Post by Sky Blue on Apr 17, 2015 23:13:57 GMT -5
When Vinyl comes home, mid-afternoon, it is to the sight of hundreds of pieces of paper pinned to various bits of her house, all covered in incredibly poorly-scrawled ink writing, a few with pinned coloured string with lines radiating out from them to other pieces of paper. From the sound of it, there's the sound of a scratching quill from upstairs.
Vinyl has to step carefully over mounds of paper when she enters the house, and she peers around in shock, attempting in vain to read some of the notes pinned to the wall. They can't be her husband's, and her kids are out, so... "Sky?"
Most of the notes seem to have a large title - such as Scientist, Mayor, Miner, and Saucier - scrawled at the top of the page, along next to a large X, with incomprehensible details written below it. Upon the wall heading up the stairs seems to be a crudely-done timeline, with only titles legible: Born, Farmwork, Black Rock, Left Home, Moved to Ponyville, Salsa, Auntie Luna, Parents Returned, Marble, Potions, Derpymommy, Vinyl, Mayor, Meadery, Now.
Vinyl looks at the notes, squinting. It seems like Sky is trying to... piece together her life? It seems to be so. "Sky, where are you?" She trots into the living room. "Didn't we have a spa day planned?"
The scratching of a quill continues to sound from Marble and Vinyl's bedroom. In the living room is yet more of the pages, seemingly listing potential jobs, employment, and past experiences. One of the more legible pieces are single sentences or phrases on pieces of paper, such as WHY CHAOS, NEED BETTER, and JUST WANT MAKE HAPPY.
Vinyl reads this particular note and bites her lip. Why would Sky write such a thing down? It seems awfully strange... The DJ steps over more notes and trots upstairs to her room, to see if she can find her friend. "Skyyyy?"
Curled up on the bed, scrawling away on another sheet of paper with a quill held poorly in her mouth, is Sky Blue, tears streaming down her face. A small can of light blue paint lies on the floor nearby, along with a paintbrush. Her fireball - or possibly sun-shaped - cutie mark has been poorly painted over, along with part of the filly's tail, though this looks more accidental than anything else.
Vinyl blinks. She sees all the paper, the paint, the distraught little filly... "Sky?" Her mommy instinct kicks in, and she tries to clean up some of the papers and the paint, before moving to Sky and pulling her into a cuddle. "Sky, sweetie? Talk to me. What happened?"
Sky Blue immediately leans into the cuddle, burying her face into Vinyl's mane and letting out a pitiful sound. "Why does mah special talent have t'be causin' chaos?" she asks, her voice breaking a little. "Y'all get makin' music, Fluttershy has bein' good with animals, Rarity's good with clothes... why do ah have t'have the worst talent of anypony in Equestria? All yer talents make folks happy. Mahne just makes folks sad, or angry."
Vinyl hugs Sky tight, gently rubbing her back. "Chaos?" Vinyl knows Sky has a rather bad propensity to cause disaster, but she doesn't love her friend any less. "Sky, everypony is a little chaotic. Just look at Marble and me! And Derpy, and Octavia, and all our friends! Don't you think they cause chaos sometimes too?" The DJ kisses Sky's forehead. "Go wash the paint off, Sky, sweetie. Then I'll show you what I think your special talent is."
Sky Blue lowers her head after the kiss, looking off to one side and looking awkward. "There's chaos, and there's what ah do. Ah ain't ever told nopony about the day ah got mah cutie mark, not even Derpymommy, Auntie Luna, or Auntie Celestia. But that's the day ah found out mah special talent was chaos and that's the day ah got mah cutie mark."
Vinyl's ears perk. She lifts a hoof to the edge of Sky's chin, pulling her face back towards her. "Tell me?"
Sky Blue looks over at Vinyl for a few moments, then shifts her gaze once more. "Ah was still a real young filly. Pa and ah went off t'this li'l town called Black Rock t'do a bunch of tradin' and t'sell our wares; it's this place set on this li'l ol black mountain thing. It was a real nawce day fer the most part, and ah got a li'l crush on the mayor, who was this real sweet unicorn. Ah wanted t'get somethin' nawce fer him, so ah went off while pa was busy sellin' stuff t'fawnd him a nice flower. Ah spotted this real pretty one higher on up the mountain, so ah did a bunch of climbin' t'go get it. Ah stopped t'admire the view'n stuff, when ah stepped on a loose rock that started rollin' and it caused this big ol' avalanche that destroyed the whole town. The ponies were all fawne, but everythin' - their homes, their lawvlihoods, all their belongings - was all gone. Ah sat down and started panickin', and then ah noticed that ah'd got a big ol' fireball fer mah cutie mark."
Vinyl's ears fold against her head. She isn't sure what to say. "Was that it?" She can hardly believe fate would be so cruel as to give a little filly a life of scorn and despair as her /destiny/.
"First time ah saw mah cutie mark was after ah caused that avalanche," Sky Blue says, her head now lowered along with her gaze. "Ever since, ah've been causin' havoc this way and that. Heck, ah knocked down most of Canterlot University Lawbrary and even put a bunch of ponies in hospital! Auntie Celestia was real upset with me."
Vinyl hugs Sky some more. "Sky... do you wanna know what I see when I look at your cutie mark?"
Sky Blue returns the hug tightly, then looks back up at Vinyl, looking slightly unsure and moderately forelorn. "What d'all'a'y'a'll see?"
Vinyl smiles. "I see a bright sunshine. And a pony who always tries her hardest to stay happy, even when things go wrong."
Sky Blue glances down for a few moments, then back up to Vinyl, a small, brave smile upon her face. "Thanks..." she says, before leaning in to give Vinyl a tight hug, then settling back down on her rump. "Sometimes, ah've thought of it as bein' lawk a sun, but that don't fit in with how ah got it. Ah mean, rawt before Black Rock? Nothin'. After the avalanche? Somethin'."
Vinyl thinks. "What happened after the avalanche?" She hugs Sky tight.
"Ah went back down the mountain, found pa, and when he asked, ah didn't tell him ah set off the avalanche. He still punished me lawk ah did, though. We lost all the stuff we went t'trade fer, so when we got back t'the farm, ah was on double duty," Sky Blue says.
"I'm sorry, Sky," Vinyl says with resignation. She stares down at the paint can. "... Maybe we should go and see Princess Celestia. Maybe we could raise a case for the Royal Court." Vinyl grins, "Like, can you imagine? Suing your destiny. We'd make world headlines!"
Sky Blue can't help but let out a rueful grin. "Seein' Auntie Celestia sounds lawk a real good idea. Ah mean, ah don't reckon she could change mah cutie mark or nothin', but... well, y'all're rawt. She's mah best hope."
Vinyl Scratch then sighs. "She'll be able to tell you what I don't know how to say," she murmurs. "I'm no good at helping."
"Y'all're just great at helpin'," Sky Blue says, before nosing at Vinyl's shoulders. "But Auntie Celestia's got a bunch of real strong, awesome magic, and all these real cool powers! Ah'm sure she'll be able t'figure out somethin'."
While Vinyl Scratch is busy explaining the situation to Princess Twilight in her shiny new crystal castle of awesomeness, Sky Blue is busy pronking about and examining the shiny new crystal castle of awesomeness, while making many OOO and AHH sounds.
Twilight Sparkle listens carefully. "Well," she says, once Vinyl is finished, "There's certainly nothing really in the way of destiny-changing spells, I'm afraid... but there is one thing, and it might help you work out just how Sky got where she is."
"And what would that be?" asks Vinyl, tilting her head.
"It's something to do with special zebra magic, and I'm-" Twilight's horn suddenly alights as she catches a vase Sky Blue knocked, preventing it from smashing just before it hits the ground. The alicorn purses her lips. "Please be careful, Sky."
"Ah am bein' careful!" Sky Blue calls back, settling down from a pronk into a light trot and looking back at Twilight, before promptly slamming head-first into a bookcase.
Twilight winces.
Vinyl jumps and rushes over, "Sky? Are you okay? Talk to me, Sky!"
"Ah'm fawne!" the blue filly calls up from the ground, a book on her head, attempting to look this way and that. "Y'all have some real fancy complex books here, Twilight. Ah don't know how anypony could understand 'em." Sky Blue gets up to her hooves and places Basic Maths for Young Foals back onto the bookshelf, then starts pronking off once more.
Twilight smirks, levitating the book back onto the bookshelf. Vinyl meanwhile attempts to hold Sky back. "Sky... Twilight might have a solution for you," she says promisingly.
"Not a solution as such," says Twilight, "But... if we go and visit Linguere, she might be able to brew a potion to let us see into the past. I was thinking it might allow us to work out just what triggered you getting your cutie mark, Sky. Just to give you some confidence if it wasn't actually the avalanche."
Sky Blue pauses mid-pronk, three inches away from a delicate crystal sculpture, then turns to look at Twilight with such alertness and vigour that she knocks the sculpture clean across the room and out into the hallway. A distant, draconic, "I've caught it!" can be heard. "Really?" the hayseed asks eagerly, stepping forward to the princess with wide, shimmering eyes. "She can do that?"
Twilight recoils a little at the sudden close proximity to Sky Blue. "Um... yes? Well, a zebra could. It requires a very specific kind of magic."
Sky Blue's eyes get even wider, followed by a super excited smile. "Let's go rawt now!" she exclaims, before scooping Twilight and Vinyl up into a tight hug. "Team Ponyville, ho!"
Linguere swirls the potion around as the other mares are gathered in her cottage. "I have not done this in the longest time," she says, "I am not as good at magic as some other zebras. Possibly because I do not speak in rhyme... they say it helps."
"Don't worry, Linguere," reassures Twilight. "Just do your best."
Sky Blue is frequently swapping between excited hopping upon the spot, looking hopefully at the cauldron, and trotting about Linguere's hut, looking at all the various knick-nacks and curios.
Linguere looks over a little worriedly at Sky. "I... have a lot of important threads in there. I am usually a seamstress, you see... I came to Equestria to get acquainted with Rarity."
Twilight oohs. "I'm good friends with her! Perhaps I'll introduce you someday." Vinyl meanwhile chases Sky around again, like she would one of her foals. "Sky, sweetie. Stay close."
Sky Blue is about to touch an incredibly delicate thing that might possibly ruin Linguere's life work when Vinyl makes her call, prompting the filly to turn around and beam brightly at the DJ. "Y'all'll really think this'll work?" she asks, looking from the unicorn to the alicorn, and then the zebra.
Linguere gently scoops some of the potion into a cup. "I hope so," she says. "I am sure it will. You just need to drink this, Sky. Do you want somepony to.. accompany you?"
Sky Blue promptly extends a forehoof to point at Vinyl Scratch, narrowly missing her and instead smacking Twilight in the horn. "Can Vahnul come with me?" she asks, nervously looking into the cup of clear potion.
"Ow."
Linguere nodnods! "Of course. You will have to drink from the same cup."
Sky Blue looks over at Vinyl, a nervous hopefulness in her eyes, then shifts closer to Linguere so they can both reach the cup. With that, the young filly leans closer and takes a biiig sip from the cup.
Vinyl smiles back at Sky with a similar hopefulness, and takes the cup after Sky and sips from it.
Both ponies eyes immediately light up and the world about them flashes a blinding white. A few seconds later, it fades to reveal that they are now standing on a street corner of a rustic-looking town set, with the end of the street revealing a grand view out across savannah flats. Sky Blue looks this way then that excitedly, then instinctively shrinks back. Across the other side of the street is a cart laiden with fairly standard vegetables, emblazoned with the sign 'BLUE FAMILY PRODUCE' and staffed by a dark blue male earth pony, who is busy trying to hawk root vegetables to an old mare.
Vinyl blinks, her eyes adjusting to the new light. She looks around. "Sky... are we here?" she asks tentatively. "Is this Black Rock?"
Sky Blue slowly nods her head, glancing about once more nervously. A young, bright blue blank-flanked filly, about the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, is busy skipping about the streets nearby, chasing a butterfly. "Sky, don't wander off!" comes the stern voice of the stallion, prompting the young filly to ceases her festivities, lower her head, then slowly return to the cart.
Vinyl watches the little filly and giggles, "Aww, how c-" she is cut off by the shouting of the stallion behind her, and Vinyl feels herself chill a little. She looks at the little filly in dismay. "Oh, Sky..."
The older Sky Blue is now sitting on the cobbled street, gazing off to one side with a hung head. Across the street, the younger Sky appears to being told off in whispers by the dark blue stallion, who promptly shifts his attention back to hawking his wares when someone draws closer. "Fresh vegetables, madam? Ginger, potatoe, onions?"
Vinyl sits next to Sky and watches the scene unfold, gently wrapping a foreleg around her friend.
After a couple of minutes, the stallion who must be Sky's father starts getting into a haggling competition with a snooty-looking mare. The young Sky Blue slowly starts to steal gazes upwards, then to a nearby alleyway, then repeats. Slowly, she stands up, slowly starts to walk backwards, and then turns and canters off down the alley, towards what looks like a small square.
Vinyl blinks. She gets up and follows the little Sky. "Do you remember this?" she says to bigger Sky.
"Ah snuck off from pa a bunch of tawmes," bigger Sky replies, trotting alongside Vinyl and after her younger self. "The only thing that's really on mah mawnd is what ended this here trip." It doesn't take young for the young Sky, upon entering the square, to spot some other foals playing about, whom she makes a bee-line for. "Howdy! Can ah play?" she asks in a bright, high-pitched voice to the other foals, before immediately being dragged into a game of Tag.
Vinyl watches the little foals play and smiles. Little foals never quite discriminate like adults do.
The older Sky Blue sits down once more and watches the foals play, a happy little smile upon her face. After a few minutes of play, the sounds of mothers calling to their young can be heard, and the foals steadily disperse, giving each other parting wishes. The young Sky Blue is left chasing her tail about in circles, before hitting a fountain and falling back onto her rump.
Vinyl watches the little Sky and smiles. "You were so sweet," she says. "I would have loved to be your mommy."
"Ah would have loved t'have y'all as mah mommy," Sky Blue replies, gazing off to one side with a small smile and wistful expression. The young Sky picks herself up off the cobbles, shakes her head, then spots something off across the other side of the square, which she canters off towards.
Once the much larger Vinyl and older Sky Blue have followed the young filly across the square, they come to a halt a short distance away to spot- "Oh, ah remember this!" big Sky says, smiling brightly. A sad-looking unicorn foal is sat on box on the edge of an alley, who small Sky is approaching. "Howdy!" she greets, at usual hayseed-level volumes, before tilting her head to one side and asking, "What's wrong? Y'all look all sad'n stuff."
Vinyl looks over at the unicorn foal. "Who's that?" she asks older Sky.
Sky Blue opens her mouth to respond, then stops when the unicorn start speaking, in a depressed and slightly cracked voice. "Today's my birthday, but nopony's come to celebrate it with me." "What about yer folks?" young Sky asks, her voice breaking in an adorable, high-pitched fashion. "Ain't got none," the foal replies, causing the young Sky's ears to wilt and her expression to fade... and then they both perk up as she says, "Wait rawt here, okay? Ah'll be back," before cantering off across the marketplace. With a nudge in Vinyl's ribs, the old Sky starts cantering off after her young self, with approximately the same amount of grace. "Ah felt real sorry fer that li'l foal," she explains to the DJ, "So ah wanted t'try and make her all happy'n stuff."
Vinyl tilts her head. She feels her eyes water a little at the plight of the little foal. "Oh, Sky. See? You're so sweet."
Sky Blue doesn't say anything, though a light blush does enter her face, followed by a happy little smile. The young Blue soon arrives at a shop titled Purple's Perfect Parties, pauses to check the sign, and then walks in there, followed by old Blue and Vinyl. "Ah remember," she says, as they follow the foal about the shop, "Ah wanted t'make it so that li'l foal had a real good birthday, so ah spent the pocket money ah'd been savin' up fer months t'get a toy fer mahself." A few moments later, a young Blue walks up to the counter, places a small pony doll upon it, and then points at a small, pink-frosted cake, before starting to doll out a total of five bits.
Vinyl watches. "Wow... You sacrificed your pocket money for a pony you barely knew? Sky, that's so selfless!"
"Ah didn't want her t'be unhappy," Sky Blue replies, glancing over at the DJ, before then nudging her and following the young Blue, who had both items wrapped up and carefully tucked them into her tiny widdle saddbags, then set off out of the door once more. About a minute later, the trio are back in the square and the young Blue is making her way over to the young unicorn filly. "Howdy, again!" she says, greeting the foal, coming up to her with a happy little smile.
Vinyl follows the little Sky, intrigued. The little unicorn filly tilts her head, sniffling. "Um... hello?" she says tentatively. She wipes her big blue eyes.
"Look, ah knew it's yer birthday and all, and that y'all're real sad about not havin' it celebrated or stuff, so..." Young Sky opens one of her over-sized saddlebags and pulls out first the small cake in its clear box, and then the wrapped present, before holding them out to the other filly. "Happy birthday!"
The little unicorn's eyes widen. She takes the gifts and holds them in her hooves for a while, before she smiles wide and her eyes fill with tears. She puts the gifts down so she can give little Sky a big hug. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" she says. "This is the nicest thing anypony has ever done for me." She takes a look at the cake. "My name's Summer. Would you like to share the cake with me?"
Young Sky Blue beams from ear-to-ear at the other filly's reaction and returns the hug firmly. "Ah'd love to, Summer!" she enthuses, plomping herself back on her rear and smiling over at her new friend. "Ah'm Sky Blue!" she says, looking as happy as can be. "Ah know it's not much, but ah just can't stand seein' ponies all sad and stuff, and ah'll do anythin' t'try and make 'em happy again!" Though mostly-obscured by saddlebags, which have slid down her back, a small shine appears on young Sky's Blue's flank as a cutie mark symbolising the sun comes into existence.
Summer grins! "You're so kind, Sky Blue!" she says, unwrapping the cake and giving Sky a slice. "My grandma used to say that some ponies are like sunbeams. I definitely think you are."
Meanwhile, Vinyl watches, before noticing a flash of light near little Sky's rump. "Sky, look!" she says, pointing excitedly. "There it is!"
As her younger self accepts the cake from Summer, Sky Blue's eyes widen, and then she starts hopping up and down on the spot excitedly. "Oh mah gosh!" she exclaims, turning to gaze at Vinyl as tears start to well up in her eyes. "This means mah cutie mark AIN'T about causin' chaos wherever ah go!"
Vinyl looks proudly at Sky with a big smile. "I told you, Sky!" she says, bouncing up and down. "It's a sunshine! You're a sunbeam!"
As the vision starts to fade into whiteness, Sky Blue turns and envelops Vinyl Scratch in a tight, happy hug, her face buried into the DJ's electric blue mane.
Moments later, Vinyl finds herself staring at the ceiling of Linguere's hut. "They're awake!" comes a familiar voice, before she is helped back onto her hooves by Twilight. "So...?" says the alicorn hopefully, "How did it go?"
Sky Blue is up on her hooves and embracing Twilight within seconds. "Mah cutie mark is the sun, not a fawrball, and it represents mah desire t'make everypony happy, no matter the cost, not chaos! Oh, thank y'all so so so so so much!" She hugs Twilight up tightly, then Linguere, then Vinyl, then Twilight again.
Twilight hugs Sky back, before she's joined in hug by Vinyl and Linguere. "Sky, your cutie mark is perfect for you," Twilight says. "Your destiny is to make other ponies happy and help them grow, like the sunshine!"
Vinyl has to step carefully over mounds of paper when she enters the house, and she peers around in shock, attempting in vain to read some of the notes pinned to the wall. They can't be her husband's, and her kids are out, so... "Sky?"
Most of the notes seem to have a large title - such as Scientist, Mayor, Miner, and Saucier - scrawled at the top of the page, along next to a large X, with incomprehensible details written below it. Upon the wall heading up the stairs seems to be a crudely-done timeline, with only titles legible: Born, Farmwork, Black Rock, Left Home, Moved to Ponyville, Salsa, Auntie Luna, Parents Returned, Marble, Potions, Derpymommy, Vinyl, Mayor, Meadery, Now.
Vinyl looks at the notes, squinting. It seems like Sky is trying to... piece together her life? It seems to be so. "Sky, where are you?" She trots into the living room. "Didn't we have a spa day planned?"
The scratching of a quill continues to sound from Marble and Vinyl's bedroom. In the living room is yet more of the pages, seemingly listing potential jobs, employment, and past experiences. One of the more legible pieces are single sentences or phrases on pieces of paper, such as WHY CHAOS, NEED BETTER, and JUST WANT MAKE HAPPY.
Vinyl reads this particular note and bites her lip. Why would Sky write such a thing down? It seems awfully strange... The DJ steps over more notes and trots upstairs to her room, to see if she can find her friend. "Skyyyy?"
Curled up on the bed, scrawling away on another sheet of paper with a quill held poorly in her mouth, is Sky Blue, tears streaming down her face. A small can of light blue paint lies on the floor nearby, along with a paintbrush. Her fireball - or possibly sun-shaped - cutie mark has been poorly painted over, along with part of the filly's tail, though this looks more accidental than anything else.
Vinyl blinks. She sees all the paper, the paint, the distraught little filly... "Sky?" Her mommy instinct kicks in, and she tries to clean up some of the papers and the paint, before moving to Sky and pulling her into a cuddle. "Sky, sweetie? Talk to me. What happened?"
Sky Blue immediately leans into the cuddle, burying her face into Vinyl's mane and letting out a pitiful sound. "Why does mah special talent have t'be causin' chaos?" she asks, her voice breaking a little. "Y'all get makin' music, Fluttershy has bein' good with animals, Rarity's good with clothes... why do ah have t'have the worst talent of anypony in Equestria? All yer talents make folks happy. Mahne just makes folks sad, or angry."
Vinyl hugs Sky tight, gently rubbing her back. "Chaos?" Vinyl knows Sky has a rather bad propensity to cause disaster, but she doesn't love her friend any less. "Sky, everypony is a little chaotic. Just look at Marble and me! And Derpy, and Octavia, and all our friends! Don't you think they cause chaos sometimes too?" The DJ kisses Sky's forehead. "Go wash the paint off, Sky, sweetie. Then I'll show you what I think your special talent is."
Sky Blue lowers her head after the kiss, looking off to one side and looking awkward. "There's chaos, and there's what ah do. Ah ain't ever told nopony about the day ah got mah cutie mark, not even Derpymommy, Auntie Luna, or Auntie Celestia. But that's the day ah found out mah special talent was chaos and that's the day ah got mah cutie mark."
Vinyl's ears perk. She lifts a hoof to the edge of Sky's chin, pulling her face back towards her. "Tell me?"
Sky Blue looks over at Vinyl for a few moments, then shifts her gaze once more. "Ah was still a real young filly. Pa and ah went off t'this li'l town called Black Rock t'do a bunch of tradin' and t'sell our wares; it's this place set on this li'l ol black mountain thing. It was a real nawce day fer the most part, and ah got a li'l crush on the mayor, who was this real sweet unicorn. Ah wanted t'get somethin' nawce fer him, so ah went off while pa was busy sellin' stuff t'fawnd him a nice flower. Ah spotted this real pretty one higher on up the mountain, so ah did a bunch of climbin' t'go get it. Ah stopped t'admire the view'n stuff, when ah stepped on a loose rock that started rollin' and it caused this big ol' avalanche that destroyed the whole town. The ponies were all fawne, but everythin' - their homes, their lawvlihoods, all their belongings - was all gone. Ah sat down and started panickin', and then ah noticed that ah'd got a big ol' fireball fer mah cutie mark."
Vinyl's ears fold against her head. She isn't sure what to say. "Was that it?" She can hardly believe fate would be so cruel as to give a little filly a life of scorn and despair as her /destiny/.
"First time ah saw mah cutie mark was after ah caused that avalanche," Sky Blue says, her head now lowered along with her gaze. "Ever since, ah've been causin' havoc this way and that. Heck, ah knocked down most of Canterlot University Lawbrary and even put a bunch of ponies in hospital! Auntie Celestia was real upset with me."
Vinyl hugs Sky some more. "Sky... do you wanna know what I see when I look at your cutie mark?"
Sky Blue returns the hug tightly, then looks back up at Vinyl, looking slightly unsure and moderately forelorn. "What d'all'a'y'a'll see?"
Vinyl smiles. "I see a bright sunshine. And a pony who always tries her hardest to stay happy, even when things go wrong."
Sky Blue glances down for a few moments, then back up to Vinyl, a small, brave smile upon her face. "Thanks..." she says, before leaning in to give Vinyl a tight hug, then settling back down on her rump. "Sometimes, ah've thought of it as bein' lawk a sun, but that don't fit in with how ah got it. Ah mean, rawt before Black Rock? Nothin'. After the avalanche? Somethin'."
Vinyl thinks. "What happened after the avalanche?" She hugs Sky tight.
"Ah went back down the mountain, found pa, and when he asked, ah didn't tell him ah set off the avalanche. He still punished me lawk ah did, though. We lost all the stuff we went t'trade fer, so when we got back t'the farm, ah was on double duty," Sky Blue says.
"I'm sorry, Sky," Vinyl says with resignation. She stares down at the paint can. "... Maybe we should go and see Princess Celestia. Maybe we could raise a case for the Royal Court." Vinyl grins, "Like, can you imagine? Suing your destiny. We'd make world headlines!"
Sky Blue can't help but let out a rueful grin. "Seein' Auntie Celestia sounds lawk a real good idea. Ah mean, ah don't reckon she could change mah cutie mark or nothin', but... well, y'all're rawt. She's mah best hope."
Vinyl Scratch then sighs. "She'll be able to tell you what I don't know how to say," she murmurs. "I'm no good at helping."
"Y'all're just great at helpin'," Sky Blue says, before nosing at Vinyl's shoulders. "But Auntie Celestia's got a bunch of real strong, awesome magic, and all these real cool powers! Ah'm sure she'll be able t'figure out somethin'."
*****
While Vinyl Scratch is busy explaining the situation to Princess Twilight in her shiny new crystal castle of awesomeness, Sky Blue is busy pronking about and examining the shiny new crystal castle of awesomeness, while making many OOO and AHH sounds.
Twilight Sparkle listens carefully. "Well," she says, once Vinyl is finished, "There's certainly nothing really in the way of destiny-changing spells, I'm afraid... but there is one thing, and it might help you work out just how Sky got where she is."
"And what would that be?" asks Vinyl, tilting her head.
"It's something to do with special zebra magic, and I'm-" Twilight's horn suddenly alights as she catches a vase Sky Blue knocked, preventing it from smashing just before it hits the ground. The alicorn purses her lips. "Please be careful, Sky."
"Ah am bein' careful!" Sky Blue calls back, settling down from a pronk into a light trot and looking back at Twilight, before promptly slamming head-first into a bookcase.
Twilight winces.
Vinyl jumps and rushes over, "Sky? Are you okay? Talk to me, Sky!"
"Ah'm fawne!" the blue filly calls up from the ground, a book on her head, attempting to look this way and that. "Y'all have some real fancy complex books here, Twilight. Ah don't know how anypony could understand 'em." Sky Blue gets up to her hooves and places Basic Maths for Young Foals back onto the bookshelf, then starts pronking off once more.
Twilight smirks, levitating the book back onto the bookshelf. Vinyl meanwhile attempts to hold Sky back. "Sky... Twilight might have a solution for you," she says promisingly.
"Not a solution as such," says Twilight, "But... if we go and visit Linguere, she might be able to brew a potion to let us see into the past. I was thinking it might allow us to work out just what triggered you getting your cutie mark, Sky. Just to give you some confidence if it wasn't actually the avalanche."
Sky Blue pauses mid-pronk, three inches away from a delicate crystal sculpture, then turns to look at Twilight with such alertness and vigour that she knocks the sculpture clean across the room and out into the hallway. A distant, draconic, "I've caught it!" can be heard. "Really?" the hayseed asks eagerly, stepping forward to the princess with wide, shimmering eyes. "She can do that?"
Twilight recoils a little at the sudden close proximity to Sky Blue. "Um... yes? Well, a zebra could. It requires a very specific kind of magic."
Sky Blue's eyes get even wider, followed by a super excited smile. "Let's go rawt now!" she exclaims, before scooping Twilight and Vinyl up into a tight hug. "Team Ponyville, ho!"
*****
Linguere swirls the potion around as the other mares are gathered in her cottage. "I have not done this in the longest time," she says, "I am not as good at magic as some other zebras. Possibly because I do not speak in rhyme... they say it helps."
"Don't worry, Linguere," reassures Twilight. "Just do your best."
Sky Blue is frequently swapping between excited hopping upon the spot, looking hopefully at the cauldron, and trotting about Linguere's hut, looking at all the various knick-nacks and curios.
Linguere looks over a little worriedly at Sky. "I... have a lot of important threads in there. I am usually a seamstress, you see... I came to Equestria to get acquainted with Rarity."
Twilight oohs. "I'm good friends with her! Perhaps I'll introduce you someday." Vinyl meanwhile chases Sky around again, like she would one of her foals. "Sky, sweetie. Stay close."
Sky Blue is about to touch an incredibly delicate thing that might possibly ruin Linguere's life work when Vinyl makes her call, prompting the filly to turn around and beam brightly at the DJ. "Y'all'll really think this'll work?" she asks, looking from the unicorn to the alicorn, and then the zebra.
Linguere gently scoops some of the potion into a cup. "I hope so," she says. "I am sure it will. You just need to drink this, Sky. Do you want somepony to.. accompany you?"
Sky Blue promptly extends a forehoof to point at Vinyl Scratch, narrowly missing her and instead smacking Twilight in the horn. "Can Vahnul come with me?" she asks, nervously looking into the cup of clear potion.
"Ow."
Linguere nodnods! "Of course. You will have to drink from the same cup."
Sky Blue looks over at Vinyl, a nervous hopefulness in her eyes, then shifts closer to Linguere so they can both reach the cup. With that, the young filly leans closer and takes a biiig sip from the cup.
Vinyl smiles back at Sky with a similar hopefulness, and takes the cup after Sky and sips from it.
Both ponies eyes immediately light up and the world about them flashes a blinding white. A few seconds later, it fades to reveal that they are now standing on a street corner of a rustic-looking town set, with the end of the street revealing a grand view out across savannah flats. Sky Blue looks this way then that excitedly, then instinctively shrinks back. Across the other side of the street is a cart laiden with fairly standard vegetables, emblazoned with the sign 'BLUE FAMILY PRODUCE' and staffed by a dark blue male earth pony, who is busy trying to hawk root vegetables to an old mare.
Vinyl blinks, her eyes adjusting to the new light. She looks around. "Sky... are we here?" she asks tentatively. "Is this Black Rock?"
Sky Blue slowly nods her head, glancing about once more nervously. A young, bright blue blank-flanked filly, about the same age as the Cutie Mark Crusaders, is busy skipping about the streets nearby, chasing a butterfly. "Sky, don't wander off!" comes the stern voice of the stallion, prompting the young filly to ceases her festivities, lower her head, then slowly return to the cart.
Vinyl watches the little filly and giggles, "Aww, how c-" she is cut off by the shouting of the stallion behind her, and Vinyl feels herself chill a little. She looks at the little filly in dismay. "Oh, Sky..."
The older Sky Blue is now sitting on the cobbled street, gazing off to one side with a hung head. Across the street, the younger Sky appears to being told off in whispers by the dark blue stallion, who promptly shifts his attention back to hawking his wares when someone draws closer. "Fresh vegetables, madam? Ginger, potatoe, onions?"
Vinyl sits next to Sky and watches the scene unfold, gently wrapping a foreleg around her friend.
After a couple of minutes, the stallion who must be Sky's father starts getting into a haggling competition with a snooty-looking mare. The young Sky Blue slowly starts to steal gazes upwards, then to a nearby alleyway, then repeats. Slowly, she stands up, slowly starts to walk backwards, and then turns and canters off down the alley, towards what looks like a small square.
Vinyl blinks. She gets up and follows the little Sky. "Do you remember this?" she says to bigger Sky.
"Ah snuck off from pa a bunch of tawmes," bigger Sky replies, trotting alongside Vinyl and after her younger self. "The only thing that's really on mah mawnd is what ended this here trip." It doesn't take young for the young Sky, upon entering the square, to spot some other foals playing about, whom she makes a bee-line for. "Howdy! Can ah play?" she asks in a bright, high-pitched voice to the other foals, before immediately being dragged into a game of Tag.
Vinyl watches the little foals play and smiles. Little foals never quite discriminate like adults do.
The older Sky Blue sits down once more and watches the foals play, a happy little smile upon her face. After a few minutes of play, the sounds of mothers calling to their young can be heard, and the foals steadily disperse, giving each other parting wishes. The young Sky Blue is left chasing her tail about in circles, before hitting a fountain and falling back onto her rump.
Vinyl watches the little Sky and smiles. "You were so sweet," she says. "I would have loved to be your mommy."
"Ah would have loved t'have y'all as mah mommy," Sky Blue replies, gazing off to one side with a small smile and wistful expression. The young Sky picks herself up off the cobbles, shakes her head, then spots something off across the other side of the square, which she canters off towards.
Once the much larger Vinyl and older Sky Blue have followed the young filly across the square, they come to a halt a short distance away to spot- "Oh, ah remember this!" big Sky says, smiling brightly. A sad-looking unicorn foal is sat on box on the edge of an alley, who small Sky is approaching. "Howdy!" she greets, at usual hayseed-level volumes, before tilting her head to one side and asking, "What's wrong? Y'all look all sad'n stuff."
Vinyl looks over at the unicorn foal. "Who's that?" she asks older Sky.
Sky Blue opens her mouth to respond, then stops when the unicorn start speaking, in a depressed and slightly cracked voice. "Today's my birthday, but nopony's come to celebrate it with me." "What about yer folks?" young Sky asks, her voice breaking in an adorable, high-pitched fashion. "Ain't got none," the foal replies, causing the young Sky's ears to wilt and her expression to fade... and then they both perk up as she says, "Wait rawt here, okay? Ah'll be back," before cantering off across the marketplace. With a nudge in Vinyl's ribs, the old Sky starts cantering off after her young self, with approximately the same amount of grace. "Ah felt real sorry fer that li'l foal," she explains to the DJ, "So ah wanted t'try and make her all happy'n stuff."
Vinyl tilts her head. She feels her eyes water a little at the plight of the little foal. "Oh, Sky. See? You're so sweet."
Sky Blue doesn't say anything, though a light blush does enter her face, followed by a happy little smile. The young Blue soon arrives at a shop titled Purple's Perfect Parties, pauses to check the sign, and then walks in there, followed by old Blue and Vinyl. "Ah remember," she says, as they follow the foal about the shop, "Ah wanted t'make it so that li'l foal had a real good birthday, so ah spent the pocket money ah'd been savin' up fer months t'get a toy fer mahself." A few moments later, a young Blue walks up to the counter, places a small pony doll upon it, and then points at a small, pink-frosted cake, before starting to doll out a total of five bits.
Vinyl watches. "Wow... You sacrificed your pocket money for a pony you barely knew? Sky, that's so selfless!"
"Ah didn't want her t'be unhappy," Sky Blue replies, glancing over at the DJ, before then nudging her and following the young Blue, who had both items wrapped up and carefully tucked them into her tiny widdle saddbags, then set off out of the door once more. About a minute later, the trio are back in the square and the young Blue is making her way over to the young unicorn filly. "Howdy, again!" she says, greeting the foal, coming up to her with a happy little smile.
Vinyl follows the little Sky, intrigued. The little unicorn filly tilts her head, sniffling. "Um... hello?" she says tentatively. She wipes her big blue eyes.
"Look, ah knew it's yer birthday and all, and that y'all're real sad about not havin' it celebrated or stuff, so..." Young Sky opens one of her over-sized saddlebags and pulls out first the small cake in its clear box, and then the wrapped present, before holding them out to the other filly. "Happy birthday!"
The little unicorn's eyes widen. She takes the gifts and holds them in her hooves for a while, before she smiles wide and her eyes fill with tears. She puts the gifts down so she can give little Sky a big hug. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" she says. "This is the nicest thing anypony has ever done for me." She takes a look at the cake. "My name's Summer. Would you like to share the cake with me?"
Young Sky Blue beams from ear-to-ear at the other filly's reaction and returns the hug firmly. "Ah'd love to, Summer!" she enthuses, plomping herself back on her rear and smiling over at her new friend. "Ah'm Sky Blue!" she says, looking as happy as can be. "Ah know it's not much, but ah just can't stand seein' ponies all sad and stuff, and ah'll do anythin' t'try and make 'em happy again!" Though mostly-obscured by saddlebags, which have slid down her back, a small shine appears on young Sky's Blue's flank as a cutie mark symbolising the sun comes into existence.
Summer grins! "You're so kind, Sky Blue!" she says, unwrapping the cake and giving Sky a slice. "My grandma used to say that some ponies are like sunbeams. I definitely think you are."
Meanwhile, Vinyl watches, before noticing a flash of light near little Sky's rump. "Sky, look!" she says, pointing excitedly. "There it is!"
As her younger self accepts the cake from Summer, Sky Blue's eyes widen, and then she starts hopping up and down on the spot excitedly. "Oh mah gosh!" she exclaims, turning to gaze at Vinyl as tears start to well up in her eyes. "This means mah cutie mark AIN'T about causin' chaos wherever ah go!"
Vinyl looks proudly at Sky with a big smile. "I told you, Sky!" she says, bouncing up and down. "It's a sunshine! You're a sunbeam!"
As the vision starts to fade into whiteness, Sky Blue turns and envelops Vinyl Scratch in a tight, happy hug, her face buried into the DJ's electric blue mane.
Moments later, Vinyl finds herself staring at the ceiling of Linguere's hut. "They're awake!" comes a familiar voice, before she is helped back onto her hooves by Twilight. "So...?" says the alicorn hopefully, "How did it go?"
Sky Blue is up on her hooves and embracing Twilight within seconds. "Mah cutie mark is the sun, not a fawrball, and it represents mah desire t'make everypony happy, no matter the cost, not chaos! Oh, thank y'all so so so so so much!" She hugs Twilight up tightly, then Linguere, then Vinyl, then Twilight again.
Twilight hugs Sky back, before she's joined in hug by Vinyl and Linguere. "Sky, your cutie mark is perfect for you," Twilight says. "Your destiny is to make other ponies happy and help them grow, like the sunshine!"
