Tale of a Gray Tempest

“Grey Wind! Time for breakfast!”

Grey Wind groans as she flips her body on one side and lifts the bed sheet, her head refusing to leave the comfy pillow.

“Coming!” She mumbles as she rises from her bed and rubs her eyes. The dream orb is still lying on the nightstand, its white glow shimmering despite the bright sunlight. She had never slept so well for a long time. Last night was dreamless, granting her body a well-needed rest after two nights of nightmare and one day of adventure.

Guess the dream orb did work. She smirks as she gets of the bed and brushes her mane before the mirror. Descending down the staircase, she finds Twilight and Spike already sitting at the kitchen table, with a few sandwiches already placed on it. Seeing her friend, Twilight waves:

“Good morning, Grey Wind! Had a nice sleep last night?”

“Sure did, Twilight! Never slept so well for a long time! Guess the dream orb did its work.” Grey Wind responds cheerfully as she sits down and picks up one of the sandwiches with her front hooves.

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Twilight returns a smile, “Spike and I had the same feeling last night. The magic field released by the orb seems to be chasing way all our negative feelings, much like the magic of Princess Luna herself! Anyway, I’ll write to the Princess to tell her that you are all right.”

“Thanks, Twilight.” Grey Wind mumbles with a mouthful of sandwich. As she gulps down the sandwich, she pours some milk into her cup.

“So, any plans for today?” Twilight asks.

“Well, I was thinking about checking on Lyra and her wound, you know, to make sure she is alright.” Grey Wind downs her milk in one gulp.

“I guess we don’t need to worry about that, “Twilight says as her horn lights up. She floats a letter from the drawer, “I received a letter from Bon Bon half an hour ago. She said that Lyra is alright, and she was taking care of her. She also said that Lyra will be grounded for today,” She chuckles, “guess she is still a bit mad. Maybe I’ll visit them in the afternoon.”

“That’s good to hear.” Grey Wind comments, finishing her breakfast.

Suddenly, a soft knock can be heard on the library’s door. Spike jumps from his seat and proceeds to open the door. Standing at the doorstep is a yellow Pegasus with long, pink mane and tail. The sudden opening of the door makes her lets out an “eep” and jumps back. Grey Wind recognizes her as Fluttershy, Twilight’s shy Pegasus friend and bearer of the element of kindness.

“Good morning, Fluttershy! What brings you here?” Twilight greets her friend cheerfully.

“Hi, Twilight. Um, well, I, I have a favor to ask, I mean, if it’s okay with you.” Fluttershy responds, hiding her blue eye behind her mane.

“Of course, Fluttershy! What is it?”

“Um, well, It’s just, some of the migrating birds have arrived, and, um, I need more bird houses for them, but I have to feed the other animals this morning, and I don’t have time to make all those bird houses……” Fluttershy says, her voice becoming lower.

“I’m more than willing to help, Fluttershy, but I do have to write to the Princess this morning……” Twilight rubs her chin, “Hey, I know! Grey Wind! Why don’t you go and help out Fluttershy? I’m sure you two will become great friends in the process!”

“That sounds great!” Grey Wind responds as she walks up to Fluttershy. Recognizing her, Fluttershy smiles and waves weakly.

“Good morning, Fluttershy. So, uh, where are we going to work again?”

“Oh, um, right this way. Follow me, if you are so kind.” Fluttershy says as she turns around and leads Grey Wind outside the library. Twilight smiles as she watches the pair trotting towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

Rainbow Dash zips through the sky of Ponyville, dashing towards Carousel Boutique. She had been patrolling all around Ponyville yesterday after she was forcefully woken up from her morning nap, trying to catch an evidence of the viscous plan of that grey Pegasus. However, for one whole day, she didn’t see the Pegasus anywhere. She even missed her stunt practice for that!

But today will be different. She just saw her suspect trotting towards Fluttershy’s cottage along with Fluttershy, and now, Rainbow is on her way to find the ultimate weapon to unravel the conspiracy of that suspicious Pegasus.

Landing right in front of Caousel Boutique, Rainbow knocks on the door. At first, nopony responds, so she knocks again even harder. Still no response. Growing impatient, she pounds on the door with extra force, finally receiving a distressed “One second!” From indoors. A minute later, the door of the store swings open, revealing a very baffled Rarity, still in her evening gown. Recognizing her intruder, she scolds:

“Rainbow, how many times do I need to remind you about how rude it is to disrupt a lady in her beauty sleep at eight in the morning?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, Rarity, I’m just here to borrow your camera for a day.”

“And why, by any sense, should I lend my precious camera to such an ungrateful pony like you, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asks in a queen-like tone.

“Please, Rarity, this is urgent!” Rainbow pleads, “I know I was kinda impatient with you before, but I’m willing to do anything to compensate! I really need that camera!”

“Anything, you said, my dear Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asks.

“Yeah, anything! I swear!”

“Well then, Rainbow Dash, I guess there is something you can do for me……” Rarity lets out an evil smirk.

Contrary to popular belief of Ponyville being located on a huge plane, there is actually a small gathering of hills on one side of Ponyville, just beside the Everfree Forest. At the top of the tallest hill, one can easily get a good view of the whole town as well as the Everfree Forest. This is also the favorite spot of Scootaloo. Before she became friends with the other crusaders, she would come here whenever she feels sad or down, which is quite often due to the laughs she received as a Pegasus that cannot fly.

Today, she is once again sitting on the top of the hill, watching Ponyville and all the other ponies minding their own business. Despite being unable to fly, Scootaloo does have sharp eyesight. From a distance, she can see Applejack selling apples at the center of the marketplace. She can see Pinkie Pie jumping up and down towards Sugarcube Corner. She can see several weather ponies flying around Ponyville, arranging clouds for a partial rain on the Sweet Apple Acres.

Flying……Something every Pegasus considers a norm for their daily life is like a dream for her. Being born with extra-small wings even compared to pegasi her age, she has never been able to fly. This defect has made her a joke for the other fillies in Cloudsdale, forcing her to move out and live with her aunt in Ponyvile. Even here, the laughs she receives never cease to come.

That was exactly what happened earlier that morning. A few fillies from Cloudsdale were visiting the outskirts of Everfree Forest for a school field trip, and Scootaloo happened to run into them on her way to meet the other crusaders. Unfortunately for her, some of the fillies in that group were her old classmates.

Seeing their long-gone laugh subject, the fillies showed no mercy. Unable to bear their laughs, Scootaloo ran away with tears in her eyes, forced to relive the nightmare she hadn’t had for such a long time.

So here she is, sobbing on top of the hill overlooking Ponyville. Sobbing, Scootaloo tries to wipe away her tear, only for more of them to come out uncontrollably. Why was she born with such tiny wings? Why wasn’t she able to live a normal life like the other pegasi? Why, in the name of Celestia, can’t she fly no matter how hard she tried??

“Please……” She sobs, “I would give in anything……I just want to fly……”

“Found you, Scootaloo!”

Two familiar voices pull Scootaloo out of her grief. Turning around and flipping away her tears, she turns around to face her two best friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

“Hey, what’s up, guys.” Scootaloo manages a smile under her tear-stroke eyes.

“Scootaloo, were you……Crying?” Sweetie Belle asks, a clear bit of worry in her tone.

“No, I wasn’t! I was just……” Scootaloo retorts, but soon finds it unconvincing as she finds her friends eying her with worried eyes, “Well, maybe a little bit……” She mumbles.

Suddenly, she finds her two friends jumping at her and pulling her into a group hug.

“Ah saw what those bullies did to you.” Apple Bloom says, “Ah’m sorry you had to experience that. They were really bad ponies.”

“Yeah, just don’t forget that we are all right behind you, alright?” Sweetie Belle says as she hugs her friend tighter, “Cutie Mark Crusaders Forever?”

“Yeah, Cutie Mark Crusaders forever! That’s why Ah just came up with the best plan for this morning!” She releases her friend and pulls out a scroll from her mane and unravels it on the ground. The paper appears to be a blueprint that depicts some kind of winged machine.

“Um, Apple Bloom? What is this?” Sweetie Belle asks, puzzled.

“It’s a blueprint for a glider! Ah found it in the family barn. I looked at it earlier and Ah’m certain we’ll be able to find all the materials to build it!”

“A glider? Didn’t Ms. Cheerilee mention it in class before? She said that earth ponies used to use them to perform short-range flies across valleys and rivers in ancient times.” Sweetie Belle suggests.

“Yeah! And Ah think if we really build one, we can use it to fly across Ponyville! We can be Cutie Mark Crusader gliders or Cutie Mark Crusader glider builders!” Apple Bloom exclaims, “We can even help Scootaloo experience flying! What do y’all think?”

“I’m in.” Scootaloo suddenly interrupts, standing up and wiping one last tear from her cheek, “If doing this would at least let me know what flying feels like, then let’s do it.”

“That’s the spirit, mah friend!” Apple Bloom runs up and claps her left front hoof with her friend, “What about you, Sweetie Belle?”

“Well, if it can make my best friend Scootaloo happy, then so be it!” Sweetie Belle replies, as she put a hoof of Scootaloo’s shoulder.

“Well, it is settled then!” Apple Bloom stomps a hoof on the ground, “Come on, crusaders, we got a glider to build!”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FOREVER!” The three fillies shout out in unison and gallop towards the Sweet Apple Acres.

Grey Wind lets out a sigh as she hangs the last of the bird house onto a tree branch besides Fluttershy’s cottage. She had spent the morning making bird houses and hanging them on the trees. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was still a bit shy at the beginning, but as Angel, Fluttershy’s pet bunny, unprecedently starts getting along incredibly well with her, Fluttershy starts to open up as well. Fluttershy’s animal friends are indeed interesting, but the morning kind of tired her out.

Finishing up, Grey Wind walks back into the cottage and spots Fluttershy feeding Angel. Spotting her, Fluttershy waves:

“Hi, Grey Wind. All finished? I mean, it’s Okay if you haven’t, but……”

“Yeah, Fluttershy, that should be the last of them,” Grey Wind responds, “is there anything else I can help with?”

“Um, if it’s not too much trouble, can you help me feed the chickens as well?”

“Got it, Fluttershy.” Grey Wind replies as she grabs the bag of chicken feed and proceeds into the chicken house while thinking about the next plans for today. Maybe she should go and visit Lyra and Bon Bon after helping Fluttershy, just to make sure that Lyra is alright, and Bon Bon is not too mad.

Rainbow Dash flies out of Carousel Boutique, a camera hanging on her neck. Thinking about the last hour, she groans. Rarity’s exchange for lending her the camera was to be the role model for her new line of design. Rarity has always insisted that Rainbow’s mane and tail are “fabulous”, only that she never cherishes the trait. This is a perfect chance for her to operate on them.

For one hour, Rainbow just stood there, as Rarity forced her to try on different outfits. True, Rarity’s designs are great, but standing on that round platform and holding still for a whole hour is like a torture for Rainbow Dash. She is never meant to stand down and wear those boring outfits. She is meant to fly. The sky is where she belongs.

But that was all worth it. Rainbow smirks as she holds the camera in her front hooves. With this she can finally get the proof she needs. Once she catches an evidence of the evil plan of that grey Pegasus, she’ll finally convince Twilight to stop her. This is her best shot.

Grinning, Rainbow Dash zips towards Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Um, Apple Bloom?”

“Yes, Sweetie Belle?”

“Are you sure we built it correctly?” Sweetie Belle says as she eyes the small machine the three had been building for an hour. The machine in the barn looks very much alike a small triangular cart, with a large triangular gliding wing attached to it. The wing was made using Apple Bloom’s old cotton sheet, a few patches visible on it.

“Of course!” Apple Bloom exclaims as she drops down the woodcraft hammer in her mouth, “It looks exactly like the drawing on the blueprint. Ah’m sure it will function normally.”

“I don’t know……” Sweetie Belle glances at the patches and the nails on the glider, “It doesn’t look a hundred percent safe to me.”

“It has to work!” Scootaloo shouts, hammering one last needle into the glider, “I’m never this close to flying before and I’m not giving up so easily!” She exclaims, purple irises burning with flames of determination. She attaches a rope to the glider and starts to pull, “Come on, guys, let’s get this thing to the hill!”

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Once again, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are now standing on the top of the highest hill that overlooks Ponyville. The three had managed to pull the glider all the way up to a small slope that leads to the edge of the hill. Apple Bloom detaches the rope from the glider and examines the glider one last time to make sure nothing is wrong.

“The glider is too small for the three of us. We’ll have to go one by one.”

“Well then, who should ride first?” Scootaloo asks.

“I think you should be the first one to ride it, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle blurts, “It’s your dream after all.”

“Huh? but-“

“No ‘buts’, dear Scootaloo! It is your dream, and we are all happy to help you realize it!” Apple Bloom exclaims as she lifts Scootaloo’s chin.

“Th- thank you, guys!” Scootaloo feels a warmth in her heart. She climbs into the glider. Securing her position in the cart. She pulls out her scooter helmet and puts it on her head. Behind the cart, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pushes the glider to the edge of the slope.

“Alright, Scootaloo, you ready? On three, one, two……” Apple Bloom says as she motions Sweetie Belle to get ready.

“Three!”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Gliders! YAY!”

With one last push, the glider rolls down the slope, slowly gaining speed as it accelerates. The sharp wind blowing on Scootaloo’s face forces her to close her eyes. She can only feel the wind growing stronger and stronger, until……

Suddenly, the wind ceases, replaced by a gentle blow of streaming air. Opening her eyes, she finds herself mid-air. The glider worked perfectly, and she is now gliding gently towards the other side of the hills around the corner of Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Oh my gosh, I’m flying! I’m really flying!”

Looking around, she can see white clouds flowing besides her. She lifts her hoof and tugs at one. She feels the soft touch of the cloud as the cloud flows away. A reminder that she is still a Pegasus. Looking back, she finds Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cheering at the top of their lungs on top of the hill. She waves at them and looks to the left, just in time to catch a familiar rainbow trail flying not about 200 meters from her.

“Rainbow Dash! Miss Rainbow Dash! Look at me! I’m flying!” She shouts on top of her lungs.

Rainbow Dash was just on her way to Futtershy’s cottage when she hears Scootaloo calling her name. Turning mid-air, she is startled to find the orange Pegasus filly waving at her, sitting in some kind of small glider, flying over the hills. She waves at the filly and shouts:

“Well done, Scoots! You are awesome!”

Even at a distance, she can see a bright smile blossoming on the filly’s face. She hears the filly shout again:

“A picture! Take a picture of me!” Clearly the filly noticed the reflected light of her camera.

“Can do, Scoots! Give me a smile!” She shouts as she lifts her camera.

Scootaloo manages the largest smile she can muster as she looks to Rainbow’s direction. Suddenly, a strong current catches the glider, causing it to lose balance mid-air. As the filly struggles to regain control, she hears a horrible noise coming from the glider.

Craaaaack!

The wood plates connecting the cabin and the glider wing give in. With a large crack, the plates splinter as the wing detaches from the glider, causing the whole machine to fall apart under the strong current. Scootaloo barely had any time to react before she is torn between the currents like a single boat in a mighty storm, and falling directly towards the ground..

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp!” She screams as she falls, plummeting to her death.

Grey Wind was just walking out of Fluttershy’s cottage when she hears the scream for help coming from the sky. Looking towards the source of the voice, she instantly spots her fellow crusader Scootaloo falling from the sky to her death. Once more, a surge of energy courses throughout her body, as one emotion fills up her entire mind once again:

Must Protect.

Without thinking, Grey Wind dismantles. Where the grey Pegasus once stood is only left with a large grey cloud. Within a second, the grey cloud takes off and charges towards the crying orange filly.

Rainbow Dash saw the whole event through the viewfinder of the camera. As soon as Scootaloo is engulfed in the strong current, she knew what would happen. Almost instantly, she drops down the camera and dashes towards Scootaloo.

“Hang in there, Scoots! I’m coming!” She calls out. As she gets closer and closer to Scootaloo, she realizes she won’t make it. She was too far away. Still, she won’t give up. She flaps her wings extra hard, steadily increasing speed.

At the corner of her eye, Rainbow sees a piece of grey cloud below her charging towards the orange filly at a speed much faster than her. Instantly, realization hits her.

That grey Pegasus!

Scootaloo knows she is done for. The ground is getting closer and closer, and there is no way Rainbow Dash can catch her before she hits the ground and turns into a pony-shaped pancake. Not wanting to see her demise, she closes her eyes as she screams:

“Help! Somepony help me!”

Suddenly, she feels her falling speed decrease as something soft and warm envelopes her. Opening her eyes, she is surprised to find a grey cloud wrapping around her. The cloud descends for a few more meters, and stops at an altitude about 10 meters above the ground. Seconds later, the cloud rises and flies towards the hills.

After Grey Wind catches Scootaloo, she turns around and flies towards the hill where the other crusaders are standing on. On her way, she saw that cyan Pegasus she encountered in front of the library two days ago. She also notices a sudden shot of light emitting from between her hooves.

The flashlight of a camera.

Rainbow hovers mid-air, jaws agape. She saw the whole thing. She saw the grey cloud enveloping Scootaloo. She saw the cloud preventing her from falling to death. She saw the cloud gently placing her on top of a small hill where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are standing. She saw the cloud flying away and disappearing behind a nearby hill. In one of her hooves, she holds the borrowed camera. In the other hoof, a picture of the grey cloud enveloping Scootaloo and gently putting her on the ground.

Scootaloo is still a bit startled when her hooves touch the ground again. When she turns around, she catches the grey cloud flying away, towards a nearby hill. In front of her stood Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, equally shocked as she is. Voice trembling, she asks:

“Guys……Wh- what happened?”

“Ah saw it! It was Grey Wind! She turned into a grey cloud and saved you!” Apple Bloom exclaims as she recovers from the shock.

“Yeah, that was pretty cool! I wonder how she did it, though. She wasn’t supposed to be able to use magic,” Sweetie Belle says as she rubs her chin, “Speaking of which, where has she gone?”

“Scootaloo!”

A blue Pegasus lands in front of the three fillies. As soon as she lands, she pulls Scootaloo into an embrace and frantically checks if the filly is alright.

“Are you hurt? Did that cloud do anything to you?”

“Rainbow, I’m fine! And that cloud didn’t do anything to me. It saved me!” Scootaloo responds, struggling to get out of Rainbow’s tight grip, “Can you put me down now, Rainbow? I need to breath!”

“Oh, sorry, Scoots,” Rainbow says as she puts Scootaloo down, “So, you know what that cloud is?”

“I know that is Grey Wind. Apple Bloom told me, and that is super cool!” Scootaloo lights up, “How do you think she did that? Wait a sec,” Scootaloo says as she eyes Rainbow suspiciously, “Is this why you asked me to keep an eye on her? Because she can turn into a cloud and you can’t?”

“Um, about that……” Rainbow hastily responds as her cheeks flame, “I……I thought she might be planning something evil…...”

“Well……Ah’ll admit, “Apple Bloom speaks, “Ah was kinda scared when Ah saw her turn into that cloud thingy, but then I saw her saving Scootaloo. If she’s really planning something, she wouldn’t do that, right?”

But Rainbow could not hear her. She just stares at the picture she is holding in her left hoof. What had she done? Though not a normal pony, Grey Wind had always been expressing kindness, yet there she was, using every bit of her strength trying to chase her out of Ponyville.

Suddenly, a piece of memory jumps into her mind. The sight of a yellow young Pegasus being chased away by some other Pegasus fillies, utter fear in her eyes. No, she will not allow the same thing to happen again!

Clutching to the picture in her hoof, she takes off and flies towards the hill where the grey cloud disappeared.

The three crusaders exchange a glance, and quickly follow the cyan Pegasus.

Rainbow zips around the hill where the grey cloud disappeared, and quickly spots her target. Grey Wind is sitting on top of a small hill, head hanging low. Without hesitation, she lands on the hill and walks towards her. Approaching, she notices that small drops of water are still hanging on the grass below Grey Wind’s head.

“Finally found you, Grey Wind! I- “

“……Sorry……”

“Huh? What?” The word stops Rainbow dead in her track.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I came to this town! I’m sorry I caused you that much trouble! I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I’m a monster!” Grey Wind suddenly turns to Rainbow, causing her to flinch back a bit. Her eyes are red and fresh with streaks of tears, indicating that she had been crying. She is looking at Rainbow with an expression that bot bears the rage of a thousand suns and the sorrow of a lost soul.

Rainbow is stunned by this sudden outbreak. Receiving no reply, Grey Wind lowers her head.

“I’ll leave Ponyville before sunset……Tell Twilight I’m sorry.” She says as she stands up and spreads her wings.

“Wait! You can’t leave! You have friends here!”

“What difference will it make?” Grey Wind shouts and turns around, facing Rainbow, her last bit of sorrow replaced by anger, “You got the picture. What do you think they’ll think of me when they discover that I’m not a real pony but an imposter that is a monster?”

“You are not a monster!” A young voice catches Grey Wind’s attention. Scootaloo runs up the hill, followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, “A monster will not help us knock down an entire storage house! A monster will not save my life from a broken glider! A monster will NEVER agree to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” She shouts on top of her lungs.

“Look, Grey Wind, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have casted doubt on your kindness. You know what,” Rainbow inhales and rips the photo apart using her mouth, “To heck with it! I don’t care if you are a grey cloud monster or not, you saved a filly from her death, and by that, I qualify you as a cool friend! Besides,” she admits, “Being able to transform into a grey cloud is kinda cool.”

“A……Cool friend?”

“Yeah! A friend, and friends are supposed to hang out together,” Rainbow says as she lifts her hoof towards Grey Wind, “I know! I can teach you a few stunts this afternoon! After all, you are in the form of Pegasus now.”

After moments of hesitation, Grey Wind lets out a weak smile as she accepts Rainbow’s hoof.

“Alright……Thank you, Rainbow Dash!”

“This! Is! Awesome!”

A sudden scream from Scootaloo gathers the two mares’ attention, as they turn around and look at her, surprised. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Scootaloo whispers in a faint voice:

“Um, Cutie Mark Crusaders Ice Breakers, yay?”

The statement sends all the fillies and mares on the hill into a burst of laughter. Even Scootaloo herself starts to giggle after a few seconds. As they recover, Rainbow suggests:

“Awesome indeed, Scoots, but you really shouldn’t do anything that dangerous again. I may not be there to save you next time something like this happens.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Rainbow Dash……I just wanted to fly……” Scootaloo lowers her head responds in a whisper.

“Huh? You mean you can’t fly? But aren’t you a Pegasus as well?” Grey Wind asks as she examines the orange filly.

“Hey, pal, no need to remind me of that again.” Scootaloo retorts as she spreads her tiny wings.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry, Scootaloo.” Grey Wind apologizes. She finally notices the unusually small wings of the Pegasus filly. A quick scan reveals them to be a birth defect. Apparently, Scootaloo’s wing bones never got to spread to their full lengths when she was born, resulting in wings that are too tiny to carry her into the air.

Rubbing her chin, Grey Wind speaks:

“Hmmm……” She smirks as an idea pops into her head, “So, tell me, Scootaloo, how much would you want to be able to fly?”

“Are you kidding me? It has been my dream! Ever since I was born, I have always wanted to be able to fly like the other pegasi. I don’t want to be laughed at for being a chicken anymore……”

“Hey, don’t say that, Scoots! In my opinion, you are just as awesome as me!” Rainbow says as she hugs Scootaloo with her wing.

“Thanks, Rainbow.” Scootaloo responds.

“If I may interrupt,” Grey Wind inhales, “I think I can help you with your problem, Scootaloo.”

“You do? But……How?” Scootaloo asks, a bit of doubt in her voice.

“Oh, you know, being a cloud monster and things,” She smiles sheepishly, “But I need you guys to fully trust me. This is going to feel a bit……” She pauses as she looks at all the ponies around her, “Weird.”

“If it means that I get to fly after this, then bring it!” Scootaloo exclaims, determination in her eyes.

Grey Wind turns to Rainbow and the other crusaders. Seeing them nod, she inhales.

“Alright, let’s get started. Whatever is going to happen, Scootaloo, do not be afraid. Now, please, close your eyes, and don’t open them before I finish.”

Scootaloo did as she said. Gulping, Grey Wind orders some of her subunits to detach from her. Rainbow and the other crusaders can only watch in awe as the subunits gather around Scootaloo, enveloping her like a grey cocoon.

Getting a more thorough scan of Scootaloo’s body, Grey Wind orders her subunits to enter Scootaloo’s body through sweat pores on her skin. As the nanobots enter her body, they move towards her wings via the blood vessels. Once they arrive, Grey Wind orders them to inject a small electric current to her wings. This will not hurt the filly, but will paralyze her wing for a moment, making sure the filly feels no pain.

Then, Grey Wind orders the subunits to latch onto the bones and muscle tissues of the filly’s wings. Once they attach to the bones and muscles, they crawl deep inro the tissue and imitate the structure of them, enlarging the filly’s tissues in the process. As each subunit finishes its job, Grey Wind cuts down her connection with them, forcing them to lay dormant forever as part of Scootaloo’s body.

The process continued for about 15 seconds, until the last subunit in Scootaloo’s wings is secured to its place. Grey Wind made extra caution to ensure the filly’s two wings are the exact same size. Slowly, the grey cocoon dismantles and returns to Grey Wind, revealing the orange Pegasus encased in it, invoking sharp gasps from all of the watchers.

“Guys, what happened? I can’t feel my wings!” Scootaloo shouts.

“It’s alright, Scootaloo,” Grey Wind smiles, “It’s over. You may open your eyes now.”

Scootaloo opens her eyes as she feels the sense of her wings returning. Spreading them, she gasps.

Her wings have nearly doubled in size, even a little larger than the wings of a normal Pegasus her age. Flipping them, she can feel the air gathering under them and lifting her into the air. Taking a deep breath, she performances a powerful flip and jumps into the air. She closes her eyes, half expecting to fall and hit the ground like all her previous attempts.

Only that she stayed there this time. As she opens her eyes, she finds herself hovering in the air, earning a cheer from all other ponies on the hill. Eyes widened, she pinches herself and immediately feels a sharp pain in her front hoof.

“Oh my gosh! This isn’t a dream! I’m flying! I’m really flying!” She exclaims as she makes a few barrel rows in the air before dashing down and pulling Grey Wind into a tight hug, “Thank you! Thank you so much! How- How did you do that?”

“Well, I planted some subunits inside your body to enlarge your wings,” Seeing the confused look on the filly’s face, she explains, “basically, I put a part of my body inside you to enlarge yours. And don’t worry, they’ll grow in the future along with other parts of your body.”

“But……Won’t that hurt you?”

“Don’t you worry, Scootaloo,” Grey Wind smiles, “I’ve got more of those subunits. Sparing a few won’t hurt. I’m just happy that I can actually help you.”

Scootaloo responds by hugging her tighter.

“Great, Scoots! You’ll be able to practice stunts with us in the afternoon as well!” Rainbow exclaims.

“You, you mean it?” Scootaloo releases Grey Wind as she turns to Rainbow.

“Of course! Finally I’ll be able to teach you about all the things I know!” Rainbow smiles as she tugs Scootaloo on her wing.

Stars start to appear in Scootaloo’s eyes as she jumps up and flies around the hill for a whole 5 laps.

“This! Is! The! Greatest! Day! In! My! Life!”

Grey Wind chuckles as she feels a small growl in her belly. She smiles sheepishly and suggests:

“Why don’t we go and catch some lunch first? Doing that made me hungry.”

“You got it! To Sugarcube Corner!” Rainbow responds as she takes off and dashes towards Ponyville, quickly followed by Grey Wind and the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Grey Wind lies on the grass field just outside Sweet Apple Acres, watching Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash flying around above her. For the last 2 hours after lunch, she had been learning aerial stunts with Rainbow Dash. She got to admit, Rainbow Dash is a natural flyer. She was fast, and she really knows a great deal of stunts. Right now, she dives towards the ground before instantly pulling up while constantly barrel rowing, finishing the performance with two mid-air backflips. Finishing up, she returns to Grey Wind and lands besides her along with Scootaloo.

“So, how do you think about that?” Rainbow asks, “I call it the Rising Dragon!”

“That’s awesome, Rainbow! How are you so good at this?” Grey Wind asks.

“Hey, you are not half-had as well.” Rainbow smiles, “I’ve never seen any pony doing 5 backflips in a row! Still, I guess you haven’t seen my best move yet!”

“Your best move?”

“Well……” Rainbow grins, “Have you heard about ‘the Sonic Rainboom?’”

“The sonic what?”

“The Sonic Rainboom! Watch me!” Rainbow exclaims as she takes off into the sky. Grey Wind watches in awe as she ascends into the blue sky. After gaining enough altitude, she turns around and zips towards the ground. As she accelerates, a visible barrier of air begins to form in front of her. Finally, with one last flip of her wings, the sound barrier gives in.

Boom!!

A round spectrum of rainbows explodes in the bright sky. The spectrum spreads towards the horizon, sending various streaks of different colors in all directions. Grey Wind was stunned by the spectacular sight. She remembers the sight as the one her detection unit collected right before she arrived at Equestria. This must be some kind of fate.

She is with friends now. She’s no longer alone anymore. Even though she may not be a real pony, her friends are still more than willing to accept her. She must be the luckiest pony, no, the luckiest intelligence in the Universe to experience all this.

Feeling a drop of joyful tear slipping from her cheek, Grey Wind closes her eyes as she enjoys the gentle caress of the wind around her.

As the Rainboom bursts in the sky, a large magical burst erupts from the Everfree Forest, as the star gate in the clearing starts to emit a high-pitched humming sound and glow with a bright green color.

“I tell you, Grey, this is the most comfortable place a Pegasus can ever find to take a nap!” Rainbow says as she tugs her friend lying on a piece of cloud besides her.

“I agree with you, Rainbow,” Grey Wind yawns, “It is softer than my bed, and I’m a bit exhausted after all those practices.”

“Of course.” Scootaloo yawns besides Rainbow, “I think……I’ll sleep for now. Good night, Miss Dash.” She says as she closes her eyes.

“I should take a nap as well,” Grey Wind says s she closes her eyes, “Night, Rainbow.”

“See ya, buddy.”

Grey Wind clutches onto the cloud as she slowly drifts towards the dream land. Although far from the range of the dream orb, no nightmare should bother her with her friends so close to her, right?