Part of the Fold

Chapter 1

Sweetie Belle looked down at the floor of the clubhouse. It was one of those unusual days where she had come alone to the clubhouse to think about things. The last week had been most eventful for her and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They met a colt they had thought was a filly and inducted him into the CMC without knowing it. True, after the events in the Everfree Forest, she didn't mind having him in the Crusaders, but it was still quite a shock for her and the two other founders when they learned the truth.

'My son is a colt.' The words Timbre's mother had said rung in her head occasionally, even now. At the time the biggest shock to Sweetie Belle was the reminder of how she had first reacted when Timbre talked about the time he spent with Button Mash. Her experience with the gaming colt hadn't been all that good.

She had pointed Button Mash out on Hearts and Hooves Day. His attention left his game for a brief moment because of it, causing him to lose the game he was playing. It seemed he was pretty far because he became quite upset at the loss. Sweetie Belle wanted to make it up to him, but she knew very little about the games he played at the time. What she did know was that he liked the desserts at the café, so she treated him to a milkshake there later that week. It didn't go particularly well for her. She had hoped that they could talk a little bit and she could make a formal apology, but at the shout of 'MILKSHAKE RACE!' she gave up on that idea and quickly became embarrassed to be with him.

Sweetie Belle sighed at the memory. Timbre had mentioned Button Mash the day he met the four CMC, and she knew she grimaced when he did. Add to that what Scootaloo said about colts and it was no wonder why she felt like she had made a bad impression to Timbre.

She looked up to see Scootaloo pacing the floor of the clubhouse. Scootaloo arrived at the clubhouse almost a full hour after Sweetie Belle had. Although Timbre had told them that his injuries from the forest weren't their fault and not to worry about it, all three friends still worried a lot about it. Scootaloo surely worried the most.

"What's taking so long," Scootaloo asked frustrated as she started another lap of pacing. Sweetie Belle could hear the worry laced in her voice though.

"I don't know, but it shouldn't be too much longer now. Timbre has been there all morning." 'There' was the ponyville hospital. Today was the day Timbre was going to be seen by the wing specialist from Cloudsdale. Hopefully they would have news about whether he would be able to fly again. Scootaloo couldn't fly yet, though they still weren't certain why that was, and Sweetie Belle's magic wasn't very good either. How would she feel if she lost the ability to use magic at all? Sweetie Belle could empathize with her pacing friend. She knew Scootaloo was going out of her mind with worry, even if she was putting on a brave face. But to feel like you were to blame for someone else's loss of their race's unique trait? Sweetie Belle could empathize with and try to comfort her friend, but she didn't want to actually know how she felt. I wish Applebloom was here. She would know what to say to help calm Scootaloo down. I think.

"I know, it's just that…" Scootaloo began, pausing for a moment. "I just…" She stopped her pacing and looked directly at Sweetie Belle. There was no mistaking the worry this time. "I can't help but… Ugh! This is as bad as the first night!" Scootaloo stamped her hooves on the floor in frustration, and then sighed.

"I know," Sweetie Belle said.

"What if, you know, he finds out he'll never fly again? What if he hates me for it? What if he tells everypony about it and nopony will be my friend anymore!? It's just like when we did Gabby Gums all over again!" Scootaloo's voice became louder and more panicky by the sentence.

"Who's Gabby Gums?"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo turned to the doorway which had been left open to see Timbre stepping inside. His cast had a few more doodles and signatures than the last time they'd seen him. He didn't look devastated, but then the original news from the doctor hadn't seemed to faze him much either. Scootaloo barely contained herself, trying to appear cool and calm, but failing miserably. Sweetie Belle smiled at this. To her it meant that her new friend could handle it and would be okay no matter the end.

"It's from when we tried to get our cutie marks in journalism. It didn't turn out so well and we made a lot of ponies upset. We'd rather forget the whole thing." Sweetie Belle shrugged after her explanation.

"Enough about that," Scootaloo jumped in anxiously. "What did the doctor from Cloudsdale say?"

Timbre looked back at the cast encasing his wings for a moment before replying. "He said my chances aren't great, but they aren't bad either; fifty-fifty that I'll be able to fly again."

"Do you know how long you'll be in the cast," Sweetie Belle asked.

"All the way up until the surgery," Timbre said matter-of-factly.

"Surgery?" Scootaloo looked alarmed. "I…" She dropped her head down. "I hoped it wasn't that bad."

Timbre thought for a moment about what he'd been told by the Specialist. "They aren't really sure how bad it is, but I think he said he needed to remove parts of the bones that are too small or are hurting my wings more or something like that. I guess after that it depends on how well my bones and muscles heal." He made his way over to the window and looked outside. "I'm not sure, he told my mom a lot more and I didn't really understand it all, but I think that is the short story."

"So, we just need to make sure that you eat right, or something?" Sweetie Belle looked questioningly at him. She walked from her spot to where he stood at the window, fore hooves hanging outside. Careful not to touch the cast she patted his shoulder. "I hope it works out, Timbre."

"Definitely hope it works out," Scootaloo said, approaching the other side. To Sweetie Belle it looked like he was gazing out the window, but Scootaloo knew the face Timbre was making. It was the same one she made herself at times when she gazed at the sky and wished fervently for a miracle. She couldn't help it as shame filled her again and her head lowered. It was a short-lived moment because something happened that startled her. Timbre nudged her forehead with his and whispered a thank you.

"Aww…" Timbre looked at Sweetie Belle who looked like it was the cutest thing, then leaned her head forward hoping to receive a nudge too.

"Um… How do I…?" Timbre was looking at Sweetie Belle's horn. His thanks would have to be done differently because he'd never nudged foreheads with a unicorn. He looked to both of them for assistance. Sweetie Belle was no help. Her eyes were closed and she waited expectantly. Scootaloo was no better, still in shock; from what he didn't know. Finally he tilted his head and attempted to nudge hers carefully. He moved slowly, noting just how much closer he was to touching her cheek with his mouth at the attempt. It was awkward but in the end successful. The attempt left him unable to look at Sweetie Belle for a moment while she beamed at him.

"Yay! Timbre touched me too!" Sweetie Belle started hopping around the clubhouse in a Pinkie-like fashion. Timbre kind of understood. This was the first time he had initiated physical contact with them, and she seemed the kind of pony to try finding joy where she could. Scootaloo still seemed unable to process anything happening outside her own mind though.

Why did that make me feel funny? Is that the first time I have ever been touched by a colt? Scootaloo's thoughts were racing in her head trying to understand what just happened. Is it just because it's a colt? Because it's him? Maybe I'm getting sick. Maybe he's not well and I caught whatever he has! Her thoughts spiraled from there for a moment. Finally after several minutes she had to know why.

"What was that for, Timbre?" Said colt looked up from a half-finished drawing on the floor.

"It just seemed appropriate. Whenever my mom did something my dad thought was nice he'd do that. It's how he said thanks, I guess."

"Oh. Um, okay. So, uh, when is the surgery?" Scootaloo was desperate to change the subject. This would be important to know anyway.

"I don't know yet. It should be very soon though. Did I miss any crusading this morning?" Timbre looked back down at the piece of art in the making. His question was a blessing for Scootaloo who was quickly getting flustered. Sweetie Belle was the filly who answered his question.

"Nothing yet. We were thinking mostly about you and how you were doing. We haven't really come up with anything yet that wouldn't get us in trouble." She stopped hopping about and looked at him. "Have you come up with any ideas yet?"

"I've thought of a few things, but I'm not sure I can get permission for a while yet. Until I get this cast off it would have to be something kind of mellow anyway."

"It's okay," Scootaloo said. "I need to go anyway. I, uh, need to go see Rainbow Dash. She said she'd teach me something cool today. You know me. We're the coolest in ponyville!" Scootaloo's laugh was just a little too forced, but neither of the other two noticed. They said their goodbyes and Scootaloo left the clubhouse in search of Rainbow Dash.

It took Scootaloo the better part of an hour to track her pseudo sister down. For the first time ever, Scootaloo found her doing something she never thought she'd see. Rainbow Dash was not napping. She wasn't practicing cool aerial tricks for the Wonderbolts either. She was talking to a dark stallion in the air nearby the train station. They were hovering near a few fluffy white clouds and one dark cloud.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called up to her hero. Said pony stopped mid-sentence and looked down to her.

"Oh hey, squirt! I'll be down in a few minutes."

Scootaloo called out an 'okay' loudly enough to be heard, but Rainbow had immediately gone back to talking with the stallion and didn't hear her. Scootaloo took the time to get a good look at the stallion. His coat was a very dark gray, and his mane stood straight up in a mohawk, white and pale blue in color. The cutie mark on his flank, if she was seeing it right from this distance, resembled a small tornado. He was Thunderlane, if she remembered right. Scootaloo rarely spoke to any stallion, aside from Big Macintosh, but that was because he was Applebloom's brother and they had gotten into trouble with him a while back. He didn't really talk much anyway. A stallion of few words - that described Big Mac well.

Thunderlane was a significantly different. While Big Mac was a hard worker, Thunderlane wasn't lazy, but he was prone to trying to get out of things he really didn't want to do. He was a bit inefficient because he tried to get things done with less effort. No, I was wrong. He is lazy, just not really lazy. If there was one thing that could be said about Thunderlane though, he was fiercely loyal to his family. His younger brother was in Scootaloo's class in school, and that's how she knew him. Other than at the school house though, she didn't see him around very much, and wasn't sure what he did.

Thoughts of the dark Pegasus stallion ceased when she felt a thump next to her. Rainbow Dash stood there looking at her interestedly.

"So what's up, Scoot?"

The nickname made Scootaloo feel warm inside. She grinned and thought she'd tease her idol for a moment.

"So, you and Thunderlane, huh? Oooooo!" This earned her a surprised look, then a playful bop on the head.

"As if. Thunderlane couldn't possibly meet up to what I'm looking for in a stallion."

"Are you sure? You two looked nice and friendly up there," Scootaloo teased. Rainbow Dash gave her a flat look. "Okay, okay. What were you two talking about though?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "He got moved onto the Weather Team here in ponyville. Since I'm the ponyville team captain I have to show him the way we do it."

"Isn't it just like when you made the tornado for the water?" Scootaloo looked confused.

"Nothing like that. And even if it was, Thunderlane wasn't there anyway." Rainbow Dash paused and looked down at the young filly. "But that can't be what you wanted me for…" Rainbow snatched Scootaloo into a headlock and rubbed her hoof into her head, causing Scootaloo to squirm and fight to break free. "So what's up?" Rainbow asked with a smirk at the filly on the receiving end of her payback for the teasing. When Scootaloo finally broke free she brought up the reason for seeking her out.

"Timbre just got back from the hospital." Rainbow Dash visibly winced from the memory of her own stay there when she had injured her wing. While she hadn't been there when Timbre was first brought to the hospital she had heard the whole story.

"Yeah, okay. What'd the doc say?"

"Said his chances of flying again are… iffy. They are going to operate soon, but I don't know when."

"Operate, huh?" Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful. "Are you worried?" Scootaloo nodded silently. "I'm not. Really, a specialist from Cloudsdale? You won't find anyone better to fix him up. Not that anypony wants to be in that position. Wanting to be in the hospital is just dumb. I'm glad Nurse Redheart and the rest of the staff does what they do there, but the food is gross and there is nothing to do. It's just so boring. Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Well, I was looking for any advice, but I think you answered that question."

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It's not like you can really do anything about it anyway other than cheer him on." Rainbow Dash then grinned roguishly. "Unless you want to do something special for your special friend. Rainbow Dash laughed, thinking of more payback for Scootaloo's teasing earlier. She stopped when she saw that Scootaloo's reaction was not what she thought it'd be. She was looking down, and Rainbow could have sworn she saw her cheeks redden a little.

"No way!"

Scootaloo looked up quickly. "No, Rainbow Dash, it's not like that! But, he did something that made me feel weird. I've never actually seen anypony do it before. Maybe you have?"

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "What did he do?"

"Well, I came up next to him while he was looking out the window and up at the sky. I told him that I hoped the operation goes well, and, you know, I still feel responsible for him getting hurt in the first place. I didn't want to see him looking so sad so I looked down, and the next thing I knew he nudged my forehead with his."

If Scootaloo hadn't been scratching the back of her head, looking away from Rainbow Dash's as she finished the sentence, she'd have seen her eyes widen a bit. The older pony's face was composed again by the time she looked up.

"Did he say anything about that?"

"Yeah. He did it to Sweetie Belle too, after figuring out how not to get poked doing it, and said that it was how ponies said thanks to each other, but I've never seen anypony thank a friend that way. It felt nice, but it was a surprise."

"Wait, he did it to both of you?" Scootaloo nodded.

"Does it mean something? 'Cuz like I said, I've never seen anypony else do it."

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment then waved a hoof dismissively. "If he said it was a thank you then leave it at that. You don't see it often, but it's a way to show somepony that you appreciate something they did." Though it's usually done by adults as a symbol of affection, Rainbow Dash said in her mind. "I wouldn't think about it too much."

Scootaloo felt much better so she put thoughts of Timbre it in the back of her mind for now. She'd learned something new today and got to spend time with her idol/big sister. They both showed off a few tricks they'd been working on. Scootaloo was able to pull off flipping her scooter in the air during a jump and Rainbow Dash had been perfecting something that she said she was going to be performing soon during their visit to the Crystal Empire. Scootaloo knew she could go with Rainbow Dash if she asked, but since her friends were not allowed to go she was going to stay with them in ponyville to give them her support. They spent a little time afterward working on Scootaloo's ability to hover, but no matter the effort she couldn't do much more than hold a hover for a few seconds, even considering how fast she flapped her little wings. Another hour passed and Scootaloo thanked Rainbow Dash and left to find her friends.

Okay! The first chapter of episode two of my little series is back up, adjusted and made into what I want it! The next chapter is about half done, so I hope to post it this weekend if I can, but I'm working a convention and have Drill, so it might not be up until the beginning of the week. Please review if it pleases you. I enjoy reading them all, especially ones with some substance in them. Until next time! Also, if you wish, please leave a comment about what YOU think about if Timbre will get his flight back or not and why.