Scootaloo turned in her sleep and woke up. She could feel beads of sweat upon her mane. Lighting her horn, she gazed about the room to see her blankets in a pile on the floor.
"It just doesn't add up," she thought to herself.
She flopped out of bed, and looked out her window. The position of the full moon let her know that there was only about an hour before dawn.
She pulled a brush off its hook on the wall, and took a few strokes through her mane, then she grabbed her dragon scale binding, a bottle of ink, some paper, and her bits, and stuffed them into her saddle bags which she then donned.
She opened her door, and started walking down the hallway. The clopping noises of her hooves echoed down the hallway. Gently flapping her wings she proceeded by air.
She expertly traversed the castle to the section where her history professor lived without passing by a single pony, then landed in front of his door without a sound.
She rapped on the door. A small amount of light flowed out from underneath it and she could hear noises from inside the suite.
The door swung open.
"Now, just what in Celestia's name is worth getting me up at this hour?" asked the Professor.
"I'm sorry Professor Script, but I had an urgent question..." said Scootaloo.
"One good thing about history is it usually can wait, but since I have already been disturbed, just ask your question so I can get back to sleep," interrupted Script.
"When was the last time ponies mounted an expedition to Griffonstone? Or anywhere in Griffon territory for that matter?" asked Scootaloo.
"I don't see how that couldn't have waited until morning," said Script.
"Please, professor," said Scootaloo.
Memorial Script sighed. "The griffons are a prideful people, and... 50 years. That was when the last meeting took place in Griffonstone with King Guto."
"So all of the recent information we have is second hoof" muttered Scootaloo. "Thanks Professor, that was really helpful."
Script grunted and closed the door behind him, the light under the door flickering off soon afterward.
Scootaloo went to the window at the end of the hall, and teleported herself beyond it into the night air. She flew around the castle toward where Sweetie Belle would be being taught by Princess Luna. The normal noises of the night abruptly gave way to music as she crossed the magical barrier, coming to a soft landing near the back quarter of the tower's roof.
"It was remarkable how far Sweetie Belle's playing had come in such a short time," thought Scootaloo as she listened to her work the wind harps. She waited patiently for Luna to finish the lesson then trotted up to the pair.
"Nice to see you Scootaloo," said Luna. "I trust my sister isn't working you too very hard."
"She kinda is, but it's worth it," said Scootaloo. After a brief pause she continued, "Actually, I could use a small break. Could you tell her that I decided to go to Ponyville with Sweetie Belle for the day?"
Sweetie Belle winced, while Luna's eyebrow raised slightly for just a moment as she replied, "Yes, I will do that for you."
Luna turned to Sweetie Belle. "Have fun with Scootaloo. I think we can skip just one night, so I will see you two nights hence." With that she flew off.
Sweetie Belle regained her composure just as Scootaloo's gaze returned to her direction. "Could you use that illusion spell of yours to look like a griffon?" asked Scootaloo.
"Yes, but I'd never be able to hide the glow of my horn while doing it," said Sweetie Belle.
"Not on you, on me," said Scootaloo.
"Uh, sure, but why would you..." said Sweetie Belle.
"Great," interrupted Scootaloo as she started frantically writing.
"I am on an urgent and secret mission to Griffonstone.
Don't worry about my location and tell no pony.
Princess Scootaloo.
PS: Sweetie Belle is coming with me and if you could make some
excuse for her not going back to Ponyville, like her visiting
me, I'd be most obliged. I wouldn't want Rarity to worry about her.
She should be back tomorrow sometime.
Thanks,
Scootaloo.
"
She inserted the paper into her dragon scale binding and sent it off to Twilight with a loud bang.
"Up for a long fly," asked Scootaloo.
"Sure, but where? What is going on?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"I'll tell you on the wing," said Scootaloo as she launched herself into the air, Sweetie Belle following.
They rapidly descended off and around Canterlot Mountain to the Baltimare branch of the railroad. When they had followed the tracks for a while Scootaloo looked back over her shoulders, scanned the sky, then said to Sweetie Belle, "We're going to Griffonstone."
"But why, aren't they meeting you here soon?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Yes, I'm supposed to meet with their king in a week, but I have a sneaking suspicion all is not as it seems in the Griffon Empire," said Scootaloo. "I also really needed the adventure. I'm tired of being cooped up in Canterlot, and these wings needed to fly, but if I'm wrong, at least I'll get a feel for things directly rather than from books or ponies that have never been there."
"We've really missed you," said Sweetie Belle.
"Huh?" said Scootaloo.
"Well, with you in Canterlot, things have been...boring," said Sweetie Belle. "Well, maybe not boring boring, but between school and music, and Apple Bloom always working on her cloud houses...You were always the one who managed to get the three of us doing stuff, you know, together."
"It can't be that bad back in Ponyville," said Scootaloo.
"Well, no," said Sweetie Belle. "I-It isn't all bad. Even Diamond Tiara came around."
Scootaloo abruptly lost some elevation before righting herself in the air. "Diamond Tiara?"
"Yep, one day she apologized to Bloom at lunch and she's been all kinds of friendly ever since," said Sweetie Belle. "And her father's been helping out with Bloom's housing stuff as well."
"I don't buy it," said Scootaloo.
"But she has," said Sweetie Belle.
"Always look for the reason," said Scootaloo in an imitation of her Equestrian Law teacher. "When there is a sudden change in attitude, always look for a reason why, and you will often find something deeper." She changed back to her normal voice. "I'd give five bits that daddy told Tiara to play nice."
"But she has," muttered Sweetie Belle to herself, as she retreated into thought.
A train was chugging along ahead of them in the distance. They caught up to it and passed it, as if it were standing still. An hour or two later, the Fillydelphia line branched off to their left as they continued onward.
"I think you might be right, but I think it would hurt Apple Bloom if she found out about Tiara," said Sweetie Belle.
"I don't disagree there," said Scootaloo, "but they could be taking advantage of her."
"Bloom can take care of herself," said Sweetie Belle. "Besides, think of what Applejack would do if Rich took advantage of her."
"Ouch," said Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle's stomach rumbled. "I've never been to Baltimare."
"Neither have I," said Scootaloo, "and I don't plan to today either. We do kind of stand out in a crowd, and it might not be good if our journey became public knowledge."
"It's a shame you haven't mastered glamours or we wouldn't have a problem," said Sweetie Belle.
"I'm just not cut out for illusions," said Scootaloo, "although I have been getting better with other kinds of magic. Crimson Blaze has helped me a lot. I was doing so much so wrong."
Wilderness gave way to farmland which gave way to small towns as they followed the railroad tracks. Sweetie Belle could see a sign for "Wood Lawn" in the distance. "I could always go in alone to the train station and grab a couple of burgers and hay fries."
"Sure, we could eat it on that cloud, like a picnic," said Scootaloo.
Scootaloo flew up to the cloud while Sweetie Belle landed and made her wings unseen. She trotted along the tracks to the railway station, gave a nod to the conductor which was returned, then continued into the building.
The hayburger outlet in the back was one of the small ones with just a counter and a few chairs and tables, all completely empty except for the remains of a meal scattered across one of them.
She walked up to the counter. "Two jumbo specials with extra sauce, please," said Sweetie Belle.
The pegasus server yelled back, "Burn two then douse em." She turned to Sweetie Belle. "Where'd you come from? No train due for an hour and the last one left over an hour ago."
"I um didn't consult the schedule?" said Sweetie Belle.
"Hey, it's no business of mine," said the pegasus. "I'm just glad to be doin' something rather than sitting here bored, and I'm just makin' small talk."
"So it gets boring here?" said Sweetie Belle.
"Yep, except when it isn't," said the pegasus. "A full train comes through and whoo-wee I wish I had an extra pair of wings, but between trains it's all too quiet."
"Which leaves you lurching between boring and crazy," replied Sweetie Belle. "I understand."
The smell of cooking burgers wafted across the counter while the pair stared at each other. A bell rang, and the pegasus flew back toward the kitchen, deftly grabbed the bad with her mouth, and flopped it before Sweetie Belle. She floated a few bits to the pegasus then started walking toward the door, the bag following behind her.
"Nice meeting you, miss," said the pegasus.
"You too," said Sweetie Belle without slowing her stride. She left the building, then dropped her illusion, and flew up to the cloud.
"Did you have any trouble?" asked Scootaloo.
"Nope, it was practically empty in there except for the server who was a pegasus with too much time on her hooves."
The bagful of greasy goodness was rapidly devoured by the two alicorns, their hunger getting in the way of any pretense of propriety. Sweetie Belle rolled the bag up tightly, then teleported it into the receptacle down below.
They leapt back into the air. As the surroundings became more populated, they veered left away from the railroad track. The city of Baltimare became visible in the distance and the shoreline loomed ahead. The squawks of gulls, and the smells of the nearby sea flavored the setting for the pair.
The sandy shoreline gave way to the sea. Scootaloo took the opportunity to playfully buzz the surface, sending a spray of water up into the air. They spotted a pod of dolphins that clicked and squeaked as they flew over them. Eventually the water ended at a barren rocky shoreline.
They gained altitude as the land rose sharply, then crossed over deadfalls and gullies. Furrowed channels carved into raw stone by the forces of nature seemed hungry for passing travelers. Looming in the distance was Griffonstone Mountain itself.
As they got closer, they saw a single path winding its way around the mountain. They followed the path, constantly casting about for other ponies or griffons, but saw none. They landed just out of sight of the city.
Sweetie Belle's horn glowed as she cast her glamour on Scootaloo, the form of a griffon spreading over her.
"Try not to bump into any ponies while you are in there," said Sweetie Belle. "The illusion only covers sight, and contact would give you away. Good luck."
Scootaloo looked back at Sweetie Belle, noting her still glowing horn, then nodded, turned, and launched herself into the air.
Griffonstone looked like a complete disaster area. Dilapidated houses, complete with holes in their thatched roofs assaulted her senses. Griffons stood perched on their houses, or shuffled meanly down the straw-laded boulevards. It didn't resemble what Griffonstone was supposed to look like at all.
She tried to get the attention of one of the griffons, but it just breezed on past her, actually forcing her to jump out of the way to not get walked into. After two more similar encounters, she decided to try for one of the ones nesting on their roof. She chose a particularly old griffon who was resting on a house completely made of wood.
She rapped on the wall, waking the griffon, then landed in front of his house. "Excuse me good sir, but could you direct me to where one gets an audience with King Piercing Crest?"
"That'll be two bits," said the griffon.
Scootaloo pulled out two bits and the griffon floated down in front of her. He took the bits, then bit into one of them before flipping them into a bag at his side. "I don't know from what rock you crawled out of, but there hasn't been a king in Griffonstone since King Guto. For three bits, I'll tell you more."
Scootaloo sighed and tossed three more bits to the griffon. "It is a tragic tale of loss. The Idol of Boreas was the pride of every griffon that saw it. It was what kept us together, but one night Arimaspi stole the idol. We chased him to the bridge over abysmal gorge. Guto directed a lightning bolt straight at the old goat to stop his escape, but he fell into the gorge taking the idol with him. Without the idol, Guto's power diminished and he had no successor. The end."
Scootaloo bowed. In response the griffon grunted and went back to his nest.
Scootaloo shrugged, and flew directly back to Sweetie Belle, who rapidly dropped her glamour. Scootaloo opened her pack, and started making a drawing. The Idol of Boreas was shown so prominently so often in her griffon texts that picturing it was no trouble. She hoofed her drawing over to Sweetie Belle. "The idol is solid gold with a peach colored gem. Is this detailed enough for you to find it?"
Sweetie Belle studied the picture, then her horn started to glow, pointing away from the mountain. She took to the air, and flew slowly in the direction her horn led her, eventually landing on the bank of a ravine. She peeked over the edge.
"It's most of the way across and not too far down," said Sweetie Belle. "It looks pretty dangerous down there though."
"I've been to Ghastly Gorge with Dash," replied Scootaloo. "This will be cake."
Scootaloo swooped down into the ravine, but the gale force winds quickly pinned her to the cliff-face. She slipped roughly along the canyon wall until coming to rest on a small ledge jutting out from the rocky surface.
"Okay, maybe not quite cake," thought Scootaloo as she examined her abrasions and the precarious surface she was standing on. She felt the wind whip around her and quietly thanked Crimson Blaze for his magical teachings.
Scootaloo reached deeply within herself as her horn started to glow. She overlayed her own tumultuous magic upon the winds of the canyon and let the two mix, then she calmed the magic and the winds died down.
It became an easy glide down to an outcropping, where the Idol of Boreas laid waiting for the pony daring enough to claim it. She reached out and grabbed the golden statue with her magic, and floated it into her saddlebags. Turning around, she was startled by the skull of the goat who had originally stolen the artifact. She spread her wings as the unstable surface fell beneath her into the void below.
A few careful flaps of her wings later, she landed next to Sweetie Belle. She shook the dust off her coat, then produced the idol.
"Now we can simply have Rarity make a pocket for this in my formal dress, and the pieces will all be in place for my meeting with the griffons," said Scootaloo.
"Um, about the dress," said Sweetie Belle.
"Yes?" asked Scootaloo.
"Rarity is a bit under the weather right now, and I don't know..." said Sweetie Belle. "I don't think she'll be making the dress."
"Oh," said Scootaloo as Sweetie Belle took to the air.
Scootaloo caught up rapidly as they exited griffon lands. They gained altitude to avoid notice of a passing schooner, as it made its way across the sea, its sails billowing in the breeze. They maintained their height as they flew over the suburbs of Baltimare far below them. The city gave way to farmland, and soon Sweetie Belle was pointing at the Wood Lawn station. Scootaloo nodded and they came to rest on a nearby cloud.
They took a short nap to recharge and rest their wings, then Sweetie Belle glided down to the ground and redonned her magical disguise.
The restaurant was as empty as it was earlier. The pegasus from before was standing at the counter, looking up at the ceiling.
Sweetie Belle approached. "Still slow I see."
The pegasus turned to Sweetie Belle and sighed. "Yeah, slow days are the worst. Can I take your order?"
"A couple of milkshakes to go," said Sweetie Belle.
The pegasus dumped some ice cream, milk, and vanilla into the mixing machine, which made a whirring noise. She grabbed the dispenser and poured it out into two large cups.
Sweetie Belle placed a couple of bits on the counter and collected her milkshakes, while the pegasus went back to staring at the ceiling.
"As long as you have friends, you can always pull through," said Sweetie Belle.
The pegasus looked back at her, slowly nodded, then went into the kitchen.
Sweetie Belle exited the building, and took the milkshakes up to Scootaloo. After enjoying their treat, they resumed their journey, flying side by side and simply enjoying each other's company as the miles passed by.
The skies began to darken as they got closer to familiar territory. When Canterlot Mountain became visible in the distance, the pair parted, Scootaloo heading for Canterlot, and Sweetie Belle veering south toward home.
Sweetie Belle picked up her pace, and it wasn't long before she could see the houses of Ponyville, warm light spilling from their windows against the darkness of the night. "Ponyville almost seems normal," thought Sweetie Belle, as she passed over the mostly vacant streets of the town. She banked over Carousel Boutique, and continued on to what was Rainbow Dash's house. It was tethered to the ground now, as it really had to be for its current resident.
Sweetie Belle landed near the door, beside the two new cloud sculptures that Apple Bloom had recently made. She sighed, and walked into the house.
"How was your visit with Scootaloo?" asked Rarity.
"It was fun," said Sweetie Belle. "She always has this way of getting adventure into your life. How was your day on the weather patrol?"
"Oh, it was quite the day," said Rarity. "The ponies just don't seem to appreciate a little creativity in your work, and a completely clear sky is just so bland."
Sweetie Belle hugged Rarity, then walked into the guest room. She shed a silent tear, then went to bed.
Hang on, it's been a while since I've read this. Why is Rarity staying at Rainbow's house? And on the weather patrol?
Unless...
Oh sweet Celestia, what are you thinking? Three new princesses aren't enough, so now you want to try for four?!
6882269
A quote from chapter 9:
She wrapped the book in plain brown paper, and passed it to the guard. "Deliver this package discretely to my student in Ponyville," said Celestia, as she left her chambers to bring the new day to Equestria.
Yes, Celestia did give the book to Twilight.
How hard this was on Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom was never really discussed in canon, but it can't have been nice for either of them. Yes they are keeping Scootaloo out of that loop because really, what could she do other than worry? And she has important things she is doing. I mean what would her reaction be if she knew Dash was at Fluttershy's trying to handle the animals? Could she continue knowing that?
Here we are over a year since last chapter... Wow It's really been that long? Time sure flies when you're writing fanfiction.
6882269
I think making Twilight was Celestia's plan all along. I doubt this little gift of Chaos would stop that plan. If anything It would be more important that Twilight is ascended to help guide the girls. Between Luna guiding Sweetie and Celestia giving Scoots the crash course in diplomacy, having Twilight learning/teaching alongside Bloom would make sense.
6882926 Indeed. The problem tho, is will we get to see that happen soon? Or will it be another year or two?
6883121
A year, maybe 2... it doesn't really matter. It comes when the author writes it. It's better that the work is quality than speedy updates. I think deciding on trying to stay close to cannon is a mistake, but if the authors muse won't allow for presenting elements that break from cannon then whatever it takes to sate her finicky desires. Here's to hoping that her bloodlust is satiated and the story can move forward.
Ouch, looks like Celestia accelerated her plans for Twilight.
6883121
I am sort of convinced that giving time estimates just jinxes a fic at this point.
6883185
In this case I saw a neat way to move the story forward within the Griffonstone canon. I thought griffons had a lot more potential than that, but by embracing it I create a win-win for myself(You'll see just how much in the next chapter). It makes it more likely that they will shift canon again to something I like better, and if they do not then my story stays safe.
As for events in general, and keeping to canon -- things will happen if they logically would have happened. Celestia actually had more of a reason to try to promote Twilight early in this story than she did in the standard canon(and technically it was started earlier in my story than it was in canon if only by a very short period of time). If an event is not logical anymore then it won't happen.
I'll provide a future thought example. What reason would Discord have for allowing the plunder seeds to progress when anything that hurts Luna would alienate the crusaders? He also doesn't need the elements put under control in this case so he has a lot less to gain by it as well.
6883383
Well I am withholding judgement on the shift. Just because I felt it was a mistake doesn't mean it was wrong. My only issue is how sudden this chapter seems to switch tracks. I know with the impending Griffon visit time is short. But her inspiration, sudden road trip, and the very little explanation kinda feels... clunky. Perhaps on the trip having Scoots explain her sudden inspiration for wanting to visit Griffonstone. Or have her rant about the current state of the place on her way back... but I suspect you were planning on showing us next chapter.... so for now I'll just be dissatisfied at this chapter and wait for the next.
6883480
Ahh so what you wanted was the 1500 unwritten words of her in class listening to lectures and such and providing her the clues that things are fishy rather than just starting it at the point where she had her eureka moment....
I considered doing that actually, but decided it would make the chapter too front-loaded. I mean the CMC had exactly what they needed to make the acquisition of the Idol of Boreas pretty easy. If I had more words in the front, it would have been quite unbalanced.
At any rate, know that yes, Scootaloo was putting pieces together for a while and, like many leaps of logic, came up with her "This doesn't fit" moment on waking up. I have had that sort of thing happen to me many times.
---
As for her sudden roadtrip, that is 100% patented Scootaloo. She is a mare of action that way and it is very much in her character to do exactly that once things failed her smell test. It was literally done just as shown -- she had her moment, saw she had an hour and just winged the whole plan. Before she went to bed that night she had no idea she would be trekking off to Griffonstone. (Actually given different answers by her history professor, she would have gone back to bed.)
----
I can tell you the alternate method I had planned on having the story go only after the next chapter is posted.
6883508
Yeah I can see why you changed it... but I felt that dialogue during the road trip could have done the trick... Scoots could have even had trouble explaining it, since like her mentor it's not so much she knew there was something wrong but felt it.as it is the chapter kinda feels like an abridged version of the episode. Lot of visuals, very little talking. And the friendship problem completely nixed.
I guess what bothers me about the chapter is that it feels disconnected. Maybe it's because how Griffonstone is portrayed in MLP to begin with. How do you lose touch with a country for 50 years to the point where they are on the brink of economic collapse yet you still hear them as a diplomatic power. I mean it wouldn't be hard to send a spy to check up on them every now and then. I know it happens all the time, States crackdown on the propaganda that leaves their country. But with the way that the ponies are you think they've never heard of diplomatic espionage before.
in the context of the show the Griffin stone episode makes Equestria feel like someone who hasn't kept touch with a friend and that friend and is a poor and homeless on the street. In a diplomatic sense like in the story the Griffins are like North Korea and Celestia drop the ball somewhere in the diplomatic game. Because an unstable world power is a very scary thing I'm not something you want to take your eyes off of.
But that is why I felt it was a mistake to use Griffonstone. It opens the door for a lot of uncomfortable prospects in your story. And of course they are manageable, and why I will withhold judgment until everything is played out.
And thus the Idol of Boreas was restored, dooming Griffonstone to eternal greed and friendlessness, along with forcing Gilda to find herself another redemption arc.
Joking aside, it's good to have you back.
6883634
Sweetie Belle has an awful lot on her plate right now. She has been diving into her wind harp lessons HARD in part because having her sister being so messed up in the head is so painful, and it was something she was originally, on one level, doing for her sister. So much of which she may have wanted to share with Scootaloo, but she knows it would just hurt her. This highly restricted what she said in many ways, and I hope I got across throughout it just how pained she is right now // how much she was measuring herself.
I have been toying with ordering (there is a lot going on right now and actually the griffon meeting will probably be in the chapter after next simply because there are enough events between that it won't be in the timeframe of the next chapter -- unfortunately some of what I am doing, and why the characters are acting in certain ways won't be evident until then). A lot of it will depend upon the words to content ratio as well. That is one thing I have a tendency to do -- Write in too content dense a fashion (some authors write 15k words for what would optimally be put in 10k which I tend to say in 6k). Terseness is something I constantly have to actively fight.
6885087
Actually the Idol of Boreas is a magical artifact. It had the power to transform the greedy impulses of the Griffons into a more prideful outlook allowing them to be the major power they once were. In the episode itself, you could see just how much Gilda NEEDED it, then essentially made a willpower save and went back to her friends(That reminded me so much of indiana jones last crusade). It isn't "in its rightful place." Scootaloo has it.
And yes, it is nice to be back.
I'm missing something here ... weather duty? Why's Rare's doing weather duty like she was in the Magic Mystery Cure?
Still good to see your fic up and at 'em again.
6891467
Because during the last chapter(Changing Dance Partners) Celestia sent the book to Twilight. Yes, the bearers are messed up at the moment, which is not a fun thing for Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.
6891518
Ah ... Poor Sweets and Bloom. They need a princessly hug from Cadance and Luna. Or give Tia a good smack upside the head.
Looks like Scoots is best pony again, off to Griffonstone and getting the Idol pretty quick. That should make their meeting a little bit more complicated.
I suppose that if Discord could just handwave and make the CMC all Alicorns, then Celly looks better for Twilight getting wings for fixing something she screwed up in the first place.
6882662 In canon is really a hard thing to say because there's really no indication as to who besides Twilight and I think Spike knew that anything was even wrong, or if any of them remembered after. There's nothing for or against to say Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom even knew anything was off or if Pinkie Pie was always working on the farm and Applejack was always working in the Boutique. On the flip side, there's a comic where Pinkie Pie is asked by Twilight if she remembers her time on the Apple farm, and it's shown her and Big Mac had married, which is really kind of terrifying in the 'a magical artifact completely changed your life around and even though things were changed back you still remember this other life' way.
Heh Trolling Trollestia for a change, i can't wait for a new update, this is some quality stuff. ^^
This is a really goof fanfic, I'd love to see more.
7104565
Good news then -- I have been working on it and it is getting relatively close.
7104576 Awesome, I'm a huge fan of the CMC, so I love this idea.
Also just realized I typed goof instead of good, oops.
7104582
It has graduated to chapterwatch right now -- meaning the chapter only needs me to spend a day on it for it to be complete. I am still writing a minimum of about 50 words per day no matter what... sooo... If I do not spend a day on it, it will be done sometime in the next couple weeks simply by attrition. Of course as it goes from needing 1200 words to finish to 1150 to 1100 to ... the bar to just doing it lowers. It would be plain silly if I write 50 words on the final day and publish.
7272901 Well, I look forward to reading it.
bag
__________
Sweets and Bloom need the biggest hugs ever XD.
So I gather that Scootaloo must have the bulk of the power, which is why her magic is red and so powerful. The power that the others have is just an overflow from her own. Also I imagine that she's had the least amount of control over her own magic, with Applebloom clearly having the most control & practice. I also wonder if it's more diametrically opposed to Scotaloo's own magic.
Remove those extra gaps.