Scootaloo was practically bouncing with excitement when she made it to her small room. She was well aware that she was acting just as hyperactive as Sweetie Belle, but she could really care less at the moment. She had just finished her first day of Crystal Prep training, and she felt sure that she had made a good impression.
She had even gotten a better time on the dizzitron than Rainbow Dash, who was without a doubt a very talented flyer. Rainbow Dash was sure to be her biggest competition and she resolved to keep an eye out for her, whatever team she ended up on… a Lead Pony for sure, just like Scootaloo herself.
She gave a few extra hops in place, just an attempt to get rid of her extra energy. Tomorrow was sure to be a tough day of training and she knew that she needed to be well rested. She needed to do her best, after all, in order to impress Captain Sugarcoat.
She was about to turn in when there was a knock on the door. She froze, staring. She couldn't imagine who would be visiting her now. After all, she and the other Crystal Prep hopefuls still hardly knew each other. At least not well enough for casual visits.
She moved over to the door and pushed it open, and nearly fainted with shock.
One of the Crystal Prep stood there, smiling at her! He was not dressed in the iconic flight uniform of the elite flyers, but Scootaloo recognized him anyway, because she had seen this particular Crystal Prep in a dress uniform before, at the royal wedding weeks ago. Of course, she had seen him a few times before, and he was probably her favorite Crystal Prep after Sugarcoat herself. Sliver Spoon!
For a few seconds, she just stared at him until he blushed with an uneasy smile. And then she snapped out of it. "Oh Celestia! I can't believe it!" She gasped.
"Uh… hi. I don't suppose you remember me?" He began.
"Of course I do, Pie Guy." Scootaloo smirked, remembering their first real meeting at the Grand Galloping Gala. She had met him before at the Young Flyer's Competition, but seeing as he was unconscious at the time, she didn't really count it. She had saved his apple pie from hitting the ground at the Gala.
His blush deepened. "Well, personally, I prefer to remember meeting up at the royal wedding. At least no pies were dropped on that occasion. Not to mention that we were actually able to say more than a few words to each other."
"You're right. The wedding was much better overall." Scootaloo agreed. "So… what brings you here?"
"Well, I heard that you were accepted into the Crystal Prep Academy. I just wanted to come and see how it was going?"
"Going?" Scootaloo scoffed. "I'm the best flyer here, without a doubt! I just know that becoming a Crystal Prep is in the bag!"
Sliver Spoon gave a small chuckle. "Well, I'm glad that you feel that way. Confidence is half the battle." He glanced around the small room that was given to all the Crystal Prep hopefuls. "It seems like it's been ages since I was in this position myself, hoping that my destiny really lay with the Crystal Prep."
"It seems like you were worried about nothing." Scootaloo said. "You're one of the best flyers on the team!"
"I'm glad that you think so."
"So… do you have any tips for the new mare on how to impress Sugarcoat?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, I was recruited under the previous Captain who had different standards than Sugarcoat." Sliver Spoon said thoughtfully. "Sugarcoat is more impressed with drive than raw talent. Of course, raw talent is extremely helpful, but you need to show her your drive as well."
"Ha! Then I've got this in the bag!" Scootaloo celebrated. She had been driving herself towards her life-long goal of becoming a Crystal Prep since she was a filly. She certainly wasn't going to trip now, on the final stretch!
Sliver Spoon smiled as he watched her. He'd never seen a mare who was so confident before. He knew that even Sugarcoat had been a little nervous when she was at the Academy, because that had been the year that he'd been at the Academy as well. But Sugarcoat, it turned out, had nothing to worry about. She was now the youngest Captain of the Crystal Prep for the last hundred years.
Sliver Spoon, himself, had been more than a little nervous during his time at the Academy. But Scootaloo… something about this colorful mare inspired confidence. She was somepony special… even without the apparent fact that she had a more casual relationship with the Princesses than your average citizen. Sliver Spoon had certainly never spoken one-on-one with Princess Celestia before… but Scootaloo had.
"I'm sure that you'll do fine." Sliver Spoon said confidently. "And… I'm not supposed to say something like this… do you promise to keep this just between us?" He asked.
"Sure thing." Scootaloo said with a smile.
"I look forward to having you on the team." Sliver Spoon said with the tone of voice that left no doubt that he believed that Scootaloo would become one of the Crystal Prep.
Despite knowing that she would get in, a real vote of confidence from an actual Crystal Prep was something that Scootaloo truly appreciated. "I look forward to being on the team." She replied.
"Well, I suppose I should let you get settled in." Sliver Spoon said, glancing around the room again. He began to back out of the doorway. "If I know Sugarcoat at all, and I do, she's going to really work you recruits hard tomorrow and I don't want you to have a sub-par performance because you stayed up talking to me all night."
"If that happened, I'd totally blame you." Scootaloo said with a small laugh.
"But, if you're not too busy, maybe I can come check on you again tomorrow night after Sugarcoat lets you go?" Sliver Spoon asked.
"Oh? Oh, yeah… sure thing." Scootaloo gasped.
"Great. I'll see you tomorrow night." Sliver Spoon said, backing all the way out of the door and closing it behind him.
Scootaloo stared at the closed door, a little shocked at what just happened. Was it normal for a Crystal Prep to take such an interest in a single recruit? Everything that she had read about the Academy said that the bulk of the Crystal Prep were not involved with procedures there. Usually, the recruits were only exposed to the Captain and a few reserve members of the Crystal Prep who were there for safety. But the actual team? They should have been busy with training themselves! And yet Sliver Spoon was taking his own time to come visit her.
Granted she saw him more often than the other members of the Crystal Prep and she did have fun dancing with him at the royal wedding. But still…
Scootaloo sighed. This was getting too complicated. He probably just knew a winner when he saw one and was getting a head start on getting friendly with the new team member. Yeah… that was definitely it.
Scootaloo flopped down on the bed and fell asleep almost instantly. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, after all.
Scootaloo angrily kicked a hole in the cloud wall. Normally she would never allow herself to display anger like this, but this was a special occasion. Needless to say, her first day of real training had not gone well. Not only had Sugarcoat chosen to make her a Wingpony instead of a Leadpony, but her Leadpony, who happened to be Rainbow Dash, had forced her to pull a foolishly reckless stunt that banged her wing pretty good.
She instantly regretted the kick, because it sent a jolt of pain through her injured wing. Scootaloo winched, turning her head to look down at her wing. It definitely looked awful. Getting banged up was one thing, but being forced to fly on it afterwards had really put her wing through the ringer. None of the feathers were lying down correctly.
She gingerly extended the sore limb, taking in the full extent of the damage. There would be hell to pay if this injury ruined her chances at making it into the Crystal Prep. She used her nose to inspect the damage and to attempt to get the feathers to lie down correctly. Normally, she'd just use her hooves, but she didn't want to risk any more damage. Her nose was definitely much safer.
Her wing still looked to be in a pretty sorry state when somepony knocked on the door and she remembered that Sliver Spoon had said that he might visit again after the day's training.
Good! Scootaloo thought to herself vindictively. Because I've got a few choice words for him that, since I can't say to Sugarcoat, I'll say to him! She carefully folded her injured wing against her body and opened the door.
"Hello, Scootaloo, how are you…" Sliver Spoon trailed off when he took in Scootaloo's appearance. She was glaring at him in the sort of way that he'd only seen Sugarcoat glare at him, and several of the feathers on her right wing were agitated or bent. "What… what happened?" He gasped.
"What happened? Where do I start?" Scootaloo growled, backing away from the door. Sliver Spoon reluctantly took this as an invitation to enter. He stepped slowly into the room, still weary of the agitated mare. "I got the best time on the Dizzitron yesterday, and Sugarcoat saw fit to only make me a Wingpony! All because Rainbow Dash had asked to turn it up to the maximum setting?!"
Sliver Spoon was impressed, through he knew enough not to say anything. There were reserve members of the Crystal Prep who couldn't handle the Dizzitron on the maximum setting. "But she still didn't beat your time."
"No, but it was a very good time." Scootaloo admitted. "Much better than the rest on the regular setting. I could have done it, but as much as I hate to admit it, asking didn't occur to me. I just was in such a rush to impress Sugarcoat that I jumped right into the machine without a thought." She hung her head. "And now I'm stuck being a Wingpony to Rainbow Dash."
"You know, being assigned as a Wingpony won't hurt your chances of being considered for the Crystal Prep in the slightest." Sliver Spoon said in an attempt to make her feel better. "You know, when I joined the Crystal Prep Academy, I was assigned as a Wingpony."
Scootaloo stared at him in shock. "You were?"
"You bet. When I got told that I was a Wingpony, I was so terrified that it meant I was little more than a stepping stone for my partner. But the Captain at the time told me that the teams are more about teaching ponies how to work and fly together, and not about labeling their worthiness. And look at me now: Second-in-Command of the Crystal Prep."
"What about your partner?"
"She made the Crystal Prep too. You might know her… Sugarcoat." Sliver Spoon said.
Instead of making Scootaloo feel better, now she just felt worse. Sliver Spoon had been made Sugarcoat's partner in the Academy and, all these years later, for all their advancement through the ranks, and he was still playing second fiddle to his Leadpony. Even if she got in, would she forever be playing second fiddle to Rainbow Dash?
A few moments later, Sliver Spoon must've realized that he said something wrong. "There hasn't been any opportunity that Sugarcoat has that I haven't had. In fact, when the old Captain retired, he asked me to take over the Crystal Prep before Sugarcoat."
Scootaloo had never heard anything like this. But, then again, most of the fan literature on the Crystal Prep was lacking in personal details or inter-team politics. "Then why'd you say no?" She asked.
"I like my job." Sliver Spoon said with a shrug. "I get all the perks of leadership without having to deal with politics or paperwork." He shivered, as if the very thought of all that paperwork was horrifying to him. "Sugarcoat got the job when I refused, and she relished in it. It was a good match. At least she can give reports to the Princess without stuttering."
"The Princess isn't that scary." Scootaloo laughed, giving him a light shove with her fore-hoof.
"For a nearly-immortal Alicorn… sure." Sliver Spoon laughed with her. "But I've been meaning to ask… how have you gotten so close to the Princess?"
Scootaloo laughed. "Would you believe me if I said I come from an important family in Canterlot?"
Sliver Spoon laughed. "No, I wouldn't believe you. Come on, Dash, I've really been wondering."
"Okay, fine. If you must know. I know the Princess through Applebloom Sparkle."
"The lavender unicorn?" Sliver Spoon asked.
"That's her. She's the one who comes from an important family in Canterlot. I'm not sure how high up they were, but it must've been pretty high because Princess Cadence was her foal-sitter. But, not only that, she's Princess Celestia's protégé. But I think the rest of my friends and I really only got close to the Princess personally because we control the Elements of Harmony now."
"I'd heard that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna no longer controlled the Elements of Harmony." Sliver Spoon said. "So that's really true?"
"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it right now. Representing one of the Elements of Harmony only becomes something important when Equestria is on the brink of disaster."
"Fair enough." Sliver Spoon said with a shrug. "So, then, what happened to your wing? Did you have an accident?" He turned his gaze on the messed up feathers.
"Ugh!" Scootaloo snorted, stomping her hoof and flicking her tail in annoyance. "No. It was my Leadpony's stupid fault! She made a reckless call and I bruised up my wing pretty badly because of it. And I couldn't quit or complain because Sugarcoat was watching and I have to prove that I've got just as much drive as Rainbow Dash!"
Sliver Spoon was a little shocked. He knew better than anyone that Sugarcoat pushed hard, but she also knew where to draw the line. She'd never force an injured pony fly in the Crystal Prep. That's what the reserves were for, after all.
He moved over to her side, gazing down at her injured wing. "It does look banged up, and you probably shouldn't have been flying on it right after. But maybe Sugarcoat honestly didn't know about you being injured?"
"Maybe." Scootaloo snorted. Sure she hadn't said anything about being injured, but Sugarcoat had to recognize a limping Pegasus when she saw one.
Sliver Spoon got closer, nudging some of her feathers with his nose. Scootaloo froze, staring at him while he inspected her injury up close. Pausing only briefly to straighten out a few of her feathers, he pulled away. "Well, I'm no doctor, but it looks worse than it probably is. Resting it for one night should put it back to a hundred percent."
Scootaloo found herself to be still frozen for a few more moments, and then with a shake of her head she forced herself back to reality. "Oh, yeah, thanks for the news, Doctor Sliver Spoon."
"Glad to help." Sliver Spoon said. "And don't worry about Sugarcoat so much. If it still hurts too much tomorrow, you can just tell Sugarcoat. I promise that it won't affect your chances. After all, I've been injured a few times and I've never been demoted because of it…"
"No! I can't! I have to prove to Sugarcoat that I can handle anything!" Scootaloo said.
Sliver Spoon sighed. "Whatever you want to do, Scootaloo. Just promise you'll think about what I said. I hope to see you tomorrow. And I still think you're going to make it." He said as he stepped out.
Scootaloo sighed and walked over to the wall and used her fore-hooves to fix the hole that she had kicked into the cloud wall. Okay, so that conversation had started out normally and then morphed into something weird. She had no idea what to do when Sliver Spoon began to inspect the injury of her wing. Something about the way he nosed through her feathers reminded her of her father, checking for injuries after one of her many crashes. But, no, it wasn't quite like that. Gentler.
Could Sliver Spoon possibly… did he have a crush on her?!
Immediately after the thought occurred to Scootaloo, she laughed it off. Nopony got crushes on her. She was much too awesome and intimidating for most stallions, even for stallions as awesome as Sliver Spoon.
But, still, she couldn't forget the way that she felt when he had been that close to her. It was exhilarating, new, and as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself… it was frightening. It was different from the casual relationships that she had before.
It was probably just a confused mixture of her feelings for Sliver Spoon the Crystal Prep and Sliver Spoon her budding friend.
Feeling emotionally drained from the events of the day, Scootaloo finished up the repairs to the wall and then went straight to sleep, unknowing of a certain stallion that would haunt her dreams that night.
Sliver Spoon walked away from Scootaloo's room, hoping that no one would spot him. But even as he walked away, he was mentally kicking himself with every step. He had felt the way that Scootaloo tensed as he drew near to her. Perhaps he was moving too fast. It had been a long time since he had pursued a mare that he genuinely cared about rather than a random fan that would have sex with him just for being a Crystal Prep.
Once upon a time, Scootaloo could have been one of those fans, a simple notch on the bedpost for a Crystal Prep. But that was before he had begun to get to know her. Before he realized that the mare's beautiful looks contained a creature of fiery passion and endless loyalty. If the Young Flyer's Competition was any indication, then for all her bragging and brashness, she wouldn't hesitate to put the safety of others before herself.
She was a special kind of pony, and worth far more than a one-night stand. Pursuing a relationship was new territory for Sliver Spoon, and he knew that he might have screwed up by getting close to her.
Well, I'll just back off for a bit, and try again later. Any other mare, and Sliver Spoon would have given up. But Scootaloo was different, and she was worth every ounce of effort.
Sliver Spoon made his way to Scootaloo's room, knowing that she wouldn't be in a great mood. After hearing about the troubles that Rainbow Dash was causing the rest of the recruits, Sliver Spoon decided to hang around the Academy that day and keep an eye on things.
It was obstacle course day: a test to prove that the ponies could fly in all kinds of weather. It had been a part of the Academy since the Crystal Prep's founding. But Sliver Spoon, from his vantage point, had seen what Sugarcoat had missed.
It was true that Crystal Prep needed to be able to recover from a spin out quickly, but purposefully causing your team to spin out would have never been tolerated on the Crystal Prep. They flew as a team, and not for the sake of show-boating at the expense of other ponies. Sugarcoat had not seen and simply assumed that the other ponies spun out from the course. But Sliver Spoon had seen what Scootaloo had seen: Rainbow Dash was a driven pony, but she drove herself over everypony else to reach her personal goals.
At least Scootaloo had not been injured today. Her wing had healed nicely, but it wouldn't be good for it to be banged up again so soon. He knocked on the door with his hoof.
Scootaloo had come to expect his visits, so she opened the door right away. "I know you probably want to ask me how my day of training went, but I'd rather not talk about it." She said.
"That's fine. I saw the whole thing anyway." Sliver Spoon said with a shrug.
Scootaloo seemed like she was going to ask what he was doing hanging around the Academy that day before she realized that asking him about this whereabouts would definitely qualify as talking about today. "Fine. I'm not even going to ask." She said.
"Fine with me." Sliver Spoon said. "I was wondering if you'd like to go flying with me. Nothing too crazy. I think you could use a good fly."
"Thank Celestia, that sounds like exactly what I need!" Scootaloo gasped, rushing past him and out the door. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's go!"
"Excited?" Sliver Spoon asked with a laugh as he followed her.
"Of course! This will be the first time I've really seen a Crystal Prep fly up close!"
"Funny, I thought I said that we wouldn't be doing anything crazy. Showing off definitely counts as crazy."
"A race isn't crazy." Scootaloo said with mock innocence.
Sliver Spoon couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, one race. But only if you promise to be okay with it when I beat you."
"Ha! In your dreams, Sliver Spoon!" Scootaloo laughed. The second that they were outside the building, they took off, leaving their signature trails in their wake.
In reality, Sliver Spoon knew that he had very little chance of beating Scootaloo in your average race. She was the only living pony to break the sound barrier and the first non-Alicorn to do so. But, even with this enormous advantage, Sliver Spoon was never far behind her. After all, no pony could fly at top speed forever, and Scootaloo was no exception. She won the race, but only by a nose.
"I have to admit…" Scootaloo said, gasping for breath while wearing a big smile. "I'd never had anyone keep up with me before, especially since I mastered the Sonic Rainboom."
"It was a good race." Sliver Spoon replied, slowing down and settling down on a cloud. Scootaloo settled on the cloud next to him. He watched her a little nervously as she settled down next to him, but there was a respectable amount of space between them, so there was nothing for him to look into. It was fine. After yesterday, he was prepared to wait.
"All natural raw talent, I tell you." Scootaloo bragged good-naturedly.
"Hey. I know that you're feeling down, but you're gonna make it into the Crystal Prep. I just know it." Sliver Spoon said confidently.
"How did you feel, when they asked you to join?" Scootaloo asked him.
Sliver Spoon glanced at her. Very few ponies had ever asked him that question, and even fewer got the real answer. But Scootaloo was definitely a trust-worthy pony. She was the Element of Loyalty after all. "Honestly? I wondered if I had really earned it or if it was just given to me because of my family."
"Oh, so you belong to some hot-shot family in Cloudsdale?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, they are pretty important, but I'm not from Cloudsdale." Sliver Spoon said. "I'm from Canterlot."
Scootaloo stared at him in shock. She had been under the impression that most Canterlot ponies were stuck up. Even Applebloom could show her Canterlot upbringing from time to time. Sliver Spoon was the last sort of pony that she'd expect to come from Canterlot. "Really?"
"Yeah. Do you remember how you said that your friend Applebloom was really close to the Princess? Well… I doubt that my family was as close to the Princesses as that, but my father was the Pegasus' advisor to Princess Celestia's court. When I got offered a place at the Crystal Prep's Academy, I really thought that I was only being offered a real chance to join the Crystal Prep because my father worked directly for the Princess. So… I purposefully held myself back during the Academy. I figured that if I got in even with my sub-par performance, it was just because of my father and not because of me."
"What happened?" Scootaloo asked.
"The Captain saw right through my acting, of course, He knew that I wasn't pushing myself. I didn't get offered a place on the Crystal Prep that year, but I was given the chance to come back and prove myself better. I worked really hard the second time around and was able to get in. On my own merit, not my father's."
"Can't say that I feel that way. Both of my parents are just your average weather ponies from Cloudsdale." Scootaloo said with a shrug. She loved her parents, of course, but they hardly had the sort of political clout to get her a place in the Crystal Prep.
"But you are quite an amazing pony yourself, Scootaloo." Sliver Spoon said truthfully. "If having your level of pure talent wasn't enough, then on top of that, you are one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. And you did that… all by yourself."
"Not completely by myself… at least the Elements of Harmony part." Scootaloo admitted with a blush. "I had my friends to help me with those parts."
"What is this? Humility? Who are you and what have you done with Scootaloo?" Sliver Spoon questioned jokingly.
Scootaloo smirked at him. "Oh, I could brag about my accomplishments all day long. But I'm so awesome on my own that I don't need to steal other people's accomplishments."
"So… now that I've confessed all my old fears about how I only got into the Crystal Prep on my father's tail and not my own talent… why don't you tell me something that you've never told anypony else?" Sliver Spoon asked playfully.
Scootaloo thought for a moment. "Ever since I saw my first Crystal Prep's show, I've known that I wanted to become one. It is my life-long dream. But it's only now that I'm here… I'm afraid that I won't make it."
"Won't make…? Of course, you'll make it, Scootaloo!" Sliver Spoon began.
"I just don't know anymore. In Sugarcoat's eyes, Rainbow Dash is so perfect, but she's not. She's reckless and puts other ponies in danger for her own ambition. Either Sugarcoat is completely missing the fact that she's dangerous, or she sees it and is choosing to ignore it. I don't know which one of those options is worse."
"I know that she didn't see what happened today." Sliver Spoon told her. "Even the Captain of the Crystal Prep is not omnipotent. Tell you what, Scootaloo… I'll talk to Sugarcoat about Rainbow Dash's behavior tomorrow after training. She does trust my judgment and she'll listen to me. What are you doing tomorrow? Cloud busting?" Scootaloo nodded. "How much trouble could one pony possibly get into over cloud busting?"
At his words, Scootaloo leaned into the stallion, pressing her head against his neck. "Thank you, Sliver Spoon." Before the Crystal Prep could stop himself, he returned her nuzzle affectionately, leaning into her and sighing as he rested his head on top of hers.
It took a full three seconds before he realized what he was doing and pulled away from her swiftly. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo, I didn't mean to… I was only… I just…" He stuttered, but inside he was kicking himself. So much for him being able to wait. She presses herself against him one time and he starts acting like her coltfriend.
"Sliver Spoon…" Scootaloo rested her hoof against his to draw his attention to her. It worked and he met her eyes. "I don't mind, really. I think you're an awesome pony and… horse feathers, I'm no good at this sort of stuff." She sighed.
"Then maybe I should give it a try… though I can't promise it'll come out any better." Sliver Spoon said, pausing with a sigh to gather his thoughts. "You are probably the most awesome mare I've ever met. And I would really like it if we could try… uh… being together. You probably don't want to deal with this sort of stuff right now when you're in the Academy, but I really can't help how I feel about…"
He was cut off when Scootaloo pressed her lips against his. For a second, he was frozen with his words still in his mouth, but then he relaxed into the moment and returned her kiss. It was everything that he'd ever imagined: exciting, brash, and adventurous… just like the mare herself.
Inside, Scootaloo's mind was running wild. I'm kissing Sliver Spoon! I can't believe that I'm kissing Sliver Spoon! He was a great pony and a friend, and she had no problem with taking their relationship to the next level. As far as she was concerned, it would only add twenty percent more awesome to an otherwise awesome relationship.
It would only be later that night when she would realize that she'd hadn't even given a thought about him being a Crystal Prep when she agreed to be his marefriend. Being with him wasn't about being a Crystal Prep fan dating a Crystal Prep. It was about a Sliver Spoon fan dating Sliver Spoon.
"I think I can live with giving us a try." Scootaloo said, smiling at him as she broke the kiss.
"Good. Cause that's just what I want." Sliver Spoon breathed deeply, taking in all his surroundings including the beautiful mare at his side. They leaned against each other for some time. It was the longest that either one of them had sat still without being injured in a long time.
Reluctantly, Sliver Spoon pulled away from her. "You should probably get back to the compound. You don't want to be late for training tomorrow. Cloud busting or not, Sugarcoat is not tolerate of lazy ponies."
"And you'll talk to her tomorrow?" Scootaloo asked, worried that he might have forgotten in the excitement of their newly blossomed relationship.
"I haven't forgotten, and I will." Sliver Spoon promised her. They shared one more kiss before they spread their wings and took off into the night back in the direction of the Crystal Prep Academy.
The night before, Sliver Spoon had asked Scootaloo how much trouble a pony could possibly get into over a simple cloud-busting exercise. And now, today, she had the answer to that question.
Rainbow Dash had gotten the bright idea that, even with their substantial lead over any of the other teams, they would be able to sweep the competition with a single cloud-busting tornado. But Lightning had made the tornado too big for the two mares to control and it had careened out of control. And, what was worse, today happened to be the day that her friends had decided to stop by for a quick visit and had their hot air balloon caught in the tornado. The supervising Crystal Prep and the other recruits had barely been able to extract the five mares from the out of control balloon before it plummeted to the ground.
The five mares were set firmly on the runway so they were not at risk of falling through the clouds. Scootaloo left her lead-pony's side without a second glance and landed on the ground beside her friends. Besides the shock, none of them seemed to be hurt. It was only then that Scootaloo allowed herself a sigh of relief. If any of her friends had been hurt... she didn't know what she'd do.
"Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked breathlessly, gazing at each of her friends in turn with wide eyes.
"I think we're fine." Applebloom said slowly.
"None the worse for wear thanks to your friends!" Rarity flashed her saviors a glowing smile, and the poor Crystal Prep's cadet nearly fell out of the sky as a result.
Before Scootaloo could say another word, Rainbow Dash had flown down next to her. "Hey, Dash, in case you hadn't noticed, there are still some clouds left! We can still do this!"
After days of keeping her mouth shut whenever she disagreed with Lightning's decisions, Scootaloo could no longer keep her temper. She turned on Lightning, stomping her fore-hoof on the ground and fluffing up her feathers in agitation. "In case you hadn't noticed, my friends were nearly killed by that tornado!" She growled.
"But they were not killed." Rainbow Dash said blankly. "Come on, we just need a smaller tornado this time..."
"No way!" Scootaloo yelled. "You said we could control the last one just fine, but as I remember it you spun out and I couldn't control the tornado that big on my own!"
For a few seconds, it seemed that Rainbow Dash was going to yell back at her. The two mares glared at each other, their feathers fluffed up to make them both look bigger. "I am the Lead pony and I say you have to get back up there now!" Rainbow Dash growled.
"Sugarcoat may have made you Lead pony, but that doesn't mean I have to automatically respect you and go along with every crazy scheme you come up with." Scootaloo said, and without another word she turned and stalked away. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and flew off to take care of the last few clouds left in the sky.
The other recruits glared at Lightning as she left, and turned their attention to the five ponies they had rescued. "Are you sure you're all right?" They asked.
"We're fine, but I think that more things have been happening the last few days then we thought." Applebloom responded.
Scootaloo marched herself right to Sugarcoat's office. For the first time, she was not watching the training herself, she had left that to others. Without even looking up from her paperwork, she spoke. "Scootaloo, I thought I told you to bust clouds."
"It's done, ma'am." Scootaloo responded shortly.
Sugarcoat glanced up at Scootaloo, and then spun around to look out her window. "Huh. It looks like you and Rainbow Dash are done. That's another academy record broken..."
"Captain Sugarcoat, ma'am, Rainbow Dash decided that we should use a tornado to take care of all the clouds at once."
"Well... that is a little unorthodox for simple cloud-busting, but I guess I can't argue with results." Sugarcoat commented.
"Well, I am." Scootaloo said shortly. "Rainbow Dash couldn't control the tornado and we lost control of it. Half of our fellow recruits spun out and it almost killed my friends who were coming to visit me."
At that, Sugarcoat gazed up at Scootaloo in shock. "What?"
"And that's not all. I don't know if Sliver Spoon has talked to you yet, but he's seen first-hoof what sort of pony Lightning really is." Scootaloo continued.
Sliver Spoon? Sugarcoat thought to herself. Well, he did mention he wanted to talk to me today about the recruits... But before Sugarcoat could say anything, Scootaloo was continuing.
"I know that you made Rainbow Dash the lead pony because she's driven, but there's a difference between being driven and being driven to the point of endangering other ponies. I can't be a part of a flying team that allows their ponies to fly like that." Scootaloo paused, tears welling up in her eyes. Then she glared at Sugarcoat as she ripped the silver Crystal Prep's Academy badge off her flight uniform and pressed it down on Sugarcoat's desk. "I quit." She said simply. Her eyes widened briefly as if she couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. And then her face set with determination as she turned and walked out of the office without giving Sugarcoat the chance to think, let alone speak.
Scootaloo marched down the runway, hurriedly trying to wipe the tears off her face before she got back to her friends. She couldn't believe that she had just quit on her dream! A part of her wanted to rush back and tell Sugarcoat that she didn't mean it. But she had meant it. The Crystal Prep she knew and admired would not allow such dangerous flying on their team.
Her friends were waiting out on the runway. "Dear, what happened?" Rarity asked.
Before Scootaloo could answer, another voice spoke. "Yes, I'd like to know what's going on too."
Sliver Spoon landed on the runway, gazing confused at the small group of ponies that were gathered around Scootaloo.
Scootaloo gave a small look of apology to her friends before stepping forward to meet Sliver Spoon. "Sliver Spoon... I know that you really wanted me to be on the Crystal Prep with you, but I don't think that's going to happen anymore. I just quit."
Pretty much everypony's mouths fell open. "Quit?" Sliver Spoon gasped.
"What do ya mean ya quit?" Applejack asked, shocked. "The Scootaloo I know would never quit!"
"Well, I just did." Scootaloo said. She forced a smile on her face, because she was pretty sure she would start sobbing otherwise.
"But, Scootaloo... I was just about to talk to Sugarcoat..." Sliver Spoon began.
"I know, thank you, Sliver Spoon, but my friends almost died today because of Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo said. "But, Sliver Spoon... I would still like to, you know..." She glanced nervously at her five friends. "If you're okay with me being a pathetic Crystal Prep drop out."
"Dashie..." Sliver Spoon said seriously. "I don't care about that..."
Applebloom, Rarity, and Fluttershy gazed between the two and then exchanged a glance with each other. Rarity gave a big smile, practically bouncing on her hooves with excitement, which pretty much confirmed to Applebloom and Fluttershy what they were seeing. If they were right, it seemed like Scootaloo and Sliver Spoon were... well... special someponies.
But before Rarity could say anything of the sort, Sugarcoat marched out of the administrative building looking livid. Everyone in the academy froze, even Rainbow Dash landed. Even the ponies all ready working for the Crystal Prep, who were all used to Sugarcoat, locked up in their tracks at the sight. Nearly all of them, even Sliver Spoon, jumped at attention, holding perfectly still as Sugarcoat stomped towards the Crystal Prep who had been supervising. She drew them into a huddle with a wing-signal and she asked them a few questions, which they all answered with short and to-the-point phrases. Once she was done, she marched straight towards Scootaloo, still looking mad enough to kill. "Scootaloo! How dare you walk out of my office without giving me a chance to respond!" Sugarcoat yelled.
Scootaloo instantly jumped to attention. "Ma'am! I'm sorry, ma'am!"
"Sugarcoat..." Sliver Spoon began, risking her wrath to speak up.
"I know what you're going to say, Sliver Spoon." Sugarcoat told him, and he shut up and stood at attention again. "And it's not necessary. Rainbow Dash! Front and center!"
"Ma'am!" Rainbow Dash leapt forward, but with less enthusiasm than before.
"Is it true what I've heard? Did you create a tornado that you couldn't control and endanger the lives of these ponies?" Sugarcoat asked.
For a few seconds, Lightning couldn't respond. "Ma'am... I was trying to..."
"Did you, or did you not?!" Sugarcoat yelled.
Rainbow Dash glared at Sugarcoat, and then lowed her head in defeat. "I did."
"Then perhaps nopony told you that there is no place on the Crystal Prep who would knowingly endanger their teammates or bystanders? Because the Crystal Prep are not just the best fliers. We are the best flying team in Equestria. We work together on the Crystal Prep, with no team member overshadowing or risking the lives of the others. But I suppose the fault is really with me." Sugarcoat ripped the golden Lead pony Academy badge off Lightning's flight suit. "You are not Lead pony material and you are not Crystal Prep material."
At first it looked like Rainbow Dash was going to argue with Sugarcoat, but then she just settled on sending a glare Scootaloo's way. Then she turned and stalked away, taking off and flying from the Crystal Prep Academy.
"Now, Scootaloo, at ease." Sugarcoat said to Scootaloo, and she relaxed slightly. "If you really want to quit, I'll let you. But you and I both know that's not what you want." She held out Rainbow Dash's Lead pony badge. "You were right, Dash, you are Lead pony material."
Dash could hardly get out a squeal of happiness before she quickly snatched up the badge and pinned it to her own flight suit. The rest of the recruits gathered around Scootaloo excitedly, all of them glad to be free of Rainbow Dash and her dangerous behavior.
In the commotion, Applebloom moved slightly closer to Sliver Spoon. "So... are you and Scootaloo...?" She asked quietly as to not draw attention to them.
Sliver Spoon glanced at her. "Yes, but can you keep it quiet for the moment? Hardly any pony knows..."
"Well, a few of us have guessed, but your secret is safe with us. I'll get Rarity to stop from blabbing." Applebloom said. "I'm guessing I don't need to mention how special Scootaloo is to us, and to treat her right?"
"No, you don't." Sliver Spoon said, turning his gaze proudly on Scootaloo as she took off with her fellow recruits. "I know how special she is, um..." He just realized he didn't know this mare's name.
"Applebloom Sparkle." Applebloom said, guessing what was the issue. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll all get to know each other."
"I'm Sliver Spoon, by the way."
"Second-in-Command of the Crystal Prep. I know." Applebloom said with a smile. "I've picked up a few things from knowing Scootaloo."
"Wait a second!" Sweetie Belle suddenly gasped. "I didn't get to give Scootaloo my care package!" She held up a box which had obviously been crushed in the balloon accident.
Sliver Spoon stepped forward and held out his hoof. "I'll make sure she gets it." He said, acutely aware of the two unicorns giggling slightly at that.
Well, he supposed there could be worse ways of meeting your marefriend's best friends. And Sliver Spoon now knew with one hundred percent certainty that Scootaloo's place in the reserves was in the bag. Sugarcoat wouldn't chase down any old recruit. And he had the most beautiful mare in Equestria as a marefriend. Things couldn't possibly get any better...