“Rrrrr’ you sure we can’t fly a little lower?” Apple Bloom yelled. Honestly by this point I figured the speed would have finally made her forget how high we were, but no such luck.
“She’s still watching the ground, we must need to go faster!” Sweetie Belle yelled.
I shook my head, knowing exactly how to word what I said next. “I don’t know girls, I don’t think Rainbow Dash CAN go any faster.”
BOOM! I felt my hooves ripped from the rope I was holding, and the one around my shoulders yanked me forwards. The wind slammed into my face and I felt it contort into different shapes as we went faster and faster. I tried to breathe but was having a serious problem pushing air back out of my lungs. Faster, faster and faster we went. I’m pretty sure if I could have spoken, I would have asked to slow down a bit, but well, like I said, I could barely breath.
Finally I started to feel myself blacking out. However that was about the time we started slowing down. I think Rainbow Dash looked at us behind her and decided the ride needed to end. Course I don’t know, because my eyes were shut tight and I wasn’t able to pry them back open until I felt my hooves on land again.
On the grass just outside Ponyville, I felt myself stumbling to my feet. My eyes wandered left and right of their own accord and I heard Rainbow Dash’s voice say something, but it was pretty muffled. Finally I had to lay down and wait for my brain to reset.
“What was that about me not being able to go faster?” I finally heard. “So how was that Squirt?”
“That was awesome!” Sweetie Belle yelled.
Not wanting Rainbow Dash to think I was out of it after a single flight, I responded, “It was… okay.”
However next to me I finally heard Apple Bloom’s response. “LAND, SWEET LAND! Ground, dirt! AH’M ALIVE!” I turned to look at her, kissing the dirt. “Ah’m never leaving you again ah swear!”
“So, I’m guessing that did NOT cure AB of her fear of heights,” Sweetie commented, rolling her eyes.
“Well I could just try going straight up,” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
“Get me outta dis thing!” Apple Bloom yelled, struggling to get the rope off of her. Rainbow Dash chuckled, walking over to help her out.
“You guys wanted to do this,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Ya ah know, let me out!”
“We still good?”
“Yea, we’re good.”
“Hold on!” I shouted. “I said today we would cure you and that’s what we’re going to do!” Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie looked at me cross eyed. “Rainbow Dash can you-“
“MOM! MOM! I’m your mom! I adopted you like three months ago, when are you gonna finally call me mom?” Rainbow Dash shouted. I just grinned. “Look it’s been fun squirt, but I gotta jet and clear the clouds before Twi gets on my case again.”
“That’s it. That’ll work for sure!” I shouted. “Twilight! Rainbow Da- MMMom… mom… I’ll get it eventually. Can you drop us off on the top tower of Twilight’s house? We can have Apple Bloom stare and the ground from up there. That should cure her fear of heights. What do you think girls?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged.
“What do ya’ll think bout bein’ strangled?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Guys, if she’s not up for it I’m gonna have to say no. I don’t want to have Apple Jack trying to kill me again.” Rainbow Dash said with a smile.
I sighed, deprived of an opportunity to help a friend. Unable be helpful, I naturally felt the urge to be awnry. I grinned. “See ya later… momma Dash…” I said, reciting Rainbow Dash’s nick name from her friends. About to take off, Rainbow Dash stopped. She turned around a slight tick in her eye.
“I’m sorry, what was that squirt?”
“See ya Momma Da-“ I repeated… or tried to. However- WHAM! The adult cyan pegasus had me pinned before I could blink. I then started involuntarily laughing and struggling as she started poking my stomach with her hooves.
“What’s my name?” she demanded.
“Ha ha… crap… ha ha Momma Dash….”
“Oh you think so? What’s my name squirt?”
Finally the tickling was getting to be too much. “Mommyyyyy!” Mom stopped.
With a smirk, the larger pegasus, drew back and shot into the air. “See ya kiddo.”
I breathed in and out, laying on the ground, a little wiped out by that attack and the previous ride. After a few seconds, I finally rolled over and got up.
“Scootaloo!” came a yell. I turned my head and saw one of our two new recruits to the CMC, the six year old colt Dusk. Normally the three of us didn’t choose to play with younger foals, outside of just being nice in general, however Dusk had won us over with two things. One, he could tap dance, something I WOULD figure out how to do. If a six year old can do it, surely an eight year old can, I would not be outdone! Second he had an older sister the same age as the rest of us. Lightning Strike was a pegasus who actually could fly and had a unique control over electricity.
The colt ran up to me and skidded to a stop. “So what are you doing Scootaloo?” I smiled at him. I always tried to keep in mind the colt was waaay younger than me and tried to be friendly. He was kind of a cute little guy really. He was an earth pony, Cyan in color like Rainbow Dash with a dark blue mane with yellow highlights.
I looked side to side. With Apple Bloom being a stick in the mud, half the afternoon was blown. We were supposed to cure her of her fear of heights today, hence the flying. However, as she kept looking to be hugging the ground, I supposed that adventure was over. I shrugged. “Not sure right now…. hey where’s Vinyl? She’s teaching your sister, maybe she can play a little music and you can show us more tap dancing moves?”
Dusk looked at a house behind him. “I can’t talk to Vinyl right now. When she’s teaching Lightning I’m supposed to stay away. You see this head doctor guy-“
“Therapist?” asked Sweetie.
“Yea that,” Dusk said, turning back to us. “Anyway the doctor guy says Lightning is really really overprotective of me so he’s trying to get her to spend time away from me. I could run and get Octavia. She likes to help me with my dancing. Besides, she’s really cool and I can’t tap dance on the grass anyway. C’mon follow me, there’s a sidewalk not far from Octavia’s house.”
Dusk ran to Vinyl Scratch’s house… which I suppose she shared with Octavia, so he wasn’t wrong in calling it Octavia’s. Eager to get to it, I ran over to the sidewalk, Sweetie and AB following at their own pace.
I watched the house of the two music sisters, Octavia and Vinyl for a few minutes. Finally I watched as Dusk practically dragged Octavia out saying “please” over and over. Octavia looked at little annoyed, however, seeing the four of us she sighed, put on a smile and set up her cello. She looked at Dusk as he joined us three fillies.
“So do you want to show them what we practiced?” Octavia asked. Dusk nodded happily. “Well, at least some young ponies appreciate me over my sister.”
“Well Vinyl isn’t available so-“ I started, but noticed I was getting a glare from the other two fillies.
“You know Octavia is way cooler!” Dusk shouted back at me.
No she wasn’t but I figured it best not to argue. Dusk was little so he didn’t know any better. Octavia reach down and patted him on the head, which he seemed to like.
Octavia spun her bow like a baton and placed it against her cello. “From the top?” she asked. Dusk nodded and then spun around to face us instead of his teacher.
Octavia’s song started off slow with frequent stops. During this stops Dusk would tap out a few notes. I started to give copying him my best shot. Next to me, Sweetie Belle wasn’t really trying to keep up at all, she was just listening to the music while Apple Bloom concentrated on watching Octavia’s playing.
Suddenly the music sped up and Dusk stopped waiting for pauses, dancing right along with it. I was doing my best but as his hooves clicked in a great rhythm, mine only managed to keep in time with every fourth or so hit of the pavement. As he kept going I started getting frustrated. I figured I would try harder and started hitting the pavement harder and harder.
“Ya know, River Dance is a lot easier,” Dusk said. “I’ve started picking it up in only a year. I’ve been doing tap dancing since I was four.”
“I’ll get it!” I shouted. The music stopped, Octavia giving me a lowered eye brow stare. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be mean.”
“Dusk can help you more directly with river dance,” Octavia said. “Why not give it a shot?” I sighed. I nodded my head to Dusk. The colt got on his hind legs, myself copying. We put our hooves together and as Octavia played slowly on her cello I let the younger colt lead me a little.
The pace of the dance was pretty slow and easy at first, but as the music suddenly sped up, so did Dusk. “Keep one hoof on mine, but try to mirror me.” This worked somewhat for a few seconds until he pushed away from me and started tap dancing again.
“I thought you wanted to river dance not tap dance,” I said.
“I said I can help more with river dancing, I didn’t say there was no tapping,” Dusk answered back. I watched his feet go faster and faster on the floor. I started doing my best to keep up, but I swear it was way harder than tap dancing.
Finally Dusk took my hooves in his again and started to guide me as the music changed. The song finally ended, me noticing Dusk was holding me. He didn’t appear to be trying anything, just smiling at me, but nonetheless that’s when Sweetie Belle finally spoke up again.
“Isn’t this part where the dancers kiss?” she asked.
“EWWWW!” Dusk shouted.
However my reaction was quite different and involuntary. I went to shove Dusk off of me but instead slipped and struck him in the face.
I fell on my back, the six year old colt stumbling back. I jumped back up, looking at him as he staggered. Dusk was smaller than me and I knew it was wrong to hit somepony younger than me, especially if he was only being nice. I felt so guilty. “I’m sorry Dusk, I slipped. Please forgive-“ But he started crying, the sound of it making a lump form in my stomach. I felt like such a meanie.
As this continued I looked up to see Vinyl had apparently finished giving Lightning her music lesson. It was in that moment that I started to understand Apple Bloom’s phobia regarding heights. As I looked back ahead into Lightning Strike’s glaring brown eyes, I discovered I had a phobia of my own.
Author's Note
To anyone about to point it out, yes, from what little I know, River Dance is way more advanced than tap dance, however Dusk is six and Octavia is a music major, not a dance major. Neither one of them would know one way or the other. Dusk just copies and practices and Octavia only helps him practice because she loves to see young ponies appreciating more classical art forms.
...
So, news to everyone reading this. This story isn't about Lightning and Dusk themselves, but if by chance you are interested in the characters and in the opportunity to follow them on more adventures through this version of Equestria, they have an ask tumblr: Ask Lightning and Dusk
So yes, I survived. Vinyl was able to rain in Lightning Strike before she dropped kicked me from two hundred feet. Don’t worry, no Scootaloos were hurt in that last chapter.
Anyway it was a few days later that something happened which I think is worth writing about. To set this up, a bit about my new friend Lightning Strike is in order. Lightning has her moments of awkwardness, but also her moments of awesomeness. One of those moments of awesomeness is all about her training with Vinyl Scratch. A couple months ago she actually started doing concerts with Vinyl, but not as a DJ, instead as a kind of pyrotechnics pony. She can command electricity you see, and boy does it look cool when she calls down lightning as Vinyl drops the base.
Lightning’s shows gave me an idea. Actually it gave Rainbow Dash a good idea and I seconded it. Lightning wasn’t the only one good at showing off. I was capable of doing some sick moves on my scooter, so why not make a dare devil act?
Rainbow shut down my idea to jump Ghastly Gorge unaided, something about safety concerns and other lame stuff. Instead my death defying stunt was turned into a series of high flying scooter tricks. Rainbow Dash and I drew up a plan of how the act would go and once finished, I scooted off to go show my fellow crusaders, having them join me in a grassy field near town square.
“Ah thought yer ma said ya couldn't jump the gorge cause it wannint safe. Now yer jumpin' over houses?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Mostly I'm riding horizontally along the walls of the houses,” I corrected. “I only jump the one.”
“Oh... ah can't make head r' tales of this map.”
“You can do this?” asked Sweetie. I nodded.
“Can you show me how? Maybe I can do it with you... maybe?” asked Dusk. I was about to nod again, but I saw a glare from Lightning that made me believe it best to shake my head “no”.
“But it looks like you plan to be pretty high up on the houses when you skate on them, how are you supposed to get up there?” asked Sweetie.
“You can read this?!” demanded Apple Bloom. “How?”
“It's a vertical layout map Apple Bloom, the legend is right here,” Sweetie instructed.
“It has a legend? Wow... thorough.” Apple Bloom complimented, studying the map with renewed interest. “What's this?”
“The sun,” I replied.
“Why is that on the map?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Cause you always put the sun on the map,” I replied.
“I still want to know how you're supposed to get up so high,” Sweetie reiterated.
“Well fly obviously,” came the voice of Rainbow Dash as she landed on the other side of the map as we continued to study it.
“Exactly!” I shouted. “That's where you come in Lightning Strike.”
“Lightning?” Rainbow asked. “Um... really?”
“Yea. We'll make it an official Cutie Mark Crusaders... thing,” I said.
“What r' the rest of us supposed to do?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Cheer me on.” I replied. “You can be my cheer leaders, maybe you'll get cutie marks in that!” Sweetie smiled at this suggestion, however Apple Bloom lowered her eyebrows. “What?” She just shook her head in response to me.
“You'll need to practice,” Rainbow Dash pointed out.
“Right, Lightning you understand the layout?” I asked.
“Not in the slightest!” Lightning shouted with enthusiasm. “But I'm willing to try.”
“You sure you want Lightning to do this with you?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yea, who else is there?”
“Well... me?” she asked in an odd way. I looked up at her with a slight grimace. I knew she was just being nice because I was her daughter, but I didn't like that. I wasn't charity any more on this, one of my friends could fly now. No way Rainbow Dash would have volunteered to help with a couple silly scooter tricks back when she was still my sister. Doubt she would have even stuck around to watch me do tricks before. “You don't have to do it with me,” Rainbow Dash said. I thought I heard her sigh, but I must have been hearing things. She kept smiling after all. I nodded and pointed at a spot on the map. “The first jump is over here Lightning, I'll meet you there.” I scooted off.
Lightning met me next to a large two story hay house. “You sure you don't want your mom to do this with you?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Rainbow Dash is way too cool to be just assisting me with scooter jumps.
“But I think she wants to.”
“I've known her way longer than you Lightning. Trust me, she's way too cool for this,” I looked at my scooter. “Maybe after I get really good.” I continued with a small sigh. I looked up to notice Lightning wasn't really looking at me. That seemed a little rude if you ask me. Here I was having this big sad moment and she couldn't even be bothered to look at me.
“Right, so where do you want me?” asked Lightning, looking up at the house.
“Where it says on the map. C'mon the other's are watching,” I said, waving a hoof at Rainbow Dash and the rest of the CMC. I started up my wings and shot forward circling around the house, waiting for Lightning to grab me around the waist and fly me around until we built up enough speed so I could ride along the side of a house, just like the notes on the other side of the map said. Did I actually show the others the other side of the map? Lightning flew up and started circling around. “Um...”
“Hold on,” she said, just circling up there, oddly looking at Rainbow Dash and not me. “Um... GOT IT!” She shot back down to me but she was a little off center in her decent and- WHAM! She crashed into the side of the house, her wing snapping like a twig. “OW!” she screamed. “OW, OW, OW! HELP!” I quickly turned my scooter sideways, it not stopping so I just rolled with the momentum. Finally coming to a stop I rushed over to Lightning, Rainbow Dash and the rest of the CMC there within seconds.
Lightning staggered to her hooves, looking at her busted up wing. “Ow,” she said again, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Guess me helping is out of the question then,” she hissed several times as she moved her wing. “Apple Bloom, can you walk with me to the clinic?”
“You sure you don't want me to carry you kid?” asked Rainbow Dash. “I broke a wing once, it's no fun. Twilight had to carry me in.”
“No... you just practice with Scootaloo, I'll just... stagger... to the clinic with Apple Bloom.” Lightning started walking away, Apple Bloom running over to her side and tucking Lightning's right foreleg over her shoulders. I watched them walk away. Lightning looked to be hurt pretty bad and with each uneasy step she took, I grew a little more concerned about my newest friend.
“She'll be okay right?” I finally asked Rainbow Dash. I didn't think she could know one way or another, but I was compelled to ask.
Without much explanation I suddenly heard Lightning Strike shout, “WHY AM I SO STUPID!?”
“They will need an adult to check them in,” Rainbow Dash said with a raised eyebrow. “Oh! Yea squirt, she should be fine in a few days if not sooner.” Thus we all visited the clinic for a few minutes checking in Lightning, rather than practicing.
Lightning however insisted that I go back out and practice. Once the nurses took her off to treat her, her brother staying behind to wait in the waiting room for her (she gets panic attacks if she doesn't know where he is, poor filly, hope they can fix that for her one day) the rest of us went back to the field.
I sighed. I knew Lightning would be fine, that wasn't bothering me. Just the very idea of asking my idol to be my sidekick... I knew she would so hate me for even asking but well... “Rainbow Dash?” I asked. She raised her eyebrow to me. “I mean, mom. Would you mind too much... I mean if it's not a problem... could you be my flier?”
I looked up at her I and swear I saw a grin, but it disappeared just that fast. “Well I did help you make the routine so I suppose it would make sense if I help out at least in practice right?”
I got back to my position. “Scootaloo! Scootaloo! Show us just what you can do!” shouted Sweetie Belle. I smiled.
Next to her Apple Bloom started studying my map again saying. “Needs work Sweetie.”
“It was good!” Sweetie objected.
“Eh.” Apple Bloom said with a shrug. “Not much into cheering anyway, however ah AM going to figure out this map.”
Sweetie shrugged. “Oh well. Those who can't do criticize.”
Deciding to tune them out, I started up my wings, beating them faster and faster until finally I shot forward. I zipped around the house once, twice and then was snatched up by Rainbow Dash, stopping my wings. She shot across the street and turned sideways, releasing me so I could skate along the side of a house. I zipped along the wall and off the other side.
As I came off the other side of the wall, Rainbow Dash caught me. She then flew over to a different house with me, moving quickly through the air. She dropped me onto a roof, the momentum from the flight letting me shoot forward even on the thatch. Rainbow flew two circles over me as I shot off the roof and she caught me just before I met the ground. She then flew those two circles in the air again, this time carrying me. I started up my wings again just before I was dropped against the ground. I shot forward along the street, zipping towards an overturned cart with a small board leading over it.
Zooming forward I aimed for the board and- accidentally applied pressure to the wrong part of the board, tipping it forward. I hit the board and went flying, crashing head first into the overturned cart.
“Scoots!” I heard Rainbow Dash shout. My neck ached as Rainbow Dash lifted me up and placed me on the soft hay inside the wagon. “You okay?” My neck hurt a little and I was a bit nauseous, but I was still able to slowly stand up. I stood for a moment, Rainbow Dash looking down at me, waiting for me to respond. Finally the world stopped tilting in my vision and I blinked a few times, the pain fading in my neck. I nodded. “Thank Celestia I had my helmet.”
“No kidding.” I looked back to where my friends had been. They hadn't run to me and I was starting to wonder why. Huffing and puffing, the two had apparently just returned. Now they both had pom poms and were wearing weird cheerleader outfits. “Um...”
“Scootaloo, Scootaloo... what the heck just happened to you?” they said in unison, doing a small routine.
“Um...” Rainbow Dash stuttered. She twisted her neck looking at them. “Okay, I know Sweetie loves singing.... so I guess cheering that makes sense but... AB... what's she doing?”
“Well you see,” I started. “Sweetie has this way of getting us to do things. It just sort of happens. She says a few words and suddenly we're doing whatever she wants... it's creepy sometimes...” I watched the two continued some strange cheering routine, something having to do with asking me if I was okay. “Yea I'm fine!” I shouted back.
Rainbow Dash shivered. “I'm glad she's on our side,” she noted.
“Ah am so much better than ya'll at this!” shouted Apple Bloom.
“Shake those pom poms!” shouted Sweetie Belle.
“Well, we have a cheering section,” Rainbow Dash commented. “You want to go again?” I nodded. She then smirked. “Just one thing. What's my name?”
“Rainbow- sh- ah- mom.”
“Try again.”
“Mom.”
“Didn't quite catch that,” she said, turning up her ear and leaning towards me. I smiled. “MOM, MY MOM IS RAINBOW DASH!” I yelled. I grinned. “And I love her,” I added quietly. Mom grinned back at me. Before I knew it was wrapped in a huge blue hug. “Are we gonna go again? We only got half way through.” I asked.
“In a minute, this is too awesome!” mom said, squeezing me tighter.
Author's Note
Apple Bloom's perspective:
As Lightning started stumbling away after crashing, of course ah ran over and tried to help her, that's what friends do, especially us Apples. Still, ah felt the need to say something to er' as we walked together. I wrapped her foreleg over my shoulders to ease her walk. “Ya know,” I started. “Ya wanted her ta do stuff with her mom... ah saw they both wanted it too... and that was really nice and all. But ya know ya coulda just faked a sprained wing.”
Lightning stopped walking. “I could have done that... I so could have done that... this REALLY hurts. WHY AM I SO STUPID?!” she shouted.
Ah shook ma head, ruffling her hair. “There, there, ya meant well, ya meant well. Wait till yer ma age, you'll get smarter.” ah was a year older after all. Ah was much much wiser.
You ever had a place you just keep going to, even if you don't really have a reason? That was me with my old house... well what was left of it.
The old place was between school and my new home with Rainbow Dash. It was the first home I remembered. Right now it was pretty much a pile of rubble, but still, each day I had to slow down as I walked by it. I wasn't always sure why. I always felt bad seeing it, or again, what was left of it.
I decided today might as well be the day I explore the ruins. It was like they kept calling to me, so maybe it was time I answered. Who knew? It was all rubble now, so maybe I could find some building supplies for the next CMC adventure, whichever one of us was running it.
I started ducking under boards and basically looking around. Normally I like looking for supplies, but even the thought of that wasn't making me feel right. Instead knots were forming in my stomach. I wanted to leave. But something made me also want to stay.
Finally after wandering around the small half acre or so of land for a while, and still for some reason wanting to stay, I just sat down. I sighed. “Guess I know why I feel like this, I just don't want to think about it.” I finally said to nopony.
A small shadow passed over me. “Scootaloo!” came the shout of a young colt. I looked up to see Lightning Strike carrying Dusk overhead. “Go down, go down, go down, go down, go down!” he shouted. I rolled my eyes. Still, I realize I could probably use a friend or two right now.
Lightning Strike flew down and started hovering in the air, still holding up her brother. “You can land,” I pointed out.
Lightning looked over at the yellow tape around the place. “And you can come out of the construction area.” She flew outside the tape and finally set Dusk down. Dusk tried to run over to me, but his sister held him back.
I shook my head, finally deciding it was probably weird to just be sitting in there anyway. I trotted over to the two. “What's up?” Dusk asked.
“Compared to you? Me!” I said, teasing Dusk a little. I drilled a hoof into his head, him wincing, but grinning.
“What's this place?” asked Lightning.
“My old house... or rather the rubble of it,” I replied.
“What happened?” Dusk asked. “Did a storm hit... just your house?” He looked around, probably noticing that all the other houses in the area were standing and fine.
I shrugged. “Well it did only happen to my house, that much is true. This is where I Iived before Rainbow Dash adopted me,” I said. “Back then my old m-...” I stopped. My old parent didn't deserve the title of mom, not after what she did. Mom was Rainbow Dash's title, and nopony else for me, certainly not my old parent. “Before, this is where Violet Blaze had me stay when I was her kid. I pretty much had to take care of myself and she just visited on weekends.”
“Aren't you a little young for that?” asked Lightning.
“A little,” I admitted. “That's why Rainbow Dash and the others rescued me. Afterward Twilight had the place condemned and torn down.”
“So what are you doing here?” asked Dusk.
I sighed. “I don't know, remembering I suppose,” I said. “See over there?” I pointed. “That's where Violet used to leave bits for me on the coffee table every weekend before she left for the wee-... wow, just saying that out loud, I can't understand why I didn't realize what was wrong with it at the time.” I pointed up a little. “My room was up there.” I pointed a few feet away. “And that was supposed to be Violet's room... not that she really lived here.”
“Violet Blaze was your old mom right?” Lightning asked. I glared at her. “What?”
“That mare told me to my face she didn't love me. She is not now nor was she EVER my mom, got it?!” I demanded. Lightning nodded. “A mom is a mare that loves you and cares for you. Rainbow Dash taught me that. She's my mom. She's the only mom I've ever had. Real mom anyway.” I kinda said all that without thinking and once I was done I wasn't sure if I should be embarrassed or proud.
Dusk looked at the rubble. “Lightning... have we ever had a mom?”
Lightning looked around. “Well... I mean... from what I know the mares who gave birth to us just left us,” she looked to be thinking pretty hard, as Dusk started looking at her with disappointment. “No... no... I mean remember Luna?” Dusk tilted his head a little. “She rescued us from the evil pony who gave me my lightning powers and almost killed you. She cared for us for a little while.”
“Luna adopted you?” I asked.
“No,” Lightning replied. “Just took care of us for a while. She said she loved us a few times though. Kinda wish she did adopt us.”
“But then daddy wouldn't have!” Dusk almost shouted. “Can dad be a mom?”
Lightning shook her head at him. “She just said mom's are mare's. Dad is a dragon remember?”
“I still have a hard time with that one,” I noted. “I mean Rainbow Dash confirmed your story on having a dragon for a dad and all, but still...” my eyes widened and I smiled at a thought. “Can you guys show him to me some time?”
Lightning shrugged. “Maybe?” she replied. “Dad doesn't like coming to pony cities, he says ponies normally get pretty scared. Normally Vinyl just watches us when we come around Ponyville.”
“Why would somepony be scared of daddy?” asked Dusk.
“Not sure,” Lightning said.
“How big is he?” I asked.
“I think his eye is three times my size if that helps, really big,” Lightning replied.
My jaw dropped. I quickly guessed why other ponies might be scared.
Just then Apple Bloom trotted up to us. “Hey Scootaloo,” she then noted our newer friends. “Oh hey Lightning... Dusty...” she said, like she thought something might happen from her calling him that. He just rolled his eyes. I did too, she just didn't do it right. To properly annoy Dusk with that name... well you just had to be less deliberate about it I guess. “Well fine whatever,” she sat next to me letting out a small sigh. “So ah guess this is becoming yer spot huh?” she asked me.
“My spot?” I asked.
“Been seein' ya come here a lot,” AB noted.
“Really? Have I?” I asked.
“And same as me at that,” she continued. “It's yer spot. Ya lost somethin' here so it just becomes a spot for ya.”
“So yours is where your folks passed?” I asked, trying to catch on.
“You'd think so,” she answered. “Scept ah don't really know where that happened. Ah was really young when it did, two maybe three at most. Ah don't remember much of ma' folks. My spot is their graves.” She looked down and away from the rest of us. “Never saw ma brother and sister so sad before they took me there.”
And the mood just kept dropping there, none of us really able to go, and I'm guessing no one really having pleasant thoughts.
“Scootaloo?” came Sweetie's voice. “Figured I would find you here- oh wow everyone else is already here. I keep finding you here Scoots, what's up with that- oh never mind, not important, anyway how about I call the crusade today?”
“NOT IMPORTANT!” I shouted. I'm not entirely sure why, but anger started to well up in me hearing that statement. Sweetie Belle, still on her way to us, stopped mid stride.
“Um-”
“This was my house!” I shouted.
Sweetie stuttered a little. “Yea-um-yea but-”
“That's nothing to you?!” I started to accuse.
“I was there when you were rescued from all this,” she said. “Remember? I don't like this place. You were sad here. Let's go.”
I sat back down and sighed. “I don't know why, but it just doesn't work that way.”
“I don't like being here any longer than I have to be,” Sweetie said.
“You think I do?” I asked. “It's my spot... like Apple Bloom and... well I'm sure Lightning has a spot too.” Lightning looked at me curiously. “The spot of your worst memories.... ya know... you visit there right?”
“The lab where I was experimented on and almost lost my best friend in?” she asked.
“Best friend?” I asked.
She looked down at Dusk. “I'm a pegasus, he's an earth pony, I'm yellow, he's blue, I have freckles, his face is clear... you never guessed?” I looked at the two of them.
Finally the light went off in my head. “You had different dads huh?” I said nodding. For some reason everyone around me slapped their faces. I looked at them with a raised eyes brow.
“No we're not- oh never mind,” Lightning said. “Anyway- are you crazy? I put as much distance between myself and that place as possible.”
“I thought the guy who hurt you was gone,” I said.
“Gone? Yea probably, Luna put him in a nightmare cycle and all, but um... its a dark lab full of chains, knives, hooks, metal tables... no, I'm not going back there.”
Hearing all this, I looked back at my spot. I was quiet for a minute. Then, “Okay you win, mine's just a house, your spot is the worst.”
“I win!” Lightning shouted, starting to fly a little. “What do I get?”
“A pity pat,” I said, patting her head.
“Can we go?” Sweetie reiterated. I looked at her with lowered eyebrows. “We're not gonna spend all day here right?”
“Of course not!” I shouted. “Give me a minute alright?”
Sweetie looked around for a minute. “Well... do you need a hug?”
“Not right now-” but she grabbed me up in a hug anyway. That did it. I pushed her off. “Sweetie, I said NO!”
“But that's the time you need one the most-”
“NO, no it's not! The fact is I don't want a hug from YOU. You don't know what any of this is like. The world is just so nice to you. Everything can just be solved with a hug for you!” Sweetie backed up. “Seriously, you know nothing. You don't know what it's like!”
“Well... I guess I don't,” she started. “That doesn't mean I can't help. Just tell me-”
“It does mean you can't. You're like a stupid little kid. Seriously... talk to me about this stuff when you have a freaking clue! I-I... I wish something would happen to you so you would know what it was like to have some twerp who knows nothing hug you- just go!” I expected her to run away crying, but what she actually did made me feel worse.
Giving only a slight whimper, looking very confused, Sweetie just stumbled away. “I... I guess I don't want to play today.” she walked away from us.
I looked back at the others. Lightning looked confused, Dusk a little scared and finally Apple Bloom was... looking up. I turned to see what she was looking at to see Apple Jack standing over me.
“What the hey did ah just hear?” she asked. I backed away from the mare, her hat making the shadow she cast over me even bigger. I looked back at Sweetie as she crossed the street, seeing that Rarity had been standing in the door way of her boutique just a few blocks away. Sweetie, looking downcast, slowly walked to her concerned looking sister. Even worse I saw the shadow of a pegasus slowly pass over me. I slowly started curling up. “What gives you the right ta-”
There was a sudden crash and then silence. Coming out from my guilt feelings a little, I started to think about the direction that sound came from. I slowly turned my head, but before I finished doing so, I heard Sweetie Belle scream. “RARITY!” She took off running.
Finally I saw what happened as all three of my other friends shot away from me, Apple Jack leading the pack. The sign over Rarity's shop had somehow come loose and fell right on top of her. My eyes went wide and I froze. I could barely breathe. “No...” I gasped. “No... I didn't mean it... no, don't... please don't do this to her.” I started begging on Sweetie's behalf, not knowing who I was even talking to. I ran forward, my own words playing in my mind “I wish something would happen to you-”. How could I say that? I ran to the others as they started to surround the fallen white mare.
Sweetie's magic was already surrounding the sign, but she wasn't powerful enough to move it. She struggled harder and harder, but it wasn't budging. “Rarity, Rarity, Rarity...” she kept repeating her sister's name over and over.
Apple Jack slammed her full body into the sign trying to move it. Again, it didn't budge. Lightning Strike landed a few feet away from the scene. Her body was enveloped in electric energy as she glared at the sign and yelled, “Everypony get back!” Looking at her, Apple Jack must have guessed what she was warming up for, because she bolted across the sign and grabbed Sweetie Belle, getting clear of the sign. (Apple Bloom, myself and Dusk were already a good distance away.) A bolt of energy shot off the small yellow filly, ripping through the sign and reducing it to rubble, along with a large part of the shop.
Seeing the sign finally off her friend, Apple Jack rushed back over to Rarity. I ran up too, watching it all unfold. Sweetie galloped up to her sister and nuzzled her. Rarity wasn't moving. Apple Jack gently pushed Rarity's head with her hoof. “C'mon ol' girl,” Apple Jack said. “C'mon, don't do this.”
“We gotta get her to the clinic!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Right!” Apple Jack shouted back. “Um... ah might hurt her worse just throwing her over ma back...”
“I can carry her,” Sweetie said, activating her magic. However Apple Jack put a hoof on her shoulder.
“I'm afraid that might be too much weight for you. We can't risk it,” Apple Jack said.
Dusk ran up to the group. “Hey Lightning, can you move things with your power?” he asked his sister.
Lightning gave a nervous grin. “Um... and electrocute them... yea.”
Apple Jack shook her head. “Right let's call that plan “no”.” She looked around again. “We need Twilight. Her castle is across town. What I wouldn't give for a pegasus who can fly-” again she looked at Lightning. “Lightning, you go get Twilight, move quick!” Lightning turned to take off, but she stopped. “What er ya waiting for?”
“You all saw that shadow earlier right?” she asked.
“Yea, just some pegasus, why should we care? Get goin'.” Apple Jack yelled back. Lightning looked at her brother.
“Um... well um...” Lightning stuttered.
“Gosharnit, ya cowardly, stupid, paranoid little brat, ah'll watch yer brother, get moving!” Apple Jack stepped over Dusk, her shadow covering him. Lightning stuttered in her movements. “GO!”
Lightning Strike gave a small scared whine. She was enveloped in electric energy again. She shot away in an electric stream of energy, zipping towards the castle of friendship.
(***)
Rarity was taken to the clinic in short order by Twilight. Soon enough me, Apple Bloom, Twilight, AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy and, the hardest to look at right now, Rainbow Dash, were all in the waiting room. Actually I should correct that. The hardest pony to look at was one of my own friends, Sweetie Belle. She sat there with Apple Bloom, shuddering and crying. Apple Bloom hung a hoof over her shoulders.
“I don't want my spot to be the boutique. Not there, not Rarity,” Sweetie whined. I slowly walked over to her, but she suddenly glared at me.
Apple Bloom slowly looked away from me, but she said what we both knew she had to. “Scootaloo, go away. At least fer now.”
I'm not sure how fast or slow I did so, but I exited the clinic.
I felt my own breathing, in and out, looking up at Luna's dark sky. I felt like crying myself when I started to hear sobbing just a few feet away.
I looked up and saw the two missing characters from the clinic. Lighting Strike sat in the dirt of the street crying, her brother sitting next to her, gently leaning on her. I walked over to. I was about to ask why they didn't go in when Lightning shouted “What's wrong with me?!” I stopped. “The whole time all I thought about was my brother and that shadow. I finally meet ponies that aren't afraid of my power and I almost let them down.”
“You didn't let them down Lightning,” Dusk argued.
“I couldn't even focus. Some pony nearly died and I just- I just-”
“That's enough,” I said, coming over. “If anyone should be talking themselves down right now, it's me.”
“I wouldn't blame you all if you didn't want to see me-” Lightning started, but I didn't let her finish.
“I said that's enough,” I demanded. “You're a good friend, nopony is perfect.”
“Honest Apple herself-” Lightning started, but she was interrupted again, but not by me this time.
“The fact that you admire me so much you even nic named me like that... that makes this even harder.” I turned around to see Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack standing behind me.
Rainbow Dash did NOT look happy. I looked down but Rainbow Dash spoke up anyway. “How dare you talk like that to a friend.”
“I-” I started, but she cut me off.
“She was trying to help. It's been three months since that day and no Sweetie hasn't been through something like what you have, how do you expect her to know how to help? But she tried anyway and for that you could have at least been nice to her.” I shrunk back a little. Rainbow sat down. “Just so everyone knows, Rarity is in stable condition.” Lightning and I sighed in relief. “A doctor just told us all she should recover soon enough.” I gave a slight smile to Rainbow Dash. “You're grounded for two weeks from crusading, you want to talk that way to friends maybe you should know what it's like to not have them for a while.” She looked back at the clinic. “Now Sweetie is in there. You ARE going to apologize and when we get home you and I are NOT done talking about this.”
Apple Jack held up a hoof. “Hold up you two. Ah need witnesses.” Rainbow Dash and I stopped, as we were both about to walk back into the clinic. “Ya'll aren't the only ones who need to make up for some ill conceived talk.” She walked over to Lightning Strike. “Ah was scared out of my wits fer ma friend, but ah know ah still had no right to talk ta ya'll like that.” she sat down next to Lightning Strike.
“Honest Apple is always honest, she doesn't-” Lightning started, but Apple Jack swiped a hoof in front of her face.
“Ah don't deserve that name ta'day. You actually helped more than anypony else out there today and ma thanks fer that was ta scare and insult ya. Ah'm sorry.” Lightning looked up at her. “Please understand, ah'm proud of how ya acted. You have a problem that's not easy to deal with. Vinyl told me about it... Thana- thana-to- something r' other ah can't pronounce it. Point is, a fear of losing a loved one is something ah can understand better than most. Ah should have remembered it's yer weakness.”
“I need to get over this,” Lightning said, gritting her teeth.
“And ah hope you do.” she wrapped a foreleg around Lightning. “An whatever help ya need, you know you can trust old... Honest Apple ta help ya.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “And me, Rebel Rainbow,” she said.
“Who?” I asked.
“That's her nic name for me,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. She motioned to the clinic. “Now c'mon everyone, Scootaloo has someone she needs to talk to. Besides I want to be around when Rarity wakes up.”
“All the same to you Rainbow, ah'm gonna stay out here with them until they come in,” Apple Jack said, motioning to Lightning and Dusk.
“Sure thing.” Rainbow Dash replied. Rainbow Dash and I walked back into the clinic.
(***)
Looking at Sweetie Belle being comforted by Apple Bloom, I gulped. In my own mind, I could easily have justified what Apple Jack did with Lightning, she barely needed to apologize. But me however...
“Sweetie I-” I started but she interrupted, pushing away from Apple Bloom.
“You're lucky,” Sweetie said. “You told me you wanted me hurt and you just stood there while my sister was hurt, I was going to tell you to never talk to me again.” I looked down. Rainbow Dash pushed my chin up so I was looking at Sweetie again.
“I'm um...” I tried to talk again. “I didn't mean what I said, and I don't know how I could have helped anyway.”
“That's what she explained,” Sweetie said, nodding to Apple Bloom.
“Rarity is gonna be alright.” I said. I looked around the room. “Looks like a lot of ponies care about her.” There were more than just us and her main friends in here and I got the feeling many of them were here for the fashionista. “I really am glad she's alright.”
“Because it means I might forgive you?” Sweetie asked.
“Kinda,” I started. “But I do like her, really I do care about her.” I looked away slightly, knowing Rainbow Dash wouldn't let me look down again. “I don't know her all that well myself. But I do care.”
“Can you do something for me?” Sweetie Belle asked. I nodded. “I know she's going to be alright, I just got so scared and-and-and... can you hug me?” I smiled, jumped up onto the couch next to her and gave her a hug. She didn't hug me back for a whole minute, just sobbing, sniffling, and then finally, wrapping her forelegs around me. Eventually I felt Apple Bloom hugging her too. Then soon enough, Dusk and Lightning joined in.
(***)
I had a hard time watching what unfolded when Rarity finally woke up. Apparently Rainbow Dash had been holding back. However when she walked in to talk to Rarity, she sobbed and hugged the mare. Several of the others had similar reactions, but Rainbow Dash was the pony I watched the closest.
Back in my house, in my room, I bit my lip hearing what Rainbow Dash had to say. “How dare you say something like that!” she yelled. “Life has enough problems without you wishing for more, especially on your friends.
“She kept trying to get me to leave. She just wanted to play.”
Rainbow Dash almost laughed. “You really think that?” she asked. “Sure at first, but from what I heard from her talking to Apple Bloom, she was worried about you and wanted you to leave that place for your own good. To be honest I'm not sure what to think myself about you taking trips there. We'll have to talk to your therapist about that.”
“I'm sorry.”
“You should be!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “It was bad enough I thought I was gonna have to watch a friend die today, but I heard you practically pushed one away for no reason, all I could think was that I'm failing as a friend and mother and-” I jumped up and wrapped my forelegs around her neck.
“Please don't talk like that. I messed up. I didn't get it from you I promise.” One foreleg went around me. “You forgive me right?”
“How could I ever not?” she asked back. We spent a few minutes like that. Me and Rainbow Dash. Me and my mom. “You know I meant it that you won't be crusading for a while right?” I nodded. “You can talk to them. I've decided that keeping you from just talking would make things worse between you three. I don't want you to lose your friends, I just want you to remember this. You don't walk on other ponies like that, even when you are feeling bad.” I nodded. “I'm gonna go make dinner alright?” She left to do so.
After a few minutes there was a knock on the door. I opened the door, Rainbow Dash walking up to me as I did. Apple Jack stood there with Lightning Strike hovering over her head and Dusk by her side.
“You sure this is a good time?” Lightning asked Apple Jack.
Apple Jack nodded. “Everyone is gonna need time ta plan kiddo. Sides, Rarity is gonna recover, so the rest of us will pretty soon too.”
“I kinda wish she would be there too,” Lightning said.
“What's up?” I asked.
Lightning grimaced. “I um... um... you're sure this is an okay time?” she asked Apple Jack again.
“It's in a week filly, ya'll have to give ponies notice,” Apple Jack replied. Apple Jack sighed. She pulled two pieces of paper out of her saddle bag and gave them to Rainbow Dash. “Ah'm helpin' her pass out tickets to Vinyl's upcoming concert. She was gonna have to ask around for an adult to help her, but let's just say this is kinda penance fer ma behavior.” Apple Jack smiled and nodded. “I'm not a big fan of the music ma'self, but Lightning says she'll be performing an electric show of some kind to accompany. Should be fun to watch.”
Rainbow looked at the tickets. She set them on a table next to the door and then gritted her teeth. I sighed. “I just told my daughter she can't go crusading, which basically really means she can't have fun with her friends, for two weeks.”
Lightning's eyes went wide. “But it's in one week,” she whined. “Please?” Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth again. “I haven't had many friends in my life, and now that I do and I'm getting to do stuff with Vinyl Scratch, the bestest DJ pony ever, I REALLY want my friends to be there. Scootaloo is a reeeeally good friend. PLEEEEASE?”
Rainbow Dash looked at AJ. AJ looked up at her own hat. “Ah c'mon girl, ah know ya wanna make a point, but yer not punishing Lightning here. Ah mean, Apple Bloom does bad things too sometimes, but sometimes ah make exceptions to her punishments too..” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow to AJ, who quickly grimaced. “Sorry it's up to you.”
Rainbow Dash looked up at Lightning Strike. She then looked down at me. “Scootaloo, what's my name?”
Well there was pressure. “Um... mmmom. Mom.”
She nodded. “We'll come.” I grinned a little, but then quickly returned to a frown so she didn't think I forgot my lesson.
Author's Note
Yes, I know this is a tone change. I thought about making this a different story, but really, the story does have some humor and while the subject matter may have heavy implications, the story has a positive message about apologizing and taking responsibility for your actions. Oh yes, and WAAAY too many times I've seen the attitude Scootaloo showed Sweetie portrayed in mass media as okay, for the record, it is NOT. Understandable given certain circumstances, sure, but not okay.
For anyone not able to figure it out, the word AJ was trying to say was Thanatophobia, the fear of death or fear of losing a loved one. Lightning's fear for her brother was trauma induced so yea, even in a moment of extreme fear, snapping at her because of her PTSD, was probably not a good idea. I realize that's still a rather topical issue, but understand, I'm not trying to portray AJ as a villian, she does apologize after all. I do like AJ.
