Swan's Mask

by The Lunar Samurai

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo
Length: 6727

Living behind a mask is difficult, but having it removed can be terrifying. Especially when it is removed before the person you are hiding from.

Living behind a mask is difficult enough. It becomes unbearable when the mask you wear becomes known for what you do best. Then the mask becomes a part of you, an inseparable part of you own being, one that looms over you even when it does not conceal you. This is the world that Scootaloo lives in every day. Every waking moment is a balancing act between her masked talent and her contrived personality.

This is the story of Swan's Mask.

Special thanks to Auramane for prereading/editing and the half dozen of others who gave me great feedback!

Published 2014-12-20 04:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-20 04:00:02 UTC

Chapter 1

“Thanks for taking me with you to lunch!” Scootaloo said as she rode alongside Rainbow Dash. Her entire body shook as the small wheels of her scooter jostled over the uneven road.

“No problem!” Rainbow said as she pulled Scootaloo into a quick embrace, “I’ve needed a chance to catch up with my little sis.”

A confident smile spread across Scootaloo’s face as she spotted a haphazardly overturned cart before her. Alright, Scootaloo, she thought as her tiny wings hummed and her eyes narrowed, You’ve got this. Her mane jostled in the ever quickening wind as she picked up speed over the bumpy terrain.

“Alright Scootaloo!” Rainbow cheered from behind.

The words filled her body with power as the scooter’s wheels hopped onto the cart. A moment later, and the vibration of the road changed into the smoothness of air. As she stood suspended for a brief moment, she closed her eyes. She let her head fall back as her forelegs stretched toward the sky. They drifted behind her as if pushed by the wind itself. One of her hooves continued to ride the scooter as the other pointed backward toward her forelegs. For a brief second in time, she held the pose as she careened through the air.

It was over seemingly before it began, but Rainbow stood mouth agape at the performance despite its brevity. It was perfectly executed with the grace of an angel. The rest of the world continued on, some scowling at the chaotic, scooter-riding pony as she came to a stop on the ground.

“That was so awesome, Scootaloo!” Rainbow said as she ran her hoof through her sister’s purple mane. “Where did you learn to do that?”

Scootaloo could not hold back the smile that erupted from her heart. Her hero . Alright Scootaloo, you gotta play it cool, she thought as she morphed her giddy grin into a confident coolness. “It’s just a gift I suppose,” she said as casually as her body would let her.

A low growl rolled from Rainbow’s stomach. “Well this pony is happy to finally get some lunch,” Rainbow said as she clutched her belly and laughed.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said with a snicker, “I can’t imagine what its like to eat clouds for breakfast!”

Rainbow paused and glanced at the orange filly beside her. “What do you mean eat clouds?” she asked as her eyebrow slowly drifted upwards.

“Oh… well I just,” Scootaloo stammered, “nevermind.” Way to make yourself look like a doofus, Scootaloo.

Rainbow shrugged as she pushed the door to the diner open. Their ears twitched as the din of the diner washed over them. Ponies filled the tables as they ate their various midday meals. Fillies and colts bounced around the legs of their parents, excited to eat at such a momentous location. Their parents were less excited, but still smiled as they brushed through their legs as they ordered their meals. Shouts from the kitchen heralded a new line of food for the customers. Numbers were called out like a lottery, with several ponies gleefully trotting to the counter to satiate their hunger.

“It might be difficult to find a seat,” Rainbow said as she scanned the crowded room.

“There’s some!” Scootaloo offered as she pointed toward the towering seats of the bar.

“Awesome,” Rainbow said as she trotted to the bar.

Scootaloo grinned as she followed her adopted sister to the stools. Rainbow hopped onto the stool and casually rested her foreleg onto the glossy granite surface. Scootaloo tried to copy the jump, but her legs were not quite as powerful as her sister's. Her torso landed squarely on the leather seat of the stool. Her hoof caught the other edge and her tiny wings flapped to keep her from falling from the pedestal.

Rainbow laughed kindly as she reached out and took hold of Scootlaoo’s outstretched hoof. “Careful,” she said as she pulled Scootaloo onto the chair,

“Sorry,” Scootaloo said as she sat herself squarely on the seat.

“No problem! So what do you want for lunch?”

Scootaloo paused as she looked over the menu. What should I get, she mused as her eyes drifted across the large list of food. She flicked her mane out of the way and tried to casually lean onto the counter, just like Rainbow Dash. Her body, however, was not quite large enough for her to comfortably rest on the counter and she ended up stretching quite a distance before responding. “I’ll have a number 13,” she said as nonchalantly as her compressed lungs would allow.

“Really?” Rainbow asked. “Thats nearly a pound of food.”

“Yeah, and I’m as hungry as an elephant,” Scootaloo said as she pulled away from the counter and rubbed her stomach.

“If you say so.”

“What’ll it be?” the waitress from the other side of the counter. “Our special today is a daisy and carrot sub with extra lettuce.”

“I’ll have that and the hay fries,” Rainbow said, “and my sister will have a number 13.”

“You sure you can eat all that, hon?” the waitress asked much in the same way Rainbow had.

“I’ve… uh… got a big appetite for my size,” Scootaloo said with a shrug.

“Alright then,” the waitress said as she scribbled the orders onto the yellow paper pad before her. “Your orders will be ready in just a few mintues.”

As she trotted off to the kitchen, Rainbow turned to Scootaloo. “So, little sister, have you learned any new tricks on that scooter?”

“Oh!” Scootaloo said, her ears perking up at the mention of her scooter, “I figured out how to make the scooter do a complete spin in the air!”

“Oh yeah?” Rainbow said as she rested her face on her hoof. “Let’s hear it.”

“So first you have to go really fast,” Scootaloo said as a grin spread accross her face. “Then you hit the ramp. Now the trick is to nudge the scooter with your hind leg and jump at the same time.”

“That sounds almost as difficult as doing a corkscrew through a cloud and making it spin when you leave it.”

“You can do that?” Scootaloo asked as her eyes grew wide.

“Well of course I can,” Rainbow said as she puffed out her chest.

She’s so cool! Scootaloo thought as she stared in admiration at her big sister. She was so awesome, and she was her sister. Just the thought sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.

Suddenly, her trance was broken as her eyes caught a glimpse of a familliar face. Scootaloo’s glaced at the filly for a split second, just long enough to see who it was. Her smile froze on her face. What’s she doing here? Scootaloo thought as she looked back to Rainbow Dash.

“So…” she said, dragging the vowel as she rubbed her chin, “What have you been doing?” She glanced at the filly once more as Rainbow began to speak

“I thought you’d never ask,” Rainbow said. “First tank and I decided to go play some pranks on Twilight earlier this morning.”

“Uh huh,” Scootaloo nodded as her attention slowly drifted back to the filly accross the room. I have to make sure she doesn’t see me, she thought. Hopefully she’ll just leave. Maybe if I—

“How about that, Scoots?” Rainbow said expectantly.

“Huh?” Scootaloo said as her attention snapped back to Rainbow. “What?”

“Wouldn’t that be totally rad?” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Oh… yeah!” Scootaloo said with a tremor in her voice. “That would be so cool!”

“I knew you’d be onboard for water skiing,”

“Yeah,” Scootaloo said uneasily as she took another glance toward the filly across the room. “Totally…”

“Are you feeling okay?” Rainbow asked as she tried to lean into the distant stare of her little sister.

“What? Oh… yeah!” Scootaloo said as she leaned back onto the counter, putting Rainbow between her and the filly. “I’m starving, when are we going to get our food?”

Rainbow craned her neck to see into the kitchen. “Well, our number is 56, and they just started to call the 50s so I think it’ll come pretty soon.”

“Not soon enough, I’m starving!” Scootaloo said as she looked back to the kitchen. Just keep it together, Scootaloo, she thought as she let out a deep breath.

“You said it,” Rainbow said as she impatiently tapped the table with her hoof.

A few seconds later, their desires were satisfied. “Number 52, 53, 55, 56, and 58, your orders are ready,” the waitress said, her words punctuated with a resounding smack of the gum in between her teeth. She let go of the microphone and picked up the two trays of food beside her. A piece of lettuce drifted off of one of the trays and fell to the floor. More followed as they slid down the mound of food that was fit for a king. In her other hoof was a tray with a sizable sub.

Scootaloo swallowed as she prepared herself to eat the massive pile of food the waitress placed before her.

“Here’s your 13,” she said as she slid the tray to Scootaloo.

“Sure,” she said with a nervous laugh, “I’m starving.”

The waitress slid the other tray to Rainbow. “And here’s your food. Hope you enjoy it!”

Rainbow thanked the waiter as Scootaloo nervously inspected the pile of food before her. Her stomach grumbled, but nothing on the plate seemed appetizing. She gingerly brought one of the crumpled pieces of vegetables to her mouth and ate it whole. She gagged at its bitter flavor. She managed to take only a few bites before spitting the mouthful of food back to the mound. Luckily Rainbow was too focused on getting her own food that she did not notice Scootaloo’s attempt to hide the portion she had just expelled underneath her napkin.

As Scootaloo hid more food in various places, her mind drifted back to the filly that sat across the room. With Rainbow still distracted by her sandwich, Scootaloo deftly tried to peek over her sister to look at the filly across the room. As the table came into view over her sister’s rainbow colored mane she breathed a sigh of relief; the filly was gone. Scootaloo slumped back into her stool and let out a deep breath.

“Oh, hey, Scootaloo!” a voice said from the floor below. A sharp chill drifted down Scootaloo’s spine. Oh no.

“Hey,” she said as she looked toward the filly. Her voice lingered as she tried to make herself seem interested in the filly while keeping Rainbow out of the loop. “I-I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Oh yeah, my dad always takes me here after dance practice.”

“That’s great,” Scootaloo said as she tried to make the filly understand that she wanted her to leave. “I’m kinda busy at the moment.”

“Wait,” the filly said as she noticed the pegasus sitting beside Scootaloo. “Is that Rainbow Dash?”

Scootaloo thought she heard a muffled ‘the one and only’ coming from the food filled mouth of her big sister.

“Hey, Rainbow!” the filly said as she tried to get her attention.

Go away, Calla, Scootaloo thought as her heart began to race. She doesn’t know.

Rainbow quickly shoved the remainder of her food into her mouth before spinning around on her chair to face the small filly. “Oh hey Calla,” she said as she struggled to force the mass down her throat. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I always come here after my ballet practice.”

“Have you met my sister?” Rainbow asked as she put her foreleg around Scootaloo.

Scootaloo looked at Calla, her eyes trying their best to tell her that she needed to keep Rainbow out of the loop. She can’t know, Calla, they said as they tried their best to speak when words could not be spoken. Please.

“I think I’ve seen her around,” she said wryly. “But that was a long time ago.”

Oh thank Celestia, Scootaloo thought as she let out the breath she had been holding. “Nice to see you again.”

“Yes…” Calla said as she obviously winked at Scootaloo.

Rainbow Dash leaned over to Scootaloo as she kept her gaze trained on the small white filly. “Is there something I should be picking up on here?” she whispered.

“What?” Scootaloo asked rather loudly, “Oh… No, not at all.”

Rainbow’s eyebrow drifted upward as her eyes shifted between her little sister and the filly on the ground. “Alrighty then,” she said as she watched Calla stifle a snicker, “what have you two been hiding.”

Beads of sweat formed on Scootaloo’s forehead. Please no, she thought as she fought back the tears that were trying to escape her eyes.

A loud sound tore the attention of Rainbow from the two fillies. The glass of the entrance’s door nearly shattered as a stallion raced into the noisy building. The waitress’s red lips pursed as she glared at the intruder. After catching his breath, he rose into the air with a powerful beat of his wings. His mane jostled as he frantically tried to spot the pony he was trying to. “Rainbow Dash is requested for weather duty!”

“Oh come on!” Rainbow shouted from the bar.

“Sorry Rainbow,” the pegasus said as he trotted to her side. “But we are short several ponies and we need someone with your skill to pick up the slack. The stormclouds from the everfree are more violent than usual and that is your area of expertise.”

Rainbow grumbled as she hopped off of the stool and stretched. “Sorry Scoots,” she said. “I thought they were actually going to let me have a day off to relax, but I guess somepony doesn’t understand sister time.” Rainbow tossed a few bits onto the counter to pay for the order.

“Oh,” Scootaloo said as her eyes lost their sparkle. “Well that’s okay. I… I understand.”

“Great,” Rainbow said as she followed the stallion out of the diner. “I promise I'll make it up to you!”

Scootaloo looked to the heaping mound of napkins that hid the half-chewed food of her order. Well, at least she didn’t find out, she thought as she slid off of the stool and walked out of the Diner.

The noise of the crowd around her had become something of a comfort ot her mind. The stimulation of the sound was something of a helpful distraction to the double life that she lived. But as she left the Diner, that sound was replaced with silence. She was there to confront herself with no distractions. For the first time, Scootaloo was scared. She was scared that Rainbow may give her up when she found out what Scootaloo was doing every day after the sun set beneath the horizon. She was scared to think that she might be alone in the world to face a cold and harsh reality with no one by her side.

Scootaloo’s muscles seized as a loud crack of thunder echoed through the sky. The trees seemed to shake from its power. The water that splashed against her fur was cold, its form chilled as it drifted from the clouds that her sister was forming. Images of Rainbow darting through the clouds flashed into her mind with every strike of lightning. That was her talent, her ability, the thing she did that defined who she was. Rainbow Dash was a flier, and an excellent one at that. Her dream of being in the wonderbolts seemed not only in reach, but also inevitable. The future of the only pony who gave her the time of day was high above the clouds, and Scootaloo could not even get off of the ground.

Scootaloo sighed as the patter of rain slowly filled the air. Instinctively she trotted toward the Arts center in the town, the place where Mrs. Petal let her stay during the night. The Arts center was where Scootaloo found her peace, the place in her life that she felt as though she belonged despite her feelings of embarassment.

A bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, sending a powerful clap of thunder through the air and a shiver of fear down Scootaloo’s spine. The storm was worsening. Her hooves kicked up mud and water as they began to pick up speed. The rain clouded her vision, forcing her to blink away the water with every step. The Arts center was only a few blocks away, but the entire world around her tried to pull her from her safe haven.

Despite its relatively close position, it took Scootaloo several minutes to reach the door. Exhaustedly, she pushed the back door open and quietly trudged inside. She could hear the piano of the practicing room slowly waltzing through the gentle melodies of the upcoming play. Every now and again she could hear the instructions of Mrs. Petal as she gently guided the dancers in the graceful steps and bounds of the play.

She must be in a class, Scootaloo thought as she quietly walked to the small closet that stood hidden against the back wall of the backstage. It was once home to a plethora of costumes that were used by the center during its height. Within its doors, knights of old and the dragons they fought rested until they came to life atop the actors that wore them on stage. It was a home to the greats, a place where the famous and infamous slept together in peace as their peers battled on stage. Today, however, it was home to Scootaloo. This was where she slept, among the spirits of the legends that hung on their hangers through the night. They had hung there for years as the art center had left them abandoned since the renovation had moved from costume to dance.

There was one legend that stood out from the rest; an outfit that was kept in pristine condition despite its neighbors. It looked as though it was crafted from the softest of silks and the most delicate of laces compared to the costumes, but it was only a simple piece of dancewear with two small holes cut from its back and a lacy tutu around its middle. It stitching was standard, its cloth unremarkable, but its life came from its wearer: Scootaloo.

Scootaloo shook the droplets of water from her body as she tried to dry herself. The water flew into the air and collected on the old costumes above. I think I’ll take a short nap, Scootaloo thought as she let her body collapse into the dusty pad she had created from the softer clothes of the old costumes. It was not much, but it kept her off of the concrete floor so she was content. She let her head roll back onto her makeshift pillow as the world called her to sleep.

The distant piano music lulled her to sleep, as her eyelids grew heavy. Her gaze drifted across the dark room, back to the small cloth outfit that she called her own. It represented the other life she lived when no one else was watching. It also seemed to mock her in some twisted fashion. It seemed to know of her life with Rainbow Dash and the Cutie Mark crusaders, but it understood that it was a facade of sorts that she put on. Her dress knew her better than her friends, even better than her sister, and it seemed to call her to do the thing in which she was truly gifted.

The music from the practice and the small dress on the door drifted off into the realm of dreams as Scootaloo succumbed to her sleep.

~~~

“Scootaloo?” a gentle voice asked from beyond her dream. Scootaloo’s eyes drifted open and blinked as her pupils adjusted to the pillar of stage light that shone through the crack in the door. “I didn’t notice you come in,” Mrs. Petal said as she stepped into the small closet and closed the door.

“Oh,” Scootaloo said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned, “I heard the music so I just came in here to sleep.”

“That’s alright,” Mrs. Petal said as she opened the door, “but the night is still young. Would you want to practice for your part?” She asked as she glanced at Scootaloo’s outfit that hung on the door.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo muttered as she let her head drop back onto her pillow. “Just give me a bit.”

“Take your time,” Mrs. Petal laughed as she nodded and stepped out of the closet. “We can start whenever you are ready.”

“Thanks,” Scootaloo muttered.

The door quietly closed, pulling the closet into faint darkness. Scootaloo rubbed her eyes as she began to wake from her nap. The smell of the costumes filled the air as her outstretched hoof moved them from their sleep. The sight of her own outfit sent a shiver of excitement down her back.

Rosebud… I’m going to be Rosebud, Scootaloo thought as she gingerly removed the outfit from its hanger and held it before her. Even in the darkness she could still make out its dusty rose color. It was smooth in her hooves, and it seemed lighter than the air itself as it hung from her grasp. She donned the outfit, careful to not to stretch the stitches or fold the fabric in a way that might marr its beautiful form.

Getting her wings through the holes was a difficult maneuver, but years of the same routine had taught her how to easily slip into the custom made dress. The fabric was soft from its near daily abuse, but it had not lost its strength. It was the same today as it had been they day Mrs. Petal made it for that small orange orphan that could dance with the best.

Scootaloo slowly opened the door to the closet and peeked her head outside of its comforting concealment. Her eyes darted across the room to ensure nopony could see her in her lacy tutu. It was embarrassing for her to wear such a girly outfit, but at the same time it was the source of much pride to her. The initial embarrassment would fade like a morning fog, and after would come a sense of belonging that the beautiful dances she performed brought. It was a double edged sword, and she wielded it every day.

“Mrs. Petal?” she asked after checking and double checking that the room was empty. “I need some help with the laces,” she called out into the dim room.

“Coming, Swan!” her instructor called to Scootaloo from the other room.

I wonder who’s here? Scootaloo thought. She only ever calls me Swan when she’s with somepony.

The door to the room cracked open, casting a ray of light over the small amount of clutter of the backstage room. Scootaloo’s instructor stepped into the room and smiled at the sight of the small pegasus struggling to tie the rose ribbons behind her back. “I’ve got it,” she said as she trotted over to Scootaloo’s side and gently cinched the outfit around her body.

The fabric seemed to breathe in as it slipped over her body. The folds of the cloth flattened themselves as the entire piece drew taught around Scootaloo. A faint shine of pink glimmered from its surface as the threads lined up on her figure. They rolled and dipped over her form, and curled into a wave of cloth at her neck. It was like the hug of an old love that refused to let go. It understood her, it knew of her sorrows, and they belonged together. She was home.

“There,” Mrs. Petal said as she drew the strings together in a knot. “Are you ready to become Rosebud?” she asked with a smile.

“Definitely,” Scootaloo said as she rolled her shoulders in her outfit and closed her eyes in happiness.

“Then right this way, Swan,” Mrs. Petal said as her hooves brushed the clutter aside as the two trotted to the practicing area. As they entered, Scootaloo squinted at the bright lights of the mirrored room.

The wooden floors of the room seemed almost to shine with vibrance as the lights above filled the room with a warm glow. An infinite set of Swans and Petals stepped into the room in the mirrors on either wall. They seemed almost as excited as Scootaloo as she trotted into the center of the room. A hundred Mrs. Petals smiled at the hundred Swans as they made their way to the piano and took a seat. Scootaloo let herself fall to her rump in the center of the room and withdrew the four pink shoes. Each one shone like her outfit as though they had been cut from the same fold of fabric. She pulled them on, straining against the threads of the fabric just enough to let them slide over her hooves.

“Okay, Swan,” Mrs. Petal said as she wrung out her hooves before letting them drift over the piano. “I know this isn’t our usual practice, but I’m going to play the first song to the play. I want you to dance with your heart.”

Scootaloo drew in a deep breath, breathing in the warm familiar smell of the practice room. Memories of hours upon hours of practice drifted into her mind as she thought of the hundreds of times she had done this very thing. Her ears twitched as the piano’s notes drifted into the air. The sad melody of the opening scene of the Ballad of the Roses slowly filled the room. Each note seemed to drift through the air as the sound slowly filled the room. They pulled at her hooves, like a puppeteer lifting a small wooden creature from its slumber.

Her eyes remained shut as she gently pushed the tip of her hoof into the center of the floor. As the music flowed, she let herself bob atop its crests and dips. The concerns of embarrassment and angst lay against the wall along with her scooter. Each pirouette and jete were pushed by the undulating sounds that rose from the piano. It was a time when Scootaloo could let her talents truly fill the desires of her heart and flow into the beautiful rythm of the song.

The only noise in the practice room came from the piano as Scootaloo silently drifted through the hall on the strings of the music. Her hoof would rise, only to fall once more as the sound pulled it back to the ground. Breathing was more difficult that dancing for her, and only half as enjoyable. A grin from ear to ear spread across her face despite her attempts to stop it. The music began to pull her to greater heights and more dramatic lows. Her nose would brush the floor only moments before sliding high into the air on the wings of a jete. Water was envious of her fluidity as she drifted across the glossy wooden floor.

As the music came to a close, Scootaloo found herself in the neverending spiral of a fouette in the center of the room. Her eyes opened and her smile remained as she spotted her instructor smiling from the other side of the piano. With every rapid spin of the head the image of her smiling teacher came back to greet her. Scootaloo’s smile was one of joy. The same joy a small child finds lurking among the presents of a Christmas tree or in the eyes of the puppy that is always willing to play with them. Petal’s was filled with pride and gratitude as she watched the prodigy before her.

“Bravo,” Mrs. Petal said as she rose from the piano bench and walked over to her pupil. “I still cannot understand how you do it.”

“I don’t either,” Scootaloo said as she slowed her breathing. “It just comes to me.”

“Well, however you manage to do it, you are a remarkable dancer, Scootaloo,” she said as she gently ran her hoof through Scootaloo’s mane. “And you will make an excellent Rosebud.”

“You think so?”

“I chose the play specifically so you could play the lead. Her life and yours are not too different. You both have the remarkable talent for dance.”

Scootaloo beamed. She knew she was a good dancer, but hearing such praise from her instructor made her smile grow only bigger.

“It’s quite a challenging part, but I have no doubt that you will be able to tackle it.”

“I hope so,” Scootaloo said as she stepped out of the hug of her instructor and back into the embrace of the practice room.

“Then let us begin,” Mrs. Petal said as she stepped over to the piano. “First we will start with loosening up, we don’t want you getting hurt in practice.” She picked up a small mask from the corner of the room and placed it on the piano. “And since we are practicing for real this time, go ahead and put on your mask so it feels more authentic.

“Right,” Scootaloo said as she walked over to the piano and picked up the small Papier-mâché mask. Its delicate lace drifted like flowers in a gentle breeze as she lifted it to her face. It served as the face of Swan, the renowned pegasus dancer in the Ponyville arts center. Each time she cinched the two strands of fabric behind her head she felt Scootaloo surrender control to Swan. It was a comforting feeling knowing that her reputation of coolness could be set aside for a brief moment for her to enjoy what came so naturally to her body. It was a time when Scootaloo did not matter, for it was Swan who was on the stage.

“Swan, whenever you are ready, we may begin.”

Swan gently nodded as her eyelids closed in acknowledgement. Her lips formed a small silent smile across her face. It was the same for every moment her mask was on, as though she had a secret and refused to tell it. The smile was ever present in every performance and every practice and it held back the secret to her real identity.

The gentle music flowed from the piano as her instructor began practice. The instructions she would call were more lyrics than commands, for Swan already knew the routine by heart.

“Demi pointe,” Mrs. Petal uttered from the piano. Her head rocked back and forth to the flow of the music as Swan dipped up and down on its crests.
Their practices were usually beautifully tranquil as the two flowed to the rhythm of the piano. It would always begin the same way, with Scootaloo donning the mask of Swan and bringing her talent to the world.

A loud series of knocks echoed through the practice room; their erratic tempo marring the fluidity of Swan’s dance. Her body trembled slightly as she tried to keep her balance on pointe.

“Now who could that be?” Mrs. Petal thought aloud as she lifted her hooves from the piano. The notes fell from the air as Swan fell to her hooves. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she trotted from the room.

Swan gracefully nodded before returning to the tips of her hooves. Her gaze drifted to the mirror as she gracefully brought her foreleg over her head. Her body was stretched into an eloquent arc of natural beauty. Her form was impeccable, and her style was a dazzling display of eloquence. She seemed to fit into the position, and she could not help but admire her ability in the endless corridor of mirrors around her.

“So you are sure about this?” Mrs. Petal’s voice said from behind the door. “I would hate for something to go wrong.”

“Everything will be fine, Mrs. Petal,” a voice said in response.

A chill raced down Swan’s back and cracked the confident smile on her face. She let herself onto her hooves as her eyes darted around the room. The fabric of her outfit stretched as her breathing became heavy. Her mind quickly filled with questions as she tried to find some way to escape. One replaced all the others, a question that burned her to the core every time it played itself over in her mind. Why would Rainbow Dash be at the Arts Center?

Mrs. Petal’s voice seeped through the cracks in the wall like a ghost. “Well, I usually don’t do this, but I am in the middle of practice with Swan. Do you want to come see some of her routine?”

“I’ve never been a fan of ballet,” Rainbow said. A knife would have been a gentler pain in Swan’s heart. “But I’ve heard of Swan.”

“So you will? After all, you and her will be in the same play if this thundercloud idea actually works.”

A pause filled the air as Swan held her breath. A thought echoed through her mind as she dreaded the answer from her sister. It filled her mind, becoming louder with every beat of her racing heart. Please no.

“Sure, I’ll watch for a few minutes.”

“Excellent,” Mrs. Petal said before the opening door to the room made her voice clear once more. “Swan?” she asked as she stepped into the room. Swan’s confident smile appeared once more; mended by the facade she wore. Her throat seized as she tried to gulp down her fear. She struggled it down like a foul tasting medicine.

She can’t know.

“This is Swan,” Mrs. Petal said as she gestured toward the small orange filly that stood in the center of the room. Her dress was unassuming, and her stature was small, but she knew that Rainbow sensed something about her that was magnificent. “She is our top performer in the Academy, and the only pegasus.”

“Hey, Swan,” Rainbow said as she took a seat on the bench of the piano.

“Swan, this is Rainbow Dash. She will be one of the stage hands for the upcoming play.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow chimed in, “I’m going to be doing the rain effects for the play.”

Swan hesitated. She would not speak, but nodding only seemed to acknowledge Rainbow’s presence. Part of her wanted to tear off the mask and confess everything on the spot, but she could not.

“Alright Swan,” Mrs. Petal started as she brushed the rainbow pegasus off of the bench and let her hooves gently rest onto the keys of the piano. “I know we don’t usually have guests, but I know you’ll do fine.”

Swan looked to her instructor. Her eyelids closed ever so slightly as her head drooped and bounced upward into the air. Rainbow Dash had not seen who she was, and that gave her enough confidence to let the music lift her once more.

Fueled by the flowing melodies and the stare of her hero, Swan fell into her routine of grace. Once again the music tied strings to her hooves and pulled her through the complex movements of the dance. Her hooves drifted through the air like water; her entire figure seemingly breathing the music like air.

As the music reached its crescendo, Swan let herself rise into the air. Her head fall back as her forelegs stretched toward the sky. They drifted behind her as if pushed by the wind itself. One of her hooves continued to ride before her as the other pointed backward toward her forelegs. For a brief second in time, she held the pose as she careened through the air. For that second, she felt at home with the world; riding on the wings of the music through the air.

Then, without warning, Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Scootaloo?”

The name, and what it implied, seemed to freeze the music that drifted through the air. Swan’s smile broke, her eyes shot open, and her body came crashing to the floor. Mrs. Petal, her eyes drawn to the visitor for a moment, pressed the key that lay beside the one she meant to strike. A menacing dissonance rose into the air before silence replaced it. Swan’s grace disappeared as her form collided with the wooden floor of the practice room. The face of swan, that wall of protection that kept her worlds separate, flew from her face and slid across the surface.

Scootaloo watched helplessly as Swan slid out of hoof’s reach across the wooden floor. The smile she had so confidently worn only moments before had been similarly thrown from her face. Her identity had been revealed to the one pony she had tried to keep it from. Her stomach lay on the floor and her legs were sprawled away from her. Her head started to shake as her chin quivered as it rested against the ground. She did the only thing her mind would let her do in the midst of her greatest nightmare. Scootaloo closed her eyes as two streams of sorrow drifted down her cheeks. Rainbow knew her secret.

The silence did nothing to comfort Scootaloo as she quietly mourned the loss of her identity. It was as though a part of her spirit had been violently torn from her. She waited for Rainbow Dash’s response. With each convulsive breath she waited for her nightmare to become a reality; she waited for Rainbow to leave.

Her eyes drifted open and she could see a tint of cerulean blue in a blurry view of white. As she blinked away her tears, the image came into focus. Before her stood Rainbow Dash, holding the mask of Swan in her hooves. The facade was gone; torn from Scootaloo during the only time it had mattered.

“Swan,” Rainbow whispered as she stared at the small mask in her hooves, “my little sister is… Swan.”

“It… It’s not what it looks like,” Scootaloo pleaded as she rose to her hooves.

“Really?” Rainbow asked as her gaze shifted from the mask to the orange pony on the floor before her. “Because it looks like you’re Swan.”

“It’s just… I…” Scootaloo tried to give a good reason as to why she had been dancing like a fairy only moments before.

“Save it,” Rainbow said as she looked to the mask in her hooves. “I only want to know why.”

“I don’t know how it happens,” Scootaloo said as she sniffed and tried to wipe the streams of tears from her face. “I just get this feeling when I hear the music…”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Rainbow said as she knelt down and held the mask between her face and Scootaloo’s. “Why did you hide this from me?”

Scootaloo looked away and closed her eyes as a new wave of tears overtook her eyes once more. She had nowhere to run. She let out a staggering breath before looking back to her adopted sister. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung slightly open as her trembling mouth began to speak. “I thought you wouldn’t want to be my bigger sister if you found out. I figured you would leave because its just so… girly.” Her head drooped once more as she quietly wept.

Rainbow was quiet as she tried to come up with the words to console her sister. “Scootaloo,” she started, “I’ve never been a fan of ballet, but just because I’m not doesn’t mean you can’t be.”

Scootaloo looked into the eyes of her sister. They looked back with a grateful sadness.

“You’re my little sister, and sisters don’t leave one another because they’re different,” she said as she pulled Scootaloo close to her side with her wing and wiped the tears from her eyes. “And, for the record, I think your dancing is awesome.”

“Really?” Scootaloo said with a sniffle.

“Some of those tricks you did were crazy awesome,” Rainbow said as her gaze drifted to the small mask in her hooves. “Here,” she said as she gently placed the mask back over her sister’s eyes and gently fastened it behind Scootaloo’s head. “Swan has a play to practice for.”

Scootaloo smiled as her eyes filled with tears of joy rather than sadness. “Actually,” she said as she gently pulled on the string of the mask, letting it drop to the floor once more, “I have a play to practice for.”