Author's Notes:

So, basically this chapter is so freakin' long that I split it into two parts. This part was co-written by Natalie as usual.

I opened the door to the Captain’s Quarters aboard the Quetzal and looked around. The room was quite the mess with random artifacts scattered about, several flags adorned the walls, one looked like an old torn pre-war flag, another a jolly roger, sitting at the desk in the middle of the room sat Gambit, staring at what looked to be a golden crown on her desk.

“Wait, isn’t that Twilight’s crown?” I asked as I looked at the crown confused. “How’d you get that?”

“The Alicorns, they were doing something when I got there, something about trying to resurge memories from a pony that was involved in the original Goddess.” Gambit said and sighed. “They managed to take this otherwise braindead Alicorn, and turned her into Twilight, I don’t understand how, but…”

“Well, I read about Twilight briefly re-emerging and rescuing LittlePip when Maripony was destroyed,” I said with a shrug. “That might mean that there’s still some remnant of her left in the Alicorns somewhere and I guess maybe it could be brought out somehow.”

“That’s what Bluebird said, she said that it was a momentous occasion, and that they only had the power to do this once.” Gambit said “They thought it’d be permanent, but it wasn't too long there after that they found out this Twilight clone thing wasn't going to survive very long.”

“Oh, I’m sorry…” I said as I looked back at her. “That, had to be an interesting experience to say the least.”

“Needless to say, It was - But to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t at all what I had expected her to be.” Gambit said with a bit of a chuckle. “She seemed… a lot different then that ministry mare I was always told she was.”

“Different how?”

“She was… Well, Kind.” Gambit said “I was always told she was a serious and strict mare, but - she seemed to be more concerned with others then herself.”

I blinked a little at that. It had been a long time since I had heard anypony talk about Twilight in that kind of way, not since before the war. “Well, I knew Twilight, a long time ago before the war started and she was more like that. Maybe, something about being released from Unity changed her from what she was like during the war?”

Gambit thought for a moment “Perhaps, I mean - I know nothing of this Unity other then she was a part of it - against her will, maybe seeing what everything she worked for results in was a humbling experience?”

“Corrupted Magic…” I said softly and shook my head. “Maybe, it’s hard to tell unless we asked her ourselves.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re wondering how this ended up with me having her crown.” Gambit said with a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head “It’s… an Interesting story”

“Oh, right, sorry I got a little sidetracked,” I said and rubbed the back of my head too. “What happened?”

“Remember how she ascended? Became the ‘princess of friendship’” Gambit said while making air quotes. “Well, when she first realized what they did, she wanted to get back to that - but found that perhaps, this world didn’t need her anymore, and needed somepony new, somepony that understands it better.”

“And she decided that was you?” I asked curiously.

“She said, In the most ironic manners. ‘I see a lot of me in you.’ yeah, no duh…” Gambit groaned. “But she said that she thinks that I might be just what Equestria needs, I mean - I managed to get Alicorns to give up their personal quest and listen to reason - Maybe that has something to do with it.”

“Maybe, well that’s pretty interesting. Just don’t let it go to your head or anything, we’ve had enough crazy Alicorns trying to take over the world already,” I said with a sigh.

“It’s not like I want to be a princess, I don’t even want this horn! I’m a pegasus, Not a alicorn, and most definitely not a princess,” Gambit said and held her face in her hooves. “Why in equestria does this kind of stuff happen to me?”

“Want to trade? I’ve got I don’t know how many ponies who hate me, a great-great whatever granddaughter who’s the President of the Enclave, and another great-great whatever granddaughter who rushes headlong into battle at the age of 10,” I said with a groan. “And that’s not going into everything that’s going on with the war effort.”

“Well, to be fair - you did do a lot of things to deserve the hate.” Gambit said with a chuckle. “And that mare, from tenpony? You’re related to her?”

“Yeah, just, don’t tell anypony, I probably shouldn’t have even told you that…” I said and facehooved at my own slip of the tongue. “Yeah, turns out she’s my descendant, what are the odds?”

“So many descendants, sounds like someone got really busy after the bombs fell. Took it on yourself to repopulate equestria too?”

“I had one daughter, but its been over 200 years since then,” I said with a sigh and looked back at the door. “My descendants have been a bit, mixed. Even Serenity, well, she’s only 10 and she’s up on the deck of the ship now because she followed us into a warzone wanting to help.”

“Oh, right - Keep in mind, This was practically yesterday to me, keep forgetting that its been what… 210 years?” Gambit said with a sigh. “And, that filly - Serenity, Maybe I could talk to her? I mean - I used to be a bit like her about the whole ‘wanting to help’ thing.”

“Yeah, Serenity, it’s not that I haven’t tried talking to her, her mom has too, but she’s… well, she’s got a lot of me in her,” I said with a sigh.

“Maybe somepony from outside the bloodline needs to handle her, I know it took Dash to talk some sense into me before I ended up rushing off and getting myself hurt.” Gambit said “But either way, looking at you now, honestly, I can’t see her having alot of you in her being a bad thing, y’know, a heart strong as a horse and all.”

I smiled a little at that before frowning at the memory of that song. It was a good memory, but it was still painful to remember my friends. “If you want to try and talk to her, I’m sure we could use the help. I just hope she’ll listen.”

“Hey, if push comes to shove, maybe I can use my newly found ‘princess’ influence on her!” Gambit said, levitating the crown to her head with a nervous grin, before bursting out laughing and putting the crown down “Nope, still can’t say that with a straight face.”

I laughed too and shook my head. “It’s nice to see getting a horn hasn’t changed you that much Gambit.”

“Horn? What horn? Oh this? It’s just a bump from when I fell out of my cot this morning!” Gambit said with a chuckle “Anyway, Yeah - I can talk with her if you want, maybe I can get Peanut to talk to her too - They’re a lot closer in age, maybe having another pony like her tell her would have more weight.”

“Okay, we just have to get her back to Nomad City… and hope her mom doesn’t kill me for, well, everything that she’s been through while here,” I said with a groan. “I can handle fighting Slavers, Raiders, Alicorns, and the Enclave, but Vanilla Cream scares me.”

Gambit gave a nervous chuckle before speaking “Speaking of the Enclave, Uh - You haven’t met Peanut before, but… “ She apparently decided it would be better to show rather then say, Gambit reached for the intercom and called for Peanut.

I looked at her curiously, I had to wonder who Peanut was and what was going on. I guess I was going to get my answers soon enough.

After a few moments a small cream colored filly burst through the door with a chipper ‘Hello~’ before she stopped at Gambit’s desk. “Reporting as Ordered, Ma’am!”

“She’s very, chipper,” I commented as I pulled my hat down a little. If this pony did used to work for the Enclave I wasn’t sure how she might react to me.

“Peanut, This is Scootaloo” Gambit said with a gesture, pointing that little filly to turn around “She may have a small request of you”

“Well, of course it’s Scootaloo! There’s a whole course in the Enclave school about her!” The little filly said with a giggle before turning round. “Ma’am with all due respect, I have no hard feelings for you at all, it’s one of those reasons I went AWOL to begin with!”

“Sorry, force of habit,” I said as I pulled my hat back up again. I swear, this filly reminded me of Pinkie if she was a Pegasus. “Well I’m glad you went AWOL then, I wish more ponies felt that way. But that’s not the point, I was wondering if you could talk to one of the ponies who accompanied me. She’s, a bit wild, she stowed away on a Vertibuck and flew here to help fight the Enclave. Her heart is in the right place, but she’s so young me and her mom are worried about her.”

“Oh! You mean Serenity? We were playing cards in the mess hall before I was called!” Peanut said, Hopping around the room excitedly. “She doesn’t understand what she did wrong, she just wants to help and be there. I can understand - Equestria isn’t what it used to be, Ponies are so different then what they say in the history books,” she said as a look of sadness came over that young filly’s face. “But that’s why we’re here! Me, Gambit and Uhm… Miss Valen, I think her name is, We’re going to change it back!”

“Not quite, Butterscotch..” Gambit said with a sigh.

“While I admire your enthusiasm, I’m not sure if we can ever return to what it was like before,” I said with a shake of my head. “But we’re going to do better, and learn from our mistakes. That’s the best we can all do at this point.”

“There’s a poster in one of our books we had to study, about these things called the ministries. One of them had a saying that I really liked, Uhm.. I think it was ‘War? Fear? Death? We Must Do Better!’” Peanut quite proudly exclaimed. “Come to think of it, Valen reminds me of that poster! She looks just like the mare on it!”

“I… huh…” I said, I honestly wasn’t sure what to say to that at all. “Alright, well… if you don’t mind talking to her a little, that would help a lot, okay?”

“Of course ma’am, She kind of reminds me of my sister, before the Enclave got her.” Peanut said with a smile “Anyway - I need to go prepare for our next meal, with so many new ponies aboard I hope we have enough.”

“Alright, well if needed me and my friends have our own supplies if you’re short,” I offered.

With a nod and a wave, peanut disappeared through the doors and back under the deck.

“So, Scoots - Now what?” Gambit said with a sigh “Just drop you off at Ponytraz and then what? Go our separate ways again?”

I thought about that for a long moment. I didn’t want to have to part ways with Gambit to be honest. “Honestly… I don’t know, we’re going to be heading to Junction Town next, the ponies that joined us in Stable 97 want to stay in the city here, you could always accompany us back to Junction Town, I mean, I don’t want to stop you from doing your own thing, but it’s an option.”

“I’ll think on it - we’ll be at Ponytraz soon anyway, not sure how we’re going to get you off, those rocks aren’t too friendly to ships from what I remember.” Gambit said, standing and walking to a nearby window “Maybe set her down in the water, could get you in a dingy over to the island”

“That could work… sorry I didn’t think of that,” I said and facehooved a little. “But no matter what, I need to get out of this city. The Enclave isn’t going to take what I did back in 97 lightly, and I’m afraid they’ll do something to get it back.”

Gambit chuckled some “Nah, I knew what I was getting into when I let you aboard, Just didn’t really think about how the island would treat the Quetzal, Don’t want her to get unnecessary damage.”

“Well, thanks again for saving our flanks back there… maybe we could, no, that would have unpredictable results,” I said and thought a moment. “I think our best bet might be getting over there in a dingy.”

“Maybe we could what? Dangerous or unpredictable my flank, You know me well enough to know if it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.” Gambit said with a laugh. “I’m always open to suggestions anyhow.”

I laughed a little, she had a point. “Well, there is the option of getting the NCR to send a Vertibuck to rendezvous with us. If you have a radio or…”

“Radio? Y’know - That isn’t for show” Gambit said, and motioned to a HAM radio on her desk. “Ain’t the prettiest one, got the antenna installed last week so it should have enough unf to get your message out, though keep in mind, the Enclave can hear it too.”

“Sorry, it’s been a long day,” I said with a shake of my head. “But we probably shouldn’t risk the Enclave knowing what’s going on. We could have Mariposa fly over to Ponytraz, she’s known among the NCR there so it might work.”

“Hmm, Ready for some old pre-war sleight of hoof?” Gambit said with a grin. “Send her over with a written message, letting them know you’re going to be sending a deceptive radio transmission to lead them off your tracks - and have them reply in kind so that the Enclave buys it.”

“That works, I’ll get it arranged,” I said with a nod. “Thanks for your help Gambit.”

“Give me some time to make preparations, I’ll have to give the rest of my ‘crew’ a briefing on the plan, It’s still risky - if they are smart they may realize the radio transmission came from my ship rather then your claimed location.” Gambit said. “Got to have everypony Ready for combat if they do come knocking.”

I nodded. “I should go tell the others, thank you again,” I said and headed out of the cabin to meet with the others.

Filling the others in on the plan was easy enough. Mariposa agreed to fly the message over to the NCR on Ponytraz Island and after that I headed for the mess hall. I stepped in quietly when I saw Peanut heading to where Serenity was seated at one of the tables, I was close enough I could hear their conversation.

Serenity looked up at Peanut curiously. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Oh, Uh, I was asked to come talk to you by… Actually, I don’t know her relation to you.” Peanut laughed a bit. “Scootaloo wanted me to talk to you.”

“She’s my distant ancestor if that makes sense,” Serenity said with a shrug. “So, what did she want you to talk to me about?”

“You being stupid.” Peanut said in a matter of fact way. “I know how frustrating it can be, wanting to be there to help and do some good, but - you really shouldn’t be so quick to rush into danger like that.”

Serenity paused for a long moment and sighed. “She’s still worried about that huh? This isn’t my first war you know…”

“Isn’t mine either.” Peanut said as she made a gesture to the torn E circled in stars on her jacket. “I never wanted to fight a war, I was drafted into it - told I had to hurt ponies because if I didn’t they’d hurt me.”

“I had a choice, I fought against Changelings because I felt it was the right thing to do,” Serenity said with a shake of her head. “I’m not here for some adventure or whatever, I’m here because the Enclave needs to be stopped. And, maybe so that nopony else has to be left behind like I was…”

“How about the ponies you’re going to leave behind.” Peanut said in a somber tone. “This path, this war, it will kill you, and you will leave ponies behind when you go. Do you want them to feel what you felt when you got left behind?”

Serenity sighed a little at that and shook her head. “No I don’t… but I don’t know what to do. I can fight, I can help ponies, but I just feel so restless when I’m stuck at home doing nothing.”

“Let me tell you a story.” Peanut said softly. “The Enclave was the only family I ever knew, My parents died when I wasn’t even old enough to talk yet, they drafted my sister and she died too. But, when I heard Scootaloo and Miss Gambit talking with the president at Tenpony, I realized - There are other ways I can help, I didn’t need to keep fighting,” tears started to well up in the young mare’s eyes. “So Serenity, please don’t do this, you’re so young, so much to strive for, don’t leave anypony else behind, don’t leave me behind.”

Serenity looked at Peanut, and then turned her head and saw me. She looked down at her hooves and sighed a little. “Okay… I’ll go back to Nomad City when this trip is over.”

Serenity looked over at Peanut. The mare was quivering, it was clear that she was reliving some terrible memories. The filly leaned over and gently hugged Peanut, and quietly tried to reassure her. I couldn’t make out what she was saying from this far away though.

“I’m sorry about your parents,” she finally said as she looked up at Peanut. “But, I’m glad you’re on our side.”

Before Peanut was able to reply, the ship’s PA system crackled to life. Starting with a Bosun’s call before Gambit’s voice could be heard. “All hands, this is the Captain. Be advised we are preparing to make a radio broadcast in an attempt to mislead any Enclave vessels that may be in the area, If they are quick - they might find us, rather then go where we’re trying to point them - and for that reason, All hands, General Quarters.” as her voice ends, a Klaxon would sound, and the bustle of hooves racing around could be heard from all around, even Peanut stood and went back to work, sniffling and still partially sobbing.

I sighed and took Serenity under my wing and we headed out together. I didn’t like that we had put Peanut through that, maybe this had been a mistake even if it had helped Serenity. I looked back at Peanut one more time and mouth an “I’m sorry” to her before we left the mess hall.

As the crew moved into general quarters I got my hooves on a piece of paper and a pen and started to work on the note. It needed to be quick and to the point so there wasn’t any room for confusion.

I sighed a little and looked over the paper for a moment before I wrote down “Radio message is a trick for E.” I folded it up quickly and went to find Mariposa.

The Pegasus mare was seated near the bow of the ship and looking out towards the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance. She turned to look at me as I approached and smiled. “Hey Scootaloo, what’s going on?”

“Basically, we need to get a message over to the NCR base on Ponytraz,” I said as I moved up to the railing next to her. “We need a Pegasus who we can trust and is known to the NCR, I know its a big request and we’re asking for a lot, but can you do it?”

“Yeah, no problem,” Mariposa said with a nod. “Though, why can’t you or Gambit do it?”

“Well, I can’t fly, and Gambit is… actually I don’t know her story there, I never asked,” I admitted and rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. “So, yeah you’re the only one here who can be trusted and doesn’t have a job aboard the ship.”

Mariposa looked at me for a long moment before she held her hoof out for the paper. “It’s a strange request to be sure, but I’ll do it. Keep an eye on my friends while I’m gone, okay?”

“Of course,” I said with a nod as I placed the paper in her hoof. “I’ll make sure they’re safe, I know you’d do the same if our positions were reversed.”

Mariposa nodded and put the paper away in her bag. “You really messed up with those two you know? Their Stable I mean, I know you had the best of intentions but sometimes I wonder why you set some of them up like you did.”

I paused a moment. She was right of course, but what was I going to say to that? There was no words that I could say that really summed up how badly I had screwed over so many ponies in the name of trying to save Equestria and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

Well, almost no words.

“I know, and I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh. “Stable 97 was a mistake, one of many, but it survived while others weren’t so lucky. Maybe there’s some purpose to it, maybe something else, but for now we just have to be thankful that they survived. They’re your friends Mariposa, never let them go, okay?”

Mariposa smiled a little and nodded. “I won’t,” she said before she took off and flew off towards Ponytraz Island.

I sighed and looked back at the ship. I just had to hope that I was going to be able to take my own advice.

“Colonel Thunderclap, this is Scootaloo calling Ponytraz command,” I said as I spoke into the radio and pulled out the map of San Prancisco.

“This is Colonel Thunderclap, I read you loud and clear Scootaloo,” Thunderclap said on the other end after a moment. “What’s your situation?”

“We have ponies in need of immediate extraction,” I said as I looked back behind me a moment. I didn’t know if the Enclave was listening in, but this was worth a try at least. I looked over the map for a location where the Enclave could be sent. “We’re currently at the old Zoo near Lake Mercer.”

“Understood, we’ll dispatch a Vertibuck to your position immediately,” the answer came on the other end. “Stay safe out there, let’s bring you all home alive.”

“We will,” I said with a nod as I turned off the radio and headed out of the Captain’s cabin. I walked into the small cabin set aside and gave Cherry a smile. “Well I sent the message, do you think they bought it?”

“I hope so at least,” Cherry said with a nod as I walked over to her and gave her a light hug. “I’m just worried about everything that’s going on, are we going to be okay?”

“I hope so,” I said with a sigh as I looked her over for a long moment. It struck me just how much I was putting the mare through right now. Cherry and her foal were being put in danger every day we were out here, and she couldn’t be kept safe all the time. “Cherry I…”

“Yes?” Cherry asked as she looked at me curiously. “Is everything okay?”

“I think, that if we have to leave Junction Town for another battle, you should stay in Nomad City,” I said with a sigh.

“What? Why?”

“Because I don’t want you or the foal to get hurt,” I said with a sigh as I hugged her tight. “You’ve done a lot to help us with the war, but you don’t have to put yourself at risk anymore. Please, I promised you I’d help you with your daughter, I don’t want to lose you, either of you.”

Cherry sighed and looked away for a long moment. “Honestly? I don’t know what I want to do right now. I mean, you’re right, I’ve been putting myself at risk too much and I should be thinking about the baby but…”

“But, you don’t want to leave me right?” I asked and she nodded. “I don’t want to have to leave you either Cherry. I love you and if something happened to you while I was gone, I don’t know what I would do. That’s why I want you to go to Nomad City, it's safer there than anywhere else in Equestria right now. I promise, I’m going to be okay, and Jade and Star would be willing to keep an eye on you, I hope.”

“Do I really have to?” Cherry asked as she looked at me. “I mean, I’ve been fine so far, but… are you going to be okay if I leave?”

“Cherry, I’ll be just fine,” I said and nuzzled her gently. “I’m not going to lie and say it won’t be easy, but I’ll manage. You’re going to be what drives me to make sure the Enclave is stopped once and for all. I love you Cherry Blossom, and if I had my way I’d never leave your side. This is only if I have to go again, okay?”

“Okay Scootaloo, just stay safe and I love you too,” Cherry said as she nuzzled me gently. “I just hope that you don’t ever have to leave me again.”

I sighed and we just held each other for a long moment before the door to the cabin opened and we turned to see Serenity and Riva standing there.

“So, are you two done making out?” Serenity asked with a grin which made us both blush.

“No, we’re fine,” I said and Riva just chuckled a little as we released the hug. “Anything new?”

“Yeah, Gambit wanted to tell you she got word that the Enclave is on the move towards the location you directed them to,” Serenity said and Riva nodded. “We’re going to meet up with the NCR soon.”

“That’s good,” I said and looked at Serenity for a long moment. “How are you doing?”

“Better, thanks,” Serenity said as she brushed her mane back a little. “It’s not easy, but I’m going to be just fine, I hope.”

I ruffled the filly’s mane and looked back at Cherry before I smiled a little. “How about you two do me a favor. Watch out for one another if I ever have to go, okay? You two are my family, and family stays together.”

“Okay, but where are you going without your marefriend?” Serenity asked

“That’s a long story, don’t worry, its only if we have to,” I said and gave them both a hug. “Don’t worry, everything is going to be okay.”

We held the hug for a long moment before we headed back out of the cabin to wait.

“Alright, Seems that all signs of danger have passed. Let’s get down to Ponytraz.” Gambit said with a smile as she exited her cabin. “I’m not going to have the ship stand down until we’re safe - Landing on water is a bit, iffy in airships”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” I said with a nod. “So far so good at least, we just have to hope that everything goes well from here.”

“So, Plan is we’re going to be descending into the bay right next to Ponytraz, Once we’re in the water and the ramp can be used to launch and recover boats we’ll be getting you and your friends over to Ponytraz, as well as one of my Alicorns - She’s going to help guide me in so I can get the ship out of the water and safely moored.” Gambit said with a smile “Sound good?”

“Sounds good to me, though I admit I’m not an expert on this kind of thing,” I said with a shrug. “If you think it’ll work, we’ll do it.”

Gambit smiled and nodded as she went to the helm and got the ship pointed the right direction and started the descent. “Do they know Morse Code here, by any chance?”

“Well, I never really asked but they might,” I said and rubbed the back of my head a little. “Sorry, I’ve never really had a need to ask. It’s worth a try at least.”

“Alright, can you go to the speaker over there, press the big grey button and call a miss ‘Valen’ to the deck, please.” Gambit said, keeping her hooves to the helm.

I nodded and trotted over to the speaker and hit the button. “This is Scootaloo, would Valen please report to the main deck.”

A couple of minutes later, a tall mare covered in a brown cloak, just her head and tail visible - she was as tall as some pre-war ponies and had a rather obvious horn protruding from her forehead. As she passed Riva, taking a moment to stop and give the zebra a soft hug and whisper something in her ear before reporting to Gambit and me.

“How may I be of assistance.” Valen’s voice, thick with a Roamani accent “I heard the general quarters so I went to my quarters - I hope that was what was expected of me”

I looked at the newcomer curiously for a moment. Her accent suggested she was a Zebra (or probably a Zony based on the horn), but it was hard to get a read on her because of the cloak. I looked over towards Riva who was looking at Valen curiously before turning my attention back to Gambit and Valen.

Gambit sure knew some interesting ponies, that’s for sure.

“No you did perfect, But I need you to use your horn - The light spell I taught you - go to the bow and use it to signal Ponytraz.” Gambit said, pointing at the building they are approaching. “Give them the message that we request supplies, and we have a MVP Aboard.”

Valen nodded and did as told, to the bow, using her horn to flash the message to Ponytraz, waiting and hoping for a reply.

We waited for a long moment before I spotted flashes of light from the shore of the island. “It looks like we’ve got a response, well that’s good at least. What are they saying?”

Valen looked back at the two with a confused look. “Welcome Quetzal?”

“Good, that means Mariposa made it to the island,” I said and breathed a sigh of relief. I had to admit I was worried that she hadn’t made it through given that we couldn’t confirm her status over the radio. “That’s a relief.”

The Quetzal continued to descend until the keel made contact with the water, breaking the surface as the ship settled into the water. As soon as it came to a halt Gambit released the wheel and moved to the speaker, Pressing that button “All hands, stand down - I repeat, stand down, Prepare for docking.”

As the ship docked near Ponytraz I took a boat over to the island to check in with Thunderclap and report what had happened in Stable 97. I sighed a little as I headed into the base where ponies were getting the supplies ready to send back to the Quetzal.

“Scootaloo, it’s so good to see you made it back in one piece,” the familiar voice of the Pegasus colonel said as she approached me. “I hope this means you have some good news to report.”

“Well, we managed to stop the Enclave from getting access to the last key, that’s something at least,” I said and adjusted my hat a little. “I took the crystal that powered the last terminal, so as long as they don’t have that, they’re unable to access the key.”

“Well that’s good at least, do you think it’ll be enough to stop them from getting at whatever you want to keep them from?” Thunderclap asked as she looked at me nervously.

“Hopefully yes,” I said with a nod. “They can’t get at it without the power source and I’ll keep it safe so that it doesn’t fall into the wrong hooves.”

“Well that’s good, though I don’t know where you managed to find an airship and a bunch of Alicorns in the middle of a city,” Thunderclap said with a chuckle. “You’re going to have to tell me that story someday.”

“Well, the Captain’s an old friend of mine,” I said with a shrug. “If you run around Equestria as much as I have, you make some friends here and there that’ll help you out if you’re in a pinch. Who knows, maybe I’ll publish my own book someday or something.”

“Well, that would certainly be an interesting read,” Thunderclap said with a nod. “What about Serenity, is she okay?”

“Well, she’s about as okay as you can expect her to be given the situation, and the Enclave tried to use her as a hostage,” I said with a sigh. “I’ll just be glad when we get her back home to her mom. This war has taken a heavy toll on all of us.”

“Yeah, well I’m glad she’s alive at least, I’m sorry we couldn’t get her over to where we sent the other civilians,” Thunderclap said with a shake of her head. “Have you heard the latest load of horseapples from Rebel Radio?”

“No, I can’t say I have. I haven’t had much chance to listen to the radio lately”

“They’re claiming Enclave victory in Stable 97 after they successfully drove off an NCR strike force sent to stop them,” Thunderclap said with a roll of her eyes. “No mention of you or your friends by name at least, but they said something about the Mare in Black.”

“Subtle,” I said with a groan. “Well there’s nothing we can really do about that, the Enclave has its own personal propaganda machine here in the city with Rebel Radio and we can’t exactly go shut them down easily can we? Let’s just hope that we’ll be able to bring this war to a close soon and it’ll be a moot point.”

Thunderclap nodded as she went to check the supplies one last time. I sighed and looked up at the sky for a long moment. It was starting to get close to sunset at this point and I wanted to get back to the ship before it got too dark.

"So, you'll help protect Cherry if we get attacked?" I asked as I looked up at the purple Alicorn who nodded.

"Yes, I will help as best I can," the Alicorn said with a nod. "Are you sure there's a possibility of an attack by the Enclave?"

"I just want to be careful, I don't want to risk her or the foal being hurt," I said and the Alicorn nodded in understanding. "Thank you, it means a lot."

"You brought the Harbinger to us, even if Bluebird doesn't like it that means something to some of us," the Alicorn said with a nod before heading off.

I chuckled lightly, who knew that bringing the Enclave down on a group of Alicorns would actually help us in the long run? I headed over to where the NCR was offloading supplies and equipment onto the ship while Centerpin, Heart Ache, and Brick were waiting.

"You're not about to leave without saying good-bye are you?" Cherry asked with a smirk as the three ponies looked over at us.

"Well, we were going to find you," Heart Ache said with a shrug as she looked at me. "We're still kind of figuring out what we're going to do next. Maybe we'll head back to Zebratown, the Zebras there were nice enough at least."

"Hey, uh, I'm sorry about getting you kicked out of your home," I said as I rubbed the back of my head. "I shouldn't have put you in that situation. I knew it was very possible that the Enclave would get the other ponies in Stable 97 on their side, but I didn't think that they'd kick you out."

"Its okay Scootaloo," Heart Ache said as she gave me a smile. "Really, we weren't looking forward to going back to Stable 97 anyway. Its, just not the same as being out here, you know?"

"Yeah, I know its weird but I don't think I'd want to leave Brick and Mariposa behind," Centerpin said with a nod. "But, thank you for everything really. You helped our home and our families, that's, you know, important and everything."

"Well, I was glad to help," I said with a nod as I looked back at my friends. "We're going to do everything we can to make sure the Enclave is stopped so that we can help Stable 97, okay?"

They nodded and sighed a little as the Vertibuck approached. "Squishy ponies take care of yourselves," Brick said with a smile and a nod.

"You too Brick, I hope everything goes well in the city, for all of you," I said with a smile as the three ponies boarded the boat. "Tell Mariposa I said thanks for her help back there."

Centerpin nodded as the Vertibuck took off. I sighed a little and watched it go.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Serenity asked and I ruffled her mane a little.

"Don't worry Serenity, they're going to be just fine," I said as the Quetzal started moving again towards Junction Town this time. "I just hope we're going to be, the Enclave isn't exactly going to let us go easily once they find out what we did."

"Don't worry Scootaloo, we'll be fine too," Cherry said as she hugged me. "After all, we've got one of the best ponies in Equestria right here."

I chuckled a little at that and looked at Riva who just nodded. "Okay, well, we've still got a little while before we get back home, lets just try and relax, okay?"

My friends nodded as we headed down below decks again. There wasn't going to be a lot of time before we got back to Junction Town, but we were going to make the most of it.

Once they were safely back on the island I stretched my wings out a little and headed to the railing. I stared out at the sea and the setting sun for a long moment. It was nice, rather peaceful really. It was good to have a chance to just relax for a moment and enjoy the moment.

“It can be pretty peaceful, almost like we’re home again, can’t it?” Gambit said, trotting to the rail beside me.

“Yeah, it really is,” I said with a sigh as I looked over at her and smiled a little. “I miss those days more than anything else. I did everything I could to try and bring them back during the war… do you think we as a species are too far gone to ever get that back or is there a chance?”

“Scoots, you’re asking a question philosophers would have been struggling with for decades. All I can say is only time will tell, as long as we keep hold of our values, our light - I think we can still rise above everything and find ourselves again.” Gambit said with a smile. “The future, is dark and untold - but it is up to us to shine our light on it, and tell its stories.”

“Yeah, I know… sometimes though it feels like some ponies are willing to do anything to get it back,” I said with a shake of my head. “First it was Red Eye, now its Winter Breeze. Ponies who are willing to try and build a better world, but in the process have to do things that demand the sacrifice of what is left of this one. What if they’re right? What if sacrifices have to be made to make sure that Equestria has a future?”

“The old world sacrificed itself to build this world, and maybe they are right, maybe this world does need to be sacrificed to build a better one - but the question is not should it happen, but how.” Gambit said and stared up at the sky. “With the death of one, comes another, and from that will come many after - But unlike our past, the future can be paved with gold and jewels rather than corpses and blood.”

I nodded slowly and closed my eyes a moment. “Corrupted Generosity… to offer ponies a bright future, but demanding sacrifices to build it. I’m just as guilty of that as Winter Breeze is.”

“There’s a difference between you and her, you’ve done a lot in your past, trying to build a bright future for Equestria in the event our light snuffed out, but you don’t look back to your past, and say ‘let me try it again’ now do you?” Gambit said with a soft chuckle “She however, is actively chasing it, and if it’s taken from her she’ll not rest till she gets it back.”

I looked back at my bag that still held the power crystal in it. I didn’t trust anypony else with it right now given that it might be a target for the Enclave, we needed to get it out of the city as fast as possible.

“She’s not going to rest until she gets the last key,” I said with a sigh. “It’s the one thing standing between her and what she needs to finish her plan and I’ve cut her off from it. Celestia only knows what she’s going to do to get it back, and I’m afraid to find out.”

When I looked back to where Gambit had been, she had walked back to the wheel of the ship and was starting to get it underway, The ship shuttering and groaning as it started to move and lift from the water.

“Let’s just say that the truth is not always pretty, I had to learn that my loyalty to Equestria, to its cause, to Rainbow herself - was slowly destroying me.” Gambit said and sighed “Ponies, we’re not meant to be like this. I know that now more than anything, I keep thinking about the crown, what the Alicorn said to me, I can’t accept she was Twilight - but what if she was?”

“Hey, Scoots… Want to see something that I found in my personal effects in S1-B?” Gambit said with a laugh “Maybe it’ll bring some comfort to you like it’s brought a lot to me.”

My ears perked up a little in curiosity. I wasn’t sure what she might mean, but it was worth seeing at least. “Sure, I’d love to see it.”

With a lift of a wing and digging under the armor she wore, Gambit pulled out a neatly folded picture. Holding it out and showing me, it was a picture of Canterlot from a Vertibuck, with a certain rainbow haired mare in it clad in her Shadowbolt barding; turning it round to show me the back it read ‘Always be true to yourself and to be loyal to your friends, and your heart.’ the bit partially hidden said ‘and welcome home’

I looked at it for a long moment as tears started to well up in my eyes. It was simple, not like the messages from Rainbow Dash I had found in Stable 13, but it still touched me in the same way. I couldn’t hold it in, I started crying as I read the words over and over again.

“Thank you Gambit…” I finally said softly.

“Yea. you don’t want to see the other picture.” Gambit held up another folded piece of paper. “Unless you want the rest of the story, of when that picture was taken, that is.”

“I wouldn’t mind, unless you don’t want to tell me,” I said as I looked at her again.

Gambit shrugged, and levitated over that piece of folded paper for me to grab while levitating the other picture away, folding it back up and storing it back under the armor she wore.

“I don’t want to look at it, so if you want to see it, you open it.” Gambit said with a slight smile.

I carefully took the picture and unfolded it, as the picture came into view I could see Gambit, how she was before the war, laying on a stretcher wrapped in bloody bandages, the only writing on it saying ‘And stay strong, never stop taking chances, a gambit can change everything.’

“Wow, that’s… I’m sorry,” I said as I looked it over. “I’m glad you survived that. Wait, was that a play on words or is that your real name?”

Gambit laughed and said “Nah, Just like Peanut’s real name is Butterscotch, Mine isn’t Gambit.” Pulling a chain from under her armor and uniform, showing two tags hanging from it. “Don’t know if you know what these are, but - yea, just take a look at them.” Pulling them off from around her neck and levitating them to me.

“Dog tags right?” I asked as I took them and read what was said on them. One was just medical details, allergies, blood type, things like that. The other with what appeared to be a worn down engraving of Rainbow’s cutie mark, written on it said ‘Eventide “Gambit” Zephyr’.”Well… I wasn’t expecting that.”

“There’s a story behind that, but that’s for another time I think.” Gambit said and laughed “Let us just say, It involved taking a risk, and really badly messing up on it. Dash told me that through all my classes, I’d always take risks to try and put myself ahead. Reminded me of somepony else she knew way back when she was taking the classes - But I never hurt anypony, only myself.”

“Lightning Dust… I remember, I met her descendant over a year ago actually, she’s living in New Pegasus, she runs one of the Three Families there, long story,” I said with a sigh. I reached into my bag and took out the old photo of my family. “You’re not the only one with photos to remind us of our past. This one reminds me of what I lost when I first challenged the Enclave, and what nopony should ever have to lose again…”

“Hey, at least I can say that I understand where you come from, except I really lost everything, ironically - at least ironically to me that is - to the Enclave.” Gambit said, her gaze shifting to the bare mountain off in the distance where Canterlot once sat. “My family, my friends, most of it lost in the war, but my home - lost to our friends up there in the big E.”

“But that’s all going to change, its already changing,” I said with a shake of my head. “We have a chance here to stop the Enclave once and for all. I just hope we’ll be able to do it.”

Gambit said as she smiled and nodded “Hey, you took on Equestria before and saved who knows how many ponies, you had the strength and determination to be able to fight for a future you believed in, Don’t question yourself.” Gambit sighed “and even if you don’t think you’re good enough. You’ve got friends, and those friends have friends, and even when the pressure of the world gets to you, don’t let it get to you, cause more help is always on the way.” Gambit laughed to herself.

I laughed too and nodded. “You’re right, I gotta stop beating myself up over all of this. Thanks Gambit, you really helped me a lot.”

“Hey, what are friends good for, Just remember - You got this.” Gambit said, Holding a hoof out to me.

I nodded and took her hoof. “We both have this, and we’ll make the Enclave tremble at the very mention of our names.”

Gambit laughed “Not what I was thinking Scoots, But I guess if that’s how you get your jollies.”

“Sorry, got a little caught up in the moment,” I said and facehooved. “But still, thank you again, for everything.”

“Hey, You know what they say - One small thing.” Gambit said with a smile “We’re almost up to cruising, anything you’d like to do once I can leave the wheel safely? Maybe you’d like to stargaze a little, you can invite Cherry if you want.”

“That sounds nice,” I said and looked over to where my friends were. “I’ll invite her to join us then.”

“Alright, you two meet me on the bow in about… 20 minutes, I think.” Gambit laughed “You know which side the bow is right? It’s the pointy end.”

“Haha, very funny Eventide,” I said and rolled my eyes and went to talk to Cherry before Gambit could say anything else.

Cherry liked the idea of going stargazing, so 20 minutes later we found ourselves at the bow of the ship (Gambit, if you read this after its done I knew what it was!).

“Ah, so you can tell which side is the pointy end after all.” Gambit said with a laugh as she trotted up behind us. “Y’know, can you believe that over 200 years ago, some of us, others - our ancestors, were staring up at the same stars? Two centuries later, and they never changed a single bit.”

“Yeah, it's hard to believe, I guess it's nice to know that some things remain constant in this crazy world,” I said as I draped my wing over Cherry gently as we looked up at the stars.

“They’re beautiful,” Cherry said with a smile. “I’ve never seen so many at once from the ground.”

Gambit smiled as all three of us looked up to the sky only to shift her gaze suddenly off towards the north as a few shooting stars darted across the sky.

“Y’know, if you’re like me, when you look up to the stars, and think about how timeless they are - You start to wonder, maybe, somehow - the stars you are looking up at, are connected to the stars your loved ones are looking at, even if they’ve been gone for over two hundred years, sort of like… stellar time travel.” Gambit said and sighed “And that shooting stars, and the tears of the loved ones that we all still miss.”

“Maybe…” I said softly as I watched the shooting stars fall. “It's a beautiful thought to be sure, and something to think on.”

Cherry said nothing, she just snuggled up against me and looked up at the stars. I smiled a little at the pink Earth Pony mare and nuzzled her gently.

“And loved ones who are here, and those to come… well, that’s something to think about too isn’t it?” I added.

“You ponies, you are weird - looking to the stars like that.” A familiar voice said from behind. Gambit didn’t even turn before replying.

“Valen, I know you aren’t from here - but there is a majestic beauty to these stars, even if you find shame in them.”

“Well, I think they’re beautiful,” Cherry said as she sighed a little. “I don’t know anything about what Zebras believe, to me they’re just the stars. I don’t know why, but I find this calming… wait, Zebra?”

I turned to look back at Valen with Cherry. She was still disguised of course, I didn’t really want to pry since she probably had her reasons. “You know Valen, not all ponies would shun you because you’re a Zebra. We’ve been traveling with Riva since Manehattan and we don’t really have any problems with Zebras.”

Gambit reacted with shock, looking to me and then to Valen before sighing “Oh boy, here we go..”

“Your words, they are touching - Not many ponies would willingly travel with a Zebra - However, not to disappoint you, you are wrong about me.” Valen said, stepping into the starlight, her disguise disappeared and she showed her real form. “I am not a Zebra, but more something In between.”

“Oh, you mean a Zony like the ones up in Vanhoover?” Cherry asked. “Yeah, we don’t really have any problems with that either.”

“Cherry, your name is, correct?” Valen said “Your name may change, as well as your face, but your heart will forever remain the same. Where I am from, we do not believe that a spirit can simply be destroyed, but will transfer from creature to creature. They may not recognize you, but I do.”

“What do you mean?” Cherry asked as she looked at the Zony mare strangely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“A love long lost, deep within a buried box.” Valen said as she approached us. “Familiar hearts separated by countless years, hoping for the day they find a familiar pair.”

I blinked a moment and looked at Valen and then at Cherry again. What did she mean by that? To me it almost sounded like… like she was saying that Cherry was familiar to me somehow, like we had known each other before.

The buried box, was it possible she meant the Stables? Or a casket? Or maybe even the pod I had been in? This was starting to creep me out to be honest, but it sounded almost like she was talking about my relationship with Sweetie Belle.

“What do you mean?” I finally asked the strange mare.

“The answers you seek, lay both in time and stand before you, you need not look at the physical nature of the form - but through the eyes to the soul within.” Valen said and pointed at Cherry.

I looked from Valen and at Cherry. I didn’t know what she meant at first, then I looked in her eyes. There was a sparkle there, a familiar sparkle in those purple eyes. One of kindness, joy, and even love. As I looked into her eyes, the more she reminded me of Sweetie Belle.

She was kind, caring, and generous to a fault. She had left her home to give her unborn foal a better life than she ever had. Was it possible that in some way, she was Sweetie’s spirit come back to find me? Honestly, I had no idea. I had always believed ponies went to Elysium and had never even considered this kind of idea.

“You ponies, you have your own ideas about what happens after death, yes?” Valen said “Perhaps, You only reside in that place until you are called on once more, needed for something greater than yourself.”

“I’m sorry, this is just too creepy for me,” Cherry said and looked between me and Valen. “I don’t know what else to say, I’m me, that’s all I’ve ever been. I don’t know anything about spirits or the afterlife, I’m just a mare from Stable 48 trying to make my way in Equestria. I don’t think I’m more than that. I love Scootaloo sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m some, old spirit or something, ponies can love each other without that right?”

Valen turned and started to walk away from us before she stopped and looked back. “Oh, Cherry, is it? The spirits tell me, your foal, to be horned, their coat, to be bathed in the purest of whites.” before turning around and disappearing back under the deck.

Gambit however, had been facehooving this entire time “Why, Just why, She’s really nice when you get to know her, she’s the best medic I have ever known, but why can’t she just leave the stars alone..”

“That was, really unsettling,” Cherry said with a shiver as I hugged her close. “What do you think she meant by all of that?”

“Honestly, I have no idea,” I said with a sigh as I nuzzled her gently. “Don’t worry about it Cherry, everything is going to be just fine, I promise.”

Cherry nodded and leaned against me as she gently closed her eyes. I draped my wing back over her and sighed a little, she was still shivering a little. Something about all of this felt weird, why did she say those things? What did they really mean?

“Well! Considering the moment has been probably most likely entirely ruined by that!” Gambit said with one final facehoof. “I wanted to do something for you Scoots, a little reminder, something special.” Gambit stopped to take a deep breath “Something… between sisters.”

I blinked a little and looked at her curiously. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I know we aren’t actually sisters, or… even related for that matter - But, I want to do something for you so that you can always remember, that no matter what, no matter when, You always got me backing you up.” Gambit said and stood proudly in front of the two of us.

“Family is more than blood, Rainbow Dash taught me that a long time ago,” I said and smiled a little as I looked at her. Now I was more curious than ever. “Well you have my attention, what is it?”

“I think, it’d be easier to show you, than actually tell you.” Gambit said as her horn lit up, levitating me into the air and forcefully outstretching a wing. “A feather from a wing, can stay alive for hours after its plucked, and can even be replaced within that time period.” her magic focusing on a single feather on my right wing. “A custom that pegasi shared before the war, the tying of two families to one, through something outside of marriage, in case you were worried there.” With no warning and a quick tug she pulled a feather from both my wing and hers and swapped their places. “The trading of a feather, the binding of two - an act that makes two unrelated ponies into family.” Gambit said before putting me down, feather firmly placed in the others spot. “It’s kind of weird, I know, But… It means a lot.”

I smiled a little and gave Gambit a hug. “Gambit, its okay, I understand that it means a lot, and honestly I’m honored. Thank you for this, really, it means a lot to me too, and I’d be happy to consider you part of my family.”

Gambit gave an awkward smile “You’re the only pony left that really understands, I’ve always kind of thought of you like my sister… it's why I’ve always picked on you like I have - but, you’re the only family I really have left.”

I looked down at Cherry and then back at Serenity who was fast asleep while Riva kept an eye on her. I shook my head and smiled a little. “Gambit, you’ve got more family than just me left. Cherry and Serenity, they’re…”

Gambit gasped and interrupted before she jumped to her hooves and raced off to her quarters, coming back within a few minutes carrying a brown wooden box with gold accents.

“In my box of stuff I got from stable 13… I got this, apparently somepony left this for me… to give to you” Gambit levitated the box out with a smile “I think I know who its from.”

I looked at the box curiously for a moment before I opened it up. Inside, sitting on rainbow padding was a small jewel hanging from a golden necklace, a pendant shaped like Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark. A small note tucked under the lid read ‘I don’t know why Pinkie is having me write this message, or why she says i can’t just give this to Gambit already - says something about it belonging to a filly who’s really going to need it.’

I looked at it for a long moment and smiled a little. “It’s for Serenity, I can tell… that Pinkie, still being crazy and confusing from beyond the grave.”

“Maybe you two should go and give it to her” Gambit said and looked back to the sleeping filly. “It’s pretty, and well - I think it’ll mean a lot to her.”

I smiled and got to my hooves as I walked over to where Serenity was sleeping. I gently shook the filly awake and she rubbed her eyes.

“I wasn’t sleeping, I was just resting my eyes,” she said sleepily as she looked up at me. “Hey Scootaloo, what’s up?”

“I’ve got something for you,” I said as I held out the necklace to her and she looked at it in awe when she saw the symbol on it. “It was a gift from some friends of mine from a long time ago for you.”

“Really?” She asked as she took it in her hoof and looked at it curiously. “How’d they even know about me?”

“Well, one thing I learned a long time ago is that you don’t question Pinkie Pie if you want to maintain your sanity,” I said with a chuckle as I ruffled the filly’s mane. “Why don’t you try it on?”

Serenity thought about it for a moment before she slipped the necklace over her head and fit it around her neck. I smiled a little as the filly’s wings started to buzz with excitement, I was about to say something but the words caught in my throat.

Serenity was actually starting to take off, she wasn’t hovering like I had been, she was actually gaining lift. “What’s going on?” She asked as she looked back at her wings and down at the deck of the Quetzal. “Am I really flying?”

Gambit didn’t give the others a chance to reply, coming over and waved her hoof “Come back down here little Filly before you hurt yourself.” She chuckled to herself “Let a real flier teach you how it’s done.”

Serenity landed safely on the deck and looked at Gambit. “Okay!”

Gambit smiled at me before she stood next to Serenity, spreading her wings as she looked at the young filly. “Just like this, spread your wings as far as you can get them.”

I couldn’t believe it, how long had Pinkie known about this? Had she always known that there might be some way to let a pony like me fly and she let me stay grounded this whole time? I didn’t want to believe it, but it was the only thing that made sense right now.

I was angry, not at Gambit or Serenity but at Pinkie. I don’t know what her reasons were but I didn’t care. I could’ve done so much more if she had given me that stone, I could’ve flown with the Shadowbolts during the war, I could’ve flown with Rainbow Dash. It’s all I ever wanted and it had been kept from me.

“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” Serenity asked and I looked at her. She was still on the deck and looked at me with a worried look on her face.

“I’m…” I started to say and then stopped. What was I going to say to her? What words could be said right now?

Then it dawned on me, if I had been given the necklace, would I still be here? Would Equestria be here? I had set things in motion with the Stables and the Dashites that shaped the future of Equestria. If I had been able to fly, that may have never happened.

And then there was Serenity. I had spent my whole life unable to fly, while I still wished deep down that I could, I had made my peace with it already. Serenity on the other hoof, she still had her whole life ahead of her. She had her whole life to enjoy and have fun with this gift.

I smiled and pulled Serenity into a tight hug as I started crying a little. “I’m just really happy for you Serenity… enjoy your gift, and know that I’ll always be here cheering you on.”

“Thanks Scootaloo,” Serenity said with a smile as she hugged me back a moment before she headed back over to Gambit. “Okay Gambit, I’m ready.”

Gambit smiled “Alright, just like I said, Wings as wide as you can get em”

Serenity nodded and spread her wings out. I smiled and sat down on the deck and watched the two.

“Alright, Now give em a nice hard flap, don’t go too quick, you’ll get tired too quickly and there isn’t always good places to land” Gambit said with a single flap to her wings.

Serenity nodded and flapped her wings too. It took her a couple of tries to get it right since she kept going too fast or too slow, but she got it on the third try. “Like that?”

“Yeah! Just like that, now keep that pace” Gambit said as she started to hover herself above the deck “Nice and careful, A little filly like you can get hurt up here if you’re too eager, I know from experience…”

Serenity nodded and kept the pace. I smiled a little as she took off again and hovered near Gambit. “You’re doing great Serenity, keep it up.”

Serenity smiled and nodded before she looked back at Gambit.

“Alright, I don’t really know how to describe this next bit… So, uh… try and keep up!” Gambit said, laughing as she took off to the bow before stopping and turning round to wait for Serenity to catch up.

Serenity grinned and flew after her with her small wings pumping. I smiled and watched her catch up with Gambit and got to my hooves and made my way down towards the bow of the ship.

“Alright, Now - you ready to do it without something under your hooves?” Gambit said, holding a hoof out to Serenity “If you get scared, I’m right there alright, I’ll never let you fall.”

Serenity looked over at me and I nodded. “You can do it, don’t worry.”

“Okay, let’s do this,” Serenity said and took Gambit’s hoof.

Gambit laughed some, and rather unceremoniously used Serenity’s hoof to accelerate her forward, essentially throwing her out ahead but then taking off and flying next to her “Speed Boost, just like Dash used to do for me back in the academy when I got too scared to fly.”

Serenity nodded and tried not to act nervous as she flapped her wings. She smiled as she looked over at Gambit and took a deep breath. “This is amazing.”

Gambit would nod and smirk, looking back watching as the Quetzal is catching up with them “Come on, Do as I do - Keep up - let’s give them a show” Gambit said before banking and taking off to the right.

I smiled and watched as Serenity followed Gambit’s moves. She wasn’t perfect and stumbled a couple of times but she was getting there. My earlier frustration was replaced with pride and happiness for the filly that she had finally gotten to fly.

I couldn’t be happier for her, even if I wished that I could’ve been the one up there. Maybe not in her place, but being the one to teach her how to fly. Still, Gambit was a good teacher and I trusted her to help Serenity.

Soon thereafter, a little cream colored blur shot past them and into the sky catching up with Serenity and Gambit, showing that Peanut had joined them. The three flying together, dipping and weaving in unison, every now and then Gambit dipping behind Serenity to gently place a hoof to her stomach and help her speed back up.

I smiled and watched them fly. I switched over to DJ Pon3’s radio station to give them some music and I was a bit surprised to hear the soft melodious voice of a mare coming over it.

“And I dream of the sky,
Broken clouds, drifting by.
And I dream of the sky,
My Utopian lie.”

“Nice Song.” A familiar, if not creepy voice came from behind me. The Zony walking towards me and looking out at the three flying. “You know, Gambit hasn’t flown since her mission before the war, said she never had the heart to.”

“Really? Well, now I feel kind of bad about something I said to her back in Tenpony Tower,” I said with a shake of my head. “Well, I’m glad she’s flying again.”

“What did you say to her at Tenpony?” Valen asked, her eyes never leaving the three as they flew.

“I, kind of made a comment about how she could’ve stopped a couple of ponies if she flew as fast as she said she could,” I said with a sigh. “And then she called me a chicken, which was uncalled for, but I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Chicken, bird only capable of short duration flight, why is this of insult to you?” Valen asked, head tilted with her curiosity.

“Because I can’t fly,” I said with a sigh. “At least not more than a hover, I’m over 40 years old and I’ve never flown under my own power. Some ponies called me a chicken because of it and I, never really liked it.”

“An unfitting name, Chickens can only fly for short duration, if what you say is true - then you can fly as long as you’re near the ground, yes?” Valen said.

“For a short time, yes,” I said with a sigh as I flapped my wings lightly. “What’s your point?”

“There is no point, I was just… curious? Yes. Curious. - I was curious about why they would call you such a name.” Valen said, smiling a bit. “I am sorry if I offend, I do not understand some of these pony customs, having grown up in Roam..”

“Its less the name and more what it means,” I said with a shake of my head. “Basically they’re making fun of the fact that I can’t fly. It's hard enough living with that, being a flightless Pegasus is not easy, but having ponies make fun of you for it? I can’t stand it honestly.”

“Oh this I am sure of, I am… well, I do not know how to describe how old I am, older than you might think, but for most of my seasons, I have never used my horn, it has been there, a part of me, and I have no clue how to use it.” Valen said as she looked up at her horn with a sigh “Zebras, can be quite mean when you are something they don’t understand or like… they can say some very mean names, names that do not translate very well.”

“I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh as I brushed my mane back and looked back out at the trio. “Serenity has the same condition I do, it’s hereditary apparently. But my adopted mother and a certain crazy Pink mare gave her a gift and there she is out there. I couldn’t be happier for her but… I admit I’m still a little jealous.”

“The gift of flight is precious indeed, much to be jealous of.” Valen said with a nod “That necklace she has, has made me very uncomfortable being anywhere near it. It is not something I have ever seen in this world, I fear it is from another.”

“Well, I can’t speak for where it’s from, but it makes Serenity happy, that’s good enough for me,” I said with a smile. “I don’t completely understand the Zebra fear of the stars, but maybe if it can give a little filly some joy they can’t be all bad. That’s just me though, lets just let her have this.”

“I had no intention of taking it from her, it is hers and it is her choice what to do with it.” Valen said as she watched Peanut guiding Serenity back over to the deck. Gambit however kept flying, dipping, weaving, diving, just remembering just how much she loved flying. She even ended up flying past close at high speed, remembering something from her filly days there was dark clouds following her, surging and pulsing with lighting.

“Did you see me?” Serenity asked, she was tired but happy as I pulled her in for a hug and we watched Gambit. “I was flying!”

“Yeah, you looked great out there,” I said as I hugged Serenity close and she yawned. “Well, it looks like a certain little filly is tired. Come on, you can fly more later, you still have to tell your mom too you know.”

“Yeah I’ll… tell her when I get back,” Serenity said and yawned again as we headed over to where Cherry was sleeping. “Good night Scootaloo, and thank you.”

“Good night Serenity,” I said and draped my wing over her and Cherry gently. After a moment she drifted off to sleep and I smiled before closing my eyes and falling asleep too.