The Simple Life Chapter 14

“So, Thunderlane, how is it that you happened to meet my sister?”

Thunderlane gulped.

The train ride to the Crystal Empire would have overall been pleasant had it not been for his particular situation. He had first class tickets, unlimited trips to the food cart, his quarters in the sleeping car where quite spacious, and he had to admit the view of the rolling of vistas of Equestria were certainly a sight to behold. Yes, he would say without a doubt he would have found the trip quite enjoyable if it weren’t for his current predicament.

The sound of Princess Celestia clearing her throat filled the quiet space, disrupting the rhythmic sounds of the train as it traveled, signifying politely that she was eager to hear his answer as she looked down kindly at him as she sipped gingerly on a small cup of tea that she levitated with her magic. The alabaster alicorn sat on one side of the booth flanked by Rarity who took up occupancy next to the window and Twilight Sparkle on the other side closest to the aisle, a seat beside the purple unicorn noticeably vacant. Directly across from the princess sat the charcoal grey Pegasus that seemed to be finding the temperature of the train car he currently occupied growing ever stuffier. However, given the circumstances, how could he not?

‘Sweet merciful Celestia, what in the world do I say? Oh hey, how’s it going Sun Princess, supreme ruler of all Equestria, raiser of the sun that possesses enough magical power to blow me off the face of the planet? Your sister? No bigs. Yeah I helped her out with a cart, so she’s letting me rut her stupid till the grand galloping gala. But enough about me, how are things in Canterlot?’ he sarcastically spouted off in his head as all he could do in the face of such a complex and convoluted question. 'Hang on...Did I just pray to Celestia for help with talking to Celestia? I’m so boned.’ He wallowed internally until he suddenly felt a foreleg drape across shoulder, crooked at the joint so it’s hoof could gently stroke his chin while the leg drew him into an embrace to the mare beside him who, luckily for Thunderlane, was far more comfortable with speaking to the sun goddess than he was, as her other fore hoof found its way to his chest and began to draw small circles on it as she spoke.

“If Thou must know sister,” Luna began, her voice proud, almost haughty, “Our first meeting with Thunderlane occurred on the very day that We arrived in Ponyville. His chivalry spoke volumes to Us as he faced superior numbers in the defense of his younger kin.”

“Volumes?” Celestia said sweetly as she levitated her cup down and all the while smiling at the small stallion before ever-so-slightly craning her head to gaze at her sister, her soft smile upturning into slightest of smirks. “You don’t say,” her voice soft and delicate and so sincere to the point that only Luna’s ears, that had millennia of practice and experience with dealing with her sister, picked up the slightest trail of mocking sarcastic disbelief and perceived as an opened hoofed slap in the face.

“Oh We DO say,” Luna shot back defiantly, masking her emotions far less elegantly than her sister as she protectively drew Thunderlane’s head to her breast, leaving the stallion naught to do but offer his princess a nervous smile. “Once more he even courted Us as proper stallion should! Showering Us with such affection before he had even worked up the courage to ask for our hoof in courtship!”

“Is that so?” Celestia questioned kindly with what would have been an expressionless face if not for the raised eyebrow  and smirk that seemed to widen at Luna’s rash response. She turned to Thunderlane, “I would just love to hear how you managed to win the heart of my sister,” she spoke and Thunderlane could have sworn she was being coy, which was promptly confirmed as pony princess leaned closer to him, “From the tales that I’ve heard, she’s always been oh so hard to get,” she tossed in as she batted her eyes innocently at the male Pegasus, anxiously awaiting his response.

Thunderlane found himself released from Luna’s grasp and as such, now sat upright. However, that did not solve his speech impediment as no words could come to him. He shot a nervous look at Luna who had now furrowed her brow and sported an indignant and annoyed look and she quickly and angrily slurped at her own tea saucer in loud contrast to her sister’s dainty quite sips, leaving him no choice but try and answer. He felt his lips part, but before he could make a sound Luna set her cup down roughly on its glass saucer and again spoke for him.

“Dear sister thou know as well Us it is most uncouth of a proper gentlecolt to divulge! It simply isn’t becoming!”

“Yes of course,” Celestia eased back as she chuckled out her sisters quickly mounting fury, “a true gentlecolt has manners and etiquette, speaking of which, I must have misplaced mine. Ladies,” she gazed at Thunderlane, “gentlecolt, the pastry part must cart must be roving about at this time, I insist you all partake.

“Oh now that you mention it,“ Rarity began as she quite awkwardly rose and shifted her way in front of and passed her royal highness, “I am feeling a tad,” she paused to think for the most ladylike word for hungry, “peckish!” she declared with a raised hoof.

“Well in that case,” Celestia announced, “Sentry?”

At the mention of his name another pegasus quickly entered the room. Clad in the golden armor of the Equestrian Royal Guard there wasn’t anything too remarkable about the tan coated, blue maned guard, at least not something most noticed. However he did have one distinguishing feature on his armor that made him stand out quite remarkably indeed to the alicorns and a certain purple unicorn in the train car. It was something that Twilight had actually been quite keen on making a note of as soon as she had lays eye on it when he met them at in the castle and escorted them all on the train and was waiting for what she felt was the moment was proper. His rank insignia, one that Twilight was all too familiar with, after all, it was the same rank that once been proudly worn by…

“Flash Sentry, Captain of the Guard at your service M’lady!” he announced cheerfully with a graceful bow. “What is it that I can do for you fine mares and gentlecolts?”

“No need for theatrics Captain” Celestia said warmly to put him at ease, “All that I ask is that escort them to the pastry cart.”

“I shall do so at once my Liege,” he slammed a hoof to his breast plate before saluting her, clearly not easing up at all as the Princess had hoped he would, “with courage and honor!”  Then casting his eyes at the mares they fell upon the one closest, who was Rarity, who all in all seemed quite taken by his display and offered her his fore leg.

An awkward cough came from Celestia.

The one called Flash Sentry nervously withdrew his arm before glancing around the room, before offering his foreleg to Luna who wore a cocked eyebrow, and an unimpressed look of disinterest.

Another awkward cough.

Flash Sentry now VERY awkwardly maneuvered around Rarity over to Twilight Sparkle, however with a very uncertain look upon his face, and pointed at her first as he gave the Princess an uncertain gaze.

Princess Celestia sighed and rubbed a temple with fore hoof as she slowly nodded.

Flash Sentry beamed proudly at Twilight and thrust his foreleg in her direction with pleasant smile upon his face.

“Uhh, well,  I suppose I could get something…” Twilight said nervously as she looked at him, a cute stallion by any regard, no matter how weird the situation had become. “But I’m pretty sure I don’t need a-“

“Twilight, where are your manners, never turn down polite gesture from such a handsome stallion, especially one that looks sooo good in uniform.” Rarity lightly reprimanded prompting an eye roll from Twilight Sparkle who begrudgingly took his foreleg causing Rarity to smile ludicrously. “Come, let us be on our way.”

“We suppose We can do with a bite to eat, art thou coming sister?” Luna said as she too made her way towards the cabin door.

“We’ll be along sister,” Celestia said pleasantly as she raised her tea glass up. “Once I finish.”

“We suppose it is for the best you let us go first,” Luna responded, but then flashing her sister a cruel smirk, “Come girls let us make haste before the princess,” she spoke making heavy stresses on Celestia’s title, “finishes her tea… and ravages the cart and leaves us naught but crumbs,” she tossed out gleefully as she pranced from the cabin to aisle, eliciting an eye-roll from her sister.

However it was Celestia who would have the last laugh as her ploy worked. Quite well actually she decided as she saw the other two mares leave the cabin before magically shutting the cabin door behind them. She turned her attention to the last remaining occupant besides herself. A very nervous, very fidgety charcoal grey Pegasus who, in Luna’s haste to drop a snide comment, her sister had left unattended,  unguarded, unprotected, and for Celestia’s purposes, unsupervised. A fact not unnoticed by the stallion who gulped loudly as she returned her gaze to him.

“Sometimes she’s too easy,” Celestia spoke, her tone still kind and her smile gentle as she addressed him. “And while I understand your nervousness Thunderlane, I assure you it is not needed, as I simply wish to speak with you.”

“O-okay,” he mumbled.

“Ah, I see you found your voice,  for a moment I thought my sister had decided upon a mute.”

“…”

“That was a joke.”

“Oh, ah ha ha ha,” Thunderlane nervously chuckled.

“You seem a capable stallion, so if you wouldn’t mind I would prefer to be frank. My sister is poison.”

“Poison?”

“Yes, I’m afraid, and it would do you well to steer clear of her. I’m not sure of your experiences with other mares but I assure Luna is quite a different matter.”

‘You got that right!’ Thunderlane inwardly chuckled to himself though he dare not show it.

“Now I certainly understand your position and I can truly sympathize with your feelings, but I regret that I must tell you one thing that I’m quite certain of,” Celestia continued with a sigh. Then, with the softest smile she could give him as if she was surgeon about to deliver the heartbreaking news to an expectant family, “My sister does not love you I’m afraid,” she paused, waiting for rebuttal that she was sure would come, but when it oddly did not she continued. “I fear you’ve been swept up in game that she tends to play, which happens to involve her praying on unfortunate stallions such as yourself and I feel it my duty to let you know before this carries on to far.”

Thunderlane shifted nervously in his seat, if he told her that knew the princess didn’t love her and it was all giant scheme, surely she would smite him where he sat.

“So,” she spoke up again, setting down her teacup, “How about you tell me how you and my sister really met?”

“Well,” Thunderlane tried to start, but froze as he couldn’t bring himself to tell the princess that her beloved sister had broken into his house, threw herself at him, and let him rail her senseless for fear that he and the rest of the train car behind be blown to smithereens in a magical blast. So instead he nervously tapped his fore hooves together, praying for Luna to quickly return.

“Okay,” Celestia said, pulling his attention back up to her, “let’s try something else, how about I guess what happened and you tell me if I’m wrong? Yes, I rather like that idea, it’s been a while since I played it. Okay,” she began stroking her chin for moment before proceeding. “I bet, that you did meet Luna on her first day, that you did meet her defending your sibling , and you did help her to her cart. She always tosses in a little bit a truth to make her stories seem more believable, and I’m betting that’s it. Am I right?”

Thunderlane deftly nodded.

“Then let’s see…” The princess now had a large smile on her face, clearly enjoying the little challenge she had made for herself. “That’s when it started, let me guess, you began to have dreams about her?”

Thunderlane’s eyes went wide, which was more than enough proof from the Sun God.

“First a few, a few powerful dreams, then it was every night wasn’t it?” she continued.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. How could she possible know this?

“Next thing you know, you can’t get her out of your head. She goes from being a mare in your dreams to the mare of your dreams. You can’t shake the thought of her and then,” the princess smirked wider as Thunderlane’s body language told her everything and she gleaned that she had won her little game and knew the rest. “And then, she appeared in your chambers, unannounced… ” Celestia whispered to him, her lilac eye locked on his golden ones. “And I imagine it wasn’t the manners and refined etiquette of a gentlecolt that was becoming that evening.” she finished stressing a certain word to indicate she knew what the two of them had done.

A noise came from Thunderlane’s mouth that Celestia likened to cat being strangled and couldn’t help but have just a tad bit more fun with him.

“Is that all the stallion who bedded my sister without my royal consent has to say?” she questioned rising to her full height as she looked down on him as regally and threateningly as she could muster, which was not very much as she was holding back laughter, but it seemed to suffice as the stallion found his voice.

“Look, I gotta little brother at home,” he moaned, “I’m all he’s got in the world, I never meant to hurt nopony, I’ll do whatever you want, I scrub your palace, I’ll wash your chariot, I’ll polish your horseshoes with my toothbrush ANYTHING! Just please…PLEASE DON’T SEND ME TO THE MOON!”

She lost it, in a refined manner of course, but lost it none the less as she laughed heartily at his predicament.

“You have nothing to worry about Thunderlane, you are not the first, but I do pray you to be the last that has fallen to such a ploy. Each time I guess it, everypony is always so frightened, but dare I say you are the first that thought I might send them to the moon,” she explained through her laughter.

“Y-you’re not mad?” Thunderlane asked nervously.

“Of course not, quite the contrary,” Celestia explained. “Luna seems quite happy, and that raises my spirits more than you can imagine. I’ve longed for such banter between her and I for so long, if I have to play along with this little façade, then so be it. I find it rather enjoyable.”

“You… knew?”

“Yes, Thunderlane, from the minute she began parading you in front of me. But I do so enjoy watching my sister flounder to try and keep up this charade going, and can’t wait to see it collapse on her as it always does, to try and drive me up a wall. It will only be a matter of time before I trip her on a small lie, or she’ll make a tiny blunder and the whole thing blows up in her face.  It’s usually quite the spectacle,” she chuckled before picking up her tea cup once more, “You won’t tell her will you? She has such fun until the end and I hate to spoil it for her seeing as how this game has just begun.” She placed a hoof to her chin and smiled mischievously, “But do tell her that I said she was poison, I imagine it would have quite the impact.”

Thunderlane smiled, at first he had been confused but then it all clicked. How many times did Rumble come up with some fantastical tale that he would enjoy watching unravel at the seams as more details came out. How many times had his little brother did things that he thought was clever that he already knew all the details of because he had done them himself umpteen times before. It was at that moment Thunderlane’s opinion of Celestia changed, not by much, more like an added piece of his image of her. He had all ways envisioned her regal, godlike, majestic and all powerful, but now he tossed in ‘older sister’. It was such an odd thing, like how he still regarded Luna as a powerful alicorn, a mysterious pony whose lifespan had surpassed Equestria itself… but also that she liked it when you kissed her behind the ear. Thunderlane picked up his own teacup for the first time since he boarded the train to which Celestia guided over a teapot magically and poured him out a serving.

“Sugar?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” he replied as she lifted two cubes to his glass. Thunderlane looked at the princess and found her smiling at him, not as a Princess would her subject, but as one passenger on a train would another. He decided he liked Celestia. “So, I guess, here’s to you, umm, making a foal out of your sister?” he offered, not so much a toast as it was a question as he held the glass teacup out.

“I’m sorry my little pony… I surmise you thought differently of your princess, and now,” she mused, “you must think me quite the bitch.”

“Nah,” Thunderlane grinned at her for the first time. “But I do think you’re a pretty cool older sister.”

Celestia levitated her glass to his allowing them to clink.

---------------

Sonic and Rainbow Dash winced as the saw Scootaloo barrel head first into the ground in her latest attempt at flight. Her last try stemmed from Rainbow Dash giving her flying start and releasing, hoping the updraft would help her, but all that had accomplished was allowing her to awkwardly glide face first into the dirt. This was the second Saturday they had spent with her, and the first since Twilight Sparkle and the others left for the Crystal Empire and they seemed no closer to their goal. They had been there all morning, all afternoon and as the sun began to dip down to signal the beginning of the evening and it would seem that the sun wasn’t the only thing beginning to go down.

“WHY CAN’T I DO IT!?” Scootaloo screamed, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, “Everyone else my age can fly! Why can’t I fly!? What’s the matter with me?!”

“Hey easy Scoot,” Rainbow Dash said trotting next to her and rubbing her on her back. “ We’ll get it, you know Fluttershy had hard time flying as well.”

“Fluttershy could always fly when she needed to! Fly when it mattered! I can’t fly to save my life! Featherweight can fly! Alua can fly! Rumble can fly! Why can’t I?” Scootaloo shot back angrily, not willing to be cheered up. Here she was, with her idol, Rainbow Dash, The coolest pony in the whole world and not even she could get her fly. Now, in front of her idol and her two best friends, she for the first time since she had become one, lost her crusader spirit and suddenly just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

Sonic for the most part was speechless, he didn’t know how important it was to a Pegasus to fly, but he had good reason to believe it was right up there with walking and breathing. This being the case he felt his stomach turn at her frustration and not being able to help her in a greater capacity. However, as he tried to think of some encouraging words to help out, his attention was drawn to the sky. Suddenly, this is not to say that Scootaloo’s problems weren’t severe, however they quickly became the least of his problems heart began to pound at the sight of what began to fill the park they occupied with preternatural darkness.

“What?” Sweetie Belle began.

“In tarnation” Applebloom continued.

“Is that?” Scootaloo finished wiping away tears as she peered into the sky with awe and fear.

“Sonic?” Rainbow Dash said moving next to the hedgehog who now had a look of angry determination and tightly balled fist to match. “Sonic? What is that? Is that what I think it is? What’s going on?!”

I dunno Dash,” Sonic answered truthfully as she took in the sight of the large metallic hull of the floating ship. As his eyes registered the design scheme and technological similarities to a certain departed dictator they quickly focused on an entry hatch that opened with a pressurized hiss. “Nothing good is my guess.”

As all in attendants stared on with baited breath, several other Ponyville inhabitants began to trot to the open park where the metal flying machine hovered listlessly in the air as they had never seen such a sight and if there was one thing Sonic had learned was that Ponyvilliens were a curious lot. This was made more evident by the hushed murmurs as the figure appeared in the hatchway and with a moderate hum of a spooling turbine that Sonic was all too familiar with, and with a calculated swift decent, Sonic found himself face to face with perhaps his greatest rival.

“Metal,” Sonic greeted.

“Sonic the hedgehog,” Metal responded, “There is a matter of extreme importance that we must discuss immediately.”

“Well, I’m standing right here,” Sonic responded, as his stance eased a bit. The automaton didn’t appear to have violence in his schedule that evening.

“This will not suffice as this is matter that must be discussed free of Equestrian ears and therefore I require you to join me in solitude at once,” Metal quickly informed him.

“Well,” Sonic looked back at his new friends, “alright, gimme a second here, I was trying help Scootaloo learn to fly so let me just say goo-” he tried say as he turned to bid them farewell but was swiftly interrupted.

“Negative, this matter requires immediate attention and you wasting time on fruitless endeavors does not pose an excellent reason to delay this meeting.”

Sonic paused and slowly turned back to face Metal, anger now reappearing on his face. “What did you just say?”

 “Negative, this matter requires immediate attention and you wasting time on fruitless endeavors does not pose an excellent reason to delay this meeting.”

“Now you see,” Sonic explained, “I know what you’re trying to say, I’m just not feeling how you said it.”

“I fail to see how your feelings have any bearing on my explanation of you attempting to achieve the impossible task of teaching the young pegasus to fly,” Metal pressed on.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, “Nothing is impossible if you work hard enough!”

“The concept that a strong work ethic and determination to complete a task will not improve the likelihood of success in teaching this flightless Pegasus to achieve a flight.”

“Who you calling flightless, chrome dome!” Scootaloo cried angrily as tears again began to form at the robots accusations.

“You. I am calling you flightless. You are also incorrect in your assessment that my cranial plating is made of chrome. I am comprised of many dense and durable metal alloys that have molecularly combined to create a high strength composite metal. However this idle prattle has detoured me from my goals of acquiring a meeting with Sonic the hedgehog.” Metal rebutted.

“Well, I’m not going anywhere until you apologize to for the mean things that you said about her!” Sonic stated defiantly, growing quite angry at Metal’s behavior.

“I will not apologize as it would imply that my statements where false when they are indeed true,” Metal replied then adamantly pointed at Scootaloo, “This one cannot fly. It doesn’t have the proper structure likely due to a birthing defect that has rendered it with a disabling bone growth that impedes its ability to achieve flight. It is crippled.”

There was a deathly silence that pervaded the area as all fell silent. Scootaloo’s mouth parted slightly as her breath shortened as she turned to look at Rainbow Dash only to see her hero eyes now frantically looking at her wings, searching them a deformity. Scootaloo felt herself grow very aware of herself and a felt a warm swelling growing in her throat as she looked to her other friends who also had worried looks on their faces as they two scanned her small wings. Suddenly it felt as if all eyes were on her wings, and they unconsciously twitched rapidly under the scrutiny of the crowd. It felt as if every whisper of the now present crowd was directed at her, wondering if what was said was true, and nods to one another as they recalled never seeing her fly, and questions began to fly as to why was she last pegasus her age still stuck on the ground. Scootaloo’s chest rose and fell rapidly as her world collapsed and she found she could no longer hold back the anguish the Sonic look-a-like had stricken her with.

Rainbow Dash and the other crusaders quickly embraced the young Pegasus as she fell to the ground and cried out loudly letting her tears soak the earth. The sight was enough to send Sonic over the edge.

“Metal,” Sonic said, now gritting his teeth as the young Pegasus could no longer contain herself. “Metal you take it back!”

“My recanting of the truth will make it no less true,” Metal said coldly.

“I said TAKE IT BACK!” He screamed as he lunged at Metal but his advance was stopped by his doppelganger grabbing ahold of him at both wrist and holding fast.

“I HAVE NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR FOOLISHNESS!” Metal boomed, quickly raising the volume of his PA system to match Sonic’s tone.

“FOOLISHNESS?! YOU THINK BREAKING A LITTLE GIRL’S HEART IS FOOLISHNESS?! I’LL TEAR YOU APART!” Sonic roared as he struggled to free himself.

“ENOUGH!” Metal roared back, and he quickly swung his arms and flung Sonic threw the air creating space between them. His engines quickly spooled up and with burst of speed he advanced on the group of ponies, thrust his arm into the mass of them with burst from his engines took off back to his ship clutching a screaming Scootaloo by the nape of her neck.

Sonic quickly recovered by but metal was beyond his reach by that point and he quickly rushed to Rainbow Dash’s side. “Rainbow! After him!” he ordered as he hopped onto her back to which she quickly spread her wings and began to take off. However, she stopped as she felt additional weight.

“Not without us you don’t!” Sweetie Belle shouted clinging to the cyan Pegasus along with Apple Bloom.

“What?! Girls! Let go!” Rainbow Dash shouted back.

“Crusaders stick together!” Apple Bloom yelled.

“Dash, no time, the hatch is closing!” Sonic shouted as he pointed to the ship’s entryway where Metal had since disappeared.

Dash found she didn’t have time to argue and took off for the ship, quickly closing the gap and as the mechanical door shut, barely managing to squeeze her and her three passengers through the hatch as it shut, creating an air tight pressurized seal around it as it did.

“Well polish ma’ hooves and curl ma’ hair…” Apple Bloom gasped as she took in the interior of the ship. “Why I ain’t never seen nuttin’ like this ‘fore in ma‘ life!”

“It’s so shiny,” Sweetie Belle added the shivered a bit at the air conditioned atmosphere and shivered as the coldness of the ceramic tile beneath her hooves sent a chill up her spine.

“Never thought I’d be in another one of these,” Rainbow Dash commented looking about.

“I prayed I never would,” Sonic commented as he two began to search for signs of where Metal Sonic had dragged Scootaloo.

“Greetings,” a pleasant sounding female voice said. “Welcome to the Last Resort.”

“Hi,” the white unicorn foal called back cheerfully, oblivious to the fact she was talking to a machine as her head swiveled about looking for who was talking. “I’m Sweetie Belle.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Sweetie Belle, and how can I assist you today?”

“Help us find Scootaloo !” Rainbow Dash yelled also whipping herself about, not sure where to direct her voice.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t understand you, did you need help finding a kangaroo?” the responded as a holographic display appeared displaying a picture of a kangaroo.

“No!” Rainbow shouted angrily, “Take us to Scootaloo!?”

“Take you to the zoo?” The voice responded and instantly display another screen highlighting a course from the from the current direction to the large family zoo in Hoofington.

“No!” Rainbow screamed even angrier “Where can I find Scootaloo?!”

“You need help finding deals on a canoe?” It responded this time pulling up various white water rapid sporting equipment dealers throughout Equestria.

 “Why you miserable piece of junk!” Dash bellowed at the top of her lungs before Sonic silenced her.

“Where is Metal Sonic?” Sonic said clearly.

“Metal Sonic is in the medical bay.”

“Where is that?” Dash asked.

“Right this way,” the voice said as bright yellow line began to glow on the floor and snake through the ship as a trail to their quarry.

 Without further ado the small team rushed towards the medical bay to rescue the small Pegasus. As they drew closer they began to hear her screams and cries fill their ears which spurred their steps. As they drew closer still, her cries turned from being screams of help to more frustrated complaints, but as they passed under signs that told them they were entering the medical facility there were no sounds from her at all causing their fear to mount. At long last they approached the final door between them and Rainbow Dash spun rose on her forelegs and bucked the door open wide…

“Hey guys,” Scootaloo said cheerfully.

“Don’t worry we’re here to sa-“ Dash started but quickly stopped as she saw the small Pegasus was sitting calmly on a table as Metal Sonic stood in front of her point to another holographic display. “What’s going here?”

“He says he can make it so I fly!” Scootaloo shouted almost unable to contain her joy, “isn’t that great?!”

“It had become clear that you would not listen to reason until this pegasus’s flight was achieved

There was a pervading silence that filled the room as they all stared on with disbelief.

“You better tell them too,” Scootaloo spoke to Metal.

“Very well,” he responded as he pushed a button on one of the various consoles next to him prompting mechanical arms to come to life and quickly latch onto Rainbow Dash who quickly and in vein began to struggle in protest, but it was to no avail as she was swiftly guided over one side of the room before another set of arms reached out, grabbed the tips of her wings and stretched them wide.

“Hey what’s the big id-“ she began before she was promptly cutoff by weird whirring noise. "What the heck is that noi-"

FFFFFFWAP!

A blinding flash that came from seemingly all around her forced her to start seeing spots and left her dazed. Next thing she knew the machine released her and she was free to move about the cabin once more, albeit after she rubbed her eyes and allowed her vision clear, she saw two images that Metal Sonic displayed. Both of them looked like the skeletons of ponies she had seen in school books but these looked different upon closer examination.

“That one on left is me,” Scootaloo said pointing at one of the images, which in turned cause Rainbow Dash’s eyes to widen as she realized the one on the right was her. What did he do that he could look inside her and see her bones?

“This is normal healthy Pegasus wing that enables flight,” Metal quickly explained as he pointed to the bones in Rainbow Dash’s wings and promptly began to explain how though hollow to decrease weight for flight, they were very sturdy and of excellent form.

“Wait,” Sweetie Belle interrupted. “Pegasus bones are hollow?”

“Yes,” Metal answered promptly.

“Shouldn’t that make ‘em snap like twigs?” Applebloom followed up.

“OH! OH! I know this one,” Sonic said, almost jumping and down, “Since they’re hollow, they can squeeze in to deal with pain and then bounce back! Which is why a hollow baseball bat hits a ball farther!”

Metal glared at him with cold eyes, “Your parents must be so proud,” Then turning back to the fillies, “What he said is true, albeit exceedingly simplified, hollow bones allow for the bone to absorb impact better than solid bone structure this allows for their bones to be lighter while maintaining a resiliency to fracture that is on par with your own however,” he then pointed to Scootloo’s X-ray, “Scootaloo was born with defect. A quick look at her bone structure shows a great amount of deformity. This is caused by a congenital bone disorder characterized by brittle bones that are prone to fracture, or in her case impedes with proper muscle growth and has severally damaged the connective tissue. This is called osteigenesis imperfecta.”

“So, she’s sick?” Rainbow Dash asked barely following along.

“Yes, to the point of permanent disability. Her condition cripples her ability to fly.” Metal answered.

“And he says he can fix it!” Scootaloo beamed.

“Metal,” Sonic asked wearily, “How are you gonna fix it?”

“I will remove the bones and damaged nerves endings and implant segmented friction locking shafts that  that will extend with growth that I have projected based on her femur measurements and attach them to her working nervous system with synthetic nerve receptors that can mimic that of a proper nervous system effectively giving her the working skeletal and nervous structure of flight as well reattach her muscles properly and inject them with a steroidal compound to speed growth that has been stunted for years so they can grow back in proper order over the course of an estimated months’ time,” He explained.

“What?” Sonic said dumbly.

“I will fix her.”

“You can do that?” Rainbow Dash asked, still doubtful.

“Easily.”

There was another silence that filled the room as they all absorbed the information that was put out before them.

“Isn’t it great,” Scootaloo finally spoke up, breaking the quietness. “I’ll finally be able to fly!”

“Well that’s great Scoot!” Apple Bloom cheered, “Course will miss you, and all those cool tricks you can do on your scooter.”

“You kidding, I’ll still be the greatest scooterer…er…scooter-trick-pony…scootarifi-“ Scootaloo struggled to get out.

“Extreme scooter enthusiast,” Metal Sonic announced.

“What he said!” Scootaloo confirmed. “And just because I’ll be able to fly doesn’t mean I’m not Crusader, I’ll still hang out with you guys all the time! You’re my best friends after all.”

“Awwww,” Sweetie Belle swooned.

“You sure you want this kid?” Rainbow Dash asked, but she already knew the answer.

“More than anything, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo responded.

“Then let us begin.” Metal said, pushing more buttons on various consoles. Almost instantly trays filled with all manner of surgical molecularly sharpened knives, stainless steel rods and clamps and a host of other instruments appeared. Then more mechanical arms lashed out from the ceilings and walls and grabbed Scootaloo firmly at the legs, wingtips, torso and neck, and with a quiet yelp from the Pegasus, pinned her to and operating table that ejected from the wall on her stomach.

“Whoa Metal,” Sonic quickly questioned, “what gives?”

“This is a delicate surgery, I cannot have her moving.” He replied.

“Can’t you just put her to sleep?” he asked quickly.

“Doctor Robotnik was human,” he responded. “What reason would he have for horse anesthetics?”

Everyone gasped, Sonic understood him, and once it was voiced it was painfully clear that it also made sense and even though everyone knew still Sonic asked the next question.

“So she’ll be awake?”

“Yes, I surmise she well fall unconscious shortly after we begin depending on her pain tolerance.” Metal answered.

“Scoot hold on, we’ll think of someth-” Sonic quickly called out to her.

“NO!” Scootaloo shouted. “This is gonna happen. I AM GOING TO FLY!”

Sonic saw the look in her eyes and quickly turned around and grabbed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle by their hooves and began to escort them out of the room.

“Wait!” Sweetie protested, “We wanna stay with Scoo-“

“Not for this,” Sonic said grimly as he tightened his grip and began to drag them out. “We’ll be outside Dash.”

Dash’s mouth had been partly open from shock when she realized that Scootaloo was going to feel everything but eventually she regained herself and looked at Metal Sonic.

“Is it going to be bad?” She asked numbly, “How badly will it hurt.”

“It will hurt,” was all Metal responded with as he moved next to the table and took up the surgical scalpel and prepared to begin.

Rainbow Dash looked at Scootaloo who already had tears in her eyes as she too prepared for what was about to happen and Rainbow Dash reached out with a hoof and stroked her mane.

“It’s gonna be okay kiddo,” she said trying to hide the quivering in her voice as she saw metal slowly bring the knife towards her wing. “I’ll be right here the whole time.”

“Just think Rainbow Dash...” she began but swiftly gasped as she felt the scalpel rest against her the base of her wing, “I’ll be able to fly with you in no time.”

“Are you ready?” Metal asked coldly.

Scootaloo inhaled, exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, inhaled deeply and exhaled deeply and gritted her teeth.

“Do it.”

*********

Three hours.

They had been waiting three hours.

Sonic, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom had been waiting patiently outside the hovering spaceship for over three hours and it had gotten to the point that a good deal of the amassed townsfolk had left the clearing and went about their business. The crowd that now awaited the return of Rainbow Dash and even more so Scootaloo after Sonic had explained what was happening was down to thirty, but of those twenty those present included Mare Mayor, Nurse Redheart was of course called in case there was a medical emergency along with several of the town doctors from Ponyville General Hospital who scoffed at such a surgery ad were poised to perform medical aid that they were certain she we need when such a preposterous surgery inevitably failed. Their pessimism only serving to rile up those left. Rounding out the crowd were the Apples and Foxtrot who had wondered where the girls were and why they had not come home along with a few of the town guards who were poised to arrest the robot if Scootaloo was harmed. Sonic thought they would no doubt be unsuccessful, he thought to himself that if Metal harmed the small Pegasus, he would make sure himself they would not have enough pieces of him left to turn in.

“So your friend up there,” A female voice came from Sonic’s side drawing his attention. “Ponies say he’s fixing a crippled Pegasus. Is it true?”

Sonic looked at the mare that was speaking to him, a light green mare who was wearing a brown cloak who had a disheveled mane comprised of various shades of blonde and a set of piercing golden eyes. Something about her was odd, Sonic could not put his finger on it, but he could have sworn he’d seen this mare before.

“That’s what we’re hoping,” he replied.

“Can he do it?” She asked.

“If there is anyone who could, it would be him,” Sonic admitted.

 “You seem to think he can,” she added.

“He’d better,” Sonic responded causing the mare to chuckle.

“Say, if it works, you think he could fix other ponies?” she asked. This question threw him off guard a little bit. “Like if they were missing a leg or a wing or you know, whatever?”

“Actually,” Sonic chuckled, “I think making new body parts would be his specialty, considering how many times he’s had to rebuild and put himself back together.”

“Good to know,” the mare said turning and beginning to make her way away from the crowd.

“Why do you wanna know?” Sonic asked after her.

“No reason,” She responded coolly, “Just there are a lot of ponies he might be able to help if he could.

Sonic nodded, this mare, whoever she was, was right. Metal could do a lot of good here if he helped heal the ponies and other races. He could do things that would think were miracles. Sonic resigned to talk to him about this, and he had this mare to thank for the idea. Who was she? He knew he had seen her before… heard her voice before. This was gonna eat him up if he could not remember!

“Hey!” Sonic yelled to her as he gave up trying to figure it out. “I didn’t catch your name!”

The mare’s cloak whipped back with a powerful unfurling of her wings, informing Sonic that she was a pegasus, that she held out proudly. She crocked her head back to face him and gave him a vicious smile.

“I didn’t drop it.”

Sonic watched the mare take off with a strong down stroke of her wings that launched her upwards and quickly disappear in the distance, but his attention did not stay on her for long as at long last, the hatch once again reopened and the air was filled with sound of turbine engine as Metal Sonic emerged and lowered himself to the ground before Sonic the Hedgehog. The entire crowd gasped as all eyes immediately went to his hands, which were soaked to the forearms in still wet blood that dripped upon the ground.

“You will come with me now to discus-“ He began before he was immediately interrupted by the sound of Foxtrot drawing his sword and bringing it to the ready as he let out a menacing growl which sent off a chain reaction in the guards forcing them to surround him and train  their pointed spears and preparing to strike, as a host of shouts and accusations from everyone where flung towards him ranging from calling him a murder to psychopath. Metal allowed this continue for close to twenty seconds before his patience wore thing and quickly raised the volume of his P.A. system to a level slightly below deafening. “SILENCE!!!” he roared sending the ponies and even Sonic stumbling back words before turning his voice back to normal and addressing Sonic once more. “You will come with me now to discuss the matters I have to discuss with you.”

“Metal,” Sonic said while recovering and balling his fists, “Where is she?!” He asked with a finality in his voice.

“Right here Sonic,” Dash’s voice called out, quiet and gently and gently descended from to the ground. Scootaloo lay across her back, eyes half open as her chest rose and fell in a heavy pant as she was too exhausted from the ordeal to keep her tongue in her mouth. Here wings were bandaged tightly with blood-soaked cloths from the tip of her wing span to the joint where her wing fused with her back. The area worked on was swollen and left  her wings lying limp as she could not muster the strength to tuck them normally. “She’s fine.”

The Doctors disagreed, swarming her swiftly. One of the unicorns present gently lifted her with magic and set her on a gurney that they had rolled to the clearing and immediately began inspecting, however Metal quickly intervened. Moving at high speeds past the guards with ease and sending the doctors backpedaling with his commanding presence.

“Your meddling will only serve to delay the healing process or ruin the work done at this delicate stage of recovery you will not touch her,” he ordered.

“We need to fix whatever you did to her you monster!” one of the doctors boldly ascertained.

“You do not have the level of medical knowledge and skill and to assess such a claim. I assure you the bone replacement was a success and the young equine requires time to heal My calculations hold that she will be flightless for an approximate two to three months’ time but should be able should have proper mobility and use of her legs within the week.” Metal explained.

“Why does she smell so bad?” Sweetie Belle said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“She voided her bowels as is a common result of prolonged exposure to extreme trauma and high thresholds of pain,” Metal said flatly, leaving Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle still scratching their heads at his words, but the older ponies present, especially those in the medical field appalled.

“You did this without anesthesia?!” Nurse Redheart shrieked. “That’s barbaric!”

“There was none available to me I highly doubt you would have allowed me to use whatever methods for pain reduction based on the fact that you don’t believe such a surgery is possible but I promise she has survived and will be fine.”

“And why should we trust you?!”

“Be…because he fixed me…” Scootaloo managed hushing the doctors, her voice exhausted and hoarse from her screaming.

“I was there, he told me everything as he did it,” Rainbow Dash quick to defend him. “I didn’t understand half of it, but I saw her bones that he pulled out, they were gnarled and crazy looking.”

“But…but how could he know that? How could he know what to do?!” Another doctor called out in disbelief.

“The manner by which I have come about such knowledge does not concern you.” Metal responded.

“Could you show us how?” another called out, a younger adult unicorn. However his question silenced the others as sudden new wave of curiosity over took these ponies that dedicated their lives to the medical field as they all looked to the robot with baited breath to hear his answer. When he did not immediately respond the unicorn added to his plea, “you could save a lot of lives.”

“That may be but at the moment it certainly is not my concern nor should it be yours. You should see to it this Pegasus is given pain reducing drugs and receive plenty of rest for her body to recuperate,” he then turned to Sonic. “You will now come with me hedgehog.”

Sonic glanced at Scootaloo, then at Rainbow Dash who nodded at him.

“Alright, what is it that you wannWOOOOAAAH!!” Sonic shouted as Metal Sonic clasped onto his wrist and quickly rocketed him back into his ship.

“I guess that’s just how he invites you into his flying ship,” Sweetie Belle mused as she witnessed for the second time that evening Metal Sonic abducted someone in front of her.

***********

“You know,” Sonic said rubbing his wrist as he followed Metal Sonic down his ship’s corridors. “You could have gave me a little warning.”

“I have wasted enough of my time on your worthless endeavors,” Metal spoke.

“You helped a little girl,” Sonic responded, “You call that worthless?”

“In the grand scheme of things, it is entirely fruitless,”

“Not to her.”

“…”

“You did something amazing back there Metal, I think you should teach those ponies how do it.”

“That is an abuse of our privilege of advanced sciences they have no right to know would you have me teach them to make rifles?”

“WHAT?! NO!”

“On that same principle I cannot give them advanced medical treatments.”

Sonic stopped prompting Metal to spin around to face him.

“Listen Metal, and listen good, I’m not as smart as you, I never will be. But if you’re telling me that you can’t see a difference between making a new leg or new arm or giving life back to someone back and making a gun, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.” Sonic explained. “If that little pony can fly because of what you did today, then you’ve done some real good. Some REAL good Metal.”

There was silence between them.

“You wanna be better than me Metal?” Sonic offered him with a smile, “Then do what I can’t, and Metal, I can’t do that.”

“I will consider your offer.”

“That’s all I can ask.”

“However, we have far more pressing matters,” he informed him as he continued on his path finally directing him of main bridge with several monitors including a central holographic display that show cased the entire planet. Sonic noted several indicators in bright yellow that were glowing all around the planet, including in the orbit around it and one flashing red that seemed be located in the griffon city of Wyndia. “Do you recall our battle with the late Creator?”

“Robuttnik?” Yeah I remember.” Sonic answered.

“I was incorrect as to all the debris burning up in the atmosphere I have made it my priority to collect the remains of his scattered fleet and dispose of the materials and technology by either destroying it or integrating into this ship the Last Resort.”

“Okay? So that’s what you have been up to?”

“This world is not advanced enough to comprehend the machinations from our world and thus I felt it best to keep this technology from falling into any hands lest they be the wrong ones.”

“Sounds legit.”

Do you recall the Creator’s nuclear missile gambit?”

“The part where we saved the planet at like the last second and destroyed all those missiles while sending the last one to blow up over the ocean harmlessly? Yeah that was awesome!”

“It seems the limitations of you being merely my organic template have decided to make itself painful clear yet again,” Metal retorted causing Sonic to frown at his insult.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sonic shot back.

“You are an idiot,” Metal promptly informed him.” We did not destroy all of the Intercontinental ballistic missiles. While the Super Sonic and the Super Rainbow Dash diverted the second to last missile over the ocean, I had deactivated the final missile and rendered it inert.”

“Like I said, we destroyed them!” Sonic repeated, a little agitated a Metal’s name calling.

“Your definition of destroying is far different from my own as well as everyone else’s it would seem  either that or you don’t know what deactivated and rendered inert means.” Metal added.

“Okay humor me,” Sonic said tapping his foot impatiently.

“The last missile,” Metal spoke as he gestured to the holo-display of the planet and zoomed in on Wyndia, “is not destroyed I merely caused it too not explode upon my journey to Wyndia to retrieve I discovered the local kingdom has taken possession of it while the danger is not immediate as I believe the indigenous population would not know how to activate it the danger is still present the enriched Uranium and triggers necessary for fission to occur and detonate are still present it is very much a viable weapon of mass destruction it is just for all intense and purposes turned off.”

Sonic grew deathly quiet as his words sunk in.