A Cherished Storm

Chapter Six: A Turn of Events

"These ships were larger than we originally thought," the messenger paced across the floor in between the princesses and the rest in attendance. He stopped, "Very large, indeed. We estimate each possibly held at least one-hundred passengers."

"My, there is certainly quite a gathering in here."

Everypony turned to see who had spoken. Rarity walked in, speaking with Fluttershy and Spike in a hushed voice. She looked up and saw everypony looking at her, "Oh, uh... Forgive my intrusion," she chuckled nervously, "Spike informed Fluttershy and I that he saw that messenger from Snow Peaks again. We thought that we should be here if..." she stopped when she noticed Twilight shaking her head at her. She nodded and continued into the room silently with Spike and Fluttershy in tow.

Princess Celestia nodded, "Yes, please continue, Sir Swift Passage."

Swift Passage cleared his throat, "Well, these creatures stood on their hind legs, and each wore clothes or armor. They were armed with swords and spears, bows and arrows. They are not here for peaceful purposes."

Princess Celestia left her sister's side and walked down the carpeted, golden steps of her throne to the pacing messenger, "Kind messenger, these strangers could be armed for defensive purposes only."

"Sister," Princess Luna walked down to join them. She looked up at her big sister, "Do you honestly believe that an army of at least three-hundred of these... creatures... are here for peaceful relations?"

Celestia looked down at her younger sister and sighed, "It is wrong to accuse these new-comers to our land without first having proof of any wrong intentions."

Swift coughed, stopping the argument, "Pardon me, Your Highness, but if I may continue?"

The royal sisters nodded.

Swift exhaled and nodded, "These two-legged intruders have been setting up camps; cutting down the forests in the area to supply the wood. Now, I know this isn't unnatural. We cut down trees, ourselves, for the same purposes. But we also regulate how we do so, to best not damage the natural habitats of the creatures. These intruders have disregarded any of that and are in the process of tearing down entire forests; the wildlife are losing their homes. And to top it all off," he narrowed his eyes at the thought, "these intruders are killing the wildlife, both for food and sport."

Fluttershy gasped audibly, "K-killing?! Oh, no... Those poor creatures... How... How could anyone do such a thing? They're defenseless..."

Swift Passage nodded, "My point exactly," he turned to face the princesses, "These intruders are not here peacefully. As I stated before, they hunt for more than food. They hunt for sport; laughing at the misery of the injured creatures," he brought a hoof up to his chin in thought, "Now, in Snow Peaks, we don't have many creatures; mainly only Windigoes and other beasts of the snow. But we have enough knowledge of the furry creatures of Equestria to know that they cannot live without homes. So even if they do escape the treachery of these savages, they won't have many places to go... Especially considering that the intruders are expanding outward, sending scouts to explore the land."

Princess Celestia looked down in worry, "Yes, this evidence is overwhelmingly against them..." she looked up and faced Spitfire and her small group of assembled Wonderbolts, "Spitfire, scouting will be needed after all. We will need to know their rate of expansion."

Spitfire nodded, a look of business on her face, "Yes, princess, I'll prepare the team."

Swift cut in, "The prince has stated that he will do what he can to remove the threat from Equestria."

Rainbow Dash looked at him questioningly, "Hold on a second, why are you Snow Peaks ponies even in Equestria to begin with? Shouldn't you be up in Snow Peaks doing... whatever it is you do up there?"

Twilight shot a glance at her, "Rainbow! That's just being rude-"

Swift held up a hoof, "No, no. The young pegasus asked a valid question. So she deserves a valid answer," he turned toward the group of ponies, "Although there is not a lot of communication between Snow Peaks and Equestria, we are on very good terms. Every now and then, patrols are sent out from Salvation to scan-"

"Oh, oh!" Pinkie jumped up and down, her hoof waving in the air, "What's Salvation?"

Swift Passage sighed, "Salvation is the capital of Snow Peaks. It's one of the safest locations in all of the kingdom. Now, if I may continue?"

Pinkie nodded her head with a smile.

"Okay, the patrols are sent out to scan the coasts of both Snow Peaks and Equestria for signs of any of the dangerous creatures from the sea, such as the Elder Hydras or Kraken."

Applejack blinked, "Elder..." she shook her head, "So, uh, what do y'all do if y'all find any sea creatures?"

"Well," Swift Passage said, facing Applejack, "at one time, the patrols would opt to kill the creatures with a combination of weapons and unicorn magic, so they would no longer pose a threat. The prince was displeased with this and ordered that all future sea creatures be deterred with barriers of severe weather and magic. He has never believed in violence..."

Fluttershy let out the breath she had been holding. Everypony looked at her. She glanced around at them, “What? I'm just happy they don't have to be hurt anymore... Even if they are terrifying, pony-eating monsters...”

Twilight turned to face Swift, “Sir, exactly how large on these creatures?”

Swift Passage sighed, “An Elder Hydra can grow to be double the size of any normal Hydra, with the Kraken being about the size of a Hydra.”

The ponies' jaws dropped at that.

Swift shook his head to face the royalty again, “We are getting sidetracked, now. During one of their flights, the patrols spotted the ships and reported their findings to the prince. He ordered the ships be kept in our view at all times in order to know their course. Although slow, they were approaching the shores of Equestria. With that knowledge, he sent me here with the request of you meeting with him at a camp by the border of Snow Peaks and Equestria. He was fearful of what the ships could mean; that's why he asked permission to set up camps all along the shores of Equestria.”

Princess Celestia nodded, “And that is why I granted him permission to do so. I had thought it would help to ease his worries... It seems that he was right to be worried.”

Swift Passage nodded, “Yes. The prince ordered soldiers to hide in the clouds directly above the shores to spy on the new-comers... As soon as it was obvious that they were a danger, I was sent here with haste to inform you.”

Princess Luna looked at him curiously, “Is there anything else you can tell us about these two-legged creatures?”

Swift nodded his head in thought, “Well, Princess Luna, they had horses.”

Twilight gasped, “Horses? Real horses?”

Swift nodded, “Yes, real horses. They're not quite as rare in Snow Peaks as they are here in Equestria...”

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion, “What's so special about these real horses? Aren't they like us?”

Swift fixed his eyes on her, “It's true that horses and ponies are similar, seeing as to how we're both equines. But the primary differences lie in size and intelligence. They are much larger, similar to Princess Celestia in size, and they are incapable of speech. They are very capable workers, though,” he turned to Princess Luna, “And that's exactly what I feel these two-legged intruders use the horses for. Hard labor and transport.”

Luna quickly glanced up at her sister before setting her eyes back onto the messenger, “So, slavery then?”

Swift slowly nodded, “It can be viewed as such, yes. Other than that, Princess Luna, I know nothing else.”

Luna nodded and glanced up at her sister, “Celestia, we should send our forces to drive away these invaders.”

Celestia looked down at her sister and shook her head, “Dear sister, if we do that, how much different would we be than them? I would rather this not come to violence,” she glanced at Spitfire, who was waiting for further instructions, “Spitfire, get your Wonderbolts ready and scout the shores,” she glanced at the messenger out of the corner of her eye, “I want you to report any and all findings to any of the soldiers from Snow Peaks. I'll be sure that Sir Swift Passage will supply you the locations of all their camps.”

Spitfire nodded and bowed. Once she saw the princesses had directed their conversation toward the Snow Peaks messenger, she turned toward the three other Wonderbolts with her, “Okay, here's the deal. I want us to split up into four groups. Soarin', I want you to lead Blaze and High Winds up to the northern shores, near Newpony. Fleetfoot, I want you to lead Fire Streak and Misty down to the southern shores. Rapidfire, you'll lead Surprise and Wave Chill to the Great Rainbow Falls area, north of Fleetfoot's group. And I'll lead...”

Soarin' looked at her, “Spitfire, that leaves you alone... Silver Lining is away visiting family up in Manehattan, and...”

“And Lightning Streak is out with a broken wing... I know, Soarin',” she brought a hoof up to her chin in thought. She looked around and grinned, “Though, I think I've got the perfect solution. Hey Rainbow!”

Rainbow Dash turned away from her conversation with Twilight and walked toward them, “Yeah, what's up?”

Spitfire continued to grin, “I hear that you've always wanted to be a Wonderbolt...” she looked at Rainbow's eyes begin to bulge and laughed, “This will only be temporary, but how would you like to be one of us?”

Everypony gasped from behind Rainbow. Rainbow opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She looked around and swallowed, Is... Is this happening? Did she just... She did... She just asked... Her mouth turned up into the biggest smile she could manage, “Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!”

Spitfire grinned, “Welcome aboard, then, Rookie! We don't have any spare outfits, sorry.” she looked down in concentration again, “That still leaves one more spot... Otherwise, we'll be going alone, Rainbow.”

Rainbow glanced to the ground, “Hmm... Who else can...” she looked up and at Fluttershy before a grin planted itself on her face, “Hey, Fluttershy! Just curious, how are those flight lessons going?”

Spitfire looked at Rainbow and then at Fluttershy before grinning herself.

Fluttershy put on a thoughtful smile, recalling her lessons, “Well, I think I'm getting much better, actually! Though, I think I still need prac- Wait, why?”

“Well,” Rainbow started, “ya know. I was thinking that with your flight training and all...”

Fluttershy's eyes went wide, “Oh, no! I don't think that would be a very good idea...”

Rainbow looked at Spitfire. Spitfire nodded and walked up to Fluttershy, “I honestly think that you'd do alright. We won't be going very fast in order to save energy.”

Rainbow nodded, running up to Fluttershy as well, “Yeah! Think about it, Fluttershy. It'd be great practice! And it'll help you strengthen your wings even more.”

Applejack grabbed Rainbow by her rainbow-colored dress and pulled her away from Fluttershy, “Now hold on there, sugarcube. Y'all shouldn't be pushin' her into situations she ain't comfortable with.”

Twilight nodded her agreement, “Fluttershy should only go if she felt she was ready to handle something like that,” she looked at Fluttershy, “And I don't think she looks like she's ready...”

Rainbow rolled her eyes at that, “Well, look at it this way... She's been through flight school, this can be her exam!”

Pinkie jumped in, “Oh! If she passes, we can throw her that graduation party I was talking about!” she sat down and brought a hoof up to her chin in thought, “Now, what did I call that..? Oh yeah! The 'Better-Flier-Fluttershy' party!” she began to hop around the large group of gathered ponies.

Rarity shook her head at Pinkie, “Pinkie Pie, is there ever a time where you're not thinking of a party?”

Pinkie nodded her head, “Of course there is! There was that one time... Um... I'll get back to you on that,” she sat down and pondered the question.

Rainbow shook her head and looked back at Fluttershy, “You know, Fluttershy... There are probably a lot of cute, little creatures that need-”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity snapped and walked toward her with an angered look on her face, “Honestly, this has got to be a new low for you. Using the needy, little creatures to bribe one of your friends into doing something that they-”

“No...” Fluttershy looked up from the ground, “It's okay, Rarity. Rainbow Dash is only restating the truth,” she slowly made her way over to Spitfire and Rainbow Dash, “I'll join you.”

Twilight looked at her, “Are you sure, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nodded toward her, “I'm sure, Twilight,” she looked at the ground, “I can't stand the thought of poor, innocent, little creatures being hurt. I want to help them.”

Rainbow turned to Spitfire and smiled, “We have our third!”

Princess Celestia walked toward them, with Princess Luna and Swift Passage on either side of her, “If you have finished your planning, I'll write a royal decree, stating that the train between Canterlot and Ponyville will run through the night so that you can arrive in Ponyville bright and early tomorrow to prepare for your trip. I'll want you to be on your way as soon as you can manage.”

Spitfire nodded, “Thank you, princess. That will let us rest up for a long day of flying tomorrow,” she turned to Swift Passage, “If you could get a list of the camp locations together for me, I'd be grateful.”

Swift nodded to her, “I'll get them for you,” he bowed before the princesses and made his leave.

Spitfire turned to the group, “Okay, everypony! We better get ready; next stop: Ponyville!”

The sun peeked over the mountains, basking the land in golden light. Besides a few stray clouds, the sky was clear. It was early out and the only noises were those that came from that of singing birds; and the loud whistle of a inbound train.

The train slowed to a stop at the Ponyville station, letting off another whistle to signal its arrival. The doors to the passenger cars opened, allowing the nocturnal travelers to exit. First were the Wonderbolts, led by Spitfire and Soarin'; Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy followed. Twilight Sparkle, with Spike riding on her back, exited next, followed by Applejack, then Rarity, and finally Pinkie Pie, hopping her way down the stairs as if they weren't even there.

After a moment, Mr. Boxcar poked his head out of the door and looked around, “Is she gone?” he whispered to himself. Not seeing anything but the large group of ponies walking away from the train station, he began to make his way down the stairs, breathing out a relieved sigh, “Well, as long as that darned Rainbow-maned pony is-”

“Boo!”

Mr. Boxcar gasped and stumbled down the stairs, landing on the ground with a loud thud. He heard laughing and groaned, “Can't you just give me a day of peace?”

Rainbow jumped down off the train car, smiling widely, “Eh, lighten up, old timer! It's all in good fun.”

“Oh, it's all in good fun, she says...” Boxcar mocked as he got off the ground and brushed himself off, “You have a twisted sense of what's fun and what's not. You know that?” he shook his head and sighed, “You know, if I had known that blowing that whistle in your ear would lead to all of this, I never would've done it.”

Rainbow grinned, “Well, that's what you get! I still have a whistling in my ears from that day.”

Boxcar shook his head, “Yeah, I'm sure you do... Tell you what, I'll give you this whistle... Just as long as you leave me alone... Forever.”

Rainbow laughed, “What would I need a whistle for?” she thought about it for a moment before grinning at Boxcar, “You know what? I'll take it!”

Boxcar nodded and pulled the whistle out from where it rested in his conductor's shirt. He pulled the cord over his head and placed it in Rainbow's hoof, “There, now... Just leave me alone, yeah?”

Rainbow looked at the whistle before nodding, “Of course I will, I don't need to bug you anymore, seeing as to how I won.”

Boxcar raised an eyebrow at her, “Won?”

Rainbow smiled and held up the whistle, “Yup, I won. And this is my trophy!” she placed the whistle in her saddlebags and turned to lift off.

Boxcar shook his head, “Yeah, yeah... You won, woohoo...”

Rainbow landed beside her friends at the rear of the pack of traveling ponies, “Sorry about that, had to finish some business.”

Twilight glanced over from her conversation with Fluttershy, “What business? Were you  bothering the conductor again?”

Rainbow put on an innocent smile, “Me? No, no, no... Of course not! He was just apologizing for all the times he tried to get under my skin... He even gave me his whistle as a peace-offering,” she took the whistle out to show them.

Applejack walked up to their side, “Uh-huh, I'm sure that's how it went.”

Rainbow put the whistle away, “Yeah, that's exactly how- Aw, what the hay. That whistle is my trophy for winning!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, “Well, does that mean you'll leave him alone now?”

Rainbow nodded with a grin.

Spitfire fell back to walk beside them and looked at Rainbow, “Is there anything you or Fluttershy need to take care of before we leave?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, “I need to go check on Tank and make sure he's okay. I left him plenty of food and water before we left for Canterlot, but I don't think he'd last for however much longer I'll be gone for. Also, I'd like to make sure there's somepony that can watch over him while I'm gone.”

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, “Yes, I'll need somepony to watch after the animals at my cottage, as well.”

Twilight smiled at both of them, “I think that we can all pitch in to help watch your animals!”

Applejack nodded, “Yeah, I reckon it won't be too tough a job ta handle.”

Pinkie Pie hopped up beside Applejack, nearly knocking her out of the way, “Oh, I can help too! I have experience taking care of babies, after all.”

Rarity chuckled lightly at that, “Pinkie Pie, dear, I don't think foal-sitting is exactly the same thing as animal-sitting.”

Pinkie looked at her with a slight frown, “Well, nothing can be as tough as the first time I took care of Pumpkin and Pound Cake... Besides! I take care of Gummy, so I know how to take care of animals, too!”

Applejack grinned, “I think that Pinkie would do an alright job... Just as long as she don't go an' try ta invite all the animals to a party.” Everypony but Pinkie laughed.

Pinkie growled slightly, “Hey! I don't only think of parties, ya know! I can be responsible, too.”

Applejack finished laughing and shook her head, “Simmer down now, sugarcube. I'm only messin' with ya.”

Pinkie blinked a couple times before laughing, “Oh, okay!”

Spitfire shook her head and chuckled, “Well, I think that settles that problem... I'll tell ya one thing, Rainbow; you sure have some interesting friends.”

Rainbow grinned back at them, “Yeah, they're cool, though.”

Spitfire looked around, “Well, we're here now. So, why don't you two go and handle what you need to do and meet me in the center of town.”

Rainbow nodded and turned to Fluttershy, “I'll meet ya at your place, Fluttershy. Just going to get my things together and get Tank. I'll let you figure out who's gonna be watching after Tank and your animals.”

Fluttershy nodded and turned to the other ponies behind them, “Okay, let's go to my cottage. I need to get my things together, too,” she broke off from the group and began heading toward the forest, the others following.”

Rainbow watched as they disappeared behind some buildings before turning back to Spitfire, “Alright, I'll catch ya later, Spitfire,” she launched herself into the sky and began to make her way to her home in the sky.

Rainbow Dash landed on the soft, puffy clouds of the floating, white island that was her home. She looked up at it and smiled; it's thick pillars held up clouds with intricate curves and swirls. Rainbows shot out from cloud to cloud, raining down droplets of water on the ground far below. She opened the door and entered.

Where the exterior was intricate and impressive, the interior was much more plain, just the way Rainbow preferred, Who needs fancy decorations, anyway? The walls were predominately a light-bluish gray in color, with swirls of light-gray and white running along them; waves of dark-blue ran along the bottom of the walls. The floor was a checkerboard of light and dark-gray. In one corner of the entry room was a wide, spiraling staircase leading up to the second floor, and to her bedroom.

She made her way across the room to the staircase and made her way up, careful to not step on the fragile ramp that she had thrown together when she got Tank, so that he could maneuver up and down the stairs as well. Once at the top, she made her way down the hall toward her room. Pictures hung along the wall; one of her with her friends, and another of her with the entirety of the Wonderbolts team after she won the Best Young Fliers competition, I can't believe how shocked I looked in that picture... Sure, it was the Wonderbolts, but come on, Rainbow... I didn't even know it was physically possible to smile that wide... She shrugged and opened the door to her room.

Her room was plainly-decorated; only a couple of random pictures hung from the walls. Her bed of swirling clouds and fabrics rested on top of a risen area of the floor. Two nightstands stood on either side of the bed, one held a picture frame.

Rainbow made her way over and placed her saddlebags on the end of the bed. She sat down on the edge and took the picture in hoof. Two ponies gazed through the picture at her. The mare smiled at her with kind eyes, her mane was the same as Rainbow's, except she wore hers in a ponytail, the rope of rainbow hair tangling down her shoulder; her coat was a light-gray, and her eyes a brilliant sky-blue. The stallion stared through the picture with kind eyes as well, but no smile. His mane was a dark-blue, combed back in a professional manner; his coat was a light-blue, similar to her own coat, and his eyes were a brilliant rose in color, just like hers.

Rainbow sighed at them and smiled lightly, “You never thought I'd make it, huh pops?” she whispered, “Well, I did...” she looked away from the picture in thought, “I did make it... Even if it's only temporary. I made it into the Wonderbolts...”

Rainbow put the picture down and walked around to the end of the bed, opening the flaps of her saddlebags. She looked on the other side of the bed and grinned; Tank slept in a small, makeshift bed lined with blue blankets. She cleared her throat, loud enough to gain Tank's attention. He poked his head out of his shell and looked around slowly, then up at Rainbow, before smiling.

“What's up, Tank?” Rainbow greeted him as she began pulling different items out of her saddlebags, “Sorry I was gone for so long; had some business in Canterlot,” she pulled out the little whistle and looked at it before shrugging and placing it back into the saddlebags, “And you won't believe it! I got accepted into the Wonderbolts!” she looked at Tank, a wide smile on her face, “The Wonderbolts!”

Tank slowly made his way over to Rainbow.

Rainbow looked down at him and smiled. She picked him up and placed him down on her bed, before going back to rummage through her bags. She sighed softly, “Well... It's only temporary, but at least I can finally say I was a Wonderbolt!” she looked at Tank, he was nodding at her. She laughed and looked down at the collection of items she had picked up from her trip to Canterlot; random ornaments she didn't really know the use for, but they had looked pretty cool, so she'd find someplace to put them.

She gathered them up and placed them on a shelf built into one of the walls, “I'll organize these later,” she made her way back to the bed and pulled out more random objects from her saddlebags, “Oh yeah... I hate to say this, but I'll be leaving again for a while. I don't know when I'll be back-” she looked over at Tank and saw him pulling his head back into his shell, Uh oh... She sighed and dropped the objects she was holding, “Hey, come on... I'll be back! I promise.”

Tank didn't budge. Rainbow shook her head and made her way over to where Tank hid on her bed. She gently placed a hoof on his shell and peeked in at him, “I'm gonna take you to Fluttershy's place... You can see your old friends again! She's coming with me, too, though... So you'll end up seeing all the girls. Twilight, AJ, Rarity, Pinkie...” she looked down in thought, “Okay, maybe you'll be lucky if Pinkie ends up being busy... But hey, you'll have fun! Better than being stuck in here the whole time, right?”

Tank poked his head out, finally, and looked up at Rainbow. He nodded slowly.

Rainbow giggled at him, “You'll have fun, I know you will!” she bent down and kissed him gently on his head before making her way back to the saddlebags.

She pulled out a book, History of the... Seriously, Twilight? The only one that's been reading this was you, why give it back to me? She placed the book back into the bags, I'll just give it back to her.

She checked the bags for anything else unwanted. Finding nothing else, she closed the flaps and put the bags over her back, “I'll be back in a few, Tank. Just gotta get some food for the trip.”

Rainbow made her way down the stairs to the kitchen and began sifting through the different cabinets, “Let's see... Hay, oats, apples,” she pulled the apple out and grimaced, “Rotten apples... Great, I guess I'll have to swing by Sweet Apple Acres to get some for the trip,” she threw the apples into the food-disposal bin under one of the counter tops – A hole in the floor that allowed food to fall to the ground to decompose.

She made her way to a cooler box and opened it, “Hmm... Milk? Nah, that won't last long. Vegetables? They'll do! Let's see... Carrots, celery, tomatoes...” she groaned, “The tomatoes are going bad, too? Darn it!” she grabbed the tomatoes and sent them chasing after the rotten apples.

Rainbow grabbed the rest of the vegetables from the cooler, and the hay and oats from the cabinet, and placed them all in her saddlebags, “There, that should do until we reach another town.”

She walked back up the stairs and reentered her bedroom. She made her way to the closet and pulled out Tank's flight gear and turned to face the patient tortoise on her bed, “Okay, Tank, let's get this gear on you... Time to go!”

Fluttershy opened the door to her cottage and walked in, followed by the train of her friends. The room was decorated neatly with furniture; the couch and chairs were supported by wooden frames and finished off with comfortable-looking green cushions. The wooden walls held beautiful paintings of creatures of all kinds running about in nature. The timber floors were bare, except for one large, circular carpet in the center of the room. Aside from all the decorations, bird houses and other tiny homes for critters hung from the ceiling and rested on the floor.

She placed her saddlebags down on the floor beside the door and smiled, “Angel? Where are you, Angel?” she looked around the room before turning to her friends, “Hmm, that's strange. He would normally come to me when I called...” she gasped and her eyes grew large with panic, “Oh, no, no, no! What if something happened?” Fluttershy ran around the room, looking under the couch and chair, in the various critter homes, and behind the books on the bookshelf, Oh goodness, where could Angel bunny be?

Twilight looked back at her friends, “Come on, girls, let's help her find Angel,” they all spread out across the room to look for the missing bunny. Twilight made her way across the room to her frantic friend, “I'm sure that Angel is alright, Fluttershy-”

“But... What if he's not? Oh, no... I knew I shouldn't have left... Angel!” Fluttershy searched under the dining table, sighing when she didn't see him.

Twilight trotted over to her, “Do you think he may be outside?”

Fluttershy looked up at her, “I sure hope so, he's not in here...” she rose from her position at the table and ran outside, her friends following. Fluttershy trotted up to Angel's little wooden house in the yard and looked in, I do hope that he's in-, “Ouch!” she backed away from the hole as a half-eaten carrot planted itself on her face and fell to the ground at the entrance to the little bunny's home. Fluttershy wiped her watering eyes and looked back in the house, “Angel?”

Angel hopped out of his home and crossed his little arms, looking at her disapprovingly. He pointed at the cottage and shook his head, then at his little house and put his paws together beside his head as if resting, and finally he looked around before facing Fluttershy and making a swiping motion in front of him with both of his arms. He crossed his arms again and tapped his foot, waiting for an explanation.

Applejack looked curiously at the bunny, then at Fluttershy, “Uh, what's that supposed ta mean?”

Pinkie walked over to join them, smiling, “He said that he couldn't get in the cottage, so he had to sleep outside in his little house. He then looked all around for Fluttershy, but didn't find her anywhere. So now he's waiting for her to tell him why.”

Applejack looked at her, “Ya know what? I'm just gonna stop bein' surprised by ya, Pinkie.”

Rarity laughed, “I stopped being surprised a long time ago.”

Fluttershy looked at Angel, surprised, “But, Angel, I told you where I was going. And I made sure your door to the cottage was unlocked...”

Angel blinked and tapped his chin in thought. He shrugged and pointed at her before putting his paws together, moving them to mimic talking. He put his paws up beside he head and made light, snoring sounds.

Fluttershy shook her head, “Oh, no, I don't think you were asleep, Angel...”

Angel stomped his foot and picked up his carrot before running past the group and heading back to the cottage.

Applejack shook her head as he left and turned to face Fluttershy, “That one sure is angry, ain't he?”

Fluttershy sighed and looked up at her friends, “That's just how he is. I'm just glad that he's okay.”

Twilight took a few steps toward the cottage, “Fluttershy? I think you should get your stuff together. I'm sure Rainbow Dash will be here soon with Tank. She'll probably want you to be ready.”

Fluttershy nodded, “Alright, but first I need to check on the chickens.”

Twilight shook her head, “It's okay, Fluttershy. Spike?”

Spike lifted his head off of Twilight's back, “Huh...? It's morning already?”

Twilight rolled her eyes at him, “And that's why I told you to not stay up during the train ride...”

Spike lifted himself up and crossed his arms, “Hey, I thought that we were going to be staying up late for the Gala last night. I couldn't fall asleep on the train.”

Twilight sighed, “Okay, fine. But could you wake up and check on the chickens for Fluttershy?”

“Chickens?” Spike looked around, “Oh, hey, look at that! We're at Fluttershy's place.”

“No, really?” Twilight said sarcastically. She shook her head with a sigh, “Can you check, please?”

Spike hopped off her back, “Well, okay. Only because you said 'please,'” he made his way toward the chicken coop.

Pinkie hopped after him, “Oh, Spike, I'll help you!”

Fluttershy made her way into the cottage and lifted the saddlebags, carrying them over to the dining table. She placed the saddlebags down and searched the cabinets for supplies.

Twilight walked over to her, “Fluttershy, are you sure you want to go on this trip? I'm sure that Rainbow Dash and Spitfire would understand if you-”

“I'm going,” Fluttershy said, facing her, “Those poor little creatures are being hurt... I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try my best to help them,” she turned to the others, “They need a new home if their old homes are being taken away... I want to help. Even if that means...” she gulped and shook her head before opening another cabinet and pulling out various bags of grains, “Well... I'd rather not think about it.”

Rarity pulled out a bushel of dandelions from the cabinet she was searching through and placed them in the opened saddlebags, “Well, Fluttershy, I can honestly say that you are being very courageous in going.”

Twilight smiled, “Yes, we're proud of you, Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy smiled and blushed as she put a small bundle of oats into the bags, “Thank you, girls.”

Applejack closed the bags and checked to see if they were fastened. She glanced up at Fluttershy, “Now, don't y'all be gettin' yerselves into trouble. But... if y'all do happen ta see those two-legged creatures, you show them how us ponies feel 'bout their behavior.”

Pinkie poked her head through the front door, “Yeah! Show them we mean business!- Wait, what were we talking about again?”

Spike walked around her into the cottage, “It looks like all the animals are okay. Not a single feather missing on the chickens!”

Fluttershy smiled, “Thank you, Spike,” she glanced up at the door, “Oh, hello Rainbow.”

Pinkie looked behind her, “Hiya, Dashie!”

Rainbow Dash walked past Pinkie Pie, “Hey, Pinkie. Hello everypony,” Tank flew in behind her and landed on the ground. She began to remove his flight gear and looked up at Fluttershy, “You ready to go, Fluttershy? We don't want to keep Spitfire waiting!”

Fluttershy nodded and turned to everypony in the room, “Okay, be sure to feed the chickens the seeds in the smaller barrel, they don't like the seeds in the larger one. And be careful with how you handle the baby bunnies out back, they scare easily. And the birds only like worms that are a certain length, so you'll have to look for them. And-”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Come on, Fluttershy. We have to go!” she grabbed her tail by the teeth, pulling her backwards toward the door.

Fluttershy continued, “And Angel is a picky eater; he'll only eat when everything is absolutely perfect. And-”

Twilight giggled, “Don't worry, Fluttershy! We'll take good care of them!”

Applejack nodded and lifted the saddlebags up by the teeth. She walked over to Fluttershy and placed them on her back, “Don't worry, y'all. The animals will be fine!”

Fluttershy sighed and nodded, “Thank you all again. I really appreciate it!”

Rainbow let go of Fluttershy's tail and turned to face the others, “Yeah, thanks! Oh yeah, and Twilight?” she pulled out a book with her teeth and placed it on a stand by the door, “I think you'll want that, since you're the only one that's been reading it!”

Twilight blinked, “Are you sure, Rainbow?”

Rainbow nodded, “Oh yeah, it's fine! Well, I guess we better get going,” she looked down at Tank, who was looking at her with sad eyes. She sighed, “Don't worry, buddy. I'll be back soon!” she turned to Fluttershy, “Okay, let's get going. See you all later!”

The door closed. Twilight walked over to a table and grabbed a piece of paper and pencil, handing them to Spike, “Okay, now let's figure out who will be watching the animals, and on which days!”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy landed on the ground in Town Square. Rainbow looked around; it was pretty busy now, with ponies going about their normal, everyday lives. She spotted Spitfire waiting by the entrance of the Town Hall, talking to the mayor. Wait, where's the other Wonderbolts? They're already gone?

The duo made their way to Spitfire, walking around a pony pushing a little foal in a stroller.

Spitfire saw them and finished up her conversation with the mayor, before trotting over to them with a grin, “Took ya long enough!”

Rainbow rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, “Yeah... Sorry about that! Where is everypony?”

“I've already given them their instructions. They're on their way now,” Spitfire answered, “Are you two ready?”

Rainbow nodded and turned to Fluttershy, “You ready?”

Fluttershy looked around at the town before slowly nodding, “Ready.”

Spitfire turned around, preparing her wings for launch, “Well, if we're ready to go, then let's-”

“Rainbow Dash!”

They turned toward the source of the voice. Rainbow grinned, “Hey, Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo quickly approached the group on her scooter, her wings flapping rapidly behind her to give her propulsion. She hopped over a protruding rock and skidded to a stop in front of the small gathering. She undid her helmet and placed it on the handles of her transport.

“How's it going?” Rainbow asked the young filly.

Scootaloo smiled up at her, “I'm doing okay. I heard that you were back and I just had to find you!” she looked down at the ground and kicked a small pebble loose from the ground, “Hey, um... I'm sorry for what happened with my parents...”

Rainbow laughed, “It's no big deal, they were just being parents... Even if they were a bit ungrateful.”

Scootaloo slowly nodded, “Yeah, I guess...” she looked up at the other ponies, “Hey, Fluttershy-” she gasped when she saw Spitfire, her eyes growing larger, “Is she... a Wonderbolt?!”

Rainbow glanced back at Spitfire and chuckled, “Yup! She's Spitfire, our captain.”

Scootaloo stared at her with wide, admiring eyes, “I-I, uh.. I mean... um...”

Rainbow laughed, “You almost sound like me when I first met them.”

Scootaloo blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile. She shook her head and shot a look back at Rainbow, “Wait.. 'our'? What do you mean?” her eyes widened, “Rainbow Dash... Are you a...

Rainbow smiled proudly, “A Wonderbolt?” she looked at Spitfire.

Spitfire nodded, “She is.”

Scootaloo's eyes shined with excitement, “Wow, Rainbow Dash! Can you get any cooler?”

Rainbow shrugged and grinned, “I guess I am pretty awesome!”

Scootaloo looked around before walking up to Rainbow, “Um, could you help me with flying later?” she whispered.

Rainbow Dash sighed, “I can't, sorry. I'm about to leave...”

Scootaloo let her gaze fall to the ground, “Oh...”

“Hey,” Rainbow said, getting Scootaloo's attention, “When I get back, I'll find some time and try to help you the best I can. I promise! But in the meantime, you need to keep strengthening your wings,” she looked at the scooter, “What you did with your wings on the scooter will work just fine. Just keep doing that, and it'll help.”

Scootaloo nodded and smiled lightly, “I'll try.”

Spitfire walked over to her, “Hey, if there's time when we get back, maybe I'll give you some pointers, too.”

Scootaloo's eyes lit up and she smiled widely, “Okay!”

Rainbow dropped her smile, “We have to go now, though.”

Scootaloo nodded slowly, “Okay... Don't stay gone for so long this time!”

Rainbow grinned, “I'll be back before you know it! See ya then.”

Scootaloo nodded, “Okay, see ya then, Rainbow Dash! Bye Fluttershy,” she turned to Spitfire, “And you, too, Spitfire! Awesome to meet you!” she strapped her helmet back on and hopped on the back of the scooter. She looked back at Rainbow, “Rainbow Dash a Wonderbolt? Amazing...” she turned with a smile and allowed her wings to push her away.

Spitfire turned to Rainbow, “Cute kid.”

Rainbow nodded, “Yeah, she's a pretty awesome little filly. We ready?”

Spitfire and Fluttershy nodded, the latter more reluctantly.

Rainbow grinned and launched herself into the air, “Okay, let's go!”