Above the Clouds and Above the Rain
A pit of earth and clay lay in the ruins of a temple long forgotten and unrecognizable from hundreds of years of decay. Stone rubble surrounded the edge, but no structure had stood beside it for centuries. The pit had been dug by mortal hooves, though the purpose of which was long forgotten by the ages, though a new purpose had been granted to this hole in the ground. A pegasus mare with a hide of olive fur and a mane reflecting shades of grey fell down into it's depths, landing with a soft thud which sent a cloud of dead leaves into the air around it which fell down upon the still form.
The mare stirred and let out a small groan as she tries to rise. Her efforts are interrupted by a falling cry and a second impact upon her back another pegasus of bright yellow who's clashing pink and crimson mane left a streak of color before landing upon the less fortunate one who happened to fall first. The pegasus below gave a grunt and quickly pushed off her extra weight to the side, ignoring the protests of the other. She stood and shook the dust off herself, revealing her rose eyes. Daring Do looked above only to be showered by a few dozen feathers varying colors of yellow and olive.
Laughter echoed throughout the hole. Laughter unlike what could be heard by the voice of a normal pony. Beasts of perforated, hardened limbs and green eyes filled with glee lined the edge of the pit. The laughter only continued as a creature, who wore a familiar pith hat, let the last feather fall from it's grasp. Daring caught the feather in a hoof and felt anger rise as she realized it was her own.
Shadows danced as the changeling above proved it's namesake. Green fire erupted around it's being as it began to change. The blackened chitin was replaced by the pseudo-olive flesh of Daring Do. The changeling mimicked her appearance from the fierceness in her eyes to the mark of a compass rose on her flank. After the metamorphosis, the changeling pulled Daring's pith hat down lower, and spoke with her voice.
"How many ponies would jump at the chance to adventure with the real Daring Do?"
It's statement was met by another chorus of laughter from the changelings around them. The changed one tuned away and walked out of sight. The rest of the changelings followed. The sound of laughter which echoed and faded off the earthen walls of the pit.
Daring snorted and spread her wings up to fly after her enemy, but she was only able to hover a yard above the ground before she found herself falling back down. The soreness of her wings and the feathers on the floor was all the evidence she needed to realize that the changelings had pulled many of her feathers from their wings to prevent the flighty captives from escaping their prison.
Daring Do turned to see her yellow companion start to rise from where she fell, leaves and feathers falling off her form as she stood up to brush them off. One feather fell on her nose, causing a massive sneeze to escape the mare.
"Told you this legend was too good to be true, Daring." she said with a sniff.
"No, Daybreak, that's what I told you." said Daring as she brushed a few lingering feathers off her green jacket. "I had a few friends who had tried to find Manederado who had come back empty hooved."
"Yes, but they were never as good as you." said Daybreak, extending a wing and looking at the uneven feathers longingly. "I can't believe what they did to my wings, Daring. Hurts to move them too."
"I always thought you were due for a trim." Daring chuckled and faced her friend with a grin, but quickly ducked to avoid a hoof-full of dirt. Daybreak stooped down to grab more for a second barrage, but stopped when she came up with a hoof full of yellow feathers. Her eyes squinted at the light as they traveled upward to the edge of the pit that was much too far out of reach. Her mock anger turned to a more sober expression.
"I don't think we can survive down here long enough to grow these back." Daybreak uttered. "Can you fly?"
Daring adopted her friend's tone, "No more than a few hooves high. The wall here wall is just a bunch of moist dirt. I don’t see how we’d be able to climb it without rope, and they even took that from us."
"And your hat. Not that I'm complaining." Daybreak said without mirth. Daring didn't reply. She was looking down at the myriad of dark and light colors that made up their lost feathers which littered the area around them. Daybreak walked next to her and picked up a hoof full of yellow feathers, "Nice of them to give these back. Too bad we can't just shove them back on."
Darin let out a small gasp and a inspired look came across her face as she started searching the many pockets to her green jacket. After a moment, she let out a cry of triumph while pulling out a small vial with a bright red cap. Her enthusiastic smile was met by a tilted head of confusion as Daybreak looked to her friend as if she had lost her mind.
"Well, what is it?"
"Cyanoacrylate." said Daring as she pulled off the cap with her teeth.
"Daring, I swear I'll find an even deeper oubliette and throw you in where even Celestia couldn't shine!" ranted Daybreak, obviously annoyed.
"Wabliet?" mumbled Daring before she spit the cap onto the ground. "Oubliette? Where did you learn that word?"
"I read it in a comic once."
"Right. Well, remember a few months ago when I came to the airship right around sundown in the outskirts of Saddlearabia?" Daring asked.
"When you came back bleeding with half the feathers on your wings stuck together? Yea, I remember. You said you didn't want to talk about it."
"It wasn’t one of my best moments. Ends up that Ahuizotl had a bunch of trained hawks that were a little too fast for me. I hid up in some trees and decided to try an idea to make me fly a little faster," Daring explained while picking up the feathers one by one with her teeth. "Kind of worked too, but didn't have much control and I was at the mercy of any strong wind."
"So, your plan is to glue our feathers back on so we can just fly out of here?" Daybreak asked, flatly.
Daring simply nodded while offering a mouth full of feathers that were held by the end. With hardly another moment, Daybreak turned to her side and extended her wing. "Alright, do it."
Daring Do looked surprised. "Just like that? No complaints?"
"Not exactly the worse idea you've had, nor the worse thing you've put me though. At least this way I'll know the feathers will grow back eventually."
Without another word, Daring walked over and began to put small dabs of glue on the end of each feather before placing them on the wing of her friend. The work was tedious, and it took nearly an hour before, Daring placed the last feather among the myriad of brown and yellow. The archaeologist held the feather for a few seconds before she was satisfied that the glue would hold. Taking a step back, Daring watched as Daybreak gave a few experimental flaps of her wings before effortlessly lifting herself off the ground.
"Hey, it actually worked!" exclaimed Daring while ignoring a diffusing glace from Daybreak. "Now, head up out of here and toss me down a rope."
"I'll think about it." replied Daybreak who had already flown past the edge, trailing a red and yellow steak.
A few minutes had passed with no sign of Daybreak, and Daring Do wasn't known for her patience.
"Daybreak! Any time now!" She shouted into the encroaching darkness as the sun started to set upon the hole. Still no answer.
"Daybreak you filly of a mule! You better get me out of here right now, or-" Before she could use the few choice words she had been saving for an occasion like this one, a vine fell from the edge and down to the earth below Daring's hooves...
"Gluing your feathers for extra speed? That's pretty cool." Rainbow Dash said to herself as she turned the page in her borrowed copy of Daring Do and the Hunt for Manedarado. She plucked a small feather from her wing to use as a bookmark, then slid it in the page and set it on the top of a large pile of books. She kept all those books at her bed stand whenever she wanted to do a session of power reading. Twilight had introduced her to a new series that expanded on the complete set and Dash was surprised to find them to be just as awesome as the original series.
A low growl escaped her stomach, making Dash wonder just how long it had been since she ate. Dash's heart lept to her throat after looking at the Wonderbolts themed clock that rested on her wall. She had been reading since late the night before, and the hands of the clock showed it to be early morning. Looking out her window, Dash saw the first rays of a dim light to break across the horizon that was close to being swallowed up by clouds carried by the weather Pegasi. She looked down at the ground expectantly.
But Dash couldn't see her anywhere. Cursing herself for not paying attention to the time, Rainbow Dash jumped out the window and sped to where she had hoped to find the one who must have been waiting for her. She kept her eyes downcast, watching the ground for any sign of pink and orange.
Then the rain began to fall.
Lightning signaled for the clouds to begin their torrential downpour. Rainbow Dash shielded her eyes with a hoof as the droplets assaulted her form. She continued to scan the ground, but couldn't help but be slowed by the stinging rain.
A flash of color below. Rainbow’s trained eyes spotted the shape, and she pulled herself into a dive and shot straight for the ground. She pulled out her wings just in time to slow herself before the impact. Mud instantly formed around her hooves, but she paid it no mind, instead she was focused on the pony in front of her.
"Hey! Scoots! Wait up!" Dash cried, but the orange filly continued walking. Dash broke out into a trot and quickly made ground next to Scootaloo. She saw that the filly's hes was downcast, and her mane hung around her like a soaking wet mop. "Why are you out here walking in the rain?" Dash asked, though Scootaloo never looked up to see her arrival.
"I can't exactly fly there." muttered Scootaloo. Dash nearly stumbled from the cutting remark.
"Look, squirt. I'm sorry I'm late. Just that I-"
Scootaloo cut Dash off "Save it." she said, trying in vain to shake off the moisture in her lavender mane. Dash wordlessly extended her wing over the young filly to give her what meager shelter she could. For a moment, scootaloo looked as if she would refuse the kindness, but a shiver down her spine convinced her otherwise. Scootaloo returned her gaze to the ground and trudged on through the rain.
The two continued in silence for what seemed like an hour, yet only a few minutes had past. The rain only seemed to fall harder by the second and with it brought a chill that crawled through Rainbow's spine, but she did not think once about abandoning the filly to the elements. She briefly thought about picking her up and flying the rest of the way to the schoolhouse, but the risk of lightning was too great with a child for Dash to consider it for long. The time for a pegasus to be above the clouds had passed, and whoever was below when the storm hit would have to wait it out on the ground or risk being struck.
Dash was always annoyed when this happened to her in her younger days. A nap would go a few minutes longer than she wanted and she would be left grounded except for those times when the frustration from idleness would override her inert fear. Dash would then fly through the rain and above the clouds. The feeling when she had first broke through the thundering sky and into the instant calmness above them was almost equal to the time she discovered the sonic rainboom. Other pegasi told her to fear the dark clouds, to never try to push through because lightning would surely strike down any that tried alone.
"Why can't you just go up and stop the rain?" Scootaloo said, breaking silence through the downpour.
"It doesn't work like that. We need the rain for plants and stuff." Dash replied.
"But we're Pegasus, right? We can just turn it back on whenever we want." she said, gesturing to the sky.
Dash tried to remember the speech she was given in flight camp whenever she had asked this question. Dash must have heard the talk a thousand or more times before the concept was nailed into her head, then forgotten. All she knew was that ponies like Applejack needed a constant rain, and needed the rain without somepony stopping the clouds every five seconds or they would get a rear buck to the head.
Though ponies needing the rain was motivation enough, she didn't want to risk Applejack making good on her threat. Dash had seen the marks left on some of the more stubborn apple trees who’s apples wouldn't fall after the first buck.
"Other ponies need the rain, Scoots. They-"
"Why can't you go up there right now? Why can't we?"
Rainbow shook her head, "Not a good idea, the rain-"
Scootaloo was relentless, "Everypony can survive without a few measly seconds without the rain."
"Squirt, listen. The lightning-" Rainbow started, shoving away the overwhelming feeling of dejavu, but Scootaloo interrupted her again.
"But you're faster than lightning, Dash! This should be no problem for you. You could push through the clouds faster than anything!
"Not with you on my back, scootaloo. You'll only..."
Rainbow Dash tried to stop the next three words from being spoken, but they still managed to escape. They hung silently in front of the flier and the dreamer as loudly as if she shouted them at the top of her lungs.
Slow me down.
Scootaloo didn't say anything, she just simply took a few steps to the right out from under the cover of Dash's wing and into the downpour. Dash returned the wing to her side and continued walking in silence.
The two pegasi made their way to the schoolhouse that stood at the edge of town. It was a simple building with red painted walls and a few windows around them. There was a single entrance into the building that Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash walked through, almost surprised by the instant difference between being in the pouring rain to simply hearing the patters outside the building. Scootaloo shook whatever water she could off herself and let out a small shiver before making her way down the hallway that led to the schoolhouses' larger room.
Rainbow allowed the water from her soaked body drip around her as she watched Scootaloo disappear into the room where the laughter and the voices of little children could be heard. She then took three steps to the right and banged her head against the nearest surface while quietly chastising herself, "Stupid!" Giggling brought her attention to the hallway, where a small filly who was watching found it funny that an older pony was running into walls. Rainbow glared at her, and the filly quickly retreated back into the classroom.
Dash left the schoolhouse, still not caring about the rain, almost thanking the clouds for giver her the weather that she seemed to deserve. She was supposed to be loyal and responsible, how could she forget about the little squirt like that?
It's not like she could have flown up to her own house in the clouds and knock on the door! The filly can't fly, probably never will by what the nurse said. How am I supposed to even know how to help a kid who’s not even a real peg-
She didn't allow herself to finish that thought and instead sought to bang it out on the nearest tree that stood in the middle of the playground. Rainbow Dash turned and slumped against the trunk of the tree while rubbing her head with a hoof. It didn't take much for Scootaloo to give her praise and to want to be near Dash, and she loved how easy it was for scoots to admire her, but it seemed to have a stronger opposite effect when Scootaloo was obviously disappointed, and...
She had every right to be.
It was then that the lack of sleep and the self-inflicted head injuries began to effect her. Dash could feel the exhaustion creep into her bones and hide as did the cold from the rain. The tree did a great job of keeping the downpour at bay to the point where she could finally shake the excess moisture off of herself. Dash looked up the tree and at it's branches as if they were made of pillows and cloud. She wasted no time in jumping upon the damp bark and pulling herself to a comfortable position.
The last sound she heard was the rainfall against the leaves, creating a rapid-fire pattering that seemed to blend into a single overwhelming sound. There was no lightning or thunder to startle her, just that single sound...
The first sensation that Dash felt upon waking was soft impact with a chalky aftertaste. A cloud of white dust erupted around her, causing her to wake up with a start and a coughing session. Rainbow tried to spot the offender, but the clouds had since gave way to bright sunlight which blinded her as her eyes adjusted. She ducked and abandoned her branch to avoid a second chalk eraser on a course for her head. Falling onto lithe hooves, Rainbow turned to face her assailant, ready for anything.
Except for the image in front of her. An older mare of warm magenta with a pale pink mane that shown in a gradient of lighter colors stood with a look of mock bewilderment.
Cheerilee, Scootaloo's school teacher and a mare known for her caring and cheerful attitude who's mark even embodied this fact with a spiraling circle of smiling sunflowers.
Next to her was a small pile of chalk erasers that were scatted across the grass. It wasn't a question of whether or not she was the one throwing the erasers, Rainbow could see the chalk dust on her hooves.
"Oh, Rainbow Dash! I didn't see you up there!" said the teacher in a tone that hinted at sarcasm. "Class ended not long ago, and I thought it would be best to clean a few of these erasers to get them ready for next week and you can imagine how crazy it can get sometimes."
She reached down and picked up another eraser with her hoof, and Dash couldn't help but flinch.
"Cheerilee, could you drop the act and tell me what the big idea is?"
Cheeriliee's expression changed to one Dash found weirdly familiar; she supposed it a trait of all teachers. She didn't know how to describe it, all she knew is that Cheerilee now had all of her attention.
"The big idea, Ms. Dash, is that this morning one of my students was tardy. Not only late, but soaking wet and freezing her tail off. Not sure if you've ever had an experience like that, but it's very embarrassing for a filly to come in like that in front of the class, not to mention the cold she must have caught while being out in the freezing rain." She pointed the eraser at Dash accusingly "Weren't you supposed to be with her?"
Dash felt her face burn with shame, but she wasn't one to back down from every argument.
"I was there! I walked her to school this morning and dropped her off."
"Walked?" said Cheerilee, raising a brow.
"The rains had already started, I couldn't fly her in the storm."
"But that storm didn't start till after the school opened, Ms. Dash. Wasn't that plenty of time to get a single filly past a mile?"
Dash was getting frustrated at Cheerilee. She didn't like being told things which she already knew and was already berating herself over.
"Look, I'm just not used to this kind of thing. You have to understand that I would do anything for her!"
Frustration was evident in her voice as she began to lose her patience, but Cheerilee humbled her with a simple response.
"That must not be much if you cannot even get her to school on time and without catching pneumonia."
That statement hit harder than any tree to the head would, which is why Dash preferred the latter method. Cheerilee was right, and Dash hated the fact that she was right. Any attempt at rebuttal against the teacher was swept away in a wave of self pity. Dash hung her head and kicked at the dirt behind her, words dying in her mouth.
Cheerilee's expression softened after seeing her words take effect. Cheerilee didn't enjoy pointing out the flaws of the parents and guardians of her students, the simple fact was that the welfare of those children came above anything else. If that meant hammering home a concept that should be obvious, then so be it.
"Where is she?" Rainbow asked.
"Scootaloo? Last I saw, she and her other two friends were running off towards the Apple's orchard." Cheeriliee pointed towards a copse of trees that could be seen just beyond the edge of Ponyville.
Too late to catch up to her and apologize, Dash thought. Not that mattered much, she didn't think an apology would make her feel all that much better anyway.
“Ponyfeathers! why did she have to start reading that book? Twilight warned her that Manedorado had more cliffhangers in it than any other in the series.”
Despite everything, Dash couldn't help but silently chuckle to herself.
“I wonder if Daring ever got chewed out by any school teachers...?”
Then, and idea flashed and struck faster than a sonic rainboom. Dash's eyes lit up as she was suddenly hovering in the air. Cheerilee took a few steps back in surprise, dropping the eraser which sent out another thin cloud of chalk. "Ms. Dash, what is-" Rainbow landed quickly in front of Cheerilee.
"I got it!" Dash exclaimed "I know what will make her not hate me and be so happy I won't have to apologize!"
"Rainbow, I don't think she hates you."Cheerilee tried to explain, but Rainbow wasn't listening.
"You need to follow me, right now."
"What? Where?" asked a confused Cheerilee.
"To Ponyville hospital, we have to be quick."
"But why?"
Rainbow Dash let out a disgruntled groan. "I'll tell you on the way, but we have to go now!"
Before the teacher could let out another word in protest, Dash grabbed her forehoof and practically flew her towards the main buildings of Ponyville.
The sun was high and obviously bright with Celestia's pride as he shown upon a picturesque view of the outskirts of Ponyville. The summer had spoiled the foliage with plenty of sunlight and the grass sparkled with the dew from yesterdays rain which had yet to dry from the cool autumn breeze. Any clouds in the sky were far off in the distance as the pegasi allowed Ponyville a small reprieve from the torrential rain.
Rainbow Dash stood among the green next to another mare with a bright white hide. The mark on her flank and the tools that she kept to her side betrayed her medical profession. Dash could be seen talking to the mare, but was constantly pausing to shout out in pain as the nurse plucked choice feathers from her wing.
"You said it wouldn't... Ow! Hurt this much. Just how many of these... Ah! Do you need?”
Redheart pulled another feather despite the complaint, maneuvering the tweezers with skill before lightly setting the feather among the others in a soft white cloth. She folded the cloth before replying, "That's all of them." said Redheart as she released Dash's wing. Rainbow pulled the wing close in an attempt to rub the soreness out with her hoof, wincing at the sting.
"Now, you're not exactly grounded, but you shouldn't-"
"I know I know, doc-"
"Nurse."
"Whatever. No tricks or dives or cloudbusting for a little while. Just means more time in my schedule for napping." said Rainbow nonchalantly, stretching out both of her wings.
Redheart placed her tweezers in an attache case with a red cross on the front before snapping it closed. "Safer for you to stick with gliding. Trying to take off would be very difficult without some of these feathers."
"Got it." Dash sighed, giving her wings a few experimental flaps.
"One more thing..."
Dash sighed heavily and rolled her eyes, but gave a start when she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
"You need to know that this is a good thing you're doing. It could mean the world to her if it works. It's not permanent, but just having that moment..."
Dash stared at the nurse for a few moments, trying to sort through the emotion that was carried through the words. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted by the laughter of children. Looking across the grass, she could make out the forms of three figures. As they came closer, she recognized all of them. Three small fillies that walked side by side of each-other.
To the left was Applebloom, little sister of Applejack. Her red mane was tied in a large bow atop her head and yellow fur that reflected against the sun. To the right was a pure white filly with a purple and white mane who wore a bright smile as she was conversing with the middle filly, Scootaloo. Scootaloo was blindfolded and seemed to be relying on her friends to be able to get around. Despite sounding annoyed, the filly held a smile, simply happy to be able to be with friends.
"Come on girls, I know you can't get a cutie mark in being blindfolded, just tell me where you're taking me." Came Scootaloo's voice in the distance.
"But it's a surprise. Can't go ruinin' it now can we?" said Appebloom as she happily trotted next to her friend. She looked over to Sweetie Belle and gave a knowing wink that elicited a fit of giggles from the small white filly. Sweetie Belle was practically skipping across the grass, steering Scootaloo ever closer to Dash and nurse Redheart. The two mares decided to meet the fillies half way down the field.
"Are we there yet?" griped the blindfolded filly, clearly starting to get annoyed at being shepherded around, even by her friends.
"Eyup!" chimed Applebloom.
With a quick jerk, Applebloom bit off the blindfold and pulled it away. Scootaloo looked up with gleeful anticipation of what kind of surprise they had in store, but became instantly crestfallen at the sight of Rainbow Dash in front of her.
"Oh..."
Dash had expected that, but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt at Scootaloo's reaction. Pushing it away, she gave the filly her cockiest smile "Hey Scoots, glad you could make it!"
Scootaloo didn't reflect her enthusiasm. She looked to her friends in confusion. "Sure you guys took me to the right place?" Scootaloo was only met with smiles and nods. "What do you want, Dash?" she sighed.
"Know how I promised that I'd take you over the clouds to see the weather pegasi pour out the rainbows today?" asked Dash, who was only met with a nod from the orange filly. "Well, I'm a bit too tired to have to carry you today..." Rainbow stretched, and Scootaloo looked as if she were about to object, but then Dash continued. "...You're just going to have to fly there on your own, squirt."
It took a moment for what Dash said to register with the filly's mind. Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash with a pained expression before turning her attention to the shortened wings at her side. "But..." she stammered out. "How?"
Rainbow Dash smiled knowingly while reaching to her side to take out a small bottle out where she kept it hidden behind her wing. Scootaloo's face turned from pain to confusion in an instant.
"I don't get it." she said after reading the bottle. "What does glue have to do with anything?"
Dash opened her mouth to speak, but nurse Redheart piped in. "Cyanoacrylate."
"Huh?" said Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo in unison.
"Super glue." clarified Redheart. "Scootaloo, Rainbow and Cheerilee came to me with an idea, and I decided to take another look at your charts x-rays. I believe we found a way to give you temporary flight!"
Scootaloo looked dumbfounded, as if still trying to comprehend just what the nurse was saying. She continued to stare as the nurse dropped the cloth onto the ground and pushed aside the folds to reveal the stark blue feathers from within them. Scootaloo looked from the feathers to Dash, then back to the feathers as she waited for the information to process in her mind.
Startling everyone and eliciting a small squeak from Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo jumped in the air and let out a shout for joy before rushing up to Redheart where she began trotting in place.
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry and put them on!"
Redheart chuckled at the sight of the excitable filly. "Alright alright just hold still." said Redheart and she took the glue from Dash and asked Scootaloo to extend one of her wings. The nurse meticulously applied a few drops to each feather and began to add the blue feathers in areas only a trained eye could see. Scootaloo's wings were small for a pegasus her age, and it seems that many of her primary feathers would not grow long enough to sustain her in takeoff, let alone simple gliding.
But as Redheart applied each feather, pressing firmly with each placement, the wing began to look more full, more ready than before. The blue of the feather mixed surprisingly well with the orange that made up the color of her natural feathers. It took every ounce of willpower that she had not to move and look at the progress that the nurse was making, but she stood still. Scootaloo didn't want to mess up the only chance that she could finally fly.
And she could feel it. The way the wind blew softly past her right wing as Redheart finished and moved on to the left. Each draft seemed to beckon her to extend her wing and be carried off by the wind itself, almost like a call to something she could only imagine before. The wind moved against her feathers in what she felt was a welcoming gesture.
Is this what a real pegasus feels like?
She couldn't help but wonder.
"Scootaloo."
"..."
"Scootaloo!"
The orange filly jumped upon hearing her name. She didn't realize that she had become lost in thought. Redheart stepped away and had been trying to bring the pegasus back to earth before allowing her to take off. "They still need a few minutes to dry, and you need to know a few things before you finally use them. Are you paying attention?"
She nodded.
"If you manage to take off, don't fly too high or for too long. Your muscles are developed for flight in thinner air, just make sure to stay close to the ground in case anything goes wrong, alright?"
Again, Scootaloo nodded.
Nurse Redheart smiled and took a few steps back. "You should be ready now. Go on and give it a try!"
Everypony stepped back in anticipation, and Scootaloo extended her wings. She felt the softest breeze begin to move along the feathers, calling her skyward. The blue moved in the same wavelike motion as the rest of them, ready to catch the wind and fly. She stood there, taking in the moment and waiting for what felt right.
But something was wrong.
"Um... how?" she said, looking back at the nurse. But it was Dash who spoke up next.
"Look over here, Squirt." Rainbow said, walking up next to the filly and extending her own wings to show her.
"You have to trust the wind to carry your wings just as much as you would trust the ground to hold your hoof when you take a step." she raised her wings a little higher. "The first flap needs to be hard. It's meant to get you off the ground, but you don't need to keep flapping hard after you're airborne. What you need to do after that is glide along the wind until you feel comfortable enough to climb higher." she gave a few downward flaps for example.
Rainbow could practically hear her father's voice speaking instead of hers as she spoke the words she remembered. They were always in the back of her mind every time she flew, and every time she touched down.
"Move with the wind, not against it until your stronger and remember that landing is just like taking off. One hard flap and let yourself fall to the ground. It will feel a bit weird, but a few more steps will have you feeling like you never left in the first place."
"You won't be flying with me?" asked Scootaloo, looking slightly confused.
"You know where those feathers came from, Scoots. I'm mostly grounded until they grow back, but don't worry. You'll do fine, squirt. If you can pull off some of those awesome moves on that scooter of yours, simply flying should be no problem for you." said Dash after seeing the look of concern in the filly's purple eyes, which instantly brightened up after hearing those words.
Scootaloo mimicked the way that Dash held her wings and took a deep breath. She felt ready. Deciding a running start would give her more of a chance, she took off running down the grass as fast as her legs could carry her. The air licked her wings and continued to call her to flight, to call her upwards. She gave a mighty flap, then two, and felt herself rise off the ground.
Then she fell back down, her face dragging across the dirt till she came to a stop. Sweetie Belle gasped and ran to the side of her friend with Applebloom close behind. They leaned down to help Scootaloo to her hooves, but she shrugged them away and started running again. She was close, she could feel it.
Three flaps this time, as hard as she could do, but again she found herself losing control and plummeting to the ground after rising just a few feet. She braced herself for the fall and managed to land it with a roll. Her friends couldn't manage to close the distance this time before she was off and running again, faster than before.
One, two, three flaps brought her to the air. A fourth brought her even higher. She dipped low, but recovered with a few rapid pushes of her wings. She was airborne. It took a few moments for her to realize that the ground was no longer beneath her, and that she could stop running with her hooves. Scootaloo smiled as she felt her wings drift along with the wind as it carried her over the heads of her cheering friends. Dash gave her a salute which she returned in full, though it threw her off balance for a moment.
Dash felt good, and that kind of surprised her. She didn't understand it, but she didn't need to as she watched the orange and blue filly catch wind after wind, even going so far as to gain extra height. Slight dives made her nervous, but Dash knew Scootaloo was just experimenting with the wind and the fall. "For the first time that she's actually flown, the little squirt wasn't doing so bad. Wings must be stronger than Redheart thought, just look how high she's getting."
"Wait." Dash thought, looking up at the sky bound pegasus.
Scootaloo was climbing higher, looking straight at the sun as she did so. Each push of her wings burned and her breath was erratic, but she wanted to climb, she wanted to reach closer to the sun. She was too high to hear the shouts of those below her, not could she see them waving for her to come down.
All her life, she looked at the sky thinking that she would never be able to reach it, to touch it. This was her chance to change that. She was a pegasus, and she had to prove it. Not to anypony else, but to herself.
But each wingstroke became harder, and the air around her became cooler and cooler. Each breath burned her lungs, yet it seemed like she wasn't getting enough air to satisfy their need. Her wings seemed to stop on their own accord, and Scootaloo found herself falling backwards, eyes no longer facing the sun, but seeing the ground racing towards her form. She was too tired to scream, and there was no soft breeze that could carry her out of the divebomb.
Dash was the first to realize that Scootaloo was falling instead of flying. While the other's were cheering, she was running. If it were possible, she would already have sped off to try and catch the filly, but there was just not enough lift to her wings to be able to make it. Rainbow's only hope was to gain enough speed to allow her lift enough to catch the wind, or for her to push up with her own strength, or something! Scootaloo was falling and there wasn't another pegasus around that could help her!
The speck that was Scootaloo was growing larger, and the shadow she was casting from the sun was growing larger on the ground. Rainbow jumped as high as she could and pushed with all her might, but she fell to the ground, skimming the dirt underneath her. She carried what momentum from the fall into another sprinting burst, but no more than a few feet were gained. The speck was growing nearer, and the shadow growing nearer. Dash put everything she had left into one last sprint and lept into the air with her wings fully extended.
The wind caught them, and she was pushed forward in time to fly into the falling form of the filly. Scootaloo fell into Dash's arms, bringing them both down into a heap into the ground. The impact was hard, and everypony could practically feel it in their bones as they all stared at the cloud of dust.
Redheart grit her teeth moved a hoof to shield the children's eyes, but she couldn't keep them back. They ran past the nurse and towards the fallen pegasi, each calling out their names. Redheart overtook the fillies as she ran towards the imprint left in the ground from the fallen, but she was a ways away, and the nurse felt as if she swallowed an iron hammer when she imagined what she was about to see.
Rainbow Dash, a bright blue prismatic pegasus laying under a stark orange filly with her wings wrapped around the little one. The dust began to settle around the two grounded fliers, darkening their colors but also bringing out a stark red that shown around Rainbow Dash''s head that was not a part of her mane. the two forms were still, and the wind brushed and pushed the grass around them in waves.
Scootaloo stirred. She began to cough out the dust around her that entered her lungs as she slept. Her eyes opened to find Dash's closed eyes and the blood the flowed from a gash in her head. Scootaloo started to panic, pushing on Dash's chest with her hooves. "Dash. Dash! Wake up!" she cried, as loudly as she could manage. Rainbow didn't stir, Scootaloo began to cry.
But as she did, Scootaloo felt the wings around her tighten, and a groan escaped the muzzle of Dash as her magenta eyes blinked open. Scootaloo saw blue, rainbow-rimmed pegasus was still alive and let her tears of worry turn to that of joy as she tightly wrapped her hooves around Rainbow's neck, not caring about the groan of pain that this elicited from her muzzle.
"You were almost late." whispered Scootaloo, softly in Dash's ear.
"I'll always be there when you need me the most." said Dash in kind.
She saw Redheart and the fillies standing around the small indentation the caused in the soft dirt and staring, but at that moment, Rainbow Dash could care less if they heard her words or not.
The darkness of the forest was absolute, and the dangers that hid within were palatable, but these facts were not valid reasons for a changeling to fear. The darkness gave them comfort and reminders of home, and there were few terrors in the shadows that could match the powers and malice of the Changeling race and even fewer that would challenge them. The small group walked with confidence and grace through a trail of their own make, all the while laughing at the thought of their nefarious plot.
"How long do we think they will last in there?" chittered one to the other, though each changeling would be indiscernible to the normal pony's eye, they recognized each-other without fail.
"Without water, a week at most. It rains so much that they may have to suffer long enough to starve to death instead. They would be in there for much longer."
Mirthful laughter that likened to the sound of swarming bees erupted from the group as they walked towards their goal, the night almost perfectly shrouding their presence as it embraced their deep black exoskeletons.
Almost.
With hardly a whisper, the changeling lagging behind the troop was brought into the tall grass and vines by a pair of strong hooves. Nary a sound was heard, and it happened with blinding quickness. The next one in the line of changelings had the same sight as the others. Logs, rocks, and obstacles became bright as day in the night vision that it race shared, but no advantage could have prepared him for an overlooked vine which it stepped on.
Less quiet was it's scream of surprise as the vine whipped the changeling into the air and out of sight amid the branches of trees above. The remaining three turned behind them, but found nothing except their missing companions behind them. They gave panicked glances at the foliage around them, but there was nothing to be found in the darkness.
"Reznat? Reznat were are you?" said one that wore a familiar green pith hat, but it heard no answer. Looking behind him, he found that the two other changelings that had once stood beside him had gone. He couldn't tell whether they had been taken, or just ran off in fear for their lives. Anger flooded the changeling as it search it's mind for some of the the foulest insults it could think of for it's one-time companions, but everything in his mind went blank when he heard a twig snap directly behind him.
Turning, the Changeling came face to face with the infamous Daring Do's magenta eyes and trademark grin. With hardly a moment of hesitation, Daring ripped her hat off the changeling's head and stuck it back on top of her own head. Leaning forward, she gave the changeling a quick peck on the nose before delivering a wince-inducing haymaker hoof to the face. The changeling dropped straight to the ground, out cold.
"Was that really necessary?" Daybreak asked while walking out from behind Daring, brushing off some dirt and leaves she accumulated after dragging away the snared changeling.
"Never do things half way, and always make it something to remember." Daring proclaimed with a smirk as she adjusted the pith hat to her liking.
"Fair enough,” said Daybreak, obviously unimpressed. “But what happens now? The whole Manedorado deal was a bust, it seems." Daybreak walked over to the prone changeling and gave it a none too gentle kick in frustration. "I don't think the museum would pay us if we just took a couple of changelings to their doorstep, not to mention what customs would do to us if we were caught."
"And the fact that we don't deal in kidnapping." Daring added. She carefully scanned the ground until she found a path which she was satisfied with and began to walk the trail with Daybreak behind.
"I suppose that's true. Still a shame we couldn't find any sign of the golden city. You always tell me that legends have at least some truth to them. I have a hard time believing that changelings made up the whole myth from the start."
"Can't win them all, but don't worry. Before we left, I got a lead on where we can find the chalice that Nightmare Moon used before her banishment. Heard it's somewhere beneath Manehatten!"
"Beneath? but tha- ow!" Daybreak gasped as her hoof slammed into a rock.
"Need me to light a torch?" Daring asked, concerned.
"No, it's fine. Just need to pay more attention." cursed Daybreak, kicking the rock behind her as hard as she can, then trotting up closer to Daring Do.
The rock tumbled into the darkness, finding little purchase on a slope that sent it careening even deeper into the depths of the forest where it's journey was halted by a rocky outcropping. The dirt surrounding the rock crumbled as it rolled into the moonlight that broke through the upper canopy, revealing a bright gold surface with layers of intricate scroll work etched into the surface.
"A city made of gold. Could you even imagine that, Daring?"
"I'm sure there's another city made of diamonds out there somewhere, Daybreak. You just have to have faith."
"I can't believe that! Manedorado really does exist!" shouted Scootaloo after Rainbow read the last few words and closed the book.
"And they didn't even notice it, even when she bumped right into the clue!" said Dash with equal excitement.
"Do you think that they'll write another one where-" Scootaloo was practically bouncing on the cloud where she and Rainbow sat on, but Dash put a hoof to the filly's mouth which brought all movement to a halt. She then pointed towards the sky which was a sea of white and grey.
Pegasi could be seen rising up through them, holding buckets that were strapped to their sides. on some unseen cue, the colorful Pegasi rose in unison high above the clouds. Some twisted, and some dove, but all of them were trailing liquid rainbow behind them as they masterfully poured out each colorful stream in a perfect, practiced arc. Scootaloo watched in fascination, unable to take her gaze away from the bright spectacle before her. She waved at the Pegasi that flew close to her, and they waved back in turn while pouring out the colors for the earthbound ponies to enjoy.
The wind was most cold on the cloud, and Scootaloo found herself shivering. She huddled closer to Dash, who pulled her close to share her own warmth.
"This is our way of saying sorry for blocking out the sun when it rains." Dash said as she too watched the pegasi work. "I'd say it's worth a little bit of rain to see what the artists at the factory can create."
Scootaloo didn't say anything. They both sat and watched the colors flow until the moment that the sun began to set. The filly yawned and stretched before burying her head in the crook of Rainbow's wing. Only a few moments passed before she was snoring softly. Dash thought best not to disturb the filly. Besides, the air was the perfectly cool, and the moon never looked so beautiful.
Dash laid her head on the cloud, and allowed her thoughts to drift. She found her mind thinking of the filly that she promised to take care of. All this effort, all this work just to make Scootaloo happy for a little while. Even if it hurt...
She scratched a hoof across the bandage around her head.
It all felt worth it, in the end.
Rainbow Dash fell into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.
