Blue and Black Wingsby MDNGHTRDHTLNChaptersOneTwoThreeFourOneRainbow Dash woke up. She wasn't startled, nor did she have a nightmare. She just woke up. And, boy, was she unusually hungry. Her mother had always told her she ate like a griffin, but she had never really thought about it until Gilda had come to town a few years back. Maybe her return had forced Rainbow's subconscious to draw lines and make connections, like one of her connect-the-dots books when she was a child, growing up in her small apartment in the Cloudsdale slums with an alcoholic father and promiscuous mother. Maybe Gilda's mean behavior had reminded her of the way her father would come home, drunk out of his mind, and let his hooves do most of the talking. Maybe Fluttershy being afraid of Gilda had reminded her of whenever Fluttershy would come over to visit, only to have her arrival be met with slurred threats from Rainbow's dad on one end, and moans of pleasure from a random stallion and Rainbow's mother on the other. Rainbow's dad didn't care about his betrothed's sex life, as her decision to whore herself out was the family's main source of income. Maybe Pinkie's helpful interference had reminded her of one night when she stumbled in on her mother and a stallion, going at it. She had heard her mother's cries, and went to check up on her. "Ah, fuck, a kid?" the stallion had said as soon as he noticed the small filly looking on in horror at the scene before her. "Who the fuck let a kid in here? I can't even finish now." He hopped off of the bed and started to dress. The stallion turned to Rainbow's mother. "I'll pay you five bits. I still gotta buy food for my family, ya know." The stallion was happily married and had a colt named Thunderlane. "Please, baby, don't go," her mother had said, trying to get her hard-earned bits. "She's not right in the head, baby, she's a little weird, don't go, we can finish." The stallion tossed five golden coins on Rainbow's mother's lavender coat. "Hah! You're worth one bit, honey. Be glad I'm feeling generous today." He galloped out of the room. Rainbow's father called out to the fleeing stallion. "Enjoy the ride?" he said, chuckling to himself. He poured another shot of his favorite whiskey, Cloudsworth's. He had already had eleven. "You BITCH!" Rainbow's mother cried to Rainbow. "You just blew my sale!" She brought a fast hoof to Rainbow's face. It stung, and Rainbow started to cry. "Mommy, I thought he was hurting you!" "I should've listened to everyone and gotten the abortion!" "Mommy, please! I'm sorry!" "Shut up!" She slapped Rainbow again. This slap in particular stung the worst. Eventually, Rainbow's mother found a pimp who she worked for for about seven years. By the time she had gotten out of the prostitution game, Rainbow had taken up a residence in Ponyville, a wonderful little town. Rainbow's mother had gotten out of the game in a body bag. Her pimp had shoved a dishwashing-soap, rat poison, and bleach cocktail down her throat. Her body was found in a place affectionately known as Whore Alley, near the intersection of Crassham Boulevard and Witcham Street on the Crassham side. When Rainbow Dash had gotten the news, all she could say was, "Good." This was five years before she had met Applejack at Sugarcube Corner. She'd have met Pinkie the day she came to Ponyville if Pinkie wasn't already so busy welcoming Pokey Pierce to town. Instead, Rainbow met Pinkie the day after she had moved to Ponyville. Rainbow snapped out of her reminiscing and remembered her goal: breakfast. She half-walked, half-fell down the stairs and sauntered into the kitchen. She made her way to her fridge, where she removed eggs, butter, mushrooms, green peppers, and cheese. With her ingredients tucked beneath her wings, she slowly, carefully, gingerly walked towards her range. She placed her ingredients on the counter, took out a pan from the shelf above her, coated it with PAM, and cracked the eggs. The white and yellow innards flowed like a river into the pan, much akin to the tears Rainbow was blissfully unaware of that she was crying. She then placed the rest of her ingredients into the pan, making sure not to drop any on her floor. She couldn't do the same for her tears. Her omelette had eventually finished, so she wrapped her hoof around the pan's wooden rubber handle and was about to empty the pan's contents onto a porcelain plate she had received as a going-away gift from her mother when she stopped herself. She felt her face get hot. What the hell was a gift from that bitch doing in her house? In a fit of rage, she picked up the plate and whirled it across the kitchen. It hit a wall and shattered into thousands of tiny fragments. Rainbow became aware of her tears. She sat down on a chair in her kitchen, put her head into her hooves, and wept. Across Ponyville, in a small apartment on Kossuth Lane, Thunderlane wakes up. He’s not as hungry as Rainbow is, however. Instead, he feels remorse. Yesterday was his brother’s birthday, and he forgot to get him something. It reminds him of his childhood. His well-to-do childhood, where he lived with his ignorant mother and father, and eventually his little brother, Rumble, who had to endure five years of neglect. His childhood, where he would romp around with his friends Rainbow Dash and Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy, the last of the three who was never much of a romper, but could romp, given the right circumstance. His childhood, where his father cheated on his mother with the city whores, one of whom, unbeknownst to Thunderlane, was Rainbow Dash’s mother. His childhood, where he was teased for having friends who were only girls from the summer of sixth grade and onwards, and everypony knew that girls were gross, that girls had cooties, that you would shrivel up and die if you caught cooties from a girl. Thunderlane didn’t think the same way. His childhood, where being shoved in lockers was a daily occurrence, and Rainbow Dash had to bail him out, and he would blush because she had saved him, even though everyone was afraid of her. The other boys said it was because she had the most cooties, but they knew that Rainbow would ruffle more than a few feathers if she was provoked. He blushed because she was pretty, too, but he would just die if anyone found out. He remembers a day, the last day of school, the last day of sixth grade. The teacher was calling kids up to get their report cards. “Thunderlane,” she called. He got up from his seat, stole his one last look at Rainbow Dash before summer (or so he thought then), and walked up to receive his marks. He had always been a good student, and his report card this year was no different. All As and Bs for Thunderlane, oh yes indeed. He walked out of the school and took a deep breath, inhaling the warm, crisp summer air. Rainbow Dash followed close behind him. “Heya,” she said. Thunderlane jumped out of his skin. “Oh, um...hi,” he responded. She giggled. Thunderlane loved her laugh. He also loved her eyes, her muzzle, her teeth, and her mane. He loved her eyes because they were pretty and you could get lost in them, her mane because of how she wore it, so loose, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Other girls pointed and laughed, because little Dashie was secretly a boy, they said, and she had boy parts, they said, and they would all blush and giggle. “Hey, did I scare ya? Sorry.” “No, it’s...it’s okay. So, um...what’s up, I guess?” She giggled again. He was kind of cute, she thought. “Nothing,” she said, biting on her bottom lip. “You?” “Well, I…” He wanted to shout ‘I love you!’ but he couldn’t because he was afraid and girls hate chickens who are afraid, right? “...I got my report card.” “How’d you do?” “All As and Bs. You?” “Same here.” Thunderlane giggled nervously. “It’s, um...Rainbow Dash, right? Your name?” Stupid Thunderlane, he thought, stupid, stupid, stupid! “Yeah,” she said. “You’re Thunderlane, right?” “Yeah.” “Well, Thunderlane,” she continued, “do you have any friends?” Stupid Dash, she thought, stupid, stupid, stupid! “Well...I…” He sighed. “No,” he said. “I’m an only child, and no one really likes me. I don’t know why.” Rainbow felt bad for the kid. She had Fluttershy, and Cloud Kicker, so why didn’t he have any friends? “I think other kids are jealous of you.” “Really? Why?” “You got good grades. How many other boys do you know who did that good?” “Not many…” he said, looking at the ground. “Exactly. Hey, do you wanna go somewhere? Maybe get some food? I have some friends that could come, too.” He looked surprised. “Really? You’d do that? For me?” “Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder. “Here they come now.” Thunderlane looked behind him. He saw a yellow pony with a long pink mane and a purplish pony with a yellowish-orangish mane come out. When he made eye contact, the yellow pony hid behind her mane, and the purplish pony smiled. “Hey, guys,” Rainbow called out. “This here is Thunderlane.” “Hi, Thunderlane,” the purplish pony said. “I’m Cloud Kicker. Nice to meet you.” “Oh...um...hi…” the yellow pony mumbled. “I’m Fluttershy…” Thunderlane was a good listener, so he didn’t need her to say it again. “Hi,” he returned, smiling a small smile. “Thunderlane here is gonna come with us to get some ice cream. That cool?” Rainbow asked. Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy nodded their heads. Thunderlane smiled. He finally had a friend. Or friends. Not long after this fateful day, Rumble would be born. When the four of them had reached the ice cream parlour, it was 4:30 p.m. Thunderlane’s parents wouldn’t notice he was gone until he had walked through the front door in an unusually happy mood. Rainbow’s parents would be too busy being either drunk or making illegitimate bits through sex to care about their daughter. Thunderlane ordered two scoops of chocolate, Rainbow ordered two scoops of Supermane, justifying her purchase by saying she liked the taste and the color of the ice cream. Fluttershy ordered a vanilla milkshake, and Cloud Kicker ordered a strawberry slushie. They found a booth with a red-and-white-checkered pattern, which was admittedly more fit for a pizza parlour than an ice cream parlour, but bits were tight, and the owners had to settle for what they could afford. Rainbow Dash sat on the inside, across from Fluttershy, while Thunderlane sat on the outside, next to Rainbow Dash, and across from Cloud Kicker. Cloud tried to start up a conversation. “So...um...how’d you do?” she asked to no one in particular. “What do you mean?” Thunderlane asked. “Like, your report card. How were your grades?” “Oh. All As and Bs.” “Same here. How about you, Fluttershy?” “Oh, I had all As and one B. The B was in flying,” Fluttershy responded. She was becoming more comfortable around Thunderlane already. He was nice. She had only known him for a few hours, but she could tell that he wasn’t mean or anything. “All As and Bs,” Rainbow said. “All of us did okay, huh?” “I guess.” Thunderlane, finally, had friends. Two“It’s coming down pretty hard, huh?” Rainbow asked to no one in particular. She sighed. I know, I know...why ask the question when there’s no one to answer you?, she thought to herself. Come to think of it, I’ve always been kinda alone. Have I? I mean, I have the girls...but I still feel...empty, y’know? She sighed again. That’s right, Rainbow. Just keep talking to yourself. There was a loud crack of thunder and a brilliant blue-white bolt of lightning. “Gah!” someone shouted, probably in pain. The voice definitely came from outside, and was masculine. Rainbow, intrigued, rushed to her window. She saw a black pegasus with a white mane flying around, trying to buck some clouds during the storm. Thunderlane, she thought to herself. She bolted to her front door. Putting her hoof on the knob, she turned it clockwise and pulled towards her. "Thunderlane?" she called out to him. "Thunderlane! What're you doing bucking clouds in the middle of a storm?" "Rainbow Dash?" he responded, taking a temporary break from his work. "Hey, it's...uh, it's been a while, huh?" "Yeah, it has! Come on, it's dangerous out there! Come inside." "I don't want to impose..." "It's not imposing if I invite you in! Now, come on!" "Um...okay, then." He propelled himself towards the house. Another bolt of lightning crashed through the sky, and Thunderlane yelped, trying to avoid it. Once he was safely inside, he started to pant. Rainbow could see his breath. “You okay, Thunderlane? Want me to get you a towel? Something to eat or drink, maybe?” “A towel’d be great. Do you have any wine?” “You’re a wine guy, huh?” He blushed. “Yeah.” Rainbow chuckled. “It’s cool. I am, too.” She walked up to her bathroom to get him a towel. She returned with a blue towel, with her cutie mark stitched onto it. She also poured Thunderlane and herself a glass of Marelot wine. When she returned with the wine draped over her back and the wine tucked beneath her wings, Thunderlane graciously took both. After he dried himself off, he sat down on Rainbow’s cloud couch and sipped his wine. “This is some pretty good Marelot, Dash.” “I know, right? I bought it when I took a trip to Canterlot with the girls.” “The girls? Oh, the other Elements of Harmony, right?” “Yeah. You ever met them?” “Um...I know Fluttershy and you, of course. I caught Rarity from falling once, I think...and the others are Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?” “Yep.” “Yeah, I’ve never actually met the others. Rarity and I exchanged a few greetings, but that was it.” “She’s pretty cool. I’ll introduce you to them. So, uh...it’s been a while.” “Yeah. Ever since you got me kicked out of military school, I haven’t seen you.” Military school. Thunderlane hated it there. The drill sergeants were pricks, the food was terrible, and the living conditions were sub-standard. It actually violated many Equestrian Health Services laws and regulations, but, being a government body, it was allowed to make life hell for the recruits. One day, Rainbow came to visit. “Hey, Thundie,” she had said. “Oh, hey, Dash,” he returned, folding his clothes. “How’ve you been holding up?” “Pretty well. You?” “If I said anything other than that I love it here, then I might be lynched,” he said, turning to her. She laughed. “Good to see you’re doing well.” She moved closer. “Hey, about what happened at flight school graduation...I’m...sorry.” “For what?” “For making it seem like...y’know, we could keep doing it.” “It’s okay.” He turned back to his clothes. She turned him back towards her. “It’s not. I feel bad.” “Don’t feel bad. You didn’t do anything wrong.” “I led you on! I mean, you know I love you, but...I don’t know if I love you like that! I mean...you know what growing up was like for me. My parents probably robbed me of all of my emotions.” “No, they didn’t.” “How do you know?” “Because you came here,” he said, and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss came as a surprise to Dash first, but she settled into it quickly, throwing her hooves around Thunderlane’s neck. As the kiss grew more and more passionate, Rainbow Dash felt more and more right. She pulled away for a second. “Are you sure about...this? Y’know...can there be an us?” “Of course.” “So, we, uh...gonna do what we did at flight school graduation?” “Well, we can’t lose our virginities again.” She laughed. “You know what I mean.” “I do,” he said, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He flew them over to the bed and began planting small kisses on her neck, and eventually moved on to doing what they did at flight school graduation. “Thunderlane?” a female voice asked. Thunderlane looked over his shoulder, only to see his mother and father standing in the doorway. “Yeah...while my parents and I had our argument over that, an instructor heard, and...well, you know the rest,” Thunderlane explained. “I do. I never heard from you, again, though. What was up with that?” “Well, after I was kicked out, my parents lost their rights as Rumble’s legal guardians. I got custody, and I spent the next couple of years trying to find the right place to raise him. He’s adjusted pretty well to them being gone. I think he was as fed up with them as I was.” “How’d they lose their rights?” “Well, my father had hit me. The same instructor saw. He was actually my favorite. He was the weapon handling instructor.” “You use the word instructor a lot.” “That’s what they were called. Not teachers, not educators, not professors. Instructors. Anyways, he had an investigation opened into my parents and found everything out.” “Everything?” “Everything.” “Wow. I mean, I knew what was going on...I always felt kinda bad for not saying anything, but I didn’t know where to go. Most, if not all, of the police force was corrupt and screwing my mom...I mean, who else was I supposed to go to? My dad? He’d have beat me for being a snitch!” “You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? My brother and I were neglected. I raised my brother, and he’s growing up to be an awesome guy. You did nothing wrong. Okay?” “Okay. Now, you tell me something.” “Yeah?” “What the hell were you doing out there?” she cried, motioning outside, where the storm was still raging. “I heard you scream! Did you get struck by a lightning bolt?” “Only a small one...and it only nicked my side…” Rainbow Dash noticed the small patch of singed coat on his side. “Celestia, Thunder! Why were you out there?” “I needed money.” “What?” Thunderlane’s voice started to shake. “I had to buck some clouds for extra money...because I just lost my other job. I need to pay bills, send my brother to school, and buy food! I can’t...I can’t do it alone!” He put his head in his hooves and started to cry, his body shaking with every sob. “I...I can’t. I might have to go take out a loan, but then how am I supposed to pay them back?” Rainbow Dash felt sorry for him. He had to support himself and his brother alone. Nopony should have to do that alone. What Rainbow Dash did next might make Rarity jealous. “You won’t have to take a loan.” “Why n-not?” “Because you and Rumble can stay here. With me.” “What? No, no, no! I mean, I really appreciate the offer, but...I mean, can you really afford two more people living here?” “Thunderlane, my house is huge. Scootaloo and I live here. No one else.” “But…” “What?” “Rumble can’t really fly that high.” “I’ve seen him fly!” “I mean, he can fly, but...all the neglect? He never got any nutrients as a foal. His wings haven’t developed properly.” “Oh, Luna, Thunderlane, I didn’t...I didn’t know.” “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.” “Well, then...I’ll sell the cloud house.” “What!? Dash, I could never ask you to-” “Don’t, Thunderlane. I actually have been planning on selling it, anyways. It’s hard for Scootaloo to get up here, too.” “Well...I…” He sighed. “Fine. But you and Scootaloo are gonna move in with Rumble and I.” “Deal.” Rainbow moved in to hug Thunderlane. Thunderlane reciprocated. “Don’t worry, Thunderlane. It’ll all be okay,” Rainbow said. “It’ll be okay. It always is.” ThreeIt’s raining again. Does it ever stop? Thunderlane was cold. At least he wasn’t wet. His umbrella had done a fine job of shielding him from the rain. Rainbow Dash, true to her word, sold her cloud house and, in turn, her cloud-based possessions. Scootaloo readily accepted the new changes; whether it was due to her struggle actually getting to the house, or her desire to follow Rainbow Dash everywhere, Thunderlane would never know. He supposed himself that it was a mixture of the two options that had been appealing to the young filly. Whatever the reason was, he was glad to have her there. She had begun to grow on him recently. Her optimistic attitude was infectious, as was her youthful enthusiasm. Thunderlane thought he heard a small cough, but he dismissed it as distant thunder. He continued his walk. He was walking in the rain for a good reason. He had gone to buy school supplies for his younger brother, Rumble. Rumble had been losing his school supplies more and more often as of late. Thunderlane expected that a bully was extorting them, but he wasn’t sure. Thunderlane was a chronic supply-misplacer himself as a child. He had constantly relied on Rainbow Dash to bail him out. Of course, she had bailed him out on more important things than school supplies more often than not. Then again, so had that older girl. ”Hey, Thunderlane, how’s your girlfriend?” the older ponies had sneered. The older ponies were in a higher grade, two grades higher, to be exact, and nopony in Thunderlane’s grade dared mess with them. Most of the older ponies were jerks, but one had come to his aid, as Rainbow did. Her name, Thunderlane had heard, was Daring Do, and she was great at exploring things. It was her special talent. “Hey, c’mon, guys, leave the kid alone,” Daring had said on the same day. “He can have whoever he wants as his friends.” “Oh, so, you’re gonna bail him out, Daring?” a light-purple pony had sneered. “I am.” “Well, too bad! I ain’t stopping anything.” “Nice grammar, knucklehead.” “Excuse me?” “I said nice grammar, knucklehead!” “You wanna say somethin’ else that’ll get you hit?” “Listen, I really don’t want to fight you.” “You don’t?” Daring smirked. “On second thought, I actually do.” In a blur of tan and grey, she connected her hoof with the purple pony’s face. Blood splashed from the wound, and he held his muzzle in pain. “My muzzle! You broke my muzzle!” Daring flew up to him. She grabbed him by the skin of his neck and pushed him against a locker. “Now, you listen here, pal,” she started. “If you ever - EVER - hurt me or these kids again, I swear to Celestia, I’ll break a lot more than your pathetic muzzle. Got me?” His eyes went to the ground. She shook him again. “I said, got me?” He nodded quickly. While all eyes were on the purple pony and Daring, the purple pony’s eyes met Thunderlane’s. You’re dead meat, they said. Daring let the purple pony go. He ran away as fast as he could. “My dad’ll hear about this! He’ll hear, alright!” “Oh, your dad! I’m so scared!” Daring returned, sarcasm making the purple pony’s wound sting that much more. The purple pony turned his head, grunted, and galloped away. Daring turned her attention to Thunderlane, who had watched the scene before him unfold in terror and awe. “Hey, kiddo,” she said, softening her voice. She kneeled down so she could be at his height. “You okay?” He nodded quickly. “My name’s Daring. Daring Do. What about you, kid?” “I’m...I’m Thunderlane…” “Hey, Thunderlane. Listen, are you okay? He won’t hurt you again. I promise.” He nodded again. He was terrified of her, even if she had saved him. She put a bloodied hoof on his shoulder. When she realized she was staining the kid’s coat, she pulled her hand back, wiped the blood on her side, and placed her hand on his shoulder again. “Thunderlane, it’ll be okay. You don’t need to be afraid of me. Okay?” He nodded again. “Hey, you!” a familiar, raspy voice called. “Get your hooves off him!” Rainbow Dash flew at a breakneck speed towards Daring and Thunderlane. “Hey, kid, I don’t wanna hurt you guys. You got me mixed up with the purpley guy,” Daring said. “How do I know you’re not one of his friends?” Daring turned her body to Rainbow Dash, showing the bloodstain on her side. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t beat up my friends.” “Hm…” Rainbow put a hoof on her chin. “I guess not...who are you?” “Daring Do.” “Daring Do, huh?” “Yep.” Fluttershy ran down the hallway, faster than Thunderlane had ever seen her run before. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow, is he…” Fluttershy stopped as she saw Daring Do. She halted her running, sliding on the floor for a bit until coming to a complete stop on the floor. She hid her face behind her mane. “Um…” “Fluttershy, this is Daring Do! Don’t worry, she’s a friend.” “Oh...um...hi. I’m...I’m Fluttershy.” “Hi. I’m Daring Do, but I guess you kinda knew that already, huh?” “Um…” Cloud Kicker turned a corner, her hooves screeching against the floor of the hall when she slid around the corner. “Hey, Thunde…” She noticed Daring standing in the hall, still kneeling over Thunderlane. Rainbow took notice of Cloud’s worried expression. “Don’t worry, Cloud. That’s Daring Do. She’s a friend.” “Oh. Um...alright, cool. How’s Thunderlane?” “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a little shaken up.” Just a little shaken up. Thunderlane heard the small cough again. This time, he could have sworn he also heard a sniffle. And it came, he thought, from a small, narrow, dark alley. “Hello?” he called. “Is anypony there?” He took a tentative step towards the alley. Bottles rattled, trash cans fell over, and boxes broke as a small, indistinguishable figure tried to scurry away. The figure ultimately got its hoof stuck under a trash can. It pulled and pulled, but nothing happened to help it break free from its prison. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Thunderlane assured. As he approached the figure, he saw it was a small child, probably a colt. “Come here, buddy.” Thunderlane lifted the trash can from on top of the colt’s hooves. “Now, why don’t we go somewhere warm?” “O-o-okay,” the colt said, stepping under the protection of the umbrella. He was wearing a red bandana on his two-tone brown mane. His coat was white, with splotches of brown all over, one on his eye. Thunderlane thought he recognized the colt from somewhere. Was he in Rumble’s class? “What’s your name?” Thunderlane asked the small colt. “I’m P-P-P-Pipsqueak,” he said. That’s where Thunderlane knew him from. “Hi, Pipsqueak. I’m Thunderlane.” “Wait, You’re Rumble’s brother, right?” “Yes, I am.” “Wow! Are you as cool as he says you are?” “As cool as he says I am?” “Yeah! He says that you’re the best brother anypony could ask for, ever!” “Really?” “Yeah! He says you’re caring, smart, kind, loyal, generous, honest, fast, funny, brave, and cool!” “He...he says that about me?” “Yeah! I wish I had a brother like you.” “You do?” “Yeah! Well...I guess I wish I had a brother.” “You don’t have any siblings?” “I do. But they’re back home in Trottingham with my parents.” “Your parents are in Trottingham?” “Yeah.” “How’d you get here?” “Well...I don’t usually like to talk about it…” “Oh. Okay.” “...but, I’ll tell you. So, when I was born, my parents didn’t want me. They said they had too many kids already. So, they dumped me in a river.” “That’s terrible!” “I know. So, anyways, I eventually end up here, in Ponyville. I grew up here. Pinkie kinda took me under her wing. She’s like a big sister to me!” “She is pretty nice, isn’t she?” “Yeah. But she can’t do it all.” “What do you mean?” “Well, she couldn’t find me a home. So, I found my alley.” “Your alley? That’s where you’ve been living?” “Yeah. For a few years.” “A few years?” “Yes.” Thunderlane took a breath. “Pipsqueak...why don’t you come live with me, Rumble, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash for a while?” “What? Really?” “Yeah. We have food, an extra room, and company.” “Well, I...okay. Okay! I have a home!” “Yes, you do, buddy. Welcome to the family.” FourRainbow Dash was sitting in the living room of Thunderlane’s small apartment on Kossuth Lane, relaxing in the red couch, her hind legs stretched out. She fluffed a pillow and set it beside her head, and was about to drift off to sleep, when she was interrupted by a small colt’s voice. “So...are you like...my mommy now?” Rainbow looked to the source of the voice, finding a small grey colt there, recognizing him as Rumble. “Oh, heya, kiddo. What’s up?” “Well...I just wanted to know. Are you, like, my mom now?” Rainbow bit her lip, carefully considering her answer. “More like ‘big sister.’” “Oh. Okay, then.” Rumble carelessly pawed at the ground, while Rainbow craned her head back again. “So...why are you here?” Rainbow got up again, looking at the small colt, eyebrow raised. Rumble quickly went into a panic. “N-not like that! I meant, like...in my house, as my big sister!” Rainbow dropped the look and laughed. “I’m here because your brother needs help.” “Help?” “Yeah. Raising a kid is tough, you know.” “It is?” “Yeah, it is. It’s even harder when you have nopony to help.” “So…” Rumble mulled the problem over in his head. “...you’re here to help Thunder, and make it easier to help me grow up? “Exactly,” Rainbow replied, trotting over to the kid and wrapping him up in a bear hug. “And don’t you forget it.” Rumble giggled. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” “Oh, yeah?” “Yeah!” Rainbow grinned. “I better make sure!” She started tickling him, getting uproars of gleeful laughter from the colt. This game went on for about half of a minute, until Rumble could take no more of the playful half-torture. “St-stop! It t-t-t-tickles so much!” Rainbow released her hold on Rumble, tears of laughter dripping out of both of their eyes. The front door suddenly opened, and Thunderlane chuckled, softly stepping into the room. “I’m glad to see you two are getting along well.” Rumble smiled. “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” “Well, it’s been a while since you two saw each other.” “Thunderlane, Scoots and I have been living here for about a week now,” Rainbow said. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that.” He paused, folding his umbrella back into a compact state. “That’s...not what I wanted to talk about, really.” He looked to his side, and then behind him at the pouring rain. “Hey, buddy, you can come in.” Rainbow and Rumble peeked their heads at the door, and, to their surprise, saw a small, spotted foal walk in. “H-h-h-hello,” he said. Rainbow smiled. “Hey. You seem cold. Let me get you a towel.” In the blink of an eye, Rainbow was off, returning seconds later with a white towel. She draped it over his back, and he nuzzled his head into it. The towel visibly drooped from the influx of extra mass. “So, kiddo, what’s your name?” “I’m P-P-Pipsqueak.” “Hey, I know you!” Rumble said, running to Pipsqueak’s side. “You go to school with me!” “Yes, I...I do.” “Well, um…” There was a small silence, which Thunderlane broke. “So, Pipsqueak will be staying with us. For a while, probably. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Steps rang out from the staircase in the back hall. “Problem with what?” a small filly’s voice asked. The small filly came down from the steps, and entered the living room. “Oh, hey, Pipsqueak!” “H-h-hey, Scootaloo,” the shivering colt replied. “Hey. So, uh…” Scootaloo’s attention turned to Thunderlane. “What are we having problems about?” Thunderlane looked down to Pipsqueak, and then to Scootaloo. “Pipsqueak will be...staying with us for a while, in the extra guest room. Is that okay?” “Yeah! Pip’s cool!” Pipsqueak smiled. The orange filly’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Well, then, there you have it, Pip,” Thunderlane said. “I can call you Pip, right?” Pipsqueak nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s get you dry.” Thunderlane lifted Pip onto his wing and trotted up the stairs towards the guest room. Rainbow Dash looked at the clock across the room, hanging on the wall. It read 8:46 p.m. Better get Scoots ready for bed, she thought to herself. “Hey, Scootaloo!” Rainbow called. “Time to get ready for bed.” “Do I have to?” the filly groaned. “Yes, yes you do.” Scootaloo sighed. “Fine.” She trotted up the stairs towards the shower. Rainbow leaned back on the couch, hoping to get some rest. She couldn’t really complain about the day, however. The addition of Pipsqueak into the household was definitely unexpected, but Dash had a soft spot for kids, and couldn’t live with herself if she turned him away. Besides, after Nightmare Night, Pipsqueak and Scootaloo had become friends, and Rainbow Dash had been called upon more than once to get Scootaloo from school. At these pick-ups, Dash would always see Scootaloo talking with Rumble and Pip, along with the other Crusaders, making sure to keep their distances from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Dash smiled. She was glad Scootaloo was making friends. Scootaloo used to have trouble making friends. She had found Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, but that was about it. Unless you counted being enemies with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Rainbow Dash had always been interested in their relationship. It seemed that Silver Spoon was more of a weak-willed accomplice than an instigator. No, the instigator was Diamond Tiara. No matter how many times Diamond Tiara had been scolded, berated, and punished, she would not let up on the Crusaders. She had recently even begun picking on Rumble and Pipsqueak, all because they had made new friends. Rainbow Dash put these thoughts aside for the moment. She needed to rest, after all. Tomorrow, she was expecting a visitor. Daring Do. Not generally one to take no for an answer, Daring Do was the kind of pony who would protect those weaker than her. She was like a dark knight, doing bad things for good reasons. These bad things usually included roughing up anyone who hurt those weaker than themselves, or planting evidence to suggest criminal activity on those who would hurt the lesser. Daring was a vigilante, Cloudsdale her city, the weak her protectorate. But Daring definitely had a soft spot for those foals. Thunderlane, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Cloud Kicker. Those four...she had saved them. Sure, she had always saved ponies who were getting picked on, but...for the purple guy to actually try to hurt them? Daring sighed. She had come to a conclusion. There were four types of ponies in the world: those who do good things for good reasons, those who do good things for bad reasons, those who do bad things for good reasons, and those who do bad things for bad reasons. Daring herself was part of the third type, but she admired those who were part of the first. They were pure. Daring was impure. She did bad things. Sure, the ponies who she did them to were bad, but they were still bad things. Daring despised the ponies in the second and fourth types. They were immoral, evil, and should not be given the chance at happiness. At least, not until they changed. Daring was also a firm believer in rehabilitation. With enough care, somepony could make a change for the better. It’s why she never killed. Daring stretched her hind legs. Now, those foals she had protected were all grown up. She had cried when she was at their graduation, and saw Thunderlane off to military school, and saw Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker and Rainbow Dash move away. Then, she was alone. No one to talk to. No one to hang out with. No one but herself. After Rainbow Dash had moved away, Daring had moved into a dormitory at the Cloudsdale School for the Historical Arts, which was a fancy name for archaeology school. Daring obtained a doctorate, and not long after, went on her first adventure to the tomb of an ancient Prench king. After the expedition was over, she was so enamored by the experience that she decided to write a book under the penname ‘A.K. Yearling,’ which had a lot of history behind it. ‘A.K.’ came from what adults had always called Daring and her friends in school, those ‘aimless kids.’ The ‘Yearling’ came from Daring’s fascination with time. Time had always interested Daring. She just had so many questions about it. When did it start? When did ponies become fully aware of its existence? Does it actually exist, or did ponies just make it up? Daring smiled. An ear-to-ear grin spread across her face as she neared the door of an old friend. The old friend who she had protected. The old friend whose purple tormentor had never bothered him again. The old friend, Thunderlane. She had also heard rumours that Rainbow Dash had moved in with Thunderlane. Whether or not they were true didn’t matter to Daring. She actually hoped they were, because then she could see another friend. Not wasting another moment, Daring brought her hoof up to the oak door and knocked, hitting the door three times. Rainbow Dash was awoken by three knocks at her oak door.
OneRainbow Dash woke up. She wasn't startled, nor did she have a nightmare. She just woke up. And, boy, was she unusually hungry. Her mother had always told her she ate like a griffin, but she had never really thought about it until Gilda had come to town a few years back. Maybe her return had forced Rainbow's subconscious to draw lines and make connections, like one of her connect-the-dots books when she was a child, growing up in her small apartment in the Cloudsdale slums with an alcoholic father and promiscuous mother. Maybe Gilda's mean behavior had reminded her of the way her father would come home, drunk out of his mind, and let his hooves do most of the talking. Maybe Fluttershy being afraid of Gilda had reminded her of whenever Fluttershy would come over to visit, only to have her arrival be met with slurred threats from Rainbow's dad on one end, and moans of pleasure from a random stallion and Rainbow's mother on the other. Rainbow's dad didn't care about his betrothed's sex life, as her decision to whore herself out was the family's main source of income. Maybe Pinkie's helpful interference had reminded her of one night when she stumbled in on her mother and a stallion, going at it. She had heard her mother's cries, and went to check up on her. "Ah, fuck, a kid?" the stallion had said as soon as he noticed the small filly looking on in horror at the scene before her. "Who the fuck let a kid in here? I can't even finish now." He hopped off of the bed and started to dress. The stallion turned to Rainbow's mother. "I'll pay you five bits. I still gotta buy food for my family, ya know." The stallion was happily married and had a colt named Thunderlane. "Please, baby, don't go," her mother had said, trying to get her hard-earned bits. "She's not right in the head, baby, she's a little weird, don't go, we can finish." The stallion tossed five golden coins on Rainbow's mother's lavender coat. "Hah! You're worth one bit, honey. Be glad I'm feeling generous today." He galloped out of the room. Rainbow's father called out to the fleeing stallion. "Enjoy the ride?" he said, chuckling to himself. He poured another shot of his favorite whiskey, Cloudsworth's. He had already had eleven. "You BITCH!" Rainbow's mother cried to Rainbow. "You just blew my sale!" She brought a fast hoof to Rainbow's face. It stung, and Rainbow started to cry. "Mommy, I thought he was hurting you!" "I should've listened to everyone and gotten the abortion!" "Mommy, please! I'm sorry!" "Shut up!" She slapped Rainbow again. This slap in particular stung the worst. Eventually, Rainbow's mother found a pimp who she worked for for about seven years. By the time she had gotten out of the prostitution game, Rainbow had taken up a residence in Ponyville, a wonderful little town. Rainbow's mother had gotten out of the game in a body bag. Her pimp had shoved a dishwashing-soap, rat poison, and bleach cocktail down her throat. Her body was found in a place affectionately known as Whore Alley, near the intersection of Crassham Boulevard and Witcham Street on the Crassham side. When Rainbow Dash had gotten the news, all she could say was, "Good." This was five years before she had met Applejack at Sugarcube Corner. She'd have met Pinkie the day she came to Ponyville if Pinkie wasn't already so busy welcoming Pokey Pierce to town. Instead, Rainbow met Pinkie the day after she had moved to Ponyville. Rainbow snapped out of her reminiscing and remembered her goal: breakfast. She half-walked, half-fell down the stairs and sauntered into the kitchen. She made her way to her fridge, where she removed eggs, butter, mushrooms, green peppers, and cheese. With her ingredients tucked beneath her wings, she slowly, carefully, gingerly walked towards her range. She placed her ingredients on the counter, took out a pan from the shelf above her, coated it with PAM, and cracked the eggs. The white and yellow innards flowed like a river into the pan, much akin to the tears Rainbow was blissfully unaware of that she was crying. She then placed the rest of her ingredients into the pan, making sure not to drop any on her floor. She couldn't do the same for her tears. Her omelette had eventually finished, so she wrapped her hoof around the pan's wooden rubber handle and was about to empty the pan's contents onto a porcelain plate she had received as a going-away gift from her mother when she stopped herself. She felt her face get hot. What the hell was a gift from that bitch doing in her house? In a fit of rage, she picked up the plate and whirled it across the kitchen. It hit a wall and shattered into thousands of tiny fragments. Rainbow became aware of her tears. She sat down on a chair in her kitchen, put her head into her hooves, and wept. Across Ponyville, in a small apartment on Kossuth Lane, Thunderlane wakes up. He’s not as hungry as Rainbow is, however. Instead, he feels remorse. Yesterday was his brother’s birthday, and he forgot to get him something. It reminds him of his childhood. His well-to-do childhood, where he lived with his ignorant mother and father, and eventually his little brother, Rumble, who had to endure five years of neglect. His childhood, where he would romp around with his friends Rainbow Dash and Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy, the last of the three who was never much of a romper, but could romp, given the right circumstance. His childhood, where his father cheated on his mother with the city whores, one of whom, unbeknownst to Thunderlane, was Rainbow Dash’s mother. His childhood, where he was teased for having friends who were only girls from the summer of sixth grade and onwards, and everypony knew that girls were gross, that girls had cooties, that you would shrivel up and die if you caught cooties from a girl. Thunderlane didn’t think the same way. His childhood, where being shoved in lockers was a daily occurrence, and Rainbow Dash had to bail him out, and he would blush because she had saved him, even though everyone was afraid of her. The other boys said it was because she had the most cooties, but they knew that Rainbow would ruffle more than a few feathers if she was provoked. He blushed because she was pretty, too, but he would just die if anyone found out. He remembers a day, the last day of school, the last day of sixth grade. The teacher was calling kids up to get their report cards. “Thunderlane,” she called. He got up from his seat, stole his one last look at Rainbow Dash before summer (or so he thought then), and walked up to receive his marks. He had always been a good student, and his report card this year was no different. All As and Bs for Thunderlane, oh yes indeed. He walked out of the school and took a deep breath, inhaling the warm, crisp summer air. Rainbow Dash followed close behind him. “Heya,” she said. Thunderlane jumped out of his skin. “Oh, um...hi,” he responded. She giggled. Thunderlane loved her laugh. He also loved her eyes, her muzzle, her teeth, and her mane. He loved her eyes because they were pretty and you could get lost in them, her mane because of how she wore it, so loose, like she didn’t have a care in the world. Other girls pointed and laughed, because little Dashie was secretly a boy, they said, and she had boy parts, they said, and they would all blush and giggle. “Hey, did I scare ya? Sorry.” “No, it’s...it’s okay. So, um...what’s up, I guess?” She giggled again. He was kind of cute, she thought. “Nothing,” she said, biting on her bottom lip. “You?” “Well, I…” He wanted to shout ‘I love you!’ but he couldn’t because he was afraid and girls hate chickens who are afraid, right? “...I got my report card.” “How’d you do?” “All As and Bs. You?” “Same here.” Thunderlane giggled nervously. “It’s, um...Rainbow Dash, right? Your name?” Stupid Thunderlane, he thought, stupid, stupid, stupid! “Yeah,” she said. “You’re Thunderlane, right?” “Yeah.” “Well, Thunderlane,” she continued, “do you have any friends?” Stupid Dash, she thought, stupid, stupid, stupid! “Well...I…” He sighed. “No,” he said. “I’m an only child, and no one really likes me. I don’t know why.” Rainbow felt bad for the kid. She had Fluttershy, and Cloud Kicker, so why didn’t he have any friends? “I think other kids are jealous of you.” “Really? Why?” “You got good grades. How many other boys do you know who did that good?” “Not many…” he said, looking at the ground. “Exactly. Hey, do you wanna go somewhere? Maybe get some food? I have some friends that could come, too.” He looked surprised. “Really? You’d do that? For me?” “Yeah.” She looked over her shoulder. “Here they come now.” Thunderlane looked behind him. He saw a yellow pony with a long pink mane and a purplish pony with a yellowish-orangish mane come out. When he made eye contact, the yellow pony hid behind her mane, and the purplish pony smiled. “Hey, guys,” Rainbow called out. “This here is Thunderlane.” “Hi, Thunderlane,” the purplish pony said. “I’m Cloud Kicker. Nice to meet you.” “Oh...um...hi…” the yellow pony mumbled. “I’m Fluttershy…” Thunderlane was a good listener, so he didn’t need her to say it again. “Hi,” he returned, smiling a small smile. “Thunderlane here is gonna come with us to get some ice cream. That cool?” Rainbow asked. Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy nodded their heads. Thunderlane smiled. He finally had a friend. Or friends. Not long after this fateful day, Rumble would be born. When the four of them had reached the ice cream parlour, it was 4:30 p.m. Thunderlane’s parents wouldn’t notice he was gone until he had walked through the front door in an unusually happy mood. Rainbow’s parents would be too busy being either drunk or making illegitimate bits through sex to care about their daughter. Thunderlane ordered two scoops of chocolate, Rainbow ordered two scoops of Supermane, justifying her purchase by saying she liked the taste and the color of the ice cream. Fluttershy ordered a vanilla milkshake, and Cloud Kicker ordered a strawberry slushie. They found a booth with a red-and-white-checkered pattern, which was admittedly more fit for a pizza parlour than an ice cream parlour, but bits were tight, and the owners had to settle for what they could afford. Rainbow Dash sat on the inside, across from Fluttershy, while Thunderlane sat on the outside, next to Rainbow Dash, and across from Cloud Kicker. Cloud tried to start up a conversation. “So...um...how’d you do?” she asked to no one in particular. “What do you mean?” Thunderlane asked. “Like, your report card. How were your grades?” “Oh. All As and Bs.” “Same here. How about you, Fluttershy?” “Oh, I had all As and one B. The B was in flying,” Fluttershy responded. She was becoming more comfortable around Thunderlane already. He was nice. She had only known him for a few hours, but she could tell that he wasn’t mean or anything. “All As and Bs,” Rainbow said. “All of us did okay, huh?” “I guess.” Thunderlane, finally, had friends.
Two“It’s coming down pretty hard, huh?” Rainbow asked to no one in particular. She sighed. I know, I know...why ask the question when there’s no one to answer you?, she thought to herself. Come to think of it, I’ve always been kinda alone. Have I? I mean, I have the girls...but I still feel...empty, y’know? She sighed again. That’s right, Rainbow. Just keep talking to yourself. There was a loud crack of thunder and a brilliant blue-white bolt of lightning. “Gah!” someone shouted, probably in pain. The voice definitely came from outside, and was masculine. Rainbow, intrigued, rushed to her window. She saw a black pegasus with a white mane flying around, trying to buck some clouds during the storm. Thunderlane, she thought to herself. She bolted to her front door. Putting her hoof on the knob, she turned it clockwise and pulled towards her. "Thunderlane?" she called out to him. "Thunderlane! What're you doing bucking clouds in the middle of a storm?" "Rainbow Dash?" he responded, taking a temporary break from his work. "Hey, it's...uh, it's been a while, huh?" "Yeah, it has! Come on, it's dangerous out there! Come inside." "I don't want to impose..." "It's not imposing if I invite you in! Now, come on!" "Um...okay, then." He propelled himself towards the house. Another bolt of lightning crashed through the sky, and Thunderlane yelped, trying to avoid it. Once he was safely inside, he started to pant. Rainbow could see his breath. “You okay, Thunderlane? Want me to get you a towel? Something to eat or drink, maybe?” “A towel’d be great. Do you have any wine?” “You’re a wine guy, huh?” He blushed. “Yeah.” Rainbow chuckled. “It’s cool. I am, too.” She walked up to her bathroom to get him a towel. She returned with a blue towel, with her cutie mark stitched onto it. She also poured Thunderlane and herself a glass of Marelot wine. When she returned with the wine draped over her back and the wine tucked beneath her wings, Thunderlane graciously took both. After he dried himself off, he sat down on Rainbow’s cloud couch and sipped his wine. “This is some pretty good Marelot, Dash.” “I know, right? I bought it when I took a trip to Canterlot with the girls.” “The girls? Oh, the other Elements of Harmony, right?” “Yeah. You ever met them?” “Um...I know Fluttershy and you, of course. I caught Rarity from falling once, I think...and the others are Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, right?” “Yep.” “Yeah, I’ve never actually met the others. Rarity and I exchanged a few greetings, but that was it.” “She’s pretty cool. I’ll introduce you to them. So, uh...it’s been a while.” “Yeah. Ever since you got me kicked out of military school, I haven’t seen you.” Military school. Thunderlane hated it there. The drill sergeants were pricks, the food was terrible, and the living conditions were sub-standard. It actually violated many Equestrian Health Services laws and regulations, but, being a government body, it was allowed to make life hell for the recruits. One day, Rainbow came to visit. “Hey, Thundie,” she had said. “Oh, hey, Dash,” he returned, folding his clothes. “How’ve you been holding up?” “Pretty well. You?” “If I said anything other than that I love it here, then I might be lynched,” he said, turning to her. She laughed. “Good to see you’re doing well.” She moved closer. “Hey, about what happened at flight school graduation...I’m...sorry.” “For what?” “For making it seem like...y’know, we could keep doing it.” “It’s okay.” He turned back to his clothes. She turned him back towards her. “It’s not. I feel bad.” “Don’t feel bad. You didn’t do anything wrong.” “I led you on! I mean, you know I love you, but...I don’t know if I love you like that! I mean...you know what growing up was like for me. My parents probably robbed me of all of my emotions.” “No, they didn’t.” “How do you know?” “Because you came here,” he said, and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss came as a surprise to Dash first, but she settled into it quickly, throwing her hooves around Thunderlane’s neck. As the kiss grew more and more passionate, Rainbow Dash felt more and more right. She pulled away for a second. “Are you sure about...this? Y’know...can there be an us?” “Of course.” “So, we, uh...gonna do what we did at flight school graduation?” “Well, we can’t lose our virginities again.” She laughed. “You know what I mean.” “I do,” he said, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He flew them over to the bed and began planting small kisses on her neck, and eventually moved on to doing what they did at flight school graduation. “Thunderlane?” a female voice asked. Thunderlane looked over his shoulder, only to see his mother and father standing in the doorway. “Yeah...while my parents and I had our argument over that, an instructor heard, and...well, you know the rest,” Thunderlane explained. “I do. I never heard from you, again, though. What was up with that?” “Well, after I was kicked out, my parents lost their rights as Rumble’s legal guardians. I got custody, and I spent the next couple of years trying to find the right place to raise him. He’s adjusted pretty well to them being gone. I think he was as fed up with them as I was.” “How’d they lose their rights?” “Well, my father had hit me. The same instructor saw. He was actually my favorite. He was the weapon handling instructor.” “You use the word instructor a lot.” “That’s what they were called. Not teachers, not educators, not professors. Instructors. Anyways, he had an investigation opened into my parents and found everything out.” “Everything?” “Everything.” “Wow. I mean, I knew what was going on...I always felt kinda bad for not saying anything, but I didn’t know where to go. Most, if not all, of the police force was corrupt and screwing my mom...I mean, who else was I supposed to go to? My dad? He’d have beat me for being a snitch!” “You didn’t do anything wrong, okay? My brother and I were neglected. I raised my brother, and he’s growing up to be an awesome guy. You did nothing wrong. Okay?” “Okay. Now, you tell me something.” “Yeah?” “What the hell were you doing out there?” she cried, motioning outside, where the storm was still raging. “I heard you scream! Did you get struck by a lightning bolt?” “Only a small one...and it only nicked my side…” Rainbow Dash noticed the small patch of singed coat on his side. “Celestia, Thunder! Why were you out there?” “I needed money.” “What?” Thunderlane’s voice started to shake. “I had to buck some clouds for extra money...because I just lost my other job. I need to pay bills, send my brother to school, and buy food! I can’t...I can’t do it alone!” He put his head in his hooves and started to cry, his body shaking with every sob. “I...I can’t. I might have to go take out a loan, but then how am I supposed to pay them back?” Rainbow Dash felt sorry for him. He had to support himself and his brother alone. Nopony should have to do that alone. What Rainbow Dash did next might make Rarity jealous. “You won’t have to take a loan.” “Why n-not?” “Because you and Rumble can stay here. With me.” “What? No, no, no! I mean, I really appreciate the offer, but...I mean, can you really afford two more people living here?” “Thunderlane, my house is huge. Scootaloo and I live here. No one else.” “But…” “What?” “Rumble can’t really fly that high.” “I’ve seen him fly!” “I mean, he can fly, but...all the neglect? He never got any nutrients as a foal. His wings haven’t developed properly.” “Oh, Luna, Thunderlane, I didn’t...I didn’t know.” “It’s okay. You couldn’t have known.” “Well, then...I’ll sell the cloud house.” “What!? Dash, I could never ask you to-” “Don’t, Thunderlane. I actually have been planning on selling it, anyways. It’s hard for Scootaloo to get up here, too.” “Well...I…” He sighed. “Fine. But you and Scootaloo are gonna move in with Rumble and I.” “Deal.” Rainbow moved in to hug Thunderlane. Thunderlane reciprocated. “Don’t worry, Thunderlane. It’ll all be okay,” Rainbow said. “It’ll be okay. It always is.”
ThreeIt’s raining again. Does it ever stop? Thunderlane was cold. At least he wasn’t wet. His umbrella had done a fine job of shielding him from the rain. Rainbow Dash, true to her word, sold her cloud house and, in turn, her cloud-based possessions. Scootaloo readily accepted the new changes; whether it was due to her struggle actually getting to the house, or her desire to follow Rainbow Dash everywhere, Thunderlane would never know. He supposed himself that it was a mixture of the two options that had been appealing to the young filly. Whatever the reason was, he was glad to have her there. She had begun to grow on him recently. Her optimistic attitude was infectious, as was her youthful enthusiasm. Thunderlane thought he heard a small cough, but he dismissed it as distant thunder. He continued his walk. He was walking in the rain for a good reason. He had gone to buy school supplies for his younger brother, Rumble. Rumble had been losing his school supplies more and more often as of late. Thunderlane expected that a bully was extorting them, but he wasn’t sure. Thunderlane was a chronic supply-misplacer himself as a child. He had constantly relied on Rainbow Dash to bail him out. Of course, she had bailed him out on more important things than school supplies more often than not. Then again, so had that older girl. ”Hey, Thunderlane, how’s your girlfriend?” the older ponies had sneered. The older ponies were in a higher grade, two grades higher, to be exact, and nopony in Thunderlane’s grade dared mess with them. Most of the older ponies were jerks, but one had come to his aid, as Rainbow did. Her name, Thunderlane had heard, was Daring Do, and she was great at exploring things. It was her special talent. “Hey, c’mon, guys, leave the kid alone,” Daring had said on the same day. “He can have whoever he wants as his friends.” “Oh, so, you’re gonna bail him out, Daring?” a light-purple pony had sneered. “I am.” “Well, too bad! I ain’t stopping anything.” “Nice grammar, knucklehead.” “Excuse me?” “I said nice grammar, knucklehead!” “You wanna say somethin’ else that’ll get you hit?” “Listen, I really don’t want to fight you.” “You don’t?” Daring smirked. “On second thought, I actually do.” In a blur of tan and grey, she connected her hoof with the purple pony’s face. Blood splashed from the wound, and he held his muzzle in pain. “My muzzle! You broke my muzzle!” Daring flew up to him. She grabbed him by the skin of his neck and pushed him against a locker. “Now, you listen here, pal,” she started. “If you ever - EVER - hurt me or these kids again, I swear to Celestia, I’ll break a lot more than your pathetic muzzle. Got me?” His eyes went to the ground. She shook him again. “I said, got me?” He nodded quickly. While all eyes were on the purple pony and Daring, the purple pony’s eyes met Thunderlane’s. You’re dead meat, they said. Daring let the purple pony go. He ran away as fast as he could. “My dad’ll hear about this! He’ll hear, alright!” “Oh, your dad! I’m so scared!” Daring returned, sarcasm making the purple pony’s wound sting that much more. The purple pony turned his head, grunted, and galloped away. Daring turned her attention to Thunderlane, who had watched the scene before him unfold in terror and awe. “Hey, kiddo,” she said, softening her voice. She kneeled down so she could be at his height. “You okay?” He nodded quickly. “My name’s Daring. Daring Do. What about you, kid?” “I’m...I’m Thunderlane…” “Hey, Thunderlane. Listen, are you okay? He won’t hurt you again. I promise.” He nodded again. He was terrified of her, even if she had saved him. She put a bloodied hoof on his shoulder. When she realized she was staining the kid’s coat, she pulled her hand back, wiped the blood on her side, and placed her hand on his shoulder again. “Thunderlane, it’ll be okay. You don’t need to be afraid of me. Okay?” He nodded again. “Hey, you!” a familiar, raspy voice called. “Get your hooves off him!” Rainbow Dash flew at a breakneck speed towards Daring and Thunderlane. “Hey, kid, I don’t wanna hurt you guys. You got me mixed up with the purpley guy,” Daring said. “How do I know you’re not one of his friends?” Daring turned her body to Rainbow Dash, showing the bloodstain on her side. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t beat up my friends.” “Hm…” Rainbow put a hoof on her chin. “I guess not...who are you?” “Daring Do.” “Daring Do, huh?” “Yep.” Fluttershy ran down the hallway, faster than Thunderlane had ever seen her run before. “Rainbow Dash! Rainbow, is he…” Fluttershy stopped as she saw Daring Do. She halted her running, sliding on the floor for a bit until coming to a complete stop on the floor. She hid her face behind her mane. “Um…” “Fluttershy, this is Daring Do! Don’t worry, she’s a friend.” “Oh...um...hi. I’m...I’m Fluttershy.” “Hi. I’m Daring Do, but I guess you kinda knew that already, huh?” “Um…” Cloud Kicker turned a corner, her hooves screeching against the floor of the hall when she slid around the corner. “Hey, Thunde…” She noticed Daring standing in the hall, still kneeling over Thunderlane. Rainbow took notice of Cloud’s worried expression. “Don’t worry, Cloud. That’s Daring Do. She’s a friend.” “Oh. Um...alright, cool. How’s Thunderlane?” “I’m fine,” he said. “Just a little shaken up.” Just a little shaken up. Thunderlane heard the small cough again. This time, he could have sworn he also heard a sniffle. And it came, he thought, from a small, narrow, dark alley. “Hello?” he called. “Is anypony there?” He took a tentative step towards the alley. Bottles rattled, trash cans fell over, and boxes broke as a small, indistinguishable figure tried to scurry away. The figure ultimately got its hoof stuck under a trash can. It pulled and pulled, but nothing happened to help it break free from its prison. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt you,” Thunderlane assured. As he approached the figure, he saw it was a small child, probably a colt. “Come here, buddy.” Thunderlane lifted the trash can from on top of the colt’s hooves. “Now, why don’t we go somewhere warm?” “O-o-okay,” the colt said, stepping under the protection of the umbrella. He was wearing a red bandana on his two-tone brown mane. His coat was white, with splotches of brown all over, one on his eye. Thunderlane thought he recognized the colt from somewhere. Was he in Rumble’s class? “What’s your name?” Thunderlane asked the small colt. “I’m P-P-P-Pipsqueak,” he said. That’s where Thunderlane knew him from. “Hi, Pipsqueak. I’m Thunderlane.” “Wait, You’re Rumble’s brother, right?” “Yes, I am.” “Wow! Are you as cool as he says you are?” “As cool as he says I am?” “Yeah! He says that you’re the best brother anypony could ask for, ever!” “Really?” “Yeah! He says you’re caring, smart, kind, loyal, generous, honest, fast, funny, brave, and cool!” “He...he says that about me?” “Yeah! I wish I had a brother like you.” “You do?” “Yeah! Well...I guess I wish I had a brother.” “You don’t have any siblings?” “I do. But they’re back home in Trottingham with my parents.” “Your parents are in Trottingham?” “Yeah.” “How’d you get here?” “Well...I don’t usually like to talk about it…” “Oh. Okay.” “...but, I’ll tell you. So, when I was born, my parents didn’t want me. They said they had too many kids already. So, they dumped me in a river.” “That’s terrible!” “I know. So, anyways, I eventually end up here, in Ponyville. I grew up here. Pinkie kinda took me under her wing. She’s like a big sister to me!” “She is pretty nice, isn’t she?” “Yeah. But she can’t do it all.” “What do you mean?” “Well, she couldn’t find me a home. So, I found my alley.” “Your alley? That’s where you’ve been living?” “Yeah. For a few years.” “A few years?” “Yes.” Thunderlane took a breath. “Pipsqueak...why don’t you come live with me, Rumble, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash for a while?” “What? Really?” “Yeah. We have food, an extra room, and company.” “Well, I...okay. Okay! I have a home!” “Yes, you do, buddy. Welcome to the family.”
FourRainbow Dash was sitting in the living room of Thunderlane’s small apartment on Kossuth Lane, relaxing in the red couch, her hind legs stretched out. She fluffed a pillow and set it beside her head, and was about to drift off to sleep, when she was interrupted by a small colt’s voice. “So...are you like...my mommy now?” Rainbow looked to the source of the voice, finding a small grey colt there, recognizing him as Rumble. “Oh, heya, kiddo. What’s up?” “Well...I just wanted to know. Are you, like, my mom now?” Rainbow bit her lip, carefully considering her answer. “More like ‘big sister.’” “Oh. Okay, then.” Rumble carelessly pawed at the ground, while Rainbow craned her head back again. “So...why are you here?” Rainbow got up again, looking at the small colt, eyebrow raised. Rumble quickly went into a panic. “N-not like that! I meant, like...in my house, as my big sister!” Rainbow dropped the look and laughed. “I’m here because your brother needs help.” “Help?” “Yeah. Raising a kid is tough, you know.” “It is?” “Yeah, it is. It’s even harder when you have nopony to help.” “So…” Rumble mulled the problem over in his head. “...you’re here to help Thunder, and make it easier to help me grow up? “Exactly,” Rainbow replied, trotting over to the kid and wrapping him up in a bear hug. “And don’t you forget it.” Rumble giggled. “Don’t worry, I won’t.” “Oh, yeah?” “Yeah!” Rainbow grinned. “I better make sure!” She started tickling him, getting uproars of gleeful laughter from the colt. This game went on for about half of a minute, until Rumble could take no more of the playful half-torture. “St-stop! It t-t-t-tickles so much!” Rainbow released her hold on Rumble, tears of laughter dripping out of both of their eyes. The front door suddenly opened, and Thunderlane chuckled, softly stepping into the room. “I’m glad to see you two are getting along well.” Rumble smiled. “Yeah, why wouldn’t we be?” “Well, it’s been a while since you two saw each other.” “Thunderlane, Scoots and I have been living here for about a week now,” Rainbow said. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that.” He paused, folding his umbrella back into a compact state. “That’s...not what I wanted to talk about, really.” He looked to his side, and then behind him at the pouring rain. “Hey, buddy, you can come in.” Rainbow and Rumble peeked their heads at the door, and, to their surprise, saw a small, spotted foal walk in. “H-h-h-hello,” he said. Rainbow smiled. “Hey. You seem cold. Let me get you a towel.” In the blink of an eye, Rainbow was off, returning seconds later with a white towel. She draped it over his back, and he nuzzled his head into it. The towel visibly drooped from the influx of extra mass. “So, kiddo, what’s your name?” “I’m P-P-Pipsqueak.” “Hey, I know you!” Rumble said, running to Pipsqueak’s side. “You go to school with me!” “Yes, I...I do.” “Well, um…” There was a small silence, which Thunderlane broke. “So, Pipsqueak will be staying with us. For a while, probably. Does anyone have a problem with that?” Steps rang out from the staircase in the back hall. “Problem with what?” a small filly’s voice asked. The small filly came down from the steps, and entered the living room. “Oh, hey, Pipsqueak!” “H-h-hey, Scootaloo,” the shivering colt replied. “Hey. So, uh…” Scootaloo’s attention turned to Thunderlane. “What are we having problems about?” Thunderlane looked down to Pipsqueak, and then to Scootaloo. “Pipsqueak will be...staying with us for a while, in the extra guest room. Is that okay?” “Yeah! Pip’s cool!” Pipsqueak smiled. The orange filly’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Well, then, there you have it, Pip,” Thunderlane said. “I can call you Pip, right?” Pipsqueak nodded. “Alright, then. Let’s get you dry.” Thunderlane lifted Pip onto his wing and trotted up the stairs towards the guest room. Rainbow Dash looked at the clock across the room, hanging on the wall. It read 8:46 p.m. Better get Scoots ready for bed, she thought to herself. “Hey, Scootaloo!” Rainbow called. “Time to get ready for bed.” “Do I have to?” the filly groaned. “Yes, yes you do.” Scootaloo sighed. “Fine.” She trotted up the stairs towards the shower. Rainbow leaned back on the couch, hoping to get some rest. She couldn’t really complain about the day, however. The addition of Pipsqueak into the household was definitely unexpected, but Dash had a soft spot for kids, and couldn’t live with herself if she turned him away. Besides, after Nightmare Night, Pipsqueak and Scootaloo had become friends, and Rainbow Dash had been called upon more than once to get Scootaloo from school. At these pick-ups, Dash would always see Scootaloo talking with Rumble and Pip, along with the other Crusaders, making sure to keep their distances from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Dash smiled. She was glad Scootaloo was making friends. Scootaloo used to have trouble making friends. She had found Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, but that was about it. Unless you counted being enemies with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Rainbow Dash had always been interested in their relationship. It seemed that Silver Spoon was more of a weak-willed accomplice than an instigator. No, the instigator was Diamond Tiara. No matter how many times Diamond Tiara had been scolded, berated, and punished, she would not let up on the Crusaders. She had recently even begun picking on Rumble and Pipsqueak, all because they had made new friends. Rainbow Dash put these thoughts aside for the moment. She needed to rest, after all. Tomorrow, she was expecting a visitor. Daring Do. Not generally one to take no for an answer, Daring Do was the kind of pony who would protect those weaker than her. She was like a dark knight, doing bad things for good reasons. These bad things usually included roughing up anyone who hurt those weaker than themselves, or planting evidence to suggest criminal activity on those who would hurt the lesser. Daring was a vigilante, Cloudsdale her city, the weak her protectorate. But Daring definitely had a soft spot for those foals. Thunderlane, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Cloud Kicker. Those four...she had saved them. Sure, she had always saved ponies who were getting picked on, but...for the purple guy to actually try to hurt them? Daring sighed. She had come to a conclusion. There were four types of ponies in the world: those who do good things for good reasons, those who do good things for bad reasons, those who do bad things for good reasons, and those who do bad things for bad reasons. Daring herself was part of the third type, but she admired those who were part of the first. They were pure. Daring was impure. She did bad things. Sure, the ponies who she did them to were bad, but they were still bad things. Daring despised the ponies in the second and fourth types. They were immoral, evil, and should not be given the chance at happiness. At least, not until they changed. Daring was also a firm believer in rehabilitation. With enough care, somepony could make a change for the better. It’s why she never killed. Daring stretched her hind legs. Now, those foals she had protected were all grown up. She had cried when she was at their graduation, and saw Thunderlane off to military school, and saw Fluttershy and Cloud Kicker and Rainbow Dash move away. Then, she was alone. No one to talk to. No one to hang out with. No one but herself. After Rainbow Dash had moved away, Daring had moved into a dormitory at the Cloudsdale School for the Historical Arts, which was a fancy name for archaeology school. Daring obtained a doctorate, and not long after, went on her first adventure to the tomb of an ancient Prench king. After the expedition was over, she was so enamored by the experience that she decided to write a book under the penname ‘A.K. Yearling,’ which had a lot of history behind it. ‘A.K.’ came from what adults had always called Daring and her friends in school, those ‘aimless kids.’ The ‘Yearling’ came from Daring’s fascination with time. Time had always interested Daring. She just had so many questions about it. When did it start? When did ponies become fully aware of its existence? Does it actually exist, or did ponies just make it up? Daring smiled. An ear-to-ear grin spread across her face as she neared the door of an old friend. The old friend who she had protected. The old friend whose purple tormentor had never bothered him again. The old friend, Thunderlane. She had also heard rumours that Rainbow Dash had moved in with Thunderlane. Whether or not they were true didn’t matter to Daring. She actually hoped they were, because then she could see another friend. Not wasting another moment, Daring brought her hoof up to the oak door and knocked, hitting the door three times. Rainbow Dash was awoken by three knocks at her oak door.
