Strata's Sacrifice
Once upon a time… in the magical land of Equestria an adorable filly named Scootaloo was born. Scootaloo was the youngest of 15 offspring born to the prominent Aloo aristocracy. The Aloo's had made their fortune selling real-estate in the city of Canterlot. Mr. Aloo was an intelligent but self absorbed alicorn who believed he had to be the best at everything. Mrs. Aloo was the typical aristocrat. She enjoyed fine dining, social events, and philanthropy. Mr. Aloo did not like that his bride was loose with his money. He also resented her for being born just a simple pegasus.
Because of his prowess for perfection Mr. Aloo was seemingly always at odds with his wife. It was said that the only thing that kept the two together was their family. The Aloo's had 14 offspring at first - all male alicorns who took after their father. But this story isn't about them, it's about the one child that the Aloo's had never planned to have together – Scoot.
One night while Mr. and Mrs. Aloo were getting ready for bed they heard a tapping at their bedroom window.
Opening the window Mr. Aloo was surprised to see a stork flapping about outside. The stork held a sheet by two ends in its mouth. Realizing the stork intended to deliver another baby, Mr. Aloo tried to close the window, but it was too late – the stork had already clamored through into the room.
"Special delivery for the happy couple," said the stork.
"Another one?" questioned Mr. Aloo as he slammed a liquor bottle to the nightstand, "I didn't order another son."
As the stork placed the squirming package on the bed, Mrs. Aloo stepped back.
"I know", said the stork, "this one's a girl."
"No, no, there has to be a mistake," said Mr. Aloo, "I did not order a daughter, I just don't need one."
The stork backed away as Mr. Aloo staggered toward him.
"Take. It. Back."
"Honey, you're drunk," said Mrs. Aloo timidly, "Lets figure this out in the morning."
"No! Let's figure this out now!" shouted Mr. Aloo, "I. Did. Not. Order. A. Daughter!"
Taking her husband's front leg, Mrs. Aloo tried to reach a solution.
"Maybe a daughter would be a nice change dear, maybe you'll like her."
"Damn it! Take it back!" shouted Mr. Aloo, "I don't want it!"
"Why is it always about you," cried Mrs. Aloo, "why are you so selfish!?
"It was you!" shouted Mr. Aloo, "You ordered this thing!"
Mr. Aloo struck Mrs. Aloo across the face.
"From now on you will never do anything without my permission!"
Mrs. Aloo cowered in the corner as her husband grasped the squirming package on the bed.
"A-Are you going to s-sign for this?" asked the stork as he hesitantly held a notepad up to Mr. Aloo.
With a furious look in his eye Mr. Aloo turned. In a burst of white feathers he kicked the frightened stork out the window.
As the sound of the Stork's frantic flapping faded into the distant night Mr. Aloo gazed down into the squirming white sheet in his arms.
"Argh!" growled Mr. Aloo as he removed the sheet from over the filly's face.
"What's this!?"
Mr. Aloo gasped in astonishment.
"She has my wings, and my mane, and my ears.
"Honey," called Mr. Aloo to his wife, "She's orange – like me, and with a purple mane too!" Mr. Aloo smiled and brought the filly close to his face.
Mrs. Aloo looked up at her husband. A small smile hesitantly began to form on her face.
"But she's just a common pegasus, she'll never be like me. If anything - she'll take after you."
Mr. Aloo sighed as the smile ran away from his face. Without warning he turned to the windowsill and dropped the filly, sheets and all.
"No!" screamed Mrs. Aloo as she dashed to the window.
Spreading her wings, Mrs. Aloo jumped.
"Stop!" shouted Mr. Aloo as he grabbed his wife by the wings.
Light blue feathers shot is all directions as Mrs. Aloo struggled franticly to save her daughter.
Pulling his wife back inside Mr. Aloo held her tight.
"It's for the best dear, just let it go."
"No," shrieked Mrs. Aloo as tears exploded from her eyes, "You monster! You selfish monster!"
Mrs. Aloo tore away from her husband. She hysterically ran to the window and gazed down into the blackness beneath.
Mrs. Aloo's heart sunk. The light blue pegasus trembled as she realized that a part of her was now gone forever.
Mrs. Aloo stepped back from the sill and turned to face her husband.
With an emotionless stare she looked at him.
"Honey, it's not like we can't still work things out," said Mr. Aloo, "Think about the boys."
"Yes, think about them," said Mrs. Aloo.
Mr. Aloo extended his hoof to his wife. "It's okay honey."
Mrs. Aloo took one last look at her husband and said, "Fuck you."
Leaning back Mrs. Aloo tumbled out the window, her wings tightly closed against her side.
Stumbling forward Mr. Aloo jumped out after her.
As the air flowed through her mane a sudden feeling of joy came across the young blue pegasus. She was doing it. It was all about to end. She was finally going to be free.
The ground was getting closer and closer. Suddenly Mrs. Aloo felt something snag her tail. It was her husband. Spreading her wings Mrs. Aloo shot upward. Her back hooves struck Mr. Aloo's head sending him crashing against the stone wall of his castle.
Dazed Mr. Aloo plummeted downward. As his sight began to regain focus Mr. Aloo came face to face with the last thing he would ever see – the blades of a mechanized crop harvester parked just outside the castle walls.
Hearing the splash of her husband's blood Mrs. Aloo flew down in tears. A gruesome sight met her. The stallion she had fallen in love with so many years ago - dead, impaled end to end with metal blades.
Hysterical, Mrs. Aloo clamped her eyes shut and brought her neck to one of the blades. Choking back her overwhelming sadness she pressed against the rusted metal.
Just as the metal blade came to puncture her neck, Mrs. Aloo heard a sound. She looked up.
Over her head hung a white sheet, snagged perfectly on a tree branch just out of reach.
Mrs. Aloo bit her lip. Her legs shook and tears streamed down her face. Pushing herself away from the machine Mrs. Aloo's neck tore open. Blood poured like an open faucet from the wound.
"Oh God!" cried Mrs. Aloo, "What have I done!?"
Mrs. Aloo pressed a hoof against the wound. Blood spurted in all directions.
Climbing atop the harvester Mrs. Aloo reached for the white sheet. With all her might she flapped her wings. Soaring upward trough the sweet midnight air she gracefully lifted her baby off the branch. Higher and higher she flew.
Mrs. Aloo gazed down at her daughter.
"Haha, you are orange. Alicorn genes are always dominant I guess… but you know what - I care nothing about what you look like or what you are, you will always be my daughter and I don't care what anypony says."
As Mrs. Aloo stared down at her daughter she noticed a red stain rapidly expanding on the white sheet from the point at which she held it.
"I'm going to die," whispered the blue pegasus softly, "but at least I can give you a better life outside this horrid city. If you are anything like me when you grow up, you'll know that it's wrong to let others push you around. I know a town where you will always be welcome… a place where nopony will ever be able to hold you back."
Mrs. Aloo lowered her hoof from her bleeding neck and clutched her baby against her chest.
"It's far, but we can make it if we go really fast."
Mrs. Aloo made a smirk. "Have you ever seen a sonic rainboom? It's my specialty. It was what got me into the Wonder Bolts - it's my cutie mark too. It was what your father always admired about me… perhaps the only thing he admired about me."
A look of determination came across Mrs. Aloo's face. As blood trailed down the whole length of her body, the light blue pegasus clenched her eyes and pumped her wings. She accelerated faster and faster. A cone of brilliant white light began to form around her and her child.
"Just a bit faster!" shouted Mrs. Aloo, "Just a bit faster!"
Suddenly a sharp crack echoed throughout the land. The cone of white light exploded into a massive shockwave of brilliant platinum. The platinum disk illuminated the entire landscape as Mrs. Aloo rocketed through the sky.
Exhausted Mrs. Aloo descended to the ground. Placing her daughter next to her side the wounded Pegasus collapsed.
"Oh man, I forgot… Sonic Rainbooms can only be performed… in daylight."
Mrs. Aloo leaned on her side and gazed directly into her daughter's eyes.
"Can you say Moonbow? Sonic Moonbow? That's what you just saw, a sonic moonbow."
Mrs. Aloo's daughter laughed.
"Ah, but it still felt like a Sonic Rainboom. I can still hear the old crowds cheering my name. Strata Dash! Strata Dash! Strata Dash! Those were the good days. Strata Aloo never had the same ring to it."
Strata let out a long sigh. Her silver mane hung over her eyes as she rolled onto her stomach.
"Well this is Ponyville, the safest, nicest town in all of Equestria. All you need to do is stay here, in the middle of town and they'll find you."
"But who are you? They don't know you. You need a name."
Strata paused for a moment.
"How about Scoot. You don't walk yet, you can't fly yet, so you scoot. Scoot Aloo. It has a nice ring to it."
Strata pressed her hoof against the ground. Writing in the dirt she spelled out her daughter's name: S C O O T A L O O
"I only wish I could have taken you to Cloudsdale first, my little sister Rainbow could have taken you in, but I'm just too weak to fly anymore."
Strata hid her face in her hooves and cried. "If only I had seen you, if only I had seen you a moment before I was so foolish. We could have lived such a happy life together. Scoot… what will happen to you? I need you to tell me you will be alright on your own. Please just tell me."
Scoot looked up at her mother. With joy in her eyes she wobbled to her feet. Taking three steps Scoot tottered to Strata's side. The infant pony fluttered her wings and lay down on the blood soaked sheet by her mother's side.
"That'll do," Strata whispered.
As Scoot peacefully drifted off to sleep Strata became very still. Her heart beat grew fainter and fainter until it was no more. She was dead.
But as with all ponies that die a peaceful death Strata's body quickly vanished. A cloud of sparkling blue dust drifted out of the emptiness from which Strata's body once lay. The dust descended upon Scoot where it glowed brightly for just a moment before being blown into eternity by the wind.
The End
