Rainbow Dash's Revelationby chankl2ChaptersPrologue: The "Father" FigureChapter 1: ConfrontationChapter 2: Painful MemoriesChapter 3: The Reveal of Two TruthsChapter 4: ExplorationChapter 5a: A Rare SparkleChapter 5c: The Dropping FeatherChapter 5b: Two Apples in a BarPrologue: The "Father" FigureWelp, there aren’t any chances left. Why did she have to show up at that hour of the night? He swore that he made sure to ensure her late arrival, yet she still came early, so angry that with a swish and a bang his belongings were already 20 feet over the cloud house and plummeting down to the over-world. A mare…overreacting more than the situation requires. However this time, he knew that he deserved every single blow. As he soared down towards the town of Ponyville after dashing down to collect his treasured belongings, the colt pondered to himself as what did he did wrong. Was it the abrupt reveal? Perhaps he should have bought some flowers or chocolate to lighten up the situation, or some music, to…soften the mood or something. Truth was painful to reveal, but he never thought that it would be so damaging. “Formally a husband, now a lone wolf…Heh…just like what the other guys said…can’t solve a problem even with the solution in my plot.” He stopped his flight path as a swarm of bats rushed through the evening night, shrieking furiously at an unknown enemy. As they disappeared into the darkness, he continued his journey. “What a mess I am…can’t be deceiving enough to persuade my own wife not to throw me out…can’t be brave enough to approach my friends for help…can’t be smart enough to pass the damn flight test and be a Wonderbolt so that I could earn my own bits…” He sighed. The villages were already starting to appear in the distance. He slowly hovered downwards until at last he stepped on the grass outside of the town, near a barn, which glimmered faintly, as it were painted just the day before. Walking over to the door, he saw that the owner conveniently forgot to lock the door. Walking inside, he went over to a nearby haystack and lied on the surface, munching some of it as he stared sideways, looking at the midnight sky. “Wonder how little old DD’s going to react to this…I bet she’s going to kill me…She’s always did have her mother’s temper.” He chuckled. The hay gave way to the weight of the stallion, causing him to collapse on the ground brashly. “And her wits, I suppose. Although I can live with another explosion in my face…but…for scoots…I don’t know what to say…” He wasn’t smiling anymore. For the first time, genuine anxiety was present in his face. “Scoots…poor…poor…scoots…” “SURPRISE!” “Huh…wha…what?” The rainbow pegasus’ face wrinkled and contorted as her eyelids focused on the front of her bed. Her five best friends were all smiling in front of her, the cheerful yell obviously coming from Pinkie as she bounced on the mattress. “Guess what, RD?” Applejack grinned. “Oh I can’t wait to see her reaction!” Rarity squealed. “I got a camera to capture the moment!” Pinkie squeed. “Er…just what are you all…” She lost her ability to form words as a familiar green shell appeared in Fluttershy’s hooves. “I hope you’re happy, Dashie!” She cheered quietly. “Ta…ta…TANK!” Forgetting the fatigue, she dashed right over to the smiling tortoise, which happily received her embrace. “Well…we all did what we promised!” Twilight exclaimed while Rainbow cried her heart out for the return of her beloved pet, where the mood was sort of ruined by the constant snapping of the camera in a random 360 degree angle from nopony other than Pinkie. “As you may have noticed…Tank’s got a new outfit!” Rarity smiled, trying not to cry herself due to witnessing Rainbow’s joy. “And we’re waiting for you to go to Tank’s “It’s about time!” Party!” Pinkie added, blowing up a confetti cannon. “Well…sniff…heh heh…you girls really are the best…so what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rainbow celebrated. Soon after the party was in full swing at the crystal castle. Not only the mane 6 were present at the little celebration. Pinkie had invited every friend of Rainbow Dash, including Spitfire, Soarin, her group of admirers, and of course, her sister Maud. “So…a party for a pet, huh Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire joked. “Oh shut up, sister. It’s not like I put them aside so that I can win some fancy competition or something.” Rainbow snapped back. “Woah, woah, chill. I’m not here to cause trouble, and I admit that what I did back there was kind of stupid.” She responded. “You said it! I can’t believe you left me for dead in that hospital…still thinking about it…it just scares me…” Soarin said nervously. “Oh please. I took you out to Colataire’s as an apology that night and treated you to a giant blueberry and apple pie on my check. I’m not going to do that, I promise.” “Right…sorry about that.” “Well, I’m glad that that’s settled. You two want to go to the dining area? I think that the food’s ready.” Rainbow asked. “Now we’re talking!” Soarin cheered, already forgetting his supposed anger at Spitfire as galloping over to the seat closest to the food. “Oh…some things never change.” Spitfire groaned. The ponies all took their seats as the food covers were removed from the plates. There was a huge variety of choices, from delicate and rich éclairs and small samples of expensive food, to cake and sweet treats on the middle of the table, to a whole tableful of apple-related food on the end, which also had some hay and grass for the healthy. Before Soarin could once again have the best day of his life, he was interrupted by the dissonant ringing of a glass vibrating, the cup levitated by Twilight Sparkle. “Ahem…attention everypony. Before we start this meal, we would just like to welcome back the arrival of…Oof!” Her potentially dull speech was gone as Rainbow collided onto her purposely, knocking the scroll she was reading onto the floor. “Rainbow! I prepared a whole night for that speech!” She grunted. “Well, I don’t want the guests to fall asleep or anything…how long is your script by the way, just to prove my point?” “For your information, it is proudly two thousand and…” “Yup, knew it.” She crossed over to the center of the room and mimicked Twilight’s tapping of the glass horribly, which received a number of giggles and laughs among the crowd. “Well, everypony here, I would like to thank you for showing your appreciation to my feelings towards Tank.” She smiled as she trotted over to the tortoise. “I wouldn’t replace him with anything else in the world, and that’s a promise.” She concluded as she nuzzled him affectionately. “Thanks.” She turned to Twilight. “No hard feelings right? I kind of summed up your speech and all.” “Urgh….no hard feelings…” She muttered. “Hurray for Tank’s return!” The rest cheered, raising their glasses of cider to the air. “CHEERS!” And without another word, everypony dug in, eating and chattering to each other as the party progressed. “So, Maud, how’s it been?” Rainbow asked, after catching back up with the Wonderbolts. “Well, it was the same as always.” Maud spoke plainly. “Yup! Always fun, am I right?” Pinkie piped in. “Yup.” “You know, Dashie, at first I wanted to invite your family members, but I tried and I tried but I couldn’t contact them!” Pinkie mentioned. “Oh! Well…both of them are usually very busy to visit me, especially during winter. I’ve kind of gotten used to it.” “You can’t say that!” Rarity interrupted. “In fact, I think this is the first time I heard this subject come up! What do your mom and dad do in Cloudsdale, Rainbow?” She asked, intrigued. “Oh, my mom’s the head of the Cloud Factory, and my dad is one of the cloud workers during winter.” Rainbow replied. “So he transports clouds to other areas while your mother is in charge of all of them?” “Just like a rock farm.” Maud interjected. “I suppose. Truth is, it’s been a while since I've met them. Often we ate together at a restaurant for the end of winter every year, but last year I didn’t get an invitation from them or anything.” She admitted. “WHAT? That’s…that’s preposterous!” Rarity exclaimed. “Not really, Rarity. I told you, they’re busy ponies, and honestly I doubt that they would have the time to come here.” “Well…what if you ask them if we can visit them during work? We never met your parents before…might be fun!” Pinkie suggested. “You really want to see them? Oh…ok. I’ll see what I can do. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see him…” The door suddenly busted open as a pony emerged in the front doors, causing most of the guests to reel back in shock. His mane, although colourful, was dirty, along with the rest of his coat. “Rainbow Blaze? What is he doing here?” Spitfire asked, appalled. “D…d….dad?” “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! Can I get a bite? I'm starving!” Chapter 1: Confrontation“Dad…what are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash finally broke the awkward silence that had been struck since her father had charge into the room and starting devouring most of the food on the table, the only sound made being the repeating clinks of plates piling up against each other. “Oh! Um…I just happened to be flying around Ponyville during one of my work breaks, and imagine my surprise when I found out that my own daughter lives in a castle now instead of the cloud house we both gave you! I came here to congratulate you, Princess Rainbow!” The other ponies looked at each other, then back to Rainbow Blaze. His naivety was so stupid that it could have provoked a laugh or few with his friends, but clearly not here. The awkward silence remained as Blaze continued to eat before finding himself flying as Rainbow Dash embarrassingly picked him up and went out of the dining room. “Woah, woah, hey! I just finished eating!” His bursts of protest were ignored as he went brought inside Twilight’s bedroom, with Rainbow Dash shutting the door behind them, her expression ready to explode before it abruptly calmed down into a face of acceptance as she sighed. “Dad…honestly…what are you doing here?” “I told you…um…I happened to have a break today and wanted to…” “Don’t give me that bull. You never were a good liar.” “Er…” Wow…nothing was going according to plan. He wanted to wait until the party had ended before telling DD the truth, but obviously his daughter was the one in charge of the present situation. “Well…Princess…” “I’M NOT A PRINCESS!” She shouted at him. “Were you even smart enough to ask one of the guard ponies who owned this crystal castle? It’s not me, it’s owned by one of my friends Twilight Sparkle!” She slapped her own hoof to her face. Wow…it was just like her mother. If that was the case, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. He already knew that continuing to do know would worsen the current situation. “Look…fine. I’ll tell you the whole story.” “No, I’m asking…. wait, what? You’re actually skipping to the truth this time?” Those words pierced his heart. Had he always been that unreliable and untrustworthy? “Yes, yes I am. You see, the reason I came to Ponyville wasn’t because I got a break or anything, it was because I had to find a place to stay.” “You got fired again?” “No…I haven’t. Though to be fair I think that I will be soon.” “Couldn’t mom give you a second chance? I’m sure that you didn’t mean to mess up one of the clouds that badly…or did you send one of them over to the Everfree forest again?” She asked, worried. “Worse. I disappointed your mother, Rainbow Dash. Personally. I told her the truth that I had been keeping all these years yesterday night, and she kicked me out of the house...” He couldn’t even finish his sentence before he found himself crashing onto the side of the wall and into one of the bookshelves as Rainbow tackled him furiously. “What was that?” “Something happened upstairs?” “Come on girls, we need to move!” “YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU….HOW DARE YOU!” Rainbow Dash had lost it. She was punching her father with her hooves with pure brutality, each blow landing hard on his face, both damaging him physically, but mentally as well. “Rainbow…ergh…I never meant for this to happen!” He yelled, trying his best to block the fury of punches from the enraged pegasus. “LIKE TARTARUS YOU WANTED TO THIS TO HAPPEN! YOU SICK, INGLORIOUS SCUMBAG!” “RAINBOW!!” Twilight was the first one to witness the horrifying event taking place in her bedroom. Raising her horn, she immediately froze the thrashing Rainbow in place as her father sank to the ground, shocked. “LET ME GO, TWILIGHT! LET ME AT HIM!” “That’s your own father, for Celestia’s sake!” Pinkie screamed, having come up second to see the source of the commotion. “I ASHAMED TO HAVE THIS IDIOT AS MY FATHER! I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT SOMEPONY LIKE HIM WOULD CHEAT ON MY MOTHER!” “I told you I’m…wait. You think that I CHEATED on her?” Blaze shouted. “Are you SERIOUS?” He was on the offensive now as Dash reeled back, her face now devoid of anger, but now confusion. “What? But you said…” “I SAID…that I told her the truth? How DARE you DD…to accuse me of such a foul act. Do you think that your own father would really sink that low? Am I really scum to you?” He yelled this while cringing over his injuries. His daughter had really grown in strength as in temper. “You said that you told her the truth that you had kept for so many years! How is that not the truth that I don’t know, that you’ve been SLEEPING with another mare!” “That does sound rather likely…” Twilight interjected. “Exactly! Twilight, let me down right now so that I can pound him!” “No, Rainbow…I said that it was likely. However, I know through his expressions that your claim really isn’t the truth that he’s trying to tell.” She boldly stated. “Since when could you do that?” “I’ve been reading about pony psychology ever since I have been a princess over Ponyville. I’m presented with tons of cases of lies and exploitations every day, to be honest. Therefore I had to learn to read expressions and tone of ponies to the very last detail. And right now, to my knowledge your dad is in the right.” “Thank you…Princess Twilight.” “Don’t mention it.” And just like that she released her hold over Rainbow, who landed slowly to the ground, doubtful. “We’re going to leave you alone. I know it’s hard for you, Rainbow. But listen to what your father has to say. It’s the least that you can do after what you accused and did to him.” The door slammed, leaving the two ponies once again, alone. “Are…are you ok?” “Ow…I’m fine, DD. I just…I just didn’t expect such a reaction.” He watched as she walked over to him and examined his wounds. “You…your arm is bleeding, and you got a lot of bruises around your body, we need to get you to the hospital now…oh I’m so sorry, dad!” She burst into tears onto her father’s embrace. “I’m…I’m sorry too Rainbow. Because although the truth that I’m about to tell may not be shocking to some…but it will be to you.” “No…you can tell me that later when you receive proper medical attention. Right now you need to recover…” She tried to lift him up but stopped as he uncontrollably moaned in pain due to the internal injuries. “I’m sorry! I’m really really sorry!” She wailed. “I’m going back down to get some help right now!” She was about to gallop through the door before a single hoof held her back from her father. “Rainbow…I need to tell you the truth right now. Promise me that you’ll allow me that.” His voice was fading quickly. “What…what is it, daddy?” For a second, the two seemed to have gone back in time, when Rainbow Dash was still in Cloudsdale as a filly, and when Rainbow Blaze was still the star player of the Wonderbolts. And just as quickly as that happy memory had been present, it was gone as Rainbow Blaze revealed the traumatizing truth. “Rainbow…Scootaloo is not your real sister...” Chapter 2: Painful Memories“Rainbow Blaze! Wake up! WAKE UP!” “Pinkie, stop shaking him! He’ll suffer more if you keep damaging his body like that!” “Oh…I…” “Apologies later! We need to get Rainbow Dash’s father in the hospital right now! Rainbow, come on!” “……………” “Rainbow?” “…………….” “He’s starting to cough up blood! We need to go now, Twilight!!” “Can’t I stay? I’m not sure what happened to her, and we don’t need that many ponies to lift one stallion!” “Do you really think that she wants to have company to bother her right now?!” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, who seemed to have ignored everything around her surroundings. “But…Rainbow…” “We’ll worry about Rainbow Dash later. Right now her father is in more danger than her current condition!” “Right...well…um…we’ll just leave you alone, Dash.” And with those words the door shut, leaving the pegasus alone with the weight of the truth worsening as it crushed her mentality. “Scoot…Scootaloo isn’t my sister?” The world seemed to have disappeared. All that was present in her mind right now was a white void, devoid of reality. How…how could this be true? She never suspected anything… She knew that she took most traits from her father in terms of appearance and hobbies, but little from her mother, who wasn’t a stranger, but rather a imposing figure that she respected. At the beginning, she remembered how disappointed her mother looked when she picked up the ball instead of the book. A sudden jolt, and her vision completely changed. She was crawling around on the floor, having escaped out of her cradle through several attempts at flying and pushing. The door suddenly flew open, but luckily caught on to the helm of the knob and therefore silenced the possible noise. Her father stepped in, much younger and physically fitter, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. With a large shout, he threw it and it flew across the room and landed in front of Dash. Written in red, were the words: FAILURE. Before she could interpret any more of the writing, Blaze picked back up the paper and placed her onto the cradle, sobbing, picking up the phone on the table and rapidly dialing an unknown number. A few hours had already passed before she woke up again to the sound of two ponies arguing, one male, and the other female. “You’re despicable!” The female voice shouted. “Well I’m doing what you can’t do right now!” That was her father. “I won’t do this! I won’t!” She heard the sound of glass breaking. “STOP IT! You obviously can’t take care of her!” “Why does it have to me YOU! Tell me WHY!!” “Do you think I’m doing this for myself! Do you think that I don’t care for my wife?! Unlike you I actually care for her!” Silence. “Firefly…” The mare said, looking at their family portrait. “I’m doing this for her. Can you do this for me?” “…………Fine. But if I see her in any danger…” “You have my permission to arrest me, if you want.” “No…I don’t want to. We all know that this is just a coincidence. A way to suppress the stress you and I share.” “I’m glad that you understand.” “However…don’t expect me to be so nice when I have to see your dirty face again.” “I promise that I’ll avoid you as much as possible. Are you sure you don’t want to erase the past image of me?” He said with a faint hint of desperation and guilt. “Trust me, I don’t.” And with those words the sounds of wings flapping away was heard, followed by another burst. That was all she heard before tiredness took over. When she woke up again, there was colour everywhere as Firefly picked her up happily. In front of her, on top of the ponies that were chatting and drinking, held the poster: IT’S A GIRL! Another flash. “You lost the storm cloud again?!” “Well, sweetie, you see…” “Cut the smooth talk. How could you have lost another one of those clouds? You know that the factory that keep producing them…” “Well it’s not my fault they’re so hard to steer!” Voices were consciously heard from the small room, which increased in volume as the arguments became worse with each sentence. “Are Mom and Dad arguing again, Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah…they are, Scoots.” Scootaloo was playing around with her crayons. Bored, Rainbow Dash walked over and looked at the canvas. “What’s that supposed to be?” “Oh, do you like it? The grey one’s dad, and the purple one’s mom! Those two smaller ones are us, and we’re having a nice picnic together!” She replied cheerfully. “You really want them to be happy, don’t you?” “Of course! Don’t you feel bad for them?” She had grown mature faster than anypony could have thought. The harsh conditions caused that. “….Tell you what Scootaloo, do you really want to make them happy again?” Rainbow Dash spoke, after a period of pondering. “Yeah!” “Alright…that settles it then. Pack your bags Scoots.” “Why?” “We’re moving to Ponyville!” And just like that, she was back to the room. Blinking, she came to her senses as the objects around her started to materialize. “Scoots…I really don’t know what to say.” Was it true that her sister…wasn’t her real sister? Other ponies, especially the school bullies had always bullied on how she looked so differently from her and her parents. But each time Rainbow asked her mom or her dad, it was always the same answer. “A genetic disorder?” “Yup! Do you want us to repeat that the fifth time? It’s just a rare condition that the doctor described. Nothing bad, it’s just that the colors of Scoots are a bit different from ours.” Firefly remarked. “Exactly.” Rainbow Blaze followed. “But it still doesn’t really make any…” “Now, now Rainbow, are you making fun of Scoots?” “Wha…I’m not!” “Then wash your hoofs and face. Dinner’s almost ready.” Now she understood why her father always found an excuse to quickly end the conversation. Now she understood everything. All those family bonding experiences…all those snacks with her…little sister…were all constructed. Fabricated…by her father. “What…what will Scoots say…oh…Scootaloo!” She sank her head onto the pillow and started to cry. Chapter 3: The Reveal of Two TruthsTwilight and the others were gathered around the hospital bed. Rainbow Blaze was bandaged and unconscious, with the doctor jolting down his heartbeat and his temperature. “This is terrible! How could this happen at Rainbow’s party!” Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, causing the others to snap out of their state. “You…you do know that Rainbow did that, right?” Applejack asked. “I do! It’s just that I never thought Rainbow to be so…so violent!” “She always has been a bit rough, darling…” Rarity reasoned. “But not that rough. Although it’s obvious that she is our friend, its painfully obvious that she attacked her own father without any plausible reason. I mean…she was completely unharmed when we came bursting in…which means that she’s guilty of…assault.” “WHAT?” “She’s right you know.” The doctor interrupted, fixing his glasses. “Rainbow Dash, no matter how you see it, is guilty of assault on her own father. I scanned his mood and he did not have any intention of hurting his daughter, both physically and mentally. “But…that means…” Fluttershy gasped. Twilight nodded, causing her to dip down her head in a painful silence. The rest of the group stared at the two, confused. “………………….” “So how is he doc?” The mane 5 reeled back in surprise due Rainbow Dash’s sudden entrance of the hospital room. “Miss Rainbow Dash, when did you get here?” Dr.Horse asked. “Er…I flew in, doc. Just now. How else could I have gotten here?” “Um…well Miss Dash, do you remember where you…hit him?” They looked at her with a hint of contempt. “Er…um…I think I mainly focused on pounding his head…did something bad happen to his memory?” She questioned further, concerned yet remaining distant to the bed. “Luckily no, but you gave him a major concussion that resulted in a coma. He won’t be waking up for a while…we have to wait at most a few days for him to regain his conscious naturally.” “Great. Just perfect.” She grumbled. Fluttershy looked at her, shocked. “How could you be so calm and cold towards your own father’s injury, especially when you were the one who caused it!” She cried. “It’s none of my business.” Rainbow replied bitterly. “You must have been provoked by something Rainbow Dash…can you…” Twilight began. “NO! I’M NOT ANGRY! DO I LOOK ANGRY TO…” She stopped, looked at the horrified expressions on the doctor’s and her friend’s faces, seeing her flash image as a monster. “Ugh…fine, I tell you everything. Dr.Horse, can you leave the room.” But the stallion had already gone for the hills. She sighed, then slammed the door shut with suppressed anger. “When I was alone in the room with Dad…he told me something about Scoots.” She started. “With Scootaloo? Has something bad happened to her?” Rarity gasped. “Has something happened with Sweetie Belle?” “Or Applebloom?” Applejack enquired, nervous. “No…no…nothing like that. He told me something that was already present in Scoots since she was born.” “Then…” “Scoots…isn’t my biological sister.” They gasped. Except for Pinkie Pie, who let out a giggle. “Oh Rainbow Dash, you shouldn’t make jokes like that…hee hee! All kinds of jokes crack me up! Am I right girls…girls?” Her smile faltered as she saw the disapproving expressions. “But that can’t be right…right? Right?? Right…oh…you’re serious. Um…I’ll…go to the corner now.” She mumbled. “Anyways…your dad told you this just now?” Twilight asked, after making sure that Pinkie stayed in the dark. “Yeah…you saw how I kind of lost myself…maybe overreacted just a skosh.” She said, making a guilty face. “More like a lot of skoshes!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I never thought that you would be so violent and cruel!” “Hey…Fluttershy dear…isn’t that a bit harsh?” Rarity reasoned. “Not as harsh as what Rainbow did to her father, to be honest.” Applejack stated. “Not helping, Applejack.” “But…I…” Rainbow walked around the room blindly, looking for an excuse. “He…he didn’t tell me this until now! I can’t believe that he withheld information that could be so damaging to me! And more to Scoots! You know how hard she looks up to me! How can I explain this to her?” She cried, banging her hoof on the ground. Twilight, looking at the stunned reaction of her friends, trotted over to the sobbing pegasus and placed her hoof on her shoulder gently. “It will take time. But in the end you have to tell her. Some things are just not worth hiding from every-pony else. But for the case of this…I think it was wise for your father to not tell you this information until now.” She went over to Rainbow Blaze, examining him. “I scanned your father’s feelings when we came first into the hospital. He didn’t have any intention of hurting you. In fact…he intended to tell you this information not just now to you, but also to some-pony else. I think that the reason he came to Ponyville in the first place was because he got kicked out of Cloudsdale.” Twilight continued. “Wha…What? But who else would he try to tell this to…” Her mouth fell open as she realized what Twilight was saying. “Where does your mother work, Rainbow Dash?” “In…in the cloud factory…she’s the manager of the whole service…and dad’s one of her employees…” “That explains it. He must have tried to tell the truth first to your mother…which got him kicked out of the house…I assume.” “Therefore he came here to find shelter and food! So that’s why he was so hungry when he came into the party!” Rainbow gasped. “Exactly.” Twilight nodded. “I’m not sure about the rest, but I think that there is more to this than you thought.” “What do you mean? He was just too much of a coward to tell this information until now…” She fell silent again as Twilight looked at her sternly. “Your dad didn’t tell the two of you this information until now because he thought that you could handle it at this age. Think of how damaging this news would be if you were still a filly…if you still had lived with your parents. Obviously…he was wrong.” Rainbow stared back her father, the depths of her actions finally sinking in. “I…I didn’t realize how foolish and stupid I was…” “No one can fully blame you for the extent of what you did. You simply did what you would have done in an extreme situation.” Rarity claimed. “No sugarcube…although you may be right at that point…she is to blame fully for his injuries.” Applejack interjected. “You…you all forgive me right?” Rainbow uttered. “Of course we do. We’re friends. We all understand that each other us have their own strengths and flaws, and we do our best to fix them.” Fluttershy sadly smiled, giving Rainbow a quick hug. The rest of the group joined in, except for Twilight, who stayed back behind the group hug with a strange expression before talking. “Also, Rainbow Dash, your father tried to tell us something. When we were carrying him to the hospital…he repeated a single word over and over again: “Wonderbolt.” “Wonderbolt?” “We didn’t understand what that meant, but before we could ask him to elaborate he fainted right on my back!” Pinkie admitted. The memories from before came surging back into Rainbow mind. Her father’s depressed state, the strange mare, the party… “Wait! I think that’s a clue on who Scootaloo’s mother is!” She declared. “I have a memory of a strange mare visiting my dad when I was just a baby and delivering her!” “That…that means that…” “Scootaloo’s mom is a member of the wonderbolts! Come on girls, we need to move now and find out the truth!” Rainbow called happily. Her happiness went to a frown as her friends didn’t move an inch of where they stood, their expressions blank. “Guys? What are you doing?” They looked at each other nervously, and Twilight finally stepped in front of them, her serious expression breaking as she talked. “Rainbow…although we forgive you for this…the law doesn’t.” “Wait…what? What are you…” Twilight raised her horn, and magical cuffs held her front hoofs in place, preventing her from moving. “Rainbow Dash, I'm really, really sorry, but I have to arrest you." "WHAT? Why?" Rainbow shouted in horror, trying to free the magical chains bonded on her wrists. "Although we know that you didn't mean to to it...under Equestrian law you're still guilty of assault...on an innocent civilian. We can't prove that your father is guilty or not." "But..." "Please don't be mad Dashie, we really didn't want to do this!" Fluttershy cried. "I...I understand." She gave up, sinking to the ground, all hope lost. "Please forgive me Rainbow!" Twilight weeped, raising her hoof in the air at the window. The Royal Canterlot Guards rushed into the room, and without a word took away the complying pegasus. And just like that, she was gone. Twilight sank to the floor herself along with the rest of her friends as the impact of their own action sunk in. "What...what have I done..." Chapter 4: ExplorationThe door slammed as the custody room secured itself into place. Locking the door, the royal guard nodded solemnly to the princess and left the group, leaving them in an awkward position, guilty expressions on all of their faces. “So...what do we do now?” Pinkie asked, trying to break the ice. “I…I don’t know.” Twilight muttered. “You did what had to be done. You are the princess of Ponyville, so I guess that law and order have to be followed more strictly now.” Rarity reasoned. “Yeah, by putting Rainbow into custody.” Applejack retorted. “This is insane! Why are we not finding out the truth of this mess and instead moping around the police station like a bunch of rug rats?” “She’s right.” Rainbow agreed, speaking on the other side of the reinforced glass wall. You guys go find out the truth behind all this. I can’t do anything right now in this place, so I trust all of you to help me solve this case. You’ll get me and my dad out of this…right?” She asked, anxious. “Of course.” Twilight replied, her confidence coming back as she assessed what had to be done. “I’m really sorry about…” “I said its ok. I know that you need to follow your princessesy rules and all, so don’t worry about me. I’m kind of guilty anyway.” She reassured. “Let go, Twily!” Pinkie added, patting her friend on the back. “What’s important now is that we need to find the mystery mare and save Equestria!” “Yeah!” They cheered, before realizing what Pinkie said. “Wait…what?” Rarity exclaimed before getting pushed out the door by an embarrassed Pinkie. “Don’t you mean Rainbow Dash?” “That too! Let’s go!” A few minutes later, and they were standing at the town square. During the short trip, Twilight had organized a list from a piece of scrap paper she had in her saddlebag. “Alright, we need to find information about Rainbow Blaze and the mystery mare before sundown, because the next day I think that the royal guards will have to send Rainbow Dash to Canterlot for trial, and we don’t know how long it will take for us to get her out of there if that happens.” “So are we going to spilt up, or what?” Rarity pondered. “Yes, but not here. Remember what Rainbow said about her dad?” “That he never visits?” Applejack guessed. “Exactly. He rarely sets hoof in Ponyville, so the only place that we can find information is Cloudsdale.” Announcing the location, she whistled, and a group of royal guards came into view, seemingly pulling a gigantic object from the skies. “Is that…the hot air balloon?” Pinkie said excitedly. “Yup. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie, could you stand over here for a second?” Twilight asked. The three stepped away and formed a circle. Raising her horn, a pink bubble surrounded the legs of the three and formed a strange inscription before disappearing with a flash. “Cloud Walking Spell?” Rarity said glumly. “Any chance you could…” “No. We’re not sightseeing this time, we’re finding information.” “Um…” They turned to see Fluttershy pawing the ground nervously. “I don’t know if this is important, but the houses of the pegasi in Cloudale are separated into islands. Only the main cities have cloud roads…” Rarity looked back at Twilight with a sarcastic smile on her face. “Ugh…fine…” She raised her horn again, this time with a more strained expression on her face as she concentrated. A purple wave of light began to surround the three ponies, and split into three individual bubbles as they were lifted into the air. The townspeople gasped as they witnessed the sight, bolts of lightning shooting off into random directions. “Get down!” Twilight yelled as the bubble exploded into a flash of light. When it cleared, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie stood up dizzily from the exposure, magnificent butterfly wings now present on their backs. “Now that’s more like it!” Rarity cheered ecstatically “Ugh…I look so stupid…” Applejack groaned. “No you don’t! This is so much fun!” Pinkie squeed, flying around the air in circles happily before being pulled back down by Twilight’s magic. “Well, since we can all fly now, I guess we don’t need the balloon.” She signaled to the guards and they nodded, taking off with it. “Me and Rarity will search the north side. Applejack and Pinkie will search the south. Fluttershy, you knew Rainbow Dash. Could you get in contact with her mother?” “Whaa…me? Ok…” She replied. “Sounds alright.” Applejack responded. “Well, I suppose.” Rarity admitted. “Good, we’ll keep back up here before sundown. Clear?” “CLEAR!” They cheered, and then flew off into their respective directions. Back in the hospital, Rainbow Blaze sat awkwardly on the bed beside an orange yellow mare, rubbing his head sadly in pain. “Quite the athlete Blaze, being beat up by your own daughter.” “Ow…” “Quite the failing actor as well. Any pony could see that you were pretending to sleep when I came. You fail at everything don’t you? Beat up by Rainbow Dash…now smacked his the face with my hoof.” “Would you shut up about that?” He snapped. “I didn’t think that she would be so violent! Also, did you think that I would actually hit her?!” “Well, that’s what you did to me.” “………………” “Look, I know that we agreed not to talk anymore with each other, but since you broke the treaty, I can too. You came into my sight, so now I’m free to insult you.” “You can’t be serious. After all this time you still have a grudge?” He spat. “Not a grudge…more like an distracting tick that never goes away.” “……Look. I know what I did, I know what I made you do, and I’m sorry. I really am. But could you not harm my daughter?” He begged. “I’m not going to hurt Rainbow Dash! Unlike you she’s likeable and one of Cloudsdale’s best racers.” “Then why are you here? What do you want with me?” “I’m just here to know why you came.” She responded solemnly. “I came because I told my wife the truth! I came because she kicked me out of the house and I had nowhere else to go! I CAME BECAUSE MY LIFE HAS BEEN DESTROYED EVEN MORE THAN YOURS SINCE THEN!!” He screamed. There was a terrible echo as the yell slowly drifted through the empty room. Luckily, the room itself was soundproof. The mare doubled back, her expression gone of hate and now with shock. “Wha…is that true?” She stuttered, stunned. “What did you think I was here for? To have another dandy round with the “Maiden of Terror”?” Blaze retorted, his eyes fierce. “I…um…” Rainbow Blaze sighed as he calmed himself down. “Look. I never wanted to do this with you. We were young, unthinking, and wild. I never wanted to get you into a mess. You can continue to think that I’m the biggest scum of the earth, but I stand my ground.” “………..I’m sorry.” “I know. Ugh…Look. Could you just do this thing for me? Tell Rainbow Dash the truth. Tell her everything. She needs to know. I’ll handle things with my wife. You take care of your student. If you want to…you can tell Scoots as well.” “But…wouldn’t she…” “It’s dumb to extend the fuse of a bomb only for it to explode with more power. She needs to know this sooner or later. Please.” The mare stood silently and stared out of the window. Foals were playing at the school playground, scoots yelling happily as she slid down a slide. “………I’ll see what I can do.” Chapter 5a: A Rare Sparkle“Whoa…” “Beautiful…” “Still as magnificent as the first time I saw them…” A group of male colts working in the cloud factory had formed a messy circle around Rarity, much to Rarity’s delight and Twilight’s annoyance. “Why thank you dears. You know, its been quite some time since I had these bad boys out, isn’t it Twilight?” She simpered, enjoying the attention. “Yes…and I regret doing it as bad as the first time.” Twilight groaned. “Look, stallions.” She exclaimed, blocking them from the view. “I understand that those wings are really pretty, but could you go back to work?” “Aw come on, princess.” One of them snickered. “You’re just jealous that your wings aren’t as great as Rarity’s.” “Oh for Celestia’s sake…” She groaned, slapping herself in the face. “Rarity, if you don’t follow me right now I’m going to remove those wings. Either you keep them, or I carry you the whole trip. Remember what happened last time?” “Oh don’t remind me.” Rarity gasped. “I didn’t remember eating that much that day. Oh well.” She waved to the drooling colts. “I suppose I’ll meet you boys later!” “Ok, bye!” “Call me” “I love you Rarity!” Blushing, she picked up the pace and flew back towards Twilight. “Well, its not unhealthy to receive a few compliments every now and then. I’ve gotten used to being a designer and not the model.” Rarity admitted. “I suppose. But as I told you before, what we need to do right now is find somepony who knows anything about Rainbow Blaze in the north corner of Cloudsdale.” “Isn’t that where the Equestria Games were held?” “Yes, but before and after that the stadium is used for training the Wonderbolts. I did a little research, and Rainbow Blaze was part of the elite team when he was young.” “The Elite Team?! Those positions are only for the best of the best!” “Exactly. Something must have happened that damaged his career from being a Wonderbolt Superstar and celebrity to…you know, a worker in the cloud factory.” Flying down, they saw groups of colts and mares dressed in uniforms training all around the giant stadium, with a familiar blue mane and white coat seen at the center. “Is…is that my brother?” “Oh! Twily!” The stallion turned around, and upon seeing Twilight, galloped towards her and embraced her graciously in a soft hug before letting go. “What are you doing here? Did Celestia ask you to supervise the Wonderbolts instead of me?” Shining Armor asked hopefully. “Um…No. We’re here to find out some information about Rainbow Blaze.” “Do you know him? Or do the other members know?” Rarity questioned. “I don’t seem to recall him at all, Twilight. I spent most of the time in the Guard Training Academy, so I don’t really know most of the Wonderbolts to be honest.” Taking the whistle hanging from his neck, he blew hard, causing all of the Wonderbolts to stop their training and immediately gather in front of him. “What is it, your Highness?” One of them asked politely. “Um…do you guys know who Rainbow Blaze is?” There was a short silence before a few of them started to chuckle. “Oh, Rainbow Blaze? Yeah, we know him.” “The one who always came first.” Another one added, causing most of them to laugh heartily from the perverse sense of humor. “What do you mean by that?” Twilight said, puzzled. “You don’t want to know…” Shining Armor replied. “Look guys, can you just tell my sister about Rainbow Blaze…without the satire? Save that for the evening.” “Oh don’t be such a party pooper. We were just kidding around. Lighten up a bit.” “If you don’t give me a firm answer in the next five seconds, I’ll lighten you up.” The laughter died instantly. Shining Armor used to be one of the most malicious pranksters in not just the guard academy but to other schools as well. Most of their memories with him were still strong. “Fine. Rainbow Blaze came here labeled as a gifted athlete fifteen years ago with me.” A slightly older colt came into view as the rest of the group stepped back. “My name is…” “Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh! CAPTAIN HORSEBUCKLE!!!” Rarity screamed. “You’re one of the best members of the elite!” She quivered. “Um…yes. Hello there.” “You’re…talking…to…me? Aah!” Rarity said before fainting over-dramatically onto one of the colts’ arms, much to their amusement. “Wow…really should have brought Applejack.” Twilight muttered quietly to herself, dragging her view away from the stallions carrying the fainted unicorn and back to Horsebuckle. “So you were friends with Rainbow Blaze?” “Best friends. We still hang out sometimes in the Cloudy Mare to have a drink and talk about stuff. Well, not as often as usual.” “Could you tell me anything about a mystery mare?” Twilight inquired. “There has to be some sort of connection between him, the mare, and the reason he quit his job.” “Mystery mare? The only mystery mare that I know he has is his wife!” “Wait…what?” “To be honest, I should have known from the start, when she first showed up in this stadium to set up the clouds for training. One look to both of them, and any-pony would know that he was a goner.” “But didn’t he try and keep it a secret until the final exams?” A mare asked. “Oh yeah, well he did, but at that time those two had already been dating under our snouts for a year or two. Good times, hearing him tell us when he was drunk during the senior prom. Remember how mad you were?” “Oh shut up. He was MY date!” The mare huffed, flying off to continue training. ”Was Rainbow Blaze kind of a ladies’ man?” Twilight assumed. “Oh boy, me and him used to be called the Hounds of Baskerville. Everywhere we went there was always a group of mares and colts worshipping us since we were such gifted athletes. To be honest, we could have sweet action any time we want.” “Sweet Action?” Twilight managed to say before Shining Armor placed his hoof on her mouth, giving Horsebuckle a very fierce stare. “Right…sorry. Yeah…it was a great life then. Famous, popular, and strong. But then, at the day of the finals, Rainbow Blaze quit the team and became one of the common workers in the cloud factory, and he married Firefly a year after that. It was a sad day for us but a lucky day for our captain. She only managed to join the team because Rainbow Blaze left. But now I’m sure that she can beat me and Blaze anytime.” “Who is the captain of the Wonderbolts?” “Spitfire. But I don’t think she is the mystery mare you’re looking for. She was the only pony who was jealous and did not get along with Blaze, and I never seem to see them around the same place. It’s pretty strange to be honest.” “That seems like a very possible suspect…” Twilight whispered to Shining Armor. “I don’t know about that.” Horsebuckle chuckled. “I may be older, but it doesn’t mean that my hearing isn’t as superior. Rainbow Blaze came across a LOT of mares in his peak…Cloudchaser…Clear Skies…Flitter…Flutter…all of them could be your suspects, to be quite honest with you.” “Ok. Thanks for the help.” Twilight nodded. “Oh, where did you take Rarity by the way.?” She added, almost forgetting. “She should be awake already. We threw her into one of the cloud cannons.” Dumb-bell replied. BOOM. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!” “…This is going to take longer that I thought.” Twilight groaned to herself as she watched the wonderbolts fly towards Rarity. “So…much…longer.” Author's Note Dear god Wonderbolts...I'm trying to make this story PG. Chapter 5c: The Dropping Feather“Um…Miss Firefly, are you there?” The interior remained silent as Fluttershy continued to knock passively on the door. The curtains were drawn shut, with the plants outside withering due to the lack of water, as if the house had been deserted for years. “Did I get the directions wrong…I swear it was here…” Fluttershy murmured. Rainbow Dash always used to bring her here after flying practice to eat some snacks before returning home. She knocked on the door a few times more, hearing only the echo of the sound respond in annoyance. “Oh well, guess I should go back to Twi…” Her hopeful words were dashed as the door slowly creaked open. Closing the curtains once more, Firefly opened the door completely and stared at Fluttershy, her eyes strangely baggy. “Oh! Fluttershy, it’s been quite a while since I saw you last time. Take a seat, and I’ll go make some tea and biscuits.” Her cheerfulness was alarming. It sounded artificial, just like the tone of speech that the ponies in Starlight’s village spoke before getting back their cutie marks. “Um, is…” “Nope! Nothing wrong here!” She immediately replied. Fearing for another unexpected outburst, it was only safe to remain in her seat as the sounds of feverish behavior echoed in the dusty hallway. After 20 minutes, a loud bell was chimed as Firefly strolled back into the living room with a plate of iced cookies and a simmering teapot. Settling it down, she quickly poured the tea, causing it to spill as she started to ramble. “So, it’s been quite a while, huh Fluttershy?” She asked excitedly. “Er…you already asked that.” Fluttershy whimpered at the current awkwardness of the situation. “Oh I did? Silly me, I am quite the silly pony sometimes.” She giggled. “Yeah…the reason I came here is because I want to ask about Rainbow…” “Oh, dashie? She’s fine! Aren’t you her friend or something??” Bracing herself for the inevitable, Fluttershy continued. “No…Rainbow Blaze. Have you…” “Never heard of him!” Firefly snapped. “But isn’t he your…” “Nope, nope! No one that stupid deserves to be my husband! Nope, never, impossible!” She cried. Her tone had completely changed from artificial joy to panic. “Miss Firefly…” “Don’t Miss Firefly me! That’s what he does! When he screws up, sorry miss firefly! When he forgets to bring the gifts, sorry miss firefly!! I’m sick of him! I don’t want to see him any longer! I don’t even want to love him any longer!” She screamed, swiping the table angrily with her hoofs, causing the tableware and teapot to fly towards the wall before being caught by the raging pegasus. “……………………” Fluttershy watched, speechless. “Oh! And now I’m angry again! I hate being angry, because I have to clean up all the mess around this house including my own! That bloody stupid idiot! Why did I even marry him!!!” It was a strange sight. While insulting Rainbow Blaze with words that made Fluttershy cower in fear, she was at the same time placing the teapots back in place, fixing everything that was almost destroyed. “Are…are you ok?” Fluttershy whispered. “…………………Do I look ok?” Her voice had completely dropped to a low, sad growl. It was if she had aged 20 years since 5 seconds ago. “No…I mean yes! You do…” “Don’t worry Fluttershy. I’m sorry for losing my temper on you. Ugh…it’s just that it has been so long since I got the chance to talk to someone besides Blaze in this damned household.” The two sat down again, this time with Firefly’s expression completely given in, drooped with regret and sadness. “Do you mind if I ask anything about…um…Blaze?” Fluttershy questioned. “Go ahead.” Firefly mumbled. “Well, when me and my friends met him in Ponyville, he said something about Scootaloo.” She watched cautiously as Firefly took a deep breath, her hand shaking as she picked the teacup up. “Co…Continue.” “He said that Scootaloo was adopted?” “Yes…yes…I remember that.” “By any chance, is that true?” “………………I don’t know.” There was a faint stirring sound as Firefly stirred the remnants of what was in the teacup. “Did…did you not know that your own daughter was…well…” “I did…well, just now. After kicking my husband out, I contacted the hospital and requested for them to check up on my files.” “And what exactly did you find?” Fluttershy questioned, her own fear motivating her to keep delving for more information. “My…my real daughter was an miscarriage. When I was in the hospital, I fainted during the operation. When I came to, I was already at home, with Scootaloo placed neatly in my arms.” “I’m…I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. To be honest, I knew that my husband only did that for the greater good, as he personally knew that immediately knowing of my child’s death would devastate me. Still, for him to admit it to me now, when our relationship was during its most fragile moments…” “I’m sure that everything will work out…” Fluttershy weakly added, trying to go back to an optimistic tone. “The thing is…I don’t even know what am I doing anymore. Ever since I fell in love with him, its like I was instantly trapped within his grasp and control just like the other mares. Trying to hide it, failing massively, and eventually becoming another one of his toys…ready to use at anytime in any situation if he was in the mood.” “Don’t say that…” “It was true. But then…he changed drastically. Suddenly he was much more understanding and cautious of his surroundings, and suddenly I wasn’t his pet but his treasure. I foolishly fell for him even more, thinking that he had matured…so we married.” “You…you didn’t face any opposition?” “There was none. The girls who kept sticking with Blaze were just as much of a player as he was. That’s the reality of the teenage life. No one gives much of a damn if you destroy the school, if you create a giant party so loud that half of the residents can’t sleep. Everyone acts like a fool on the outside, but inside many can be cunning and deceive even the smartest of others. I understood that, but love caused me to ignore these problems and only look at him with a positive light. Only now do I actually feel foolish of ever loving him in the first place…how pathetic am I? “Don’t.” “Don’t?” Fluttershy was strangely trembling. She slowly placed her own teacup back on the table, her expression unknown, hiding her face as each syllable spoken was filled with anger. “Flutter…Fluttershy?” Firefly asked, both concerned and afraid. “DON’T EVER CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE PATHETIC!” Firefly stared at her in shock. Fluttershy had placed both of her hooves on the mother’s shoulders, her face streaming with tears. “Never…never consider yourself to pathetic. If you’re pathetic, then what in the hay am I? You managed to have the intelligence and skill to maintain a job at cloudsdale. You managed to become the boss of the cloud factory and lead over 200 ponies to control and maintain Equestria’s weather. Compared to me…I just take care of animals and critters in Ponyville! I wasn’t able to find a job in my own hometown, because I couldn’t have the confidence to even fly! Looking at all your achievements and successes, you can consider me as dirt!” “I, I would never…” “That’s exactly my point! No one is perfect, everyone has his or her flaws, but we will always find a way to fix it, no matter how bad it gets! Even your husband obviously has his problems, but did you even consider his own feelings and emotions when he decided to tell you the truth about Scootaloo?” “…………” “Me and my friends are trying to find the solution to this problem. Trust me, we’ll find the person responsible for this crisis and fix it! Miss Firefly, please don’t give up hope!” “I…I…” It was a bit hard not to be overwhelmed by Fluttershy’s sudden burst of determination. “I’ll be right back. Thanks for the information you told me, and the tea as well. Just remember that no matter what happens, you’ll have friends to help you.” Fluttershy concluded. Firefly watched awkwardly as the pony whisked into the sky at full speed, highly contrasting her initial slow hovering when she first arrived at the house. She looked over to the right, and stared at the knotted rope lying on the wooden stool. “Yeah…friends…” Author's Note Terribly sorry for the incredibly long hiatus. I'll keep it simple. It's due to a combination of both bad luck and my studies. To anyone who did not know, I had been suffering from an ulcer since July 2015, and in the middle of October severe stomach cramps forced me to go to the doctor, who revealed that the bacteria had formed a hole in my stomach and caused internal bleeding. Therefore, I was hospitalised for over 3 weeks for treatment. The following two months of January and February were the mocks of my final exams, and I could not find any time to focus on anything MLP-Related. I really am sorry for taking so long, especially towards Twilightisthebest, who just now I found to have tried to contact me the first few months. I'm not sure if I can continue writing the same speed I did during the summer, but I'll do the best I can. chankl2 Chapter 5b: Two Apples in a Bar“Woah, woah! Woah Nellie!” Applejack shouted in horror and annoyance as she flew messily across the clouds, doing cartwheels and loops as she spun out of control before being caught and brought back down to cloud ground by Pinkie. “These wings are horrible! They make me look stupid, both by appearance and what they do!” Applejack protested. “Aw don’t be so silly Applejack, you just need to learn to accept them!” Pinkie replied cheerfully, controlling her wings with relative ease. “I’ll accept these wings when Big Mac becomes an alicorn princess…” “What was that?” “Nothin. Where are we right now?” There was not much in this corner of the city. All they could see was a long track of clouds, and one single building in the middle, the sign bearing the words: The Weary Flier. Loud noises could be heard from within. “In the south of Cloudsdale, like Twilight said!” “Yeah…of course I know that. The problem is that there’s nothing to look for but inside that bar.” Applejack grumbled. “So why are you all grumpy then? We can get a drink while searching for clues!” “This is ridiculous. It’s bad enough that I had to show these ugly wings to everyone around me…but now I have to show them in a secluded area? Ugh…let’s get this over with. I give up.” Applejack sighed. She pushed open the fluffy door and it opened accordingly, revealing the inside of the populated bar. Ponies were separated into three different groups. Some were drinking at the bar counter, others were grouped at the tables, and the rest were gathered around a single table yelling and cheering wildly. “What the hay is going on…” Applejack groaned, pushing the colts and mares aside to get a better view of all the commotion. Two colts, both obviously in the shape of athletes were hoof-wrestling, their faces scrunched and hardy as they tried their best to push the other hoof down on the surface. A large pile of bits lay at the side as the rest of the ponies cheered. “SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY!” “RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE!” The harder they pushed, the more the crowd cheered. With a final act, the black-feathered Pegasus gave out a cry of power as he brought the other colt’s hoof crashing onto the table. “YEAH! WHO IS THE CHAMPION?!” The winner roared. “SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY…” KABOOM. “PINKIE!” The whole party fell silent as the confetti fell slowly down from the ceiling from the explosion by the Party Cannon. “Erm…who are these two mares?” One of them asked. “I dunno…wait…what is that? Are those their WINGS??” “Look at them! They’re so…magnificent!” The crowd shifted its focus as they surrounded both Pinkie and Applejack, gasping in amazement and wonder as they poked and felt the wings of both ponies before being shoved back by Applejack, who was starting to get annoyed. “Ok boys…I know how “lovely” these wings are…but we came here to find information. Does any-pony know who Rainbow Blaze is?” “Rainbow Blaze?” The crowd murmured as they tried to remember the specific name. “Didn’t he come with you guys last time?” “Yeah, we took some drinks and partied a bit…” Applejack cleared her throat loudly to avoid the crowd going back into conversation. Rainbow Blaze was apparently very popular among the bar. “So he comes here often?” She asked, curious. “Yeah, we hang out here all the time. Have you seen him?” “Yeah…but he’s in the hospital.” Pinkie piped. “Pinkie!” Applejack interjected. But it was already too late as one of the members of the group stood out, his face both angry and apprehensive. “What do you mean that he’s in the hospital?!” “He encountered an unfortunate accident. We’re here to find out something about his past life in order to help him get free.” Applejack explained. “Get free from what?” The colt asked, still on the defensive side. “From being evicted from society. He…has been holding a foal under his care without a legal permit.” “You can get evicted from this town just because of that?!” “No…but eventually he will do it. His wife has already kicked him out of his house.” “…. Fine. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” He sat down on one of the tables along with two other colts. Motioning over to Applejack and Pinkie, he moved over, inviting them to sit on the added space. The rest of the crowd slowly disappeared as the situation was settled. “So…who are you guys?” Applejack asked, sitting down. Pinkie had already got off her seat to order a vanilla smoothie. “My name is Skylight, and this is Razor and Nova. We’re Rainbow Blaze’s pals.” “Nice to meet you, missy.” Razor said, tipping his black fedora. “You have pretty nice wings.” Nova added, snickering a bit. “Erm…likewise. So you three along with Rainbow Blaze group together in this place in some evenings?" "Yup. More or less. It's just a colt thing, you know, happy hours after work without our managers or wives to scold us." Skylight grinned. "Well, save for Rainbow Blaze, he's got both big problems in one." Razor chuckled. "Ooh! What do you mean by that?" Pinkie questioned, coming back with her mouth full of foam before licking herself clean. "Firefly is both the manager of the cloud factory and Blaze's wife!" Nova laughed. "Wait...isn't Rainbow Blaze an athlete? Or a wonderbolt, to be specific?" Applejack asked. This was really getting confusing. "Used to be. Until he fell for Firefly. They used to hang out here so long the bartender always had to kick them out in the morning...but we all thought it was just a wild puppy love...then imagine how shocked everypony was when he joined the factory as a normal employee under her! We've been friends ever since...got the similar problems to face and stuff." "But why would he do that? Shouldn't a Wonderbolt have much more salary...oof!" Applejack grunted as Pinkie Pie slammed her hoof onto her face, her eyes teary and wet as she exploded with emotion. "How could you not understand, Applejack?! It's about the LOVE, not the money! Ooh...it's so sweet of him!" Pinkie squeed. "I dunno about that." Razor replied, a hint of satire in his tone. "Why?! It's true love! Nothing should stand in his way for his lover!" Pinkie yelled. "Because Rainbow Blaze never cared about the mares in his life. At the time, to him mares were just objects of desire...things to play with. To be honest...he was a player. Girls would fall for him so easily, and he took advantage of it." "So what you're saying is..." "There is no way Firefly and Rainbow Blaze could have married under normal circumstances." Applejack gasped. The word was now clear. Very clear. Blackmail.
Prologue: The "Father" FigureWelp, there aren’t any chances left. Why did she have to show up at that hour of the night? He swore that he made sure to ensure her late arrival, yet she still came early, so angry that with a swish and a bang his belongings were already 20 feet over the cloud house and plummeting down to the over-world. A mare…overreacting more than the situation requires. However this time, he knew that he deserved every single blow. As he soared down towards the town of Ponyville after dashing down to collect his treasured belongings, the colt pondered to himself as what did he did wrong. Was it the abrupt reveal? Perhaps he should have bought some flowers or chocolate to lighten up the situation, or some music, to…soften the mood or something. Truth was painful to reveal, but he never thought that it would be so damaging. “Formally a husband, now a lone wolf…Heh…just like what the other guys said…can’t solve a problem even with the solution in my plot.” He stopped his flight path as a swarm of bats rushed through the evening night, shrieking furiously at an unknown enemy. As they disappeared into the darkness, he continued his journey. “What a mess I am…can’t be deceiving enough to persuade my own wife not to throw me out…can’t be brave enough to approach my friends for help…can’t be smart enough to pass the damn flight test and be a Wonderbolt so that I could earn my own bits…” He sighed. The villages were already starting to appear in the distance. He slowly hovered downwards until at last he stepped on the grass outside of the town, near a barn, which glimmered faintly, as it were painted just the day before. Walking over to the door, he saw that the owner conveniently forgot to lock the door. Walking inside, he went over to a nearby haystack and lied on the surface, munching some of it as he stared sideways, looking at the midnight sky. “Wonder how little old DD’s going to react to this…I bet she’s going to kill me…She’s always did have her mother’s temper.” He chuckled. The hay gave way to the weight of the stallion, causing him to collapse on the ground brashly. “And her wits, I suppose. Although I can live with another explosion in my face…but…for scoots…I don’t know what to say…” He wasn’t smiling anymore. For the first time, genuine anxiety was present in his face. “Scoots…poor…poor…scoots…” “SURPRISE!” “Huh…wha…what?” The rainbow pegasus’ face wrinkled and contorted as her eyelids focused on the front of her bed. Her five best friends were all smiling in front of her, the cheerful yell obviously coming from Pinkie as she bounced on the mattress. “Guess what, RD?” Applejack grinned. “Oh I can’t wait to see her reaction!” Rarity squealed. “I got a camera to capture the moment!” Pinkie squeed. “Er…just what are you all…” She lost her ability to form words as a familiar green shell appeared in Fluttershy’s hooves. “I hope you’re happy, Dashie!” She cheered quietly. “Ta…ta…TANK!” Forgetting the fatigue, she dashed right over to the smiling tortoise, which happily received her embrace. “Well…we all did what we promised!” Twilight exclaimed while Rainbow cried her heart out for the return of her beloved pet, where the mood was sort of ruined by the constant snapping of the camera in a random 360 degree angle from nopony other than Pinkie. “As you may have noticed…Tank’s got a new outfit!” Rarity smiled, trying not to cry herself due to witnessing Rainbow’s joy. “And we’re waiting for you to go to Tank’s “It’s about time!” Party!” Pinkie added, blowing up a confetti cannon. “Well…sniff…heh heh…you girls really are the best…so what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Rainbow celebrated. Soon after the party was in full swing at the crystal castle. Not only the mane 6 were present at the little celebration. Pinkie had invited every friend of Rainbow Dash, including Spitfire, Soarin, her group of admirers, and of course, her sister Maud. “So…a party for a pet, huh Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire joked. “Oh shut up, sister. It’s not like I put them aside so that I can win some fancy competition or something.” Rainbow snapped back. “Woah, woah, chill. I’m not here to cause trouble, and I admit that what I did back there was kind of stupid.” She responded. “You said it! I can’t believe you left me for dead in that hospital…still thinking about it…it just scares me…” Soarin said nervously. “Oh please. I took you out to Colataire’s as an apology that night and treated you to a giant blueberry and apple pie on my check. I’m not going to do that, I promise.” “Right…sorry about that.” “Well, I’m glad that that’s settled. You two want to go to the dining area? I think that the food’s ready.” Rainbow asked. “Now we’re talking!” Soarin cheered, already forgetting his supposed anger at Spitfire as galloping over to the seat closest to the food. “Oh…some things never change.” Spitfire groaned. The ponies all took their seats as the food covers were removed from the plates. There was a huge variety of choices, from delicate and rich éclairs and small samples of expensive food, to cake and sweet treats on the middle of the table, to a whole tableful of apple-related food on the end, which also had some hay and grass for the healthy. Before Soarin could once again have the best day of his life, he was interrupted by the dissonant ringing of a glass vibrating, the cup levitated by Twilight Sparkle. “Ahem…attention everypony. Before we start this meal, we would just like to welcome back the arrival of…Oof!” Her potentially dull speech was gone as Rainbow collided onto her purposely, knocking the scroll she was reading onto the floor. “Rainbow! I prepared a whole night for that speech!” She grunted. “Well, I don’t want the guests to fall asleep or anything…how long is your script by the way, just to prove my point?” “For your information, it is proudly two thousand and…” “Yup, knew it.” She crossed over to the center of the room and mimicked Twilight’s tapping of the glass horribly, which received a number of giggles and laughs among the crowd. “Well, everypony here, I would like to thank you for showing your appreciation to my feelings towards Tank.” She smiled as she trotted over to the tortoise. “I wouldn’t replace him with anything else in the world, and that’s a promise.” She concluded as she nuzzled him affectionately. “Thanks.” She turned to Twilight. “No hard feelings right? I kind of summed up your speech and all.” “Urgh….no hard feelings…” She muttered. “Hurray for Tank’s return!” The rest cheered, raising their glasses of cider to the air. “CHEERS!” And without another word, everypony dug in, eating and chattering to each other as the party progressed. “So, Maud, how’s it been?” Rainbow asked, after catching back up with the Wonderbolts. “Well, it was the same as always.” Maud spoke plainly. “Yup! Always fun, am I right?” Pinkie piped in. “Yup.” “You know, Dashie, at first I wanted to invite your family members, but I tried and I tried but I couldn’t contact them!” Pinkie mentioned. “Oh! Well…both of them are usually very busy to visit me, especially during winter. I’ve kind of gotten used to it.” “You can’t say that!” Rarity interrupted. “In fact, I think this is the first time I heard this subject come up! What do your mom and dad do in Cloudsdale, Rainbow?” She asked, intrigued. “Oh, my mom’s the head of the Cloud Factory, and my dad is one of the cloud workers during winter.” Rainbow replied. “So he transports clouds to other areas while your mother is in charge of all of them?” “Just like a rock farm.” Maud interjected. “I suppose. Truth is, it’s been a while since I've met them. Often we ate together at a restaurant for the end of winter every year, but last year I didn’t get an invitation from them or anything.” She admitted. “WHAT? That’s…that’s preposterous!” Rarity exclaimed. “Not really, Rarity. I told you, they’re busy ponies, and honestly I doubt that they would have the time to come here.” “Well…what if you ask them if we can visit them during work? We never met your parents before…might be fun!” Pinkie suggested. “You really want to see them? Oh…ok. I’ll see what I can do. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see him…” The door suddenly busted open as a pony emerged in the front doors, causing most of the guests to reel back in shock. His mane, although colourful, was dirty, along with the rest of his coat. “Rainbow Blaze? What is he doing here?” Spitfire asked, appalled. “D…d….dad?” “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash! Can I get a bite? I'm starving!”
Chapter 1: Confrontation“Dad…what are you doing here?” Rainbow Dash finally broke the awkward silence that had been struck since her father had charge into the room and starting devouring most of the food on the table, the only sound made being the repeating clinks of plates piling up against each other. “Oh! Um…I just happened to be flying around Ponyville during one of my work breaks, and imagine my surprise when I found out that my own daughter lives in a castle now instead of the cloud house we both gave you! I came here to congratulate you, Princess Rainbow!” The other ponies looked at each other, then back to Rainbow Blaze. His naivety was so stupid that it could have provoked a laugh or few with his friends, but clearly not here. The awkward silence remained as Blaze continued to eat before finding himself flying as Rainbow Dash embarrassingly picked him up and went out of the dining room. “Woah, woah, hey! I just finished eating!” His bursts of protest were ignored as he went brought inside Twilight’s bedroom, with Rainbow Dash shutting the door behind them, her expression ready to explode before it abruptly calmed down into a face of acceptance as she sighed. “Dad…honestly…what are you doing here?” “I told you…um…I happened to have a break today and wanted to…” “Don’t give me that bull. You never were a good liar.” “Er…” Wow…nothing was going according to plan. He wanted to wait until the party had ended before telling DD the truth, but obviously his daughter was the one in charge of the present situation. “Well…Princess…” “I’M NOT A PRINCESS!” She shouted at him. “Were you even smart enough to ask one of the guard ponies who owned this crystal castle? It’s not me, it’s owned by one of my friends Twilight Sparkle!” She slapped her own hoof to her face. Wow…it was just like her mother. If that was the case, there was no point in delaying the inevitable. He already knew that continuing to do know would worsen the current situation. “Look…fine. I’ll tell you the whole story.” “No, I’m asking…. wait, what? You’re actually skipping to the truth this time?” Those words pierced his heart. Had he always been that unreliable and untrustworthy? “Yes, yes I am. You see, the reason I came to Ponyville wasn’t because I got a break or anything, it was because I had to find a place to stay.” “You got fired again?” “No…I haven’t. Though to be fair I think that I will be soon.” “Couldn’t mom give you a second chance? I’m sure that you didn’t mean to mess up one of the clouds that badly…or did you send one of them over to the Everfree forest again?” She asked, worried. “Worse. I disappointed your mother, Rainbow Dash. Personally. I told her the truth that I had been keeping all these years yesterday night, and she kicked me out of the house...” He couldn’t even finish his sentence before he found himself crashing onto the side of the wall and into one of the bookshelves as Rainbow tackled him furiously. “What was that?” “Something happened upstairs?” “Come on girls, we need to move!” “YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU….HOW DARE YOU!” Rainbow Dash had lost it. She was punching her father with her hooves with pure brutality, each blow landing hard on his face, both damaging him physically, but mentally as well. “Rainbow…ergh…I never meant for this to happen!” He yelled, trying his best to block the fury of punches from the enraged pegasus. “LIKE TARTARUS YOU WANTED TO THIS TO HAPPEN! YOU SICK, INGLORIOUS SCUMBAG!” “RAINBOW!!” Twilight was the first one to witness the horrifying event taking place in her bedroom. Raising her horn, she immediately froze the thrashing Rainbow in place as her father sank to the ground, shocked. “LET ME GO, TWILIGHT! LET ME AT HIM!” “That’s your own father, for Celestia’s sake!” Pinkie screamed, having come up second to see the source of the commotion. “I ASHAMED TO HAVE THIS IDIOT AS MY FATHER! I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT SOMEPONY LIKE HIM WOULD CHEAT ON MY MOTHER!” “I told you I’m…wait. You think that I CHEATED on her?” Blaze shouted. “Are you SERIOUS?” He was on the offensive now as Dash reeled back, her face now devoid of anger, but now confusion. “What? But you said…” “I SAID…that I told her the truth? How DARE you DD…to accuse me of such a foul act. Do you think that your own father would really sink that low? Am I really scum to you?” He yelled this while cringing over his injuries. His daughter had really grown in strength as in temper. “You said that you told her the truth that you had kept for so many years! How is that not the truth that I don’t know, that you’ve been SLEEPING with another mare!” “That does sound rather likely…” Twilight interjected. “Exactly! Twilight, let me down right now so that I can pound him!” “No, Rainbow…I said that it was likely. However, I know through his expressions that your claim really isn’t the truth that he’s trying to tell.” She boldly stated. “Since when could you do that?” “I’ve been reading about pony psychology ever since I have been a princess over Ponyville. I’m presented with tons of cases of lies and exploitations every day, to be honest. Therefore I had to learn to read expressions and tone of ponies to the very last detail. And right now, to my knowledge your dad is in the right.” “Thank you…Princess Twilight.” “Don’t mention it.” And just like that she released her hold over Rainbow, who landed slowly to the ground, doubtful. “We’re going to leave you alone. I know it’s hard for you, Rainbow. But listen to what your father has to say. It’s the least that you can do after what you accused and did to him.” The door slammed, leaving the two ponies once again, alone. “Are…are you ok?” “Ow…I’m fine, DD. I just…I just didn’t expect such a reaction.” He watched as she walked over to him and examined his wounds. “You…your arm is bleeding, and you got a lot of bruises around your body, we need to get you to the hospital now…oh I’m so sorry, dad!” She burst into tears onto her father’s embrace. “I’m…I’m sorry too Rainbow. Because although the truth that I’m about to tell may not be shocking to some…but it will be to you.” “No…you can tell me that later when you receive proper medical attention. Right now you need to recover…” She tried to lift him up but stopped as he uncontrollably moaned in pain due to the internal injuries. “I’m sorry! I’m really really sorry!” She wailed. “I’m going back down to get some help right now!” She was about to gallop through the door before a single hoof held her back from her father. “Rainbow…I need to tell you the truth right now. Promise me that you’ll allow me that.” His voice was fading quickly. “What…what is it, daddy?” For a second, the two seemed to have gone back in time, when Rainbow Dash was still in Cloudsdale as a filly, and when Rainbow Blaze was still the star player of the Wonderbolts. And just as quickly as that happy memory had been present, it was gone as Rainbow Blaze revealed the traumatizing truth. “Rainbow…Scootaloo is not your real sister...”
Chapter 2: Painful Memories“Rainbow Blaze! Wake up! WAKE UP!” “Pinkie, stop shaking him! He’ll suffer more if you keep damaging his body like that!” “Oh…I…” “Apologies later! We need to get Rainbow Dash’s father in the hospital right now! Rainbow, come on!” “……………” “Rainbow?” “…………….” “He’s starting to cough up blood! We need to go now, Twilight!!” “Can’t I stay? I’m not sure what happened to her, and we don’t need that many ponies to lift one stallion!” “Do you really think that she wants to have company to bother her right now?!” Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, who seemed to have ignored everything around her surroundings. “But…Rainbow…” “We’ll worry about Rainbow Dash later. Right now her father is in more danger than her current condition!” “Right...well…um…we’ll just leave you alone, Dash.” And with those words the door shut, leaving the pegasus alone with the weight of the truth worsening as it crushed her mentality. “Scoot…Scootaloo isn’t my sister?” The world seemed to have disappeared. All that was present in her mind right now was a white void, devoid of reality. How…how could this be true? She never suspected anything… She knew that she took most traits from her father in terms of appearance and hobbies, but little from her mother, who wasn’t a stranger, but rather a imposing figure that she respected. At the beginning, she remembered how disappointed her mother looked when she picked up the ball instead of the book. A sudden jolt, and her vision completely changed. She was crawling around on the floor, having escaped out of her cradle through several attempts at flying and pushing. The door suddenly flew open, but luckily caught on to the helm of the knob and therefore silenced the possible noise. Her father stepped in, much younger and physically fitter, holding a crumpled piece of paper in his hands. With a large shout, he threw it and it flew across the room and landed in front of Dash. Written in red, were the words: FAILURE. Before she could interpret any more of the writing, Blaze picked back up the paper and placed her onto the cradle, sobbing, picking up the phone on the table and rapidly dialing an unknown number. A few hours had already passed before she woke up again to the sound of two ponies arguing, one male, and the other female. “You’re despicable!” The female voice shouted. “Well I’m doing what you can’t do right now!” That was her father. “I won’t do this! I won’t!” She heard the sound of glass breaking. “STOP IT! You obviously can’t take care of her!” “Why does it have to me YOU! Tell me WHY!!” “Do you think I’m doing this for myself! Do you think that I don’t care for my wife?! Unlike you I actually care for her!” Silence. “Firefly…” The mare said, looking at their family portrait. “I’m doing this for her. Can you do this for me?” “…………Fine. But if I see her in any danger…” “You have my permission to arrest me, if you want.” “No…I don’t want to. We all know that this is just a coincidence. A way to suppress the stress you and I share.” “I’m glad that you understand.” “However…don’t expect me to be so nice when I have to see your dirty face again.” “I promise that I’ll avoid you as much as possible. Are you sure you don’t want to erase the past image of me?” He said with a faint hint of desperation and guilt. “Trust me, I don’t.” And with those words the sounds of wings flapping away was heard, followed by another burst. That was all she heard before tiredness took over. When she woke up again, there was colour everywhere as Firefly picked her up happily. In front of her, on top of the ponies that were chatting and drinking, held the poster: IT’S A GIRL! Another flash. “You lost the storm cloud again?!” “Well, sweetie, you see…” “Cut the smooth talk. How could you have lost another one of those clouds? You know that the factory that keep producing them…” “Well it’s not my fault they’re so hard to steer!” Voices were consciously heard from the small room, which increased in volume as the arguments became worse with each sentence. “Are Mom and Dad arguing again, Rainbow Dash?” “Yeah…they are, Scoots.” Scootaloo was playing around with her crayons. Bored, Rainbow Dash walked over and looked at the canvas. “What’s that supposed to be?” “Oh, do you like it? The grey one’s dad, and the purple one’s mom! Those two smaller ones are us, and we’re having a nice picnic together!” She replied cheerfully. “You really want them to be happy, don’t you?” “Of course! Don’t you feel bad for them?” She had grown mature faster than anypony could have thought. The harsh conditions caused that. “….Tell you what Scootaloo, do you really want to make them happy again?” Rainbow Dash spoke, after a period of pondering. “Yeah!” “Alright…that settles it then. Pack your bags Scoots.” “Why?” “We’re moving to Ponyville!” And just like that, she was back to the room. Blinking, she came to her senses as the objects around her started to materialize. “Scoots…I really don’t know what to say.” Was it true that her sister…wasn’t her real sister? Other ponies, especially the school bullies had always bullied on how she looked so differently from her and her parents. But each time Rainbow asked her mom or her dad, it was always the same answer. “A genetic disorder?” “Yup! Do you want us to repeat that the fifth time? It’s just a rare condition that the doctor described. Nothing bad, it’s just that the colors of Scoots are a bit different from ours.” Firefly remarked. “Exactly.” Rainbow Blaze followed. “But it still doesn’t really make any…” “Now, now Rainbow, are you making fun of Scoots?” “Wha…I’m not!” “Then wash your hoofs and face. Dinner’s almost ready.” Now she understood why her father always found an excuse to quickly end the conversation. Now she understood everything. All those family bonding experiences…all those snacks with her…little sister…were all constructed. Fabricated…by her father. “What…what will Scoots say…oh…Scootaloo!” She sank her head onto the pillow and started to cry.
Chapter 3: The Reveal of Two TruthsTwilight and the others were gathered around the hospital bed. Rainbow Blaze was bandaged and unconscious, with the doctor jolting down his heartbeat and his temperature. “This is terrible! How could this happen at Rainbow’s party!” Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, causing the others to snap out of their state. “You…you do know that Rainbow did that, right?” Applejack asked. “I do! It’s just that I never thought Rainbow to be so…so violent!” “She always has been a bit rough, darling…” Rarity reasoned. “But not that rough. Although it’s obvious that she is our friend, its painfully obvious that she attacked her own father without any plausible reason. I mean…she was completely unharmed when we came bursting in…which means that she’s guilty of…assault.” “WHAT?” “She’s right you know.” The doctor interrupted, fixing his glasses. “Rainbow Dash, no matter how you see it, is guilty of assault on her own father. I scanned his mood and he did not have any intention of hurting his daughter, both physically and mentally. “But…that means…” Fluttershy gasped. Twilight nodded, causing her to dip down her head in a painful silence. The rest of the group stared at the two, confused. “………………….” “So how is he doc?” The mane 5 reeled back in surprise due Rainbow Dash’s sudden entrance of the hospital room. “Miss Rainbow Dash, when did you get here?” Dr.Horse asked. “Er…I flew in, doc. Just now. How else could I have gotten here?” “Um…well Miss Dash, do you remember where you…hit him?” They looked at her with a hint of contempt. “Er…um…I think I mainly focused on pounding his head…did something bad happen to his memory?” She questioned further, concerned yet remaining distant to the bed. “Luckily no, but you gave him a major concussion that resulted in a coma. He won’t be waking up for a while…we have to wait at most a few days for him to regain his conscious naturally.” “Great. Just perfect.” She grumbled. Fluttershy looked at her, shocked. “How could you be so calm and cold towards your own father’s injury, especially when you were the one who caused it!” She cried. “It’s none of my business.” Rainbow replied bitterly. “You must have been provoked by something Rainbow Dash…can you…” Twilight began. “NO! I’M NOT ANGRY! DO I LOOK ANGRY TO…” She stopped, looked at the horrified expressions on the doctor’s and her friend’s faces, seeing her flash image as a monster. “Ugh…fine, I tell you everything. Dr.Horse, can you leave the room.” But the stallion had already gone for the hills. She sighed, then slammed the door shut with suppressed anger. “When I was alone in the room with Dad…he told me something about Scoots.” She started. “With Scootaloo? Has something bad happened to her?” Rarity gasped. “Has something happened with Sweetie Belle?” “Or Applebloom?” Applejack enquired, nervous. “No…no…nothing like that. He told me something that was already present in Scoots since she was born.” “Then…” “Scoots…isn’t my biological sister.” They gasped. Except for Pinkie Pie, who let out a giggle. “Oh Rainbow Dash, you shouldn’t make jokes like that…hee hee! All kinds of jokes crack me up! Am I right girls…girls?” Her smile faltered as she saw the disapproving expressions. “But that can’t be right…right? Right?? Right…oh…you’re serious. Um…I’ll…go to the corner now.” She mumbled. “Anyways…your dad told you this just now?” Twilight asked, after making sure that Pinkie stayed in the dark. “Yeah…you saw how I kind of lost myself…maybe overreacted just a skosh.” She said, making a guilty face. “More like a lot of skoshes!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “I never thought that you would be so violent and cruel!” “Hey…Fluttershy dear…isn’t that a bit harsh?” Rarity reasoned. “Not as harsh as what Rainbow did to her father, to be honest.” Applejack stated. “Not helping, Applejack.” “But…I…” Rainbow walked around the room blindly, looking for an excuse. “He…he didn’t tell me this until now! I can’t believe that he withheld information that could be so damaging to me! And more to Scoots! You know how hard she looks up to me! How can I explain this to her?” She cried, banging her hoof on the ground. Twilight, looking at the stunned reaction of her friends, trotted over to the sobbing pegasus and placed her hoof on her shoulder gently. “It will take time. But in the end you have to tell her. Some things are just not worth hiding from every-pony else. But for the case of this…I think it was wise for your father to not tell you this information until now.” She went over to Rainbow Blaze, examining him. “I scanned your father’s feelings when we came first into the hospital. He didn’t have any intention of hurting you. In fact…he intended to tell you this information not just now to you, but also to some-pony else. I think that the reason he came to Ponyville in the first place was because he got kicked out of Cloudsdale.” Twilight continued. “Wha…What? But who else would he try to tell this to…” Her mouth fell open as she realized what Twilight was saying. “Where does your mother work, Rainbow Dash?” “In…in the cloud factory…she’s the manager of the whole service…and dad’s one of her employees…” “That explains it. He must have tried to tell the truth first to your mother…which got him kicked out of the house…I assume.” “Therefore he came here to find shelter and food! So that’s why he was so hungry when he came into the party!” Rainbow gasped. “Exactly.” Twilight nodded. “I’m not sure about the rest, but I think that there is more to this than you thought.” “What do you mean? He was just too much of a coward to tell this information until now…” She fell silent again as Twilight looked at her sternly. “Your dad didn’t tell the two of you this information until now because he thought that you could handle it at this age. Think of how damaging this news would be if you were still a filly…if you still had lived with your parents. Obviously…he was wrong.” Rainbow stared back her father, the depths of her actions finally sinking in. “I…I didn’t realize how foolish and stupid I was…” “No one can fully blame you for the extent of what you did. You simply did what you would have done in an extreme situation.” Rarity claimed. “No sugarcube…although you may be right at that point…she is to blame fully for his injuries.” Applejack interjected. “You…you all forgive me right?” Rainbow uttered. “Of course we do. We’re friends. We all understand that each other us have their own strengths and flaws, and we do our best to fix them.” Fluttershy sadly smiled, giving Rainbow a quick hug. The rest of the group joined in, except for Twilight, who stayed back behind the group hug with a strange expression before talking. “Also, Rainbow Dash, your father tried to tell us something. When we were carrying him to the hospital…he repeated a single word over and over again: “Wonderbolt.” “Wonderbolt?” “We didn’t understand what that meant, but before we could ask him to elaborate he fainted right on my back!” Pinkie admitted. The memories from before came surging back into Rainbow mind. Her father’s depressed state, the strange mare, the party… “Wait! I think that’s a clue on who Scootaloo’s mother is!” She declared. “I have a memory of a strange mare visiting my dad when I was just a baby and delivering her!” “That…that means that…” “Scootaloo’s mom is a member of the wonderbolts! Come on girls, we need to move now and find out the truth!” Rainbow called happily. Her happiness went to a frown as her friends didn’t move an inch of where they stood, their expressions blank. “Guys? What are you doing?” They looked at each other nervously, and Twilight finally stepped in front of them, her serious expression breaking as she talked. “Rainbow…although we forgive you for this…the law doesn’t.” “Wait…what? What are you…” Twilight raised her horn, and magical cuffs held her front hoofs in place, preventing her from moving. “Rainbow Dash, I'm really, really sorry, but I have to arrest you." "WHAT? Why?" Rainbow shouted in horror, trying to free the magical chains bonded on her wrists. "Although we know that you didn't mean to to it...under Equestrian law you're still guilty of assault...on an innocent civilian. We can't prove that your father is guilty or not." "But..." "Please don't be mad Dashie, we really didn't want to do this!" Fluttershy cried. "I...I understand." She gave up, sinking to the ground, all hope lost. "Please forgive me Rainbow!" Twilight weeped, raising her hoof in the air at the window. The Royal Canterlot Guards rushed into the room, and without a word took away the complying pegasus. And just like that, she was gone. Twilight sank to the floor herself along with the rest of her friends as the impact of their own action sunk in. "What...what have I done..."
Chapter 4: ExplorationThe door slammed as the custody room secured itself into place. Locking the door, the royal guard nodded solemnly to the princess and left the group, leaving them in an awkward position, guilty expressions on all of their faces. “So...what do we do now?” Pinkie asked, trying to break the ice. “I…I don’t know.” Twilight muttered. “You did what had to be done. You are the princess of Ponyville, so I guess that law and order have to be followed more strictly now.” Rarity reasoned. “Yeah, by putting Rainbow into custody.” Applejack retorted. “This is insane! Why are we not finding out the truth of this mess and instead moping around the police station like a bunch of rug rats?” “She’s right.” Rainbow agreed, speaking on the other side of the reinforced glass wall. You guys go find out the truth behind all this. I can’t do anything right now in this place, so I trust all of you to help me solve this case. You’ll get me and my dad out of this…right?” She asked, anxious. “Of course.” Twilight replied, her confidence coming back as she assessed what had to be done. “I’m really sorry about…” “I said its ok. I know that you need to follow your princessesy rules and all, so don’t worry about me. I’m kind of guilty anyway.” She reassured. “Let go, Twily!” Pinkie added, patting her friend on the back. “What’s important now is that we need to find the mystery mare and save Equestria!” “Yeah!” They cheered, before realizing what Pinkie said. “Wait…what?” Rarity exclaimed before getting pushed out the door by an embarrassed Pinkie. “Don’t you mean Rainbow Dash?” “That too! Let’s go!” A few minutes later, and they were standing at the town square. During the short trip, Twilight had organized a list from a piece of scrap paper she had in her saddlebag. “Alright, we need to find information about Rainbow Blaze and the mystery mare before sundown, because the next day I think that the royal guards will have to send Rainbow Dash to Canterlot for trial, and we don’t know how long it will take for us to get her out of there if that happens.” “So are we going to spilt up, or what?” Rarity pondered. “Yes, but not here. Remember what Rainbow said about her dad?” “That he never visits?” Applejack guessed. “Exactly. He rarely sets hoof in Ponyville, so the only place that we can find information is Cloudsdale.” Announcing the location, she whistled, and a group of royal guards came into view, seemingly pulling a gigantic object from the skies. “Is that…the hot air balloon?” Pinkie said excitedly. “Yup. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie, could you stand over here for a second?” Twilight asked. The three stepped away and formed a circle. Raising her horn, a pink bubble surrounded the legs of the three and formed a strange inscription before disappearing with a flash. “Cloud Walking Spell?” Rarity said glumly. “Any chance you could…” “No. We’re not sightseeing this time, we’re finding information.” “Um…” They turned to see Fluttershy pawing the ground nervously. “I don’t know if this is important, but the houses of the pegasi in Cloudale are separated into islands. Only the main cities have cloud roads…” Rarity looked back at Twilight with a sarcastic smile on her face. “Ugh…fine…” She raised her horn again, this time with a more strained expression on her face as she concentrated. A purple wave of light began to surround the three ponies, and split into three individual bubbles as they were lifted into the air. The townspeople gasped as they witnessed the sight, bolts of lightning shooting off into random directions. “Get down!” Twilight yelled as the bubble exploded into a flash of light. When it cleared, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie stood up dizzily from the exposure, magnificent butterfly wings now present on their backs. “Now that’s more like it!” Rarity cheered ecstatically “Ugh…I look so stupid…” Applejack groaned. “No you don’t! This is so much fun!” Pinkie squeed, flying around the air in circles happily before being pulled back down by Twilight’s magic. “Well, since we can all fly now, I guess we don’t need the balloon.” She signaled to the guards and they nodded, taking off with it. “Me and Rarity will search the north side. Applejack and Pinkie will search the south. Fluttershy, you knew Rainbow Dash. Could you get in contact with her mother?” “Whaa…me? Ok…” She replied. “Sounds alright.” Applejack responded. “Well, I suppose.” Rarity admitted. “Good, we’ll keep back up here before sundown. Clear?” “CLEAR!” They cheered, and then flew off into their respective directions. Back in the hospital, Rainbow Blaze sat awkwardly on the bed beside an orange yellow mare, rubbing his head sadly in pain. “Quite the athlete Blaze, being beat up by your own daughter.” “Ow…” “Quite the failing actor as well. Any pony could see that you were pretending to sleep when I came. You fail at everything don’t you? Beat up by Rainbow Dash…now smacked his the face with my hoof.” “Would you shut up about that?” He snapped. “I didn’t think that she would be so violent! Also, did you think that I would actually hit her?!” “Well, that’s what you did to me.” “………………” “Look, I know that we agreed not to talk anymore with each other, but since you broke the treaty, I can too. You came into my sight, so now I’m free to insult you.” “You can’t be serious. After all this time you still have a grudge?” He spat. “Not a grudge…more like an distracting tick that never goes away.” “……Look. I know what I did, I know what I made you do, and I’m sorry. I really am. But could you not harm my daughter?” He begged. “I’m not going to hurt Rainbow Dash! Unlike you she’s likeable and one of Cloudsdale’s best racers.” “Then why are you here? What do you want with me?” “I’m just here to know why you came.” She responded solemnly. “I came because I told my wife the truth! I came because she kicked me out of the house and I had nowhere else to go! I CAME BECAUSE MY LIFE HAS BEEN DESTROYED EVEN MORE THAN YOURS SINCE THEN!!” He screamed. There was a terrible echo as the yell slowly drifted through the empty room. Luckily, the room itself was soundproof. The mare doubled back, her expression gone of hate and now with shock. “Wha…is that true?” She stuttered, stunned. “What did you think I was here for? To have another dandy round with the “Maiden of Terror”?” Blaze retorted, his eyes fierce. “I…um…” Rainbow Blaze sighed as he calmed himself down. “Look. I never wanted to do this with you. We were young, unthinking, and wild. I never wanted to get you into a mess. You can continue to think that I’m the biggest scum of the earth, but I stand my ground.” “………..I’m sorry.” “I know. Ugh…Look. Could you just do this thing for me? Tell Rainbow Dash the truth. Tell her everything. She needs to know. I’ll handle things with my wife. You take care of your student. If you want to…you can tell Scoots as well.” “But…wouldn’t she…” “It’s dumb to extend the fuse of a bomb only for it to explode with more power. She needs to know this sooner or later. Please.” The mare stood silently and stared out of the window. Foals were playing at the school playground, scoots yelling happily as she slid down a slide. “………I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter 5a: A Rare Sparkle“Whoa…” “Beautiful…” “Still as magnificent as the first time I saw them…” A group of male colts working in the cloud factory had formed a messy circle around Rarity, much to Rarity’s delight and Twilight’s annoyance. “Why thank you dears. You know, its been quite some time since I had these bad boys out, isn’t it Twilight?” She simpered, enjoying the attention. “Yes…and I regret doing it as bad as the first time.” Twilight groaned. “Look, stallions.” She exclaimed, blocking them from the view. “I understand that those wings are really pretty, but could you go back to work?” “Aw come on, princess.” One of them snickered. “You’re just jealous that your wings aren’t as great as Rarity’s.” “Oh for Celestia’s sake…” She groaned, slapping herself in the face. “Rarity, if you don’t follow me right now I’m going to remove those wings. Either you keep them, or I carry you the whole trip. Remember what happened last time?” “Oh don’t remind me.” Rarity gasped. “I didn’t remember eating that much that day. Oh well.” She waved to the drooling colts. “I suppose I’ll meet you boys later!” “Ok, bye!” “Call me” “I love you Rarity!” Blushing, she picked up the pace and flew back towards Twilight. “Well, its not unhealthy to receive a few compliments every now and then. I’ve gotten used to being a designer and not the model.” Rarity admitted. “I suppose. But as I told you before, what we need to do right now is find somepony who knows anything about Rainbow Blaze in the north corner of Cloudsdale.” “Isn’t that where the Equestria Games were held?” “Yes, but before and after that the stadium is used for training the Wonderbolts. I did a little research, and Rainbow Blaze was part of the elite team when he was young.” “The Elite Team?! Those positions are only for the best of the best!” “Exactly. Something must have happened that damaged his career from being a Wonderbolt Superstar and celebrity to…you know, a worker in the cloud factory.” Flying down, they saw groups of colts and mares dressed in uniforms training all around the giant stadium, with a familiar blue mane and white coat seen at the center. “Is…is that my brother?” “Oh! Twily!” The stallion turned around, and upon seeing Twilight, galloped towards her and embraced her graciously in a soft hug before letting go. “What are you doing here? Did Celestia ask you to supervise the Wonderbolts instead of me?” Shining Armor asked hopefully. “Um…No. We’re here to find out some information about Rainbow Blaze.” “Do you know him? Or do the other members know?” Rarity questioned. “I don’t seem to recall him at all, Twilight. I spent most of the time in the Guard Training Academy, so I don’t really know most of the Wonderbolts to be honest.” Taking the whistle hanging from his neck, he blew hard, causing all of the Wonderbolts to stop their training and immediately gather in front of him. “What is it, your Highness?” One of them asked politely. “Um…do you guys know who Rainbow Blaze is?” There was a short silence before a few of them started to chuckle. “Oh, Rainbow Blaze? Yeah, we know him.” “The one who always came first.” Another one added, causing most of them to laugh heartily from the perverse sense of humor. “What do you mean by that?” Twilight said, puzzled. “You don’t want to know…” Shining Armor replied. “Look guys, can you just tell my sister about Rainbow Blaze…without the satire? Save that for the evening.” “Oh don’t be such a party pooper. We were just kidding around. Lighten up a bit.” “If you don’t give me a firm answer in the next five seconds, I’ll lighten you up.” The laughter died instantly. Shining Armor used to be one of the most malicious pranksters in not just the guard academy but to other schools as well. Most of their memories with him were still strong. “Fine. Rainbow Blaze came here labeled as a gifted athlete fifteen years ago with me.” A slightly older colt came into view as the rest of the group stepped back. “My name is…” “Oh my gosh Oh my gosh Oh my gosh! CAPTAIN HORSEBUCKLE!!!” Rarity screamed. “You’re one of the best members of the elite!” She quivered. “Um…yes. Hello there.” “You’re…talking…to…me? Aah!” Rarity said before fainting over-dramatically onto one of the colts’ arms, much to their amusement. “Wow…really should have brought Applejack.” Twilight muttered quietly to herself, dragging her view away from the stallions carrying the fainted unicorn and back to Horsebuckle. “So you were friends with Rainbow Blaze?” “Best friends. We still hang out sometimes in the Cloudy Mare to have a drink and talk about stuff. Well, not as often as usual.” “Could you tell me anything about a mystery mare?” Twilight inquired. “There has to be some sort of connection between him, the mare, and the reason he quit his job.” “Mystery mare? The only mystery mare that I know he has is his wife!” “Wait…what?” “To be honest, I should have known from the start, when she first showed up in this stadium to set up the clouds for training. One look to both of them, and any-pony would know that he was a goner.” “But didn’t he try and keep it a secret until the final exams?” A mare asked. “Oh yeah, well he did, but at that time those two had already been dating under our snouts for a year or two. Good times, hearing him tell us when he was drunk during the senior prom. Remember how mad you were?” “Oh shut up. He was MY date!” The mare huffed, flying off to continue training. ”Was Rainbow Blaze kind of a ladies’ man?” Twilight assumed. “Oh boy, me and him used to be called the Hounds of Baskerville. Everywhere we went there was always a group of mares and colts worshipping us since we were such gifted athletes. To be honest, we could have sweet action any time we want.” “Sweet Action?” Twilight managed to say before Shining Armor placed his hoof on her mouth, giving Horsebuckle a very fierce stare. “Right…sorry. Yeah…it was a great life then. Famous, popular, and strong. But then, at the day of the finals, Rainbow Blaze quit the team and became one of the common workers in the cloud factory, and he married Firefly a year after that. It was a sad day for us but a lucky day for our captain. She only managed to join the team because Rainbow Blaze left. But now I’m sure that she can beat me and Blaze anytime.” “Who is the captain of the Wonderbolts?” “Spitfire. But I don’t think she is the mystery mare you’re looking for. She was the only pony who was jealous and did not get along with Blaze, and I never seem to see them around the same place. It’s pretty strange to be honest.” “That seems like a very possible suspect…” Twilight whispered to Shining Armor. “I don’t know about that.” Horsebuckle chuckled. “I may be older, but it doesn’t mean that my hearing isn’t as superior. Rainbow Blaze came across a LOT of mares in his peak…Cloudchaser…Clear Skies…Flitter…Flutter…all of them could be your suspects, to be quite honest with you.” “Ok. Thanks for the help.” Twilight nodded. “Oh, where did you take Rarity by the way.?” She added, almost forgetting. “She should be awake already. We threw her into one of the cloud cannons.” Dumb-bell replied. BOOM. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!” “…This is going to take longer that I thought.” Twilight groaned to herself as she watched the wonderbolts fly towards Rarity. “So…much…longer.” Author's Note Dear god Wonderbolts...I'm trying to make this story PG.
Chapter 5c: The Dropping Feather“Um…Miss Firefly, are you there?” The interior remained silent as Fluttershy continued to knock passively on the door. The curtains were drawn shut, with the plants outside withering due to the lack of water, as if the house had been deserted for years. “Did I get the directions wrong…I swear it was here…” Fluttershy murmured. Rainbow Dash always used to bring her here after flying practice to eat some snacks before returning home. She knocked on the door a few times more, hearing only the echo of the sound respond in annoyance. “Oh well, guess I should go back to Twi…” Her hopeful words were dashed as the door slowly creaked open. Closing the curtains once more, Firefly opened the door completely and stared at Fluttershy, her eyes strangely baggy. “Oh! Fluttershy, it’s been quite a while since I saw you last time. Take a seat, and I’ll go make some tea and biscuits.” Her cheerfulness was alarming. It sounded artificial, just like the tone of speech that the ponies in Starlight’s village spoke before getting back their cutie marks. “Um, is…” “Nope! Nothing wrong here!” She immediately replied. Fearing for another unexpected outburst, it was only safe to remain in her seat as the sounds of feverish behavior echoed in the dusty hallway. After 20 minutes, a loud bell was chimed as Firefly strolled back into the living room with a plate of iced cookies and a simmering teapot. Settling it down, she quickly poured the tea, causing it to spill as she started to ramble. “So, it’s been quite a while, huh Fluttershy?” She asked excitedly. “Er…you already asked that.” Fluttershy whimpered at the current awkwardness of the situation. “Oh I did? Silly me, I am quite the silly pony sometimes.” She giggled. “Yeah…the reason I came here is because I want to ask about Rainbow…” “Oh, dashie? She’s fine! Aren’t you her friend or something??” Bracing herself for the inevitable, Fluttershy continued. “No…Rainbow Blaze. Have you…” “Never heard of him!” Firefly snapped. “But isn’t he your…” “Nope, nope! No one that stupid deserves to be my husband! Nope, never, impossible!” She cried. Her tone had completely changed from artificial joy to panic. “Miss Firefly…” “Don’t Miss Firefly me! That’s what he does! When he screws up, sorry miss firefly! When he forgets to bring the gifts, sorry miss firefly!! I’m sick of him! I don’t want to see him any longer! I don’t even want to love him any longer!” She screamed, swiping the table angrily with her hoofs, causing the tableware and teapot to fly towards the wall before being caught by the raging pegasus. “……………………” Fluttershy watched, speechless. “Oh! And now I’m angry again! I hate being angry, because I have to clean up all the mess around this house including my own! That bloody stupid idiot! Why did I even marry him!!!” It was a strange sight. While insulting Rainbow Blaze with words that made Fluttershy cower in fear, she was at the same time placing the teapots back in place, fixing everything that was almost destroyed. “Are…are you ok?” Fluttershy whispered. “…………………Do I look ok?” Her voice had completely dropped to a low, sad growl. It was if she had aged 20 years since 5 seconds ago. “No…I mean yes! You do…” “Don’t worry Fluttershy. I’m sorry for losing my temper on you. Ugh…it’s just that it has been so long since I got the chance to talk to someone besides Blaze in this damned household.” The two sat down again, this time with Firefly’s expression completely given in, drooped with regret and sadness. “Do you mind if I ask anything about…um…Blaze?” Fluttershy questioned. “Go ahead.” Firefly mumbled. “Well, when me and my friends met him in Ponyville, he said something about Scootaloo.” She watched cautiously as Firefly took a deep breath, her hand shaking as she picked the teacup up. “Co…Continue.” “He said that Scootaloo was adopted?” “Yes…yes…I remember that.” “By any chance, is that true?” “………………I don’t know.” There was a faint stirring sound as Firefly stirred the remnants of what was in the teacup. “Did…did you not know that your own daughter was…well…” “I did…well, just now. After kicking my husband out, I contacted the hospital and requested for them to check up on my files.” “And what exactly did you find?” Fluttershy questioned, her own fear motivating her to keep delving for more information. “My…my real daughter was an miscarriage. When I was in the hospital, I fainted during the operation. When I came to, I was already at home, with Scootaloo placed neatly in my arms.” “I’m…I’m sorry.” “Don’t be. To be honest, I knew that my husband only did that for the greater good, as he personally knew that immediately knowing of my child’s death would devastate me. Still, for him to admit it to me now, when our relationship was during its most fragile moments…” “I’m sure that everything will work out…” Fluttershy weakly added, trying to go back to an optimistic tone. “The thing is…I don’t even know what am I doing anymore. Ever since I fell in love with him, its like I was instantly trapped within his grasp and control just like the other mares. Trying to hide it, failing massively, and eventually becoming another one of his toys…ready to use at anytime in any situation if he was in the mood.” “Don’t say that…” “It was true. But then…he changed drastically. Suddenly he was much more understanding and cautious of his surroundings, and suddenly I wasn’t his pet but his treasure. I foolishly fell for him even more, thinking that he had matured…so we married.” “You…you didn’t face any opposition?” “There was none. The girls who kept sticking with Blaze were just as much of a player as he was. That’s the reality of the teenage life. No one gives much of a damn if you destroy the school, if you create a giant party so loud that half of the residents can’t sleep. Everyone acts like a fool on the outside, but inside many can be cunning and deceive even the smartest of others. I understood that, but love caused me to ignore these problems and only look at him with a positive light. Only now do I actually feel foolish of ever loving him in the first place…how pathetic am I? “Don’t.” “Don’t?” Fluttershy was strangely trembling. She slowly placed her own teacup back on the table, her expression unknown, hiding her face as each syllable spoken was filled with anger. “Flutter…Fluttershy?” Firefly asked, both concerned and afraid. “DON’T EVER CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE PATHETIC!” Firefly stared at her in shock. Fluttershy had placed both of her hooves on the mother’s shoulders, her face streaming with tears. “Never…never consider yourself to pathetic. If you’re pathetic, then what in the hay am I? You managed to have the intelligence and skill to maintain a job at cloudsdale. You managed to become the boss of the cloud factory and lead over 200 ponies to control and maintain Equestria’s weather. Compared to me…I just take care of animals and critters in Ponyville! I wasn’t able to find a job in my own hometown, because I couldn’t have the confidence to even fly! Looking at all your achievements and successes, you can consider me as dirt!” “I, I would never…” “That’s exactly my point! No one is perfect, everyone has his or her flaws, but we will always find a way to fix it, no matter how bad it gets! Even your husband obviously has his problems, but did you even consider his own feelings and emotions when he decided to tell you the truth about Scootaloo?” “…………” “Me and my friends are trying to find the solution to this problem. Trust me, we’ll find the person responsible for this crisis and fix it! Miss Firefly, please don’t give up hope!” “I…I…” It was a bit hard not to be overwhelmed by Fluttershy’s sudden burst of determination. “I’ll be right back. Thanks for the information you told me, and the tea as well. Just remember that no matter what happens, you’ll have friends to help you.” Fluttershy concluded. Firefly watched awkwardly as the pony whisked into the sky at full speed, highly contrasting her initial slow hovering when she first arrived at the house. She looked over to the right, and stared at the knotted rope lying on the wooden stool. “Yeah…friends…” Author's Note Terribly sorry for the incredibly long hiatus. I'll keep it simple. It's due to a combination of both bad luck and my studies. To anyone who did not know, I had been suffering from an ulcer since July 2015, and in the middle of October severe stomach cramps forced me to go to the doctor, who revealed that the bacteria had formed a hole in my stomach and caused internal bleeding. Therefore, I was hospitalised for over 3 weeks for treatment. The following two months of January and February were the mocks of my final exams, and I could not find any time to focus on anything MLP-Related. I really am sorry for taking so long, especially towards Twilightisthebest, who just now I found to have tried to contact me the first few months. I'm not sure if I can continue writing the same speed I did during the summer, but I'll do the best I can. chankl2
Chapter 5b: Two Apples in a Bar“Woah, woah! Woah Nellie!” Applejack shouted in horror and annoyance as she flew messily across the clouds, doing cartwheels and loops as she spun out of control before being caught and brought back down to cloud ground by Pinkie. “These wings are horrible! They make me look stupid, both by appearance and what they do!” Applejack protested. “Aw don’t be so silly Applejack, you just need to learn to accept them!” Pinkie replied cheerfully, controlling her wings with relative ease. “I’ll accept these wings when Big Mac becomes an alicorn princess…” “What was that?” “Nothin. Where are we right now?” There was not much in this corner of the city. All they could see was a long track of clouds, and one single building in the middle, the sign bearing the words: The Weary Flier. Loud noises could be heard from within. “In the south of Cloudsdale, like Twilight said!” “Yeah…of course I know that. The problem is that there’s nothing to look for but inside that bar.” Applejack grumbled. “So why are you all grumpy then? We can get a drink while searching for clues!” “This is ridiculous. It’s bad enough that I had to show these ugly wings to everyone around me…but now I have to show them in a secluded area? Ugh…let’s get this over with. I give up.” Applejack sighed. She pushed open the fluffy door and it opened accordingly, revealing the inside of the populated bar. Ponies were separated into three different groups. Some were drinking at the bar counter, others were grouped at the tables, and the rest were gathered around a single table yelling and cheering wildly. “What the hay is going on…” Applejack groaned, pushing the colts and mares aside to get a better view of all the commotion. Two colts, both obviously in the shape of athletes were hoof-wrestling, their faces scrunched and hardy as they tried their best to push the other hoof down on the surface. A large pile of bits lay at the side as the rest of the ponies cheered. “SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY!” “RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE! RAZE!” The harder they pushed, the more the crowd cheered. With a final act, the black-feathered Pegasus gave out a cry of power as he brought the other colt’s hoof crashing onto the table. “YEAH! WHO IS THE CHAMPION?!” The winner roared. “SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY! SKY…” KABOOM. “PINKIE!” The whole party fell silent as the confetti fell slowly down from the ceiling from the explosion by the Party Cannon. “Erm…who are these two mares?” One of them asked. “I dunno…wait…what is that? Are those their WINGS??” “Look at them! They’re so…magnificent!” The crowd shifted its focus as they surrounded both Pinkie and Applejack, gasping in amazement and wonder as they poked and felt the wings of both ponies before being shoved back by Applejack, who was starting to get annoyed. “Ok boys…I know how “lovely” these wings are…but we came here to find information. Does any-pony know who Rainbow Blaze is?” “Rainbow Blaze?” The crowd murmured as they tried to remember the specific name. “Didn’t he come with you guys last time?” “Yeah, we took some drinks and partied a bit…” Applejack cleared her throat loudly to avoid the crowd going back into conversation. Rainbow Blaze was apparently very popular among the bar. “So he comes here often?” She asked, curious. “Yeah, we hang out here all the time. Have you seen him?” “Yeah…but he’s in the hospital.” Pinkie piped. “Pinkie!” Applejack interjected. But it was already too late as one of the members of the group stood out, his face both angry and apprehensive. “What do you mean that he’s in the hospital?!” “He encountered an unfortunate accident. We’re here to find out something about his past life in order to help him get free.” Applejack explained. “Get free from what?” The colt asked, still on the defensive side. “From being evicted from society. He…has been holding a foal under his care without a legal permit.” “You can get evicted from this town just because of that?!” “No…but eventually he will do it. His wife has already kicked him out of his house.” “…. Fine. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.” He sat down on one of the tables along with two other colts. Motioning over to Applejack and Pinkie, he moved over, inviting them to sit on the added space. The rest of the crowd slowly disappeared as the situation was settled. “So…who are you guys?” Applejack asked, sitting down. Pinkie had already got off her seat to order a vanilla smoothie. “My name is Skylight, and this is Razor and Nova. We’re Rainbow Blaze’s pals.” “Nice to meet you, missy.” Razor said, tipping his black fedora. “You have pretty nice wings.” Nova added, snickering a bit. “Erm…likewise. So you three along with Rainbow Blaze group together in this place in some evenings?" "Yup. More or less. It's just a colt thing, you know, happy hours after work without our managers or wives to scold us." Skylight grinned. "Well, save for Rainbow Blaze, he's got both big problems in one." Razor chuckled. "Ooh! What do you mean by that?" Pinkie questioned, coming back with her mouth full of foam before licking herself clean. "Firefly is both the manager of the cloud factory and Blaze's wife!" Nova laughed. "Wait...isn't Rainbow Blaze an athlete? Or a wonderbolt, to be specific?" Applejack asked. This was really getting confusing. "Used to be. Until he fell for Firefly. They used to hang out here so long the bartender always had to kick them out in the morning...but we all thought it was just a wild puppy love...then imagine how shocked everypony was when he joined the factory as a normal employee under her! We've been friends ever since...got the similar problems to face and stuff." "But why would he do that? Shouldn't a Wonderbolt have much more salary...oof!" Applejack grunted as Pinkie Pie slammed her hoof onto her face, her eyes teary and wet as she exploded with emotion. "How could you not understand, Applejack?! It's about the LOVE, not the money! Ooh...it's so sweet of him!" Pinkie squeed. "I dunno about that." Razor replied, a hint of satire in his tone. "Why?! It's true love! Nothing should stand in his way for his lover!" Pinkie yelled. "Because Rainbow Blaze never cared about the mares in his life. At the time, to him mares were just objects of desire...things to play with. To be honest...he was a player. Girls would fall for him so easily, and he took advantage of it." "So what you're saying is..." "There is no way Firefly and Rainbow Blaze could have married under normal circumstances." Applejack gasped. The word was now clear. Very clear. Blackmail.
