To Find a Rainbow

It was a simple matter for Twilight to teleport us all back to Ponyville. Our small group arrived in the castle’s throne room, exhausted, and we were quick to say our goodnights and goodbyes. Twilight and Spike were going to return to Canterlot to continue examining the remnants of the now-closed portal, though the latter was going to walk Sweetie Belle home first. She still seemed rather miffed at me, if the silent stink-eye she had fixed on me said anything, but at least she didn’t look like she was about to kick my ass. I guess returning to Scoots earned me back a few points in her book. Though it had been a pretty big gamble on my part, so I couldn’t hold it against her.

After parting ways with Apple Bloom, Scoots and I were left alone with Rainbow. And though we’d just had a nice little reunion, the awkwardness was already starting to creep back in. Rainbow was trying to hold a polite, if forced, smile, though she couldn’t seem to look at either of us for more than a few seconds before she diverted her attention to something else. Scoots was trying to do the same, though every time her big sister looked away from her, her smile faded a little more.

We couldn’t have arrived back at my little cottage soon enough. Scoots and Rainbow went on ahead as I stopped at the gate. I ran my fingers along the smooth wood and just-starting-to-chip paint. Under my feet, pebbles crunched in the cobblestone path leading up to the front door that was just a hair shorter than I would have liked it to be. I was always afraid that I was going to bump my head every time I went through, even though I never had. Overhead, the quaint thatched-roofing was growing a little thin over the living room. I’d need to get it redone before the next big rainstorm or I might get some leaks.

My beautiful little ramshackle cottage.

“Will? You coming?” Scoots asked suddenly, snapping me from my thoughts.

“Yeah. Just feels good to be home,” I said.

She frowned in confusion for a moment before my meaning dawned on her. “Yeah, it really is.”

Together we went inside to find Rainbow already taking her usual place right in the middle of the couch. Scoots soon hopped up to her right, leaving me my usual place to Rainbow’s left.

“Do either of you want anything?” I asked, gesturing towards the kitchen. “Something to drink? Eat? Anything?” I knew I was just stalling, but… It wouldn’t do to be a poor host, right?

“Umm… Maybe some water?” Rainbow asked bashfully. It was clear she was feeling a little uncomfortable too, and I was glad I wasn’t the only nervous one.

“Sure thing. Scoots?” I asked, but she just shook her head. I was about to leave when Rainbow sat up again.

“Uh, actually… Can I use your bathroom? The guards woke me up at my parents’ place and I sorta flew straight from there to Canterlot, so…” she asked, looking away embarrassedly. Between that and the way she vaguely gestured with her hoof cut an adorable image.

Before I could tell her to make herself at home, Scoots spoke up first.

“Since when do you ask before you help yourself?” she asked, a suspicious undertone of accusation evident in her words. Rainbow must have heard it too, as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“I just thought I’d be polite, you know?” she muttered.

“Who are you and what did you do with Rainbow Dash?” Scoots asked teasingly. Rainbow just scowled in response before sticking her tongue out and hopping back off the couch. As she stalked off towards the bathroom, Scoots tried and failed to stifle a giggle, and Rainbow’s feathers ruffled dangerously as she disappeared into the hall.

I stepped closer to Scoots and dropped my voice to barely more than a whisper. “What are you doing? This is going to be hard enough as it is, pissing her off is only going to make things worse.”

Scoots just shook her head. “I’m not trying to upset her. She’s nervous, right? Unless she relaxes a little, she’s never going to be able to talk about anything! She needs to remember that it’s just us and that we can still joke around and have fun.”

“But that’s… That’s a really good point,” I admitted, amazed at her reasoning. I was so caught up in thinking about how important tonight could be that I never would have thought of that. “Alright, yeah, I think you’re right. We’ll try to keep everything low-key and everything will work out. …Right?”

She smiled sympathetically and stood up on the couch’s arm to give me a quick peck on the lips. “Will, everything’s going to be fine, alright? We’ll get this straightened out and this time next week we’ll laugh about how dumb this all was. I promise.”

I wanted to argue that things couldn’t possibly go so easily. My luck never let things go that well. But she sounded so sure that I couldn’t bring myself to disagree.

Or maybe some part of me just wanted to believe her.

Regardless, I didn’t say anything further and went to get Rainbow that water. Once I got to the fridge, though, I had thought again and grabbed a few ciders instead. She always liked those more. Maybe it would help make things feel a little more like normal. Not to mention I could use one myself. It had been a long night already and was looking to be even longer.

Once I’d rejoined Scoots in the living room, we didn’t have long to wait before Rainbow returned. She hesitated only a moment when she saw the two of us waiting for her before taking her spot again. She accepted the bottle of cider gratefully, grinning as she popped the cap off using the corner of the coffee table. As Scoots tried to imitate her, getting it right after a couple of tries, Rainbow eyed the bottle in her hoof warily but said nothing. I wondered if I shouldn’t have given Scoots a cider, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

“So, uh… yeah,” Rainbow said lamely.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know what to say any more than she did. Should I make a joke? Might seem too lighthearted, like I wasn’t taking things seriously. Tease her about something? If I said something too harsh, she might get upset. And if I picked something too lame she’d know I was going easy on her and that’d piss her off. Maybe just launch right into things? But would that be too much too soon? I guessed I could–

“Okay, you guys are being dumb.”

We both looked at Scoots in shock. That little mare was giving us the most disappointed frown I’d ever seen, rivalling the ones my Mom used to give me when I did something I shouldn’t have when I was a kid.

“You guys aren’t going to settle things if you don’t just talk about it. So talk!” she said dramatically.

“It’s not that simple, Squirt,” Rainbow said. Her gaze flicked in my direction for a fraction of a second before she looked at the floor instead. “Where are we supposed to start?”

Scoots rolled her eyes. “How about with what’s most important?” she asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “If there’s one thing you want each other to know, what would it be?”

“I’m sorry,” Rainbow and I said at the same time.

“Wait, why are you sorry?” we said together again.

“You first.”

“No, you–”

“Okay, stop!” Scoots said, interrupting us at last. She had an exasperated grin on her face as she shook her head. She held up a hoof to keep us quiet as she paused to take a swig from her cider, and once she’d finished she put it on the table. “Now, one at a time. Will, how about you first?”

I half-expected Rainbow to argue over not getting to go first but surprisingly she remained quiet as she hesitantly turned her attention to me. She still seemed uncomfortable looking directly at me, but then our eyes met. In those shining rose eyes I felt something. Something I hadn’t felt in a while but remembered distinctly. Something I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed.

The feeling of having my best friend at my side. Even doing something as simple as sharing a pair of ciders while being lazy sacks of crap on my living room couch. Nothing to do or worry about, no qualms or drama; just the two of us staring down the towering vista of life together and feeling no fear over what may lie ahead.

Suddenly it was like everything fell into perspective. Yeah, I’d done something to hurt her. Yeah, I’d been hurting myself and acted before I thought things out. And yeah, things had gotten bad between us. But this was Rainbow Dash! Equestria’s fastest flier and most loyal pony!

But she was also my best friend and I wanted her back.

“Rainbow, I’m sorry. For Cloudsdale, for not talking to you until now… For a lot of things, really,” I said, falling introspective. I didn’t really have anything planned out to say, so I just spoke as the words came to me. “Even before everything that happened in Cloudsdale, I don’t think things have been right between us. What we were doing… I don’t think it was what either of us really wanted. Maybe we didn’t realize it at the time, but I think it’s true. I’d been thinking about the two of us being more for a while, but I never said anything. I’d told myself it was just a passing thought. That us being in a relationship would be fun but I could live without it, but I was just lying to myself. I really did want it. And then I chose the worst time to finally admit it.”

“But that’s not–!“ Rainbow started, but Scoots cut her off.

“Rainbow Dash, you’ll get your turn. Let him talk.”

Rainbow looked like she might argue, but after a moment she let out a strangled exhale and nodded sadly.

After reordering my thoughts from the interruption, I said, “But that’s not all. I knew things weren’t really resolved between us. We were both frustrated and we needed time to figure things out. But then we went to that nightclub and I…” I trailed off, looking at Scoots. She must have known what I was thinking as she frowned sadly and looked away. I was unable to say it though. The words just wouldn’t come out.

Rainbow didn’t have that problem. “You kissed my little sister.” She said it simply; without anger or disgust. Not even with any sadness or betrayal. Almost emotionless. Only a slightest hint of tiredness pervaded her tone.

“Y-yeah…” I admitted. “Do you, uh… know about us?” I asked.

Rainbow nodded. “Rarity told me you guys went on a date. Haute Cuisine’s, yeah? Fancy place.” She turned to Scoots and gave her a light, playful punch to the shoulder. “Didn’t know you liked that sort of thing.”

Scoots blushed faintly at being caught liking something ‘uncool,’ but smiled at her sister anyway. “Yeah, I guess. You aren’t mad though?”

Rainbow’s expression fell and she looked to the floor again. “I’m not sure how I feel about it. Will and I were… Well, since you seem to know a lot about what’s going on I guess he told you? We were… sleeping together,” she eeked out. It was obviously still tough for her to talk about that kind of thing with Scoots. “And now he’s going on fancy dates with my baby sister? Where do I start?”

The indignant reaction from Scoots I was expecting never came. Instead, she huffed quietly and shook her head, letting it slide this time. In the meantime, Rainbow continued unaware.

“I don’t know if I should be more worried about you or pissed at him. But then I think that he’s a pretty good stallion and he’ll treat you well, so you could have picked someone way worse even if he’s practically an old fogey compared to you.

“And another part of me is hurt that he found somepony else so easily, even if it was an awesome filly like you. But that’s not fair because I was the one that sent him away! If I had just talked about things instead of clamming up like an idiot then none of this would have happened!”

She slammed an angry hoof down on the couch to punctuate her words. Seeing how ineffectual her gesture was, however, let the frustration flood out of her and she slumped. “This has all been my fault.”

“No, it’s not,” I said. Without stopping to think if it’d be a good idea or not, I grabbed Rainbow up and gave her the tightest hug I could without hurting her. On her other side, Scoots joined in with a nuzzle. “I didn’t speak up about how I felt either. And then I rushed into something else without thinking about what anybody but myself wanted.” Realizing how what I was saying might have sounded, I glanced warily at Scoots, but she was still focused on Rainbow. “I can’t say I regret the decision, but I am sorry that it hurt you.”

“Thanks, Will,” Rainbow said, chuckling weakly. “So you two are happy together then?”

“I know I am,” I said. Both of them looked up to me, and under the combined pressure of both their attention I felt myself feeling suddenly self-conscious. To my embarrassment, I could feel myself blushing. “You were right about one thing, Rainbow. Scoots is pretty awesome. But you were wrong, too. She’s a mare; not a filly anymore. She got me to face things I never thought I could. Things that were too painful to even think about.”

“Your sister?” Rainbow asked quietly. “You mentioned her once a while back. How come you never told me about her? Or any of the rest of your family?”

“Because it was easier not to think about it. Remembering what I thought I’d lost hurt too much, so I didn’t. It was the only way I could make it through most days.”

“But then why did you tell me?” Scoots suddenly asked.

“You wouldn’t let me get out of it!” I said dramatically, flicking her ear with a finger. “And you all say Applejack’s the stubborn one.”

She laughed abashedly and smiled. “Sorry about that… I didn’t realize what I was digging into back then.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching over to ruffle her mane.

“Now I feel even worse,” Rainbow muttered. “All that time I knew you weren’t okay. How could you be? You’d been separated from your home and, like… everything! But I thought if you didn’t want to talk about it I shouldn’t push you. I thought it’d just make things worse.”

“No, don’t you worry about it either!” I said, huffing in exasperation. “Honestly, I think you both were exactly what I needed when I needed it. A friend that would just be there for me and make things easier while I got adjusted to living here. And then another to help me start dealing with things. You were both amazing and… I don’t think I’d be doing half as well as I am if it weren’t for both of you. So please, neither of you feel bad about that, alright?”

From on my lap, Rainbow gave my shoulder a light headbutt. “I will if you won’t feel bad about moving on, how does that sound? I was the one that said ‘no;’ you had every right to look for somepony else.”

I closed my eyes, smiling in defeat. “Alright. I guess that sounds fair enough.”

Rainbow nodded, flashing that cocky smirk of hers. The one that said she was the coolest, most awesome pony alive and she knew it. It felt like it had been ages since I’d seen it, and it was like a drop of water in the desert. I playfully nudged her shoulder, to which she laughed and headbutted my chest. I responded by pulling her into a headlock and noogying her furiously, and in return she nipped at my arm.

We went back and forth for a while, poking and prodding and teasing each other in turn. It felt amazing to just be so carefree with her again. For the first time since everything started, I could actually see Rainbow and I fixing things. I actually believed it was going to happen.

As our burst of liveliness wore off, Rainbow and I moved together to share a quick hug. Nothing passionate or romantic, just a reaffirmation, I think. A symbol to prove that things were getting back between us and that we didn’t have to be afraid of each other anymore. Scoots even joined in after a moment, worming herself in next to us so that Rainbow’s forelegs wrapped around her neck in a bone-crushing embrace.

Once we all pulled apart, smiling giddily, I ruffled Scoots’s mane again and we all settled back into our spots.

Rainbow fiddled with her bottle, swirling the remaining cider as she stared into it. “So… we’re cool, then? For real this time? No more, ‘we’re cool but not really?’”

I smirked ruefully, remembering the last time she’d asked if we were cool. “Yeah, Rainbow. We’re completely, honestly cool this time.”

A blue hoof suddenly appeared in front of my face and knowing what she wanted, I tapped my fist against it.

“See? Once you two got your heads out of your tails it was easy, wasn’t it?” Scoots bragged as though she was the one that had accomplished something here. Then again, maybe in getting us to sit down together and talk like this was a feat with bragging about.

“The question remains, though,” I said slowly, fearing upsetting the nice mood we had going on. “Where do we go from here?”

Like I’d feared, Rainbow’s smirk faltered as she fell silent. Afraid to let the momentum of our conversation drop, I continued.

“Rainbow, back at the club in Cloudsdale… I might be crazy, but there was a moment when it looked like maybe… Maybe you’d rethought things between us. Is there any part of you that still wants something between us?”

She shifted slightly, turning minutely away from me and swirling her cider again. “Does it really matter if I did? You’re with Squirt now, right?”

“Yeah, I am. And maybe you’re right; maybe it doesn’t matter,” I admitted. “But this all got so messed up because we weren’t being honest with each other. Don’t you think it’s better we talk about it as not?”

Rainbow was quiet as she seemed to think it over. Then, with a long, drawn-out sigh, she nodded. “I guess if I was gonna be honest then… yeah. We had something really cool and then I–… Well, we already talked about that. We both made mistakes, not just me, blah blah blah.

“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not like Rarity. I don’t need romance or anything like that. Give me a bottle of cider and some crappy movies here over a fancy-schmancy dinner anyday. But I don’t know… I’d been wondering what it might have been like to try the whole relationship thing. Hay, I was probably thinking about it as long as you’d been.”

“You were?” I asked, disbelieving. Until that night at the club, she’d seemed very adamant about not wanting more.

“Well… yeah, of course I was! You’re pretty cool. You know, when you’re not being a dick that is. And you’re not as cool as me!” she barked, crossing her forelegs over her chest and smirking arrogantly. Scoots and I shared an eye-roll while she wasn’t looking. “But then again, almost nopony is. But you were always fun to hang out with! You’re funny and you’re cool with your pictures and stuff and… Okay, maybe you don’t believe me, but talking to you was easier than it’s ever been with anypony else. I know I’m still crap at it, but… it’s true. I know I couldn’t say these kinds of things to anypony else. Okay, maybe the other girls,” she admitted before shrugging it off. “But we’ve been through so much together, they don’t count.”

She sighed and deflated into her seat. “The point is I like you. There, I admitted it, okay? But I’m not gonna break you two up, okay?” She looked between Scoots and I, frowning seriously. “I still don’t know how I feel about you being together, but I’m not gonna come between you. You both deserve to be happy, so I hope you can do that for each other. But you hear me,” she said, her voice suddenly going deep and menacing as she shoved her face inches from mine. She wore a murderous glower as she waggled a hoof at me. “Don’t you dare break her heart. She’s my baby sister, and I don’t care how much I like you. If you do anything to hurt her, Celestia help me I will end you. Do you understand me?”

I recoiled only to give us a little space and not because the tiny pony was in any way intimidating. But seriously, why was everypony giving me so much shit over dating Scoots? I mean, she’s only a minor that everypony has known since she was a child…

Alright fine, I get it. But still! Can’t somepony have a little faith in me?

“I’ll treat her right, Rainbow. I promise.”

She continued to stare deep into my eyes, waggling her hoof menacingly a few more times before nodding. “Good. ‘Cuz I’d hate to have to rough you up now that you just came back!”

We all laughed, admittedly rather awkwardly, but at least it was laughing. I’d take that over more hurt feelings.

“There’s still one thing I don’t get, though,” Scoots spoke up after a moment passed. “If you liked Will, why did you turn him down?”

Rainbow let her gaze fall to study the couch cushion below her. “I guess I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to try things out or not. Look, this is… hard. I don’t really know how to explain it…”

“Just try,” Scoots said gently. She placed a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder and rubbed comfortingly. “We’ll listen, I promise.”

“I-I know, I just… Be patient with me, alright? I’m not great at this,” Rainbow said, swallowing nervously. After getting her thoughts together and steeling herself, she continued. “It’s like… Okay, my whole life I’ve wanted to be a Wonderbolt, right? I grew up hearing all about them from my mom and watching their shows. She and Dad would always tell me that if I wanted to be one, I would have to devote myself to it. And I did.

“And so, uh… I lived my life doing whatever it took to get myself ahead with my flying, cutting out anything that slowed me down or held me back. I quit school, moved out of my parents’ house when I was sixteen… Hay, I moved to Ponyville, a town I’d never heard of or been to before because I only knew one pony there! Fluttershy!”

She let out a tired sigh as her wings drooped miserably. “I wanted to live someplace where I didn’t know anypony. I had no family here, and only one friend. Back then, I knew the Wonderbolts would recruit me someday. Because I was the best, because I wasn’t going to give up until they did. There was no other option for me but the ‘Bolts. But that’s why I couldn’t settle down and have friends or relationships.”

She fell silent, so Scoots and I let her have a moment to collect her thoughts. After a while, though, we realized that Rainbow seemed to be done, as if that meager ‘explanation’ had explained anything at all.

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Scoots said, beating me to it. “What does wanting to be on the Wonderbolts have to do with making friends?”

Rainbow grunted in frustration as her brow twisted in thought. I couldn’t tell if she was upset at us not understanding or herself for not knowing how to explain it.

“Because… Alright, like, what do you think would happen if I got accepted onto the team?” she asked shortly.

“…All your dreams would come true?” Scoots asked hopefully.

Rainbow facehoofed. “Yes but no, Squirt. Yeah, it’d be awesome and I’d have been super excited. But I’d also have to leave for pre-team training. The Wonderbolts Reserves gets you ready physically to join the team if they need a member. But you still need to learn their stunts, their routines, and just how they go about things. That training period usually takes a month or so; maybe less if you do nothing but train the whole time and take no time off to, like, sleep or anything.

“So, I’d be gone for a month minimum while I got ready to join the team. And even after that, I’d have the time off to come home maybe… on the weekends? Maybe a night or two a week? And that’s if all our shows were in Equestria. Sometimes the ‘Bolts do tours outside of Equestria. Those can take weeks or even months!”

Her voice was rising as she spoke and she took a moment to calm herself before she went on. “The point is that I could be gone for a while. I’d never have the time to see any friends I made. I’d never get to just hang out with them like I do with you guys or with the other girls. And now I know that’s not so bad, ‘cuz you’d all still be here when I got back, but… A relationship? I don’t want to do the whole ‘long-distance’ thing. Never getting to see each other except for a couple hours here and there? I didn’t want to have to worry about what was going on here while I was supposed to be out living my dream!”

She fell into an angry silence, though where it was directed I couldn’t be sure. But I felt like she could use a little comforting, and so as she sat and fumed I moved closer until our sides were pressed together. As I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, I found a second body held fast to her other side and pulled Scoots in close as well.

“So, you didn’t want to get tied down to something you might not be able to stick around for?” Scoots asked.

“Well yeah, but it’s more than that, too,” Rainbow said. “After living like that for so long it was like… It was like having a special somepony would be giving up.”

“What do you mean? Giving up on what?” I asked.

“It’s like… Hay, I don’t know how to explain this! Like, okay, I said I didn’t have a lot of friends in Ponyville at first, right?”

“Yeah. Just Fluttershy until Twilight came along, right?” Scoots asked.

“Right. Well, I wanted it that way so that I wouldn’t have a lot to leave behind when I got recruited, right?” She paused and waited for us to nod to signal we were keeping up. “I never wanted Ponvyille to… I don’t know, feel like a home? I didn’t plan on spending the rest of my life here! I was just going to live here until I got recruited and then I’d leave it behind just like I did with Cloudsdale.

“But then I met Twilight and the other girls and next thing I knew I had friends! The kind of friends that I never wanted to leave behind. Like, I want them in my life forever, no matter where I go!”

“And they will be!” Scoots cut in excitedly. “You girls are like me and the other Crusaders. We’ll always be friends!”

Rainbow smiled down at her and gave her a lazy noogie. “Yeah, exactly. But in a way, that was kind of the problem. I had things tying me down to Ponyville all of a sudden. Friends that were going to make it a lot harder to leave than I ever wanted it to be. But that would be fine, because they were worth it. And then I met you, Squirt, and we started hanging out all the time and… Yeah, I decided you were worth it, too.”

She stopped to nuzzle the top of Scoots’s head and, to my surprise, planted a gentle kiss between her ears as well. “I’m proud to be your sister. And no matter what happens, that’ll never change, alright? I love you, Squirt.”

Scoots blushed as a wide smile broke out across her face. “Yeah, I love you, too, Dash!”

A pleasant warmth exuded from Rainbow in that moment. All the stress, all the hurt; for just a moment it flooded away and left only the love she felt for her little sister. I wondered if I’d looked the same only a short while ago.

“So friends and family were fine, but relationships weren’t?” I asked quietly.

Rainbow frowned at being brought back to reality. “Yeah, I guess. Relationships just felt more… permanent, you know? I guess that’s why they call it commitment. It just felt like too much. Like I was giving in too much. Seeing somepony would be like saying that I never planned to leave Ponyville. And I couldn’t stay in Ponyville and leave to join the ‘Bolts, so…”

“It’d be like giving up on your dream,” I finished for her. I couldn’t say I agreed with her logic, but I did understand where she was coming from. And if she’d been thinking like that the whole time… “No wonder you only wanted to keep it to sex.”

“Could you not put it like that?” Rainbow asked, covering her sister’s ears while Scoots tried to fight her off.

“Dash, I know what sex is,” Scoots deadpanned once she’d managed to free herself. “I’m not a filly anymore. We can talk about this.”

I tried not to think about how much Scoots knew about sex while Rainbow grinned wryly. “Yeah, maybe you’re ready to talk about sex, but I’m not. Especially since our love lives are starting to overlap.” She glanced surreptitiously my way and shuddered. “It’s going to take me a while to get used the idea of you two dating.”

“I’m glad you’re taking it so well, Rainbow,” I said gratefully. “Not everypony’s been so okay with it.”

She gave a barking laugh. “Well, I was doing a lot stupider stuff than that by the time I was her age, so I can’t judge too much. ‘S long as you treat her right, we’re good.”

“He is, Dash,” Scoots chipped in impatiently. “I wouldn’t be with him if I didn’t like it. But…” she trailed off, biting her lip. She clacked her hooves together nervously. “Now I feel bad. You both wanted to be together and would have if I hadn’t gotten in the middle of things…”

“Hey, don’t talk like that!” Rainbow admonished, wrapping a protective wing around her. “We had our chance and I didn’t take it. Never be sorry for going after what you want. And you two are happy together, right?” She looked between us, looking for confirmation.

“Yes,” I said without a moment’s hesitation.

“I am, too,” Scoots agreed, but she was not to be deterred so easily. “But you both still like each other, don’t you?”

Rainbow’s eyes fell away from Scoots’s, no longer able to meet them. So instead Scoots turned her attention to me, and similarly I found it hard to look at her.

I was happy with Scoots. Sure, we were just getting started; still exploring things and seeing where we could go. But it was good! I didn’t want to lose what we had for anything!

But…

Did some part of me still want to be with Rainbow? I wanted her back in my life, sure. She was one of the most important people in my life, pony or otherwise. That cocky persona, her normally laid-back, fun-loving attitude. I wanted it back. I wanted to be with her every second of every day. I wanted to wake up next to her in the morning and hold her every night.

I wanted her more than anything.

Anything except for Scoots.

I couldn’t give her up. I didn’t want to go back to how things were before. Scoots understood more than anypony else why I needed to go back to Earth and even supported me despite how much it hurt her. She was so strong and selfless and I was honored that someone as amazing as her was interested in me.

When I thought about it like that, the choice was pretty obvious.

“Rainbow…” I stated slowly, knowing what I needed to say but still finding it harder than I would have liked. “Yes. A part of me still does care for you. You were the first pony I ever considered a friend. The only one who ever treated me like I wasn’t some kind of outsider that didn’t belong. For a while, you were the only thing that made it possible for me to just make it through the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if that part of me always loved you, if only for how much I owe you. But…

“I can’t be with you.”

The sentence fell upon the room like a bomb; the silence it left in its wake more deafening than any explosion. I barely even wanted to breathe for fear of what either of them would have to say. I half-expected Rainbow to get upset like she had at the night club again and Scoots, despite her claims to the contrary, to be pissed that I still had feelings for her sister.

After everything that’s happened over the last year, I’d begun to expect the worst of things.

My fears weren’t exactly allayed as Rainbow gave a shallow, mirthless chuckle. “You say that like I expected you to.”

“Rainbow?” I asked tentatively.

She shrugged. “I figured you would have been sick of me after this whole mess, so I was never expecting us to be anything after tonight. Hay, that’s why I didn’t want to talk about this. It doesn’t really matter if we want to be together or not, ‘cuz even if we did I wouldn’t take you away from Squirt. Heh, I’ve always been willing to do a lot to get what I want, but I won’t do that.”

The blue wing still wrapped around Scoots gave a gentle squeeze. “Just promise me the three of us can still hang out sometimes, okay?”

“Of course we can still hang out, Dash!” Scoots said happily, shoving Rainbow’s affections away. “It’s not the same without all three of us together! But that’s sort of why I asked…”

“What do you mean, Scoots?” I asked.

“Well, I was just thinking…” she mumbled, her hooves tapping together nervously once again. “What if… and I mean, it’s probably a dumb idea anyway and I doubt either of you’d like it, but… umm…”

“But what? Spit it out, Squirt!” Rainbow barked.

“I-I just thought if Will wanted to be with both of us and we both want to be with him, then… well…”

“Woah, no! Let me stop you there,” Rainbow said sharply, waving her forelegs in the air in front of her. She even pulled away from Scoots, rounding on her until she was backed into the corner of the couch. “You are not saying what I think you’re saying!”

“W-well, why not?!” Scoots snapped back, finding a little fire of her own that made even Rainbow’s stony demeanor falter slightly. “Wasn’t it always the most fun when we were all hanging out together? And we all like each other, so why shouldn’t we do it?”

Scoots’s sudden comeback didn’t derail Rainbow for long. In a flash she was back up to full steam. “Because we don’t all like each other! We–” she pointed a hoof back and forth between herself and Scoots “–both like him! There can’t be one pony in the center like that. It never works and somepony always ends up sad and hurt. Even I know that!”

“Rainbow, that’s enough,” I said, trying to pull them apart. I couldn’t begin to understand where… whatever this was came from, but I wasn’t going to sit around and let them go at each other like that. I eventually succeeded in pulling Rainbow back to the center of the couch and tried to keep a calming hand on her shoulder, but Scoots bounded forward in the interim, digging herself into a low pose like she was about to charge.

“Well, maybe I don’t just like him!” she shouted. Furious tears began to sparkle in the corners of her eyes as she helplessly stomped the couch cushion beneath her. “Maybe there’s another reason I’d want us to be together; did you ever think of that?!

“Maybe I like you, too, okay?”

For the second time that night the room went deathly quiet. I couldn’t even hear Rainbow’s breathing over Scoots’s panting and the pounding of my heart. I knew she had entertained a small crush on Rainbow for a while, but I had no idea she felt this strongly about it.

Scoots sniffled and wiped a hoof across her eyes. “I was five when you first moved to Ponyville, so I’ve looked up to you for almost as long as I can remember. I idolized you. Wished every night that I could be like you. I obsessed over you, I know! But I thought you were the coolest pony ever! And when we actually started hanging out? I got to know the real you instead of the picture I had in my head. But you know what? I liked the real you even more!

“How could I not like the awesomest pony in Equestria? Fastest flier that ever lived and future star of the Wonderbolts?”

“Scoots, I… I don’t–” Rainbow started, her eyes wide in shock at what was unfolding before her.

“Don’t!” Scoots snarled. Just as quickly as that flash of anger overtook her, it fled, leaving her just looking tired and on the verge of tears. “I know you’ve never seen me as anything other than a little filly! Neither has anypony else in town! That’s why everypony’s given Will crap for dating me. I guess I just hoped that after everything that happened… maybe you would give me a chance. Pretty stupid of me, I guess.”

Rainbow lifted a hoof a fraction of an inch, like it was moving of its own volition to comfort the filly she loved so much. “Y-you… How long have you felt like that?” she whispered, almost as if she were talking to herself.

“A while, I guess,” Scoots muttered. “I had a really bad crush on you a few years ago, and I thought I’d get over it eventually, but… Well, I didn’t. So, I’d really like it if we could try things. Just give it one shot, Rainbow Dash! Please? One dinner or something! Hay, we could just chill here and watch a movie!”

“N-no,” Rainbow said weakly, still in shock. “W-we can’t…”

“Okay, girls, wait,” I cut in. I just couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m lost. What’re you talking about?”

“She’s talking about–”

“A herd!” Scoots interrupted. “We could be a herd like Thunderlane and Cloudchaser and Flitter! And that one Wonderbolt Spitfire mentioned; Misty? It would be just like old times but, you know… we’d be, uh… together.”

A herd?

She wanted… a herd? Rainbow, Scoots and I all in one relationship? Could we really do that? Not having to lose one of them would be amazing, certainly. But a part of me couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t right. Seeing two different people at the same time, even if they were willing just felt… wrong.

But that sort of thing was okay here. Accepted enough that world-renowned celebrities and small-town ponies alike did it. But how would it work? Would we get married? Could herds do that? How would we raise a family? I may not have wanted any of that anytime soon, but I did eventually.

And what would my family think? Bringing home one pony girl would be hard enough. But bringing home two? I know they wouldn’t be okay with that.

“Look Scoots, I don’t know…” I said, unsure.

“Well, I do!” Rainbow snapped. “I won’t do it!” She tsked and her voice dropped to a gentler tone. “Okay, maybe you’re right, Squirt. Maybe I’ve treated you like a filly for too long. I know I can be overprotective and I try to look out for you even when you may not need it. I’ll give you that. But Squirt… I can’t do this! I look at you and sometimes I still see that eight year-old little filly trailing after me on her scooter begging me to show her some tricks! I know you aren’t that anymore, but…

“Squirt, herds need everypony involved to want to be together. Two out of the three liking things just isn’t enough! I can’t have… I can’t do herd stuff with you. I love you, Scootaloo, but not like that. I’m sorry…”

Scoots’s head dropped, and a soft pit-pat filled the air as two drops fell. “Y-yeah…”

“Hey now,” Rainbow said gently, crawling forward to pull her into a tight, loving hug. “C’mon, no waterworks. I’m still your big sister and I always will be. And you’re still gonna be the most important filly… mare in my life. And the three of us–” she gave a nod of her head in my direction and I realized she wanted me to join them. As I pulled them both close, she continued. “We’re going to be best friends forever. So you two be happy together, alright? ‘Cuz I’m gonna be fine. Actually, I’m gonna be more than fine.”

“W-what do you mean?” Scoots asked amidst lingering sniffles.

“I wasn’t really in Cloudsdale this weekend for weather stuff. Heh, they’d never do anything on the weekend if they didn’t have to,” she said, chuckling ruefully at her little dig. “I was really there because I got a letter from the Wonderbolts. I, uh… I got the position.”

“The position…?” I asked, not understanding right away. But then it clicked. “On the flight team?! You got it?!”

“Heheheh, yup. Meeting with Spitfire to fill out the paperwork and hash out the details tomorrow. I should start my pre-team training in a few weeks.”

“Rainbow Dash, t-that’s amazing!” Scoots cheered. Her voice was still hoarse and a little thick, but her enthusiasm was genuine as could be. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“I was a little more worried about never seeing Will again,” she said, scratching the back of her head. “And then we were talking and… whatever! The point is I got it! Finally!”

“Rainbow, I’m so happy for you! I knew you would do it!” I said.

“Me, too!” Scoots said. “You’ve wanted it for so long; it’s about time they saw you were meant for the team!”

Rainbow laughed aloud. “Yeah, right? I moved to Ponyville thinking I’d be here a couple of months before I got recruited. Only took them twelve years longer than I thought it would! But seriously… thank you, guys. I couldn’t have done it without you and everypony else backing me up.”

“What are best friends for?” I said, punching her shoulder mockingly.

“Teasing the shit out of each other?” Rainbow suggested.

“Knowing all your dirty secrets and never letting you live them down?” Scoots offered.

“Drinking all your cider and never buying any herself?” I asked, pointedly eyeing Rainbow.

“Giving cider to minors!” Rainbow said, returning my look full-force.

Our staring contest lasted only a moment before we both started to crack. First a snort, then watering eyes and soon we were both laughing aloud. We laughed for so long and so hard that my stomach and face started to hurt and still I couldn’t stop. Or wouldn’t stop, I don’t know.

It was over. We were back.

And it felt just…

Perfect.

“Well, I should probably get going…” Rainbow said wistfully as she looked at the clock. Just shy of six in the morning. We’d been up just about all night catching up with each other. It was amazing to think that less than a day ago I was fearing that everything was over between us and our friendship was ruined. It may not have been completely fixed yet, but I knew it would be with a little bit of time.

“Yeah, you still have to fly all the way to Cloudsdale, don’t you?” I asked.

“Sorry we kept you up,” Scoots said from on my lap. She’d curled up at my side at some point while we talked and had her chin resting on my thigh.

“Don’t be!” she impressed. “I’ll just sleep it off later today at my parents’ place.”

“Do you want to get lunch tomorrow, then?” I asked suddenly as the thought struck me. “All three of us. We can go to Daisy’s again.”

Rainbow gave a wide grin while nodding enthusiastically. “Hay yeah! You’re paying, though,” she said confidently. Her arrogant claim was broken a moment later when she stuck her tongue out at me like a child.

I just rolled my eyes and gave a put upon sigh while Scoots giggled at us.

“Sounds like a plan, though,” Rainbow said, sitting up and hopping down to the floor. She trotted to the door where, with one hoof on the handle, she paused. Her strong presence faltered as she glanced back at us. “Hey, guys? I, uh… I’m glad we did this. I was really gonna miss hanging out with you both.”

By then, I think I was fluent enough in Rainbow-ese to know what she was really trying to say.

“Yeah, I was really scared of losing you, too, Rainbow,” I said. She gave an adorably fake little scowl and kicked at the floor. I shit you not, though, as she looked away I swore I saw a faint little blush on her cheeks, but by the time she looked back up at us it was gone.

“Y-yeah, whatever,” she grumbled. She threw open the door and was about to slip through when one more thing came to mind.

“Hey Rainbow!” I shouted and she stopped again. “I love you. You know that, right?” I placed a hand on Scoots’s back. “We both do.”

Now there was no doubt Rainbow was blushing and I adamantly wished I could get a picture without her smashing my camera.

“Yeah, I know. But it’s good to hear it, too. I, uh… I love you, too. Both of you,” she said quietly. But then she shook herself and her normal persona returned. “But enough of the mushy stuff! I gotta get flying. You two behave while I’m gone, okay? Catch ya later!”

We barely had time for a round of goodbyes before she took off with a single powerful thrust of her wings. Soon enough, she was little more than a black dot amidst the golden rays of dawn’s light. Seeing as she couldn’t be bothered to close the door behind her, I got up to do it. When I turned back, Scoots had moved to rest her chin on the couch’s arm, where she lied looking up at me.

I crouched down in front of her and lovingly scratched behind her ear. “Sorry the herd thing didn’t work out. You really wanted it, didn’t you?”

She looked away and shrugged. “It would’ve been nice. You aren’t mad I suggested it without asking, are you?”

“Of course not.”

Seconds passed as I continued to play with her coat and moved to brush her mane with my fingers while she hummed in pleasure. Her eyes fluttered closed and only the occasional flick of her ear disturbed the still.

After a moment I stood and kicked off my shoes and jeans and lied down beside her. As I pulled her small, feathery body close to mine she rolled over to face me. She lifted her head at the same moment I leaned down and our lips brushed together.

“You know I love you, right?” she whispered. “Even though I wanted the herd, I–”

I cut her off by pulling her into another kiss. After we pulled apart, I brushed her cheek with my thumb.

“I know. I love you, too.”

In her eyes –those shining, beautiful, breath-taking purple eyes– I saw it. And in the beating of her heart against my own, I felt it. And in the radiance of her content little smile, I knew it.

I finally had it. Everything I had been searching for. Everything I had wanted and never knew.

I was home.

And as the birds started singing the arrival of a brand new day, our breathing slowed and a blissful peace fell over us. And I was finally happy.