“Rainbow Dash?”

“Whatcha’ need, squirt?”

“I-I can’t sleep.”

“Would it help if you slept here?”

“Y-yeah.”

…

“Rainbow?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have to leave?”

…

“Yeah…”

I awoke with a bright ray of sun seeping through the curtains; Rainbow Dash was getting ready and I had only one shot.

“Rainbow?” I called, “Rainbow? Why are you leaving?”

I had asked her that question several times before, each time hoping for a different answer.

“I’m sorry, Scoot,” she would say as she did the previously, “but Cloudsdale needs me.”

I grew tired of that answer; I wanted something more,

“But why would you want to leave your friends?” I cried, “Why would you want to leave me?”

She nodded her head, pacing back and forth, “I told you before, Scootaloo,” she put her hooves on her hips, “they’re not my friends anymore.”

My heart sank, “Then I guess that just leaves me. Are you not my friend anymore? Am I no longer important enough to be your sister?”

She stopped to sit beside me, “No, Scoot. Even though you’re not really my sister, you will always be one to me. You, Scootaloo, are my best and only friend.”

I blushed as she turned away to pack yet another bag. She had been talking about the Army nonstop since she agreed to sign up. Apparently, because of her experience with the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash was offered a higher position; she was going to be the one to lead. I admired her choice and her position, but I wanted to go with her. I knew Dash would never let me go as I was nothing more than a grounded paperweight.

“Scootaloo! What are you doing?”

I turned around to face my friends, “You know what I’m doing! I’m going to get my wings and there is nothing you can do to stop me!”

“What are you talking about?” They would ask, “This is insane! It’s just an old legend! Nopony knows if it’s true or not! It’s just a myth!”

I shook my head, backing into the forest, “A myth is good enough for me! I want wings!”

“What are you talking about? You’ve never been able to fly! Remember when you practiced all day, but couldn’t? This isn’t going to work, Scootaloo!”

“NO!” I screamed, “It will work!”

I ran into the forest, tears streaming down my face as they called me back, “Scootaloo! Come back!”

The cold, nauseating air nipped at my ears, pulling me deeper into the forest. It was then that I wanted to turn back; I knew not where I was. I cried out as loud as I could, holding my stomach and jumping into a bush; I was afraid. Somehow I knew somepony would come for me, although I never would have guessed it would have been her, Pinkie. She would pull back the bushes and call out to me, “Scootaloo? Is that you?”

I could not answer, instead, I only cried louder in hopes that she would hear me; she did. She cried out to me, asking,

“Scootaloo? What are you doing in a bush?”

I would cry a bit more before explaining myself, pulling out the book and opening it to the page where the Everspirit could be found. I knew it was a bad idea going into the forest with only the guide of a vague legend, but I needed to fly; I wanted to join Rainbow Dash on her reign. Pinkie Pie led me out of the forest where I was further scolded by Rainbow Dash. She yelled at me, telling me that I should have never gone after such a stupid tale. I told her she was right, but that didn’t stop me from trying again. Days later, I dove into the forest with my friends once again telling me not to,

“Scootaloo! We can’t keep doing this!” They would say, not holding me back anymore than their words were, “Scootaloo, we aren’t gonna accompany you this time!”

The words held no meaning; I knew they were going to say that. I cried back to them, “If you won’t accompany me, then what are you still doing here? Leave! I don’t need you two anyway!”

I ran into the forest only to be halted again by Pinkie, “Scootaloo! I want to help you!”

She said she knew where the spirit was and that she wanted to help me find it. I knew she was lying, but for some reason I trusted her and turned away from what I decided to do. Rainbow Dash heard what happened and decided that I should be kept away in her mansion until she returned from the Army. I never heard from Pinkie again; it was like she disappeared from the face of Equestria.

“Scootaloo,” she placed a hoof on my shoulder, “do you remember what I said about visiting Cloudsdale?”

“Uh-huh.”

She frowned, “then you know why you can’t visit. I’m sorry, Scoot.”

“But Dashie! You can’t just leave me here to rot!”

She bolted upright, “Hey! Who said anything about rotting? You’ve got plenty of things to do here and I’ll only be gone a while; there’s nothing to worry about.”

I wrapped my hooves around her and cried into her shoulder, “How long?” I begged, “How long will you be gone? Will it be dangerous?”

She smiled, pushing me off her, “Of course not, squirt! Have you forgotten? I’m the fastest flyer in all of Equestria! There’s no way anything could happen to me!”

And I smiled with her, wiping the tears from my face. With that, Rainbow picked up two small suitcases filled with many of her personal belongings. From trophies to shirts, toothbrushes to hairbrushes; they were all in there. Normally she wasn’t one for style, but she had become a bit more aware of how she looked after what happened during her first show with the Wonderbolts. I followed her to the door, watching her fly out without hesitation. She knew where she was going, but not what she was getting herself into; Oh, how I wanted to follow her, but both physically and mentally, I couldn’t.

“Goodbye, Scootaloo! I’ll see you in a short while!”

I sighed and watched her fly toward the pegasi capital of Equestria, Cloudsdale; It wasn’t far from where she lived as it was only a few hours flight, ten minutes was what she’d brag.

“Everypony, please welcome my young apprentice.”

I smiled nervously; it had been my first time I had ever stood in front of the Council of Kings. My father, the elder of the organization, raised a hoof for the other five to see,

“To everypony who sits before me, I would like to welcome my only son to this meeting.”

I gave a frightened wave to the wiseponies who, in turn, merely looked away; I blushed.

“My son is here for his training,” my father continued, “I trust he will do his best to perform to standards. I, personally, liked the idea, but I felt as though the others around me did not take too kindly to the idea of a younger student filling one of their positions. One of the elders of who I recognized, stood up and presented his case bluntly,

“This student is an outrage!” Said he, banging a single hoof against the stone table standing before them, “You truly have crossed the line, Ibius! I’m afraid not even the heir of your throne will be able to deliver us from this time of peril!”

Another hoof of my father’s rose, silencing the room,

“This time of peril,” he proclaimed, “as you describe it, is nothing more than a myth. A mere pony’s tale if you prefer.”

Another elder stood up, expressing his rage just as the previous had, “Have you not seen the signs, Ibius? Our fair rule is being challenged by those who worship piles of wood! Surely it is a war that besets us!”

“Not so,” interrupted my father, “the prophesies object to this prediction-”

“Damn you and your prophesies!” Jumped a third councilpony, “We must stop fooling around with these phony forecasts and start looking at the problem at hoof!”

“I second this notion,” announced a fourth, “If we are to rule our kingdom with rumors and assumptions, then what makes us different from our enemies?”

“Our religious rights! That’s what makes us different!” yelled the final councilpony, jumping up and standing on his hind legs, “If we sit idly by while they control our ponies’ minds, then we ourselves are in the danger of falling victim to their toxic ways!”

My father looked around the room, scanning each of the, now standing, ponies. He exhaled aloud and proclaimed,

“These prophecies have never failed us in the past, why do you doubt them now?”

The five of them thought for a moment, leaving the room in silence until the second pony composed himself,

“The prophecies predict wars in different worlds! Other planets, if you will! What are we to do about something like that? If we are to save this kingdom from ultimate destruction, we must take action as soon as possible! We must destroy the Viintaav-ites!”

“Let us not jump to conclusions,” announced my father, calming everypony in the room, “Does anypony here have a copy of Priiv Prophesies Volume VII?”

The ponies in the room looked around, proud of their empty hooves. Councilpony Four rolled his eyes and threw a single, brown leather book on my father’s side of the table.

“Ahh,” sighed my father, “I knew one of you would doubt your stubborn ways.”

The fourth blushed as the others glared at him, possibly doing terrible things to him in their imaginative minds. My father shook his head, turning the pages in the shameful book one by one,

“Because none of you can remember what is to happen,” he began, holding his hoof on the page of his liking, “Let this, be a reminder.”

The room when silent as they each listened intensively; it was my first time hearing the prophesy.

My father cleared his throat and began to read aloud,

“When thy sun pauses,

when thy moon halts,

‘Tis thy enemy who exalts,

Found deep shall it be,

Tree of life,

Three shall see,

Fear not,

Many will plea,

Change life,

And who they come to be,

In time,

thy enemy grows weary,

Forgive thy brother,

Or it will be thy burden of which you carry.”

My father closed the book and looked out to those who listened, each one shaking their head with disapproval. The first pony objected,

“How does this pertain to us? What does this have to do with our current situation?”

“I agree!” Said another. Despite the negative feedback, my father continued to remain calm and explain himself,

“This is the most current prophesy to date and, as you all have pointed out, there is nothing in this poem about our current time.”

“Then what is this the meaning of this?” jumped the second elder, holding his hoof out for everypony to see,

“Our very existence has been a gift,” my father coughed, sliding the book to my side of the table, “and it is because of these small passages that we have survived. This prophecy speaks nothing of us because it is not about us.”

“Then who would it be about?” Exclaimed the fourth elder, signaling the rest of the ponies to sit down, “if this prophecy were to be true, upon who does it speak of?”

My father held up a hoof, silencing the curious elder, “our wisest, second-hoof ponies are searching all over Equestria for the three ponies the poem speaks of.”

“And the fourth?”

The room went silent as all eyes fell to me; ‘twas I who broke my silence. My father grew red in the face; I was not supposed to speak until after the main discussion. Nonetheless, he spoke up,

“Eh… what is it you say? Fourth pony? Who is this you speak of?”

“The poem spoke of three, right?” I blushed. My father nodded,

“Yes, the prophecy does speak of three ponies. The ones who will find the tree of life.”

“But what of the enemy?” I stated, “there must be another for there to be an enemy!”

The rest of the elders broke their gaze with me and turned toward my father, who, with the clap of his hooves, called in an assistant,

“I want you to tell the guards in charge of the search to change the number to four. Is that understood?”

With a salute and a positive answer, the assistant left the room.

“Good call, son,” he nervously smiled, “good call.”

The sounds of closed doors echoed throughout the empty halls, rooms, and everything in between; I was alone. Pacing back and forth I tried my best to think of what to do; there was nothing.

”It’s early,” I said to myself, ”perhaps we could get some sleep.”

I tried my best to smile with a heavy heart, walking upstairs to sleep a few hours of the day. As I walked down the hallways, I looked at each room one-by-one, eventually stopping outside Rainbow’s. She wasn’t home and I was alone, trapped inside with nothing more to do than watch the clock turn for the rest of eternity; it was a frightening reality. I peeked in Rainbow’s room, hopping into her bed as I did last night. There was no holding back; I owned her mansion. It just a shame my-

I stopped, closing my eyes and refusing to think any more of my former friends; I wondered if SweetieBelle and Applebloom still cared about me.

“Oh, hello there! Are you having a nice read? Don’t worry about me; I’m fine, but I’m afraid my dearest friend, Scootaloo, isn’t. Oh? What’s this? Who am I you ask? Don’t worry about that, dear friend. Although I must say, it’s a simple answer of which you have two options. What’s your favorite turning point? I’ve read them all; I really have. But before you answer, let me just start off by saying my favorite first. Personally, I prefer the part where Twilight takes over the- oops. Sorry about that; it hasn’t been written yet. At least, not in this point in time. It’s lonely here, very, very lonely. The weather is cold and here I am sitting idly by waiting for something to happen. Waiting to meet with someone. Someone in particular, I must say. Yes, I already know most of you have no idea what this is, but that’s good. That’s very good. Maybe I can get your gears turning; maybe I can convince you to pick up the pieces.”

“Hello? Is anypony there?” I cried out to the emptiness before me. There were trees of red that surrounded me in a perfect circle.

“Right here, squirt.”

I quickly turned my head and was met with a pony none other than Rainbow Dash herself! I jumped for joy, fluttering my wings with excitement. She blushed, falling to her knees, “Don’t get too, excited kid.”

I nodded and sat beside her, hoping to give her comfort as she appeared wounded.

“What happened?” I asked her, rubbing the back of her mane as she did to me that night, “What happened to you?”

Tears ran down her face; it was the first time I had ever seen her cry. She lifted her right hoof and exposed a large wound over her heart, a heart that no longer beat. I gasped, unsure of what to do; I quickly put my hooves over the gaping cavity,

“Rainbow! What happened to you?”

She faintly smiled and put a hoof around the back of my neck, “I’m heartbroken, Scoot. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine without you.”

I shook my head; it was probably the most selfish thing she had ever said to me, “No! You won’t! You need this fixed right away!”

But all she did was smile the pain away; I couldn’t understand anything. With a weakened hoof, she pointed toward a bush with black leaves,

“Reach inside, Scootaloo,” she coughed, small bits of her injury seeping out of her mouth, “Pick the fruit found inside. Give it to me!”

I nodded and quickly stood up, scanning the area only finding the bush beside a nearby tree. The leaves were as black as night and within the bush glowed an apple as white as day. I smiled and picked the apple, but I was too late.

“Scoot! Help!”

I turned around, finding a small dagger deep inside Rainbow’s forehead with a neon-blue pony standing over her. She had eyes of evil and an unruly mane of purple bound with blue chains. She stood there, waiting for my next move.

“Scootaloo! Don’t leave me!”

Rainbow reached out to me, grabbing my hoof. Her mane stained crimson; her eyes rolled, featuring death in the flesh. I screamed, waking up in a pool of sweat, my heart raced faster than ever. Gasping for breath, I struggled downstairs, collapsing several times before reaching the foyer.

“Rainbow Dash…” I panted, my hoof pressed against my heavily beating heart, “Rainbow Dash, where are you?”

It unexpectedly rained that first night; no doubt because of Rainbow’s absence. She always cleared the sky lickety-split; ten seconds flat. I stood up, stretching my legs for the first time in hours; I paced around the room wondering what my former friends were doing.

“What’s her name?”

“I’m not sure; we haven’t thought of one yet.”

“You know we can’t keep her.”

Rainbeam Softheart sighed, “I know, but…”

“But nothing! You know what will happen to us if were to be caught with… it!”

Rainbeam, in all the pain, stood up to protect her child. She held her high above her head, despite the heavy faltering.

“This child shall reign above everypony else!” Said she, “And it is her who will fulfill our duties!”

“This growth will know nothing of our duty! She will be banished just like the legends have foretold!” The Father proclaimed, defending his view on the matter.

“No!” the Mother cried, “The rumors are false! There is no way this child can define the legend!”

The Father nodded his head,

“Love!” He cried, “Do you not remember ‘the Ones Who Came Before’?”

“I know it well.”

“Then you know why we must take immediate action! For it was they who created the prophecies we live by today!”

There was silence in the room. Both ponies knew what the other was thinking; one wished to keep the child while the other’s only motive was to destroy her.

“I want to keep her,” stated Rainbeam, breaking the silence, “she will do no harm! She will be raised with the teachings of kindness and love!”

“And how do you plan on going about this?” Objected the Father, “Surely you know better than I to raise a child!”

She held her tongue; she herself did not know despite her confidence

“Exactly why we should destroy her!” Snapped the Father, “Your sentimental feelings toward this ingrown is what will put an end to us!”

“Preposterous! Listen to yourself talk! You’re talking about murdering my daughter and I will not have any of it! She will be raised here and she will learn the love and sweetness like a child should!”

“Really? And how will she move about? We live on a cloud in the sky! There is no way such a pegasi like her could ever be productive! Not to mention her condition is everything but socially acceptable!”

The mother, Rainbeam, shook her head and devised a plan to keep her child on all fours, “nonsense, we will have to live on ground then. She will be loved,  no doubt about it.”

The Father, however, did not see this as unreasonable as he did disrespectful. The Father of this child was a respectable pegasi and well known throughout some of the larger parts of Cloudsdale. Moving to the ground for the sake of an overgrown mass would be devastating to his career.

“We will not be moving anywhere!” Shouted the Father, “It would be a disgrace even knowing our name if we did!”

The filly began to cry, drawing the Mother’s attention and empowering her motherly instincts. Woozy from standing, she sat down, trying her best to calm the scared child,

“NearFlight, my darling, how can you be so cruel to a filly such as this? What did this child do to you?”

He huffed, “She came into existence!”

With those final words, he stormed out of the room, holding back any tears that should’ve been shed. The departure of the Father calmed the child and silence flooded the room once more. Carefully, Rainbeam placed a hoof on the child’s stomach and whispered into her ear the name that she would then and forever go by,

“Scootaloo; your name will be Scootaloo!”

The child laughed, fluttering the two small nubs on her back. The Mother smiled, whispering to the child once more, “And you will bring us victory above all others.”

“She’s not coming back, is she?”

I stood on a stool; staring into the mirror, I spoke to the only pony who would listen: the pony who stared back.

“Afraid not,” said the mysterious pony, “it’s been two days now. I’m afraid she’ll never be coming back.”

I blushed, “Well, maybe she’ll come back tomorrow! After all, two days isn’t that long!”

The mirror grinned evilly; I took a step back, my hoof dangling over the edge of the stool, “Oh, yes, of course she’ll want to come back. After all, you are the most useful pony in Ponyville! It’s not like you’re… you know, grounded.”

I blushed an even deeper shade of red, “But, but, I could fly! I know I can! I… just… haven’t gotten around to it!”

The mirror laughed, “Oh, yes, certainly. As if you haven’t already tried doing that in the past…”

I cried, slipping backwards, hitting my head on the bathroom’s back wall.

“I’m not useless,” I cried to myself, curling in a ball and rocking back and forth as though I were a innocent filly, “I’ll prove it… someday.”

“Oh, you poor, Scootaloo. When will you learn?” Taunted the mirror, “Haven’t you figured it out by now? You’re nothing special; you’re just speck of dust who blew by on some favorable winds.”

“You’re right… I am useless!” I pouted, lying lower on the floor. I was over.

“Hurry, sister! I fear they will be coming!”

I raised a hoof, silencing my sibling, “Do not worry! They will not come any time soon!”

But my words did not carry truth; I, too, was afraid they would be coming. We the crusaders of today; the ones who continued a journey long forgotten by the Ones Who Came Before Us. Throughout the ages they had spoken to us, warned us about the evils that had separated their order. I never believed them, at least not until now. There was a division between me and the other ponies; they had abandoned everything they believed in to survive. Only my sisters and I sought for the truth. We believed they were more than legends; the six who sat in that room, they had purpose. But our journey was one of faith and the item we searched for knew it well. It was our youngest sister, Celestia who had paid that price; it was her lack of desire that caused the sand to swallow her. Now, only my sister and I remained.

“Are we nearly there yet? My hooves feel the pain of a traveler!”

I smiled, “No, I am afraid not.”

“Is this another trial?” she asked, “If so, I’m not sure if I can go on much longer!”

The smile quickly melted off my face; I did not want to lose her as I did Celestia, “Don’t say such things! We will both make it through this cave alive! Don’t give up hope!”

Her sigh echoed throughout the cave; I feared the worst for her. It appeared I was the only one on this expedition who cared. Both of my sisters loved the community of which they came and would have done anything to save it, but alas, it was not them who wished to do anything about it. I was the one who put words into actions.

The caves we traveled through wound from left to right; I began to wonder if we were walking in circles. Together, we were shrouded in a blanket of darkness, blind to everything around us. Our magic had only been able to hold on for so long; we were running out of strength. Even the simplest of light spells were beginning to put a heavy burden on us.

“Sister, are you sure we are going the right way?”

I had no answer, but I managed to calm her spirits down, “Yes, I believe we are going the right way. It is only a matter of time before we find our answer.”

There was slight relief that ran throughout the cave. A relief that was followed by a heavy silence between the two of us.

“What will we do with it?” She asked, breaking the comfort. I laughed,

“We are going to save all those who love our family; we are going to protect the land we’ve fought for.”

She stopped walking, “What about those who curse our family? What will become of their fate?”

I, too, stopped; it was a question of which I feared to answer, “We destroy them.”

Her gasp echoed throughout the cave, “Destroy?!?” She stammered, “That would be murder! I could not bear to live with the conscience of a murderer!”

My head arched low; this is what I was afraid of. I could feel the disappointment swell up inside of me; I really thought my sister would be the one to aid me in this time of need.

“They do not deserve our word…” I cried, “They have destroyed everything we have worked so hard to maintain; they’ve destroyed our family’s legacy for their own barbaric amusement!”

She shed a single tear, “That is no reason to murder an entire tribe of ponies. As your older sister, I refuse you to go any further!”

“Do you have Faith, sister?” I questioned, walking around her as though she were prey, “Have you Acceptance in your heart?”

“Don’t bait me with your ‘Faith talk’! I am your superior on this fictitious journey! You will treat me as such!”

I smiled viciously, “You admit; you hold false Faith, don’t you?”

She looked around the cave nervously, her horn’s light flickering rapidly as sweat ran down her elegant, perfected face,

“What does it matter?” She protested, “Why would an artifact require such a subjective belief?”

“Do you know not of what we seek? What is it you think we are searching for? Riches?”

She stayed silent, nodding her head after every other question.

“We are searching for our Truth!” I continued, “We are searching for something that nopony in all of Equestria has been able to find!”

“Equestria doesn’t exist,” she muttered resentfully, “You of all ponies should know that.”

My jaw dropped, “If Equestria does not exist, then, how do you explain the stories our mother told us as foals?”

“Mere mare-tales,” she rolled her eyes, “they tell nothing of your supposed ‘Truth.’”

“But those ‘maretales’ are the Truth! I know it to be true!” I protested, “You must have Faith in order to find this treasure! It is the only thing that can drive us to success!”

“We are turning around! I won’t hear another word from yo-!”

“Celestia.”

She fell to her knees, crying over the one we lost. I stood over her, my shadow towering over my weak-minded sister; my light was the only one that shined,

“Celestia died because of her lack in Faith. Will you suffer the same fate? Will you fall to blind eyes and empty hearts?”

But all she did was cry, her tears streaming down her face as though rivers. I shook my head; I knew her fate well, “Follow me when you have made up your mind.”

I left her to cry in her puddle of shame.

“Today is the day!” I yelled out to the Friendship Fields, “Today is the day that I learn how to fly!”

I stood at Rainbow’s front door, my wings opened with pride; I had to do it today. I marched to the edge of the cloud, closing my eyes and whispering into the wind,

“Please… please…”

I bent and stretched my knees. A cool breeze blew by; my legs began to shiver with fear.

“It has to be today… it has to be today…”

Thoughts ran through my head as I began to panic.

”What are you doing?” My mind screamed, ”This is INSANE! Get away! I beg of you!”

I shook my head, “Not today.”

With a graceful leap over the cloud, I began to realize my major flaw. Blood rushed through my head faster than my heart could pump it. My wings flapping viciously in the wind; my eyes were still closed. All I could feel though my traumatized mind was the heavy grip of gravity, pulling me lower and lower. I wasn’t flying; I was falling. It had already been a full two seconds when I realized the horrible truth; I was going to die. My mind continued to scream at me until its voice grew quiet from the loss of conscience. I didn’t want to open my eyes; the ground was not the last thing I wanted to see. My wings clamped and I fell faster. My legs shot forward; I knew they would snap like twigs. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Before the kiss of death took me away, I, with all my might, whispered one last thing into the wind,

“Please, Rainbow, save me…”

A searing pain shot through my body; a loud crack echoed throughout the emptiness of the fields. I bathed in a swarm of small white fragments; my skin severed in full. I could feel a burn in my chest that grew hotter and hotter as every fraction of a second went by. The ground’s sweet, gentle kiss grew more and more vicious as each moment passed. My head tried to escape the idiocy, but the throbbing only grew worse. Tears flowed from my face faster than I could make them; the pain could not be compared to. It felt as though every bit of my skin was trying to detach at once. I tried to calm down, but how could anypony calm down when their legs are in fourteen pieces before them? My eyelids grew heavy as, in the time of a lightening flash, all my agony dissolved. My mind had grown so numb from the damage that colors began to fade; the sounds of rushing blood drowned any other around me. I raised my right hoof, finding it in two pieces on the ground before me; I blacked out.

The trees, bushes, and grass all looked at me in unison with a pool of water forever waiting for another return; all seemed still, quiet, and cold. A sense of longing lingered in the air; I knew not of where I was. Not a breeze was blown; not a soul was comforted. The silence ran through my head like a stream of unspeakable pain; a price worse than death. The colors of the supposed “greenery” had officially boggled my mind; nothing was right. The trees danced with death, and the grass mourned those who still lived. They were creatures of pure evil and I was to be a part of it. I examined my hoof, still in tact after the fall; my head, still atop its mighty neck.

“Hello?” I cried, pulling myself out of the indescribable amnesia, “Is anypony there?”

“Shh,” called the grass, “She waits for you as you wait for her.”

The grass clung to the bottoms of my hooves, immobilizing me for the time being. I tried lifting them as best as I could; the agony of claustrophobia bled through my head.

“What do you mean?” I cried, a single tear running down my cheek; I was afraid of any kind of enclosure, “Who’s waiting for me?”

“The one who calls, creates, and plots,” replied the trees, “She waits for you in particular.”

“Why does ‘she’ wait for me? What does ‘she’ want with me?”

A high-pitched laugh echoed throughout the meadow; I cowered in fear, “Is this the one? Has it come to destroy me?”

Smiles and laughs emitted from the trees, “Destroy?” Exclaimed the meadow’s entirety, “On what plain of existence would you need to be destroyed? You don’t deserve death, at least, not yet.”

A second laugh echoed throughout the plain; cold chills ran down my back as a dark shadow hovered above the red meadows,

“Follow the trail,” cried the grass, “Follow it and promises will be kept.”

The trees laughed longer still as the grass released me of my imprisonment. One hoof after another, I followed the trail. Around the pool of water and between the two meadows, I followed the trail. Never stopping for a rest, I followed the trail. As I traveled, the cloud of shadows above me grew bigger; I felt as though I was moving closer to my unfortunate fate. Under the cloud was the darkest cavern a pony could imagine with a cold breeze that soon came forth,

“Scootaloo,” called a voice in the cavern, “Why have you come here? What have you done to destroy yourself?”

I looked around, puzzled by the origin of the mysterious voice, “Destroy myself?” I began to speculate, “I did not destroy myself! I merely fell; I’ll be fine as soon as I escape this place!”

The voice laughed with hysteria, “Don’t you see where you are? Do you even know what this place is? Is this Ponyville? Is this Equestria? You don’t know!”

I looked down, ashamed for having such blind eyes. But no matter, I stomped a hoof on the ground, “What do you want from me? Why are you waiting for me? What importance do I have to Equestria?”

A chuckle came forth, “We used to be friends, Scootaloo; I’ve heard some things about you.”

Nervously, I waited for a better explanation. The spirit somehow smiled, “I have seen everything. I have seen your fate mingled with the lives of others. You were spoken of in the beginning and you are destined to be the end.”

My legs shook with fear, “The end?” I cried, “Are you talking about… annihilation?”

A cold breeze came from the cavern, “Yes, Scootaloo, you are the one to bring this fate into action.”

I shook my head in denial, “No, I won’t do it and there is nothing you can do to convince me so!”

“Oh, I don’t need to convince you to do anything,” answered the spirit, “Time will do it for me.”

I shook my head again, rubbing my eyes and sitting on the grass below me.

“What do you really want from me?” I cried, “I will not bring death to my friends!”

“I have withheld you from death because you play a role in Equestria. For that, I will grant you a wish. Anything you desire will be yours at a price.”

“A wish?” I questioned the cavern, “You want me to make a wish?”

The infinite possibilities ran through my head, ”Was this real?” I began to ask myself, ”What role do I have that’s so important as to be called to make a wish? This better be good.”

“For all the work you are set to do, I will reward you with a wish. What will it be? Chaos for those who treated you poorly? Revenge on Rainbow Dash for leaving you behind? Or perhaps even the gift of invincibility as an attempt to prevent the inevitable. Either way, your life, as well as others, depend on this moment.”

I couldn’t decide on anything; was this real? The opportunity was incredible and I knew it couldn’t be wasted. My mind went blank; for the first time, I didn’t know what I wanted. My head spun as I tried to make a decision. This was the spirit I had sought for during what seemed to be so long ago. I tried to recall Twilight’s book,

“I-I’m not sure…”

I could hear the impatience growing in the spirit’s voice as each word spewed hatred into my mind,

”What is it you have been fighting for all this time? What has kept you up during so many sleepless nights? I know what troubles you but I cannot act. Tell me! What is it you desire?

My mind screamed at me to hurry, but the words wouldn’t come together. I stuttered as I spoke,

“B-but I-I don’t kn-know what I want!”

A bright red light burst from the cavern; I fell to the floor, shaking violently as my fear had officially taken over. I wanted to run and scream; I wanted to leave this place.

”Why run? You know what you want. You have been mocked, attacked, and you’ve lost everypony you’ve ever known. Now you have a chance to make everything right and all you want to do is run? Are you really a coward? Will you run? Or will you hide? Will you fly? Or will you flee?”

The words turned on my mind like a lightbulb; the spirit’s fire grew larger with every second spent, ”Have my efforts to bring you here mean nothing? I have fulfilled my promise to you and yet you cannot decide! If it is nothing you want, then leave me! Take your pity with you!”

The flame continued to consume the cavern with a large flash of light. I held up a hoof, stopping my restlessness.

“Wait,” in that instance, the fired died and turned a calming blue color, “I know what I want.”

At this point, the fire had officially disappeared, leaving nothing but two beady yellow eyes behind.

“And that is?” Replied the spirit, waiting just a bit longer for an answer.

I sighed; it was something I truly wanted, “I want… flight.”

The eyes that rested in the cavern turned green; the spirit let out a roar of laughter,

”You, a pegasi, wish for flight? You wield wings without air below them?”

I blushed and screamed, “If you can’t grant my request, then why didn’t you just say so?”

The fire stopped and the realm became silent. I smiled, pulling myself together.

”You wish for flight, but have you not thought before hoof? Would it not be easier to practice and learn?”

I sighed, “My reasons are private! Just do what I tell you to!”

The eyes turned into an even brighter yellow color, ”Everything comes with a price, my dearest Scootaloo.”

A sinking feeling cursed upon me, “A-and that is?”

There was a shorter, more controlled laugh that echoed, ”Worry not for it is a small price of which anypony would wish to pay. The price is that you must take me along with you through the skies! I wish to be free from this disparity and away from the red corridors which taunt me time and time again!”

I rustled my wings, looking back at their dwarfed state, then thinking of the possibilities, I opened my mouth, “I accept your offer.”

A strong gust of wind blew through the trees around me. A bright red grin glowed in the cavern,

”Then it shall begin.”

I gasped, finding myself back in Rainbow Dash’s bed.

”Was any of it real?”

I moaned; I had a cramp in my back. My mane, as I could imagine, was a mess beyond repair. Slipping out of bed, I made my way to the bathroom, looking in the mirror as I did every morning. I screamed, flapping my wings with pride. After all this time, my wings finally grown to a normal size; I cried with joy.

“They grew! My wings finally grew!”

I hovered about the room with ease. Oh, how it came so naturally! Finally, I could see Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale and accompany her on whatever missions she would be assigned! I swam in a sea of happiness, flying around the room like a gleeful bird. I thought of the face Rainbow would make when she’d see me; I giggled, bursting through the bedroom door born anew. Happily strutting down the stairs, I opened the front door to prepare for the ultimate reward in the sky above. The rays of sunlight flooded the foyer, drowning me in a constant state of pride, anxiety, and pleasure.

So there I stood, spreading my wings and preparing for my first flight. It was a memorable moment and I had every confidence it would be something to treasure. A relaxing breeze blew through my mane; I crouched down and flapped my wings as I had seen Rainbow Dash do before her flight. Closing my eyes, I spoke the words softly,

“This is it; this is the moment you’ve waited for all your life. This is your time to fly. No more will everypony laugh at you. This time, they’ll see that I’m different; I can do it.”

With a simple leap, I flew over the edge, praying my wings could hold me longer. I flapped my wings like never before; I was finally flying. The clouds decorated the skies so brilliantly with their fluffs of heaven.  The ground grew more and more distant as I ascended higher into the sky. It, in itself, was a dream; the experience was more than I could have ever imagined. The sun beamed down on my feathers with my shadow making its mark on Equestria. Every breeze was a new opportunity. I could perform flips, kicks, and tricks with ease; there was no need to think in the stratosphere. The wind could take me anywhere; I was certain of that. For those moments, the word “stop” was no longer in my vocabulary. I continued to fly higher and higher until the sky’s brilliant blues no longer held meaning. All of Equestria was visible from my height. Canterlot, Ponyville, The Frozen North, Cloudsdale. Everything was there: the sun, moon, stars and other forms of planetary wonder. My breathing grew heavy as I continued to ascend into the heavens above; I cared not. It was my first flight and I wished above all that I could make the most of it. I turned to my left, seeing a small formation of rocks floating by.

“Is this what I’ve been missing?” I asked myself, “Is this the life I was meant to live?”

I smiled, stopping my path of flight; I was high enough to orbit,

“Yes,” I answered, “This is what I’ve missed.”

The moon’s brilliant gaze lay upon me with such elegance; I began to envy Luna. There was no weight that could bring me down; no feeling of pull brought me depression. It was a wondrous feeling not having to worry. The air was limited, but my numbed mind cared for nothing more than to enjoy what I had left.

“Life should be treasured by many,” I began, speaking into the void of silence. I knew nopony would ever hear me, but I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was let my heart’s poetic vibe pour freely into the universe,

“Ponies always say they’ll live forever and this may be true, but should we all take it for granted? Stories always flooded the towns of how subtle death can be. One small slip, they would say, and anypony would take a dive into the terminality of the eternal darkness. All my life I’ve been taught that a pony could live for eternity and beyond. That it was nothing more than the Tree of Harmony that gave life to all. But I always knew that if such a thing were true, would we all be nothing short of useless? What are we to many? Are we nothing more than Celestia’s plaything? Life has always been a gift and the more I think about it, I’m surprised the population hasn’t become an abundance. They always say ponies are born by the day: is this true? I remember my parents not; they’ve been absent my entire life. They never wrote or did so much as to visit.”

I sighed; the thought of their absence brought sorrow to even the most exhilarating of experiences. I began to feel lightheaded; I had been in the Empties for far too long. A migraine began to form in my head; I cringed as a voice echoed throughout the entirety of the void,

”Oh the sight truly is lovely here, Scootaloo. You’ve really out done yourself.”

“Who are you?” I cried, grasping my head firmly; I tried to flap my wings to the ground, failing miserably. I looked like a flailing fish outside its pond.

”Such a shame; you’ve forgotten me. Oh well, I’ll make sure to not let that happen again.”

I screamed for nopony to hear. My lungs gave in with a burning sensation in my throat that only seemed to grow worse.

”You know, Scoot-i-poo, you’re starting to worry me.”

I had only heard half of that comment. The rest of it was lost to my blue, expressionless face. I could not speak, let alone breathe. Not even my thoughts processed properly. Everything I had experienced in last ten minutes lost meaning and tranquility. I had become a hopeless, dangling mess. I kicked and struggled until nothing mattered; I went limp. My hooves, dangling in the empty abyss of everlasting darkness. But the darkness was not as infinite as I thought. A bright light emitted from my wings, shedding its radiance on everything around me. It was a redeeming moment that was not short of praise. Filled with the determination of a triumphant army, I flapped the illuminating gifts of glory as hard as I could. Slowly, I began to move closer to the world I had loved all my life. I stopped, amazed by my success. One flap turned to a second until I had become a raging ball of infinite fire. It burned not for I had become a beacon of unsustainable heavenly light. Faster and faster, I fell; a sinking feeling plagued me ever more. I flapped my wings at speeds only comparable to a speeding commit, yet they did not tire. I could have only imagined how the rest of Equestria would see me. As the ground drew near I stopped flapping my wings and instead kept them open. Pulling me to a violent halt with a large ring of wing storming everything around me.

I huffed and puffed; never before had I been so exhausted. Collapsing to the ground, I looked up at Cloudsdale and thought,

”I’m almost there. Tomorrow, we’re going to see Rainbow Dash and help her out!”

”Wouldn’t that be the perfect fantasy?”

I jumped up, looking around me to see who had spoken. I shivered,

“Hello?” I called, “Am I going crazy?”

”No, you’re not. Well, at least not yet.”

“Are you the one who saved me? Did you give me these wings?”

There was an echoing chuckle that sounded all around me,

”Poor, Scootaloo, I’ve been around you all your life. Why is it you’ve forgotten me. I am the new Spirit of the Everfree. You put me to this task long ago, and yet, here I am. Oh, I do believe I’ve found it. I told you, when I make a promise, I never break it.”

The gears in my mind turned rapidly; how could I have forgotten?

“P-Pinkie Pie?!?”

There was a ominous laugh all around me; I sat down, too scared to handle the news,

”Yesss… That’s me. And look what you’ve done to me. Have you any idea how I came to be?”

“I-I,” I stammered, “I can’t imagine. Was it painful?”

More chuckles surrounded me, ”No more painful than your fall.”

My eyes dazed, around me were fragments of white bone lined up in a circle. Below my hooves was a mixture of blood and tears; I screamed, shaking my head to see it was all an illusion.

“What do you want with me? Why would you want to be housed in my mind?”

Silence entered the air for only a moment; I waited patiently for an answer.

”I, like my predecessor, despise the bleak terrain of which I came. To be in the mind of a filly is swimmingly joyous. The best part? The best part is that you, dear Scootaloo, are trapped with me until the end of your days!”

I was not scared or surprised, but instead disappointed.  

“Pinkie… what happened to you? You used to bring laughter to everypony. Now you threaten me to a life of imprisonment. Pinkie?”

Silence found favor in the air once more; I began to cry.

“I think I hear something!”

A voice came from over the hills; I jumped, deciding whether or not I should hide.

“Hold on, I think I see somepony.”

Two ponies stood at my side, each wearing low-dangling black uniforms; their Cutie Marks were covered in full. I watched as a third came forth,

“Excuse me, pegasi, but have you knowledge of anypony speeding by here? We’d like to say a few words with her.”

Her voice was familiar; Rainbow Dash had talked of her many times before. I glanced at the two other pegasi. Nervously, I answered with whatever I could,

“I-I…”

I panicked; never before had I been in contact with the Pegasi Army. They towered over me; I was still considered a filly. The third pony lowered her sunglasses, still waiting for an answer worthwhile. She sighed, waving to the other ponies to follow her, “Come on, this pony’s gone lame.”

The three laughed and left me there on the ground. I shook my head; no longer would I be laughed at, “Wait.”

At the very drop of the word, the three ponies halted. I stood up, my head down, ”Was this the right thing to do? This may be my ticket to seeing Rainbow Dash.”

”Perhaps, but this is your life to live; I have already lived my own.”

”Then what do you suggest? What should I do?”

”I believe the better question would be, why put your trust in me? Just a second ago, I threatened to imprison you in a life of insanity. Now you seek my advice; do what you wish. Everything you do now will affect you in the future.”

“I caused the explosion.”

The first guard smiled and turned to the second. The third one, however, remained serious by merely pulling off her glasses. They didn’t believe me, no doubt, “And you’re certain of this? The Pegasi Army doesn’t take kindly to liars.”

I nodded my head and stood up straight, confident that they may find my answer truthful. She smirked and, at the clap of her hooves, called the other two ponies to stand by me once more.

“My name is Spitfire; I’ll be your escort to Cloudsdale. We have some questions for you.”

With that, the two pegasi held on to me from either side, lifting me into the air. After everything I’d been through, this was finally my chance to see Rainbow Dash.

“Now, Scootaloo, we want you to tell us everything. Is that understood?”

It was a small, dark, musty room, made completely from concrete with a single metal door at the end facing me. A rustic, unfinished red paint job was worn on the wall behind me. I wasn’t sure what to say; I nodded,

“Good,” smiled Spitfire, “then I expect quite an entertaining story.”