Service for Wings

Scootaloo looked wide eyed at the guardian paladin that stood before her. Just like Erebus, this guy had little information she could find. Like it was scrubbed, whatever Dusk Sentry did when Nightmare Moon arrived Scootaloo couldn’t find anything.

“I truly felt that passion, good sir!” Dusk Sentry smiled brightly as he saluted both Alex Roberts and Captain Nightshade. “Oh, and you as well, Captain.”

“Don’t mention it.” Captain Nightshade sighed. “You wanted to talk to him, Alex?”

“My daughter and I would love to speak with your lady.” Alex Roberts extended out his hand with a welcoming smile, which was hidden behind his magic helmet.

“So this is Scootaloo.” Sentry tilted his head down to the young filly as he accepted the handshake with his hoof. “Not many young fillies come to the Gala. Mostly a grownup boring thing.”

“Is it true that you have super powers to stop an armada of airships to protect your charges!?” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed as she slinked closer to him, nodding her head rapidly.

Captain Nightshade mouthed ‘super powers’ and gave Alex a questioning look, all he could do was shrug. Without missing a beat Sentry declared loudly. “Of course, I will carve mountains for my Lady and Lord!”

“And Princess Erebus, right!?” Scootaloo urged on.

Dusk didn’t seem taken aback as the filly became more pushy. “Well, she’s a scholarly researcher at the university so more often than not she is fine without my presence.”

“The university usually hires the day guard for any of the field trips.” Captain Nightshade watched Alex’s magic armor return to the hidden neutral state. “Also, Princess? Erebus isn’t a princess young filly.”

Alex looked down as Nightshade turned away. He knew better than to ask about the night guard being used. “Alright Scoots, don’t get too eager. Paladin Sentry, is your Lady available?”

“By my honor sir. She is more than willing to speak with you.” Dusk opened up a wing and tilted it behind him. “Captain Nightshade, will you be joining us?”

“That’s ok. I’m still working. Alex, are you going to keep wearing your armor?” Nightshade tapped the side of the hip with an audible clang.

“Oh right, no.” With a click, the armor smoothly collapsed into the hidden mode. Alex’s cheeks still burned red from doing the over-the-top oath display. Nightshade smirked, but didn’t commit. “Lead the way, Dusk Sentry.”

Scootaloo bounced as they followed the paladin. The crowd around them watched with amusement, but quickly returned to their conversations. She leaned from side to side to see if she could get a glance of the countess. To her, Dusk was agonizingly slow.

“Sweetie.” She looked up at her dad as he spoke calmly; he held out his hand, brought to his chest and breathed out slowly. “Relax.”

“Sweetie.” Alex repeated and waited for her to look up as he held out his hand.

She knew she needed to calm down, but her heart pounded against her chest. At this moment, Alex might as well be asking for the impossible. Scoot’s eyes darted from posh pony to regal pony. Their ears. Batponies have pronounced fuzzy ears. If only there weren’t so many ponies around.

“Relax,” he breathed out again, pulling her to his chest. After a moment, he let her go.

They went from one ball room to another, past halls and halls. This gala was bigger than she could have guessed. Alex looked around at the room. It seemed to be a favorite for pegasus. Multiple open windows, the hanging fruit platters was a surprise to him. ‘Well, if you can fly up to get a sample why not?’

He heard a gasp from his daughter. Quickly looking down, he saw her eyes dilate. Alex didn’t take long to see what caught her attention. On the balcony, appropriately framed by the moon, was a thestral mare and stallion.

Dusk Sentry pranced up to them before swinging back around. “Paladin Roberts, lass Scootaloo, it is my pleasure to introduce you to my charges. Lady Umbrielle and Lord Rajnish.”

Alex mentally took a double take, they both glowed like white silver. Not a magic aura from a unicorn, but similar to Applejack’s sweat sheened coat on a bright summer day. He focused his eyes and could see the fine dust of makeup that his sharp vision picked up on. Most likely difficult for a pony to see, but probably common knowledge for a native. Given how little Rainbow Dash put on makeup, which was none, he wondered what kind of makeup existed exclusively for pegasus.

“Good evening! We are most humbled by Princess Luna’s Silver Star. You’ve been the center of discussion for most Canterlot nobles given your exploits.” Lady Umbrielle gave a short half bow. Her grin was thin, like she was hiding her teeth.

Before he could respond, his daughter stepped in front and quickly shortened the distance. “Hello! Hi, greetings. How are you doing?”

A wing covered Umbrielle like a cape, Scootaloo flinched at the surprised barrier. A cool voice jerked her attention to the stallion that draped his flexible leather wing across his wife. “Young filly, you might find that, while similar to pegasus, thestrals are not nearly as excitable. Please introduce yourself.”

“Not all of us lack self control.” Alex heard a soft grumble. He spied the plumpest purple pegasus noble he had ever seen sitting on a cloud. Not a fair comparison given who he married.

“Scootaloo. I’m Scootaloo. Dad’s, er, Alex, no wait, Paladin Robert’s filly.” She reminded herself to not fumble when the goal was within view. “I’m Scootaloo, from the Dash Household.”

She gulped as Rajnish raised an eyebrow from her introduction, his catlike eyes seemed to look her over to perceive any weakness. A flash of jade on a ring caught her attention as another wing patted him on the head. “Dear, she’s just a filly. No need to be so grim.”

“Scoots, please give them some space.” Alex Roberts didn’t want to Pinkie Pie the introduction. “Sorry about that, she’s been dreaming of this moment for a while.”

“Really?” Umbrielle tilted her head at Scootaloo as the filly gathered herself to a more controllable energy level. “I do apologize, I was under the impression you wished to see us Paladin Roberts. Is that not the case?”

Alex’s thoughts ran through several scenarios. All he had to work with was investigative information the girls gathered. Meeting the actual ponies was a first contact moment and best laid plans often flopped. Were they going to be offended if he told the truth? That he had no idea who they were until a month ago?

“Oh no, this was all me.” Scootaloo politely blurted out. “I’ve been wanting to meet your family.”

“Right, I can explain.” Alex hoped they just didn’t enter the worse case scenario. “We've been wanting to meet you.” A thought crossed his mind, ‘Can they tell if I lie?’

The two ponies looked between the two, given the height difference made it look like they were nodding. “So we gathered, but not what we thought it was about.”

“What did you think my dad wanted?” Scoots asked, unaware of the attention she was bringing from around the room. They were an oddity, now they were a curious attraction.

“Well your father came to our home with Prince Blueblood. We believed that this was an official visit that Princess Luna was trying to set up, that seems to be our mistake.” Umbrielle’s fuzzy ears twitched as she heard murmurs from the pegasi in the room. “Given you have your royal armor, now I’m curious. You did want to meet us, right?”

“Your daughter, Erebus actually.” Alex Roberts sighed as his beloved daughter answered without pause. He really wanted to get a feel of these two, now he has to take charge.

“Scootaloo.” She snapped her head up to her dad as his voice became strict. “We came here to talk to them. Please, be patient.”

“No, no.” The curt voice from the pudgy pegasus from earlier cut in. “Clearly you came here to demand something from them. Like most rural folk, just waltz in. So go on, no need to fake being polite to us. What do you want?”

“Cold Front, she’s clearly excited.” Umbrielle answered back, but couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“I was talking about him.” Cold pointed a feather at Alex. “Pulled enough strings to get here.”

Alex pushed down the urge to retort with a biting remark. “I mean no disrespect, and would ask if you would be as courteous.”

Scootaloo’s wings buzzed when she realized something was up. She quickly gathered the situation around her. The fear of tunnel vision became a real pit in her stomach. The pegasus confronting them had her wings not quite relaxed, more neutral-aggressive. A pegasus does that when talking to non-winged folks who didn’t know how to read the wing expressions. “Hey, my dad is a paladin. He’s a peer to everypony here and has earned it.”

“Then he should know how to trot the trot when coming to our stable.” Cold Front looked down at her, Scootaloo didn’t flinch at her glare. “Not be led on by the nose by a filly.”

“Cold Front.” Umbrielle struck a wing out across Cold’s barrel. “I appreciate you trying to defend me. Let me talk to them.”

“About your daughter.” Cold answered. “The team just got back from up north.”

“Then we’ll talk daughter to daughter.” Umbrielle’s sharp eyes focused on Scootaloo. “A dream you say. Now your father has the ear of Princess Luna, what can my daughter do for you that all the power of Equestria can not?”

Scootaloo gulped as she looked up to her dad. His eyes softened as he patted her on the head. “She’s waiting.”

“I want to talk to Erebus.” Scootaloo almost stuttered as she suppressed her energy. “I think she’s the only one that can help me.”

The entire room waited, Scootaloo stiffened her posture. “I want wings. Wings that work. I want to fly. Fly with my mom and kin.”

Air sucked out of the room. Alex noticed a visible reaction from all of the ponies present. Cold Front’s nose scrunched up, her wings held up, and took a noticeable step back. Umbrielle’s eyes flickered teal. Then he heard her husband whisper quietly so no other pony could hear. His ears picked it up. “She’ll say no.”

Scootaloo hoped for an immediate answer, not a dreadful pause. She tried to read the bat-pony in front of her, but the differences were more noticeable than she realized. The wings didn’t move the same way, her ears flicked erratically. Not like normal ponies. “Please let me talk to her.”

“You should go home.” Umbrielle answered finally. “She won’t be able to help you.”

“What!? Why?” The young filly’s voice cracked.

“Whatever hopes and aspirations you pinned on Erebus, she’s not capable.” Umbrielle turned away and walked back out to the balcony. “I’m sorry. Please go back.”

Alex Roberts waited throughout the conversation, he could tell his daughter was holding back tears. The pegasi in the room looked away. He could also tell when he was being sold bull. “It usually amuses me when I’m underestimated. Lady, I can out poker a table full of changelings. Don’t brush me off like some backwater hillbilly that doesn’t know anything.”

“Huh?” Scootaloo shook her head. “Wait, are you saying she’s lying?”

Umbrielle ‘tisked’ as she hoped to have turned them away. “It isn’t that simple. You are asking my daughter to dredge up old wounds.”

“Nightmare Moon.” Scootaloo confirmed.

The bat-pony sighed as she looked up at the moon. “She was not a willing aid to that. Now you come here asking for her to use that same magic once again. I’m her mother, and I do not wish her any more harm. No. Many pegasi and bat-ponies have lived without the gift of flight. You can too.”

Scootaloo glared at the noblemare. With or without the blessings, she will not stop so easily. “Dad, let’s go see how the others are doing?”

Alex Roberts nodded and turned away. “Others you say?” Umbrielle muttered before jerking her head back to them. “Wait! Did you bring your wife here? Rainbow Dash?”

“Of course my mom is here. She wants to help me.” Scootaloo answered matter of factly.

The room once again had the air sucked out. Cold Front took flight. “Well this night was great, but I think I’ll head out.”

Rajnish had a polite nervous laugh. “Ah, so you didn’t happen to bring anypony else, did you?”

“The entirety of the Elements of Harmony are here.” Alex Roberts waved back as he strolled out of the room.

“Wait! Wait, wait, wait.” Umbrielle galloped after them. “You’re joking right. The Princesses wouldn’t have allowed them tickets again after the incident? Destroying the entire Gala.”

“Correct.” Alex helpfully confirmed her worst fears. “They’re all here to help us.”

“Sun and Moon have mercy.”

—

Orpheus wasn’t sure what he did to bring such a curse on him. The Pink one was in the crowd. Normally this was a cause for concern. However, she had her eyes glued on him specifically. He wasn’t sure when she started, but he stayed at his station for a false sense of security.

He was supposed to have taken a break two songs ago.

“Listen, maybe just take one for the herd.” Sweet Bell whispered from behind her table of golden bells. “You don’t even have a part in this number.”

Traitorous musicians aside, he wasn’t sure how long he could hold this off. There weren’t supposed to be vocals on stage at the moment. They were chiding him in between rest notes.

“Nonsense, his chattering teeth and joints are perfect next to the drum section.” Octavia helpfully pointed out. “If we had one. Stop wasting time, if anything happens I’m sure the guards will drive her off.”

“With me in tow.” Orpheus hissed.

“Then just fly away to a safe place.” Brass Base pointed to his wing before returning to her section.

The suggestion seemed sound, but his gut instinct told him he was doomed regardless of what he did. He was an artist, not a fighter. Fight or flight, he chose his natural instincts. She couldn’t fly, so he took off straight up. Straight to the ceiling with the other pegasi. He looked back down to where she was, or wasn’t now.

The other pegasi around him took a small flutter back. All of them wide-eyed.

“Oh Mr. Pomeline, I’ve been waiting ever so patiently.” Orpheus gulped as slowly looked behind him. Upside down, attached to the ceiling with suction cups was Pinkie Pie. “Would you mind sharing some of your time with a little mare like me?”

Her giggles made him gulp.

—
Applejack was right, her Zap Apple was the key to her success. If the key was having the entire room of ponies getting in her way. She tried her best to ignore them, but now she couldn’t get them away from her. The irony compared to her last visit was not lost on her. “Gosh darn it, where were you folks when I was selling apple pies?”

“Well for one, you didn’t have a license to sell food.” A random well-dressed unicorn helpfully pointed out. “And now you’re waving around the most interesting fruit I’ve ever seen and not even offering to sell it.”

“Apple family specialty, come on down to Ponyville’s Sweet Apple Acres during the fall to have some.” The sweet voice of Applebloom helpfully pointed out. Summer Blossom’s head was on a swivel, hoping to see any peek of a bat-pony. Not knowing what one looked like didn’t help, but she didn’t stop.

On the other side of the room, laying low was their target. He snickered. “I can see a honeycrisp trap set out for me. I don’t know what an Apple wants with me, but this bat won’t bite.”

“Really? She could be friendly?” The white unicorn mare next to him watched the scene unfold with him.

“Her? Friendly? That’s Applejack, and her reputation precedes her.” Oberon pointed out to the unicorn who was clearly not in the loop. “Powerful, stubborn, and will not take no for an answer. She’s looking for somepony and it hasn’t been any of them. The three of them have all been looking up for somepony who could fly.”

The younger filly next to her huffed. “That’s only sometimes. Applejack is real nice to ponies who are nice back.”

The thestral paid the young white filly with a curious glance. “Oh? You seem to know her then.”

“Sure do, Applebloom is my friend. I’m Sweetie Belle and this is my sister Rarity.” Sweetie bounced around to the other side of Oberon.

Oberon for his part didn’t say anything else when he realized who he was standing next to. Rarity softly purred into his ear. “I was going to be slow, but my dear sister likes to spoil the surprise. My dear thestral prince, how are you this divine evening?”

“Splendid, until my plan of sneaking away failed.”