteer to narrate at almost every play. You have learned to play pianos and instruments just to be on stage with Pinkie Pie when she decides to sing. You, my dear Spikey Wikey, take almost every chance you can get to display yourself and your talents of which you have many. One of the most recent I’ve discovered is a skill for deception. I always knew you had a tendency towards fabrications here and there, but I had no idea how good you had gotten at them.” Rarity’s tone had become very serious. “I’m also quite certain it is not a skill you should be proud of having practiced as much as you have.”

“I wasn’t lying I was just-”

“Liar.”

“What?” Spike blinked in surprise at the blunt insult.

“A fraud, a con artist, a phony, a charlatan, and a sham. I could go on if you wish, and I have every intention of doing so until you admit to your deception and tell me the truth.”

“I-I’m not, I just-I mean…” The response became stuttered as the look on Rarity’s face only grew more and more stern. At last Spike grimaced and his whole body slumped back into the dirty grass. “I just want you to be happy…”

“I know.” He felt her hoof pat against his back. “I appreciate it probably more than I let on, and now you know how I feel when you’ve been lying to me. Do I seem happy?”

“No. You look… disappointed.”

“Probably the most disappointed in you I’ve ever been.” She agreed. “So now that you’ve seen how poorly deceit worked, let’s try this again. Why is it you do not wish to celebrate with us?”

“It’s because I don’t feel like celebrating, and I know how horrible that is. I’m supposed to be happy and excited for you! But really the last thing I want is… I mean I don’t want to… I just don’t want-”

“-to say good bye.” Rarity finished.

“Yeah, that.” He grumbled. If she already knew all the answers why did she want him to say them out loud? “Your commemoration party should be a real blast! Just like Pinkie Pie planned for tonight! The last thing anypony would want is a down in the dumps dragon spoiling all the fun.”

“Spike, what if I told you that Pinkie Pie was bawling on my shoulder not ten minutes ago, and there wasn’t a dry eye amidst any of my friends?”

“R-really?”

“Well no, our darling Rainbow Dash didn’t seem too upset or shocked by the news,” Spike thought he could feel those piercing blue eyes peer into his soul, leaving him fiddling with his claws and looking away. “Which leads me to believe a certain friend of mine wasn’t able to completely keep our little secret.”

“She’s the only one I told! Honest!” He put up his hands as if to physically fend off any further verbal probing. “She just came by that night asking if I wanted to learn to fly and well, I wasn’t really that interested, and when she kept on about it I kind of snapped at her. Not just the upset kind either, the snarling, tense, and ready to pounce kind. She knew something was up and I thought I kinda owed her an explanation…”

“That was my fault.” Rarity shook her head remembering the mix up in her words at the train station vividly. Celestia’s words echoed through her mind, and not for the last time. Dragon, not pony. It was no wonder the Princess was so keen on pushing that impression on her. “It was a mistake to let that slip, and even more of one to ask you to bear that secret all on your own. I’m far more to blame for that than you were. I should have known better. You, more than anypony, can’t afford to keep your feelings all bottled up Spike.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s another reason I came out here, if I tried to pretend to be happy the whole night, who knows what I’d do?” He sighed. “I’m a dangerous creature.”

“Spike…” Her voice trailed off, not quite sure what to say. Instead she glanced down at the grass, using the pause in conversation to grant herself some faint light to see by, her horn glowing softly, casting shadows along the unlevel river bank. With the light came clarity on his earlier words. He really was the one that roughed up this area. They were both lying curled up together in the footprint of the monster that ran wild throughout the town. The very crater he stared down into from the bridge that day when she stood by to comfort him.

She recalled the event and those leading up to it so well. The fire ruby he’d given her during the week, learning he’d never truly had a birthday party before (which gave Rarity some suspicions that Princess Celestia had an idea of what might occur), the work she put into designing the cloaks for everypony, being ponynapped and carried to the cliff sides, and the fateful fall and Spike’s attempt to confess on the way down. She scooted up closer to him, nuzzling happily against his cheek. He seemed taken aback by it, and she laughed softly at his surprise as she felt his body go tense.

She thought about the events for weeks after, and had long decided the fire ruby was actually the least touching deed he’d done for her that week. Even as a berserk beast of greed, when all he’d done was go around hoarding whatever he could find, she was what he’d come for, stealing nothing else from her boutique. Not even a single, solitary jewel from the abundance of choices he was given there, he had only come for her. To know that she had broken through to him when every other one of his other friends had proven completely ineffectual. They were all something to be ignored as a minor nuisance, but he had stopped to listen to her. He reflected on her admonishments, and then the monster disappeared. She understood her words were worth more to him than even Twilight Sparkle’s, the sister he took so very much pride in. He thought he was going to die, so he raced to speak his mind.

She stopped him because she had to. She couldn’t stand the idea that something so wonderful was going to be rushed, and seem lessened for it.

She stopped him because there was no reason to continue, she already understood what he wanted to say. She had known about his crush and used it to her advantage time and again, but now that she had learned the lengths he was willing to go for her, whatever he wanted to say would be woefully underwhelming compared.

Most of all, she stopped him because she had no answer to give him, touched as she was. There was so much nopony knew. What was dragon life like? What if he wanted to go back and find love among his own? What about his goals? He didn’t even know what they were! What if their dreams were so different that they drove each other apart? This mess of speeding thoughts and a thousand more had moved her hoof to his lips, keeping his feelings unspoken, and yet the message was received louder and clearer than words could convey. She fell with him that day but she hadn’t fallen for him, not just yet.

At least, that’s what she told herself. She was no longer certain it was true, so much had changed, and she began treating him very different after that. The feelings they shared during their fall was a secret only they knew. She wanted to keep it that way, but she could not help letting her heart slip through the façade in bits and pieces. Rising to his defence when the others would tease, noticing the adorable quirks, habits, and talents he had from his waddling to his determination, the protective urge, and sickening feeling when she thought he was in danger… By the heavens she’d gone as far as to challenge other dragons for his safety with nothing but her bare hooves!

She felt him finally relax beside her after a few minutes of comfortable silence. She looked again to the stars trailing across the night sky, the moon looked so large as it hung just over the horizon, and the reflection of stars on the river as they sparkle and spin.

“How did she take it? Rainbow Dash I mean, she was alright with it, wasn’t she? She didn’t hold it against you? I will speak to her about it if you would like me to.”

“She said it was one of the coolest things she’d seen.” He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ah yes, that definitely sounds like her. I suppose she didn’t even shed a tear when you told her that I was moving?”

“She already had it all figured out. As far as she was concerned you were only a few hours away by air. She’s probably going to come visit whenever she likes. Isn’t that awesome? No matter how far your friends move away, if you can fly, you can still be close to them!”

“That’s why you’re learning?” Rarity’s eyes went wide as his true motivation hit her, she swore she could feel her heart skip a beat. “That’s why you’re going through all this trouble? I thought you were just doing it for this competition for Scootaloo, but your whole reason behind it all is just to come visit me?”

“I uh… well.. kinda?” the dragon suddenly grew very interested in the night sky, that very striking blush on his cheeks practically glowing from the heat of the accidental confession. She felt her eyes tear up, putting her hoof to her chest in some vain hope of calming the loud, tumultuous hammering within. This time it was an uncomfortable silence that reigned over them as they both searched for something to say, both waiting for their hearts to quiet a little.

“Dangerous.” The word slipped quietly from her lips as she smiled, a thought dancing lightly upon her mind. “You know, there are many a mare among high society that would have their hearts set aflutter by an admirer with an air of danger to them.”

“…you think so?”

“Why most certainly! How many tales are there of young handsome soldiers, noble knights, and rugged heroes sweeping them off their hooves? Each one is just as daring and courageous as the next, and they face down trials and threats of all sorts for the sake of love and kingdom. If Twilight owned them all, I’m sure the library would have to take up half the town!”

“Maybe but they’re all just a bunch of fiction, right? Just stories, works of imagination, and misrepresentations of what really happened at their best.”

“There is some truth in every tale Spike. Even in the most fantastic of fantasies!” She stood up and began to pick her way back up the river bank, watching for the hidden crevice in the grass. “We need to make a stop by the library on the way back. Princess Celestia has left a gift for you in answer to your letter. The part about finding your dream? She had an idea about it, and I think now would be the most appropriate time for you to see it.”

“You read my letter?” He also stood up and began following, wondering just how much of his private word with home was actually private now.

“She offered it to me to read in exchange for reading the one you made for me.”

“She read that?” He shut his eyes and grimaced. Somewhat worried she expected him to start scribing all his letters the same way… it had taken him all week to write that! He spent the nights he finished picking up after Twilight, trying to think of just what to say and how to scribe it to perfection! If every letter had to be like that he’d never be able to leave his room! He was allowed to stew in his thoughts quietly as he trailed after Rarity on the way back to his Ponyville home.

Upon arrival into the library, there were several boxes lying just past the entryway. He gave them an inquisitive look, they were just old cardboard boxes filled with who knows what.

“Go ahead Spike.” He felt the unicorn prod at his side, urging him along with a smile. “Open them!”

“Okay, I’m going, I’m going.” This whole thing felt strange to him, but Rarity seemed very excited about it. He frowned as he kneeled down, removing the lid from the first. He slapped his palm against his forehead upon seeing the contents, taking out a crayon coloured picture of an imaginary him, full of muscle, a lance at his side in a red cape, looking very heroic.

This is what it was about? Maybe the Princess got confused. He didn’t actually mean his childish pipe dreams, he wanted to know her advice on a life goal! Now he just felt stupid. He took out the next picture; it was a messily coloured purple dragon in guard armour, looking very knightly and noble, and the one under that was a rugged adventurer. He chuckled as he looked at each one, remembering the scenes that played out in his head that went along with them.

In an instant they each began magically pulling out of his grip, as well as the pictures from the other two boxes, each box filled to the brim with a purple dragon in a variety of stories. Saving foals, facing large threatening monsters, preventing disasters, even getting the mare! Hundreds of them floated around in the Rarity’s magical grip.

“She told me you always had a dream Spike. She was worried you might have forgotten what it was. There are more boxes like these you know? I couldn’t even take them all with me! When you were young, you were as devoted to this idea as I was to fashion, Twilight was to magic, and Rainbow Dash to the Wonderbolts. It was all that you thought about, all that you played at being, and everything you aspired to be.”

“Yeah, but they’re just storybook heroes, that’s not exactly a profession like a clothes designer or a stunt pony.”

“Of course it is Darling! They’re just more specialized than your old hatchling dreams. Look here, you’ve drawn yourself stopping a lava flow and saving ponies in this one! Oh and here’s one of you flying some foals from a flooded town.” The drawings she referred to floated over for his viewing. “Why this is just disaster prevention and relief! There are many ponies trained for that very thing.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?” He reached up to pluck them from the air to look at them fondly.

“And what about this one, where you’re fending off this bear?”

“Heh, I remember that, I had a whole story in my head where I was out searching for some ponies that got lost in the woods.” He grinned at the recollection. “I had to save them from all kinds of monsters and stuff, and bring them back to town”

“Search and Rescue then! Why I’m sure you’d be wonderful at that. And here’s one where you’re saving a family from a fire! Wouldn’t you make an excellent fire pony? You’re even unharmed by fire!”

“Wow… yeah, I guess I would, wouldn’t I?” A cocky grin spread across his face at the thought.

“If you work as hard as you worked at learning to fly, I’m sure you’d be wonderful at any number of these Spike! And I can most certainly attest to your courage.” The pictures all began neatly placing themselves back into the boxes. “You should browse through them the very next chance you get to yourself, look into the different careers, and see which you believe will suit you best. You might just find what you’re looking for.”

“Alright! Yeah, I’ll get right on this!”

“Well I would hope not tonight. We’ve still a party to attend,” Rarity slid into a suggestive smile, fluttering her lashes persuasively. “And I was dearly hoping a respectable suitor might just gather the courage to ask me to dance.”

Spike was tripping over himself to hold open the door for her as quick as he could, offering her his arm while trying not to stutter. “I-if you’d do me the honour?”

“Such a gentledrake.” She draped a hoof around his proffered arm and the two made their way outside. A quick claw snatched a top hat from the nearby coat rack before the library door closed behind them, a quiet girlish giggle following after.

Chapter 9: Learn the Rhythm

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Chapter 9

Learn the Rhythm

The early morning air was cold and it rushed against orange fur and feathers as the young pegasus soared high in the sky towards Old Lake. A short pink hue was left in her wake as her mane and tail whipped back and forth in the blasting wind. Scootaloo pushed and pushed, her wings straining, a humming blur of motion as she shot across the heavens. It felt amazing, it was everything she wanted it to be! The wind ringing through her head now felt like it belonged there, mixing in with the cascade of sounds flooding her ears as she flew. The sky called out and she was answering, closing her eyes and letting instincts take over, free to move however it wanted. Indulging in a long relaxing breath of fresh air, filling her lungs as full as they were able, and then releasing it all in a short puff. A determined pair of eyes flew open and she was on the move! Darting downwards and then upwards, a spiraling plunge followed immediately by a hurtling somersault throwing her high into the sky. There she laid upside down, relaxing her body completely as it came to the peak of its launching arch, and then letting gravity take her into freefall, before righting herself and taking off again towards her destination.

“Sweet moves Squirt!” The voice from overhead caught her attention as her idol and Team Captain rocketed past. The one and only Rainbow Dash seemed almost like she tore through the sky, her mane leaving it’s streak behind her for tens of meters, a spectrum of colours unique to very few in all of ponykind’s history.

“But don’t be late! If Spike beats you to the lake you’ll never live it down!” Dash laughed as she called out, easily provoking her protégé. Predictably the prideful fledgling flier rose to the challenge and hurtled herself forwards towards the lake.

Try as she might Scootaloo never had a chance of catching up to her childhood hero, and somewhere deep inside, there lay hope she never would. The speeds Dash could attain even casually at this point in her life would be hard for any pegasus anywhere to match. When her coach went all out she could physically rupture the sky sending a sweeping ripple of rainbows far and wide across the horizon visible to all of Equestria! A champion of speed and accuracy, Rainbow Dash was thoroughly untouchable.

The two pegasi arrived on the cliff side the fledglings had previously dubbed ‘the High Dive’ to find themselves alone with no sign of the third member of the team. Dash frowned at the thought while scanning the skies for his lumbering form.

“Normally Spike's here by now, even if he is tired.” Scootaloo frowned, “Do you think Twilight kept him home?”

“She better not have. The vet said he was good to go yesterday, and we have a lot to do without a lot of time to do it in. At least Pinkie Pie’s here.”

Dash waved to the gleeful pink pony that was currently too preoccupied to respond or even notice their arrival. Looking like she was currently having the time of her life down in the lake, moving along in the water at a tremendous speed, whooping and hooting while making two meter long jumps out of the surface only to duck back beneath the waves a moment later, leaving a large splashes in her wake.

“Okay… never seen her do that one before...”

“I’ll go check it out!” Scootaloo raced down beside the speeding mare as she rose to the surface once more. “Pinkie Pie? What are you doing?”

“Hi Scootaloo! How’s it go-” Pinkie managed to get out before splashing beneath the lake surface again, only to rise again moments later to finish her broken greeting, “-re waiting for you!”

“Well we’re here now. That’s amazing! How are you doing it?” The young pegasus moved closer to the water, trying to figure it out.

“I’m not do-” Again she was cut off by slipping beneath the rushing waves, to resurface and complete her sentence. “-iding Spike!”

“Spike?” Scootaloo looked around for her tardy teammate, but the only thing that caught her eye was the length of boulders sticking out of the lake up ahead, lined up fairly neatly by the last avalanche from the cliff above. Her eyes went wide and she began to shout, “Pinkie Pie! You’re heading right for the rocks! You gotta stop!”

“Don’t be silly Scoo-” Interrupted once more, Scootaloo began panicking for her as Pinkie made no attempt to turn or weave away. “-be alright!”

“No wait! Pinkie!” She scooted off ahead and landed on the outcrop of rocks, waving frantically in warning, “Stop! Look out! You won’t make it! Pinkie!”

Rainbow Dash watched the young pegasus waving on the rocks and understood the situation, she launched herself off the cliff, diving down to help pick up speed, and blasted along the surface of the water, attempting to catch her friend before the inevitable crash.

Instead of heeding any warnings however the random pony simply took as deep a breath as she could and ducked under the water once more, but much longer this time. There could be no more warnings now. Scootaloo continued her waving in vain, knowing that Pinkie could not possibly see her gestures anymore. There was little choice but to stand there stunned, awaiting the impending doom of everypony’s favourite party pony. Instead she was greeted with a massive erupting geyser of water and shadow, as a creature twice the size of any pony launched itself from the water. Leaping over her head, it almost seemed like time slowed to a still allowing her to scrutinize every detail of what was taking place. Gallons of water fell all around her, drenching Scootaloo completely as if a sudden storm was taking place just for her. Only this storm cloud was covered with detailed purple scales and bore wings. It felt so surreal, like she could reach out and touch him.

Off to the side Rainbow Dash was holding Pinkie who’d fallen off before Spike could make the headlong jump over both the rocks and Scootaloo. They were able to catch the sight of the young dragon arching over the younger pegasus as she was reaching up towards him, an enormous splash of water in his wake, crashing against the rocks.

“Woa~oah.” The astonished friends uttered quietly together in unsuppressed awe.

The moment ended and Spike plunged back into the water on the other side. Scootaloo fell back on her rump, still stunned by what just transpired. It was a worried Spike that broke surface again as quickly as he could manage. He climbed halfway out on the rocks to check on her.

“Oh gosh! Are you okay? I didn’t see you there until last second! I didn’t get you did I?”

“Uh... no, I’m alright.” Scootaloo actually patted herself down to make sure herself, and shook her head. “I think so anyway. What the horse feathers was that about?”

“I was just keeping up with some swimming lessons. Pinkie and I have been jumping the rocks since she got here. I’m getting pretty good, even if I do say so myself.” He grinned cockily.

“Yeah well, next time wait til I’m outta the way.” She smirked, “Just because you’re all healed up doesn’t mean I have to be broken in half to balance it out.”

“Well thank you both for the early morning heart attack.” Dash hovered over her two fledglings, softly setting down Pinkie Pie on the rocks beside them. “I think we can all say we’re awake now. I knew you’d be a holy terror when you weren’t half asleep, Spike, but that isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“Pinkie and I were just playing around, it isn’t our fault you guys are blind and somehow missed the fact she was hanging onto one of my spines.” He stuck out his tongue at Dash for effect.

“You’re just lucky that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.” She retorted with a snort.

“I know! I was all like, ‘Hi!’ And Scootaloo was like ‘Cool!’ and I was like, ‘I’m riding Spike’ and she was all ‘Rocks!’ and Spike went SPLOOSH! And me and Dashie were totally ‘woah!’ And now I just want to see it again!” The excitable pink pony ended with a pleading look.

“Maybe later Pinkie, I got some fundamentals to go over with them first, a lot of fundamentals.” Spike pulled himself out of the water completely to stand beside Scootaloo as his Captain unconsciously began using her teaching tone of voice. He held some suspicion that she wasn’t even aware she had one. Whenever that authoritative edge leaked into her voice though, any smart fledgling would shut up and take notice.

“Anypony will tell you that flying is easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master. You two had a hard time on just the learning side of things, so hike up your tails because we’re about to get down and dirty. Practice is the only true teacher in this line of work; I’m just here to let you know when you’re doing it wrong, and showing you some basic techniques used to help you practice.”

“What kind of fundamentals are there?”

“Several Spike. First and foremost, there’s gliding. It’s normally the first step into the air, but you guys decided to go against the grain and skip right to flight. I can respect that. Throwing convention and commonplace out the window is just my style anyway.” The Captain beamed her approval at her students. “But that doesn’t make gliding any less important, and you’re still going to need it to stand a chance. Being able to full out fly will give you an edge in learning it, but it is essential that you’re able to glide and glide well. By that I mean it is one of the primary qualifiers that you will be scored on during whatever show we’re going to put on at the competition.”

“So we’re going to be scored on all the fundamentals?” Nervousness leaked into Spike’s voice. He was never actually graded on anything before. Being privately home schooled by royalty and apprentices of royalty left him in a constant learning environment, but there was simply never a reason to see how much he retained as long as it was enough for their needs. Being a dragon had also disqualified him from most any official competitions he had any interest in outside of recreation. The idea of somepony else being able to come in and tell you that you failed at something was a foreign concept to him, and if asked he would have preferred to keep it that way.

“You got it. There’s four basic qualities you will be scored on: Gliding, landing, formation, and control. You two have landings nailed, sealed, and pinned down for the count. At the competition only the top tier teams will even think about landing straight down, and both of you can pull that off in a tailspin without blinking. Scootaloo, you have control down already if what I seen you do this morning has anything to say about it, and Spike you will not only have control soon, you’ll probably be better at it than any pony ever could be. Your wings give you a huge advantage over pegasi in that area.”

“So what we really need to learn is gliding and formation?” Thinking out loud to herself, Scootaloo’s expression twisted into one of confusion. “But what about speed? Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“It used to. It was decided when I was still a filly that fledglings and young fliers shouldn’t be focused on speed because it had a higher chance of injury.” Their Captain turned away, as she scowled upwards and away towards Cloudsdale. She refrained from mentioning the rule was put into place the year she entered the Fledgling Flier Competition and had cost her the title. She also didn’t bother to mention the rule was implemented again in the Best Young Flier’s Competition the year she signed up for it. The rule didn’t stop her from winning, but the fact was somepony out there was trying to hold her down. Somepony with a lot of sway on the racing committee.

“In any case, our mornings from here until the day of competition will be purely devoted to gliding and formations. That should give us all the practice we need to pass the qualifiers. Our afternoons will be my personal favourite: stunt training. Qualifiers will get you into the games, stunts will get you noticed. Wow factor is what wins the cup every time, and we’re going to have to use every advantage we have to even be a contender. Remember, every other team will have had a full year’s practice at flying. Their Captains were choosing their teams last fall, right after the games. You two only have one season under you. It’s going to be an skyward battle because experience wise they already have the edge.”

“What are we going to do for stunts?”

“No clue Spike, our afternoons will be spent brainstorming ideas for a stunt show. There’s more than one way to bag this trophy. Rarity almost won over me with that dance of hers int the Young Flier’s Competition. Most just pick out something that will show their ability to fly combined with their natural gifts, that’s why I chose an obstacle course. In the end the ones that blend it the best will reap the rewards. Unlike the Young Fliers Competition though, the Fledgling Fliers is team orientated. So we need to figure out the best way to blend our flight skills, advantages, and talents.

“But I don’t even know my talent yet!” Scootaloo whined.

“You and me both sister, unless you count writing letters or, just recently, swimming. I can cook decent enough too I guess. Is there a way to incorporate archiving books? I’m really good at that.”

“And that’s why we need to brainstorm.” Dash rolled her eyes at Spike’s sarcasm. “We’ve gotten this far by winging it, and I plan on following what works until some other options come our way. You two both did a great job of getting past the walls that kept you from the sky. We need more of the same line of thinking here. Ask your friends about ideas, explore your advantages, and either look for a way to use what you know, or use what you know to look for a way. Each afternoon we’ll take all those ideas and try them out. We’ll work on what works and cut the ideas that don’t. We have a real chance for a victory here team, so don’t let the odds fool you! Have faith in yourselves, and faith in your friends. Keep your hopes high, and we can pull a win out of this, I guarantee it!”

“Yes Captain!” The fledglings stood up a bit straighter and gave a salute.

“That’s more like it. Now get on that High Dive Fledglings! Let’s get this training day started!” She finished with a blast from her whistle and her students took off to cliff edge.

******

Slowly nibbling away at some toast, Twilight Sparkle stared across the table at nothing at all. Well not nothing exactly, there was an awkwardly empty chair on the other side. It was a jarring contrast to how she awoke, feeling ready to take on the world. Now she sat at in a mostly dark library eating a small lukewarm breakfast feeling very alone. She had woken up earlier than necessary this morning. Applejack was busy dealing with an excess of farm chores so there would be no gem gathering that day, even so Twilight Sparkle’s morning routine of getting up at daybreak was already ingrained enough to have her wide awake before the rising sun had a chance to fully peak over the horizon. It was okay though, it allowed her a chance to get ahead of her checklist of daily chores, and this was the most well-rested she felt in weeks! She had headed down stairs expecting to greet Spike who would probably have breakfast ready.

Instead of a young dragon and a grumpy ‘Good Morning’, all that awaited her was an unlit library and a plate of fried grass paddies and hay chips, covered to keep the heat in. A card was left saying where he had gone, but there might as well not have been one. There was only one place he would go this early in the morning, only one place he would go at all anymore. Her cheerful mood was dampened into a disheartened one so fast, she could almost feel the whiplash.

Twilight was well aware of the reasoning that had lead to this situation. It was a sound explanation, really. They hardly spoke in the mornings what with them both being so tired lately, so why wait around? Why not just head off early and begin the day? Spike was probably really excited; an actual flying lesson was about to take place! Everything to this point had just been preparation for today! It was logical, it was reasonable, it was sound in every way she could think of. So why did it bother her so much?

It was cold. A shiver traced along her skin beneath her fur. She looked towards the fire place where dark green coals glowed hungrily in the dim light. A log was magically lifted from the neat pile along its side, and fed itself to their undying appetite. A flame immediately sprung to life, leaving warmth creeping up her side. The flames crackling and popping echoed throughout the empty building, but its emanating heat didn’t seem to affect the cold pervading her heart. It was the first time since she left Canterlot she felt truly alone.

Just her and a cooling breakfast surrounded by thousands of books with no interruptions, no distractions, and no commotions. No family or friends… just Twilight Sparkle and her workload for the day ahead of her. It was her first time since her arrival in Ponyville she started feeling homesick. It was strange, she had been very alienated among the ponies of Canterlot, not by any fault of theirs as they had tried to include her many times over, Twilight Sparkle just always preferred work over social events.

But she was also never alone in her work.

Spike was always at her side, organizing books, cleaning up after her, locating essays, and missing volumes as she frantically studied whatever thought had come in passing. Before Spike, there was always her parents and Shining Armour, the brother to surpass all older brothers. He was a constant stable source of encouragement and inspiration that she could achieve anything. At his side Princess Cadence provided a female perspective on life, held all her most guarded secrets, and was always glad to share as much time as they could together. Not to mention Princess Celestia herself who had taken Twilight under her wing, her idol and motivation for studying and working so hard was to prove her worth to the Celestial Goddess who put so much faith in her. Certainly not the most sociable of ponies in Canterlot, at the same time Twilight never had any shortage of friends at her side. Quite the opposite, she had always strongly suspected that it would be very difficult to ever find ponies that could match the standard of friends she had already gathered! Not in her wildest dreams could she have imagined the quality of ponies in a foreign, little rural town on the outskirts of the most dangerous forest Equestria had to offer.

This morning, with Spike out of the picture and the strange quiet that set in around her, it was the first time Twilight Sparkle ever felt like a recluse, like her family was too far away. She missed them. She missed him. His grumpy, tired demeanor as he struggled out of bed, the weight of his footsteps creaking along the floor, the fumble of dishes and hiss of the stove as he cooked, the crack and crunching of gem shards as he ate in silence beside her. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t said much in the mornings in these past couple months it was enough that he was there, his presence alone was all the good morning she needed.

Twilight missed his words too, however. Those easily motivated mood swings he was prone to when she revealed what was ahead for the day were a source of encouraging joy. The constant prattle filled with silly ideas, jokes, and prideful remarks were a constant alleviation of the stress that threatened to rule her life. His confidence in her abilities often surpassed her own; he took so much pride in her magical talents that belittling them in any fashion would be treated like a shot directly against him! It would be like insulting a child in front of its parents. In a way it was true after all, now that the thought came to mind, he had as much to do with raising her as she had with him. Spike often pushed her into situations where she would have to face her weaknesses like social gatherings and meeting new ponies. He was always calming her down when plans went awry, and warned her when she took on too much at once. He would even immediately seek out help when things went beyond either her or his control.

She was his greatest pride and he was her closest friend. Growing up some day was of course inevitable, and Twilight knew it was coming soon, but the idea that they could ever become distant had never occurred to her. Now it was beginning to happen, and she wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. Could she wait another month or two? The competition would be over then, the training will calm down then right?

Once you know you can go anywhere whenever you want, the whole world opens up. He’s already planning frequent trips to Canterlot, who knows where that will lead or who he’ll meet along the way? It’s a big sky up there after all.

Rainbow Dash’s words from the other day floated through her head. Twilight pushed her breakfast away, no longer feeling hungry or chipper. Spike wasn’t just family; he was the only family that had come with her. Her parents and teacher were left behind in Canterlot and her older brother and sister-in-law were off running the Crystal Kingdom. How would she cope with not having any family around at all? The feeling when she first heard that Rainbow Dash was going to leave after the suspension was coming back to her now. There wasn't much she wouldn't do to stop it, even if she had to race to the ends of the world. But then, all the wishes in the world wouldn’t stop Rarity from moving to Canterlot. When Rainbow Dash finally took her place she so desperately wanted among the Wonderbolts, she’d be gone too.

A quiet knock sounded against the library door, and Twilight shelved these feelings for another time. Taking a deep breath and sliding into a more welcoming expression suitable to greeting a friend, she moved to open the door. The quiet knock came again before Twilight felt ready enough to deal with the rest of her day.

“Good morning Fluttershy.” Her voice was full of false cheer and she hoped it didn’t show through. “You’re really early today!”

“I-is that a problem? I can come back later if you want.”

“Not at all! It’s actually good to see a friendly face right about now.” Twilight responded a bit too quickly, and knew it. Mentally chastising herself, she tried to avoid Fluttershy’s inquisitive glance. “Please, come in.”

Twilight stepped aside to let the demure pegasus and her entourage of animals pass by, hoping to also side step any curiosity of her slip up. The well trained animals began to spread throughout the library, opening curtains, dusting, collecting books, sweeping the floor with their tails, and proficiently cleaning every nook and cranny of the tree with practiced teamwork and ease. Twilight watched them work, and listened to their pleasant tweeting and chittering, no longer having to fake her smile as she closed the door behind them. Just dispelling the quiet, lonely gloom over her home was enough to put her in a better mood.

“So what brings you by so early?”

“Snails came by my place this morning and said everything would be ready at the farm by this afternoon. I thought that if we started early we could be there for it… I mean… if you want to be there for it.”

“Snails? Why was he up this early?”

“Different insects are active at different times of the day; it would be easier to talk to some of them this early.”

“Hmm, that makes sense I suppose, I really wasn’t expecting anything like that from him though.” Her magic enveloped her plate of cold breakfast, moving it towards the trash and scraped it off as she began to join the animals in the cleaning. “Well I better be there for it, considering I don’t even know what it is. Getting information from that pony is like trying to pry open a rusty lock.”

“Oh yes, he often has trouble trying to say what’s on his mind.” Angel bunny hopped over from the kitchen table where he had been cleaning, and passed the note Spike left behind to Fluttershy. Her brow furrowed as she read its contents before peeking back at the unicorn that was now going over the pile of returned library books. “I remember when I had that much trouble speaking to other ponies.”

“I don’t think you can really consider them the same thing.”

And here we go again.

Deliberately avoiding looking from her books, Twilight stamped them one by one, before her magic slid them into their place upon the surrounding shelves. Pointedly keeping her eyes pinned to the pages before her, knowing all too well what was happening here. Fluttershy was going to make another attempt of convincing her that Snails would make a great assistant. Twilight was not going to fall for it. This particular element of harmony had been slipping subtle hints for the past few weeks towards this end. Subtle manipulation didn't suit the meek pegasus, and Twilight was sure her friend wasn't trying to be manipulative. It was just that she truly felt that this would be a good arrangement. The librarian disagreed with this stance vehemently. Worse, this time Fluttershy was comparing Snails to herself, one of her closest friends and Twilight was not amused.

“You have trouble speaking to others because you're shy. Snails is a lot of things, but shy isn’t one of them.”

“I-I guess not…” Fluttershy admitted as the years played back in her mind, “Maybe things are different for him than they were for me. When I first arrived in Ponyville, I don’t think I managed more than a few words, not even to the relatives I was staying with. Even Pinkie Pie didn’t know I was living in town for months after I moved here. She only found out when Rainbow Dash first showed up.”

“You managed to elude Pinkie Pie for months?” That drew Twilight’s attention away from the books, “I didn’t even think a week was possible! I was only in town for half a day before she broke into my home and invited every pony in town inside. I didn’t even tell her where I was staying come to think of it…”

Don’t get curious, the more she talks the more ground you’ll give.

“How did you do it?”

A mental image of Twilight's curiosity whistled innocently, poorly hiding a broken baseball bat behind her back, with the image of her reason lying broken and unconscious on the ground beside her.

“She just never really had the chance to know… I was so excited to see the animals here that with each new day I would spend sunrise to sunset along the forest trails meeting all kinds of new friends. But animals are very quiet and shy around strangers, and you have to be ever so careful not to scare them. Ponies aren’t at all like animals. They can be loud and happy even with ponies they don’t know, and I’m so used to my furry little friends that I can find another pony's forwardness a little frightening at times.” She finished while shuffling her feet in embarrassment after admitting to her shortcomings. “Even now I sometimes find ponies a little too invasive, and I’m not sure how to respond.”

“See? That’s nothing like Snails. He isn’t reserved, if anything we’d be better off he was. Questioning that foal is like tightrope trotting above a labyrinth. Keep it a direct route, as simple as possible, and tread carefully otherwise you’ll end up lost and confused, while running around in circles looking for your answer.”

And I doubt very much the Princess forbid my magic studies so I could replace them with trying to decipher that mess of pony.

Twilight smiled, glad to know her sense of reason had not suffered permanent injury.

“Well I guess… the reasons are a little different.” A sense of empathy tugged at Fluttershy’s heart strings as she thought about the young unicorn and his relatable social troubles as she turned to look at the floor. “But it seems like it ends up the same. Neither of us really knows what to say to others, except where I found so many good friends to share my life with, and he only managed to find one.”

“You really feel bad for him, don’t you?” Seeing her friend’s troubled features left her own heart needling her. Adversely her reason was sending up huge warning signals.

Wait, what are you doing? Stop! It’s a trap!

Against her better judgement she stood up to offer Fluttershy a comforting hoof on her shoulder. The shy pony turned to meet her gaze with an overpowering look of genuine sympathy, the heartfelt expression making the request that Fluttershy herself would never voice. It was with admirable effort Twilight strained to delay her answer in attempt to give her reason enough time to combat against this overwhelming force that threatened to leave her plagued with the most useless assistant the world had to offer.

Yeah, about that… Curiosity just carries a bat; Friendship drives a crazy train! She isn’t known for stopping first either. I’m out of here.

“Ugh! Fine.” With a long sigh Twilight flew a white flag in her mind. “I’ll ask him if he would like to help me here at the library.”

“Really Twilight? I mean, I know that would be asking a lot of you, especially right now… Are you sure?”

“No.” She replied shaking her head, “And I have some conditions. First he has to actually want to work for me, two it’s a trial period only. If he’s still more hindrance than help before Spike gets back, he’ll have to look somewhere else.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy nodded hugging Twilight quickly. “I think he’ll surprise you.”

“Yeah, right.” Twilight rolled her eyes wondering just what it was she was getting herself into. “I still don’t get what it is you see in him. He isn’t anything like you at all, you know that right?”

“Well… yes, I know. We have very different dilemmas.” She slipped Spike’s note against her friend’s hoof. “But it did lead us both to the same problem. At the end of the day we both ended up lonely.”

Staring down at the simple note, Twilight now fully understood why Fluttershy was being far more stubborn about the subject this morning. It wasn’t just Snails she was worried for. She smiled softly and looked up to one of her best friends.

“And the best cure for loneliness is having somepony by your side, right?” Twilight finished the thought. “I suppose I could lend him a hoof with that.”

The beaming smile glued to Fluttershy’s face was the only reply needed.

******

Ugh. There was no better description for the morning’s flight practice. Rainbow Dash was sitting down while overlooking the lake below, running through all the issues she had with their rehearsals. Her fledglings were off for lunch, gathering the props and items they’d need for the afternoon’s free flight exercises. They’d probably be back shortly, but for now she only shared the bluff of the cliff with Pinkie Pie who was currently amusing herself by failing to set up the hot air balloon so she could take her cheering efforts to the sky. It mercifully gave Dash the time she needed to concentrate on coming up with some ideas on how to deal with the very real problems formation flying was going to cause them.

Formation was obviously not going to be their strong point on their qualifiers, she could tell that much already. As competitions went, the Team Captain flew point and their fledglings took up wingpony at their sides. This was because the Team Captain was the coach and therefore the most experienced, trained, and strongest flier in the group. The more experienced the leader, the easier it was to glide behind them as their fledglings took advantage of the upwash of wind current left in the Captain’s wake. It made a lot of sense in nearly all situations.

This normality, however, did not suit her unique team at all. The usual way of things simply didn’t account for a dragon being part of a flight party. Rainbow Dash was easily far faster and more experienced, but there was more going on here. Spike would hardly benefit at all from the upwash of wind left behind by her tiny wings, there was just too much of him! Also, it turned out that dragons were natural gliders. He was keeping his wing beats aligned with hers perfectly every time, but it was purely and obviously only for show! The extra joints in his wings were made for holding and controlling the wind beneath them, while his tail slowly and languidly swished behind him. With every change in wind and direction his wings would tilt and move, almost lazily capturing the updraft and holding himself up with ease. He could hover in the same spot for hours and never have to tilt his wings more than a few inches. At the slow pace of gliding he never actually had to flap his wings at all.

And then there was that whole brute force of strength dragons came with. Spike was a scrawny shrimp of a dragon, but he was still a dragon. The upwash left behind by his wings would leave anypony gliding in his wake with hardly any drag at all! He was basically the all round perfect point flier for anything as long as it wasn’t a fast stunt of some sort. The problem was he was too perfect. It would look unnatural to any pegasi watching, especially with the amount of extra weight that made up a dragon.

As much as he tried to explain his theories on how it all worked, it was all kind of lost on her. Something about dragon flame and gasses that were lighter than air and stuff. What she did manage to pick up from it was that the more dragon fire he had in his belly, the easier flying became for him. Learning everything about her teammates was a Captain's duty, but she wasn’t going to like it. On the other hoof, Twilight was probably going to be excited enough about the discovery to write it all down for her anyway. Maybe she could convince her to make an easier to read version for herself? Somehow, she guessed reading a book on dumbed down dragon science was not going to be near as cool as the Daring Do series. The things she had to do for her fledglings.

Bleh.

Then there was Scootaloo. Scootaloo was an impatient and impulsive flier, and it showed even when she was gliding. She was great at picking out her rhythm now, but whenever she had to fly at somepony else’s wing pace all sense of grace and style disappeared. She would wobble shakily in the air as she tried to put herself in perfect position to catch the upwash. The idea of depending on somepony else for most of her flight was too foreign for her. Often uncertain when she found the perfect position, she had a tendency to wait too long before using a wing beat. The hesitation, in turn, forced her to make several more wing beats in a row just to retain the right height of the formation. Those extra wing beats would cost them.

In any case the two fledglings were just too vastly different in ability when it came to gliding. As much as she hated to admit it, Spike actually made her gliding skills look bad let alone poor Scootaloo's. This is what she hated about the routines in these competitions. The rules and policies often overruled good flight practice! If you were going for a glide or a lengthy flight in the open, the largest and strongest glider would take point, and you would simply switch places when faster, more erratic flight was needed. Displaying this formation was a necessity though, in fact it was normally a huge deal!

Many of the fledgling flight shows were usually synchronized, gliding dances, similar to earth pony figure skating. Smooth flowing movements that would build up to flashy stunts and cool moves, usually to the tune of some musical score of some sort. This was because the gliding part was easy for fledglings to pull off, it gave them the rest they needed so they could concentrate on perfecting advanced manoeuvres. There had to be a way around it, she would have to break open the rule book and read it in its entirety.

Bleh, more reading.

Now it was science and rules, what was next? Arcane magic studies? Every job had its downfalls, but at least as a weather pony she never had to stick her nose in a book. She’d have to ask Twilight about this stuff later.

Happy to be interrupted from her thoughts, Rainbow Dash turned to look when Pinkie started waving excitedly as Spike came into view over the tree line. She had to take a second glance before recognizing the orange light that flitted beside him. Pee Wee. She cracked a smile. Spike hadn’t brought the firebird along since Fluttershy started working with Twilight at the library. What was it Spike had in mind for the show? She had to admit, a phoenix would certainly add something new nopony had seen before. She frowned as she looked on the horizon for her other fledgling, but never caught sight of her. That was weird. 'Late' is not a term that described Scootaloo, and she was usually more gung ho to go than Spike would ever be.

“Hey look! Scootaloo brought Apple Bloom and a funny-looking surf board!” Pinkie gasped loudly in sudden surprise, “Are we going surfing?! That’s great! I stashed a surfboard here just in case we’d ever need one!”

Dash looked over as Pinkie Pie flipped over a boulder where there was indeed a surfboard in pristine condition lying beneath. Deciding to stow the question of why you would need a surfboard up on a cliff rather than down by the lake, she instead looked towards where her excitable friend was waving a second ago. Sure enough, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were walking out of the Whitetail Woods happily chatting away.

That explained why she didn’t see her in the sky. Wait a minute… that was no surfboard! She grinned slyly as she took in the flaps running along it's side. There were a lot of things Rainbow Dash didn’t know about the world, but when it came to flying she could be considered a master of the field, and she knew a pair of wings when she saw them. She also knew immediately what the two had in mind, and could tell already that the flaps looked awkward, unbalanced, and she bet the weight was off. But it would do for now, it would most definitely do. Their formations were going to need a work-around, but the show they would put on was going to blow the judges away. A thrill of excitement tingled its way along her fur, as she hovered off the cliff and dove down to meet the fledglings by the lake shore. This was going to be awesome!

“You brought books?!” The glare Dash fixed the dragon with managed to wilt him to the point he seemed smaller than her. “The firebird I get, that’s an awesome idea, but books? How exactly is a book going to help you practice? You don’t need ‘How-to-Fly’ manuals anymore Spike, you already know how!”

“It’s not a flight guide!” He protested quickly, “Just give me a chance to explain, it’s a book about Princess Celestia’s phoenix!”

“Her phoenix?” Apple Bloom cut in just as annoyed, if not more so than even Rainbow Dash. The dragon’s insistence on taking the time aside to discuss these books of his was time she really didn’t have to spare. Finding free afternoons were a rare treat, normally reserved for holidays now. “What’s her pet gotta do with yer flight show?”

“It might have everything to do with it, if you let me get a word in!”

“Well spit it out already! Some of us actually wanted to fly today.” Just as impatient as the others Scootaloo was more irritated with the arguing that was made this stupid meeting last longer then necessary than she was with Spike's choice of help. When even Rainbow Dash had shown her excitement over the strange strange board, her own doubts about putting it to use vanished completely. She was expecting her Captain to have some hesitation about it, but instead she seemed almost as spirited as Apple Bloom about the idea! It was everything she could do to not take it for a spin right now!

“I’m trying, if you’d stop interrupting for half a second!” Spike crossed his arms in a huff. He knew his team would probably be against the idea at first, but this was a lot more resistance than he thought there would be. With Apple Bloom here too, and all three of them on his case about it, he was beginning to regret bringing the pile of books along after all. Twilight would have listened. He was certain of that. Admittedly she tended to jump at any ideas that involved books. He passed a book to each one of his teammates, Pinkie Pie stared over Rainbow Dash’s shoulder and Scootaloo shared hers with Apple Bloom.

“Now, you just said this morning that we had to come up with ways to blend our talents and work together right?” Spike turned to look at his Captain. “I don’t know if this’ll work, but I was thinking maybe we could make the stunt show like a re-enactment of an excerpt from this book. Specifically the part where the dragon is chasing Philomena through the skies, and the pegasi are trying to stop it. The book doesn’t go into too much detail on it so we can put our own spin on things to include showing all our talents. It was written centuries ago, but I was thinking we could, I don’t know, modernize the story up a bit.”

“A re-enactment? So, like a skit?” Dash rubbed her chin in thought.

“Yeah! At least that’s the idea I was going for.”

“Its… actually got some merit to it. I’m impressed Spike, you thought of that just this morning? I thought finding a theme for the show might be the most difficult part of this whole thing!”

“Well… you can thank Twilight for that, I guess. We read it together all the time when I was a hatchling. I pretty much have the whole thing memorized.” He smiled fondly at his own volume, it looked far more worn and well read than the copies he had handed to his team.

“She used to read you this when you were a baby dragon?” Scootaloo frowned looking up from the bookmarked page, “It says here the dragon got killed in the end!”

“Yeah, I guess that part is pretty extreme in hindsight, but I didn’t care. There aren’t a whole lot of books out there on dragons, so any book that included them at all caught my interest. I think she downplayed that part as much as she could too, but when we were talking this morning this is all I could think about. So what do you think?”

“Ah like it, it’s right dramatic-like and action-packed, Ah’m sure it’d be a real crowd pleaser.”

“It’s definitely worth looking into, but it’s a little too early to set our sights on any one particular thing. At the same time, this is one starting point that’ll be hard to top Big Guy. Good job.” With an annoyed look, she tossed the offending reading material it at Pinkie Pie’s head behind her, disregarding whether she was ready to catch it or not. “One more for the pile, who knew Captains had to do all this reading?”

The surprised pink pony fell over backwards, fumbling the book several times before managing to catch it.

“Alright Fledglings, lets get this show in the sky. Spike, I just want to see you practice formations with Pee Wee for the rest of the afternoon. If you want to tell this story right, a lot of it will depend on how well you and that bird fly together. You know the story best so try to find a flight pattern that works best for both of you, and matches the book as best you can. If we want this to happen, the speed and pacing of our show will directly depend on you two. Now get up there and give it a go!”

“Yes Captain!” With a quick salute Spike took off into the sky with Pee Wee not far behind behind.

“Now, about you two and this board idea, do you think you can pull it off?”

“Not sure Captain. This will be my first time trying.” Scootaloo held the board awkwardly.

“Alright then, since Spike is just practicing flight patterns I’ll help you two out. I’ll chase down the board whenever you wipe out. You’ll probably want a helping hoof to keep that board in the air at first, so get a running start off the High Dive.”

“Yes Captain!”

******

It was well after lunch before Twilight was satisfied enough to leave the library in Fluttershy’s hooves. Checklists were all completed and each priority duty had been crossed off with a flair. The building was cleaned even to her high standards, the books were organized, and they mailed all the letters to the overdue accounts. All that was left to do was to mind the librarian’s desk and assist anypony that had need or want for a book. This was something she was sure Fluttershy was capable enough to see to, especially with Owliscious at her call to offer advice if needed.

The rest of the day could be devoted to whatever idea she could come up with to free the farm from its financial troubles. This afternoon specifically would be seeing what Snails had been up to all this time. Her mind turned to the young pony and she felt herself shudder as she recalled her promise to her friend. She didn’t want to be lonely, but she wasn’t entirely sure that it counted as not being alone even if Snails was standing right next to you. While Spike considered her lectures boring half the time, and usually replied with some form of pun or sarcastic remark, he still listened. Snails was well known for zoning out and paying no attention at all.

All previous engagements with Snips and Snails had left her fairly critical of the two. She forgave them for the Ursa Minor incident, after all they were still colts at the time. But it wasn’t the last time they’d found themselves on the hard side of one of her glares, and by that point she felt they were old enough to know better. The largest one that came to mind was the ‘Flea Market’ they had put together. She had no idea what the two had been thinking. She hadn’t been in the mood to ask either. Somewhere along the road they’d gotten it in their crazy heads to sell fleas at the local Sunday market. Some kind of contest they’d arranged with Filthy Rich’s daughter.

It was more then them of course. It was some juvenile bet between most of their class. One of them was winning, and Twilight never really bothered to figure out who. Their contest wasn’t the real issue that concerned her. It was the results that made her cringe. To increase their sales and to defeat their long time rivals the Cutie mark Crusaders had come up with an idea, they’d enchant their produce to attract more ponies over. Of course one being from an apple farm, and the only unicorn there being musically inclined, a chorus of singing apples was soon attracting ponies to their stall. It was a good idea honestly, she figured that’s why Snips and Snails decided that the reason their product wasn’t selling is because the fleas weren’t magical enough.

The resulting plague of magically enhanced fleas had sent ponies fleeing for the hills! Of course this only spread the fleas to the ponies on the hillsides too. It took another trip to Zecora’s to find some way to get the fleas off everypony’s back, and a search that lead Twilight and her friends right to Equestria’s borders to find the ingredients they needed. For weeks everypony in town had to suffer through one of the worst infestations Ponyville had ever experienced as Twilight and her friends searched near and far to gather enough ingredients for every single pony in town.

“At least Rarity enjoyed the profits.” The distracted unicorn sighed out loud to herself. Everypony in town had to shave their manes and fur before they could be sure the nasty little insects were gone. It was the only month, to her knowledge, in the history of Ponyville that all of the residents all wore clothes. The memory finished playing out in her mind as she came around the bend, only for it to be rekindled anew. Snips was there leaning over the fence along side Applejack as they watched Snails wander about back and forth in the cornfield, anxiously looking this way and that.

"Hey there, Twilight. We've been waitin' on yah, Snails says he'd be about ready to get this whole thing started when yah arrived."

"He was waiting on me?" Twilight answered the farm pony with a questioning look, "But Fluttershy said he wouldn't be ready until afternoon."

"I guess they showed up early." The pudgy unicorn answered for her and pointed towards the field where his best friend was standing still, his head now stooped low against the dirt, his horn glowing an eerie green.

"Who showed up early? And what's he doing?"

"Not sure, but he's been saying that he's been waiting for them for weeks." Taking a moment to consider his friend, Snips turned to the ever busy librarian, "I've never seen him so worked up over something before. You really oughta go talk to him."

"And the sooner the better." Applejack added with an annoyed look towards Snails. "Big Macintosh has tah keep movin' round these fields with the harvester. If this starts taking any more time than it already has, that colt'll be slowin' us down instead of helpin'. He won't let anypony near this whole area! If this weren't part of yer plans, Ah'd have already sent him on his way."

"Alright, I'll go see what he wants. You two wait here." With that she made her way around the fence and over to the curiously still stooping young unicorn. "Snails? The others said you wanted to see me?"

"Shh!" He put a hoof to his lips, before waving her over and pointing to something in front of him somewhere in the tall corn stalks. Rolling her eyes, she trotted over, but what she saw gave her pause. Bugs, insects, arachnids, worms, bees, beetles, butterflies, everywhere she looked, on all sides! They were even filling up the trail she'd unkowingly made into their midst. Now she admitted to a fear of snakes, but insects and all their ilk weren't exactly her cup of tea either. And the hundreds gathered here were no ordinary versions of their individual specimen either. Indeed, each seemed huge in caparison to their usual species. They also seemed to show no fear of her, instead their looks held some amount of disdain as she tread past.

"Snails, what is all this?" She whispered, uncertain why she felt the need to, while still looking around at the hundreds of strange beady eyes watching her.

"Shh!" Stooping his head low, he closed his eyes solemnly. This wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for, and Twilight Sparkle did not like being hushed! But it was then she finally took full notice of his pose. He wasn't just stooped into the dirt... he was bowing! As if before royalty! She looked around again for confirmation. The really big bees... were they all queen bees out of their hives? Maybe they Queen ants from deep in their holes as well? Were they all the respective leaders of their own kind? Were they glowering at her like this because she wasn't showing proper respect? Hesitating only slightly before she bowed herself, she tried to copy Snails. It was difficult to keep her eyes closed in front of so many bugs, nor could she stop her tail and ears from twitching a little as she imagined them taking this chance to crawl all over her. They both stayed there bowed for a few minutes before she felt Snails stir beside her and heard him whisper from the side of his mouth.

"Dah, aren't ya gonna answer?"

"Answer what? I didn't hear anything."

"Oh yah!" The rather dim-witted unicorn tapped his horn goofily and tried to concentrate very hard, his horn's light slowly grew as his magic chugged and chugged away, it gained more and more power even though the streams of it moved very slowly. She flinched a moment as it tickled her own horn, surrounding it.It was several long awkward minutes before he finished his spell, and he looked quite pleased with himself once it was completed. "Dere, dat oughta do it."

She let him have his little victory, not sure what spell he just enchanted her with. Trying to analyze it with her years of research as her guide wasn't easy. She just couldn't concentrate with all the chatter going on around her.

Wait, chatter?

Opening her eyes, she watched as the bugs seemed to be talking to each other. They were all conversing back and forth, mostly of the strangeness of this meeting, of the stranger’s arrival, and how such a thing that hasn't happened for hundreds of generations. Some made whistles and chitters that were translated magically into her ears, but most spoke in gesture, action, and strange melodic high-pitched sounds she'd never heard tell of before. She felt them rather than heard them, and yet she still couldn’t understand most of them. Where once she stood in a quiet field, now it felt like being stuck in the middle of a loud and crowded big city sidewalk. And then, somewhere in the midst of all the noisy hustle and bustle of the insects and arachnids, some strange thing sounded loudly, and all became quiet.

In front of her, high upon the top of a corn stalk, there now stood a cricket. Not just any cricket though, a gigantic cricket! Indeed it was easily up to her knee! It stood there with a regal presence looking over all that had gathered, standing very proud as she spread out her wide wings for all to see. She seemed quite pleased with herself.

"There now." She clicked, "That will do. Even with the Colt's spell, how will she ever hear any of you with all this bickering? Even the Colt himself would have a difficult time."

"That's not saying much." A large mantis seemed to smirk, if a mantis could smirk, "There isn't much the Colt doesn't have a hard time with."

A chorus of laughter among the gathered pests spread, and Snails looked very sheepish, though he let the jab roll off his back like he did everything else in his life.

"Yah, sorry ‘bout dat, Twilight." He apologized while sounding quite cheerful and not sorry at all. He looked up to the large cricket treating her with his usual goofy laugh and smile, "My fault, I forgot again."

"Think nothing of it Colt." The cricket seemed to genuinely regard him with a warm smile. "You have been there countless times for us all, I believe we can allow a few indiscretions on protocol. Indeed it is to you we owe this strange gathering, the likes of which has not been seen since the days of Sombra and his rise to power. It shall be a day for us all to remember, though its purpose seems a simple affair."

"Dah, shucks." His goofy smile turned into an embarrassed one.

"And to you, Mare, who has called on us through the Colt, I give greetings. I am the decided speaker for the many." The cricket made a wide gesture to the gathering of what Twilight decided were royal versions of each of their kind at this point. "Long has the Colt toiled in our favour, put up with our bickering in his ears when no other of your kind could hear, or listen to our pleas. Little has he ever asked in return, but now he does ask, and now it is all of us who have answered. While it is no small thing he asks, it is a very small thing that will result if I am to understand. The saving of a simple apple farm in a small town, was it?"

"I, uh... yes. I mean your um-" Her words tumbled out clumsily as she was still a little stunned by all this, but she caught herself quickly, racking her brain for a fitting title. Fortunately, she hadn't been brought up around the courts of Canterlot without learning a thing or two about mannerisms and protocol around royalty and noble lords. "Your Excellence, I am honoured to be allowed before you. Please forgive me my misconduct before your gathered court. I meant no offense."

"And none has been taken. We are aware of pony tendency towards ignorance of our ways. We had you at a disadvantage, but it is this very problem that brings us to our purpose here, and to this quaint little farm of yours."

"Yes! Sweet Apple Acres, your Excellence. It is in trouble you see-"

"We understand your pleas well enough." The cricket turned her head away, raising one of her feelers to cut her off. "There are already many that have left these fields simply upon the request of the Colt. We are the ones that stay, we are the ones that will not leave without compensation! Much has the Colt done for us, but little have the ponies! Long have we been beneath your notice, and now through the Colt, we have voice! We shall be heard, Mare, lest not only will your farm come to ruin, we will swarm it this very autumn! Not a leaf would be spared, let alone your crops!"

"Please! No! Don't hurt the farm! We really didn't mean to ignore you, it's just that-"

"Save your excuses." It took a great deal of willpower to hide the glare that threatened to overtake Twilight's features at being cut off again. "We know well your ways, and we are hardly without fault. Long have we battled for territory among each other, and long we shall battle still. If our affairs mean little to ponies, then I will share with you this. The affairs of ponies mean even less to us. We are gathered here not to condemn, but to speak. Rare it is that we could talk with ponies, and we will not waste this chance. Speak we will, and we must be sure that we are heard! This is the true meaning behind our threats, and they are nothing more than for our certainty that you will take our bargains seriously."

"I-I see. Then what can we do in return? If it's within our power, I'm sure we'd be glad to do whatever we can."

"Very good, I am glad to hear you are amiable enough to hear our terms. You ask us for your homes, Mare, but your request will come at the price of ours. What we ask is simply for a new home of our own. A small area of land, somewhere near water. Plowed, tilled, and farmed, the fruits of your labours specifically for us. If this can be done we will move to this land and remain there for every year this effort is continued. While we live there we shall eat only of that land, and we shall protect and help your lands from others of our kinds that would steal it from you and us, alike."

"We can do that!" Twilight smiled brightly. It wouldn't be a hundred percent productivity like she was first hoping, but she had to admit that estimate was always a little out there to begin with. Like this, however, it would increase the speed of the harvest, without having to look for bug bites, and may even increase the amount of product they did make with the insect's assistance, and it would continue for who knows how long! "I'll tell Applejack right away!"

"Then we are in agreement! We shall search the nearby land for the home we will wish to have. Upon that time we will send message to the Colt, and he will in turn send message to you."

"Thank you your Excellence, and to all of those gathered here. And should you be able to use our help further, please continue to make requests through the Colt. We may not have been aware of you before, but you'll find ponies make great friends when we are."

"I will look forward to our growing relations." The regal cricket bowed slightly and then took a high leap into the air, before flying away. The queen bees flew away as well, and the ant queens were carried off by their entourage of soldiers. The other leaders of insects, worms, and arachnids began to disappear into the cornstalks and the surroundings. Twilight let out a long breath, and turned to look at the goofy unicorn beside her.

"Told you! I said it would be AWESOME!"

"Definitely." There was no question about that, she stopped to consider him a moment. Somehow, this silly unicorn before her, barely out of his colt years, had gathered the equivalent of leaders of warring nations to his side for a peaceful gathering, and then inspired the making of a treaty that would save Sweet Apple Acres for years to come. He'd been working so long beside them, in fact, that it only took a few weeks to prepare the gathering. She shook her head. There was so much to do now, so many things to consider between insect and pony. It really was amazing!

Her ears drooped a little as she recalled her disdain for him. He may have been a little on the dim-witted side, but there was much more to him. It wasn't like her to believe bad things about anypony, but Snails had always seemed like he was lazily going nowhere at all. Now she never felt more wrong about anything in her entire life, but there was a way she could make it up to him. More than one. And Twilight Sparkle always repays her debts.

"So Snails, I was meaning to ask, would you be interested in a job?"

******

Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were sitting down by the lakeside in the middle of some discussion she couldn’t hear. Less than a week ago she would have thought they looked pretty small from this height. Less than a week ago she had grown accustomed to heights much higher than some small cliff overhanging a lake. Less than a week ago she had also found her wing rhythm, and now she spent most of her days flying among the clouds. How did it change so much? How was it, that after years of trying with everything she had and failing utterly each time, it all so easy now?

One of her two best friends in the world had discovered the secret to her Sky Call, and now every time she felt that call there was a way she could answer with a leap into the winds and blast off into the heavens! Less than a week ago Sweetie Belle had left. A life long friend who left the sky itself as a farewell gift. Scootaloo adjusted the red fabric on her foreleg, not for the first time that day. Getting used to it being there wasn't as easy as she thought it'd be, never quite sure if she’d gotten the knot right that Snips helped show her how to tie. The fabric was folded up wrong, and didn’t quite display the icon of the Cutie Mark Crusaders that it bore beneath the folds. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that she knew it was there.

Scootaloo set her sights straight, attempting to focus on the cliff edge before her. In the distance a purple dragon was popping in and out of clouds, chasing after a streak of fire. She took a moment to stare at the silhouettes and shadows on the clouds as they danced to the flight of their light source. That dragon she had known just as long as she’d known Apple Bloom, but had only befriended him a few short months ago. They were unalike in so many ways, and even so they still shared so many of the same problems. Searching for a dream to follow, the drive to be a part of something larger than themselves, he was a kindred spirit in just as many ways as he was different. He only started all this training to learn how to fly to Canterlot, and now, he was only finishing it for her. No, not quite, it was also for their Captain. He wanted them both to shine. He was doing all this for his friends, giving his all for his team.

The thought made her smile. She was a part of a team again.

There was something wet in her eye, she closed them to wipe the offending thing away. She took a long, deep breath, blocking out the goading her Captain was shouting from below in attempt hurry her up. It was done to provoke her when she looked hesitant or nervous, to encourage her to step up to whatever challenge she was presented with. But it wasn’t nerves that held Scootaloo back now. She was coming to terms with something that was a long time in coming.

Watching the Cutie Mark Crusaders drift apart little by little had torn her up inside. For the longest time they tried to pretend like it wasn’t happening; like it was still their school days, and they were just being delayed until the evenings for random reasons. The reasons weren’t random though. Life was moving them forward no matter how much they were trying to dig in their hooves. Apple Bloom was probably right about her Cutie Mark, that it didn’t appear because she didn’t want it to. But there was more reason than just distaste for the idea that she’d be grounded to her scooter her whole life. That was certainly part of it, but it wasn’t everything either. It was also because she was scared. She was scared of losing them. If she found her Cutie Mark they wouldn’t even be able to pretend to be a team anymore.

And that was just it. Even though she dragged it out as long as possible, life never stopped pushing them along. Time kept to its slow march and they had begun to lose each other anyway, only now they ended up with nothing to show for it. All the time they had spent questing for their Cutie Marks, and Scootaloo had never achieved hers. They were never able to claim the triumph of having found them together, and now with Sweetie Belle gone, they never could. That victory was lost to them. Sweetie Belle had left her with the greatest farewell gift a pony could ever give, but with her, she had taken their team away, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

Now she had a new team. Her idol, her hero, and now, her Team Captain, had taken her under her wing, and was counting on her to take home the championship. Her new teammate braved the Everfree Forest because he promised to help her as much as he could. He risked his life to give her the chance she asked him for.

Opening her eyes once more, she focused once again on the cliff in front of her. Her grip on the board tightened, and she noticed the quiet around her. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Apple Bloom were now silently watching from below, they weren’t cheering anymore. They were just watching with smiles as wide as the sky itself. She didn’t know why, and it didn’t matter. Scootaloo took another deep breath as she bent down, tensed, and prepared for a sprint towards the cliff edge. The wind began to rush through her ears, the sky was calling, and her mind gave it words.

“Scootaloo, it’s time to grow up.”

She took off. Charging with everything she had towards the cliff edge, she made one small, well-practiced hop at the last possible moment before landing again, then, with all the might she could muster, she followed it with a second gigantic leap sending her off the ledge! The loud wind rushed through her fur as she pressed her body against the board. It wobbled wildly as the wind took it.

Steady, steady, keep it steady.

She slowly planted her hind hooves in the pedals near the center of the board, and began trying to stand upright. She was surprised how easy it was, how instinctively it came to her. A memory of thousands of days and nights as she drove through the streets and roads of Ponyville stuck out in her mind. The wind was whipping her mane and tail back and forth, the sweat was pouring off, and her wings were buzzing behind her. It was all coming back to her now, memories of everything. She could hear them all cheering as she shakily rose to her hind hooves on the board. It was rumbling wildly beneath her as it lifted along the wind, her wings were a blur, propelling it forward. It was difficult to keep her balance, and the board’s wings shifted awkwardly at best, but there could be no doubt. It was working.

It was more than just working though, she was also gaining height! Putting her weight on the back end of the board tilted it upwards, her wings beat fast enough, strong enough, to keep pushing her upwards at a low angle. An idea occurred to her, a mental picture invaded her mind and the wonder that came with it began to take her. She wanted to try it, everything in her told her to give it a shot. The board had already been successfully tested now, she could land and everypony would congratulate her. But that wasn’t her way, was it?

It isn’t enough just to do it. If you’re going to do something, do it with everything you have and don’t leave anything behind to regret.

It was a memory of her own words in response to something Spike had once asked. She was never more certain about them than she was now. Leaning forwards and pressing back, pointing the board up at as high an angle she could manage, Scootaloo began to climb higher into the air. She climbed up and up as far as she could. The cold air filled her lungs as the young pegasus rose higher and higher into the sky, until finally she hovered even above the cloud cover. There she stayed, trying to hover in place, wobbling backwards and forwards in the turbulent winds that strayed among the clouds. From left to right, her head whipped back and forth, scanning for something among them. There had to be one around there somewhere, a cloud that would be perfect for the stunt playing out in her mind. None seemed to stand out.

“Scootaloo! What are you doing? Go back down, everypony’s waiting for you!” It was Spike’s voice that interrupted her thoughts, and she looked at him and the young firebird at her side, hovering there easily. Taking a moment, she studied the firebird, then she smiled. If she couldn’t find the perfect cloud than maybe they could make one.

“Spike! I need you to shape a cloud for me!”

“What? I’m not a pegasus Scoot, I’m a dragon! I can’t control the weather!”

“I know! Clouds are basically just fog right? You’re a dragon, use your dragon breath!”

“Okay, I’ll try I guess… what do you want it to look like?”

“A ramp.” She smiled deviously as she pointed. “Do it to that big puffy one below us!”

“A-are you sure? That sounds really dangerous!”

“Just do it, Spike!”

He gave her a worried glance, but this dragon was Twilight Sparkle’s assistant, one of the greatest practitioners of the arcane arts to ever have graced the land of Equestria. He was used to bizarre, dangerous ideas, and as far as he could see, even if she wiped out it would be relatively harmless with Rainbow Dash and him on side to make sure she was safe. It was a tame request compared to what Twilight would have asked.

“Okay! But be careful!” Pushing forwards until he was over the cloud in question, he then twisting in the air before diving straight down. Swallowing a deep a breath as he plummeted downwards, he inhaled the thin air deep into his stomach that roared with flame. Rumbling vibrated through him from inside, the gasses quaking beneath his scales as he dived into the cloud. He could feel the heat of Pee Wee directly on his tail as the little phoenix chased after him, thinking they were still playing some form of a game. The mix of gasses stirred within before igniting, and threatened to explode out of his maw in a raging inferno, instead he shaped his mouth to let out a controlled gout of green blaze that seared the sky. Half of the cloud was vaporized before he swooped out of the dive, pointing the remnants of the fire blast flame away.

He took a moment to hover beside it, surveying his work, but not quite certain of what it was he should be looking for. Glancing up to Scootaloo for her appraisal, he watched as she gave him a wild grin and gestured for him to get out of there. Figuring this meant she was pleased with its shape he quickly moved out of the way.

The gigantic cloud ramp curved upwards straight back up into the sky, a little larger than she first anticipated, she wasn’t sure if it would work. Maybe the board would even pass right through its fluffy surface, or maybe it would send her rocketing to the moon! She didn’t know how to tell what would be solid to a pegasus and what wouldn’t, but she did know a sure way to find out. Pulling down her flight goggles, Scootaloo brought her weight to the front of the board and plummeted full tilt towards the slope.

Then the world distorted around her. Instead of getting louder the rush of wind died in her ears, instead of speeding up the dive seemed to slow down around her, instead of a brand new experience everything seemed old and familiar. The talented young pegasus was no longer miles and miles above the ground, she was back her old scooter again. It wasn't the feeling of a weird and wobbling board beneath her as it impacted against the base of a cloud that smelled strangely of fire, instead it felt like her wheels hitting the base of the old hill near the clubhouse. Scootaloo wasn’t shooting herself back up into the sky at some outrageous speed, a streak of orange in a sea of white and blue, only ramping off the hill as she always done. Closing her eyes again, feeling the air all around her, the winged pony let the feeling soar ever higher and higher. The sensation of flapping that was tugging irritatingly on her foreleg suddenly give way, at first it was a relief to be rid of the unnatural thing that was ruining this miracle tied to a moment. Then her eyes widened as she remembered what it could be. Whipping her leg back to catch it in vain hope to snatch at it, the fabric had already blown too far out of reach!

Now the world finally caught up to her, Scootaloo was traveling at speeds she couldn’t handle, and her hind hooves slipped from beneath her. The board went sailing away, and she felt the thundering winds come back; flooding her ears and leaving the world spinning around her. Vertigo fought to take her, sending her into a tumble as she struggled to find her wing rhythm again. All of her focus disappeared with that piece of red and gold cloth wafting around far below. It's the only thing she could see, the only thing that seemed to matter.

Why?

The question in her head didn’t cause her a moment’s pause. Quickly scanning her surroundings, she tried to make mental notes of everything around her before training her eyes back on the leg band lest it get lost in the wind. The board was coming back down, and she’d have to time this just right.

Didn’t you just decide that you wanted to grow up?

Tucking in her wings and her legs, her tail swished from side to side to help control her dive. Gravity took her and she felt the vertigo lessen as she began to straighten out. As long as she wasn’t flying under her own power the sky call would go quiet. She leaned herself towards the direction she guessed the spinning board would fall.

The time of Cutie Mark Crusaders has already passed.

The board was spinning too erratically for her to easily snatch it out of the air. Through clenched her teeth she began to force herself into a tailspin to match the board’s rapid rotations, allowing her to pluck it out of the air, and hug it tightly to herself.

Wasn’t it all just pretending now anyway?

She strained in vain to stop the spinning with her tail. The strength just wasn't there, not to bring both herself and the board out of a spin! Scootaloo felt her stomach turning with the endless spiral, growing even worse as she tried to focus her eyes back on her missing accessory.

Why not just let it go?

No! She would NOT just let go! Growing up didn’t mean letting go of your past, it meant learning from it! She didn’t care if the reasons for the Cutie Mark Crusaders had become meaningless, because even if the reasons were fake the feelings were real. Even if their goals had changed and grown over time, they were still a team. Even if it wasn’t their Cutie Marks they were searching for, they could still be Crusaders. No, it wasn’t that they could still be Crusaders; it’s that they were still Crusaders. She narrowed her eyes. There was a glimpse of red and gold below the clouds.

We’ll always be Crusaders.

Her wings sprang out and the strain against them instantly knocked her backwards and up so hard that she thought they were going to tear right off! But it had managed to slow down the spin to a more tolerable speed. Only a moment, that's all she needed, just a moment to help aim her dive. She practically threw herself towards it in a diving maneuver. An orange and purple streak was left behind her, like a comet and its tail hurtling towards the ground. The clouds around her tore apart in her wake. Coming up fast was this symbol of her youth that darted back and forth on a breeze. It took all her strength just to reach out against the wind which pulled violently against her foreleg. The awkward form she now made with one leg sticking out sent her into even more of a spin. Her eyes stung, her head spun, her breath held, her teeth clenched, the speed of the spiral was tremendous, and she had to fight just to remain conscious! Then came the wet fabric slapped against her outstretched hoof.

'I' will always be a Crusader.

Scootaloo stuffed it between her and the board quickly in attempt to safeguard her precious treasure. Gasping for air that just didn’t seem to come, and her eyes rolled up to the back of her skull. This was it, this was her limit. She hoped it would be enough. Her world fell away and darkness took her.

The speeding form of a dragon came diving after her. The scene had unfolded before him, though he wasn’t sure what to make of it. Ramping the cloud as she did was probably the most awesome thing he thought he’d ever see! But then she twisted backwards for whatever reason, and the board flew away from her. At first he thought it was a wipe out and he had already begun moving in for the save, but she had more surprises in store. Next thing he knew she was dancing in the sky with her board, twirling with it like two dance partners clutched together in gravity’s grip.

Maybe it was all just another stunt she had in mind? The hesitation slowed him down, and she had already hit terminal velocity and was caught in a dizzying spin. Spike couldn’t fly faster than gravity could pull, not like Rainbow Dash. There was no way he’d be able to catch up, but he still wanted to see what she was trying to do. Entering into a spiraling comet-like dive, that looked utterly awesome, he was sure this was just some fantastic stunt she dreamed up. The swooping dragon slowed down again, and it would cost him. When she’d gotten beneath the clouds she’d sent herself into even more violent spin and then her body went limp. There was no mistaking that for a stunt! But now it was too late to catch her!

Their Captain was already in the air, but he recognized what she was planning. Rainbow Dash was going to catch the falling pegasus as directly as she could, there was no time for anything else! But at the rate they were going that would probably leave them both with awful injuries, especially with Scootaloo still spinning as she was. If only she was within reach! He was already going the same speed as her, so he’d be able to gradually control their descent! If he could just get close enough, if she would just slow down somehow!

Pee Wee was diving beside him, just as distressed over the situation. The intelligent little bird was chasing the falling pegasus just as hard as he, a little fire streak in the air, far more proficient at flying than either him or Scootaloo. An idea! Would it work? He’d never tried it on a living creature before... But Pee Wee was a phoenix; it wouldn’t hurt him at all if it didn't work. It was worth a try, anything was worth a try right now!

Swallowing the rushing air deep into his gullet, he sent it back out as quickly as he could, a rush of green flame blasted his pet, and then it disappeared much to it’s own surprise!

The young firebird found itself directly beside Scootaloo now, and it wasted no time to think about what just happened. Instead it snatched one of her wings in its talons and flew upwards, trying with all its might to pull her up. Stretching her wing out, slowed their fall, but not by much. Not by much, but it was enough. Spike was close now, very close. He pulled his head back again, and then let out another gout of magical dragon fire that enveloped them both. A few moments later and he felt a sickening torrential storm in his gut. Sick to the stomach he had never felt so full, and then the gasses deep inside him forced themselves out in a belch that went unparalleled by any that had come before in his life. Loud and long it reigned over them all, leaving him on the verge of vomiting. At the end of the disgusting display the bird and pegasus appeared in a flash right in front of him. As quickly as he could, he attempted to collect himself, reaching out to hug the spinning pair tightly to his chest. His wings went out and he pulled out of the dive, his mighty dragon strength easily pulling all three to safer speeds. Below him Rainbow Dash diverted her path, instead snatching the newly dubbed ‘sky board’ from its doom, a far easier task.

Spike and Dash landed together beside a cheering Apple Bloom and Pinkie Pie, setting down their passengers and luggage carefully.

“That was amazing Spike, I didn’t know you could do that!” Pinkie Pie jumped circles around the young purple dragon, filled with glee and relief.

“I didn’t know it either!” He barely managed to cough out, his throat felt incredibly raw. His pet phoenix flew around him in a couple circles before perching on his shoulders, chirping triumphantly. Grinning at the gloating bird, he scratched the back of its neck affectionately. “Yeah, Pee Wee, you did great too!”

“You both did. What was that filly thinking?!” His Captain glared at the form at her hooves. “She coulda got herself killed with that stunt!”

“Ah think she was trying to catch up to this...” Apple Bloom answered, having been checking up on Scootaloo, who was now sleeping peacefully in the sand. She pointed to the red and gold leg band still clutched tightly in her hoof, the symbol of the Cutie Mark Crusaders laying proudly open. The country pony smiled at the thought that Scootaloo had risked everything for it, at the same time she’d berate her as much as everypony else the moment she woke up. Losing a friend over a missing leg band was a poor bargain. Then she noticed something else, something utterly incredible.

Words left her as she began jumping up and down with Pinkie Pie, pointing to her friend’s rump where a picture was starting to appear. Everyone stared as the picture of a white cloud arching in the shape of a ramp with a board rocketing off it began colouring itself in on the fur of her flank.

“Yah did it Scoots! Yah finally found yer talent!” She tackled her unconscious friend, and hugged her as tight as she could. The sleeping form in her grip made gurgled gasping sounds.

“You might want to give her some air there, Apple Bloom.” The experienced pegasus chuckled while gently pulling her fledgling away from her friend’s death grip, who let go somewhat reluctantly. Rainbow Dash ruffled Scootaloo’s mane with her hoof and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Way to go Squirt. I’m proud of you”

A smile spread across her muzzle in her sleep, her wings flapping slightly as she pulled the leg band closer to her chest.

Chapter 10: Push to the Sky

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Chapter: 10

Push to the Sky

Time was slipping away for Spike and the rest of the new Flight Team. There were only a few weeks left before the big show, and they were officially dubbed ‘crunch time’. Each when, where, and how in the show’s narrative needed to be answered with an appropriate flying formation or maneuver. Training quickly overtook almost every aspect of their lives, and it mostly consisted of drilling the timing of every little detail deep into muscle memory. Pushing themselves to perfect each stunt along their doggedly deliberated flight path, each flap had to be carefully considered in their rigorous routines. Mornings would find them in near non-stop rehearsals of their formations, control, and flight work. Afternoons were spent under Rainbow Dash’s tenacious tweaking and honing of each of their individual talents and chosen stunts.

Evenings were to be spent with family and friends resting their bodies, and mentally preparing for the quickly approaching deadline. Left to Spike’s own devices, life questions tended to win out over thoughts of the upcoming competition, usually somewhere between his overabundance of new chores and thoughts of his future. Especially the very new and raw idea passed to him by Rarity the night of her farewell party. He was laying down on his stomach in his sparse, little room in the library, going over old stories, books, and pictures of childhood dreams that were scattered around the floor. Tossing a clawful of small, flawed jewels into his maw like a pony would eat popcorn, his gem supply had never been so huge. Usually it was curbed by their vigilance to stunt his growth, but as long as he was eating them, and not hoarding them, his body obediently remained the same size much to his relief. He thought Twilight was going to throw a fit when he first brought home the strict diet Rainbow Dash had made up. Life was inexpensive for a pony, Dash’s diet was made almost completely of grass. It sounded incredibly bland, and when asked, his Captain confirmed his suspicions.

“Just one of the sacrifices a top athlete has to make when coming down the last stretch of competition training.”

That’s what she told him, but he sensed a hint of pride hidden in her words. Scootaloo’s was a bit different; lots of grass still, but there was an equal amount of protein-filled grain, mostly to help keep up with her seemingly endless supply of energy. His own made his mouth water. Gems, jewels, and coal! Well, the coal wasn’t great. He never really liked the stuff, but it wasn’t hard to tell the difference in him after he began eating it steadily. Getting up in the morning no longer seemed as much of a chore, and he just felt like he had more energy in general than he used to. Twilight just laughed to herself and handed him back the grocery list with wink, and said it wouldn’t be a problem. Much to his surprise, it didn’t seem to be either. By the next afternoon their cupboards were filled with different flavours of cheap gems, and there was a large horse cart filled with coal in the backyard.

Spike wasn’t the type of dragon to look a gift horse in the mouth, but it had made him curious about where Twilight had attained this supply so easily. Right now, though, his attention was more focused on what sat in front of him. Each drawing depicted him in a variety of dangerous endeavors that usually involved rescuing ponies, or fighting an over-powered villain. Twilight was always trying to spend her time as efficiently as she could, often looking for ways to combine many tasks into one. For example she would concentrate her magic studies in areas that would also help her friends out of a jam. Currently Spike was trying to mimic his mentor. He wanted to do as well as he could at the competition, but unlike Scootaloo, he now knew what he wanted for himself and his future. He wanted to become the dragon in these pictures.

Combing through all the resources the library had to offer, he looked for a type of hero training he could use to help his chances in the competition, but only one thing really stuck out. Before him, separated from the rest of the scribbles were many different pictures of a dragon using fire breath to get itself out of predicaments, fighting to help extinguish fires, rescuing ponies from fiery deaths, or anything that even remotely related to fire, and there was a lot of those. It had occurred to him that a heroic dragon could fly and do stunts really well, so he was already well on the way to his first steps of hero training without ever having known it. The pictures told him he also needed to have a lot of control over his fire, coincidentally their flight show called for a whole lot of that very same thing. Especially since Rainbow Dash figured that bouts of green flame is one thing they could be absolutely sure no other flight team had.

Now everything he could find on the subject of fire control could be found hidden among the childish drawings dotting his bedroom floor. Most of the books were about training firefighters. The training to be a volunteer firefighter in Ponyville was a pretty strict one unsurprisingly. It usually involved being a pegasus of some sort, and a lot of stormcloud control. Being able to make it rain anywhere was their largest defense against the ravages of fire. Unfortunately the books were always more about prevention measures over actual fire fighting methods. He found more information in reading about famous natural disasters, which made him feel morbid for taking so much interest in them. It also made him feel anxious as Twilight would most certainly start asking questions if she seen more than one book on disasters in his room. He was currently in the middle of this one article about a forest fire they’d managed to stop by setting controlled fires ahead of it. The idea was taking away the fuel the raging disaster would need to keep its wildfire spreading before it could get there when he heard Twilight’s voice float up from downstairs.

“Spike? Are you ready?”

“Does it matter?” He muttered to himself at the interruption, standing up to make his way down. He would have liked to say his evenings were spent entirely focused on the Fledgling Flier Competition like his teammates probably did, but Spike knew he had other responsibilities too. One of his newest came in the form of a somewhat dim unicorn Twilight had recently taken in as her secondary assistant. He liked Snails well enough, he was even known to hang out with Snips and him on a few occasions. He wasn’t sure why Twilight was insisting on turning the slow-witted pony into her new apprentice, though. He wasn’t against the idea, like Snips, he had a soft spot for the guy, but it just wasn’t very much like the Twilight Sparkle he knew. Snails would never have met the checklist criteria she’d have made for an assistant, so what changed? What had been going on while he was training? How far had he fallen out of Twilight’s life? How much had his big sister grown while he wasn’t looking? His pride and joy had always been being there for her, and now...

Now he had to wonder what he was losing spending all this time away from her. He wasn’t sure he liked it. Actually, no. He was absolutely certain he didn’t like it.

He trudged down the stairs to see Snails struggling to keep three heavy books suspended in the air. They were barely wobbling and trembling in place, and there was a look of extreme concentration present on the unkept unicorn’s face. It was a surprise to see! Telekinesis was never one of Snail’s stronger spells, usually he had trouble levitating even a single homework assignment for any real length of time. The magic required focusing on the task at hand, and Snails was always quick to be distracted. Holding up three books for an extended period as he was now, was actually really impressive! It must have taken weeks of training to get to this point. A twinge of regret kicked him when he had to wonder how all this came to be when normally he’d be the first in the know.

Spike instinctively grabbed a cloth to wipe the sweat from Snail’s brow. A slight nod of thanks was the only answer from the straining unicorn as he continued to concentrate on the task at hoof. It had been a token gesture he often did for Twilight when she was in the middle of a spell that took all of her focus. He was normally treated to a smile that had made him swell with pride all throughout his youth. His sister was treating him with another one now, and it was making him blush slightly with his previous thoughts still fresh in his mind. He swiftly found out that smile could still made him swell with pride.

“What did you need me for again?” He asked while trying to mask the mixed set of feelings. It wasn’t one of the many questions he wanted to ask, but he wasn’t sure how to approach any of those subjects.

“I know you’re busy preparing for the flight show,” Twilight answered as she moved over to him, speaking quietly so as to not interrupt the young stallion’s spell casting, “but Snails and I could really go for some supper soon. We ended up skipping lunch for his magic studies.”

“Oh, right. Sure I got that. I’ll just throw on some veggie burgers and hay fries, it won’t take long.” Ducking under the arch of the doorway and into the kitchen, the young dragon opened the wood stove and awoke the sleeping embers with a quick and convenient puff of flame. He let out a long sigh as he was setting up the rest of the food he’d need while waiting for the stove to heat up. His thoughts turned away from the mundane task and towards the many adventures he had shared with his older sister. Everything had always focused on her and her friends, of course, he was just there to help. In a way that was exactly how he liked it. Just helping others when and where he could. He was the side to their show, the extra guiding claw where it was needed, the underlying support to the Elements of Harmony. It was like a not-so-secret pride, a great respect he had for himself. He didn’t need the glory, their glory was his.

Before he knew it things had changed, as they so often did in the little chaotic town of Ponyville. This time, he wasn’t the sidekick, this time he was a large part of the flight show Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo cooked up. While he always enjoyed a copious amount of attention, the idea of being the one under the spotlight was a foreign concept to him. If he was honest with himself, he preferred the role of the sidekick. It was just enough attention without all the weight of responsibility that came with making those big decisions. He was a follower, not a leader, and he liked it that way. Most of his life had been spent letting the ponies around him make his decisions for him, and most of those decisions were made by the pony he trusted more than any in the world, Twilight Sparkle. She had proven herself capable time and time again. He’d trust her to lead him anywhere, even into the depths of King Sombra’s fortress when it came down to it.

Life at the castle with Princess Celestia wasn’t anything like that, though. In fact she would usually only give him vague hints of a direction he should follow, or sometimes ignore his problems completely, expecting him to sort it all out by himself! That was a lot of pressure on a little hatchling. Comparatively, Twilight never forced him to guess at anything. She either had an answer for him immediately, or would help him search one out whenever a problem arose. In turn he’d help her research the answers to her own. It was a pretty great team up as far as he was concerned, but now he found himself apart of another team. A team that often sought his advice and was now even depending upon him to do right thing at the right time.

Pouring the fries into a pan after the stove was appropriately heated, he slid them inside to cook. He snatched the patties he had molded with experienced claws as his mind wandered, and tossed them into a frying pan that he placed on the burner. The meal was well on the way. He watched the food cook without really seeing it.

Was a hero even appropriate for him? How much would he have to give up to take on that life? He didn’t want to ever leave Twilight behind, he wanted to continue to play a huge part in her life like he always did, and to be there for her like she always was for him. He wanted to be there for Rarity too, though. His relationship with her seemed like it was picking up, finally! Was he supposed to give that up as well? From what he read, heroes normally lead a very solitary life on the road and in the sky, travelling the world looking for danger and adventure. Meanwhile Twilight’s heart was forever tied to Ponyville, and Rarity’s to Canterlot.

“Spike? Is everything okay?” Twilight asked from the doorway, worry fresh in her tone.

“Wha-?” her sudden intrusion on his thoughts caught him off balance sending him stumbling backwards and the frying pan flying into the air! With a loud thump he landed hard on his rump shaking the whole tree. The pan slammed into his face immediately after, sticking itself to his forehead with a comical sizzle and whisp of smoke. He sat up and turned his pan covered face in her general direction.

“I’m just peachy.” He said, sarcasm dripping from each word.

“Let me help you with that.” She giggled at his predicament, taking the frying pan handle in her teeth and tugging hard until it came off with a pop! The veggie burger patties still sizzled where his eyes should be. A flash of agile tongue removed them quickly, pulling them both into his mouth at the same time, and he smiled, commending himself slightly for a well cooked, if ruined, meal. Eating, it makes everything better.

“Sorry, I’ll put a couple more on right away.” He got up and fished more patties out of the freezer and set about molding them again. He was stopped part way through as he hurried to catch up to where the meal was, Twilight’s hoof against his side.

“Nevermind that for now, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Twilight.” He shrugged her question off with wide grin, “Scalding hot frying pans got nothing on dragon scales.”

“That wasn’t what I was talking about. You looked troubled about something when I came in, is there anything wrong?”

“Oh no, nothing like that, just... you know... cutting onions.” He gestured towards the condiments on the table, some of the onions had already been cut from previously made meals.

“Onions can make ponies cry, Spike, they don’t make them sad. Your tail and frills were drooping when I came in. Now talk to me.”

It wasn’t a request this time he noted, her stubborn tenacity born from years of effort in her friendship studies was making itself known as it so often did. There would be no escape without a very convincing lie, and he had no time to come up with a cunning enough deception to fool the likes of Twilight Sparkle.

“It’s just... everything lately.” He began, sitting down at the table. “The Fledgling Flier Competition, Rarity leaving, the training, Scootaloo and Dash counting on me, just... everything. It all got so complicated so fast!”

“Does any of this have to do with your old scribbles you left all over your room floor?” Twilight pulled over a chair and sat down beside him.

“Oh come on Twilight!” He promptly slapped his palm against his forehead. “Aren’t I entitled to some privacy?”

“You are my first major study project, my number one assistant, my coolest little brother, and my closest and oldest friend. So in a word? No. No you’re not. I will invade your privacy every chance I get.” She grinned, not even the slightest bit sorry. “I want to know how you’re doing, Spike, and you like to hide the most important things that bother you. I don’t want to miss out on any of them, so you’ll either have to get better at sharing things with me on your own, or you’ll never have even a shred of privacy from me.”

“I’m your only little brother.” He muttered, only half as upset as he probably should have been after hearing that. They’d always shared everything anyway, even the same room until he got too large for hers.

“Further proof of my point.” She cheered inwardly at her victory, knowing well the signs of her brother’s defeat. “Now, what is with all those pictures upstairs?”

“They’re my dream.” He blushed and shuffled awkwardly in his seat. “Rarity brought them back from the castle saying that her and the Princess think I should look into hero training.”

“Ugh.” Twilight rested her elbows on the table and covered her eyes with her hooves. “There’s no such thing as hero training, Spike! How many times have we been over this? It’s been years already, I thought we put all that behind us!”

“We did! I mean, I thought I did, but there is actually a kind of hero training out there, Twilight, in a way. Firefighters, rescue ponies, police, and guards... They don’t wear a cape, but they’re out there helping ponies, that’s all kinda what a hero does, right? Rarity thought if I trained with them I might-”

“You might what? Become some kind of superhero?” Frustration was evident in her tone, and she let her hooves fall down on the table. She was afraid of this. The moment she seen those long forsaken pictures scattered over the floor of his room, she knew it was coming. It was one of the very rare occasions she disagreed with Princess Celestia. And now it was that much worse because Rarity had taken up position on the other side of the debate. It had taken constant work to get Spike’s mind off of his hero obsessions when he was a hatchling, especially with Princess Celestia encouraging him every step of the way. It was like her mentor was blind to all the trouble Spike had gotten into in his endeavors to follow his dreams.

Twilight wasn’t as blind to it, though. Not at all. The first time it happened he jumped from the diving board, barely knowing how to swim himself. All in attempt to rescue a pony from the pool before the lifeguard could. It was the first of many troubles his hero worship would cause. The lifeguard ended up needing to save two instead of one that day. She remembered crying so hard at the time, it felt like she’d never be able to stop. The life the little unicorn had helped bring into the world was nearly snuffed out just like that. Then there were the times he tried to fly from high places with lack of wings as an afterthought, or learning about dangerous areas around the castle and testing his courage by invading them. All his self-imposed and unsupervised training more often than not left him swollen, injured badly, and sometimes bloody and broken and calling for help. It was her who was always the one to find him like that, not her mentor. It was little Twilight Sparkle who would cry herself to sleep worried about what new injury her charge had incurred, or would incur the next day.

It took years of persuasion to get him to stop, finally managing to convince her little brother to look at his role of being her ‘number one assistant’ as being her hero. After all, heroes were all about helping others, so to be one, all he had to do was to help her as best he could. She had been patting herself on the back for that perfect, little argument for a long time. Once she managed to fully explain the thought to him, the two were nearly inseparable. It was only after that she could finally count on him not to put himself in danger when she wasn’t around. And now? Now it was all threatening to begin again. She trembled a little at the thought, a thought that scared her more than any of her own adventures ever could.

“It’s not the same as before, you know?” He said quietly, hoping to allay her fears. “I’m a lot stronger now, I can fly, I’m better with my flame, and thanks to you, I’m a lot smarter about the way I do things.”

“Manticore.” Twilight muttered the single word and Spike swallowed. The mental image of him in bandages and stuck in bed invaded both their minds. The claw marks had disappeared not too much more than a week afterwards, but they were still fresh in Twilight’s imagination, and Spike knew it. He knew the moment she mentioned the creature’s name the brother she was looking at wasn’t the one that might have saved Rarity and Rainbow Dash, or held some kind of victory over the beast. It was the little brother with a broken arm and leg from a long fall. A broken, little hatchling she had rushed to after he tried to prove he could fly even without wings. It wasn’t a tale of rescue that he could be proud of to her, it was just one more time he placed himself in harm’s way and she ended up in tears over him. One among many.

“If it’s any help, Rarity didn’t give me the pictures until after the uh... manticore incident. I didn’t even remember about them until she did.” The words sounded hollow even to him. This time he had turned out okay, but what about next time? Even if he wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, whenever he did, it would be hurting her as well. He turned around, attempting to play off his inability to look her in the eye as the need to pay attention to the burgers before they burned. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero, I was just trying to protect my friends. I thought I was doing what you and the Princess would do.”

Twilight chewed her lip silently as she stared at his back. What she would do? She couldn’t deny the accusation of hypocrisy, even if it wasn’t meant to be one. How many times had he watched her risk herself for everypony else? Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and even King Sombra? She could go on. She could say that it was different, that she never came home hurt from any of those adventures. The truth was if she failed even slightly during those events she wouldn’t have had the chance to come home at all!

More to the point, she was the one who gave permission to Rarity to take him into the Everfree Forest to begin with. She thought he was capable of handling himself, and then he proved he was. So why was she so dead set against this? Why was it that this path was the last one she ever wanted to see him travel? Guards, rescue workers, firefighters? They were all very noble careers, each deserving an immense amount of respect, but why did it have to be her brother taking the risks that they would take? How many times would he get himself hurt doing that? How many times could he continue to take the risks before the odds ended up against him? She already worried enough with one brother as a guard, let alone both!

How many lives could he save?

Twilight didn’t want to ask the question; didn’t want to compare those statistics in her head. What if he saved everypony in Equestria and lost himself in the trade? Would it be worth it? It was such a selfish question the stubborn scholar couldn’t even tolerate it. She didn’t want to think about it at all, but it was also the only thought her mind would currently allow through. Standing up and made her way towards the next room, deciding to let him get back to cooking without distraction. On her way out the distraught unicorn heard him stutter an attempt at spoken word. She paused and looked over at him. He was a little too interested in the patties as he flipped them. She waited as he tried to find his voice again.

“Would you mind... waiting? In here? Just until supper’s ready?”

“Huh?” The question caught her off guard, and she turned completely around to face him.

“I just... I’d like you to stay for a bit. I guess... well, I kinda miss you, like this, just eating supper and stuff.”

“Oh Spike,” Her heart reached out to him, and her forelegs followed suit, walking over to wrap him up in a hug. “I’ve missed you too.”

As soon as the words came out, she understood how true they were. Of course she had known it all along, but it felt good saying it out loud. Her number one assistant who was always there for her, supporting her, lending her fresh ideas and perspective, and sharing the workload. With Snails and Fluttershy around to work with, his absence hadn’t been hitting her as hard anymore, not until right at that moment.

“I’ve missed you so much.” She added, giving a second tight squeeze before letting him go. “You’re right, we don’t get together enough anymore to waste it over secret pictures and plans. I barely get to see you or Rainbow Dash at all. I know you two are both working really hard for this flight show of yours, but I really can’t wait til it’s over just so I can see two of my best friends again.”

“I know. I feel like a stranger here, like I’ve lost touch with everything. I don’t know anything anymore. I have no idea why Snails is here, where you go in the morning, what you were doing all day that made you so tired, what is in all those letters you make me send to Rarity, or anything. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“It’s okay Spike,” she patted his back, “sometimes life takes the reigns from us every now and then, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing we can do about it. How about I call Snails in here, and we spend the whole evening catching up with each other? One night off together won’t throw off your training routine will it?”

“No that... that actually sounds really nice.” This time the smile he gave her was a genuine one. Probably the first true one he used all night.

******

A light blue aura surrounded the sign in the door window before the magic flipped it over. At long last the store was closed, and the grand opening of Canterlot’s Carousel Boutique was completed. The business Rarity had garnered over the last two weeks of sales, crowds, and new contacts had already drummed up substantially more than her little shop back in Ponyville. Her efforts were instantly recognized, especially with the royal seal of approval on display from Princess Cadence’s wedding gown and Prince Shining Armour’s tuxedo. For weeks before the opening she’d paid for the distribution of pamphlets, and advertised on posters all over the city. She called every contact she could remember, suggesting they drop by and bring a friend or two. To her surprise all of the princesses had shown up at some point, and the news spread like wildfire.

“An early start to this years Grand Galloping Gala.” Celestia told the press, with a wink to Rarity. The fashionista nearly swooned then and there. Her first impression ended with an amazing success, so much so in fact, she had to call in help to finish all the custom orders and requests. Her boutique was already known all over the city as the place for any and all true upper fashion needs. She even had to raise her prices for custom orders more than ten times than what she had charged in Ponyville, not because of more work or expensive materials, but purely for time. She needed a way to discourage ponies from asking before she over-scheduled herself. She was very pleased wth it all, and very, very tired. There would be no work on fashion tonight, not for her anyway. Only some time for a well-deserved break, and perhaps some brainstorming for what she considered her most important of projects that had come her way.

She smiled, excitedly trotting up the stairs to her inspiration room. There hung a large red and gold banner from one side of the very large room to the other. She walked past the marvel of expensive material without sparing it a glance, instead going straight to her sketchbook which was lying open on it’s own extravagant pedestal. Throughout the last several pages the word ‘Crusaders’ had been marked down a hundred times in a hundred different ways. Some of them were very stylish and flowing script, others were large and bold, blocky letters like you would see chiseled on ancient stone, still more had their letters stylized to resemble pictures within the word. She looked over them all before letting her magic slam the book closed in frustration.

It wasn’t her work that troubled her. In truth almost any single one of the designs would catch the attention of the ponies at the Fledgling Flier Competition, which was all that Rainbow Dash had wanted. It was the name itself she struggled with. ‘Captain Dash and The Crusaders’.

“It just doesn’t seem fair, does it Darling?” She posed the question to her cat who had tangled itself up, ruining yet another ball of Rarity’s yarn. The unicorn paid the destruction no heed. “Of course Rainbow Dash has to her have her name out in front, it will be her reputation that everypony will be coming to see. ‘The Crusaders’ isn’t a terrible name either, I suppose, and I’m certain it means ever so much to little Scootaloo. It just makes it seem like he has no part in it.”

She sat down heavily in a very extravagant, cushy chair that stood exaggeratedly tall, while overlooking the scattering of fashion materials and tools that surrounded her. Resembling a throne it sat perfectly centered in the middle of the room, where it could keep careful watch over her subjects, these tools and cloths that obeyed her every magically influenced whim. Only one of those many subjects had her attention currently; her ever-present cat, Opalescence, found herself levitating towards Rarity’s lap. The sensation of being wrapped in magic was one the feline was well used to. She ignored it for the strands of yarn that shifted with her, continuing to swat at them as they moved through the air. Rarity slowly picked the strands out of her beloved little kitten’s fur even as Opalescence continued to play. Idly teasing her cat with the loose hanging strings, she attempted to organize her thoughts about why the banner design bothered her as much as it did.

“How long has it been now?” She asked the feisty pet, “Five, perhaps six years?”

She could barely remember him waddling after Twilight Sparkle the first time they met. Of course, who could blame her? Twilight’s mane was in a such a disastrous state that she had never seen the like before, or since! Who could possibly notice her strange lizard pet following her around with that disfigurement obstructing their vision? She was used to friends having reptiles as pets anyway. Pinkie Pie would take any chance she could get to show off Gummy, Rarity simply assumed it was just some better trained alligator or something of the sort.

“How wrong could I possibly be?” She leaned her head back against the chair and smiled at the memory. Her mind turned to the week after, and that whole gala ticket debacle. It was the first design she ever made for a dragon. She thought it was adorable, he was less than enthused.

“Well, of course he was, Darling,” She explained to her cat playfully, “it was a suit designed for little colts, and the wig was probably a tad bit too far.”

A dragon with a mane, what was she thinking? Well Aquas had pulled it off well, so she assumed Spike could too, and perhaps he could. The difference being that he certainly wouldn’t want to. He’d chosen the afternoon rainstorm and isolation at the library over spending even another moment in her boutique that day. She ran her hoof through Opalescence smooth fur coat as the yarn fell away with each brush.

“He came back, though, no matter what I put him through, he always came back.” Pins in his scales, having him do all the dirty work with gem digging, why she had even put him in danger of being stolen by those dreadful diamond dogs! He hadn’t thought of it as her fault, but it was obviously so. She should have been more careful. She could take care of herself, but Spike was just a baby dragon! She admonished herself for it time and again, meanwhile he had never even noticed, instead only thinking about her welfare throughout the entire affair.

“It’s always been that way with him, hasn’t it? Lending his assistance without qualm or regret no matter what may come? An unspoken and unquestionable devotion to us and our goals.” She continued to think out loud. “And even after we called him the hero, the crystal ponies only celebrated Princess Cadence’s success. They completely ignored him.”

Letting out a small hmph there was a fresh taste of disdain left in her mouth towards the kingdom she helped to save. The whole celebration felt like a sham, as if Spike hadn’t risked as much or more than anypony else. It wasn’t as if he had any tests to pass for royalty, and certainly nopony would think less of a little dragon that decided to play it safe at home, or in the confines of the town. He just wanted to help Twilight Sparkle, and his dedication to her ended up being the key to saving the kingdom and everypony in it. The picture of his triumph was now imprinted in the stained glass windows of Canterlot Castle, something Princess Celestia had seen to immediately. In the Crystal Kingdom, though, there were no parades in his honour, no celebration of the part Spike played. She stared silently at the banner. Would he end off being left out again?

A knock on her front door below interrupted her straying thoughts. She set Opalescence back to her place on the floor, and peaked out the balcony window. A young, blue-ish furred unicorn stood outside, fidgeting as he waited.

“Oh! Snips! How could I have forgotten?” It must have slipped her mind, she arranged a train ticket for her assistant earlier to help with the unforeseeable amount of work the day had garnered. She felt the need to congratulate herself again for her ability to pick him out when she did. Another diamond she found in the rough. There was much to teach him, but given the right advice, the chance was there. He had a perception all his own when it came to clothing designs, a talent for seeing patterns in cloth, and how to use it. There could be little doubt in his ability as far as she was concerned, the real challenge was convincing him of it. He was brimming with confidence issues, his portly appearance and prior adventures in their little town had seen to that. Canterlot would be good for him when she felt he was ready. The young stallion could begin with a clean slate, away from all the negativity that followed him around back in Ponyville.

“Snips! Oh Snips! Up here, Darling!” She called while stepping out onto the balcony, waving to the unicorn, utterly oblivious to the world around him as he waited awkwardly on the Boutique’s steps. Taking a moment to trace her magic over the lock on the door, she switched it over to grant her protègè entrance. “You’ve arrived so late, I wasn’t sure if you were coming!”

“Sorry Ms. Rarity! The train had engine trouble!” He called up in reply. “How was the opening?”

“It was magnificent! But do come in Dear, lets not keep shouting to each other like this. I’ll tell you all about it once you’re inside.

And that she did, from the moment he met her by the stairs, for hours talk continued on about every little detail. To his credit, Snips managed to retain his attention for longer than usual before it drifted off to the contents of the newly furnished Boutique. He hadn’t been here before, and he was unfamiliar with the place as a whole. He regretted saying anything about it, as it turned out Rarity was happy to rectify that, gladly giving him a tour of her new abode. It seemed like she had a story behind every decision. By the time they were finished her show and tell, he had heard about every tiny detail of gossip she had managed to pick up, as well all the major and minor events of the day. Most of which was set aside into a category of his mind filled with misshapen facts that would be lost into obscurity in the next few minutes.

His mind wandered as she continued talk his ear off about the most irrelevant, to him at least, details of the opening. They ended the tour in her inspiration room, probably because Rarity did, at some point, want to talk about the designs and patterns she’d want him to get to work on back in Ponyville. The large banner caught his eye, as well as a set of ponakins clothed in vibrant dresses and accessories, and a book left open with her thoughts on scripts. He took it all in, far more interested in getting this over with. There was still another late train to Ponyville he’d have to catch, and tired was not nearly enough to describe how he felt. Then he spotted something familiar. Over in the corner there was a set of clothing supplies he was surprised to see with the rest of Rarity’s latest designs. Without thinking, he trotted over to them and stared.

The absence of her audience was something Rarity always noticed, but she smiled inwardly as she took note of what had caught his attention. Wrapping the clothing in question in magic, she held the styles up, putting them on display for them both.

“They really are well done. I was quite proud of you when I first saw them.”

“A-are they selling?” He asked nervously. They were the first line he had ever created on his own. Never really sure about getting into the fashion design business, Snips was content to put his natural talent to use behind closed doors in the Carousel Boutique. His boss would hear nothing of the sort, however, instead insisting that he work as a sales rep at the counter, and that he begin to work on his own ideas. The intent was obvious, she expected him to showcase something. He tried a few styles of dresses, but they always came out dull-looking, and no pony in their right mind would buy them. Surrounded in a store of the most beautiful and amazing of wardrobes, and working for a fashionista of exquisite taste and design, any amateurish attempts of his own fell laughably below standard. If it wasn’t bad enough he was trying to make dresses, he had become the laughing stock of his peers, not that he wasn’t already used to that from his school years.

He finally found a way to sell one of his own designs by making a section that was completely separate from the rest of the shop, a small corner with a rack filled with shirt and pant styles he’d like to wear. Rarity was somewhat put off by the new display in the store at first, but it must have grown on her, because she would constantly say how proud she was of him. Of course she also said the same of Sweetie Belle’s attempt at cooking. It was often hard to read whether Rarity was just trying to be encouraging, or if she really did enjoy the whatever it was you were presenting her with.

“Here? I’m afraid not so much.” There was no hint of disappointment in the tone of her answer, but it made him feel sick inside. He put so much work into the line, she even set aside a place for it here in her pride and joy in the heart of Canterlot. It was encouraging to see it downstairs, but apparently it hadn’t hardly been touched. He had hoped to actually be able to go back to Ponyville with something to boast about, some amount of pride.

“I guess... you should probably take the display down.”

“Yes.” Rarity nodded, putting a hoof to her chin, “It does seem a bit too drab to keep here. Well, not to worry, everything else is doing perfectly swimmingly!”

“Yeah, great.” Snips tried to keep the flat tone from his voice, this was his boss after all, but element of generosity or not, she had a tendency to either miss the troubles of other ponies around her. This wasn’t one of those times, however. She picked up on his disappointment quickly.

“Oh Darling, don’t get so down about it, I didn’t really expect your designs to sell in Canterlot anyway.”

“Yeah, that makes me feel a whole lot better.” He rolled his eyes, and turned from the line sitting pointedly in the opposite direction.

“Perhaps I should have worded that better,” fixing his back with a glare, her own tone changed, “but really, did you expect to outsell me everywhere we go?”

“Huh?” Snips paused, turning back towards her as she magically folded up his designs and placed them neatly back in the piles where he’d seen them. “What do you mean?”

“I mean my designs, of course! You silly, little thing. You outsell me in Ponyville every month! I would hope that at least in Canterlot my lines would finally overcome yours.”

“M-mine outsell yours?”

“Well of course they do! How long have you been working the counter, and you’ve never noticed? Come here, let me fetch my ledger.” Moving to her throne, Rarity sat down comfortably before levitating her book of the past years sales into her hooves. The pages flipped quickly by through use of her spell as Snips stared over her shoulder.

“Here now, you see?” She paused at a point in the book when his line first started selling. “Your little section outsells the rest of the Boutique every single day!”

“Well, yeah, but ponies only come in to get little things like t-shirts, and overalls, and stuff. Maybe I sell the odd hiking boot here and there. It’s all so cheap that if even one dress gets sold in a month and the shop makes more off it than all of my stock put together. I might sell more stuff, but it’s your designs that make the money.”

“Snips! I’m surprised at you! Your first line is selling, and you’re utterly unaware of how important that is! I wish I sold even one of my first two sets of designs, it was the third before some pony bought something that wasn’t just out of charity. Profit is no way to judge how you’re doing, it’s necessary for a business to be sure, but what’s most important are the ponies who wish to wear what you made. I’ve been trying to outsell you for months, but no matter how I tried Ponyville just wasn’t suitable to my clientele. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, Canterlot has always been where I truly belonged. As much as I dearly love Ponyville, the residents there simply have no vision for art in their clothing. They would instead prefer something a little more durable and easy to run in, I suppose. I must admit some envy over how well you’ve done there.”

“So, I am doing good?” He flipped through some of the pages himself, Rarity allowed him to take the book completely for him to browse through.

“See for yourself. My failure is all there in black and white. Truly disheartening for me, I assure you.”

“It’s amazing... I didn’t even know, but then why don’t they sell okay here?”

“It’s like I was saying, Darling, it’s all about clientele. Canterlot ponies are all about being upper class, as close to being royalty as they can be. Why, look at Sweet Apple Acres, the Apple family has no trouble selling their pastries and pies in Ponyville, but when she went to the gala, she had hardly sold anything at all. It’s all about knowing what your customers want.”

“So, since my designs are more casual wear, they’d sell better in towns where ponies are more casual, like apple pies?”

“Precisel-” Rarity’s voice caught in her throat, her eyes suddenly widened as she froze up in shock. Numbers on papers blurred through her mind, train carts filled with apples, and then the fateful image of the lonely looking apple stand outside the gala. The business pony bolted to her bedroom where she tossed the pile of Twilight’s letters into the air, leaving them suspended there caught in her magic, as she browsed through them.

“This is it.... This is what the problem is!”

“What problem? What’s going on?!” Snips hesitated at the doorway to her bedroom, nervous about following all the way in.

“The answer to Sweet Apple Acre’s problems!”

“Sweet Apple Acres has problems?” Snips tilted his head curiously.

“No.” Rarity turned with a flourish, offering him a wide smile. “Not anymore.”

“I- uh, think I missed something...”

“No time to explain! Princess Cadence is possibly still in town, Snips! We must meet her at once! Quickly, borrow one of the suits on display. Why is there never any time when you need it most?!

******

As evening fell, the day's flight training was over, and every muscle in her back stung with strain and protested the constant extra bounce in her each and every step. No amount of strain or tiredness could hold down this pegasus, though, not now, not with the newly formed image her flank displayed. Waking up after her ordeal had brought with it a change in her life, the likes of which was beyond what word could tell. Scootaloo was happy; totally, completely, and indisputably happy. In fact, she was happier than she could ever remember being before! Her parents had celebrated with her right through the night, just as proud of her as they could ever be. It was an amazing feeling, a feeling of accomplishment, of success, of belonging. She was now a full fledged pony by anypony's standard.

Her wings were far too tired to make any attempt at flying, but her heart was soaring higher than her wings could ever take her, and she happily trotted through town. Her flank, purposefully held up high, so the cutie mark would be impossible to go unnoticed, and what a cutie mark it was! A skyboard ramping along a cloud that was shaped in an arch, and a delighted additional hop entered her step as she thought about it. The fear that had held her back was gone now, she truly was made for the sky! No longer was she some strangely grounded pegasus that would never step on a cloud, but one who was meant to ride the wind like none ever had before her! Praise and congratulations were on the lips of everypony she passed. Their adoration only swelled her heart and head further. Could the day get any better?

"-and then Daddy took them for all they were worth! He told me he's going to sell their stock for at least triple the cost, that'll teach those Canterlot ponies to mess with our family."

And then it did. Catching sight of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who were walking down the street, Scootaloo beamed as she listened to Tiara's latest story about one of her father's latest deals. Apparently Filthy Rich had gotten the better of some big business Canterlot type that wasn't used to dealing with the business end of a Ponyville pony. Scootaloo grinned, she never thought there would ever be a time she'd want to run across Diamond Tiara , but now it was just too perfect.

"Serves every one of them right! You know they consider us 'hicks'? Us? Hicks? Can you imagine? I heard them whispering about us at the last Gala! I've never been so insulted!" The dramatic grimace on Silver Spoon's face and the rising heat in her cheeks spoke of an anger that boiled beneath her skin at the slight.

"Let them think whatever they want." Her friend offered a devious grin in reply, "the more they underestimate us, the easier it is to pull the wool over their eyes. Daddy says it all the time, ponies with their noses stuck in the air won't see it when you swipe their business out from under them."

"Then you two better look for a new line of work, I've never seen your noses pointed any other way." The two friends turned to look at the offending interruption. Scootaloo was grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"It only seems that way, I'm sure." Tiara smiled wickedly, "Our noses are always pointed away from you because we're trying to avoid the stench."

Glaring daggers at Diamond Tiara, the fiery pegasus searched her mind for a retort, but simply wasn't quick enough. Why did her rival have to have such a sharp wit?

"Besides, I’m not underestimating you at all! I'm banking on how profitable our latest wager is going to be for me. You know, we should really try to be more friendly towards one another," sarcasm leaked into every word, "after all, you're going to be working for me for such a long time, and Daddy says it's good business to show manners to your employees."

"Even her? That's going to take some getting used to." Silver Spoon snorted and the friends erupted in laughter.

"Daddy says this, Daddy says that." Scootaloo tried her best whiny impersonation of the frustratingly witty young mare in front of her that had made it a point to make her school days as long as possible. It sounded funnier in her head she noticed, "Can't you say anything for yourself?"

There was a returned glare even if only for a moment before the prissy pony closed her eyes and sniffed haughtily. The facade had dropped, if only for a second, Scootaloo had managed to crack the wall that was her rival's pride. She had finally struck a nerve.

"It's ponies like you that give us a bad name in Canterlot. If Ponies in this little, nowhere town bothered to listen to Daddy, my family could actually make something of this place. But certain ungrateful and uneducated misfits who have no sense of responsibility or pride in Ponyville bring our reputation down with every breath of air they breath! Why, if it wasn't for my daddy this town wouldn't be able to run for more than a couple months! And it’s all mostly because of miserable lay-abouts and blank flanks that don’t contribute!"

"Aah!" Silver Spoon gasped, pointing to the pegasus' flank, "What is that?"

Scootaloo smiled widely, standing somewhat sideways and presenting her newly won cutie mark for the world to see. This was what she was waiting for, the trademark 'blank flank' crack that Diamond Tiara would be tossing at her sooner or later.

"Could it be? Have you finally figured out something you're good at?" Tiara squinted, trying to make out the picture. "It's about time, it only took what? 6 years more than everypony else? What does it even mean?"

"That, is a 'Skyboard', and it's what's going to win our team the Fledgling Flier Competition this year! I've got a talent like nothing nopony's ever seen before, and it's purely about crazy stunts I can pull off while flying.” Gleeful pride filled shined behind every word. “I hope your getting hungry, cause you're gonna have to eat every word you ever said about me! We're not coming back without that trophy!"

"Oh, I'm so worried." Rolling her eyes, she nudged Silver Spoon, "You’ve managed to find a flying-related Cutie Mark. Of course I’m sure you’re going to be the only pegasus with one there, and like, it’s not like any of the others have had theirs for years of practice already.” Nervousness trickled around the edges of Scootaloo’s normally confident exterior. Diamond Tiara wasn’t wrong, every pony had way more practice time in the air to perfect their own stunts than she would, and she was still shaky on her gliding technique. The contemptuous earth pony must have somehow smelled the weakness, and as always she kicked for the sore spot. “Face it, you lost this bet before it was even out of your mouth! Compared to all the other competitors, your ‘sky board’ act will end up looking like another clown show, if you even manage to qualify.”

“Qualify?! We’ve got a dragon on our team, and the Rainbow Dash! You might remember her, she’s only the got the Best Young Flier trophy on her wall? We’re going to blow the competition away!”

“I suppose that’s true, with a team-up like that they’ll get past the qualifiers if only because they’ll be able to sell out.” Pushing up her glasses, Silver Spoon contemplated what that meant for the wager. Diamond Tiara was always so sure about everything it was hard to question her, and in this case she agreed completely when her friend first made this gamble. Scootaloo was in no place to make that promise, and it was her own opinion that Tiara had let the obstinate, little pegasus get away with too much over the years without paying her debts. Then things went overboard.

Over the last few months Diamond Tiara had changed her passive aggressive stance when it came to the town’s oldest blank flank. It seemed almost a sure thing that she would win the bet, and her friend started making investments towards that end! Scootaloo would be her very first employee, and she planned to have a job for her to come back to.Taking a lenient loan from her father, she began putting her entrepreneur business together. Months of checking expenses, down payments, and piecing together business plans, with her father’s advice, Diamond Tiara had become nearly obsessive about making it all come together.

And now, of all times, Scootaloo finally starts rising to the challenge? Silver Spoon began to worry. What if the famous stunt pony and dragon stole the games for Scootaloo? What if that new Cutie Mark spelled the victory? What if Diamond Tiara lost?

“Isn’t that just like you? Always depending on your friends to pull your weight. Well it won’t work this time, they might even be your downfall. Have you ever heard of a dragon in the competitions? Do you even know if Spike would be allowed to compete?”

“Rainbow Dash says they probably haven’t made any rules against it because no dragon’s ever tried.” It wasn’t easy to bite back the retort over the ‘not holding her own’ crack, but her coach had warned her not to rise to anymore baiting after she learned about the bet. She swore not to go too far with ‘Daddy’s spoiled little filly’.

“Then he’s just as likely not allowed as he will be allowed, they’ll have to judge it one way or the other! And then there’s Rainbow Dash. Of course if she gets to compete she’ll probably steal the show, but that’s a really big ‘if’. Hasn’t she ever told you ‘why’ she never won the Fledgling Flier’s competition?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“Oh, you know, that whole flight school complication? That kind of thing doesn’t just go away.”

“Are you talking bad about my Captain?!” Red flashed before her eyes and before she knew it the prissy earth pony was being held up by the scruff of her neck, her own breath was shaking in her anger, her other hoof raised threateningly, reason only just managing to give her pause. How far had Rainbow Dash gone for them? She was always there spending day and night beside them, training them, pushing them to be their best, even going as far as to discard her career just for her team. How far would Scootaloo have gotten without her help? She knew she was going nowhere without her coach, and hearing this pony, of all ponies, speak ill of her? It went too far. That cunning smile was still clinging to her face; that frustrating, taunting, know-it-all smile that Scootaloo failed to wipe off her face time and time again.

“So you really don’t know? Well it’d be rude of me to say anything more; you should go ask her about it yourself.”

“It’s rude of you to open your mouth at all.” The withering glare she tried failed to achieve any effect on the pony she held in her grip. She let the ‘royal-pain-in-her-flank’ go and instinctively looked towards the clouds in the distance where Rainbow Dash made her home.

Dusting herself off slightly, an insulting gesture suggesting that just being in contact with the ruffian was distasteful, and debasing to a degree, Diamond Tiara gave Scootaloo’s back a wicked sneer. She knew all too well about Rainbow Dash’s past. She had followed Scootaloo’s progress, and checked up on everything she did and who she contacted. Everything about the bet was already in her favour, she didn’t have to lift a hoof, not that she would have done so. Her father was against bribing, he felt it beneath the family name and, as a rule, there were far better ways to get what you wanted without spending the very money you were trying to earn to do so; for instance, learning every aspect about any wager you make. Besides, no amount of bribe money would make the odds any worse than they already were for this flight team.

“If you don’t believe me, just go and ask her yourself.” She snickered, sometimes it was all too easy to pick on the distraught pegasus. At the same time there was nothing sweeter than seeing a plan come to fruition, and watching her long time victim get put back into her place. Still, there was a new Cutie Mark in town to consider, one that would very likely be put under her employ. Her plans needed to be adjusted accordingly to the new information. Soon she would have this filly wrapped around her hoof, and the advantages of that were staggering to behold. No matter what she told Scootaloo, the truth was the pegasus was overflowing with potential.

“You sure showed her!” Silver Spoon denounced the retreating figure, “Trying to brag about something as silly as a Cutie Mark? How immature can you even get? I don’t know what you see in her, she’ll probably always be useless.”

“Silver, sometimes you tend to think so small.” Once again she had to question her own taste in best friends; hers often had trouble seeing the big picture. There was nopony more loyal though, and loyalty was a trait she treasured. Then again, not everypony could be as calculating as herself, now could they? Supposing she couldn’t hold that against her, Diamond Tiara began to explain. “Having her in my debt will give me many tools to work with. Don’t you see? The more friends she makes, the more ponies I have sway over. The more ponies they’re friends with, the more ponies I have some amount of leverage with. Even if she was worthless she has managed to get in good with the sisters of some very important ponies. A hoof hold with the Elements of Harmony? Yes please! And I’m sure don’t need to mention who the Elements of Harmony are friends with.”

“The Princesses!” The silver pony gasped, putting her hoof to her head as the realization became clear. Diamond Tiara confirmed her friend’s outburst with a confident smile.

“Exactly, talent or not, Scootaloo was never going to be useless to me. Now, with each improvement she makes of herself, the better employee I get! She can fly now, and that has some amount of usefulness on its own. The Cutie Mark she has earned herself has never been seen before! That makes it rare, and anything rare is worth bits to the right buyer.” She grinned wryly towards the empty street where topic of their conversation had disappeared into the distance. “Where you see worthless, I see an unending amount of opportunity.”

******

The early autumn sun was sinking behind the mountains on the far side of Ponyville. Streaks of red and orange light fell between lengthening shadows that traced their way across the land. Normally, that’s where she’d be right now; enjoying the light show from the best seat in the world, the one her wings allowed her. There’d be no evening flight for her though, this night like the past several weeks, Rainbow Dash would have to spend with her muzzle stuck in a book. No, not a book, a whole bunch of books. Some of the pages she’d been perusing weren’t even books yet, they were just notes for a book still to be completed! How egg-headish was that?!

The annoyed national hero rolled her eyes at the bookwork that was scattered across her room and wondered again if all this was a good idea. A weather pony didn’t offer the same excitement and esteem or the fame and glory that being a Wonderbolt would hold, but at least she never had to bother with all this reading before.

“Little late to think about that now.” She shook her head and reached over for another competition rule book. She’d been through everything Twilight could dig out and so far, so good. Nothing about dragons not joining, in fact, and the more she thought about it, the more promising it looked for Spike. Gilda, her old griffon friend, was on her team way back when. That meant it ‘was’ a cross-species competition, which was a huge load off her mind when it first came to mind. Unfortunately the rule books were pretty vague on the allowed competitors, there was a lot of wiggle room if, for some reason or another, the judges saw fit to toss out an application.

“How many rule books do they need for one competition anyway?” She skimmed through it quickly before tossing it onto a growing pile on her nightstand. Nothing about entries, and just more rules about qualification formations. Another subject of interest to her, but not tonight. She’d worry about the qualifiers once she was sure her team was allowed to join at all. The applications she’d sent out after Rarity’s Farewell party were taking their time in coming back, she could only hope Derpy hadn’t gotten involved again.

“Wait, isn’t she working the weather team again now that I’m gone?” Wondering idly what pony Mayor Mare replaced her with, she took a moment to sort her own notes about the areas the team needed to work on from Twilight’s dragon flight studies. It was strange not to think about the weather anymore, after all, her life used to revolve around that career path. Thoughts swirled towards her weather team. How were they coping without her? Were they even missing her? She hadn’t heard anything from them in quite some time, though it wasn’t strange that none had come to visit. Outside of her work with the weather her time was mostly spent practicing stunts, napping, or hanging out with the rest of her friends

“Well, they were already so perfect it was boring, whoever took that job will have a nice and cushy time of it.” Still, the breeze that drifted through the room left her ear twitching. There was something odd on the wind; something she wasn’t familiar with. Unfamiliar winds was never good news when it came to the weather around Ponyville. Their village sat too close to the Everfree, unlike the rest of Equestria, there was still some of the wild left in the weather in these parts.

This kind of thing used to excite her, but it might really throw whoever took lead now. She’d need to drop by the weather station tonight to make sure-

Then a loud, angry pounding smashed against her front door, Rainbow Dash nearly jumped right out of her fur! She couldn’t remember the last time there was a knock at her door, the idea was so foreign to her that the sound repeated itself twice more before it even occurred to her to answer. She quickly trotted into the living room before calling out.

“C-come on in! It’s open!”

The door slammed open and there stood Scootaloo, with a fire in her eyes Dash wasn’t used to seeing in her fledgling outside of practice.

“Is it true?!”

“Uh.... what?”

“Is what Diamond Tiara said true?” Scootaloo stomped into the room until she was face to face with her mentor. “Is there some pony going to try to stop us from entering Fledgling Flier’s Competition?”

“She uh... knew about that, huh?” There was no keeping the awkward smile from spreading across her face, and she scratched the back of her head nervously. “I guess I couldn’t keep it from you guys forever. That snoopy school friend of yours isn’t lying.”

“Were you planning on telling us at all? What if we can’t qualify, Captain? Who is it? Is there anything we can do?!” There was a panic in the worried fledgling’s tone that she couldn’t hide behind the anger that tried to take it’s place.

“Woah woah woah, one question at a time, Squirt.”

“Alright, first question,” the reply came with an indignant scowl, “WHEN were you planning on telling us?! After we got there and were told to go home?!”

“Well, yeah actually, that was kinda the plan.” The sheepish answer did nothing to quell the temper brewing inside Scootaloo.

“Why?! Why would you wait until it’s too late to do anything about it?”

“Because it already is.” Rainbow Dash sighed, moving over to sit by her table and gesturing for the irate pony to follow. “Have a seat Squirt, we’re probably going to be here awhile sorting you out.”

“Sorting me out?! Are you nuts? I’m not the one that needs sorting out, Captain! You’re the one keeping crazy bad secrets from your team! Why would you give us hope when you knew there wasn’t any? How could you do this to us? How could you do this to… to.. me?” Angry tears burned at the edges of her eyes and she looked away, ashamed of not being unable to hold them back. “Was it all just a joke, or some kind of prank to you?”

The slam on the table brought the young pegasus’ attention back to her mentor quickly. She expected some remorse, second guessing, or some form of pleading look from her coach, and she received not a hint of any of it. In their stead was a withering set of piercing eyes that were fixing her with an icy glower.

“Scootaloo, sit down. Now.” It wasn’t said loud, or in a shout, quite the opposite, it was said in a disturbing, quiet way that brooked no argument. Even though the rage still stormed inside her, the sudden fear that it all could end right here if she wasn’t careful grabbed hold of her anger and sat her rump down for her.

“You’re angry, and you have some right to be.” Keeping her voice calm, controlled, stern, quiet, Rainbow Dash wasn’t some wet by the ears brat leading her first couple of recruits. She’d been the lead weather pony for almost the entirety of her life in Ponyville, and she knew how to deal with angry, little amateurs second guessing her orders. Experience granted her authority, and it was something only to be used rarely and carefully. “Fledgling, as entitled as you think you are I want you to understand this. You don’t question my loyalty to my team, ever. Am I being clear?”

A nod was the only reply Scootaloo could muster the courage for.

“Good. Now I want you to answer me. Would I give up my promising career as a weather pony, three months training two of my best friends, spend all my nights reading rule books and science notes, and possibly risk my dream of being a Wonderbolt if I thought for even a second, that nothing would come of it?”

“N-no…?” She swallowed, the anger quickly seeping away.

“No.”

“T-then what about...” Finding her voice had a sudden difficulty to it.

“It’s a concern, yes, but we’ve been through worse. When we first started, two out of three of our team members couldn’t even glide, you were getting vertigo every time you spread your wings, Spike was spending more time swimming than he was flying, and I thought I wouldn’t be able to help either of you. On top of it all we all had to say some hard goodbyes to friends that have been supporting us the whole way through.” The serious tone grew light as Rainbow Dash ran through their various misadventures in her mind. “But look how far we’ve come, Squirt! You not only know how to fly, you have a sense of balance better than any flier I know, and you invented a whole new way of flying with that board of yours! In fact, you’ve got so much control over your Sky Call now, that you even ended up teaching me a couple new tricks in how to handle mine.”

“I did?” Eyes wide with wonder and excitement, the reason she came by falling flat compared to the idea that she had taught the Rainbow Dash something new about flying!

“No word of a lie.” Dash nodded, and stood up to trot over beside her protégé, “I never thought of it as it’s own song before, so I have Fluttershy looking in on all the patterns she can find in mine. You not only made yourself better for it Scoot, You made me better for it too. How awesome is that?”

“Only like the most coolest, most awesomest thing ever!”

“Nah, but it comes close.” Leaning in behind Scootaloo, she wrapped one hoof around her shoulder and stretched her other out before them both, gesturing to her kitchen but painting a different picture with words. “See yourself standing against the exhaustion threatening to take you right off your hooves, still panting, trying to catch your breath, and fur matted with sweat. You’re beside Spike and me listening to a sold out stadium of pegasi chanting our name while we hold a first place trophy over our heads. That, Squirt, would be the most awesome thing ever.”

“That is so going to happen.” Continuing to stare at the imagined scene her coach described, all doubts she had seemed to fall far away.

“Good, you just keep that victory in mind, and let me sweat the small stuff. That’s my job as Team Captain after all.”

“No.” Shaking her head to dispel day dream, Scootaloo looked up to her mentor, “Like you said, we’ve had our friends supporting us the whole way through, but maybe it’s about time we started supporting each other! We’ve been playing our parts as best as we can, but a team’s supposed to be more than that. You helped me and Spike with every problem that came our way, but we haven’t really been helping each other out very much, and neither of us have been helping you!”

“Is that what you think?” Dash stared back in surprise before smiling brightly, “You have no idea how much you two helped me, and I don’t think you realize how much you’ve helped each other. I was trapped in a job that wasn’t going anywhere before you came along with this challenge of yours. Your spirit has been putting me back on a track that I was beginning to lose sight of for awhile. I owe you a lot for that Squirt. And you and Spike would never have made it so far, so fast, if you didn’t push each other to do better every time you’re out there. Helping us out motivates him, watching him get better motivates you. Every wing beat either of you make, you owe the other for. “

“That’s great and all, but it’s only in the sky, Captain! I want to be a team when we’re on our hooves too.”

A frown replaced Dash’s smile, and a thought occurred to her that the young pegasus might have a point. How many years had she been apart of the Ponyville weather ponies, but never spent any real time with them outside of work? Maybe the reason she never had a friend darken her doorstep, was because she never sought out more than just being great at her job?

“Are you sure, Kiddo? My job isn’t exactly as fun as it looks.” heading over to her bedroom door and opening it to reveal the mountains of papers and piles of books, Dash smirked as she heard Scootaloo make an audible ‘gulp’.

“What is all this?” the fledgling tentatively peered into her idol’s room, glancing uncertainly at the array of source material scattered around.

“Well, those books on the bed are all the rule books for all the different races and competitions in Cloudsdale’s history, that bunch of papers half tacked into the wall are the notes I’ve been taking about our formation practice, and the rest of the ones on the dresser are all the science notes Twilight Sparkle lent me for her studies on dragon flight.”

“You’re reading ALL of this?!”

“Somepony’s gotta do it, and I can’t really push it all on Twilight like I normally would. She’s been way too busy lately.”

“And the rules… do they say anything about our qualifications?”

“I haven’t found anything disqualifying us so far. Some weird stuff in them though, like: Did you know there’s actually a rule against wrestling bears as part of stunt show?”

“Wrestling bears?” She paused to look back at her Captain to see if she was yanking her chain. Rainbow Dash just nodded with a shrug. “Actually that sounds pretty awesome, they’d be a tough act to beat.”

“Then that’s one team I’m glad we don’t have to face.” Laughing, Dash continued to walk over to the notes on the wall. “There is a bit of a formation problem I’ve been having trouble with where you might be able to help. You can also take a rule book or two home to browse through if you want.”

“Homework?” Grimacing for a moment before following her over the wall of notes, Scootaloo began to scan over the crude pictures and writings.

“You’re a mare after my own heart. Now have a look at these. They’re all about our gliding formations. You might notice something off about them.”

“I don’t have to look at them to know what’s off.” She gave her Captain a flat look. “They basically say I suck at gliding. You and Spike do it so easily, but I’m constantly trying to adjust myself to meet you, I look awful whenever I have to fly slowly like that.”

“And you said I wasn’t thinking team spirit enough. Like you just said, my problems are your problems, but your problems are our problems too, but you’re missing the real problem here. See these distances under you and me? This is how far I can go on average before needing a second wing beat.”

“Thirty-two meters?!” Scootaloo balked, “I got what, six? Six is all I have?!”

“Give or take…” Failing to mention that there was a lot more give than take seemed the better option here. “So, gliding is your rough spot. Don’t take it too hard, Squirt. You’re an impulsive flier and you like to move to your own beat, that’s going to make formation flying difficult, and you’ll have to work harder on it. The minimum qualification is ten meters, I’m sure you can work your way up to that over the next couple weeks with enough practice. The bigger problem is actually Spike’s.”

“Spike? But he isn’t having any trouble with gliding at all.” Looking at her fellow fledgling’s note left her kind of confused. “Why doesn’t it say anything?”

“Because he’s faking it.” A wry smile took over her features, a bit of pride slipping into her tone. “Every time he makes a wing beat, it’s perfectly synchronized with mine. He’s been trying to hide it, but I don’t think he even has a gliding limit! As far as anypony can tell dragons might be able to glide forever.”

“Jeez, how lucky can you get? How can that even happen, I mean, he’s a dragon! He weighs as much as both of us together, how can he hold himself up in the air so easily?”

“That’s where that pile comes in.” Dash pointed to the neat efficient notes piled on her dresser. “These are everything we’ve learned about dragon flight patterns. It’s all sciencey and stuff, but it’s actually a pretty cool read once you can get past that. Most of them are Twilight’s studies of Spike, so we’re not sure if it’s the same for every dragon, but we’re only interested in one anyway.”

“Alright, so how does it work?”

“Same idea as Twilight’s balloon from what I can tell. Dragon fire mixed with air makes some kind of gas inside him that makes him a lot lighter in the air than when on the ground.”

“So, the more fire he’s got, the easier it is to fly?”

“Keeping it simple, that’s why I like you. Problem is, it gets way more complicated than that, but it does all revolve around that fire of his. Have you ever noticed when you get close to him while he’s flying, the air around him seems warmer?”

“You noticed that too? It’s so weird right? Flying over him feels like you’re right on top of a big pocket of hot air.”

“That’s because you are. You probably heard Pegasi throw the term ‘thermals’ around every now and then, right? It’s short for a ‘thermal column’. They’re one of the three types of lift that keep you, and birds, and anything else in the sky that belongs there. Apparently, Spike makes his own wherever he goes! Those extra joints he has in his wings are basically for catching and controlling his own thermals. So if you combine gasses, wing control, and thermals, apparently you can even get a two ton dragon in the sky.”

“I think I liked it better when we just called it magic.” Scootaloo deadpanned, much to her coach’s amusement. “So why does any of this matter again? I thought you said it was a problem, it sounds like anything but.”

“The problem is all those thermals he’s making wreak havoc with our formations. He’s accidentally pushing you off to the side, that’s why you’re so shaky all the time. It doesn’t affect me because I’m in front, but you get caught with it during the entire flight path.”

“Wait, so the reason I suck at gliding because of Spike?!”

“I wouldn’t say that… I mean Spike isn’t helping, but no, you’re actually just terrible at gliding. Pretty much any other fledgling in the competition would be able to handle the draft Spike gives off with ease.”

“Gee, thanks.” The sarcasm wasn’t lost on her coach.

“Come on kiddo, like I said before, don’t take it too hard. We all have a tough time with one thing or another when it comes to flying. It’s just that the other fledglings have been training at this for over a year, where you and Spike will have just over a month of full on flight training. Give yourself another year and you’ll be able to handle Spike’s thermals like a piece of cake too. I’m more concerned on what we can do about it now.”

“There’s only two things we can do. Make me better at gliding or stop Spike from leaking.”

“Stop Spike from leaking?” The thought gave Dash pause. Spike needed the thermals to fly, so blocking them was out of the question, but redirecting them...

“Yeah, but at the same time, I don’t really want to.” Her coach’s response gone unnoticed, the young pegasus continued her ponderings. “I mean, my board only works on clouds and lifts, if he’s leaving a trail of lift wherever he goes, think of the stunts I could pull off!”

“Scootaloo! You’re a genius!” Grabbing a quill, she snatched a crudely drawn picture of Spike off her wall and began making adjustments.

“Naturally.” Nodding her agreement with her Captain’s assessment, Scootaloo looked over her mentor’s shoulder, trying to make out just what genius thought she had. Rainbow Dash looked back at her audience and grinned widely, and presented the new creation to her audience. The quickly drawn picture now had their draconic teammate sporting what looked to be like heavy, black, and villainous-looking armour.

******

“Fasten down the shutters! Stock the stores! Brace up the barns!” The cry of warning echoed out past the old farmhouse, over the hills, and far out into the apple orchard. The panicking, old green mare kicked open the door with a strength that belied her many years. Her white mane and tail, normally tied tightly up into neat little buns, now hung loose, leaving her looking frazzled and fearful, which indeed was not far from the case. Her trademark neckerchief was tied up awkwardly, sure signs there was a rush to her step. She stood panting in the doorway, an arm full of non-perishable goods gathered in her forelegs.

She looked this way and that out of the door before bolting for the old storm shelter built into the foundation of the old farmhouse with her precious supplies. Winona, the ever loyal Apple Family dog, was jumping around her ankles, barking excitedly and chasing after her, hoping to help in whatever way she could.

“There she goes again!” Applejack rolled her eyes, before springing into action. She snatched her up her rope with tail as she dashed by the bushels of apples she and Apple Bloom had been sorting through. Her little sister was fast on her tail, ready to play her part n the action that was sure to unfold. As Applejack ran past she called out to her older brother and her cousin Braeburn who were loudly sorting lumber onto a couple wagons.

“Big Macintosh! Granny Smith’s gotten herself loose again!”

The two cousins grimaced at each other before laying down their loads and took off after the sisters.

“Alright yah three, yah know what tah do?”

“Eeyup!” Her brother answered for the trio as they ran in a well practiced formation behind her. She began twirling the rope, and narrowed her eyes at her gran who was on her way back to the house for more supplies. The old mare caught sight of the four determined young farm ponies bearing down on her.

“You young ‘uns don’t know what yer doin’!” She shouted as she made a beeline for front door of the house. Apple Bloom was the faster of the two by far however, she squeezed past the open door before her Gran could get through, locking it behind her and sealing the poor mare outside. She quickly went to the closest window to keep an eye on how the rest of the plan went.

Her exit sealed off, Granny Smith ran from one side of the house to the next in attempt to lose her pursuers, but every path she took Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Braeburn were there until they finally had her cornered between them and the wall.

She backed up slowly as they moved in on her carefully, she was staring the three down, looking for any opening she could use between them. She jumped one way, faked another, and feigned a sprint, each attempt failed as the three expertly closed off every route she tried. Granny Smith eyed the lasso Applejack swung around slowly, menacingly.

“I ain’t beat yet!” She cried out before the spry, old mare suddenly bolted right up the wall to the low hanging roof, surprising them all. Climbing up to the roof was a skill she was well familiar with, and she could do so with ease in her younger years, long since memorizing every out of place shingle that was just wide enough to climb up. It seemed she still had enough tricks left in her to pull it off one more time. She turned to face her three onlookers triumphantly up on her hind legs and eyes closed in self admiration. “Yah see? Yah don’t be underestimatin’ me! Why, when Ah was young, Ah used tah out-race everypony in town! No one could ever come close to catchin’ yer Gran, cept this one time when-”

She felt a familiar tightness pin her forelegs to her sides when she stopped paying attention to tell her story. Her eyes opened in surprise and looked down at the lasso, now binding her. “Aw nuts...”

Applejack smiled and gave the rope a good tug, taking her right off the low roof and into the arms of the two stallions. They quickly used the rest of the rope to tie the old mare up tight, ignoring her protests, kicks, and struggles.

“Whew! Good job everypony! That was the quickest we got ‘er down yet.” Applejack congratulated her team’s efforts.

“Ah’m tellin’ yas yer makin’ a big mistake! There’s rings round the moon, and red skies in the morning! Birds are flying towards the mountains! All the cows got their backs to the Everfree! Salt’s clogged in the shakers, and now the windows are stuck tight just this mornin’! There’s a Nor’easter comin’! Yah mark mah words! Ah can feel it in mah teeth an’ mah knees!”

“Are yah sure about this sis?” Apple Bloom stuck her head out the window to listen. “Gran ain’t never been wrong before.”

“She’s been goin’ on like this since every day for the past week, ain’t nuthin come of it at all. Ah don’t know if the weather’s playin’ tricks on her signs or something, but yesterday mornin’ the weather ponies came back from every direction around Ponyville. Ain’t no storms in the works, they said, and weren’t none too pleased about bein’ sent off on a wild goose chase for days at a time. And Ah ain’t lettin’ ‘er pack up all our food stocks intah the cellar, we still got a farm tah run.”

“Even the critters are actin’ up! Look here!” Granny Smith gestured to Winoa who was indeed jumping around at Big Macintosh as he carried their hogtied grandmother back to their house.

“She’s worked up cause o’ all the ruckus yah been causin’!” Applejack called after her in frustration. Wasn’t it bad enough with the rest of the farm trouble that the Apple Family didn’t have to make more of it themselves, just when things were starting to look better? After what was being termed as ‘The Gathering in the Cornfield’,there was a bargain to see to with all the insects across their lands. They were busier than ever getting ready for harvest season with that whole new grove of land to farm and till for trees and crops. They had to go a long ways out of their way to plow it too, the bugs had chosen the west bank of the river as their new home, and it wasn’t anywhere that could be called close to the farm. Applejack wanted to make sure the bugs weren’t going to have to do their part completely on good faith. It may have been far from the farm, but her pride and gratefulness to them wouldn’t allow her to wait til next Spring before the land in the area would get its first tilling.

“Yah sure yah don’t need mah help, Cuz?” Braeburn offered once more. He’d been offering it more and more as the date of his return to Appleoosa came closer and closer. Come the next sunrise he’d be up and at the station. However, while he collected supplies over the last couple months to go back West with, he’d grown as anxious about the farm’s predicament as it’s more permanent residents. “Yah know Ah could put off the barn building a few more weeks without hurtin’ nopony, and y’all have yer hooves full here already.”

“Ain’t gonna hear no more of it.” She closed her eyes with a resolute look. “Yer all packed up and ready tah go already. Yah even got a cart on the train reserved for tomorrow, it’d be a waste o’ bits tah miss it. It’s been a rough patch here, Ah admit, but we got plenty friends helpin’ out already. Yah’ve gone and done more’n yer fair share. Yah’ve been a lifesaver ‘round here Braeburn, yah got our thanks for it too, but yah got yer own troubles tah deal with out your way. Now don’t you worry, if things get dire we’ll know where there’s help waitin’.”

“Yah just remember tah keep me ‘n mine in mind. We owe yer friends and yerself a lot, and we don’t forget our debts in Aaaaaaappleoosa” He began to make his way back into the house with Big Macintosh to help figure out a new way to restrain Granny Smith from barricading the house shut anymore than she already had. On his way in he paused by the mare in the window. “Apple Bloom, Ah’d like tah have a word with yah about yer barn designs, if yah got a moment.”

“Sure thing Cuz, anything Ah can do tah help!” The young farm pony grinned widely. She was really liking this barn project of Braeburns. Everypony looked to her to lead for once, and when you’re the youngest on a farm, authority is in small supply, and high demand. Chances to prove yourself capable only came by every so often, and those looks of admiration she’d get when working on her projects would soon be gone with her cousin. She was hoping to milk every last moment out of it it she could.

“Good tah hear it, run and get some tea on, and a bite tah eat for us. We got some business propositions tah go over, and it’s always thirsty work.”

“Business?” Both sisters’ eyes widened at the word.

“Well o’ course. Family is family, but business is business. Yah’ve gone and done good by us with all yer work on these barn designs, it’s about time we talked about what Aaaaaaaaapleoosa owes yah for it.”

Apple Bloom’s surprise slowly turned into excitement as it dawned on her what he was saying. Payment? She never really accepted payment for her work before, it was still amateurish, and more or less a favour to her just to allow her to work on the projects before this!

“Yer sure about that? We ain’t lookin’ for charity here,” Applejack eyed her well-meaning cousin suspiciously.

“Charity nuthin’! Apple Bloom’s done us well on those designs, and there’s still a lotta town to build out our way. New settlers are headin’ out all the time, and bits are being spread out far and wide to expand, expand, expand! I’m ain’t just talkin’ ‘bout barn work neither. Houses, farms, wells, ranches, an’ just about every other kinda necessity yah can think of that a town has. They all need tah be built by somepony. We got one chance tah build the place up right, and this little one’s gotta knack for it. Havin’ her involved in the city plannin’ would be doin’ good by a lotta folks way I figure it.”

Satisfied with the explanation Applejack looked to her sister. “Whatta yah say tah that Apple Bloom?”

“No need to say anything right yet.” Braeburn advised the excited younger sibling, “Business first, answers last.”

“Then Ah say, lets get down tah business!” She hooted and reared up before running to put on tea and ready some refreshments much to Applejack’s and Braeburn’s amusement.

“Ah think she’s gonna do alright for herself.” He nodded at the retreating pony’s back with a smile. “and a whole lotta others, I reckon.”

“Braeburn?” The older sibling started, trying to put thought into word for everything he’d done since he first got off the train. Taking over her chores while she was gone gem digging with Twilight, giving Apple Bloom her hoof in the door to her trade, or just being around to comfort the family in the middle of some hard knocks. She couldn’t count the number of things he went out of his way to help them with while he was busy with his own tasks, and never a complaint or sore word from him; just another smile, a tip of his hat, and another offer of help. She guessed there was only ever a single word that could encompass all that, but it never seemed enough for those that deserved it most. She said it now with all the genuine sincerity she could.

“Thanks.”

Tipping his hat, he turned and treated her to a silent smile, there was a knowing look in his eye that told her he understood how much it meant. As he turned once more to head back into the farmhouse Applejack understood something too. Sometimes a single word was all that was needed.

“AJ!” The sudden, deep bellow from inside made her wince on instinct. When Big Macintosh got loud, it was almost always filled with disappointment or anger, and there was soon to be a pretty, hard scolding to follow. Nowadays it was Apple Bloom’s antics that caused the big, red stallion to raise his voice, but more than once she too had been on the receiving end of one of his angry lectures. There was something different in his tone this time, it sounded like… surprise? She didn’t stop to think about it, rushing past her cousin who was soon on her heels. Had Granny Smith gotten past the hulking figure her brother made? The squirrely, old mare could certainly pull it off! She skidded into the kitchen ready for anything.

There her younger sister sat beside her wide-eyed grandmother who was firmly tied to a chair. Her brother looked completely astonished, standing between the two, and staring down at an opened letter on the table.

“Big Mac? What in tarnation was that about?”

“Uh, Ah read it AJ, but Ah ain’t sure Ah read it right.” He gestured to the envelope.

The return address was to Canterlot. It was a letter direct from Rarity. The Apple family hadn’t heard much from Rarity directly, it was far faster to receive by dragon mail, and so almost everything came through Twilight first. Whatever was written in there was important enough that it was sent to them first, and had left her entire family silently dumbfounded. She moved over to pick it up, and emptied the contents, several pages fell into her hoof. One looked very official, the other was unsurprisingly from Rarity. She began reading aloud so Braeburn could hear.

Dear Applejack and family,

As you know, I’ve been looking into your financial situation for these last several months, and we’ve made progress towards your gains using the dwindling gem supplies near Ponyville. I’m sorry to say that our business together has come to its end. It was a pleasure working with you and yours, my jewel stocks are full for years to come, and while I love to continue our with our agreed arrangements, I am simply afraid you’ve no longer any need of me. With the signing of the official transport and customs agreement enclosed within this letter, any further time spent mining would be a detriment to your farmland pursuits.

Applejack glanced at the official looking sheets of hard to read text, filled with blanks for signatures and dates. It would take too long to read it all, so she just read the title instead for now.

“Equestria’s Service and Goods Transportations Office? What’s this all about?” Passing the papers over to Big Macintosh to browse over, she turned back to Rarity’s letter looking for further explanation.

I have finally determined the largest difficulty your efforts have been encountering. We’ve mistakenly been under the belief that the continued disasters that strike Sweet Apple Acres on regular occasion are to blame for the lack of profit coming in to support the farm. The truth is that many farms across Equestria have equally difficult issues to attend to, though perhaps not quite so often. There is something far more simple, and devious at work here, and it is the simple concept of supply and demand. Exports of common crops to Canterlot has been at an all time low for the past couple years, due to the stigma that has come with consuming what has come to be known around here as ‘common food’. I believe it is a term you are personally familiar with from your attempt to market your wares at the Gala.

Simply put, you have unintentionally been flooding the Canterlot market with apples to the point every pony here takes them for granted! I, at first, saw this as a necessary evil that we have no control over as Canterlot is the closest, and largest city to your farm, and therefore was set up to be Ponyville’s best trading partner. I was wrong. In fact, after only a quick glance I was easily able to ascertain a better trading party that is absolutely desperate for goods. The answer surprised me, and will likely surprise you, though it should have been obvious to us both!

The Crystal Kingdom.

As it turns out, being trapped outside our realm for millennia does very poorly for a kingdom’s countryside farms, leaving them without any at all! It is still a very new market that nopony has really picked up on yet. Grasping the opportunity I have worked out a deal with Princess Cadence that will supply them with goods from your farm for as long as you maintain in good repute. This deal will require lessening the wasted amounts being sent to Canterlot, and perhaps the less commonplace they become here, the more their worth will increase for future agreements. Those thoughts, however, are for years down the road. For now, it seems your best business would be to export your business to ponies who would better appreciate it.

Princess Cadence also wished me to send along her gratitude for helping her Kingdom in its hour of need, both in its creation and now in its continued support. Between the treaty you have arranged with the insects of Ponyville, Twilight’s adjustments, and the contents of this contract terms, it all seemed a little overcomplicated to me, so I had the gentlepoines I was working with break it all down to simpler form, I hope you don’t mind that I’ve included it here.

Your ever-loving friend, and fellow Element of Harmony,

Rarity

“There she goes again! Overcomplicated nuthin’! Honestly, it’s obvious as a cat in a hen house she knows exactly what it means. She probably thinks it’d be half a week before any of us figure it out on our own. Us poor simple folk can’t even read what them big city ponies like her put down on paper, why Ah got half a mind to-” She felt her jaw go slack as she went to glare at the numbers in question, all anger forgotten in light of their presence. “I-is this right?”

“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh answered, still looking at the contents of the contract.

“Does this mean what Ah think it means?”

“Eeyup.” Her brother answered once more, looking up from the contract.

“We did it?” Biting her lip, Applejack had to put the letter down, and wipe her eyes. “E-everything’s gonna be okay?”

“Better’n okay.” Large, red forelegs gathered her in a hug. She used them to hide the tears she couldn’t stop, crying into her big brother’s chest. “If that friend o’ yours got her numbers right, this ol’ farm might never have this kinda trouble again. We might even have tah look intah expanding. Yah done good AJ, yah done good.”

As the realization set in the burden began to lift, and Applejack was only now able to feel just how much she had been carrying on her shoulders. The relief that flooded her now shook her to the core and she shook with it, sobs escaping her in spite of her best efforts. The farm was as much apart of her family as the stallion holding her, or the other ponies at her side. Their great grandfather found it, and her parents worked themselves into the ground to make sure it prospered and flourished as a resource their children’s children’s children would be able to count on. An Apple Family legacy to supply for all their descendents as long as it was taken care of, and they’d come so close to losing it all. They had nearly lost everything their parents had died for.

For months the threat loomed at the back of her mind. The stress of the secrecy kept her away from most of her friends in fear of her own honest nature giving herself away. Week after week of digging up cartloads of gems with Twilight, dragging them to the train station, all in the middle of getting everything for the harvest just around the corner, and trying to complete her regular chores on top of it all. All that was keeping her from collapsing beneath the weight of it all, was the fate that awaited her family if she stopped for even a day. Now that it was over, all that held her up was her brother’s strong legs. She was finally calming down when she felt another sob wrack her body, but this one wasn’t from her.

The strong, silent, patient, and stable figure that was often the foundation and pillar of their family was quietly weeping against her. Him too, she recognized, everything she had endured through the hard weeks he had too. Unknowingly, each had been counting on the other to manage their own sides of the puzzle that were the farm’s finances. Where she had focused on making extra money in other areas to keep the farm afloat, he had been burning the candle at both ends to figure out how to stretch the money they had. Up long before everypony else on the farm, and in bed long after, pushing papers and numbers around the best he could.

He was studying the business books Twilight had advised him to look into, and new age agriculture techniques, both mundane and arcane in nature. Any new suggestion or change for the farm that came along, he was the one that to implement it. Change came hard for her family, and none more so than for her tradition-loving big brother. It must have been exhausting. They had been holding each other up all this time, and it seemed fitting they were all that was holding each other up while the end was in sight.

“You too, Big Mac. You too.”

“Well now, this calls fer a celebration!” Their hug was interrupted by Granny Smith who was already warming up the oven and digging out the cooking pots. The chair she was tied to previously was empty, the ropes chewed through by a loyal family dog that now played at her heels. “You youngsters jus’ gonna stand there all day? We got a humdinger of a supper to make! Apple Bloom, go on and get to invitin’ folk over. We’re gonna put together a kitchen party tah remember!”

“This ain’t just some new ploy tah stock more supplies into the cellar is it?” Suspicion clouded Applejack’s thoughts concerning the old pony’s intentions. The wild goose chases she had them on lately was still fresh in her mind.

“We’ll deal with it when it comes. Way Ah figure, it was you two that pulled the farm outta hot water that Ah helped get it intah. Ah guess Ah oughta trust yah both enough tah handle whatever trouble’s headed our way like yah’ve been doin’. Jus’ don’t say I didn’t tell yah so when that trouble comes knockin’.”

“Well dang, if that ain’t good timing all around. I won’t feel bad about heading back home now that this is behind the ol’ farm. I can’t tell you all how guilty I’ve felt about hitting the road tomorrow.” Braeburn sat down with a relieved sigh. Hanging around Sweet Apple Acres had been a wild ride that he wouldn’t soon forget. Feeling a hoof tap his shoulder he turned around, surprised to see the youngest member of the Apple Family looking more angry at the news than relieved.

“Name whatever price yah want. Ah just got one condition, Ah wanna be on the train with yah come sunrise. Ah’ll go pack mah things.”

Feeling like he just got bucked upside the head, the reason she was angry became all too clear. The secret the older siblings had been keeping from Apple Bloom was out. He gave a low and quiet whistle, grimacing at the cloud that was hidden behind this silver lining. Seems not everything was solved as neatly as he first thought it was. There was going to be an apology on the horizon, and though the Apple Family farm might’ve been saved, their family was going to be one less sibling for it for a good while.

Chapter 11: Joining the Flock

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Chapter 11

Joining the Flock

The Celestial Sister of the night chased the retreating horizon, blanketing the sleeping world in her sacred power. New stars swept across the sky, seemingly twinkling into reality at Princess Luna’s passing. Some of these tiny glints of light hadn’t been seen for an age, an age of loss and of banishment, of anger and of rage. Astrologists would mark the meaning of these returned shimmering specks of heaven as a sign of a new era, one of penance, forgiveness, and friendships renewed. For so long she’d thought her artful labours above the world had gone unnoticed by her subjects below, but it only appeared so next to the sun. So much time was lost because she had counted curses instead of blessings. She had forgotten those that praised her, and continued to praise her even now. Far below, astronomers applauded her silhouette against the moon as she passed by overhead. Stargazers and poets were left in awe, and stunned into solemn silence at her fleeting image. Sailors on their ships waved and shouted their cheers; the soft shimmering of moonlight over a calm sea would be a guide over the darkest pathways of the world. None of them would be forgotten again.

However, tonight her careful work would go unnoticed by the residents of the small town of Ponyville. A small gathering of clouds had taken over the skies of the little town blowing in from over the Everfree. A team of weather ponies worked to clear them, their efforts constantly thwarted by the magic of the strange wilds where they were created. Below their toils slept a young pegasus, shedding away the exhaustion of what had been a very long day. It had been an emotional roller coaster-ride, the rigours of flight training, presenting her new cutie mark to the town, getting played by Diamond Tiara, and an awkward conversation with her coach. For once the normally energetic pony was just as tired mentally as she was physically, and the next day didn’t look any less daunting.

It was with a great sense of relief she climbed into bed as soon as she got home. A couple competition rulebooks sat unopened on her dresser across the room, but she was asleep before she could even think about reading them. Dreams of stunt ponies, phoenixes, and armoured dragons danced around in her head.

The small sound of rocks tapping against her window had no effect on the deep slumber of this tired athlete, nor did the knocking of a hoof against the window frame stir the sleeping pony. The sounds of hammers, nails, saws and screwdrivers probably should have awoken her, but it was the large splash of water over her head that finally did the job.

Scootaloo sat up sputtering and coughing at the unwelcome surprise of chilled water soaking her fur and bed. She instinctively shook, spraying water all over her bedroom before looking left and right to fix the origin of her wake-up call with the evilest glare she could muster.

“It’s about time! Ah was beginnin’ tah think Ah’d have tah drive a train through yer room tah get yer attention.” huffed her best friend in annoyance, setting down a recently emptied bucket.

“What the hay, Apple Bloom?! I was sleeping here!”

“Ah know, and it needed tah stop. Now come on before we wake yer parents.” She pushed open a poorly rebuilt window, which was wobbling in its frame, before wedging it open with a piece of left over wood from it’s new construction. Bent nails and screws, an unlevel frame, and sawdust left her window shoddy-looking and ready to fall apart at the next hint of a strong wind.

“What did you do?!” whispered Scootaloo’s as loud as she dared, pointing at the horrible offense to the rest of the house. “My parents are gonna kill me!”

“Ah’ll fix it up right later, just hurry up, this is important, alright?” Apple Bloom was already halfway out the window and climbing on to a nearby tree branch, Scootaloo’s skyboard under her arm. There was no helping it at this point. Her curiosity was piqued anyway. Rare was the time the aspiring woodworker left poor craftsmanship behind, no matter how quick the job. There was something big happening. Sighing for the loss of sleep that would be her burden for the rest of the day, she jumped out the window and took to wing. Shakily, she glided down to follow Apple Bloom as she hurried through the empty streets.

“Alright, you broke into my bedroom, woke me up in the dead of night, and stole my skyboard. You wanna tell me what’s going on?” Scootaloo said it in a whisper, as if still worried they’d wake up her parents.

“Ah’m sorry, alright? But it couldn’t wait. Ah need to finish all the adjustments on it tonight. Tomorrow’ll be too late.”

“You dragged me out of bed so you could fix my board? I appreciate the enthusiasm, Apple Bloom, but it isn’t exactly the best time for this. You don’t even need me for that; you already have all the designs written down.”

“Well excuse me If Ah wanted tah say good bye before Ah left!” The shout and glare Scootaloo earned from her friend startled her more than the bucket of cold water ever could.

“G-g-good bye? W-what are you talking about?”

“Come sun up Ah’ll be bound for Appleoosa, an’ Ah won’t be back ‘til Spring at least, and’ likely more! But if yah still wanna go back tah bed so bad, go ahead. As fer me, Ah said Ah’d have yer skyboard perfect an’ ready tah go fer yer show, an’ that’s what Ah plan tah do.” She didn’t slow down, her temper putting a sense of urgency and speed into her step.

“Wait, Appleoosa? What? Why?”

“Because… ‘cause that’s the only way Ah’m ever gonna get things tah change around here.”

Scootaloo was even more lost with that explanation than she was with the last, but she knew the look of resolve on her friend’s face when she saw it. When that Apple Family stubbornness set in there would be little use in arguing against whatever decision had been made. The morning train would be carrying off another one of her friends, and this would be the last chance to spend time with her. All thoughts of sleep were left behind as the pair made their way to their old club house.

It was the first time in a very long time more than one Cutie Mark Crusader had been at their old hanging grounds at the same time. Before her flight training started Scootaloo still came back here a lot by herself. She kept it clean after the younger foals that had taken up residence here, but she spent most of her time outside. In the work area, very little had changed. Everything seemed so nostalgic. It felt almost as if the two had stepped into their past.

Apple Bloom finally paused, taking in her surroundings before moving on to her old workbench and tool area. This side of the club had rarely seen use since they left, but it still held up well. There were easily enough tools stocked here to work on the skyboard, but it left Scootaloo wondering why they came here. It was well over a year ago now that the Apple Family had put up a workshed devoted to their youngest sibling’s aspirations, and Apple Bloom had never looked back at her old workbench since. It didn’t take long for Apple Bloom to start explaining once she finished setting up. All of Scootaloo’s questions were soon being answered to the tune of a hammer ringing out angrily as it struck against hardwood.

“-an’ turns out the farm was in this money trouble since summer first started!” Another strike of the hammer against the board’s frame forced the old bracings off, splintering the wood with a strength born from years of apple bucking. “Nopony said a word tah me about it! They purposefully went an’ kept me in the dark ‘bout the whole darn thing!”

“That’s pretty rough, but I don’t get what this has to do with you going to Appleoosa.” The sound of tearing wood caused Scootaloo to wince and look away, unable to watch the tearing up of the physical representation of the precious symbol on her flank being torn and ripped to pieces.

“Don’t yah see, Scoot? Leavin’ the farm’s gonna be the only way my family’s ever gonna show me any respect! Ah can’t keep goin’ on like this! They won’t even trust me enough tah help ‘em when things hit a rough patch!” A pry bar tore into another stubborn piece of wood and the board buckled under the harsh treatment of its creator. “Worse than that Scoot, they went out to others before they went tah me! The book worm, the clothes designer, hay, they even called out to Snails for help! Ah thought Ah was family! Ah thought Ah supposed tah be there fer them like they were fer me! But it ain’t like that. Nuthin’s like it oughta be! Ah’m still just a little filly in their eyes, an’ if Ah don’t do somethin’ fer mahself, they’ll never see me any other way!”

“Yeah, I guess I can see where you're coming from.”

Attaining respect was an obstacle Scootaloo understood too well. Everything she had been working towards over the last few months had been trying to build a sense of self-respect. Not being respected by others, though? It was never a problem she really had, outside of the rare stuck-up pony or two in town. Maybe she could have learned to fly sooner if her parents pegasi instead of earth ponies. Then they would have been able to tutor her from the start. But they did the best they could with what they had. Paying for broken scooters, dance classes, and supporting her many adventures with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they always encouraged her every step of the way.

Taking a moment to bask in the familiar, comforting sound of hammer meeting wood as Apple Bloom began to attach stronger bindings, Scootaloo leaned back and looked around the room. Even with the anger behind it, the sound of carpentry going on in the background of their old clubhouse left Scootaloo with a wistful feeling of days gone by. But then, there was something missing from the steady thumping; the hum of a quiet song that would normally contrast with the loud banging. Her eyes were drawn to the empty chair across the table; her thoughts were left to imagine the extra set of dishes that would be left in the cupboards, and the unused song sheets piled in the corner.

“It’s strange to be here without her, isn’t it?”

The question threw off the next hammer blow, sending the tool slipping from Apple Bloom’s hoof and skidding across the floor. Turning to follow Scootaloo’s gaze towards the chair, Apple Bloom nodded her agreement as she went to retrieve it.

“Yeah, it is. Yah know? There was a time she woulda done anythin’ tah trade sisters with me, now Ah’m the one feelin’ jealous over hers.”

“You’re jealous over Rarity? Things must be pretty serious.”

Just the mental image of Rarity and Apple Bloom hanging out casually in the boutique left Scootaloo holding back a bout of laughter that threatened to leave her in stitches.

“Yah say that, but Ah think there was somethin’ tah Rarity’s way of thinkin’.” Setting down the hammer by the board, Apple Bloom began to inspect her work as she tried to explain her reasoning. “It’s just that Applejack has always seen me as a little filly, and that was great when Ah was one. Rarity was always tryin’ tah get Sweetie Belle tah grow up. That really ain’t that great fer a filly that just wants tah play, but look how it worked out in the end! Now, Sweetie Belle’s out on her own tourin’ all over Equestria, an’ mah sister don’t even trust me enough tah do mah part on the farm.”

“So now you think Rarity is the better sister?”

“Ain’t no pony better at bein’ a sister than mah sister!” said Apple Bloom a little too quickly, her defensiveness kicking in naturally.It was a compulsive response, one she was used to giving. It was harder to admit the rest. “Ah jus’ guess that, you know, she’s better at some parts than others. Never thought Ah’d ever say that.”

“Then this is it. We’re all going our separate ways.” The realization hit home like a wrecking ball, leaving just as much wreckage in its wake. There was no way to stop Scootaloo’s ears and wings from drooping, “Even if Sweetie Belle was leaving, I thought at least we could always hang out. Now you’re off to Appleoosa, and Sweetie Belle’s going all over the place, maybe I should look into finding somewhere to stay in Cloudsdale just so we can say we officially scattered to the winds. Growing up stinks. Why does there have to be so many goodbyes?”

“Granny says the reason a pony goes through hard goodbyes is for the joy that comes with reunions. So that we can greet ‘em with all kinds of new stories of the things we’ve accomplished, and new things we can do.” Scootaloo felt her friend’s hoof on her shoulder, “Ah won’t be gone as long as Sweetie Belle, Scoot. And lets face it, yer flight lessons have been keeipin’ yah too busy fer us to meet up much anyway. Let’s just make sure we got some stories that rival any Sweetie Belle comes back with.”

“I think I prefer stories that we’re all in together.”

“Yeah, me too, but yah know…” Apple Bloom took a moment to tighten the leg band on the Scootaloo’s foreleg. “Every story we end up havin’ will have all three of us in ‘em, anyway. After all, no matter where we go, how we do it, or what we do, our stories all start right here in Ponyville, with each other. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are the beginnin’ of every one of ‘em, and ain’t nuthin’ that’ll ever change that fact. Besides, you wait and see! We ain’t done yet; not by a long shot. We’re jus’ takin’ some time off tah learn, that’s all.”

“I guess it isn’t so bad when you put it like that,” Scootaloo turned and hugged her friend tightly before pulling away, “but if we’re all gonna do this, then let's do this right. I need you to Pinkie promise me something first.”

“Uh… Are you sure about that? Yah know, there’s no gettin’ out of those.”

“I’m positive.” Determination and all manner of seriousness was written over Scootaloo’s expression.

“Alright, Ah guess. What is it?’

“You have to make Appleoosa great! As big and as awesome as a pioneer town can be! Make a name for yourself that leaves every other pony around proud you even walked down their street! I’ll make a real name for myself too. I don’t want to just have some funny stories to tell to each other when we get back together again. I want us to be remembered! I want to hear your story by word of mouth before I even get to see you again! Let's give the Cutie Mark Crusaders a legacy that everypony’ll know all over Equestria! Let's make a name for ourselves that nopony will ever forget!”

Apple Bloom arched her eyebrow and considered the epic promise before her, and how far the pony across from her was willing to go. Since they first met, this was how Scootaloo did things. Always taking everything to the extreme, always giving her all at whatever it was she set out to do. With that kind of attitude, her friend was already bound to make a name for herself, she was sure of it. And Sweetie Belle was going to be a star! If she didn’t go out there and give it her all, what kind of stories would she be able to bring back compared to theirs? After a long uncertain breath, Apple Bloom nodded, matching Scootaloo’s bold decision.

“Yeah, alright. It’s a promise. Let’s do it!”

“Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye. Ow!” They both winced as they finished the sacred gesture by poking themselves in the eye. Grinning at each other, the two long standing teammates spat on their hooves and clasped them together, sealing their promise in every way they knew how. One way or another, their homecoming would be a day for the trio to remember forever, and who knew? Their efforts until then might just be the pride of Ponyville for years to come.

******

“-and so, get this, she casts a spell over the doll, and tries to make the fillies fight over it so she can teach them not to!”

Snails was near in tears laughing at the stories as Spike recounted his days as “Twilight’s Assistant’. Twilight’s cheeks were burning red, but she had just completed the story of Spike’s jealousy over Owlowicious before this, so she really couldn't argue against Spike’s retelling of one of her most embarrassing moments.

In spite of being the current topic of bouts of laughter, she was having a good time. The trio had gathered around the kitchen table for supper and ended up chatting away the hours as they brought Spike up on current events, and Snail’s new emissary role between the bugs and ponykind. It felt great to talk and laugh about her adventures with Applejack and trying to save Sweet Apple Acres. From gem collecting to trying to find a pony to substitute in for Spike while he was off training, and then her correspondence back and forth with Rarity about all of her findings, it felt good to have it all laid out on the table.

In return, Spike had begun talking about his training in detail, something Twilight never once even managed to get away to see, much to her displeasure. That was a situation she would rectify shortly; the next day in fact. The closest she had ever come was when she commandeered him for an evening to have him fly a few laps around the library while she took notes at Rainbow Dash’s request. There was so much to learn about dragons, and Twilight was very quickly becoming the foremost expert in their growth and anatomy due to her unique relationship with Spike. She managed to talk with Rainbow Dash a bit about the flight show that they’d be putting on, but the details, which Twilight had always considered the most important part, were missing. What script they were using, the different stunts in the show, what would be performed when, she made a mental note of each and every new question that came up for later use. She’d be going out the next day with a prepared checklist of everything she wanted to see.

Snails looked to be enjoying himself too as far as she could tell. Stories of current events gradually gave way to the retelling of old ones. Spike was especially happy to give the lowdown of everything it took to be Twilight’s assistant. She hadn’t thought it would be as humiliating as it was. There were many things she had to correct Spike about, though. Really, just because she put it on his list of daily chores didn’t mean she didn’t know how! For instance, of course she knew how to cook! She just had no time for it! After all, cooking was just chemistry with ingredients instead of chemicals. With the large section of cookbooks at her disposal it would certainly be no problem at all to bake a cake or whatever else Spike could do in the kitchen.

One embarrassing story lead to another as Spike and Twilight traded them back and forth, each leaving the new addition to the library staff cracking up more and more.

“Dah, an’ I dought me an’ Snips had good stories. You guys are great!”

“We’ve certainly had our fair share of adventures together,” Twilight smiled fondly at her number one assistant who blushed at the gesture, and looked away. “But when you been by each other’s side as long as we have, I guess anypony would. I’m sure you and Snips have plenty of your own.”

Nodding dumbly in reply, Snails didn’t quite catch on that it was supposed to be his cue to share one. Twilight never thought she would meet a pony more socially inept than she was before she left Canterlot, and here she found herself sitting next to a diplomat that made her look like Pinkie Pie. Life was a strange path to trot.

“So umm….” A slow thought was trying to voice itself through the natural resistance of the slow-witted unicorn. It had been forming for awhile ever since Twilight had mentioned Spike’s attempts at heroics in his younger days, and his decision to renew his training towards that end. Superheroes were something that Snip and Snails had always fantasized about. It was why they had joined the Rainbow Dash fan club, and quickly attached themselves to the Great and Powerful Trixie! Everything about heroes just sounded so cool, and was so much better than anything that awaited themselves. “How do yah start hero trainin’, eh?”

“Well, Rarity thought firepony training would be a good way to go, and out of the different jobs I’ve been looking at it seems like the easiest to train for, and the one I’d learn the most from.”

“I doubt it will be as easy as you’re thinking, Spike,” Twilight interjected while rolling her eyes at the naive teenager, “and I’m pretty sure any one of those professions will teach you a lot.”

“Yeah, but out of all of them only a firepony will actually teach me more about being a dragon. It’ll help me learn how to control my own fires, and maybe even how to use my natural talents to save ponies too! A guard, or a search and rescue pony will teach me a lot about how to do their jobs, but dealing with fires might be the best way to teach me how to be, you know, me.”

The point was conceded with a nod, while Twilight regarded Spike with a thoughtful look. He really did seem to have his heart set on this, and she no longer liked the idea of stopping him. If this was what he wanted to do with his life, she should be encouraging it. No matter how dangerous it might be. Seeing her little brother put this much serious thought behind his reasons helped a great deal too. She was worried the only reason he started after this whole firepony business was because it was the first thing Rarity suggested, but those worries were being put to rest. Using this as a way to learn how to help ponies in trouble and learn more about his draconic nature at the same time was a good idea.

Arcane studies had prepared her for a dangerous life herself. Magic was heavily calculated beforehoof to determine the subsequent results of mixing elements together, but by its very nature it could often be unpredictable. Curses didn’t exist, but mistakes certainly did. There were powerful artifacts that were intended as tools for great good, like the crowns and necklaces that formed the elements of harmony, or the crystal heart of the Crystal kingdom. But these objects could be twisted to evil purposes in spite of the intentions of their creators. Sometimes a goof-up, like with her smarty pants doll, that magical lake Pinkie found, or the making of that amulet Trixie got a hold of could make what was supposed to be an item for assistance a disaster waiting to happen! Her studies were to help prevent those kinds of magical mishaps as much as they were to advance ponykind.

But this was the life she chose. Spike never chose to be a dragon, and if the instincts of his kind were left alone, he’d grow into the violent nature that held all of known dragonkind in its grip. Twilight had desperately tried to give him another option all his life, but now that it came down to his choice, the option she offered wasn’t the one he wanted.

Spike had made the decision to throw his draconic nature by the wayside when he was still a hatchling, but that didn’t mean he would toss out his desire for adventure. Her little brother had become the ultimate example that youth might rarely listen, but they will never stop watching. He often ignored what she said and went off to do his own thing, but the thing he wanted to do most of all was to be like her and their friends. The easy, peaceful life she offered him was rejected for a one of learning his limits, and protecting others. It was a life that sounded very familiar to this particular adventurous scholar.

“Then, I guess we better get prepared for tomorrow.”

Finishing off the last of her tea, Twilight stood up and moved towards the main library. If that was Spike’s choice, then it was about time to stop trying to hinder him, and instead, help prepare him for what was ahead.

“Aw, I wanted tah know more ‘bout hero trainin’, dat sounds sweeeet.”

“That’s good to hear, Snails, because you’re going to help me train one! We’ll borrow Spike tomorrow afternoon and take you both over to the old cart yard. Then you can practice moving objects, and Spike can use them as target practice, but first, we need to get some books on fire control.”

“Wait, now you’re gonna help train too?”

It was probably the last thing Spike ever expected to hear out of his sister.

“Of course! It’s the only way I can make sure it’s done right.”

“And I getta help train a real, live hero?!”

“As long as you keep trying as hard as you’ve been, Snails. But nopony can do anything if I can’t find the research material first. Now, where did I put them?” Twilight began scrounging around the main librarian’s desk.

“Oh! O-okay!” The fresh excitement in Spike’s tone was all Twilight needed to hear. She was certain she made the right decision. “I probably have them upstairs, I already found everything about fire control and fireponies the library has. I’ll just run and get them.”

“Pfft, You’re already looking in the wrong places. Spike, you’re a dragon, remember? Books on mundane fires will only get you so far! What you need are books on magical fire. Now I thought I saw ‘Mordain’s Magical Faerie Fire’ and ‘The Arcane Aspects of Incandescence and Infernos’ over around-”

“I gots one!"

"Here it is!”

Two voices rang out at once, interrupting Twilight’s search. Her assistants were at two different sides of the library pulling out the books she needed.

“How is it that every pony that walks in here can find books faster than I can?!”

******

“Are yah sure yah got everything?” Applejack called out loudly. Without waiting for a reply she immediately searched the room for anything left unpacked that a pony might need when heading out West. It wasn’t the first time she checked that morning, and at this rate she’d do it again another couple times before she was satisfied. Why did it all have to happen so fast? There was almost no time to prepare! As much as she appreciated Braeburn’s business proposal to her sister, it should have happened sooner! Not even a full day to get everything Apple Bloom would need for months? It just wasn’t right to throw all this on her so sudden!

Apple Bloom agreed too quickly the day before. That was the problem. They were busy sorting out the business side of the farm to advise her sister on what to sign and when to leave. There was no good reason that she couldn’t be off next week when they had time to get everything together, and had a proper farewell. All the excitement must have gotten to the young pony, and she just went and signed every dotted line Braeburn put in front of her. Even worse than that Braeburn was refusing to let either of the older siblings see what was on the contract. All he’d do was keep telling her to ask Apple Bloom whenever she asked.

Her brother was being pretty quiet on the matter too, but then, he was quiet on most matters if he could help it. Everything about this would be infuriating if she didn’t trust her cousin to set a fair deal for her sister. She did trust him, of course, it’d just give her peace of mind to know for certain that the filly was being taken care of.

“Ah already said Ah did!” came a frustrated shout from below, “Would yah hurry up already? We’re gonna be late for the train.”

“Well ain’t no reason to get all upset about it.” Applejack muttered to herself, grabbing another pair of overalls and several extra hair ribbons before heading down the stairs. “Look, yah forgot some clothes and Ah noticed yah didn’t bring anythin’ tah keep your hair up. Here’s a couple ribbons.”

“Ah don’t wear pants, and those ones ain’t fit me in years anyway!” A fuming Apple Bloom watched as her sister unzipped a fully packed suitcase and began trying to stuff more into confines that were already looking ready to burst. “Ah left all that stuff on purpose, I ain’t got room for it. And Ah don’t use hair ribbons anymore, see?”

“Wouldja look at that,” Applejack said. Once her attention was drawn to the red and gold fabric being used as a hair tie, she couldn’t look away. A closer inspection revealed the symbol of the crusaders, and left a nostalgic feeling swelling up inside her. She wrapped up Apple Bloom in a surprise hug, in spite of the cloudy mood she’d been in since the day before. “Now when’d yah go an’ get that made?

“It was a farewell gift from Sweetie Belle. Yah know, the unicorn that started on tour weeks ago? Ah’ve only had it in since she’s been gone.”

“Oh Ah'm sorry Sis, I shoulda noticed. Ah’ve just been so busy with all the farm trouble that Ah plum lost out on being there for mah family for a bit there. Forgive me?”

“No!”

The answer left the strong earth pony so startled that Apple Bloom was easily able to slip out of the unwanted hug.

“No?” The word dangled from her lips, unable to be comprehended. Forgiveness in the Apple Family was just a formality; it was just something they always did, no matter how badly things had gotten between family members. It was expected and to be freely given if asked for.

“No, Ah don’t forgive yah! Cause yah can’t even see what it is yer doin’ wrong!” Turning her back on her sister Apple Bloom stomped her way out to the cart with the one suitcase she’d packed herself. Her brother stood in front of the cart, already hitched and waiting for them to load it up. Apple Bloom leapt onto it easily, and set down her bag.

“What’s gotten intah her?”

“I think that’s a question you need to ask her, Cuz.” Braeburn tipped his hat in greeting as he made his way to the door, Granny Smith was hanging on his foreleg to help keep her steady.

“And you need to stop encouraging her!” Applejack glared at his back. “She wasn’t like this until yah went and offered all this hooey ‘bout goin’ West.”

“Now don’t be blamin’ Braeburn for what’s only natural,” her Gran admonished with a smile. “Our little filly is all grown up, that’s all. It’s a shame too. We haven’t heard any pitter patter of little foal hooves about these old halls in years. Ah’d like tah hear some more ‘round here at some point.”

“Not this again, Granny, Ah ain’t got time for any datin’ an’ the like. The farm keeps us all too busy.”

“Oh, don’t get your tail in a knot, Ah’m jus’ teasin yah a bit. Havin’ the leg of a young handsome stallion like this got me thinkin’.” Braeburn rolled his eyes with a smile as she chuckled at his side. “Ah know you’ll get yerself settled down when yer good and ready tah do so, Deary. Can’t force an apple to plant roots after all; can’t much force one tah stay in the tree either, Ah reckon. ”

“What do yah mean by that?”

“Ah shouldn’t have tah spell it out for yah.”

Looking back as she paused at the door, Granny Smith took her hoof from Braeburn to stand on her own. “Any apple farmer knows what tah do when there’s a tree full of ripe apples in front of ‘em. Yah gotta buck ‘em loose. There’s an apple in the cart out there that’s been sittin’ ripe in her tree for years, AJ. It’s time tah let her loose tah grow a tree of her own.”

“She’s only 16, and still got a lotta growin’ tah do!”

“An’ you were barely half her age when you went off to the big city tah do some growin’ of yer own.”

“Yeah, an’ look what happened! Ah came crawlin’ back with mah pride in mah bag. Ah don’t wanna see that happen to Apple Bloom.” Walking over to the window, Applejack stared out as her little sister continued to fume. Their brother was getting an earful, apparently. Whatever she had done wrong, apparently he’d been a part of it. As usual, the big red stallion was taking it all quietly. In fact, he’d probably get forgiven by barely saying a word. How did he manage these things so easily?

“AJ, yah gone and forgotten the most important part of yer trip.”

“Ah’m pretty sure Ah remember everythin’ about that trip, Granny. Ah don’t think it’s something Ah’m liable tah forget.”

“Got it ingrained in there pretty good, didja? Yah might jus’ remember how much yah learned from goin’ away.” Experience garnered over her many years of dealing with a stubborn family continued to guide Granny Smith’s words. It wasn’t a new idea, or the first time she had to deal with it. Sometimes ponies would become so close they couldn’t see it when a pony was changing. During those times you’d have to pry them apart before they’d see the pony they grew up next to.

“Ah did learn a whole lot. Is that what yah figure this is all about?”

“That’s what life is all about,” she said, placing a hoof on her granddaughter’s shoulder, “Ah know lettin’ go ain’t easy. Why me an’ yer brother cried so hard when yah went and moved away that time, we didn’t manage tah get nuthin’ done for two days! We had tah letcha, though, because yah had tah learn how tah live fer yerself. An’ it’s past time tah let yer sister take the lead of her own life. Yah done good by her, mah dear. She’ll do us all proud, jus’ like yah can bet you’ve done fer your parents, and just like you’ve done for me.”

“Gran-” Turning to her Grandmother Applejack could see the tears in the old pony’s eyes. She reached out to hug her, as she felt the wetness in her own. Ever since her parents passed on, they’d all done everything they could with the little filly that left behind. Maybe she just didn’t want to admit to herself that it was time for Apple Bloom to be moving on. Applejack wasn’t sure when she had grown up, but there was no mistaking that it wasn’t some little filly left waiting in that wagon outside. “Thank you, Granny. Ah think Ah needed that.”

“No child,” Granny Smith held her back with all the strength her old bones could muster, “thank you. Now you go on out there and make amends with the young 'un. Me an’ Braeburn’ll catch up.”

Applejack could only manage a nod in reply before letting go and wiping her eyes. She straightened herself out a bit before heading out.

“Sweet Apple Acres sure grows some fine Apples,” noted Braeburn, not at all referring to the orchards. He offered his hoof to the long time farm elder. She took it gratefully, patting it as she did.

“Ah think yah’ll find Apples grow fine wherever they're from.”

Outside in the cart a young pony was beginning to calm down. Talking to Big Macintosh had that effect on her; it probably had that effect on most ponies. As always he remained quiet during her rant until she had tired herself out. When at last she had, he apologized sincerely, said he meant no offense, and promised it would never happen again. Apparently Apple Bloom would be the first to know if the family was in trouble for now on. It was everything she wanted to hear, and that made it that much worse. She thought all she wanted was an apology, but she really wanted was a fight; a good and exhausting argument that would make leaving so much easier. She slumped over the side of the cart.

"Why'd yah have tah be so agreeable 'bout it, huh? Ah was good an' ready for a shoutin' match before Ah got on the train."

"Can't argue against good sense," shrugged her brother, picking a fresh piece of straw and moving it around in his mouth until it rested comfortable off to the side. "We did wrong by you, figure you got rights enough to be angry about it."

"Yah know Ah'm still leavin', though?"

"Eeyup."

"Yah might not see me for months and months! Maybe even years, who knows?"

"Eeyup."

"An' yer not gonna say anything else 'bout all this?"

"An Apple's gotta do what they gotta do." Her brother took a moment to chew on his straw in thought before he turned to face her smiling sadly, "I'm going to miss you, Sis, more than you'll be missing me. That might not seem like a lot right now, but when you've been out there awhile, I want you to remember I said that, and I meant it. Come home soon, Apple Bloom."

"Okay, that was a little better," she admitted in spite of herself. Hesitation was beginning to creep up on her with all this waiting. The closer it came to time to go, the more cold her hooves were getting. If the big, dependable stallion who she trusted all her life had said something to stop her, there was a good chance she would have listened. “Yer sure this is a good idea? Ah mean, Ah ain’t even seen Appleoosa before, and it’s a pretty big project. Do yah really think Ah can do this?”

“Eeyup.”

The simple answer didn’t comfort her as much as she hoped it would. Her brother’s way of talking sometimes left a lot to be desired.

“Apple Bloom?” She was going to ask her brother to elaborate on his reasoning before her sister called her name. Seeing her standing in the doorway the powerful desire to leave renewed itself quickly. She turned back to her brother and whispered, “How long is it tah the train station, again? Do we really have time for this?”

“Eeyup,” he answered with a closed eye grin, “We ain’t leaving until you both have a word with each other.”

“Aw shoot.” Taking a deep breath, she looked towards her sister who had made her way over. “Ah want yah tah know the only reason Ah’m talkin’ to yah is cause Big Mac said he ain’t leavin’ til Ah do.”

“Really?” Applejack laughed softly, as she looked over to her brother who stood with his eyes lazily half closed, trying to pretend for all the world like he wasn’t interested. He was failing completely. She hopped up onto the cart to get closer to the disagreeable, young mare, “Guess we jus’ have tah bite the bit and get it over with then, huh?”

“Guess so.” Refusing to look her in the eye, Apple Bloom stared off to the side of the cart. She wasn’t used to being angry at Applejack for any reason. Being the pony in trouble was her place. Now it all felt backwards. She didn’t know how to deal with it being the other way around.

“Ah owe yah an apology somethin’ fierce,” started Applejack with a long sigh, “but apparently Ah screwed up so bad, Ah ain’t even sure what Ah did exactly. Ah know Ah’ve been a bit of a pest about yah heading off, but that don’t seem like it’s enough to get yah this riled up. Ah musta done something pretty big. Ah don’t s’pose all the times I did right by yah are enough to earn me a hint?”

“Yeah, maybe.” The answer was given begrudgingly. “It might have somethin’ tah do with you and Big Mac not includin’ me in the family.”

“Ah did what now?” The very idea of that happening hadn’t crossed her mind. “Where in the world did yah get a thought like that caught in yer head? Why you’re a big apart of every Apple event that comes along and yah got tons of responsibilities around the farm.”

“Yah mean except whenever somethin’ important happens! Yah didn’t breathe a word of this money trouble tah me! Not a word, Applejack! Why?!”

“That’s what this is all about? We just didn’t wanna worry yah about it, that’s all.”

“Exactly,” pointed out Apple Bloom with a hoof directly at her sister’s chest, “Yah didn’t wanna worry me! Yah never wanna worry me! This is mah family too, an’ Ah should be as worried as everypony else when it’s in trouble! Ah might’ve even figured out a way to help if somepony bothered to ask me! But no, everypony’s like ‘don’t worry Apple Bloom, she’s too young, or ‘don’t upset Apple Bloom, she can’t handle it’. It’s always like this. Mah family only thinks o’ me durin’ the good times, never when it really counts.”

She ran out of steam and went back to looking at the hundreds of apple trees that ran along the side of the road. She folded forelegs and leaned on the side of the cart, staring at her family’s namesake. “It’s always the same ol’ thing. Don’t tell Apple Bloom, she’s still just a little filly. Ah ain’t a filly anymore, Applejack, but yah don’t even trust me tah pack mah own things. In order tah be treated like an adult, Ah have tah get away from the farm, Ah ain’t got no choice.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said, moving over to stand beside her. She chewed her lip as she thought it over. “Ah figured somethin’ was goin’ on behind all this. Ah guess Granny was even more right than Ah knew. Ah’ve been so busy thinkin’ about mah little sister, Ah didn’t notice she wasn’t so little anymore. Ah was bein’ stupid. What’s worse, Ah was always lookin’ forward tah sharin’ all kinds of adventures with yah when we got old enough. Now Ah’ve gone and missed the chance. Yer headin’ off before Ah had enough sense tah see we already were.”

“Doesn’t matter. Even if Ah stayed, yah’d still end up treatin’ me like a filly outta habit.”

“Yeah, probably,” admitted Applejack, “but yah know, Ah am proud of yah, Sis. Even if Ah didn’t show it as much as Ah should have, Ah always have been. Braeburn did some real good for Appleoosa by recruitin’ yah so fast, and this ol’ farm’s gonna regret losin’ yah to ‘em.”

“Yah really think so?” Apple Bloom finally looked up, “Ah wasn’t sure if Ah was ready fer somethin’ this big. Ah jus knew Ah had tah get outta here, and this seemed like the quickest way.”

“You know Ah do, wouldn’t have said it otherwise. Even if Ah’m pretty thick about some things, Ah am still the Element of Honesty.” She reminded her little sister with a grin. “Besides, Braeburn came all the way from his home to get advice on how tah build up that barn of his, and you were the pony with all the answers, not anypony else. Now yer gonna go out there with him, and plan out a whole town for them folk. It’ll be somethin’ tah see too, when it’s all said and done. By the time yer back, Ah bet there won’t be any way Ah could still think of yah as some little filly.”

“Ah wish Ah was as sure as all that.”

“If yah could have watched yerself grow up the way Ah did, believe me yah wouldn’t have any doubts at all.” There was an air of confidence in Applejack’s voice that was contagious, and she wrapped her leg around Apple Bloom’s shoulders as a small smile appeared on the young mare's face. “Just remember, even if yah ain’t a little filly no more, yah’ll always be mah little sister.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, it means that no matter how old yah get, Ah’ll always be allowed tah do stuff like- this!” The words and a mischievous look was all the warning she gave before pulling the Apple Bloom into a tickle fight.

“No~!” There was barely time to get the word out before she erupted into laughter and tried to wriggle away from her sister’s sudden attack. The two wrestled each other back and forth into giggle fits while Granny Smith and Braeburn mounted the cart with some of the other luggage left behind. When the two stubborn mares were finally forced to stop, they were both left breathless with giant smiles across their faces.

“Don’t… Don’t suppose… yah forgive me yet?” Applejack managed between gasps.

“Ah… Ah figure… whew, Ah figure Ah should,” wheezed Apple Bloom with a grin. “Maybe it is good tah be treated like a filly every now and again.”

“Glad to hear it,” came Big Macintosh’s low voice from out in front of the wagon. “Cause in order to make the train on time; I’m going to have to do something with you all I ain’t done since any of you were young.”

Applejack and Apple Bloom looked at each other as the big stallion shook his head with a snort and stomped his feet a couple times, preparing himself.

“W-wait a minute there, bro! You ain’t gonna-!” The two sisters barely managed to grab on to the sides of the wagon like Braeburn and Granny Smith before the big stallion reared back. With a loud whinny, he charged down the old, gravel road, the cart lurching forward behind him, bumping, jumping, and rattling loudly over rocks and potholes. Wild back road wagon rides were no new thing to any of the farm ponies, but it was something left to the joys of foalhood long ago. With every bounce, and jolt the wagon’s crew were slung about, and recalled tales of their last time barreling into town like this.

Strong as he was, even Big Macintosh wasn’t able to keep the fast pace right through town and all the way to the train station. As the scenery stopped blurring by, the sites of the little town began to hit Apple Bloom hard. With each building they passed came a memory. With each memory came the heart-wrenching thought of leaving it all behind; of leaving Ponyville behind. She hadn't had the chance to be sad about leaving her home. The decision was only made the day before, and she was so sore about being left out of the family affairs, that she hadn’t come to terms with the idea of going away. Anger had rationalized her every action, and now that it was gone she was only just beginning to understand the incredible implications.

The world was opening up, Appleoosa was going to be counting on her, and everything she ever knew was going to be beyond her reach. Important questions began to plague her. Where would she be staying? Would she be with Braeburn or would she have a place of her own? Who would she be working with? What were the ponies like in Appleoosa? Would she fit in? What would it be like to be the stranger in town? What if she ended up in a buffalo village or something, treated like Zecora was?

The distraught pony suddenly wished with everything she had that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were there for one final good bye. It would have been fitting to see her two most precious friends standing on the train platform, waving to her with her family. What would she say to them now that she was the one leaving? What would they say to her?

A yellow and an orange hoof collided together with a sense of finality.

"Lets make a name for ourselves that nopony will ever forget!”

It’s not what they would say; it’s what they had said. Straightening her hair band, and tying it a bit tighter as the sound of a train whistle blasted not far away, Apple Bloom watched the station come into view. She wasn’t about to let her friends down before she even left home. Narrowing her eyes and looking to the train that would carry her to an unknown future, a feeling of resolve settled down her stomach, and silenced the questions that had threatened to stop her just a moment ago. None of them mattered anymore. The simple truth of it was even if she wasn’t angry at her family anymore there wasn’t any other choice but to go.

There was a promise to keep.

******

There was a change in the youngest member of the flight party that wasn’t lost on the other two. After all this time of Spike showing up to practice half-beat, he was finally starting to show up practically hopping and raring to go! And now, determined expression or not, the tired rings under Scootaloo’s eyes were unmistakable. The two fledgling fliers had traded places, and restraining her facehoof over the situation was impossible. As for the dragon, she had never seen him so enthusiastic for a morning practice, or that nervous for that matter. Apparently Twilight Sparkle would be stopping by in the afternoon to watch their rehearsal. A pony could almost see the mix of dread and excitement chase each other around his head at the thought of performing in front of the librarian. The fun part was they probably wouldn’t be able to rehearse today anyway with Scootaloo in the shape she was in. The unnecessary nervousness was an entertainment value worth his weight in bits, and because of it Rainbow Dash couldn't decide if she was more annoyed or amused by the whole situation.

As always, however, her students both showed up strong in heart if not in body, and ready to learn. There was just something keener about them this morning. Their formations had gotten tighter, the flying V had increased in both speed and quality. Not enough to be ready for the qualifiers, but it was headed in the right direction! Scootaloo was a bit more stable now that she knew about Spike’s thermals. She was starting to learn how to compensate for them, and it was starting to make a difference. If only she could get the mare used to slowing down like this every day.

Spike was doggedly pursuing every technical aspect of their moves, concentrating on details he never really bothered with before. That was no surprise, Twilight was all about tiny, significant parts, and the more things he missed in the formations, the more he’d probably have to write an essay about later.

Four formations, that was all they had to cover according to the qualifiers: the horizontal and vertical flying ‘V’, and the horizontal and vertical line. The easiest time the team had was with the vertical formations. Any time they could put the dragon on the bottom, they would excel. His natural strength the thermal drafts that swirled off him gave their team an unbelievable lift advantage. Even the horizontal line worked well, because Spike had the middle spot, and the trail of lift he left behind practically dragged Scootaloo along at his pace whether she wanted it to or not. Their biggest trouble spot was the horizontal flying ‘V’. Scootlaoo was all on her own in that one and she would constantly be changing paces and shakily try to match their wing beats. Spike’s fake wing beats looked awkward, but at least it was consistently awkward, it’d be hard to spot, and this afternoon they might even have a fix for it.

The usual constant shifting in Scootaloo’s routine, however, might cost them everything on the quals. For whatever reason this morning, most of that was gone. Her wing pace was matching theirs far more easily, her speed was slowed, and most of the unsteadiness had vanished almost overnight!

Just as they broke for lunch Rainbow Dash pulled her aside privately.

“Hey Squirt, do we need to talk?”

“No, Captain. I’m good. Sorry I couldn’t dig into those rulebooks last night, I was way too tired.”

“If you weren’t reading, what were you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, trying to hide the relief that flooded her with curiosity. She was rather glad she hadn’t dished so much responsibility onto her student yesterday that it affected her performance. Then again, they could use some more affected performances if she was going to continue to fly like she did today. “You sure weren’t sleeping, that much is pretty clear.”

“Apple Bloom woke me up to fix my board before she left for Appleoosa this morning.”

“Woah! Apple Bloom went where?”

“Appleoosa. Her cousin asked her to help design the entire town since she did such a good job on the barn he wanted. It’s a pretty big deal, she’ll be gone for... awhile.” It took a moment for Scootaloo to wrap her lips around that last word. At least Sweetie Belle knew when she’d be back. With Apple Bloom, she had no idea how long she’d take.

“And she left this morning? Look, Squirt, I’m happy you’re dedicated to the team and all, but a pony has to have priorities! You should have seen her off, I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Maybe not, but she would have. We said goodbye last night, in our way. Right now she needs to focus on building that town from the ground up, and I have to concentrate on my flight lessons if I don’t want to be left behind.” A grimace overtook her features and she looked down. “Sorry for not giving it my all up there Captain. I really am bushed.”

”Bushed?” She repeated the word as it wrapped around her thoughts and squeezed out an epiphany. “You’re tired! Of course, that’s it! Why didn’t I see it before?!”

“Huh?”

“Scootaloo, you’ve never been as in synch with formation as you are today!”

“Huh?” She repeated drearily with a yawn. The words weren’t making any more sense than the first time round.

“Don’t you get it? You’re always trying so hard to glide! It’s the one part of flying you have trouble with. The reason is because you’re so used to giving it your all! Every other part of flying can benefit from that, but gliding is about being lazy and conserving your energy. It’s only really for flying long distances, or easy landings. You’re always so pumped with energy and wanting to move that it throws your entire game off. You need to calm down and just let the wind carry you. Just like you did all morning without realizing it!

“So you want me to-”

“Get up there and give me 5% or less! You need to just hang out in one spot for a few hours or so, manage that and I bet all your gliding skills will improve, like, huge!”

“Does it have to be this afternoon? All this slow stuff is putting me to sleep.”

“No way, that’s what I’m counting on. Now, I just need a way to make sure you stick to one area.” Glancing around and looking for ideas, Rainbow Dash’s eyes fell upon their team cheerleader who often spent more time interrupting their practice than she did cheering for it. She didn’t mind, though. The random obstacles they’d find in the air were good for the fledglings, it forced them to break formations and realign themselves. Falling into formation was every bit as important as the formation itself. Plus it was always fun to see what she’d come up with: a pile of balloons, a trampoline, her air bicycle contraption. You never knew what she was going to come up with next.

This morning it was all about kites, and it was a fairly impressive feat. The lower sky was being invaded by dozens of different designs, colours, and sizes of wood and fabric.

Kites, huh?

A smile crept its way over Rainbow Dash’s muzzle; the type of smile Scootaloo would probably have run from if only she wasn’t too tired to notice. She was about to call the Pinkie Pie over when Spike’s shout interrupted her.

“They’re here!”

They? The word didn’t sit well in her mind. There was no mention of Twilight bringing a friend along. Too many tongues wagging about what happened in their show might give it all away to anypony listening for that kind of thing. It was a big problem in Cloudsdale, stolen stunts or acts, or show-stealing ideas could ruin a team’s opener easily. Surprise was a great way to get the judges and audience into a show. She was probably worrying too much, this was Ponyville, an earth pony village in the middle of nowhere and a team nopony ever heard of. Not exactly the team you’d want to spend resources and time to look out for. Still, couldn’t hurt to be cautious. Rainbow Dash looked down at the new arrivals to Old Lake’s summer flight camp. The ever oblivious Snails was walking beside the librarian.

Okay, when did that happen? Isn’t he like the one pony Twilight didn’t want hanging around?

Spike had already landed with a thump to greet the two as they entered the clearing. He was waving her down. Tapping her chin in thought, she wondered which she should see to first. Since they were on lunch break, she decided Scootaloo’s gliding issues could wait until that afternoon. She wasn’t in any shape to do the fast flying stunts they’d normally be tweaking anyway, and there was no way she’d let the young pegasus near her skyboard in this state. She wouldn’t like the idea of glide practice all afternoon, but Dash couldn’t think of a better situation to imprint the right way to catch air. The fledgling would just have to deal with it. A quick dive and an easy skid landed her beside Spike.

“Hey Twilight!” She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially while Snails was distracted by a nearby butterfly hovering around his nose. “What’s with lame-brain tagging along?”

Twilight frowned and the cheerful greeting she had been anout to give Dash turned a grumbled:

“Ugh, please don’t call him that.”

“But you said that-”

“I know, I know!” Twilight was quicker than she looked when she wanted to be, and her hoof was swiftly planted over Rainbow Dash’s mouth, cutting her off forcibly. Snails looked over at the commotion the two friends were making, to see Twilight quickly remove her hoof from the pegasus’ mouth and wave cheerfully at him. Dash picked up the hint and also smiled and waved. Shrugging, he went back to staring at the butterfly, satisfied nothing worth his attention was going on to his side.

“Look, I’ll explain it all later. Right now, it’s enough to know that I was very wrong about him, and that I have hired him on as my assistant-in-training, okay?” Her whisper came out sounding more pleading than Twilight would have liked.

“Alright, but I want explanations right after we’re done here, cool?”

“Sure, yes. Absolutely, I’m definitely uh, cool with that. Just keep the putdowns to a minimum, alright?”

“Yeah, no worries,”

Breaking away from her secret whisperings with Twilight, she spoke up clearly now. “So, I’m sorry to say, there won’t be any flight show rehearsals today. Scootaloo tired herself out last night, and it’d be too dangerous to pull any of the real moves this afternoon.”

“What?” Spike shouted. His nerves had been shot all morning over this, and now it wasn’t even going to happen? “When did we decide that?!”

“Pretty much right after you both showed up this morning. But thanks for all that extra enthusiasm, big guy.” Watching him slap his forehead and slide his claw down his face as he realized she had been playing him only made her grin widen all the more.

“Feel free to come back tomorrow Twilight, we’ll definitely have a rehearsal then. In fact, why don’t you surprise us throughout the week!”

The dragon’s eyes widened and he frantically waved his arms back and forth behind his boss in a ‘stop’ gesture. Rainbow Dash just closed her eyes, ignoring his pleas, and spoke that much louder, keeping one eye slightly open, just to watch his reaction. “I’m sure Spike would really appreciate it!”

Spike’s arms fell to his sides and he slumped over, fixing his devious coach with the flattest look he could manage.

“Worst. Captain. Ever.”

Twilight held a hoof over her muzzle as she tried to hold in her laughter, knowing all too well the face Spike was probably making behind her back, even if she wasn’t quite sure what it was about.

“That’s okay. We have a couple other plans for Spike this afternoon if you’re not using him too much. Don’t worry-!” Twilight cut off her friend’s automatic denial before it was even out of her mouth, “It actually has a lot to do with helping out your flight show. He said you were going to use his fire breath for some of the stunts, right?”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Then it’s perfect! You wouldn’t want him melting the judges by accident! All we’re going to be doing is going over to the old cart yard to practice his aim. If you want, you can come along and oversee it with us. Maybe you can help him practice aiming while in flight!”

“The old cart yard, eh? Lots of scrap metal lying around that place.” A thought was growing in her mind.

“Umm, yeah, but don’t worry! We’ll be careful!”

“Oh, yeah. Careful, sure, that’s a good thing.” Dash said, waving the concern off dismissively. Her thoughts were pushing towards the makeshift armour they could strap to Spike. “You know what? Sounds good. We’ll move afternoon practice over by the cart yard. I’ll let the other two know!”

Taking to the sky over to the high dive cliff edge where the others awaited, she rubbed her hooves together. The Sisters were smiling on them today, she couldn’t believe how perfect everything was coming together!

“With a little more luck and a little more effort we might be able to pull this whole thing off!”

******

Dear Rarity

I hope this letter finds you well. I have to apologize for not writing as much lately. Training has pretty much taken over my entire life now that Twilight’s gotten involved, and I haven’t had as much time to get back to the library desk. It’s all going great though! After finding out what the script was about Twilight was fascinated by the idea, and insisted on joining the team as a narrator during the show. Pinkie Pie was a little disappointed at first because she was doing the introduction during our practices, but then she realized it gave her a chance to cheer from the stands that much more and she perked right back up again.

Flight training is back to being as difficult as it used to be again. Mornings got a lot easier after I finally figured out how to stay in the air because we mostly practice formations and gliding for Scootaloo’s benefit. Not to brag, but I thought gliding was a snap. Apparently our esteemed Captain noticed I was having an easy time and decided she didn’t like that. Now I have to fly with my weight worth of metal strapped to my sides and back! She calls it cool-looking villain armour, and said I need it since I’m playing the villain. Really it’s just a bunch of melted, metal slag left over from my fire control training at the old cart yard. At first I thought it was a really cool idea, but turns out it’s really heavy, and moving in it is really awkward let alone flying. It’s also always falling apart. I don’t think going into the show looking like I’m wearing a bunch of rusted metal that’s always falling to pieces is going to impress anypony.

Fire control lessons are going a lot better. I can even hit a target on a dive now! Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with everything I’m learning. Twilight has me teleporting entire carts now! Almost all of them have stopped coming out on fire even! They’re just a little charred on the side. If I push out the flame while I’m flying, it will spiral in a trail behind me. I don’t think it has much real use, but it looks cool, and Scootaloo came up with a way she can use it with her board. Actually there’s going to be lots of fire all throughout the show. All the heat it gives off makes it easier to fly apparently, and even easier for Scootaloo to fly her skyboard. That sky board is really awesome, I can’t wait until you see it, you’ll really be blown away by the stunts she can perform.

Scootaloo’s gliding really started hitting its stride today! You wouldn’t believe how Rainbow Dash decided to start training her. I was standing around the cart yard waiting for Snails to start up his magic (it can take quite a while) when I see one of Pinkie Pie’s kites looking awfully familiar in the sky. A second look showed it was Scootaloo! Her wings and limbs were stuck open, and bound by ropes to a stick behind her! She was held in place by a spool of string in Pinkie’s hooves. It didn’t look practical, but you can’t argue with the results! Our formations are so much stronger now it’s hard to believe we’re the same team as bef-

The sudden sound of a large pile of something smashing against the floor made Spike jump right out of his seat and sent his quill slipping from his claws and rolling across the page. His ink bottle spilled over and put a couple hours’ careful work to waste. With a frustrated sigh, he crumpled up the letter into a paper ball and threw it harder than necessary to the overfilled trash can to the side; leaving it to join the many others by the wayside.

“Snails! Tell me it did not just happen again.” He called out as he left his bedroom to find his fellow assistant sprawled out on the floor beneath a large number of new encyclopedias. Claws on hips, he took a moment to observe the unicorn’s predicament. It seemed all too familiar to him, if he was honest with himself, but then, who wanted to ever be that honest?

“Um, yeah,” Not the first time trapped under a stack of books this evening, Snails looked up pleadingly to his would-be rescuer. “Could uh, I get a hoof here, ya think?”

Folding his arms and looking away from the pathetic figure his new partner made on the floor, he tried not to remember all the times he was caught underneath the weight of a bunch of unwieldy books. Without looking he offered the distressed pony his tail, and pulled him free once Snails latched on.

“Whew. Danks a bunch, Spike.” Standing up, he shook off the dust from the floor purely out of habit, Spike guessed. There was never any dust worth noting on the library floor, Twilight Sparkle would make sure of that. “Guess I goofed up again, huh?”

“You think?” Spike shook his head, as he bent down to start putting the books back in the mostly empty box Snails must have been trying to pick them out of. Picking it up with ease, he looked around for their possible destination. “Where are they going, Snails? I’ll help.”

“Ya will? Sweet! Da boss wants dem all down by her desk, ya know? Someding about ‘quality control’?”

“Yeah, Twilight likes to make sure all the new entries meet the standards of the old copies already on the shelves. If they don’t meet her expectations they’re shipped off again. If they do, she’ll copy all her notes in the definitions into these new ones. Editing encyclopedias is kind of her hobby, if you can call it that.”

“Ugh, dat sounds like da most boringest thing I ever heard of, eh.” Snails shook his head, his disgust evident on his face.

“Somehow I don’t think it’ll ever catch on.” Spike agreed with a grin as he led the way down stairs. It actually did feel pretty good to have Snails hanging around every once in a while, if only to have another pony to talk with about Twilight’s strange habits. Then he paused, thinking about the scene he just came upon. Why was the box still upright? If you were going to spill books on yourself, normally the box would be tipped over. The books that were left in the box were all still neatly placed too! “Wait a minute, Snails, did you try to pick up all the books in the box at the same time?”

“Dah, yeah,” he said. Rolling his eyes as he followed the dragon, he nearly bumped into him when he stopped abruptly, “It’d take forever if I only did one at a time.”

“Well, did you think to just take down the whole box at once?”

Watching Snail’s facial expressions as the idea took hold was priceless. On anypony else, you’d think they were coming to some great life-changing conclusion that would benefit all of ponykind. For Twilight’s new apprentice, it was every time you had a thought that hadn’t occurred to him, and those were fairly commonplace.

“Wow! I never dought of dat! Just put ‘em down Spike, I’ll take care of dis!”

Spike hid a smirk as he set the box down for the pony to pick back up again. It took several slow minutes of magic chugging away and concentration for the box to slowly begin lifting. The wait was normal and he had gotten used to the slow-starting grasp of Snail’s magical senses while at the cart yard.

“There. You see? You’re getting it. I bet that’s a lot easier.”

“Huh, yeah! It is! No more goofing around for me, eh! I’ll just take a whole whack of dem at once from now on.” The box of books rode higher and levitated behind the Snails, who marched along in front of it proudly as if pulling a slow moving cart behind him.

“You might as well start moving the whole shelf of them over to her. She’s eventually going to want to browse every section anyway!” Spike called out jokingly as he watched him go. Glad it wasn’t him for once, he turned to go back to his letter. Helping Twilight Sparkle was an honour and a pride, but there were precious few moments he had for his own interests anymore. Besides, writing to Rarity was way too important to put off any longer than he already had.

He quickly moved back to his room and began tenaciously tracing the rough draft of his letter once more. It was a couple more hours of work before Spike had finally caught up to where he was before. After finishing up some added descriptions of a few of Scootaloo’s more cool stunts, he put the good copy securely away and studied the rough draft, tapping the end of the quill against his snout. It was mostly about his flight training, and really there was a lot more than that going on. Rarity also said she wanted to know his troubles, and what was on his mind. His new partner under Twilight was the most pressing matter to him currently, and he’d barely mentioned Snails in the letter so far. Shrugging, he put quill back to parchment.

I should mention that Twilight’s new assistant is doing pretty well. Snails is just as goofy as you’d expect him to be, and he fouls things up a lot. I did a lot of that myself when I was first starting out. He gets a better grip on his magic control a little more every day! I’m not sure if it’s Twilight’s teaching strategy or if he just has a knack for it. In either case, I think ponies are going to be really surprised how far he’ll go. It’s all pretty contradictory to his grades. Twilight retrieved them from the school so she would have an idea of where he was at. Mostly she all she found out was that he failed his magic test abysmally. It wasn’t what you could call helpful.

As far as I’m concerned he’s doing great. Like I mentioned, Twilight has him helping me out with my fire control lessons! Twilight has him magically lifting and moving my targets all over the place like a game, and it’s getting harder to hit them the more he practices. Rainbow Dash suggested we turn it into a daily contest thing, complete with its own reward system.

Snails has to try to keep his targets safe from me by hiding them and moving them around the old cart yard, and I have to spot and melt them. As long as I melt more targets than he manages to get away from me, I win. I almost always win. I think we need to change the rules to favour him a bit, but Dash was adamant about specifically not doing that for some reason. Whatever the case, every time I win, it means Snails has to take up the majority of the assistant duties that evening.

It took a while to get used to the idea that he’d be staying here, and I wasn’t sure I’d liked sharing my time with Twilight. Does that sound weird? We’ve been alone working together for so long that even just getting a pet was kinda disturbing. It’s hard to imagine where I’d be without her, and I’m not sure what she’d do without me. If you asked me a couple months ago, I’d have the answer straight away. Now, I think she’ll actually be okay. She’s managed every test Celestia has pushed her into, and every obstacle that came her way. I was there for a lot of it, but I really do believe she could have done it on her own with some help from you guys. Between Owlowiscious and Snails, I’m not entirely sure she needs me anymore. Especially not once Snails has been fully trained.

I certainly don’t need to be by her side every day like before, but I also don’t want that to end. I liked being by her side. It was always somewhere I knew I belonged. Maybe she can get by without me, but I think I might go crazy if I didn’t have her to come back to. I’m starting to wonder if this whole flight lesson was a good idea. I like training, and Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash are great! But if it comes at the cost of my home, I’m not sure it’s worth-

“Snails! What do you think you’re doing?!”

The startling shout sent his quill tearing through his rough draft. Spike leaned back in his seat, holding up the neatly torn parchment, nearly in tears. His head whipped towards the doorway as he crumpled the paper up and threw it on the ground with all the strength he could muster! It made an unsatisfyingly soft and low bounce. Ignoring the newly crumpled attempt at a letter he stomped his way to the stairway, half a mind to chew both of them out. He’d be up with this stupid letter for the rest of the night at this rate!

What he saw was so surprising it stole any thought of rage from his breath. Snails stood on the stairway, an entire library shelf, completely filled with books floated awkwardly above him. Twilight was on the main floor staring up, utterly terrified.

“Dah, I’m just getting all dem books like ya asked me to. Don’t need to get all mad and stuff, eh.”

“B-b-but you can’t carry all that! I-it’s too heavy for you!” Twilight stuttered out, obviously still trying to comprehend what it was she was seeing.

“I can’t?” Snails looked up at the bookshelf, then back at Twilight, suddenly confused as well. After a small attempt at trying to work it out in his mind, Spike could see him give up with a shrug. “Oh, okay.”

He turned around and marched the gigantic bookshelf right back where he got it. He tried to set it down roughly where it had been. The bookshelf rattled loudly as it landed, but surprisingly none of the books fell. Spike felt his jaw go slack; a cursory glance to Twilight showed her expression matched his own.

“How did you do that?” Twilight ran up the stairs in leaps and bounds, studying the bookshelf itself as if it held some secret. Lifting it up, and turning it in the air, this way and that as she looked for some hint or clue of what just happened.

“I just did what you and Spike told me to do. You said ‘get these books, Snails’ and Spike was like ‘you might as well move da whole shelf of dem, ya know?’” His impression of their voices was unflattering at best. “So I was bringing down the shelf.”

“It was just a joke! Really! I didn’t mean it like, well… like that!” Spike gestured to the bookshelf in question as Twilight looked over to him for an explanation, “any pony with sense wouldn’t take the whole thing at once!”

“Interesting,” smiled Twilight as she set down the shelf herself, and took a moment to observe the pony in question. “Snails, that was amazing.”

“Uuh, it was? But you do dat kinda thing all the time, eh.”

“Yeah, but that’s because Twilight’s even more amazing,” laughed Spike as he walked over to pat him on the back, “and it took years for her magic to get that strong.”

“I think we need you to retake your magic exam.” Rubbing her chin in thought, Twilight began to smile. It was a smile that spoke of a whole new study project, of crazy experiments and data gathering, and all the excitement that was to follow with the assembling of information to attain the final result. It was a smile Spike recognized all too well. He slowly backed away from Snails who was still unfamiliar with this side of Twilight, silently apologizing to his new partner for abandoning him to his fate.

“I, uh, I gotta go finish that letter now Twi. Y-you two have fun.”

She barely spared Spike a glance as books about magic theory began floating around her, quickly flipping through pages as regarded her latest curiosity. Snails sat down, and leaned close to the floor, his attention caught by a beetle that happened through an open window, completely unaware of the foreboding feeling that any other pony would be getting right then as Twilight’s shadow began to pass over him.

Spike slipped through his door, and pushed it quietly closed. Turning back to the scattered papers and scrolls lying by the low candlelight illuminating the room, he took a seat at his desk. His vigour towards finishing the letter was suddenly renewed as he tried to not picture Snails bound to the chair in the basement with electrodes all over him, and all that crazy magic energy sizzling all around. That chair was still warm from the last time he had to sit in it, and the whole mood of the place sent a chill down his spine. Twilight had never done anything harmful or anything of the sort to those that were invited to the basement, but she did give off this uncomfortable scent of ‘crazy’ when down there. It was something he tried to avoid whenever possible. He put quill to page, hoping to leave that all behind.

“Well, at least I got something else to write about, I guess.”

******

Setting down her tea cup, Rarity glanced at the over-filled teapot left on the burner. There was always too much left over lately, as if she was expecting company. It was something of a habit she had developed in Ponyville. In the little town anypony at all would often stop by for tea at any time of the day, and share the latest word of gossip. Now its fate was to be unceremoniously dumped down the sink. Even if there were ponies that would stop by, it was never for tea. Rarity didn’t really have time to entertain them if it wasn’t a business related purpose. Instead her days and nights had been completely devoted to fashion.

An understanding of just how Twilight had become socially crippled while living in a city of socialites began to sink in. Life in the heart of Equestria was the very opposite of Ponyville, where jobs were mostly necessity orientated and there wasn’t enough work to go about to keep the whole time occupied for most of a work day. Canterlot was full of opportunities, and a seemingly endless stream of work. For workaholics like Twilight and herself, there was enough to occupy a pony for a lifetime and again so long as you had the right set of skills. It was the education capital of Equestria with entire libraries that were sometimes focused just on particular subjects if the subject was broad enough! It was also the fashion central for the most elite of the elite, where everypony that could afford to do so had a wardrobe at least the size of their bedroom. They were always craving the new style of the season. It would be so easy to lose yourself in the workload.

Rarity was beginning to understand as great as sales had been there would simply be no way for one pony alone to be on top of it all. It was a rare thing for a business to be so successful after just opening, but royal recommendations stretched a very long way in Canterlot. The royal family rarely related themselves to any commercial product because other businesses would complain about the unfair advantage. When Princess Celestia and Luna stopped by the one time, it was most likely as a gift for her services to Equestria as one of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. Apparently, Princess Cadence wasn’t as much a stickler for the unwritten rule because while she was visiting the kingdom, she stopped by several times, not just as a friend either. The Princess was coming with a business proposal every time she entered the shop.

It had taken years to train crystal ponies to the point they could have royal guards of their own and as it turned out, the usual royal armour designs did not wear so well on their crystal coats. New designs for the crystal pony guards were needed, and nopony worked with gems and crystals in their fashion as much as Rarity did. As obvious a choice she may have been for this task, it still seemed unfair to the other designers who were vying for the contract. Rarity hadn’t even thought to make a bid on the contract; she hadn’t even known there was such a contract! Still she couldn’t just turn away a friend. Princess Cadence had come in with the designs the other ponies had presented her with, and they all seemed to have an imbalance between fashion versus function. Some looked nice but would just get in the way, others were perfectly functional, but were just so drab!

Now, Rarity and Snips were currently looking into different armour designs used throughout the ages for inspiration. Snips’ services had, again, been called in from Ponyville to help her work her way through the hefty weight of orders that continued to come in. Counting on his flair for functional wear, Rarity tasked him to research which types of armour they could use as a foundation to work off. As for herself, she was concentrating on art designs and patterns that could be used with whatever set of armour her assistant came up with. They had spent most of the night working together on this one project. She was happy because it meant having somepony to share her tea with, but what she was really wishing for right now was a letter.

Two weeks had passed since Rarity received word from Spike. It wasn’t like him to be late, and she had begun to worry in spite of how often she assured herself it was probably nothing. After all, if there was anything wrong her friends would notify her. Of course, if they did notify her, it’d normally be through Spike. So if he was what was wrong they’d have to go through the regular mail. Regular mail would take a little over two weeks. Two weeks had passed. Snips hadn’t been any comfort, either. All he could say was that no dragon had been seen in Ponyville for a month, but he said the same for Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Scootaloo, and to his own worry, Snails.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, those letters had become her lifeline to a life outside of work. Twilight’s letters had completely stopped after being informed that the farm had been rescued from its predicament. Rarity hadn’t realized how much she was actually looking forward to them night after night. After the letters stopped coming in she had finally understood how lonely it was in this big city so far from home, and how much she was depending on her correspondence with her friends to keep her sane.

A part of her was worried that she had called Snips in for the week just for the companionship. It’d take more time to go over the designs with him by dragon mail, but it could have been done. Every day he spent here was a day the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville would be closed. It was not a decision she made lightly, and she hoped it wasn’t personal feelings that helped her to come to it. That would be an amount of unprofessionalism she could not afford.

“I think we got this figured out!” yawned Snips as he came down stairs, holding up a sketchbook with some scribbling on it that looked somewhat like a pony. Unfortunately when it came to designs, his talents were function alone. It was a shame how far more artistic endeavors were beyond his skill. If one could manage through his chicken scratch there would probably be a good idea in there somewhere, but it took quite some time before she’d grown accustomed to his notes. “It looks like those giant plates are the biggest problem. Throwing on some fabric underneath so it slides along their crystals easier like you said, would work, but the big plates don’t slide well enough. They’re just too heavy. If we use something like this scale mail stuff with the cloth, they ain’t going to chip the pony like the usual royal armour.”

“Are you sure, Darling?” She studied the awkward notes. Remembering what she knew of this scale mail. It didn’t look as bulky as was the preference for most of the guard. Less bulky tended to mean less safe, as far as she knew about such things. “Will they be as well protected as our guards with something like this?”

“No,” Snips shook his head with a frown. “But they’ll be safer than they would be trying to use armour that doesn’t fit them. On the other hoof, they’ll be way faster than our guards without all the extra weight.”

“If that is our best option, I’m sure I can put something together, but I’ll have to send word to the Princess. She may be disappointed by the idea.”

“Well, if she is, let some blacksmith pony deal with it. I’m pooped. We got enough orders on our hooves as it is! Most of them we haven’t even looked at because of this one.”

“I suppose. I just hate to leave a client unhappy.”

“If we keep going at just this one all night, nopony’s gonna be happy with us.”

A sudden burst of green flame interrupted Rarity's response. Her blue aura sprung from her horn and reached out, catching the scroll in the air. It had become a habitual response at this point. At last! Elation and relief came with feeling its weight in her magical grasp. Everything was alright at home, or at least well enough that Spike could finally send a letter.

“Holy Horse feathers!” Snips was somewhat less than relieved at the letter’s dramatic entrance. Large portly frame or not, he had jumped into the arms of a posing Ponykin which thus far seemed to boast the strength to hold him. Rarity made a mental note of its high quality, and decided she’d continue to buy from that particular line. Snips stuttered out in his surprise. “W-w-w-w-what in the world was that?!”

“Why, it’s just a letter from Spike, Darling.” Holding out the scroll for him to inspect, she lured the frightened unicorn down from his perch. “You see? Nothing to afraid of.”

“Hey! I wasn’t afraid! I was just-” Snips racked his mind searching for what he just was, “-surprised! I mean, it’s just a green fireball that came out of nowhere. What pony would be afraid of that? When did he start sending you letters anyway?”

Allowing him his false bravado, and ignoring that his legs were still shaking, Rarity instead turned her focus the scroll before her. “My dear Spikey-Wikey has been sending me these perfect little updates from home ever since the very first week I moved. He’s been keeping me informed of everything that’s been going on whenever he gets the chance.”

“And,” Snips paused mid-sentence as he thought about this, “you like that?”

“Why, yes! Of course I do! There’s absolutely nothing more important to me than my friends, and it has been difficult being away from them.” This line of questioning left her a little confused. Who wouldn’t want to receive a letter from a friend? And why was Snips so interested? It wasn’t like he knew anypony that had left town, except for maybe her little sist-

Oh! Her smile widened as she paused to eye him up and down. I see.

His cheeks began to glow red as if he somehow knew she had just read his mind. Now, she always had her suspicions, but she never pursued the matter believing that her sister could work things out on her own. But then, Sweetie Belle did have a tendency to be oblivious to such things. She was always too absorbed in those capers with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to notice. Maybe some pursuit was just what the matter needed.

“You know, I always write back a reply as quickly as I’m able. I’m sure anypony in the same situation as I would do the same.” Rarity suggested as she purposefully turned away to let the idea sink in. She focused her attention onto contents of Spike’s most recently sent affections. That wonderfully flowing script was back again. Her name adorned the top once more with a sense of exquisite beauty, a lovely ever-flowing thin-to-thick-to-thin-again line that started at the ‘R’ and never stopped until it reached the flourished ending of the ‘y’. Furthermore, she noted, he had almost developed his content to meet the high standards he had set for her name. This time the letter would be framed.

“So, umm, what kind of things does he say in it?”

She had finished skimming over the letter before Snips managed to find his voice again. There wasn’t extremely private matter anywhere as far as she could tell. Certainly there’d be no harm in showing him. Unrolling the scroll completely for him to inspect, Rarity turned around with what she hoped looked like an innocent smile. Her interference with her sister’s love life was most definitely something Sweetie Belle would not enjoy hearing about. Snips wasn’t the most astute of unicorns, though, and the temptation to help was just too much to let go. She should be able to sneak in a few tips without drawing anypony’s notice. Besides, in her opinion, Spike made a perfect example of how to win a lady’s affections in spite of any odds.

“Would you like to read it with me?”

“That’s alright with you?”

“I’d be happy to share. In fact, it seems that part of the letter has to do with your friend. He’s doing astoundingly well in his new apprenticeship. Twilight seems to have high hopes for him.”

“No kiddin’?” Reading through the letter himself, Snips sat down with a smile. “Would you look at that? He’s actually pulling it off. I always knew he could, but I was beginning to wonder if anypony else would ever figure it out. Did you know he was the first in our class to learn magic? He was using light spells while we were still trying to lift pencils.”

“Really? But Spike said he failed his magic tests.”

“Snails failed all of his tests. His mind likes to go wandering without the rest of him, if you know what I mean. He was always pretty easily distracted by whatever ant was hanging around. Any beetle or fly that got in the classroom would be talking to him whole the time. If he paid as much attention to tests as he did to bugs, he’d probably aced them all.

“And Twilight would never allow any insects in the library.”

“Then I can’t wait to see how far he goes! I mean, here I was always worried about him. Now he’s training with a real, bona fide hero! How lucky can a pony get?!”

“Ahem.” Rarity cleared her throat, though it had no need of clearing. Staring at him quietly, she stood with her forelegs crossed waiting for him to say something. At least Snips managed to take part of the hint, he looked up at her, blinking, and uncertain of what she wanted him to say or realize. With an exasperated sigh, she gave him a cross look. “Twilight Sparkle didn’t rescue Equestria all those times by herself, you know!”

“Oooh. Yeah. That’s true!”

Finally! Sometimes breaking through to Snips was like trying to start a fire by rubbing sticks together.

“Spike trains with her and Rainbow Dash! That’s way luckier than Snails!”

Of all the nerve! Rarity fumed silently, her cheeks burning red as Snips went back to reading the letter. Check that, it was more like trying to start a fire by rubbing rubber sticks together! Why do I put up with him?!

“Though I guess he isn’t that lucky. Snails and I used to play with old junkyard parts. We thought armour when we saw it all lying there too. Take it from me, they’re not for wearing.”

“J-junkyard parts?! I should say not!” She must have missed that part on her skim-through. The very idea made her skin crawl. All the bugs, dirt, grease, and grime! She pushed closer to her assistant to read with him “Here, let me see that. They don’t mean to actually have the poor dear wear such a horrid thing during the show, do they?! Certainly it must just be for training!”

“No, seems like they want it for the show,” Snips pointed out the line he read. He watched as Rarity began to pace angrily back and forth, continuing to scrutinize the suddenly offensive paper in front of her. He shrugged and continued talking about what he knew. “Apparently he’s gonna be the villain of the show? I don’t know much about it. I hear it’s supposed to involve a whole lot of fire, though. It sounds awesome. It’s called ‘Fire in the Sky’. I hope they do a show of it in Ponyville after they finish in Cloudsdale! I would be there in a flash.”

“First, they leave him completely out of the flight team’s name, and now they’re trying to dress MY Spikey Wikey up in old rusted parts on his big debut!” Stomping her hoof down, she whipped around to face her apprentice. There was a sense of inspiration burning in her eyes. “Well! Not if I have anything to say about it! Come along Snips! We must go see the smithy tonight!”

“Tonight? But you don’t even have Princess Cadence’s designs finished yet!”

“Snips! I’m disappointed in you! Who can think of business at a time like this? Princess Cadence can wait.” Rarity took a moment to don a scarf, wrapping it around herself elegantly, and looked herself over in the standing mirror she had placed by the door. “That air show is only a few weeks away, and the smithy will need as much time as he can to be done on time.”

“Done what on time? You haven’t even finished the banner for their team yet!”

“You presume too much. Why, I’ve even come up with a proper team name.” Rarity stared over her shoulder to wink at Snips, flaunting her mane dramatically as he offered her coat like a perfect little gentlecolt. She smiled.

Perhaps there is some hope for him yet.

“You have? What’s it gonna be?”

“Captain Dash and the Skyblazer Crusaders.” I think it has a nice ring to it, don’t you?”

“I don’t know, sounds kind of old timey and corny.”

Just when you thought he had potential too.

She sighed, deciding then and there that Snips would need to learn a lot more than just making clothes from her. Use of tact would have to be a lesson to come, and the sooner the better.

“We don’t call it old timey and corny, Snips. We call it classic, and it’s a perfect team name for a show about a very old story. You want something that is a bit more timeless with that kind of thing, and isn’t going to be forgotten like the latest top hit that sounds like every other top hit for the past two decades.”

He quickly held the door for her. Rarity loved that he didn’t lazily open it with magic as so many unicorn colts had taken to doing in modern times. It was the extra amount of effort in the details she always admired most in a pony.

Or a dragon, her mind quickly reminded her as she rolled up the scroll Spike had written for her and placed it carefully deep in her coat pocket. He spent so much time to get every letter perfect with what she would have been overjoyed to receive even if he had scribbled it down on a napkin. No wonder it had taken so long this time. There was no stopping the flush that had taken over her cheeks.

“But you don’t have any more designs for Spike than you do for Princess Cadence.” Arching an eyebrow, Snips shook his head as she passed him out the door. “It’s also getting pretty late; the smithy will be closing soon. Are you sure about this?”

“Never question the timing of inspiration, Snips!” she cried out giving voice to the fashion diva in her heart, before leaning up against him to whisper in his ear, “and quite the contrary, I have many designs for Spike.”

Rarity cheerfully left her protégé standing stunned and slack-jawed in the doorway, as she trotted happily down the street, forcing him to rush to catch up.

Chapter: 12 Confronting the Storm Part: 1

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Chapter 12:

Confronting the Storm

Part: 1

“I can’t believe we’re finally here!”

A bundle of energy that currently took the form of an impatient, orange pegasus was bolting back and forth along the billowy, white streets that made up the city of Cloudsdale. Misshapen cumulus clouds wound and twisted on top of each other to make up housing structures all held upright by strangely solid cloud pillars that made each seem more like a tiny, ancient coliseum than a house. Sparkling rainbows and streaming waterfalls were used as decorations by the citizens, along with thin, twirling wisps of fog that moved and swirled within a single spot, often forming figures or impressive patterns. Sometimes flags would adorn the rooftops in a bright spot of colour against the different tints of clouds that came in white or a pale blue and pink. It was all so amazing!

From far away, the city looked more like a funny-looking cloud surrounded by dozens of others that were actually far, far larger. The differences grew more obvious the closer they got. The immensely huge clouds around the city were the results of the weather making factories that never shut down. They’d be filled with collected water from unused resources all over Equestria and moved to the cities and farmlands as necessary. It was as stable a career as a pegasus could have, and there was always a warm welcome for another to join the factory’s ranks and their numerous tasks.

Rainbow Dash was watching her fledgling with a growing smirk. The idea of being a pegasus and never seeing Cloudsdale until Scootaloo’s age was one she just couldn’t even begin to comprehend. This city was a representation of their heritage, their culture, and everything it meant to be a pegasus! And now, after being cooped up in a hot air balloon for hours as the crowd made their way to Cloudsdale, Scootaloo was even more wound up than usual to see the sights this historical city had to offer. Twilight and Pinkie Pie had come with them, and as neither was gifted with the ability to fly on their own, Rainbow Dash had decided it’d be rude to fly ahead and leave them behind. By the time they landed, the little squirt was hopping up and down, spouting question after question about everything she could see. Dash hoped her excitement would last, because the only thing that awaited when it faded away would be a torrent of nervousness; the very kind that was consuming both herself and her other fledgling now.

The qualifiers were running the very next day. They had trained so long, worked so hard, pushed through so much, and it all came down to this. The day when her fledglings would find out if they had what it took to impress the judges. Dash knew they did but they didn’t. She hoped this would give them the confidence they would need to enter the true competition that was still a couple weeks away. What the fledglings couldn’t know was the biggest challenge their team would be facing within the week wasn’t going to be taking place in the arena, but in the administration offices. That was where her own nervousness was stemming from. She needed to pick up the registration papers and there had been no word one way or the other whether they had been signed. If they were allowed to show their stuff, Dash knew they could get into the competition proper. The question had become ‘just how big was that if’?

Spike was just stepping out of the balloon now after Twilight’s cloud walking spell washed over him. He was shaking so badly Peewee couldn’t find a decent place to perch on his tail. She hoped both his and her own nerves would be settled by the following day. It would probably be better to get him booked into a hotel as soon as possible so he had a place to collect himself. Scoot would probably want to see as much of the city as she could. It was just as likely she’d drive the poor dragon up the wall if she was trapped in the room with him anyway.

At the same time, she didn’t want Scootaloo to come with her, just in case things got nasty at the registration office. And leaving him alone with Pinkie Pie wasn’t any better than a hyped up Scootaloo, she’d have to take her too. Twilight was the perfect answer to this conundrum, but she was due at the local royal residence. Princess Celestia would be attending the qualifying rounds for the first time anypony could remember, and wanted to have a word with her personal student as soon as she arrived.

“Nothing for it I guess, hopefully he can cope by himself.” Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash called out to her team, “Fledglings! Front and center!”

In a flash two well-trained flying recruits were standing perfectly straight at her front, both saluting their Flight Captain, and ready for inspection. Many around them stopped to stare at the funny little flight team. Fledgling fliers had been streaming past the city entrance in droves over the last few days, but none were the likes of the ones that stood before them now. The bare minimum requirements for a team, only three ponies strong, and one wasn’t even a pegasus! Gawkers kept looking back to the dragon and phoenix in their midst filled with uncertainty and wonder. Spike and Peewee had drawn their attention like ponies to a train wreck, and their stares were obviously doing very little to help Spike’s morale.

“This is how it’s gonna work.” Captain Dash began, doing her best to pretend they had no audience, and closing her eyes to push the crowd from her mind. “Spike is going to go book a hotel for the night, after which he’ll send me a note to tell me which one he gets. Scootaloo, you’re with me. We’ll go finish of the administration side of this competition then meet them back at the hotel.”

“Umm, permission to go with Spike, Captain?”

“What?” The question surprised her at least as much as the interruption. She was used to Spike speaking out of turn when she was trying to be serious, but it was something new coming out of Scootaloo.

“I’d like to go with Spike to the hotel, Captain,” repeated Scootaloo, while still standing rigidly at attention. “We need to talk about something.”

Spike’s only response was a shrug. He obviously had no idea what it was about.

It would get Scootaloo out of the way if things at the offices get messy.

That was an appealing thought. If she really had to talk to Spike, it might have the added benefit of taking his mind off of things too.

“Alright, Squirt, but stay close to the hotel, and save the sightseeing for when I get back! The last thing any of us need is one of our team lost in Cloudsdale.”

“Yes, Captain!” They said together.

“See you at the hotel, Fledglings! Dismissed.” A quick salute and the two teammates took to the sky, looking for a place to stay the night.

“I gotta say it, I’m impressed. You did a fantastic job with those two,” Twilight said, trotting over to her side to watch them go.

“You sure did!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing over to hug Dash tightly in excitement, “I can’t believe the day is almost here! You guys are going to do so~ooo GREAT!”

“Girls, there’s little to debate about how awesome I am, but no, this time they did the fantastic job. I just showed them what they needed to know to get the job done.”

Shaking her head with a smile that threatened to split her face in two, Rainbow Dash looked past Pinkie’s grip to her departing team. Pride swelled up inside her, so fierce and expansive she felt like she might burst; a pride not for anything she had done, but what they had accomplished together. “And then they did it. I knew they could do it.”

“It was your faith that they could and the time you put in that got them this far. They’d both still be stuck back in Ponyville trying to sort through all their complications if it wasn’t for you. When things seemed their worst for those two, it was you who came through for them in the end.” Twilight smiled as she watched her not-so-little assistant getting further and further away. “I don’t think you understand how much you’ve done or how much you mean to them.”

“That’s right! You guys are going to be such a super duper team together! I just know you’ll all keep Scootaloo’s Pinkie Promise! First prize, here we COME!” Pinkie cheered as she finally released Dash from her hug to throw her hooves in the air.

As the two young fliers vanished in the distance the three friends began walking together. The coliseum wasn’t a far trot from the royal residence so Twilight decided to travel with them until they got close.

“Yeah, well, let’s just hope I don’t disappoint them when it counts the most. The hardest part comes next. I read every rulebook I could find on the subject, and I don’t think there’s anything stopping dragons from entering the contest. I think with a bit of argument we can slip Spike through.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. These kinds of competitions were put in place by Princess Celestia-“

“-for good relations with all life in Equestria!” Dash finished the quote for her, only to feel her jaw go slack as she stared at Twilight. “How did you know that?!”

“I read it, of course. You didn’t think I’d let Spike think he could enter a competition he wasn’t allowed to enter, did you? I did a bit of research about it the day after you asked him to join in on your flight lessons. It means any resident of Equestria can join any contest, as long as they ‘apply to their correct category of weight, height, or experience, depending on the competition’,” quoted Twilight exactly from the pages of ‘The History of The Equestrian Games’.

“You knew all that already, and you didn’t tell me?! Why?”

“I thought you knew! You’re the accomplished stunt pegasus, don’t they teach you what games you can join in?”

“Twilight, they teach us how to be athletes, not the history of athletes! There was only one book out of the huge pile you signed out to me that even said that in it! And it was printed like over a hundred years ago! It was lost to obscurity for everpony except, I guess, knowledge-hoarding librarian unicorns.”

“Uh, well, at least it’s one less thing you have to worry about, right?”

“Yeah, sure. Great. Do you have any idea how many mornings I woke up with my face buried in a rulebook?! All that time reading was a complete waste!”

“It was NOT a waste!” Twilight frowned at her friend before continuing. “Studying is never a waste! If anything it’s great for you! You can pass on that knowledge to any other students you take under your wing, and they can pass it on to their foals. And now nopony is going to be able to fool you by misquoting rules or win over you by breaking them. There are probably hundreds of other ways studying those books might help you. Just wait and see.”

“Well, maybe, but it still took up a large amount of time that our team didn’t have to spare. Time I could have spent doing other things. Why didn’t I just ask you? Gah! I feel like such an idiot.”

“Don’t be silly, you silly filly. You’re not an idiot, you’re the best coach in Equestria! And tomorrow, you’ll prove to everypony just how super fantastically awesome a coach you are!” The sing-song voice of Pinkie Pie picked up as they walked along, “all in front of those judges, other coaches, the Princess, your friends, and The Wonderbolts too!”

“T-t-the other c-coaches? J-j-judges? A-a-and the Wonderbolts?!” Rainbow Dash suddenly stood stock still as the as the images of each floated through her head, watching, judging, glaring at her, shaking their heads in distaste, or worse, staring on in apathy.

“Yup yup yup! I heard they were all going to be there.”

“The Wonderbolts are going to be at the qualifiers?!” Dash flew over and picked up the excitable pink pony by the shoulders and began shaking her, “where did you hear that?!”

“The-PO-nies-BY-the-CI-ty-EN-trance-WERE-talk-ING-a-BOUT-it,” giggled out Pinkie, enjoying the sound distortion as she was shaken back and forth. “MY-voice-SOUNDS-fun-NY!”

Dash let her drop unceremoniously to the clouds below. The Wonderbolts were going to be at the qualifiers? But why?! They should only be at the competition proper to do the scouting for fledglings! As the idea began to sink in, she stared down at her hooves. They were beginning to shake uncontrollably. “Why are so many important ponies coming to the quals? They’re normally just the minor flying tests! This is insane!”

“It’s probably because Princess Celestia decided to attend. You know how things kind of become an event everywhere she goes,” Twilight said. “Being a princess must get pretty tiring.”

“Why does she even have to be there?! Isn’t there enough pressure on a pegasus’ first flight test without having royalty breathing down the back of your neck?”

“Okay Dash, calm down. You’re obviously not thinking straight. It will be a pretty big day for Spike, he’s worked pretty hard for this after all. It’s only natural she’ll want to see how far he’s come.”

“Horse feathers! You’re right! Wait, maybe we can just have him take his flight test alone? But then we won’t have a three pony team! We need at least three for the formations.”

A torrent of emotions tore at her mind. She tried to think of someway that wouldn’t have the Wonderbolts looking over their show. Zipping back and forth in the air, panic was setting in while she looked for some way out of the situation.

Her eyes darted towards Twilight, and she quickly zoomed down to slip a leg around her neck, “Twilight! You know the show’s script. Quick! Make yourself a pair of wings and take over Spike’s part!”

“Rainbow Dash! Get a hold of yourself!” A bucket of water appeared over the distressed pegasus before tipping over and dumping its freezing contents over her. The cold feeling soaked through her fur, startling her into stillness. Her normally wild rainbow-coloured mane style was now a soggy mish-mash of tangles that fell flat over her eyes. She took a deep breath, shivered, and turned to look at Twilight.

“Thanks. I needed that.”

“It’s okay. All that pressure must be really stressful.” Twilight slipped out of her soaked friend’s grip, before shaking herself dry and frowning at a road sign. “We have to split ways here, but you’ll do fine! You all will. I can’t wait to see the look on everypony when they see your show. I know you’ll just blow them all away!”

“Yeah,” Dash shook herself dry as well, the shivering had calmed down some, but it wasn’t all coming from the cold water dripping down her neck. The coliseum was in view now, and she looked towards the building that held her team’s fate. “I guess it’s a bit too late to fall apart now. We still don’t even know if we can join. Even if Spike can sign up for certain, they didn’t send us our approvals, yet. If it isn’t about Spike, then something else must be holding them up, and I need to find out what it is.”

“I’m sure everything will work out. I’ll see you guys back at the hotel!” Waving she turned to leave, before noticing Pinkie bounding happily beside her.

“Uh, Pinkie? What are you doing?”

“I’m going with you, silly filly!”

“Pinkie, you can’t just invite yourself to a royal appointment! You need to go with Rainbow Dash.”

“But I can’t go with Dashie.”

“Why not?”

“Because she’s already gone.”

“What?!” Twilight quickly looked up to see friend’s retreating figure in the skyline, “Rainbow Dash! No! Stop! Get back here!”

Her cries fell on deaf ears though. Dash had already covered miles in the small time frame. Pinkie just smiled, perfectly okay with the result. There really wasn’t any choice now. Twilight couldn’t let Pinkie try to find the stadium on her own, or go back to find Spike and Scootaloo to find a hotel. Who knew what would happen?

“Alright Pinkie,” Twilight sighed, “but you have to promise me you’ll be on your best behaviour. No wacky hijinks or anything like that while in the royal halls, okay?”

“Okie Dokie Lokey!”

Not at all convinced, Twilight frowned at the pony in front of her. As much as she loved Pinkie, official ceremonies and meetings were not exactly designed to handle her particular way of life. Still there really was nothing for it. She was just going to have to try keeping her as normal as she could for the time being. Nervously, she led their way towards the royal residence.

*******

The dragon and pegasus scoured the city, hotel by hotel, with luggage in claw and hoof, and it was beginning to get tiring. Everything was booked solid and time and again they were being turned away. They’d waited until last minute for this, and there wasn’t much choice left. They’d managed to get a hint of some vacancies at a large, swanky inn that was supposed to be keeping room for late fledgling applications such as theirs. The problem was the more swank the inn had, the more bits it cost. They were looking for something a bit more economical, but they were quickly running out of options. Finally deciding that it was at least worth a look to check out the prices, they were making their way over to this rumoured place of rest.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?” Whatever the reason she decided to come with him to find a hotel, Scootaloo still hadn’t bothered sharing. Every time Spike thought he might get a word about it out of her, some new and strange sight caught her attention, and she’d immediately fly off to have a closer look. It was entertaining at first, but now the avoidance of the topic was getting frustrating, and he’d had just about enough of trying to chase after her. All he wanted to do was find a place for the night and maybe find a way to placate his nerves.

“Anything,” Scootaloo answered dismissively, “whatever you want to talk about.”

“What? Then why did you want to come with me?”

“Because you looked like you needed a friend, duh. Or does flying around a strange city alone with everypony staring at you everywhere you go sound appealing to you?” With a roll of her eyes Scoot gave him a playful bump on the shoulder, before adjusting the straps holding her board in place along her back. It was wrapped up in fabric, leaving it a mysterious piece of luggage to all onlookers. Rainbow Dash had insisted on keeping its existence secret without bothering to reveal why.

“But I thought you really wanted to check out the stadium. It was all you were talking about the whole trip here.”

“Well yeah! Of course I do, but I’m going to see it tomorrow no matter what, and it won’t be as fun to see it without you there. I’m not gonna leave you hanging like that. You’re more nerves than you are dragon right now. So come on, what gives? Why are you so worked up?”

“Why am I worked up? I think the real question is why aren’t you? We’re going to be performing in front of all kinds of important ponies, judges, and even the Princess! Even our Captain wasn’t having an easy time of it. Did you notice how she had to keep looking away from the crowds?”

“Was she? Wow, she looked so calm to me.”

“If you knew her as long as I have, you’d see the signs. So what’s your secret? How are you so calm? This might be one of the biggest tests of our lives, and I’ve never had to take any test before. I can’t stop thinking about it.” Landing on the roof of a nearby public building of some sort, he set down the suitcases, giving his arms a rest. Digging into one of the bags he put out some seed for Peewee to peck at as he looked around. The fancy inn was supposed to be close to this spot going by the directions they were given, but he didn’t see any sign of it. “One screw-up and it’s all over! Over for me and you, and even over for Rainbow Dash after everything she’s done for us! It’s a pretty big deal!”

“Oh! Is that what you think?” Scootaloo snorted with a laugh. “Spike ol’ buddy, as an experienced school filly, let me bring you up to speed on how this test is gonna work. First thing you need to know about it? You are allowed some mistakes. It’s almost expected! Do everything Captain Dash had us do during our rehearsals and you’ll be fine. If you mess anything up, the Captain and I will improvise your way back on script. If I mess up, you cover my back. If by some deranged twist of fate our Captain messes up, we cover for her. The key to making mistakes is to make it look like there wasn’t one.”

“So, we can make mistakes, we just need to work them into the show?”

“You got it! The second thing you need to know is that you’ve already been tested almost every day for the last three months! I can guarantee you there is no Princess, no pony, not even any judge that will grade us any tougher than our coach has. Do you really think any of those ponies are going to notice or care if a couple fledglings are a few inches off height in formation?”

“I don’t kn-“

“-No! No, they’re not going to care.” The question must have been hypothetical because Scootaloo interrupted him before he could finish. “You’re going to care, I’m going to care, Captain Dash is going to care, maybe even Peewee will care, but they’re not going to care. She pushed us as hard as she could so we’d be perfect! This whole thing tomorrow? It’s hardly even worth our time! Our goal isn’t just to pass some crumby, old qualification test.”

Zipping out in front of him, she waved her hoof towards the city at her back, to her sides, to her front, then all around her, spinning round for dramatic effect. Her mane, her tail, and the dangling loose ends of her gear all tangled together on the breeze, dancing with her as she spun. In all honesty, she made quite the impressive figure. Her demeanor and appearance seemed to fit perfectly with the setting of Cloudsdale at her back; like this was where she belonged.

“Our goal is to brand our names into everypony’s minds! We’re going to leave their mouths gaping wide and thirsty for more! Those judges are going to be on their hooves, stomping like thunder and just itching to see us again when the real competition comes around.”

“You really think-”

“-Take it from me, Spike. They’re going to love us. Our show has an endless stream of fire, stunts nopony has ever seen before, and a blast of colour that will blow. Their. Minds. Can you name even a single part of it that isn’t erupting with awesome?”

“Well I-“

“-No. No you can’t. You know why? Because every single part of our show has us in it, and we, Spike, are awesome! Now stop doubting yourself already. We’re going to own this stupid test! And then, Big Guy, we reach for the gold. First place; a trophy the size of you! If you’re lucky, I might even let you touch it.” Looking over the city with her hooves on her hips, her mane blowing in the breeze, Scootaloo reveled in her imagination where all the pegasi were cheering before her. Noticing her teammate’s silence she turned around to give him a sour look. “Well come on, Spike, what’s with the silent treatment? Say something already!”

“What? I’m allowed to now?” Folding his arms he returned the look, not altogether sure if she was joking, or if cutting him off was just another symptom of her excitement boiling over. A smile took over quickly, though, as he went over it all in his mind. “I gotta admit it makes sense. You’re not nervous because your sights are set a lot higher.”

“Yeah! Don’t sweat the small stuff, Big Guy. I mean, think about it like this. Could you have made the flight here without the balloon?”

“I could have glided the whole way here in less than half the time, that thing was so slow. It would have driven me insane if I wasn’t used to the balloon rides. I don’t even know how you put up with it.”

“Believe me, I was this close to tearing my mane out.” A shudder came with the memory of being stuck in that basket for hours on end. “But that is all they’re really testing. If you can land, keep a formation, come out of a dive, and fly long distance. There is absolutely nothing you have to worry about. We got this nailed!”

“Oh hey, that’s true isn’t it? They’re not actually judging the show! It’s practically just kind of an official rehearsal!” Spike felt his spines and tail stand up a little straighter, and his features brightened. Even the luggage seemed a little lighter as he thought about what she said. “When you put it like that, it doesn’t sound hard at all!”

“We’re way beyond passing a silly flight test.” She nodded before fixing him with a look that spoke volumes, “but you still have to give it all you got, remember!”

“Right! You can count on me! I’m not going to start slacking off or anything, but it’s great to know not everything’s riding on this.”

“I bet! Now, we just make sure we do so awesome tomorrow that when it comes to the real show, we’ll already know we can pull it off.”

“If that’s the case, we’re definitely going to need somewhere to stay the night.” Spike looked one way and the other. “That hotel everypony was talking about was supposed to be right around here, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know. They said we wouldn’t be able to miss it, but everything looks like a cloud in this city! It’s hard to tell one place from another.”

“Everything is a cloud in this city. Maybe we should try looking from the roads instead of the rooftops.”

“What? In the capital pegasi city of the world?” The mere idea seemed scandalous to Scootaloo somehow.

“You know, a pegasus has more legs then wings. Not everything has to be about flying.” Without waiting for her reply, Spike grabbed the luggage and hopped off the roof, gently gliding down to the clouds below. Peewee followed after and found a perch on the tallest of his spines, much to his amusement. Once down, he wiggled his toes in the soft mist, enjoying the refreshing coolness tingling along his heels. A mix of mist and steam rose up whenever he landed, his natural heat dissipating some of the cloud upon touch.

Learning to fly up here must be so easy. I was scared out of my wits trying to land on solid ground, but up here screwing up would only have you lying on your back in a never ending pile of cotton.

Another glance around showed another crowd of gawkers, pausing mid-stride to stare at him. He stared back, uneasily, wondering if they were trying to figure out if they should be flying off to get the city guard or not. Scootaloo landed easily beside him, and her presence seemed to be enough to convince the other pegasi that he wasn’t a threat, but the stares continued.

“Hey look, you found it, Spike. Good job!” Scootaloo wasn’t paying the other ponies much mind, noticing instead the curving stairways of solidified cloud made to resemble the contours of a brick-laid path and railing that wound their way to huge cloud building. The stairways lead to several large doorways just below a giant red banner. In bright golden-yellow letters it read, ‘Olympian Inn, Proud Supporters of the Fledgling Fliers Competition!‘ which was apparently something to hold some amount of pride in. A golden tint of light reflected from the dozens of pillars that surrounded the building, making it seem very ceremonial. “I still think they should have some kind of sign on the roof though. That would make things so much easier.”

“Forget signs, I’d be happier with a few more outside walls like Dash’s house. They don’t seem all that fond of them around here. It’s just pillars and a big, fluffy rooftops everywhere I look.” Spike noted as he began to make his way over to the Inn.

“Yeah, not much into privacy, are they? Maybe they’re different on the inside.” Following Spike in, Scootaloo found her guess to be correct. The walls inside made up grand hallways in fact! Large, swaying fabrics swayed in place of doors, and large tapestries hung along the walls depicting great deeds, legendary champions, and glorious adventures of pegasi past. Each hallway had a plaque above it that displayed the name of a hero of ancient times. It was all very militaristic compared to what Spike and Scootaloo were used to, and at the same time it was kind of inspiring to be standing here in the middle of a hall beside projections of these heroes.

They went up to the main desk, setting down their bags. It took a few minutes of gathering their courage before the attendant made her way over to greet the new arrivals.

“G-good d-d-day.” The pony stumbled through her words, trying not to look at the dragon and directing the greeting to Scootaloo. “C-c-can I H-h-help you?”

“Yeah, we’re here for the games. We were told this was the place to go.”

“Umm, d-do you have your r-r-registration?”

“Not yet, our captain is gone to get them now.”

“Oh, uh, I-uh,” The attendant couldn’t help but shrink back from the dragon, unsure of what his reaction would be at the next set of bad news. “I’m af-f-fraid I cannot help you w-w-without them.”

“I suppose that makes sense. Can we wait in the lobby?”

“I g-g-guess?” It came out as a squeak. “Please d-d-don’t be long? We’re um, running out of rooms.”

The teammates turned to find a place to sit. Spike sent a hastily scribbled scroll off to Rainbow Dash about their situation. They watched young pegasi come and go, each group happily taking several room keys at a time, and waited, their restlessness growing with every key given out to every new arrival.

******

“What are you talking about?!” The Best Young Flier Champion, Element of Loyalty, one of the six champions of harmony was just about ready to strangle the paper-pushing clerk in front of her. “How can they be registered and not registered at the same time?”

“It’s like I said Miss. Dash. They have been registered individually, but not as a team.” The-gray furred white-maned pegasus nervously pushed her glasses up further along her snout.

“Are you new to this? I need to speak with your supervisor or something! You can’t be registered individually. The flight test needs a team to work! How else would you pass the formation tests? It even says what captain they’re under! It’s written down, right there!” Dash tapped the forms in front of her. It was the third pony she went through this with already. Each line up had taken at least a full half hour to wait through, and at this point her patience had become some mythical ability lost to an age long past Dash’s ability to remember.

“Well, yes, but unless there’s a team registered, they can’t actually be on a team. I’m terribly sorry Miss, it’s something new that’s been introduced this year, though I’m surprised you haven’t heard of it. The new rule changes have been distributed to all the major cities across Equestria.”

“Did it occur to you to distribute it to places that are not major cities?!” Frustration howled inside Dash. Finally she was getting some real answers, but they were not answers she liked. “How do pegasi take formation testing if they’re not on a team?”

“Oh umm, well, we put them with other pegasi that aren’t registered on a team. There shouldn’t be any problem with them taking their flight test on an individual level tomorrow. It will be taken into account who they’ve trained with, so chances are that they’ll still be flying with each other, if that is your major concern.”

“But what about the show?! What about the competition?!”

“Due to the Princess’ attendance this year, it has been decided that fledglings don’t automatically get to use the coliseum area for their flight tests. Only fully trained competition level teams will actually be in the competition. We’d like to put on a good showing for Princess Celestia, you understand.”

“My team is competition level!”

“Oh! But I thought you said you weren’t from a major city?”

“You don’t need tall buildings to practice flying lady!”

“Uh, I see.” The grimace that took over the clerk’s features gave Dash a bad feeling. “It’s less a matter of tall buildings and more a matter of sponsorship.”

“Sponsorship.” Rainbow Dash repeated the word, and it weighed heavily on her tongue, and her shoulders slumped. “But the only reason you’d need sponsorship as a team is if bits are involved.”

“I see you understand,” The clerk nodded, “I am sorry that word hadn’t reached, where did you say you were from?”

“Ponyville. We’re from Ponyville.”

“Yes, I’m sorry word did not reach Ponyville in time. The Princess’ attendance came as a surprise, and after the committee had convened on the subject, they just didn’t have enough time to push the information to the smaller towns of Equestria. To make certain only teams that were very serious about the competition would be registering, a one-time registration fee of $10,000 bits was put into place. It forced teams to look for sponsors and investors, but all props in the show would be completely paid for by the games, as well as the booking of their rooms, and all living expenses while in Cloudsdale.”

“But there are great teams out there that would never be able to afford that!”

“Yes, and there is an exception to the rule.” The clerk suddenly perked up, as an idea came to mind. “Expressed permission by committee members will waive the fee for teams that have shown great promise!”

“But we haven’t had a chance to show anypony yet!”

“Yes, I can see that on the forms, the dates your team registered are all fairly new, but there is a committee member here every day to oversee just this sort of issue! Which is fortunate as the other two members are in a very important meeting.”

“Not another line.” Dash hoped her groan didn’t come out as whiny to everypony else as it did to her. She blushed a little, trying not to look at anypony other than the clerk whose smile only widened slightly at the complaint.

“Oh, I think we can make a bit of an exception for the winner of the Best Young Flier Competition. Come with me.”

Rainbow Dash had been enjoying her homecoming. From the moment she entered the stadium everywhere she looked pegasi would recognize her. An autograph or a picture here and there with random foals, or maybe a hoof shake of congratulations by a fan occupied her time. It was great right up until the paper trouble. After that, her anger had kept any fans at bay. Now, with the hope that this trial was finally coming to an end, she began returning waves again as the clerk lead her through the massive hallways.

Things began looking up until she saw the name patterned upon the wafting fabric that made up the doorway to the committee member’s office.

‘Feather Guide’

Dash swallowed. A feeling of dread traced its way through her body, leaving her cold as the clerk introduced her and waved her in. She stepped into the office to see a pegasus who sat in his chair, his hooves together, staring unemotionally at her. He supported a large, barrel-chested frame beneath light gray fur. What was once a very dark-haired mane now sported a lot of gray. As was common with athletes, the style was cut short, along with his tail to not get in the way of physical activity. On his flank sat a loop of string with a whistle hanging at the bottom, and a pair of wings on either side of the loop. She could feel his piercing, gray eyes study her as she came in. The clerk was dismissed with a nod, and then she was alone with him. Alone with the greatest fear the competition held for her.

Alone with her old Flight Camp coach.

Her mouth had run dry, she was unable to say anything and she couldn’t continue to look into those judging eyes. Instead she looked to the pictures that adorned his walls. There were some important framed papers along the back wall, teaching degrees and accomplishments. There were also golden statues lining shelves and cabinets. They seemed randomly placed, without much care put into them compared to the many flight class pictures that sat in perfect lines along the side walls. Different years, different classes, different school names, different camp names, he had obviously never stopped teaching. Stealing his students must not have hurt his prestige too much. She paused in her scan of them, drawn to one in particular; one that had Fluttershy, as a foal, hiding behind her hair from the camera, and one with herself at the same age, legs folded, and glaring back out at her, while leaning on some super uptight colt she could just barely recall.

“They are my greatest treasures. All the diplomas and degrees in the world will never accomplish as much as the pegasi in these pictures have.” His voice knocked her out of the swirl of memories that beckoned to her. She noticed his presence beside her, staring at all of the pictures and then to the one that had caught her interest. He chuckled a little at her foalhood self. “Even when we were just getting a picture taken you had to be defiant about something.”

“Then you-“ she had to pause and swallow again, her voice cracking, “-then you do remember.”

“Remember? Remember the great Rainbow Dash? Remember training the Best Young Flier of our day? One of the elements of harmony, and saviour of Equestria? I don’t see how you left me much choice but to remember.”

“…yeah.” Were it with anypony else in the world that would have come out as triumphant cheer, but with this one, it was barely a whisper. A twinge of regret came with it, regret of ever making name for herself in the world, of ever giving him a way to know she still existed.

“Over a decade has passed. Almost all of the students on this wall have come to visit me or have written me in some form or another. Most dedicated a race or a flight show to me for all my work with them. Every picture has a few students that still come by to wish me well. The far majority have become racers of great caliber, world renowned stunt ponies, or at the very least extremely accomplished fliers. They are my greatest gift to this city.” His voice was completely impassive, almost chillingly so. “That is, all except for the picture you stare at now. No student that attended Flight Camp with you has ever come back to see me. Actually, you are the first of that class to ever even step into my office again.”

“I-I don’t know what to say.”

“There isn’t anything to say. What is it that brings you here, Rainbow Dash?” Feather Guide removed the picture from the wall and took it over to his desk. “I doubt you’ve come to stare at old pictures with a coach whose class you dropped.”

“I didn’t drop it because I wanted to.” Some of her defiant nature returned her voice to her, though still somewhat quiet. “I-I did it to save the school’s reputation. And yours.”

“And you think I needed some filly to save my reputation? Maybe you should take another look at my wall and tell me what it was that your quitting did for me. You weren’t the only pegasus to leave that school that year.”

Looking beside where her class picture had been, the next year’s class had the name of a different flight camp; of a completely different school.

“But they said that-”

“No filly is going to save a coach’s career!” He interrupted sharply, “the only thing that can stop a coach from being a coach is that coach. You should have let me worry about myself.”

“But you can’t hold that against me, I didn’t know! I just did what they said would be best for everypony involved!” Rainbow Dash found herself pleading. She hadn’t wanted to, but she felt she owed him something, maybe some kind of explanation.

“And you decided that without bothering to ask anypony else! That’s what I hold against you, Fledgling. You just went ahead and did whatever it was that came to mind without asking anypony!” The coldness in his voice grew hot with anger as he continued. “There shouldn’t be a single pegasus that doesn’t know you as the champion of stunt ponies everywhere! You should be on top of the competition world! But now? Now you can barely scrounge entries into races or shows because you don’t have a single credential to your name.”

“But I’ve done so much since then! Okay, so I never got to be champion, but I’m going to be a Wonderbolt someday! I’ve never stopped training! And I’m still The Best Young Flier!”

“The Best Young Flier is a charity award! It comes with no money, no official access to other competitions, no challenge to the next great race! And worse still, you won it with a single well practiced, flashy move. How very convenient that the Princess ignored your poor performance on every other part of your obstacle course. The Rainbow Dash that attended my class was capable of much, much more.” Feather Guide sighed. He placed the picture face down on the desk, almost like he was in mourning.

“They call that sonic rainboom of yours my greatest success, you know that?! They found my name in old school records of yours and attributed your success to me because you weren’t around to accept it. As if I had anything to do with it at all! My real success stories; the names written across those pictures, all thrown away because of a single stunt!” All impassiveness was gone now, and he smashed his hoof against his desk so hard, Dash swore she heard the frame snap. “I heard it once said that a coach should not be judged by the trophies on his wall, but by what he molds with the potential at his hooves. If it is to believed then you, Rainbow Dash, are my greatest failure! You had so much potential! So much talent! And it’s being squandered outside Cloudsdale!”

“Wait, you think my talent is squandered?” Now her fur was bristled, “Everypony knows my name! I have done things no pegasus has ever done! I’ve stood up to Nightmare Moon, Dischord, Sombra, changelings, dragons, manticores, and so much more! I rescue ponies in trouble every other week! I’m a champion of Equestria, and you’re angry at me because I’m not a champion of a bunch of stupid races?!

“St-st-stupid races?!”

“And what about everypony else?” Dash continued, flying into a rage of her own, “You were being horrible to any pony that was having a hard time! You think that was inspiring?! You thought I would just let that happen? They were bullying weaker pegasi right under your muzzle, and you didn’t do a thing!”

“They weren’t ready for flight camp! Their parents should have known better! There was even a shy one who was scared to jump off and crash on clouds! Clouds!” Feather Guide entered the shouting match full throttle. “They needed to fail so they could learn. So they’d try harder the next year and come back all the better for it! Not everypony is ready to fly at the same age, and when they were ready, even that soft-spoken, shy pegasus could have flown with the best of us!

“And the bullying? Where were you on that?! Which part does that play in your grand scheme of flying lessons?”

“Foals will be foals. A flight coach teaches their fledglings how to fly. The rest is up to the fledgling.”

“Did you ever think answers like that might be the reason I didn’t bother coming to you? If a pony needs your help, you gotta help! It doesn’t matter if you’re not there for that expressed purpose!”

“A good flight coach does not have time to be looking after every personal problem of every pegasi in their class! You’d know all of this already, if only you didn’t perform that sonic rainboom.” He shook his head, sat back down heavily, and looked back down to the turned over picture.

“What? Now you’re going to blame my cutie mark?! That sonic rainboom was the best thing that ever happened to me!”

“It was the worst thing that ever happened to you. Without it you would never have won my class over. You would have learned from me instead of challenging me. You would have let the other foals learn from me, won contests, gained victories, had all the papers you’d need to join any competition you wanted.” Calmness had come back to him, that cold chill settled back into his tone, but now it floated over her ineffectively. The heat of her own anger warded away any fear he held over her.

“That sonic rainboom accomplished more than you could ever know! It gave me more than any competition could possibly give me, and has ended up teaching me more than you ever could. It tied all the elements of harmony together, started us all towards the lives we wanted for ourselves. And that ended up leading us to defend Equestria over and over again! I won’t hold it against you, because you didn’t know.” Dash took a threatening step forward as glared at her old coach with enough heat to make him take a step back, “But now that I’m telling you how important it was, I better not ever hear you say that again. I don’t want to hear it second hoof, or any other way, either. If I ever do, I’m going to pay you another visit, and it won’t end nearly as nice as this one will.”

“Fine.” He narrowed his eyes, “you obviously didn’t come here because you held any form of regret over your school days. What are you here for then? The sooner you’re out of my office, the better for both of us it seems.”

“I-“ Dash froze, the heat drained from her face. Anger had made her forget her reasons for coming and why she had feared him in the first place.

“I see.” Placing his hooves together in front of his muzzle and hiding his smirk, he sat calmly behind his desk. “Something to do with the Fledgling Flier Competition, is it? Are you that desperate to get into stunt shows? You’re a bit old to pretend to be a fledgling, Rainbow Dash. Surely you know I’m not about to bend age requirements for you.”

“I’m not here as a fledgling!” Unable to look him in the eye again, she grew interested in the left corner of his desk where there was nothing interesting going on. “I-I-I’m here as a coach.”

“By the heavens! No! Don’t tell me you’re coaching a team! Do not tell me you are passing on your lessons to another generation? Wasn’t ruining one enough for you?”

“Ruined?! Those foals were flying better under me than they were under you! Why did you think the school needed to save face to begin with? When I left, they were all working to towards their dreams!”

“Yes, and where are they now? Not one of those fledglings ever made the races. Not one. You left them stranded, Rainbow Dash. You took them away from me, and then left them all to flounder as you went off to nopony knows where. You built those foals up so much, and then let them all fall. You had a responsibility to them, and now, do you even know where a single one of them are?”

“Yes, I do in fact!”

“Well, good for you, because nopony else does. They all grew up to be nopony. Just factory workers and weather ponies, I suppose.”

“And an element of harmony. That shy one you mentioned earlier? Yeah. She’s one of my best friends. She’s the element of kindness, and it was her that reformed Discord, himself! As for the rest, they didn’t want to be racers! All you seem concerned with is teaching a pegasus how to fly, but there’s a lot more to pegasi than a pair of wings. If you bothered to teach them on a one-to-one basis, you’d have seen that. I taught them to fly in ways that would actually help them get to where they wanted to go in life. You can’t just measure a pegasus by how good they are at competitions! My fledglings learned how to fly, both with wings and without. The pegasi you say became nobodies became friends, parents, and family. They’re all following their hearts, and they are important, just not to the races!”

“For the last time. What is it you want from me?” He was done with the shouting. His words came out quiet now, and sounding very tired.

“I just learned about this whole sponsor deal. My team has none, and I need you to –“

“No.”

“What? But I didn’t even fini-“

“You don’t need to. I knew what you wanted from the word ‘sponsor’, and the answer is no. I will not waive the fee so you can inspire more students into following fantasies. I hate to do this to your current fledglings, I’m sure they trained very hard to come here along with you. I’ll keep an eye on them, offer them a new coach to train under; one that will actually care about training them for races, and not following flights of fancy and pipe dreams. It’s a shame they won’t be able to participate this year, but if stopping you from polluting more minds means they have to take the test individually, it will be better for them in the long run.”

“You can’t do this!”

“I can and I have. Good day Rainbow Dash, I don’t expect to see you in my office again.”

******

Twilight Sparkle trotted happily through the familiar ivory white, stone halls. The only stone above the clouds, held there magically by a great feat of magic that had occurred during Cloudsdale’s founding days. Her friends were going to be putting on a play whose source was one of her favourite books from her youth, ‘The Flight of Philomena’. The team would be showing the world ‘their stuff’ as Rainbow Dash would put it. Pinkie was actually keeping true to her word, and hadn’t bothered a single guard or diplomat the whole way in. Her dependable assistant was probably going to be the first dragon to ever take part in Equestrian games. And her new assistant was at home taking care of the library.

Her trot slowed at the mental image that came with that. Snails running the library alone? There wasn’t any choice, but Twilight couldn’t help but wince at the mess she might be coming home to. Mostly she just hoped he didn’t let swarms of bugs in because they wanted to play or something. Or worst yet, there were quite a few species of bugs that were known to eat books!

Her slow trot turned into a walk of dread as she imagined swarms of the small creatures digging into her precious books, and Snails standing by dressed as a waiter and offering more on a silver platter. Suddenly lost in her visions of terror, she bumped face first into the large double doors that lead to the throne room. Pinkie stared at her, confused, while the guards, standing on either side of the great entrance, directed their eyes down the hallway in attempt to avoid looking at Twilight. Their usual tactic used when they were trying not to laugh at something.

“Hey! You said no wacky stuff!” Pinkie whispered, annoyed. “Unless- Huuuu, you made me promise not to be wacky so I wouldn’t show you up! Are you moving in on my turf, Sister?!”

“Wha-? No! Pinkie, it was an accident. Really. Trust me I don’t want to be anywhere near your turf. So please, don’t make a scene.” Twilight tried to hide her blush while attempting to calm her friend’s suspicions.

“Allllriiiight, but I’m watching you.” Pinkie pointed a hoof at her own eyes than at Twilight’s and backed off slowly, carefully watching Twilight’s every move. Twilight swore she heard a muffled snort from one of the nearby guards.

She threw a glare at them as she pushed past one of the doors, hoping to regain at least some amount of dignity. The guards straightened up further, staring far too hard at an empty hallway.

“Princess?” Twilight called out, seeing the throne empty, she glanced around quickly, uncertain if she had the right time for her appointment, but then, the guards did let her in, they normally would have at least asked her business if it wasn’t her time yet. She decided to try again, “you wanted to see me?”

“Twilight! Oh and Pinkie, Darling! Do come in! We’ve been expecting you!”

Well that most certainly wasn’t Princess Celestia, but it was a voice she was very familiar with. She smiled looking over to the side where a pristine white unicorn was adorning one of the pillars with a large purple fabric tied up in a bow.

“Rarity!” Pinkie and Twilight laughed together, running over to wrap their friend in a hug, “it feels like it’s been forever since I saw you last!”

“A forever-ever! With a whole other ever!”

“I know, Darlings, I know.” Returning the hug, Rarity nuzzled against them before letting go. “It’s good to see you both again! “

“What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, still stunned in a happy surprise.

“I came with the Princess! Oh Twilight, you should have seen it! I had a royal escort the whole way! It was just so exciting! And of course, I came for the Fledgling Qualifiers. They offered me a chariot ride right to the Royal Residence, so I wouldn’t have to walk on the clouds, you understand. It’s a little less exciting than our last visit, having to remain inside until the games. I suppose I could have brought those old shoes from a couple seasons ago, but I would feel just awful about wearing them in the presence of royalty. Besides, when considering the locale I certainly can’t complain now, can I?”

“Shoes? What sho-”

“Ooooooh myyyyy gosh! Spike’ll be jumping up and down! And Rainbow Dash, too! Wait! With me and Rarity here, we have a full-fledged cheer squad!” Twilight was quickly drowned out by Pinkie’s happy squeal as she grabbed Rarity’s hooves and began pulling her towards an emptier space in the throne room, “we would be so awesome together! Come on, we’ll need to start practicing right away!”

“Oh, but I can’t, Pinkie!

“What? Y-you can’t? W-w-why not?” Rarity was face to face with a huge pair of eyes with tears dotting their edge, and a large, quivering bottom lip.

“I’m sorry Pinkie Pie, but I simply must refuse. And we can’t tell the team I’m here. Spike might be excited to see me for now, but come time for the show he’d be so stressed about doing well for me I’m worried it might affect his performance.” Quickly responding to Pinkie’s dramatics, she put a hoof to her forehead, as if mourning what could have been, “I could not bear to have that on my conscience. No, it is better that I remain in the shadows of the balcony at Princess Celestia’s side.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. He was pretty nervous when we left him,” Twilight said, nodding her agreement. “It’s also wonderful to see you’re getting along so well with Princess Celestia, but where is she? I did have an appointment to keep.”

“I’m afraid she’s in the middle of meeting with a pegasus committee of some sort. It’s running late, I fear. She did want to be here for when you arrived. While we’re waiting, would you like to see the banner I came up with for the team?” She didn’t wait for the expected reply, giving away the excitement that was brimming beneath her features, and quickly began to lead her friends down a hall to a large room.

“Absolutely! Can I carry it out on the field? I’d like to do a one-pony marching band thing, and stick it in the ground. Oooh! Or maybe I can sky dive in and use it as a parachute! Oh-oh-oh! Or maybe I can set off a whole bunch of party cannons at once, have a stage rising out of the clouds, while belting out a classic heavy metal guitar riff, with blazing fireworks shooting out all around me!”

“Um, well, I’m sure at least one of those options will work!” Rarity tried, not at all sure what the random pony had in mind, “How about I just show you, and then you think of something?”

At that Rarity pushed open a large pair of double doors. The display inside took Twilight’s and Pinkie’s breath away. It was laughable to think the fashionista would not go all out for her friends, but even for the element of generosity this was going overboard. The huge banner held up by two wooden poles spread across the entirety of the room. Written on the top corner in slanted gradient of a rainbow was the name ‘Captain Dash’ in large, flowing, script. Below it in smaller script it read ‘and the’ followed by very large, bold gothic print, ‘Skyblazer Crusaders’ ran across the remaining length in faded orange with green outline. Small cyan, purple, and orange silhouettes of each team member were trailing away from the different words: Dash from her own name, of course, Spike from ‘Skyblazer’, and Scootaloo from ‘Crusaders’. The three met together in a ‘V’ formation that was looping back over the letters.

It was quite the sight on its own, but behind it, lined along the far wall, were hundreds of pennants with similar designs, and many that focused on a single team member each in turn. Further still there were uniforms designed for both Pinkie Pie and Twilight, hats and shirts hanging neatly off to the side. The most impressive of it all sat in the middle of the room on a block, lights shone down upon it, reflecting off its intricate sections and surfaces; a huge set of dragon-shaped armour. It was a mass of blackened metal plates layered with tiny, dangerous spikes that looked ominous amidst the colourful flags, pennants, and banners.

“Well go on, tell me what everypony thinks? I haven’t had the chance to design for metal work before, and I have an important order to fill coming up concerning it, and I think it made wonderful practice. I believe the banners turned out quite masterful, even if I do say so myself. I’m not used to making anypony look frightening though; oh I do hope it came out alright.”

“It’s amazing Rarity! It really is! How did you come up with all this? I’m pretty sure all Dash asked for was the banner.” Twilight walked around, admiring the designs along the plates, while Pinkie Pie stared up at the wall of pennants with silent awe in her eyes.

“Yes, well, she isn’t used to selling herself. If you’re looking to put on a grand show of things, advertising is an absolute must! I did what I could with my limited resources. If Pinkie can distribute them somehow before the show, I think it will do wonders for when the actual event takes place a few weeks from now.”

“Don’t worry about that, I have just the thing!” Pinkie grinned widely, a cascade of ideas formulating in mind.

“Then I will leave it in your capable hooves, Darling.”

“Ah, here you all are,” came a motherly voice that stopped any further conversation as a tall, pristine white alicorn stepped into the room.

“Princess!” Twilight exclaimed, wheeling around in surprise. The three ponies bowed before her respectfully.

“My little ponies, I was wondering where you had gotten to.” She nodded slightly in thanks, a gesture to stand. “The guards said you had already entered the throne room.”

“Yes, Princess, Rarity was just showing us her work.” Twilight gestured to the room, stating the obvious. “I’m sorry. We should have waited for your return in the throne room.

“It’s quite alright. I was the one late, and I admit your friend Rarity’s work is often far too tempting to not see after offered the chance to do so.” Princess Celestia smiled at the now blushing unicorn.

“You are far too kind, Princess,” Rarity gushed, “It was a pleasure to work on it all, and I only hope they can serve their purposes well.”

“I’m certain they will, however I’m afraid I must take Twilight Sparkle from your reunion for a time. There is an important matter we must discuss.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Again Pinkie and Rarity bowed as the Princess and her student left the room.

They walked on down the hallway back towards the throne room until the Princess was certain they were out of earshot.

“I apologize again for being late to our appointment, Twilight Sparkle. The Pegasi Competition Committee had kept me longer than I thought necessary. I fear they have mistakenly taken my presence at the Qualifiers to mean that only quality flight shows should be put on, and their mistakes may have put your team in quite the dilemma.”

“Oh no! What happened?”

“It will make itself clear to you shortly, I’m sure. I will not be able to help as I would like to, I’m afraid royalty has interfered with our ponies far too often as of late. Especially when concerning the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Princess Cadence’s common visits to Rarity’s boutique have not gone unnoticed, and many begin to whisper about favouritism. You will have to resolve this coming issue on your own. I have faith that you and your friends can.” Closing her eyes and shaking her head, Celestia sighed. She warned Cadence about this. Interfering too much in the common life always had this effect. Giving Rairty’s business the prestige of a stream of royal sales brought around a number of disturbing complaints. Now her hooves were tied even though there was a more appropriate use for interference that concerned fairness to all ponies.

“I see. Thank you Princess, I’ll let the others know.”

“Very good. Now, to the matter of your new assistant, I wanted to ask you about his progress.”

“Yes!” Twilight said a little too loudly, reminded of her purpose here. She forced her voice down to quieter levels as she continued, “Yes, I mean, I was so surprised by his potential! I take it you read my latest report?”

“I did, and to be honest, it brought me some concerns.”

“Concerns, Princess?”

“Indeed. I selected Spike as your assistant after much deliberation and training before hoof, Twilight Sparkle. The potential for magic or organizing book shelves are not the prime considerations that need to be taken into account.” Princess Celestia’s voice grew stern and very serious. “Being my personal student, I come to you with often dangerous issues that cannot be spread to the general populace. Your assistant comes with many of the same responsibilities you have, you must be sure any assistant you take on can be entrusted with the fate of Equestria. Knowing this, can you truly vouch for this, Snails?”

“I-I don’t know?” She answered honestly. Snails was just on a trial basis as her assistant, and she had forgotten that in her surprise at his display of power. She’d written to Princess Celestia about him immediately afterwards. “I hadn’t fully considered that part when writing my report.”

“Then his trustworthiness needs to be tested soon. I understand his potential may be great but there are other places he can learn magic if that’s the case. With your recommendation in hoof, he would likely be able to enter whichever magic academy you wish him to. As an assistant, he will become your personal student as you are mine, even if you don’t mean him to be. In fact, I believe the term apprentice might be more suited to what he would be to you.”

“An apprentice!” Twilight repeated the word, a little nervous, and a little excited at the prospect of a student of her own. The idea that her position was so important that the position under her held just such a large degree of importance to Equestria was also something she hadn’t taken into consideration. It was something she would see to though. “I’ll look into it immediately after I arrive home. However, about my questions?”

“Yes, the magical ability without the knowledge behind it. It’s not unheard of Twilight, though it’s been an age since the last so gifted.” She said the last word with a bit of hesitation. It didn’t have quite the meaning she was looking to convey. “It’s a case of the magical equivalent of what some would call ‘savant syndrome’. Though, unlike in their case, the source is more a matter of faith than anything to do with mental capacity.”

“Faith, Princess?”

“You have studied magic since you could read, Twilight Sparkle. You know better than any what it takes to learn a spell. Please, describe it for me.”

“Okay, well, first I have to study the aspects of a spell. I have to know how it works. That’s the most important part, and what takes the longest. I have to know everything right down to its mix of elements, the math, and the amount of magic necessary to make it all happen. Once I understand that, it takes a lot of practice to make sure all the science and elements weave together at the right times to make the spell effective. Obviously, this isn’t what Snails is doing, so I believe it has more to do with a unicorn’s innate spell casting.”

“No, Twilight. As I’m sure you’re aware, innate magic is something that occurs due to the unicorn’s attunement to an action or object. What you described in your letters, his powerful use of telekinesis, is not very attuned to the snail he bears on his flank.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m so confused!”

“The answer is actually closer to your first description. The true reason you can learn spells through that method is belief. All your studying, all your math, insight, practice, and talent reinforces your ability to believe you can materialize the magic you wish. Your assistant, Snails, does not have the cognitive capability that you do. He is used to not thinking about why he can or can’t do something, he’s simply told so, and he takes it on faith that it’s true. This is not true of most ponies. Any pony would normally ask ‘why can’t I?’ Then they would come up with a satisfactory reason they cannot-”

“-Where Snails never takes that moment to question it! It just either works or it doesn’t!”

“Exactly, the powerful display you bore witness to was not one of magic, but one of faith. It will take a very different method of teaching than you are used to if you do decide to train him. It will be a matter of removing false barriers he has built up, rather than providing scientific resources that allow him to increase his ability. Concentration will be his biggest concern, and possibly his greatest obstacle.”

Twilight sighed. She was afraid of that. Concentration was what he lacked most. Inside the library it was at least possible, if difficult, but outside its confines it was almost always a mess. Even spotting a mayfly would cancel larger forms of magic almost instantly! “That won’t be easy. Bugs are everywhere, and his attention span is short even when they’re not. He might as well not even be able to do magic outside of sterile environments! Well, unless it has to do with bugs.”

“It will be a challenge, and even if you do not take him on as your apprentice, as long as he remains in Ponyville, I would request you look after him. Such powerful faith could cause as much trouble as it could do good, and his new role as diplomat with the insects of the region could spell disaster as much as it can reward.”

“Don’t worry Princess. I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

“LET GO!” A familiar shout interrupted further conversation, followed by a loud banging against the throne room door.

“I believe that is the trouble I warned you of earlier.” Princess Celestia paused, and looked back towards the hall that would lead to her royal chambers. “It would be best if I took my leave and let you contend with it, Twilight. My presence will only complicate matters.”

“Alright, Princess,” Twilight bowed as Princess Celestia quickly left just as the doors flew open with a resounding crash. And there an angry pegasus hovered in the entrance, two guards hung off her back legs with an exhausted grip, their eyes wide with surprise as the deceptively strong pegasus struggled to fly her way inside.

“Rainbow Dash?! Stop that this instant!” Twilight shouted, aghast at her friend’s actions.

“Hey! Don’t look at me! They’re the ones that didn’t open the door!” Dash gestured to the terrified guards latched to her legs.

“Dash! You can’t just barge into the throne room without an appointment!” Twilight turned her attention to the poor guards and smiled sheepishly, “Please, release her. I’ll make sure she behaves.”

The guards glanced at each other before agreeing silently and letting her go, though neither was sure if they were releasing her or she them. They didn’t stick around to debate the matter, and quickly headed back out to close what was left of the doors.

“Well, that was entertaining.” Dash smirked with a cocky grin before it turned sour after looking around. “Hey, where’s the Princess? I need to talk to her.”

“She heard you were coming and left, and considering what you did to get in here, you better be glad she did! I’m pretty sure breaking into the throne room constitutes as a pretty hefty crime! What were you thinking?! Whatever it was, is it worth being banished to the moon over?!”

Dash paused in her search for Princess Celestia, staring Twilight, only just then realizing what a bone-headed idea that had been. “D-do you think they’re going to arrest me?”

“No, but only because I’m here instead of the Princess. Now, get down and tell me what this was all about!”

“Sorry about that, Twilight. I was seeing nothing but red for a bit there.” Dash hovered down to land gently beside her.

“Twilight? Is everything alright in here?” Rarity asked in concern as she cautiously entered the room, Pinkie not far behind.

“It’s fine,” Twilight assured, before treating Dash with a glare, “Rainbow Dash was just knocking a little too loud.”

The pegasus in question started whistling out of tune what she hoped was an innocent-sounding melody. She paused mid-note to blink as her friends trotted over to join them. “Wait, what is Rarity doing here?”

“Unlike somepony, Rarity was actually invited.” Twilight wasn’t done glaring, and didn’t feel that a half whistled tune was apology enough. She should have at least had enough decency to look guilty. “You’ll have to save your greetings for later, Rarity. Dash was about to explain why she felt the need to single-hoofedly break into a throne room.”

“Right! Yeah, I kinda, sorta, need 10,000 bits,” she said reluctantly, scratching the back of her head.

“You broke into the Cloudsdale Royal Residence looking for money?!” Twilight found herself struggling to breathe.

“Twilight! Calm down, Darling. Here, have a seat before you hurt yourself.” Taking the distraught unicorn over to sit down on the stairs leading up to the throne, Rarity gestured for Dash to continue. “Well go on, Dear, what do you need it for?”

“It’s to register a team! We apparently need a sponsor or something. It’s something new they just put in this year because the Princess is attending! I flew here as quick as I could to ask her to waive the fee or something. After all, Spike’s the whole reason she’s attending as far as I know, and if our team doesn’t get in, his show’s gonna be cancelled!” Frowning at the crack that now ran down one of the large double doors she added, “I can work off the repairs for that.”

“Maybe after a couple years of hard labour,” Twilight muttered inaudibly, shaking her head. Out loud she said, “Princess Celestia can’t help. She just got back from a meeting with the Pegasi Competition Committee, and she said it’s gone beyond her control due to previous grievances expressed at royal interference as of late.”

“I was afraid of this.” Rarity couldn’t help the knowing sigh that escaped her lips nor the frown that appeared on her brow. “That would be partially my fault, I’m afraid. Perhaps I can help. I do have enough bits to spare, and I’d gladly sponsor your team, Rainbow Dash.”

“That. Is. GREAT!” She cheered, rushing over to grab Rarity and fly her up in the air in a twirling hug, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! We’ll need it by tomorrow morning. That’s the absolute latest it can be in by.”

“What?! But Darling! I don’t have it on me! I would need to get it delivered from Canterlot! There’s no way it could be here by tomorrow! Why, it would take a week at least!”

Rainbow’s ears drooped, and her stomach almost turned over. Landing slowly back on the stone floor, and letting Rarity go, she sat down, beginning to realize all their effort might have been for nothing. To get so far, only for it all to come crumbling down now? How was she going to deliver the news to Scootaloo and Spike? They’d be devastated! She couldn’t stop the tears starting to well up in her eyes. “W-w-what else can I do? Where else can I go?”

Twilight and Rarity looked at each other. There was nothing they could say, or do. No thoughts were forthcoming. 10,000 bits in a single night? In a city where they didn’t know anypony?

“Just show up at the stadium, duh.” Pinkie rolled her eyes, not really catching the gloomy mood that had fallen over the other three.

“Pinkie,” Twilight tried to explain, “if we can’t get the team registered, we can’t use the stadium. It would be pointless to go.”

“But there’s still a chance to get registered if we do show up, right? If we don’t show up, there’s no chance at all! So we wait there until the opportunity presents itself, and BAM! Our team gets to play!”

“I don’t think that’s going to work, Pinkie.”

“Do you know it’s not going to work?” Twilight’s vision was suddenly filled with pink, and a pair of big, blue eyes.

“Well, no but-“

“-Alright then! Everypony, saddle up! Rarity brought a lot of stuff here, and we’ll need everypony to get it to the stadium!”

“Huh?” The other two ponies joined Twilight in her confusion, too stunned to follow Pinkie’s logic as she started gathering saddlebags to put the air show paraphernalia in.

“Aw, come on guys, it’s simple! We’re the heroes, and heroes don’t give up until the very last second, and in that last second that’s when something great happens!”

“Pinkie, things don’t actually work like that,” Twilight answered carefully, trying to figure out how to word this so as not to leave her friend upset.

“Sure they do! It happens all the time! The villain waits for heroes to figure out his plans so they can beat them, or things we need are always close by just when we need them. Levers on train brakes never work in an emergency and are always brittle and break super easy. And heroes think all hope is gone when it’s really not, but they keep on trying until they save the day in the nick of time! It’s all in the rules of physics!”

“Rules? It’s laws of physics, Pinkie, and those aren’t them! They’re just common aspects in story-telling. It’s not like real train brakes actually snap that easily. ”

“You can only say that because your tail doesn’t twirl up like a corkscrew every time it happens!”

“You can’t have a Pinkie sense for train brakes breaking!” Twilight looked to the others for help, at a loss on how to explain how life differed from story books, only to see Rainbow Dash getting her saddle bags on. “Dash! You don’t really believe this, do you?”

“I don’t know what to believe one way or the other Twilight, but we didn’t come this far just to give up. Pinkie’s right about one thing at least. Even if there is the smallest chance of this working, I want to try. Nopony can call my team quitters. I don’t care if we have to do our show in the street; ponies are going to see it tomorrow.”

“A street performance? What a perfectly spectacular idea! Oh, but it will require a whole different type of set up.” Rarity’s mind was already spinning into action, taking into account the usual Cloudsdale splendor and decorum, and what she could add to spice it up. She smiled as an image began to take form. “There is a lot we have to do to be ready for tomorrow. Rainbow Dash, could you take a quick trip to where Spike and Scootaloo are staying? I’m certain we’ll need all the help we can get to be ready on time.”

“I’m on it!” With a quick salute, Dash was off.

“Well, come on girls! We’ll have to hurry!” Already on the move down the hallway, inspiration had taken hold and as usual, Rarity had every intention of following where it would lead.

“Right! We’re gonna win first place for sure!” Pinkie cheered and bounced down the hall after Rarity with Twilight trailing behind

“A street performance still won’t get them in the competition, Pinkie,” she corrected with a sigh, “pegasi might see the show, but they’ll still forfeit the qualifiers.”

“Nope!” She paused, and smiled back, “We’ll definitely be in the qualifiers! Just wait and see!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Easy,” Pinkie laughed, “I already read part 2!”

******

(“Anybody else feeling a draft in here?” Shokinaw looked around and noticed a Pinkie Pie-shaped hole in his fourth wall and all his notes lying in a mess on the floor behind him. “Okay. Well then. I’m gonna need more asterisks.”)

*****************************************************************************************

“Do you mind not gawking like country bumpkins? Really, Ponyville has enough of a reputation problem in big cities without our competitors standing around like tourists.”

That voice! That all-too-familiar, condescending, high-pitched, whiny, narcissistic voice! Scootaloo’s ears drooped as far down as they could go, her shoulders hunched on their own, and a grimace replaced the excitement she had been feeling. They had just finished their tour of the large hotel, down its grand hallways and reading its murals and tapestries. In spite of having been waiting for so long, it felt like a good day. But even the idea that that pony continued to exist could wipe away all thoughts of a good evening. She couldn’t bring herself to turn around to face the speaker. It just couldn’t be her. She was an earth pony! It was the one thing Scootaloo was sure she wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with in Cloudsdale! It just wasn’t possible for Diamond Tiara to be here!

“Diamond Tiara?” Spike turned around, giving voice to Scootaloo’s thoughts, and confirming her fears. “What are you doing here? Better yet, how are you here?”

“Don’t you even know that much?” Hearing Silver Spoon’s voice added to the conversation grated Scootaloo’s nerves further. “How far behind the times can you possibly be?”

“Best we educate them.” Tiara held up a hoof a little too close to Spike’s snout for his liking. It bore a silvery sparkling shoe, tiny wings flapped magically at the ankle, seemingly more for decoration than anything else. “This is called a cloudtreader. They became all the rage two seasons ago. Some pegasi apparently saw a bunch of unicorns and earth poinies walking around up here and took the idea to an enchanter. After a bit of marketing, any pony whose anypony had to have them. They’re a tad old fashioned now. I thought they’d just sit in my closet collecting dust, but considering the occasion I thought it worth a fashion faux paus.”

“Such a shame they fell out of style too, I always found they matched my colour so well,” Silver Spoon added, admiring the shimmering, slender shoe on her own hooves.

“As for what I’m doing here; Daddy had to come on business and I came with him to look after my investment and to do some damage control after your show.”

“Damage control? What do you mean by that?” Spike walked right into this one. It was a facehoof moment, and Scootaloo could feel her skin crawl as she imagined Diamond Tiara’s smirk in her direction.

“Obviously somepony needs to save Ponyville’s reputation after Scootaloo makes a fool of herself and messes things up for Rainbow Dash.”

“Scootaloo? Mess up? Well, she might struggle a bit on the gliding parts, but all in all you’d have more to worry about me messing up than her.” Interest perked up Tiara’s features at that new tidbit of information. Spike continued, oblivious to her suddenly renewed attention. “Wait until you see her on that board of hers. She’s really going to blow the competition away!”

“Shhh! Spike!” Scootaloo whispered in a harsh tone, whipping around to plant both her hooves over his mouth. “You’re not supposed to talk about anything in the show where ponies could hear! Remember what Captain said!”

“Oh, don’t worry. I already know all about your surf board thing.” Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and flicked her hoof dismissively. “Besides, you’d have to be blind not to notice it strapped to your back like that. Tying a bunch of sheets to it doesn’t exactly make it any less conspicuous. Now don’t interrupt, the adults are talking. You were mentioning her gliding?”

“No, he wasn’t!” Scootaloo placed herself between the two. “Don’t you have anypony else to bother? We’re waiting to book our room for the night.”

“Leaving things until last minute, are we? Well, that doesn’t surprise me. In fact, it was so predictable that I already seen to it when I arrived. Here are the room keys, at least attempt to apply some amount of forethought for now on. You are going to be my lifetime employee soon.”

“No thank you! We’ll get our own!”

“If you insist, but it might be difficult. Most of the other competitors are here already. This is the last hotel reserved for them, and it’s already booked full. They won’t even consider you unless you have an approved registration. You don’t have your registration, right? I checked up on the list of applications, your names weren’t there. You could wait here in the lobby all night long hoping somepony doesn’t show up, but I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Rainbow Dash is still getting our registration.” Spike grimaced, watching as the crowd of ponies continued to mingle around in the lobby, sneaking glances in his direction. He could hear them asking hotel employees about the ‘show’ and when it would start, thinking he was some form of event the hotel was putting on for the games. “Can we take her up on it, Scoot? I really would like to get out of public eye at some point today.”

“Fine.” Scootaloo gave a heavy sigh. “What’s the catch?”

“Oh, no catch. The less time you spend in public, the more Ponyville saves face. You’d be doing me a favour. Just go hide in your room and at least try not to look so much like a tourist. I mean, really, anypony would think this is the first time you’ve been to Cloudsdale with the gawking you keep doing.”

Glaring, Scootaloo snatched the keys Diamond Tiara offered, trying to disguise her embarrassment with anger. It wasn’t even their first time in Cloudsdale? Earth ponies frequented the capital pegasi city more than she did? That just wasn’t fair! She turned to leave, looking to retreat from the scathing smirk Diamond Tiara was giving her.

“But, it is our first time in Cloudsdale.”

Scootaloo wasn’t sure, but she thought she felt her own neck turn 180 degrees to stare at Spike. He did not just say that.

One look at the two earth ponies told her she wasn’t hearing things. They were trying everything they could to hold in the taunting laugh that threatened to spill out. What was worse, it wasn’t just mirth she seen in Tiara’s eyes, it was almost a sense of pity? Scootaloo felt her tail crawl between her legs. She felt mortified, completely and utterly humiliated. Spike hadn’t looked back to her yet, and he mercilessly continued.

“You can’t really blame her for being impressed, I mean, the place is so immense it’s kind of staggering. I’ve never seen anything this size since I was living back in Canterlot Castle. Well, I guess the Crystal Kingdom’s castle is bigger than anything they have around here too, but none of that is made out of clouds.”

Suddenly the taunting fits of laughter turned to choking surprise. Living in Canterlot Castle?

“I think Twilight was right about this. Picking a hotel looks like it’ll be way better than staying at the royal residence, I mean. They always kind of look the same. Princess Celestia has a distinct design she likes wherever she goes. Honestly, it can get kind of old. This place comes with a sense of adventure from just walking through it.”

“Royal Residences all looks the same?” Silver Spoon repeated, uncertain she heard what she thought she heard.

“Oh yeah, if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all,” he said with a quick nod then gestured to the grand halls around him, “but this, this is stunning.”

“So, you were a live-in assistant in Canterlot castle?” Tiara tried to confirm. He was working for Princess Celestia’s personal student. It would make sense that the Princess would send an accomplished royal assistant with her when she came to Ponyville.

“Oh, so you don’t know everything.” Scootaloo smiled, feeling some confidence return to her. Crossing her legs, she leaned over on Spike casually, “Spike, here, was raised in the castle. He’s just, you know, Princess Celestia’s adopted son.”

“What?!” The two uppity ponies cried out together. Her mind racing to find some way to reject the idea, Diamond Tiara stuttered out quickly, “B-b-but, I looked into your team’s background! There’s no papers, no certificates, no sign of anything of the sort!”

“Well, no. There wouldn’t be.” Spike frowned, “I am a dragon, and there isn’t a whole lot of protocol to bring dragons into pony society. Probably won’t be any time soon, since I’m the only one in Equestria that would pay attention to things like that. I mean, like you said, there’s no bureaucracy on me at all. I’d bet anypony looking into it would have no idea where I came from.”

“Then you really were raised by-” Tiara had to swallow as colour drained from her cheeks, “-by Princess Celestia?”

“Sure, but it’s no big deal, really.”

“Not a big deal?! You’re technically a prince!” Silver Spoon exclaimed, and the ponies that were lingering around to see the strange sight of a dragon up close began to grow as interested in the conversation as they were in the dragon. Low whispers and gasps filled the hall.

“No! No, you got it all wrong. She raised me, but I’m not royalty or anything like that. Can you imagine how much trouble that would cause? As far as the royal line is concerned, I’m more like a curiosity the Princess took in.”

“But she considers you like a son? And she sent you to Ponyville?” Still trying to clarify the situation as she watched her investments suddenly dive into a sink hole, Diamond Tiara was beginning to feel faint. So much time and effort were put into making certain Scootaloo would be under her employ by the beginning of autumn, and now it was starting to look like it had been for nothing.

“Yeah, Twilight and I have been close ever since she hatched me, so I volunteered to move here with her. We still write to each other a lot though. I kind of have to, if I didn’t, she’d probably drag me home by the ear for visits.”

“Then our bet… it was just a ruse! That’s why you’ve always been so sure you were going to win first place! Because The Princess could just come in and declare your team the winner!” Her eyes went wide as she stared at Scootaloo, and she was forced to sit down, her head was spinning. Was this really planned from the start? Had Scootaloo actually managed to pull one over on her?

“Wha-? Hey! No way! We can win this thing by ourselves!” The accusation really hit home for her. Scootaloo hadn’t even considered the idea the Princess could just play favourites and let them win. “Spike, she wouldn’t do that right?”

“Nah, you won’t have to worry about that. The judges wouldn’t know about me anymore than Diamond Tiara did, and the Princess would never interfere with a contest.”

“Except when she did at the Best Young Fliers Competition, you mean.” Silver Spoon was quick to point out. Spike just rolled his eyes.

“Okay, maybe on the off chance that our team performs a miraculous stunt that nopony’s seen for a hundred years, and we use it to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts from falling to their doom, she might step in and declare us the winners. I will point out that if any other team did that, she probably would step in and name them the winners too. In fact, you can probably consider that a clause in ways to achieve victory. ‘Miracle moves that save other ponies lives are grounds for immediate victory over other contestants.’”

“But barring that,” Tiara said as she began to calm down, “it will be the judges scoring, and the judges don’t know about your ‘relation’?”

“I don’t think they even know why she’s coming to the qualifiers,” he confirmed.

“Coming through!” The warning came fast, cutting off any further conversation as a blasting streak of colours skidded to an easy stop next to the fledglings. “Hey Fledglings, we got work to do.”

The command was brief, and vague, but that’s what Spike and Scootaloo had grown accustomed to. They both saluted quickly before she had even come to a stop. All around the pegasi were cheering and stomping their hooves in applause. Rainbow Dash had no time to greet the masses. Her one track mind was focused on dealing with something far more important than fans just then.

“Captain! Do you have our registration?” Spike asked quickly, “how did everything go?”

“It didn’t.” Dash sighed, she was hoping she could answer this on the way, but then it occurred to her that she should probably ask them first, Captain or not. “They’re not letting anypony enter the competition without a 10,000 bit entry fee because the Princess is going to be there. Basically, we can’t get in without a sponsor.”

“What?! Do we have a sponsor?”

“No, and before you ask, Spike, Princess Celestia already said she couldn’t sponsor us. We’ll have to find our own.”

“In less then a day? Are you kidding?” His shoulders slumped.

“So, let me get this straight, the Princess is going to be there because of the dragon,” Silver Spoon butted in, fighting to hold back the snickering that threatened to take over, “but because she’s there, the dragon won’t be able enter the qualifiers?”

The two childhood friends looked at each other, both struggling to keep from cracking up over the predicament. The flight team all took on sour looks, turning to glare at them. It was just too much, one tiny spurt of a giggle slipped past Tiara’s lips, and soon both were howling in gales of laughter, completely unable to stop, tears streaming from their eyes as they fought for breath.

After starting a team late in the year with a flightless pegasus, a hopeless dragon, and a flight school drop-out of a coach, anypony could have said it was a safe bet. Against all odds, however, they managed to learn to fly and figure out how to put a semblance of a show a show together. And after all that, it was going to be their greatest advantage that would end up stopping their team from being able to enter the qualifiers? Diamond Tiara was trying to stop the fits of laughter, not because of any sympathy for the team, but because it would simply be undignified to be caught in such a state. She was suddenly assisted in her efforts when she looked up to see the rage playing in Dash’s eyes.

“Yeah, real funny! Laugh it up!” Rainbow Dash took a step forward, forcing both ponies to slide backwards to avoid being stepped on, “but let me clear something up for you two. These fledglings behind me? They already proved that either one of them have more heart than the two of you combined!

“They struggled. They fought. They pushed themselves over obstacles and adversities which you two would have taken one look at before running away with your tails between your legs!” With each point she made, Dash took a step forward and then again, leaving them sliding back further and further until the two ponies were left with their backs pressed against the wall.

“I’ve seen them walk away from and laugh off injuries that would have left you both in traction for a month! This whole sponsor thing? It’s just one more hurdle among many; one small setback on top of a pile as high as the clouds that they overcame to make here. Tomorrow, everypony in Cloudsdale will know our names, even if we have to take our show to the street to do it! Because even if Scootaloo doesn’t win your stupid little bet, even if she doesn’t make it into the games, she’ll know she deserved to. And because of how much she put into all this, all the risks she took to get here, she’ll know that even her failures will be worth more than all your safe little victories put together! And the same goes for every fledgling here like her! And no condescending, money-grubbing, flank-kissing sponsor will ever be able to take that away from them!”

The entire lobby was stunned into silence. Forgotten was the dragon that stood off to the side of the growing development. No pony batted an eye at the pegasus at his side with the strange luggage strapped to her back. The Best Young Flier bawling out the young earth ponies had taken everypony’s attention.

When she turned and walked back to her team, there was a single stomp; followed by another, and then another until the entire room was cheering and stomping in applause. Her ears straightened up, and Rainbow Dash looked around. It was the coaches, the captains, the fledglings that were showing their support. Then she wondered, how many? How many more teams were caught in their situation? How many more flight teams met their end at the point of a quill at this competition? How many hearts were left broken because they couldn’t hoof over a pile of bits? How many more would want a chance to show what they had?

Rainbow Dash smiled.

“Tomorrow, before the competition, our team is setting up a street performance! Teams like ours that never managed to scrape the bits together to get into the main show, I’m inviting you to join us. But in order to be ready on time we’ll need everypony to lend a hoof! My team is heading over to the coliseum now. Spread the word, come set up, and tomorrow, let’s give Cloudsdale a pre-show like it has never been seen before!”

Her call out to the crowd was answered with a tremendous amount of applause, hoots, and hollers. Pegasi gathered around her, tossing out ideas, sharing concerns, and pleas to volunteer or join. Like a low rumble their voices grew louder and louder, and they took to the streets as the call went out to the city. The number of ponies grew more and more, until there was a herd of them in the streets and skies, they became a tumultuous cacophony, a rolling thunder that quaked its way through the very foundations of Cloudsdale.

Author's Notes:

Whew. This was a long time in coming.It's my first try at an OC, and I do hope I treated him well, because a couple show up in this chapter, mostly just the other Pegasus Competition Committee members, so not a whole lot, but since they all get introduced in this 2-part chapter, it might feel like a bit of a parade of them all at once. Ugh.

Tell me what you think?

Oh! Also Frazzled Pony did an amazing job proofing this, so if you see this friendly brony around join me in tossing him praise! (Unless you hated this chapter.... then it was all his fault, and I'll bring the rope)

Do forgive me if Pinkie broke the wall a bit too much there, I just wanted to try different borders between scenes and didn't want it to be too abrupt a change without explanation. Probably won't be there when i do the final draft of the story.

Chapter 12: Confronting the Storm Part: 2

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Chapter 12:

Confronting the Storm

Part: 2

The chariot bumped and swayed as it was pulled along by the strong-winged stallions at its front. Clouds were speeding past, as they made their way across the deep blue of a late morning sky. Pegasi were out in droves beneath them, but Rarity could not bring herself to gaze down at them over the railing. She wasn’t feeling the bright cheery morning on white fluffy clouds, not yet at least. It’d been too late an evening for that. She had worked deep into the night helping everypony set up for their shows. Now she was dreadfully tired, and feeling just a tad airsick.

Rainbow Dash, as usual, hadn’t put much thought into the idea of what a street performance of the magnitude she had suggested would entail. Her call to her fellow flight teams had rung very loud throughout the city of Cloudsdale. It resonated sharply to all the teams, registered and unregistered alike, and nearly all of them had come out to help get things ready for the flight shows that were probably taking place at that very moment. Thankfully Twilight Sparkle fell quickly into the role of organizing and supervising the crowds that showed up, but the decorating was still left mostly to Pinkie Pie and herself. Certainly they had a multitude of helpers to choose from, but all of the talents their volunteers boasted revolved around flying, and very few had any skill for presentation beyond that. With that being the case she was stuck working long after the pegasi had left. She was one of the first to arrive and the last to leave as it were.

“At least it meant there were plenty of ponies around that were good at dealing with the weather,” she sighed to herself. Being the main source of building material around, clouds would be the mainstay of props for all the air shows, and they had to gather a significant amount. So much in fact, that even though Rarity knew she was coming upon the grand coliseum it wasn’t because she could see it. The landmark had become completely obscured by aerial view, hidden from all sight by the largest gathering of clouds in a single spot she’d ever witnessed.

She hoped the flight teams were doing well. That was the most disappointing part of it all; she wouldn’t even get to see the result of all her hard work. Her body had given out on her, and rest was her punishment for having overworked herself for the past few weeks. Because of it, she’d missed most of the morning shows, and it was almost time for the sponsored teams to begin theirs. Princess Celestia had insisted on Rarity sitting in the royal balcony with her before any of this trouble began, and it wouldn’t do to be late for a royal invitation. She’d made Rainbow Dash promise to come get her to watch their team’s show, though. That was the whole reason she’d come to these games after all.

Rarity was flown in through the open ceiling of the empty stadium, spiraling down to meet the Princess herself who stood up to greet her. Philomena squawked on her perch beside her, the phoenix’s own semblance of a greeting, Rarity figured. As the chariot pulled to a stop in front of the balcony, the soldiers bowed and Rarity followed suit. Celestia treated her to a large, welcoming smile.

“Rarity, I’m happy to see you! Please, come, join me.” The Princess stepped aside and gestured to the empty seat beside her. “I’ve been seated here for hours, and while Philomena has many talents, conversation isn’t one of them.”

The firebird ruffled its feathers at the comment before being treated to a pleasant nuzzle under its chin, a trick Rarity learned having to deal with Peewee more than once. “A small price to pay to be so naturally stunning, I think.”

“Quite so,” Celestia agreed watching Rarity carefully as she retook her own seat. “You seem tired, my little pony, I missed you coming back last night. I take it to mean you have resolved the flight team’s issue?”

“If only, Princess. There was no sponsor to be found, as far as I know. In fact, I’m not even sure Rainbow Dash bothered seeking any out. I would have gladly done so, as you know, but on such short notice it was just impossible! It was her intention to find one, you understand, but she never had time to get around to it.”

“Oh dear, I was afraid of this.” Celestia frowned, staring away at the sky, “I’ve done more harm than good for little Spike and your friends. It’s too late to change things, however. The flight committee was rather vehement on this admission fee no matter how much I advised otherwise. If you believe the price for registration is high, you should see the fee for spectators. Seems only the most elite pegasi will be joining us here.”

“Well then, it’ll serve them right when the crowds cheering from the street will ring louder than the ones in this grand arena of theirs. I’m surprised at how empty this place is. I thought coaches and scouts, and certain privileged ponies were allowed to watch the Qualifiers, but we seem to be the only two here.”

“They aren’t being allowed in yet. I’m not sure what’s going on outside, but whatever it is, it has the good Captain up in arms about it all.”

“Captain? As in Shining Armour? Is he here? I’m surprised he didn’t come with me to greet Twilight yesterday.”

“No.” Celestia chuckled a bit before reminding her suddenly excited guest, “Twilight’s brother has become the prince of the Crystal Kingdom. I’m afraid faraway princes, in general, make very poor Captains of the Royal Guard. I’ve had to find another to take his place, and it has been a fairly frustrating experience.”

“Oh?” Rarity’s interest grew that much more. The search for a new guard Captain was frustrating Princess Celestia? This was just the kind of juicy gossip that she needed to wake up. “Is it not simply promoting the one that was under Shining Armour?”

Recognizing Rarity’s renewed spirit, Celestia smiled inwardly and continued. “I wish such was true. Shining Armour is a shining example of a soldier, of loyalty, and a friend. As a Captain, well, he was a Captain during a peaceful age, and perfectly suited to the role. The changeling attack has changed that. I can no longer see our position as a peaceful one. Luna and I took careful consideration of the situation and we determined that if Shining Armour and Cadence hadn’t been there to settle things with Chrysalis, we could have lost everything in a single attack.

"Even had I defeated Chrysalis myself, our armies had fallen to hers so quickly Canterlot would have still been lost to us. It was a humiliating blow to our soldiers and to Equestria’s reputation. To our neighbours we are seen as vulnerable; more vulnerable than we have looked in a millennium. We need to strengthen our defenses, and I have had the displeasure of finding a Captain that could do this. I’ve already been through several, and each tried to emulate Shining Armour instead of surpassing him. At last I believe I’ve finally found the pony for the job, but I have issue with the one I’ve chosen for the task.”

“You have an issue with your own Captain? Whatever could it be that you can’t just give him an order and have it go away?”

“He refused the position.”

“What?!” Rarity gasped, “But, isn’t being Captain of the royal guard something of an honour among soldiers? Why would a pony ever turn such a thing down?”

“He is a pegasus and he is very different from Twilight’s brother. A strict, no-nonsense pony, he believes in quality over quantity. I found him leading a small set of troops among the borderlands we share with the minotaurs. It is a border that has never had an issue in spite of the confrontational views of those on either side of it. Because of who he is used to dealing with he is used to dealing in a very straightforward manner. So please understand when I say that when asked to speak freely after he refused the promotion, he was very frank. Probably more frank than anypony should be when talking to their Princess. He told me he would not be able to give me the military I asked for because of me.”

“He did not!” Rarity was aghast. “What utterly impudent, self-righteous behaviour! Not to mention rude!”

“I know! And I ordered him to take the position on the spot. I never even gave him the choice to reject it.”

“What?! Why would you ever? I mean, as the Captain of the royal guard, you have to deal with him daily basis, do you not?”

“I do,” Celestia nodded, “and it has not been easy. But the Captains that came before him all put the blame at Shining Armour’s hooves. They thought him too soft, but then they ended up copying everything he did. The problem was never Shining Armour’s. It was mine. Shining was just following my orders, like all the Captains that followed. My new Captain and I constantly bump heads, and when he gets tired of my interference in his duties, he likes to remind me I can remove him from the position at any time I wish. It’s his fault I’ve been waiting here for hours with nothing but the scarce visit of royal guards for entertainment and between you and me, Philomena is a better conversationalist than any of them.”

“I can’t imagine working beside such a ruffian! I’m so sorry Princess, you must be at your wit’s end! What purpose could waiting here all this time possibly serve?”

“It’s a security measure. I’m not sure what’s going on outside, I’ve been hearing cheering all morning. Normally I would have left to see what it was about immediately, but I promised him I would wait and let him see. About half an hour ago, he reported that there was a gathering outside, and that it was a growing protest that was indirectly due to my presence at the Qualifiers. Well, we both know that’s do to this whole admission fee business, but a pony could easily construe it as the fault of the royal visit at its source.”

“What utter nonsense! I can tell you what it is, Princess” Rarity declared loudly as an authority on the matter. “Rainbow Dash, understandably upset about being unable to register her team, has invited all the other teams in the same situation to perform their flight shows just outside. That’s where we all were last night; setting up the street for the public entertainment. It’s no ill will against the crown, I can assure you. I’ll be joining them when the time comes, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve made arrangements to be informed when Rainbow Dash’s team is about to go on. I believe theirs will be the finale; a privilege of putting the street show together, you understand. I’m expecting a scroll from Spike at any time.”

“That explains much.” Nodding to herself, Celestia turned to listen to another wave of cheers. “And how are things with Spike?”

“He’s nervous as one could expect. He was trying to put on such a brave face too, but once you know of his deceptive tendencies it’s easy to pick them out.”

Celestia allowed herself a small chuckle, knowing exactly what Rarity was referring to. “His tail.”

“Yes, that adorably honest tail of his was fidgeting with its own spines the whole time.” She heard herself giggle, and felt her cheeks flush pink at the sound. She had meant to hold that back. “I wished to hide my being here from him so he could concentrate on his show, but the situation necessitated revealing my presence last night. I fear I’ve made things worse for him.”

“I’m sure he will do fine. There will be much more on his mind than you or I watching. But allow me to be a bit more specific. How are things between you and Spike?”

“Oh-uh, y-yes. Y-yes, of course,” Rarity stuttered. She should have known that Celestia was planning to ask about their relationship. Actually, she did expect it, or had expected it before last night’s events. With all that went on the day before, she was distracted from coming up with a pre-formed answer, and now she was caught off guard. “Things are well, I think. I mean, as well as they can be. We write to each other fairly often. Well, he writes more often than I, but it’s more because dragon flame is so much faster than the mail service.”

“I see.”An unusual frown appeared on Princess Celestia’s face. “So they are as they ever were? That is somewhat of a disappointment. I had hoped you would come back from Ponyville with an answer one way or the other.”

“An answer?” Truly puzzled over the strange statement, Rarity tried to decipher its meaning. Was there still any questions regarding Spike and herself? She had thought any answers were fairly evident at this point. “Well, we camped out together in the Everfree in the most marvelous cave you could imagine, and we had the most lovely time dancing at my farewell party. Oh! And I confronted him about his unnecessary deceptions in my letters and hiding his emotions from me. He’s become a lot more honest, allowing for the hidden bouts of nervousness here and there. I think he’s trying to hide it as much from himself as he is from me, though.”

“That’s actually quite an impressive amount of development considering he has yet to confess his feelings!” Celestia said, fairly surprised.

“Oh! That’s what you’re asking! Why, he already has, Darli-I mean, Princess, long ago.” she laughed, but still managed to correct herself with a slight nod of apology. It was good to be careful about becoming too casual with the Princess. Her usual term of endearment for ponies had almost replaced the esteemed title of royalty. It was the relief that caused her little slip-up. She had thought she missed doing something important with Spike while she was home.

“H-h-he what?” Feeling her jaw go slack, Celestia’s eyes widened at the new information.

“Yes! Yes, it was just after that whole rampage incident, you know. We were falling to our doom; he tried to confess because he was worried about dying before telling me. Well, of course, I had to stop him. I didn’t want him to think we were actually going to die. Not with Rainbow Dash so close by to save us. Even so, it was obvious then it was more than any little crush or infatuation. I’ve known exactly where I stood with him ever since.” Sighing wistfully, Rarity relived the whole event in her head quickly. “Honestly, I’m surprised he never told you.”

“I-I think I can understand why he did not say anything to me.” Lost in thought, the Princess found herself absently stroking a hoof through Philomena’s feathers. “What could he say? That he failed to confess his true feelings because you stopped him before he had the chance?”

“It wasn’t like that! I understood what he was trying to say. I suppose I’m not telling it right, but you have to believe me. Our feelings and expressions reached each other easier than words ever could.” Chewing on her lip, Rarity couldn’t’ stop from gushing now with the memory so freshly played out in her mind, only adding to her recent experiences with the gentledrake. “Oh, Princess, Spike is really so sweet. I haven’t even been able to look at a pony without comparing them to him first, and between you and I, I don’t think I could even picture myself with anypony else.”

“I see.”

The Princess’ response was filled with an uncomfortable amount of sharpness. Their close proximity suddenly seemed a little unsettling as she grew aware of it. Apparently Princess Celestia had a different outlook on the event, and Rarity was beginning to guess that it was one far different from her own.

“I must admit to some disagreement to your assessment, Rarity. It is all very well for feelings to reach out as you put it. Actions may speak louder than words, but they’re nowhere near as clear.” Turning to gaze at her guest, she saw that Rarity was looking away from her with downcast eyes. Celestia let out a heavy breath, and gently reached out to ever so slightly touch her chin. At the unfamiliar contact Rarity’s eyes flew back to catch her own. “You may not think the same way, but please understand I know personally how feelings can be mistranslated to another. I once felt a disturbingly dark emotion growing from a pony I thought I knew. I thought I had done something, I thought it was a simple disconnect between her and myself. Now when I look back and see that a simple question could have stopped it all I near fall to tears. Just asking her what was wrong? Reaching out with words when she needed it most could have prevented everything. The price for my silence was one thousand years of lost time. One thousand years that I could not spend with her.”

“Princess Luna?” The squeak came out as a question, but it wasn’t one really. She knew the answer. Rarity was more familiar than most of the tale of Nightmare Moon. “Princess, you don’t really think that Spike and I would-”

“- It is unlikely that any such thing will occur between you two.” The sharpness in her voice had faded; a touch of sadness had taken its place. “But I would do anything to get those years back to share with Luna. Someday you’ll wish for these years back with Spike as well. Don’t fall prey to the mistakes of Luna and me, my dear little pony. Make the most of what time you have. Talk to him. Tell him how you feel instead of hoping he interprets your feelings for you. Why would you wish to delay the bliss you know you’ll both have together?”

“D-delay our bliss? B-b-but Princess!” Rarity stuttered with some hesitation, “- d-do you not see? We are happy. In spite the distance. And that whole distance thing, well, Spike is attempting to resolve that this very day! W-w-what I mean to say, is what Spike and I share, i-it feels stronger than words. He simply must already know how I feel. I am certain of it!”

“You should hear yourself,” Celestia said, shaking her head with a frown, “you have said ‘our feelings have reached each other,’ or ‘know how I feel’. You are very adept at language, Rarity, but I cannot help but notice your sentences always dance around saying such a simple word as love. Why is that?”

With a heavy sigh, Rarity leaned over the balcony railing before answering, unable to hold Celestia’s steady gaze any longer, “It is simple, and that’s the problem. It is all very well to say I love him, but it’s just so easy to say that it doesn’t seem like it is anywhere near enough to express everything he means to me. Just saying it like that feels like it’s cheating ourselves somehow.”

“Does he think it would be cheating?”

“I- what?”

“Does Spike think it would be cheating?” the princess repeated. “You have thought very carefully over your own feelings on the matter, but have you considered his?”

“Well, as neither of us has ever felt any necessity to discuss it, likely he believes the same as I.” The answer tasted sour in her mouth even as she said it; an excuse more than anything else. It would never fly with a pony as proficient at seeing through spoken word as the Princess, so why even say it?

“Only likely, Rarity? This seems a fairly important subject to you both. If I were in your place, I believe I’d want to know for certain.”

Closing her eyes, she felt Celestia’s reply more than heard it. She understood now, her response was in vain hope to fool herself rather than any attempt to fool the Princess. ‘What if’s’ began to trail through her mind. What if Spike wanted to hear her say it? What if he was still doing all this to earn her approval? What if he left thinking she didn’t feel anything for him?

What if he left?

Her chest clenched at the thought. How had it come to this? She was an independent pony! A career pony! She had long ago settled on the idea that she would have to leave her friends back in Ponyville to live in Canterlot. It was one of the hardest decisions she ever had to make, but she had made it! And she had done it! She was living her dream! The elite of the elite purchased her work, her peers were forced to acknowledge her skill at her craft, and she successfully expanded her small town business into the capital city of Equestria!

Her mind fell back to a very recent memory of several beautiful streams of flowing waterfalls cascading into a rushing river, of ivy growing along rock walls, an image of a shallow cave made magnificent through intricate patterns of moss, shining quartz, and the light show reflecting off the streaming water. Then she pictured the dear Mr. Shallows working tirelessly only to look around to see he was alone. She saw herself in the serpent’s place, looking around for a dragon that simply wasn’t there to find.

She swallowed. She didn’t want to lose him. Rarity promised she would be there for her friends whenever she was needed, to take as many trips back as she could afford just to be near them as much as she could. But Spike wasn’t another pony-erm-dragon… being that she wanted to spend her life with, he was also the only one she couldn’t picture her life without. Even thinking about him warmed her heart and the thought of losing him because she had never said anything left her feeling so cold she was shivering.

Another wave of happy cheers sounded out and pulled Rarity out of the awkward silence she just realized she was treating the Princess to. Though apparently the problem had already solved itself. The Princess was occupied with somepony behind the large red curtains that shielded the balcony from the inner hallways. It was a gruff sounding voice, and the two were having a disagreement of some sort.

“I should address them! Directly! It would settle the whole matter!” her words held some heat behind them, apparently the two had been arguing quietly until that point. “My friend here has told me exactly the reasons for this resistance as you call it, and it is without a doubt nothing of the sort. You are worrying over nothing, and it is delaying my duty to my ponies. It is my fault the teams were left out there. My addressing the situation will resolve this.”

“With all due respect your Highness,” a very gruff sounding voice retorted in a tone that seemed to show no respect at all, “it’s like you said. The problem out there stems indirectly from your presence here. Even if almost every pony out there does not blame you, all it takes is one that does and is crazy enough to try something to create a panic! The whole area would be completely uncontrolled and insecure without a show of force that we do not wish to make!”

“Then I should just sit here on my flank? This is wrong and something needs to be done about it. What do you suggest I do, Captain?”

“Fixing the situation is your job. My job is to keep you and them safe. I’m telling you what needs to be done to assure that. Whatever you decide to do, it needs to take place in this coliseum, otherwise you compromise your own safety and with it, Equestria’s!” The sound of angry trotting followed the words, faded down the hallway. Rarity had never seen the Princess so frustrated before, even when talking to Discord. Perhaps it was because she didn’t have to deal with Discord every day.

“Whatever possessed me to give him the position of Captain of the Royal Guards?! I should have him court-martialed! It would suit that stubborn old mule of a pony right!”

“Princess?” It felt very strange to see the always stately alicorn rant and fume to herself; as if she was witnessing something very personal.

Almost instantly the frustration fell away from Celestia’s face as she was reminded she wasn’t alone. She coughed to clear her throat as she collected herself, “ahem, I apologize you had to see that, Rarity. I fear I have grown more irate with the new Captain around.”

“Think nothing of it! Why I’ve never heard anypony acting so insolent before a Princess! I would probably be absolutely livid were I you. I’ve half a mind to suggest we go out there unannounced just to spite the stallion.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot.” Celestia laughed, feeling a little better to have somepony there to vent with. “I believe the most irritable thing about him isn’t so much his brazen bluntness. Rather, it’s that I often find him correct. It is indeed not his place to tell me how to run a kingdom, nor is it his fault that I find myself in this situation.”

She cast a quick glance to one of the guards nearby who nodded and quickly left. Rarity watched the curious exchange and frowned, not quite certain what had just happened.

“He’s gone to get me a messenger to contact the true source of all this trouble.” The Princess answered her unspoken question. “That committee is responsible for this mess, and I believe I shall direct my mood towards a pony or two that deserves it.”

************************************************************************************

“Still a ways to go before our turn,” Rainbow Dash stated while peeking out from behind the tent flap. She was speaking of the show taking place outside. It was the first break her team had since the show began that morning. They had been helping to set up props, distribute clouds, and set up stunts for the other shows for most of the event. After getting a feel for what was needed Twilight Sparkle arranged to have a tent readied so they could prepare, and began getting other teams that had already had their turn in the skies take over prop duty.

Seeing somepony coming their way, she ducked back inside the tent, quickly hoping they missed her, nearly knocking over Peewee’s blanket-covered cage as she did, causing an annoyed squawk from the phoenix. She steadied the cage muttering a quick apology. Everypony had been coming up to thank her or shake her hoof, and while normally Rainbow Dash would be happy to bask in the praise of a fan, today she just didn’t have the time. She turned around to face her fledglings.

“How’s it going?”

Scootaloo stood on top of Spike’s back, and was stretching a strap to its straining point, tightening it around his gut enough to leave his eyes bulging out.

“Scoot! I still need-” he choked out quickly, “-to breathe! Ugh!”

Grinning mischievously, she gave an extra tug before hopping down to inspect her work. Spike fixed her with a flat look as he loosened the strap a little and stood up as straight as the tent would allow. “Well, how do I look?”

The two pegasi circled around the dragon, looking him up and down. It had taken a good half hour to finally put each piece on, but now the armour Rarity had the smith put together for him seemed sleek, and amazingly form-fitting considering they were plates strung together. Even his spines had been taken into account, and the blackened bulk that lined over them bore a resemblance to an overly thick spinal column that ran its way right down to the tip of his tail where the metal covering his spade formed into a longer pointed edge. Each rise over his spines had a dark red ruby embedded in either side of its bump. The only really bulky part of the suit of armour hung along his sides where there were large rectangular holes that curved down to avoid showing his scales but still gave them plenty of air. Lastly the helmet he wore covered over his largest spines with a bulk of metal that was shaped after the plates that one could find along the back of a stegosaurus, and it had an elongated snout far outreaching his own, curved downwards into a dangerous looking beak that had ‘teeth’ running along its edge. It covered only the top of his eyes with a slanted plate that imitated a look of anger, his lower jaw was completely exposed outside of a couple straps holding it in place.

All in all Spike looked outright dangerous and evil. Scootaloo and Dash smiled at each other before chiming in together: “It’s perfect!”

“Rarity put a lot of thought into this!” Dash continued, tapping the bulk along the sides, “look, she even put in ventilation so your heat will still all be directed towards your wings.”

“No kidding!” Scootaloo agreed quickly, “getting your spines in the holes along your back was a tight fit, but it all seemed to work. Can you move alright?”

“Oh yeah, my spines are flexible, so that isn’t a problem.” He moved around and swished his tail awkwardly, getting used to the weight. “It’s kind of weird though. There’s a lot more metal than the stuff we got from the scrapyard but it feels lighter!”

“It’s more spread out,” Dash answered running a hoof down his tail along the sleek plates, “less focus all on your shoulders and back like the scrap was. How’s the fire breath? The helmet isn’t blocking your snout, is it?”

A quick puff of flame was his reply. He instantly regretted it when a scorch mark was left on the tent’s ceiling with a small flicker of green flame beginning to grow before he reached up and pinched it out. “Heh, oops?”

Scootaloo snorted and Dash smirked, “Looks like it’s working fine. Leave it to Rarity to cook up something like that. Looks like we’re all ready to go, but we still have some time. How about we go get you two in line for your flight licenses while we wait?”

“Yeah!” Spike’s wings flew open in sudden eagerness, tangling himself in the tent as they did. Dash and Scootaloo laughed as they quickly stepped out of his way and took to the air, gently lifting up the self-made net he had managed to tangle himself in.

“Excited much?” Rainbow Dash laughed in between tugging him free of the tent. Her laughter was echoed by the crowd that had gathered around the fairground. Spike’s helmet had become lopsided and was half hanging off. His cheeks burned and all the villainous looking armour in the world couldn’t disguise his embarrassment, only making the sight of him more comical for its contrast. Instead of answering he did his best to slip off unnoticed, a feat made utterly impossible with his costume. His expression changed the instant he entered the large coliseum archway. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were right on his heels still giggling about the scene, until Scootaloo noticed what had grabbed his attention.

Inside, the lobby had put the Olympian Inn to shame, and Spike could quickly tell that the Inn’s inspiration had come from this amazing feat of architecture. Adult dragons could have walked upright through these passages without any threat of hitting their heads! The murals portrayed not just the champions of pegasi in pictures that lined the walls, but the course of their entire adventures were carved into the walls, the pillars, even the floors played its part in detailing battle scenes from ages past that had drifted off into myths, or skyscapes of dangerous flight paths and maps trailed by renowned pegasi explorers. All thoughts of embarrassment were forgotten in the presence of this monument to champions and heroes.

“Woah!” All the knowledge he had gleaned from his years as a scribe under the tutelage of Princess Celestia and her protégé allowed Spike to put his thoughts into words.

“Wow,” agreed Scootaloo, mimicking his thoughts as she joined him in standing awe of the tapestries, murals, and sculptures surrounding them. They were truly standing among legends here. Her tail swished back and forth, inspiration and confidence flowed through her from the nose of her muzzle to the tip of her tail. Excited chills ran up and down her fur as the idea dawned on her more and more. “We were going to hold our show here?”

“We still will, Scootaloo,” Dash promised, determination clear in her voice, “maybe not yet, but we will. Come on, guys, we have to get in the line.” Leading the way over to the lengthy crowds while the fledglings took in the sights, Rainbow Dash’s mood was something altogether different. It felt more like all these heroes were challenging her to do more than she had, but her well of ideas had run dry a while ago. She was already doing everything she could think of to get them into the official games. In fact she made so many contacts over their impromptu air shows outside, that she probably would never have trouble sponsoring her team again, but the key word there was again. She’d protested this forced sponsorship to clerks, committees, and even royalty! Still her team was left on the sidelines.

It had all come down to a waiting game. All hopes pinned on some random happenstance that her efforts-no- her team’s efforts hadn’t been in vain; that somepony somewhere would see them stuck in this line up or in the shows outside and give them their fair chance. So there they stood, waiting for that last second to tick by that would deny their entry for a certainty, or for some opportunity to pop up as per Pinkie Pie’s prediction. Rainbow Dash was trying to keep their hopes up, trying to boost morale by not giving up until the end. She didn’t want to come this far only to be failing the challenge in the eyes of the heroes all around her.

“Rainbow Dash?”

An unfamiliar voice rang out her name among the crowds, and she looked around to see where it came from, expecting to see another fan with a pen and a picture. What she seen instead surprised her. It was a large pegasus, a very large pegasus, dressed in the royal armour and colours. He wasn’t the biggest she’d ever seen, that honour belonged to that ugly looking fella back home, but this one would give Applejack’s brother a run for his bits in size. The way he carried himself, the way he stood up straight, the way his pale orange fur was combed back, the look in his dark brown eyes, and even just hearing the sound of her name in his deep voice, everything about him said stern. He kind of reminded her of somepony she knew, but she couldn’t quite put her hoof on who it could be.

“Rainbow Dash?” He tried again, looking for some form of unneeded confirmation as he walked closer. With her mane colours there was no other pegasus she could be mistaken for outside of maybe her dad.

“Who wants to know?” she asked, crossing her legs and leaning casually to one side, staring up at the big guard. She felt her fur bristling, something about this guy was putting her on edge.

He glared at her as he understood he wasn’t going to get a straight answer, obviously feeling she was being rude. “The Racing Committee would like to address you privately.”

“Yeah?” her ears perked up until she remembered her last private discussion with a committee member. “Think you could clarify why?”

“Concern over the official competition,” he answered shortly. “They feel your display outside has gone on long enough. The real games are about to start and it’s generally felt that that it would better for all involved to end this fiasco before it detracts from the official teams.”

“Hey! They created this fiasco, pal! I know for a fact the Princess was against this whole sponsor thing, so it sure wasn’t her idea! That means it was purely their decisions that lead to this.” Any sense of casualness she might have been trying to portray was left behind in a flash as she quickly got up in his face. “And just so you know, the games being held out there are just as real as any they put on in here!”

“It was not my intention to upset you. I have no part in the committee. I’m just relaying their message. But your scene playing outside has created a security concern to the Princess, and that makes it my problem.” The guard did not back off, instead he leaned forward to stare her straight in the eye as he continued, “this debacle needs to end, and it needs to end before the official games start. Like it or not, you are the reason this is occurring that means you have to declare your terms, and discuss this without causing a scene. This has become your responsibility.”

“If you hadn’t noticed there’s already a scene. If you really want to end this, get the committee to allow every fledgling into the games like it should have been all along! There are athletes out there that worked hard to put a show together, and they’re not about to leave without their turn to shine! None of us will!”

“You’re asking the impossible. Even if they were open to the idea, there’s no way to implement and organize it in less than an hour.”

“Not my problem,” Dash smirked.

“It will be,” the guard snarled, “because if this is not resolved I will be shutting down both the official and nonofficial games; by force if I have to.”

“What?” Her voice squeaked out, that was not the answer she was expecting.

“I told you, this mess has become a security concern to Princess Celestia. I have her orders to shut down the entire event if I believe it necessary. Her orders were very clear and put in no uncertain terms to the committee. They have decided that canceling the event is not what they were hoping to achieve, and so have become very amiable to the idea of coming to agreeable terms with you to prevent this from happening. So come up with those agreeable terms.”

With the new information in hoof, she looked back to Spike and Scootaloo who wore smiles as bright as day. It was obvious they were thinking that this was their chance. But this had become more than about their team. It was also about all of the ponies that shook her hoof this morning, about the pegasi that helped put everything together through the night, and it was about all of the flight teams that were left out of their day to shine. Considering her newfound position carefully for a few moments, Rainbow Dash sucked in a deep breath to steady her nerves. Wheeling around to face the large pegasus once more, she began, “Okay, I’m willing to listen, but they’ll have to come out here. I ain’t the kind of pony that makes deals behind closed doors, and I don’t think anypony outside would be willing to accept that kinda thing anyway.”

He arched an eyebrow, and Dash thought she caught a hint of a smile. “Very well, I’ll inform them to select a representative.” With a nod, he trotted off quickly into the crowds towards the main offices.

“Is this it? Do you think we’ll get in?” Scootaloo asked in a conspiratorial whisper, creeping up to her Captain’s side.

“Either that or we’re shut down completely by the sounds of it,” she answered openly. “I can’t believe it came to this. I have no idea what I’m supposed to say that can fix this mess in an hour.”

“Can’t you just say that?” queried Spike as he played with tightening the helmet. Turned out the armour hid his features well enough that the pegasi around were thinking it was a much more than it was; that he was just a pegasus in an elaborate dragon costume. He was still receiving stares but their gazes no longer held any fear, and he enjoyed not having apprehensive ponies around him for the first time in two days.

“Say what? Shut it down because we need more time?” Dash frowned, turning back to look at him.

“Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, it’d give us some more time to train and that’s never bad, but more importantly it’d give us more time to figure out how to deal with all this. They’re your terms, so if you think it can’t be done in time; just ask for more time. Like a couple more days or so to work everything out.”

Giving Spike a half-smile, Dash nodded in thought. A couple more training days, more time to deal with this whole sponsor dilemma, and it might just satisfy everypony. The delay wouldn’t be that bad, not with the inns all booked for the teams already. She was just beginning to think the idea had merit when she caught sight of a golden-armoured troop of guards escorting three important looking ponies through the herds gathered in lines. Her old coach was numbered among them, but she didn’t recognize the other two. They didn’t look at all like Feather Guide, more like a business pony and a lawyer type. One was a mare dressed in a dull-looking gray suit and tie with her mane tied into a tight bun. The other was a pegasus stallion who wore an opened sportcoat and a set of dark sunglasses even though they were indoors. His black mane was slicked back, and he looked altogether greasy.

The guards quickly established a small perimeter around them and Rainbow Dash, even insisting Scootaloo and Spike be pushed back.

“I suppose you are the figurehead of this little issue then?” Her voice had a nasal sound to it as the mare of the group of strangers stepped forward.

“Little issue?” Dash blinked and looked to the guard she was talking to earlier and then over to Feather Guide who averted his gaze. She expected him to be the spokespony for the committee, but he was standing far behind the other two, as if he didn’t expect to be saying anything at all. “I’m pretty sure this has gone beyond being a little issue or you guys wouldn’t even be here.”

“Purely a problem with perspective,” she waved a very well-polished hoof dismissively. “For a small town pony like yourself, it may very well be the largest scale endeavor you’ve ever been a part of. We handle these kinds of petty disputes in our daily affairs.”

“If your minor issues end up shutting down large portions of major city centers, you guys must foul up real bad for the major ones. What do you do? Toss rocks at minotaurs and insult their mothers from the border walls? Or maybe cause buffalo stampedes in downtown Canterlot?” The mare looked nonplussed at her reply, but Dash was surprised to hear a snicker sneak its way out of Feather Guide’s direction. It was quickly followed by a cough when the business stallion at his side elbowed him. The stallion then smiled the widest, most fake smile Dash ever had the misfortune to bear witness to when he ducked his way between the two mares.

“Ladies, ladies! Leave the animosity aside, let’s focus on our similarities not our differences! That’s how disagreements of this magnitude are settled, after all.” He spoke fast, too fast for Dash’s liking, and too friendly-sounding. “The largest thing we have in common, is of course the desire to see the show go off without a hitch, so let’s talk about ways we can make that happen! So what do you say Miss Rainbow Smash? What is it we can do for you to make this all go away?”

“It’s Rainbow Dash! And what you can do for me is get rid of this whole sponsorship thing you three put together!”

“Rainbow! Baby! Let’s not overreact here!” He slipped a foreleg around her neck, leaving her feeling disgusted. “We didn’t just toss the sponsorship ideas out there without thinking. We’ve been running on the coattails of the government for far too long. Sponsorship gets us out from under the royal hoof and into the private sector! That’s good for every pegasus. It means more races, more kinds of races, different categories, and even allows more entries for pegasi without credentials to enter into the races; a problem I know you’re personally aware of?” He finished with what she was sure was a wink under those sunglasses.

She stepped back to free herself from his arm and scowled, “Except it hangs more athletes out to dry than it helps! You want private races, fine! But make your own; don’t try to steal what the kingdom already puts on. Those are ours, and ponies won’t stand for you trying to take it from them.”

“The committee has been left in control of kingdom-run and private races alike.” The mare interrupted, “Legally we are allowed to implement administration and registration fees however we feel will most benefit our athletes-”

“-you mean yourselves! How much of a cut are you getting out of this pay hike compared to the athletes?”

“Ladies! Please, let’s keep focus on the here and now,” the slick-haired stallion nervously suggested, conveniently ignoring that he was the one that had brought up future events. “Rainbow Bash, what can we do to work with you?”

“Dash! It’s Rainbow Dash! And you can let everypony into these games, obviously.”

“Ridiculous, there’s not enough time to change the schedules! And the sponsors have already paid their team’s admission. We are contractually obligated to keep to this schedule.” The suit and tie stated sharply.

“Then just put a show on for another day for flight teams that don’t have sponsorship!”

“Woah there, let’s not just spring that on us. What you’re talking about is a non-profit show. Rainbow, can I call you Rainbow? Rainbow, we’d lose everything we made today supporting a second booking! There has to be another way.”

“Yeah, profits you shouldn’t have been making in the first place. If there’s another way I don’t know it. You asked what you could do for me, and I told you.”

“But I-” The stallion in sports coat was stopped by the same royal guard Dash was talking to before.

“I suggest you consider that idea carefully, Sir,” The guard said in a matter-of-fact tone, “you’re running out of time before I shut this place down. If that happens, you’ll be breaking those big money-making contracts you made. You’ll be lucky to get away with breaking even if that happens.”

The business stallion looked to the mare, sweat starting to dot his brow. “Lofty Heights?”

“It-it would be the optimal alternative, Mr. Deals.” she admitted, hesitating only momentarily as she straightened a tie that was already rigidly straight.

“Well would you look at the time?” Deals quickly checked his fur where there was no watch, before snatching Dash’s hoof and quickly shaking it, “Sounds like we have found an arrangement! We’ll hold our show today and book a day next week for yours! I can see it now! Your name in lights above it all: ‘The Free Flight Show as presented by Rainbow Mash’!”

“It’s Dash! Captain at that Mr. Eels.” She smirked, letting him shake her hoof.

“It’s Deals, actually, Shady Deals. But please, no formalities between friends! Call me Shady.” He tipped his shades a bit lower to give her wink she could actually see before turning to head back towards a familiar face he must have seen in the crowd. Some familiar brown coated pony with moneybags on his flank. He called back to Dash over his shoulder, “have your ponies talk to my ponies, we’ll do lunch and get this whole thing smoothed over.”

“What? Where are you going? This isn’t over!” Lofty shouted as she watched his retreating form, “we haven’t even voted yet!”

“Nuance! If there’s no bits, there’s no me, and Feather Guide was against the idea from the start. A vote would just be delaying what everypony knows.”

She gave a quick glance at the old coach who silently nodded his agreement.

Lofty Heights stood still watching Shady go and the coach step away from the conversation to discuss some further security matters with the guard. She turned back to glare at Rainbow Dash, “I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“Yeah, I actually am, kinda.” She slyly smiled back.

“Really? This is what you really wanted for Cloudsdale? To continue to let noponies into these hallowed halls? This is a place for heroes! It could have been a symbol of our very best and brightest! Now it will continue to be a farce, letting frightened, small town ponies trot all over our proudest memories!”

“Hey! Everypony has a chance to be great if they work at it!”

“Most certainly true, but it’s not the same chance, Rainbow Dash. In fact the percentile chance of a pony from nowhere has been a dismal 2.35%. Furthermore, our surveys have concluded that the main reason pegasi from small towns fail isn’t lack of skill or talent, but the inability to access the training, funds, and equipment the larger cities can provide. The best thing we can do then is to strongly encourage pegasi seeking the national stage to move to an area with the facilities necessary to supplement their ambitions.”

“Equipment? Have you ever even left these clouds, lady? No funding is ever going to supply a better training grounds than what Equestria itself provided us!” Dash snapped back, “Money will never be what makes a champion! With enough heart, guts, and training your wings alone will take you anywhere you want to go!”

“You’re so naïve.” Lofty rolled her eyes as her frustration broke through her calm façade, “Money is what separates professionals from amateurs. In the world of the best, you cannot afford to give an edge to your competitors, and not having the top sports equipment at your disposal is giving them that edge! If you can’t even provide your team with the basic necessity of funding, then you shouldn’t have a team to begin with!”

“I think we’re done here.” Dash growled out, not wanting anything more than to have this conversation over with, “I’ll be looking forward to our new game day.”

“Oh, you’ll get your day. And so will every other country bumpkin so-called Flight Team Captain! But no other pony! If your teams can’t provide us the money necessary for advertising, booking hotels, or other necessities then don’t expect the committee to pay the bill for you! Go ahead and put on your little flight show, but there’ll be nopony there to watch and you can sleep in the streets for all we care. This whole fiasco of yours is just wasting everypony’s time! Everypony with a brain is going to be able to tell the difference between a grand showing of athletes and your amateur hour! These fees and separate dates will filter quality goods from backwater boonies like your precious, little Ponyville.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” An offended scream called out, even over the noise of the herd of ponies behind the perimeter the guards had made, completely drowning out the angry retort Rainbow Dash was about to lash back with. Shoving her father and Shady Deals aside as she stormed up to Lofty Heights, an absolutely livid Diamond Tiara pushed her way pass the two old friends before the guards managed to block her path just a couple feet from where Lofty Heights stood. Even though she appeared barely out of her filly years, Lofty was suddenly very glad of the Captain’s insistence on security. “What did you just say about Ponyville?!”

Backing off slightly she quickly looked to the guard now, “Captain! They’re getting through! Could you do something about this?”

“One filly against two armed guards? Our part is already being played perfectly well here. We’re here to keep you safe, not to stop ponies from asking questions.”

“What did you say about Ponyville?” Diamond Tiara repeated after seeing she wasn’t being turned away. Her body was shaking with rage and its heat left her face feeling flushed and hot with sweat. “I must have heard you wrong!”

Letting loose a low growl at the royal guard, Lofty Heights cleared her throat and answered this new arrival calmly, “I meant no offense. You look like an educated pony. I’m sure you must understand why a tiny, earth pony village is simply no place for a nationally famed icon of flight to be trained.”

“You mean other than the one that already resides there?” Tiara asked grinding her teeth together while gesturing towards Rainbow Dash who was still gaping in surprise at who had come to her defense.

“Please, she’s not actually from Ponyville. Rainbow Dash was trained here, in Cloudsdale; a perfectly respectable place for our grand champion fliers.”

“So you’re just going to conveniently ignore nearly two decades she put into training in Ponyville because she was born here?!”

“Come now, do you really believe that some small town’s one and only flight team entry is going to be appropriate competition for the seven of flight teams Cloudsdale alone is sponsoring? Let alone the teams from other cities like Vanhoover, Canterlot, and Manehatten?” Lofty Heights explained in the most sympathetic voice she could manage in attempt to calm the pony down. “Our new polices will save small towns like yours the humiliation of being compared to bigger and better flight teams. It is simply logical that they should not be considered in the same league. They’re purely small time.”

“It seems to me that your logic has a few convenient jumps in it.” Tiara snapped back as she walked around the guard over to Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t supposed to be this way! Her plan had all come together so perfectly! So what if the Princess was Spike’s adopted mother? It hadn’t helped the team any. She also could have done without the public berating that Rainbow Dash gave her the night before. The whole point of this was to get in good with the elements of harmony, not get them angry with her. It was a problem, but one that could have been dealt with in time. All that mattered was that they had no entry into the games, just as her research predicted. Now all her plans were being ruined. All ruined because of this mare!

“It doesn’t sound like you’re looking to help small towns like mine. No, it actually sounds more like you’re scared of our flight teams.”

“Scared? Of your flight team? Preposterous!”

“Not as preposterous as you’d have us believe, I think.”

In the last three months Diamond Tiara had become somewhat of an expert on everything about the Fledgling Flier Competition and the Racing Committee. It was easy to predict exactly the stance they would take when it came to Rainbow Dash. Like most things in life, it was all about following the bits. Not the bits from the sponsorship fee, no, a much deeper well than that. A well they literally couldn’t afford to let run dry, and Rainbow Dash was an unknowing threat to that well.

If only this pony hadn’t been such a big- a big-! Ponyfeathers! There were no words terrible enough to describe her! She had hit her right in her hometown pride. Small time?! Country bumpkins?! Indeed! It was all Tiara could do not to charge Lofty Heights down and beat her with a wad of cash as big the pony’s head! Why did this numbskull have to interfere? There was a bet to win, but this stupid pony happened! She had called into question Ponyville’s honour, and no matter how much effort Diamond Tiara had put into winning Scootaloo’s bet, it was one call her pride had to answer. It was her pride versus victory, and as far as she was concerned, a victory without your pride wasn’t a victory at all.

“You see, I’ve been looking into pegasi races and I noticed a trend. All this ‘best training equipment’ talk you keep spouting on about is something the Racing Committee has invested a large amount of bits into.”

“Every piece of equipment bought makes you more money, and honestly it’s an admirable business scheme if I’ve ever seen one. There was only ever one problem with it. The only thing a professional flier wears during a match is a flight suit.”

“Are you going somewhere with this?” Lofty Heights was beginning to lose her patience. Who even was this brat? And why did she have to answer to her?!

“Well, it just seemed odd that you’d introduce a policy like this that actually decreases your profit margin. I mean, the less flight teams there are, the less training equipment ponies will buy. Such a savvy business pony as Shady Deals would never agree to it unless there was risk of much larger losses. That’s when Rainbow Dash flies onto the scene. She’s a pegasus that made it big without a single piece of your expensive training gear. You had to shut her out of competitions. It was a ‘just in case’ measure, but a very necessary one. If she had discovered a method to train for the top spots without your expensive equipment, and was not just willing to share that method, but also teach it to others the committee’s largest financial investment had a real chance of taking the plunge.”

“We are not afraid of her! We barely knew her name before the Young Flier Games, and she’s done absolutely nothing since. Our new policy was for increasing the reputation of the league as a whole, and that’s all!”

“Barely knew her? Even though one of the committee members is famous for being her coach?” An accusatory hoof pointed at Feather Guide left him stepping back, a little shaken about being abruptly brought into the conversation. “A coach, I might add, she outdid during her flight camp years, publicly humiliating him and her associated flight school even when she was a filly new to her cutie mark! But isn’t it strange that you’re right? Even though she had all that latent talent at such a young age, nopony ever heard of her again until the free-to-join Best Young Fliers Competition. All of her attempts to join previous stunt shows had been conveniently blocked through some means or another! But I’m sure it had nothing to do with her moving to Ponyville to train when she was still a filly.”

There was a murmur humming through the gathering crowds, a disgruntled one. Rainbow Dash was trapped into a stunned silence. It couldn’t be- that couldn’t have been the actual reason behind her struggles to get noticed! Could it?

“No! No, she’s wrong! It wasn’t like that!” Flustered, Lofty Heights whipped her head back and forth, trying to correct the whispered accusations from the crowd. “Really, we hadn’t heard of her at all until the Young Fliers Competition! Feather Guide never even mentioned her before! Our new sponsorship policy is purely for paying for advertising, and quality of life for athletes of our league! That’s all! It’s there to help pegasi athletes improve themselves to a new professional standard!”

Finally, Diamond Tiara spotted the familiar gray mane bobbing through the crowd that she’d been straining to see since she had started talking. A large smile and a telling wink from beneath large glasses told her Silver Spoon had completed her task. It was time to end this farce. Her nerves had calmed now, she’d turned it into a conversation about business, and away from hometown pride. She could work with that, she knew business. She knew it very well.

“If that’s true, then why don’t you prove it?”

“Prove it?!”

“Your excuse for this sponsorship is to stop small towns from humiliating themselves up against big city teams isn’t that right? So let’s make a bet. Let’s say that if any of Cloudsdale’s Flight Teams score better than Ponyville’s, Rainbow Dash will have to step down from this whole uprising your new policy incited. Without her, that show outside probably would have never gotten off the ground- or clouds- whatever. That is why you came to her? To put it to a stop, am I right?”

“What?!” Dash near-screeched and grabbed Diamond Tiara by the shoulders before forcefully turning the young mare to face her. . “What are you doing? Don’t bring me into this you crazy filly! Those pegasi out there are counting on me!”

“Don’t worry,” Tiara whispered back, giving her a confident smile, “I have her right where I want her!”

“Right where you want her? You’re trying to bet my good name away! If this is revenge for what I said last night I strongly advise you to shut your mouth! I am not going to abandon those ponies out there!”

“You don’t have to! Look, you’ve already got the ball rolling. They’re not going to stop just because you backed down, are they? They’ll keep that movement going all on their own. Especially if they know about this public bet! Besides, what do you have to worry about? Scootaloo thinks you’re going to take first place,” Tiara made a quick glance towards the attentive young pegasus peeking around the guard’s leg in front of her, “or does your team not have what it takes to beat a couple high class teams? Do you know something she doesn’t?”

Rainbow Dash followed her gaze, staring into the pair of hopeful eyes. There wasn’t anything Rainbow Dash knew that Scootaloo didn’t. In spite of all odds against them, her protégé was still hanging on to the faith that they would fly away from all this with the number one trophy. Still, Diamond Tiara was not news to her. The crafty mare was playing at something here, and she wanted to know what. “You better tell me exactly what this is about, or this stops right here, right now.”

“It’s about us, okay? It’s about Ponyville! It’s my town as much as it is yours, more than it is yours.” A determined look crossed Tiara’s features, a look Dash was all too familiar with. It was the same look her fledglings wore every day of their training. It was surprising to see it worn by this snobby, pink pony known for ridiculing any that didn’t meet her standards of how a pony should be.

“My great grandfather helped found it by selling jams in a stall! My grandfather built a new set of tracks to help Ponyville to sell apples, crops, and everything else Ponyville produces to our neighbouring cities and towns! My father works everyday to expand its reaches, to export our goods all over Equestria! Ponyville is my whole family’s work, and it`s going to be mine too someday! That stuffy pony just insulted my family’s work! And now she’s telling everypony that my town’s not good enough to even apply for a spot among them? Let me do this. Let me do this so that we can make sure Ponyville and other towns like us won’t ever be left out of the air shows just because somepony felt like we didn’t belong there.”

They were strong words, and they weren’t lies. The Rich family had put as much work into building their hometown as the Apple family. Compared to a pony with generations of family working to build a town, she was just some pegasus that stumbled her way into the streets in her teens. It didn’t take an egghead to know which would have more hometown pride. Hesitating only a moment, Rainbow Dash took a step back. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Since the only way to have any regrets would be to lose, any regrets you have will be on your own head,” Tiara sniffed, flipping her hair as she stuck her nose in the air. “But then if you win, you’ll win big. That is how you said you liked things, isn’t it? Even your failures are better than my victories?”

Laughing, Dash drew away shaking her head, “you’re kind of crazy, you know that? I admire that in a pony.”

“Just don’t make me regret what I’m about to do.” Diamond Tiara turned around to look Lofty Heights in the eye. “Rainbow Dash has agreed to our end of the bargain. If her team loses to any of Cloudsdale’s team today, she will withdraw from any further complaints of your policies, specifically those having to do with sponsorships.”

“And if Ponyville’s team wins as you predict?” Lofty Heights questioned. “Not that there’s any chance of that happening. One good flier doesn’t make a flight team, and it’s more the fledglings that are being judged anyway.”

“I’m not sure who you’re trying to convince, me or yourself.” Tiara allowed herself a confident sneer, “If Ponyville’s team wins you have to step down as a committee member.”

“What?!” Lofty Heights felt her jaw go slack, she had worked too hard and too long to get where she was to wager it on a bet! “You must be joking!”

“Joking? But didn’t you just say earlier that my team only has a 2.35% chance of winning? This is as sure a bet as there ever was one for you. It’s purely and solely in your favour if your stats are true and you’re not trying to pull the wool over everypony’s eyes!”

A new wave of quiet murmuring passed through the crowds before a hush fell over every pony there as they waited on her answer. Lofty Heights began to understand the position she had found herself in. By refusing the bet she might as well retire anyway! Rainbow Dash would go on making a mess of all her plans for a professional league, everypony around would constantly be looking over their books from now on, and she’d be walking on thin ice for the rest of her career! Her only hope was to agree to the bet and count on the odds, unless she could think of a way to hedge the bet somehow. Well, there was always stipulations, wasn’t there? A sly smile grew as an idea began to develop in her mind.

“Very well. I’ll take you up on that wager with some conditions, of course?”

“Naturally,” Diamond Tiara answered unconcerned.

“First, the judges for these teams will score them as if it were the real event rather than just a flight test. Second your Ponyville team will still be subject to the same rules as every other team. Thirdly, since this competition is the Fledgling Flier Competition, it should be the fledglings that are the focus of the show should it not? As such, Rainbow Dash should not be allowed to use her sonic rainboom!” She pointed her hoof at the pegasi in question, her smile wide.

”What?! Now that’s preposterous! She’s the Captain of the team! Are the other Captains not going to use their trademark moves then? That destroys the routine they’ve practiced on for-” A hoof on her shoulder stopped Tiara short. She looked back to see Rainbow Dash shaking her head.

“Don’t worry about it. We got this.”

“You’re- you’re sure?” Tiara paused, now uncertain in her plans, “but that’s your victory move! No matter what problems your show has, it could save you, might even win the whole show for you!”

“Just make the bet.”

“A-alright. We’ll agree to your terms, then, with two conditions of our own. First, if Rainbow Dash can’t use her trademark move then the Captains of the other teams must be held to the same restriction. Lastly, in honour of the crown’s visit, and to encourage her interest in the flight shows, it should be requested that Princess Celestia should be the fourth judge for the competition.”

“Done. I’ll look forward to never seeing either of you again.” In a huff Lofty Heights left the two ponies to their own doings and gestured for her associates to follow. The Royal Guards were quick to provide a safe escort through a crowd that was growing more disgruntled the more time the committee members spent in public. After a few minutes walking they arrived at their council hall, and she turned to the larger of the guards. “This will be fine, Captain, thank you. Could you please bring the request the young earth pony made to her Highness?”

“I’d be happy to Miss, I’m sure she’ll love the idea.” He gave a quick nod and gestured to the guards around them. They instantly dispersed and made sure this secluded part of the building remained that way. As he left, he muttered: “Mostly, cause it sounds like more trouble for me.”

Waving politely until the Captain was out of sight, she instantly grabbed Shady Deals by the collar of his sports coat. “Shut down the registration, and be quick about it!”

“What? Why would we want to do that? There’s still a few teams we’re waiting on and-”

“Don’t you remember my second condition?” She smirked, “They have to follow all the same rules the other teams have to. That still includes registration! I very much doubt they have any way to provide the entry fee, but if you shut the registration down early they won’t even have that much chance! Even if their show turns out to be an amazing success we can still use that rule to disqualify them! So hurry it up!”

“Oh-uh, right!” With that Shady Deals flew off towards the clerks.

“You know the audience won’t stand for that,” said Feather Guide thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. “They’ll still want to see her.”

“Of course they will, and we’ll let them. We’ll let them lose face in front of everypony. This disqualification technicality is simply an emergency plan if things go haywire.”

“I’ll admit it was clever. I thought you had them with denying the use of the sonic rainboom, but you weren’t even aiming for that, were you?”

“Never make a bet with a lawyer,” she cackled, “Hah! I still can’t believe they actually went with that! I only said it to distract them away from my second condition! This deal is in the bag, and that means no more Rainbow Dash getting in our way. That should be a load off your back, Feather Guide. You can finally put that whole situation behind you, just what you always wanted, am I right?”

“I’ll go let the other Captains know of their restrictions.” Avoiding the answer he turned to leave, “They’ll want as much time as they can to go over new last minute changes in their routines.”

“You’re not still on about the whole rich versus poor scenario, are you? We’ve been over this, it will be better for the league. The numbers don’t lie.”

“Yeah.” He answered quietly without looking back, “but will it be better for anyypony else?”

************************************************************************************

“So, you mind telling me what that was all about?” Dash asked after watching the committee leave. The crowd had dispersed into their lines again and Scootaloo and Spike had run over to join them. “I don’t think you did this all for pride.”

“I’m not surprised. Thinking isn’t exactly your strong point,” hmphed Tiara as she gestured for Silver Spoon to join them, pointedly ignoring the impulsive mare’s near-violent reaction behind her. Spike reacted fast, holding Dash back before she did something she’d regret. Instead Tiara’s attention was turned to her friend’s most important task.

“Silver Spoon, did you get them?”

“Of course!” She pushed her glasses further up her snout before passing a pile of official looking papers to Tiara who immediately began reading through them.

“Yes, yes, excellent Silver Spoon! Well done, everything’s here. Now, I believe these are yours.” Diamond Tiara held the papers up to Dash’s face for her to read. As she was forced to read them, her struggles against Spike began to calm until they stopped completely.

“These are- but these are-” There was no helping the stutter as recognition took hold.

“-your team registration papers.” Tiara finished for her, “Captain Dash and the Skyblazer Crusaders are officially a thing now. I hope you plan to change that for the actual show. Sponsoring a team with such a cheesy name does not look well on me.”

“Sponsor? But how did you get these?”

“I didn’t. Silver Spoon did while I distracted that snobby pegasus. Such an obvious tactic too, it was hard to keep a straight face when she made that silly second condition. Of course your team would have to follow the rules, what else would you do? Cheat? At an airshow where you’re allowed to pursue whatever display you want? I’m not even sure it’s possible without bribing the judges. It was almost certainly meant for administration purposes.”

“Why are you helping us?” Scoot asked angrily, “you don’t help. You never help! All you ever do is cause trouble for everypony else!”

“Oh, sweet Scootaloo, you wound me,” she pretended to be faint, holding a hoof to her forehead before offering her a smirk. “That’s simply not true. Causing trouble for you just happens to be my favourite pastime. As for why? Maybe you should try to understand your position here. You can rip up those forms and forfeit your only chance of winning, or you can humour me.”

Tiara tapped Scootaloo’s cheek lightly in as demeaning a way she could. Snarling back, Scootaloo swatted her hoof away and Rainbow Dash stepped between them.

“Hold off, Squirt. She is currently our sponsor. As for you, I don’t like being toyed with, Brat, so cough up your play here and now or we really will walk away from this. My team isn’t playing as anypony’s stooge.”

She sniffed in answer and turned away, “Your position isn’t any better than Scootaloo’s. Go ahead and rip up your best chance to fix all this if you want. I’ll continue to do what I want, when I want, how I want, and I don’t have to answer to you for any of it.”

Scootaloo’s stories of this pony were no exaggeration. Just trying to talk to the little brat was frustrating. None of it made any sense! There was no profit for her to sponsor them; just a ten thousand bit fee to give Scootaloo a better chance at winning their bet. But if money and victory weren’t the answer, that only left one thing. A smile took over Dash’s features as she looked the pony up and down, seeing something there she’d never seen before. “You really are just doing this for Ponyville’s rep, aren’t you?”

“So what if I am?”

“Oh nothing, I just might have a bit more respect for you if that was the case.”

“That bit of respect just cost me ten grand, which was all of my investment money in this whole project!” It would probably be the highest monetary amount any pony ever had to pay for respect, but it didn’t matter. Respect wasn’t what she was buying. What Lofty Heights suggested could start a chain of events that would lead to every sport in Equestria following suit if there was enough profit to be found in it. That would lead to even more of Ponyville’s most talented ponies being drawn to bigger cities instead of making something of themselves in their hometown. The idea had to be shut down before it was allowed to see the light of day.

“What project? Maybe we can help.”

“She’s talking about the bet we made, Captain,” filled in Scootaloo for her, “and if it’s all the same to you, I do not want to help her win it.”

“Oh, yeah. That.” It was the one project she couldn’t help her out with, but there had to be another way. This might be the most selfless act Diamond Tiara would ever commit in her whole life, it deserved something in return. “Okay, so we can’t help you win your ‘Scootaloo for life’ deal, but there must be something else. I’m not going to just let this go. We’re in your debt, no matter how much of a brat you are, and Rainbow Dash always pays her debts!”

“Don’t worry about it. You can get Rarity to pay me back and owe it to her instead if it bothers you that much. Just make every bit worth it! I want to rub that pony’s nose in an uncontestable victory!”

“Nope, not enough. We were going to do that anyway. Why is this bet so important to you anyways?”

“I don’t see why I would be telling you my business plans.”

“Hrm.” The lack of answer was an answer in itself. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were drawn to Scootaloo. Everything ended up coming down to a silly bet made by fillies. How long had Scootaloo been carrying this debt, anyway? Even before she could fly, Scootaloo had this bet hanging over her head the whole time, and she bore it without a word. It had to be a lot of pressure considering how much it meant to both ponies involved. Sootaloo was practically betting her life away on pure faith that she could take first place. And seeing how serious Diamond Tiara was about it, it stopped seeming like a joke to her. “Wait a minute, that’s it! Alright, Diamond Tiara, how about this? Throw my name down with Scootaloo’s for your bet with her.”

“What?” Three ponies answered at once. Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, and Scootaloo’s jaws went slack.

“It makes sense, right? You just sweetened the deal for us by giving us a higher chance at victory, so we ought to sweeten the deal for you in return.”

“I-I guess, I mean, are you absolutely sure about this?” It wasn’t like her to stutter, but this had caught Diamond Tiara completely off guard. One of the elements of harmony working for her would be- well it would be a dream come true! She wanted to pinch herself there and then just to make sure this was real, that this offer just happened!

“What’s the matter? Afraid you can’t deal? I admit, with me and Scootaloo, this much awesome in one place is pretty intimidating.”

“O-okay! Yeah, I’ll take you up on that!” Surprise still held the earth pony in its grip and wasn’t letting go. Was this happening? Was this really about to happen right here? Right now? “So, you’ll Pinkie Promise, like Scootaloo did?”

“Well, yeah! That’s half the point right, cross my heart and-“

“Hang on!” interrupted Scootaloo, just as she found her voice.

Tiara knew it was too good to be true, that somepony was bound to start making sense again, but she had come so close!

“No way, Captain, come on, it’s my bet, and I made it before you ever offered me a spot on your team. It has nothing to do with you. There’s got to be some other way than this. If we lost, you would lose everything you did all of this for! What about the Wonderbolts? If something happened, you’d be giving it all up!”

The smile on her Captain’s face didn’t dip for a second. No shred of doubt could be found anywhere in her expression. “Why would it matter when it was that you made the bet? You’re on my team now, Squirt, that’s all that matters. You’re no Wonderbolt, but I can think of worst fates than being teamed up with you for the rest of my life. Besides, it doesn’t matter what our end of the bargain is, ‘cause we’re gonna win this thing. We’re going to win it all.”

“No, this is crazy! Spike, tell her she’d be crazy to do this!”

“Alright, Rainbow Dash, you’d be crazy to do this,” Spike turned to his Captain before continuing, “if you’re thinking that you can do it without me, that is. What am I supposed to do if the show goes sour? Be a solo act for the rest of my life? You guys are my team too, you know? Besides, how would you two even get by without me?”

It was meant as a joke, but Dash wore a serious expression. “We wouldn’t. You’re right, it takes all three of us to be a team, and that’s exactly what we are. Through victory or defeat.”

Dash held out her hoof towards Spike, he nodded and covered it with his claw, “through thick or thin.”

They both turned to Scootaloo who had to pause to wipe her eyes before laying hoof over claw. “For better or worse.”

“Then it’s settled,” said the Team Captain, smiling wildly at her crew. “Just add our names to Scoot’s contract, Diamond Tiara. We’re all in this together, and honestly it’s about time we proved it. This shoulda happened long ago.”

“Then you should make it official, the Ponyville way,” added Silver Spoon eagerly, hoping to egg them along into making it a certainty before they had a chance to change their minds.

The three teammates looked from one to the other, each grinning in turn as they spoke the sacred words and made the ritualistic gestures. “Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eye.”

Silver Spoon squealed and hugged Diamond Tiara in delight, but for her part Tiara was still trying to get over the shock of it all. Rainbow Dash, embodiment of the element of loyalty, and the draconic son of Celestia might both end up under her employment? Not because they were coerced, not through any devious plan of hers, and not through any cunning plot or trap. They just swore to it all on their own, willingly. No matter how far her mind reached, it just couldn’t fathom why. The understanding of how one could risk everything so easily evaded her completely!

“Hello in there.” Waving a hoof in front of the stunned pony’s face received no response at first, much to Dash’s amusement.

“Yes!” Suddenly Tiara snapped back to consciousness and tried to compose herself quickly, “I mean, ahem, yes?”

“Alright then, we have an official show to get ready for thanks to you. Let us know when you have the contracts ready for us to sign. Looks like you just made your first real all or nothing gamble, Brat. Congrats!”

“Maybe, but last night you said that failure in this type of this is worth as much as my safe victories.” She sniffed, still fairly skeptic of all this. “I’m not exactly seeing the upside for me if you win it all. What exactly am I supposed to learn if I lose?”

“That’s easy. You’ll learn something everypony better learn,” Dash said with a smirk, “Never bet against me and my friends.”

“Ugh, whatever. I’m sorry asked.” It didn’t matter, anyway. Winning today was the real issue as far as she was concerned now. Lofty Heights had to be stopped, no matter the cost, and there was one thought that still weighed on her mind about it. “What about the Sonic Rainboom?! How are you going to win without it?”

“Leave the competition to the competitors. We need to go get our things together in the locker rooms.” With that Rainbow Dash marched away, head held high and with Scootaloo in tow. Spike hesitated to follow though, and fidgeted with his registration papers, stalling as he tried to think of what it was he wanted to say.

Tiara waited for whatever it was, tapping her foot for a full minute, before she lost her patience enough to snap at him. “Spit it out already!”

“I just wanted to say thank you, Diamond Tiara, for everything.”

“Thank me?”

“Yeah, I mean, Dash and Scoot never actually said thank you, and you’ve done a whole lot for us.”

“We’re on equal standings with the sponsorship fees, already. Like Rainbow Dash said, we both just sweetened the deal for each other. You don’t need to thank me for that. Haven’t you been listening at all?”

“Not really, I prefer paying attention over listening. Like to the part where you booked a hotel room for us, and paid for it in advance?” Spike began to count on his fingers, looking up at the ceiling as he listed each off in the order her remembered them, “Or how you had 10,000 bits prepared for today? I hang with Rarity, and I know for a fact nopony keeps that kind of cash just hanging around. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had something like this in mind the whole time. Not to mention you came all the way to Cloudsdale just to watch our show. You stuck up for us against Lofty Heights. You put Ponyville’s pride over your own gain. You motivate Scoot every time you talk to her. You’ve stood by her for years, encouraging her attempts to fly, while never actually taking advantage of the debt she was digging herself deeper and deeper with you-”

“Enough!” Diamond Tiara interrupted loudly as Silver Spoon began giving her an odd and thoughtful look she didn’t like. “No! Just no! It wasn’t like that! It’s not like any of that! I had the money prepared ‘just in case’ that’s all. I might have needed to sponsor a team to compete against yours, or something. It never hurts to be prepared. And I came because I wanted to watch you all make fools out of yourselves. Also all that stuff about Scootaloo, it’s all wrong and completely out of context!”

“Actions speak louder than words. Whether you like it or not, you’ve been encouraging Scootaloo to keep trying for years. I don’t know just when your teasing turned into looking out for her. I just know it happened. Actually, you’ve been looking out for all of us. Whether it’s because we’re representing Ponyville, or because you have something else planned, I can’t say. I do know that we would have never gotten this far without you, and that we can probably count on you to stand by us and help in your own way whenever things are looking bad. So thank you, for everything. And even after you lose this silly bet, if there’s anything at all I can ever do to repay you, just let me know, alright?”

“Everything you just said is a load of nonsense-” she started, but paused as the thought occurred to her, having the adopted dragon prince of your kingdom owe you a favour wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing. “-but if you really mean that, I’ll hold you to it.”

“Of course I mean it. We’re teammates now after all.”

“Of course we are. I just slept in on every single one of our flight practices, and am not really big on the whole flying aspect of our flight team in general.” The sarcasm just slipped out so easily, she couldn’t stop it. This was getting to be a problem; being so casual and rude with Spike could end very badly for her! Spike just laughed it off.

“You know, even if you deny everything else, I have an official paper to prove this much.” A claw ran down the official paper and tapped her family’s name written on the ‘presented by’ blank. “As far as I’m concerned, if you’re presenting us, you’re one of us.”

“If you’re trying to make me angry, it’s working.” An eyebrow was raised as she fixed Spike with a skeptical look.

“Relax, it’s not so bad after the seventh or eighth time Dash pushes you off a cliff.”

Picturing Rainbow Dash toss Scootaloo off a cliff did bring a smile across her face in spite of herself. It was hidden quickly, though, as she attempted to shoo the overgrown lizard away. “Okay, okay, you thanked me. Now get out of here already. You’re going to be late.”

“Alright! I’ll look for you in the bleachers!” With a nod Spike took to the air looking right then left, then right again. “Uuh, umm-”

“They went that way,” Diamond Tiara said with an exasperated sigh, pointing to a sign that said ‘locker rooms’.

“Oh, right! Thanks!” And off he flew, finally leaving her alone with Silver Spoon. She looked over to her friend who had been studying her quietly for some time now.

“You know none of that was true, right? It would just be ludicrous, I’m half tempted to call the asylum and let them know there’s a loony dragon around here.”

“Of course!” Spoon agreed quickly, “It’s probably just, like, a dragon thing, right? I mean, like an interspecies barrier or something? You know, like a language barrier, only between species instead.”

“Yeah. Probably.” It was as good an excuse as any, better than any she had come up with by far, in fact. Mostly because it was something she really didn’t want to think about right now, or preferably ever. Stupid dragon and all his stupid… paying attention! Couldn’t even pay attention to where he was supposed to go. If he tried listening more he would have known where to go. She’d like to tell him where to go!

“It’s not worth worrying about, really. Let’s go get our seats. Your father is probably wondering what’s taking us so long.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Diamond Tiara readily agreed, deciding to put the whole experience behind her.

Chapter 12 Confronting the Storm Part:3

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Chapter 12:

Confronting the Storm

Part: 3

“Spike! Where were you?!” The young dragon hadn’t stepped two feet inside the locker room door before Scootaloo had grabbed him by the horns of his helmet and yanked him down to her eye level. “You’ve got some nerve showing up late now of all times! What were you doing?!”

“I was just finishing up with Diamond Tiara. Why? What’s up?” A glance around the room showed no sign of Rainbow Dash, but Twilight had enough crumpled parchments at her hooves to make the room look like a scene out of one of his scribe sessions. Pinkie Pie was scrambling around attempting to jam a bunch of confetti, streamers, team pennant flags, fireworks, pamphlets, balloons, and posters into a dozen or so cannons.

“We’re what’s up! There’s no time to lose! We’ve been bumped up! Way up, like the in five minutes we need to be out there kind of up! Captain Dash is out there right now gathering up all of the clouds we’ll need, and Twilight still hasn’t figured out what she wants to read for the introduction!”

“I know what I want to read, but everypony said it was too long!” Twilight complained as a scroll magically unwound in front of her, showing her original introduction. It was over ten feet long and he had to avoid getting tangled in it as he tried to reach for a party cannon to help move. “How am I supposed to shorten this? We’re talking about the beginning of a new age for Equestria here! There’s so much to tell! I’ll never be able to summarize everything and still keep it in context with all that was happening!”

“Then why not just try to focus on Princess Celestia in the castle then get right to the poem?” Spike suggested.

“But that leaves out why the dragon was there in the first place!”

“Nopony is going to care about the dragon, Twilight,” he rolled his eyes, “they’re here to see the pegasi win. Just stick to that and it’ll be fine.”

“Nevermind her! Pinkie’s up first, so she’s the one we gotta rush! For whatever reason, she went and volunteered to do the introduction to the whole ‘Skirmish for the Skies’ set!” With all her might Scootaloo tugged and pulled on the rope to take out her party cannon.

“Skirmish for the Skies? What’s that?” Tucking two cannons under his arms, and curling his tail around another, Spike followed Scoot out the door.

“It’s us! I mean it’s all of us! As in the Cloudsdale Flight Teams versus us. They turned it into a full-fledged competition. Sort of like a half-time show in between qualifiers so it doesn’t throw the whole audience off.”

“Sweet!”

“It would be sweet, if you didn’t see who they asked to be the judges: Two of the Wonderbolts, who were here judging the qualifiers anyway, The Princess, and one of the committee members themselves! Can you believe they’d so blatantly cheat us out of our bet like that?! Apparently the guy’s our Captain’s old coach. Talk about unfair!” Scootaloo exclaimed as she had to stop and take a breather before she could continue pulling the cannon along. Normally she’d have no problem with it, but she had to be careful about wearing herself out before the show. Thank the heavens Spike had caught up to them, she was beginning to think it would be just her and Pinkie Pie moving all the gear.

The breather was for more than just giving her limbs a break, though. This whole mess had her in a panic, and her hooves just wouldn’t stop shaking. Scootaloo leaned up against the wall, and slumped down on the floor.

“You gonna be alright?” Spike asked as he was heading back down the hall.

“Yeah, I’m just… it’s just this whole thing’s getting to me. Why does every moment have to be some kind of trial? Can’t there be just one time everything is easy?” She let out a shaky breath.

“Well, that’s an easy answer. It’s like you said. Today’s the trial run. It wouldn’t be much of a trial run without any trials, would it?” His tail lifted her up and dropped her off on his back as he went back to pick up another load of cannons. “Don’t get overwhelmed. Just remember that it’s all practice, and you’ll get through this. “But it isn’t all practice anymore. Not with that bet that Diamond Tiara made. If we don’t do well, it could ruin things for a whole lot of pegasi!”

“Nah, even if we foul up, there’ll be others. Look how many came out to help us put together the street show last night. You think they’re just going to sit back and let the committee do whatever it wants? Besides, the bet was that Rainbow Dash couldn’t do anything about the committee decisions. You and I are still free to help out however we want.”

“Oh hey! That’s true!” The heat from his scales flowed through her and she let herself relax against him, hanging her head between the crook of his shoulder and his neck. “I thought you were supposed to be the nervous one.”

“I still am, a little, but a good friend taught me how to deal with it.”

“Sounds like a great pony,” she chuckled as she snuggled against him more. Suddenly her eyes went wide, and she sat upright, slipping off his back staring at him like he was a lunatic. “Spike! Where is your armour?!”

“I took some off so I could move these cannons. It comes off real easy, turns out. Just have to undo three straps, and it falls to pieces.”

“Just because it comes off easy doesn’t mean it goes on easy! It took forever to get you suited up! Come on! You need to get back in costume right now! Go back and get it!” In a flash she took off to the locker room, sending Twilight’s notes scattering everywhere. “Twilight! You and Pinkie need to stall them!”

“Stall them? What for? Everything’s almost ready.”

“Just do it, okay! We’ll let you know when we’re ready!” With that she took off again after Spike.

“But how am I supposed to stall-” her question was cut off as her magic followed her subconscious tendencies, and the large pile of notes magically floated all back into one neat pile in front of her. One such scroll happened to be her very long introduction. Twilight smiled wide. “Well, if they insist!”

*************************************************************************

The Qualifiers had come to an intermission. The ponies were settling back in their seats waiting for the shows to start up again. The spectator fee had been waved, though nopony was certain why. But because everypony had been watching the ‘pre-shows’ all morning it was the largest attendance the qualifiers had ever had. Normally it was just supposed to be a small practice before the main event. Just some flight scouts, a couple prestigious volunteer judges, and competing coaches and their teams were all that was supposed to be there. Instead the giant coliseum had sold out completely as a fully licensed event. The qualifiers so far had been fun, and the fans were already trying to make guesses at which team would be in the finals.

As the audience sat down, they were treated to a strange sight out on the arena grounds. Two dozen cannons formed a ‘V’ shape and each was aimed at 130 degree angles into the sky with a thirteenth sitting at their conjoining point. Excitement raced through the audience as they quickly settled back into their seats, wondering what surprise was in store for them.

The Princess, her Captain, and the fashion designer sat together on the royal balcony overlooking the field of clouds below. There were eight score sheets laid out in front of Princess Celestia, one for each team. They earned a royal frown of annoyance from her. Instead of sitting back and enjoying the shows, now she’d have to specifically look for any mistakes. She had no idea on how many points she should take off for what, and only vaguely had an idea of what she was even supposed to be looking for. It was a small price to pay for setting things straight, though, so she had accepted the task quickly.

“You’re sure marking this contest is going to end all of this mess the committee made?” It wasn’t the first time she asked for confirmation about this. She had left the actual discussions in her Captain’s capable hooves, but now that it came down to it, she felt it might have been a mistake. There was satisfaction in knowing one had a guiding hoof in things. One could judge how things would turn out much easier when personally taking part. Unfortunately doing so would have defeated the purpose of choosing the Captain to begin with. There was a bit of a control freak in her, she had to admit, and over the years she’d been trying to let it go. Giving all control to a single pony was just too dangerous. If anything were to happen to her, as it was, the whole kingdom would fall apart. And the truth was now that she was no longer as powerful as she had been in the past; she wasn’t as able to protect herself or her subjects. The elements of harmony were no longer under her power. Their responsibility had fallen into other hooves, and in the larger picture, that was a good thing. But it was very difficult to accept that she needed to fall back into more of an advising role sometimes, especially when it came to subjects as personal as this one.

With sharing responsibility in mind she wanted to test her new Captain’s ability to judge delicate situations. He was far more used to the more abrupt and blunt political aspirations of minotaurs. The pegasus was a soldier first, she understood that, but he would have to be much more than a soldier to attend the gatherings, and handle the volatile situations such as this one that often found their way into her courts. Now she just wished that his first test didn’t have so much to do with her son and his friends.

"I am sure," he responded with a nod. "They bet against the wrong flight team. They're taking her too lightly and him too." His eyes turned far across to the complete other side of the large stadium, looking in the direction of the south judge.

So he knew something he wasn't telling her. "You seem to have intimate knowledge about the situation. Is there some personal involvement I'm not aware of?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Would you like to share it?"

"Not in particular."

"I prefer not to give direct orders, Captain, but if you're going to force my hoof about this..." Celestia let the sentence trail off. He understood her meaning. An explanation was in order and she wasn’t about to let it go without one.

"At the corner of this whole situation there are two coaches involved, and they will determine everything. I was fortunate enough to be a student under both, and I know them fairly well. I can guess how this is going to go."

"Aaaah!" comprehension dawned on Rarity and she pointed dramatically towards the Captain, "I see! Why, you're one of Rainbow Dash's old flight school classmates!"

"I was.” The Captain confirmed as he considered Rarity for a moment before continuing, “I don't think she recognizes me, though. Can't blame her. You couldn't call us friends outside of class. Never much got along with that griffon she used to hang out with, and those two were nearly inseparable. I took Dash up on her remedial lessons all the same. I've never regretted them. That filly could fly. Not just in the clouds like the rest of Cloudsdale coaches taught us, but experienced flying through trees, around mountains, over rivers, canyons, and meadows. A pegasus could redefine everything they ever knew about flying just by being caught in her tailwind."

“And this other coach? Am I to understand the mess is his fault?” The voice of the Princess snapped him out of his thoughts of his youth and back to reality.

“No, Feather Guide isn’t the type to think about stuff like money or finances. All he knows, all he sees, all he ever thinks about is flying and coaching. It wouldn’t be like him to even consider any of this other mess on the sidelines. In spite of his one track mind, his skills have put him in a position that’s able to put a stop to this nonsense.”

“And he will?” Rarity tried to confirm. The Captain gave a noncommittal grunt in answer before voicing his concerns.

“Feather Guide is a hard stallion to impress; set in his ways, and rigid as a brick wall. He’s been marking pegasus flight scores for the past forty years, and as a rule you never get a 9 or above from him. The most elite of teams often get a low 8 or high 7. Pegasi refer to it as the 9.75 barrier. An elite team on their best day may win them an 8.9. If every other judge gives you a 10, you’ll never get more than an 8.9 from Feather Guide. It leaves you at a 9.75 average. Only one flight team has ever broken that barrier. If you’ve ever heard of the Wonderbolts being called the ‘9.8’s’, this is why. He gave them a 9.1.”

“And you’re betting that a small, rookie team of fledglings lead by a first year Captain is going to impress this stallion enough to turn everything around?” Celestia was less enthused about this new information.

“Outside of the Captains of the flight teams, every pony is a rookie at these games. They’re the Fledgling Flier Competitions after all. Being a small team isn’t a weakness either. The fewer fledglings there are the fewer mistakes are possible. With only quality fliers on their team it’s actually one of their greatest strengths, whether they know it or not. The larger the team, the more chance there is that one of the team members will mess up and lessen the scores for everypony. The real question would then be how much faith do you have in your Spike and this Scootaloo?”

Rarity and Celestia glanced at one another at the mention of Spike and shared a smile.

“Spike will be fantastic. You can be certain of that. His aspirations are much higher than this,” Celestia answered for them both.

“And little Scootaloo will be quite gifted, I understand. She has, what did Dashie call it? Ah yes, a sky call, or some such thing.”

Both the Princess and the Captain stared at Rarity as if she had two heads. Princess Celestia found her voice first, while the Captain was still busy picking his jaw off the ground. “She has the Sky Call? You’re sure that’s what Rainbow Dash said?”

“Yes, of course, she was very excited about it. I guess it slipped my mind, in all the commotion. That is a good thing, is it not?”

It was the Captain’s and Princess’s turn to share a smile, and the Captain nodded. “As long as she conquered it.”

“I certainly hope so. The poor thing couldn’t even get off the ground for the longest time. She’s twice the age of most of the fledglings I’ve seen here, and has only been flying fully for about a month or so.”

“I think this is going to be a show to remember.” Celestia glanced down to the arena.

“And it looks as though they’re ready to start.” Rarity added, “I know a party cannon when I see one. Those are definitely Pinkie Pie's.”

“Ladies and Gentlecolts!” came Pinkie Pie’s voice over the loudspeakers. “Today, you’re all in for one, big, ginourmous, super-awesome treat! In honour of Princess Celestia, we have put together a teaser for the big day to come! Eight flight teams will compete in a fully marked competition, all judged by a team of very special judges! As everypony knows, the judges can be found in the four corners of the stadium so they can see the show from every angle. To your south is the familiar face of Coach Feather Guide, the long-time official judge selected by the Flight Committee!”

There was a long applause, mostly because it was a sure sign the show was about to start, but there was something different in the air; a growing excitement that left everypony watching on edge.

“To the West and to the East, your judges are Soarin’ and Captain Spitfire of the Wonderboooooolts!”

The crowd went wild at the announcement as both pegasi, fully decked out in their flight suits, stood up and waved.

“And ponies, put your hooves together for our North judge, the Princess of Equestria herself, Princess Celestia!” The announcement was followed by the opening notes of the Equestria National Anthem and all the pegasi sang or cheered along the rousing music in honour of their royal guest. The Captain stood rigidly at attention, as Celestia stood up to greet her little ponies. Rarity sang along, happily helping herself to some of the crowd’s attentions.

Was this what Sweetie Belle was experiencing right now? Singing on a stage in front of thousands of ponies? The only thing Rarity could think of that might be better was to be the object of adoration herself! Sometimes she truly envied her sister’s gifts. Rarity waved along with the Princess as the anthem ended, half pretending the adoring public were cheering for her.

It didn’t last long though and as the theme died out, six different spotlights, all the colours of the rainbow, flicked on around the cannons, and began shining into the large bundles of fluffy clouds in the sky. Then the spotlights began to move, swiveling and swinging over the crowds in the stands. All attention turned immediately to the center of this lightshow, where a humongous pile of balloons emerged from beneath the field of clouds below. They drifted towards the sky, and reflected the beams of the spotlights, scattering them across the coliseum in a spectacular wave of scintillating lights. The spectators cheered as a guitar riff played loudly over the speakers in the background. The exuberantly cheerful-sounding announcer spoke up again.

“Eight flight teams compete, but only one comes out on top! This is a no holds barred competition, meaning the teams will be able to stunt, act, dance, or race towards victory using whichever method of their choosing! Personally, I’d make it an eating contest.” The guitar riff screeched to a halt at the strange statement. “Have you been to the lobby? Cotton candy clouds are amazing! Oh, and Rainstorm Slurpies! Whoever thinks of these things is a genius!” The sound of a straw sucking the last remnants of a slurpy left most of the crowd laughing, not quite certain if they had just listened to a commercial or not.

“Oopsie! I was supposed to keep talking about the competition, right?” Again the guitar riff sounded off, louder than ever. “These eight fantastic flight teams will compete for Princess Celestia’s honour in a battle royal, a skyward onslaught, a skirmish for the skies! So stomp your hooves and cheer for our first team of competitors!”

The cannons started going off, two at a time, blasting swirling fireworks into the sky, huge piles of confetti and streamers, and pennant flags of the starring flight team. In another spray of confetti the last cannon in the V went off, and a helmet-wearing pink earth pony was blasted upwards much to the audience’s surprise. She was sent streaking through the air, sending balloons and streamers twirling in her wake until she performed a somersault, landing gracefully on several balloons.

“It’s a stunt show in the form of a play, so you better get ready for some surprises!” All the balloons, confetti, and streamers in the sky suddenly popped or disappeared all at once, leaving Pinkie falling straight down. She slid a pair of flight goggles over her eyes, and twisted into a dive.

“Expect the unexpected!” she shouted as she fell, only to stop in midair, held up by some kind of massive wind from beneath the cloud cover, hovering there just above the field.

“And enjoy the most stunning death defying stunts, you’ve ever seen!” Pinkie finished, to a roar of cheers.

Below the cloud, out of sight from their spectators, Twilight was magically moving the coloured lights around, beside Pinkie Pie’s huge fan, which Scootaloo had used to train with. She was still gathering up the pieces of balloons and decorations her spell had teleported down there when she heard her cue. Hopefully Spike would be ready soon, Pinkie’s antics could keep anypony entertained, but soon Twilight was going up there. As much as she hated to admit it, there really were only so much of a history lesson and poems ponies could take.

“The story they want to tell begins looooooong aaaaggoooooo, deep in the annals of Equestrian history. So listen close to this tale of how two pegasi and a princess met.” With that, the fan was turned off, and Pinkie slipped into the clouds. In her place rose a small, ordinary platform, with the large Skyblazer Crusader banner standing high overhead. On the platform stood Twilight Sparkle, and before her was a small pedestal that held a large dramatic book. It was a scene that clearly contrasted from the surprise and excitement just a moment ago. Twilight, cleared her throat a bit before starting to read.

“It was still the early years of the first age of Princess Celestia’s rule, and all were filled with mourning for the loss of one of the Celestial Sisters to her lunar imprisonment. Our ancient capital was still freshly abandoned by its ponies. It held too many memories of a Princess that had betrayed them all, and transformed into Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia had removed herself from the throne, seeking solitude for comfort from the longing of her sister’s return. She refused to leave the confines of the abandoned castle where she and her sister had lived together.” Twilight turned one of the large pages dramatically, hoping the team would be ready soon. She was only a paragraph in, and many of the pegasi we’re already beginning to look sleepy. In spite of it, she continued.

“With her retreat from the kingdom’s affairs Equestria became vulnerable, and rumours of fantastical creatures roaming the land grew common. What purpose these foreign monsters sought nopony could know, and so in fear we surrounded ourselves with walls of stone and great fortresses. In the years to come we learned to defend our lands, but by then strange beasts had rooted themselves into our unoccupied mountain dens and deep into the shadows of our forests. Many challenges stood before ponykind in those days, but no quest held more importance than finding comfort for the loss of a sister.” A small wisp of green flame burst and fizzled out in front of Twilight. That must be the five minute signal. Thank goodness. If they were falling asleep during these interesting parts, the longer poem was really going put everypony down. She better get to it quick.

“The tale of how that comfort was found was recorded in a poem. A poem that Ponyville’s Flight Team will play out for us today. So without further adieu Captain Dash and the Skyblazer Crusaders presents: ‘The Broken Flight of Philomena’!

There was scattered applause in the bleachers, as there was still no sign of the actual flight team. Celestia’s ears had perked up at the title, though.

“Oh no, not that! Tell me they didn’t make the show about that!” The last thing Rarity ever thought she’d see was the Princess of Equestria biting her lip nervously. That is exactly what she was seeing, however. The Captain was looking on curiously as well, not quite sure what to make of the sight.

“Whatever’s the matter, your Majesty?” Rarity tried, “It’s just an old poem. Spike said you used to read it to him.”

“It’s-it’s a little bit too personal. I really don’t think I could take it, honestly.”

“You cannot leave, you’re the North judge,” the Captain insisted, “besides, I’m sure they will do the poem justice.”

“You don’t understand,” Celestia looked over to her pet phoenix, perched in front of her. Something somewhere up in the sky had caught Philomena’s attention, and she had a good idea of what it could be. Shaking her head, she looked back down to Twilight Sparkle, who had begun reading the poem. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”

Twas the early years when all seemed dark

When stars grew dim and lost their spark

The long days seemed weak, and full of blight

Our Princess refused her sunlight flight

Her cries were filled with a deep despair

For a gripping loss her heart did bear

Equestria had fallen into mourning

Their blessed sunlight was no longer warming

Her sorrow was felt for many a mile

So began the quest for a sister’s smile

The first to try were the unicorns

From whom new magical spells were born

Gathered they their best and brightest

Their craft was honed to its finest

For years they ensorcelled and enchanted

Until all the lands were filled with magic

The unicorns decided to complete this duty

By greeting the sister with a vision of beauty

With their power they shaped a crystal heart

That beguiled towers, homes, and each pony’s part

These crystal ponies were a heartening sight

Of grace, of charm, of enthralling light

But even the brightest was but a mar

To her missing sister of evening star

So the plea sought out ponies of earth

Who knew well the ways of granting mirth

Of brightening hard days with laughter and fun

And the satisfaction of a job well done

They called upon their most noble steeds

Of might and skill like none had seen.

With great care and effort they designed

A castle town on a mountain side

With a pride that soared them to new heights

They raised their pillars of ivory white

Strong walls and towers of intricate schemes

With golden gilds of patterned sunbeams

Their audacious project once complete

Of castle and towers and city streets

An elegant home was what they had wrought

A gift to the Princess christened Canterlot!

Lost was the Princess to a dream-like haze

And far from their city she turned her gaze.

Their work, their efforts had all been in vain

She’d never stray from where the sisters reigned

Then came at last the desperate cry

Cast to the heavens and pegasi

They sent their teams throughout the sky

Searching the lands both low and high

Was there a gift to replace the night?

And bring their sun back its warmth and light?

They travelled North, South, East, and West,

Two by two they sent all their best.

And as two of the ponies fly,

They heard the plea; they heard the cry

Of strangest wonder like no other

A flaming bird of light and splendour

It twisted and flew, it skittered quite frantic

It darted and fell, plunging down in panic

For upon its tail with fiery breath

Flew a monster rank with wanton death…

The outcry of a bird snapped everypony’s attention away from the unicorn on her little stage to see a spark of red and orange flitting in and out of the clouds, a tiny dark spot against their white. As the orange speck came closer it burst through the front of the largest cloud nearest to the audience with another piercing shriek. A young phoenix streaked by over their heads, leaving a tiny trail of fire as it went. They had no time to take in its mystical detail though, as a roar soon followed, loud enough to rattle their seats. Its source remained yet hidden from view but all eyes turned back towards the cloud the firebird had shot out from. The highest point of the cloud exploded like a volcano sending wisps of steam and mist shooting away. Out of the center of this explosion came the incredible sight of a deep black dragon, pushing straight up into the air before leaning back, almost lazily flipping around.

Gravity took over and pulled the heavy dragon down, setting it easily on the bird’s fiery trail. The chase was on. The phoenix darted left, then right; up then down. It attempted to shake the monster off its trail. Speed was the phoenix’s only advantage but the dragon took each turn in stride, not fooled by the phoenix’s myriad of movements and tricks.

A small amount of applause was scattered among those watching, more out of habit than anything else. It was tradition to applaud the team members as they made their appearance, but most were understandably distracted, too surprised to stomp their approval. Here there was a young dragon, suited from tooth to tail with black-plated armour that flared with a glaring light every time the sun reflected off it. They had the chance to tell, now, with the chase just in front of them. It wasn’t black scales as they first thought, and only edges along the faint yellow underbelly showed the creature’s true colours.

The phoenix escaped back into a cloud with the dragon almost on top of it. With the line of sight to the chase broken, the audience now turned to the new arrivals who sat on top of a cloud much higher up, surveying the scene below. One of the figures, a young, orange pegasus none had ever seen before, outside of her picture in a pamphlet that had fallen into their laps after the cannon fire. It labeled her part as ‘the crusader’ in the play. She bore a cable wrapped tightly over her shoulder and around her torso. There was also a large pack on her back, which she unstrapped and set down on the cloud beside her. At her side was a face every member of the audience recognized. A cheer went up, rousing the crowd into a thunderous applause as the ‘Sky Captain’ on the banner below appeared. As the applause died down the poem continued, resonating throughout the coliseum.

And though they were beset with fright

The pegasi gave chase in flight

They could not allow what was to happen

To save this bird they were quick to action

Again phoenix and dragon blasted out in a spectacular display from the pile of clouds, the chase was still going at top speed. Each pegasi copied the technique the dragon had done before, flying upward first, then letting gravity take them into a dive, allowing them to build up their pace and easily join the pursuit. The Sky Captain barrel rolled into position beneath the dragon, and the younger pegasus, the crusader, swooped in over top.

In annoyance the dragon roared, turning its attention towards these interlopers on its game. It swerved upwards after the young one. Its jaws snapped at her, this way and that. But with every turn it made, she kept in stride, matching her wing beats with that of the dragon, gliding just over top. Below them the same scene unfolded, with the Sky Captain barely avoiding nips and bites. Even so, she continued her flight path, the pegasi pair keeping just out of reach of the beast’s hungry maw.

*************************************************************************

Rarity’s heart jumped with each loud snap. The opening scene hadn’t fooled her; Peewee’s shrieks were sounds of enjoyment. It was nothing more than the games of tag she often seen Spike and the phoenix play. But her armour design made Spike seem brutish and she had only seen Spike move so reflexively fast when he grappled with the manticore. Indeed, all this biting hardly seemed like Spike at all. Equally distracted was Princess Celestia who only just then hastily scribbled notes after spotting the other judges do the same. She had just caught on that the flight team had entered their first gliding formation, ‘the vertical line’.

She wasn’t sure what to write. The three looked straight to her, and they certainly seemed to move well together. Was that a full mark then? She had to predict what the other judges would write. She couldn’t afford to play favourites. The Captain gave a low whistle beside her. “Niiiiice glide path, the little one’s a bit shaky, looks like she found some thermals to keep in the air longer. That should help out her score. But can that dragon glide or what? He makes it look easy. Even Rainbow Dash is having a hard time keeping pace with him.”

“What? How can you tell?” Rarity asked, not at all certain of what she should be looking for.

“Watch for the curve of their spine. It should always follow their glide path. See how the pegasus in the top spot’s spine curves upward? It isn’t in sync with where they’re flying. That means she’s being pushed upwards, it’ll keep her straight enough for a really good score, but it’s not relaxed enough to earn her a perfect mark. She might have trouble keeping it together once she loses those thermals. It’s something to watch out for. That dragon though, he’s bending that neck of his to fake those bites, that should throw off his spine, but from his shoulders down to his tail, all of it is moving perfectly, even without looking where he’s going! If it wasn’t for that armour weighing him down, I bet he could out-glide every pegasus in this city. Clever way of disguising the young one’s shaky path though. Now it looks like it’s more out of feigned fear than lacking skill.”

Straining to watch the curve of their bodies, the Princess and Rarity both started to see glimpses of what he was talking about. “You must know a lot about this. I wasn’t even sure what to think outside the play.” Rarity admitted without turning her eyes from the show.

“I had two great flight coaches,” he murmured in explanation. It was probably the first time since she met him Princess Celestia managed to catch him wearing a smile. It quickly disappeared as if he just realized it was there. She smiled wide enough for them both and moved the judging sheet between them.

“Perhaps you could help? I’m afraid this really is not one of my areas of expertise.”

He gave a slight nod and moved closer to observe her notes and to help make adjustments as the team moved into the ‘vertical V’.

*************************************************************************

Suddenly the crusader dipped, taunting the dragon’s fangs. It snapped once more as she drew close, but to no avail. It was just a small distraction but that’s all that was needed. In a flash of colour the Sky Captain bolted out front, plucking the bird from the air. The firebird squeaked in surprise, the dragon roared in rage, and the audience rose in cheer. They watched as the she pivoted upwards and down, then side to side, trying to shake the menace on her tail. But it swayed and dipped with her across the sky like a large shark on the tide hunting its prey from below.

Its attention was squarely focused on the thief of its quarry. A sharp twist and quick dive quickly changed that as the crusader pest crashed down on it, smashing her hooves into its armoured flank. She pushed off his armour and along to his side. The dragon twirled into a roll. Dangerous wings lashed out. She rolled with it, the wings slashed air. Twice more it rolled. Twice more she followed. The pair was caught in a death defying dance where one missed maneuver would quickly end it all and the crowd was eating it up. Every coordinated twist and roll drew a low rumble of oohs and aahs.

The stalemate was finally broken as the dragon’s irritation flared. Instead of another roll it tore sharply into a side swipe, but the crusader was waiting for precisely that. Hurling herself upwards in an upside down flight path right above the savage beast, she was just inches away from the sharp black spines that ran down its back. There the crusader hung, out of reach of whipping tail and flailing claw. Unhitching the cable from over her shoulder, she deftly latched one end to a metal spine.

Noticing its new accessory, the dragon shifted into a dive. Weight and strength sent the creature rocketing towards the clouds below, pulling the cable with it. The coils of cable caught tight on the crusader, sending her spinning uncontrollably away, crashing into a pile of clouds off to the side. The spectators watched on at the edge of their seats.

Finally free of the pest, it swept back up towards its previous prey. By now the Sky Captain had pulled away, but her progress was constantly hampered by the struggles of the frightened phoenix that blazed wildly in her hooves. The dragon was catching up fast. She turned, wheeled, and twisted to shake him off, but without her partner to distract him he followed her every stunt just behind! Behind them both, an orange blur joined the chase until she too was behind the dragon’s swishing tail, dodging the loose cable that whipped in the wind. The three pushed up high into a climb, then plummeted into a dive, pulled out and flew in circles around clouds and leaving trailing vapours at the edge of their wings, marking the path of their lethal game of follow-the-leader.

The young pegasus managed to catch up enough to clamp her jaw down hard around the cable hanging off and trailing behind the dragon, a reward of metallic taste against her tongue, just as the Sky Captain escaped into the highest and largest cloud from where the pegasi first appeared onto the scene. She rocketed back out of the cloud and dipped into another, quickly concealing herself from view. Within the billows of fog the dragon quickly lost sight of its mark. Below the crowd could see its intimidating shadow searching this way and that while the crusader clung to the cable with all of her strength. The poem continued during the break from the action.

Through twists and turns and into clouds unseen

Across the sky the deadly pursuit careened

But finally their escape seemed assured

When one had captured the fiery bird

She picked up her pace to get away fast

But the dragon’s wrath was incurred at last

Giving in to its rage, fury, and ire

With piercing roar it lit the sky on fire!

The dragon inhaled long and deep until it felt its lungs burn for release. Then, with a loud guttural roar, it unleashed a flaring torrent of bright green flames. Wave after wave of the blaze swept over the swells of clouds, transforming them into a swirling mass of steam. The ancient beast of fire did not stop until it was panting, and almost all of the clouds had disappeared, including the one the Sky Captain flew into and all of its neighbours. The crowd gasped, for in spite of the now missing clouds, there was no sign of the Sky Captain. They had all watched for her fleeting form to flee from one of the clouds, but it had never come. Every eye was drawn instead to the swirling spark of orange flame among green that plummeted from sky to land on the coliseum floor below. The pegasus that had been holding it was nowhere to be seen. The Captain of the guards was quick to his hooves ready to interrupt the show, but Celestia’s hoof on his shoulder gave him pause. She shook her head with a knowing smile. Frowning, he sat uncertainly back down to watch.

It seemed the only safe place from the flames was at the dragon’s tail from where hung a young pegasus soaked from warm steam that still lifted off her. Her teeth remained wrapped around the cable, but now there was a large covered bundle that hung off her tail by its straps. The mare had rescued it from its fall from where the solid cloud it was resting upon earlier was burned away. The savage beast looked down at the phoenix that lay still on coliseum grounds below. Then sneered at his stowaway with a nasty-looking, toothy grin. The crusader answered only with a defiant glare.

Whipping down towards her, its fangs bared, it snapped at her but again caught nothing but air. It tried again and again, but missed every time. Whenever it reached for the tasty morsel, its own tail pulled her away! Furious, the dragon chased its own tail in circles, as fast as it could until it had to pause to catch its breath. The mare hung on tight and stuck out her tongue, blowing it a raspberry for its effort. Its shoulders slumped and the dragon gave the audience a flat look. A chuckle rolled through the crowd. They were beginning to come to grips that the missing pony was all part of the act.

The dragon tried whipping its tail up and down, but the stubborn pegasus held on, only wrapping the cable around a hoof for a better grip in response, and fixing her opponent with a challenging glare. It let out an annoyed snort in response and began bucking across the sky like a wild bronco, trying desperately to shake the pony off. But no matter how much it wheeled and flipped or bucked and kicked the pony never lost its grip.

If bucking couldn’t remove its stowaway than perhaps speed could. With a smirk the dragon pushed towards the sky, climbing higher and higher until the pair was just barely able to be made out, and then, tucking its arms, legs, and wings in, it dove straight down. There was a collective gasp from the crowd as they plunged, quickly followed by one of surprise as at last the article in the bundle was revealed. The mare let loose the tight straps and the sheet that hid its nature was left sailing away in the wind. Sliding her hind hooves into place on the board, grasping the cable, she stood upright on two hooves to a round of gasps and cheers. It was to be the first recorded stunt with a skyboard in pegasi history. It was the first of many.

Peeling out of the dive, the dragon flew over the crowds sending the sky surfer just over their heads. She even hoof bumped a few of the spectators that dared a closer look. After a lap around the coliseum the beast soared back into the sky, doing everything in its power to free itself of its ridiculous burden. It twirled around and twisted, flew in loops and dives, in and out of clouds, and around bends and curves, all to no avail. Not only did the crusader endure its tricks, she performed stunts as she did! Every twirl was met with a spiral on her board. The top of every loop launched her into the air long enough to spin into an upside down pirouette; where her board spun so fast she ended up resembling a propeller. In dives she bounced from side to side like a skier on an invisible mountain slope, and in bends she would stretch out, letting the board leave her hooves, catching it with her tail, and righting herself back on it as they straightened out.

No acrobatic maneuver the dragon performed seemed able to separate this pony from its cable, so it resorted once more to what its kind was most well-known for. Inhaling again, and before the crowd had a chance to guess what was to happen, several blasts of flame were sent out ahead of the pair in an up and down pattern. The dragon tore right through the middle of each blast in turn, looking to char the pest with the dragon flame that was sent flowing down its fire-proof body. The stunned ponies watched in disbelief as each blast of flame was first pierced by the dragon, leaving a hoop of fire behind him. Her wings a blur, the crusader had to react fast. She pulled her board up for the first hoop, and bent down into a sharp dive for the next, only to be yanked back upwards for the last, nearly losing her grip.

Turning sharply, the dragon sucked in another breath as deeply as its lungs would allow. The beast began to whirl around into a continuing barrel roll. Then in one giant, steady stream it unleashed a path of smoke and flame that was left in a spiraling trail behind it. Alone it would have been a magnificent and intimidating sight, watching the dragon wreath itself in swirling streaks of green fire and black smoke. But even more amazing was the pegasus at his back who was surfing above the waves of swirling fire beneath her, expertly navigating each thermal current left by the vibrant green inferno.

Round and round and round she glided just above the lethal spiral of fire. With each loop she made, the cable would catch along a bulky metal plate or spine of the dragon’s armour. She was somehow managing to twist and tie the cable around the fearsome monster even as it attempted to cook her alive. The crowd cheered as the dragon had reached the summit of its climb. Caught and tangled, unable to fly even a second more, it began to fall towards the last of the clouds below. The crusader offered it a smirk and released the cable before skidding to a stop on top of the cloud’s surface as the dragon fell through. With a gloating look of victory, she kicked up her board and held it overhead. The audience went wild, but was stunned back to surprised gasps, as what fell out from the bottom of the cloud was not a dragon, but a steaming pile of black dragon-shaped armour!

For a single long and drawn out moment there was no telling roar, no sign of movement, or struggle. Then from beneath the clouds at her hooves, just in front of the crusader rose the mythic monster. Time seemed to slow for the crowds watching from below. They stared as the purple pony eater soared above the young pegasus, missing her by not more than a meter. Steam trailed after it in a slow, dramatic curl. Ash and green glowing embers dripped from its body all around hers as it passed by overhead and dived back down behind her. Then time caught up and took everypony by surprise, because the crusader found herself being pulled into the dragon’s tail wind as it plummeted back down into the cloud.

Once again the dragon roared and once again large waves of fire went flowing behind him, leaving the cloud dissipating in his wake. But without the weighty metal along his back, or the drag of a passenger slowing it down, the turns were faster, looser, and what was once a single, twisting stream of fire was now a sea of smoke and flame! A swirling sea that wrapped around him until he resembled a single giant fireball streaking down and splitting the sky in two with a tunnel of vibrant green and scorching death left in its wake! Into the middle of this burning ring of fire the pegasus fell, and was lost from sight. At last the savage beast exploded from the end of this blazing trail, scattering green glowing embers as it skidded to a stop, licks of flame burning across its body. It panted and heaved, tired and barely able to hover in the air.

Not seconds behind him came the crusader on her strangely-shaped wooden plank. She was bent so low her chin nearly bumped against the board, her forelegs were flying up behind her, one hind leg bent low, and the other strained to stretch out as far as it could. The tunnel of the dissipating flame launched her towards what was left of the last remaining cloud in the show. A cloud that was, after the dragon’s fiery descent, curiously left in a ramp-like shape that pointed straight up into the air.

Her board caught on the cloud’s surface and the crusader was sent rocketing into the sky in the fastest ascent the audience had ever born witness to. The speed was too much, her hooves slipped from her board completely and gravity took her. Head first she was caught in a tailspin, and coming down as fast as she had went up. Her board, though untouched, rotated with her body not even a foot away. The audience watched with bated breath, waiting for her to pull out of the tailspin with ease so they could give her an overdue applause. But it didn’t’ happen. Instead the crusader and her board began to spin faster and faster, one around the other! The colours blurred together until she seemed like an orange comet followed by a pink tail streaking down towards the dragon who was too exhausted to get out of the way in time.

In a last desperate defense the beast shot out a weak blast of flame at the oncoming crusader charging towards him. The flame scattered on the wind, obscuring the impact from spectator’s view, but the result was obvious. They collided and both dragon and crusader fell into a tailspin towards the coliseum grounds at different angles. Every pony was left watching with their hearts in their throat. Twenty stories from the coliseum grounds, then ten, neither flier showed signs of stopping. At six stories, they still had a chance. Three stories, their wings flew out to slow their descent. They were coming in too fast! Two stories, the spinning stopped, but it was too late to pull up! In the last hoof-biting seconds, neither pulled up but instead pushed further down into a forward somersault to land hind feet and hooves first. Their speeding impact sent tufts of cloud from coliseum grounds wafting around them.

A good many yards away the crusader’s board landed edge first, sticking out of the cloud at a tilt. The bottom of its frame was covered in black scorch marks, much like the fur of its owner. Two haggard opponents stared at each other from across the field. Between them a phoenix lay still. It was a standoff. Both weary warriors watched the other for any sign of movement that would begin the battle again, watching for any sign of weakness or distraction that would win them the day. The distraction came in the sound of another pegasus roaring down from above like a rocket. A cheer rose through the crowd as some pony pointed to the sky and shouted: “There she is!”

And there she was; a streak of rainbow tearing from out of her hiding spot high in the sun. The Sky Captain hurtled downwards in a rush of speed few pegasi in the world could match. Unsatisfied with the speed limit of terminal velocity, her wings were little more than a smear of colour at her back pushing her faster and faster against the natural barrier, but never quite through it. The dragon made a lunge for safety, but there was no escaping what was coming. Just five stories above the coliseum she slammed herself against that natural barrier, blasting through it and crashing into the coliseum grounds. A rainbow coloured explosion shook the stadium, rocking the spectators in their seats, and sending any hovering pegasi tumbling back to theirs. Wafting clouds of red, purple, yellow, and green lifted upwards in the shape of a giant mushroom, and a ring of colours swept by overhead centered above the point of impact.

When at last the ponies could see the stadium grounds once more, the dragon lay still. Above the beast the Sky Captain hovered victoriously, but it seemed a hollow victory. Reaching down to pass her hoof over its eyes, she closed them in respect. Then, she surveyed the scene around her noticing the crusader, curled into a ball for protection. Scorch marks ran up and down her fur and mane, and she was quaking in fear, afraid to look up. As the Sky Captain hovered slowly over to the crusader the poem continued in the background.

What happened the heroes would never tell

Of just how it was that the dragon fell

One life had been traded for another

It had not felt like there was a victor

Having fought hard for the life of this strange bird

Their worries renewed for it had been injured

It seemed a mournful and a bitter end

They knew not how to set its wing to mend

Landing softly beside the young pegasus, the Sky Captain bent low and gently lifted the crusader’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze. Sighing in relief at the sight of her flight partner, the crusader lifted her legs to reveal what she had been huddled around. There sat the phoenix, now awake, and snuggled against her. The older pegasus smiled and backed away, pointing a hoof towards the royal balcony.

So to their Princess they quickly flew

Hoping she would know just what to do

And though they knew their presence might be resented

To the crown the phoenix was to be presented

Once mourning sister heard their plight

Her heart grew heavy at the sight

Of two ponies scorched and burned

At their hooves this broken bird

The tired crusader nodded, and in exaggeratedly slow movements began a wobbly flight to arrive before Princess Celestia. She bowed respectfully low as she hovered, holding out an outstretched leg, where stood the firebird happily. The Princess offered her hoof as a perch which Peewee quickly accepted with a cheerful chirp, hopping onto it as Philomena bent down low to inspect the new arrival. They twittered what could have been an introduction, but were interrupted by a light gasp from Rarity off to the side. The birds quickly looked her way only to see she was staring back up at the Princess.

Turning to her, they both cocked their heads to the side, wondering why tears would trickle past a warm smile.
Memories played behind Celestia’s eyes. Swallowing a breath, the Princess stood up and took a step to the balcony edge. Her royal voice rose over the din of the crowds below, easily drowning out Twilight Sparkle’s reading. The coliseum grew silent as she spoke loudly to the flight team, though it wasn’t to Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo her words were directed. It was to a pair of pegasi from long ago, their image traced transparently over the two that stood before her now. Whether they were simply dreams or the spirits of friends gone by, Celestia couldn’t tell, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. It had been many long years since her memory of them had been so vivid, so very alive. The words of the poem came as natural to her as breathing.

“Only with your aid shall I try

To teach this bird once more to fly”

From then on the four were as one

And of better friends there were none

Though not forgotten were her tears

For her family’s better years

By the time the phoenix once again did soar

The cries of the Princess could be heard no more

Though those pegasi have long passed on

Nothing so small could sever their bond

Their friendship forever true and tried

Glows through the phoenix at royal side

Feats of skill and magics great

Could never take her sister’s place

Twas through the strength of the joy in friends

A sorrowful heart as hers could mend

For a very long moment the world basked in the quiet as the illusions before Celestia smiled happily, radiating a light far brighter, far more comforting than any her sun had ever provided. Tears slipped down her cheeks as the memories and emotions overwhelmed her. At her side, a light stomp pierced the silence, followed by another, and another. The Captain was applauding, and Rarity was quick to follow. Soon her escort of royal guards joined in, and then the crowd was on their hooves stomping, and cheering. It took Celestia half a minute before she joined in with a whispered ‘thank you’ to Scootaloo who nervously took that to mean she was dismissed, and that she should go back and take her place beside her Captain.

Spike cracked one eye open, taking a peek to make sure the show was over before standing to his feet and walking over to join his team as they waved to the crowds. He lifted a claw to wave as well, but not as much to the crowd as it was to the Princess and to Rarity on the balcony, and to Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle over on their stage. Twilight waved back with a large closed-eye smile, and Pinkie had the mic back in her hoof.

“Ladies and gentlecolts, ‘The Broken Flight of Philomena’ by your Captain Dash and her Skyblazer Crusaders!” With that Pinkie pulled a rope and four party cannons leaned straight up boomed loudly three times each. A few thousand more coloured streamers, bit of glitter, pennants, and banners were blasted into the air, carried by the wind out over the audience, and some sailing right over the walls to the streets outside.

“Well done, you two. No matter what the judges say, I’m proud of you!” Rainbow Dash said loudly above the crowd, “Almost as proud as you should be of yourselves. I couldn’t have asked for two better students, or better teammates. Thanks for coming with me.”

“Thank us for coming with you?” Scoot laughed before hugging her idol, “thank you! Thank you for believing we could! Thank you for giving me a shot when nopony else in Equestria would! And thank you, Spike. You didn’t have to do any of this! You would have been happy just to learn to fly! Thanks for pushing on just for us.”

“No, thank you for encouraging me to try,” Spike said as picked them both up easily and wrapped them in a hug. “Thank you both for pushing me to be more than I thought I ever could be.”

An announcement rang over the tumultuous crowd declaring all around the coliseum the judges were ready. Everypony grew tense. The flight team had their hearts in their throats. In the audience Diamond Tiara was gripping her father’s hoof as tight as she could, her teeth clenched tight. Filthy Rich looked proudly down on his daughter, and looked up to see the first score from the West side judge, Soarin’. He stood up, holding the number over his head for all to see:

‘9.8’

The crowd went wild. Spitfire was next as the East side judge, and she quickly raised her own.

‘9.9’

Another roar of cheer left Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo’s grip tight around Spike as they now looked to the royal balcony. This was it. Their first scores were sure to be high enough to offset whatever Coach Feather Guide would give them, as long as Princess Celestia marked them well. She was arguably the most affected pony out of everypony there, she had to give them a-

‘8.9’

Their faces were stuck frozen in dumbfounded surprise. It was a full mark lower than the other judges. The Princess was wiping her eyes and giving a sharp look to the soldier beside her who shrugged apathetically. Rainbow Dash grimaced. Feather Guide was a harsh marker on his best of days. He could easily give them a six or a seven without any pegasi questioning it. An 8.9 was not going to be enough to win them over the Cloudsdale shows to follow. Like a pony facing her executioner, she turned to stare Coach Feather Guide in the eye as he brought the axe down. It wasn’t her he was looking at, though. He was staring at the north judge rubbing his chin in thought. With a respectful nod to the royal balcony he met Dash’s gaze, he raised his own card.

‘8.9’

Around her Scootaloo and Spike were squealing in unabashed joy. She felt them hug her, and jump up and down, but it all seemed so far away. If there were any words in the midst of their happy screaming they were completely unintelligible to her. Somewhere in the middle of that rush of victory was where she should of been, screaming her head off like everypony else. But she wasn’t. Instead she was struck into stunned silence. Her body felt tired, sluggish, and unresponsive. Twilight and Pinkie had rushed over to join them in a group hug, but her bones felt too heavy to lift and hug them back. Instead, she simply stared off at Feather Guide, only moving her head when somepony would block her line of sight.

He was staring back, but his look seemed unreadable. No telling smile, or frown, no sense of loss, pride, or victory. Finally breaking eye contact with her he wrote something down on a piece of paper and called over a nearby guard. Trading words for only a moment, he passed a piece of paper to the soldier before pointing to her. Sitting back down both Feather Guide and Rainbow Dash watched the guard quickly trotting over. She stepped away from her crowd of friends, who stopped celebrating momentarily to watch the exchange. With a smile the guard passed her the folded note.

“Great show out there, Captain Dash. It was really amazing.”

“Thanks,” she smiled trying to be appreciative and pretend like the note wasn’t the only thing on her mind right then. Seeming to understand, the soldier gave her a quick salute and went back to his station. Opening the note revealed it to be an invitation to his office after the show. Not just to her, but to her and her flight team. Looking up to stare at him, he sat with his hooves together, hiding his muzzle from view, in attempt to disguise any expression he might have worn. He seemed nervous.

She passed the note to Scootaloo and everypony read it with her over her shoulder. “He wants to see us after everything’s over,” Dash explained, a little nervous about the confrontation herself. “What do you think?”

“I don’t mind either way,” Spike frowned, “he’s a complete stranger to me.”

“Yeah, Captain, if it means a lot to you, we’ll go, but if you don’t want to see him, let the big shot hang out in his office by himself. We’ve got a victory celebration to get to!”

“The show ain’t over yet, Squirt, but yeah, we do have a lot to celebrate, don’t we?” Dash said with a grin, ruffling her protégé’s mane.

“I think you should go,” Twilight put in softly, taking the folded paper returning it to her friend’s hoof. “His opinion obviously means a lot to you, Rainbow Dash. You might regret not going, and that’s what going this far was all about, right? Giving everything you had without leaving behind any regrets?”

“Yeah. Yeah it was,” she agreed. He was still watching her, obviously waiting for some kind of response. With a short nod she confirmed her attendance, and he put his hooves down, letting out a shaky breath. It gave her a smile to know he was just as nervous about it as her.

“Come on guys, we’re holding up the games!” Dash shouted back to her excited team of friends. A few minutes were needed for her to gather her team and herd them off the field for the next competitors. The ponies in the bleachers continued to thunder their applause as everypony made their way into the dressing rooms with a load of props, mostly composed of dragon armour.

Unlike the rest of the masterwork of cloud masonry that was the coliseum, the dressing rooms looked gritty, dirty, and disheveled. The atmosphere of heroes past which emanated from the rest of the building stopped at these doors. Those were the heroes of a bygone era, and Dash would bet her last bit that they’d be more comfortable sitting in here with her team than they would enjoy being on the pedestals pegasi had put them on outside. If the great halls were for heroes past, then the field and the dressing rooms; these places were for heroes of their present. They were made tough so they could endure the rage and tears of defeat, and the blasts of energy and celebration that came with triumph.

Now Rainbow Dash looked on at the scene playing out here in her favourite place in the world. Twilight had just magically dumped a few gallons of water over Scootaloo and Spike, and now she was running while holding up some ‘How to’ guide about the history of athletic celebrations, using it as cover from her fledglings who had started up a water fight using the numerous sinks to hose her down. They ended up accidentally soaking Pinkie Pie as Twilight ducked behind her. Everypony in the room was then immediately greeted to a party cannon barrage.

This was what I wanted to see.

That was the thought that bounced around in her head now as she stood in the doorway watching. These tough walls wouldn’t see defeat in the eyes of her team, not today. There was supposed to be something else she came to Cloudsdale for, something she had to struggle her whole life to achieve, but she couldn't recall what it was. Whatever it was paled in comparison to what was right in front of her.

A blast of water quickly broke her out of her train of thought. Scootaloo and Spike were grinning mischievously over by the sink. “Come on, Captain! What are you waiting for?!”

Rainbow Dash smirked and pretended to roll up sleeves of a shirt she wasn’t wearing. “You’re trying to take me on in victory celebrations? Fledglings, you have whole lot left to learn!”

She pounced towards the two, flying over to chase the fledglings down.

***************************************************************************

“How could you?! You knew what we had riding on this! We’ll lose everything we’ve built towards!” Lofty Heights had her forehooves on his desk, and was bawling Feather Guide out.

“Hmph. I marked the fledglings fair.”

“Fair! Fair?! You didn’t even give any of the other teams higher than a 7!”

“They didn’t deserve it,” he shrugged, “which is your fault, by the way.”

“My fault! How is anything on your stupid score cards my fault?!”

“By taking away the other Flight Team Captain’s trademark stunts, their teams suffered for it. Their routines were broken, and everything felt off. You could really tell they were missing something from the shows out there today. Rainbow Dash’s team won by a landslide because there was not a single thing missing from their show. In the real show the others will be a lot better, not sure how well they’ll hold up against what we saw out there, but they’ll definitely go home with better scores.”

“That’s right! She still did the sonic rainboom, right? What we saw out there, it’s basically the same thing, just used a little differently! We can use that against her, to drop her marks!” Already thinking of ways to use this to her advantage, Lofty began pacing back and forth in front of the coach’s desk.

“There were similarities, I admit, but you’ll never convince anypony they were the same stunt. It’d be like trying to tell them landing on a dive is the same move as a dive.”

“Why does it feel like I’m the only one trying to think of a way out of this?!” She brought her hoof down hard on his desk again, pushing one of the pictures there into his lap. With a frown at her, he reached down to pick it up, and smiled as he saw which one it was. His hoof traced over the faces of the foals there.

“Because we lost, and there’s no two ways around that. You underestimated her and thought that a Sonic Rainboom was the only thing you had to worry about. You were wrong. A pegasus like her would never be content to sit on a single stunt, she was out learning new things this whole time. A pegasus like her will never be content at all. They have to push every limit you put them up against. I failed the moment I put a wall in front of her. There’s no wall big enough to stop Rainbow Dash, and if the world is lucky, there never will be.”

“You could have been that wall! You did this on purpose for some misguided sense of loyalty! Even if you think she deserved it you could have given the other teams a better score.”

“Do not presume to tell me how to judge a contest.” His eyes flashed in anger, hard and unyielding like the rest of the old pony. She understood she was beginning to cross lines with him that nopony crossed. “I wasn’t the only tough marker out there. Are you going to go complain to the Princess next? Our score cards matched almost to the decimal for every flight team we marked.”

“Don’t get me started on that. That rotten, little filly tricked me!” An angry swat from Lofty Heights sent one of Feather Guide’s golden trophies skidding across the floor. “Do you even know who that dragon was? Just the adopted son of Celestia herself! Apparently she was only here to see him perform, so of course his team was going to get her highest scores!”

“I don’t pretend to know what she was thinking, but I agreed with every mark she put down. I had no idea how much experience she had at competitions. I think I have a newfound respect for her.” There was no reason to bother about the trophy. They could all be scattered across the floor for all he cared. There were other boxes of them in his closet waiting for their turn in the sunlight.

“I don’t know why you’re so calm about this! I’m not going down alone! And where is Shady Deals? If he thinks he can dodge this by not being here, he has another thing coming. You’ll both go down with me for this!”

“I doubt that, Lofty,” Feather Guide sighed heavily. He really didn’t like doing this kind of thing. Times like this made him wish he was still coaching, or on his old flight team. When he became a member of the committee so many years ago, he had hoped it would be like that, be like being a member of a team again. It never happened, and probably never would. The committee was nothing like a flight team. There was no loyalty to be found among its members. “We didn’t participate in your deal with the earth pony, only in the offer presented to Rainbow Dash and her team. As for Shady, he will be by shortly. I don’t think you’ll be pleased to see him.”

“I see, so you’re both going to have me take the fall for all this.”

“You entered this nosedive all on your own, so don’t blame us now that you can’t pull out of it. Don’t think you’re the only one with troubles over this either. Our reputation is caught in a tailspin thanks to this sponsorship idea you and Shady cooked up. It’ll take me years to put our committee back in decent formation.”

A knock on the door interrupted any retort she had on the subject. The knocker didn’t wait for a reply before walking right in. It was a fairly large crowd, even for Feather Guide’s office. The Captain of the Royal Guard was escorting Shady Deals, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Filthy Rich. In Silver Spoon’s mouth was a large brown envelope which she happily set down on the desk.

“Your papers are here, all drawn up and ready to be signed,” Diamond Tiara practically sang. To say she was looking forward to this moment wouldn’t do it justice. This was her pay off, and if the air shows she seen today were any representation of what was going to happen in the real show a couple weeks from now, it would be the only payoff from her deals she’d see. Just what team was going to be able to top sky-surfing dragon fire followed by a rainbow explosion? This would be her victory, right here in this office, and she was going to enjoy every second of it.

With a great deal of effort Lofty Heights tried to compose herself as she stared at the envelope on the desk, refusing to go anywhere near it. “I see. That was faster than I anticipated.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. Silver Spoon is quite talented with writing up official documents, and your fellow committee member was kind enough to offer any assistance she’d need in filling out the details.” Her friend pushed her glasses up further on her nose and stuck her chest out at the praise. “I’m sure you’ll find everything in order.”

“I’m certain I will. And a royal escort besides? Was this really necessary? I’m a lawyer, not a criminal. Did you think I’d run away?” snapped Lofty, her voice dripping with contempt.

“You’re not a criminal. They don’t cause me near as much trouble,” the Captain answered shortly, taking off his helmet and tucking it under his wing. “The Princess insisted on my presence because she wishes to see this transition go as smoothly as possible. I was also to strongly advise the remaining members of the committee to revisit this sponsorship idea after the events of this morning. There is also a matter of complaints about a conflict of interests in your finances.”

“I don’t believe sponsors will be a compulsory part of competitions anytime in the near future, Captain. If the Princess would like, we will gladly set up an appointment to talk further about it at a later date,” Feather Guide assured him, and gestured to the envelope, “however, this is the matter currently on our hooves and I would prefer to have it settled. As for the financial issues, I’d normally refer you to our lawyer, but it seems we’re about to lose ours. I’m certain Shady has a few ideas he’s working through.”

The Captain nodded and looked over to Lofty Heights. Taking the hint, she made her way over the desk. “You seem particularly happy with yourself over this.” Her statement was directed to a sneering Diamond Tiara, as she slowly picked up the envelope and took out the form. “All you’ve done is stop what could have been the greatest gathering of athletes the world has ever seen.”

“Those gatherings take place at the games. Our ponies shouldn’t have to move from their homes to participate,” Tiara retorted back. “You think your idea is something new? Something we haven’t seen before? Big city organizations like yours do this kind of thing all the time. Whether it’s the universities or corporations, they’re always trying to steal away our brightest and our best for their own purposes.”

“It’s for their own good, and the good of us all. Just imagine what they can do if you let them all come under one roof! Think of the feats they could accomplish!”

“Same old excuse too, it seems. Putting a bunch of brilliant ponies in a single building doesn’t make us advance faster. All that actually happens is somepony else takes the credit for their accomplishments, while hundreds of brilliant ideas are left to stagnate since the one organization can only work on so many at a time. The hierarchy of their workplace keeps ponies that could have been leaders of their towns stuck as lowly assistants! If you really wanted ponies to advance, you’d support their efforts to improve the towns and places where they live instead of trying to bunch them all up into one place.”

“As intriguing as this debate may be,” interrupted Feather Guide, who wore a look that didn’t seem intrigued at all, “I suggest we refocus our attention on what we’re here to do. Lofty Heights, your resignation please?”

“Fine! You want it so bad you can have it!” Her name was quickly scribbled down over the appropriate blanks before she slammed the paper down on the desk. “There. Was it worth it?”

“Why not ask the pegasi lining the streets on your way out?” Tiara smirked widely. “They’ll probably have the answer you’re looking for.”

That comment earned her a vicious look from the lawyer as she trotted past everypony and out the door with as much dignity as she could manage. On her way out she nearly bumped into another trio of ponies; probably the last trio of ponies in Equestria she wanted to see right then. At a quickened pace she wordlessly trotted past them. Rainbow Dash took a moment to watch her go before sticking her head in the door.

“It’s done then?”

“It is.” Her old coach confirmed for her before addressing his colleague, “Shady, I’m going to need my office. Could you and your friends excuse us?”

“I’m afraid I can’t allow that,” The Captain stepped in. “The conflicts of interest are a legal issue. I need to know it’s being resolved. Now.”

“Captain! My friend, my pal, my buddy! This is me we’re talking about! Deals are my game, Shady’s just my name. Here’s my card.” The greasy pegasus wore a large smile and slid a business card into the neckpiece of the Captain’s armour before wrapping an arm around the big pegasus and patting his chest plate. “All my deals are, of course, on the up and up. Why as soon as I found out about this funny, little business scheme I’ve been wheelin’ and dealin’ the day away. We’ll have this whole matter straightened away in no time.”

The Captain wasn’t buying any of it. When the Princess asked if all the issues were resolved regarding the council, he wanted to be able to answer with a ‘yes’ not a ‘maybe’. “Not good enough. I’ll need your plan of action within the hour, or you can expect charges laid in the next.”

“Then perhaps I could help in this particular scenario?” Diamond Tiara’s father suggested with a boatload of smarm.

“And you are?” He had to suppress a shudder. Business ponies. He couldn’t decide which he liked less, the fast-talking slime balls, or the smug ones trying to pass themselves off like gentlecolts but never quite making it.

“Why, I’m Filthy Rich, owner and proprietor of Barnyard Bargains? Not to mention nearly all general retail in Ponyville. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“And you can help with this how, Filthy?”

“Please,” he scowled momentarily, idly wondering why everypony instantly assumed a casualness with him, before perking up, “I prefer Rich. And I can help by providing a whole new area of investment that could not possibly be associated with pegasi in any way.”

“Richie, baby, coming to my rescue! What do you got for me?” Thankfully the slimier of the two detached himself from the Captain’s armour. He made a mental note. It would need a good scrubbing later. And about a few thousand new layers of polish before it would feel clean again.

Rich smiled as he headed for the door with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trailing behind. “Tell me, Shady, what do you think about apple farms?”

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” The two stallions laughed as they left, and the Captain turned to speak to Rainbow Dash.

“Captain Dash, I have to ask you to wait outside for a few more minutes. I have something that needs to be discussed with Coach before your meeting.”

“Uh-huh. Sure, no problem.” She frowned as she watched the soldier head back into the office and shut the door behind him. The pale orange fur and no-nonsense attitude made the large pegasus seem familiar when she first met him, but now with his helmet off, revealing his short, spiky, red mane, a memory irked her, tickling the back of her mind. Just when she thought she had it in hoof, she was distracted by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon who hung back momentarily after Filthy Rich and Shady Deals began talking business.

“Hey, what you guys did out there was incredible! You really came through. I just wanted you to know that,” Tiara said. Silver Spoon stood silently beside her, nodding her agreement.

“Yeah, we were pretty awesome, but you didn’t do too bad yourself, Brat,” Rainbow Dash remarked with a cocky grin. “That deal you made probably saved the future of flight shows for years. But don’t think we’re gonna go easy on our deal just because we’re gettin’ chummy now.”

“That goes without saying. I only expect the best from a Ponyville Flight Team, but if you don’t deliver I’ll be there to collect.” With that she flipped her mane over her shoulder and quickly caught up with her father.

“Thank you.” Silver Spoon said quietly while offering them all a small smile. “You probably don’t know everything this meant to her.”

As far as parting words went, those seemed oddly enigmatic, but to Scootaloo, stranger by far was the sense of pride towards in their tones.

“Wait, what just happened here?” She asked looking to the rest of her team for some kind of explanation.

“Dunno. Magic of friendship?” Spike tried, only to earn a disgusted expression from Scootaloo.

“That is one friendship I think I can do without.”

Rainbow Dash laughed lightly at that, but her eyes were drawn back to the closed office door. Her thoughts were guesses of what could have been transpiring inside. The last thing the Captain said to her before closing the door kept playing back in her head. Something about the way he called him Coach.

***************************************************************************

The Captain and Coach Feather Guide remained alone in awkward silence. The meticulously placed pictures that hung along the wall had captured the Captain’s attention, or more specifically the empty space where one picture had hung. The longer the silence went on, the more nervous Feather Guide became. After a full minute of waiting for the large pegasus to speak up, he stood up with the missing picture in mouth, and hung it back in its place.

“There. I suppose that can be the first step to restoring order around here.” The Captain nodded, only half listening. Curiosity was never one of Feather Guide’s stronger traits, but it tingled in him now, mingling with a sense of fear that he wasn’t used to. Forty years of performing and teaching death defying stunts, not to mention scoring the most renowned stunt ponies in that time had taken away any sense of fear of ponies. But this wasn’t a pony in front of him, this was a representation of royal law. It wasn’t the first time he’d run across a law or two. The bureaucracy of the committee spilled over with legal ramifications all the time. He had never seen it enforced by one quite so war-weathered however.

“When was it we first met, Coach?” The sound of the Captain’s voice breaking the silence was startling. It took him a moment to think of the answer.

“A little over three weeks now as I recall.”

“I see.” There was a slight chill in the response that caused Feather Guide to doubt himself. “Three weeks. That is when we began securing the coliseum for the Royal Visit. In that time I have seen many of your old students pass in and out of your office doors. It is commendable, especially with the games about to be held. You must have been swamped with work.”

“I always make time for them. They’re the reason I do what I do. None of this would have any point to it without them.”

“I see.” Again, that chill hung in the Captain’s tone. It didn’t sit right with the compliments he had just addressed him with. “So you know them well?”

“Very well. I’ve studied their names and exploits, I have piles of newspaper articles pinned on my walls back home, framed articles of their successes and triumphs. These ponies are my pride and glory, all of them, every single one.”

And they were. The Captain noticed all the subtle, telling signs. The swell in the coach’s chest as he spoke of them, the look of recognition in his eyes as they traced over the faces in the pictures, and the look of fondness that creased his features as scenes from his past played out in the old pony’s mind.

“Then I hope you remember Rainbow Dash with the fondness of all your students. She may not have trained under you as much as you would have liked, but she is still one of the ponies on this wall. When she left, it was for you.”

“You care for her, don’t you?”

The Captain turned to look seriously at the old coach, and said: “Her among other ponies.”

“Then perhaps I owe you an explanation of sorts,” Feather Guide frowned as the colourful pegasus in the picture drew his attention. “I wasn’t acting out of spite at these games, at least, not completely. When Rainbow Dash won the Best Young Fliers, the decision was taken out of my hooves. I can’t remember being as furious as I was then. Do not take this badly, I am glad everypony was saved, and it was a tremendous thing she did. No matter how you look at it, however, the stunts she performed during the actual competition were amateur, clumsy, and wild. Those three traits have always been a part of her style. They can be exciting crowd pleasers, but they are not the sign of a good stunt pony. Frankly, I didn’t feel she was anything other than a very talented amateur.

“When I heard of her application to these games yesterday, I shut her down under the impression that it was the same old Rainbow Dash that I once knew. Failure is a hard thing to take after so much effort has been put into something, but it makes a great teacher. I wanted her to fail so she could learn how to do things right. It would be all too easy to just let her enter the competition and perform a single maneuver that would steal the show. I could bask in the praise of the crowd for teaching her, her gratitude for letting her join might have been so great that it could earn me back into her good graces, and no pony worth their salt in the games would blame me for doing so. But I’m not a pony out for glory. I’m just an old coach, and there’s nothing easy about being a good coach.

“I was angry when she left my office, and I began to question my motives. ‘Maybe I jumped to conclusions?’ I remember thinking. So I checked her paper applications. Her team was registered barely a month before today, and they didn’t even have a team name decided. As a personal favour Shady looked into matters a little more closely. His contacts in Ponyville suggested their flight training had only begun at the beginning of the summer. I felt assured in my judgment that she was unfit to be a flight coach. I didn’t deny her because of financial gains or any of that nonsense. It was out of belief and plenty of evidence that pointed to her not being ready.”

“But you were wrong?” the Captain smiled as he caught on to where this story was leading.

“I was wrong,” agreed the old coach with a warm smile and a chuckle directed towards the picture. “I was so wrong, in fact, that it’s hard to see how I ever thought I was doing the right thing. What I saw today wasn’t the Rainbow Dash that I once knew. This wasn’t a clumsy, nervous rookie. This was a professional the like of which I’ve seldom witnessed. I couldn’t believe it. Most of the stunt show, she spent hidden in the sun. The show instead was focused on the fledglings battling it out with the most amazing custom stunts I’ve ever seen in the Fledgling Games. The moves were well-practiced and forcefully perfected in a way only endless hours of talent and practice can attain. Captain, I have every intention of apologizing to Rainbow Dash. I don’t expect forgiveness, but I owe her that much.”

“If you really mean that, I think she’ll surprise you with how forgiving she can be, and how much she respects you.”

“Well, surprising me is one trait she has managed to hang on to since her filly years.”

“I mean it, Coach. From the way they swooped into formation to the way they broke out, didn’t it seem familiar? It certainly did to me. I see it every day.”

“It did seem familiar, yes,” confirmed Feather Guide, not quite seeing where this was going, but the chill was gone from the Captain’s voice. He was glad of that at least. He wasn’t sure about the casual tone that replaced it however. “I’ve seen it thousands of times before as well, I’m not sure what was so remarkable about it outside of the professionalism the fledglings managed to accomplish it with.”

“Not everypony flies that way. Outside of the games it’s actually pretty rare. It’s the way you taught pegasi to fly, Coach. It’s your technique. She taught it to her fledglings just like you taught it to her.”

“I-I hadn’t caught that,” Feather Guide mumbled to himself before studying the Captain. “You are familiar with my teaching style, then?”

“I should be. The reason I see it every day is because I’ve been using it to teach our recruits how formation flying works. Your formation techniques have become a military standard. I know you’re strictly a judge of these games, but I would like to invite you out to see our pegasi troops on parade some day. I think you’d be impressed, and I’m sure you could offer our drill sergeants some pointers.”

“It wasn’t the Princess that scored the teams, was it Captain?” As the Captain grew more casual, Feather Guide’s respect for the soldier began to grow as did a suspicion that didn’t sit well with him. “You know too much about flying, and she has paid little interest in pegasi games over the years.”

“I had a couple of great coaches, two of the best in Equestria,” the Captain replied, staring back at the picture in front of them.

“No, it couldn’t be… but your name isn’t… ” Feather Guide did a double take, looking back and forth between the Captain and the picture. The suspicion grew into a realization. “Y-you’ve only gone by your rank around me.”

“Then let me introduce myself. I’m Captain Storm Front, it’s good to see you again, Coach.”

“S-Storm Front? But you were so small! The foals wouldn’t even call you by your name…They called you… what was it…?”

“I got bigger,” interrupted the soldier abruptly, not at all enjoying the reminder of his youth. “I was beginning to wonder if you would ever recognize me. You really do have a one track mind, Coach.”

“Yes, it seems so. One of my long, lost students has been standing right underneath my nose this whole time, and I didn’t even see you.”

“More than one,” Captain Storm front said as he pointed to one of the pictures. “Drifting Winds and Thunder Rolls are responsible for finding and hauling the rare clouds up here for the big shows. That is when they aren’t out on endurance flights all across Equestria’s skies looking for them to tow home. Quick Quills is one of the better sports journalists the games have to offer. She’s always in the bleachers for every show. Silver Lining is the cloud sculptor that directs the efforts in maintaining this coliseum, and most of the city buildings. Her office is only down the hall from yours and she says you’ve never dropped by.” Captain Storm Front lowered his hoof from pointing at a small, pale pink pegasus whose flank bore a picture of a heart chipped from stone. “Those are just the ones I’ve met since I’ve been playing security guard for the last few weeks. I wonder how many more are here that I haven’t had the chance to see. Your lost students are all around you, Coach. You just had to open your eyes to see them.”

Feather Guide had to sit down. The realization of just how much his tunnel vision caused him to miss was dizzying, it felt like the room was spinning around him. In spite of his good health, for he never lost his athletic routine, he would have fallen over if Storm Front hadn’t caught him. Carefully the Captain led his old coach over to his office chair where he could be comfortable.

“I just need a minute,” wheezed Feather Guide, feeling the age in his bones and muscles more sharply than he ever had. “Just a minute.”

“Take your time. It’s probably a lot to take in.”

“I’ve been so blind. I waited everyday, hoping to see them again. How? How did I miss them?” He rubbed his eyes with his hooves and leaned forward over his desk.

“You never looked.” The answer was simple but it cut Feather Guide like a cold blade. “You were afraid. We looked up to Rainbow Dash as much as we looked up to you, sometimes more. If you ever faced any of us, you might have ended up with the answer you feared most. That there’s more to pegasi then the games, more to flight then what you were teaching. You spent your entire life perfecting coaching fledglings on how to make perfect turns, formations, landings, and stunts. If you confronted any of us, you would have had to change, Coach. You would have had to learn an entire new array of flight skills. I think you knew that. I think it scared you.”

Nodding slowly, Feather Guide leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. Surrounded by a mountain of trophies, dedications, and official papers, and still he was only beginning to understand the depth involved in teaching flight. “What use is there in an old flight coach that can’t teach a pegasus to fly the way they want?”

“Don’t say that. You discovered the foundations of formation flying. Mid-flight turns were revolutionized by your advice. Techniques taught for wind control and glide paths are centered around lessons you’ve been teaching foals for generations. The fledglings that came to you grew such an appreciation for the passion you had for the games that their dreams changed to suit yours. Can’t you tell that by how successful you were? Judging by the smiles I see on your old students, not one of them regrets the turn their life made after meeting you. Other flight coaches dream of your accomplishments. So what if you have a more specialized way of teaching flight?”

“But you-”

“I dreamed of being a soldier since before I was higher than your knee,” Storm Front interrupted with no small amount of pride. “Maybe I would have changed if I was given a year alone as one of your students. I didn’t because Rainbow Dash told me I shouldn’t. I was a shrimp of a pegasus, always picked on for my size and my mediocre skills at best. Rainbow Dash taught us we could be anything, and how flying could help us achieve our individual goals. She was an inspiration, but so were you, Coach. We were lucky fledglings to have you both as our teachers. All of Equestria would be lucky to have you both teaching fledglings again.”

With a long unsteady breath, Feather Guide tried to regain his composure. He looked up at his one-time student with frown. “Then I guess there’s only one thing left to say.”

“And that is?”

“When is your next parade?”

The Captain smiled and went for the door, “you’ll receive an invitation in the mail. But I think we’ve kept Rainbow Dash and her team waiting long enough.”

“Drizzles!” As he opened the door, the Captain found himself assaulted and left lying on the floor with Rainbow Dash standing over top of him. “I can’t believe it’s you! It’s been forever!”

“I take it you recognize the good Captain then?” chuckled Feather Guide as he stood up from his desk while the fledglings filed in behind Dash.

“Captain? So you really did make it as a soldier. Way to go Drizzles! We were rooting for yah. Where does the Princess have you stationed?”

“By her side,” he grumbled as he crawled out from beneath an over-excited Rainbow Dash. “In spite of my best efforts, I am replacing Shining Armour’s position as Captain of the Royal Guards. I believe you know him?”

“Sure do! He’s only like my best friend’s brother. Did a Sonic Rainboom at his royal wedding to Princess Cadence, you know, no biggie,” she attempted to say passively, rubbing her hoof against her chest with the most obvious hidden gloating he’d ever seen.

“Yes, well, I’d appreciate it if you left foalhood nicknames to our foalhood.” He brushed himself off and put his helmet back on. “I have a reputation to keep.”

“Aw, is wittle Dwizzilez embawwassed?” Dash needled the irritated soldier, who rolled his eyes. “You may be all big and royal guard Captain Storm Front now, but you’ll always be Drizzles to me.”

He fumed silently as Spike compared their sizes. The stallion stood a full head over her. “You used to call this guy Drizzles? And you didn’t end up as paste? How?”

“He wasn’t always this big. That’s why I didn’t recognize him right away. Here I’ll show you.” Dash darted over to the class picture and held it up for Scootaloo and Spike to see, pointing at a pony in the picture. “This is him.”

Scootaloo looked at the pony she was pointing out then over to Spike, who shrugged. “Uh, Captain? You’re just pointing at yourself.”

Dash turned the picture around quickly and grinned, glancing quickly over to Storm Front who was ever so slightly edging his way towards the door. “Not me. Look again. He’s the pony I’m leaning on.”

Her two fledglings squinted at the pony she was using as a leg rest in the picture. He wasn’t even half Dash’s size then. Scrawny was the only word that seemed to fit, contrasting starkly with the older stocky version before them. However the irritation that marked the pony’s features in the picture matched that of the stallion in front of them perfectly.

“Woah!” Spike remarked, “talk about growth spurts.”

“I filled out,” he admitted with no hint of mirth to his tone. “It is no longer difficult to see why you had such a hard time believing as you did, Coach. She’s as foalish as ever. Even so, it is good to see you again, Rainbow Dash. Perhaps after your meeting here you’ll attend a class reunion of sorts? They’re celebrating in your honour at the hotel tonight, and they asked me to request your attendance.”

“Tell ‘em I’ll be there! Well, as long as you don’t mind if I bring a few friends along?”

“I will let them know.” With a slight bow of his head he withdrew from the room, but paused as he passed by the fledglings. “You two put on quite a show out there today. I’ve never seen the like before in my life. Your efforts have done all pegasi proud, congratulations. I will look forward to returning to see the real event in a few weeks.”

“Yes sir!” They both answered with a salute, each standing a little taller for the praise. With that said the Captain made his way out, shutting the door behind him.

“Finally,” Feather Guide gave Rainbow Dash an awkward smile that didn’t much suit him, “You certainly know how to create work for me, if nothing else.”

Jokes didn’t suit him much either, Dash decided. “You wanted to see us, Coach?”

“Right,” the old pegasus coughed, noting his failed attempt at humour. “Before I get to the reasons I asked you here, however, I believe I owe you an apology. I owe you all an apology. My efforts to keep you from attending the games were the actions of a selfish, old coot that feared changing his ways. They nearly lost us the league as we know it, delayed the careers of two of the finest fledgling fliers I’ve ever seen, and cost pegasi everywhere the career of a brilliant stunt pegasus and flight team Captain. I do not expect your forgiveness, but I will work to earn it all the same. I hope you understand that I was attempting to look out for your best interests, no matter how it may have seemed.”

“Best interests? You nearly screwed us all on this one, pal!” Scootaloo answered while fixing the coach with a glare. “You have no idea what I have riding on this! You didn’t even bother asking us. Don’t just decide on your own what’s best for me without even meeting me first!

Spike remained silent on the issue as Rainbow Dash held Scootaloo back and whispered in warning, “Squirt, I know he gave us a rough go, but he’s still a coach. One of the best there ever was. Just a tiny bit of respect wouldn’t go astray here.”

“No, don’t stop her. She’s right. If I was going to deny them from taking part in the air shows, I should have had the decency to look both of them in the eye as I did it, or at least listened to what they had to say on the matter.” He turned from Rainbow Dash to look at Scootaloo herself, “I was in the wrong, fledgling. I have no excuse.”

“Well, just so long as you know, I guess I can forgive you,” Scootaloo said, closing her eyes and turning her head away. She opened one eye lazily, sneaking a peek at him before adding, “Maybe.”

“That is all I could ask. And to you as well, young dragon, I don’t know how my actions have hurt you.”

Rubbing his chin and looking up, Spike thought about it before shrugging the whole notion off. “They haven’t. Things were a bit harder because of you, but in the end we still got to put on the show, and you even gave us a great score. You didn’t have to. Just writing down a different number would have made us lose, but you didn’t. Even though you were a pretty tough judge, it wasn’t any worse than the Princess was. Though, I wouldn’t mind you going a bit easier on us next time, if you want.”

The old coach answered him with a flat look.

“No?” Spike tried, “not even a little?”

Another flat look was his only response, only this time it was joined by his two teammates as well.

“Okay, okay. It was worth a shot, sheesh.”

Dash batted the top most of his spines playfully, leaving it vibrating along his head. He quickly reached up to hold it still, and the ponies all shared a laugh that helped clear the air.

“I always mark what I think a flier deserves,” smiled the coach, “but I do try to offer every team some advice on what to look out for after I do. Which brings me to the first reason I invited you all to my office. I normally try to send out a review to the teams to help them along for next time. Considering what has transpired today, I believed it would be better to do so personally with your team.”

“Wait, so for a reward you’re going to tell us everything we did wrong?” Scootaloo’s jaw dropped, “What a rip o-” her Captain’s hoof quickly cut her off, covering her mouth and lifting the smaller pegasus right up off her hooves. She laughed awkwardly to Feather Guide, hovering before him while holding her fledgling still.

“Squirt?” she whispered into Scoot’s ear. “When a judge tells you what to work on, he’s telling you what he’ll be looking for in the real event. It’s a pretty big edge, believe me.”

Scootaloo nodded her head, Dash didn’t risk taking her hoof away from her mouth, though.

“Ahem,” Coach Feather Guide continued, as if uninterrupted. “Rainbow Dash, you put on an excellent performance. I was most impressed with how you managed to adapt the four formations as part of the show. I wasn’t as impressed with how the dragon was out-gliding you. We can’t always be better than our fledglings given the nature of their talents. The heavy armour was a nice touch in attempt to avoid this, but it wasn’t enough. I advise lessening the amount he tries to snap at you both, and have him keep his eye on the glide path so you’re not so obviously being out done.”

“Yes Coach.” Dash saluted him quickly, letting Scootaloo go as she did, and instinctively standing a little straighter. Getting advice from him like this made her feel like a filly again.

“Scootaloo, was it? Your passion is admirable, the stunts and control you have over a glorified plank of wood will likely set a trend among every fledging for a very, very long time. It was your first show and already you’ll have had more effect on stunts then many professionals ever have or will. Your balance and the level of control you have will be an asset for the rest of your life no matter what you decide to spend it doing. Inexperience with flight still leaves you at a disadvantage at the games, however. It is never as apparent as it is when you’re gliding, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Tell me, what are your training methods?”

“Uh, well I do a lot of practice with the team, but on my own I try to glide when I’m too tired to do much more, or sometimes Captain Dash will tie me to a kite.”

“A kite?” He paused to stare at Rainbow Dash, who was blushing slightly, and suddenly admiring his trophy collection. “Admittedly, it will give you a good idea of how to let the wind carry you, I suppose. And gliding while tired helps you develop a relaxed posture, which is the most pressing of your needs. I should have known her training methods would be, well, unorthodox compared to mine. Maybe I can suggest a method that’s a little more ‘in the box’ as ponies put it nowadays?”

Scootaloo frowned, and looked to her Captain for reassurance. She nodded her agreement and the old coach continued.

“When you glide, copy the flight stance your fellow fledgling adopts. Tuck your legs in tight to your body, and stop trying to steer with your nose and your shoulders.” He got down on his knees, copying the stance as well as he could right there on the floor. “Your wings should carry you without your limbs helping them along, but most importantly, start using your tail to control your direction. Your dragon friend glides so well because of his excellent use of tail and wings. If you get those two in synch, your spine will line up naturally with your glide path. A kite works so well because it only has wings and a tail. Your Captain had the right idea, but maybe not the right way to implement it. Don’t become a kite, just copy it.”

“Oh! Okay. Yeah, I’ll try that!”

“I’ll look forward to seeing your improvement.” He nodded his approval and stood up before Spike. “Last but not least, the adopted son of Princess Celestia. Word of you has spread like wildfire. I must admit, I have never seen a dragon in flight before. Or even a dragon at all. Offering you advice will only be speculative at best.”

“Yeah, well, don’t worry about it. My growing up seems to be anypony’s best guess, so I’ll take a guess over nothing at all.”

“The future certainly will hold many surprises for you then. Your gliding abilities are purely unique to these shows, though maybe they’re just natural for your kind. I cannot say. I can say that they are impressive. Chasing after a phoenix was also a stroke of brilliance to add into the show. The problem is the phoenix flies far more impressively than you. It darts, feints, and dips but since you know the bird so well you simply swim through the air after it like nothing at all. This is the opening act to your whole show! It needs to be big! Intense! Dramatic! You save your dragon fire for the climax, and I wholly support that, but it means your chase scene will have to be amazing through your flight skills alone. You have to really chase that bird down, follow its path instead of using your own. Fall for its tricks. Be fooled by its feints. You probably could have plucked the bird out of the air with ease from the way you were flying, but if your stunt show is going to be a play, then you have to become an actor.”

“But, I can’t do that! Peewee is just too quick, I’d never be able to keep up!” Spike exclaimed quickly. Every trick Peewee did seemed to happen in a flash, or a split-second. Often it felt like the firebird could move at the speed of thought!

“Not true, the firebird isn’t faster than you. It doesn’t have enough strength to flow through the air like you do. It simply has a skill you haven’t honed. Turning. With as large and weighty as you are, whipping around like a pegasus or a phoenix seems impossible, but it’s because you’re coming at the problem from the wrong angle. You need to turn your weakness into your advantage. Certainly you won’t be able to turn in the same way a pegasus does, but you can equal the speeds at which they turn. When you go to make an abrupt turn, spin until you’re almost upside down, with your weight, gravity will give you a speed boost. Also, you use your tail perfectly for gliding, but you have a tendency to forget the hips it’s attached to. Focus on controlling that hind end. You walk upright, so you’re probably used to thinking with your upper body for power, but it’s the strength you have in your hips and tail that will sharpen those turns. It isn’t just true for flight, either. If you’re ever having trouble using those shoulders and claws of yours, remember that the lower body is always stronger than the upper.”

“Huh, alright, I’ll work on it.”

After an approving nod to the young dragon he directed his attention to all three of them, “I hope this advice helps you all to make the most of your training for the big show, but even without training these details, a repeat of your scores today would easily make your flight team a contender for the top spots. Captain Storm Front wasn’t lying. The show you put on out there will be an inspiration to fledglings and professional league fliers for years to come. Even so, I hope you keep what I’ve said in mind. I’d like to put another 9 on my scorecard in the near future. It’s been a long time since I could. And don’t count the Cloudsdale flight teams out yet, either. You did not see them at their full potential. When their Captains are able to include their trademark stunts into their shows, there will be no landslide victories. You can count on that.”

“Yes Coach!” The three said together, followed by a salute.

“Remember Fledglings, there is always more to learn when it comes to flight training. Your Team Captain reminded me of that lesson today. Don’t ever forget it. The consequences can be far harsher then you’d think.” With one last apologetic look to Rainbow Dash, Feather Guide gifted the team before him with another smile before continuing. “That being said, I believe you three have a celebration in your honour to attend?”

It was with cheerful goodbyes and well wishes the flight team made its way out of the office. Especially for Dash’s part, who was having a hard time coming to friendly terms with her old mentor. He hadn’t made life easy for her, but a good coach seldom did, and if his advice to her team was anything to say about it, she still had a lot to learn from him. The improvements he suggested really would likely go a long way in helping them prepare for the main event. As she turned to leave, he tapped her on the shoulder with a letter.

“I’d almost forgotten. I wasn’t the only judge interested in meeting you after the events today it seems. Captain Spitfire asked me to give this to you. Apparently she’s had an eye on you for awhile.”

A very official envelope was put into her hooves, one sealed with a pair of wings attached to a lightning bolt. It was suddenly very hard to breath. “T-the Wonderbolts?”

“Yes. I wasn’t certain I should pass it on quite yet, as I’m sure you’ll want your concentration on the games ahead. But then, I’ve already regretted underestimating your abilities as a coach, even if we have different styles of teaching. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I’m sure you’ll be able to determine for yourself whether you should open it before or after the games. Whatever you decide, the name ‘Rainbow Dash’ will be remembered for all time. So, be certain to think on how you want it to be remembered. Now go have fun. I have my work cut out for me.”

Staring dumbfounded at the letter in her hooves, it took her a few moments to register what Feather Guide said, or how he had gently led her to the door. Just as he was about to close it she quickly stuck her hoof in the way. He looked down at it curiously and then up to her.

“Coach, don’t you think it’s time you met everypony again?” Dash asked, quickly tucking away the letter for later. “Why don’t you come with us?”

“I-I think that would be too much at once. There will be many there I owe an apology to. You have plenty of reasons to celebrate, and my presence would just dampen the mood.”

“Coach, you being there would be a reason to celebrate! They’ve all been waiting to see you as long as you’ve been waiting to see them. Come on! Join us!”

“B-but w-wait! What about invitations?” he stammered, “I wouldn’t want to crash your party.”

“Now you’re just making excuses. Besides they said I’m allowed to take friends, right? Well, that means you too!” With a quick somersault in the air she was behind him, pushing him out the door. “Get out of the stuffy, old office for a bit and come party!”

“I take it I have no choice?” he whimpered, as he was shoved into the hall and heard his door lock and close behind him.

Rainbow Dash laughed and gave him a wry grin, “Consider it payback.”

“Could have at least let me get my coat,” Feather Guide muttered as he followed the flight team outside into the foggy streets of Cloudsdale. “Autumn isn’t kind to old bones.”

“Oh please,” the ex-weather pony rolled her eyes as she took to the sky, “summer isn’t even over yet.”

“Maybe not by the calendar, Fledgling.” Feather Guide pushed into the air behind Spike and Scootaloo. He turned to view the cityscape beneath him, as the sun set behind the coliseum. “The sky doesn’t bother with little things like punctuality. Mark my words, there’s a change in the wind tonight.”

As if to agree with him, a strong gust of wind ruffled their fur, and spines in one case, leaving a shiver of cold in its wake. Twisting up and around in a swirl of mist, the gust travelled further, until it passed the borders of the city, gathering with more and more of its kind until they were rolling entire clouds along with them. The wind whistled past cold mountain peaks and over the high towers of Canterlot, trailing for miles over meadows, rippling along old lakes, and rustling through dying leaves, stealing them from their stems. They grew in intensity, uncaring of where they might trespass, glorying in their freedom without any thoughts to be had of consequence. Not even a forbidden forest of ancient times gave the winds concern as they sailed passed its chasms and cliff edges, wound their way around spooky wood, and abandoned castles.

However, embers born of dragon fire do not fade easily, and the winds had not noticed their trail had awoken this dangerous glow among some of the roots. Embers blossomed and sparked small flickers of green flame that licked at the haunted trees of the dark woods. The winds never understood when the strangeness had stolen their direction and steered them towards the small farm town not far from the woodland borders. The free wind had been bound by the wild magics of an ever vengeful Everfree.

Chapter 13: Clearing the Skies Part: 1

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Chapter 13

Clearing the Skies

Part: 1

"Oh!" Rarity gasped sharply as the train cart suddenly lurched after an exceptionally heavy gust of wind slammed into its side. With a look of disdain at the storm from her large seat by the window, Rarity glared out at the storm as if it would suddenly be able to understand her annoyance, and would refrain from being so rude in the future.

"Really now, what is that weather team doing up there?" A pale blue glow encased the handkerchief from her side pocket, and it moved to mop up the mess of tea that pooled on the floor.

Trains. Rarity had gotten so sick of trains over the last several years. At one time they had been a sign of new and greater things to come. They were great and majestic doorways, steps into a much larger world that beckoned out to her, calling for her to join the ranks of those who had gone on before. It had always been her fondest wish to board the one that would whisk her away to her dreams of Canterlot and all the city would offer. But the road to Canterlot's inner circles was a very long one with many stops. Manehatten, Vanhoover, and just about every other large city Equestria had to offer, Rarity had eventually found her way to visiting each one in hopes of making her dream come true. And then, after spending so many years to become part of the Canterlot elite, it was only to find herself rarely spending a weekend within the great city's borders.

Breakfast in Baltimare, a bit of lunch on the train, only to spend her evening dining with some colleagues in Cape Corral. It was all in the name of business, of course. That's just how it was. The world of fashion took you everywhere, whether you wanted to be there or not. You would have to go wherever your designs were modeled, and the more places they made the walk down the runway, the more business you'd drum up. It wasn't the world her grandmother had grown up in. The railroad had changed everything. The Industrial Revolution was rising in Equestria and if you wanted any part of it, travel would become your way of life.

All in all it was a glamorous life, and it would not do to complain about its downsides when there were so many less fortunate than her who would never see the world as she had. Her parents had to wait until they were retired for the same privileges, and as soon as they had retired, they were off! Sweetie Belle was often left on her shoulders so that they could run off for sightseeing in far off places. It had left her somewhat envious at the time. There Rarity was, trapped in her small boutique in Ponyville while her parents lived the life she wanted!

The fantasy of that charmed life had dissipated after it crossed with her reality. Now trains were just loud, obnoxious, smoke-spewing monstrosities that were necessary evils to help support her career. The few greetings of new friends as the train carts rumbled along, never seemed like they would ever compare to the all too many old ones left behind. This time was different though. This time the rails were leading her back to Ponyville.

Rarity's last trip home was quite the eventful one, filled with precious memories. Some she'd rather not remember, and others that were so wonderful she'd never be able to forget. But there was one thing left she had to do; one thing that should never have been neglected. A task so important that Princess Celestia herself had insisted Rarity go back and see to. There was a sign hung in the window of her Canterlot door that read Closed for royal business, in the unmistakable official script used for royal decrees. Were it for any other reason, Rarity would probably be quite upset with anyone interfering in her affairs. On this particular occasion, however, it was a blessing more than anything. Any late orders were now the concern of the kingdom.

Even so, it was less than appropriate to open your doors for business only to repeatedly close them. It was fortunate that the Qualifiers had taken place on a weekend, or else she wouldn't have been able to go at all. As it was there had been barely enough time to congratulate the flight team in their victory, let alone to find the privacy to tell Spike all she needed to say.

Liar. It was just stalling for time to figure out what to tell him. Who are you even trying to convince while sitting alone in a private cart? Her self-admonishment left her cheeks feeling just a tad hot. So used to keeping her thoughts and feelings hidden, was she even trying to hide them from herself now? Sometimes Rarity had to wonder just what was going to become of her in this cut-throat business.

"Serves me right," she said aloud to her tea. "If I had just confronted Spike after the Qualifiers, I wouldn't even have to be here. I never did figure out what to say, anyway."

Instead of looking for a way to put feelings into words, the moment she got back to her Canterlot boutique, Rarity had found herself distracted by her work again. Lost in a flourish of designs, she had tuned out the world around her. Days had flown by quickly and before she knew it, a week had already passed. No time at all was given to thoughts of romance, nor had she considered even a single word of how to tell the love of her life that he was the love of her life. By the time the weekend came around, she found herself up to her flank in orders. Did the city never take a break from cordial events?! At last some time for leisure had penetrated her career in the form of a royal invitation.

It was just a simple, little note; a request to dine with Princess Celestia. An invitation Rarity could hardly decline. In spite of the odd disagreement on how to handle personal lives, she found herself becoming fast friends with the ruler of Equestria. They could talk about anything together. Any complaints about her own business were followed up with gripes about Celestia's new Captain. The Princess was not one to show her frustrations, but after venting to Rarity about Captain Storm Front at the Qualifiers she had grown more open to the idea.

Who would have thought? The Princess and herself planning weekend get-togethers! And every time they'd meet it was like a breath of fresh air for Rarity. Celestia always saw through to the truth hidden behind her words, and it felt so refreshing to be free, even if only for an hour, from the constant prattling on and deceptive dealings with business tycoons. Both from them and herself.

One meal with her Highness was all it took to feel like she had gained back all the innocence the big city had been picking away at for weeks. It was like a form of recuperation, far more cleansing than even a spa day alongside Fluttershy.

Well, maybe not far more.

Rarity desperately missed those spa days with her quiet friend. Perhaps she could squeeze one in. She was going home after all. Even if it was technically for Spike, she was sure he wouldn't want to monopolize all her time. Then again with what she wished to speak with him about, monopolizing her time might very well be exactly what she would want.

Exactly what 'he' would want, she corrected mentally with a cough, blushing furiously at the slip in her train of thought. It was a similar mistake that left her on this midnight train to begin with. Princess Celestia's ability to catch even the most subtle signs was simply uncanny, and Rarity was under the firm belief that her new friend's ability to coax the truth from stubborn fashionistas was a skill that should have been sung about in legends. After the admission of her troubles in love and work, the Princess had put the castle staff at Rarity's disposal for her orders, and outright ordered her back to Ponyville.

And that was that. Rarity had already finished the paper designs of the custom orders, and the royal staff was more than up to the challenge. Actually they were all too happy to help, it was the first real project they'd had in years with most of the royal family abstaining from clothes outside some very traditional garb for age old events. After delivering her precious sketchbooks into their capable hooves, here she was; booked on a private train cart and homeward bound.

"Oof!" Another sudden jerk sent her cup and the small teapot sprawling across the floor, cracking into several pieces. Here she was, alright! On a train cart bouncing around in the thick of a dark evening storm!

And it was such a lovely design too.

Rarity felt a pang of pity for the poor broken set of dishes as her magic dusted up the mess. Such a simple weave of blue flowers painted on white ceramic, but it must have taken hours of detail to create the pattern. She knew from experience. Her lament was interrupted by a knock.

"Yes?" she called out as she headed over to answer the door. Pulling it open revealed a train attendant that Rarity would describe as adorable in most circumstances, but the worry creasing the pony's green eyes offset the blue and purple hues of her fur and mane.

Purple with green eyes, Rarity thought with a smile, now who does that remind me of I wonder?

"Sorry to interrupt, m'am. I heard a crash, is everything alright?"

M'am? Rarity quickly reconsidered her opinion of the pony. She didn’t seem near as adorable as before. Not quite yet, I think! "It's Rarity, please. And yes, but I'm afraid the tea set fell with the last shake of the train."

"Oh, would you look at that," the earth pony attendant clicked her tongue and quickly headed over to clean up the mess. "I'll get this cleared up for you in a jiffy M'a-uuh-Miss Rarity!” The train attendant was quick to correct herself, much to Rarity’s approval. “You didn't cut yourself or anything? Can I get you any more?"

"No, no I'm perfectly fine. I think any more would be wasted. This dreadful storm would ruin any enjoyment of it, and it would only risk another teapot." The colours may be similar to her Spikey-Wikey, but now it was Applejack the pony most reminded her of. This was obviously an earnest, hard-working pony she was dealing with, Rarity decided, and while there was no southern drawl like what Apple Family was famous for, there was still a hint of country accent left in her words.

"Yeah, I'm afraid they're saying it'll only get worse as we get closer to our destination. Apparently the weather's really out of control over there. The other passengers are starting to get real jumpy. They're not used to wild weather, not the way you folk from Ponyville are, I guess."

There was no small amount of admiration in the pony’s tone, and Rarity somehow doubted it was just because she was from Ponyville. "Wait, how did you know I was from Ponyville?"

"Are you kidding? Why, everypony knows the bearers of the elements of harmony! You guys have helped out all over Equestria! Who wouldn’t know you? I mean uh-" The train attendant paused herself, realizing she was gushing. "-uh it's an honour to serve you Miss Rarity. It really is."

A fan? And not of her fashion designs? She was rather unused to this particular form of attention. Most ponies Rarity met chose to ignore her affiliation with the elements. Whether it was because it was too much to really sink in or because it made dealing with her awkward she never really knew. Possibly a bit of both, but in the end all it meant was being a walking symbol of friendship was normally something left by the wayside for her and her friends. It was somewhat new and enjoyable to be known for participating in the heroics of the elements of harmony. She studied the younger pony before her. The darling is barely out of her teens, if that. Probably about Spike's age. "May I ask your name?"

"My name?" The pony asked with a surprised gasp. "No need to learn my name, Miss Rarity, I'm just a train attendant."

"And I'm sure you make a fine one, but currently you're in my private train cart and that makes you my guest. And it would be terribly rude of me to not know the name of my guest, wouldn't you think?"

"Uh yes, I mean no! I mean I- I'm Shining Time. My name's Shining Time."

"An absolutely lovely name it is. Shining Time, I don't suppose you would care to visit with me for a while when your duties give you the chance? I'm beginning to regret choosing a private cart." Another gust of wind took the train, and it swayed heavily. The storm was getting worse, and Rarity admitted inwardly to a twinge of fear. An excited fan might be just what she needed to take her mind off her troubles, both storms and love alike. "I think I could use some company tonight of all nights."

"Oh! Yes! Absolutely yes! I mean, of course! I'd love to! Just let me go finish this round so I can let the others know where I am! If you don't mind that is."

"Not at all," Rarity replied with a smile as she watched the younger pony nearly jump and kick with excitement at the prospect of spending the evening talking to one of her heroes. Her guest quickly departed, leaving her alone with thoughts once more. Walking over to the window, she took a closer inspection of the storm. Rain pounded against the glass, coming down in sheets, making it impossible to see more than a few feet outside. Lightning flashed, granting her a momentary glimpse of the fields they passed through. Thunder rolled across the sky, like a herd of pegasi trampling on clouds. But there would be no pegasi above those storm clouds. The train was steaming through wild winds that had been claimed by the Everfree, and were infused with a magic beyond mere unicorn understanding.

Another gust shook the cart. Cupboards flew open and sent Rarity's bags tumbling out. Her heart was caught in her throat, and it was all that stopped her from screaming in sudden fright. She shivered instead, took a long breath to steady herself, and her horn took on its blue glow. Magic wound around her luggage as she calmly returned her bags to their appropriate spot, fastening the cupboards tight this time, tying some of her stronger dress materials to their latches and handles in hope of preventing further accidents.

"We're still hours away from the Everfree Forest, and the train is still being hit this hard." Rarity looked back out the window a hint of worry in her eyes. She stared up at the clouds, wondering if that same dangerous and gloomy sky was hanging over her home as well.

"I hope you're all okay."

********************************************************************

Leaves, branches, and debris rushed by on the force of a hurricane west wind. River waters rose high before smashing down against its banks. The waves broke and pounded against the rocks and dirt there as if just noticing they were trapped by the land around it. Aqua Shallows paid it no mind. Rather than any sense of fright, the river's attempts to intimidate him left him feeling homesick for the sea. Sea storms were a playground in his younger years. He remembered streaking down swells twenty meters in height into their trenches below, only to have the force of the ocean roll and twist him in its clutches. It was great fun! No rough river water could ever hope to compare to that of the sea. And though he made his home here, there could be no mistaking that Aqua Shallows was a sea serpent. He could and had stirred the waters of his home far worse than the storm ever hoped to be able to.

"By the depths, this is nostalgic," he smiled, letting the rise and swell of the river swish around his tail. "Oh! But I have no time for being lost to old memories now! Not when there's guests to see to! Two visits in a single season! Oh my, how busy it has been recently!"

With a few more glances around for the greenest grass and the odd crab apple, he picked up the dish shaped rock he had carved out years before as part of a set and made his way to the lovely, little riverbed he called his home. The waterfalls that surrounded him were overflowing with water, and carried with them hundreds of broken branches and leaves into his abode.

"And of course, it had to be when my place is an absolute mess that I end up with company over! Of all the luck! If it isn’t some horrible magic messing with my moustache, it’s the weather tearing apart my hard work." He looked down at the platter in his hands then at the mess before him. No, the mess could wait until later. Entertaining guests was too rare a pleasure to worry about anything else for the moment.

Still the state of Aqua’s home made him sigh heavily as he slid his hand across the curtain of water, blocking its flow to reveal the trio from the nearby pony village. Day after day for a whole week he watched the three of them perform their play in the skies above his home! Night after night they would take him up on his hospitality. Not long ago, if a serpent had told Aqua that he'd have house guests for a full week he would have laughed the idea off as insanity. But here they were! Swimming, flying, and coming to him for advice of all things! Laughter, jokes, and stories echoed against the walls of his guest room. It was enough to bring a tear to his eye. If only he had known about ponies sooner!

He swooped the platter down beside the three friends with a large smile, "I'm Baaa~aack! And supper has been served. You're sure I can't tempt you with some fish? I have some lovely trout that is just perfect for this time of year."

"No, this is great! Thanks!" the cyan pony with the gorgeously colourful mane answered for the others. The others gazed a little nervously at him before he remembered. Ponies weren’t fond of meat, of course. A frown formed as he quietly berated himself for the faux pas.

"After all,” the colourful one continued, thankfully changing the subject so he could save face, “an athlete has got to be careful of their diets. Especially with the big show coming up!"

"Oh, I know how that is. You wouldn't believe what I have to go through to keep this slender figure." He ran his hands down his scales, remembering all too well how often he had to watch hungrily by the way side when the salmon would run. Every spring and always right on time. Oh those delectable salmon! Why, if he ever allowed himself to eat his fill, his body would probably clog up the entire river.

"Wow, this all looks too good to wait." The dragon grinned while rubbing his hands together looking at the spread of food with greedy eyes. Now, what was his name? Really now, they’d been here a week already and he still didn’t have their names down. His manners had certainly declined. Oh yes, it was Spike. Rarity's little complication. Really, he was such a doll, and so full of heart and spunk! It was little wonder the dragon had caught her eye. Spike managed to tear his eyes from his supper long enough to ask: "Are you coming in, Mr. Shallows?"

"Oh, yes! Of course, look at me, swimming here and letting in the rain. Please forgive me; I am just the worst host. You must think my manners are utterly atrocious!" He slid comfortably into place letting the waterfall stream back in place behind him.

“fey feem fine foo me,” the smaller orange pegasus managed out around a mouthful of grass. Then her eyes went wide, and the grass fell out of her mouth as one of his large hands came down for her. She stood up and tried to make a run for it. "No! Wait!"

As usual her protests were too little, too late. Next thing Scootaloo knew she was quickly scooped up into yet another big, wet hug.

"You are just the most adorable thing! I can't help myself!"

"Yeah, I got that the first ten times." Her annoyed expression only made her seem that much more adorable to the large serpent. He had to hug her again before setting the soaking wet pegasus back between Spike and Rainbow Dash who openly snickered. She fixed her friends with a flat look that only made her teammates burst into full out laughter. Even purposefully shaking the water off right next to them didn’t dampen their amusement in the slightest. Getting back at her Captain was definitely off limits, but Spike, on the other hoof, was always fair game. He noticed her smirk too late and didn’t have time to dodge when Scootaloo leaped at him.

“Aaaauh! C-c-cold! No! No no no no no! Off! Off! Get off!” Spike’s words came out in a high-pitched squeal and his back went ramrod straight as Scootaloo’s soaked, cold fur was pressed into his scales.

“Nope! I like it riiiiiight here.” Scootaloo tightened her hold around one of the conveniently placed, easy-to-grip spines along his back, her soaked fur leaving freezing trails of cold water dripping down his sides. She spread out and stretched as far as she could, and wrapped herself around him. “You’re like a big, portable heater!”

“Gah! No! Not-a-heater! Not-a-heater!” Spike protested, hastily jumping to his feet and bucking around the cave doing everything in his power to remove the stubborn pegasus from his back.

Dash laughed uproariously as she watched her fledgling’s antics. Spike’s torso and legs were the size of Big Macintosh. The strange, lengthy, muscular forearms helped along with his big, bulky hips, hind legs, and a tail that was his length again all combined to give him enough leverage and strength to equal ten strong stallions. Yet all of that power came to nothing when matched up against Scootaloo's prowess. She knew all of his tricks, a thousand rehearsals of their air show had given her plenty of experience dodging and staying out of reach of his tail. Poor Spike had no chance of dislodging her.

“Rainbow Dash, I know this may sound a bit strange asking only after your team already stayed here a week, but I simply must ask why have you chosen to practice here? It seems like it would be very inconvenient for you.” Aqua used the distraction to finally put forth the question he’d been aching to ask since their arrival. It felt like it might have sent the wrong message before. That he didn’t appreciate their company, or wanted them gone, which of course was the furthest thing from the truth! With the other two preoccupied, however, it seemed like now would be the best time to ask.

“Admittedly, I think we were all a little iffy on the idea at first,” Dash answered, scarfing down a pile of grass. “But the more time we spend here, the better I think the idea was! We couldn’t train at our old spot anymore. Too many fans found out about it. We can’t even walk through the streets back home without drawing a crowd. We were forced to pick a new place. You got cliffs and water falls, and water, and plenty of open sky here. We also don’t have to worry about anyone stealing our airspace over the Everfree.”

“I see! Well, that does make some sense, but aren’t you worried it might be unsafe? Perish the thought of any of you being hurt, but this forest was abandoned by ponies centuries ago, and with good reason! I would hate to see one of you caught by the dreadful things that can lurk around here. Especially while staying under my roof!” He raised his hand to his forehead dramatically, genuinely aghast at the thought. “And just for an empty place to fly at that! If you’d like I could tell you of some better spots by the seashore that have the most fantastic views where no pony has ever set hoof.”

“Actually, there’s a bit more reason than this being a secluded sky,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “Our biggest focus is going to be working on tail strength and control. Spike seems to have it down pat, and I think your swimming lessons had something to do with that. You taught him how to use his wings and tail. Normally ponies just paddle along with our legs. I figured if we could find a way to copy your swimming techniques it could help us in the sky the same way it did for Spike. That’s why we’ve spent as much time in the water with you as we have up in the clouds.”

“Then you’re really here-” the serpent sniffled a little, “to see moi?”

“Uh, as long as that means you, yeah! You’ve been awesome about it too, Mr. Shallows. Setting out our meals for us, taking us in at night, helping us practice, I gotta say we really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

“Oh, you’re all so precious! It’s no trouble at all. Please, call me Aqua, and stay however long you need!” He leaned down, coiling his upper body to comfortably lie down on the rocks. “Just do be careful, and never tread too far from Spike when you’re on the ground. I worry so!”

Dash rolled her eyes and chuckled, “Dragon, smagon. Pegasi can handle anything this old forest can throw at us. I mean, Spike was helpful fighting off that manticore and all, but I could have taken it on and gotten away on my own, and I doubt it would ever get the chance to touch Scoot.”

“Fighting off? Taken it on?” Aqua gasped covering his mouth. “Y-you didn’t actually confront one did you?!”

“Well yeah, when we were going home after the last time we came by. It came out snarling and roaring, and we wrestled and fought. It was all pretty epic.” She flipped her hair back with a hoof, closing her eyes as if it was just another walk in the park for someone of her skill, sneaking a peek to measure his reaction at their awesomeness.

“Oh, how dreadful! Why didn’t Spike just scare it off?” Aqua couldn’t help but wonder if he had missed something. Surely a species that was so put off by even mentioning meat as a possible food substance wasn’t one to go picking fights.

“Scare it off? Aqua, Spike might be strong, but he isn’t exactly scary.” Dash gestured to him to prove her point. He had given up fighting Scootaloo and slumped over on his stomach as the victorious pegasus nestled herself between his spines. He fidgeted as she made herself comfortable, still gasping as the cold from the wet pony settled in. When finally comfy she gave the dragon a playful grin, and it was his turn to wear a flat look.

“Oh well, certainly Spike is no brute, but that isn’t at all to what I’m referring. I speak of the aura of fear all dragons give off naturally. Do you really not know?”

With a miserable sigh Spike puffed out a burst of flame, further fueling the little campfire Aqua had so graciously allowed in this little partition of his home that was behind the waterfall. It sounded like just one more aspect of being a dragon he wasn’t any good at. “Aura of awkwardness maybe, but that’s about it. The only time I can scare anypony is if greed takes control.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “being like eight stories high and going on a rampage is a quick way to scare anything.”

“Oh dear, you really don’t know?” Aqua paused studying each of their expressions carefully. Three pairs of curious eyes met his. “How frightful! Raising a little dragon must be a very harrowing task when knowing so little about them. Well, I can’t just let this be. Allow me to explain further. The fear I speak of isn’t the same kind of fear you get from being startled. I suppose it’s closer to an enchantment really. Dragons refer to it, rather appropriately I might add, as 'Dragon Fear'. They have a natural ability to emanate a feeling of overpowering fear all around them. It’s somewhat of a defense mechanism for both themselves and the creatures that live near their dens, as I understand it. It’s used most often to keep away unwanted and often unintentional visitors.”

“So they can make things afraid?” Scootaloo raised her head and folded her hooves over Spike’s back, “That doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing scary about Spike.”

“Maybe I’m just not big enough yet. I know being a dragon made a lot of ponies nervous in Cloudsdale,” he tapped his chin as he thought out loud.

“Oh? But I was almost certain you were old enough. You seem like you’d be able to use it. Are you quite sure you can’t?” The large serpent leaned over Spike curiously inspecting him. “I don’t know how it works, I thought it was something dragons just did. Have you ever tried it?”

“I don’t think I can, Mr. Shallows. Nothing like that has ever happened around me. Besides, Twilight would have told me about that kind of ability for sure. She’s been studying my draconic abilities since I was just out of my egg. Outside of my fire breath, there isn’t any magical abilities in me. How would I even try to do something like that, anyway? Is there any documents or anything we could read up on?”

“Well, I’m not really sure to be hon-”

“No.” Aqua was cut off mid-sentence as Rainbow Dash stood up and made her way over to her fledgling. “You can, Spike. It has happened before, you just don’t remember. Scootaloo, get behind me.”

Scootaloo and Spike glanced at each other then back to their Coach. Scootaloo spoke up, not wanting to give up her freshly won warmth. “Captain, I really don’t think tha-”

“Now!” she barked the order so suddenly, so loudly that both of her fledglings were startled to attention. Scootaloo lowered her head, afraid now but not of Spike. She gave him an apologetic look as she followed her Captain’s order, slumping off his back and making her way over.

Spike didn’t really acknowledge it. He was too preoccupied with the serious expression in Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “Dash, what’s gotten into you?

“It’s for her protection. The last time you did this, you were a little out of sorts. If we’re going to practice this, she needs to be out of reach. At least until you have gotten control over it.”

“D-Dash, uh, you’re kinda scaring me,” Spike gulped loudly backing off, unsure of what she was getting at. He couldn’t keep the tremble from his voice as he added: “I, uh, I think you g-got it backwards. Y-you’re not supposed to s-scare the d-d-dragon, you know?”

“I’m scaring you because somewhere in there, you know what’s coming, and you’re not going to like it.” Dash gave him a grin, one that wasn’t comforting at all if you knew anything about Rainbow Dash. She took a step towards him and he took a step back. “I don’t know much about studies, or bookwork, or dragons, but I do know about instincts. They don’t come from any book. Something’s gotta trigger them first. Spike, do you remember the first time you used fire?”

“Of course not, I was way too young at the time.”

“How about the first time you used your fire to teleport something?” Dash tried, causing him to think back.

“Well no, not really. Why?”

“That’s what I thought. How about when you went through your greed growth? Or the first time you flew?” She ignored his question and offered another two of her own, all while taking careful steps towards him, but lost in thought he had forgotten to keep backing up.

“No, and no again. I mean I remember the first part when I just started growing, but things start to get blurry after that. Same with fighting the manticore, after you and Rarity left, things start getting hazy.” Spike furrowed his brow as he fought to remember any of the events Dash mentioned, but nothing was coming.

“That’s kind of strange, isn’t it, Spike?” She put a hoof on his shoulder. “Not remembering any of those events? If any one of them happened to me, I’m pretty sure I’d be bragging about most of them all the time.”

“Yeah, I guess I see the pattern now, but how did you know? I mean, that I wouldn’t remember about my flame?”

“I guessed. I knew you couldn’t remember the greed growth and your first flight. Considering how you learned them both, I always figured it was just too traumatic and left it at that.” She gave him a couple pats on the shoulder, before continuing with a wry smile. “And while I hate to say this to a pal, the night you used this dragon fear of yours it wasn’t trau-matic, it was dra-matic. Overdramatic, if you know what I mean. I know you didn’t forget that night, because you showed up the next week for flight practice. You remember joining the team, you remember why you joined. So I want you to think back to that night and what you told me, of the feelings you had when the idea of Rarity moving away really sunk in.”

"Is not doing that a choice?" Spike asked, a note of pleading in his voice.

"Come off it, Spike. All of this stuff is as much apart of you as the wings on your back. Do you really want to pretend like it doesn't exist? Give up on it before you even try?"

"Fine." Spike muttered in answer again. "I'll give it a shot."

"Good." Rainbow Dash placed a comforting hoof on his snout. "Now, close your eyes, and try to remember."

He clenched his eyes shut, straining to recall the events of the day in question: the day that started it all. It was the day that had lead to every trial and triumph he’d been through over the last few months. He thought back until he could hear the train whistle again, and the noise of the crowd all around him as dozens of ponies said their goodbyes. The scent of the steam engine tickled at his lungs.

"It's a good thing I won't have to burden you with it much longer."

Rarity’s voice floated back to him, and he nearly choked on the undertow of feelings that welled up inside him at the sound. She was only speaking of him carrying her luggage, and it slipped out. He wasn’t supposed to know yet. He wasn’t supposed to know that she was leaving him.

“I don’t- I can’t Dash, I just-”

“You can!” His coach’s voice felt far away, but still managed to pierce the vivid memory and emotions he’d somehow fallen into. “You can do this, Spike. I’ll help. Remember when I tossed that “How-to-Fly’ book out the window?”

“Maybe I should go get that... Twilight's going to be miffed."

His answer came back to him as he saw the book sail out the window once more. He knew it wasn’t the answer Dash was looking for. She was offering him the chance of a lifetime, and he was still despondently looking at the book, idly wondering what trouble he might in for if Twilight Sparkle found out he was a possible accomplice to a book's defenestration in her library.

"Forget Twilight right now, I'm saying you need to be serious about this, and I want an answer!"

She wanted him to be excited about learning to fly, but the only thing running through his mind was a feeling of emptiness so vast that it left him near-quaking in its presence. Just when it seemed like he was closer to her than ever, Rarity was leaving. He was going to lose her. Flying would never play any part in his life as Twilight’s assistant. The only reason he was even researching it was because Twilight had come up with the idea.

He remembered saying as much, and remembered the response.

"I can't believe I just heard a creature with wings utter that sentence. Even at her worst Fluttershy still wanted to learn to fly!"

Flying! Flying! Flying! The world as he knew it was being torn out from under him, his heart was wrenching and twisting as if cut with a knife, and Rainbow Dash gets upset because he isn’t jumping for joy?! Over flying?! Did she even understand? Flying didn’t matter! Nothing mattered! He didn't care about flying! In fact-

“I COULDN’T CARE LESS!” Spike shouted his answer at the ghost of memories echoing throughout the cave, his anger boiling over from the turmoil of deep emotions that were threatening to drown him. Suddenly he was up on his feet, his wings reached high up over him, making the young dragon seem much larger and more threatening than he was. He could hear the rush of blood pumping in his ears, his heart beating a mile a minute. A scent of smoke flooded the area, and everypony was left with a burning sensation crawling up and down their skin. His breath came in heaves, and flames licked alongside wicked looking fangs.

In front of him stood his teammates, terrified, frozen in fear. Their blood ran cold, and a feeling of dread ran down their spines. Even the large serpent stumbled back towards the entrance of the cave. Everything was deathly silent, and somehow even drowning out the raging storm outside. Everything was still, waiting for the slightest hint of movement.

Dash had gotten too close, and his surprising presence forced her to flinch. The sudden movement caught his eye, and his tail lashed out towards her. Instead it sailed wide and wedged itself in a rock a tail length from where Rainbow Dash stood. For a long drawn out moment the four friends were caught in this state before Spike finally came back to his senses. His eyes were wide with fright, and he pulled his tail back to his chest, wrapping his arms around it, and wrapping his wings around himself.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! It was an accident!” He tightly gripped his tail. The words were as much to reassure himself as they were his friends.

“No! Don’t be sorry! That’s what you were supposed to do!” Dash smiled, reaching up to tap him on the nose. “Did you see the look on our faces? We were terrified! That’s what you were supposed to be going for!”

“Indeed! Bravo dear Spike bravo! You performed magnificently! Why I was so scared I can still feel the chills in my tail.” Aqua gestured to the tip of his tail after applauding cheerfully. “No creature in the Everfree will ever bother you again as long as you can do that.”

“How can you guys be so happy about this! I nearly skewered Rainbow Dash on my tail!”

“Nearly?” Dash frowned and looked over at the broken rock where his tail strike had landed. She’d need to be three times her width again for it to have been a threat. “I don’t think you know what nearly means. I was dead center in front of you Spike, completely immobile. You didn’t just miss, you never even came close.”

“But I could have killed you!”

“Yeah, but you knew you shouldn’t, and you didn’t. So nothing to worry about, right?” The smile she offered wasn’t as contagious as she hoped it would be. It turned into a frown and she strained to reach up and stroke her hoof along his neck. “Spike, you are a dragon, and that’s not just okay, it’s pretty awesome.”

“I know. Of course I know I’m a dragon.” His reply came out in a muttered whisper as he lay down on his belly and rested his head on his hands. His wings folded up and his tail coiled around himself comfortingly. He tried to ignore how nice the hoof running along his shoulders felt. “Don’t you think I know that better than you?”

“Then why do you keep trying to forget it, Big Guy? Why is it that whenever you have some big landmark dragon moment in your life, you go and lock it away in that thick skull of yours?” She rapped on his head jokingly to emphasize her point.

“Because it isn’t all just eating gems and having sweet fire breath abilities. There are other things about being a dragon that are really dangerous. I have to keep control or something really bad could happen.”

“Then stop doing it wrong.” Dash rolled her eyes and swatted him in the back of the head. “Blocking your instincts isn’t the same as controlling them, Spike! You have to stop being scared of them. You won’t hurt anypony. You know that, right? Even when you went all dragon attack over Ponyville, not a single pony was hurt.”

“Yeah I only pillaged and destroyed the town. Yay me. Woooh.” His tone dripped with sarcasm as he rubbed his head where she smacked him.

“Yeah, you have that in common with a swarm of adorable houseflies, an ursa minor, and Discord. Even a pack of rabbits nearly destroyed Ponyville.” She took a seat at his Spike’s side and leaned her back against him with her forelegs behind her head as she relaxed. “I can’t tell you how many roofs I’ve caved in with experimental stunts. It just happens from time to time. Gotta just let that kind of thing slide.”

Spike couldn’t stop the grin as he thought of the many times Dash crashed through the library. He perked his head up and glanced towards her curiously. What if she frequented other houses as many times as she had his? “How many have you-”

“Leeeeet’s just leave it at a lot,” she interrupted his question with a dismissive wave of her hoof, and a sly smile. Her answer left him with a small chuckle in spite of himself. “The point is you specifically went around causing no real harm to anypony. Even when you let your instincts take the lead, you’re still you, Big Guy. You need to take a hold of the reins not bury them. Now, what were you thinking about? How did you get the fear to kick in?”

“I, uh, well-” He looked down and began to awkwardly fidget, pressing the tips of his claws together as a deep red glow began to flush against purple cheeks “I was just, you know, thinking about Rarity leaving.”

“Now there’s a big surprise,” Scootaloo butted in, laughing, earning a frown and a glare from the dragon. “But if Spike thinking about Rarity caused dragon fear, nopony in Ponyville would even be able to get out of their house.”

“Young love! Isn’t it just so darling!” Aqua squealed in delight, once again scooping up the unsuspecting pegasus and hugging her to his chest. Scootaloo’s ear twitched in irritation as she found her fur utterly soaked yet again. She glowered at Spike whose glare had quickly changed to a satisfied smile. Justice attained.

“I don’t know, the Squirt’s gotta point. You do have that particular pair of pretty eyes on the mind a lot,” Dash agreed with amusement as she lazily opened one eye to peek over at Scootaloo’s predicament. “There must have been something different about it that night. I don’t think it was just cause you were down in the dumps either. It’s not like you’ve never been sad before.”

“I was going through a lot that night. I don’t know how we’d tie it down to just one thing. It could have even been the whole mix of emotions that brought it out.” Spike furrowed his brow in thought before remembering he wasn’t even sure he wanted the answer. “Do we have to talk about this? Why would I ever want that stupid power anyway? Who would want to go around scaring things?”

“For the same reasons an assistant librarian would learn to fly?” Dash gave his ribs a nudging elbow. “And because you never know when it might be useful. Besides, what else would we talk about tonight? The storm that’s keeping us from practicing? The delay it’s going to cause in what little time we have left to train? Or maybe we should chat about all our apprehension from knowing that nopony anywhere else in Equestria has ever even heard of weather delays so our biggest competitors are getting an edge on us as we speak?”

“Uh, I was hoping something more upbeat than that, actually. Like-” he rifled through his brain for a topic, “-everypony’s favourite food?”

“Wheaties.” Dash answered shortly.

“Anything with daisies in it,” Scootaloo managed to answer as she squeezed her way out of Aqua’s grip to hover on her own.

“Oh, I absolutely adore the salmon here in the spring,” Aqua added as he brought his large hands up to shield himself from Scootaloo as she shook off the water beside him. It was such a disgusting habit! Wet hair everywhere. The things a host had to put up with!

“Good, great conversation,” Dash continued with a smirk. “Now about that dragon fear, you forgot using it the first time. Did it happen any other time that you just forgot?”

Spike snorted in exasperation. “If I forgot it, what would be the sense in asking me if I remember it?”

“Well excuuuse me for trying to figure this thing out for you,” she growled out, her impatience beginning to show.

“How about when you first came through the Everfree with Rarity?” Aqua piped up. “You said you came through the trails without incident, correct? It sounded so strange to hear this deep in the wood that I was certain you were already using dragon fear instinctively to protect yourselves.”

“Yeah, it was the most boring nature walk I’ve ever been on. We didn’t even see any birds or anything, but I didn’t know anything about dragon fear at the time.”

“You didn’t see or hear any birds? In a forest?” Aqua continued to pick at Spike’s words which annoyed him to no end, but when he thought back, he couldn’t deny it. There was no sound of anything around him. Like the whole place was uneasy at their passing.

“No. There were no birds, squirrels, or anything. It was just bland, really.”

“And that didn’t strike you as weird at all?” Scootaloo landed beside Spike and gave him a skeptical look.

“Hey, it’s a weird forest, okay? I don’t know what goes on around here normally.” He leaned away from her defensively.

“Okay, so what were you feeling then?” Dash turned over to stand up, her interest was piqued now.

Spike thought back to that time, but couldn’t remember anything really specific or noteworthy. Like he said, it was really boring. “I was mostly just focused on keeping an eye out for anything that would come after Rarity and me.”

“Well, that doesn’t really help. I mean you’re scared a lot, it’s never made me freeze up like that before.” Scootaloo shook her head.

“Hey! I wasn’t scared,” Spike scoffed kind of insulted at the insinuation. “In fact, I was practically hoping something would happen!”

“Oh yeah? Then why?”

“Why? Well, because, um,” He hesitated uncertain of how to answer that in any way that wouldn’t land him in hot water. “I just was, okay?”

“Yeah, right. Here comes Spike, the most fearful dragon in all the land! Roar!” Scootaloo stood up on her hind legs and imitated Spike’s stance from earlier. She was halfway into a second fake roar when she thought about what she said. “Uh, I meant fearful as in, you know, not actually fearful like giving off fear, but just, umm, actually being afraid of other fearful things. I mean, not fearful things as in other scared things, but-”

“Stop! I know what you meant!” Spike pinched her muzzle closed between his thumb and index finger. The scribe in him couldn’t let this slaughter of language continue. “J-ju-just stop. Stop pretending you know how to talk. Speech is obviously not a skill you are especially proficient in. Let’s both pretend you said the witty thing that you almost said, and forget what you actually said.”

Scootaloo answered only with a noncommittal grunt, unable to say anything more intelligible while her muzzle was still ensnared in his grip. When Spike released her a moment later, she twitched and wiggled her nose around, testing to see if it was still in working order.

Rainbow Dash ignored the two’s antics and instead rolled the scene through her mind’s eye. Spike and Rarity were walking through the woods with no sounds of bird calls, or the chittering of squirrels anywhere around. Spike was on high alert, waiting for anything to happen. Could that have been it? No, Spike had obviously been on high-alert plenty of times before. So what was different about the scene than normal?

They were in the Everfree, so something could come upon them at any second, but Spike had been beside the girls through thick and thin before and it never triggered this. He was alone with Rarity, but then they went out by themselves a lot, and Rarity never mentioned feeling scared around Spike.

Spike said he wasn’t scared. Why wouldn’t he be scared? Even if he wasn’t thinking of his own health he should have been afraid for Rarity’s, the pony of his dreams. She could have been attacked at any moment. So why wouldn’t he be worried about something show up? Unless he-

“I don’t believe it.” The pieces fell into place and set Dash rolling on to her side, laughing like a loon. Just the image, the thought of that ever happening, was beyond anything even remotely relating to him it almost brought her to tears. “I don’t believe it! I never would have guessed! But they do say it’s the quiet ones you gotta look out for.”

“I, uh, did I miss something?” Spike turned to Aqua and Scoot who both shrugged and shook their heads. He looked back to his friend, somewhat worried she had suddenly gone stir crazy from sitting in this cave too long. He bent down to help her up. “Dash? Are you alright?”

“Am I alright? That depends. Are you going to take another swing at me there, Spike?” She snorted through continued bouts of laughter. "Oh jeez, Spike. Our dearest little assistant librarian here, was creeping through the Everfree looking for a fight to show off for his marefriend!”

“Horsefeathers.” He let her drop and she howled in fits of laughter at his reaction, as if it was all the confirmation she’d ever need. He heard a snort of laughter behind him. He knew he shouldn’t look, he already knew what he’d see, but he turned anyway just in case he was wrong. Nope!

Scootaloo was choking as she tried to hold the laughter in. At least Mr. Shallows wasn’t laughing, he just looked confused. Spike had enough. “What is so funny about me fighting to protect a pony?!”

“I’m sorry, Spike.” Dash put a hoof on the ground in attempt to stand. Her legs were still a little shaky as her body trembled at the will of some powerful force of humour that he couldn’t see. “It’s just as far as dragons go you’re more of a book wyrm. You hardly ever leave the library without Twilight by your side or one of her checklists in your claw. You’ve never gotten in a real fight before the manticore showed up. Your first tactic is almost always a strategic retreat when a fight does come your way. Just the idea of watching you actually out on the prowl and looking to get in trouble, I didn’t even think you had it in you!”

“T-that’s not true!” he protested quickly. “I even fended off an entire pack of diamond dogs! For about a minute…”

“Sorry, yeah that’s true. You did.” Dash’s admission of her mistake did nothing to help his crumpled pride as she wiped a tear from her eye. “And I guess the fear thing didn’t kick in cause they took you by surprise like the manticore did, or because you knew we’d be doing most of the work if it came to that in the tunnels. I’m sorry, Spike, it just doesn’t seem like you. I’ve known you for years and have never ever seen you out looking for trouble! You can barely pull a decent prank let alone pick a fight!”

He folded his arms and scowled, studiously avoiding looking at anypony. “I still don’t see what’s so funny about it.”

“Anyway, Mr. Grumpy, you should thank me. I figured out how you do the magical fear thing.” She rubbed a hoof against her chest as if actually waiting for a ‘thank you’.

“Yeah? And how do I do that then? Look for trouble? In spite of what you seem to think about me I was in trouble all time back in Canterlot.”

“But you were too young then. You were probably still too young when you went up against the diamond dogs,” Dash pointed out. “Besides, it wasn’t that you went out looking for trouble it was how you looked for it. You wanted to be the big, bad dragon, ready to beat down anything that even as much as thought about taking you and Rarity. In short, you wanted to be scary.”

“I wanted to-” he paused as he thought about it, “-be scary?”

“That’s it,” she confirmed. “That’s all there is to it. Just do what you did back then.”

“But that’s just-”

“-too easy? Too simple? Think about it, Spike. When have you ever actually tried to scare somepony? You’re usually obsessed with trying not to scare ponies. Go ahead, give it a shot. I bet it’d work.”

He frowned thoughtfully, and turned to look over at his fellow fledgling who was just recovering from her hysterics. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Scoot,” he said softly.

“Wait! You’re trying it on me? I thought you we’re going to try it on the Captain! Come on, it was her idea!” She began to edge back slowly, not at all liking the thought of being trapped in that state of paralyzing fear again.

“The idea of Rarity and me? It isn’t that FUNNY!” With the last word he whipped around, his wings suddenly raised, and poised himself to strike.

Scootaloo took off like a flash, screaming as she circled around Aqua before taking cover back in his hands. She could barely be seen peeking out from between his fingers.

“Huh. It worked?” Spike paused as he turned back to Dash, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“Hold on there, Big Guy. I’m glad you learned how to control it but that was different than last time. For one, only Scootaloo got scared, and for two she wasn’t frozen in fear.”

“She has a point,” Aqua agreed with a nod, absently petting Scootaloo who was still shivering a little in his hands, and not from the cold water for once. “It wasn’t near as powerful this time, but probably a bit more useful for traveling with friends. But I must ask you to refrain from practicing further in my home. I do hate to see my guests trembling in fear. It makes for terrible manners.”

“Oh, right. That makes sense. Sorry Scoot.” Spike laid back down on his belly and breathed a bit more flame into the campfire. He made a quick gesture with his tail to his back in peace offering, “need to dry off again?”

He was treated to a dirty look before she slowly crawled out from Aqua’s hands and hovered her way over to him, still kind of pouting as she did. “Look, can we not practice that on me? Like, ever again? It sounded cool at first, but turns out pretty awful.”

Spike frowned and nodded silently. ‘It sounded cool at first, but turned out awful.’ That same description seemed to work for most dragon powers and abilities so far. Seeing Scootaloo hesitate probably hurt more than her laughter had. He was reminded quickly just why he had never tried to scare anypony before. It was because Spike was always afraid it might work. Scootaloo gave out a little squeak as his tail coiled around her unexpectedly, and she found herself pressed up against his side protectively and wrapped tightly under a wing in its perfectly warm embrace. She snuggled against him for the warmth. Spike tried to ignore the cold and wet ball of fur wriggling against him. What was he even thinking? He should have known better. The last thing he ever wanted to do was scare away his friends.

Rainbow Dash sat across the campfire from her two flight students. Her little team had come a long way from their first lesson zip lining by Old Lake, and the finish line was in sight. She had learned so much about them both, and they had been through so much together. The expressions on their faces as they celebrated in the dressing room at the Qualifiers were forever frozen in her mind. They felt like a real team now, her fledgling fliers were all grown up and ready to strike off on their own and leave their nest behind.

“Oh! That’s right! I nearly forgot! Coach Feather Guide handed these to me before we left. Congratulations to you both.” She passed Spike a single envelope for the two of them.

He emptied the curious letter’s contents onto the moss in front of him and Scootaloo. The fire blocked Dash’s view of the items, but she already knew what they were. She just wanted to see their faces light up anyway, and light up they did as a folded piece of paper and two tough looking cards slid out. They both reached for the cards and Spike read the title out loud.

“Professional Flight Specialist. This licence qualifies the owner as a fully trained stunt dragon that is fully licenced for all manner of dangerous conditions and terrain!” His voice grew excited quickly as he gestured to the word ‘dragon’. “Look, they even changed it to dragon for me! They must be individually made!”

“Well of course!” Dash said wearing a big grin. “Not just anypony can get their hooves on one of those puppies. Only the best fliers get to carry one around.”

“I don’t even remember when they had a chance to take the picture. I’m still wearing my armour in it. They managed to get me without the helmet though. It must have been before the show.”

“Yeah, mine still has my board all wrapped up and strapped to my back.” Scootaloo announced proudly showing off the card.

“So I could go right now, if I wanted, right? Any kind of conditions, that’s what it says, right? Even in a storm as bad as this? I could just fly off and see her right now.” Spike traced his claws along the card’s surface. He had worked so hard for this small, tiny thing. He looked up at Dash who was sporting a smile as wide as her face. Then back at Scootaloo who frowned at him, and and tugged his wing tighter around her as if making sure he wasn’t actually going to go right then and there. Spike gave her a toothy grin and looked back down to the card. No, he didn’t work for this silly thing. Helping his team achieve their dreams, that was the real reason behind all his effort. This card? Well it was just a boon on top of that larger, nobler goal. A totally super awesome boon.

“You could,” Dash agreed, “and what’s more you’re good enough at flying to actually succeed at it. I wouldn’t advise you to try, a good flier knows when to challenge the sky and when not to, but you could.”

“What’s the letter say Spike?” Scootaloo urged him to read it, not wanting to move from her comfortable warmth even to reach over for it.

“Letter?” Rainbow Dash perked up. There wasn’t any letter, at least not one that was supposed to be there. Oh no, did she forget to take it out?!

Spike read the top line and Dash held her breath. This wasn’t when she wanted to tell them.

“Oh, it’s not for us, Scoot. It’s addressed to our incredible Captain.” He puffed a green flame and the letter burned to ash before appearing in front of Dash.

“Show off.” She stuck out her tongue at him as she snatched it out of the air. There was no need to unfold the piece of paper. It had already been read at least five hundred times already. Rainbow Dash knew every single word by heart. She looked back up at the fledglings and was met by two large pairs of curious eyes waiting expectantly. No, they weren’t fledglings anymore. They had their cards now. That meant she was looking at fully trained stunt pony and stunt dragon. Their team was no longer made up of two fledglings and a Coach. It was now comprised of two full-fledged wingponies and a Captain. Maybe it was time they understood that. She cleared her throat, opened up the letter, and proceeded to read it with her eyes closed.

“To Captain Rainbow Dash of the Skyblazer Crusaders. We, the Wonderbolts, would like to formally extend an invitation for you to attend our next tryouts starting on the first week of this coming Spring. We recognize that you have not been afforded the usual prerequisite credentials normally required for an official membership with our team. In your case it has been deemed necessary to make an exception to our normally rigid selection process. Your exemplary flight skills had our members watching your progress closely since the Best Young Fliers Competition. Off the track your loyalty is known to all in Equestria. Now to further add to your impressive reputation, the air show you put together with the two fledglings that you personally trained has convinced us more than ever before that we want you as part of this team’s future. You have more than proven yourself time and again of your worth to wear a flight suit with our symbol on your flank.

Looking forward to flying with you,

Captain Spitfire of The Wonderbolts”

Dash opened her eyes to see her teammates silently staring at her, eyes wider than before and jaws gone slack as they searched for words. Scootaloo seemed to find them first.

“Oooooooohhh myyyyyyy gooooooosh! Omygoshomygoshomygosh!” The orange blur was on top of Rainbow Dash wrapping her up in a big, wet hug before her Captain knew what hit her.

“Youdidityoudidityoudidityoudidit! I knew it! Rainbow Dash! Best flier in Equestria! Right here! My Captain and personal trainer, and this just in, the newest member of The Wonderbolts!”

“That’s awesome! That’s totally amazing Dash! Wait until everypony hears about this back home! I could send a letter to Twilight right now! I bet Pinkie would have the whole town out waiting for you by the time we get back.”

“No! No Spike, do not send Twilight any letters!” Dash grunted out as she managed to wrestle her excited teammate down. “Scootaloo, stop! Would you just stop and listen? There’s more you two gotta know.”

“There’s more?” Scootaloo’s eyes probably couldn’t get any larger if you taped them open.

“Yes. Look, no letters back home. Nopony knows about this but us, and I plan to keep it that way. No more parties. No more celebrations. No more anything like that until we come back from the competition.”

“Oooh right.” Spike snapped his fingers as he understood. “I getcha. Keeping our eye on the prize.”

“Yeah, something like that. And you,” Dash said as she looked down at Scootaloo who smiled up at her excitedly, “you settle down and go back over to sit by Spike. I have an important question for both of you. Aaaand also because you’re still soaking wet.”

Scooatloo grinned sheepishly as her Captain tentatively released her. By the time Dash shook the water from her fur her protégé was nestled back in with the dragon wing around her once more. With an approving nod to them both, Dash continued. “Good. Now that you’re both sitting down, there’s a fair chance I’ll be declining their invitation.”

“What?!” they both cried out at once.

“Now hear me out! The reason is I think I just might have a better offer.”

“A better offer than joining the greatest flight team ever?” Scootaloo asked incredulous over the idea of rejecting The Wonderbolts. “What? Is Princess Celestia appointing you Sky Captain over all of Equestria?”

“No, Scootaloo, you don’t understand. No one’s made me a better offer, I mean I have an offer of my own that I’m going to make.”

“Rainbow Dash, you are not going to do what I think you’re going to do.” Spike stated with no small amount of seriousness. She had that look in her eye she always got whenever she thought of some crazy, fool stunt to attempt. “You’re not, are you?”

“Spike, Scootaloo,” Dash began.

“She is.” Spike laid his chin on a mossy rock and covered his eyes with his hands. “She’s going to do it.”

“Ahem,” coughed Rainbow Dash after his interruption, “Scootaloo, Spike, after the competition I would like to upgrade the Skyblazer Crusaders from the fledgling flier title to form a flight team of our own on the official roster.”

“She did it! I told her not to do it, but she did it anyway,” Spike sputtered out, still hiding his eyes.

“Y-you don’t actually mean that, right Captain? It’s just a joke or a prank or something.”

“My pranks tend to have more of a punchline than that, Squirt.”

“But you can’t be serious! You’re going to reject the best flight club Equestria ever seen for us?” Scootaloo was dumbfounded. “But we’re just-we’re just-”

“The best wingponies a Captain could ever wish for,” Dash finished for her. “You two are just being short-sighted. I never told anypony this, but a long time ago, Nightmare Moon offered me the chance to join a team that could be better than The Wonderbolts. I almost jumped at it too. The Wonderbolts are heads and tails by far the best flight team we’ve ever seen, their closest competition are miles behind them. That’s how things are going to stay too until some team does something about it. I think it’s time a flight team gave them a proper challenge; a real run for their bits. A couple months ago I asked you both if you could be the flight team that could do what no other flight team could do before. Well, no Flight Team has ever been worthy competition to The Wonderbolts. Now I’m asking you again, are you willing to be THAT team?”

Scootaloo stared dumbly at her Team Captain at an utter loss for words. Spike spread his fingers apart to peek out at her and muttered: “What you asked before wasn’t impossible, it just hadn’t been done before.”

“Which makes it absolutely no different from what I’m asking you now. Beating The Wonderbolts is not impossible. It just takes time, effort, talent, and endurance. They have a lot on us. New well-trained, and talented recruits annually refill their roster. Their flight coaches are the best in the world, and their training centers are always cutting edge. They’re the cream of the crop, but we have a lot more going for us.”

“Like what exactly?” asked Spike, “because from where I’m sitting, it seems like they have the upper hoof here by a very, very wide margin.”

“I’m glad you asked. Among their many recruits not a single one has ever been, or will likely ever be a dragon. We’ve got one. Among that huge roster of theirs, not a single pegasus has ever heard the sky call. Well, we’ve got two of those. Their cutting edge training facilities will never hold up to what Ponyville has given us naturally. If we want to try our talents against a hurricane? No problem. You want cloud formations? Ponyville’s got the roughest, wildest, toughest clouds hanging over the Everfree all year long. If you can shape those clouds, anything else will be a breeze. One forest flight will get you all the obstacle dodging training you’ll ever need. Cloudsdale barely knows what a tree looks like. Friends in high places? Both teams have that. But we also have friends in low places. From sea serpents to carpenters, and from librarians to fashion designers and everything in between, we know them all.”

“B-but what about Spike?” Scootaloo piped up after she found her voice. “He doesn’t want to be a flight team anything. He wants to be a hero!”

“That’s exactly why I’m making him this offer.” Spike raised his head at Rainbow Dash’s answer. “Go ahead, Spike. Why don’t you tell Scoot who Princess Celestia calls to for help all across Equestria.”

“The Wonderbolts!” Spike exclaimed, finally understanding. “She gets them whenever there’s trouble!”

“That’s right! And we could probably convince her to send us out on missions every now and then too. In fact a well-trained flight team has a better chance of deployment than even a royal soldier because of political nonsense. Flight Teams are not affiliated with any particular kingdom, so we could get the call from anywhere.”

“That-That could really work!” Spike hugged Scootaloo tightly to him as things began to add up in his mind. “I mean, as long as Scootaloo-“

“Yes! Do you even have to ask?! If you’re gonna do it, of course I’m gonna do it! Especially if she’s gonna do it.” Scootaloo glanced back to Rainbow Dash. “You will do it, right? You’re serious?”

“Oh, I’m only as serious as I’ve ever been! So what do you say fliers? Is this competition going to be the last call of the Skyblazer Crusaders? Or are we going to reach for the stars? Are we going to be that team?!”

“YEAH!” Two eager voices shouted back, echoing themselves with the same answer they once used months earlier. Then they watched as Rainbow Dash fed her old dream to the fire in the form of an envelope and a letter. How many years had she been chasing that dream, before she had opened her eyes to the new one sitting right in front of her? How long had she stagnated as a weather pony while waiting for a chance she could have been making for herself right along? The flame quickly seized the letter, burning it to ash, this time permanently. She watched it, mesmerized by the green embers that twisted and floated up and away with the smoke as it left the cave.

Outside in the storm, Aqua Shallows stood still as the waves rolled over his body. He had snuck out to do some quick housecleaning while they were busy inside. It seemed like the discussion had turned to something very personal, and he felt it would have been rude to stay. Now that he was outside, though, something seemed amiss. He was listening as hard as he could, trying to hear the forest beyond the cascading gallons and gallons of water splashing all around him. The trees were whispering their dark secrets, but they were too quiet to fully hear in the rage of the storm. Only one thing could Aqua Shallows say for certain. For their own good, his guests would definitely have to stay the night. The dangerous howl of a timberwolf in the distance left him with a shiver.

********************************************************************

Dark shadows trembled and shook with rage while a shackled wind shrieked and roared through the leaves.

How dare they?The angry trees seemed to say as they creaked and strained in the high wind that raced, wrestled, and howled in attempt to escape the clutches of the haunted woodland. In its struggles branches were torn from their places and sent hurtling towards the strong oaks, smashing against them and tumbling to pieces upon the forest floor.

Trespassers! Vandals! Wicked creatures!

Hundreds of fallen branches lay prone, waiting to feed an eerie, green flame that crawled and jumped, spreading from one branch to another like some horrible, greedy beast. Its hunger unending, unrelenting, and it consumed everything within reach. And as the flame fed its constant need, the fiery branches began to shake and then rise into the air. More branches gathered, more and more until a shape began to form that stood on four legs, and bore wooden fangs. It snarled, jumped, and bit at the flames that eagerly ate away at its body.

Destroy them! Rip Them! Make them PAY!

The timber wolf howled in rage and pain, then tore off into a sprint through the woods. As it ran, showers of green sparks and flame leaped from its body and onto trees and sticks that were flung around in the storm. As the flames caught, more bark and branches gathered, and more beasts arose to join the growing pack. Streaks of wood and flame ran through the shadows, protected from the raging storm by vengeful trees, their howls filling the night sky.

********************************************************************

Candles were still burning high in the small town library built within a tree. The day was young for Twilight Sparkle and her newly appointed assistant-in-training-also-on-probation-period, Snails. She was worried that he might take the Princess’ concerns about his disabilities combined with his latent talents badly. After all, before she went to Cloudsdale, he was a fully fledged ‘assistant-in-training’, when she came back ‘on-probation’ was tacked on. He hadn’t even done anything all that wrong while she was away. The library was back into perfect operation within ten minutes of her return.

There was a shelf of books out of place, as he had found one of her checklists and made an attempt to follow them. Unfortunately the list he found was meant for the next day, and things had to be returned to their proper places. Outside of a few boxes that been moved downstairs ahead of schedule that she had to bring back up, and reorganizing the books, he had performed his library duties adequately enough. Of course, considering she was half expecting her return to the library would be met with every manner of insect she could think of crawling all over the place, her opinion might be a little biased. She shouldn’t be happy that her assistant only made small errors. If it were Spike she’d expect the place to be better than she left it, not worse.

Even so, it didn’t seem fair that he had to be demoted for something he hadn’t even done yet, and Twilight was feeling a little guilty about it. Snails didn’t seem to mind the change in his title too much. He just gave her that same slow nod, while wearing that same dull expression he always wore after she told him the news. She was kind of disappointed that he wasn’t disappointed. She was used to Spike’s ambitious attitude to prove he was worthy of his title. Instead Snails went right back to his duties without a care in the world, happily continuing to follow her directions. His smile only made the guilt eat away at her conscience all the more. To assuage the nagging feeling, she decided she’d be ambitious enough for both of them.

It was time to teach him something other than the basic spells every pony knew. It needed to be something a bit more advanced, but also more attuned with his natural affinity so he would learn it more easily and gain some confidence. She had the perfect spell in mind, and it would even have the added benefit of helping his concentration when outside of the library! A bug repelling spell!

Now she sat watching her new student with a silly look frozen on his face. What faces did she make when concentrating this hard? Was this why Spike always enjoyed watching her try new spells? She grimaced at the unpleasant thought. Twilight making a fool of herself was exactly the kind of thing that would grab Spike’s attention and keep him around, especially when he was younger. It’d be just the kind of thing he would never tell her either, preferring just to silently continue enjoying the show.

Snails’ teeth were all but crushing his tongue where it stuck out one side of his mouth. Any sensation of pain was lost in his concentration on the tiny black beetle caged in the jar in front of him. Except it wasn’t a beetle. There was a book in front of him filled with big words he barely understood that told him so. Everypony knew the bigger the word used, the more true something was. Turns out this whole time what he thought was a simple, black ground beetle was actually a pterostichus lama! That was a really long and complicated word. A pony probably couldn’t get more truer than that. Unfortunately it meant he was way off on what he thought a real lama looked like. He always thought they were supposed to look more like camels. It also meant that he actually got that right on the spelling test he had way back. Cheerilee was going to be really surprised when he showed her this book!

He squinted harder at the subject of his attention, trying to focus the power in his horn to reach out and touch his little friend. It just wouldn’t come to him though! That was weird. Normally he was really good with bug-related spells. The pterostichus lama just sat there and watched him the whole time, silently and curiously. They were already ten minutes into it before the curious bug spoke up.

Snails, what are you trying to do exactly? ~ Its mental voice interrupted his attempt to repel the tiny lama.

Shhh! Miss Twilight says I shouldn’t talk to bugs and use magic at the same time. ~ Snails responded quickly. Word of his new posting had traveled fast among the insect kingdoms throughout the town. He was a much respected pony in certain tiny circles now, and most bugs were quick to say a polite greeting everywhere he went. Every manner of assistance he might need to train in magic was being given, often in hopes of gaining his favour. That seemed a little silly to him. Bugs always had his favour before; he wasn’t sure why they’d think they needed to earn it now. He told them as much, and they’d always just laugh and either hang out awhile, or go back to their business.

All any of that meant now was that the pterostichus lama interrupting his practice had come to be a fairly unusual experience. It continued to do so anyway. Maybe it hadn’t heard he was supposed to be respected now. Snails hoped it would learn quickly. Miss Twilight was grimacing at him now. She probably knew they were talking in secret. There wasn’t much that got past her watchful eyes.

Well, it doesn’t seem much like you’re using any magic. That means you’re free to talk about it, right? ~ The bug reasoned out. Snails thought about it and had to concede the point. ~ What’s the trouble? Maybe I can help.

Maybe it had heard he was a respected pony. It was a kind offer, and he wasn’t getting anywhere with the book. ~ I’m supposed to be using a magic that can repel bugs. It doesn’t seem to be working though. Miss Twilight Sparkle says it works, and she’s never wrong about magic. I must be doing something wrong, but I can’t figure out what.

Why would you want to do a thing like that? ~ It took a flight assisted jump to land on the side of the glass container closest to him. ~ I thought you really liked bugs.

I do! You guys are awesome! But she says it will help my magic concentration when I’m outside the library? It’s got something to do with me being distracted too easily. ~ That explanation was kind of lost on him to tell the truth. He was a little busy talking to the fruit fly that had got in at the time she was talking about it. The little thing had just put together a nest in the trash can. She had plans for fourteen little ones on the way in the Spring! Snails advised the little fly not to nest in the bag part of it though. It was constantly being replaced. It would be really hectic to move a family that large all the time.

What if you just asked us to stay away for a bit? ~ It offered, ~ I’m sure no bug would mind as long as they weren’t in the middle of something really important.

Well, Miss Twilight is my magic teacher, so I think she wants me to do it magically. I can ask her, though. ~ It sounded like a good idea to Snails, but more like a plan B if the whole magic version didn’t work out. He was about to voice the thought when the door to the library flew open, and a frantic Fluttershy dashed in. A few dozen small animals ran in at the same time, quickly nabbing the best hiding spots they could find.

The shy pegasus squeaked out in horror around the lantern she carried in her mouth at a pitch so high Twilight was sure only the dogs of the neighbourhood could understand it.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight exclaimed in surprise, while quickly running past her friend to push the door closed behind her, a task made quite difficult by the strong storm wind trying to force it open. She knew it would take something very troubling to scare Fluttershy all the way into the middle of town in a storm this bad! “What’s wrong? What happened?”

Fluttershy meeped out anouther squeak unhelpfully as Twilight lead her inside by the fireplace to help her dry off. A towel levitated itself towards the drenched guest guided by Twilight’s pinkish-hued magical aura, and began drying her off. She looked like she was soaked to the bone, and she was pale with fright. A pink aura of magic also surrounded the lantern and slowly wiggled it loose from the death grip Fluttershy’s teeth had on it, and set it off to the side.

“Okay, take a deep breath first, wait until you’ve calmed down and then try again.” Twilight smiled trying to keep the worry from her tone. “Snails? We need tea!”

“Uh, yeah! Sure thing, Boss!” He made a quick salute and ran into the kitchen to start the water boiling.

Fluttershy pulled the towel tighter around her, slightly embarrassed at her state as she forced herself to calm down with long, gasping breaths. After a minute, her breathing began to steady. Twilight fidgeted, attempting to wait it out patiently, but the anticipation of the problem was getting to her. As soon as there were signs of her friend settling down, she asked again.

“Is everything alright, Fluttershy? What happened?”

Fluttershy gave Twilight an annoyed look. Why didn’t anypony understand? This was no time to get comfortable! She tossed the towel aside grabbed Twilight by the shoulders and yelled as loud as she could into her ear, “The TIMBERWOLVES are coming!”

“Timberwolves?” Twilight asked while leaning away from Fluttershy’s surprisingly loud shout. “Here?”

“Yes! Hundreds and hundreds of Big. Fiery. Vicious. Terrifying. TIMBERWOLVES!” She cried out to the sky and threw her forelegs open wide to show how many she thought there were. “And they’re all headed this way Twilight! The Everfree is really, really mad!”

“Wait, fiery timberwolves? How can a timberwolf be fiery? Wouldn’t they just burn up? They’re just made of broken branches.”

“But there’s hundreds, Twilight! And the animals tell me that by the time one falls ten more rise up to take its place! What are we going to do?!” Fluttershy began to panic again.

“Why would they even be on fire though? And why do you think they’re coming to Ponyville? It just doesn’t make sense.” Twilight paced back and forth until she found herself staring out the nearby window, looking for any sign of them.

“B-b-because Mr. Squirrel says,” Fluttershy swallowed the lump building in her throat, “the flame is green.”

Twilight’s eyes widened as the realization of what that could mean struck her. The reason why the haunted wood was angry and why it would attack Ponyville were instantly clear. There was only one possible source for green flame.

“Spike! It’s going after him!”

“I ran straight here just as soon as I found out,” Fluttershy agreed, looking around for the only dragon alive that wouldn’t send her screaming in terror. “I had to warn him. He has to fly away quick!”

“He’s not here. Rainbow Dash took him and Scootaloo off to train.” Twilight immediately walked over to the middle of the library and took stock of her books. Several began floating their way over to her as she browsed through the titles absently. “Snails! I need our copy of ‘Haunted Woodland Entities and Other Spooks’ and the tome of ‘Magical Safety Zones, Cones, and Circles’.”

His head peeked around the doorway to the kitchen, confusion plain on his face. “But uh, I thought you said we needed tea.”

“Forget the tea! Get the books!”

“Forgetting the tea, getting the books!” He saluted again and headed for the basement. The checklist he read said they needed the books upstairs, and then Twilight said the books needed to go back down the stairs until tomorrow, when they’d need to be brought back up again. They also needed to learn magic spells, needed to make tea, and now he needed to go back down to retrieve two of the books that weren’t supposed to come back up until tomorrow. He decided what they actually needed was a pony that could make up her mind. Maybe she was just confused about what the word need meant. He’d ask her tomorrow just to be sure. At least she had made up her mind about whether or not he was able to carry a box of books or not.

A feeling of confidence quickly replaced any previous confusion as he grasped the large box of books with his magic and lifted it easily into the air. He liked it when things worked the way he wanted it to. Really, he just liked it when things worked the way he was told they were supposed to work. It always seemed to him like that was far less common than other ponies let on. That’s one of the many reasons he liked bugs so much. They always did exactly what they said they would do so every action turned out really easy to understand, even if some of their actions were comparatively primitive and utterly brutal to ponykind. He mostly tried to avoid that violent side of their lives, but sometimes he couldn’t help having a strange lingering interest.

“Hey Boss! I got your books,” Snails called out as he finished bringing the box upstairs. It didn’t take long for him to magically root out the two titles she was looking for.

“Good job, Snails!” Twilight Sparkle quickly grabbed the two and placed them on a podium she positioned in the middle of the library. The usual rugs and mats that covered the hardwood floor had already been moved, and several candles were placed carefully in five corners. Strange symbols he had no hope of understanding were traced in chalk across the wooden surface. The animated chalk continued to move, glowing with Twilight’s power, but she barely paid it any attention. Instead she was flipping rapidly from one page to the next, scanning the two books at the same time for the rituals she was looking for.

“Rainbow Dash took them where?!” Flurreshy's eyes went wide with fright at the thought.

“The Everfree Forest,” Twilight repeated quickly, knowing that the explanation would seem strange to anypony the first time it was given. “The team is training with that sea serpent. Or is he more of a lake serpent now? Anyway, you said the timberwolves were headed this way. If they’re coming to Ponyville when Spike’s in the middle of the forest then there’s more going on than just being angry at him over the fire.”

“But aren’t they all still in danger? Shouldn’t we send them a warning right away?” The note of panic in Fluttershy’s voice began to grow stronger as Twilight seemed to ignore their friends’ predicament.

“Absolutely, but not just to warn them. Those three are some of the most able fliers Ponyville has to offer, and we could probably use their help.” Twilight continued to explain her efforts as she went around inspecting the chalk’s work, studying each symbol carefully. “But even the best and bravest ponies won’t be able to do anything if they don’t have a way of dealing with the threat. I’m putting together a way. Don’t worry about that, though, I’ll get that letter off to Spike as soon as I’m done here. Trust me; you’ll have enough to worry about as it is.”

“I-I will?” Fluttershy squeaked out, not liking the sound of that at all.

“Fluttershy, you’re the only other pony that really knows what’s coming. That means you have to spread the word all the way across town. Pound on as many doors as you can and tell everypony to evacuate to the town hall. Send any volunteers to make their way to Sweet Apple Acres- aaaand you can’t do that can you?” Twilight paused in the middle of her inspections to see her shy friend backing slowly away from the door, fear evident in her eyes. The idea of going door-to-door was probably as frightening a prospect for the pegasus as facing down the timberwolves themselves. In fact, knowing Fluttershy she might prefer the timberwolves to the other.

“Okay, okay. How about this instead, you get Pinkie Pie to direct traffic?” Fluttershy’s ears perked up. That sounded like a far better assignment in her taste. “Then you can help coordinate efforts at the town hall. You’ll need to get them supplies, and make sure they’re prepared accept any medical emergencies, just in case.”

“Oh yes, I can do that, Twilight,” she agreed with an enthusiastic nod.

“Great! Now hurry over to Sugarcube Corner. There’s no time to waste!” With a quick nod, Fluttershy was back out in the storm, with a small scurrying of critters on her heels. Turning her attention back to the task at hoof, Twilight positioned her podium carefully in the center of the arcane circle. She opened her books of long incantations, and began scanning through the complicated gestures and words carefully. “Snails, I’ll need absolute concentration while attempting this. It’ll be up to you to make sure I’m not interrupted, okay?”

“Sure thing, Boss!” He quickly went over to lock the door and stood at attention, eyeing it for any suspicious movement. Behind him he could hear Twilight begin to speak words he’d never heard of that she often referred to as ‘elder ponic’. Apparently it was some sort of ancient language that many of the musty, older tomes were written in that had never been translated for one reason or another. Outside the raging storm pounded away at the door. Above him he could hear the creaking of the thick tree branches as they strained against the violent winds. That didn’t sound good. Maybe he should ask Twilight about it. He turned to look back at her.

The air around her was stirring, playing with her long, dark purple mane and tail. A soft, pink glow began to emanate from the writing all over the floor, and Twilight’s eyes were now radiating a stark, white glare. Ever so slowly she began to hover off the ground in a show of power beyond anything Snails had ever witnessed. Her horn was ablaze with magic, sending specks of brilliant sparks scattering throughout the impressive spell that left a twisting wind to gather around her. The library was roaring with the rush of strong magic.

In short, she seemed pretty busy.

CRACK

“Uh-oh.” Just above the clamour of the spell-casting, Snails heard the loud snapping of one of the larger branches outside. That definitely sounded exactly like the kind of trouble that would interrupt her. He bit his lip, wondering if he should go to check on it.

CRASH

The whole tree shook that time. Something slammed into the side of Golden Oak Library, and he assumed it was related to the heavy, broken branch from earlier. This wasn’t something that was going to wait until she was done. He hurried up the stairs towards the source of the loud noise.

CRASH

This time the tree was hit so hard the force of it sent Snails stumbling to keep his balance, and a horrible looking crack tore its way up the side of the residence. His awkward lankiness worked against him, and he landed hard, chin first on the floor. He barely had time to glance up to see one of the huge book shelves shaking free from its wall bracings. It began to collapse towards him. A scream was ripped from his lungs. Instinctively, he reached out to protect himself.

Terror forced him to look away from the hundreds of books that came tumbling down towards him. He pictured the solid wooden shelf just behind the books that was sure to spell his doom. He waited, silent, trembling, unable to get up in time to avoid what would be coming. An eternity seemed to pass while he huddled into a fetal position. This was wrong. It was taking too long. There was no pain, except for where his jaw stung from hitting the floor. He risked a look upward.

A pale blue light was wrapped around the shelf and all the books, freezing them in place in mid-fall. The scene felt surreal. Getting back to his feet, he treaded slowly and carefully beneath them. His horn was tingling like crazy, it felt almost like it was on fire. Trying to look up at it only made his eyes cross, and left him a little dizzy, so he ignored it. At the slightest touch, a book would begin to spin, ever so slowly. Now that he looked closer, he could see everything was still moving, just so slow it was almost undetectable. After that little observation, he hastily moved out of the way of the shelf.

Once on the other side he closed his eyes and took in a long breath of air before shakily exhaling. That was way too close. But then, it did work. Everything stopped falling! He saved himself! His breath came out in pants, as a smile crossed along his lips.

“A-a-awesome.” It was the first phrase that came to mind, something said more out of habit than anything else. But now, with his success staring him in the face like it was, it truly seemed to fit. Snails was stuck in an actual state of awe. It seemed so unbelievable! He, Snails, the most useless pony in Ponyville, actually managed to do something to be worthy of the word awesome. Even he couldn’t quite believe it, but there it was. The whole scene still left in front of him, stolen out of time.

“W-w-wow.” Holding his hooves out in front of him, he turned them over before placing them on his chest. A thought dawned on him that left him a little bit stunned. “I can be awesome?”

CRASH

The heavy branch struck against the hollow tree. The floor shook under his hooves, the sudden loss of stable footing sent him sideways into several books. More shelves fell around him. Books fell like rain from the even taller shelves that managed to remain against the walls. Pages and bindings were sent sprawling over him and the floor alike.

“I can be forgetful too,” Snails decided aloud after being violently reminded the reason he had made his way up here to begin with. He scrambled out of the pile of books panting and looked towards Twilight’s bedroom which had access to the upstairs balcony. Maybe he did manage to save himself, but there was more left to do. Something still had to be done about that branch! Asking to be awesome twice in one night when he’d never been awesome even once before was probably asking too much, but he had to try. Maybe being awesome was one of those things that you could just continue to be after you did it once. Like when you became a stallion, you couldn’t go back to being a colt. You’d always just remain a stallion no matter what, even if you didn’t actually do anything all that different from before.

Shaking his head clear of the distracting contemplation, he pushed open the door to Twilight’s room and surveyed the disaster scene. Dressers were knocked over, all kinds of clothes and accessories were scattered across her carpet, more bookshelves were smashed to pieces, their contents lying around them nearby. At least he wouldn’t have to clean this up. Her room meant her mess. The library was going to take long enough to fix up on its own. The air in the room was cold and moist. The blasting wind had easily conquered the latch that kept the balcony door shut. He stepped carefully over to the balcony on the far wall, trying to avoid the fragile jewelry and the broken glass from picture frames at his hooves.

Rain had soaked the floorboards thoroughly, and a puddle had gathered over by the door. Snails had to struggle against the strength of the wind as he made his way outside. Lightning flashed from the storm clouds above. In the flash of light he saw that the streets below were packed with panicked ponies who raced this way and that, gathering necessities and family before making their way towards the town hall, with Pinkie Pie in the lead trying to keep their morale up.

None of this held any interest for him. Instead, he leaned over the side of the balcony and stared towards the dark shapes and shadows of the tree branches, looking for the offending branch that threatened to destroy the hollowed out tree. However, no matter how much he squinted, his vision failed to pierce the dark. Then movement caught his eye as the huge branch was lifted high into the wind, hanging on by several small but stubborn ribbons of wood. The storm held it aloft for a long moment before gravity took hold and it swung back against the tree trunk with all the force of an Ursa Major trying to knock the library down with an over-sized club.

CRASH

The side of the tree split wide and splinters were thrown in every direction. The balcony shuddered, cracked, and fell sideways. Its left support hung low, crippled, and wrecked. As the balcony shifted onto its side, Snails was sent rolling over the railing to fall flat against the heavy offending branch on its upward swing. The air was ripped from his lungs, and he hung on for dear life as the log swayed in the winds. He desperately sucked in large gulping breaths. His legs clutched tightly around the wood as he wheezed painfully. He risked a peek at the world as it rocked around him.

The only thing visible in the dark was the light leaking from the newly created, giant crack in the side of the library. The last swing had torn a large chunk out of the tree trunk. Miss Twilight’s spell was probably interrupted for sure due to that. Time was running out if he wanted to fix this. Snails eyed the distance between the edge of the broken branch from the new gaping exit to the Golden Oaks Library. It wasn’t that far, in fact the branch swung way too close for comfort. The drop to the ground wasn’t that far either. The crack was larger than he was, if he timed it right, he could probably jump the distance and attempt to cling to the branch, unless, of course, he tripped. His balance wasn’t that great even in the best of times, let alone while trying to jump across to a swinging branch.

In the dark.

With heavy winds.

During a rainstorm.

If he was able to take his time he was sure he could make it. Snails found he could do most things if he took his time about it. The trouble was being able to take one’s time about anything was actually a fairly rare perk. Life always wanted things to move way too fast. Subjects that took ponies lifetimes to discover had been pushed at him over an hour in class each day. Then you were expected to know a part of it by the end of the year. But there wasn’t much in the world that worked one piece at a time. You had to know everything about something to know how it really worked. Learning a small portion of larger things just didn’t make any sense to him if you never intended to learn the rest. But nopony had time for that, least of all a pony that caught on to things as slow as he did. You had to be able to learn fast in order to learn anything that well. You had to be fast to do anything well. Like safely jumping over to a swinging, wet log in a windstorm.

If only life would slow down long enough for him to catch up like it had in the library earlier. That would solve so many of his problems.

Wait a minute. Something about that thought seemed really important. He thought back to that scene; remembered the books, the shelves, and his escape from his imminent demise. Everything had glowed blue and sat frozen in the air. Well, not frozen, things were moving, just very slowly as if the world was caught in sticky syrup; everything other than him. If that happened again, he might be able to fix all this. If he could make that happen again.

But magic wasn’t so simple a thing. In his panicked state from before, he managed to conjure up a spell that could save him in the last minute. Miss Twilight said that sometimes a unicorn’s magic would spring up instinctively to save themselves, but if you wanted to use a spell on purpose it worked very differently than that. There were steps you had to follow. Miss Twilight was very keen on following steps. First, a pony had to take a deep breath and calm down.

Snails was far from a good situation for any sort of calming down, but the breathing part was easy. That was his favourite step in casting magic. He breathed all the time. In fact, he was quite proud of his ability to breathe. Often he could do it without even thinking about it. He closed his eyes, took a long, deep breath, and let it out. Just to make sure it was done right, he repeated the step several times. Once satisfied he had taken the appropriate breath, he moved on to the next step.

Step two was visualizing what you wanted to do. It took a lot of concentration, and wasn’t as easy as it sounded. A unicorn couldn’t just think of the item they wanted to effect and the spell they were trying to use on it. They had to picture everything around the spell as well. From the table the item sat upon, to the floor the table sat on, to the walls, to the furniture, to the picture frames. Some things needed more focus than others though. Specifically anything that might affect the spell. Wind, rain, obstacles between the unicorn and the item, all of it needed to be taken into account.

Snails didn’t like concentrating on the rain and the wind. The rain left cold streaks down his fur, and the wind reminded him of the swaying branch he was holding on to for dear life. At least it made visualizing both easy. He remembered the state of the library earlier, and tried to paint the image over the broken branch, the candlelit room inside the library, the rain, the wind, the tree, and the deep darkness surrounding it all. Then he smeared blue magic over top of this image, and pictured everything slowing to an easy stop.

Step three was replacing reality with the image you conjured up. He wasn’t fond of this step in this particular situation either. It involved opening your eyes and forcing your will over everything your eyes saw, reshaping reality to fit your conjured image. It was possible to cast magic with your eyes closed, of course, but only if a unicorn was especially imaginative or well-practiced. For beginners like him, he had to open his eyes.

Opening his eyes meant seeing his situation. Imagining his situation wasn’t as bad. He could pretend none of this was really happening, but there was no way to deny what was going on when his eyes were open. Slowly Snails allowed his eyelids to rise, taking in his precarious predicament once more. His horn began to burn, glowing brightly. Its pale blue aura came out in a rush as it reached out over the world as he strained to hold that image.

Searing heat ran up and down the length of his horn like it never had before. This was the worst and last step of magic control, bending reality to suit your vision. The key was to push that heat away; use it to force the unicorn’s will over the world, painting it with magical energy. It took the utmost concentration to complete even the smallest of changes. Even the tiniest distraction could unravel the magic, and depending on the level of magic you were trying, that unraveling could cause any number of side effects. Not the least of which was a massive explosion of uncontrolled energy.

The magic flowing through his horn was stronger than anything he had ever attempted under Twilight Sparkle before. It was so powerful that it felt like the magic was controlling him, not the other way around. All sense of reason threatened to fall into the wild energy surrounding him. Snails fought to rein it in, to shape it into the spell he still needed to complete. His eyes crossed with the strain of keeping them open, making him see double. Twilight never mentioned anything about this! The idea of losing himself to a spell was a completely foreign thought. A feeling of deep fear took root leaving his fur on end and pushed him to focus more and more.

All at once there was a large flash of white light, striking him temporarily blind. It took a long moment for his vision to come back, but as it did relief flooded his body. His magic had once again frozen everything, just as he had pictured. If he thought catching the bookshelves and their falling contents was awesome, stopping the rain looked almost miraculous! All around him tiny shimmering drops reflected the light of his magic. Some were even caught slowly impacting against the branch beneath his hooves. Snails reached out to touch one of the falling specks of light. It began to gather ever so slowly against the edge of his hoof to form into a dripping stream.

With wide-eyed wonder he passed through them to make the tiny hop from the edge of the branch into the Library’s main floor. The branch had conveniently swung far enough into place that there was almost no distance between it and the hole when his spell had brought everything to a halt. Still, he didn’t know how long it would last, or how long he could hold the magic in his horn. It was time for some fast thinking. The only way to save the library was to stop the heavy, swinging branch from continuing its siege against it. It barely hung on by some strong strands of wood. All he’d need to do was cut it!

It was too bad Snips wasn’t around. He would have been able to handle the branch from the balcony! Snips could handle a lot of things better than he could though. Snails was insanely proud of his friend. He’d managed to get a job so easily, and he began to fit the role of a tailor very well. Miss Rarity let Snips handle the whole shop on his own even! The idea of being in charge was the kind of thing Snails never thought he could do himself. There was a lot to supervising, and he was never very good at explaining his own ideas. Comparatively, Snips was quick-witted, strong, well-practiced with his magic, talented, and very social. When Snips said something, it almost always made sense to him. That’s why Snails was so happy when the great Twilight Sparkle had asked for his help.

At first he wondered why she’d come to him at all, but then he realized it didn’t matter. If he managed to actually help Twilight Sparkle, even just once, it would be something Snips could hold his head up high about; something he could be proud of. When ponies teased Snips about his choice of friends, he’d finally have a retort!

Snails paused in his thoughts and shook his head. That wasn’t fast thinking, that was getting off track. Why was he thinking of Snips again? Oh! Right! Cutting! He needed something to cut with. With that in mind he scanned the library. It was a mess. Books lay strewn about where they fell. Bookshelves were collapsed against each other or leaning on their sides. Twilight’s chalk circle looked undisturbed, however. A dome of pink light shielded what was inside the it from the outside. Above the mess and glowing power, Twilight Sparkle floated eerily in place. Her eyes were still glaring white with powerful magic, her mane and tail splayed out and frozen in time. She made a haunting figure, hanging in the air as she was, her mouth left still slowly widening and closing, like some form of ghost or banshee caught in a silent, mournful wail. Those eyes were trained on Snails and the disturbing gaze quickened his step towards the kitchen.

The kettle screamed its shrill whistle, still burning from the purposefully forgotten command for tea earlier. It was difficult to purposefully forget things, he found. Especially loud, sputtering tea kettles. Yanking open several kitchen drawers revealed a long, sharp breadknife that looked like it would suit his purpose. Snails grabbed the hilt in his teeth but his vision began swimming, and his horn began pulsing with that same searing heat again. The sudden pain brought him to his knees and sent him skidding into the wall by the kitchen door. He fought against the overpowering sensation, slowly pushing back to his hooves. He had to shut his eyes to stop the world from spinning as he attempted regain control. For several minutes he continued to picture the frozen world, pushing the energy away, and back into the spell where it belonged.

Sweat was trickling down his forehead, and he had to taste the knife handle between his teeth to make sure he still had it in his grip. Every step Snails took felt achingly slow, and he had to lean against the wall just to remain on all fours. Even with his eyes closed the world felt like it was spinning around him, and he felt sick with dizziness with every step he took forward. He couldn’t risk opening them again, he was sure he’d lose both his spell and his lunch if he did.

Using the wall as his guide Snails managed to drag himself along it to find the gaping hole where the branch was still caught in its mid-air swing. His muscles ached and complained as he pulled himself up on it, and shimmied towards the end. With his eyes closed he unintentionally concentrated on his other senses. The wood and splinters scraping along his belly, his fur providing little in the way of protection, the biting cold of the strong wind, and the salty taste of sweat as it trailed its way past the knife in his jaw. The only sound he could hear was his own rustling and slow progression along the branch.

At last Snails came to the end of the branch where it clung to the tree. His muscles screamed as he strained to hold himself in place.

“Just a little longer,” he pleaded out loud as if to relieve his magic and limbs. “Almost there!”

Apparently neither limb nor magic paid his plea any heed as one more time his horn erupted in that scorching heat. His head snapped back so hard at the sudden surge of force, he was surprised to find it was still attached to his neck! The world whipped back into its usual speed, sending the branch crashing against the tree once again! The wind picked up and Snails held on with all the strength that was left in him. He was sawing for his life, tearing at the twisted wood with his bread knife with one eye closed to protect it from the chips of wood that came with every slice.

Snails!

The wind was calling his name. He ignored it, unable to afford the time it would take to answer. There wasn’t much strength left in his legs to keep him hanging on. Another rush of slices, and the branch jerked downwards. It was starting to give.

Snails, wait!

His hooves gave way slightly, and he had to pause; resting his head against the branch as he redoubled his efforts to keep his grip. Again he heard his name floating upon the wind. It had told him to wait, but waiting was the one thing he couldn’t do! Swallowing back his fear he pushed himself back into position and renewed his attempts to sever the branch. Another jerk downwards; he was almost through.

You’ll fall!

Of course he was going to fall! He was in the middle of cutting the very branch he was clinging to! What a silly thing for the wind to point out, especially since it was the whole reason why he was stuck in this situation. It had to be some kind of trick. While Snails readily admitted to being fairly gullible, even he wasn’t going to fall for that one. Or, maybe he was going to fall for it, just, more in the literal sense than usual. Again he ran the blade against the stubborn tree limb, tearing away at the last of its strength. A blast of howling wind picked the hanging branch up, and swung it back towards the tree. It was the final straw; it tore free with an audible snap sending both Snails and branch flying into the library.

More books and bookshelves came raining down as pony and tree branch smashed into them. Snails stumbled to his feet, exhausted and shaking. Darkness was growing around his vision, and he thought he was going to fall unconscious any second now.

Wait a minute.

The growing darkness wasn’t around his vision, it was just a shadow on the floor. But that meant- he looked up and froze in horror. One of the largest shelves in the library had been smashed in half from the impact. It fell towards the horrified young stallion. Snails tried to run; to get out of the way in time. It was no use. The last of his strength was spent. Instead of fleeing, he tripped over his own legs. This was it, he was done. His eyes turned back to morbidly helplessly observe the coming end.

Then she was there. Surrounded by a blazing, pink energy that shone as blindingly bright as the sun, Twilight Sparkle was standing over him protectively. It was the last thing he saw as the shelf came down.

******************************************************************

Acres and acres of orchards swayed in the night. Their silhouettes moved like waves on a strange and dark tide. The old farmhouse was showing its age, creaking and complaining as the wind rattled its rafters and walls. Shingles flew off the rooftop as they were caught in the wind. The window shutters were slamming open and close. The weathervane spun and whistled in the wind.

All of this was superficial damage at its worst. In spite of its long whining moans, the house continued to stand as it always had. It had weathered generations of violent storms, and was built during a time when all of these lands were still considered wild. Its foundation was strong. Its supports were built with steel bracings and carefully chosen, solid hardwood. The old farmhouse was like a fortress of civilization standing tall against dangerous woodland that often threatened its inhabitants. It would take another century of storms to truly affect this sturdy homestead. When the dawn came tomorrow the farmhouse would still be standing strong.

The house was built tough and strong, like those who built it, and now shared it. It’s indomitable endurance was a hard-earned pride of the Apple Family, and they took many measures to see that it would keep its reputation. Loose hanging branches were trimmed off, and anything that wasn’t nailed down was stored into a variety of large barns to prevent debris from being blown around by the winds. Fences were constantly mended and inspected to make sure they could withstand whatever the winds could bring. The animals too would find themselves safely stowed away in barns, kept from the prevailing winds, with plenty of food and water to last them should some disaster prevent the farmers from getting to them for awhile. Storm warnings were always treated as a very serious threat among the farm ponies, and rarely could a storm take them by surprise.

The uproarious gusts outside were no different. Wild and strong though they were, Granny Smith had predicted it for a month straight, and in spite of their doubts the Apple Family had been continuing to keep the farm ready for anything just in case. The old mare was a little early this time, but as accurate as ever about the force of nature headed their way. They had so much warning that Applejack doubted the house had ever been so safe from the fury of the storm. There wasn’t much left to do around the old place once Big Macintosh spotted the storm headed their way. Just a few odds and ends like nailing down the window shutters, which she was just finishing up now..

Applejack took a step back and admired her handiwork. That was the last of the upstairs windows, and all the downstairs had received similar treatment. The house was now officially storm worthy. Satisfied with her job well done, she spat the hammer into her nearby toolbox and turned to leave Apple Bloom’s bedroom. Lightning flashed in the distance, lighting up the furniture, and for a moment giving her pause. She could have sworn her sister was right there on the bed, huddling in the blankets as she used to do back when she was just filly during rough storms like these. A sudden longing for the scared legs of a young filly wrapping her in a hug, while seeking shelter from the noise hit Applejack right where it hurt the most.

Nothing came from the mess of blankets. Nothing could. Apple Bloom had moved on to other pastures far out west. And even if she hadn’t, those days of comforting a little filly had long since passed. Applejack was proud of her sister, proud she was no longer a filly, proud she had grown up to be a good mare, strong and true. She was even proud that Apple Bloom had gotten angry with them for how they treated her, and had the courage to do something about it. Courage was never something her little sister was short on.

But in spite of how proud she was of Apple Bloom growing into her own mare, Applejack missed her something fierce.

The first couple days were the hardest. Her brother almost always made a silent figure, and her grandmother mostly muttered quietly about the oncoming weather. No longer was there excited hooves rushing down the halls in the mornings. Gone were the happy conversations on the day ahead and the adventures it would hold over the breakfast table. Eager plans to go into town to meet friends, the latest trouble Ponyville’s youth was up to, those wide eyes brimming with admiration over even the most mundane aspects of farm life, it all disappeared overnight. The ruckus, mayhem, and excitement of their home had transformed to a still, subdued calm. It was not a feeling Applejack much cared for. The last time she could remember the lively farm being this quiet was during her parent’s funerals. Memories of those hard times plagued her dreams lately, dredged up by the similar mood the house had settled into, she guessed.

Fortunately, farm life was always able to provide plenty of chores where a pony could work away their worries, especially with a missing family member in the mix. Apple Bloom had taken to doing all the repairs on the farm and without her around there was plenty of maintenance Applejack could use to distract herself before they could bunker down and wait out the storm. But after putting in a hard day’s work a pony needed sleep. Sleep was when the dreams would come and there was no escape from the haunting images after her head hit the pillow.

Fuzzy visions of tall looming ponies were gathered around a pair of dark-coloured tombstones. Their sympathetic expressions all directed at her and Big Macintosh. Shadows of her foreign relations spoke of uncomforting apologies, well wishes, and neighbourly offers of help should the farm need. Their voices echoed in her mind in deep tones of mourning. Then the voices were faded and left Applejack, alone in the silent and dark, empty room of her sister.

“Applejack! Applejack! Hurry up an’ finish fastenin’ down dem shutters up there, girl! Yer brother ain’t come back yet, and ya gotta go check up on what’s keepin’ the boy!” Granny Smith’s voice could be heard easily over the storm from downstairs.

The call thankfully tore her from the dark train of thought. With one last glance at the room Applejack followed her grandmother’s order and headed quickly down the hall. She could pine for her missing family members later. There were more immediate worries to consider. Hurrying down the stairs towards the front door, she called out, “Alright Granny, Ah’m on mah way!””

Her hoof had barely nudged the door before it flew open, slamming against the side of the house with a loud, startling bang! In the wide open farmland the winds were rolling far stronger than they were in town, and even for a mare with her strength, Applejack had to struggle to push the door closed again. Her mane whipped back and forth, and strands were slipping loose from her hairband to sting her eyes. With her hoof over her hat to keep it weighed down, she made her way over to the barns.

They were all sealed up, and she could hear the animals calling out in fear of the storm from inside. “Big Macintosh must have seen to ‘em already,” she said to herself as she looked around for the large, red stallion. It was too dark to see much in the rolling landscape so Applejack tried shouting over the wind, but the only reply was excited barking from Winona.

“Wait a darn minute! Winona? What in blazes is she doin’ out in this? Winona! Winona, where are yah, girl?” Applejack ran towards the sound of the dog barking, over towards the tallest hill of the farmlands. She was met halfway by the little border collie, jumping and barking and just running in circles around her.

“Winona, what’s gotten intah yah? What is it, Girl?” Applejack knelt down to hold the hyperactive mutt down for a moment so she could try to calm her. The Apple family dog only got like this when there was something unnatural going around the farm, but it wasn’t like Winona to be out alone. “Wait, do yah know where Big Mac is?”

With several happy yips, Winona squirmed out of Applejack’s grip to run towards the hill, ran back to Applejack, and then back again towards the ill, jumping and barking the whole time. She wanted her to follow.

“Alright, little doggy, lead the way!” Setting her jaw, Applejack ran after the dog, following her up the hill while thunder clouds rang out their namesake all around. It occurred to her that the tallest hill around probably wasn’t the best place to be with lightning spitting out of the sky, but it was only more reason to hurry if Big Macintosh was hanging around up there.

Sure enough, Applejack saw the silhouette of her brother as she climbed to the top of the narrow hill. The wind was even stronger up here, and it took effort just to stand up proper. “Darn it Big Macintosh! What are yah doin’ out here? Yah got Granny worried sick!”

He didn’t look back, and only made a subtle gesture of pointing his chin towards the orchards. “Trouble’s a brewin’.”

“Well of course there’s trouble. It’s a crazy windstorm from the Everfree. The orchards should be alright though, the hills shelter ‘em from the stronger winds and-” Applejack’s words were interrupted as she turned to look in that direction. Specks of eerie, green light could be seen in the distance winking in and out among some of the orchards. “-oh. What the hay is that?”

“Listen.”

“Over the storm? What are we gonna hear?” Applejack strained her ears to hear over the howling winds for several moments. A sudden unearthly howl that could not be mistaken for wind echoed in her ears. She heard that sound plenty of times before. Normally it was the first sign of zap apple harvest, and now that she thought about it, the lights were staying among the zap apple trees.

“Timberwolves,” she announced, understanding her brother’s concern.

“Eeyup.”

“But what’re them lights?”

“Don’t rightly know, but too dangerous to go see.” It was a warning. He must have been using that mind reading trick again that her brother seemed to have when it came to her thoughts.

“But they might be doing something to the apples! Ah gotta go check it out.” Before she finished her first step she felt Big Macintosh’s hoof on her shoulder, holding her back.

“Apple’s ain’t worth a life. Not even zap apples.”

Applejack shrugged out of his grip and took a step back out of his reach to prevent him from holding her back again. “They were worth Ma’s and they were worth Pa’s! This farm was their gift to us and it’ll be our gift to our foals. We don’t know what they’re doin’ out there, but we just managed to get this place back on track, and Ah ain’t about to let it all go to waste because of some nasty critters decided to take up residence in it.”

Big Macintosh regarded his sister carefully. She almost never brought up their parents. It was a hard subject to broach among their family. They had given everything they could working the fields, until they couldn’t give anything more. Now they were buried in the same land they tilled for decades. It didn’t take much to see where this all sprang from. He lived in the same house; noticed the same silence; dealt with those same horrible memories. On any given day Applejack could be hard-headed and stubborn to her own breaking point. Given recent events and reminders, he understood there’d be no talking her down. That meant there was only one thing to do. Facing the orchards, he stood up to follow her.

“Yer comin’ then?”

“Eeyup, but under one condition.” He had no chance of stopping her, but his sister was one of the most honourable ponies around. She’d follow conditions. Often even if she didn’t agree to them, she’d still try to follow them to some degree. “We’re just goin’ to check on the crop. If it’s just some critters makin’ a den, we’ll chase ‘em out when the storm’s over.”

“Fine! Let’s go!” Without waiting for a reply, Applejack took off down the hill towards the orchards with Winona on her heels. With a heavy sigh Big Macintosh followed after, hoping against hope he wouldn’t regret this decision.

Into the familiar trails between trees the siblings galloped, making little effort to hide the sound of their hooves. The storm would hide them well enough. Even if the dark between the trees wasn’t making seeing difficult, the swaying of the branches made discerning movement in the night storm impossible. The siblings were familiar enough with the orchards that they could navigate them blindfolded though, and their quarry was wreathed in a green light that was impossible to miss. Only when they were almost right on top of the trespassers did the two rapidly slow their pace, before diving behind a bush from where they could stare worriedly out at the lights.

There in the clearing ahead a couple dozen timberwolves jumped at the sturdy apple trees, tearing at their branches, and leaving heavy claw marks gouged down the sides. Almost a third of them were burning in an immediately recognizable dragon flame.

“Spike?” It was barely a whisper off her lips, and she quickly looked around for the dragon but caught no hint of him. Something strange was going on here.

The timberwolves never noticed the farmers in the bush. She assumed they were too angry to notice much of anything. Every new branch they tore from the trees came with a shrieking wail from the wind.

Trespassers! Thieves! They steal our brothers! Burn them! Tear them down! Find the trespassers!

Snarling with rage they attacked the precious magical trees Granny Smith had helped plant in her youth. Tearing, biting, clawing large chunks out of the trademark crop Sweet Apple Acres had become renown for, the timberwolves fell into a frenzy of destruction. As they frenzied, more twigs and branches began to take form. One timberwolf that was particularly ablaze jumped continuously at a low hanging branch. The flames that burned down its back reached out for the tree trunk, and scorched the tree bark as it began to catch, but it never had the chance as a pair of hind hooves smashed hard against its body sending it rolling away in so many pieces of kindling.

This won the attention of the large pack of monsters surrounding her. At Applejack's side Winona growled viciously back at the wild beasts as they closed in around the pony. They smacked their jaws and gnashed their teeth as they circled her, looking for just the one moment that she might drop her guard. She did not offer it to them.

“Keep yer filthy paws off! Mah! Trees!” She snorted and began to paw the ground, ready to charge right through the middle of them if necessary.

These were the orchards she had been bucking since her filly days. They were the fields that her brother plowed, and the seeds her Grandmother planted. This was the farm her parents worked themselves into the ground for. These were the lands her sister played in. This was the Apple Family home, and even if Apple Bloom had decided to leave it behind for a bit, she would be back. It wasn't a question of 'if', just a question of when. It was just the way of the farm to call back those that would stray, even after years of being away. Some day these lands would be hers as much as any pony's. Applejack met their green glowing eyes, staring each of the snarling, wooden figures in turn without any sign of wavering.

She’d make darn sure Apple Bloom still had a home to come back to.

Chapter 13, Clearing the Skies Part: 2

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Clearing the Skies:

Part 2

The arcane script written in chalk across the main library floor was drawn in a large, circled star, and it hummed with magic power. It was the main source of lighting in the room, as lighting an oil lamp or a candle would be a waste in the face of the glowing, pink hue that radiated from the enchanted runes. Even so, Snails was doing that very thing. He hoped it would give off a feeling of familiarity that the library was currently lacking but the warm, yellow glow from the lantern had little effect. He was disappointed but not all that surprised.

Still soaked from his excursion into the storm, he was left with an acute case of the sniffles. In the library the miserable dampness the rain had left in his fur was currently the only telling sign there was any storm going at all on outside. His efforts to prevent the enormous branch from pounding against their hollowed out tree had proven to be both successful and completely unnecessary.

Outside the storm raged on. Every so often a random object would fly pass the window carried along on the strong, swirling winds. Lightning would constantly flash, but was echoed by the strange lack of thunder. Rain pelted the glass, but it was accompanied a still quiet. Even the dangerous winds had gone eerily silent. The most furious storm Ponyville had ever seen was somehow dwarfed by the tea kettle sounding off in the kitchen.

Snails really wished Miss Twilight hadn’t ordered him to forget about the tea. Tea kettles, by their very nature, liked to make their presence known with a shrill whistle. That made ignoring them difficult.

But that was the least of things he wished of the famous Twilight Sparkle right now. If he could wish anything of her, he’d wish she was awake. That would improve this situation by leaps and bounds, and in his personal opinion, this situation was in dire need of improvement. There were so many problems right now, and he wasn’t sure what to do about any of them. Normally when caught in this much trouble he’d just run off and get help, but being unable to do that was one of the larger problems on his list.

The library was being sheltered from the storm by Miss Twilight’s magic, but the magic had also sealed the place off completely. The doors, the windows, the broken balcony, the new crack in the tree trunk, Snails had tried to escape from each in turn. The windows and doors refused to open. In fact, the windows even refused to break, resisting every heavy object he threw at them, and even his desperate attempts to kick them out. When he tried to get out through the crack in the wall it only resulted in him running into some form of barrier. Whatever Miss Twilight had done stopped anypony from getting in or out.

Ponyville was under attack. Timberwolves were chasing ponies through the streets. Neighbourhood houses were catching fire. The only reason they weren’t fully up in flames already was due the torrential rain and wind carrying away anything that wasn’t tied down. Snails was trapped at work. His predecessor, the number one apprentice, was off in the Everfree Forest with the former Captain of the Ponyville Weather Team. The weather ponies that were available were completely outmatched by the wild storm clouds. The one pony most likely to resolve all of the problems was lying unconscious on the floor.

All because Twilight Sparkle saved him.

At the time Snails was relieved to see her come to his rescue. He was beginning to realize how large a mistake that was. She had a plan in the works. The proof of it was right here in front of him. A mystic ritual of immense potential perfectly inscribed along the floorboards, so powerful he could feel it throbbing against his hooves whenever he walked close. Twilight Sparkle could have saved the whole town by now, he was sure of it. Instead she chose to save him.

A quick glance towards the couch where he had left her assured him that his wish hadn’t come true. Quiet and still, she lay under the blanket he’d tucked her in with. Spike was adamant about making sure she was comfortably tucked in if she fell asleep while she worked. Miss Twilight didn’t look all that comfortable to him. Her eyes were still wide open and her pupils still transformed into a glaringly bright white.

Turns out he wasn’t even able tuck a pony in right. His ineptitude had sunk to a new low. It was not a good night to break his record lows. Snails shook his head. She chose to save him and the whole town would pay for that decision.

“Why?” he asked quietly. The question echoed into the unnervung silence left by Miss Twilight’s protective spell. It bounced off the walls and knocked over shelves throughout the dimly lit library. A peaceful quiet was his only reply. The place didn’t feel like somepony’s home anymore. Instead Snails felt like he was trespassing through an abandoned buildung; like he was in the middle of another one of Snips’ capers.

A sudden pang of misery hit him as his best friend came to mind. Just the presence of his ever-loyal partner in their usual awkward incompetence would have solved everything for him. Well, that wasn’t true. They failed at things a lot. It just never really felt like they were failing as long as Snips was at his side. It would have been just one more hi jinx they had gotten into that they could laugh about later.

But Snips wasn’t there. He was somewhere else. Snips wasn’t failing anymore either. Under Rarity he was doing better than ever. In actuality, the less time Snails spent with Snips, the better Snips seemed to do for himself.

Chewing roughly on his tongue, Snails abruptly tore his mind away from that dark corner of his mind. The first time he’d thought of them he avoided Snips for a month as a test. It didn’t work out well for either of them. Snips just started to snap at ponies over anything. Even some of the customers that would come in the boutique got a piece of his temper. Rarity and Snips were at each other’s throats the whole time.

When Snails finally explained his reasoning, Snips got even angrier, but that time it was completely directed at him! Snails hadn’t considered that without him around, Snips was out his best friend. It took a promise to never think things like that again to get back in his good graces. Times like these made that promise really hard to keep.

“I don’t like being alone,” Snails decided.

Good thing you’re not then. ~ A tiny voice broke the quiet, and a tiny insect landed on his nose, reminding him of his more recent failure of trying to repel bugs with magic. Snails perked up at the sight of the bug all the same.

“Mr. Lama!”

I still think I prefer beetle. ~ It buzzed its wings slightly in annoyance.

“What are you still doing here?” He wasn’t going to argue. It looked more like a little, black beetle to Snails too, but the book was very specific and you couldn’t argue with books. They always read exactly the same way no matter how you tried to convince them otherwise. A book would probably be a very good partner to have on a debate team.

Any tree in a storm, right? And this is a pretty nice tree you got here. A bug could really stretch their legs in here. ~ The lama nestled itself into the fur on his snout, tickling him enough to cause a sneeze, and force the bug back into the air. ~ Woah there, keep the storm outside, wouldja!

“Thowwy,” Snails sniffed, and wiped his runny nose on his foreleg before trotting over to a nearby end table to get a tissue. “I god a chill whengh I wenghd oudthide eawliew.” He blew his nose with a loud honk, allowing his sinuses at least another few minutes of relief. “I’m glad you like our tree Mr. Lama. You might be stuck in here with me until my boss wakes up.”

I’ve been trapped in worse places with worse company. ~ The little, black lama took up a new perch on the corner of the podium Twilight had placed precisely at one of the points of the star-shaped design drawn on the floor. ~ How long do you think she’ll be down?

“Dah, I don’t know. Sooner she gets up the better, though. The town’s in lots of trouble without her magic to count on.” He took a look out of the window and watched as one of the large, wooden animals gazed back at him. It paused, narrowed its eyes, and then charged straight at him. Snails winced as it slammed into the magical barrier. It looked like Rainbow Dash after one of her more spectacular training incidents involving large trees. If she could magic up this kind of wall, Miss Twilight probably could have conjured the same for the whole town! “It sure could use her help now.”

Why wait for her? Can’t you do something about it? ~ the lama asked curiously. ~ It’s all just magic right? You can do magic.

“No.” Snails shook his head as he answered. “I can't do anything close to stuff Miss Twilight does. I’d just foul it all up.

Hey! You’re our rep to ponykind! You can’t just give up. You got a responsibility do everything you can to keep our alliance. ~ It buzzed its wings, lifted off from its perch and buzzed around his head annoyingly.

“Our alliance?” Snails questioned as he tried to follow its flight pattern, spinning around in the dark, before plopping down on his rump. “What does this have to do with that?”

What does the pony nest we’re allied with being destroyed have to do with our alliance? Oh, nothing really. Just that if your nest no longer exists, neither does our alliance. ~ The lama’s words dripped with sarcasm.

Snails didn’t like sarcasm. Language was tricky enough to deal with on its own without adding hidden meanings to words that no longer meant what they normally meant, and instead meant something new because of how they sounded. He had to mull over the true meaning of Mr. Lama’s words for awhile before he was confident enough about what the little bug was saying to respond. It was apparently very important that Ponyville not be destroyed, and it was one of Snails’ new responsibilities as an important pony to do something about it.

“But uh,” Snails began while trying to put his scrambled thoughts back together, “what if trying just makes it worse?”

What if trying makes it better? ~ The lama answered his question with one of its own.

Miss Twilight did that a lot too. Snails didn’t care any more for that kind of thing than he did for sarcasm. It normally meant he’d have to spend far more time thinking about something than if he was just told outright. What was so hard about speaking plainly? Well, plenty for him, but things normally came harder for him than they did for others. Maybe others had as hard a time speaking their minds too, and that’s why no one would speak plainly?

That was something he’d like to consider.

But then he was also once told that he shouldn’t think less of others. Did thinking ponies might have the same trouble expressing their thoughts that he did count as thinking less of them? It might.

He’d have to consider that first.

Oh, Mr. Lama seemed to still be waiting for an answer. Before Snails could consider the moral implications of his wanderings thoughts, he figured he should probably consider Mr. Lama’s question. Insects were a lot more patient with him than ponies, but even they could get irritated if he took too long considering things. A pony would probably already be getting frustrated with him for taking so long.

What was the question again? What if trying made things better? Well, then things would get better wouldn’t they? That was an easy answer. But it seemed far more likely Snails would fail and make things worse. But then, wasn't Ponyville being destroyed? How much worse than that could he possibly make things? Well, somepony could end up directly hurt due to his interference. He could also mess up so bad that he made things unsalvageable for even the great Twilight Sparkle! Of course, now there was also the insect alliance. He had to do something or else they’d be angry with him. Important ponies like him had to do things in situations like these. So that was the answer.

“Yah, I have to do something,” he slowly agreed. “But what?”

I don’t know, but if somebug doesn’t do something soon, there won’t be a pony nest left to save. ~ the lama stated flatly. ~ If you can’t do anything, you should at least find somebug who can.

“Find somebug who can.” He repeated to himself. “Do you think there’s a bug that could help?”

I doubt it. When our nests are on fire, we tend to abandon them. There’s a kind that makes its nest in freshly burned down forests, but I don’t think that’s the option you’re going for here. ~ The lama landed on top of the young unicorn’s horn and began pacing back and forth upside down along its underside.

Snails sighed. His little friend was right. Bugs weren’t going to be much help in this kind of situation, and he wouldn’t be able to get a hold of any while trapped in the library anyway. Was there a pony that could help? Well yeah, but she was asleep on the couch. Of course, she would be the best for the job, but Ponyville did have other heroic ponies. Even one that was specifically good at dealing with weather too! But contacting her was twice as hard as any other pony. Not only was Rainbow Dash outside of the tree he was trapped in, but Twilight said she was off in the Everfree woods.

With Spike.

Snails turned towards the far corner of the room where carefully placed scrolls were stacked neatly in the shape of a pyramid on a shelf, somehow undisturbed by all the mayhem . There was no need to leave the library to contact Spike. You just needed to write a letter then cast the right spell. If he made a mistake with that the town wouldn’t be affected at all. The only problem was he didn’t know the spell, even though he’d seen Twilight use it again and again in her near nightly letters to Princess Celestia.

It didn’t seem like a very large or complicated spell either. Maybe he could pull it off? If he managed, Ponyville would have three of their best fliers coming to its aid. Rainbow Dash to the rescue sounded good to him! With a renewed sense of purpose, Snails stuck out his chest. Mr. Lama was right. He had to try.

Walking over to the table he bent his head low and picked up one of the scrolls along with a quill.

Quills.

Snails didn’t like quills. They were runny, leaked ink blots everywhere, his lines never came out the way they were supposed to, and the feather parts always got caught in his teeth. He much preferred pencils. The metallic tin holding the eraser to the wood was actually pretty fun to chew on and left a funny tingle on his tongue. But it was library tradition to use quills when writing letters. It wouldn’t do to break tradition. Plus there were no pencils anywhere that he could see. Placing the writing tools down on the conveniently placed podium, he began to write. The letter would have to explain everything very well. It might even be the most important letter he would ever write in his life, so he’d have to be careful.

Writing was fun when he was allowed to write how he wanted. Putting your thoughts onto a piece of paper where everypony could see and read them intrigued him more than a little. The only problem was the words kept getting in the way. Completely different sounding words could mean the same thing, and often there were other words that meant many different things depending on what other words they were used with. It all made learning to write terribly confusing. Cheerilee said once, long ago, ponies only wrote with pictures and scribbles. Now those were ponies who knew how to write!

Snails liked that idea so much, in fact, that he had been trying for years to bring back that school of thought. Whenever he couldn’t think of the correct word or was confused about a word’s meaning he drew a picture instead. Usually he wasn’t allowed though. Miss Cheerilee always gave him F’s when he tried to use it in writing class, but she put up with it for his other exams. Which he mostly got F’s on as well, but for entirely different reasons than how he chose to write his answers.

He finished the letter with a flourish like he’d seen Spike do all the time, then double-checked his work. It depicted his terrifying situation very well, he decided, and it asked for help. Everything seemed to be in order. Rolling it up, Snails tied the ribbon around the scroll and sealed it in golden wax as he seen Twilight do. Afterwards the scroll was studied carefully, taking time to memorize every detail. To cast the spell he’d have to be able to picture it perfectly in his mind.

It was time to go through the steps again. Breathe deep then visualize and materialize. A long, deep breath, exhale, and then another. The deep breathing wasn’t steadying his nerves the way he hoped it would, nor the way it probably should. This whole situation had him wracked with tension. Casting new magic spells on his own with no pony there to supervise or anything? Even if this worked and the flight team came to save the day, he’d probably still be in big trouble for taking for such a big risk. But if he was going to do this, now was the time.

Closing his eyes, he took one more deep breath to try to steady himself, in and out. An imaginary version of the scroll appeared in front of him. Again he studied it to make sure the details were the same as the scroll he memorized. The room around him began to form from his memories. The piles of books and tipped over shelves were off to his right. Mr. Lama, perched on his head to overlook the magic spell. The crack in the tree, the unheard storm outside, the silence of the library, sealed off from the world. Then the podium on which the scroll sat, the creaky floorboards where the podium stood at the corner of the large pentagram, where the strange runes scribbled onto the wood glowed pink with power.

Snails mentally painted it all a pretty, pale blue, his favourite colour. Was every unicorn’s magic their favourite colour? Maybe he was just lucky. He’d have to ask Twilight later. He should also ask just how much he should be painting blue. Casting his slow spell worked when he painted everything in blue. For now, it would be best to stick with the techniques he had some previous success with.

Heat blazed up and down the length of his horn once more, threatening to burst into a giant flame. The searing burn was so startling, so vivid that he cried out in shock. His mental image faltered.

“No! Not yet! I have to-!” Struggling to hold the image steady in his mind, Snails knew he wouldn’t last long with the scalding burn threatening to dig its way from his horn into his skull. This had to happen fast! With all his magical might, he pushed the burning heat away, opening his eyes to see the world as he wanted it to be: a burning, blue magical aura spread over everything. But something was different! Something was very wrong! The powerful circle was running wild with magic. It’s pink hue was darkening his spell, overlaying his own magic, and fusing with it!

The pain was too much to bear, and his vision wobbled and swam. He was losing things. The shelves, the mess of books, Mr. Lama, even himself! Himself? Was he even there anymore then? Was he stripped from the mortal coil then? That’s not what should have happened.

His thoughts felt sluggish, hard to reach. The only thing that was clear was the burning sensation. But it stopped hurting. Now it was just there, and he kind of liked it. It was like stepping into a hot shower, scorching at first, but, after you got used to it, the pain changed into wave after wave of pleasant heat. But this, this strange heat worked on a much grander scale. It was massaging him, relaxing him from head to hoof. Maybe this wasn’t what was supposed to happen, but Snails sure liked it. Snails? Was that his name? Maybe, but names seemed suddenly inconsequential somehow. Wait, if this wasn’t supposed to happen, what was?

Oh yeah, the scroll. Where was that supposed to go again? A dragon? What a silly thing. Sending a dragon a scroll. Which dragon? That’s right. A purple one. Purple? No, better that he paint it blue like everything else. Oh, and a tinge of pink like that wonderful circle. Was that what was giving him this feeling?

What a great thing this circle was.

No, he was thinking about something else just now. It seemed important. What was it? A dragon with a scroll? Such a silly thing. But if that’s where it was supposed to go, why not send it?

There. It was gone. Without that nagging thought in his mind he could concentrate on more important things. Like this circle, and sinking further into this amazingly wonderful heat.

********************************************************************

Wind howled through the large, broken balcony window sending the long, fancy curtains streaming into her parent’s bedroom, wafting, twisting, and tangling like some ghastly poltergeist was attempting to frighten her. The air was tainted with a gagging, pungent odor, like soaking mold crossed with rotten eggs. Wickedly sharp glass shards had been thrown across the floor from where the window had shattered. Diamond Tiara observed the deep scratches and tears that now marred the well-polished hardwood. Her mother was going to have a fit when she came back to see the damage. She might just have the whole place renovated because of it.

A sudden and violent crash slammed into one side of the manor, shaking the building by its foundation and sending a shudder through the walls like the house had been struck by an earthquake. Diamond Tiara could hear what she guessed was the sound of her mother’s favourite dishes falling and smashing downstairs. The decorative plates she had so proudly collected while travelling the world had been lining the top of the all dining room cabinets. They were probably all lying in pieces.

Tiara wished her mother were here now instead of on business in Canterlot. Then she’d at least have somepony to huddle under the covers with. When they heard the panic in the streets her father had taken charge of the situation immediately, as he usually did when disaster struck their village. So many disasters happened in Ponyville that one was never sure what new horror had come to town. It was important to know what it was in order to decide what precautions to take. Her father told her to take cover while he went out to check with one of the panicking ponies.

It felt like forever but only ten minutes had ticked by since he left. She found herself constantly checking the grandfather clock her parents kept in the room. Miraculously it had managed to withstand whatever it was that had decided to assault their house. Tiara decided to send a letter commending the clock maker’s work to the appropriate business. If only the supports to the house would hold up as well!

Another crash shook the house. The walls moaned as if in agony. She squeaked at the sound and pulled the blankets over her head, peeking out only between a small gap left between the covers and the mattress. The smell became stronger than ever before, forcing tears from her eyes. She had to hold her breath or choke on the heavy scent, taking deep breaths only when her lungs burned for air. A scratching sound came from the balcony, drawing her eye to the storm outside, hoping not to see anything at all. In the dark, rainy night, a pair of looming, green-glowing eyes stared back at her.

“Aaaagh!” The short scream came out unbidden, and her body instinctively back pedaled right off the bed and over to the far side of the room, her hooves tripping over the blankets the whole way. At the sign of movement, the creature snarled and tilted its head towards her. For a moment it studied her quietly and she froze, unable to do anything but stare. Only its massive head could be seen just over the balcony, a twisted and gnarled mockery of a some form of canine. A snout, two pointed ears and so many teeth were revealed by the small pale green fire that trailed up one side of its skull. The aberration was completely lacking fur, and long crevices ran up and down through its tough-looking skin. It took long, deep, and curious sniffs, smelling the air and no doubt catching her scent.

The guttural, malicious sounding snorts and growls could only be identified as such because they came from the creature’s mouth. They sounded more akin to the wrenching and whines of wood twisting and distorting like old floorboards and falling trees. Nothing so natural as a snarl or growl came from this monster. Only an imitation of life existed there, a revolting mockery of a real creature.

Tiara felt more than heard the scratching of its hind legs against her house’s walls as it tried to scramble the rest of the way up. The whimpers it made now as it strained to pull itself could almost be described as pitiable. At least they would be if they weren’t purely due to the frustration of not being able to snap its jaws around her as easily as it wished.

It was that morbid thought that spurred Tiara to move. Slowly at first, her fear only giving her a tenuous control over her own limbs, she edged her way towards the doorway inch by inch, hoping not to attract the monster’s attention away from its continued attempts to climb up and onto the balcony. Her hind hoof pressed down on a loose piece of floor, and it complained beneath her weight. The monster stopped its struggling to stare at her. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her breath came in short gasps. A heavy silence reigned over the room, but her heart pounded in her ears. She was several feet away from where the thing had first spotted her.

All at once the mood changed. The monster growled, snarled, and shook in its unnatural way, furious at her for even thinking of escape! Embers of green sparks fell from its burning face as its struggles began anew, driven by a fresh bout of anger.

She never knew where the idea came from, or what set her hooves on that path, but Diamond Tiara scrambled forward and, in a flurry of motion, kicked the fallen, sizzling embers towards her attacker’s eyes. It cried out in agony and fell back to the ground below with a loud crash. With her newly won freedom the normally perfectly prim and proper pony bolted without care for her appearance.

She slammed the bedroom door behind her as she ran. The heavy wood provided an escape from both sight and smell of the horrid thing. Relief flooded her mouth and nose with such a force it left her gasping for fresh air. Another crash shook the house as the angry creature renewed its siege. The wall held, but a portion of the stairwell didn't.

Diamond Tiara watched as the supports gave way and masterly crafted banisters and steps collapsed to the floor below. She gathered her courage for a closer look over the edge to gauge how far the fall would be to the floor. It was easily about thirty feet. She swallowed.

This was the first time ever Diamond Tiara ever regretted living in a mansion. Its impressive size and fancy woodcraft styled into the railings were perfect for the banquets and galas that their family would hold in the ballroom below her. The gigantic, diamond chandelier that sparkled and slowly spun had left all of their guests in awe. Now it hung precariously by its chain, slanted and swinging lightly, like an anxious guillotine waiting for its latest victim. All of their expensive decorations had transformed into safety hazard after safety hazard.

Just then the door blasted open, slamming against the wall. The dark figure of a pony stood in the doorway. His tie was loose and whipping back over his shoulder in the wind, his collar torn and hanging partially open, some of the buttons lost. The usual impeccable manestyle he wore proudly was soaked and plastered to his forehead, dripping and leaving deep trails of water through his fur, framing the worried expression on his face. This image of her father bothered her on a level deeper than any monster ever could.

This wasn't the same stallion who had conquered any and all competitors on local and foreign markets that dared to get in the way of his business empire. With a shining smile and twinkle in his eye, Filthy Rich had set up an impenetrable fortress of monopolies surrounding the import and export services in Ponyville. Designing new policies and deploying managers to different cities, it was like a war general laying out battle plans for his commanding officers. Every day he fended off larger and more deeply embedded business enterprises trying to invade his domain. He was a student of economic strategy, a genius of business enterprise, and ruthlessly ran those that crossed him or his business partners into the ground.

That was what she wanted to be a part of. His friendly demeanor was worn like an armour to disarm his foes by putting them at ease. Even in the most pressing of negotiations, she had never seen him lose his welcoming manner. The most harsh scoldings she had ever received involved little more than a disappointed frown and some action of reparation for whoever she might have offended. Filthy Rich’s smile was the most dangerous tool in his arsenal, and he never left home without it.

The stallion in the doorway wore her father’s face, his clothes, his fur, but had very little else in common with him. His aura of confidence and collected calm was gone, replaced by a frantic look as he glanced worriedly around in the dark foyer.

“Da-daddy?” she asked of the stranger in her doorway, her words hesitant and quiet, almost unsure if she wanted to draw his attention.

“Tiara!” Rich exclaimed, his head jerking in her direction. He took a step further in and squinted, trying to pick her out from the shadows of the upper hallway. “Tiara, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m-” her answer was cut short as wood crashed against wood once more. This time a cacophony of cracking, snapping, and creaking tore through the west wall. Pieces of support fell, scattering debris everywhere. The house shook. The large chandelier swayed back and forth. The hallway quaked beneath Diamond Tiara’s hooves. A newly created opening split its way down the wall, letting a large, green eye peer through.

“No…” Filthy Rich gasped, as the timberwolf’s gaze turned from him to his daughter. “No! Tiara, hide! Hurry!” Sucking down a long breath to steady himself, he pushed forward, kicking some of the recently created debris towards the gap in the ruined wall to draw its attention away from his daughter, unaware he was just copying her earlier idea. This time the creature swiftly dodged the incoming object, slipping away from the gap as the piece of rubble flew uselessly through.

With another violent crash the weakened wall fell down, sending wreckage flying everywhere as the giant timberwolf smashed its way inside. The monster was looking much worse for the wear now. The fire along its face had spread along its back and front legs, leaving a charred, glowing mess in its wake. Pieces of burnt wood fell off it, and it was slow to get back to its feet. It shook off the shambles of demolished house like a dog shaking off water. The dust in the room mixed with the burning smoke, and the pungent smell of timberwolf.

Filthy Rich’s eyes were watering and there was no suppressing the coughing fit that followed the dust cloud hanging over the room. The mass of living wood towered over him, ash pouring off. The fire was already catching on the freshly lacquered dance hall, and it was quickly making its way to the many decorative tapestries and curtains. He glanced towards the hallway overlooking the ballroom. Diamond Tiara was still there, huddled next to the banister. Why? She was too smart to hang around danger like this. Was there nowhere left to go? Maybe all the bedrooms were in just as bad shape.

Her worried gaze fell on him, then she quickly glanced upwards towards the heavy chandelier. Following her eyes, he understood the silent suggestion. His brilliant, little filly had a plan. There was no time to question it. The wounded, lumbering timberwolf looked ready to renew its attack.

It dove for him. It was fast; too fast even for itself. Its own charred body couldn't keep up and it fell clumsily across the slippery floor. Even still, Filthy Rich only just barely managed to slip past its gruesome maw as it stumbled forward into the opposite wall. Rich quickly re-positioned himself under the swaying chandelier. It could come down on its own at any moment. His daughter stood by the last of the chain supports that once held it in place. She was straining to hold the chain steady, trying to stop it from swinging back and forth. He hoped it would be enough. They would only have one chance at this.

The timberwolf got back to its feet, and roughly shook its head from side to side. More dust, more debris, and more ash mixed with the rancid smoke. The air was so filled with dirt Diamond Tiara could taste the crunch of it between her teeth. The pull on her forelegs from trying to hold the light fixture up was taking its toll, and the chain was beginning to slip from her grip. In spite of the weight threatening to pull her off her hooves and the painful pull of the metal rings, all of her attention was on the scene below.

Fear forced her to watch on as the unnatural horror turned to regard her father once more. Her heart pounded against her chest so hard and fast, she almost thought it was trying to tear itself free from her. He had only just gotten out of the way last time. Trails of green flame now wound their way around where her father stood. Even if he could move in time, where was he supposed to go?

The timberwolf lunged, faster than ever. Even if her father had a plan, the monster gave him no time to put it into action. Caught between its paws, he was struggling to keep the large branches that made up its feet between him and its teeth. “Tiara! Now!”

“What?” she gasped, “But you’re still in the way!”

“Tiara, let it go! Don’t argue! Drop it, drop it now!” One of the timberwolf’s nips struck home, biting deep into his left hind leg. The piercing, agonized scream startled Tiara. It was just the moment gravity was waiting for. The chain slipped away from her grasp in her moment’s carelessness and the chandelier came crashing down. Her world shook as it slammed into the unsuspecting creature. Fiery bits of wood were sent sailing throughout the room. Billows of smoke flooded the mansion, and it was all she could do just to breathe.

She felt the floor under her hooves begin to snap, and tear apart. Instinctively, she tried to move back into one of the bedrooms, but a loud crack rung out behind her giving her pause.

Then everything fell.

Her sudden weightlessness left her at gravity’s mercy for just a few seconds before she was left belly flopping into the pile of rubble below. Pain ran up and down her body, and she found it hard to breathe now for entirely different reasons than before. The smoke drifted upwards and out through the many smashed windows that lined the walls of their broken home. Where the mansion was fortunate enough to still have walls anyway. Diamond Tiara lay still, trying to catch some of the wind that had just been knocked out of her. Tears trailed their way down her cheeks. “Dad?” she asked room quietly, hopefully. “Dad? Are you alright?”

“Tiara…?” a raspy voice answered back, with a note of pain. “Tiara, I can’t move. The house is burning down. You have to get out of here.”

“No, Dad.” Bruised, beaten, with a ringing in her ears, Diamond Tiara undertook the difficult task of getting back on her hooves. She looked over to the shattered chandelier where her father lay hidden. “I-I can’t - I won’t leave you.”

“Tiara, y-you’re not th-th-thinking straight,” her father grunted in reply, trying in vain to keep the pain from his voice. “You have to g-go for help. They’re- they’re all gathering in the town hall.”

She shook her head. Just walking around the chandelier felt like an arduous journey, making it all the way to the town hall by herself was out of the question. What if there were more of them? While Tiara admitted to herself that her mind felt a little sluggish, she was sure her thoughts were running a straight line of logic. Why would he even think that would work? As her father came into view, she gasped out loud, and understood.

Filthy Rich’s hip was pinned by a giant support beam. His entire lower half was hidden from view by a huge mound of wood and diamond. She couldn't even tell if he was just pinned or crushed. The only sign of what was happening under the rubble was the blood pooling beneath his flank. Her father wasn't trying to hide the pain in his voice.

He was trying to hide the despair.

“Daddy, oh no!” Her own pain forgotten, she rushed forward to hug him. His awkward cry of pain, kept her cautious about it, but she still snuggled up closer to him. “What were you thinking?”

“Tiara, go. You have to go,” he whispered into her ear. Her only response was a choking sob.

********************************************************************

Her fur was soaked to the bone. But there was no time to worry about the cold. The visibility was low. The night was dark with wild clouds from the Everfree hanging overhead, but she knew this land better than she knew anything else. The only light she had against the night was a familiar green flame eating away at the haunted woodland creatures stalking her. The rain was coming down in sheets, but her trusty Stetson hat was managing to keep the brunt of it from her eyes. A farm pony needed to be thankful for small blessings. You’d never know which sliver of silver lining could save your rear at the end of the day.

“Trespassers! Seed thieves!”

What was that? Some strange voice? No time to think. Wherever the words came from they were lost to the roar of rustling leaves in blasting wind. There were more important things on her mind. A timberwolf leapt forward, rage distorting its features.

Applejack was ready for it.

A quick step to the side landed the timberwolf into the tree trunk behind her with a resounding thunk. There was no time to admire her work. On a hunch she bent low and felt a swat of a claw tear through the air where her head would have been. She had to keep on the move. Instead of backing off, Applejack charged forward, knocking the next one flat on its back.

Habit was taking over, and it was keeping her in the fight.

She had dealt with their kind before. There weren’t many ponies that braved the Everfree Forest, but ever since the first day Twilight Sparkle had come to Ponyville Applejack found herself foraging among the forbidden trees regularly. A pegasus crashed into the woods? Call Applejack! Pet ran off into the thicket? Applejack was on her way! Lost a hot air balloon among the trees? Applejack’s there to help! And every time she went in, there was a fair chance of running into a couple of timberwolves en route.

Unfortunately all of her experience in dealing with these critters told her that the last thing you wanted to do was get yourself surrounded by a pack of them. And that’s exactly the spot she’d put herself in. Applejack was in dire straits, and she knew it better than most. To save the zap apple trees, she had jumped right into the circle of them, hoping to distract them from her farm’s best-selling crop.

It worked.

The only problem with that plan was now she needed saving! Winona was there at her hooves, the little collie barking and growling protectively. As courageous as she was, Winona would be little help against the wooden, fiery interlopers. There was, however, another pony around she knew she could count on.

“Bro? Ah sure could use a bit of help about now!” she shouted into the dark without taking her eyes off the timberwolf snapping at her. A swift crouch saved her neck again but it cost her the hallmark Stetson she’d worn since her youth. It left her faced with the disconcerting view of her favourite hat getting gashed and torn in the critter's teeth. She swallowed nervously. That was very close to being her head. Where was that big, red stallion already? “Uh, Big Mac? Yah are out there, right?”

The wind’s howl was the only reply. Where had he gone? Did one of these infested trees get to him already? She chanced a glance to the bush Big Macintosh and her had been using as cover. There was no sign of him. A horrifying thought crossed her mind. What if he wasn't ready for her to jump out like she had? What if she gave him away? A sudden desperation surged up inside her and fear gave way to righteous anger .

“What’ve yah done with mah big brother, yah walking tree rot!” With a double hind leg kick, her attacker’s head went sailing into the face of another, and Applejack bolted between its legs as it fell. As she sprinted between the monsters, she glanced from left to right for some sight of red fur. Instead, there was only incoming teeth. They were a step behind, but it was getting hard to catch her breath. How long had she been fighting them? Five minutes? Ten? Most ponies would be tired out in three. Good thing she wasn't like most ponies, but now even she could feel her hooves growing heavier. Even with the second wind driven by fear for her brother, exhaustion was taking its toll. Dodging was starting to become a real problem, when suddenly there were no longer any teeth or claws to dodge.

But there was no air in her lungs either. Her breath was caught in her throat as she stood before the biggest timberwolf she had ever seen. The others steered away from the humongous beast, either out of fear and respect. It stood as tall as a house, and there was no fire marring its branches. Not even a scorch mark besmirched its bark. Applejack understood at once. This was the pack alpha.

It regarded her with a cold rage, bending low to take in her scent in several large sniffs.

“You are not the seed thief, but I smell her on you, pony.” Much to Applejack’s surprise, the timberwolf spoke. Its voice was a strange twist of growling mixed with creaking stairway and wrenching wood. This was the voice she had heard earlier.

“S-s-seed thief?” She struggled, trying to catch her breath, half in genuine need, and half in surprise of who was at the other end of this conversation. “What in tarnation are yah on about? This is our farm!”

“Farmers,” the alpha spit the word out in disgust. “Thieves! Slavers! You steal seeds from their rightful places so you can harvest them! Murdering and maiming them for your own gains!” It’s snarls became heated with rage and it stepped forward, forcing her to back up, along with the pack who continued to give them both plenty of room.

“I should tear you to pieces, bury your parts, and plant a seed in what’s left of your corpse so it can feed on you as your kind has on it!” For a moment it seethed in the contempt it had for ponies, and farmers in particular, but then its tone fell back on a low burn of anger. “But beasts eat to survive, we can understand this. However, now you feed off our kind.” The alpha glanced over towards the zap apple trees. “You have stolen our seeds! For this your kind will pay! But not all of you have to. No, you smell of the one that stole our seeds. Tell us where this pony is and we will spare you.”

Applejack looked back at the trees then back at the large timberwolf and its surrounding pack. “Yah mean the zap apples? Y’all are zap apple trees?”

“We are the forever free! We are the wood that will not be tamed! We are the wild! And we have come to take back all that is ours!”

“Now wait just a darn minute. Yah mean tah tell me that y’all are upset about these here trees? They've been planted here for a good sixty years! Why are yah just gettin’ around to it now?”

“Trees grow slow. It took time for them to find their voice, and to call to their brothers for help. It took time to find you,” it snarled, bending low and shoving Applejack back with its snout.

“We didn't know they were ‘alive’ alive.” Applejack let the thought sink in. Her family might have wronged the forest more than they could have ever guessed. The zap apples were their best crop. The Apple Family had founded Ponyville on the profits they made from them. Sweet Apple Acres would be in for a rough time all over again if they gave them up. But even so, if they were alive and belonged to the Everfree, they couldn’t just keep them either. She swallowed hard as she came to a very tough decision, and said through clenched teeth, “we can work it out. We’ll tow ‘em back to the forest!”

“It is too late for that! They are here now. Their roots have grown long. These lands belong to them now, and them to us! We will take what is ours,” the alpha declared, sitting down with its head held high. “But we are not without mercy. Give us the seed thief and all others of your kind may leave our lands unharmed.”

“You want us to leave Ponyville?” Applejack shook her head, uncertain she heard it right. “Ah don’t know any thieves, and we can move the trees with a bit of effort!”

“You dare lie to me? The seed thief’s scent is sunk into your very bones! Your very blood smells of her!” The alpha bent low, its angry, glowing eye focused directly on the farm pony before it. It gnashed its teeth no more than a foot away from her, its putrid scent leaving a sour taste in Applejack’s mouth. “Give us the seed thief or we’ll rip apart every single thing that even smells of pony!”

They could smell the seed thief from her? But the only ponies she’d been around lately were family. Family! Everything clicked. The zap apples, magicly haunted trees from the Everfree, Granny Smith’s tale of Ponyville’s founding, and the seeds her grandmother found in the woods. Granny Smith! Granny Smith was the seed thief! These horrible critters wanted to- they wanted take her Granny Smith!

Applejack’s eyes narrowed as she glared back at the creature. “Ah tried tah be civil ‘bout this,” she began quietly as she ground her teeth together. “Ah tried tah be understandin’.” Her voice grew louder, and her body quaked in a white hot fury that dwarfed any the timberwolves might have had a moment ago. “But now yah gone and done it. You can threaten mah farm! Fine. We can find other lands to till. Yah can threaten to take Ponyville! We’ll move the whole town if we wronged yah. But nobody!” she shouted in defiance, more than ready to sacrifice herself than to deal with anything more this beast had to say, “and Ah mean NOBODY threatens MAH FAMILY!”

“EEYUP!”

The deep baritone voice of her brother concurred loudly from afar before the alpha could retort. All eyes turned to the big, red, freckled stallion who stood atop the hill, overlooking the scene below. Behind him was a large wagon, filled with logs that were meant to be chopped up for firewood at Apple Family’s convenience. One strong kick, sent the whole thing tipping it over and the logs tumbling down the steep hill towards the pack of surprised timberwolves.

Many managed to escape to the sides bounding away throughout the orchard, but more were caught in Big Macintosh’s trap. The large logs of oak and birch smashed into any left behind, leaving only smouldering pieces of timber in their wake.

Applejack quickly jumped for shelter behind the roots of a small apple tree, but the alpha was much too large for any such attempts to save itself. Instead it was forced to run through the only open path wide enough for it, which also happened to be the only open path wide enough for the logs to keep tumbling down.

After the avalanche of firewood finally passed her by, Applejack stuck her head up to see her brother running to her side. Winona was on his heels with her torn hat in her mouth. She quickly ran over to join them.

“Yah sure took yer time comin’ to mah rescue Big Mac,” she chided him, while looking around at the mess he caused.

“Your rescue?” the big pony asked, tussling her hair with a large hoof. ”Figured Ah’d save them from you.”

Applejack smirked. There was a sense of relief in his tone that belied his humour. They both knew how close they’d come to tragedy. A tragedy that could still come about if they weren’t fast. Taking her hat from Winona with an encouraging pat, she bent down low to speak to the collie.

“Winona, We need tah get Granny Smith intah the stormcellar. Can yah lead her down there girl? Can yah do that for me?”

Winona barked happily, hopping up on her hind legs with a twirl. That normally meant yes, as far as Applejack had ever been able to tell.

“Then go on! Hurry, Winona! Hurry!”

With that the Apple Family dog turned and sprinted through the orchard, quickly disappearing into the night. Applejack put the partly torn Stetson back where it belonged. “We better be hurryin’ along too. It won’t take long for those critters to recover and regroup.”

“They’re gonna ruin it all, AJ, The whole farm.” her brother said as he observed the devastation he’d made of their precious orchard. All around them trees were knocked down, broken, and splintered. It’d take up a couple weeks of harvest season just to clear the logs out. His gambit was going to cost them, but the timberwolves had a lot worse than this in mind.

“Don’t you worry two bits about it. Come on, Ah got an idea!” Snatching a fiery branch to use as a torch to light their way, Applejack rushed towards the homestead, her brother not far behind.

********************************************************************

The locomotive hissed and whistled as it chugged ahead. Squeaking pistons and squealing wheels made a cacophony of noise as it rushed by. It was a rolling thunder streaking across the plains along an iron path. As wild as the storm around it might have been, the weather paled in comparison to the racket of the train as it rushed by. Inside, everything was a muffled calm to the passengers, to the point that the noise was easily tuned out. Even so, it was a bumpy ride for the unfortunate travelers. The wind couldn’t be heard very well over the sound of the train, but the effects could still be felt as the train cars swayed in its grip.

Worry lined every voice in the cars. The regular customers lied to comfort those new to the railroad, saying things like ‘This is bad, but I’ve rode it through worse’ or ‘Don’t worry, this happens all the time’.

The truth was, in all the time Shining Time had worked as an attendant she couldn’t remember ever having been through a storm this bad. This was in spite of having a route that went by the outer edges of the Everfree regularly. Something was seriously wrong, and every pony onboard could sense it.

As an attendant it was her job to keep the passengers calm. She made constant trips back and forth through the passenger cars, passing out free refreshments and complimentary meals. The truth was Shining Time would have only made refreshment runs a couple times a trip for their whole run all the way out to Appleoosa. Instead she’d been a dozen times back and forth already, using her trolley as an excuse to check on everypony. The sight of an attendant at work as per normal had a calming effect on many. A kind word and a sweet smile went a long way to alleviate worries.

But now the train wasn’t just swaying. It was experiencing jarring bumps as well. That left a note of nervousness in her voice that she couldn’t quite hide. There was something wrong, and she had better figure out what it was. It was for that reason Shining Time was making her way outside the train cars up towards the locomotive where Sam Mule, the engineer, might be able to explain what was going on.

Sam was a mule from Manehatten, with an accent so heavy it put her own to shame. He had become the go-to-guy if you wanted something done around the train yard. Any job other ponies might be scared to take on, that was where you’d find the ill-tempered, stubborn mule. There weren’t many engineers that dared the rails that passed by the Everfree. They said that Sam never blinked twice when he was assigned the route.

Even with the heavy rain and strong winds, the smell of coal still filled her nostrils. The coal car was the most annoying part of the trek to the locomotive, because there was no inside route. A pony had to use the platform built around it, that Shining Time always felt was a little too flimsy. She held her hoof over her nose, as had become her habit when passing this particular train car. Once she got closer to the train engine, the smokestack came into view, belching out its contents leaving a trail high above the rails, and a scent that stung her eyes.

As she passed between the cars another crash came, shaking the whole train engine, and knocking Shining Time off her hooves. Barely managing to catch onto a safety railing in time to prevent herself from falling, she screamed as she clung on for dear life, staring at the rails beneath her streaking by. A strong hoof pulled her to the safety of the locomotive.

“The hay ya doin’ Shiny? Lookin’ to get yourself killed! They’d blame me for that, ya know.”

Shining Time didn't respond, instead holding up a hoof to stop him from talking while she caught her breath. Her poor heart was pounding a mile a minute after gravity’s attempt on her life. “What-what was that?”

“I said they’d blame me if ya got your ruttin’ flank flattened!” The angry brown mule shouted over the noise.

“No, not that, I mean, what did we hit? What caused the bump?”

“The hay if I know,” the mule responded gruffly and gestured to the front of the train. “Take a look for your darned self.”

Shining Time peered over the large train engine from a side window and gasped. Shadows slithered over the tracks like strange snakes retreating from the haunted wood not far away. The powerful locomotive tore through them without issue for the most part, but then a larger shape appeared among them. The train engine tore through it like the others, severing it in two, but this time the locomotive bumped and crashed as it did. Again the tools shook and rattled in their cage, and Shining Time nearly lost her balance.

“There are snakes on the rails!” she exclaimed in surprise. “Hundreds! No, thousands! They’re moving along the whole length of the track!”

“Snakes? No ruttin’ snake’s gonna give a train speed bumps, Shiny!” Sam corrected irritably. “They slither like ‘em, but whatever it is, ain't no darn snake.”

“What are we going to do?”

“What I’m gonna do is get us the hay outta here. That means pushing this iron horse as fast as she can go. What you’re gonna do is gather all those passengers into as few cars as you can so we can keep track of ‘em. Then yer gonna seal every darn door and window in case any of those things try to get in. We’ll bunker down in Ponyville for any needed repairs.”

“Uh, do I have to empty the private cars too?” Shining Time asked in a small voice, shying away a little.

“Hay yeah, you gotta empty the private cars too! When I say ‘all the passengers’ just what the hay do you think I mean?”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Sheesh.” With a heavy sigh she turned to leave, carefully watching her step between cars.

“And Shiny,” Sam added, stopping her mid-step as she looked back. The brown mule’s back was to her, his head only slightly turned in her direction. “Keep safe back there, alright?”

She smiled. As crockety and mean-spirited as Sam could be, he still worried about her, and everypony else too.

“I’ll be careful,” she replied warmly. With a curt nod, he went back to work, preparing to push the train to its top speeds. It was time she started her own preparations too. Steeling herself against the fear, she moved across the small bridge between the cars, frowning down at the platform that she nearly lost her life on a minute ago. This time she was careful to grip the railing firmly and stand as close as she could to the train car.

Passing between the other cars wasn't anywhere near as dangerous. They were made so the passengers could roam freely between each, especially between them and the cafeteria car. The private cars were the first ones she came to on the way back, and the ones she dreaded delivering the news to most.

Normally she didn't have much trouble dealing with the ponies that rented private cars. They were often a bit more demanding about their quality of service, but Shining Time was well versed in etiquette, and enjoyed impressing them with her skill at her trade. Attending to a pony’s needs during the trip was her job, and she was proud to show herself perfectly capable to do so no matter what the passenger’s upbringing.

The problem was that being evacuated from the cars they had put up the extra bits for was not the quality of service they were accustomed to. As Shining Time emptied out each room, helping them with gathering their luggage as necessary, she tried to avoid their eyes. There was no reason to see the expressions when she could feel their dirty looks boring a hole into her back as she worked. She did what she could to assuage their misgivings with promises of returns and refunds, but upper class ponies weren't as concerned so much with getting money back as they were to being treated like common rabble.

Being forced to sit side by side with common folk was going to be a fairly large insult. The railroad would probably be sending a lot of apologies due to Sam’s decision.

At last Shining Time came to the smaller of the private cabins, where the Element Bearer of Generosity was staying. Nervously biting her lip as she stood at the honoured guest’s door, she quickly adjusted her uniform and mane, disheveled by her short tryst with the wind, rain, and exerted effort of carrying well-to-do pony luggage down several car aisles. A good impression for her was a must!

Stories of the Element Bearers’ exploits had traveled far and wide throughout Equestria, and Shining Time wasn't too shy to admit she had become infatuated with them. They were all so amazing. With extraordinary talents and courage, they conquered all the foes thrown at Equestria. Each were heroes in their own right.

Twilight Sparkle’s knowledge of magic and Rainbow Dash’s flight skill were legendary! They had become household names. Fluttershy’s way with animals and Pinkie Pie’s extraordinary senses and abilities were wonders of the pony world. Applejack had become the champion of the underdogs and every farm town pony across the land.

Then there was Rarity. Pinkie Pie had strange senses, Applejack had enormous strength, Rainbow Dash had wondrous talent and courage, Fluttershy had her animals, Twilight Sparkle had immense control of magic, and Rarity had what?

Her amazing fashion sense? While certainly impressive, it wasn't exactly the heroic quality the other Elements Bearers had. In a team of super powered ponies, this fashion diva seemed out of place. She had beauty and grace to spare, but that kind of talent hardly allowed her to fit in with the rest. In spite of her shortcomings Rarity’s presence among the Elements of Harmony commanded a sense of respect, and it was only after Shining Time had actually met her did she understand why.

In her job, dealing with the elite of the elite was an everyday task. She had probably met more famous and wealthy ponies than any of Princess Celestia’s castle staff. Many were inspiring, respectable, well-mannered, and friendly. But the difference between them and Rarity had become immediately clear after only a few words of greeting. All of these things could be used to describe her, but something else as well.

The word ‘inviting’ was the first to come to mind, followed by warm, welcoming, affectionate, and caring. The impression she was left with was that a pony could come to Rarity with any problem at all, even as a perfect stranger, and the unicorn would be happy to bend over backwards to help. Well, Shining Time could certainly use that kind of help now.

Ponies were already very nervous with the rough spots the train would randomly go through, and the swaying of the cars in the wind without the train speeding up! For now, the lightning storm in the distance was doing a good job of keeping the passengers distracted and entertained, but that would change very quickly when they all found themselves packed together in their seats and locked into a couple train cars while they barreled down the tracks at enormous speeds. Ponies would want to know why, but what would she say? The railroad tracks were being overrun by some unnaturally shaped creatures? That wouldn't go very far in the way of calming them down. However, if one of the famous Bearers of the Elements of Harmony could tell them everything was okay, Shining Time might just be able to keep things under control.

With a renewed sense of purpose she knocked on the cabin door.

“Come ii~iiin!” A sing-song voice called out from the other side. Shining Time pushed the door open slowly, carefully looking around the room before spotting the finely attired, pristine white unicorn tying the drawers and cupboard doors closed with some ribbons that she had apparently packed.

“I’ll be with you in just a minute, Darling,” she said with some effort as she concentrated on tying the loose ends into a perfect little bow. Each drawer and cupboard in the room was tied shut in the same manner. Each bow sparkled with speckles of twinkling magic light, making the room seem majestic. So as to not make the fancy ribbons seem out of place, she had also decorated the fold-out couch with matching throw pillows, and had even gone as far as to add some adorable, tiny curtains to the equally small windows.

There was no helping the smile on Shining Time’s face as she admired the new decor. They were only simple, little details, but they really made all the difference. Perhaps the train yard would let her add similar additions to the private cars in the future?

“There, all done,” Rarity said with a tone of approval, and giggled as if lost in recollection. “Sparkles really do go with everything, don’t they?” she murmured to herself before turning to regard Shining Time curiously. “Sorry about the wait, I do so abhor stopping partway. I heard the commotion out in the hall earlier. I take it I’ll be moved into the public cars with the others?”

The common question spurred Shining Time’s automatic response, “Yes. We’re sorry for the inconvenience, and arrangements are already being made for refunds and returns-“

“Nonsense! I’ll hear of no such thing,” Rarity quickly interrupted. “You’re merely seeing to the safety of your customers first and foremost. I wouldn't dream of paying less for doing the very thing I’d expect of you.” Her tone left no room for argument, and suddenly Shining Time felt much better about her idea to come to the unicorn for help. “Furthermore, I plan to offer a commendation to the railroad for your efforts. It must be quite the ordeal for you. And there’s only one train attendant besides! I honestly don’t know what they were thinking laying this all on a single pony.”

“Thank you kindly, Miss Rarity. We’d muchly appreciate that. It might just offset some of the flak we’ll be catching from the passengers in the neighbouring units.”

“Oh pish posh. Shining Time wasn't it?” Rarity asked smiling brightly.

“Yes, Mam, Shiny to friends.”

“I’m Rarity to mine. No more of this ‘Miss Rarity’ or "Mam' business from you,” Rarity insisted, patting Shining Time on the back as she passed her into the hall. “And I’m certain the others are just a little upset from being thrown from their routine. A little word here and there will make everypony see reason, I’m sure. Now, I've already gathered up some bare essentials and piled them just there by the other side of the door.”

“Piled?” Shining Time peeked around the open door into the corner of the room where a mess of designer bags were piled as high as she was. “These are the bare essentials?” she asked incredulously.

“I know, Darling, I know. It’s almost nothing at all, and I do dread having to do without the rest, but everypony must make sacrifices when the need is dire. Comfort is a privilege after all.”

Shining Time refrained from slapping her forehead in front of her very important customer. The famous designer had packed sewing materials and throw pillows as part of her carry-on luggage. Who knew what she considered ‘necessities’? Essentials were just not a domain the rich and famous understood, no matter who they were. Still, if Shining Time was about to ask a pony for help, it seemed wrong to ask her to leave her bags behind. They would just have to find a place for them. Where? she had no idea, but finding a way to make bags fit would probably end up being the least of her problems.

“Actually,” she started, hoping she could make this sound better than it did in her head, “if you’re willing, there’s something far more important we could use your help with.”

“Oh? It must be this carpet.” Rarity removed her hoof from the main carpet that ran the length of the aisle. She whispered conspiratorially, “I didn't want to say anything, but I mean brown and orange? I simply don’t know what they were thinking. I’m sure I can do something with it, but it would probably be better to get rid of the whole thing and go with a new design completely. I’m sure I have some material in here I could use.”

Rarity, turned to stare at a cupboard, her magic already reaching out to untie one of her ribbons to get at the contents before Shining Time stopped her, shaking her head.

“It isn't anything like that Mi-, Uh,” she cut her sentence off halfway, not quite liking the idea of being so informal with one of her heroes. “ I mean, Rarity, You see, I need to inform our passengers of the situation, and frankly I’m worried about how they’ll take it.”

“Oh dear, I take this to mean this isn't some minor mechanical trouble then?” Rarity asked cocking an eyebrow.

“No,” Shining Time shook her head, still trying to avoid using her name. “The train’s working just as it should. The problem is there’s something strange moving across the tracks.”

“Something strange?”

“We don’t know what to make of them. They slither like snakes but are tough as rocks. We’d like to slow down and take it easy over the mess, maybe even turn around if the danger gets worse. But with the way these things are going, there’s a fair chance they’ll overrun the train while we’re stopped. The engineer figures it’s best to speed up and plow right through. If we can make it to Ponyville, we can stop for repairs.”

“I-I see.” Rarity couldn't quite keep the note of worry from of her words. “Though I’m not sure what you believe I can do, Shiny. Supernatural snakes overtaking the railroad is beyond any skill of mine, I fear.”

“No, no, you misunderstand me, the train has been able to sort out the problem pretty well on its own so far, it’s the passengers I’m worried about,” she explained quickly. “This news could start a real panic, and a panic might cause as much harm to ponies trapped in a cramped train car as whatever it is that’s going on outside.”

“So, you’re asking me to help everypony to stay calm?” Rarity asked hesitantly.

“Exactly! The storm’s wild enough outside without us starting a stampede inside.”

“I’m still not sure I can help, Shiny. I don’t think I've ever done anything like that.” Rarity frowned at her. This was really outside her area of expertise. She was all about making the world beautiful, not calming a herd of frightened ponies.

“Why sure you have! They say that’s what the Element Bearers did during the whole crystal heart affair in the Crystal Kingdom! You all went around keeping everypony in good spirits while Twilight Sparkle rescued the Crystal Heart from King Sombra. Everypony knows the tale," Shining Time gushed out quickly, displaying her extensive knowledge of their exploits a bit more than she would have liked.

“And Spike,” Rarity corrected automatically, while considering the idea. It was true, she did have some amount of success on the whole with that particular ordeal.

“Beg pardon?”

“Twilight Sparkle and Spike, her assistant,” Rarity repeated. “She wasn't alone. King Sombra managed to trap her, so she passed the Crystal Heart on to him to carry down the-” She cut herself off as Shining Time’s eyes grew as wide as saucers. The expression reminded her of the one Sweetie Belle would wear when listening to one of their heroic tales. “You’re sure you never heard any of this? Forgive me, but I had thought you were rather familiar about our little trysts with adventure.”

Shining Time shook her head quickly. “The way I always heard it, Twilight Sparkle clashed with King Sombra in a great magic duel. I've never heard of any ‘assistant’.”

“Well, I’ll have to regale you with the true events at some point, but I don’t suppose we have enough time to go over the story in proper detail if what you say about our train is true.”

“Oh uh, right.” The adorable, young mare blushed before perking her ears back up. “So will you do it? I’m not asking you to lie to them or anything. We just need to keep them distracted from the bumpy ride, that’s all.”

“I can most certainly try, but whatever could I keep them distracted with?”

“Why not a story about the Elements of Harmony?” It hadn't taken even a full second for Shining Time to answer. There were more to the stories than she knew? A whole other pony she never even heard of? She wanted to hear the rest, and the other passengers would be bound to be interested too! At least she hoped they were. “Even the most jaded pony would be interested in hearing it straight from the pony’s mouth that lived through it! I know I sure would.”

“Not those old things. Why I’d bore everypony to tears,” Rarity replied with a roll of her eyes. Their biggest adventures had happened years and years before, and Twilight had written every possible detail about them in her journals, which had all been published. What more could she possibly add to them?

As a fashion designer Rarity always looked towards the future. To her, last season’s designs were an eternity ago, and thoughts of them would only get in the way of new and greater ideas! She couldn't imagine anypony would want to hear about those crumby, old stories again. It might even make her seem like she was focused on past achievements, like some old mare reliving her glory days!

Well, there were plenty of glory days ahead for this fashionista! Her Canterlot Boutique’s success was already exceeding her expectations, and it was only just starting to flourish! With Snips' help she was sure they could bring the idea of clothing to every pony in Equestria. That was her future! Not some distant adventures she had been caught in years ago. “I’m sure we've been almost completely forgotten.”

“Forgotten? Are you kidding me? Rarity,” using her name casually was suddenly much easier for Shining Time. Seeing one of her heroes regard herself as a ‘has been’ took all sense of formality away. She sat down and took Rarity’s hooves in her own. “You were among the greatest heroes of all of Equestria! Every time it seemed like our kingdom was about to fall, you six reached down and plucked us from danger! Again and again! Sombra, Discord, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon? They all fell to you guys. You rescued Princess Luna, saved Princess Cadence’s wedding, befriended Discord, and helped establish the Crystal Kingdom! Nopony’s forgotten the things you've done. Nopony ever could, except maybe you. Please, come back with me and speak to everypony. Tell them every little thing is gonna be alright. They’ll believe if you say it. I’m sure of it.”

Rarity’s eyes were drawn to the hooves holding her own, and then to the eyes of one of their biggest fans, and her heart flooded with warmth. Each trial the train attendant had mentioned, the teamwork, the victories, and everything in between came back to her. She remembered her friends, and everything they had accomplished together. with a tiny frown she looked back up to Shining Time asked, “You’re certain this will help?”

"Yes! Yes! Yes!” Shining Time cheered, half-jumping up and down before giving Rarity an excited hug, recognizing that the answer had already been decided.

“I suppose a lady does have to give her public what it wants,” Rarity giggled, hugging the animated earth pony lightly. “Very well. I’ll assist with your announcement however you wish.”

“Yes! I’ll go let them know right now!” With a twist and a hop Shining Time rushed out of the room.

“But Darling! Shiny Darling, you've forgotten my bags!” Rarity went to give chase but the mare was already out the door into the next car by the time she even managed to peek out past the entrance. With a heavy sigh she turned towards the large pile of luggage with a deep frown. “Oh, horsefeathers!”

********************************************************************

A group of three sat around a campfire enthusiastically going over plans for their bright futures as an official fully-fledged flight team. Excited ideas were traded back and forth as they scarfed down any and all refreshments Aqua Shallows continued to pop in and provide. Outside their shelter, the rain and wind continued their onslaught, but the sound of a crashing waterfall drowned out the sound of the storm. In this beautifully carved-out cavern the flight party took refuge as they had for the last week. The intricate pattern of ivy, moss, and gemstones that dotted the walls, along with the stalactites that curved in perfected arches along the cave ceiling had long lost the team’s interest. Instead their minds were filled with thoughts of stunts, shows, and adventures. Their eager words warmed the cavern almost as much as the fire itself, while they bantered and shared new ideas for the upcoming Fledgling Flier Competition.

It was then that Spike’s stomach began to rumble.

At first, it seemed like the worst case of indigestion Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo had ever witnessed. They could actually see his stomach rolling and contorting in an immense amount of awkward discomfort. He hunched his neck back against his shoulders, and everything about his expression said ‘I’m gonna hurl!’

Both pegasi yelped and made a quick jump for cover, worried that whatever violent reaction the dragon was going to have was about to spray hard enough to reach them wherever they hid.

Instead of looking down, though, Spike’s instincts pointed his snout directly towards the rock ceiling of the cave and all at once, he let out the loudest belch any of them had ever heard accompanied by a stream of flame striking against the ceiling, scorching and burning away at the gems, moss, and ivy that had decorated the stone.

Aqua poked his head back in past the waterfall with a look of utter disgust. “Well! Excuse you!”

Spike fell back on his rump, relief flooding his features at the release, too disoriented to even bother with an apology. Rainbow Dash fell on her back laughing. “Woah, Spike! You should have seen your face! I seriously thought you were going to blow chunks all over the place!”

The scent of the flame felt like it was singeing Scootaloo’s nose hairs, and had such an acrid bite that her hooves flew up to cover her muzzle while she tried in vain to wave it away. “Ewww! That is naaasty! What the hay was that about?”

Spike shivered in answer and shook his head while trying to recover from the sudden and unexpected ordeal, “I've got no idea. I've never had that happen before.”

“Well that’s one dragon ability we should probably keep out of the flight show,” Scootaloo laughed, before pointing to a piece of paper that was slowly wafting down from the ceiling leaving a small smoke trail tracing behind it through the air. “Hey, what’s that?”

Spike reached up and plucked the note out of the air and pinched the corner of the paper where a light flicker of flame had taken root. He eyed the letter carefully, turned it sideways, and then the other way, and then completely upside down, obviously uncertain of what he was looking at.

“What is it? Word from town?” Rainbow Dash rolled back onto her hooves and trotted over to the dragon’s side to have a look for herself.

Spike scratched his head, obviously confused, and held it out for her to see. “I’m not entirely sure. It’s not from Twilight, or the Princess for that matter. Actually, I think it’s from-” Spike looked closer at the quill scratches of nigh indecipherable hoof writing and distorted scribbles, “Snails?”

“Snails? Snails can send letters by dragon fire but Rarity hasn't figured it out yet?” Dash exclaimed in surprise.

“Rarity doesn't want to figure it out,” Spike replied defensively. “She finds my reaction to it uncouth, and said she didn't want to be the source of any awkward social situations I might find myself in because of it.”

Aqua nodded his approval but all the pegasi in the cave rolled their eyes. Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the strange word craft displayed on the letter. “Can you figure out what Snails is trying to say?”

Spike shook his head. “There are scribbles that look like they could be words and scribbles that look like they could be pictures, but nothing actually legible.”

“Give me that!” Scootaloo snatched the letter away from Spike in annoyance, and scanned its content. “Really? You can’t read this? And I thought you were supposed to be a scribe.”

“That is not writing.” Spike folded his arms and pointed his snout away at the offensive scrawl.

“Big Guy’s got a point, Squirt. I can’t make out heads or tails from that.” Dash shook her head and moved to stare over Scootaloo’s shoulder, still trying to decipher the scribbles for herself.

“Well, I can. In class we all had to mark each other’s work. We got used to each other’s different writing styles.”

“That’s not a writing style either!” Spike complained, somewhat embarrassed that Scootaloo was able to read something he couldn't.

“Ahem,” Scootaloo faked a cough, and cleared her throat with a teasing glance at the dragon as she began to read.

“To Spike-”

“No! No! That is not my name written there! I would recognize my own name!”

“Well, no. It’s not your name, but it is a picture of you. See?” Scootaloo was enjoying the growing look of frustration creeping across his face.

“What? How is that me?”

“It’s a bald head with spines coming out of the top. Do you know anypony else in town that fits that description?” Scootaloo smirked. Was it possible to enjoy this too much?

No. No it wasn't.

“That is not my face! My spines are big and rounded! That is a smiley face with thin pointy triangles sticking out of the top!”

“I’d say consonant V’s.” Rainbow Dash corrected with an amused grin.

“Yeah, I guess” Spike turned his head sideways to try to see the picture from Dash’s angle and nodded. Then shook his head quickly and glared at his Team Captain, “You are not helping!”

“Well, neither are you! Just be quiet and let me read this, would you? Sheesh.” Scootaloo began again.

“To Spike,

Please help. I am trapped in the library. And the library is broken. And is also on fire. Also timberwolves. Also Twilight Sparkle is dead.”

“What?!” Both of her teammates shouted at once.

“Wait! It could just be unconscious!” Scootaloo flipped the letter around and pointed to a pony face with a manestyle vaguely similar to Twilight’s with X’s for eyes. “He’s been known to use X’s for either.”

“And you went with dead?” Spike exclaimed incredulously.

“It is his more commonly used definition for X’s,” she defended with an apologetic look. “But there’s no puddle of blood or anything. I’m sure it’s just unconscious this time. Probably.”

Rainbow Dash ignored her comment, and quickly made for the exit through the waterfall and mentally measured the strength of the storm. “Come on you two, we gotta fly. Get as high as you can as fast as you can. The wind’s gonna be bad but you’ll be fine as long as you keep in mind everything you've learned.”

The seriousness in their Captain’s tone threw any sense of goofing around out the door. Both of the newly trained fliers stood up and instinctively stretched out their wings as they had been taught to do before strenuous acts of flight.

“You cannot possibly be serious!” Aqua cupped his cheeks in his hands as they began to get ready for take off. “Flying through the Everfree in a storm like this would be tantamount to suicide! As your host I simply must insist that you stay! You will not do any of your friends any good by getting yourselves hurt by attempting flight in a gale.” He pressed his large body up against the entrance, blocking it completely only to suddenly find his head yanked forward by the ends of his mustache. “Ow!”

The well-meaning sea serpent was forced to stare directly into a pair of angry, red eyes as Rainbow Dash hovered at eye level with him, the ends of his precious facial hair gripped by her powerful hooves. “You listen here, and you listen good. No storm, no haunted woodland, and no good intentions of an over-sized water snake will ever be enough to stop Rainbow Dash from being there for her friends! Now get out of our way, or I’m gonna have the dragon cook every strand of hair off your head. We clear?” With that she let the ends of his mustache go, and they snapped back like rubber bands.

The threat was probably an idle one, but Aqua got the message. Quickly moving out of the way while rubbing the sting where his facial hair had been mercilessly pulled, he instead concentrated on trying to restore his precious mustache its original shape. Dash nodded approvingly as Scootaloo cast Spike a worried glance. With a quick, silent gesture for him to follow, she took this chance while the large sea serpent was distracted and flew straight out of the curtain of water that still covered the entrance. Spike wasn't far behind.

Rainbow Dash turned to give Aqua an apologetic look. “Sorry Aqua. I really do appreciate everything you did for us, and I’d like to come back, but a pegasus’ gotta do what a pegasus’ gotta do.”

“I suppose,” he responded despondently before turning back to her with a pleading look. “But please, please be careful! You ponies are the first friends I've had in so many years. I would hate to see harm come to any of you.”

“Hey! Don’t worry. We’ll be fine.” Dash gave him a confident grin before turning to follow her teammates only to find she was being held in place by her tail. She glared back at Aqua who had it pinched between his index finger and thumb.

“You will let me know? I’ll be a nervous wreck until I hear word.”

With a half-smirk, she slapped her tail out of his fingers and patted his snout. “Keep the cave warm, we’ll be back before you know it.”

Aqua slid his arm across the waterfall, pulling the water back and allowing Rainbow Dash exit without getting wet. With a quick wave good-bye, she took off into the sky past her flight team who were waiting impatiently outside. They hurried to keep up with her. Aqua bit his lip in worry as he watched the three disappear into the wild storm clouds above.

“Please come back safe, my dear, little ponies.”

Chapter 13, Clearing the Skies Part: 3

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She was just a little filly when they first laid the foundation, still learning her words and pestering her parents with hundreds of questions they could only barely understand enough to answer. She was on her father’s shoulders looking over a crowd of ponies who had come from miles around. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies arrived by the herd to watch a still young Stinking Rich and Macoun Apple lay down the cornerstone. There was a large cheer followed by happy applause as an inscription on the block was read out loud, and the air was filled with a spirit of celebration.

She still she remembered pointing at the large stone and asking: “what’s that?”

“That is going to be the town hall someday,” her mother answered with a bright smile.

At the time she was still too young to even know what that meant, but the answer did quiet her questions for a few moments as she thought about it. The stone struck a chord with her somehow. It felt right; like it would become fiercely important to her.

She hadn’t understood it at the time, but the feeling stuck with her throughout her years. Many hours were spent contemplating the meaning. The truth was they were laying down more than just a foundation for a building that day.

Much more.

It was a symbol of families from all over the area showing a commitment to each other; a community of friends uniting and becoming something greater. It was the christening of a town; the town of Ponyville. The official title of township had arrived a few months earlier from Canterlot, but the laying of the stone was the the moment it first felt real to the residents.

The Rich family provided the funds and the Apple family was to provide the workers, but it was the community coming together that had made that moment special. It was a moment the young filly would never forget.

The circular building looked so strong back then; sturdy and impressive at four stories high before coming to a tower’s point at its top. It was surrounded with two levels of balconies that encircled the outside. As she grew she and all her friends would run in around the highest balcony and stare over the railings. It felt as though they were on top of the world! None of the surrounding buildings even came to half its height and it seemed as though they could see forever over the hills in the distance and into the horizon. Below, the earth ponies and unicorns would be going about their daily chores, above pegasi were clearing the skies. Ponies from all walks of life made up their flourishing town.

Long after her friends had gotten bored with the new building, she would still climb the winding stairways to stare over that railing. From these balconies she could see everything that was Ponyville; everything she truly cherished about her home. The day her cutie mark appeared was the day she made an unspoken promise to herself to make this little community prosper as much as she could.

Tirelessly she found herself slaving away in the Town Hall, and the building became more of a home to her than anywhere else. Her own house was often layered with dust and seldom seen visitors, but her office was polished to a shine and entertained ponies almost constantly.

She was Mayor Mare, and she had become the Mayor of Ponyville through exhaustive work and concern for the well-being of her neighbours and friends. Her elections went uncontested for the last ten years running. Though it was never her intention, she had become a permanent fixture there; as much a part of the town hall as the cornerstone she’d seen laid down so very long ago.

Improving Ponyville had always been her goal, and juggling the different business claims, property disputes, and expanding the town’s constantly growing borders and industrial pursuits were her tools for doing so. It was no easy task. Businesses demanded the town invest more into the railroad for greater capability to export produce. Disasters of every sort harassed Ponyville, and it was standard procedure to help those in need before repairs could be made on public property. In spite of that, roads still needed to be made, borders needed to be pushed further back, and infrastructure needed to be built up before any new citizens or businesses could be moved in.

All of this needed to be accomplished without increasing taxes to support the effort. Frankly it was an impossible balance to achieve, but she had managed to impress the local merchants and residents enough with her bookkeeping talents that they refused to see anypony take her place.

Due to constant juggle of priority finances, the old town hall had suffered over the years. The whole building had been long overdue for the maintenance they had begun during the Spring. Mayor Mare could have blamed the lacking bits and budget cuts, or the primary concern of helping out residents in trouble, but she admitted to herself it wasn’t the only reason. The truth was that she had grown far too attached to the old building. The first words out of the mouth of every contractor she’d asked about the project of repairing the town hall was ‘not to bother’ followed by ‘we should tear it down and build another.’

Thoughts of seeing her home broken into piles of wood to be replaced by some strange, new structure that would completely unfamiliar to her flooded her mind. It hurt a lot more than it should have. Ponyville did not have the bits to spare for personal feelings to be involved. Even so, Mayor Mare repeatedly pushed back the project, waiting for somepony to come along with a real solution that would leave her heart at peace.

This spring the answer had come from the least expected place. A young mare just out of her filly years was seeking a job in the architecture and carpentry trade. Her apprenticeship was finally at an end, and as her final project to prove her knowledge of her trade, she had done a fantasy design for town hall.

It wasn’t a new idea.

The shabby shape of the town hall was a well-known joke to every carpenter and architect in the area, and two out of three aspiring carpenters used it for such fantasy projects. Each design found their way to Mayor Mare’s desk while hopeful eyes wondered if their ideas would be allowed.

She’d smile politely, tell them, often truthfully, there just weren’t any bits left to spare, and then send them on with a recommendation. Seeing the young ponies taking interest in supporting their community was inspiring after all, and it hurt to tell them ‘no’ over and over again. Their designs were often quite wonderful, impressive, and some were just plain fantastic, but when she pictured working in the halls of these buildings something inside her protested with all its strength. Each picture and design broke her heart ever so slightly, then her eyes would begin to tear up until it felt like she was about to lose something incredibly precious and rare.

Then one morning there was a new design placed neatly on her desk when she had stepped into her office. At first, she didn’t even realize it was a new design. She’d thought somepony had made a new copy of the old ones and figured she was supposed to file them. It was only when misfortune spilled her coffee over the folder and forced her to take the pictures out to dry each one separately, that she took notice.

The shape of the building hadn’t changed, but the building materials were very different. The new one called for different kinds of lumber and stone the founders never had access to when they first built the hall. However, with the railroad at their convenience, Ponyville could ship supplies in from anywhere in Equestria. The new design called for twice as many support beams around the base, and much of it wasn’t what one would consider ‘fancy’. Unlike many of the other designs no specially made sculptures or carvings were anywhere in the plans.

The improvements were all ‘function over fashion’ as workponies would say on occasion. On the higher floors the building would start being made of lighter, more flexible types of wood that would allow it to bend with the wind instead of trying to stand against it. The base foundation suggested stone and lumber of strong and sturdy framework. The work would be both extensive and intrusive, but when completed, the changes would be quite minimal to anypony that was just walking through. Most wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference outside of the extra pillar or support beam here and there.

Actually, Mayor Mare wasn’t even sure she’d call it a new design so much as it was just heavily renovated.

She fell in love with it immediately.

She raced out of her office and demanded her secretary to fetch the young architect as fast as she could. Within the hour the young mare responsible stood before her. She was almost as perfect as her designs. The Apple family’s youngest taking up where her grandfather left off? It was like Ponyville itself walked up, knocked on her office door, and said, “I believe you were waiting for this.”

The renovations hadn’t been fully completed when an angry Apple Bloom had marched into her office and told her she was headed out West to Appleoosa. It was hard thing to hear. No matter how much Mayor Mare had pleaded, Apple bloom was determined to leave. But she hadn’t left them high and dry. The designs, the supplies, the plans, they were all left behind for the next pony to head the project. Things went a bit slower after that, but the mainstay was completed without its lead designer, but her abrupt departure left Mayor Mare wondering if she had chosen the wrong pony for the job after all.

Now that she found herself on the uppermost balcony of the town hall looking at a very different Ponyville from her youth, any questions she had about choosing the right pony were completely dismissed. Waves of green flame rose high along the rooftops. Timberwolves were below, slamming against the large, strong hall doors. Brave earth ponies were out on the balcony with her, raining down building supplies, tools, and anything else they could find, all used as ammunition to kick and throw at the wolves at their gate.

Soaring above her, daring packs of weather ponies, still tired from their failure to clear the wild storm overhead, continued their hopeless attempts at weather control. Others had broken off to make risky supply runs for food, water, and first aid kits. Behind the newly rebuilt, sturdy walls of the town hall and barricaded door, the residents huddled in fear. Colts and fillies were crying. Their parents hovered over them protectively. ‘Everything is safe now’ and ‘The walls will hold’ were commonly whispered words of comfort.

And so far the words remained true. Against all odds, the walls were holding, and the door hadn’t budged no matter how the timberwolves smashed themselves against it. But now the sinister, wooden monsters were leaning against the building, letting their fiery hides take root along the walls. It wasn’t very effective. The heavy rains kept everything soaked, and worked against the wolves’ attempt to burn them out. But there was something unnatural about the green flames they bore; more than just the colour. It was hot enough to take hold in spite of the slick surfaces. It was only a matter of time before their plan would come to fruition if nothing was done.

Unfortunately Mayor Mare wasn’t the only pony to notice. Inside, heated arguments were breaking out. It had started among the pegasi, specifically the weather ponies. Currently the majority of their number were spread thin between making supply runs, making rescue missions for the residents not yet accounted for, and continuing efforts to control the storm. However, with the timberwolves’ new strategy it became very clear that they would have to put some on defense patrols around the building as well. Still others felt the trouble stemmed from the wild storm and that their efforts should be concentrated on clearing the skies.

As they argued, more than just weather team began to voice their opinions. The parents of the colts and fillies that struggled to get their families into safety backed the pegasi who wanted to focus on defense and supplies. Those that still had family outside the hall argued that more needed to be assigned to search and rescue efforts.

Mayor Mare had escaped to the balcony to think, but none of this was the kind of thing she was elected for! She was a glorified paper pusher! Ask her about economics, business, law, or bureaucracy, and she’d have an answer. What Ponyville needed now was not a mayor, it was a general! Still, she was the only leader they had, and it was her they were going to look to for the ultimate decision.

The town hall needed to be protected, but they couldn’t abandon those still caught outside either. And what use was defending the town hall if the rest of Ponyville burned down around them? If the storm was the cause of all this, clearing the skies could save everypony, but there was also no evidence that getting rid of the storm would do any such thing. Furthermore, those heavy rainclouds were their best defense against the fires breaking out all over town.

She stared over the balcony looking in vain for some kind of sign, some kind of answer she could give her citizens that would solve all this. The only thing that answered her silent plea was a terrifying chain of lightning and thunder that rolled across the sky.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a silhouette on the far side of the balcony; a pale yellow pegasi just sitting there and staring up into the storm clouds, her long pink mane and tail, soaked, splayed out, and sticking to her skin, draped over the wood. Her wings were tucked closed to her back, and she shivered in the cold. It was the last pony Mayor Mare would ever expect to see outside in the middle of all of this thunder and lightning.

“Fluttershy?” she asked walking over to her. “What in the heavens are you doing out here? I thought you were helping to oversee the animals and injured ponies.”

“Oh, uh,” Fluttershy stuttered quietly, looking away, unable to meet Mayor Mare’s eyes. “I-I was, b-b-but with all the ponies arguing-” She trailed off, but she didn’t need to say another word. Mayor Mare understood. She too had chosen the fury of the storm over the flaring tempers of family against family. The question had clammed up the shy mare, though, and she desperately needed a pony that wasn’t going to shout in her ear. Maybe a change of topic was in order.

“How are the animals, dear? Are they doing okay?” Fluttershy had been the first pony into the town hall, and many of the necessities for all the ponies coming had already been piled inside thanks to the efforts of her and her woodland friends. The variety of animals shared shelter with Ponyville citizens, much to most of their dismay. Space was already limited but as Fluttershy’s variety of friends included a rather large bear, the animals were given a wide girth on the second floor.

Fluttershy met her gaze again, this time without the sense of fear. It was a much easier subject for her, one she was familiar with, one she was able to handle. “They’re scared, like everypony,” she answered quietly, before turning to look at a nearby flash of lightning. “But they’ll be okay.”

Mayor Mare followed her gaze and caught sight of the flashes of frightening bolts that lit up the sky. “And you? I thought you were scared of thunderstorms.”

“Oh, I am,” Fluttershy quickly agreed. “But they’re also kind of beautiful, aren’t they? I’ve never actually seen one before. The thunder always made me too afraid to look, but I didn’t have a choice tonight. I’m kind of glad.” Another flash came and Fluttershy’s eyes flew towards its direction, hoping to catch sight of it. She wasn’t disappointed. The heavens were putting on a show tonight, and the normally terrified pegasus didn’t want to miss a moment of it. “Is this what they’re all like?”

The awe in her voice made the Mayor smile. “Not at all. Most are much calmer than this.”

Fluttershy nodded, only half listening to the answer, absorbed by the incredible light show in front of her. Mayor Mare shook her head, utterly baffled at the sight. The cowardly pegasus, transfixed by one of the most frightening storms that had ever come out of the Everfree. Of all the ponies in town, this was the one that found their calm in the storm? It was a calm the Mayor wanted to share in right now, if only just for a few moments before getting back into the hall to negotiate between ponies.

“They’ll come, you know.”

Fluttershy’s quiet words startled her more than the loud thunder that followed. “I-I’m sorry?”

“My friends. Th-they’re all on their way. Sometimes, it takes them awhile, a-and I get scared, but they’ll come through. They always do.”

At once Mayor Mare understood. It wasn’t just the loud voices of protective families and worried friends that sent this shy, frightened pony out into the storm. Fluttershy was showing her courage the best way she knew how in this situation. She had come outside to look for her friends, waiting for the chance to take her place among the Elements of Harmony and quell the storm and these timberwolves brought with them.

How could Mayor Mare have forgotten? Ponyville had a secret weapon against these kinds of situations. At last she had found the answer she was searching for. She still had no idea about what to do in regards to the pegasi being spread so thin, but it wasn’t her job to know that. It was her job to find some way to keep the peace until cooler minds found a real answer. Mayor Mare did not need to solve the problem. She just needed to keep ponies from panicking until a more qualified pony showed up. And there were more qualified ponies on their way. However, when the right pony for the job showed up, they’d need all resources available. She just needed to delay things a bit.

Maybe siege tactics were not Mayor Mare’s strong point, but delay tactics? Delay tactics were exactly the kind of thing a glorified paper pusher knew how to do. And if delay tactics could save her town and this hall, then by golly, nopony was going anywhere without filling out the proper forms first!

********************************************************************

The rain was coming down in sheets. Fur and feather alike were so soaked that sometimes Scootaloo wasn’t sure if she was swimming or flying. The wind buffeted against her body leaving a constant, frigid chill through her every limb and appendage. Her wings ached with the strain it took to not be carried away on the gale. She kept a hoof against her forehead in attempt to keep the water from her eyes. Her ears were flooded with water, but still she kept them tensed and alert trying to listen over the storm.

“Up! Push up, push up, push up!” She could only barely make out her Captain’s words, but she followed the command instantly. Angling herself upwards, she pushed against gravity, wings up, wings down, wings up, wings down. As she did, the winds suddenly died down, and she soared upwards through the next layer of dark gray clouds that obscured her vision on all sides. It was just a small gap between the between gales. Her Captain would cry out her commands every time a gap was coming and the team would push higher and higher in an effort to get above the clouds.

It was a slow process. The gaps seldom lasted long, and if they angled too soon or leveled out too late, she would be trapped on the gale and sent spiraling back; losing all the distance she hoped to gain.

Her teeth were chattering, and her whole body shook with the cold. Her reserves of strength were ebbing away. Rainbow Dash had assured them on the way up, that once above the storm they would be able to catch their breath. Getting above the storm, however, was no simple task. It was a slow, five mile climb to get to the clouds and another mile or two to get through them! It felt like an eternity. Now that they had managed to make it to cloud level, it was that much worse. Visibility had gone from little to zero. The only thing she had to rely on was her Captain’s barely heard words in a windstorm.

Scootaloo was only just managing to keep pace, but she had it easy compared to Spike. The poor dragon, couldn’t’ match the agility or reaction time of his smaller pegasi team members, and he was still quite a ways below them. He could never flatten out in time, and the winds caught his sizeable girth much easier. Whenever she caught a glimpse of him, it was like watching a kite in a tornado.

It pained her that she couldn’t go back to help. Everything she had been taught told her not to leave a teammate behind, but it was all she could do to keep herself upright. How was she supposed to help anypony else if she couldn’t even make it on her own? Apparently her Captain had similar thoughts in mind because Rainbow Dash was still higher than her, though that might have just been a trick of the wind. Scootaloo only had the sound of her Captain’s voice to determine where she was, and it was more than a little unreliable.

Suddenly the gales picked back up! Warning from her Captain had not come! She must have fallen out of earshot! Scootaloo’s world spun into a dizzying blur. Her stomach turned with her as the food they had been eating at Aqua Shallow’s cavern threatened to come back up.

“Horsefeathers!” she cursed as she tilted her wings and wiggled her tail this way and that in attempt to level off. Every second she spent trying to recover her bearings meant another fifteen minutes off course! They couldn’t afford this! Who knew what trouble Snails was in! Or Twilight Sparkle for that matter! She wrestled with the winds and gravity to regain her stride.

“Captain!” she frantically screamed, hoping she could catch Rainbow Dash’s attention before they were too far separated. “Captain! Captain, where are you?!”

Minutes passed by and no answer came back.

Growing more frantic with every second, Scootaloo called out for her Captain and for Spike again and again in vain hopes of hearing her own name called back. Fear made her forget the pain and the cold, and forced her forward, pushing into the gale with all her strength. She had to catch up! She just had to!

This couldn’t be happening! Not this! Anything but this! Not lost and alone in a storm! Scootaloo stared up into the rolling black and gray storm clouds that surrounded her. If she could just break out of this cloud cover, everything would be fine! She would be able to find Rainbow Dash and Spike when they managed to find their way up. She couldn’t wait for the gaps in the gales, though. Without Rainbow Dash to guide her, there was no way to tell when they were coming.

The only reason Rainbow Dash knew was due to her extensive time spent as a weather pony. Scootaloo had to take the chance, and fight her way up! With nervous hesitation she waited for any hint of the winds dying down. Until then she flew, just a speck of orange against a sea of black and grays. Several flashes of lightning split the sky, throwing terrifying shadows and stark light across the clouds. Thunder followed, and she felt the force of it rattle her bones. She clenched her teeth and fought to regain her balance. Finally the wind showed signs of dying down a little.

There was no time to hesitate. Scootaloo lurched upwards, but it was too soon.

“No!” she cried out as the wind took her once more, sending her spinning off. Tears mixed with rain as she spun out of control.

That was it. That was the end. There was no way she could catch up now. She closed her eyes and let the wind take her. There was no way to determine what direction she was headed or where she had been. It twisted, turned and weaved, throwing Scootaloo into the air before catching her again by the wings. Another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky, and another roll of thunder rumbled by.

How? How had it all come back to this? Flying through storms was shaping up to be the bane of her existence. It all reminded her so much of her struggles with her sky call. How many times had it shaken her right out of the air and sent her crashing to the ground? She could almost hear Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon taunting her all over again until she wasn’t sure if her ears were left ringing from her memories or the thunder crashing inside her skull.

The storm inside her head used to stop her from getting even a full meter into the air for more than a minute. She had been a flightless pegasus, destined to remain grounded, left behind, and rejected while others soared into the blue skies.

Scootaloo was supposed to be flying to Snails’ rescue, and now? Now her team would have to come back to rescue her. Time they should have been spending getting to the Golden Oaks Library.

It wasn’t fair! It wasn’t right! She fought so hard to get off the ground! She was fully trained at a professional level for landing, turning, stunts, and everything to do with flying! Her team had won the preliminary flight competition! They had become the team to beat! She’d come so far, and now? Now she was she was just floundering in a storm one more time. Was this where it all lead to? Did she overcome the storms in her head just to lose to a real one?

No.

Not yet.

Scootaloo wheeled herself around, picking herself off the gale and began searching for a way to begin her ascent anew. If she was going to go down, it was going to be because she ran out of fight, not because she gave up. She conquered one storm, she could conquer another. Sure this one had gales, lightning, and storm clouds, but they both had the same thunder. They both had the same howling winds in her ears. Maybe she could apply the same idea here. Sweetie Bell’s words came back to her.

What does it sound like? The scene replayed in her mind. The three friends gathered in Sugarcube Corner, Scootaloo making whooshing noises as Sweetie Bell hummed along, and ponies snickered in the background.

No. Forget them. They weren’t important. Concentrate on Sweetie Belle’s song; the rhythm. Did this storm have one too?

‘The rhythm of the wind flowing around you, the feeling deep in your heart that guides your movements all to the beat of your wings,’ Fluttershy’s answer pony answered. The memory was growing clearer to Scootaloo now. It was what she was told the day Sweetie Belle took her over to visit the shy pegasus. It was the day they solved the riddle of her sky call. It was the day she learned to fly.

‘Birds, bunnies, squirrels, trees, the seasons, water, fire, wind. Each has their own way, a pattern they follow. All of nature sings in rhythms as old as the world,’ the memory continued.

The song in the storm, that was what she had to find! Rainbow Dash knew it instinctively, just like she figured out Scootaloo’s wing rhythm. Her Captain was so talented and experienced she could just follow along without even thinking about it. Scootaloo had no such talent and far less experience. She had to figure out the pattern by feeling out the storm and looking for signs of repetition, like Sweetie Belle had done for her.

Gathering her courage, Scootaloo took a deep breath and spread her wings out as wide as she could. The wind took her immediately, sending her sailing through the sky on an indiscernible destination once more. Already lost, Scootaloo had nothing left to lose. The only directions she needed to know were up and down. Thoughts of where she was or where she wanted to go were pushed from her mind. All of her concentration centered on feeling out the wind beneath her wings, and pulling at her tail. It took some getting used to. She tilted her wings this way and that, swished her tail around in the heavy winds that tugged away at her soaked feathers.

Closing her eyes, focusing all her thoughts on her wings, the words of her Captain came back to her.

You got this. You got this. You got this.

Scootaloo rang off her personal wing rhythm in her mind. The ever-present sky call had turned to static, turned into steady wing beats except when the crescendo hit where she’d have to rattle off a flurry of wing beats at once to compensate.

This time she couldn’t afford to flap her wings, though. Gliding was not her strong point, but it was what Scootaloo would have to do in order to for her to figure out the storm’s pattern. The only control she would have to be through the tiniest wing adjustments.

Several times the wind threw her for a loop, and no amount of adjustment stopped the gales from tossing her wherever they wanted when the wind funnels came. Her frustration grew every time she was tossed, and a sense of panic tugged at the back of her mind. Her tail was the only thing she could count on to keep her steady.

She tried to think back to the week of training they just put behind them. It was nothing but swimming with a heavy focus on tail and wing control. It might have given them the edge they needed for the up and coming competition, but now, in the face of this storm it was proving painfully inadequate preparation.

“Come on girl, keep it together back there!” Scootaloo chanced a glare back at her own soggy tail. Shouting at one’s own tail didn’t seem all that sane of a thing to do, but it did make her feel a bit better for reasons beyond her. Brimming with a renewed sense of determination, she forced herself back on her belly and tried again.

Her sense of time were lost in the torrential abyss that surrounded her, but eventually, she managed to stay upright while being tossed around at the storm’s mercy. And as she steadied, subtle little familiarities made themselves known.

The wind’s movement was starting to remind her of the waves in Aqua’s river. Like how the wind would ebb before the big gusts came; giving her a head’s up to brace herself. Other details caught her notice as well. The shape of the clouds around her gave her a hint of the wind direction as a whole, and the angle of cold rain hitting her face told her the direction the wind currents were headed. If she watched carefully, when a flash of lightning lit up the sky, she could even see the spiral of wind funnels carrying the thousands of raindrops along.

One of the cloud formations caught her eye in one of those that momentary glimpse of light. It had a strange edge to its cloud that the others didn’t have. Several more flashes of lightning chained together gave long enough chance to see the tunnel of rain shooting up towards it the strange cloud.

In that split second, an idea struck, as vivid as the lightning around her. She had to be quick, though. There was no time to wait for a second look. Whatever had caused the wind funnel might not last!

With the next ebb in wind flow, Scootaloo threw herself against the storm! Her wings were a blur of motion as she rocketed through the rainstorm. The wind rose and fell like giant waves, but like waves, if she was quick enough, she could slip off to the side where it was in the middle of another dip in its strength. She was flying in large, serpentine motions avoiding the most powerful parts of the gales. For the first time since they took off from Aqua’s cave, it felt like she was making progress.

The new confidence brought with it an extra burst of energy and she found herself hitting her target. Spreading her wings wide, she was caught in a strangely warm updraft that sent a pleasant heat throughout her cold, wet fur, and sent her spiraling up and up until she was thrown head first, eyes closed past the highest of the clouds. Suddenly she found herself in another world, transformed from rolling black and gray clouds, to ones of deep blues, contrasted by a stark white light beaming down from a gigantic crescent moon surrounded by a million stars, brightening the sky so she could see for miles all around.

“Thank Luna,” Scootaloo whispered to herself as she allowed herself to arc and fall belly up through the open sky only to land softly on the surface of the dark clouds and just lay there for minutes. As she rested, she relived the ordeal in her mind. The winds were still incredibly strong up here, and they continued to howl, sounding almost like a pained wail. If there was a song to find in this storm, it was one of fear and confinement. Confined might actually have been the perfect description of the storm. Most would continue along their path, following wherever the wind would take them, but this time the wind twisted and circled around and around, as if stuck in a giant crashing loop.

It almost felt like a tornado could spring up at any time, and that very well could be what the wind funnels were all about, but she didn’t know much about tornados. Rainbow Dash would know. Scootaloo made a mental note to ask next time she seen her-

“Captain!” She jolted upright and sprung to her hooves. Rainbow Dash and Spike! Were they still down there? Had they already left? She didn’t have time for a nap! Still, her wings were strained beyond tired. They needed a break.

“Well, you still have two working pairs of legs,” she reminded herself out loud while looking at the storm that went on for miles in the distance, “and there’s no shortage of clouds to walk on.”

There was no way to tell which way her team had gone. Spike once told her that pegasi learned how to navigate by the stars. Scootaloo had laughed at the time. What was the point of learning how to navigate by the stars when you could see the land stretch on for forever? Pegasi weren’t supposed to fly long distances through storms, so unless you were flying over an ocean, it seemed like a useless thing to know. There were no oceans anywhere near Ponyville. It wasn’t anything she needed to know. She was eating those words now. If he were in her place, Spike would probably know exactly how to get back home from here.

Had he made it up above the clouds somehow? Was Rainbow Dash with him? Were they looking for her, or did they decide to go on ahead? Dozens of questions ran through her head leaving her as frazzled in mind as she was body. Trying to shout to them wouldn’t do any good. The storm was so loud she would lose her voice before anypony heard anypony a word.

A strange light caught the corner of her eye as she slowly walked on and tried to decide what to do next. Turning to look, a wide smile spread across Scootaloo’s face.

A fountain of green flame erupted from beneath the surface of a large storm cloud for a few seconds before dying out.

“Spike!” she yelled as her wings gained new life. The unmistakable dragon flame sent her excitedly into the air, and she streaked over the clouds looking for the source of the fire. It came in the form of a familiar warm updraft at a freshly created cloud edge that allowed her to peak down at the storm below, not that there was much to see but dark trees. Her eyes widened with a startling realization. The wind funnel she found was one of the thermal updrafts left over from one of his signals! No wonder the cloud looked so strange!

“Spiiiike! Caaaaptaaaain!” she shouted into the darkness below. There was no reply. She may have found Spike, but he still would not know where ‘she’ was! She would have to find some way to signal back to him, but how?

It had to be something from the air show, like making a tunnel through the fire! But she needed her board to do that. Without it, she’d just end up burning herself. But they had left her board back at Aqua’s. It was too awkward to risk taking out in this weather. She’d need a replacement.

She landed on one of the clouds and scratched her head as she thought about it. There had to be something she could use. A branch? No, she’d have to fly all the way down to the Everfree to get one. Tapping her chin and thinking about anything she could use, her mind turned to the clouds she was sitting on. She poked and prodded the dark gray fluff and found it resistant to her efforts.

The heat Spike’s fire breath could evaporate entire cloud formations with ease, but here dragon flame only managed to disperse parts of the cloud that were in direct contact with it. And these wild clouds were so tough the weather ponies in Ponyville had been unable to clear them for weeks!

Scootaloo didn’t have to clear a sky, though. All she needed to do was reshape and move them around a little. She began gathered up a pile of the cloud, and tried to shape it into something that vaguely resembled the board Apple Bloom had put together for her.

By the next time Spike’s signal broke the cloud surface she would be ready. Hovering with a skyboard-shaped storm cloud in in hoof, Scootaloo scanned back and forth until a pillar of fire blazed into the sky. The instant it appeared she dived towards it, hurtling into her trademark tailspin right down the middle of the flame. Her makeshift board shifted into the talespin with her, splitting the gout of fire into a ring that she was sure the dragon would notice. The storm cloud board was dispersing quickly. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes.

It didn’t have to hold out for long, just long enough.

She had no intention of going into her full blown ‘comet’ stunt all the way to the ground.

The storm, however, had other plans. As she tried to pull out of the dive, a blast of wind plowed into her, and Scootaloo found herself being tossed around like a rag doll all over again. She was just in the middle of trying to right herself when something large and furry crashed into her. A sound like thunder passed behind it, and she was trapped in its tailwind. The blast of force sent her on a ricochet path right back towards the surface of the clouds! It wasn’t until Scootaloo managed to build enough courage to open her eyes and see the trailing rainbow that she understood what had happened.

Finally the tail wind slowed and, with a small bump, Scootaloo fell against Rainbow Dash who caught her by her shoulders.

“Gutsy moves, Squirt,” Dash said with a large, congratulatory grin. “You did good.”

“Captain!” Scootaloo turned quickly and pounced onto the older pony hugging her tightly. “I thought I lost you!”

“You did,” Dash laughed. “You beat us up here! You must have handled that storm like a champ! I gotta say that was some pretty impressive stuff, Scoot. You know, for a rookie.”

“Thanks, you could say I had some really great teachers.” Scootaloo smiled, releasing her Captain from the hug as a question came to mind. “But if you can get up here like that at any time, why did you wait?”

“And leave you two behind? No way! I was trying to lead us to the eye of the storm before getting above the clouds. And I still have to. There’s no way Spike’s going to get all the way up here in that kind of wind. Turns out dragons and bad weather do not mix; at least not while flying anyway. The storm will be a lot calmer in the eye. He should be able to climb above the clouds there.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Scootaloo still wanted to contribute to the team effort. Before there had been no chance to help, but now that she was up here already, there might be a way.

“Yeah, actually.” Dash nodded thoughtfully rubbing her chin. “Find the eye for us and lead us to it on the most direct path you can find. Just don’t come back down into the storm to do it. You make a trail through the storm clouds, and I’ll pick up on it right away. I’ll get Spike to keep sending up signal flares to let you know we’re still on your trail.”

“Got it!” With a quick salute Scootaloo was off high into the sky looking for the middle of the big swirling storm clouds, and Rainbow Dash dived back down to help guide the little lost dragon.

Before she could find what her Captain was talking about, Scootaloo had flown high enough that the air had grown frigidly cold and incredibly thin, even for pegasi who were made for this kind of thing. Every pegasi was warned about going too high when they were young. There was a very large risk of losing consciousness and Scootaloo was beginning to worry she was stretching her limits. Still, it was no safer for Rainbow Dash and Spike down in the middle of the strange, wild storm. If this could knock some time off their trip through the wind and lightning, then it would be worth it.

The storm stretched astoundingly far, and it was more than a little stunning to see the whole shape of it at once. To cover the entirety of the Everfree forest and all of its surroundings, it had to be six hundred miles or more! There couldn’t have been a storm in the history of Equestria so large! At least nowhere a pegasi could be found. The thought left Scootaloo uneasy.

“No time to think about it now,” she told herself, directing her gaze to the one part of the sky where there was no cloud cover. The eye of the storm stuck out like a gigantic black spot on a sea of moonlit grays and blues. That’s where her Captain wanted to get Spike, and that’s where Scootaloo was going to guide them.

With a large swooping flight path, she followed the towers of flame that would part the clouds every few minutes to find out where they were, and then she sped on ahead of them towards the one clear part of the skies. With a straight line as a guide, it only took another twenty minutes of flight before Scootaloo caught her first glimpse of her big purple teammate in well over an hour. When Rainbow Dash and Spike came into view, a sense of relief flooded her and she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. As they ascended above the clouds, a thousand water droplets poured off Dash’s matted fur, and water simply cascaded from Spike’s scales. They were so drenched it almost looked like they were flying out of the river. Their Captain was encouragingly cheerful about the whole ordeal, but Scootaloo could tell Spike hadn’t come out with near as much confidence.

Rainbow Dash landed on a cloud and shook the water out of her fur with a practiced ease that made Scootaloo jealous. Spike remained in the air, circling around the two pegasi, shivering from the cold, water sliding down his outstretched wings. Though he was still gliding with ease his face looked worn and tired, creased with worry. It occurred to her that without Twilight’s spell to walk on clouds like a pegasus, he wouldn’t be able to rest his wings until they got back home.

“Spike, are you okay? You want to let us take lead so you can ride on our lift?” she asked already moving out in front of him to give him what small help her small wings offer.

“I’ll…,” he panted, “…be fine.” With a large flap of his wings he began a slow wheel around to a different direction, and began to push onwards. He continued to pant as he answered her unasked question. “No time... to wait… for me… Gotta… keep… pushing.”

Rainbow Dash took on a momentary grim expression as she watched Spike go. With another shake of her fur, she jumped right back into lead position, but gestured for Scootaloo to come over and whispered, “We caught sight of some disturbing things going on in the forest. At first we thought it was on fire, but I went in for a closer look. There’s a huge pack of timberwolves climbing all over the place down there, and they’re all headed in one direction.”

“Ponyville.” Scootaloo swallowed hard as she answered her own unspoken question.

Rainbow Dash nodded with a look filled with meaning. “Spike’s right. We can’t afford wait for him. This is bigger than us; bigger than the whole town.”

“We can’t just leave him behind! We’re a team, and a team has to stick together!”

“Close, but not quite, Squirt. A team has to ‘work’ together, not stick together.” Dash corrected in that ‘Captain’s orders’-voice she often took to while teaching. “A good team is only at its strongest when each player is playing their part. Sometimes that means somepony has to play defense while the rest push forward on offense, you get me?”

“I-I think so?” Scootaloo frowned. They weren’t talking the same sort of sport anymore. Did they just switch to hockey and basketball metaphors?

“Well Scoot,” Dash wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders before continuing, “getting Spike to Ponyville? That’s our goal, that’s our offense. But we need somepony to go on ahead of us and start getting things into place. We need them on defense, in case our play goes awry. I’m putting you on D.”

“Okay, now you lost me. What is it exactly do you want me to do?”

Rainbow Dash gave her a wide smile and her gaze upward towards the night sky. “Same as always, Scoot. I want you to reach for the sky.”

********************************************************************

The continuous, shrill whistle rang loud in his ears like listening to... to… some … loud… thing, ringing in his ears. Trying to think was difficult. His thoughts felt heavy, dull, and incomplete. The only thing he wanted to do right now was relax and let himself sink fully into this warmth rolling across his body and fall into peaceful sleep, but no matter how he twisted and turned, the whistle wouldn’t let him rest. He had no idea where this horrible whistle was coming from either. Slowly swirling fluffy, pink clouds stretched as far as he could see, and not one of them gave any sign of whistling. He’d tried walk away from it several times now, and even stuffed some clouds deep into his ears! But nothing worked to stop that stupid whistle!

Frustrated and angry, he pushed himself up onto his hooves. Moving seemed to quiet the screeching, high-pitched annoyance that seemed to vibrate through his whole body. Keeping his mind occupied helped him to ignore it as well. Unfortunately there wasn’t a whole lot to occupy his mind with. So he slowly walked along the circling clouds, choosing to follow them wherever they lead for lack of better ideas.

It seemed to be working, and his lethargic limbs felt more under control, and he began to move a little faster. Just a little though. There was no need to hurry, after all. It wasn’t like there was anything important to do. Ever since he sent that scroll off to-. He paused in his meanderings trying unsuccessfully to complete the thought. He could not recall who he sent the scroll to. Well, it didn’t matter. The nagging thoughts about it had all disappeared along with the scroll. No thoughts at all seemed to matter here.

For the first time ever, his mind had gone quiet, relaxed, fully at peace with everything around him. The sensation was wonderful, but made him feel groggy at the same time. Thoughts only came one at a time now, instead of dozens all at once. Less of his mind was needed for the slow train of them chugging their way through his head. It felt wonderful; wonderful except for the whistle.

As he followed the flowing path of clouds, he suddenly tripped over something very solid. Upon crashing into the pink fluff at his hooves, the looming wish to curl up and sleep took him again, but the whistle roared back to life, louder than ever. Jumping back to his feet, he quelled the sound with a rare wandering thought. What had he tripped over? There had been many things he’d tripped over in his life, but it was unlikely that even he could find a way to trip over a cloud.

With a cautious hoof he poked and prodded the clouds, feeling around until he tapped the strangely solid thing he’d accidentally found. Quickly scooping the clouds out of the way, a strange, pale purple shell became visible. More clouds covered it quickly, however, no matter how much he waved his hooves trying to keep them away.

That was pretty rude of the clouds all in all. How was he supposed to figure out what it was if they kept getting in the way? Not with his eyes, that’s for sure. There were other ways though, other senses he could use. Tasting it didn’t seem too appealing. He decided against that. How about hearing? He pushed his head into the cloud and listened quietly, but the whistle came back. Nothing smelled like anything in this place, either, so that was no good. He’d have to feel it out.

Running his hoof along the strange shell, he traced his way down the spiraling, hard curves. There was something familiar about it, and the answer sat just outside his grasp. It was quite a bit larger than it seemed as well. The clouds were surprisingly deep! The further he reached down, the more there was to this shell, and the thicker the clouds were.

He wanted to get to the bottom of this little mystery, quite literally. It was the first new thing he’d found in this place, and suddenly it seemed like it’d be a waste to go to sleep without figuring out what it was first. Pushing himself downwards head first into the fluff, he reached further and further into the cloud, until he was shimmying down the mysterious thing he’d found. But then, maybe he wasn’t shimmying down at all. Things like up and down had no hold over this place. Up was wherever your head pointed, so maybe it was just as likely that he was climbing up now, and not shimmying down at all.

Turns out the strange purple object was far, far larger than him, and the bottom was quite far away too. He found the bottom clouds before the bottom of the strange, twisting, shell-like thing. Poking his head out of the pink fluff, much the place around him became clear, and yet, very, very confusing all at once.

The first thing he noticed, was that it wasn’t a shell at all, rather it was the tip of a gigantic unicorn horn, as large to him, as a spire that towered up into the clouds. He knew this because of the unicorn that was attached to it below. The second thing he noticed was that it was also this same unicorn that was making all these large, comfortable clouds, for they were spiraling around her horn, like some fantastic magic spell being cast.

But was she really huge, or was he just really small? Why were they two very different sizes at all if they were both unicorns? Why did she seem familiar to him? Who was she? What was she doing? Why was she doing it?

So many questions surged forward in his mind, coming on like a tidal wave over what was once a serene, quiet, and peaceful ocean. The whistle was completely drowned out as the floodgates opened, and waves of curiosity came back in full force. With an excited cry, he slid down the horn the rest of the way, before laughing as he landed softly on his rump in a puff of the unicorn’s mane. She didn’t seem to notice his landing at all. Instead the familiar unicorn was focused on some form of repetitive chant in the loudest, slowest whisper he had ever heard.

Her voice reverberated along her skull, and he felt her words vibrate through his hooves, up through his knees, and echoing around his head.

“MAKE THEM SAFE! MAKE THEM SAFE! MAKE THEM SAFE!” Her voice was filled with worry and strain, and it made him sympathize with this strange giant. What was it she was trying to ‘make safe’? It was obviously something very important to her. Then again, what was she trying to protect it from? Dangers, worries, troubles, those kinds of things just didn’t exist in this place. They all slipped away, drowned in the comforting warmth he felt coiling around him all over again.

His eyelids began to droop as he thought of that wonderful heat, and he yawned tiredly. It had been a pretty good journey. Surely the answers to his questions could wait for a nap.

‘WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET’

His eyes snapped open as that blasted whistle came back. Maybe the large unicorn was trying to protect her ears from that horrible sound. That would be an undertaking he could get behind. He’d have to ask her, though, and she seemed like she was pretty busy. Of course, if it made the whistle stop, it might be worth the interruption. She’d probably understand.

With the decision decided, he pulled up one of her bangs and began to rappel down her forehead. The length of hair didn’t quite reach all the way down to her muzzle though, so he just let himself drop the rest of the way. Once more he found himself landing awkwardly, but softly, on his stomach, legs splayed out beneath him. Slowly raising his head, he looked up at the giant’s eyes, but they were clenched shut in concentration. The sound of her whisper was much louder down here, and his whole body shook with the noise.

“Uh, hello?” he tried uncertainly. She gave no sign of noticing that a pony had fallen onto her muzzle at all, let alone hear his greeting.

“Hello!” He tried again, this time shouting the greeting in hope that he could get her attention. It was to no avail. Her booming whispers drowned out his loudest shout easily. There seemed little he could do to break her out of her chant.

“Hi there!” a cheerful, high-pitched voice from behind gave him such a start he jumped a foot in the air before wheeling around to face the new arrival. Before him hovered a tiny, giggling filly, still new to her cutie mark, bearing all the same colour patterns of the gigantic pony on which he now stood. He regarded her with bewilderment, looking from the giant, to her, and back again.

“Huh?” he asked, utterly confused about what it was he was witnessing. How could a pony be giant and a tiny, young filly at the same time?

“Hi!” she repeated excitedly, hopping up and down, or at least, she looked like she was hopping. Was it still considered hopping when the hopper was floating in the air? “I’ve never seen you around here before! That means yoooouu are new!” As she dragged out the word, the little filly spun vertically around until she was upside down, her muzzle an inch away from his.

He wasn’t sure that was right. Obviously she was a lot younger than he was which would technically make her the newest pony. But then again, maybe things worked a little backwards in this place. She hung there, staring at him, and it finally occurred to him that she might be waiting for some kind of response.

“Hello,” he tried again, figuring he might get a bit more of a response from the tiny, active version of the larger purple pony. “Who are you?”

“You know, it’s more polite if you introduce yourself before asking somepony else’s name,” she giggled lightheartedly. There was something in her playful tone he just couldn’t place.

Well anyway, he wouldn’t want to be impolite. His mouth moved on its own, ready to tell her his name, but no words came out. He paused, and looked up as he thought carefully about the question, but no matter how much he picked his mind, no answer came. The answer felt slow, and out of reach, like everything in his head was a befuddled mess. He had no idea who he was! Panic started to take hold, when he failed to recall his name.

“I don’t think I know!” he said in a worried whisper. A pony should know who they were! Of that much he was certain, cloudy mind or not! Shrill whistles came as second priority to that, no matter how annoying they were! “I can’t remember! I think I lost my memory!”

“Well that doesn’t sound good.” As the filly’s spirit sunk so did her body until she was gently lying on the ground. Then her ears quickly perked up, and he could practically see the idea forming behind her bright, curious eyes. “Hey, maybe I can help you find it!”

“Can you?” He asked, only allowing himself a tiny hope. She was just a little filly, and he was a grown pony. What could she do that he couldn’t? Well, probably remember her name. Maybe that did make her the right pony for the job. “Do you really think you can?”

“Sure, I’ve lost things lots of times.” She dismissed his concerns with a wave of her hoof, before pulling out a scroll and a quill from seemingly nowhere. “It happened so much, that I put together a checklist for how to find lost things! We just have to follow these steps, and you’ll find your memory in no time.”

“You made a checklist for it?” The idea left him a little disconcerted. He didn’t remember much, but something told him that he wasn’t the greatest fan of following checklists. That same something told him checklists most often involved a whole lot of work.

“Uh-huh! I make checklists for everything that I have trouble with! Complicated things become much easier with a checklist, and losing things can be a very complicated matter, especially if they’re something as important as memories!” The filly sounded very sure of herself, and he did have a memory to find. It was worth looking into. Who knows? Maybe she had a checklist for stopping disturbing whistles too.

“Okay,” he agreed with a nod. “What’s the first step?”

“Let’s see.” Looking down at her scroll she pointed to the first line. “It says here that the first thing you should do is: Ask yourself what you were doing when you last had the lost item.”

“But I don’t remember when I last had my memory. I woke up without it.” He frowned. Maybe finding memories was a bit too much for a step-by-step guide.

“Then the last thing you were doing was sleeping, silly.” The quill made a large checkmark on the list. “See? It’s easy!”

He nodded. That actually was pretty easy. “Alright, what’s next?”

“Step number two,” she read out loud, “Go back to where you last had the last item. So, where did you wake up?”

“Way up there,” he said, pointing up to the spiral of clouds slowly moving around the giant’s horn.

“Great!” She smiled without a care, and in a wink of light he found himself back above the clouds, hovering behind her as she floated along. She made another checkmark on the scroll. “Two down already! We’re making great progress. Time for step three.”

“Are you sure this is working?” he asked, as he floated into an accidental cartwheel that he didn’t know how to stop. The filly was looking quite pleased with herself, but he hadn’t remembered anything new. His doubts about this whole checklist thing were beginning to dig in a little deeper. However, he did wonder how she had teleported them all the way up here like that. Was there a checklist he could use to teleport? Because that would be awesome. Maybe even more awesome than finding lost memories!

“Of course it is! I just said we’re on step three, didn’t I? This has been going much faster with you than it was with her.” She rolled her eyes in frustration as she pointed towards the much larger ‘her’ would be far beneath the clouds. “At least you know what you’ve lost. She’s lost her whole ‘self’, and doesn’t even know it. It’s going to take forever before she even starts step one at this rate. You’ll never be able to find anything if you don’t even know that you’re missing it first. I’ve been trying to help her out for hours, but nothing I say gets through.”

That was a problem if he ever heard one, but it didn’t surprise him at all. The giant unicorn hadn’t heard him when he tried to talk to her too. She was just so big, and they were both so very small. The filly at his side had lost her smile and instead had her forelegs folded across her chest and floated along, scowling at the clouds below. He felt a little bad for her. She was such a tiny pony, and here she was, all by herself, trying to solve the problems for everypony she came across; problems that seemed much too large for her. It was admirable, and somehow very familiar. He wanted to help her, but he didn’t know what he could do. Instead he reached out to put a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

The attempted kind gesture turned out to be a mistake as he hadn’t quite gotten the hang of floating yet. He was sent spinning downwards, crashing into the clouds below, throwing a puff of pink into the sky around them, scattering it everywhere.

When the pink fog cleared his lanky limbs were tangled together and his head was stuck in the clouds. It took a few moments to untie himself, get up on four hooves again. With a mighty heave, he jerked his head free with a loud ‘POP’, falling back onto his rump. A thick, puffy beard of pink fluff was left stuck to his nose and chin presenting a figure that sent the little filly into a fit of laughter. She floated down to him, and pulled a cloth from wherever she had conjured the checklist and quill, and wiped his face clean. The act left him feeling a little perturbed, as it struck him as something his mother would do, rather than a filly.

“You’re funny,” she said between giggles, “I like you.”

At least she was smiling now. It was an infectious smile at that as he couldn’t seem to stop the corners of his own lips curving up to match hers.

“You know, you remind me of someone I know,” She said as she stuffed the cloth back to wherever she had taken it from. “He can be a little clumsy too, and he was always very curious about things. I used to take care of him a lot, but he’s all grown up now. It feels good to take care of somepony again.”

It didn’t feel like the right time to tell her he was all grown up too, even if it was kind of rude of her to assume he wasn’t. She had just started smiling again, and he didn’t want to change that. Instead it would probably be better to focus on the task.

“Dah, you said we were on step three?”

“Oh! Right!” As if suddenly catching herself, the filly cleared her throat in attempt to hide her fluster. He wasn’t sure how clearing your throat could possibly hide being flustered, but everypony seemed to try it anyway. “Ahem. Yes, step three. Remember everything you last did with the lost item.”

“But without my memory, how am I supposed to remember anything at all?”

“That would be difficult,” she admitted with a smile, “but when you first realized you lost it you said you didn’t remember much. That suggests that you do remember some things. What’s the last thing you do remember?”

He furrowed his brow as he tried to think as hard as he could, but only silly images came back to him; images of things that just didn’t make sense. “Uh, maybe I don’t remember anything after all. I think it was just a dream.”

“Dreams and memories aren’t always as different as you might think. Please, tell me about the dream.” Suddenly a couch-shaped cloud formed beneath him and he found himself lying on it. The filly was sitting back in a chair far too large for her. A note pad hung before her and a quill scratched away at the pages.

“Well, I just finished writing a very important scroll when-“

“And what was so very important about this very important scroll?” she quickly interrupted his train of thought.

He paused to give her an irritated look, but decided to answer anyway. After all, she was trying to help him here. Thinking back to the scroll, he scrunched up his face in thought while trying to picture what was on it. “Something about a tree on fire? An’ I think somepony was in trouble.”

“Very good.” She nodded and the quill went that much faster. “Please continue, and try to give me all the details.”

“Dah, okay.” With a slow nod, he began to speak his thoughts out loud, trying to remember everything about them. “So I sent a purple dragon the scroll. I don’t know what a dragon would want with a scroll, but it felt like it was something very important that I had to do.”

“You sent a dragon a scroll! All on your own?” The filly was hanging on his every word, but he could do without her sudden avid interest. He was trying to think, and for the first time his recollection seemed to be improving! His memory seemed within reach if he could just keep going without being interrupted so much.

“I did,” he answered quite proud of himself, though uncertain why. “It was Mr. Lama’s idea. He said I needed to find somepony to help with the trouble.”

“Mr. Llama?” All sense of knowing something he didn’t fell away from the filly’s face and she gave him a confused look. “There was a llama there?”

“Yeah, he was flying around my head a lot and buzzing in my ear.”

Her jaw dropped and made silent up and down movements, as if she was trying to ask a question she could not put into words. Glad that she finally stopped asking questions for a while, he continued on, hoping to finish talking about his dream before she could fully recover to interrupt him again.

“I talked with Mr. Lama, got a scroll, stood beside this wooden podium, and uh, then I began to cast the spell. I never tried this spell before, though. I may have done something wrong, because my horn got super-hot, everything gets cloudy after that. I remember lots of blue, and I was having trouble even remembering my name…” He paused, this time interrupting himself as it came back to him. “My name! My name was Snails! Is Snails, I mean! My name is Snails!” He hopped off the couch and pulled the still stunned little pony into a hug. “You did it! You helped me find my memory!”

He pulled back to treat her to giant smile. She tilted her head to the side, and finally found her voice “L-Llama? And it flew around your head? And buzzed?”

“And told me to send for help! Yup!” He nodded his head excitedly. Once his name had come back to him, so did everything else all at once! “And you, you’re Twilight Sparkle!” He paused, setting her down on the cloud before putting his hoof up to his forehead and moved it straight through the air above her to compare their heights. “I, uh, I thought you were taller, eh?”

“I am taller,” she said with a hmph, and pointed towards the giant pony. “She’s me too, but something happened, and now I’m all that’s left to move around.”

With a glance down where her hoof was pointing, he frowned, “I don’t think you were that tall.”

“That’s because this is a very special place. It’s where all the magical energy gathers inside your head while you’re pushing it out through your horn. This is where spells are born,” she explained in her very patient teacher’s tone that was very familiar to him. It was the one she took on whenever she was giving him magic lessons. “I got stuck here while trying to use the magic amplification circle I made. Everything in here is just a representation of the spell being cast. I’m so big, because of how much magic power I’m holding right now. And this ‘me’ is so small because I represent how little control over it I have right now.”

Snails wasn’t sure if he understood most of that, it seemed pretty complicated. That meant it was probably right. But there was one thing that seemed very off about it. “Dah, I cast spells all the time, but I never seen nothing like this.”

“That’s because this part of the spell normally happens so fast most unicorns don’t even know it does happen. This is the step right after you visualize your surroundings and begin to push your magic through your horn to affect reality.” Twilight breathed a heavy sigh as she considered her predicament. “It must have something to do with the amplification circle. I’ve never used one before, and didn’t know it would be this powerful. I had things under control until…”

As her sentence trailed off, Twilight looked away from him, and a fuzzy blur of memory came back; the memory of her coming to his rescue, stopping the giant bookshelf from crushing him flat. There was no need to finish her sentence. Snails got the message. When she was rescuing him she lost control over her spell. It was his fault she was stuck like this. This time he not only messed things up for him, he messed things up for all of Ponyville with him.

His frustrated stomp was met with an unsatisfyingly cute squeak of smooshed cloud. He gave a heavy sigh. How was he supposed to be a very important pony? Or do anything to help Twilight Sparkle? It took a dragon to be her assistant before! Snails couldn’t even stomp his hoof right.

“Dah, I’m sorry Twilight. I wanted to help, but I only ended up screwin’ you up too. I’m not much of an assistant.”

The tiny Twilight Sparkle frowned up at him then stared down at her checklist still in her hoof. “We need to finish step three.”

“What? But I already got my memory back.”

“Well, apparently you didn’t get all of it back. Nothing’s wrong with my memory, and I remember a brave, young stallion jumping out into a storm to stop my home from being knocked over. That would have made me lose control of my spell pretty quick too. You’re the only reason I even managed to protect as much as the library before getting stuck.”

“I am?”

“You are,” she confirmed with a smile. “And do you remember how you did it? That was a pretty powerful spell you cast. Time magic is not an easy magic to control. My own dabbles with it have been, well, let’s just say less than useful. When I take that into consideration, it doesn’t surprise me at all that it took this long for your natural magic to come into its own. All the practice you’ve been having lately must have spurred it on. A spell that slows down time might be just what we need to turn this situation around!”

“You, uh, you really think so?” Snails searched her expression for some sign of a ploy. He was often told he could be fairly gullible. Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem like the type of pony to trick others, but the really tricky ponies seldom do.

“If I didn’t think so I wouldn’t have kept you on as my assistant. You risked bodily harm to try to help me cast this spell. You even managed to successfully cast a spell you’ve never tried before on your first attempt! That makes you as dependable a pony as I could have asked for. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than earned your spot in my library, Snails. I’ll be happy to report as much to Princess Celestia too.”

Her beaming smile didn’t look fake in any way. His chest swelled with pride, while his mouth failed to find the right words to express it. Instead he pulled her into another tight hug, and repeatedly whispered, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Congratulations, my no-longer-under-probation assistant,” she whispered back, and he had to dry his eyes by the time he set her back down.

“Now then,” she said collecting herself and picking up the checklist again. “Step three.” remember everything you last did with the lost item.”

His proud expression faltered slightly. “But, uh, Boss, I already remembered, remember?”

“Snails, it’s very important that you follow the checklists I make: To. The. Letter. No skipping steps and no cutting corners. Most of the time it might not matter, but every now and then, even if you don’t understand how or why the step is there, it might make all the difference between failure and success, understand? Each step has a chance of teaching you something new that you might need to know. If we’re going to be working together, you have to promise me that you’ll always follow all the steps, no matter what, okay?”

He nodded, not wanting to disappoint her so soon. Following steps could be annoying, but it was something even he could do.

“Now, please, in greater detail, tell me what you did to cast that sending spell.” He was about to begin again when she quickly added, “skipping the part about the llama.”

Well now, that sounded like cutting corners to him, but questioning his boss’ methods didn’t seem like a good idea at this particular juncture. Better to just follow orders.

“Alright,” he replied with a small nod. Staring up, he thought about all the little details of everything he did to cast the spell. “Dah, first I went an’ took a scroll from the pile. Then I placed it on the podium. Uh, next I grabbed a quill an’ a bottle of ink, then I put that on the podium too. Then I wrote a letter addressed to Spike asking him to come help. Then I tried to copy the spell you always use to send letters, but the spell felt funny. It burned my horn, and thinking got hard, but holding the magic got real easy. Sending the letter was, like, super simple, eh? But it was tough to remember why I wanted to. I sent it anyway though, but after that I just got so sleepy. After that I woke up here with a whistle going off in my ear.”

“Very good!” Twilight Sparkle applauded. “That tells me everything I need to know about how you got here!”

“It does?”

“Absolutely! You see, I was using the podium as part of the magic amplification circle. When you used it with tried the sending spell you would have accidentally linked up with it! Your horn would have acted like an antennae, soaking up all that extra magical energy. Of course, since you’re not used to the heavy amounts of magical energy, your mind couldn’t create a big enough load where all that extra energy could be used up. Since that energy had nowhere else to go, it was stored in your horn and mind, trapping you here. Since we’re both using the circle, your link with it must have tapped into my spell, creating a link between you and me as well. That’s why you’re here. I’m not sure what the whistle is about though. It could just be something that happened when your body slumped over after you lost yourself in the magic.”

The tiny Twilight was smiling confidently, like she should be receiving some form of praise for working it all out. He gave her a slow congratulatory clap, but had no idea what she just said. Apparently his confusion was clear on his face because Twilight gave light giggle and simplified it for him.

“It was too much power all at once, Snails. You couldn’t control it so it all got stuck right up here.” She floated upwards and tapped the base of his horn with her hoof. “It linked your mind with the circle. So all you need to do now is use up all that extra magical energy and you’ll get out of here.”

“That’s it? I, uh, just need to use it all up?” That sounded way easier than he thought it was going to be.

“That’s right! And I know just the spell you should use. A high-powered time slowing spell might give enough time to figure out how you’re going to save Ponyville!” Twilight winked.

He was nodding in agreement before he realized what he was agreeing yes to, then his eyes went wide, his jaw dropped, and he shook his head quickly. “Wait, I can’t do that! I barely even stopped a tree branch or sent a letter!”

“Well, you’re going to have to. It’s my job to save Ponyville, and it’s your job to assist me, so it’s time to start assisting!” She pointed at his chest to emphasize her point. “The library has all the tools you need, Snails. You may not have enough power on your own, but the circle will help you there. If you combine it with a spell you’re familiar with, just like you did to send the letter, you’ll be able to come up with something!”

“But didn’t I just get trapped in the circle? What if it happens again?”

“Then I’ll be here to guide you back out again, won’t I? You can do it, Snails. I’ve seen what you’re capable of. You just need to believe in yourself.” She gave him a confident pat on his back.

He wished he could be as certain about it as Twilight sounded. Sending the letter had cost him his memory, even if only for a short while, and it was just starting to occur to him how very badly dangerous magic gone wrong could end up. But then again, in spite of what happened to him, the letter did get sent. Because of him, Rainbow Dash and the others were probably on their way. If he hadn’t done anything, the whole town could be destroyed before Rainbow Dash even knew about it! So what if he ended up confused? Being confused was pretty normal for him anyway. If that’s all it took to save Ponyville then wouldn’t it be worth it? If there was anything he had learned tonight, it was that in order to fix anything, you couldn’t be too afraid to give things a try. Snails looked over to Twilight and gave her a slow, uncertain nod.

“I’ll do it,” he said quietly. “Uh, I mean, I’ll try.”

“You’ll do fine, Snails. I know you will. Now, let’s see about giving you a plan to work with.”

********************************************************************

“Push!” she shouted as she pressed down on the strongest looking piece of lumber she could find. She stared down at her hooves where a once picture perfect pedicure was now riddled with soot, splinters, scrapes and cuts. Smoke stung her eyes and they watered as she pushed down on the wood with all of her might, bringing all of the weight allowed to bear on the heavy plank. She cursed her self-restraint. If only she’d eaten more apple fritters!

If she were as fat as Apple Bloom this probably wouldn’t even be a problem!

The thought brought rueful smile to Diamond Tiara’s tear-stained cheeks. Her shoulders shook with the strain, when at long last, something finally gave way. A resounding snap of wood and the support beam that had her unconscious father pinned finally rolled off to the side. She ran over to hug him tightly, weeping into his shoulder. His breathing felt long and ragged to her. She didn’t know what to do. She had no first aid training. His left hind leg was twisted to an awkward ankle, one jagged claw, snapped at the top from its corresponding paw, was still buried deep into his injured leg. The pool of blood soaking into her father’s fur seemed to stem from there.

Tiara remembered a torn tablecloth from earlier when she was looking for the piece of lumber to use as leverage. She rushed over to grab it, and about ten minutes later had it tightly knotted around the leg. After that she pulled her father away from the pile of debris that had once been their ballroom. The fire was becoming a threat again. The lacquered floors had lit up quickly, but slowed down once it reached the soaked pile of wood that was once a timberwolf bearing down on her father.

If only he was awake so he could tell her what to do! At the same time she was glad he wasn’t. The pain in his leg must have been excruciating. His last words were to leave him there and go for the town hall. She couldn’t do that. She’d never be able to abandon him, not for anything. He was her hero. He was able to turn a hoofful of bits into a wise investment, a wise investment into a fortune, and a fortune into anything at all. ‘You just needed the right options and opportunities and you could do anything at all.’ It was one of his favourite sayings. He usually followed it with ‘a smart pony doesn’t wait for opportunities, they make them’. But now he lay at her hooves, struggling just to breathe right.

Looking around the room, Diamond Tiara took stock of the options she had now. The fire was blocking off all the entrances, including the wall that had come down. The staircase was nothing but a pile of debris. Yelling would be of no help over the roar of the flames. Nopony would be able to hear her. Fortunately, that meant it was unlikely that any more of those beasts would be invading what was left of her home either.

For the moment, getting her father to a safe place to rest was her top priority. But, much to her disappointment, Diamond Tiara had never grown to be one of those tall, slender ponies that you could find modeling for fashion designs. She was short of stature and small of frame. Even Silver Spoon stood a head taller than her. Moving her father out of harm’s way without some kind of assistance was going to be impossible.

Wait, the dining carts! She scrambled towards the hallway leading to the dining room. The damage to the hall was extensive. When the support beams in the ballroom gave way, most of the second story collapsed with it. Half of the lower floor had been buried, and transformed the hallway into a tunnel of loose wood and timber. Blasts of wind were funneled down the mansion’s new tunnel system, throwing anything not securely fastened to the floor flying against the other end of the hall, including one unsuspecting Diamond Tiara once she unknowingly stepped into its path. The unexpected push caught her completely off guard. She screamed as she was thrown off her hooves and was sent crashing against the wall. With a loud bang, she landed awkwardly against her right side with a sharp cry. Pain tore the the breath from her lungs.

The pain ran up and down her side. Getting back to her hooves was a struggle that took minutes she didn’t have to give. Gritting her teeth, she rolled back to her hooves. She used the wall to brace herself with one leg, using the hallway frames as shelter from the main force of the wind. It was slow-going, a step by step process, but eventually she found her way to the dining room.

It was in no better condition than the hall outside, but it had one saving grace. The support beams were still standing strong. What had already fallen looked to be the extent of what was going to fall. There was even an opening to the night sky overhead. Plenty of tablecloths for its exaggeratedly long tables could be used for extra bandages. The scent of smoke hadn’t reached this room yet. Maybe the fire was having trouble burning its way through to here. If she could just manage to get her father through that hallway, it might be their best chance at surviving this.

Diamond Tiara rushed to gather things as quickly as her stinging side would let her. The tablecloth, once it was knotted up into a makeshift rope, was tied on to a beam close to the dining room’s entrance. With dining cart in hoof, she slowly moved down the hallway, holding on to the cloth rope. There was no way to tell how much time had passed. More than she felt was allowable, of that much she was certain. Smoke was billowing into the hallway now, but it was being pushed outside through small holes in the collapsed parts of the hall.

The effort of holding the improvised cloth rope between her teeth and the cart with her tail, while trying to balance herself against the wind gave her doubts about her whole idea. Her legs had lost feeling and were about as stable as wet noodles long before she reached the entrance to the ballroom. Her side screamed with pain like it was splitting open, though there was sign of injury from just looking at it. She imagined trying to get back to the dining hall with the wind at her front, and her father’s weight added to the cart. Fresh tears were rolling down her sweat covered cheeks.

It was the smoke in her eyes, of course.

Gritting her teeth around the table cloth, she took the last few steps to enter the ballroom. Everything was alight with green fire now, and black smoke swelled out of the missing wall. She could only just make out the beige fur of her father’s back behind the fire. He was where she had left him, like a castaway on an island of wet wood surrounded by a sea of flame.

She had no time to think. No time to come up with a better plan. No time to contemplate the pain, or the risk. Tiara gave the dining cart a tremendous push, and leapt out on top of it, rolling through the blaze. The silver cart was already getting hot to the touch before it crashed into the jumble of broken wood. Tiara crashed with it, flying face first into the mass of unmoving timberwolf. Her eyes were stinging from more than just smoke now. She could feel swelling already forming on one side of her face.

There was still no time to think about it. With well of hidden strength she didn’t know she had, she pulled herself back to her feet, and made her way over to where her father lay. His body was so hot to the touch it frightened her. Was she already too late? No. His chest still moved up and down. She reached her legs around him, gathering him into a tight hug.

“Don’t worry, Daddy, I’m here. Don’t worry.” The words tumbled out of her mouth beyond her control, and she dried her eyes on what remained of his dirty suit coat. Part of her just wanted to lay down there with him. She was so tired. Her limbs were so sore. The task ahead was so daunting.

“Ti-Tiara?” The reply shocked her back into reality.

“Daddy? Daddy you’re awake?” The tears renewed themselves all over again, and she made no excuse for them this time.

“Diamond, y-you need to go.” Filthy Rich clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth as he struggled to reach a sitting position. The pain was clear on his face until it was replaced by surprise when he felt his daughter slide under him. Her legs were trembling with the weight as she hefted Rich up onto her back, and took a shaky first step.

“I know,” she huffed through clenched teeth of her own, her eyes staring at the silver dining cart ahead of her. “We both do.”

For whatever reason, her father didn’t argue. She was grateful. There was already too much in her way without her father’s protests adding to them. Instead he opted for pulling himself up onto her to better position himself. It was a slow trek to the cart. Her father’s weight was all she could think about, and the broken, wobbling timber and jagged pieces of chandelier made each step a treacherous one. More than once she collapsed, stepping on a sharp piece of crystal, or an untrustworthy piece of wood. She didn’t know what hurt worst. The new cuts and bruises from each fall or her father’s uncontrollable, agonized groans.

The burning steam from the wet wood spurred her on. It would not be wet for long. They were both gasping by the time they reached the cart. It was searing hot to the touch. Filthy Rich peeled off his shirt suit and laid it out under him before getting up on it himself. It was Tiara’s turn to get on her father’s back. She relished the momentary respite. Her side, her legs, the swelling over her right eye, her whole body was screaming at her from the strain of getting this far. Her father grabbed a loose piece of wood, and used it to push against the floor, rowing the dining cart through the waist high flames.

Being light in frame was disadvantageous for Diamond Tiara, but to the full, strong legs of an adult stallion like Filthy Rich, it was blessing. He often joked that his briefcase weighed as much more often than not. The flames licked at his hooves as he thrust the cart forward, but the blistering heat was nothing compared to the burning in his thigh from where the beast left its buried claw.

The dining cart was scalding hot by the time they reached the hallway entrance. Tiara jumped off, and Rich shifted into a more comfortable position, trying to get as much of him onto his ruined shirt as possible without touching the silver edges. He watched his daughter tie one of what was once their family’s custom-made tablecloth end to his cart, and warn him about the upcoming wind tunnel. He nodded his understanding. The pains running up and down his leg paled to the pride swelling in his chest. Diamond Tiara was covered in bruises, her eye was swollen shut, and she was favouring her right side. Soot and blood marred her hooves and matted her fur, and her previously flawlessly styled mane now hung low and tangled. But the determination, strength, ingenuity, and courage she was displaying shone brighter than she ever had before.

He had heard once that your largest priority as a parent was to prepare your child for the life ahead of them. It was always one of his greatest fears that his pampering had spoiled her for going out into the world. Watching Diamond Tiara right then dispelled all doubts. He didn’t say anything. No words could convey what he wanted to say. Instead, when she stood up from securing the cloth to the cart, he pulled her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head like he used to do when she was filly.

Tiara allowed it only for a moment before shrugging away, mistaking the hug’s meaning. “We’re not done. Don’t worry, Dad. Just up the hallway, into the dining room. We can stay there for at least while.”

Rich just smiled in response. There was something hidden behind the smile. Tiara was good at picking up things like that, but she couldn’t say what. It didn’t matter. The worst of it was over. With her father awake, he could do most of the pulling up himself. She would only have to help him. The task wasn’t so daunting now that she wasn’t alone. They would make it to the dining room, slowly maybe, but they would make it. Then, it was just a matter of sending out some sign of needing help. With renewed confidence in her plan, she passed her father the makeshift rope and pushed him out into the hall. A blast of the storm’s wind slammed into them both at full force. They held their ground, and with a giant heave forward from Filthy Rich, the two began to fight their way towards the temporary shelter the end of the hallway offered.

********************************************************************

“Ladies and gentlecolts, May I have your attention please?” Shining Time called out over a large crowd of ponies who were busily arguing over seats and baggage space between complaints about the weather and train service. A few ponies near the front of the train car turned her way, but most were too absorbed in their squabbles to pay her any mind.

“Please everypony, just calm down!” she pleaded loudly once more while making her way down the aisle towards a particularly noisy pair whose argument over seating had fallen into petty insults. One of the more offended of the noble ponies, the daughter of a lord if Shining Time recalled correctly, was vehemently trying to force her bag into a compartment above a belligerent, old grump of stallion who was stubbornly defending his own bags from hers.

“If Ah toldja once, Ah toldja twice, it don’t fit up there lady! Ain’t no more room!” The elderly stallion rose up on his shaky hind legs and spread his forelegs as wide as he could in attempt to guard what empty space there was. “Yer gonna squish mah family’s feed if’n yah keep goin’ like yah are, yah foppy haired, sparkles fer brains unicorn!”

“Sir! There really is no need to be insulting, I`m sure I can work something out here,” Shining Time responded quickly as she raced over towards the dispute, hoping to calm it before it escalated any further.

“Why you stingy cretin! There would be plenty enough room with a bit of effort!” The unicorn responded shortly, ignored Shining Time, while trying to dodge around the wiry fellow with a series of feints. “My best pairs of shoes are in this bag, I cannot keep them on the floor to be trampled on by an unwary hoof!”

Shining stepped between the two, hoping to force them to acknowledge her. “M’am, I’m certain I can find a place for your shoes if-”

“What are yah, nuts?” The stallion cut Shining Time off, shouting right over her. “Shoes is supposed tah be on the floor! That’s where shoes belong, yah tart!”

“Really, if you’d both just listen-” Again Shining Time tried to interrupt the mounting argument, and again she was ignored, except this time she was also pushed out of the way of the well-to-do pony as she took a step towards the farmer.

“Tart!” she repeated aghast. “Well, I never! You’ve got some nerve talking to me that way you dirty, good-for-nothing, old coot! Do you even know who I am?”

“Sure Ah do, yer a pain in the neck posh pony that wouldn’t know a hard day’s work from a seat cushion!” The cranky stallion smiled widely, glad to have struck a nerve.

“Like you are unable to tell a drawn bath from a pile of fertilizer I suppose?” The lady unicorn’s response earned a few hidden chuckles from the seats around, and the stallion’s cheeks went red with a mix of anger and embarrassment. Emboldened by the quiet snickers, the unicorn pressed on. “Couldn’t you have washed up before getting on a crowded train? Even if you have no concern for your own personal hygiene, the least you could do is not assault the rest of us with it!”

“Oh my! Lady Rubis Courronne, such talk does not suit you!” A voice cut through the laughter that had burst out of the crowd listening to the two argue. All eyes turned to see the famous fashion designer stepping through the door to the train car. The marshmallow-white unicorn walked down the aisle, her long, lavish purple curls bouncing along with her. Her eyes were mostly closed as she admonished her apparent acquaintance. “I understand that we are all a little high strung at the moment, but that’s no excuse for such behaviour.”

“Oh Rarity! Goodness!” It was surprising how fast the lady’s sharp tone transformed into one as smooth as silk. “What ever must you think of me? A savage beast, no doubt!”

“Think nothing of it, dear.” Rarity opened her eyes fully, and graced the train cart with a wonderful smile. Lady Courronne had been one of the best patrons at her Carousel Boutique, and a very good friend to know when expanding her business to Canterlot. Rubis, much like her husband, Filthy Rich, was well-known for their ardent support of Ponyville’s entrepreneurs. They both had a charitable nature a mile long if you knew what to say. “Trying times have a tendency to bring out the worst in any pony, after all. And certainly a single offhoof remark is quickly forgotten when compared to the generousity you’ve shown me over the years, Lady Courronne. However, it is in times such as these when it is most important we hold ourselves to a higher standard.”

“Yes, yes, of course you’re right, darling. I don’t know what came over me.” Lady Courrone’s shoe bag chose that moment to slip from her shoulder before hitting floor between them both, and a look of horror came over them both as Lady Courronne quickly snatched her bag and inspected its contents. She was nearly in tears as she stared at a long scratch down the side. “M-my shoes…”

“Oh Rubis,” Rarity started comfortingly, leaning over to inspect the damage, before she was shocked to hear a delighted sounding laugh off to her side. She turned to face the old farmer who leaned back in his seat with a big grin. “Serves yah right, yah twit.”

Sobs wracked Lady Courronne as she fell to her knees, cradling the shoes like a precious treasure, and his grin disappeared. He suddenly felt a lot more uncomfortable with the scene playing out. By the time Rarity turned to glare at him, he was already beginning to feel pretty lousy.

“Mr. Codger, I presume.” She stated scornfully.

“You, uh, y’all know me?” he asked, more than a little surprised.

“I do, in fact, though by reputation alone. You’re the elder of the Hayseed family. My dearest friend, Applejack, was quite descriptive of you and yours. She would often tell us how the Hayseeds ran the most hospitable family farm this side of the mountains. I can see clearly such a reputation was not come by honestly. She’ll be most disappointed to hear of lack of empathy for the concerns of other ponies.”

Codger seemed to shrink several sizes in his seat. “Guess I was being a big ol’ louse ‘bout this. I didn’t figure a couple a shoes would mean that much to a pony, a’right? Look, there still ain’t no room up with all the luggage, and left up there, they’d just be banged around a bunch at least half as much as the floor just did to ‘em. Tell yah what, I didn’t bring no carry on. How about I just keep the bag here in my lap for the rest of the trip?”

“But they’re already ruined!” came the sobbing reply, the last word emphasized with a lengthy whine. Rarity leaned in to look at the scratch, and with a quick flash of magic, the scratch quickly mended itself. Lady Courronne looked on with awe before jumping up to pull Rarity into a hug. “I can’t believe you did that! It looks like new!”

“Just a little combination mending and glamour spell, darling, a trick a unicorn learns quickly in the fashion trade. It will only hold for a day or two however. Bring them by the boutique, and I’ll see that they come back as new.” Rarity smiled, hugging her back. “Now, would you like to take him up on his offer? I’d put them with my things, but I worry that they wouldn’t fare much better there. Let him make up for his oafish behaviour?”

“I-I suppose.” With a glance at her bag then another to Codger’s outstretched hoof she passed it over to him with obvious hesitation. Her worries went unfounded as he nestled it securely onto his lap, leaving a protective hoof over it.

“Ladies and gentlecolts!” Shining Time started again, as she lead the distraught unicorn back to her seat. This time her call caught everypony’s attention. “As I was saying, we have a very special guest joining us on our trip this evening. Ponyville’s own, Lady Rarity! One of the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony and hero of Equestria! Now, as I’m sure you are all aware, the storm outside has made travel more dangerous than we’re used to, and it has everypony on edge. However, this famous heroine has volunteered her services tonight to help keep everypony safe.”

“Lame!” called out one of the teenagers, wearing a hat that seemed meant for a colt half his age, earning looks of disapproval from the other passengers. “The railroad calls on the famous Elements of Harmony and ends up with the fashion diva? Did they lose a bet?”

Rarity’s smile stretched a little too wide and thin to be sincere, and her eyebrow twitched at the colt’s doubt in her ability to be of use. Certainly, she might have had some doubts of her own on what she could do to help, but one didn’t have to be so open about her inadequacies. She was about to address the rude colt when a nearby older pony, his mother Rarity assumed, snatched the teen by his ear.

“Don’t talk about her like that! Even if she doesn’t have fantastic abilities like the other Element Bearers, she stood with them against every evil force Equestria had to face. That took real courage. And if she wasn’t there, the Elements of Harmony wouldn’t have worked! If not for her Equestria might not even exist!”

“Okay, okay!” he muttered, jerking his ear from the older pony’s grasp, "but are any of the others on their way at least?” He directed the question to Rarity and Shining Time.

Rarity should have been insulted, but she was too busy empathizing with his thoughts given the situation. If something did happen, her presence wasn’t going to be anywhere near as comforting as that of a pegasus that was an expert in weather control or one that could twist favours from the strongest animals. Nor could she keep them feeling as secure as the presence of a super strong or strangely perceptive earth pony. And as far as unicorns went it would be a sham to have her stand on the same stage as Twilight Sparkle.

"No," Rarity answered sounding far more confident than she felt. "And I shouldn't think they'll need to. The engineer is a perfectly capable sort, and quite proficient at his job. As a safety measure he has gathered us all together where our lovely attendant, Shining Time, can keep an eye on everyone just in case. It's nothing to get upset about."

The young stallion grew quiet as he contemplated this, apparently satisfied. There were small murmurs of agreement among the passengers, and Rarity let out a hidden sign in relief. Even if she didn't have the supernatural gifts her friends did, she could at least count on her mercantile skills, specifically the ones that allowed her to read enough about a pony to tell them what they needed to hear.

"But what if something does happen?" a tiny, worried unicorn, still in her filly years, asked. Rarity would have considered her absolutely adorable if she had only asked anything else about anything else. Walking over to the tiny filly, Rarity crouched low, hesitating only slightly, she would proudly add, to kneel on the filthy train floor.

"What is your name, Dear?"

"Glimmer Drop," the filly answered shyly, pushing back in her seat away from the beautiful stranger, trying to keep her mother between them. She was told bedtime stories about the Elements of Harmony, like every foal in Equestria, and she heard the train pony say this was one of them, but she didn't look much like the pictures in her book. The colours were right but the shape and the descriptions seemed off.

"I don't think it's her," she whispered conspiratorially to her mother.

"Of course it is, Glimmer," her mother admonished giving Rarity an apologetic look, "She's the one that makes the pretty dresses, remember? You always said you liked that one."

The filly's face scrunched up so much the word skeptical was practically written in the wrinkles on her forehead. Rarity laughed brightly, shaking her head.

"That is quite alright. Tell me, Glimmer Drops, what do the Elements of Harmony look like?"

Somewhat encouraged by the stranger's curiousity, and driven to correct her mother on what 'Rarity' actually looked like, the young foal immediately began rummaging through her bag until she pulled out her book, holding up her indisputable proof, while pointing to the six ponies on the cover.

Rarity put a hoof over her mouth to hide the giggling that threatened to tumble out. It would likely be taken as a terrible insult to the little filly. The ponies around them, including her mother, disagreed and laughed openly.

But she could see why she was having trouble recognizing her as the pony in her stories. The book held aloft depicted her and her friends as simplistic cartoon characters with triangles for legs, strange shapes for their hair, and coloured dots for eyes. The picture was of her friends and herself along with Princess Cadence and Shining Armour standing in a circle around the famous Crystal Heart.

Her mother was smiling and silently mouthed an apology, but Rarity paid it little attention. A different question plagued her.

“Can I see this book for a moment, Glimmer Drops?”

The tiny filly nodded her head, and they shared the book with each other while Rarity flipped through the pages. There was something very important missing from all the pictures; from the whole story in fact! There were many major inaccuracies all throughout the book, but first and foremost, there was absolutely no mention of a dragon. Stunned, Rarity shook her head slowly. Something was very wrong about this. She looked up to the foal’s mother and asked, “Do you have any other books about us?”

The strange question caught her mother by surprise, but she nodded anyway. They had brought most of their filly’s favourite books with them for the long train trip in order to keep her entertained. Rarity skimmed through each one, looking for some sign of Spike. Nothing. There was not even a single comment about him anywhere. As she looked she uncovered more and more falsehoods and exaggerations. She turned to Shining Time, calling her over and pointing to the pictures in the book. “Shiny, darling,” Rarity kept her voice in check, keeping her agitation from dripping into her words, “Just how popular are these books?”

“Hm?” Shining Time looked over Rarity’s shoulder, “Oh! Yes! The ‘Elements of Harmony’ series is everywhere! Foals everywhere are growing up on these. Later on they can get into the more detailed ‘Friendship is Magic’ volumes. I’ve read all of those twice.”

“Oh, good,” Rarity let out a relieved sigh. “They must have left out Spike because they didn’t want foals involving themselves in the lives of dragons. That makes sense. They are normally very dangerous creatures.”

“Uh,” Shining Time stared at Rarity blankly, “who’s Spike?”

“You remember, darling, Twilight’s assistant?” Rarity prodded, less relieved than a moment ago.

“You mean her owl?” Glimmer Drops piped up, turning to a page with Owlowiscious sitting on her back.

“No!” Rarity said a bit more sharply than she meant. Her voice quickly slipped back into softer tones, “I mean, yes Owlowiscious has certainly helped her out around the library, but I mean her number one assistant, Spike. Spike the Dragon.”

Most of the train car was staring at Rarity now, whispering. Shining Time looked around nervously. “Twilight has a dragon for an assistant?”

“Yes! Yes of course she does! Our dear Spikey~wikey has been at Twilight Sparkle’s side for nearly every adventure she’s had. Come dear, you said you’ve read the detailed version. Surely it mentions him somewhere.”

Shining Time shook her head.

“But-but…” Rarity tried to think. There had to be something that told of Spike’s contributions. “Wait, what about Twilight’s journals? I know she had them published. Spike would most certainly be mentioned in them!”

“Oh… uh, yeah. H-he might be.” Shiny bit her lip and took a step back, and didn’t meet Rarity’s eyes.

“You never read them,” Rarity stated flatly. One of their most ardent fans, and she had never even read Twilight’s published works.

“They’re all written like science books!” Shiny whined. “The first forty pages are glossary, and has as much emotion written in it as a text book. Everyone loved the new versions because they were… well… readable.”

Rarity took in a very deep, disappointed breath. Writing a book in such a way that you couldn’t see the story through the footnotes of facts was exactly the kind of thing Twilight would do. In truth, it’s probably how Twilight had always wanted to read a book. Writing was an art form, however, and like any other work of art, it had to be tailored for its audience, not for its creator. Art had never been Twilight’s forté.

She turned back to the tiny filly, smiling. “Would you mind so terribly if I borrowed some of your books for a little while?”

Glimmer Drops shook her head and passed her the first couple.

“Oh, thank you. You are such a dear.” Taking the small portion of children’s books she trotted back to the front of the train car.

“Ladies and gentlecolts!” Rarity turned to address her captive audience. “It has been requested of me to entertain you with a true telling of a few of the many tales of our adventures. It will be an honest account to the best of my knowledge. Our fellow patron, the lovely Glimmer Drops-” Rarity gestured to the filly who, once encouraged by her mother, smiled and waved at everypony.

“-has generously provided a few of her books to help start us off,” Rarity continued. “Allow me to forewarn you, there are a few discrepancies. I’ll try to correct them as we go.”

The crowd met her introduction with more applause than Rarity thought they would. Watching someone sit in front of everypony and reading children’s books wasn’t what she would have considered entertainment. It seemed to please them all the same, however, and if doing so was taking their mind off the perils of the storm outside, then why not? The unicorn opened the book, which began with a picture of Twilight Sparkle at Princess Celestia’s side discussing an intricate plan on how they would face the return of Nightmare Moon.

Rarity sighed, put on her reading glasses and took a seat. “I suggest everypony get comfortable. I fear the discrepancies may end up a tad longer than the books themselves.”

Her exaggerated grimace earned her a few chuckles from her fellow passengers. By the time she reached the fourth page, it was twenty minutes later, and they were clutching their sides in laughter.

********************************************************************

Granny Smith was sitting in her favourite rocking chair on the front deck of the Apple family homestead. Sheltered from the wind and the rain by the overhang above, she stared crossly out into the dark fields waiting for her grandchildren to return. Her gray mane was bundled up tight and tucked under her sturdiest cooking pot, which she wore proudly in place of a helmet. A trusty frying pan leaned against the wall to her side.

Angry howls rose above the wind in the direction the young ones had gone. Granny narrowed her gaze. She recognized those howls. They were a sound that plagued her since her first trip into the forbidden woodland when she’d first found the zap apple trees. They would haunt her dreams sometimes, still chasing her as they had done when she was still a filly. She dared the woods only a few times after that, stealing into them for more zap apples and their seeds. The last time the wooden wolves had nearly gotten her. One had gotten a hold of her ankle in its jaws, just as she had made it to the edge of the wood. Her parents had come running to her rescue at the time, scaring the beast away with hoe and shovel. She could still feel those jagged teeth whenever they howled. She never again tried those cursed paths, instead concentrating on making do with what zap apple trees they had, carefully nurturing them and planting more each year.

Rocking slowly back and forth, she looked into the night and waited for any sign of her grandkids. They were smart, brave, and strong, each trait proven time and time again. No storm, however wild, would get the better of those two. But she couldn’t wait inside, not while they toiled away at whatever had caught the boy’s interest. The worrying would end her. Facing the storm like this didn’t seem like much, but it had at least made her feel like she was doing something, and that settled her nerves somewhat. Facing storms was how the Apple Family always handled things after all.

Sweet Apple Acres had stood the test of time, defying the odds against all oncoming trials, of which there were many, too many. So many, in fact, that she had become suspicious as years rolled on. Ponyville’s constant troubles were well-known throughout the lands. It was a new town, as far as towns went. Not a full four generations had passed since its christening, and in that time they had been the middle of disaster after disaster. Horrible events originated here, from cataclysmic to near-apocalyptic. But sometimes the events were squarely directed at the little town, almost like some unseen force was pulling strings in attempt to eradicate them all.

Most set the blame at the hooves of the Elements of Harmony. Power attracts power as they say, and there was certainly some truth in that. But Granny Smith had lived in Ponyville before there was a Ponyville to live in, and troubles of this nature were not anything new. The hassles that her granddaughter and her friends faced may have been grander in scale, but the harassment had begun long before Twilight Sparkle ever darkened the doormat of the Golden Oaks Library. Troubles seemed to come with the territory: Delayed Winter Wrap-Ups, rampaging stampedes, plagues of vermin, and the occasional monster or witch were always causing trouble.

The way she figured it, the cursed wood was to blame. The Everfree Forest was always a place of danger. In spite of Princess Celestia’s blessing to go ahead with the farm, Granny Smith was certain that there was something more to it than that. How many farms needed a Princess’ blessing to go about being a farm after all? The Princess had selected the place, sent her prized pupil to protect it, and specifically allowed the most powerful force known to ponykind, the Elements of Harmony, to reside in the small farm town when Canterlot, the capital city, was the more probable place for an invasion of Equestria.

A fact proven when the changelings attacked and the Elements Bearers just happened to be around to help drive them off; just like they coincidentally happened to be in The Crystal Kingdom when Sombra attacked. Somehow, the Element Bearers always just happened to find themselves wherever they are needed most. It was not a fact lost on Granny Smith, and she suspected Princess Celestia’s hoof in it somehow. She was thankful that the Princess’ never asked Applejack to leave home, but the why of it always bothered her. If the Element Bearers were always where they were needed most, then why leave them in Ponyville?

The obvious answer was because Ponyville was where they were needed the most. The Everfree Forest and its wild magic were that much of a concern. By the constant building of homes and expanding the town, Ponyville residents kept the mysterious forest from spreading, and they did it happily without thought or fear, but not without consequence. This wild storm seemed like one more of those consequences, but Granny Smith didn’t fear it. They had stood up to worse. What she feared was her grandkids lost in the woods at night with timberwolves about.

She had never heard of them coming this close to town before, though. Timeberwolves seldom strayed from the Everfree. As long as Applejack and Big Macintosh stayed away from the haunted wood they would be alright.

Another angry howl sounded out into the night. The noise made left her shuddering. The wind must have carried it far, because it sounded far too close. Then another howl joined it, and another, then another, until a chorus of timberwolves rang out. She was too familiar with those howls. She’d spent long nights listening to the timberwolves calling out to the moon. But there was no moon out tonight. Something felt very wrong. Granny narrowed her eyes, stopping her rocking for a moment to listen.

A thunderous clashing of wood against wood rocked the world, sending Granny Smith tumbling out of her chair.

“What in tarnation?” She shook her head and looked up towards the sound. She quickly grabbed the frying pan in her false teeth, and ran towards the sound at a full gallop. That was the direction the kids had gone!

Winona met her halfway. The little collie was barking like mad trying to get her attention. She had no idea what had gotten into the dog, and there was no time to find out. Instead, she pressed on, looking for her grandchildren until her dog leapt up and grabbed hold of the neckerchief around her neck, trying to pull her back towards the house.

“Winona, stop that!” Granny scolded, shrugging out of the neckerchief. “Sit Winona, sit!”

Winona whimpered, dropping down on her rump instantly at the command.

“What has gotten into you girl?” she asked, walking over to pat the loyal dog’s head. More howls filled the air, some whimpers mixed in. They sounded close; much closer than the Everfree. It sent shudders down her spine. Her shoulders trembled slightly in fear, but she steeled her resolve. Big Macintosh and Applejack could still be down there in need of help.

“Go on. Git,” she shoed her away dismissively. There was no time to worry about the collie’s strange behaviour, and she worried that Winona might give her away. Those howls had given her pause. She learned long ago that a pony wasn’t supposed to run around timberwolves. They would chase you like a wild dog. Better to be quiet and go unnoticed.

Winona tried several times to follow after, but Granny Smith scolded her each time until finally the dog left, Granny’s neckerchief in tow. She frowned at that. That was her favourite neckerchief. But more worrisome problems were afoot, like being in a wide, open field with timberwolves about. It would have to be let go for now.

It was with some relief when she reached bushes she could hide in. Hopping into one nearby, she carefully, quietly uprooted it and snuck along inside of it, using it as camouflage. She peeked out behind the leaves, her face completely obscured by the bush. Her feet were well-hidden until she moved the bush and she had to tip-toe along, careful not to be seen or heard. Granny zig-zagged through the woods, picking out spots beside trees and other bushes where she could sit and rest, looking for her grandkids, timberwolves, or whatever had caused that crash of wood.

Signs of the wooden beasts were everywhere and kept her cautious and slow-moving in her travelling hiding spot. It spooked her. There must have been so many. Usually they were rather solitary creatures, rarely would they travel in packs. But this, this was more than just any old pack! Dozens must have been through here!

Their trails lead her further and further into the trees, and she was growing more pensive with every step. This was ‘her’ grove. It was the grove of trees that her parents had set aside for specifically for her. Each one was specifically selected by her, carefully cared for, and nurtured into full fruit bearing trees. It was a special place where she spent much of her youth toiling away, playing, or picnicking between each row of trees. Knowing those monsters were running rampant through them left a chill in her blood.

At last she found the source of the crash she had heard. A gasp caught in her throat as she surveyed the carnage. An avalanche of trees had been sent sprawling down the hill, breaking to pieces anything in its path. Fire, green like that of the librarian’s assistant, dotted the destroyed woodland here and there. Her precious garden of trees left in rubble around her.

At one time these old trees had been saplings in her hooves. Now, they were lying at her hooves, shattered and broken. Concern for timberwolves was forgotten, replaced by that of her old friends. This was where she had grown up. She had provided for them, and they, in turn, provided for her. They emanated a sense of peace, quiet, and stillness, and she had loved them for it. When she was happy she would frolic among their pathways. When she was sad she would come here seeking solace under their branches. She fell in love beside the oak to her right. Her kids played among the branches of those birch trees to her left. She’d caught her daughter kissing behind that bunch of apple trees she just passed. She had saved her family’s farm with the zap apples from the trees before her. They were as much a part of her life as her children and their children.

Granny Smith came to the branch of one of her fallen zap apple trees and broke down. Sobs wracked her as she kneeled down, caressing the broken branch of one of her treasured friends. Rain pelted against her through the leaves.

It did not register.

The winds whipped her mane until its tight bundle was set loose, falling over her shoulders.

She didn’t notice.

Branches slowly began to piece themselves together into paws and legs, taking form.

She did not see.

********************************************************************

“Waiver? I don’t need no stinkin’ waiver!” Her head pounded from inside out as the hundredth pegasus tonight flew into a loud rage. That was an exaggeration of course. If it really had been the hundredth pegasus Mayor Mare wouldn’t have had to set this up the first place. Really, they only had about thirty or so that were capable of flight in heavy storm winds.

“Actually, yes, you very much do,” she responded mechanically and professionally, making every effort to keep the drudging monotone from showing in her voice.

“According to the regulations of the Weather Pony Workforce Safety Act, it is necessary administration for all pegasi working in circumstances outside of ordinary weather service regulations, as defined by the Official Weather Regulatory Services Bureau, to sign a waiver in event of wild weather handling, search and rescue efforts, or flying while under hazardous flight conditions. I think you’ll find that our current situation meets all three of these restrictions. Now, you’ll have to fill out the reasons why you are volunteering for this service here, here, and here.” She pointed to several long blanks along a pile of forms before adding, “You’ll also have to sign your name on the top and bottom of each form. Please remember that the pages are two-sided.”

“This is ridiculous! There is an emergency outside!” The normally happy pony continued to rant as she took the provided pen in her teeth and began to begrudgingly fill out the pile of documents.

“Which is exactly why such measures have been put into place,” Mayor Mare replied smoothly while walking over to the boarded up window to peek at the storm through an opening in the boards, half hoping that there was sign of a break. There was no such luck of course. This was the last pegasus from the ‘Storm breaker’ team. After her, the team would be sent out. She had provided all the time she could, but there was still no sign of the Elements of Harmony coming to their rescue.

Fluttershy was the only one of the six Element Bearers that could be accounted for, and she continued to sit atop the topmost balcony overlooking the town whenever an emergency didn’t call her inside. All attempts that had been made to contact Twilight Sparkle had ended in failure. Something was preventing them from entering the library. Somehow the beasts had managed to cut them off from their best source of protection early.

Scattered reports of Pinkie Pie being spotted around the Golden Oaks Library had come in from the rescue ponies, but pinning the chaotic pony down was impossible. Sweet Apple Acres was too far outside of town to send one of their few able pegasi out to look. Rarity lived in Canterlot now. There had been no word whatsoever on Twilight Sparkle and her whereabouts, and the library had been magically sealed off from the rest of Ponyville. Mayor Mare could only hope that their best and brightest was attempting some form of great magic to help. Aside from Twilight, their best hopes would lay in the efforts of Rainbow Dash who was out flight training who knew where.

Once again Mayor Mare’s decision to suspend her Weather Team Captain had come back to haunt her. She’d regretted it within two weeks after an angry Twilight Sparkle showed up at her door ranting about an impromptu thunderstorm. At the time, Mayor Mare had seen a lot of sense in Twilight’s argument. It didn’t hurt that Twilight’s words carried the weight of Princess Celestia behind them. The old regulations put in place for that sort of negligence were very clear about the consequence. Suspension from weather duties for a single season was the official precedence to follow. However, nopony had ever thought to train any form of replacement Captain for the weather team leaving them leaderless for three months.

Rainbow Dash was the undisputed, best flier in Ponyville, and had kept a tight flight crew. Because of that, her role as leader had never been challenged. Without her reign of supremacy to keep them in check, plenty of pegasi had stepped up hoping to take on the position and maybe even earn a promotion out of the deal, but that was the whole problem.

There was no undisputed ‘second best’ flier, instead there were three good choices, and each had their own ideas on how a weather team should be run. Next thing she knew there were three teams of weather ponies each doing their own thing across town, and the whole weather situation was a mess. Now instead of a single weather complaint from a single unicorn that held some prestige, Mayor Mare had complaints coming in about the weather schedule from all over town.

It was almost over when the unthinkable thing happened, or at least the ‘other’ unthinkable thing happened. The current unthinkable thing that was going on outside was far more unthinkable. In any case, she had been counting down the days until their Weather team Captain would be coming back to take her rightful position. That was when she received Rainbow Dash’s letter of resignation. Her heart sunk in her chest as she read the letter. The suspension had given Rainbow Dash a taste of what coaching her own team was like, and it had apparently tasted very good indeed. A few months reprieve was all it took for Ponyville’s best weather pony to move on to better things. Mayor Mare was happy for her, but it pained her to see the state of things once after her departure.

Maybe with a concerted effort the weather team could have driven off this storm while it was first rolling in, but that chance had been lost due to indecision and in-fighting. Now the whole town was paying the price.

“Whew! Finally!” came an elated cry from behind her as the pegasus slammed the pen down on the table in triumph.

Mayor Mare quickly straightened her expression from a somber one to her professional public face, before turning around to double check the pegasus’ pen work. After a long moment, she nodded and set the forms down on the desk. “Yes, this will do nicely,” she said, pressing a stamp down on the paper to make the paper’s declaration official.

The pony was so happy to be finished and so excited to be out on her way that it broke Mayor Mare’s heart to do what came next. She reached into a drawer and pulling out copies of the forms the pony had just filled out. “Hold on, you’ll still have to fill out a personal copy as well.”

Her wings drooped, as the pegasus turned back to regard her with unabashed horror. “P-p-personal copy?”

“Yes.” The Mayor straightened her glasses. “As well as another copy for our files here at the local weather office.”

“Another two?” Her jaw nearly hit the floor. “You have got to be kidding me!”

“This is hardly the time for jokes, Miss Sunshower,” Mayor Mare told the poor dear.

Her shoulders slumped and the pegasus slowly made her way back over to the desk. Her lips quivered as she stretched out her neck to take the pen back between her teeth. Just then she looked up at the mayor with a look of desperate pleading. “What if I don’t want a personal copy? Can I at least skip that one?”

“We do have a system in place that allows the Mayor’s Office to keep track of your all your personal files, but in doing so they would become publicly available, and you would need to sign these information release forms.” Mayor Mare was already digging through one of her filing cabinets for a stack of forms twice as high as the waiver forms already on the desk.

“No! No, that’s alright! I’ll just make two-” the traumatized pegasus swallowed as she said it, “two more copies.”

“Are you sure? A little extra paperwork now could save yourself piles of it next tax seas-” her words caught in her throat as an unexpected whimper came from the other side of her boarded up window.

“What was that?” asked the pegasus, staring curiously at the boards. Mayor Mare gave her a hushing gesture before taking another peek between the boards. A timberwolf was dashing away from the building, and there was an eerie flash of emerald light in the clouds. That was no bolt of lightning. That was something new.

“Something’s happening,” she whispered half to the pegasus and half to herself. Her heart jumped in her chest, and her voice grew more urgent as she guessed at what it might be, hoping against hope. “To the balcony! Hurry!”

The pegasus at her desk needed little encouragement to spit out the pen and race after Mayor Mare as she ran. Ears perked up, and all eyes followed the mayor’s sprint up the winding stairway. Pegasi scattered into the air, following her as they flew, wondering what had changed. She bolted out into the down pouring rain without a moment’s hesitation, her destination: the lone, drenched, pale yellow pegasus who was excitedly stepping up on the railing. She skidded to a stop beside her, a herd of pegasi at her back, along with a growing crowd of curious earth ponies and unicorns.

“Is it them? Fluttershy, is it them?” Mayor Mare panted, gasping for breath. She was no longer the young mare she once was. Running up four stories of stairs took its toll.

Fluttershy had no time to answer when a gout of green flame fell down from the clouds. Ponies around her started shrieking, as they watched the fireball plummet towards Ponyville. Fortunately the possibly disastrous flame dispersed long before it hit the ground, but the wave of heat that came after it was immense. The flame was so bright against the blackness covering the town that Mayor Mare had to turn away and shield her eyes. When she looked back she thought her heart would leap from her chest. The flame had torn through the clouds, and for the first time in weeks the grounded residents of Ponyville caught sight of the heavens above. It was strange how much she had missed the twinkling stars beside the moon’s glow. It was something she had always just taken for granted, and now? Now with the moon beams shining down over their town hall, it was like a blessing come down from the Alicorn Princesses on high.

Down below them the timberwolves had retreated from the area. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one to take this as a sign of turning tides. Whatever was up there, they feared it.

“It’s them!” Fluttershy squeaked out excitedly, pointing up towards the clouds, and a cheer rose around her. Three figures circled their way down, their features shadowed by the moonlight at their back, but they were unmistakable none the less. The silhouette of two pegasi drifted downwards in the light, and a small dragon behind them. Captain Dash and The Skyblazer Crusaders had finally arrived.

The flight team came to rest on the balcony. Rainbow Dash was immediately assaulted with a leaping hug from Fluttershy. Spike was the last to touch down, and landed far more heavily than the others. The worried glance Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash shared did not go unnoticed by Mayor Mare. She wagered that there was as much sweat as there was rain dripping from his scales, and his breath came in long, struggling gasps. His teammates were standing upright, but the dragon had to quickly lie down on his stomach. His limbs had struggled to support his weight for even a few seconds.

The crowd didn’t seem to notice. They were still cheering, and circling the team. It was the first ray of hope they’d seen since taking shelter in the town hall. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were quickly discussing Ponyville’s situation and the whereabouts of their missing friends. Scootaloo and Spike were being barraged with questions about where they’ve been, what they’ve seen, if they could clear the whole sky with fire, and a thousand different inquiries about things they couldn’t possibly know. Scootaloo was trying to answer them all in order to give the dragon the respite he needed before he would inevitably be asked to take to the skies again.

“Everypony settle down!” Mayor Mare shouted out, her sharp tone winning her an easy path to walk out and stand in front of the weather team. “We’ll answer all your questions as soon as we can, but we must focus on priorities for now.”

The crowd went from shouting loud questions at the stunt team to murmuring questions to each other. Fortunately being Mayor still offered Mayor Mare some authority even among the very worried faces among the gathered crowd before her. She turned to her back to them, looking to Rainbow Dash who had finished catching up with Fluttershy. “Rainbow Dash, considering the circumstances, could I convince you to accept a temporary reinstatement as the Captain of the Ponyville Weather Team?”

“Of course you can,” Dash smirked. “Like there’s any way I’d leave Ponyville stranded when it’s in trouble.”

“Thank you.” Mayor Mare let out a shaky breath. It was the first time she’d talked face to face with Rainbow Dash since the incident. She didn’t know if there would be a grudge to overcome. “I’ve done what I could. Everypony’s main concerns come down to four priorities. Collecting supplies into the town hall, search and rescue efforts for those still left outside, organizing some form of offensive against the timberwolves, and clearing the sky. But there just aren’t enough capable fliers to manage it all at once.”

Rainbow Dash put a hoof on her chin as she considered the situation. It wasn’t something Mayor Mare had ever seen the pegasus do. She was sure whatever idea came from the Rainbow Dash she knew would be one of brash action. At this point brash action might be just what was needed, but somehow, seeing Rainbow Dash take her time to think things through made her feel a lot better about handing the situation over.

“How soon can we get the team back here?” Dash asked, seeming like she had come to a decision.

“They’re already here. Most are downstairs either recovering or filing paperwork.”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow at the Mayor who silently praised herself for keeping to her professional appearance and not responding with the sly smile she very much wanted to. “I’ve taken the liberty of filing yours already. Everything is in order for you to take command and do whatever you need to do.”

“Alright then,” Dash said with a confident smirk. “Get everypony together. It’s time for Ponyville to push back!”

Author's Notes:

Aaaaaaand I'm back. For awhile. A little while. I can't believe it's been so long. Apologies for the wait folks, but life is nothing if not unpredictable. Work wins over hobbies, and it has had me running over the last year like no one would believe.

Also, apologies for another cliffhanger! I wanted to finish it on this chapter, I really did, but 75 pages in, I still had so much to go. If I kept going this might've ended up a 150 page chapter. >.>

I have no time frame in mind for the next chapter at all. I can't promise I won't be deployed again. That is beyond my ability. What I can promise is that I will continue to meet the standards I've set so far. If you see any corrections I need to make, let me know. Much of this chapter has been written with months of delay between segments, so if anything seems disjointed, again, let me know.

Have patience with me! Please?

Our Time to Fly

by Shokinaw

Chapter 1: Over the Edge

Chapter 2: The Freefall

Chapter 3: Fighting the Panic

Chapter 4: Spreading Wings

Chapter 5: Feeling the Strain

Chapter 6: Finding your Balance

Chapter 7: Catch the Wind

Chapter 8: Ride the Current

Chapter 9: Learn the Rhythm

Chapter 10: Push to the Sky

Chapter 11: Joining the Flock

Chapter: 12 Confronting the Storm Part: 1

Chapter 12: Confronting the Storm Part: 2

Chapter 12 Confronting the Storm Part:3

Chapter 13: Clearing the Skies Part: 1

Chapter 13, Clearing the Skies Part: 2

Chapter 13, Clearing the Skies Part: 3