Higher Senses

CHAPTER ONE: A FEVER?

She pushed the open the door with a fiery orange hoof, making her way inside the colorful bakery known as Sugarcube Corner. Her mouth watered in anticipation as the aroma of strawberries and chocolate baked sweets wafted through the air. “‘Sup, Mrs. Cake?” she said, grinning brightly as she trotted up to the mare at the front counter.“Hey, Scootaloo!” She waved a hoof and flashed the young filly a smile, gesturing over to a table.  “Your friends are waiting for you over there.” A frown appeared on her face. “Are you alright, hon? Looks like you’re coming down with something.”Scootaloo placed her helmet on the counter, revealing a very sweaty looking filly. Her mane was ruffled up and bags hung under her eyes. “I’m cool, really.”“Are you sure? I can get you some tea if you want.”

“Yuck!” Scootaloo shuddered. The idea of drinking that bitter, tasteless leaf juice made her even more sick that she felt already. It was enough to make her stomach turn. “I’ll pass on that.”Mrs. Cake raised her eyebrow and stared at Scootaloo. (Probably worth replacing staring in the next sentence to avoid repetition, I think “Her gaze lingered on her for a while” or something similar would fit well) She kept on staring for a while, and it began to make Scootaloo feel uncomfortable. (Next line would sound better with “Finally, she blinked and turned her attention elsewhere”) Finally her eyes blinked and she turned to her attention away. “Alright then dear.  Just holla if you need anything.”As Mrs. Cake looked away, Scootaloo screwed her eyes shut and grimaced. This headache really was wearing her down - she felt like a thousand drums were being pounded on in her skull. She groaned and gritted her teeth. It hadn’t stopped since this morning. Nothing she tried seemed to make it go away. It only seemed to make things worse. “Hey Scootaloo!”She started, her head shooting up from the counter. As her eyes opened again, they were met with the faces of Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “Come on, guys. Keep it down would ya.” She frowned at them, her hooves clutched to her ears as she laid her head back down.Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle traded a worried glance, before turning back to Scootaloo. “Woah, are you okay?”Apple Bloom asked, as she and Sweetie motioned to each side of her.“Oh I’m peachy.” Scootaloo returned in a flat voice, before turning towards the window and gazed at the busy ponies passing by. How she wished she could just be in bed. It wouldn’t have been that difficult to just get up and trot home. But everypony had worked extremely hard for this day. It was definitely something that she didn’t want to miss. Still,  it would have been nicer to just rest a while.Her thoughts were a mess that tangled in her mind like a ball of string in the paws of a cat; all around her brain it wrapped, back and forth. . Apple Bloom put a concerned hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay?”Scootaloo finally made up her mind. She turned to Apple Bloom with a smile. “Sure, I’m fine.” Standing up, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom marched alongside her and escorted her to their table. Everypony she knew was there. Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie. Of course she would be there. Scootaloo thought to herself. Who else would they ask to throw a party?Rarity, Mr. Cake, of course, her fellow crusaders. And then there she stood. Just standing there like any other pony. Rainbow Dash  and rainbow colored mane and tail. Her idol. The one and only Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo couldn’t believe that she had actually come. She remembered Rainbow Dash saying she would come, but it was one thing to ask her to come. Her saying she would and having her actually arrive were two different things entirely.Thinking back to the moment when she marched just below her house to send her an invitation was the most nerve racking thing she had ever done.

When Scootaloo couldn’t think it could get worse, everypony broke off into song. “Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Scootaloo. Happy birthday to you!” The song ended as Mrs.Cake placed the cake in the middle of the group.It was a vanilla cake with chocolate icing, topped by eleven burning candles.“Howdy,” Applejack said with a smile, but her smile wore down as she noticed Scootaloo’s condition. “You all right there sugarcube?”Scootaloo sniffed and coughed a couple times. "I’m cool,  just a little headache."

“Awww everypony don’t talk so loud because Scootaloo here has a headache,” Pinkie Pie sang as she bounced in the kitchen.

A giggle snapped Scootaloo’s attention away from Apple Bloom and to the white unicorn seated with her hind legs crossed. ”Sorry.” The flickering of the candlelight danced over the cake, their glow dimly lighting the room and casting reflections on the window frames. Mrs.Cake had put the closed sign up so there wouldn’t be any interruptions.

“Close your eyes and make a wish, and not just any wish, but one you really mean,” Sweetie Belle said.“How about I wish not to be sick,” Scootaloo said, earning a collective laugh. She closed her eyes and imagined the sluggish clouds passing by her as she flew high in the clear blue sky for the first time, and she could feel a gust of wind blow through her mane like she was really there. A jab to the chest interrupted her fantasy. She opened her eyes to see Apple Bloom with a smug grin spread across her muzzle, apparently finding the look on her face quite amusing.“Scootaloo, you gonna make yer wish or what?” she asked, giggling. “Ah’d do it myself, but it’s not mah birthday.”“Get ready to see how a pro does it.”As she prepared to blow out the candles, Scootaloo breathed in and closed her eyes. She blew the fire until it vanished Everypony began stomping their hooves much to Scootaloo’s discomfort.“Oh that reminds me I got you something.” She held out the a box in her hooves before slamming in front of them. She flipped the lid open and fished through. “I’ve got you something when you were away.”Scootaloo unwrapped it. Inside was a pair of Wonderbolts goggles. Bringing them up to eye level, she discovered they had a wonderbolts academy title. She rubbed the lettering with her other hoof. “Wow….I don’t know what to say.”“Say thank you.”Scootaloo smiled. “Thank you.”Rainbow Dash flew to the boom box.“Come on! Enough with the warm, fuzzy stuff. Let's get to partying!”The others started dancing at the rhyme of the music, filling the place with laughter. Everypony except Scootaloo who sat behind with her hooves on her head and her face planted on the table. Applejack took notice of this and walked over. “Are you okay there sugarcube?” Scootaloo shook her head.You don’t have to stay if you’re in pain sugarcube. I’m sure everypony would understand.”Scootaloo prepared to get up from the booth, but stopped as pain began to strike. She tried to cover her ears with her hooves but to no avail; the pain continued its attack. Applejack looked at Scootaloo, concerned by her sudden change in behavior. “Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Are we talking too loud?” Scootaloo felt like her brain was being rammed by a freight train. She clutched her ears as the pain ached through . Applejack and the others exchanged confused looks with each other as Scootaloo pleaded for them to stop her pain, but they didn’t know what to do or what was hurting her.“SCOOTALOO!” They shouted in panic as Scootaloo fell onto the ground.Bum, bum, bumBum, bum, bumBum, bum, bum“I’m all right,” Scootaloo said as she was pulled into Applejack’s forelegs. “Let’s—” Her head drooped lower into Applejack’s foreleg as her eyes closed shut.

Trees surrounded Scootaloo, silvered and transformed by the light of the full moon which hung low in the sky like a great luminous pearl and cast long, deep shadows far down the trail. The moon looked pale and wan, as if it shouldn't have been up on a night like this. It  hung like an ill specter. Scootaloo’s eyes shot open, and a cold sensation tingled down her spine. Where am I? She looked around the odd and dark woods. Am I dead?Scootaloo heard a sound from behind her. She quickly spun around to see a shadowy figure standing only a few feet away from her. “Princess Luna? Is that… is that you?”Instead of Luna approaching, a bat flapped its way by and nearly took off her head. She managed to duck down before it could and looked up to see it land on a tree branch that came out of nowhere.“Is this a nightmare?”Scootaloo flinched as she stood up.“Uh...easy there.” Scootaloo backed away from the bat. Something made her feel connected to it. Was it the purple hairs on its head, or its orange body instead of black? Its eyes were slitted similar to a cat and glowed a creepy purple light.Before Scootaloo could react, its body flicked off the tree limb and launched towards her. Its sharp teeth filled her vision as it made for her exposed face.

Scootaloo’s head bolted upwards as she woke up, trying to regain her breath. She looked around the room. There was apple wallpaper on the walls and on the curtains. She put a hoof on her head as she still felt the effects of the accident.“S-S-Scootaloo?”Scootaloo turned to her side to see Applejack waking up her slumber, rubbing her eyes. She got up from the chair she had sat on while watching over Scootaloo. “Y’all had us all worried. You feeling okay?”She shook her head and a cough followed afterwards.“You don’t sound like it,” Applejack reached over the bed and placed a hoof down on Scootaloo’s steamy hot forehead. “Oh nella, you must be coming down with a fever!”She collapsed back onto it with a groan.

CHAPTER Two: Anything For An Apple

Scootaloo woke up with a start. The headache she felt was enough to get a groan out of her after she was done.  She turned to the window and saw that the moon had risen quite a bit while she was asleep. “I’ve been asleep that long?”HHer ears shot up as she heard a clatter of hooves coming closer to her door. Two voices resonated in the corridor, but from where she lay she could hear them as clearly as if she was out there conversing with them. One was Twilight Sparkle’s and the other was Applejack’s.“Thank goodness you’re here Twilight“ said a voice that sounded like Applejack. “Something’s wrong with her. I think it’s a fever of some kind!”“I came as fast as I could. How is she?” Twilight said.“I don’t know. She looked terrible when she came to her birthday last night  and then passed out!“How long was she out?”“Hmm, maybe seven to eight hours,” she replied, unsure.Twilight took her leave, and the thundering sound of her hooves clattered closer and closer to the door, until finally the knob began to twitch back and forth.“Scootaloo, are you awake?” the young princess whispered, peeking into the room.Twilight trotted in the room and closed the door behind with her magical aura. She trotted to the chair beside the filly and sat there. When she sat down, Twilight noticed Scootaloo’s toyish boyish attitude changed to a sick filly sweating bullets. “How are you feeling?”“Horrible.” Scootaloo shuffled with her blankets. Her head sunk further into the pillow as she tried to get more comfortable. "How’d you know what happened last night?”“Well, after Applejack told me what happened, I teleported to the library.” Twilight took a breath before continuing, "I looked through every book and found nothing. So I’m here to find out from you.” Her head drooped down as her ears flopped to her head.“It’s okay Scootaloo, you can tell me.” Scootaloo felt Twilight put her hoof on hers. “I’m your friend.”Scootaloo sighed and told her about the pain she felt while the voices attacked her ears, how it felt like a train ramming in her brain, like it was about to explode. Twilight’s face was filled with different emotions, ranging from shocked to concerned , and by the time Scootaloo finished, She Snapped out of her mental state and cleared her throat. Twilight stared at the filly in the bed. “I’m so sorry to hear that, Scootaloo.”“What do you think it—” She coughed violently before clearing her throat. “—means?”“Whatever happened at your birthday party may happen again sometime soon.” Twilight rubbed her chin. “Maybe it’s a fever? Do you feel light headed? Dizzy? Need to vomit?”Scootaloo shook her head.“When you feel it coming again please come to me so I can find a better answer for you, okay?”Scootaloo nodded. “Okay.”She felt Twilight pull her into a hug and squeeze her tightly.“You sure you’re okay?”“Yeah. But, uh, can you let go?” Scootaloo exhaled as Twilight broke the embrace and took a step back.“Sorry! Just know the library is always open if you need anything.” Twilight said.“Augh, why can’t I go somewhere else? Libraries are boring!” Scootaloo said, earning a giggle from Twilight.“Well you’re going have to get used to it, missy!”Twilight and Scootaloo shared a warm smile. “Be careful Scootaloo, till next time.”Scootaloo laid her head back on the soft and fluffy pillow, looking up at the turning blades of the ceiling fan. The sound of the fan’s blades wasn't painful. The white noise was actually sort of relaxing to her ears, unlike the awful din outside. She groaned as she spun her head towards the window to her right and saw the cause of the racket: it was pouring, and the raindrops sounded like a somepony tapping on the glass tons of time. hundred hammers pounding on the glass as they ran down the glass pane.In her bed, Scootaloo slightly tilted her head to a more comfortable position. All Scootaloo’s calm nerves snapped as a boom of thunder crashed outside. The sound echoed loudly in her ears, bringing her pain. She shielded her hooves on her head and closed her eyes.“Howdy, Scoot—” Scootaloo’s head poked up as a smashing sound caught her attention. She looked down and saw the bowl of oat cereal smeared across the floor. She couldn’t get a chance to respond as she found herself wrapped around Applejack hooves. “Scootaloo, are you okay?”Scootaloo shook her head. The thunder erupted again, making her bury her face in the pillow on her bed. “You scared of the thunderstorm?” She asked with a light chuckle. “For a second there you made me think you were having an episode again.”Scootaloo exhaled as the thunder couldn’t hurt her ears since the window blocked out the sound. “I’m not scared it’s this dumb fever.”“Be honest with me, Scootaloo. Your ears still hurting?”“No.”“Oh thank goodness,” Applejack muttered, sighing in relief. ”Thought you would like some soup to ease down the fever?” Applejack went to the desk beside Scootaloo’s bed where a bowl sat. She came back with another bowl of soup in her hooves. “Here you go, made it warm for you.”“You didn’t have to do that.”Scootaloo took the bowl in her hooves and scooped up some. She chewed bits and could tell there was some carrots and mushrooms in the soup that made her taste buds feel like they were in heaven.“Yeah I know,” Applejack said, “we apples help each other out,” Applejack reached in and tried to pat Scootaloo on the back, but she scooted away. “Just remember, no matter what, we’re here for you.”  Scootaloo stopped chewing her soup and put the spoon down, she pondered.  Applejack took notice of this and turned her attention towards the pegasus. “What’s the matter, Scootaloo?”“I’m sick.” Scootaloo wiped her nose.“Do you have allergies you wanna mention to me or…”“I don’t have allergies,” Scootaloo said.“Well whatever this is we’ll help you out.” Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder.“Thanks Applejack.” Scootaloo went back to eating her soap. The two embraced the noises the storm made and not too long Scootaloo drifted off to sleep.

CHAPTER THREE: LIFE GOES ON

The white noise was actually sort of relaxing to her ears, unlike the awful din outside. She groaned as she spun her head towards the window to her right and saw the cause of the racket: it was pouring, and the raindrops sounded like a hundred hammers pounding on the glass as they connected with the glass pane.Opening her eyes with a yawn, Scootaloo knew there was nothing like waking up after a good night—not counting  weird waking up to being a bat pony thing.  Scootaloo rubbed her hooves down her face and grunted as she sat upright. Her mane was messy and bags hung under her eyes. But that was the least of her problems.Scootaloo shook her, yawned a bit and rose up from her back. She stretched with a smile on her face. “Wow I feel good.” She jumped up her back and move her foreleg. “I feel awesome!”Scootaloo went on top of the bed and bounced up and down. “No more dumb pain!” She exclaimed with each bounce. She laughedShe saw  the knob twitched back and forth. The door harder than intended Apple Bloom came in. s“Hey, Scootaloo!”Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle  walked in. “Looks like somepony is back to their old self.”“Yeah!” Scootaloo bounced off the bed landing on all fours. “Guess it was a fever or something.”Sweetie Belle hugged Scootaloo, the embrace grew tighter. “Uh Sweetie Belle why are you hugging me?”“I,” Sweetie Belle sniffed, “miss you.”“But I haven’t even—hnnnng!” Scootaloo whimpered as Sweetie Belle’s foreleg was crushing her. “Please. Stop!”Apple Bloom couldn’t help, but smile as watching the scene tugged at her heartstrings. She didn’t know how much pain, Scoota All was botting inside her. She figured she wanted to be left alone, to shield herself from the world of what she turned into. Once they broke their hug, Apple Bloom spoke up. “So what you wanna do today?”Scootaloo rubbed her sore back and groaned. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m hungry.”“Me too!” She decided to follow Scootaloo into where she was searching inside the fridge.“We got apple pie from last time if you wanna eat that cause you know…..apple family and all?”“Pass.” Apple Bloom frowned. ““Same.”“You’re lost.” Scootaloo pulled out a soda. “Soda?”Apple Bloom nodded and caught the one that was thrown to her.“Sweetie Belle?”Sweetie Belle shook her head.Scootaloo head into the fridge and took out another soda. Another thought crossed her mind. She opened the can of soda, but it didn’t expected the soda to send e fizzle of  soda on her, wetting her mane and coat.Scootaloo shook herself like a cat and groaned. “Ugh when did I get bad luck all of sudden?”Apple Bloom spat out her soda and began laughing. Sweetie Belle giggled to herself.“Ha ha very funny.” Scootaloo scoffed as she slammed the fridge door and faced Apple Bloom.Applejack chuckled and titled her hat upright. “Well I be,” she titled her hat up and smiled.“Glad to see you running and about.”“It feels good to be back to being awesome.”“That still don’t excuse you for going to school today.” Applejack turned to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. “That includes you two.”“Awww!”

The morning sun glared down on the trio as they made their way into school doors. Sweetie Belle noticed when Scootaloo yawned, not looking like her usual self. “Everything okay, Scootaloo?”Scootaloo opened her mouth, but a yawn escaped her mouth instead.”Yeah just… just let me close my eyes for a minute.” Her eyes drifted shut, and after a moment, her friends cried. “Oh great. Diamond Tiara,” all said in unison as two familiar faces approached them.“Hey, blank flanks!” Diamond Tiara shouted as they approached her. “How was the chicken’s birthday party?” She turned to Scootaloo, flashing a smirk. “I always wondered what a party would be like in a barn.” Her smirk grew. “You must know, Apple Bloom.”Apple Bloom growled.“Back off!” Scootaloo stepped in front. “You don’t  mess with my friend with me around.”Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed in usion. “What you going to do? Peak us little chicken?”Scootaloo clapped her hooves together. “And the award for lame goes to—” she turned to the two with a smile. “Diamond Tiara and her lap dog.”“Good one, did you get that from your mom?” Diamond Tiara's eyes widened in shock “Oh wait you don’t have a mom.”Scootaloo growled. Diamond Tiara's smirk never left despite Scootaloo’s anger. “Or do you call that dumb southern mare your mom now?”She looked like Silver Spoon who giggled.Scootaloo rushed in, ready her foreleg as she was going to swing in right into Diamond’s face, but Sweetie Belle stopped her with magic forming around her body. “You better get out of here cause I can’t hold her any longer!” Sweetie Belle warned, struggling.“Pff like I’m scared of some blank flank!”Scootaloo broke Sweetie’s magic and charged towards Diamond Tiara. She stopped when her hoof was inches away from the brat’s nose, only inches.  Her hoof leveled down as she spotted the rest of the class and Cheerilee coming in.Diamond recovered from her shock and went back to her nature self. “Yeah you know better to hit me!” Diamond Tiara walked away, with Silver Spoon following after.Scootaloo sat down with a huff and crossed her forelegs. “I almost beat the snot out of her.”“Yeah I’m surprised too, didn’t know she made you mad that badly,” Sweetie Belle said, pulling out a couple books from her desk.An evil plan popped in her head. “Listen up, I got a way to make those two pay.”Everypony took their seats and Cheerilee began their class.Scootaloo eyed Diamond and Silver Spoon as they focused their attention on the chalkboard. Groaning as the chalk board scraping sound filled her ears, Scootaloo winched and clutched her ears. She looked around for the noise and spotted Cheerilee writing something on the board while the class repeated. Sweat began to from in her forehead and she began to feel a headache come on.“Scootaloo?”Suddenly all the sounds stopped as she saw everypony including Cheerilee was looking at her. “Are you all right?She looked at the two brats searching their reaction, but they were too far away. “Can I go to the nurse? I’m not feeling too good.”Cheerliee nodded. “Of course.” She handed Scootaloo a hallway pass and watched her walk out the door.

Scootaloo closed her eyes tightly and waited. Her sniffles filled the hallway good thing nopony was there to see her cry. “Oh wait you don’t have a mom.” Her eyes shut tight as the tears were screaming to come out. When she heard something move, she opened her eyes and shouted, "I’m not crying!"the thing that made the sound was Apple Bloom coming in the nurses room.“Scootaloo?” She sat down near Scootaloo and laid her head against the wall. “You alright? What happened back there?”"I think this fever’s getting worse." She sniffed. “I have a headache and and…” She buried her face into her hooves as she sneezed into it. “Ugh, I feel like crap right now.”“Don’t worry Scoots, you’ll get better soon enough.”“Yeah I hope so.”They sat and just stared at the wall as if it were something interesting about it. The silence between said all.Apple Bloom lifted a hoof up her chin. “Hey remember that,” she said.“What?” Scootaloo eyes followed where Apple Bloom’s hoof pointed and spotted  a picture of them when they’ve first met at Diamond Tiara party. “Wow, that is so old. Was we seven when we took this?” She laughed. “You looked fatter in that picture!”“I do not!” Apple Bloom pushed Scootaloo and chuckled. “You looked uh….uh..”“Bloom stop, you can’t come up with a good comeback.”She chucked and playfully punch Scootaloo. As they sat, Scootaloo was lost in thought as the silence brought her comfort. A nurse came in and cleared her throat. “Better get goin.”“Yeah.”Apple Bloom walked to the door and swung it open before doing a double take. “See ya Scoots.”Scootaloo waved her goodbye and sighed when the door closed, leaving her alone with the nurse. “So, can I go home?” she asked looking at the nurse with a smile.

CHAPTER FOUR: GOOD THINGS DON’T LAST LONG

The morning sun glared down on Scootaloo as she made her way around town. The light from the sun was almost blinding at first, but once Scootaloo’s eyes had adjusted, the light became bearable.She looked up, using a hoof to shade her eyes from the direct sunlight, and searched the sky, hoping to see a band of rainbow colors streaking through the sky.The sky was mostly clear except for a few scattered fluffy clouds, but Scootaloo found no sign of the mare she viewed as a hero.That is, until she turned around. Scootaloo looked up and noticed a small cloud just big enough for a single pony to lay on. Lo and behold, a rainbow-colored tail hung from the cloud, flowing in the wind.Scootaloo clutched her head as she felt the effects of the senses.“You okay Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked.Scootaloo shook the pain off. “Yeah I'm Fine drop it all right?”“Okay, okay just checking to my friend.”“Well you don’t need to check up on me okay?” Scootaloo grumbled. “Like I’m some filly need some watching over.”As she turned around, Rainbow Dash landed in front of Scootaloo.”Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rainbow responded quickly, holding up her hooves. “You’re not going to start shouting at me or you?”“No!” Scootaloo shouted all flustered.Rainbow Dash chuckled.“Just messing around.”“Hi Rainbow Dash!” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shouted.“Hey you two.” Rainbow Dash smiled. “So what you three going to wreck now?”“Not for now!”Rainbow Dash chuckled and quickly gave Scootaloo's wings a quick look-over. “Hey since you three aren't done anything I need you to watch me do this cool stunt I’ve been practicing.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took flight, landing on a cloud above.Scootaloo turned to them. “Watch how it’s done.”Rainbow Dash jumped up off the cloud and spread her wings.Scootaloo gulped seeing Rainbow Dash fall down like that without flying afterwards made her nervous. “Dash, are you going to—”Rainbow Dash spread her wings, the air brushing against it. Scootaloo placed her hooves on her eyes. “Wooohooo!” Her eyes shot opened and saw Rainbow Dash performing loops in the sky.Scootaloo sighed in relief and turned to her friends. “See, Rainbow Dash is awesome!”“Hehe she is pretty cool,” Sweetie Belle said, gazing in the sky.“Pretty cool? How about awesome amazing cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed with a huge smile.“Uuuh yeah.”Scootaloo turned her  attention back to Rainbow Dash. She was zig zagging around the skies, taking out some clouds in the process. One day Scootaloo knew she will soar with Rainbow Dash. Bum, bum, BUM! Scootaloo whimpered as the beat got louder and louder. She tried to cover her ears with her hooves but to no avail. She could still hear her heart’s rapid pulsing from the stress.“You okay Scoots?” Sweetie Belle asked.“I said stop checking on me like I’m some little punk!” Scootaloo shouted turning her attention towards the backing away unicorn. “I don’t need nopony watching over me because some dumb fever!”Scootaloo gritted her teeth and clenched her ears.“Oh no it’s happening again!” Apple Bloom looked up the sky and searched for Rainbow Dash. She spotted her clearing out the last cloud and smiling proudly at her job well done. “Rainbow Dash!” She shouted, but Rainbow Dash was still. “Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo’s hurt!”Rainbow looked down at Apple Bloom shouting something. “What she’s shouting on about?” She flew down and was trotting up to the filly. She panicked as she saw Scootaloo on the ground clutching her clutching her ears. “Hold on kid!” She spread her own wings and took flight, speeding up to the She pulled Scootaloo into a hug and looked at the squirming filly.  “Scoots, what’s happening? What I do?”“Scootaloo are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What I do?”“Take. Me. To. Twilight!” Scootaloo shouted through gritted teeth.Rainbow Dash had told her to flap her wings. She began flapped her wings as hard as she could. “Hold kid just hold on!” Everypony who went outside today would see a rainbow streak left in Dash’s wake as she flew for Scootaloo’s life. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle following afterwards.

The next morning, Twilight woke up early to start her research. She read book after book, pages and pages of notes she had written and stacked up, thrown to the floor and forgotten. A yawn escaped her mouth as Spike placed a tray with tea and a plate of biscuits in front of her. “Thank you, Spike.”“No problem.” Spike noticed books laying around Twilight. “Jeez, Twi, you miss another test from Celestia?”“Very funny, Spike, but no.” Twilight put a book down and levitated another one in front of her. “Doing some researching and comparing results in every book.”“I see,” Spike grumbled. “May I ask why?”“From what Applejack told me, Scootaloo thought ponies were screaming at her, which hints to over-sensitive hearing. She claimed to hear a thumping heartbeat before finally passing out. It’s an interesting phenomenon.” Twilight said. “Also a worrying one.”“I feel bad for Scootaloo.”Twilight turned to Spike, the larger dragon’s sharp scales and razor teeth driving a spear of fear into Twilight’s heart. The dragon had grown a lot over the past few years, his appetite alone making Twilight uneasy about the future. His eyes lazily scanned the pages of notes before the mare.“Wow.”“Yeah I—hold on a minute, Spike!” Twilight went back to the page she skipped in the book that had no title. Her eyes scanned the page, it had a labeled diagram of an ear in the center and several other notations. Her face slowly shifted as the realisation sank in.Spice rubbed his neck nervously. “Umm, Tw—”“Shuush!”“But—”Twilight stood up and looked around. “Do you hear that?”Spike sighed and waited for Twilight. “Nope.”“Listen.”Twilight stopped and turned back to Spike, a shocked expression on her face.“Twilight?” Spike placed his claws on Twilight’s shoulder as he looked into her eyes. “Twilight, you’re acting weird again.”“No Spike it sounds like Rainbow Dash shouting—”Twilight snapped out of her trance.“Sorry just got sucked in”Spike and turned to the door as Rainbow Dash busted through the door with Scootaloo on her back. “I need your help, Twilight!” She walked over to Twilight. “Please she started that thing again and, and she told me to come see you!” Her eyes started to tear up. “I didn’t know what to do Twilight, she could have died. She could—”“It’s okay you here now,” Twilight said to her sobbing friend. “You’ve done all you could.”“But was it enough?”Twilight said nothing and rushed in a hug. “It’s okay Rainbow Dash.” She brushed her mane as Rainbow Dash sobbed in her chest, letting her guard down. Spike stood there, not knowing what to do so he picked up some books. She broke the embrace much to Dash’s discomfort and smiled. “How about we get her to a safe place?”Twilight smiled. “Sounds like a plan.” She turned to the two fillies who stared at the unioncess Scootaloo. “Don’t worry girls, she’ll be fine.”“Are you sure? Should we stay with her?”Twilight shook her head. “While they would be nice for Scootaloo I don’t think Rarity would want you up late.”Sweetie Belle ran up to Scootaloo and gave her a quick hug. “I’m sorry.”

Rainbow Dash sighed, “I didn’t know what was happening. I just stood there.” She rubbed her hooves down her face. “I was so scared. I was flying your house and how Scootaloo looked…..her eyes closed and didn’t look like she were hardly breathing.”If it weren’t for her looking at Dash the whole time she talked, she would have missed the tear that escaped from Rainbow’s eye. Twilight reached to rub Rainbow’s back, but she flinched away.“I’m okay really,”Rainbow Dash put on her best smile.“Is that why you didn’t adopt her?”Twilight asked which made Rainbow arch an eyebrow.Rainbow Dash eyes widened for seconds, but returned to their nature sizes as she sighed and confirmed with a nod. “Everytime I’m near the kid, I just get nervous might screw up.”“Nervous?”“Yeah like I’m going to get reckless and—”“Well you’re aren’t wrong on the reckless part, but you the filly adores you Rainbow Dash, couldn’t imagine how hurt she was when you said no.”“She didn’t cry.”“Huh?”“Scootaloo was pissed but she looked like….”“She expected.”“Yeah.”Rainbow Dash fiddled with her hooves. “At the party when Scootaloo were happy with the Apple family, I was happy…..but I was also jealous.”“Really?”“Yeah I—“Aaaa!”“Scootaloo!” Both jumped up in unison.Twilight teleported in her room and saw Scootaloo Shaking as she curled up to a ball and her feathers were shading, but won’t shocked her most was the fangs that clearly visible in Scootaloo's mouth. “H-h-help.”Twilight could hardly contain herself as her breakfast was spread all over the floor.

CHAPTER FIVE: NEW PERSPECTIVE

The pain came back as the heartbeat pounded in the distance. She clutched eh ears and rolled over off the bed. This time was different.It felt like back was burning as if it were on fire. “Twi...Twi…” Was all she could muster as her screams broke her sentence.Scootaloo looked up to the moon shining bright in the dark sky. She looked around an approaching Luna.“Let go.”Scootaloo looked up with a confused expression mixed with pain. “Help me!” She shouted, but it was no use as Luna kept her distance outside the window..“Let go.”“Let go of what!?”Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged confused looks.Scootaloo fell to the floor, sounds of the bones of popping filled her ears, but her screams won. Her vision was going lurry and her oxygen was cutting short. She reached and grabbed the blankets hanging over the ed, pulling herself up. “Woah!” She fell on the ground landing with a thud. Tears began to trail from her eyes as the pain was unbearable. “Please.”“Do something Twilight!”“Yeah yeah right,” Twilight ran to the library books and began levitating all books. “There’s gotta be something in this books!” She mumbled flipping papers readily.“Try faster!” Rainbow Dash flew to Scootaloo. “Don’t worry kid I’ll—aaah!” She flicked away as Scootaloo glared at her with wide slit eyes. “What the hay?”“Let go!”Scootaloo felt herself drifting off as she fully let go, the pain took over and surrounded her with darkness.

Scootaloo gasped as she came back to life. She looked around  and saw her foreleg wrapped around some bed and tied to the bed post. She tried to yank it off, but she felt weak. “Rainbow Dash?”She yanked again. “What’s happening why am I tied up?”Rainbow Dash stood her distance as well Twilight, staring at her. “Guys why am I—”Scootaloo looked at the mirror on Twilight’s drawer.In that reflection, a creature with a fang mouth wearing the same face, had the same attitude stared back at her. Scootaloo title her head,by the way her wings had turned into some kind of bat-like skinned wings, but still worse the same color as before, it was something out of a horror story. Like some sort of rubber plastics made to look like her skin. “What the fu—”“Don’t you even dare!” Twilight shouted while Rainbow Dash was laughing.Her eyes were slit similar to a cat and glowed a purple radiance.  The creature in the mirror was her, there was no denying. She seen that face plenty of each of times, each day yet the shockness of her being robbed of her pegasus traits still stung.“I like to run some tests,”  She turned to see Twilight with a book hovering in her magic.“When did you read that?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered over.“A few moments ago.” Twilight stopped reading and closed the book.  “Listen, Scootaloo are you familiar with thersals?”Scootaloo frowned. “Let me go!” “Twilight rolled her eyes.“Alright then, bats are you familiar with them?”Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yes that’s the things that live in caves,” Twilight nodded. “Have weird glowing eyes.”Twilight nodded. “Correct, but  bats are creatures gifted with better senses than the whole race in Equestria, their senses are heightened to higher degree, but some of their senses also make them durable to normal things.”Scootaloo arched an eyebrow. “So, what are you telling me this for?“Scootaloo, what are you?” Twilight asked.“Are you ser—”“Just answer the question, Scootaloo what you think you are?”“Like them?” Scootaloo asked, arching an eyebrow.“Wrong, you’re a pegasus at heart, always have been and always will be,” Rainbow Dash said, butting in the conversation. “I don’t care you’re still the same old Scootaloo to me even with this cool wings and stuff!”“Scootaloo, what happened to your birthday was no accident,” Twilight said, frowning. “It was your senses at work.”Buzzz, buzzz.Scootaloo waved her hoof around.Buzzz, buzzz, buzzz.There it was again. A fly was buzzing in the distance and threatening her focus. Scootaloo looked around the room in search of it.“Scootaloo, that fly is bothering you that much?” Rainbow Dash asked as she watched the filly wave her hoof around.“Shhh!” Scootaloo said as she kept looking for the tiny insect.“Really? I didn’t hear any—”“Shush!”Scootaloo saw the fly moving along the wall, its buzzing echo in her ears. Her eyes stalked the tiny intruder and widened as it landed in front of her, resting on the table. She slowly raised her hoof in the air, and swat.  “Gotcha!”“Ewww!” Rainbow Dash and Twilight said in disgust.Scootaloo blushed and looked around for something to rub the remains off.“Here,” Twilight levitated a tissue to Scootaloo, looking away as the filly brush it on the tissue and throwing it in a trash bin. “Guess we should take these off now,” she said, untying the blind from her foreleg. “Sorry.”Scootaloo rubbed her foreleg. “It’s cool.”“Hmmm, your senses must heightened more than I thought,” Twilight giggled. “Oooh this is going to be interesting!” She ran to her machine she used on Pinkie and examined. “I can run some tests I hope you don’t mind Scootaloo. I could find how your ear pusles work and what other senses heightened other than you hearing!” She turned to them. “Wouldn’t that…”Twilight stopped and smiled at the scene. During her usual ranting, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had snuggled up to each other and fallen asleep to her boring rants like it was a song. She levitated a blanket over them and blew all out the candles, putting them in the dark.

The place was silvered and transformed by the light of the full moon, which hung low in the sky like a great luminous pearl and cast long, deep shadows far down the trail. The moon looked pale and wan, as if it shouldn't have been up on a night like this. It rose unwillingly and hung like an ill specter.Scootaloo’s eyes shot open, and a cold sensation tingled down her spine. Where am I? She looked around the odd and dark place. Am I dead?Scootaloo heard a sound from behind her.She quickly spun around to see a shadowy figure standing only a few feet away from her. “Princess Luna? Is that… is that you?”Princess Luna came from within the shadows, a frown upon her face as she trotted towards Scootaloo. “Luna!” Scootaloo threw herself onto Luna as they hugged.“Shush, it’s okay I’m here.” Luna reassured the sobbing filly.”I am happy to know I made it in time."Luna smile dropped. "By now you might have figured out you’re parents would know because they weren’t like pegasi.” She continued.“You’re parents had the same problems because they had senses not like a pegasi, but another species.” Her smile returned as she continued. “You finally let go.”Scootaloo eyes widened as the words let go replayed it itself in her mind. The voice saying revealed to be Luna. “That was—”Scootaloo gasped as she came back to life. She looked around and saw she was on Twilight’s bed surrounded by books. Opening her eyes with a yawn, Scootaloo rubbed her hooves down her face and grunted as she sat upright.She looked outside and saw it was morning. “Hey kid,” Scootaloo head snapped to Rainbow Dash who was tip tpeing towards her. “I can’t take it anymore let’s go test out those cool wings of yours.”Scootaloo smiled. She liked that idea, she really did.

Chapter Six:Training Day

“All right showme capable you of.” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took flight, landing on a cloud above.“Got it.” Hovering up the cloud above her, Rainbow Dash was staring down on her and was clearly losing her impatience. Scootaloo gulped and spread her wings, the air brushing against it. Oh Celestia she was training with Dash and she already was sweating bullets!“Yo, Scoots are you going to do this or what?”Rainbow Dash didn’t tolerate waiting, it was clear. Scootaloo squinted as she tried to adjust to the bright sun, which was far harsher on her than it was on the other mare. She gulped in nervousness and then began flapping her wings. Soon, her hooves were lifted off the and, she began hovering a little off the ground.Scootaloo gritted teeth and  flapped her wings as hard as she could. That’s when she felt it. The stinging pain, the feeling of her wings growing too tight and strained. She flopped on her rump and groaned. ““Relax I can!” Scootaloo smirked.“Just watch.” Trying to steady herself.  Scootaloo gritted teeth and  flapped her wings as hard as she could. That’s when she felt it. The stinging pain, the feeling of her wings growing too tight and strained. She could feel herself giving up. No she couldn’t do that to herself, she had to do this!Scootaloo bit her lip as she felt her bones stretching. “Ah!” With an eager grin, Scootaloo spread her new  wings and took flight. Surprised that she was even able to leave the ground, she struggled to keep her balance as she ascended towards her hero.Slowly but surely, Scootaloo rose higher and higher. She desperately wanted to finally fly with her hero. Even though she could barely fly now, her determination kept her going. Her eyes went wide as she realized she was off the ground. She was flying.Well hovering, but still the same. "Yeah! Who's the flightless! Take that, Diamond snotty nose!“Yeah that’s what I’m talking about Scoots!”“Yeah I’m the king of the word!” Scootaloo shouted through her wings. Enjoying the fresh air that filled with lungs. Was this dream?She could be because she felt so unreal she was flying. Finally she not stuck on the ground like the “flightless” bird she was.“Woah!” Her fun hadn't lasted long as she lost her balance a few times due to the new weight on her back and her lack of focus. Scootaloo slammed into a nearby tree. Her face ached with pain as her body slowly slid  to the ground.She looked up and  a rainbow streak flying towards her. Rainbow Dash landed in front of Scootaloo laughing. “Ho, oh man that was funny.”“Shut up." Scootaloo smiled  as she realized what she had just done. "You see that though? I flew Rainbow Dash, something I could hardly do as a pegasus! "Flew," Scootaloo repeated. "I flew! Oh Celestia I finally flew!" Her wings excitedly flapped. She couldn't believe it. She flew up in the sky. With her wings."I'm proud of you, Scoots." Rainbow Dash put out her hoof, which Scootaloo bumped with  her own. "It takes real guts to do a crazy thing like that, and you did it." She paused for a moment and continued, "Well, smashing into a tree is pretty crazy. I don't see anypony else doing that to prove anything."Scootaloo playfully shoved Rainbow Dash. "Shut up." After a while of silence, Scootaloo spoke up. “Since today is the first day that I can actually fly, I was thinking of practicing a lot. You know, since it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and all.”“That’s cool, Scoots. I’m so glad you can finally fly!” Dash replied. “Now watch how I roll.” Rainbow Dash stopped and a grin appeared on her face.Rainbow tilted her head up, looking for a cloud that was big enough for the two of them to land on. After scratching her chin, she pointed towards one that wasn’t too high. “There, you see it?”Scootaloo squinted as she tried to adjust to the bright sun, which was far harsher on her than it was on the other mare. “Yeah, I see it.”“Watch me fly to that in ten seconds—”“Flat yeah I know,” Scootaloo said with the roll of her eyes.Rainbow Dash th spread her own wings and took flight, speeding up to the the cloud and breaking into nothing. Scootaloo watched in awe and knew one day she would soon do that. “So was that cool or not?” She said as she flew down with a smirk.“Yeah that was cool Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo shouted bouncing up and down. “Can I try huh can can I?”Rainbow Dash scratched her head and shook her head much to Scootaloo’s dismay. “I’m going to be honest here kid I don’t really know how your wings work.”Scootaloo hopped off Rainbow Dash’s forelegs. “Is there something wrong with my wings?” She asked as she began to have that fear she thought she never would face again.Rainbow Dash shook her head. “That’s the thing I don’t know a thing about how bat wings work.”

The shiver Scootaloo felt was more real. It wasn’t caused by the excitement alone; she was actually feeling the wind blowing on her coat. The speed of her flight made the air more resistant to her movements, but she kept flying with all her strength. She wanted to grin, to shout her joy to the world, but opening her mouth would cause the wind to abruptly fill her lungs, and make her lose control. Instead, she simply smiled.Scootaloo’s ears perked up at the sound of a groan coming from her side as a result of her body pulled her up as if it had a mind of it’s own. “Wow, jumpy much?”Scootaloo rubbed her head and shook her head. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping with this new “sense” thing.”Rainbow Dash's eyes widened as Scootaloo pointed at her ears, smirking. “You mean you have super hearing!?”Scootaloo snorted out a giggle and shook her head. “Twilight calls them Higher Senses.”Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo relax on the hovering cloud. on the grass and relaxed her head on her forelegs. “Cool name.” Scootaloo smiled and shared the moment  with Rainbow Dash. Enjoying the chirping of the birds as the sun beamed down on them. The first time being on a cloud, Scootaloo thought she had died and was in heaven because how fluffy it felt and how much she snuggled in it.“Man this cloud is awesome!” Scootaloo shouted with a smile.Rainbow Dash stared at the sky for some time then sighed. The birds chirping filled their ears. Dash pondered and Scootaloo stayed quiet as her heart raced what was she going to say next. “You looked like you were going to hurt me, Scootaloo.”Scootaloo’s eyes widened.“That’s why I tied you up because you’re not that joyful innocent filly anymore,” Rainbow Dash said, her attention fully on Scootaloo. “You’re growing up.”Scootaloo looked at Dash before she said, “you’re right,” she looked up in the sky and watched the clouds pass by. “I am.”